It had been five years since Jackie and Hyde had been together. It was December 22nd, 1974 and Hyde had been trying unsuccessfully since Sam had left to get Jackie back. But each and every time he tried to talk to her, she pushed him away in fear of getting hurt. She had been gone for six months on a trip to London and Hyde has missed her more than ever. He was sitting on the couch in his new apartment as Kitty ran around the living room trying to make it more decorative. The last few years hadn't been too joyful for him when the one person he wanted to be with couldn't stand the sight of him. He was so lost in his thoughts; he didn't even hear Kitty trying to talk to him.
"Steven?" She asked again.
Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he looked at her. "I'm sorry. What?"
"I asked if you were coming over for Christmas Eve." She said.
Hyde sighed. "Uh…well…sure."
"Everyone is coming." She said smiling.
"Even uh…" He started.
"Even Jackie?" She asked smiling.
Hyde smirked. "Uh yeah…even Jackie?"
Kitty nodded. "Yes. Donna said she would be home tonight."
Hyde sat up in his seat. "Oh really?
Kitty nodded. "Yes. Her flight lands at seven. Donna was supposed to pick her up…but the kids are all sick with the stomach flu." She said referring to Eric and Donna's twin daughters and their son.
Hyde grimaced. "Gross."
Kitty giggled. "So…I guess that means someone has to pick her up. Michael and Fez won't be here until tomorrow…and Red and I are supposed to go to Bob's for his annual Adult Christmas Party."
Hyde looked up at her. "Are you suggesting I pick her up?"
Kitty shrugged. "Well…I suppose you could. You don't have any other plans do you?"
Hyde cleared his throat. "No. I don't."
"Then you could pick her up…" She whispered.
Hyde rubbed a hand over his face. "I'm not sure that's the best idea Mrs. Foreman."
"Well why not?" She asked sitting next to him.
"Jackie's not too fond of me." He said looking down at his shoes.
"On the contrary…she loves you too much. That's what scares her." She said rubbing his back.
Hyde laughed. "Sure…if she really loved me…why would she keep turning me down?"
"Steven…I never said anything when we found out about Sam. But the truth is…I thought it was one of the stupidest things you have ever done." She said sadly.
Hyde closed his eyes. "You don't have to tell me that."
"Jackie was devastated after that. I mean…she became so cold and standoffish after. She wasn't herself. And trying to date Fez…well that was sure not anything she would ever do. I mean Steven…that girl loved you more than anything in the world." She whispered.
"No offense Mrs. Foreman…I just don't really want to talk about this. I wake up every morning with that hanging over my head and it's enough to slowly kill me so…please…" He whispered.
Kitty sighed. "Alright. Well…someone does need to pick her up."
Hyde nodded. "Uh sure. Yeah I'll pick her up. Seven you said?"
She smiled. "Yes. Seven o'clock sharp."
He smiled. "Ok then. I'll take care of it."
She patted his head. "I knew you would. See you tomorrow sweet heart."
Hyde smiled. "Yeah. See you tomorrow Mrs. Foreman."
When Kitty left, Hyde looked over at the clock and saw that it was already five. It was just two hours till he had to pick Jackie up. The thought of seeing her was more exciting than anything…but he was afraid of what her reaction would be. He laid back on the couch and closed his eyes quickly trying to catch a few moments of sleep before going to the airport. As he drifted off to sleep, his mind drifted to many years earlier when Jackie and he were together and happy.
Walking out of his
bedroom in the basement, Hyde spotted his beautiful girlfriend
fussing over something on the table. Walking around the couch, he
plopped down beside her and saw that she was just finishing up
wrapping a present. "Whose that for?" He asked. Jackie
smirked at him. "You of course." Hyde smiled. "Can I
open it now?" She shook her head. "Not until tomorrow
Steven." Smirking, he leaned forward and began to nibble on
her ear. "Please…" He purred. She shivered. "Steven!
No!"
He giggled and moved
his lips down to her neck. "Come on baby…you know you want to
tell me." Her eyes fluttered shut. "You're not playing
fair." "All is fair in love and war…" He whispered in
her ear.
