Saturday, November 1st 1980
12.35am
Some college party in Milwaukee...
Hyde stepped out of the El Camino and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. It was cold, damn cold, but the icy air had managed to sober him up a bit which he figured was a good thing. He was a sloppy fighter when he was too boozed and he had a funny feeling he might be fighting someone tonight. Eric must've had the same feeling because he wouldn't move out of the driver's seat.
"Forman!" Hyde yelled through the window. "Hurry up man!"
Eric sighed and very reluctantly got out of the car. "Can't you just run in and get her?" he quietly pleaded as he eyed the huge footballers loitering out front of the dilapidated house. "I'll stay here and keep the engine running."
While Hyde knew Eric was no good to him in a fight he still wanted the extra set of eyes to help search for Jackie.
"No Eric ya big baby you're coming," he ordered as he started walking up the driveway, Eric following closely behind.
The place was crazy; meatheads crushing cans on their own heads; idiots throwing garden furniture on the bonfire; girls wearing bras and panties letting guys spray them with beer. It was mental. And something Hyde probably could have gotten into if he were here under different circumstances.
"Can you see her?" he asked Eric.
Eric shook his head while doing up his jacket zipper. "Nah, everyone looks the same to me," he answered.
The boys did a lap around the bonfire checking out every passed out chick they saw on their way. They got a few dirty looks and asshole comments but Hyde brushed them off easily enough; he wasn't about to waste his energy fighting now, he still had Jackie to find.
"She must be inside," he said as he gestured to Eric to follow him up the path which led to the back door.
"Sure I can't wait in the car?" Eric asked hopefully.
"Sorry Forman, you're coming."
The place looked dodgy as hell, even by Hyde's standards, so he could easily understand why a sheltered kid like Eric would be apprehensive about going in. He actually wondered what would've made Jackie come to a place like this. Oh, that's right, a shitload of tequila and a festering hate for him.
He opened the rickety screen door and walked inside. The place was dimly lit and stunk of dope. Clearly it was the space reserved for the stoners and the lovebirds and, not surprisingly, when he walked through to the living room he found a few stoners kicking back to some Bob Marley tunes, and a couple of kids making out on the couches.
"And there she is," Eric said pointing to a girl dressed much like Jackie lying underneath a guy twice the size of Hyde.
"Fuck!" Hyde cursed when he realised it was her. He didn't wanna find her like that, with some guy's hands all over her, and her legs wrapped around his waist.
"Um, should we maybe, just, leave?" Eric whispered, pointing to the door.
Hyde pulled his fists out of his pocket. "No Eric you fucking baby, we're not leaving her here. She's wasted, anything could happen to her!"
He stormed over to the couch and gripped the guy's collar, using it to pull him off of Jackie.
"What the fuck?" the guy said from the floor.
"I'm here to get her," Hyde said bending down to pick up a near comatose Jackie. She was a mess, her black eyeliner and mascara smeared over her face, and her lipstick smudged all around her mouth. He had to get her outta there.
"Ah, I don't think so," the meathead said standing up. Yip, he was definitely twice the size of Hyde. But Hyde bet he wasn't as fucking angry.
"Well I do," Hyde grinned. He knew he probably shouldn't get cheeky to footballers who wanna fight him but he couldn't help it. Cheekiness was in his nature.
The guy pushed Hyde's back before he could get a hold of Jackie. "I said, leave her there. She's with me."
Hyde swung around. "And I said I'm fucking taking her coz she's with me!" he said as he pushed the guy back.
The footballer swung what Hyde knew would've been a knockout right hook but Hyde managed to duck and avoid it's damage. He bounced back up and smacked the guy hard in the eye with his fist and gave him a quick uppercut to the jaw for good measure.
"Get the car started Forman!" he yelled to a panicked Eric who was standing with his mouth agape. "Now Forman!"
The footballer was still holding his eye and getting his bearings which only allowed them about 2 minutes to get the hell outta there. Hyde scooped Jackie up and ran to the Camino. Just as he threw her in the car and got in next to her he saw the footballer and four of his friends running down the driveway.
