Disclaimer: I don't own.

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for reading and reviewing! This chapter is filler...we'll start to see more action in the next one. Hee hee. Hope you enjoy!

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Warning: Language

For Her Sake

Chapter 13 – Never Become Reality

You Luvvvve Me

"Are we ever gonna get out of bed?"

Hyde looked down at the brunette head resting on his chest. With his right hand, he stroked her arm; his left, her stomach. Her skin was the softest he'd ever felt. God, he'd missed it. "Are you complaining?"

Jackie lifted her head and shifted so that she looked down on him, completely on top of him. She lightly traced his cheek. Rough with a slight beard, and she smiled. "Not at all, Puddin' Pop." She giggled when he made a face. "You missed it, and you know it."

He grinned and watched her eyes as she concentrated on drawing little patterns on his cheek, first with her fingertip, then with the edge of her nail. Another thing she did that he'd missed. By the time he was finished remembering, he'd have a book the length of War and Peace. Huh. That seems pretty appropriate. "So," he said, closing his eyes and tilting his head up as she rubbed his jaw. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin the moment, but he had to. They'd spent a good deal of time talking, screaming, even, about what had happened, about Chicago, Kelso, Sam, why he'd stayed married, what they had to do to make it work this time, what they were going to tell Fez. He hadn't quite told her the truth, hadn't quite lied. Better that way. Maybe someday he'd tell her the whole story, but not until necessary. There was still one thing he needed to know. "Have you seen your father lately?"

Jackie sighed and avoided the blue eyes she felt on her. "Not really. He's away on business a lot." She lifted her shoulders. "I don't care. I'm still mad at him for what he said about me going to college."

Hyde tightened his grip on her backside, sliding his hands to the opposite sides of her, his arms making an "x" over her back. "You know he's not exactly gonna be thrilled that you got back together with me."

To put it freakin' lightly.

She looked directly at him and smirked, that stubborn Jackieness flashing in the mismatched eyes. "Maybe I don't care anymore," she said firmly. Steven raised an eyebrow, and she lowered herself to him so that her lips were just above his. "Steven. I can handle my father. Don't worry about it." She kissed his lips briefly, then moved down to his neck.

He groaned. He wanted to talk, she wanted to kiss and suck and nibble…God, I can't…oh…yeah…yeah….

She stopped abruptly and broke out of his embrace, sitting up and grinning down at him. He glared at her and frowned. "Jackie, what the hell?" She tossed her hair over her shoulder and arched her back, obviously trying to make him look at her breasts. Of course he did, but only for a second. Maybe longer. "Tease."

She rolled off of him, off of the cot. "I know, but I need to go home. I need to take a shower and put new clothes on and fix my hair…"

Hyde sat up. "What, you don't wanna be with me?" He stuck his lower lip out, imitating her damn pout that always worked so well.

She put her hand on her hip and smirked at him. She's missed him, even all his smart-ass antics. Even his teasing. Everything about him. "I wanna be with you, Steven, but I also wanna be clean." She leaned down to pick up her jeans. "And I need to talk to Fez. He should be home by now."

Hyde watched her slide her jeans on. At least this time, she was happy while getting dressed. He wondered if the black car was still outside. Wondered if it would follow her home. Attack her in the shower. He closed his eyes. Okay, maybe he'd watched one too many Hitchcock flicks. Still… He took a breath. "I'll go with you."

Jackie looked at him, her eyes wide. "You will?" Steven usually wasn't so…gallant, was the only word that came to mind. He wanted to drive her home, make sure she was okay, spend each and every minute of his life with her. She gasped, realizing, and clutched her fist in between her still naked breasts. "Oh! You can't bear the thought of being without me even for a few hours. You luvvvvve me!"

He stared at her, then groaned and fell back to the cot, covering his eyes with his hands. "Oh, god, what did I get myself into?" Inside, though, he was laughing. Happy.

Happy. Huh. Guess I should have known better. This chick does that to me for some unholy reason.

