Disclaimer: That '70s Show copyright The Carsey-Werner Company, LLC and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, LLC. "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" (C) ABBA; 1993 Polydor / Umgd. "The Song Remains the Same" and "The Rain Song" copyright 1973 Swan Song Inc.

CHAPTER 25
GONE SO LONG

Hyde was lying on the hard wooden bench of a holding cell. His shades, belt, and watch had been confiscated, but he knew by now what a whole day felt like. He'd been in the county jail all night.

A couple of other guys, some young, some older, were jammed in the cell with him. A strung-out junkie was crouched in the corner and clutching his knees to his face. A gray-haired grumbler was stretched out on the other bench with his arms crossed. Hyde's own arms were crossed, too. The place was freezing, man. The guards had taken away their blankets some time ago, which meant it was morning.

He was exhausted, but true sleep had been impossible. He thought he'd take a snore and wake up to a fresh September 8th, 1979. But maybe the cosmos was screwing him a final time, by letting him reach fucking tomorrow and having this be the day that took—the day he'd murdered his own mother.

His eyes quit staring at the gray ceiling and closed. The warden had offered him the chance to speak to a lawyer, but he didn't bother. Didn't use the offered phone call either. Calling Jackie—or anyone else who cared about him—was just gonna make things worse. They'd find out what had happened soon enough.

He felt himself drift into a half-sleep, but the cell opened a few minutes later. A couple of guards had brought them breakfast: A pint of milk and an apple.

He wasn't hungry, but he made himself eat... for Jackie.

"Mr. Hyde, it's time for your arraignment."

Two guards pulled Hyde out of the cell maybe twenty minutes after breakfast. They put him in leg irons and back in handcuffs. Then they walked him down the hall.

Hyde was sitting in a holding cell at the courthouse with other prisoners. Last time he saw a clock, it read 7:14 A.M. That had given him some hope. But the length of time he'd already spent in this new cell took that hope away. Felt like at least an hour had passed.

Guards opened the cell eventually and ushered all the prisoners into a brightly-lit corridor. They formed a line. Then the guards led them up a staircase. Hyde's feet were anchors submerged in wet cement, growing heavier with each step. After everything he'd been through, he couldn't believe this would be his life.

A thick fog settled over his brain as he entered a courtroom. It made him dizzy, wobbly, but a guard jabbed him in the side and directed him to a row of chairs against the wall. "Sit," the guard whispered, and Hyde sat down between two prisoners, lowered his face to his cuffed hands.

"All rise for the honorable Judge Cosimo," a bailiff announced a moment later.

Hyde stood with the other prisoner. The judge stepped inside the courtroom, and the lights dimmed considerably... then burned out completely. Hyde tried to speak, but he couldn't move his mouth or any other part of him. He tried to think, but all thoughts were gone.

He was gone.

"I do, I do, I do, I do, I do."

Hyde's eyes popped open.

"Oh, I've been dreaming through my lonely past. Now I just made it. I found you at last."

The Shooting Star Motel's clock radio read 8:00 A.M.

"Holy shit..." He was lying on his stomach on the motel's sagging bed. But he pushed himself up and jumped on the mattress like a little kid. "Yeah! Hell yeah!" His fist pumped in the air like freakin' Forman, but he'd never been so happy to see the motel's dingy gray walls. "Day-fucking, uh... thirteen-fifty-nine. Holy shit!"

He dropped onto his butt and grabbed the phone.

"So come on. Now let's try it. I love you, can't deny it 'cause it's true."

He called up the hospital in Point Place, told them about the Hobarts. Then he dialed the Pinciottis', and Donna picked up.

"Hey," he said. "It's Hyde. How you feelin'?"

"Crappy," she said.

"I'm sure you're pissed like hell at Forman," he said, going into his usual conversation with her about Forman and the Wisconsin Waster.

When the topic switched to Chicago, Donna said, "You sound really happy. Something good must have happened."

He scratched the back of his neck. "I'm not happy, just relieved, man. I had a helluva couple of days. But Jackie and I are cool."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Listen, I wanna hit the road, so I'll talk to you when I get back, okay?"

"Sure," she said. Then, "I'm glad you're coming home, Hyde."

He smiled into the phone. "Me, too."

8:28 A.M.

