Chapter 14
Mission: Impossible, circa 1978
September 2, 1978
12:27AM
It wasn't Hyde's favorite position, nor one he was very proud of, but it was getting the job done, stealthily and quietly, and taking him where he wanted to go. Resting on all fours, he stretched up and peeked over the Pinciotti couch at a sleeping Bob.
"That a Bob," he muttered, crouching back down when Donna's dad grumbled and rolled over. Damn it. That was close. Just nine or ten more feet, he estimated, and began to crawl, past the door, until he finally reached the stairs and stood, slapping his hands on his pants while he looked up at the second floor with a grin. All those years of B & Es had paid off. It's why good girls love bad boys. They could sneak in undetected.
With his tongue slung out of his mouth like a menacing child, Hyde ran up the steps in twos and stopped at Donna's door, pushing it open carefully. The redhead was sound asleep in her bed and the brunette—he smirked—lay in wait.
"Steven," she whispered happily. "Oh my God. You're crazy!"
"Shh," he hushed as Jackie giggled and reached out to him. Quietly, he moved to her cot, gripping the edges so he could lower his body over hers, and stopped only when their lips connected in a hungry, impatient kiss. At this point in his life, he had been unable to get enough of her and after almost three months apart and an entire summer without sex, he was raring to go.
'Freakin' Donna', his brain cursed as Jackie's tongue teased his over and over, why couldn't she have just left for a couple of days? He had been looking forward to getting Jackie in the redhead's bed that night, but here they were instead, on another god damn cot. But it wasn't so bad, he decided. Beneath him, Jackie seemed to be starving for his mouth while her legs spread wide and her agile hips rolled, increasing the delicious friction between them. "God, Jackie. Come on," he whispered huskily as they kissed. "Let's go somewhere."
"Where?" she pouted, letting her body go limp, "Everywhere we go, one of those dumb asses shows up. It's like they're all part of a plot to keep us from doing it."
His eyebrow arched. God damn, she was hot when she was conspiratorial and pissed off. It meant only one thing to him at that moment: hot, angry, paranoid sex. " Let's go," he insisted. "Wrap your legs around me."
Jackie did and, with a mischievous grin, distracted him again with her tongue as he picked her up. "Jesus, Jackie," he groaned a little too loudly when he settled her body on his hips and felt her pressure rest on the part of him that had been aching for her for months. "I can't take it anymore. We've gotta find somewhere."
"Then let's go," she panted in between their frenzied kisses. "Move."
"To where?"
"Anywhere."
He took a step with her but froze when Donna grumbled and turned.
"Just go," Jackie whispered.
But before he could, the redhead sat up. "What the hell are you two doing?"
Hyde's eyes widened. "Uh, Uh…"
"Great job, Steven," Jackie said, rolling her eyes before turning to her roommate. "We're going to have sex, Donna. Somewhere in your house. So just…Go back to sleep."
"Whatever. Just stay away from the kitchen," a half-awake Donna ordered and plopped back down on her bed, rolling over instantly.
Jackie narrowed her eyes. "Of course, it would be all about food with her," she scoffed, then smiled at Hyde. "Let's go, baby."
"Where?"
At that simple question, the beautiful, young brunette in his arms grinned evilly and pressed her forehead to his. "The kitchen."
Through his awe, Hyde smirked. "God, I missed you…"
November 6, 1984
10:39 pm
Chicago, Illinois
Mingles Pub
What is it, again, that they tell a man when he's about to go into battle, or off to war, or to the mall with his girlfriend? Anywhere, really, where life and limb are continuously threatened by an embittered enemy - What is it they say? 'Take care of yourself, son.' – 'It's going to be dangerous over there.' - 'Don't be a hero. Just bring yourself back alive.'
Yeah.
Standing with his back against a forest green wall near the bathroom hallway, Hyde pushed his memories of Jackie aside to consider those very gems that had so wisely been passed down to him only minutes before.
'Don't be a hero out there, man. Just bring yourself back in one piece,' Rich had uttered, accompanied by a pat on the back.
'Take care of yourself, son,' Wilbur so wisely said. 'It's brutal out there.'
'We'll cover you,' Tommy had promised. 'Unless you get caught, kid. Then you're on your own.'
Nervously, Hyde scanned the area around him again for any hint of perfume, the clackity-clack of heels or the jingle of a purse full of crap but found that the enemy was not within range. Still, his foot was tapping furiously and his hands were clammy as hell. God damn it. This was ridiculous. He felt like an idiot. But it was the only way, he thought as he made a run for it, tucking himself into the bathroom hallway, still unseen.
Phase one of 'Operation Kool-Aid Blows' was a success, and Hyde stuck out his tongue in celebration. These chicks couldn't beat him. He grew up poor, the equivalent of Navy Seal training for the civilian world. They had nothing… except for all the damn beer. After waiting impatiently for another minute, he heard a toilet flush and the sink start, then a minute later, the door opened. "Jackie," he blurted, stepping in front of her. "Hey."
"No." His mildly intoxicated ex-girlfriend raised a hand to him. "I refuse to speak to you, Steven."
"No, I know. But do you think," He looked around and stepped closer to her, nearly pinning her against the wall. "Jackie, come on. I'm starving and could use a beer."
Studying his desperate eyes for a moment, Jackie sighed and folded her arms, willing to hear his case. It was clear, at first, that Hyde was bewildered by her silent response, but eventually, he caught on. "Uh, okay. Um… All I had today was cold pizza, and that potato and half of a soggy funnel cake."
Jackie sneered. He was way off and obviously Jessica wasn't doing her job as a woman properly. The boy was rusty. "And?!"
"And…" he attempted with a struggling frown before the light finally went on in his head. "Oh! Oh! And uh… Man, you look really hot tonight. Definitely the hottest chick in Chicago. No! In all of Illinois," he corrected and then put on an annoyingly arrogant grin. "Sizzling hot."
Jackie's arms fell to her sides anyway. All of Illinois? Damn, she couldn't argue with that. "Fine. I'll tell them to let you have one beer and some food. But then you stay away from me."
A frown came over him. "So, what, you're just not going to talk to me at all now? Don't you think we should…"
Hand up, Jackie stopped him again. "No, I don't. We spent many, many years not talking, Steven. And you know what I'm realizing? It was fabulous," she spat and moved to walk away, but stopped. "And if you want a slice of pizza, you bonehead, just come over and get it. They're not going to make you starve."
Hyde grimaced. "Yeah, they are. You made all the broads in this place hate me, and I'm not going to just leave you here alone, especially while your smashed," he said, flipping his hand at her with irritation, or maybe it was jealousy. "So, I'm stuck here, being called 'Stripper lover' and refused drinks."
Try as she might, Jackie could not avoid the grin that took over her entire face. "They gave you Kool-Aid," she snickered. "And caramel corn. I don't even know why you're complaining."
Hyde stared at her, not amused in the least. "So, this is funny to you?" Seeing the angry look that sat on his bruised face, Jackie fought harder to keep her smiles at bay. She had seen him like this before. His arms were folded, his face stern, his lips were pinched tightly, forcing him to breathe through his nose. He was pissed, and she couldn't help but chuckle. "You know what? Forget it. I'm not going to stand here kiss your ass all night, if that's what you're thinking." He started to turn around.
Jackie's guilt finally caught up with her, and she had to laugh again as she grabbed his arm to stop his retreat. "I said I'd tell Carol to let you have some beer and pizza. Just come up and get it. And they don't hate you. They're just pissed off for me… at all the stupid crap you've ever pulled."
Growing angrier, Hyde dropped his arms and took a defensive stance. "Damn, Jackie. Why does the whole freakin' world have to know our history?"
All she had to offer him was a shrug for an answer, making it worse.
"So, what are you saying?" he asked. "That I'm just never going to be able to live it down. I'm going to be the 'pig that married the stripper' for the rest of my life?"
Unsure of what to tell him, she just shrugged again. She had no idea. Maybe. Maybe not.
"See, this, right here, Jackie, is why I called Jessica. This is why you and I should have never started this crap up again… Don't you get it?" he tried to finally explain. "I haven't screwed up with her yet. And she doesn't ever look at me like I'm a piece of crap."