"Go go go!" he said to Eric as the skinny boy reversed out of the park and put his foot of the accelerator.
"Catch ya later guys!" Hyde yelled out the window with a grin. "God I love the adrenaline rush," he exclaimed as he sat back in his seat and wound up the window.
Eric glanced at him, and then in the rear view mirror, with a look of horror. "Are you kidding me? Those guys would've killed us dude!"
"They had to catch us first, which they didn't," Hyde smirked as he turned and watched the guys turn into miniature versions of themselves. "Great get away driving by the way," he winked at Eric.
In all the excitement he had forgotten his whole reason for going to that house and fighting in the first place, Jackie. She was slumped in between him and Eric and in pretty bad shape.
Eric glanced down at her. "She's a mess huh?" he said to Hyde. "Guess that's what college does to some people. See I'm lucky, I have Donna, we don't go to all those crazy..."
"Shut up Forman." Hyde knew college hadn't done this to Jackie, he had. They should never have messed around to begin with, someone always got hurt, and by saving himself he'd thrown her under the bus.
He pulled her head up and wound the window back down. The breeze streaming in was freezing but right now Jackie needed freezing.
"Cold," she shivered from his shoulder, her eyes still closed.
"I know, but you need to sober up," Hyde told her.
"So cold," she said, her bottom lip trembling and goose bumps popping up all over her arms.
"Come here," Hyde sighed as he pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. "You need fresh air Jackie, stick your head out the window," he ordered.
It felt good to have her on his lap and in his arms but Eric's watchful eye was preventing him from enjoying it too much. He saw his friend open his mouth to say something about the couple in the passenger seat but Hyde quickly shut him down.
"Don't even say it man," he said as he buried his face in Jackie's hair. Eric shrugged and turned back to the road with a smile on his face.
Jackie opened her eyes. "Steven?"
"Yeah Jackie," he whispered into her ear.
"Oh my god Steven! And Eric!" she slurred when she realised who was driving the car. "I didn't realise you two were coming to the party! Did we dance? Where are we going now?"
She was still as drunk as anything. Crap. "We're going home so that you can drink some water," Hyde told her as she slid her arms around his neck.
"I don't want water...I want tequila. Oh Eric, I drink tequila now," she said with a grin.
"So I hear..." Eric teased.
"And Eric, did you know that me and Steven are in love?" Jackie was now kissing Hyde's face and saying stupid fucking things to Forman, but crap if Hyde didn't wanna kiss her right back.
"Really Jackie? You and Steven are in love? Tell me more?" Eric said waggling his eyebrows and trying not to laugh.
"Jackie that's enough, just go to sleep okay?" Hyde encouraged her, trying to push her head onto his chest.
She sat up and looked at Eric. "Yes me and Steven are in love...he tickles my back and dances with me and kisses my shoulder and makes me hot choco..."
Hyde was pissed. "Jackie! Stop..."
"Continue Jackie, I'm listening," Eric said as they waited at a stop sign. "Keep talking."
Hyde frogged him in the arm but he knew nothing was gonna stop Eric encouraging this bullshit. Dammit, he should've driven himself.
"Oh he's wonderful Eric...aren't you Steven?" she said before planting a big wet kiss that tasted like beer on his mouth.
"So how long have you two been in love?" Eric asked as if he were a freaking reporter for the 6 o'clock news.
Jackie stopped kissing and looked at Eric again, her eyes bloodshot and half asleep. "We've been in love for 2 days. We've been in love since that night in his bed, when we had no clothes on..."
"Dammit Jackie stop it!" Hyde yelled. "Here kiss me again if you love me." Anything to shut her up.
"No clothes Jackie? Really?"
Jackie pulled away. Hyde growled. "You're gonna get it Eric."
"Mmmmmm, no clothes," Jackie purred as she stared into Hyde's eyes. "My Steven has the best body, and the hottest kisses, and the biggest, fattest, diiiii..."
"Okay I don't need to hear that!" Eric cried nearly missing the turn off to the bar.