Hyde was on Green Bay Road, watching from the Camino as paramedics took care of Mrs. Hobart. He doubted those extra minutes would make a difference, but at least he'd given the Hobarts the best chance he could.

8:55 A.M.

Hyde entered the Formans' basement holding four bouquets of flowers in his arms, one of tiger lilies, one of roses, one of tulips, and one of daisies.

"Hyde, oh, my God, you're here!" Donna said from the couch. "And you're holding flowers?"

"Yeah..." He separated the tiger lily bouquet from the rest and handed it to her.

"Tiger lilies." She glanced up at him. "These are my favorite."

"They're from Forman," he said quickly. "Told me to get them for ya 'cause he didn't have time yesterday." He turned away from her—before she could spot anything in his unshaded eyes—and headed for the stairs. "I'll be back in a sec."

"Me, too," she said. "I'm gonna go home and put these in something."

8:57 A.M.

Upstairs in the kitchen, Red was reading the September 8th Milwaukee Sentinel. But Hyde was watching him from the staircase 'cause the possibility of going all "Forman" on him today was high. Red was the second man he'd actually aspired to be like, the second guy who'd given a shit whether he lived or died—and, maybe more importantly, cared how he lived. The gratitude Hyde felt, it was overwhelming him.

"Hey, Red," he said when he finally stepped inside the kitchen. He dropped the bouquets of flowers on the counter.

"Crap." Red put down the paper. "Is it some kind of anniversary today or something? Damn it, Kitty's going to kill me."

"No, man. Just got Mrs. Forman some 'thank-you' flowers.'" Hyde opened one of the cabinets above the counter and pulled out two glass vases.

"What for?"

He turned on the sink and began to fill the vases with water. "You really wanna know?"

"No."

"Didn't think so." He smirked and put the tulips into one vase and the daises into the other. Cards were attached to the stems. "But only the daisies are from me. The tulips are from you."

Red eyed him suspiciously. "They are?"

"Yeah, man. They're my thanks to you... for..." Hyde cleared his throat and leaned his back against the counter. "Red, I gotta tell you something."

The ever-present annoyance on Red's face softened. "What is it, son?"

"You're..." Hyde's gaze lowered to his boots, but he forced himself to raise it again. "You're a good dad, man." His mouth was dry, his pulse was racing like a speeding train, but he continued. "Forman's said some shit to you, and maybe someday he'll get where the hell you were coming from. Maybe he won't... But I get it."

"Oh, yeah?" Red said quietly. "Where's was I coming from?"

"You didn't want him to be trapped."

Red said nothing. Simply nodded.

9:02 A.M.

Hyde had gone downstairs to his room, pulled out Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy, and brought the record back into the basement. He put it on Forman's stereo, and the opening notes of "The Song Remains the Same" rocked through the speakers.

He smiled in approval and sat in his chair, laying the bouquet of roses in his lap.

"I had a dream," Robert Plant sang from the stereo. "Crazy dream. Anything I wanted to know, any place I needed to go..."

Hyde laced his fingers over his stomach, let his eyes drift closed. Why couldn't he wake up to this song every morning?

A few minutes later, Donna returned to the basement. "Zeppelin. Nice," she said. Then she walked up to him and poked his shoulder. "So are you."

He batted her away. "Knock it off."

She sat on the couch silently, and they listened to "The Rain Song" together. It was one of Zeppelin's slower songs—and one of his favorites.

The basement door opened just as the song finished. Jackie burst inside, alive and whole, and the sight of her glutted him with relief. "Steven?" she said, and he stood up, a grin forming on his lips.

She dashed to him and cupped both sides of his face. "Oh, my God, I love you so much, baby," she said and kissed him more tenderly than he remembered ever being kissed. He gave into her happily, though something had clearly changed again... and the change seemed pretty good.

They only parted when Donna cleared her throat and tapped their shoulders. Jackie was stroking the back of his hair, looking into his eyes. Tears were in hers. "You don't care about what happened in Chicago," she said as a statement.

"No. Just you."

She smiled, and a few tears spilled onto her cheeks. "I knew it. When I woke up this morning, I just felt it."

"Good." He smiled back but withdrew from her a little. "I got somethin' for you." The bouquet of roses had been dangling in his left hand, and he gave it to her.

Jackie's eyes widened as she stared at the bouquet: Eleven red roses with a pink rose in the middle. "You never get me flowers, real flowers. The plastic ones you got me don't count."