Stunned, Jackie's brow furrowed. She was a little staggered by how serious he was being and by his mention of the two of them. They had started something? "Steven, I don't look at you like that. I just…" Jackie stopped, relaxing her expression. Maybe she did. "I don't know, I guess, maybe, the Sam situation still makes me really mad."
"You said you were over it."
Confused, Jackie corrected her statement. "And I am. I just…"
"Then quit talking about it."
At that, Jackie's jaw clenched. "Fine."
"Fine." Narrowing his eyes, Hyde shook his head as they glared at each other, knowing that the scorn on her face would never change. He was the 'Stripper-lover,' the dirtbag that abandoned her for a whore… for life. He watched her eyes narrow, too.
"I said fine… Hyde," she growled. "Now get out of my way."
Hyde. Of course, he thought as he stepped to the side. "Fine."
"Good," she retorted with her back still against the wall.
"Good," he sneered.
"Fine."
Wearing his cockiest grin, Hyde refolded his arms. "You can leave now."
"Ugh! Fine! Just… get your stupid beer and go away," she bit and walked off.
"I will," he called out and watched her entire journey back to the busy bar, completely frustrated with her and yet, somehow, totally turned on at the same time. It was all so fucked up. But once, there was a place, there was a time, when she was forgiving, when he was forgivable, and nothing in the world could stop them, not even Bob…
…September 2, 1978…
Looking from left to right and then left again, Hyde used a head gesture to direct Jackie forward across the entryway of the Pinciotti house. Hand in hand, and determined as hell, the two crept as far as the living room and stopped when Hyde raised his fist, stuck two fingers up (translation: the Bob is still on the couch) and pointed down.
"I am not crawling," she whispered.
"Shhh!" Hyde gruffly hushed, irritated that she wasn't following his plan of complete stealth. "You're going to blow our cover, Jackie. Now do you want to do it in the kitchen or not?"
Angrily, she looked away and then turned back to him with a nod. So, once again, and with more force than before, Hyde pointed down while she gave a more resolute nod, coupled with a wink.
With the mission confirmed, for the second time, Hyde made firm visual contact with his battle buddy and aimed two fingers from her eyes to his (translation: watch what I do), then proceeded to point a single digit at her before thumbing forward (translation: then you follow). To complete his battle plan, Hyde smirked and stuck his finger in the hole formed by the index finger and thumb of his other hand (translation: then I fuck you senseless).
Smirking, Jackie nodded and, this time, it was Hyde who winked before charging ahead…
November 6, 1984
10:51PM
Mingles Pub
'Cry Baby Cry' by the Beatles plays on the jukebox.
Reclaiming her seat, Jackie let out a frustrated growl and leaned over the bar, grabbing a giant bowl of cherries that she was hoping would mask the nasty taste that Hyde's bullshit had left in her mouth. Through her peripheral vision, she watched his blurred form walk back to the poker table and sit down. Who the hell did he think he was anyway? It was 'why he called Jessica.' Jackie angrily shoved a handful of cherries into her mouth. Why the hell did he think she gave a crap who he called? She scoffed and looked up as Carol took the bowl away from her.
"Honey, I need those."
Jackie's shoulders slumped. "Oh. Sorry. It's just… It's almost like he wants me to be jealous, you know?"
Carol toddled around, cleaning up as the brunette vented, obviously searching for a sympathetic ear to listen. "Jealous of what, honey?"
"Of Jessica," Jackie said and laughed at the absurdity of it, quite feebly in Carol's quiet opinion. "And, I … I am just … I am not jealous of Jessica! The only reason I got mad was because he told her I annoy him and cause … Well, why is he so freakin' nice to her when they fight?! When he was always such a jerk to me! It doesn't make any sense! I'm prettier than she is, Carol."
"Of course, you are, sweetie," the older woman responded, handing the preoccupied brunette her own smaller bowl of cherries. "Now, who's Jessica?"
"His girlfriend," Jackie answered, popping one in her mouth.
"He has a girlfriend?"
"Oh… yeah," she snarled, shoving another fistful of red fruit between her ever-reddening lips. "Did I forget to mention that? He has a stupid, blond girlfriend with perfect teeth."
Carol stopped and grimaced. "So, is she like the other one? The stripper?"
"Jessica? No," Jackie answered, disappointed. "She's actually normal." Tilting her head to the side, she tried to figure out how to describe the quiet blonde. "In a nutshell, she's gorgeous and went to college… and has boobs," she grumbled, looking down while she cupped her own small breasts. "It's what he likes, I guess."
Carol pouted sympathetically with her new friend. "Sweetie. I'm sure she has nothing on you. But I have to say, I'm a little confused. You and Steven broke up five years ago, right?" Jackie nodded. "-and have barely talked since then," Jackie nodded again. "-but now that he has a serious girlfriend, you want him back?"
"No. No," Jackie corrected. "I don't want him back. I just… I mean, how could I after everything he did?" Mostly to appease herself, she shook her head curtly and affirmed her position. "No. I'm totally over him. And plus, I have a boyfriend… a really great one."
"You do?"
Jackie nodded. "Uh huh."
"Well, honey. If you have a boyfriend … and he has a girlfriend … and you're over him … and he's over you … then … what's the problem?"
The beautiful face on one Miss Jacquelyn Burkhart fell, turning pensive as she went over Carol's question in her head. What was the problem? Not much time, though, did she waste pondering, because the answer scared her to death…
A Few Minutes Earlier
"So, I take it 'Operation Kool-Aid Blows' was a failure," Wilbur remarked when his young new friend slouched back down in his seat, completely empty-handed—no pizza, no beer, no pride.
"No. She said she'd call off the hit," Hyde explained, still miserable, and grabbed the new hand that was dealt to him. "Thanks… Except I have to go up there and get it myself… and she's more pissed at me now than she was before." He scoffed and tossed two quarters in. "I'm in…This is a nightmare, man."
Thoughtfully, Wilbur shook his head. "Hey, Rich. Don't start yet. I'm going to go get this kid a beer…and some pizza. Screw these broads. It's my bar."
A grateful grin washed over Hyde's face as Wilbur stood. "Awesome, man. Thanks." He raised a fist to his comrade. Looking around the table as the older man took off for the bar, Hyde nodded at the remaining three. "Beer."
All of them returned the happy nod as Tommy sat back in his seat, laughing. "Man, you've screwed up way past the flower zone and moved straight into jewelry hell. At this point, that's your quickest route out of the doghouse, my friend, especially with that feisty girlfriend of yours," he said, gesturing toward Jackie.
"Her? She's not my girlfriend. She's my ex," Hyde corrected and looked around warily at the shocked faces that horseshoed him. "My girlfriend's in Minneapolis right now…What?"
One of the men, Rich, grimaced. "Your ex? She's just your ex?" He slumped back in his seat. "Man. Why the hell are you taking all this bullshit from her then?"
"Have you ever had an ex-girlfriend, man," Hyde asked.
Rich blew out a big breath. "Good point…Damn…Wait. So, then your current chick just lets you hang out with your ex and doesn't care?"
"Uh…no," Hyde answered, "No. If my chick knew that I was hanging out with Jackie, my nuts would be in a vice right now."
"So, I take it she also doesn't know that you're nailing the brunette then," Tommy threw in with a knowing smirk, making Hyde grin warily, quickly turning it into a guilty laugh.
"I'm not…We haven't…Crap," Hyde grumbled, wondering how the hell he was going to maintain the lie to Jessica if these old geezers already had him figured out. "No. She has no clue, man."
Tommy laughed. "I knew it! There's no way a broad can get that pissed if you're not puttin' it to her," he said and shook his head. "Man, you're just asking for trouble. This kind of mess never turns out in a man's favor, and I say that from experience. Just pick one and move on."
Before Hyde could respond, the third man at the table, Jerry, who, to Hyde, sounded eerily like Leo, got his attention with an excited smile. "Hey, if it were me, dude, I'd pick the spunky little brunette you came in with. Woo," he hooted. "She's a hot little thing, man. Looks like a lot of fun, too."
