You better like this one, or else!

I have to admit this again wasn't like i thought it would be, but i just had some mashed potatoes, go figure. And just to ramble a little myself... yes, i live in canada and i'm freezing my butt off. And temperatures aren't even below zero, but i am from hamburg in germany and we have about 12 degrees celsius and rain all year long. Here it's like -38 in winter.

Thanks again for all you reviews, i'm sure you'll all get your shirts in time. Btw, i know that it's ted nugent, but i still can't get over the episode where they go to his concert and hyde and fez are trying to sell shirts-which are missspelld TAD nugent. And they are arrested but can't be charged for anything except being dumb because of that spelling mistake. Still cracks me up all the time.

Oh well, allright, i'll stop, here you have the next chapter.

btw, why don't you go read my other story "it's a long way to the top" when you're done. right now it's the whole group but knowing me there will be some jyde action going on sooner or later-as if i could go without...

Mesmerized he moved closer until he could feel her breath on his lips, not sure whether he should really kiss her or not.

He didn't need to make that decision when she moved forward and he felt her lips gently brushing his. Encouraged, he leaned towards her and gently stroked her face.

After what seemed like an eternity she pulled back and looked at him with a dazed smile. He pulled her back, not wanting it to end right now.

They only stopped because some drunk kid stumbled against the El Camino and looked like he would throw up on the hood.

"Let's get out of here!"

He croaked more than he spoke because his mouth was dry and he wondered what had just happened. He just kissed Jackie Burkhart. Well, she sort of kissed him. No matter how he turned it, one thing didn't change. He had enjoyed it. He liked having her around and he had to admit that he really liked the way it felt to see her face first thing in the morning when he opened his eyes. That fuzzy thing.

But as to how this would continue... He had no idea. He would stay at her house tonight but the rest was up to her. Somebody else might talk things over and find out where they were.

On the other hand, he was probably thinking too much about it.

Jackie still sat next to him, her head on his shoulder, gazing at the icy road in front of them. He slowed down and put an arm around her-deciding not to think too much.

They drove on in silence, the radio providing the only sound next to the faint purring of the El Camino's engine. He listened closer and found that it was AC/DC again-or better, still. He had put in the tape earlier. His thoughts must have been somewhere else and he didn't need to think hard where exactly.

The roads were still icy but there was no one else out there. Cars were parked in the streets but there wasn't a single human being outside walking a dog or heading home from a party.

A single cat hurried across the street, probably to find some shelter from the cold. It was getting winter, allright. The sky was clear of clouds and if somebody cared to look up they would be amazed at the sheer beauty. But Hyde rather concentrated on beauty much closer to him.

At her house they both got out and he made sure to take the whisky with him-just in case he might need it later.

"Steven, there's a lot more where this came from, you know that!"

"Well, I just can't stand the thought of wasting good liquor."

He grinned and pushed her inside. The house was strangely quiet even for an empty big house in the middle of the night and he understood why Jackie didn't want to stay here all by herself.

Smiling nervously she took his hand and pulled him upstairs towards her room.

Even though he had been here before, even slept in her bed with her before, he started to be nervous. Really nervous and he didn't know why.

Well, they had kissed but that wasn't such a big deal, was it. After all, she was only his best friend's ex girlfriend and the person he always professed was the embodyment of everything he hated.

He sat down on her bed and opened the whisky again. There was really no need to waste it, it was really good. Even though he was afraid that they might do something they, or better she, could regret later.

He would certainly not regret anything.

Jackie lay on the bed next to him, gently taking the bottle away from him and pulling him down to her. He laid on his side next to her, looking into her eyes. She smiled and pulled him closer again and he finally gave in and bent down to kiss her.

Smiling he pulled back to look at her again, He gently brushed away a strand of her hair and traced her jawline with his finger. She closed her eyes and sighed. Hyde couldn't help but look down at her dress-it was getting harder and harder for him to hold back. After all, she was still a virgin at this wasn't the time or the place for her to change that. He hated himself for being so damn decent.

"Uhm, maybe we should... sleep..."

He tried to smile at her but failed terribly. Right now he wanted nothing more than rip that dress to shreds and do what he so desperately wanted to do. But they were both drunk and he didn't want it to be this way.

Jackie went straight to the bathroom to change and left Hyde alone with his thoughts. To keep himself busy and his mind off things he shouldn't be thinking, he folded his clothes neatly and put them on a chair before lying down. He lay on his back, head on his folded arms, and stared at the ceiling. All this pink around him seemed to scream at him to leave her alone and never come back.

Suddenly he felt a hand on his chest and jumped. Immediately he felt stupid because the only person around was Jackie. He didn't like how he suddenly felt around her-before, everything was so natural, felt so right. Now it was just awkward.

She looked up at him and smiled, but he could see that she felt awkward, too.

"You look like you regret it."

"No!"

That came out a lot louder than he intended and Jackie smiled again, this time relieved. She moved closer and kissed him again, softly, and pulled back.

"You really are a nice guy Steven. A lot nicer than you pretend to be. I promise I won't tell."