"Things change, doll."

She lifted the bouquet to her nose and inhaled deeply. "You even knew to put a pink one in there... My God—Steven, are you okay?"

He couldn't stop smiling. His damn cheeks hurt. "Yeah. I think so," he said and took her hand gently. "Let's go put those in water." Then he pulled her toward the basement door.

Donna pointed to the stairs. "The kitchen's that way."

"We're not gonna do it there," he said.

"Then where...?" Jackie said.

He squeezed her hand, "Trust me, okay?" and she nodded.

9:37 A.M.

Hyde and Jackie were making out on the front porch of the Burkhart Mansion, and the bouquet had fallen to the lawn 'cause neither of them were holding back. Their kisses were insistent, growing fervent as their tongues played with each other. His hands were underneath Jackie's shirt, pressing into into her warm back. And Jackie palmed his butt, drawing his hips tightly against her. She felt so damn good this close, smelled good... tasted good. Small moans were escaping her throat, and his own breath came out in short, vocal bursts.

"Jackie!"

They separated and turned toward the front door. Pam was standing in the open doorway, and by the distressed expression on her face, she'd been standing there for a while... watching.

"Hey, Mrs. Burkhart," he said. "Can we come in?"

Pam blinked, momentarily seeming unable to speak. "Su-sure."

Jackie pecked Hyde's lips. "Just a second, baby," she said. Then she hopped off the porch and grabbed the roses from the lawn. He offered her his arm once she returned, and they entered the living room together.

They followed Pam past her well-stocked bar and the white couch, past the carpeted staircase and the grandfather clock. They walked into the large kitchen, where Jackie took out a crystal vase from the cabinets. The knife block sat on the counter like the last time Hyde had been here—three years ago. He'd sliced his wrist with the paring knife on that September 8th, but now the knife was snug inside its wooden sheathe, having never touched his blood.

Jackie was busy filling the vase with water, and Hyde rested his hip against the counter. Pam didn't seem to know where to stand or what to do. She was fiddling nervously with a thread of her belly-baring sweater and pacing the kitchen.

He cleared his throat. "Mrs. Burkhart—"

"Why so formal, Sven?" she said and finally stood still. "Call me Pam."

"Think I'll stick to 'Mrs. Burkhart,' thanks." He was looking her right in the face, but only a fraction of his usual shame surfaced.

Huh. That was different.

"His name is Steven, Mom," Jackie said. She'd finished arranging the roses and turned from the counter. "God, why can't you remember that?"

Pam wound the stray sweater thread around her finger and began pacing again. "Oh. I'm sorry, honey. Go on, Sve—Steven."

"Yeah," he said, walking forward, "there's something else I want you to remember, Mrs. Burkhart: I'm in love with your kid."

Pam froze in her steps, but Jackie gasped and hugged him from behind. "Steven!"

He slid his hands over the top of Jackie's arms and continued. "Didn't know how much I could fucking love before I met her, so... thanks for giving birth to my wife, man."

"You're... welcome?" Pam said. She sounded half-touched, half-confused.

Jackie was squeezing Hyde around the waist tighter, and it felt as if she were crying into his back. "You're wife?" she whispered.

"Future wife," he said. "Whatever." Then he returned his attention to Pam. "Oh, and Jackie makes me come harder than any chick I've ever nailed—and a whole lot harder than you ever could."

Pam flinched as if he'd struck her, and her fingers tore the thread off her sweater.

Jackie shouted, "Oh, my Go—"

But he cut Jackie's exclamation short and pulled her into the living room. They were out the front door amid a sea of her giggles, and he had to partially carry her to the gravel driveway. She got into the Camino on her own. But once he sat in the driver's seat, she attacked him, kissing his mouth and neck fiercely. Her hands slid beneath his shirt, over his bare chest, scratched lightly at his skin...

He closed his eyes, savoring the feel of her lips and tongue. His own hands eased up the small of her back, and his muscles relaxed as a thick breath left him.

"Steven," she said and pressed a kiss underneath his jaw, "I need you. Now."

"I don't wanna make love to you in the damn car."

She sprang off him, looking spooked. "What did you just say?"

"I don't wanna have sex with you in the Camino, doll."

"No, no, no. You said, 'make love'." She jabbed a finger at him. "You have never, never called it that."