Hyde grinned. "No Jackie, please continue," he said with raised eyebrows, loving his friend squirming in the driver's seat. "What were you saying?" he asked as he pushed some hair over her shoulder.
She sighed and closed her eyes, laying her head back down on his shoulder. "I'm so tired. I can't remember what I was saying," she mumbled.
Eric raised his shoulders and grinned as he pulled into the bar's parking lot. "Guess it can't have been that memorable huh Steven?" he chided.
Hyde laughed. "Fuck you Forman, help me get her out would ya?" he said with a smile.
...
Saturday, November 1st 1980
2am
Hyde's Apartment
Jackie woke up with a pounding head, a sick stomach, and to top it off, was completely disorientated. She couldn't remember anything from the party except for arriving and she knew that couldn't be a good thing. She rolled onto her back wondering what the hell she'd done and where the hell she was.
Thanks to the light from the Masterson's Bar sign outside she could make out the room. The Sid Vicous poster staring down at her meant she was at Hyde's, but it didn't tell her how she'd come to be there. She could hear him breathing next to her and she was tempted to wake him, but the thought of snide comments and nasty remarks put her off.
Suddenly overcome with the urge to be sick she scrambled out of the bed and to the toilet, only just making it in time for the foul smelling liquid and chunks to violently leave her system. She cried more and more with every stomach spasm...god she hated being sick. During each little break she rolled up toilet paper to wipe her eyes and mouth.
This was disgusting.
This was rock bottom.
"You okay Jackie?"
Great, she thought as yet more vomit spilled from her into the toilet, now Eric Forman is watching me vomit
She felt Eric scoop up her hair and hold it back for her. "Let it out Jackie," he encouraged, as she vomited her dignity away. "You'll feel better when it's out."
"Okay Eric, I get it, I don't need you to personally cheer me through this experience okay?" she said as she wiped more tears out of her eyes.
"What's going on?" She heard Hyde's deep, sleepy voice coming from the doorway and she now officially wanted to die.
"She's pretty sick man," Eric explained as if it wasn't freaking obvious.
"I'll go get her one of those hair thingys," Hyde said as he walked away.
"I'm right here you know," Jackie cried into the toilet bowl.
Eric patted her back with the hand that wasn't holding her hair. "Yes Jackie we know, we can hear you and smell you," he said in his usual mock tone.
God this was embarrassing.
"Here, watch out Forman, I'll sort it from here," Hyde said grabbing Jackie's hair from Eric as the skinny one squeezed his way out of the toilet.
"Okay, well, get better soon Jackie," Eric called while he walked back to his bed on the couch.
Hyde was pulling her hair while she was vomiting chunks and his tugging was making her feel worse.
"Ow!" she cried as the last bit of bile left her stomach.
"Sorry Jackie, I'm not a fucking hairdresser," he said. "There, I'm done, you look beautiful." He was laughing and she could tell that he'd just tied her hair up in the most ridiculous topknot ever. Just one more thing to feel completely embarrassed about.
She flushed the toilet and fell back against the wall, not quite ready to stand up yet. Hyde was standing in the doorway dressed in his sweatpants and white singlet looking sleepy. And cute. Not that she cared anymore.
"C'mon I'll help you back to bed," he said extending a hand to her.
She shook her head, exhausted after her experience. "No, I need a minute, and then I need a shower, and a toothbrush," she panted.
Tossing a wad of toilet paper into the toilet bowl she looked down at her top. "Aerosmith?" she asked when she saw she was wearing one on Hyde's band tees.
He grinned and folded his arms. "I thought you'd like that one," he winked, his eyes uncovered and looking more blue than usual under the bright light.
If he was referring to their dance a few nights ago Jackie didn't care. That ship had sailed when he hadn't trusted how she felt about him.
"Whatever," she sighed.
Hyde crouched down opposite her and put his hands on her knees. "C'mon, you can't sit here all night. I'll help you to the shower and find you a new toothbrush, I'm sure I have one in there," he offered.
"I can sort myself," Jackie said as she slowly stood up, the pain in her head nearly making her fall over again.
