A/N: Ok, so here is the next installment... I am sorry it took me soooo long to do, I have been so busy! Anyhoo, here is the next part and this one is not a songfic, as this is almost the end. For those of you who have stuck with me to the end, I appreciate it deeply. Please, enjoy, and leave some reviews if you like!
January 1st, 2006 13:49
Jackie looked over at Hyde again, their hands still intertwined. She sighed in contentment; what else could she have asked for in life? She squeezed his hand again to get his attention, and he turned towards her for a second.
"What's up, Jackie?" She squirmed slightly, before she said,
"Do you think that we could, um, stop somewhere, um before we get to Point Place? I would really like to buy some clothes so that I can change." He looked over at her, and saw how deeply uncomfortable she was with even voicing this question. He looked at her, before he said, in a soft voice,
"Of course we can stop and go shopping. Anything for you, doll." Jackie looked at him, those four words still holding power over her and her emotions. She felt herself melt inside once more, those four words bringing up so many old emotions. She smiled to herself, knowing that she still meant something to him. She looked over at him once more, and said,
"So, how much longer do you think it will take us before we get home, Steven?"
"Home, Jackie?" he asked her, surprise showing in his voice. She smiled at him, the smile lighting up her face once more.
"Yeah, Steven, home." He looked at her, the smile plastered on her face, and he felt one grow on his face as well. Home, he thought to himself, a real home.
"We should be in Point Place in about 6 hours or so. If you want, we can stop in Chicago to go shopping." She smiled again, glad to finally be out of these disgusting clothes. It had been a long, long time since she had really cared about anything that she had worn or how people would perceive her, but she really felt uncomfortable now. Plus, with all the detoxing that she had been doing since Hyde had thrown all that shit out had cleared her head quite a bit. She wouldn't tell him that it was painful, doing this detox, but she felt grateful for it. We shall see how long that lasts, she thought to herself.
Three hours later, they had entered the outskirts of Chicago. He turned to her, and saw that she was sleeping, and he smiled slightly, wondering whether he should wake her up or not. He grabbed her hand and squeezed it lightly.
"Jackie," he said softly, tugging slightly on her hand. She stirred slightly, before going right back to sleep, her head lolling to the left. He noticed that she had a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead, and he frowned slightly.
"Jackie," he said, louder this time. She stirred a little more, opening her eyes slowly. She looked at him, her eyes blinking a few times, before she sat up. He let go of her hand, and she stretched out. She looked over at him again, and said,
"Hey, Steven." He smiled at her, and said,
"Hey, yourself."
"Where are we?"
"Chicago. I was wondering where you wanted to go shopping, because to tell you the truth, I don't really know Chicago all that well." Jackie giggled a little, before she said,
"Well, I know this is going to sound silly, but…"
"But, what Jackie? Wherever you want to go, I will take you there." She blushed a little, before she mumbled something.
"What?" he said, as he hadn't heard what she had said. She said it a little louder, but he still hadn't heard it.
"What?!" he said, getting slightly irritated. She sighed in frustration, before she almost yelled at him,
"I said Neiman Marcus, on Michigan Avenue!" She looked away, crossing her arms over her chest self-consciously. He sat there, stunned for a minute, before he said,
"Okay."
"What?" she said, turning towards him, confusion on her face. He turned towards her, a smile on his face, and said,
"Okay, we'll go to Neiman Marcus."
"Oh," she said, the confusion more pronounced on her face. He looked over at her for a second, and smiled at how sweet her confusion was.
A half hour later they had reached Neiman Marcus. He parked in the garage, and they were about to get out, when she hesitated. He turned towards her, and said,
"What's wrong, Jackie?" She hesitated again, before she said,
"I-I don't want people to look at me funny in there." Understanding dawned on his face, and he reached into the back of the El Camino, pulling out a denim jacket. He handed it to her, saying,
"I know it's not much, but at least it will cover most of you." She smiled at him, putting on the jacket, which reached to her butt. He took her hand in his, and the two of them walked into Neiman Marcus.
Three and a half hours later, they walked out, Jackie dressed much more decently and carrying several bags. Hyde followed behind her, carrying several more bags, which they both put into the back of the El Camino. Jackie opened the passenger door, careful to slide into the car slowly, not wanting to ruin her new outfit. Hyde slid in as well, fully exhausted. He looked over at her, in her new dark-rinsed True Religion jeans, her black draped shoulder tee, and her Miu Miu python cork sandals. She looked amazing, and Hyde felt his loins responding once more to the way she looked. Not only did she look amazing, she had also insisted on paying for everything herself, shocking him into disbelief when he realized that she had just spent almost twenty thousand without blinking an eye. He had asked her where she had gotten the money, and she only smiled at him, before saying,
"I didn't spend 20 years doing what I did for free, Steven." She had gone to the salon down the street first, and had her hair styled before she went to go get clothes. She had also gotten make-up while she was there and had the cosmetologists do her make-up. She looked like the Jackie that he remembered, the beautiful girl that he had fallen in love with. She had been sexy before, but now she was even more so. He turned the car on, hoping that he didn't end up in an accident, as his eyes were literally glued to Jackie. He looked at her, and swallowed, quite loudly. She looked over at him, a blush creeping up her cheeks, and said,
"What?" He said the next thing that came to his mind, not really caring what he sounded like.
"You're beautiful, Jackie." She smiled at him, and said,
"Thanks. Now, do you want me to drive or do you feel ok?"
"What? Why?" She giggled a little at him, before she said,
"Well, because it's a green light and we're still sitting here." He turned back towards the road, whereupon he heard all the people honking behind him, and put the car in gear. He wanted to get to Point Place as soon as possible, and just kiss the living breath out of her. He got back on the highway, and she fell asleep again in a few minutes. He looked over at her, and smiled slightly, just letting her sleep. They were only about two, maybe three hours away from Point Place, and he thought that he should let her sleep before got home. Home, such a strange concept to the both of them, but it was where they belonged. He smiled again as he looked over at her, her head lolled on her left shoulder and he reached a hand over and brushed some hair out of her eyes. She smiled in her sleep and he turned his eyes back to the road, feeling some strange emotion bubble up within him; he thought about it for a moment, and realized that it was something he hadn't felt in a long time. It was pure, unadulterated joy.