He shrugged. "Whatever the hell I called it, you know what it is."

She was smiling now, a coy smile that emerged only during a happy thought. "Did you propose to me back in my mom's kitchen?" she said.

He returned the smile. "Guess I kinda did."

"Steven, I really do wanna be your wife someday, so if you're not serious..."

"I want a future with you, Jackie..." he said. He cradled her cheeks, and his fingers rested by her ears. "And I want right now.So let's enjoy it while we've got it." He leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss. "Okay?"

She nodded between his hands. "Okay."

10:22 A.M.

The sun was shining brightly on the Formans' driveway as Hyde made the winning basket for his and Fez's team. "Yes!" Fez shouted and gave Hyde a high-five. "The next time we play, invite some whores. If they watch me beat Kelso in basketball, they might think I'm a better lover than him."

"You'll need a lot more practice for that," Donna said. "Kelso's pretty good... at basketball."

Fez twisted up his face. "But I beat him just now!"

"Technically," she picked up the basketball from the pavement, "Hyde beat him. He scored the majority of the points. He's really good at the game. Way better than Kelso."

Hyde scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. He had a feeling she was talking about a lot more than basketball—even if she didn't know it.

"Aww, man!" Kelso was pouting in the shadow of the basketball hoop. "I hate losing."

"You gotta come up with a new strategy, man!" Hyde said and moved back toward Jackie. She was sitting in front of the garage door on one of the green porch chairs. "Sinking the ball into the hole is just part of the game. You gotta learn some finesse. The rhythm of your dribbling counts a lot, man—how to maneuver around the other players into your shots."

Kelso narrowed his eyes. "We're still talking about basketball, right?"

"Oh, who cares?" Jackie said. Then she clapped. "Steven proposed!"

"Oh, my God," Donna dropped the basketball and strode over to her, "congratulations!" She was smiling genuinely and patting Hyde's back.

But Kelso was shaking his head. "After what happened last night? No way. It's gotta be a setup."

"I agree," Fez said. "If I caught my woman about to do it with Michael Kelso, I would not be proposing to her..." He frowned. "I wish I had a woman."

"So where's the ring?" Donna said.

Hyde glanced at his right hand. The eyeball ring was still on his pinky. "Crap."

"I don't need a ring today," Jackie said. She stood up and hugged his waist. "The proposal was enough."

"No, wait," he said. He pulled Jackie's arms from him but held onto her left hand. Then he brought her to the middle of the driveway where the sun was shining.

"Steven, what are you doing?" she said.

He lowered to one knee on the pavement, dragged the ring off his pinky. He looked up at her and held the ring to her left thumb. "It is the springtime of my loving," he said in French, "the second season I am to know. You are the sunlight in my growing. So little warmth I've felt before."

Jackie's right hand shot to her heart. "Is that Victor Hugo?"

"Zeppelin." He slid the ring up her thumb and got to his feet.

"Steven, that was perfect," she said. Her arms snaked around the back of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. But before they could start to make out again, Donna broke them apart.

"'C'est le printemps?'" Donna said, repeating some of what he'd recited to Jackie.

"Yeah, I know French now," he said.

She furrowed her brow. "Why doesn't that seem strange to me?"

12:04 P.M.

After a few more games of basketball, Hyde drove everyone to The Hub. The place looked as it usually did, crowded with tables and teenagers. Same songs were playing from the jukebox, but it felt different to him. Maybe 'cause this was the first time in four years they were all here together.

"Michael, quit talking about it," Jackie said. She and Hyde were sitting in the booth seat. His arm was draped over her shoulders, and she was feeding him potato chips.

"But I can't believe Hyde's cool with what happened last night," Kelso said.

"I just kicked your ass in two-on-two What's not to be cool with?" Hyde said. He took a sip of his pop and bit down a belch. "Plus, I know you know I'm gonna cut off your dick if you ever try that shit again. Right?"

Kelso nodded. "Glad to have you back, man." He gestured between himself and Hyde. "I missed this."

They moved onto other subjects—most Hyde had heard before, some he hadn't—and he interrupted a discussion about the clogged sink in Kelso and Fez's apartment. "Hey," he said, "there's something I want you guys to check out with me after lunch."

"Ooh, is it a plumbing snake?" Fez said. "Because Fenton refuses to put his down my drain."

"No. I'll tell ya when we get there."