She pounced on him, her knees placed on either side of his hips, her hands bracing her body on his shoulders. She grinned down at him, all of her trembling with love and excitement and a realness that she hadn't felt in so very long. "Oh, Puddin' Pop," she sighed, still smiling, but smaller, softer. Grateful for whatever twist of fate had returned this love to her.

Hyde rubbed her back. God, she was looking at him that way. The way that actually made him want to be everything she'd ever dreamed of. The look that made him weak in the knees even lying down. "I…no, Jackie, I just wanna go with you 'cause we can take a shower together at your apartment."

He tried to ignore the twist in his gut. Felt like a knife. Is that how he'd kill her? A knife? Or a gun? A baseball bat? Shit, STOP it, Hyde!

She kissed his nose, giggled when he wrinkled it. Yeah, he might want to take a shower with her, but that wasn't the only reason. No. She had his number. She kissed his lips and whispered just above them. "You love me."

She started kissing his neck, in between kisses purring in his ear that same comment mixed with an "I love you" of her own. He closed his eyes. She had no idea how much. She had no idea what he was risking just to be with her. His arms tightened around her, and she lifted up, giving him a saucy smile. The corners of his mouth turned up. "What's that grin for?"

She licked her lips. "One for the road?"

And now he was beaming as he flipped her over to her back. "Hell, yeah!"

Have to Do Something

The Burkhart mansion

Sammy stood in front of a huge, cherry wood desk, nervously exchanging glances with Carl as they waited for some sort of reaction from the boss. Jack Burkhart was stone faced, his well defined, dark features unmoving, not tensed, simply there. Not even any twitches, and that struck Sammy as both odd and very, very bad. He cleared his throat. "Uh, Boss, you ain't…you ain't really gonna kill her, are you?"

Carl elbowed his partner's side and hissed a quiet warning. "Shut up, you moron!"

Sammy shook it off, his eyes steady on Jack. "I mean, she's just so young and beautiful. And she's your daughter." He took a deep breath. "You ain't really gonna kill her, are you?"

Jack leaned back in his chair, pressing his fingertips together. He shook his head. Stupid bastard. Stupid, stupid bastard. He thought of his daughter, his angel. What else could he do? How else could he protect her from this sleaze ball? The weight of Sammy's eyes, challenging and almost defiant, pulled him out of his thoughts. He shook his head. "Do you really think I want to?" He stood up, frustrated, his entire body aching with anger and uncertainty, and the need to do whatever it took to protect his princess. "She's my only daughter. My only child. Do you really think I want to?" He walked to the window on the other side of the room. Outside, the day was full of sunshine. Through the glass, he heard the chirping of eager birds. On the sidewalk, a man walked, pushing a stroller and with a tiny little girl on his shoulders. Brown pigtails, just like Jackie used to have. He closed his eyes. He'd missed out on so much because of his own ambition. Failed her in so many ways. He wasn't going to fail her when she needed him most.

He turned with a heavy sigh and returned to his desk. "But I have to do something. I have to keep that rat bastard away from her."

Sammy frowned. "Why? I mean, from what I've seen, the guy seems to care about her a lot." He smiled, remembering the smile on Jackie's face after the Hyde kid whispered a bit in her ear, remembering the laughter he'd heard, sweet as the birdsongs, when Hyde had picked her up and thrown her over his shoulder. Young love.

Jack smiled bitterly. "Oh, yeah? You think so, do you?"

Carl gnawed on his lower lip as Jack pulled open a desk drawer and rummaged in it. He turned to Sammy. "Great going, idiot! Now he's gonna kills us instead of that curly haired freak!"

Jack sat up and placed an envelope on the gleaming desktop. He pushed it across to the other end. "Read that." The two hesitated, and he raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead, read it." After a few minutes, the others looked at him, their mouth's open and eyes wide. They both looked down as if ashamed, and Jack nodded. "There. You see why I can't let her be with that scum? You see what he did to her?" He shook his head and leaned it back against his chair. His eyes studied the ceiling. "But I don't want to kill her. Of course I don't want to kill her. She's my princess."

