AN: Alrighty kids. After this there is an epilogue. Writing this story has been oodles of fun, but reading your reviews has been even better! The response we have received surpassed all our expectations. Your support has really allowed us to break the barrier of the norm that is written on this site. Our thanks and gratitude to you is endless.

Disclaimer: As our story draws to an end, we still would like to make it clear that we own none of the That 70's Show characters or Jason. We do, however, want to own the cute Jason figurine that is holding a teddy bear. Now that is just too adorable.

Chapter 10: The Point of No Return

A tiny rowboat floating next to the dock caught Jackie's attention. She watched as it swayed in the water from the tiny waves created by the light winds. Dawn was slowly approaching, and the night sky revealed purple hues just over the horizon. Jackie looked to the dark water that seemed blacker than it had that afternoon. Had it really only been a single night of hell for her? It felt like she had been running from this guy for years.

Even though she was terrified of losing her life, Jackie still couldn't help but feel sorry for Jason. All those things she said back to him at the hut definitely had an effect on him. She had gotten through to him, and she silently wondered if anybody else in his life had before. The scared, teased little boy that was left alone to drown had come through, just enough to show her some kind of mercy for a few moments. However, the callous man that had evolved from years of isolation and the murder of his mother broke through once again. If there was one thing that Jackie learned from loving Steven Hyde, it was that it was near impossible to tame the tortured souls of the world. She had tried so hard to lock Steven in a little box that assured her he would be hers forever. That only caused him to push her away even further than he blocked her off before. Trying to control Jason had the same effect, only he took a lot more violent measures of retaliation. Just like she learned to accept Steven for who he truly was, Jackie was going to have to accept Jason also. He was alone and deserved pity, but he was also a cold blooded murderer.

Jackie scanned the trees of the woods once more; making sure her pursuer was nowhere in sight. She rested Hyde's head gently on the boards of the dock and walked over to the boat to retrieve one of the oars resting on its floor. No longer was she going to try to play mind games with Jason. She had to save herself in order to save the others.

The rest of the gang stumbled upon a tiny hut in a small clearing of the heavily wooded forest. A small light from its center called to them to investigate.

"Do you think Jackie and Hyde could be in there?" Fez whispered to the others.

There was only one way to find out.

They slowly made their way into the hut and gasped at the sight they found. The place was a complete mess. Hay was scattered all over the place, and what appeared to be a table was chopped into large, splintering pieces on the ground. There were slash marks all over the walls from what the gang assumed were made from the machete that their huge ghoul always carried around. However, the sight before them that told a story of a dangerous struggle eased their minds about the fate of their friends. There was no blood on the walls or floor at all, and after seeing what Jason did with the corpses of his victims, the gang could breathe a sigh of relief knowing that their friends were safe… for now.

The gang shuffled through the hut, kicking over hay piles.

"Man, this place is a mess!" Kelso said, kicking over the broken table to reveal what was underneath.

"Do you think Jackie and Hyde were ever in here?" Fez asked as he stayed close to the wall to make sure nothing came up from behind him.

No one answered him. They just continued to look through the place for any signs that Jackie and Hyde might have been there. Donna was the one who found the biggest clue of all.

"Eric…" She called once she uncovered it. "I think you should come here and look at this.

Eric, along with the others, trotted his way over to where Donna stood. His line of vision followed where she was pointing. Right on the ground, beside her foot was Hyde's trademark aviators broken with the lenses shattered.

"I think that answers your question, Fez." Laurie solemnly said.

They all exchanged knowing glances. They had to keep looking.

Jackie stood as still as she could. Jason was nearing her like a lion on the prowl. She tried her best to remember every zen lesson that Steven ever taught her so that he wouldn't be able to sense her fear. Once he was a close enough distance, Jackie began backing herself down the dock. She kept a close eye on him to make sure he didn't do anything to Steven while he was passed out on the ground. Once he was in the clear, Jackie started her show.

"Jason," she called, in a voice that made her sound much less fearful than she was. "It's me you want, right?" Jason stopped in his tracks. She was really quite bold. He slowly nodded, and Jackie had to keep up appearances. She tilted her head, and outstretched her hand. She curled her finger at him, in a 'come hither' fashion. With her other hand, she held onto the oar tightly.

"It's me you want, Jason," she said. "So why don't you come and get me?" Jason loved the invite. He couldn't wait to do the dance with His Brunette, the dance that he'd done with so many others before. He knew he was really going to enjoy it with her. He descended on her, and the fear began to overtake her. No turning back now, Jackie.

"Oh God help me, I just wanted to help you," Jackie cried, as Jason walked down the dock. She fingered the oar that was hidden behind her back, and continued to back up until she was at the edge of the dock. "I tried to talk to you, because I KNOW that the man is in there." She suddenly thought of Donna's book, and what Donna said. "He wasn't a ghost. He was just a very lonely man." Jackie didn't know if she could do what she had to do, but knew that if she didn't, her friends would die. She felt a crystal clear tear fall down her face and Jason came closer. She bit her lip, and pleaded with her eyes one more time. He fought off the pity eating away his gut, and raised the blade as he got closer and closer.