Through the crowded bar, Hyde's smiling eyes searched, and eventually found, Jackie. 'Hot little thing' was a glaring understatement. She was gorgeous, always had been, and… "Yeah. We used to have a lot of fun together…"
…September 2, 1978…
From behind the couch, and, after checking briefly to make sure she was all clear, Hyde waved Jackie over. She looked apprehensive at first, but down on all fours she went, anyway, and began to crawl toward him cautiously, her body taking on a shape that transported his mind back to the gutter. Her shoulders rolled like a cat's and her hips followed, causing the tiny nightgown she was wearing to creep up to the small of her back, revealing little white panties to him. Hyde grinned when she arrived. "Now go back and do it again," he whispered, reaching out to cup her face.
Without hesitation, she smiled and kissed him, making him forget where they were as he pulled her onto his lap and let his hands slide up her thighs to the thin material that barely covered her. Her skin was so soft and smooth to his touch that when he reached her ass and gently forced her hips into a slow grind over him, he had to make himself stop. "We can't do this right here," he pulled his lips away and explained, glancing back at the couch. "I can't have a hard-on this close to Bob."
Grimacing, Jackie nodded back and backed off of his lap. "Ew," she whispered. "Yeah, let's go."
But while Hyde was busy repeating his silent directives to her, Bob Pinciotti sat up and opened his eyes…
Thirty Minutes Later
'Cry' by Godley and Crème permeates through the crowded bar.
An older woman in her 60s, going by the name of Judy, grabbed her heart while Carol shook her head and made herself a banana daiquiri. "I can't believe that!" Judy gasped. "He was going to kill that boy Chris for you. Because he hurt you. Oh."
"Oh, my goodness, that is so sexy," a younger woman of about thirty commented. "Which one is he again?" she asked Carol.
The female bartender pointed. "See where Wilbur's sitting…"
Looking around, Jackie smiled, basking in all the attention she was getting. It was like high school all over again and the cheerleading squad was asking her about her summer with Steven Hyde, unable to believe that she had actually ditched her pretty-boy boyfriend for the rebel, the bad boy. It made her dangerous and adventurous, and they all clamored for every sordid detail. And when he would look over longingly, the girls would swoon and start up again.
A younger girl, about her age, giggled and scooted up to Jackie at the bar. "Keep going. You guys went into your apartment and…"
"And…" Jackie smiled.
June 18, 1982
She had been holding a warm, wet washcloth to her temple, watching as Hyde glared out the window, when the strangeness of the situation finally hit her. He was spending the night. And it was going to be a nightmare. She just knew it.
Hyde turned around. "Well he's finally fuckin' gone. I thought I was going to have to go back out there and kick his ass again."
"Good," she answered, taking a glimpse at the bloodied cloth before placing it back on her head. "God, I'm going to have a scar now."
Next to her, Hyde sat down, his features teeming with angry signals. Every part of his body appeared tense—his hands, his legs, his jaw, his lips—until the pressure apparently got to be too much and he exploded.
"Jackie, what the hell are you doing with a guy with that?! Huh?! You live on your own, man! You can't just bring every fuckin' loser in here! You gotta be smarter than that!" Through stunned eyes, Jackie could see that he was pissing himself off more and more with his own rant. "Did that piece of shit hit you before tonight?!"
"No. God," she brusquely responded. "I'm not an idiot, Hyde. I'm just, obviously, a bad judge of character."
"Obviously," he concurred.
Jackie narrowed her eyes. "Don't you dare judge me. You didn't treat me much better."
"What?" he blurted out heatedly. "What the hell are you talking about, Jackie? That guy threw a freakin' remote control at your head! Don't compare me to him."
"Whatever," Jackie rolled her eyes and muttered. He could believe what he wanted, but what he had done hurt far worse than what Chris had done. At least that pain would be gone by morning. Beside her, Hyde shook his head and smoothed his hands over his face. The knuckles on his right hand were cut and swollen, and on the left, they were beet red. "Thank you, though," she added sincerely, realizing that he could have hung up on her. He could have ignored her call. But he hadn't. "You don't have to stay."
To that, Hyde sighed and looked over, the anger absent from his face. "Jackie, I'm not going to leave you here alone," he replied and sat back. Awkwardly, she did, too, and wondered what the night had in store for them. Other than a brief conversation at Bob and Midge's reception, and a few vicious burns, they hadn't spoken in over a year. And he was so different now. From what she had heard, he was persistently drunk and spent most of his time with sluts he met at the bar he practically lived at. Basically, they had nothing in common. Not that they ever did. But, now, added to that, they were strangers. What in the hell would they talk about?
Twenty minutes later, Hyde folded his arms. "I'm not wearing those."
"Hyde. Your jeans are filthy and this couch is brand new. Put 'em on," Jackie ordered.
"No," he refused defiantly and pointed a warning finger at her. "I'm not wearing his clothes. And if you freakin' kick me, Jackie, I swear to God, you're on your own tonight."
"Well you're not sleeping on my couch with those jeans on!"
"Fine," he spat and stalked into her bedroom, returning a few minutes later in only his t-shirt and boxers. And as he did, Jackie just rolled her eyes and pointed at the couch, where the softest blanket and fluffiest pillow she owned lay on top. "Thanks."
"Just get under the blanket," she snapped. "I don't need to see your…business." He promptly gave her a cocky grin, and she had to look away or she would smile, too. It was the last thing she wanted. She was supposed to be angry with him.
Hyde lay down, and for the next twenty minutes, as he watched TV, they both remained quiet, playing look-away tag until Jackie finally spoke. "I'm really sorry about tonight."
Hyde glanced at her. "Why?"
"For bothering you. It's Friday night and you probably had plans," she lured and waited for him to respond. She was curious about his life and was fishing, apparently very badly because he wasn't taking the bait. "You know, with your girlfriend," she added.
"She's not my girlfriend," Hyde responded flatly, never taking his eyes off the TV. "She's just a friend."
Jackie forced a laugh. "You mean one of those 'friends' you have sex with?"
"Yeah, something like that," he muttered impassively, still not looking at her.
Jackie sighed and bit at the inside of her cheek. She couldn't help but speculate at what he could possibly be thinking about. Looking at him, though, he didn't appear to be thinking about anything. He seemed so disinterested with everything. Aloof, she thought, rolling her eyes, and wondered if it was his bullshit act or if he really was that numb to the world around him. Whatever it was, he was different. This wasn't the Steven Hyde she had fallen in love with. That boy was long gone, and she tried to figure out who the hell was on her couch.
It was immediately after his return from Vegas that his personality had begun to suffer its metamorphosis, changing until, eventually, the man that lived deep inside of him, the soul that only she was allowed to know, her Pudding Pop, her baby, died without saying goodbye. That was how Jackie chose to look at it. It was delusional, she knew, but it had gotten her through the pain in one piece. Because it was easier to mourn his death than to think that he, who she had truly believed to be perfect right down to his fingertips, could actually be a monster inside.
Thankfully, Jackie decided, she had missed most of his transformation, but she was pretty sure she knew what happened. She knew him. He was reckless with his freedom and, without anyone there to reel him in when he wandered too far from himself, he got lost. Part of her felt guilty, feeling as though she'd abandoned him somehow.
Suddenly, Jackie's thoughts moved to the sharp pain in her head, and Chris finally entered her mind again. He had been so wonderful in the beginning and made her laugh every day, but he also had a temper when he was drunk, and tonight, he was. Pulling her knees to her chin, Jackie began to cry quietly. Even with Hyde in the room, she felt alone, like she was never going to find him, the great love of her life, the man she was going to marry.
"Jackie." She looked up at Hyde through her tears. "C'mere," he said gently, scooting back against the couch and raising his blanket in invite. "Lay with me." Immediately, Jackie broke into sobs and rushed over to him, dropping her knee down on the cushion and falling into his arms, dropping onto his shoulder all the tears she would ever cry over Chris. His arms closed around her tightly. "Hey. Come on, Jackie," he soothed as she burrowed her face between his head and the pillow. "There's no reason to cry over this. Shit happens, you know, to all of us."
"No, it only happens to me," she cried. "I'm such a loser. God! What is it about me, Hyde? Why do all men want to hurt me so much?"
"Sweetheart, it's not you."
Not another word left his mouth as she cried against him. Instead, he just held her close and watched TV, she guessed, until her tears were all cried out. In return, she kept her arms coiled around his neck, her face tucked underneath; hiding from the low lamplight that she knew would hurt her eyes. And for a moment, she felt content, even while being sheltered by her worst enemy. It was a temporary ceasefire, a brief truce, a moment in between the firefight to breathe. "Steven?"