He took a breath and looked at his men. "One more chance. I'll give him one more chance to do the right thing." He stood up and walked again to the window. Such beauty outside, beauty he wanted his baby girl to enjoy. Beauty she'd never truly enjoy or appreciate. She'd be too heartbroken, too devastated. Because he was certain that what Steven Hyde had once done to Jacqueline, he would do again.

He closed his eyes. One more chance. And if Hyde didn't do the right thing…

He shivered.

I Knew It and I'm Glad

Jackie stood in front of her apartment, just to the left of the front door. Her back was pressed up against the wall, pinned there by her obviously insatiable boyfriend. He was ministering to her neck, and making her weak in the…well, her entire body. "Steven," she moaned softly, arching her neck, her nails digging lightly into his shoulders.

Hyde smirked against her skin. It wasn't his fault she was so damn hot that every time he looked at her, a surge of fire took home in his veins. He sucked on a sweet spot, knowing full well he'd leave her marked. And she wasn't complaining, only moaning in that way that made him want her even more. When she whispered brokenly that they needed to go inside, he flicked his tongue against her, making her cry out.

"Now, Steven!"

He pulled back and reached for the doorknob, but just as he did, the door opened from the inside.

Fez walked out, stopping in his tracks when he saw the flushed Jackie and Hyde standing there, their hands joined. They both looked startled, Jackie flushing more in her cheeks, but Fez could only smile. He and Kelso had been right. And, he realized with mild surprise, it didn't bother him at all. In fact, it was a relief. "I knew it!" he said. Oddly, the sight was a good one. The sight settled something inside of him, and it felt right. "And I'm glad."

Jackie was confused by the smile. "Fez, I wanted to tell you before you…why are you smiling like that?" She'd expected anger, jealousy, name-calling.

Fez stepped towards her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Jacqueline, I need to explain something to you. You and I were never going to work out. We are too different." He narrowed his eyes. "Kelso was right when he told me you'd become a complicated woman, and I, well, I just don't want a complicated woman." He grinned. "You see, I am not a very complicated man. I just need a woman who appreciates candy and my needs."

Jackie and Hyde exchanged glances, Hyde bearing a slight grin.

"We are better as friends. I know that know. I did a lot of thinking in Chicago."

Jackie smiled.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date." He grinned. "I met a chick in Chicago, and she followed me home! Can you believe that?"

That news stunned her. A date? But he'd been so upset when she'd broken up with him. She expected him to pine for her. Offer her presents, which of course she'd refuse. Well, except maybe one or two. She frowned and watched Fez brush past her. Boy, it sure had been easy for him to get over her.

That means something. That means everything, Jackie. Broken hearts don't mend so quickly…and only a heart truly in love can be broken. He didn't love me, I didn't love him. And we both know that.

Hyde stared at Jackie as Fez walked away, and his heart sank. She looked confused. Kind of like she did when Annette showed up for Kelso. And that had ended so well. He looked down at his feet, kicking at the carpet. "So. Are you gonna go hunt Fez's new chick and scream at her to get off your boyfriend?"

She looked at Steven, and as she watched him, looking almost like the little boy deathly afraid of being abandoned, even more afraid of trusting, the tension in her middle disappeared. Thoughts of Fez vanished. This was the man she loved; the incredible high she'd felt all of last night proved that without a doubt. "No," she said softly, moving to Steven and taking his hands. "I just…" She shrugged with a smile. "You know me. No one has the right to get over me that quickly." When he looked at her, she grinned playfully, and his lips twitched at the corners. She dropped his hands, reached up and put hers on his cheeks. "Steven, I don't love him. I mean, I do, but as friends. I love, love you. I wanna be with you. Only you." She stood on her toes and kissed his lips. "You need some proof? Lets go take a shower."

Hyde swallowed hard, but wrapped his arms around his tiny fairy. The kitten of a girl who could purr him into submission. Again, she was asking him to trust her. He looked into her eyes.

