Where You Belong

Summary: My version of the series finale. Jackie has run into the arms of Fez after learning of Hyde's marriage, but does she really love him? And what will happen when Sam leaves? Will Hyde realize his mistake before it's too late, or will he lose Jackie completely?

Disclaimer: If I owned That 70's Show, this is the way it would've ended.

A/N: The impending finale of That 70's Show has left me feeling slightly depressed, thanks to all signs pointing to a Jackie/Fez ending instead of a Jackie/Hyde reconciliation, and I know that many people have already written their own versions of the final episode, but I've decided to try my hand at it as well. To all those who have written an alternate ending for the show, you have all done an amazing job, and I wish the show could end the way I'm sure most of us would like. Unfortunately, the writers are mean, and so we must rely on Fanfiction to cheer ourselves up. Now, this story begins where season 8 did, with the episode "Bohemian Rhapsody," however, I have not yet seen this episode, so please forgive me if things in it don't quite match up to the episode. I read a general synopsis, but I have probably changed some things to make them go along with where I want this story to head, so just keep that in mind! Anyway, here is my little "the way it should end" version of the final episode of That 70's Show – enjoy and please review! I live and breathe for reviews!

Chapter One – What Happens in Vegas…

Hyde's head felt like it had been bashed in with a two-by-four. He tried to open his eyes, but the pain was so intense that he immediately shut them again and pressed a hand to his throbbing temple. The room was far too bright, and the sounds issuing from outside far too loud. He groaned loudly and turned onto his side, curling up into a tiny ball and squeezing his eyes shut tightly, trying to block out the tiniest hint of noise or light. When the pain refused to subside, he gingerly rolled out of bed and started stumbling towards where his door would have been had he been in his room in the Forman's basement. Unfortunately for Hyde, he wasn't in the Forman's basement, and his shin collided sharply with an ottoman. Swearing loudly, Hyde lost his balance and fell forward onto the floor, where he lay for a full minute, waiting for the room to stop spinning.

Finally, when he was able to see straight, he slowly and carefully climbed to his feet, staring confusedly around him at the unfamiliar room. The walls were painted a sickening avocado green, which was peeling and exposing an even more disgusting color, which appeared to have once been white but was now closer to yellowish gray. The bed where he had slept was lumpy, the sparse blankets tattered and torn. A dark green chair was sitting in the corner, the ottoman Hyde had tripped over sitting a few feet in front of it; both were ripped, and one arm of the chair had stuffing spilling out. The window was grimy, the curtains covering it so thin they blocked out absolutely no light. Next to the bed was a tiny table, which looked like it hadn't been dusted in years. A single lamp with a fringed shade sat on it, along with a telephone and an alarm clock that repeatedly blinked "12:00."

"Huh," Hyde muttered, scratching his head. He didn't remember the room at all, and had absolutely no idea how he had possibly gotten here. His headache was beginning to dissipate, however, and he hoped that with a clear head he would be able to remember what the hell had happened to him. Noticing a piece of paper next to the alarm clock, he hobbled over to the little table, his shin still hurting, picked it up and sat down on the bed to read the note that had been hastily scribbled there.

Baby,

Sorry I had to leave before you woke up, but my shift at the club starts early today. I'll be home late again, but order some room service and we'll have some fun when I get back.

Love you,

Sam

Hyde stared at the note, reading it over and over again until recollection began to dawn on him. He remembered Sam, the hot blonde stripper he had met in Vegas after fleeing from Jackie's hotel room in Chicago. He cringed as he thought about that night, remembering all too vividly the surprised look on Jackie's face when she saw him, the words he had almost confessed to her, and the shock of seeing Kelso stroll in wearing nothing but a towel. Shaking his head vigorously to dispel the image from his mind, Hyde looked down at the note again. Although he could clearly remember Sam and could cleverly deduce what the two of them had been doing in the hotel room, though he sadly couldn't remember any of it, he couldn't figure out why she had claimed she loved him.