"Yeah?"
"Can we watch Dynasty now?" Jackie felt his chest expand against hers and the resulting breath tickle her cheek. He apparently wasn't a fan, but in the next instant, the channel changed and she heard the snarling diatribe of Alexis Carrington excite the room. "Oh! That's it!" she exclaimed with a smile and flipped over, instantly working to make herself comfortable. She slipped her bare feet between his calves and nuzzled her head into the pillow while Hyde pulled the blanket over her shoulders. "Put your arm around me, Steven," she demanded and then grabbed his hand when it reached her stomach, unabashedly moving it up to her chest. "No. Like this."
Hugging onto his forearm, Jackie lay and watched her favorite show, allowing herself to get lost in the drama of others as Hyde remained quiet behind her.
It must have been a mere fifteen minutes later, though, during an onscreen cat-fight, when she felt thick, rough fingers push her hair away from her neck. Her mind immediately returned to the body behind her. The reason for what he did was unclear, at first, but quickly became apparent when his lips found the spot she liked best and kissed her softly. A heavy fog washed over her and Jackie closed her eyes, permitting him to do it again, and again, until his kisses began to intensify and his tongue finally made contact. "Oh God, Steven," she moaned, reaching back to feel his soft curls. "What are you doing?"
"Does it feel good?"
"Uh huh," she admitted breathily. It felt incredible.
"Good," he whispered back and pushed all of her hair over the top of their pillow, exposing the sensitive nape of her neck and making her body quiver at the simple feeling of his mouth on her flesh. Chills worried her spine and traveled around her body when his hand began to massage her breast. "God. I missed you so bad," he moaned between kisses, immediately waking her up from her haze.
"Wait a second," Jackie bellowed, elbowing him and rolling over as he groaned from the pain. "Uh-uh! No!"
"Ah! Damn," he complained. "What's the matter?" She studied him carefully, but the only emotions she could find on his face were concern and pain. "What'd I do?"
"What's the matter? What'd you do?" she aped scornfully and slapped his chest. "You were going to burn me, again, weren't you?!" Pure anger made her smack him a few more times for good measure and also because it just felt so damn good to hit him…
Carol and several other women laughed while Jackie just shrugged. "Well, it did. Come on, the bastard had it coming," she added, her serious expression turning into a giggle. "Anyway, so when I finished smacking him, he just looked at me, shocked…"
"What the hell are you freaking out about?" he asked.
"Yeah, you wish, Jackie!" she reminded him loudly and moved to get up. But his arms stopped her and effortlessly pulled her back down toward him, holding on tight as she squirmed. "Let me go!"
"No." And with his forearm only inches from her mouth, she felt no other choice but to bite down hard. "Ow! God damn it, Jackie! I wasn't going to burn you," he said as he let go of her and rubbed the spot on his flesh now perforated with teeth marks. Jackie sat up and turned to look at him. She wanted to stay mad, but his eyes weren't swimming with the usual glints of anger and hate. Instead, they were downcast with what looked like genuine disappointment. "You didn't have to bite me."
Her shoulders relaxed in guilt while both she and Hyde lingered in silence, waiting for the other to speak. "So, you weren't messing with me like before?" she eventually asked.
"No."
Jackie waited, hoping for more.
"Look. I'm sorry, okay," he said quietly, his eyes now full of embarrassment. And beyond all of his scruff, she even thought she saw his cheeks flush pink. "I guess I shouldn't have done that just now."
"Why did you?" she asked him. But he only shrugged despondently. "Hyde?" she tried again, but he said nothing. "Steven?"
That seemed to do it. He immediately looked up. "I don't know…maybe…I guess…I miss you," he confessed apprehensively with his gaze falling to his hands. He shrugged again. "I don't know."
"You miss me? Steven, you hate me."
"I don't… I…" He pulled in a sharp breath when her brow furrowed. "Okay, so maybe I haven't been that civil…"
Jackie put her palms up in complete confusion. "Civil? Steven, you kissed me and then laughed at me when I thought… I thought you..."
"I know what I did, Jackie," he interjected and looked up. "Look, I'm really sorry about that, okay. I was drunk and… Okay, maybe, at the time, I hated you, but I don't now." Hyde paused and stared at her, apparently waiting for some sort of reaction, but she gave him nothing. "If you want me to go, I will. But can't we at least talk about it? Trying again."
"No, Hyde. We can't talk about 'trying again'," she said, letting all of her old pain rise to the surface, her face revealing all he would ever need to know. "You hurt me too much. You stomped on my heart until I gave up on everything. And you won, Hyde. I stopped loving you, just like you wanted."
"But it's not what I wanted," he said sincerely, and she could see it plainly on his face that it was something he just realized.
"But it's what happened," she said sorrowfully. "You did that." And as Hyde's disillusioned eyes rendered hers immobile, Chris' tears became his and there was no more to say. With unexpected ease, Jackie decided that the one drop she let escape was the last he was ever going to squeeze from her and the sudden sense of independence made her smile. She was truly over him and, somehow, just saying those few, bottled up words, freed her entirely from his grasp.
"Hyde?" she asked through new lips, wiping her single tear away as she lay back down beside him, and for old time's sake, guided his head to her breast, where he rested comfortably and closed his eyes. "Would you do something for me?"
"What?"
"Say goodbye to me. Just once. Please… I'll rub your shoulders," she sang temptingly.
Hyde grinned and looked up at her, soaking in her every feature for so long that she wondered if he was going to deny her of her unusual request. But then, his lips parted and he shrugged. "Bye, Jackie," he said as if they would see each other in the morning but knowing that they wouldn't.
And as Hyde lay his head back down, Jackie smiled gently and gave it a forgiving kiss. "Bye, Steven."
For the next hour, they lay while she rubbed his back and shoulders, scratching at his head and arms and giving to him all that he really wanted, all that he had been needing for so long—just a little quiet affection. And like that, they watched television until, eventually, they both drifted off to sleep, ready to leave the day behind and start a fresh one in the morning…
Carol shook her head, as her heartbroken eyes lay on the young storyteller before her. "That is so sad, honey. All that time, he still loved you."
"No," Jackie said, shaking her head. "He didn't. He was just lonely…and tired.
"No, I agree with Carol," another woman chimed in. "He was still in love with you."
"I think so, too," Judy interrupted thoughtfully. "I'm starting to think that his earlier behavior was just because he was too young to be in love. He wasn't ready for you. And I'll bet it was around that night with Chris that he was finally starting to grow up and, oh, my Gosh, this is just like All My Children."
The younger girl gasped. "It is!"
"Oh, never mind that," Carol scolded, shooing them off before turning to Jackie. "So, what happened in the morning?"
Jackie shrugged. "Nothing. I woke up in my bed and he was gone. He called that night to make sure Chris hadn't come back but that was it. We didn't speak for months. But I heard that after that night, he stopped drinking so much and started hanging out with Eric and Donna more. And from what Donna told me, a few months later, he revamped his store and got a new apartment," she said with a smile. "…and started dating nicer girls, and then…He met Jessica."
"You reeled him in," Carol said, smiling with so much emotion that it triggered the same in Jackie.
"Maybe I did," she responded, her own smile growing.
"So what about you?" the older woman asked. "What happened in your life?"
"Me? Well, a few months later, I got this great job in Milwaukee and moved in with Michael and Brooke until I got my own place. I met Colin about a year later," her joyful expression failing, Jackie threw up her hands. "My life was perfect."
"Was?" Carol repeated and watched sadly as the brunette's face twisted, her head nodding in confirmation of the past tense. "Were you lying when you said you were over him?"
"No," Jackie shook her head. "I was over him, because it wasn't him. But I guess, maybe, down deep, I was always waiting for Steven to come back."
"And did he?"
Peeking over her shoulder, Jackie nodded. Her eyes searched until the crowd opened slightly to reveal Hyde, who was looking at her with a slight smile. "He's right there…"
A Few Moments Earlier
"I say you choose the brunette," Tommy said assuredly. "I like 'em feisty. And plus, look at her, man." All five men turned their eyes to the bar where the subject of their debate sat talking, the center of attention. "Damn. They didn't look like that when I was your age."
Hyde grinned. They didn't look like that now.
