Final Part. See Part 1 for warnings etc.

Part X: Breathe

"Make up for what?" he asked quietly, "Jackie, what did I do?"

"You didn't do anything," she sighed, tugging her hands from him, "You let him… you didn't save me, Steven. You never saved me."

"What?"

"You. Never. Saved. Me." Her lips drew back over her teeth in a sneer, "And why would you? Who'd save this?" She shoved her hands in his face and flexed them before letting out a sharp sob, "Why am I so inhuman? Why can't I be right?!"

He grabbed her hands in his own and placed a soft kiss on them, "Jackie," he begged, his breath warm on her thumb, "tell me what's wrong. Please."

"I told you," she said quickly, shaking off his hands viciously and scrubbing them over her face, "please don't ask any more questions."

"No, you didn't. Jacks, you didn't tell me anything." He tried to take hold of her hands again but Jackie held them out of his grasp.

"Don't," she whispered, trying to wiggle back and turning her head away from him.

"Don't what?"

"Don't talk to me like that…" She felt sick, her next sentence was spat out like vomit that left the acrid taste in her mouth, "like a friend."

"But I…"

"Shh, shhh," she whispered, letting her fingers slide over his lips, "no more lies." Her nails dug into his chin a little before her hand fell away, "no more 'darling' no more 'I love you' no more 'hold still' okay?" Desperate. She was desperate.

"Jackie," he said roughly, his voice holding a sharp edge, "did someone… touch you?"

She looked away and back in quick succession, "He loves me," she insisted.

"I know he does," he said, admittedly being a little patronising, "but did he touch you?"

"I-I-I…" She suddenly grew furious, pushing him away and scrambling off the bed, "I said stop talking to me like that!"

"I'm your friend Jackie!" he said, frustrated as he followed her off the bed but kept his distance.

"Friends don't let other friends get raped!" she screamed, before her hand slammed down so hard over her lips the tang of blood filled her mouth and her head jolted back. The sentence hung in the air until it filtered into Hyde's ears and cold fury filled him.

"Jackie." His voice shook uncharacteristically and he swallowed to gain some control, "did you…?"

"No!" she yelled through her palm, her fingers still dug into her face, "no don't say it, Steven, please…"

"Jacks…"

"He loves me!" Jackie said wildly, now holding out her arms to physically push what he was trying to say away from her, "he loves me!" 'There won't be fault, can't be found, not a name!'

"Did he…?"

"Jacqueline?" Orange light streamed into her room and she sat up in surprise, only to sigh in relief when she saw who it was. "It's hot in here. Should I open a window?"

"Okay," she said sleepily, "what's wrong?"

"Your mother," he answered bluntly, gripping the windowsill as he stared out into the night, "she won't let me near her."

"Oh," she replied uncomfortably.

He snorted in some kind of agreement, "She's a beautiful woman, Jackie, like yourself. But do you know what's inside her? Ice. Nothing but ice."

Jackie pulled to sheets to herself, scandalised, "Daddy, don't talk that way…"

He rushed to her side and she yelped in surprise. "You're different. So young… and warm," he whispered this with alcohol laden breath, his hand snaking forward to hold her wrist gently.

"Dad, don't…"

"I haven't made love in weeks," he groaned desperately, and seemingly irrelevantly.

"Ew! Like I care? Go away dad, you know how I get when I…"

"Don't sleep," he finished, his eyes flashing, "I know." His grip on her wrist tightened and she whimpered.

"Dad, you're freaking me out," she said frankly, entertaining the thought of grabbing her Care Bears lamps and smashing him over the head with it.

He looked regretful, "I'm sorry, darling, that certainly wasn't my intention."

She looked down to where her wrist was still held prisoner, and her stomach hollowed as she whispered, "then… then what do you want?"

"I love you, sweetheart," he said softly, not answering her question and just… pushing.

"Dad?" she questioned, her voice trembling.

"Shh, shhh," he soothed, "hold still now…"

"Get off! What are you doing? Get off!"

"I'm not going to ask again."

"Mmmphmmphh!"

"Shut up!"

"…rape you?"

She took in a sharp breath, the air was cold as it filled her lungs before coming out in a scalding rush.

Inhale, exhale.

Jackie looked down at her hands, wondering why they had puzzled her so much before. Why they looked so wrong. She knew why.

Inhale, exhale, inhale.

"It's such a stupid word," she whispered weakly, "so lame and stupid." Looking up at Hyde she gasped in shock as her knees buckled under her. "It happened, it did happen, it happened..." she cried, over and over, unrelenting and unwavering, even as Hyde gathered her up in his arms and held her. So close. And it didn't hurt. It felt… it felt.

In the darkness, Jackie breathed.

Kelso knew something was up. He didn't know exactly what, though. He knew that even though Jackie was staying with the Forman's in Laurie's old room, Mrs Burkart had called him on several separate occasions and asked him if he, Mark, had seen Jackie recently. He was told by Eric to say 'no' and not embellish or exaggerate any other details. And surprisingly, he managed to do that, receiving a pissed off, "well, bye then" in reply.

He also knew that Hyde had been acting weird. He was even more stoic than usual, even when Kelso purposely said something idiotic as bait. He also visited Jackie a lot and talked heaps with Forman's parents.

And speaking of that, he also knew that they wouldn't let him visit her until today, which is why he was so nervous. When they'd broken her out of her house, he didn't see her very well in the dark light, but what he did see kinda shocked him. She'd gotten so skinny, and when Eric couldn't carry her any more, he'd handed her to him and she was so little and light, he could imagine throwing her up in the air and catching her without any trouble. Hyde persuaded him not to with a quick burst of violence.

But now he was standing outside her door and he couldn't quite bring himself to go through that door as easily as he'd climbed through her window. Wiping his sweaty palms on his jeans, he swallowed and turned the doorknob.

He'd expected it to be dark and dank, like that prison he'd seen on Barnaby Jones the other night. It wasn't. Light streamed through the open window and Jackie sat, her brow crinkled in concentration as she played solitaire. She looked up in alarm as the door creaked but managed a smile in greeting.

"Hey you," she said softly, clearing her throat. Despite the bags under her eyes, and the deep hollows of her cheeks, and the breasts that were practically non-existent now, Kelso had to admit silently to himself that he'd never seen anything sweeter.

"Hey," he returned, "you're looking good."

She touched her hair self-consciously, it hung down to beneath her shoulder blades and frizzed, but it shone with being newly-washed, "I feel like a yeti," she admitted, "I've never had my hair this long, and now I know why. But Eric's mom said she'd cut it for me later so… yeah."

He managed to hold back his surprise when she didn't preen under the attention or nod in knowing acceptance, then rewarding him with a 'well, duh!'

"Can I play?" he asked quickly, receiving a small smile and a nod for his efforts.

"Sure."

Yep, something was up. But Jackie was fine, so he kinda found he didn't much care and concentrated on totally rocking at snap.

Fin.