A panicky feeling began to constrict his chest, and Hyde tossed the note onto the bed. Glancing quickly around the room, he spotted his old duffle bag and went quickly to it, stuffing in the random articles of clothing that lay scattered around it. When his bag was packed, he headed to the door, but stopped short and turned, staring around the Spartan room. Then, striding purposefully into the dingy bathroom, he grabbed all the tiny bottles of soaps and shampoos, stuffed them into his pockets, and then hurried out.

A few hours later, sitting behind the wheel of his El Camino, Hyde was contemplating, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Unfortunately, he seemed to be missing some. He couldn't for the life of him remember why he and Sam had been staying in the hotel; all he knew was that he'd had to get out of there. Her note had frightened him; it had seemed so…intimate. Like the two of them had been sharing something special and were really getting to know one another. Hell, the woman had said she loved him, and Hyde couldn't even remember checking into the goddamn hotel with her! As he sped down the highway, noticing the sign that told him he had just entered Wisconsin, Hyde fervently hoped he had gotten away without having done something incredibly stupid, although the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach told him otherwise.

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Jackie burst through the basement door of the Forman's house, face flushed and heart pounding. Her eyes lit on Kelso, who was standing near the record changer, and she stepped up to him.

"Where's Steven?" she asked through clenched teeth, her eyes boring into his.

Kelso took a step back, wary of her angry countenance. "Uh…" he looked around the room for help, but the others in the basement could only offer him blank stares. They had neither seen nor heard from Hyde in several weeks.

"Michael!" Jackie snapped, bringing his eyes back to her. "Where. Is. Steven." She pronounced the words clearly, dangerously, and Kelso's panic heightened.

"Jackie, look, I never meant for any of this to happen," he began.

Jackie screeched in frustration and launched herself at him, her tiny fists pounding his arms and chest as he backed away hastily and held up his hands in an attempt to defend himself against her attack. "You better tell me where he is, Michael!" Jackie continued to scream, each word punctuated by a fist to his body.

Kelso had backed himself into the wall and could now only stand helplessly as Jackie continued to pummel him. His steady screams of, "Ow!" and "Jackie, stop!" finally seemed to break through the stunned daze of the other two, who both quickly rose from their seats and hurried to his rescue.

Donna pried the struggling Jackie away from Kelso as Fez rushed to Kelso's side to make sure Jackie hadn't marred his beauty. Satisfied that he was okay, Fez turned to stare at Jackie, who was still squirming to be out of Donna's grasp.

"Damn, Jackie!" Kelso cried, rubbing his arm. "I'm gonna have bruises all over!"

"Serves you right after what you did!" Jackie spat back, straining against her captor.

"Jackie, enough!" Donna cried, struggling to keep a tight hold on the wriggling cheerleader. "Calm down and tell us what happened."

Twisting sharply, Jackie broke free, and Kelso gave a high-pitched shriek of fear, flattening himself against the wall. Jackie didn't dive at him, however, but simply straightened her blouse and walked calmly, albeit stiffly, to the couch where she sat down with a huff.

"Why don't you ask him what happened?" she said tartly, inclining her head in Kelso's direction.

Two pairs of eyes swung to Kelso, who slowly moved off the wall and walked around the side of the couch, watching Jackie cautiously out of the corner of his eye. When he was sure she had calmed down enough and wouldn't kill him the minute he opened his mouth, Kelso turned to the other two.

"It all started when I dropped Jackie off in Chicago. We had just gotten her all settled in her hotel room, and I was getting really bored," he ignored a furious look from Jackie, "so I told her I should probably get going. But she was really lonely and begged me to stay," Jackie leapt to her feet, and Kelso yelped and backed away. "Hey! I'm just trying to tell the story here!"

"Then tell it right," Jackie spat, glaring daggers at him. She glanced at her two friends, who were both watching her closely, as if she might turn and attack them too. "For the record, I did not beg him to stay," she said, and then sat back down, fixing her eyes straight ahead, seemingly determined to ignore them.

Kelso shook the hair out of his eyes, and continued in a macho voice, "Well, I knew she wanted me, so I started putting the moves on her. Next thing I know, I'm in a towel bringing ice back into the room and there's Hyde. He looked pretty pissed, and I don't blame him, considering what Jackie and I…"

"Michael!" Jackie's piercing shriek cut through the silence that had permeated the basement. She had jumped up from the couch and was about ready to march over to Kelso and rip off his most prized possessions when Fez thankfully came to his senses and instinctively flung out his arm to catch her around the waist.

