Hey guys! Thanks so much for sending in the reviews! It gives me the motivation I need to continue writing! Here is the next chapter. I hope you like it! Send in a review and I'll make sure to update real soon! Thanks again!
The next morning, Jackie woke up and walked out into the living room. Fez wasn't awake yet which was fine by her, she wasn't ready to face anyone yet. Last night, she had stayed up until late thinking about the situation she had found herself in. There was something in the way that Steven had tried to talk to her last night that made her think he was going to try and win her back…
Deep down in her heart she wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms and pretend that last few months hadn't happened yet. She knew she loved him, she would always love him. But she also knew that this time around she had to protect herself and the only way to do that would be to get as far away as possible from Point Place and Steven Hyde…
Changing quickly, Jackie grabbed her coat and keys and made her way out to her car in the parking lot. She drove the familiar roads of Point Place over to the one place she felt would be safe at least for a little while.
Red heard the jingle of the bells on the door of the muffler shop and looked up to see who was coming in so early. He smiled sadly when he saw the petite raven haired girl walking towards him at the front desk.
"Well good morning Jackie…" He said as she walked all the way up to him. "It's a little early for you to be up isn't it?"
She smiled and leaned against the desk, "I couldn't really sleep…"
He nodded slowly and sat down on the stool behind the desk. "There was a lot going on last night…I don't doubt that you had trouble sleeping."
She smiled sadly and rested her chin in her palm. "Why can't I get over him Mr. Forman?"
He frowned and shrugged his shoulders. "Because you love him…"
She sighed and stood up again as she smoothed her hands over the surface of the desk. "I wish I didn't…"
He shook his head and smiled at her. "We both know that's not true…"
She bit her lip and looked down at her hands, "Mr. Forman I can't stay here…"
Red sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I had a feeling you were going to say something like that…"
She smiled and looked back up at him. "It just hurts to much…and I know everyone keeps saying maybe I can just forgive him and we can get back together. But even if I tried it would be too complicated. I know I wouldn't really be able to let him all the way in and we would fight even more than we did before."
Red nodded. "I can understand that…but if it counts for anything I do know that he loves you."
She smiled sadly feeling the tears build behind her eyes, "But maybe sometimes love isn't enough…"
"Maybe not…" He whispered back before he walked around the desk. "I know there is no use in trying to talk you into staying…"
"No there really isn't…I've made up my mind. And I've been told I can be pretty stubborn." She said with a small smirk.
He chuckled. "Yes you can be…" He leaned against the desk and crossed his arms over his chest before turning to her with a serious expression. "Do you have a plan?"
"Kind of…" She said as she hopped up on the desk and crossed her legs, "My Dad set up an account for me before he went to jail…I've always been hesitant to use it but I think I'll take advantage of it now. It's enough money to get me on the road and figure out where I want to go from there…"
Red sighed and shook his head. "I don't like the idea of you out on the road by yourself…you could get hurt."
She laughed sadly and shrugged. "Red I got hurt plenty sitting in this small ass down…what more can they do to me out there in the big bad world?"
He grimaced. "A lot worse than breaking your heart…"
Her cheeks flushed and she had to look away, Red always had a way of breaking her down. He was the father she never had and she never wanted to disappoint him. She knew he was only concerned…and he had every right to be. Her plan had a lot of holes in it and she also knew there was a lot of dangerous things out there.
But at this moment in time, it didn't really feel like it mattered. Any pain that the world could throw at her had to hurt less than how she was feeling right now. She had to get away, had to have a change of pace to finally figure out what she was going to do with her life.
If she had any hope of either getting over Steven or finding it in her to forgive him, she had to leave this place.
As she looked back up at him, she let a small tear fall from the corner of her eye. "I know. But…I can't stay here anymore."
Red huffed and then walked over to one of the cars he had been working on, he leaned against it and looked back at her quickly. "Fine. There's no use in arguing with you about this because I know I won't win. But you need to make me a few promises Jackie…"
She smiled and hoped off the desk before walking towards him, hands on her hips. "And what would those promises be?"
He pointed his finger at her and put his other hand on his hip before saying seriously, "As soon as you settle in somewhere you call me and tell me where the hell you are."
She chuckled and nodded her head before crossing her arms over her chest. "Okay."
