A/N : So grateful for the continued support on this fic :-) Happy Easter to all those that celebrate it :-)
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 4

Jackie stopped just short of the Forman house and took a deep breath. Every time she had to face Steven she was feeling more and more unprepared. It was becoming increasingly clear that he was very different to Michael, and also quite different to Jackie herself, therefore finding things in common with him was awkward. Still, she was determined to find a way to get close to him, to make him see they could be good together, as she was convinced they could be.

It seemed weird even in her own head, the thought of someone so pretty and popular as herself wanting to get close to a scruffy anti-establishment guy like Steven Hyde, but he was so sweet sometimes, and not completely unattractive as she had come to realise.

Taking another breath she put on her best smile as she walked around the corner and up onto the driveway. Steven was there, as she was sure he would be, with Eric, Donna, and Fez loading something into the back of the Vista Cruiser from the garage.

"Hey everybody" Jackie grinned, "What are you doing with all that paint?" she asked too loudly when she caught sight of what they were packing into the car.

"Ssh, Jackie" Donna urged her, "Mr Forman will hear, and then we're all dead"

"Yeah, I could really use not being dead again" Eric threw in, turning to look at the little brunette, "So if you're in full loud-mouth cheerleader mode, Jackie, maybe you should just toddle off home" he suggested, with a gesture that waved her away.

"I can be quiet if I have to, Eric" Jackie protested, wishing deep inside that Hyde would have jumped to her defence instead of her having to stand up for herself.

She knew that just wasn't the way he was, not most of the time. He was very different to Michael, she realised all over again, but surely that was a good thing really. Michael had cheated on her and treated her badly. Dating someone completely opposite to him had to be good for her.

"Good" Hyde said suddenly, as he emerged from the back of the car where he'd been arranging the paint cans with a blanket over them just in case, "So long as you'll keep your mouth shut I'll tell you what we're doing" he said, about to do just that when Kelso appeared from the other direction, hollering and whooping.

"Yeah, pot leaf on the water tower!" he yelled, "Woohoo!"

He was clearly excited about the plan he'd just divulged to half the neighbourhood and nobody was happy about it. Everybody shushed him, as Hyde punched him hard in the arm and told him to shut up immediately. Jackie took it as a particular kindness that at least she didn't get frogged for asking about the plan – Donna was usually more than willing and able.

"Why are we painting a pot leaf on the water tower?" Jackie asked Hyde in a whisper as the gang all climbed into the car, taking what had become their regular positions, with Eric, Donna, and Kelso in front, Hyde, Jackie, and Fez in the back.

"We? Why are we doing this?" Hyde asked her, with an amused smile, "Like you'd ever help out with vandalism, man"

"Huh!" she made a little annoyed sound as she glared at him, "If you guys can do it, I can too" she said haughtily, "It's not like I'm afraid to bend the rules"

Hyde could hardly believe what he was hearing. That dream he'd had about Jackie, all the weird thoughts and emotions that he'd tried to push away on account of her being a stuck-up, tight-ass cheerleader who thought fun was riding ponies and going to the mall, it was all messing with his brain. Not only was he now noticing how hot Jackie was, and liking her new attitude that had begun the moment she dropped Kelso's sorry ass, now she was going badass too, and agreeing to partake in vandalism and crime.

"You're really going along with, Jackie?" Donna turned around in the front seat, her surprise obvious on her features.

"Sure, why not, Donna?" her little friend shot back at her, "What, you think I'm not badass enough to play your dumb pranks with you?" she asked, not looking at all happy at the accusation as she folded her arms across her chest.

In all honesty, the whole gang would've been pretty impressed by her apparent bravery and all, the problem was hearing someone like Jackie say 'badass' was just far more amusing than anything else.

"Jackie, you want in on this, man, that's cool" Hyde assured her, holding back a chuckle, "We just thought this wasn't your scene is all"
"Well, maybe you don't know me as well as you think, Steven" she told him with a look as they travelled on towards their destination.

That much was true, Hyde thought, as he glanced out of the window at the darkening sky. Jackie was definitely different to what he'd thought, and though it was true enough that he hadn't exactly tried to get to know her before, he was sure she had changed from the way she was when she was dating Kelso.