"Alright. I'll admit, she's pretty cute," Rich interjected, addressing his three friends. "But you can't tell him to go for the brunette when we don't know what the other one looks like. Hey," he called to Hyde. "You got a picture of your chick, man?"
"No," Hyde answered, but thinking it over, Jessica's subtle craftiness occurred to him and he pulled out his wallet. Opening it, he shook his head and smirked at what he saw: the single square of a black and white photo strip. She had dragged him inside and begged him to smile. He didn't, of course, but the smile that Jessica wore was laced with mischief, as if she had known all along that this moment would come. "Here," he handed Rich the photo. "My chick."
"Oh, yeah," Rich groaned happily. "I'd pick the blonde."
"Gimme that," Jerry demanded and snatched the tiny square away. "Oh, yeah. She's nice, too. Damn." He glanced at Jackie. "I still say the brunette, though, man." Leaning over to get a look, Tommy nodded.
"The blonde's cute, but the brunette's a real looker," he declared and sat back, taking a quick look at Jackie. "She's the kind of woman a man never forgets. Am I right?"
Hyde's eyebrow arching was all the answer he could offer. Never. Damn, he hoped not. Never was a really fucking long time to carry memories like these about one girl…
…September 2, 1978…
It's funny how quickly a moment can turn, especially when you're a nineteen-year-old delinquent and your seventeen-year-old girlfriend's surrogate father comes into view at two o'clock in the morning. At the first sign of Bob's trademark fro, a usually stoic Hyde panicked and his heart practically stopped while a beautiful rendition of 'Oh fucking shit, I'm about to die' rang through his mind on a continuous loop. With severe urgency, he grabbed Jackie's head and pushed her face toward the floor while he ducked down beside her.
"Oh, boy," Bob yawned as he groaned and stood up, stretching out his back. "Boy, oh, boy." Hyde watched carefully for the big guy's next move. Which way was he going to go? Left or right? Crap. As he locked eyes with Jackie, Hyde's brain kicked into high gear and thankfully, she understood when he gestured for her to watch for his cue. This wasn't fun and games anymore, this was no longer about their dream of doing it in the kitchen, this was about the future of fucking in general. And glancing at Jackie's body, there was no way in hell he was being denied of her again. No freaking way in hell. He was going to fuck her, damn it. Tonight! If not for himself, then for every delinquent burnout out there, fighting against the man to nail his hot girlfriend. This was for all of mankind!
Then Bob moved. 'Left, left, left!' his brain screamed as he pushed Jackie to quickly crawl around to the other side of the couch, following close behind and getting out of Bob's view just in time.
Half-asleep, Donna's dad toddled over to the bar and poured himself a glass of water while only ten feet away, Hyde lay smiling on top of Jackie. Maybe it was the danger they were in, coupled with how sexy she looked beneath him, that was making him hard but he couldn't resist the urge to push his growing erection hard against her little white panties. He even grinned when she smacked his chest and widened her eyes, unable to move or make a sound. And right when Hyde began to lightly bite at her nipples through her gown, her arms pinned helplessly above her head, Bob headed upstairs.
"Steven," she quietly reprimanded as he freed her from his grasp. "What if we had been caught, you idiot?"
"Then I was going out with a smile," he said as they stood and realized that they were in the clear. "Or at least with a nipple in my mouth," he added through a depraved grin, hardly wincing when she slapped him and kicked his shin with her bare foot, sparking a quick response from him. With complete authority, he grabbed her waist and dropped both of their bodies to the couch, eagerly seizing her lips once again. They had probably only been kissing for about five seconds, though, when Jackie squirmed and slipped out from underneath him, leaving him befuddled. "What the hell, Jackie?"
"It's all warm from Bob," she quietly screeched, shivering and shaking off the remnants of Bob's body heat. "Ew!"
Hyde looked down at the couch he was lying on and immediately jumped to his feet. "Uh!" he groaned and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward the kitchen. "Damn it. That's what we get for veering from the mission…"
November 7, 1984
12:11 am
'Fool to Cry' by the Rolling Stones plays on the jukebox.
Anxious, Jackie looked from left to right. "So, what should I do?"
"Well, you shouldn't have slept with him on Halloween for one," another girl her age scoffed.
Sneering, Jackie glared left at her. "OK. First of all, I didn't ask you, did I? Second, I didn't ask what I shouldn't have done. I asked what I should do now. There's a difference. Now, go away. Oh, and find another hairdresser. Yours is going blind." She turned forward to take a drink of her daiquiri. Completed insulted, the other girl dropped her jaw and flounced away in a huff.
Carol covered her mouth and swallowed down a laugh. "Okay," she started and took a deep breath. "I think you need to go to sleep tonight, sober up, go home tomorrow, and call your boyfriend."
"You want me to tell Colin that I cheated on him?!"
"I didn't say that," Carol said. "But I think him being gone is making this harder for you. First, I think you need to make up with him, and then just be by yourself for a few days and, without either of them distracting you, figure out who it is that you want."
"But it doesn't matter who I want," Jackie argued. "Steven has a girlfriend."
Carol sighed in frustration. "Honey, if you have no options, then why are you asking me what you should do?"
Tossing her head back, Jackie groaned.
Meanwhile, across the bar…
Rich handed Jessica's photo back to Hyde. "Man, I wish I was this lucky son of a bitch," he told his friends. "Two young, good-lookin' chicks to choose from. 'The blonde or the brunette'? I wish that was my biggest problem."
Hyde shook his head. "No. There's no choice to make. I already have a girlfriend."
"Then what are you doing all the way in Chicago with your ex, man?" Wilbur asked, taking a swig of his beer. "Your friend's in the hospital, your store collapsed, and you go to a science expo with your ex-girlfriend? Why?"
Hyde just stared at him, mouth agape. "I…She needed…But her job…She asked me to come, man."
Tommy grinned. "And you usually jump when broads ask you to go somewhere?"
"No. I just… She was… Man, there's nothing going on."
"Right," Tommy grinned and drawled out, picking up his hand. "Alright, let's get this game going already. I'm down six bucks…"
Slouching down in his seat, Hyde grabbed his cards and stared at his crappy hand, his thoughts, unfortunately, locked on the brunette instead of on the blonde, where they should have been. He glanced up at Jackie. 'Nothing going on' was a lie; he knew it. There was at least something going on. What it was, he wasn't sure. But, if history had taught him anything, it was that everything he and Jackie touched turned to crap and nothing ever seemed to work out in their favor…
…September 2, 1978…
The kitchen door swung open and, right away, Jackie attacked his mouth, mashing her lips to his while she frantically worked to undo his belt, electrifying all of his senses at once. But he quickly recovered and returned the frenzied affection as he picked her up and carried her to the sink where he peeled off her nightgown.
"God, it's so hot knowing we could get caught," she admitted once he bared her flesh and wrapped his lips around one of her newly exposed nipples, moaning his pleasure at the taste of her. It had been so damn long. All summer!
Turning closed eyes to the ceiling, Jackie grabbed his head to bring his mouth down harder against herself. "God, Steven," she whimpered. "I missed this so much."
"Me, too," he growled while one strong arm wrenched her straddling body flush against him and the other reached out to turn on the cold water. Without another word, he scooped as much as he could into his palm and doused her warm, ninety-eight-degree chest with it.
"Ah! Steven! It's cold," she cried out and promptly arched her back, her fingers clutching at his hair, when he began to lick and suck the moisture from her breasts and stomach. "Oh, God," she gasped at the clash of sensations.
Her skin was gratifyingly hot as his mouth trailed a path alongside the tiny streams of cold liquid that led to her panties. And while her arms fought to keep her poised over the sink, Hyde hooked a finger around the white material and pulled back small sections as he left sucking kisses on the soft flesh hidden underneath.
"Take off your pants, Steven," she ordered. "Now!"
"Not yet." Instead, he picked her up off the sink and quickly turned around to lay her down comfortably on the island counter. "Relax," he said, planting thick kisses up her thigh. "I'm not done with you."
"Steven," Jackie whined and threw her head back, her hips already gyrating as Hyde removed the last stitch of clothing she wore, aside from her lacy white socks. He had barely gotten her underwear down her thighs when they both heard a cough. "Crap," Jackie whispered, reaching out to him. "It's Donna!"