She grinned and kissed him again before curling up next to him, her back on his side. He turned around and wrapped his arms around her. Grinning, he planted a kiss on the top of her head and closed his eyes.

So, doing the right thing wasn't so bad, after all.

-----------

The next morning they got up and the awkward feeling was back. Instead of at least asking what was going to happen next Hyde just left for breakfast at the Forman's, Jackie told him she had other things to do.

He kept staring at his eggs and bacon and just couldn't eat. He had a lot of thinking to do, thinking he didn't really want to do. Basically the only thing that held him back was that goddamn moron Kelso. She was his ex and he wasn't supposed to touch her. So why did touching her have to feel so good?

"So what crawled up your ass and died?"

He didn't even react to Laurie's attempt to pick a fight. He just kept staring at the eggs as if they could give him the answer to his problems.

After a while he looked up at her and grinned.

"What? Did Kelso leave you with nothing but a new VD?"

She whithered him with a glare that would turn a stallion into a gelding but he just didn't care.

"Hyde, why are you so tense? Is it because you didn't have sex for... a long time?"

"Laurie, are you hitting on me? Are you that desperate after a night with Kelso, the incredible dumbass? Besides, I know a lot of better ways to spend a quarter."

Fuming, Laurie got up and went to her room, leaving only Hyde and Eric behind.

"Hyde, you scare me, man. You look like you are trying to fry those eggs extra crisp with your stare. I'm afraid of the answer but... What happened last night?"

"Nothing."

Eric sighed.

"Am I relieved to hear tha... Wait a second, that was just another of your zen answers. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, man. I'm going for a drive."

He went outside and jumped into the El Camino.

When he pulled out of the driveway he saw a familiar tiny shape walking up to the house from the other direction, but right now he needed to get away. And do a thing he really didn't want to do: Think.

-----

Jackie needed to talk to Donna, but when she walked up the driveway she saw that the Pinciotti's car wasn't there. Then she remembered Donna complaining about having to go to some family thing. Unsure what to do but unwilling to walk all the way back for nothing, Jackie walked towards the Forman's house. She registered that the El Camino wasn't there and sighed.

"What are you doing here again?"

She turned around and saw Mr. Forman working on the Vista Cruiser in the garage.

"I wanted to talk to Donna, but she's not home,. so..." she shrugged.

"Well, Steven just left a few minutes ago."

He didn't look at her but he smiled.

"Can you hold that flashlight for me?"

"Sure."

She walked over and held the flashlight in the direction he pointed out for her.

"Look at that. Even a girl can do that a lot better than my son."

Shaking his head he took a closer look at the fuel pump.

"Well, back when I was younger I sometimes helped our chauffeur repair our car."

"If you want to stick around, maybe you can help me some more."

Jackie was excited. She had always liked Mr. Forman a lot, despite his roughness and all the yelling. She knew that he was a good dad and sometimes wished he could be hers. She'd rather have somebody call her a dumbass and threaten to shove his foot up her ass than someone being not there all the time.

-----------

About an hour later Jackie was lying under the car, covered in grease from head to toe and her hair really messy, even for other people's standards. And she was really happy. Over tools and car parts they'd had a talk about her and the others. Not the girl talk she would have had with Donna, but still a talk. Mr. Forman knew more than any of them thought.

She was just glad that she was wearing some old jeans and a rather old sweater today. Somehow she didn't feel the urge to dress perfect all the time. It was saturday and she had a hangover, so why not.

Mr. Forman had told her that Kelso and Fez had walked by towards the basement, but even after Donna had arrived Jackie stayed where she was. None of them had noticed her and that was fine with her. The only one she wanted to see right now was Steven, and it was probably better that he didn't see her like this.

"Ah, Steven. Could you put those tools away, I'm done and need to wash up before dinner. And kick those dumbasses out of my house."

Hyde wondered why Red was grinning like he just found out that he held the key to get rid of all commies once and for all, but he shrugged and walked towards the garage. He still wasn't any wiser than when he left, but at least he had managed to clear his head.

He saw something move in the garage and froze. There was Jackie, all dirty and in old clothes, her hair a mess-she had never looked more beautiful to him.

"I was hoping you wouldn't see me like this..."

He could see her blush under some grease smears on her cheeks.

"I like it. Beats the usual makeup you wear."

She giggled and slowly walked towards him, not sure what to do.

"Steven, I've been thinking about... Yesterday. About us..."

She was now standing right in front of him, staring at his boots and he held his breath. He didn't want her to continue, afraid that she would say something he didn't like to hear.

"I've been doing some thinking, too."

He heard somebody at the kitchen door and looked over her shoulder. Everybody was standing there watching them and Red was currently trying to get them away. Kelso had just tried to open the door but failed.

She looked up at him and smiled.

"Sorry, but that's an unusual statement to hear from a guy!"

He laughed and pinched her side.

"Well, same for a little cheerleader."

"So, what did you decide?"

He looked back to the kitchen door and then down on her.

"That i\I don't care."

He could see the confusion on her face and grinned. He pulled her into his arms and bent down to kiss her.

He really didn't care.

And there it was again, that fuzzy feeling.