Jackie pouted. "It's
not like you will tell me what you're getting me! I've been
asking you for three weeks for a hint." Hyde pulled back.
"Well I'm not telling you." "Then I'm not telling
you." She said leaning back and crossing her arms over her chest.
Hyde looked at her
out of the corner of her eye and saw the stern look on her face and
it made him smile. As tough as she tried to act, she was a softie at
heart. He knew that with one little touch her icy exterior would melt
and she would be putty in his arms. Leaning forward, he kissed her
cheek gently and he felt her stiffen at first. But when his lips
pressed to the corner of her mouth he felt her relax in his
arms. "Come on Jacks…baby…doll…we don't have to
fight." He said. Jackie shrugged. "I'm not fighting
Steven." He nuzzled her and rubbed her side with his hands.
"Then why won't you kiss me baby?" He asked as he latched his
lips to her neck, sucking gently. Her breath hitched slightly.
"Mmmm….Steven…." "There's my girl…." He
whispered as he felt her breaking slowly.
"God Steven…how do you do that?" She asked moving her hand to his head, latching his fingers to his curls.
"I'm gifted."
He smirked against her neck. "And you…taste so damn good." He
said as be began to suck again. "Steven…I love you." She
said sighing as she leaned back on the couch. He smiled and
rubbed his nose against hers. "Right back at ya doll." "I
just want to make it a perfect Christmas Steven. I want the Christmas
I always wanted as a kid." She whispered to him.
Hyde saw the look in
her eyes and he saw the pain she had been trying to hide for years.
He put his hand out to her and pulled her body to him. "It's
going to be alright Jackie. It will be a great Christmas…" Jackie nuzzled into her boyfriend's body. "Never leave me
Steven. I couldn't take it." He kissed the top of her
head. "I won't Jacks. I promise I won't."
"Steven?" He heard which snapped him out of his daze.
He blinked his eyes a few times. "Uh…hey."
She stared at him confused for a moment. "What are you doing here?" He asked.
He looked down and then back up at her. "Uh…Eathan, Liana and Sarah have the stomach flu." He said. "So…I'm here to pick you up."
"Were Fez, Michael, Kitty and Red busy too?" She asked hand on hip.
He nodded his head slowly. "Yes."
She sighed. "So they sent you?"
He nodded again. "Yes."
She huffed. "Well that's just great."
"Look Jackie…I mean…I-" He said stuttering.
"Well are you going to help me with my bags or do I have to carry them myself?" She asked.
He straightened up. "No. Of course not. Where are the rest of your bags?"
"Follow me." She said swinging her purse over her shoulder and walking towards the baggage claim.
Hyde followed quietly behind her. "So uh…how was your trip?" He asked walking quickly to try and keep up with her.
"Fine." She said shortly.
"Fine?" He said laughing. "That's it? You were in Europe for six months…and that's all you can say?"
She turned to glare at him. "Don't start with me."
Hyde stopped slowly. "Jackie I'm not trying to start anything…I'm just trying to be friendly."
She saw the sadness in his face. "Oh. I'm sorry…it was…fabulous. Just what I needed."
He smiled. "Good. You deserved a nice vacation."
She smiled softly. "Well…thank you. I'm sorry…I just wasn't expecting to see you. Our goodbye before I left didn't go so well."
"Yeah…I guess it didn't." He said sadly as he remembered it.
Jackie was packing up her clothes for her trip in her apartment that she shared with Fez. Hearing a knock on her bedroom door, she turned slowly expecting to see Kelso or Fez. Instead, she came face to face with none other than Steven Hyde. She sighed, lately he had been so sweet to her and it was almost pulling her in again. But she shook her head knowing that she had to stay strong in order to protect her heart.
"Steven. What are
you doing here?" She asked. "I uh…just wanted to say bye
before you left." He explained.
She smiled softly.
"Oh. Well thank you." "Are you almost ready?" He
asked, trying to make casual conversation.