Donna laughed. "You're so weird today, Hyde. Nice, but weird."

Jackie scowled at her. "Shut up, Donna! He's not weird. He's perfect." Then she fed Hyde another potato chip.

1:43 P.M.

Everyone was standing across the street from the Le Motel in Burlington. Hyde had warned them to keep their traps shut and not to move—'cause they were about to witness something cool happen.

"Does it have something to do with sex?" Fez whispered.

Hyde frogged him. "Didn't I just tell you to keep your trap shut?"

Across the street, a skinny guy with dark hair and thick glasses was walking arm-in-arm with a brunette. They were half a block from the motel.

Donna covered her mouth. "Oh, my God, is that Eric?" She took a step forward, but Hyde held her back.

"No," he said, "that's—"

"If that is Eric," Fez said, "then he is with Jackie... but Jackie is right here."

Jackie wrinkled her nose. "Oh, she looks nothing like m—"

The skinny guy and the brunette—the Wisconsin Waster and his intended victim—neared the motel's glass doors. But five plainclothes cops converged on them. Four shoved the Waster to the concrete and cuffed him while the fifth yanked the now-screaming brunette to safety.

"What's going on?" Donna whispered.

"Holy shit," Kelso said. "Those are my buddies from the police station. Are they—who are they busting?"

"The Wisconsin Waster," Hyde said.

A sharp laugh left Donna's throat. "That's him? That's the guy you warned me about this morning?"

"And we've got our weapon," one of the cops said. He was holding up the Waster's folding hunter knife.

Jackie tapped Hyde's arm. "Who's the Wisconsin Waster?"

"A bad, bad guy," Hyde and Kelso said together.

Kelso hooked his thumbs into his belt loops and shook his head. "I thought he'd be, like, this big, wrestler-type guy. That's how I always saw him in my dreams. Who the hell knew he'd look like—"

"A nerdier, creepier version of Eric," Jackie said and drew herself closely to Hyde.

He held her around the waist but peered over at at Donna. She was quietly rubbing her wrist and smiling a small smile—maybe unconsciously. If on some level she remembered what the Waster did to her, he hoped watching him get busted gave her some peace.

2:07 P.M.

Hyde drove everyone to Echo Lake and parked the Vista Cruiser on Grove Street. It was an isolated area, past where most people were swimming or canoeing. He'd spent a relaxing day here once. The lake wasn't too far from the motel, and he'd prepared for this trip, brought a couple of towels and his duffel bag for dry clothes. He'd also had Jackie get her suitcase from Kelso's car before they'd left for The Hub—so she'd have fresh clothes, too.

Everyone piled out of the 'Cruiser, and Hyde began to take off his boots.

"What are you doing?" Donna said.

"I'm gonna take a swim." Left boot was off, and he pulled off the second.

"Now?" She was staring at him.

He yanked off his left sock. "Why not?" The grass felt cool beneath his foot.

"All right!" Kelso shouted. He ripped off his shirt, started to yank off his pants. "Last one in's an uggo who can't get any!"

"It won't be me, you sonuvabitch!" Fez stripped off his clothes, too. A moment later, he and Kelso were both in their underwear—and the first into the water.

Donna took a towel from the 'Cruiser and lay it on the grass. "I'm just gonna sit here and watch," she said.

"Come on, Donna!" Jackie was already down to her bra and panties. The eyeball ring was off her thumb, safely tucked away in the pocket of her jeans. "Remember when we went skinny dipping in the reservoir?"

"Yeah." Donna plunked down on the towel. "Someone stole our clothes, and we ended up driving naked to Hyde's house."

Hyde was stripped down to his black boxers now, and he gathered everyone's clothes from the grass. "Won't happen this time," he said and shoved the clothes into the 'Cruiser. Then he shut the door.

"What if someone tries to hot-wire the car?" Donna said, but she, Hyde, and Jackie burst into laughter. "Yeah, I guess the chances of someone stealing the 'Cruiser are really slim. All right..." She unlaced her sneakers and stood up. Soon, she was out of her jeans, but she kept her shirt on. "Hyde, can I wear one of your shirts afterward? I don't need Ding and Dong over there gaping at this juicy stuff on the drive home."

"No problem," he said.