His eyes grew rounder as he yanked her off the counter and ducked…
Mingles Pub - 12:34 AM
'Cry to me' by Solomon Burke starts to play on the jukebox.
Sitting back in his seat, Hyde looked over at the bar and knew it was time to leave the moment he saw Wilbur's wife raise her eyebrows at him. It was a signal. His ex-girlfriend was being cut off. She was probably drunk and starting to make an ass of herself. He knew because, from the other side of the still crowded bar, he could hear her laughter and see that she was no longer sitting up straight.
Hyde shook his head and laughed.
In short, it was bedtime for the little brunette at the bar.
Hyde slapped the table and stood up. "Well, I think it's time for me to go."
Wilbur laughed as he stood up with him and held his hand out. "Yeah, OK, man. We'll see you tomorrow at the shop. I'll bring the car."
"Awesome, man. Thanks. All of you. You saved my ass tonight. And my van," he added, showing his appreciation in Wilbur's handshake with a small gift, causing the old guy to grin when he checked his palm.
"Cool. Thanks. Hey. You're sure you don't want to come out back, spark up with us?"
Hyde shook his head. "Man, I would. But I should really get drunkie over there back to her room," he said, walking away. "I'll catch you guys later."
With a proud smile, Tommy raised his fist. "Go get her man!"
All of them, in fact, began to hoot as Hyde walked away. "Yeah!"
"Show her who's boss!"
"The blonde!"
"The brunette!"
Smirking, Hyde shook his head and ignored them as he kept walking.
Already halfway off her seat, Jackie practically fell off laughing while Carol glanced at Judy and shook her head. "And Colin got so mad at me! But, you know," she said, turning serious as she grabbed her new friend's hand. "He is so sexy when he's angry. Cause he's not really angry, you know?"
"It sounds like you really love him," Judy commented.
The brunette pouted. "I do."
"So why don't you just go call him then? Tell him that you're sorry for being so hard on him and that you support whatever he decides to do."
Jackie smiled. Her new friend was right. Supporting her boyfriend was what a good girlfriend would do, not cheat and pine for someone else while he sat a thousand miles away, working hard to make her happy.
"That's what I'll do then," Jackie said while she held her hand to her heart. "Thank you so much." Without warning, she threw her arms around Judy's neck. "God, old people really are wise," she exclaimed, pulling away as the older woman frowned.
A few feet away Carol laughed and shook her head. "Judy," she warned. "She didn't mean it like that. She's just drunk. There's no way she would have said that sober."
"Yeah, she would've," Hyde interjected from behind Jackie. "Only it probably would have sounded much worse and insulted your outfit in some way. So be grateful she's drunk." Immediately, Jackie turned in her seat to glare at him.
"Steven… Shouldn't you be off cheating on your girlfriend right now? Or maybe…I don't know…cheating on your girlfriend?" With a proud smile, the inebriated girl turned to her bartender and shrugged. "He's just so good at it, it bore repeating."
Hyde brushed it off. "Alright, Jackie. Let's go."
"No. I'm with my friends," she resisted, glancing up at him ruefully. "Ones who don't try to make me cry."
As their audience watched with bashful curiosity, Hyde spun her chair back toward him and helped her down. "You okay to walk?"
With a sigh of defeat, Jackie nodded. Resistance was futile. Especially with him. If she had tried, he would have just slung her body over his shoulder and carried her out. The truth was, she wanted to go back with him. She was tired and wanted a little bit of his attention. She could at least admit that to herself. Maybe just a 'sorry' from him, and a little cuddling in front of the TV, would help her go to sleep and allow her to wake up in the morning with a fresh outlook.
Jackie said a few, quick goodbyes and then, together, she and Hyde stepped out into the cold November night. It smelled like rain and wet pavement outside, but there was not a drop in the sky.
"You want to watch TV with me?"
"I don't think we should stay in the same room, Jackie," Hyde admitted somberly.
Jackie frowned as they continued to walk. "Why not?"
"Why do you think?"
"Steven, you idiot. It's not like I'm going to throw myself at you. I just want to go to sleep, but I don't want to be alone. Not in there."
"Then you can have my room," he offered sternly. "We'll trade."
"Oh, just forget it," she snapped, picking up her pace and heading straight for room D. "Goodnight, jerk."
Hyde rolled his eyes and chose not to take the bait. She wanted him to follow her, to apologize and make it better. But instead, he just headed for his own room to go to sleep. Maybe it was better if they fought. Maybe it was better that she hated him. He really didn't know. All he did know was that the quicker this night was over, the quicker they could get back to their separate lives.
When Hyde reached his door, he stopped and waited for Jackie to go inside her room. But she only shuffled around a bit, ostensibly dragging out the time, waiting for something, and then began to search her bag for her keys.
Hyde sighed and leaned up against his door. "Jackie."
"I'm fine," she grumbled, pulling out her key with a haughty smirk. "See." Quickly, she found her way inside the familiar room and slammed the door shut, making him exhale in relief as he walked into his own room. Without another thought, he plopped himself onto the bed and shut his eyes. All he could see, though, was her, alone and probably unhappy in the room that admittedly triggered bad memories and dark thoughts for her. It had to suck to be in there. It would have sucked for him. Even he had wanted out after a few minutes. And Jackie, she let things get to her, no matter what she told the world. Though, she never seemed hesitant to tell him when she was depressed or scared or worried. Never…
…September 2, 1978.
While the tall redhead shuffled in sleepily, Jackie clutched onto Hyde's body for dear life, probably worried that her best friend would catch her in only her socks and panties. Hyde, on the other hand, couldn't help but grin, finding the entire situation funny as hell. But still, he kept his arms wrapped tightly around Jackie's torso, covering her as Donna opened the fridge and pulled out some milk. Grabbing Jackie's nightgown from the floor, Hyde saw the moment as opportunity and scooted around the counter with her still on his lap.
"Freakin' Donna," Jackie whispered in his ear. "It's probably her two o'clock feeding."
Hyde smirked, and, as the redhead moved to one of the cabinets to pull out a glass, he quietly shifted them over to the opposite side of the island, closing his eyes when Jackie started to nibble on his ear. God damn it. She was right. This WAS hot. And he was way less worried about Donna. In fact, part of him wanted her to catch them. But, she didn't. As soon as she was finished with her glass of milk, Donna walked out of the kitchen, leaving Hyde and an almost naked Jackie alone again in their snug embrace.
"God. We're never going to do it," Jackie whined and rested her cheek on his shoulder while Hyde nibbled on hers, leaving tiny bites and kisses that only encouraged his erection further.
"Come on, she's gone," he whispered and tried to put her back in the mood by slipping his hands into her hair and giving her a slow, languid kiss. But she wouldn't kiss back, not with the same urgency as before anyway. So, with a frustrated sigh, Hyde pulled away. "Jackie, what's wrong?"
"I'm sorry, Steven. I just…I can't. I'm scared now. If Bob catches us… He'll be so disappointed in me."
"But…You said…" He could see that she was genuinely worried about Bob's reaction. But if pressed, he knew, she would give in. "Crap," he sighed. "It's OK."
Jackie smiled, giving him a gentle kiss before she watched him flip her night gown right side out, and poked her head and arms through the holes when he started to dress her. "I'll come over tomorrow and make it up to you, Puddin' Pop. I promise."
Hyde slipped the gown back down her body, leaving it the way he had found it.
"I love you, Steven." Jackie hooked her wrists behind his neck. "And I know that you love me, too."
Hyde studied her for a moment. "How do you know that?"
"Because you told me you do. And you can't take it back."
"Yeah, and then you told me that you don't," he reminded her.
Jackie tilted her head to the side. He could see that she was studying him now. "Did you believe me?"
"Yeah," he replied soberly. "Why wouldn't I?"
"And now?"
Hyde shrugged. "I don't know."
"Oh, Steven," she cooed softly, rubbing his cheek before smacking it and pointing at him angrily. "That's what you get, you idiot."
"What the hell, Jackie?"
She ignored his anger. "Oh, and by the way, you need to apologize to me for that skank in the leather jacket… and… if you do, I'll take back what I said."
Extremely hesitant and a little pissed off, Hyde took a long pause. That girl should have known by now that orders weren't the way to make him comply. Trickery, maybe. Shin kicks, definitely. But demands and smacks to the face? No freakin' way.