Donna shot Kelso a warning look that told him if he said one more stupid thing, she wasn't going to stop Jackie next time. "I think we should hear Jackie's side of the story now."

"You mean the truth?" Jackie snapped, her eyes narrowed to angry slits as she glowered at Kelso. "Fine." She pushed roughly at Fez's arms, and he let her go, throwing Donna a bewildered look.

She shrugged, as clueless as he, and sat down tentatively next to her friend. "What happened, Jackie?" Donna asked quietly.

Jackie took a deep breath. "Michael had dropped me off and helped me get settled in the hotel room, and he was getting ready to leave when I asked if he wanted to stay for a while. I didn't know anyone in Chicago, and I was still upset about leaving Steven the way I had, and I really just needed a friend," Jackie explained, and then shot Kelso a threatening glare. "Of course, Michael took my invitation to hang out as a come-on and thought it meant I wanted to sleep with him, so he started hitting on me. I got really upset with him, told him I was going to take a shower and when I got out he'd better have ice and a different attitude, and when I got out of the shower, he was gone, so I figured he'd decided to listen to me and was out getting the ice. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door, and I thought it was Michael, but when I opened it, Steven was there. He said he wanted to talk to me, so I let him in, and then Michael came back with the ice wearing nothing but a towel. Steven got upset, accused me of cheating on him, and stormed out. And I haven't seen either one of them until now."

Donna and Fez were silent for a long time, allowing Jackie's words to absorb into their systems. They knew Jackie had gotten a job offer in Chicago, and she had been agonizing over going, warring with the opportunity of a lifetime and leaving the love of her life. Donna alone knew that Jackie had written Hyde a note, asking him to marry her, but had ultimately decided she already knew the answer, and had left, not wanting to hear the words she knew would come but would break her heart anyway. Hyde had showed Donna the note shortly after Jackie's departure, asking her advice. She had been the one to suggest he go after her and tell her how he felt if he didn't want to lose her, and she felt irrationally guilty now for the scene he had witnessed upon his arrival in Chicago.

"Um…can I ask one quick question?" Fez spoke, startling the silenced crowd. He looked at Kelso. "Why were you wearing just a towel?"

Jackie folded her arms across her chest and gave her ex-boyfriend a stern look. "That's what I'd like to know."

"Jackie was in the shower!" Kelso cried, as if they should have already guessed his motives. "I thought maybe I could join her after I'd gotten the ice, but then Hyde had to go and ruin the whole thing!"

"Kelso!" Donna shouted, exasperated, while Jackie just rolled her eyes.

Kelso sighed and took a step in Jackie's direction. "Look, Jackie, I really am sorry. I honestly didn't think Hyde was gonna show up like that! Ow! Donna, what the hell!" He rubbed his arm, staring crossly at the redhead who had just punched him in the shoulder.

Jackie shook her head at him. "Michael, you just left. You didn't even try to explain to Steven what had happened. You could've told him the whole thing was innocent."

"Well, it wasn't really innocent. I was trying to nail you – ow! Dammit, Donna, would you quit hitting me?"

"You dillhole, she means that you could've explained to Hyde what was going on instead of running away like a coward and letting him jump to conclusions that, however hard you may have tried, didn't happen," Donna said.

Kelso looked back and forth between the two angry women, mouth agape. "He was gonna kill me! If I'd stayed, it would've been like suicide!"

Jackie sighed in frustration, finally exhausted with fighting him. "Fine, Michael, but you are telling Steven exactly what happened right now so he and I can make up and I can go to bed."

The room was deathly silent again, and nervous twitches seemed to travel from one person to the next as they stood, avidly avoiding the petite brunette's gaze. Even Kelso looked slightly embarrassed as he studied a scuffmark on his Chucks.

"What now?" Jackie half-whined, half-screamed.

"Jackie," Donna began hesitatingly, "we…we don't know where Hyde is."