The old Jackie he knew and mostly hated, would not have said 'badass' and certainly would not have been trying to get in on some act of vandalism like this. What Hyde couldn't quite fathom was why she was changing so much, if it was for the benefit of himself or another, or maybe, as crazy as it seemed, just maybe this was the real Jackie that had been hidden deep inside, only now escaping because Kelso wasn't there to tell her she was pretty and cute, and treat her like the idiot that he actually was.

Whatever the reason for Jackie's change in attitude, Hyde liked it, a little more than he was comfortable with but he'd have to deal with that. There was no way he was letting some girl under his skin, it would only lead to no good. Guys like him and chicks like her didn't make a match, even if she was becoming a whole lot cooler lately.

"Hey, Steven, look" Jackie turned way from the water tower, leaning on the railing and looking out at the view, "From up here, doesn't Point Place look just like Paris?" she sighed dreamily.

Hyde shook his head, realising that exactly this kind of thing was the reason he and Jackie would never be together.

"You think that looks like Paris, doll?" he smirked, "At least now we know why you thought Kelso could be a model" he said, getting back to work with his paintbrush and green paint.

A moment later, the gang stood back and admired their work.

"Um, guys?" Eric said, face twisting into a less than impressed expression, "It doesn't look like a pot leaf" he declared, shaking his head.

"Yes, I agree" Fez nodded, "it looks like it is giving us the finger"

"It's this part, man, it needs to go out wider..." Hyde started to say as he climbed up onto the railing, paintbrush in hand.

"Steven, be careful" Jackie told him worriedly, knowing it was dangerous for him to be balanced up their like that, especially when he started to lean out further in order to paint the leaves of their artwork bigger and wider.

"Jackie, will you quit whining" he yelled down to her, "I am not going to faaalllll!" the last world turned into a shout as he tumbled backwards off the railing and plummeted to the ground below.

"Oh my God, Hyde!" Donna yelled after him, as Jackie screamed in panic.

The thump of their friend hitting the ground made everybody wince, and Kelso leaned as far over the railing as he dare, calling down.

"Hey, Hyde!" he yelled, "How's in look from down there?"

"Like it's giving me the finger!" he called back, and Eric nodded in understanding.

Though they were all concerned for their friends welfare, the gang were surprised to see Jackie hurrying to be the first down the ladder to see if he was okay. She seemed to care a lot about him all of a sudden, and that was just weird.

"Yeah, that's great, Mom" Hyde said down the phone that he was holding in one hand, his other useless since his arm was in a sling, "No, I didn't... What did you...? Oh yeah, thanks a lot!" he yelled eventually, slamming the phone down and going so far as to pull it free from the wall and throw it across the room, narrowly missing Kelso who yelped in shock, "She's real upset about the whole thing" Hyde told his friends as they looked at him with surprise at his outburst.

"Oh Steven, it doesn't matter if your Mom doesn't care about you" Jackie told him dramatically, as was often her way, "I'll... um, we'll take care of you in your hour of need"

"Oh yeah, sure thing, man" Eric agreed, "Hour of need, we're your guys" he said, pointing a finger at his friend, and suddenly noticing the time on his watch, "Ah, just so long as that hour of need is not right now" he said, tilting his wrist to show Donna his watch.

"Oh my God, my Dad'll kill me if I miss curfew" she said, grabbing her jacket from the end of the bed and rushing for the door.

"Your Dad? What about my Dad?!" Eric yelled as he followed her out, with Kelso and Fez pelting along behind, "Feel better, Hyde!"

"Yeah, thanks a lot, Forman!" Steven called through the door just before it swung closed behind his supposed friends.

"Don't worry, Steven" Jackie said brightly, getting his attention as she hopped up to sit beside him on the hospital bed, "I can call my driver and get him to come pick us up. Who needs Eric's lame old Vista Cruiser when I can have Hampton bring the limo around?"

"You actually have a limo?" Hyde checked, glancing her way, and Jackie was almost thrown off completely from answering by the sight of his eyes.

Too often Steven hid behind his tinted glasses, but they'd got broken during his fall and now here he sat, all open to the world. Jackie found she liked him better this way.