He didn't let her talk any further as he continued his rant, "And you make sure you live in a decent apartment…not some shit hole where the landlord will take you for all that your worth."
She rolled her eyes. "Red, when would I ever settle for some shit hole apartment? I'm Jackie freaking Burkhart for Christ sake…"
He ignored her comment and continued again, "You make sure you get the oil checked in your car regularly so you don't run it into the ground."
"I can check my own oil Red." She said with a smirk, "You taught me that years ago remember?"
"And you make sure that you don't stay away forever." He said crossing his arms over his chest as he started to get chocked up.
She smiled at him. "Aw…are you going to miss me Mr. Forman?"
He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I wouldn't say I'm going to miss you…you're just the least annoying out of Eric's dumbass friends. You keep those idiots in line so I'm dreading the stupid things they will do without you around."
She laughed and nodded. "Yeah I don't think it will be pretty…"
Red sighed again and looked down at her. "Are you going to tell everyone you are leaving or are you going to make me do it?"
She scrunched up her nose and tried to smile sweetly. "I was kind of hoping you would do it…I know if I wait around to do face to face goodbyes they will all break me down and I'll stay. This is something I really need to do Red…I need to prove to myself that I can be okay on my own."
Red nodded again and put his hands on her shoulders. "You can be okay on your own Jackie…you're a smart girl. You don't give yourself enough credit…wherever you end up…you'll be great."
She smiled up at him with tears in her eyes. "Thank you Red. That means more to me than you could possibly know…"
He smiled at her and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I am going to miss you kid…"
Jackie smiled and pulled him in for a hug trying to hold in her tears, "I'm going to miss you too Red."
He cleared his throat and tried to remain strong as he pushed her away slightly, "Are you leaving now?"
"I did a little packing last night while Fez slept but I'm going to go finish now while he is at work." She said looking down at her feet, "I feel so guilty leaving like this but out of everyone Fez will be the one to make me stay…he's been the best out of everyone to me through all of this."
Red nodded and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Yeah…they won't be too happy about you leaving…"
She rolled her eyes and tried to laugh, "Eh…they never really wanted me as a part of their group anyway. I'm sure they won't miss me that much…"
Red's face softened and he shook his head. "It may have started out that way Jackie but they really do care about you."
She bit her lip and felt the tears welling up in her eyes again. "Well I really care about them too…"
Red pursed his lips and nodded slowly. "Well…I guess you should get going then."
Jackie took a deep breath and nodded, "I guess so…"
"Good luck kid…" He said patting her shoulder affectionately as she began to walk away.
She was just behind him before she stopped and reached into her pocket before she turned to look at him again, "Um…do you think you could give this to Steven for me?"
She held out a white envelope that was unlabeled towards Red and didn't meet his eyes, but he just nodded and took it from her. "I'll make sure he gets it."
Jackie nodded her head quickly, took one last look at Red and then turned her back and slipped out of the shop. Red watched her leave with a mixture of pride and sadness; he knew she needed to do this but he also knew that it wasn't going to be easy for anyone to accept.
Least of all…Steven.
Later that night, the gang was all gathered at the Formans kitchen table while Kitty prepared dinner. No one was talking about the events of the night before, but it was weighing heavily on their minds. Red walked in through the slider door and his heart race began to quicken when he saw they were all there.
"Oh Red…you're home." Kitty said smiling at her husband before walking over to give him an affectionate kiss on the lips. "How was your day?"
He stared at her for a moment before looking around to see who was there, all the kids except for Hyde were around, "It was interesting…"
Just then Hyde stomped up the basement stairs and stopped when he saw Kelso sitting in the kitchen. Kelso sat up straighter and looked directly at Hyde, waiting for him to come running at him to kick his ass.
"Hyde man…I'm really sorry." Kelso said as he swallowed nervously.
Hyde didn't move, Kitty walked closer to him and tried to smile sweetly at him. "Now I know there is a lot of tension between everyone right now but lets try and remain civil alright?"
Hyde stepped closer to the kitchen table and just stared at Kelso. "Look Kelso…I'm not going to pretend we're okay when we aren't. The fact of the matter is there has been a lot of crap building up over the past few months…hell the past few years that we've just let slide. But right now…I can't do that anymore. I'm really pissed at you."