Hyde jumped up and wrapped his arm around her. "No you can't."
She tried to pull away from him but didn't have the strength to do so. "Contrary to what you may think Steven I really don't need you," she muttered as he walked her to the bathroom and flicked on the light.
She sat down on the edge of the bath while he turned the shower on. "Oh I think you do, tonight was a shining example," he said as he rummaged through a draw and pulled out a toothbrush still in the plastic.
"I don't even remember tonight so it doesn't count," Jackie sniped.
Hyde shot her a look of surprise as he put the toothpaste on the brush and handed it to her. "Put it this way Jackie, you could've been in some serious trouble if Forman and I hadn't come to find you and drag you out of that party."
Jackie shrugged. "Whatever." She nodded to the door and put the toothbrush in her mouth. "Can you leave now? I want a shower."
"Whatever," Hyde said as he left the room and closed the door.
Once showered and feeling clean again Jackie stood in the dark hallway contemplating what to do. She could either sleep on the couch with Eric, which she knew would piss off Donna and probably Eric, or she could go back to bed with Hyde, which would piss her off. Being the good friend that she knew she was she decided to take the bullet and sleep next to Hyde.
Quietly pulling the covers back she climbed into bed, praying that he was asleep. She was so tired, and her head hurt so bad. She needed to sleep.
She wasn't in there one minute before Hyde's arm slid around her waist. "Feel better?" he murmured into her hair.
"I did," she said trying to lift his arm off of her.
He pulled her closer. "Don't be silly," he whispered, "just go to sleep." He kissed the back of her neck and she closed her eyes.
Why had he ruined what they'd had? Okay it wasn't a huge relationship but it had been one built on friendship and understanding and he'd gone and destroyed it. His trust issues were big, too big for Jackie to deal with.
"Why couldn't you believe me," she quietly asked as her body began to warm up.
"What do you mean?"
"Why couldn't you believe that I really liked you? Why did you think I'd go on a date with Kerin?"
"Ah, because Kerin told me that you said yes to going on a date with him," Hyde stated, pulling her close into his body.
Jackie rolled onto her back and Hyde took the opportunity to kiss her lightly on the cheek. "But why didn't you talk to me about it properly, before just calling it all off?" she asked.
Hyde sighed. "Because I'm more of an actions guy Jackie, not a words guy okay?" He put his hand under her top and rested it on her stomach. His touch was incredible, but she couldn't let it sway her.
"So what would you do if we were together and you saw me talking to a guy one time?"
"Depends who it was and how he was looking at you."
"If it was a handsome jock and he was giving me the eye.
Hyde buried his face in her shoulder.
"Answer me Steven," she said.
"I'd probably wanna punch him in the face, and I'd probably wanna yell at you," he said truthfully.
"And there's the problem. You went on about all the reasons why we couldn't be together when really the only problem is your trust issues."
She couldn't help it, she slid her arms around his neck as he lay his head on her chest, wishing that she could rewind the clock. Again she had stupidly been ready to give her all to a guy and again the guy had let her down. She thought Hyde had been different, more mature perhaps. Who would've thought the nasty burnout from the basement was really just an insecure little boy? Not Jackie that's for sure.
They lay in silence for a while, both deep in thought.
"You never counter argued one of my reasons," Hyde finally said as he gently ran his hand across her stomach.
"Which one?" Jackie was surprised, she was sure she had given him an answer for everything.
"The one about you always wanting something better and me being happy with the same old," he reminded her.
She kissed the top of his head and could smell the shampoo she herself had just used. Apples, it smelled like apples.
"I'm not going to either Steven, you can work that one out. I think I've done enough hard work for the both of us."
Hyde lifted his head a little and looked at her. "Jackie I went to a college party and punched out a guy twice my size and let fucking Forman drive the Camino...I think I've done plenty."
Jackie pulled his head back down and kissed his curls again. "But I don't remember any of that so it doesn't count," she lied before drifting off to sleep.
a/n: Only two more chapters to go guys! Thanks again for the reviews, I love 'em.