"Now, Steven!" she demanded. "I need you to fix this!"
He hated when she pulled this bossy crap with him. His first impulse was to be defiant, but he had missed her and was sick of fighting with her. "Fine," he answered curtly, dropping his stubborn gaze to her chest. "I'm sorry, OK." He looked back up immediately, though. "But not THAT sorry 'cause I didn't do anything with her."
To his surprise, Jackie's face expressed only confidence. "Oh, I know you didn't. You wouldn't be here if you did."
"Wait. How do you know we didn't do anything?"
With a condescending glare, Jackie rolled her eyes. "Hello! Donna! She was a mole, Steven. A plant. A diversion. God, men are so stupid. If you thought I was going to let that date happen without some sort of surveillance then you just don't know me at all." At that confession, Jackie slipped off his lap and smiled, giving him a quick kiss before she stood up. "Love you, baby. Goodnight!"
Hyde sat stunned at the revelation; he was dating an evil genius.
"Oh! And tomorrow," Jackie added lasciviously, kneeling back down to massage the bulge in his jeans. "You're going to be glad you were a good Puddin' Pop all summer. Really, really glad." Hyde smiled and accepted a slow, deep kiss from her, rapt in a lustful fog by the time she pulled away and stood. "Night, Steven!"
"Uh-huh," he muttered and dropped his head back against the counter, closing his eyes as she pranced out of the room. He was already glad.
November 7, 1984 – 1:16 AM
The Evergreen Motel. Room D.
Alone in the dark was how Jackie sat, too anxious to turn on the lights. She didn't want to see the room in that awful, dull glow of a motel lamp. Not tonight. She just couldn't. That faraway night that he had walked out of her life was the same that she had spent crying until her eyes turned raw, leaving her with only a throbbing headache as Kelso snored on the floor beside her. He had long given up trying to comfort her and eventually fell asleep to her gentle, rhythmic sobs. Back then, she may not have been able to anticipate how far, both physically and emotionally, Hyde would journey from her but, deep down, she had known that he would find his solace in someone else's arms. She had known in her heart the things that quieted him and wept at the realization that lips and fingers that were not hers would soon bear that burden over his skin.
In the present, Jackie moved her head from side to side, shaking off the memory as she removed her boots and pants, leaving her in only the oversized sweatshirt that Hyde had insisted she wear today. Finding some courage, she looked around the room. Maybe it wasn't so bad, she told herself. They had changed the carpet. It was plush now beneath her toes and very clean. Even the bedspread seemed new, she noted as she lightly swept her hand over the soft material. It could have been worse.
Jackie's eyelids had just closed with the slightest sense of relief when there was suddenly a knock at the door.
"Oh, my God," she said to herself, her heart bounding in her chest as she got up and took slow, thoughtful steps toward the door. Just to be sure, she pressed her ear against it inquisitively, praying that it was just Hyde.
"Jackie," she heard from outside. "It's just me. Open the door."
After pulling her sweatshirt down to cover her underwear, Jackie opened the door a crack to see Hyde standing there. "Hey. I, um," He took a deep breath. "You can sleep with me," he forced out quickly and looked at her again. "In my room, I mean. I can sleep…I'll sleep on the floor."
Happy to see him, Jackie found herself slightly amused by his nervousness and opened the door further to let him inside while she thought over his offer.
Hyde stepped into Jackie's room cautiously, a little unsure of her agenda. But all of his tension settled directly below his belt buckle when she stepped toward the bed in only the baggy, grey sweatshirt that he insisted she wore. He held his gaze on her as she sat and crossed her shapely, tanned legs, triggering immediate fantasies of them being wrapped around him.
He looked away. They were too alone, and he was too damn buzzed to let his thoughts take this turn.
"You know, Steven," Jackie began, stopping to let out a sharp cry when a cold wind blew in and forced her arms across her chest. "Close the door. It's freezing."
Quickly, he shut it. "Hey, are you going to sleep in my room or not?"
"I'm thinking…not," the shivering brunette responded and stood up again. She stepped forward. "I really appreciate that you came back, Steven. But this room isn't as scary as I thought it would be. I think I'll be okay in here."
"Oh," was his reply before taking a step backwards, feeling once again like an idiot who never should have knocked on this damn door. "Yeah, OK." Part of him wanted to laugh at his own stupidity. Instead, he only scoffed and shook his head. He should've known that her big load of 'I'm scared' crap was all an act. "I'll be next door."
As Hyde moved to grab the doorknob, Jackie stopped him with a hand to his forearm. "Hey, Steven?" she asked nervously, her breath sweet with liquor. "What made you come back?"
"I don't know," he said. "I guess I just felt sorry for you, which is my own stupid fault."
Frowning, Jackie moved closer. "Wait. You're mad at me?"
"No. I'm tired, Jackie, and I want to get some sleep and I've already wasted," He looked at his watch, "seven minutes on you. You can add that to the two years I've already lost."
Jackie's mouth fell open. "Why are you being such a jerk all of sudden?"
"Because," he answered tersely. "You drive me up the fuckin' wall with your craziness. First, you spend the whole night pissed at me, crying because you're jealous that I called my girlfriend, and then, you're begging to sleep in my room and now…"
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Jackie raised her hand as she stepped closer. "Just stop right there, Steven. I was not jealous. I was mad at what you said about me."
"I had to say that," he said, his voice rising.
"You told her that you can't stand me. You had to say that?"
Hyde huffed in frustration and dropped his head back. She was impossible to deal with, especially when she went off on one her endless tirades. "Yes, I had to say that," he repeated more calmly.
But she wasn't listening. "You said it like you've said it a million times before. Like you've sat there with your precious Jessica and laughed together at how annoying I am."
Hyde scowled. "God, that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Where do you come up with this crap?"
Losing her wind, Jackie took a deep breath. "You know, I'll never understand how you could hate me so much. It's me who should hate you, Steven."
"I don't hate you," he grumbled, "for the millionth goddamn time."
"So why did you say that then? Tell me, Steven," she pressed. "Huh? Why?"
Irritated beyond reason, Hyde leaned forward. "Because I had to, Jackie," he shouted at her, louder than he meant to. It had startled her so much that she flinched, almost as if she was bracing herself for a hit. "Damn it." Guilt forced him toward the door. "I need to get the hell out of here. I'm going to bed," he said as he opened the door and let the cold, autumn air back in.
"See. There you go again, Steven. Walking out."
Stopping, he looked up to the ceiling with a sigh.
"Just like you always do," she added angrily. "Except this time there's no Michael to blame your mistakes on."
"My mistakes?" Hyde wheeled around. "You're the one who was about to nail Kelso when I showed up. Don't forget that."
"I wasn't going to cheat on you! But you didn't wait around long enough to find that out, did you? You just left me here alone." Jackie stepped into the moonlit entry to lock eyes with him, exposing watery eyes, but mostly exposing the raw pain she still carried. "So just go ahead, Steven. Walk out on me again. I won't cry myself to sleep this time," she said, drawing in a relieved breath when Hyde stepped forward across the light of the November moon and pulled her weary body toward his in an embrace. "I won't," she gasped against his chest and closed her eyes, resting her head down against the warm spot above his heart, her senses narrowing in on the cadenced thump that she had fallen asleep to many times before, in the darkness, just like this.
Thump, thump. Thump, thump…
"Look. I'm sorry, Jackie," he whispered against her temple. "But that was a long time ago. What do you want me to do about it now?"
"Don't go," was her answer.
It was so simple. Two little words, but they demanded so much. Sighing, Hyde raised his head and lifted one arm from her body to push the front door shut, leaving the two of them still inside. "Okay," he said. "I won't leave."
With her own sigh, one of content, Jackie squeezed him tight and like that they stood, wrapped up each other's arms while her tears dried. As long as history wasn't repeating itself, and as long as they were learning, she could accept any outcome that fate would bring tonight.
"Can I ask you something," she whispered into the quiet room, raising her head and pulling away from him to press her back against the door.
"What?" His eyes followed her movement as she reached out and tucked both of her hands inside the lower pocket of his hooded sweatshirt, pulling him just a little closer.