Kelso sighed and stood up, "I know that I caused a lot of problems with your relationship with Jackie and I'm sorry about that man. But…she was my girlfriend first and it did hurt to see you guys together."
Hyde nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, "Yeah I get that. I know I kinda broke the guy code when I started dating her…but I really care about her man. You never treated her right and once you saw that it was more than just a fling you should have backed off."
Kelso nodded. "I know…"
"And stealing that freaking ring out of my room…" He shook his head and sighed, "Kelso man that went way to far…and then to propose to her with it was just worse."
"I'm really sorry…" Kelso whispered sadly, not sure if his long time friend was going to be able to forgive him this time.
"I'm not sure sorry is going to cut it this time Kelso." Hyde said honestly, "I know I played a part in this too but I'm still really pissed at you."
Kelso sat down at the table again and looked defeated. "Hyde…I don't know how to fix all this."
Hyde shrugged and shook his head. "Yeah I don't either…"
The room was quiet for a moment before Red cleared his throat and stepped further into the room. "I guess now would be the time to tell you all that Jackie came to see me at work this morning."
Something in the way that Red spoke made the hairs on the back of Hyde's neck stand up, "She did?" He whispered anxiously.
Red nodded and put his hands on the counter. "She's been pretty torn apart these last few months and I think last night was the last straw for her."
"What does that mean?" Donna asked in a quivering voice.
"It means…" Red continued as his voice cracked, giving out on him slightly, "That Jackie packed up and moved out of Point Place."
The room fell silent again until Hyde spoke up almost angrily, "What do you mean she packed up and moved out of Point Place? Where the hell did she go?"
Red shrugged his shoulders. "She's not sure yet. She said her Dad left her a decent amount of money and she needed a change of pace. She packed up her car this afternoon while Fez was at work and left…she told me to tell you all goodbye. She said she couldn't do it in person because it would be to hard for her to leave."
Hyde's pulse started to beat faster and he felt like he was going to explode with emotions. "So she just fucking took off?"
"Steven I know this may be hard for you to accept but this is something she had to do." Red said stepping closer to Hyde.
"This is so like her." Hyde said through gritted teeth, "Just take off without even taking anyone else's feelings into consideration. It's always about her!"
Red's face hardened and he ignored the pained expressions around him before he stepped closer to Hyde again. "Steven you listen to me…I know you love her and this has to be hard. But you pushed her away. She was always doing things to make sure that you were happy first and look where it got her. I'm not saying you are a bad guy…because you aren't. But you've made some mistakes and now Jackie needs to figure out who she is before she can move on with her life."
"She obviously knows how I feel about her though." Hyde said as he whipped his sunglasses off his face. "She saw that I bought a ring! Doesn't that count for anything?"
"At this point…not really." Red whispered to him, "You're still married to Sam and Jackie doesn't trust you."
"I found out last night that Sam and I aren't even legally married. She left…" Hyde whispered angrily.
Red sighed and then shrugged. "It still doesn't help make Jackie's pain really go away Steven and I think you know that."
Hyde took a deep breath before pushing past Red and the rest of his friends. "Whatever. I'm out of here."
Red waited until Hyde reached the slider door and had whipped it open before he called out to him, "What are you going to do Steven? Run off and get drunk and then marry a stripper?"
Hyde stopped dead in his tracks, he paused for a moment before turning to glare at the man he considered to be his father. He wanted to yell and scream at him but he couldn't think of something to say. He had no argument to throw at him because he knew that Red was right…he was being selfish.
It was his own damn fault that Jackie was gone. But damn it all to hell he wanted her back more than anything and now he saw no way of that ever happening.
"Isn't that how you got in this situation in the first place?" Red asked after a few moments of silence, then he walked up to him at the door and held out the envelope Jackie had left with him. "She left you this…"
Hyde's eyes traveled down to the small envelope in Red's hands and his mind began to wander. She had left him a note…just like when she left for Chicago. But he had a feeling this one was going to be different…this one was going to hold some message about the complete end to their relationship.
He wasn't sure he wanted to read what it said and yet he couldn't resist seeing the loopy letters that made up her perfect handwriting on the paper. It was the one thing he had that linked him to her and their almost future and he couldn't let that slip through his fingers too.