"Just about. But
I'm going to need another suit case to fit the rest of my shoes."
She said. Hyde chuckled. "Of course." Jackie
smirked. "Steven you can never have enough shoes. I mean…you
never know what you're going to be doing. Each occasion calls for a
different type of shoe to go with a different type of outfit." He
smiled. "Jackie…no matter what you will be wearing or what shoes
you have on…you always look beautiful." Her face blushed
instantly. "Oh…well…uh thanks Steven." He nodded.
"Don't mention it." Feeling nervous, she turned back to
her suit case trying to avoid his baby blue eyes. "So…is that all
you came here for? To say goodbye?" He took a deep breath
and walked towards her bed. "No actually…it's not." She
looked up at him. "Oh?" "I uh…wanted to talk to you
about something." He said. She zipped up the suit case and
looked up at him. "Sure…what is it?" "Well…you
see…the thing is…" He said nervously fidgeting as he sat on the
side of her bed. "Steven…what?" She asked
impatiently. "I was wondering if when you got back…I mean
I know that this trip is really important to you. You know you said
it was about finding yourself and all. But I was just wondering if
that meant it would take you away from…" He sighed. "When you
get back…do you think…we could go on a date?" Jackie's
eyes widened with surprise. "What?" "I mean…I just
thought that you and I could-" He said moving to stand up. "Steven
there is no you and I anymore." She said sternly. Hyde's
eyes caught her cold stare and he shivered. "Well…no I know we
aren't together now. But I thought that maybe we could-" "No.
No you shouldn't be thinking about anything that has to do with the
two of us Steven." She said looking down at the zipper of her suit
case. Hyde swallowed hard. "I don't…why?" "Well
because." She said standing up straight. "Because?" He
asked trying to stifle a laugh. "That's your answer?
Because?" "Yes. Do you have a problem with that?" She
asked glaring at him. He laughed. "Well yeah…I do." She
put her hand on her hip. "And just what are you going to do about
it?" "Jackie I don't understand. Why can't there be an
us anymore?" She was about to open her mouth when he put his hand
up. "And don't say 'because'…that's not a proper
answer." She sighed. "Fine. You want a proper answer? Then
I'll give you one!" "Ok." He said leaning into
her. "Because you broke my heart Steven Hyde." His face
began to fall. "You broke my heart and no one is ever going to be
able to fix it." She said as her eyes began to tear up. "Jackie-
He started. "Do you have any idea what you did to me when
you picked Sam?" She asked. He sighed. "That was years
ago." He pleaded with her. "And yet, it still hurts just
as much as it did the first day." She said letting the first tear
fall.
Hyde sighed. "Jackie
if I could take away that pain from you I would." "Would
you?" She challenged. He put a hand on her cheek. "Of
course I would Jackie. I love you." She felt her eyes close
as his strong hands caressed her face. "Steven…" "I
was a stupid, immature boy then Jackie. I didn't understand how
much we had…how I would lose you. How I would lose my whole world…"
He paused. "But you have to know that I never meant to hurt you. I
could never intentionally hurt you." Jackie felt her heart
ache for a moment and then she remembered how cruel he had been to
her when he first picked Sam. Her eyes snapped open and they showed
all the pain and fury that had built up in her tiny form. "Well
it's to late Steven." She said pulling away from him. Hyde
felt her slipping away and his pulse quickened. "No. It's not."
She nodded. "Yes
it is Steven." He grabbed for her hand just as she tried to
make a break for the door. "Why is it too late?" "Because."
She said again. "That's not a real answer…" He
reminded her trying to smile softly. "Because I don't love
you anymore." She whispered.
"You heard me." She said standing
up straight. "I don't love you anymore." Hyde shook his
head. "You don't mean that." She took a deep breath. "Of
course I do." Hyde looked down and then back up at her.