"Would you change anything?" she asked, quickly finding herself again caught in the rapture of his warmth when he completed the rest of the journey on his own, cocooning her between himself and the door and resting his hands on the cold surface behind her head.
"Yeah," he barely even whispered. "I guess I would."
"What?"
Each took another breath, and throwing his guilt to the wind, Hyde reached up into her hair and lightly pressed his lips to hers, sending her question out into the universe where all the things left unsaid between them patiently waited. His mouth gently coaxed hers open, and when she felt his sweet tongue mingle with hers, the room fell away, forever taking its hurtful past with it.
"Steven," she whimpered past his kisses while the air around them grew charged, laden with all the pent-up lust of the previous week. "Why does this keep happening to us?" His hands moved down her torso and around to her back, bringing their bodies closer as she coiled her arms around his neck.
With each deepening kiss, his urgency grew while Jackie relaxed into him, whimpering the lovely feeling deep into his mouth. Before she knew it, the grey fleece was being stripped from her body, becoming a bundled mess on the floor as his weight forced the exposed flesh of her back against the chilly door. Gasping at the surprise, her arousal heightening, Jackie took his tongue deeper, letting out a sharp whimper when he smoothed his palms over her breasts. As she writhed beneath his touch, his lips abandoned hers to make a path from her neck down to her chest.
"Oh, God, Steven," she keened, thrusting her head back and her breasts out when his mouth closed around a nipple to suck it in, then swiftly release it with a biting, stimulating 'pop.' All the while, his questing fingers brushed over her hips, tracing a line over the thin band of her panties before slipping inside. Rough fingers contoured the soft valley of her sex, and Hyde rose to take advantage of her open mouth.
Her breath coming in rapid pants, Jackie bucked her hips forward and felt her senses bubble up in anticipation, suddenly needing to taste and feel more of him. "Steven, take this stupid thing off," she ordered, pushing him back and yanking his sweatshirt from his body, tossing it to join the pile on the floor. Her eyes grazed over his newly bared chest while her hands followed the same path, worshiping every slight curve. "God, I want you so much," she admitted without hesitation.
Quietly, Hyde reciprocated by seizing her lips again in a brutal kiss. He pulled her body flush against his, causing both to gasp at the smooth, hot sensation of skin on skin, while their hands moved quickly to explore, clutching and pulling and squeezing until no patience remained.
"Now, Steven."
At her demand, Hyde lifted Jackie's legs to wrap around his waist and moved her over to the bed. After laying her down, he had to sit back. He had to see her, his hungry gaze raking over her nearly naked body. "God, you're beautiful."
"Oh, Steven, c'mere," she whispered and reached out to him, cupping his face as she pulled him down into another kiss.
Propped on one arm, he hovered and kissed her, his other hand fumbling clumsily with his own belt.
"Oh, let me do it," she groused, pushing him up as she sat up, too.
Hyde watched Jackie bite at her bottom lip as she undid his belt and kicked off the rest of his clothes when she was done. Lastly, he stripped her body of his last obstacle before separating her knees and lowering himself back down over her.
Jackie gasped when she felt his bare erection settle between her thighs, his weight sinking down on her. The heat he radiated began to saturate, and Jackie closed her eyes, tightening every one of her limbs around this stubborn boy who refused to leave her thoughts. For a brief moment, she hugged him. He was still so new to her senses, but still, just as desired as their last encounter here.
Letting out a smooth exhale, Jackie relaxed and enjoyed the feeling of his lips and tongue as they drifted lightly over her skin, smiling in the knowledge that he had been wanting her, too. She could feel it in every one his kisses. At least they were guilty together.
"Damn it, Jackie," Hyde whispered while he worked his mouth down her torso, his hands kneading at all the flesh within his reach. "I want you. I can't help it."
When he reached the soft curls at the juncture of her thighs, his own body pulsed with excitement. Pushing her knees further apart, he opened his mouth to taste her, his tongue taking a slow, gentle lap. He closed his eyes to savor the gritty, sweet flavor of her as his hands moved to pin her hips down. Still, she squirmed beneath him, lifting herself to his mouth, searching for more. Letting her suffer a little first, he pressed open kisses everywhere except for the very spot she seemed to want them. But when she whimpered, calling his name so sweetly, so sexily, he finally clamped his mouth down on her and began to suck, wringing a deep moan from her throat.
"Oh, yes." Jackie clutched his hair, drawing his mouth even closer as he brought her nearer and nearer to orgasm.
But just as she was about to come, his mouth vanished.
"Steven!" Jackie looked up, scowling. "Why'd you stop?" Her eyesight was adjusted to the dark, so the smirk on his face was clear as day as he kissed her inner thigh and crawled over her. Unable to hold back her own smile, Jackie grabbed his hips and pulled him close. "God, you still play so dirty," she told him, biting her lip. "That is so hot."
Kissing her with the season of her own arousal, Hyde pushed himself inside her. Together, they moaned, but he wasted no time, his thrusts deep and forceful as his tongue grew desperate inside her mouth.
Beneath his weight, her skin growing hot and sweaty, Jackie experienced myriad sensations. Though, the most intense of them came from within her chest when he tilted his head to deepen their kiss. Rapt in the feeling, Jackie smoothed her palms around his torso, awed at the strength of his back, of his arms and hips. His muscles flexed and rolled below her fingertips as another deep, clenching ache began to build between her thighs.
"Harder, Steven." And when he complied, pumping into her with the fast, punishing rhythm she needed, the warmth of the orgasm he had abandoned rekindled and razed a slow burn. There was no scream, no deafening cry, only a silent gasp that her throat would not release until she started to come down from the feeling.
"Oh, my God," she gasped, finally taking a big gulp of air as he continued his thrusts. Craving his mouth, Jackie yanked his head down into a sweltering kiss. His zeal escalated, his breath seized, and, before she knew it, he had pulled out of her and rolled her onto her stomach.
Playfully, Jackie raised her hips while memories of past lovemaking returned to her. "Come on, baby," she said, her body throbbing, still aching to be filled. "Do it."
Silently, Hyde guided her to her knees. Settling onto her elbows, Jackie raised her hips and waited, recalling this as his favorite position. In anticipation, she wiggled her hips at him and glanced back, finding a smile of his that she's always loved—slight, affectionate, and aimed directly at her.
"Say please," he said, the velvety-smooth head of his erection resting against her.
Without haste, Jackie made a show of biting back her bottom lip. "Oh, Steven, please."
"Please what?"
"Please fuck me."
At his smirk, she rocked herself back against him and moaned appreciatively when she felt his hands stroke her sides, then reach around to squeeze her breasts. After a gentle kiss tickled her spine, he slowly drove himself inside her.
At the feeling of complete penetration, Jackie released another satisfied moan. His shaft stretched and filled her, boring slowly, as his fingers dug deeply into her hips. He was in complete control, and she liked it. But his momentum soon augmented into a rapid tempo, forcing her to grip the bed for support as his hard thrusts propelled her forward, his grip forcing her back each time. Spreading her legs wider and letting her hips rise to bring her pleasure spot directly in his path, Jackie dropped her head onto the pillow, and within moments, a second orgasm tore through her body. This time, she couldn't help but cry out as she was flooded with bliss.
Watching Jackie come beneath him, Hyde dug his fingers into her hips and drove into her with all the power he could muster, his own orgasm looming. This very sight, cemented in memory, was one he masturbated to often. She was so sexy to him, so perfect. They were perfect together. With her name on his lips, the pressure in his scrotum rose high into his shaft, and he was near ready to explode. But before he could pull out, her warm, soft grip mixed with her cries of pleasure sent him jetting inside her. His orgasm striking hard, he buried himself deep, his body frantic and inflamed with the need to thrust even deeper. He had never wanted anyone so much in his life, had never come harder.
When the orgasm waned and his mind cleared, Hyde collapsed beside Jackie. Coiling his arm around her waist, he rested his cheek against her back while they caught their breath.
A few minutes later, he gave her shoulder blade a kiss and rolled to the side, far from guilty as his concerns rested only on his parched throat.
As he considered going into the bathroom to drink from the sink, Jackie crept over his sweat-slicked chest with concern in her eyes. "Hey," she said.
"Hey," he replied as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"Steven, what are we going to do?"
With a sigh, Hyde put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "I don't know, babe. I don't know."