He reached forward and snatched the envelope from Red before turning and running out of the kitchen again. He wasn't going to leave town again, but he knew that he couldn't open the letter in front of everyone else.
This was something he had to do on his own.
He had to once and for all face up to the pain that he had caused his doll face all on his own…
Once he had left the kitchen, the rest of the gang sat in silence for a few more minutes trying to contemplate everything that had happened in the last few minutes. Donna was crying quietly beside Fez who looked like he was about to cry ay any moment. Kelso looked devastated, Kitty looked nervous and Red just stood and watched Hyde leave.
Fez was the first to speak up, "Is she ever going to come back?"
Red snapped out of his daze and looked back towards Fez at the table. "I don't know…she says she will. But you never know…she may start a great life wherever she ends up and not want to come back."
"She'll find people who are better friends to her." Donna whispered through her tears.
"She's never coming back…" Kelso said as he leaned against the kitchen table.
"That means we may have just lost Steven too…" Kitty whispered a she walked closer to Red and reached out for him.
Red sighed and pulled her up against him. "Or maybe he's finally going to start to grow up…"
The five remaining people sat in the kitchen for a long while trying to wrap their minds around everything that had happened today. It seemed that no matter what happened next, the pain that they were all feeling wasn't going to be going away anytime soon.
Somewhere on the highway heading out West…
Jackie's car was all packed up and she had been on the road for three hours already. As soon as she passed the sign that said leaving Point Place, the tears had started. She wasn't sure if she was more sad or scared, but as the miles between herself and Point Place grew her tears lessened.
She had decided to head West on a whim and figured she would figure it all out as she went. She was tapping her fingers on the steering wheel to the rhythm of the music on the radio. She took a deep breath and told herself that this was the right choice, that she was finally doing something with her life.
But her mind kept wandering back to a time when she was happy…it felt like so long ago but she would give anything to have it back now.
Point Place, Fall 1978
Steven Hyde's Bedroom in the Formans basement
Hyde was lying on his cot, his arm resting behind his head with his eyes closed tightly. Jackie was sitting up at the end of his bed as she watched him hum to the song on the radio and she couldn't help but smile.
Putting down her homework, she crawled up towards him and nestled herself in his arms. Instinctively, he put his other arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.
"Whatcha doin doll?" He mumbled into her hair.
She smiled and breathed in the scent that was Steven Hyde before answering, "Just watching you…"
He smirked against the top of her head. "You must be bored. I can think of something to do that can take care of that problem."
She giggled as he rolled over on top of her and she placed her hands on either side of his face. "Steven…"
He smiled down at her before leaving a gentle kiss on her lips. "What, I'm serious. You're never bored when we do it…" He paused for a moment before quickly asking. "Right?"
She laughed again and shook her head. "No of course not. But I'm not bored…"
He scrunched up his face and stared down at her. "Then why the hell were you just watching me?"
She shrugged innocently and played with the collar of his shirt, "I don't know…I like watching you sometimes…it calms me just to see you content like this."
Hyde thought about what she had said for a few moments, it didn't make much sense but he knew better than to question her about such things. "Okay?"
She let her eyes look back up at him for a moment and she smiled at his confusion before placing a delicate kiss on his lips. "Steven…I know you don't like to say it a lot…but I want you to know that I really love you."
He was quiet, just as he always was when she let those words roll off her tongue. He knew he loved her back, and his heart was screaming at him to say them back but his head was screaming louder telling him to shut the hell up. And as always…his head won the battle.
She couldn't help but feel the pang of sadness in her heart, she always hoped he would say it back but she wasn't surprised that he didn't. "I guess…I just wanted you to know that. I wanted you to know that I'm really happy with you Steven…really happy."
He was quiet for another moment before he cleared his throat and mumbled something that she couldn't quite make out. His eyes darted away from hers and her heart rate started to quicken.
"What did you say?" She whispered softly.
"I uh…I said…" He stuttered out before turning to look back at her quickly, "I said I'm really happy with you too Jackie."
Even though it wasn't those three magic words she so longed to hear, it was close enough for her. Her face lit up and she wrapped her arms around his neck before she pulled him down towards her again, crushing her lips against his.