"Jackie…I still love you. And I know you love me too." She
shook her head. "I don't. I stopped loving you the moment you
chose that skank over me." She said. He shook his head. "No
you didn't! I know you didn't! You wouldn't have picked fights
with me…you wouldn't have teased her if you didn't care!" She
shrugged. "Shows how much you know about me Steven or love for that
matter. I don't love you…I may have at one point. But that's
over." Hyde began to get angry since he know she was lying.
"Stop lying Jackie." "I'm not lying." She said
laughing. "And to tell you the truth…I don't know how I ever
could have loved you in the first place." He glared at her.
"What's that supposed to mean?" "It means…I'm of
high class Steven." She said hand on hips. "I come from a well
established family. I'm beautiful and I could have any guy in the
world…and you…" She said gesturing to him. "You come from a
low class family…you're mother lied to you about who your father
was for years. And both your mother and Bud were nothing but
disgusting burn outs, and so are you. You'll never amount to
anything Steven. You'll be living in the Foreman's basement
forever and you'll be all alone. You're a degenerate Steven…a
stupid degenerate who isn't worthy of love. I was young and stupid
when I thought that I could be in a relationship with you but no I
know better. I deserve more…and you could never give me what I
want. I'm better than you and I always will be Steven, that just
the way it is." Hyde's heart was beating so hard he
thought it was going to bust through his chest. "I can't believe
you would say those things…" "Well I did. And I meant
every word." She said putting her arms over her chest. She huffed. "And where have I heard that before?"
She asked sarcastically. He looked down as he reached the
door. "I hope you find whatever it is you're looking
for." "Goodbye Steven." She said turning on her heal and
walking to her bedroom before slamming the door shut.
Hyde pulled his
hand back. "What?"
Hyde
nodded his head as he backed off. "Ok then. Have a nice trip
Jackie."
Sighing, Hyde made his way out into the hallway before shutting the door and walking away from her once again. This time…not by choice.
Snapping back to reality, Jackie and Hyde had to face how they had left things before she left. Clearing his throat, Hyde grabbed her bags from her.
"The uh…the Camino is out front." He said.
She nodded. "Oh…thanks."
They walked in silence and filled up the car and began to make their journey back to Point Place. The roads were a bit icy because it had begun to rain onto of the snow that had been down for a few days.
"So uh…did you talk to Fez?" He asked.
She sighed. "Yes. He sold the apartment."
He nodded. "Yeah. He moved in with his girlfriend Cassie."
"Mrs. Foreman said that I could stay with them until I find a new place." She said.
"Oh. Good." He said.
"I'm sure I'll sleep in Laurie or Eric's room since you're in the basement." She said.
Hyde looked over at her quickly. "I actually moved out about a month ago."
Her eyes widened with surprise. "Oh? Really?"
"Yeah. I got an apartment a few minutes from their place. Mrs. Foreman wanted me stay close." He explained.
"Oh. Well that's great." She said.
He shrugged. "I figured I'm 24 now…it was time to move on."
She smiled softly. "Sure. I bet Mrs. Foreman was sad to see you leave…"
"She cried for nearly three days." He said laughing. "And my fridge has been full since I moved in. She drops by every two days with more food for me. I guess she is afraid I'll starve without her."
She laughed. "She loves you."
He nodded. "Yeah. She does…"
"And you care about her…" She said.
He sighed. "I do. She's been great to me…Mr. Foreman too."
"Um…so what else is new? I heard Brooke was pregnant again." She said.
Hyde nodded. "Yeah. She's four months along or so."
"That's great. How is Michael taking the news?" She asked.
"He's pretty excited. He wants to name the kid Pink Floyd whether it's a boy or girl." He said laughing.
Jackie rolled her eyes. "Oh God…what did I ever see in him?"
Hyde huffed. "Who knows?"
"And Betsy? How's she taking it?" She asked.
"I don't know if she fully understands what it means. I mean she's only five…but she says she is excited to be a big sister." He said.
"I've missed her." Jackie said looking out her window. "I brought her back a few presents."
"Any matching outfits?" He teased.
Jackie glared at him and smirked. "As a matter of fact…three!"
Hyde smiled. "Of course."
She looked down. "Steven?"