"Actually, Daddy's just renting it for the weekend" she explained about the fancy car, "but it's mostly for some fancy dinner tomorrow evening, we could use it tonight and he probably wouldn't even notice" she shrugged.

"That's cool" came Hyde's Zen answer as he looked away.

This was awkward, in fact it was beyond awkward right now. Being this close to Jackie reminded Hyde of Prom night, the connection that had somehow been made between them, and that goodnight kiss that haunted him still, so far as he'd dreamt of it just a couple of days ago. This was not a dream now, this was real life, and she really was this close to him, looking so pretty, smelling so good.

"Er, y'know I can get home by myself" he said quickly, "It's only a couple of miles" he shrugged.

"Steven, you live right across town" Jackie reminded him, "it's at least ten miles to your house, you can't walk all that way in the dark, especially since you're injured"

"I sprained my wrist, Jackie" he told her, "It doesn't stop my legs from working" he pointed out, just wanting to be anywhere but here, this close to her, feeling anything but the overwhelming urge he was getting to kiss her.

"I said I was going to take care of you, Steven, and that's what I'm going to do" Jackie insisted, putting an arm around him.

Hyde jumped away as if he'd been burned by her touch, getting to his feet and walking away from the bed.

"Jackie, I don't need you to take care of me, okay, man?" he told her, getting angry, though honestly he was more mad at himself than he was at her right now.

"But Steven…" she began, only to be interrupted by his rant.

"No!" he told her firmly, gesturing with his uninjured arm, "I don't want to hear whatever it is you want to say, and stop calling me Steven, nobody calls me that, okay? It's Hyde"

"I'm sorry" she much more quietly than her usual tone, her eyes going to the floor and her hands fidgeting in her lap, "I was just, I wanted to help" she said sadly, feeling awful that she'd made him to mad at her.

These last couple of weeks since Prom, everything had been going so well between them. Sure, she wanted there to be more, but they were friends right now, getting to know each other, and that was good enough. Now it seemed even that was getting spoilt and she hated to think it. Tears started to fill her eyes, and she hated that too, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to be tough and smart, the kind of girl Steven Hyde would fall in love with, but no matter how hard she tried it seemed it wasn't going to happen, he didn't want her, not even as a friend to help him out.

"Jackie, come on, man" Hyde sighed when he realised what he'd done, "Please, will you not start crying again" he urged her.

She was making him feel awful, worse than that, she was making him care about her feelings! Hyde wasn't the kind of guy who worried about chicks feelings, or anybody's feelings for that matter. He was Zen, aloof, detached, but lately when it came to Jackie and her tears he just couldn't stand it. It was a situation such as this that had got him into this mess in the first place.

"I'm not crying" Jackie lied, the emotion obvious in her voice, as she brought her hand to her face and wiped away a tear.

"Look, I… I'm sorry" Hyde forced out, hating that he felt the need to apologise but knowing he had to or he was just going to feel even worse about all this, "I know you're trying to help and stuff" he said as he came to sit beside her once again, "I guess I'm just not used to that" he explained, as he put his one good arm around her and she put her head down on his shoulder.

"I don't mean to get so stupid and upset" she said, almost as if she was angry with herself for showing any kind of emotion.

Hyde wasn't sure he understood that, unless she was trying to put on a tough show for his benefit, maybe to impress him. He had been the one to encourage her to have a spine lately, and it seemed like she had really taken his words to heart. Hyde wondered why she would bother unless she liked him, and surely that was a crazy idea. Sure, he'd been having weird thoughts and dreams about her but to think she felt that way about him too was insane, after all, wouldn't she just be throwing herself into his arms if that were true?

Jackie brought her head up from his shoulder and looked up at him, just as he glanced her way too. The look in her eyes as she gazed up at him certainly suggested she was having the same thoughts as he was, and suddenly she really was in his arms.

It could've been a perfect moment, another kiss even better than the one before, possibly better even than the one in that intense dream Hyde had experienced not so long ago, but it was not to be as a nurse came in through the door. The two young people jumped a mile apart in an instant, and the moment was lost, for now at least.

To Be Continued...