She felt him smile against her lips as his hand rested on her hip as he kissed her back. She let him flip them over so she was on top and she smiled beautifully down at him as she traced the outline of his lips.
"I believe you were saying something before…about doing it?" She said with a raised eyebrow.
Hyde chuckled and cupped her face in his hands. "Yeah…what about it?"
She smirked down at him, "Well I'm suddenly very bored…and in need of something to do to occupy my time." She said teasingly.
He smiled at her and pulled her in for another mind blowing kiss. "I think I can help you with that…"
"I figured you could…" She whispered huskily before capturing his lips with hers again and letting him roll her over once again.
He hadn't said the words she had hoped for, but he was letting her in little by little. And right now, all she cared about was staying in this mans arms for as long as possible.
Present Day, Jackie's car
She wiped a few more tears away from her eyes before pulling off the highway towards a hotel. She was glad that she hadn't stuck around to say goodbye because she knew the moment her eyes met Steven's she would have melted. There was no doubt in her mind that he would have found a way to make her stay and she couldn't do that.
If he truly wanted to be with her, he had to fight for her this time around. She was done fighting…now she just wanted to live…
As she curled up in her hotel bed that night, she drifted off to sleep and tried to pretend that his arms were wrapped tightly around her. She had never felt so alone or scared in her life and she knew that his arms would be the one thing to keep her safe. As she finally fell asleep…her last thought was what was Steven Hyde doing at this very moment?
Mt. Hump, Point Place Wisconsin
It was just around midnight when Hyde finally cooled off enough to stop driving around. He parked his car in his favorite spot on the hill and hopped out and sat up on the front of his car. He left the radio on and let the sweet sounds of Zeppelin ring through his ears to try and calm him down.
Slowly, he looked down at the envelope in his hands and finally mustered up the courage to open it. His hands were shaking as he unfolded the letter and stared down at her familiar handwriting and read…
Steven,
I'm sorry that I had to leave like this but I didn't really have any other choice. I knew if I tried to face you…I would be to chicken to leave. The truth of the matter is I have no idea where I'm going or what I'm going to do when I get wherever it is that I end up. I'm scared…but also excited to see what the future holds for me.
I love Point Place. It will always be my home…but lately I've felt out of place here. It's too hard going to all our old hang outs because they only remind me of you. I don't know how or when I became so dependent on you but I think it's time that I finally take care of myself.
When I realized that ring was meant for me, part of me wanted to jump for joy. I thought about what it would be like to forget the past few months and just fall into your arms again but I know deep down I can't do that. This is what's best Steven…not only for me but for you too.
Right now you may not understand that. Hell…you may even hate me for leaving but I think we need to be apart to find out who we truly are and who we are supposed to become. If we are meant to be together…we will find our way back to each other.
I want you to know that I love you with all of my heart and I always will. I know that I will see you again someday…and when I do I hope that we are both ready to face each other. If you do find someone else that makes you happy…that is okay too. That's all I've ever wanted Steven…for you to be happy and I hope this gives you the opportunity to find that happiness.
I love you.
Always.
Jackie
Hyde folded up the letter again and put it back in the envelope before laying back on the hood of his car. He rested his arm behind his head and took a deep breath trying to think about where Jackie could be at this very moment.
He had expected the letter to be more hurtful; he had excepted it to say that it was over forever. But she hadn't said that…she had said if they were meant to be they would find their way back to each other.
Through all the pain he was feeling at this very moment, he also felt hopeful. And that was feeling he hadn't felt in quite some time.
Maybe this time around things would turn out the way they both wanted them too. But he had a feeling if things were ever going to change, he had to finally man up and fight for this relationship. Jackie had done enough fighting for the both of them since day one…and now it was his turn to prove he wanted her just as much as she wanted him.
Even though the very thought scared the crap out of him, he knew it was now or never. It was time to become the man that Jackie had always known he could be…he just had to figure out where to start...
So what did you think? I hope you liked it and aren't too devestated that Jackie left. Don't worry though! This is definitley not the end of the story...there is MUCH more to come. Let me know what you thought and I'll write a new chapter real soon. Thanks again!Upnext-We see Jackie on the road trying to figure out what to do with her life and the people she meets along the way. We also see the gangs life without Jackie and how Hyde is coping with this all. Is he starting to grow up or will he fall back into old patterns?