"Yeah?" He asked keeping his eyes on the road.
"I…just wanted to apol-" She started.
He shook his head. "Don't worry about it Jackie."
"But Steven I-" She tried desperately.
"Just…don't." He said smiling. "It's fine. I deserved it."
She shook her head. "You didn't."
"Jackie…let's just forget about it ok?" He pleaded. "Please…"
She was silent for a moment and then nodded her head. "Ok…if that's what you want."
"That's what I want." He said softly.
"Ok." She said trying to smile.
The rest of the ride was silent until they pulled up in front of the Foreman's. Hyde grabbed her bags as they made their way in. They walked through the slider in the kitchen and then into the living room where they saw Kitty doting on Red.
"Hi." Jackie said.
Kitty turned quickly to them. "Oh sweetie!"
"Hi!" Jackie said running over to hug her before turning her attention to Red who was lying on the couch and he looked to be in pain. "Oh God…Red what happened?"
"I'm fine." Red said trying to stand up to say hi to her.
"Red don't be stupid." Kitty said helping him back down. "You threw your back out."
"How did he do that?" Hyde asked.
"He was trying to put salt on the driveway to make it less slippery and he fell on the ice. I swear you could hear his back cracking all the way in the kitchen." She said sadly.
"Oh no Red. I'm so sorry." Jackie said sitting next to him. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
"I don't think so kid." He said. "I'm just getting old."
Kitty sighed. "Unfortunately Jackie…with Red down and out I don't think I'm going to be able to let you stay here like I promised. It's not that we don't want you here…it's just that I need to focus all my attention on Red."
Jackie nodded. "I completely understand Mrs. Foreman. Don't you worry about me. I will be just fine in a hotel."
Red sighed. "Now Kitty she can't stay in a hotel."
"Well maybe she could crash on Fez's couch?" Kitty asked.
"We can't put her through that Kitty." Red said. "They can't keep their hands off each other for more than three minutes."
Jackie smiled. "Don't worry about it…I'll figure it out."
"Well Michael and Brooke are re-doing the house to make more room for the new baby. And the kids are sick at Eric and Donna's…" Kitty said.
"Honestly…don't worry about it." Jackie said.
"Well why don't you stay with Steven?" Kitty asked.
Red groaned. "Kitty…"
"Mrs. Foreman…" Jackie said. "I…I don't think…"
"Steven you wouldn't have a problem with that would you?" She asked.
Hyde looked at Jackie. "I…don't want you stuck in a hotel on Christmas Jackie. You're more than welcome to stay with me."
"Well…are you sure about that?" She asked.
Hyde nodded. "If you want too…"
"Well than it's settled." Kitty said triumphantly. "Jackie will stay with Steven."
"Great." Jackie said trying to smile.
"Yeah. Great." Hyde said.
"Well why don't you get Jackie all settled in." Kitty said. "I need to tend to Red."
Jackie nodded. "Uh…sure…"
"Yeah. Come on." Hyde said reluctantly leading Jackie back out to the car.
When they were gone Red sat up straight. "I can't believe you talked me into this Kitty."
"Well we weren't lying about you falling on the ice." She said.
"But I didn't throw my back out. Jackie could have stayed here." He said.
"Red…it was just a little white lie in hopes that Jackie and Steven could get back together." She said.
"Or…it will turn into a blood bath when Jackie murders him." Red said.
"Red can you honestly tell me that Jackie and Steven aren't meant to be together?" She asked.
Red sighed. "Steven and Jackie are great together. Everyone knows that. But…Steven ruined the chances for them to be together again."
"People make mistakes Red. But when people truly love each other…they will always find their way back to one another." She said.
"Well I hope you know what you're doing Kitty. If this ends badly…it's your fault." He said.
"I swear everything will turn out for the best." Kitty said. "Trust me."
Red shrugged. "Ok. Well I'm going to go get a beer so the next time someone comes over I won't have to fake not being able to walk." He said smirking.
"And a merry Christmas to you too Red." She said laughing.