And he smiled. "A shower it is."

Do You Love Her?

She hadn't woken when he'd sat up with a start, sweating and gasping, and he was glad. Explaining that he'd dreamt of her being killed in a variety of ways, right in front of him, wasn't something he was in the mood for. He looked at her, sleeping so peacefully. Damn. He had to figure something out. Had to do something. Had to go try to talk sense into Jack Burkhart. Maybe he could bribe him. He smirked as he rolled out of the bed. Water. Needed water.

Yeah, bribery might be the way to go. Seemed to be Jack Burkhart's thing. He slowly opened the door, even more so closed it behind him. The light in the living room was on, and he saw Fez sitting on the couch, watching some late night show. "Hey, man." He headed for the kitchen.

Fez waved. "Hey. I'm sorry if the television is turned up too loud, but you and Jackie were…" He grinned sheepishly. "Well, the noise was giving me needs."

Hyde filled a glass with water and sighed. "So, Fez." He stood at the counter, tapping his fingers on it. Wondered if Fez was really as fine as he seemed to be. "I was just wondering." He raised an eyebrow. "Are we okay, man?"

Fez sighed and got up, moving to the other side of the counter. He looked at Hyde. "When Jackie decided to go to college, at first I thought she was a stranger. At first I thought you'd done something to make her change into something she wasn't. And then…" He shrugged. "Then I realized that maybe that was who she really is, and that the Jackie I wanted all these years doesn't really exist." He looked down, a half smile on his face. "She is not the right woman for me. I do not know her as a boyfriend should know her." He looked up, directly into Hyde's eyes. "The way you know her."

Hyde nodded. "So…"

"So, do you love her? Because I am not going to be okay with this if you do not love her and are only planning on breaking her heart again. She is not the right woman for me to be with, but she is my friend."

Hyde had to smile at the fire in Fez's eyes. He believed his foreign friend. And while he knew Fez would in no way be able to kick his ass, he much preferred peace to war. Huh. There's that war and peace thing again. Maybe I should read the book. Did he love her? Of course he did. He knew it, she knew it. Was he ready to admit it to someone else?

"Hyde? Do you love her?"

I'm risking her life to be with her. I'm trusting her again. I'm gonna go have a showdown with her fucking father just to be with her. Yeah, I think I love her.

He wanted to scream it. Instead, he nodded. "Yep." Nonchalant, like it was no big deal. He looked down at the counter. "I…I do."

Odd, how every time he said it, he realized it all over again. And it made his breath stick in his chest.

Fez smiled and patted Hyde's hand. "Then we are okay."

Hyde rolled his eyes as Fez walked back to the couch. God, she was already doing it. Making him wussy, though he was not ever going to reach Forman levels. Except for this one thing, and it wasn't because he wanted to, but because until he talked to Jack, he needed to. For her sake. "Hey Fez. I need to to do me a favor." He went to the couch and sat down. "If I'm not with Jackie and you are, I want you to make sure she never goes anywhere alone."

Fez made a face. "What? You want me to babysit her? Why?"

Hyde arched an eyebrow. "Uh…because there's that rapist guy in Madison. Yeah. He's been attacking tiny little cheerleading brunettes anytime they're alone." It was lame, and no one aside from Fez would fall for it. "You know, so I don't wanna risk it. He might make his way over to Point Place."

Fez smiled at Hyde admiringly. "You have really come a long way, Hyde. I am proud. That is so romantic."

Hyde rolled his eyes.

And then Fez looked confused. "Why haven't I heard of this?"

"Do you read the newspaper? Watch the news?"

"No."

Hyde grinned. 'That's why, buddy. You might wanna start, just so you know what the government is lying to you about." He stood up and lightly punched Fez's shoulder "Night, man."

He walked back to Jackie's bedroom, and as gently as he could, climbed into bed. For a few minutes, he watched her breathing.

His eyes closed.

He begged whatever higher power there should be that he wouldn't have that dream again.

He begged that same power that his dream would never become reality.