Remember that your eyes can be your enemy.
I said hell is so close and heaven's out of reach.
But I ain't given up quite yet,
I've got too much to lose.
Hold me down, sweet and low, little girl
Hold me down, sweet and low, and I will carry you home.
Hold me down, sweet and low, little girl.
Hold me down and I'll carry you home.
Rain is gonnna fall, sun is gonna shine
Wind is gonna blow, water's gonna rise.
She said when the day comes, look into my eyes.
No one's giving up quite yet, we've got too much to lose
Hold me down sweet and low, little girl
Hold me down, sweet and low, and I will carry you home.
Hold me down, sweet and low, little girl
Hold me down, and I'll carry you all the way
And you'll say you'll find, but you're still young and out of line.
And all I need is to turn around to make it last, to make it count.
Gonna make the same mistakes that put my mama in her grave.
I don't wanna be alone.
Hold me down, sweet and low, little girl.
Hold me down, sweet and low, and I will carry you home.
Hold me down, sweet and low, little girl.
Hold me down, and I'll carry you home."
-"Sweet and Low," Augustana
Hyde had asked her to come, as a huge, huge favor. He had half-expected her to outright refuse, but her determination and her loyalty to him had overridden her fears.
Normally, he wouldn't have had her come within fifty yards of this place. Not after what had happened last time.
The last time his record company job had had him come here, a couple of the head associates and him had a little bit of a run-in. Seeing as how they tried to hit on Jackie. And then hit her when she said no.
With anything else, he would have taken his dad's orders with a grain of salt, and behaved himself around these men. But they were playing dirty, messing with Jackie, so he fought back dirty.
Even still, she hated coming here. She was scared of it now, afraid of what had happened last time. After he had finally coaxed it out of her, he was furious.
While he was interviewing someone at a table, she waited for him at the bar, ordering herself just a small glass of soda.
Two guys had come up in front of her and had started chatting with her, and, being Jackie, she believed they had just wanted to honestly chat with her.
They had cornered her at the back of the room, and were pushing her through a hallway, closing the door behind them. The door was closed, and they were the only three in the hallway. She had been terrified. One of them was kissing her, and the other was whispering horrible things to her, and she was fighting them, but there were two of them, and they were strong.
Suddenly, the door burst open, and he was there, his face red with anger. "What do you think you're doing?" His voice boomed and echoed throughout the hallway.
"Hey, man, we were just having a little fun," said one of the guys.
"Look at her," Hyde said. "Does she look like she's having fun? First off, no guy should ever mess with a girl like that, especially when she doesn't want it, especially two to one, you cowards." Then the look on his face turned downright hateful. "And you never fool around with my girlfriend."
They had scampered away, and Jackie had come running to Hyde, her head buried in his chest, crying. "Shh," he soothed her. "It'll be okay," he said. "They're gone now. It'll be okay."
And since then, she'd always wanted him at her side, everywhere. Not that he minded much.
Now he was at his meeting, and he was worried for her. She was in the other room, and she had promised that she wouldn't drink anything, so she would stay totally alert while alone.
But he was still nervous, and he rushed through the meeting, racing back to her side the moment he could.
She seemed okay, and she was there, but when she turned her face to him, her eyes were wide and scared.
"Jackie, what? What is it?" he asked.
"They came back, Steven," she said. "And I stayed here, and I wouldn't go with them, but I stayed here and waited…for you."
He looked at her, at this girl who had done so much for him, who had been there through so much, who would sacrifice everything for him, he knew.
She had come back when it terrified her most, stayed and put her faith in him, trusted in him that it would be okay.
And it was.
He was filled with such a rush of emotion, with so much love for her, that he could hardly stand it. "You wanna go home?" he asked gently. It was late, and she looked exhausted, having worked overtime the past three days to make-up for missing work today to come be with him.
She nodded, yawning. "Yeah, I just-aw!" she yawned again, making him laugh.
But she was so tired and exhausted, that he cradled her in his arms. "I'll carry you home, Jackie," he said softly, smiling.
"Steven, don't be silly," she yawned. "It's only three blocks until we get home. I'll just-" Yawn. "I'll."
He picked her up and held her, kissing her forehead softly. "Love you, Jacks," he whispered.
"Love you too," she whispered.
He smiled. He loved her, this little girl of his, the one he was carrying home.