"What the HELL is she doing?!" Donna exclaimed. "JACKIE! JACKIE, DON'T!" Jackie shot a look towards her friends, and then back at Jason.

"I'm so sorry," Jackie whispered, and Jason swung the machete down. She darted forward, surprising him, and smacked him in the back with the oar.

Jason felt the stinging blow to his back, and then felt the dock disappear beneath his feet. His body plunged into the murky water with a crash, disappearing for a split second. Jackie stepped back, watching him thrash and flail as he broke the surface. She dropped the oar on the dock. Her heart had never hurt so much. Jason's arms grasped in the air around him for help, but his clutching hands only slipped through the nothing. Jackie put her hands to her mouth, attempting to hold in the violent sobs that were wracking her entire body.

"Wow, that was badass," Kelso said.

Jackie sank to her knees, watching Jason struggle and drown all over again. For him, it was like he was that little boy, trying his damnedest to keep his head above water. But the difference was that instead of laughing children, there was His Brunette, wailing on the dock. As he stopped struggling, he met her eyes again, and saw the empathy. For a second, as he sank into the dark water that would soon be his grave, he felt the compassion he had wanted from everyone when he was a child, and it felt nice. Jason allowed himself to accept his fate, and began to fall completely into the death black water. She mouthed an 'I'm sorry', and his head sank below the waves. Her small shape rippled through the water, and it faded as he descended into the depths.

Jackie hiccupped a few more cries, and wiped her eye with her cut arm. She stood u, and had to get away. While her friends would probably revere her as a hero, she wouldn't see herself that way. She would only feel awful and see that happy little boy in the picture.

"Jackie!" Donna exclaimed, rushing to her as she hit the sand. Donna threw her arms around her, and they embraced.

"He couldn't swim," Jackie said mildly, and Donna brought her to the group as the sun began to rise over the lake. Everyone put their arms around her, and she got on her knees and looked down at Hyde. He gave her a brave smirk.

"So you probably think that you're some big shot now that you've saved us all, am I right?" he asked, and she smiled sadly at him. She shook her head.

"No," she stated. "I really don't."

"…. I know," he said, and touched her hair gently. Their friends had no idea what that exchange was about, but it was pretty clear that the former lovers had found their way back together.

In the early light of the morning, headlights drove up the path towards the lake where the gang was resting. An ambulance was driving up too, as if it was known that it was needed. Of course when it came to Camp Crystal Lake, that assumption was usually correct. The cops stopped the cars, got out, and walked over to the frightened group.

"Are you kids alright?" the first policeman said.

"How did you know we were out here?" Eric asked.

"Local man, goes by the name of Harold, he says you kids told him you were coming out here," the cop said, as the paramedics rushed over to check out Hyde. "What the hell happened?"

"Officers, there are four bodies-," Laurie began, and the cop sighed.

"Damn. I was hoping that wasn't the case, but it's Camp Blood. I should have figured," he said.

"You need to know that we had nothing, NOTHING to do with their deaths," Donna said. "There's this guy, he's in the lake right now, he has a hockey mask, and-." A few officers began the run down the dock to check it out.

"Tall? Scary looking?" The cop asked. "Yeah….. Look, there's a reason people don't come out here, okay? Now I don't want you speaking of this to anyone. Do you understand? ANYONE."

"So you believe us that we didn't-?" Kelso began.

"Yes, I believe you," he said. "Look, I'll radio for a tow truck for your cars, let's get your friend here to the hospital, I'll take your statements, and you can just go."

"Well as a cop myself, I know that if you need to keep us in town for awhile-," Kelso began, but the man cut him off.

"Trust me," he said, firmly, "that's not necessary. Quick and painless. That's how we do things when it comes to Camp Bl- er… Crystal Lake." While Donna and Eric exchanged skeptical glances, Jackie followed the paramedics who had loaded Hyde into the ambulance.

"Can I come with?" she asked.

"Of course," the driver said. "We should check you out too, you have a few bad cuts on your arms and face-."

"I'm fine," Jackie said, climbing into the back of the ambulance and holding Hyde's hand the entire time.

"Baker!" one of the other cops said, coming back down the dock.

"Well, did you find him?" the head guy, Baker, asked.

"….. No."

"Wait, but Jackie, the girl in the ambulance, she saw him drown!" Fez said. Baker sighed, and herded them all to the police cars.

"Let's just get you guys out of here," he said, morbidly. "You'll be back on your way home this afternoon.

"But what about-?" Laurie asked, and Baker shot her a very angry look.

"Listen young lady, around here, this is sort of the norm," Baker said. "That's why we're getting you all out of here and on your way. Before he comes back."

The gang decided not to ask anymore questions, and climbed into the police cars. Jackie sat by Hyde, and looked back out at the lake. That connection she felt…… It wasn't gone completely. The door closed in her face, and the convoy of emergency vehicles drove away from the campgrounds as the coroner van drove into them.