The three of them, Hyde, Jackie, and Donna, went down to the lake. Donna dove into the water first, and Kelso immediately launched into a splash-attack, prompting Jackie to pull Hyde down the riverbank a little. Then, holding hands, they walked backwards a few steps and took a running jump into the lake.

Their hands separated as their bodies sunk below the water's surface. Hyde kicked his legs and popped his head back into the air, but Jackie was gone. He turned to his right and spotted Donna and Fez splashing an annoyed Kelso. He turned to his left, and...

"Come and get me!" Jackie shouted. She was waving at him from twenty feet away. "I might not be wearing anything if you do!"

"Damn it." He inhaled a deep breath and dove under the water. He swam as quickly as he could, though swimming was never his thing. Didn't even know any real strokes, just the moves a seven-year-old Forman had taught him one summer: Push the water away with your arms, kick with the legs.

His eyes were open, and as he swam closer to Jackie, her fully naked body became clear to him in the murky green lake. He rose to the surface, and she grabbed a hold of him. Her bra and panties were slipped over her arm.

"You're warm," she said, giggling.

He wrapped his arms around her slick, wet back. She was warm, too.

Silently, they held each other in the water, using their legs to keep their heads above the surface. The lake was cold—but nothing like Lake Joanis at Stevens Point. The bright blue sky stretched above them, and, for the first time in five years—since he'd first fallen off the Water Tower—Hyde could feel the sun lighting up insides... or maybe it was Jackie.

She was smiling at him as if they were sharing the same thought. He moved his face in closer, needed to be closer, and they began to kiss. Their mouths moved together in perfect rhythm, sending pleasure straight into both body and mind. The way their lips blended then separated, their tongues surging against each other—nothing was missing anymore. Their kisses felt whole.

When their faces finally parted, Hyde was breathing heavily. He was also almost fully erect—a strange sensation underneath the water—but more than that...

"Jackie," he said quietly, "no matter what happens 'tomorrow'... I feel free today."

Jackie's fingers were brushing through the wet curls at the nape of his neck, and she sighed peacefully. "Me, too, baby." Then a mischievous grin broke on her lips. She glided her hands down his back and into his soaked shorts—and grasped his butt. "We're not in a car..."

Her stiff nipples were pushing against his bare chest, and her naked entrance was only inches away from him. He wanted her, every damn piece of him did. But he'd waited four years; he could wait a little longer.

"No rubber," he said. "And you really want Fez and Kelso to watch?"

"Eww..." She looked over his shoulder at them.

"But if you can maneuver your panties back on," he said, "I think we can do a couple of things..."

"You want my panties back on?" she said.

"Just in case my swimmers break out... Gotta have some protection, man."

"Oh." She separated from him and managed to slip on her panties underneath the water. Then she swam back and hugged herself to his hips, wriggling against them playfully. "So what can we do?"

"I heard a rumor once," he said, "that Burkhart nipples are eternal."

"Yeah," she was glancing down at her chest, "they'll be this beautiful forever. But," she looked up at him again, "like a garden, they need some tending to."

He returned her mischievous grin, "Got just the tools for that," and dipped below the surface of the lake.

3:57 P.M.

Jackie was resting her head on Hyde's shoulder while he drove everyone back to Point Place. She seemed exhausted, and he couldn't blame her. They'd both climaxed in the lake from his "tending," but afterward, as they clung to each other in the water, he knew she wasn't satisfied. She'd been waiting four years, too...

4:10 P.M

Everyone filed into the Formans' kitchen, tired and hungry. Kelso opened the fridge and pulled out the packet of ham and a couple of beers. Fez was sniffing the tulips and daisies on the counter, and Donna sat at the table. But Jackie was leaning against Hyde's arm, eyes half-closed.

"Want some ham, Jackie?" Kelso said and waved a piece in front of her face.

She swatted him away. "All I want is a nap."

"Suits me," Hyde said. He grasped her hand, and they went downstairs to his room. They got comfy in his cot together, and both fell asleep almost instantly.

6:12 P.M.

Hyde and Jackie were awoken by a frantic knock on his door. He got off the cot and unlocked the door to find Mrs. Forman standing there in tears.

"Mrs. Forma—"

She threw her arms around him tightly. "You wonderful, wonderful boy. I love you, too!"

She was practically choking him, but he managed to croak out, "So you got the flowers?"

"Oh! Oh, I'm sorry, honey." She let him go but cupped his face and looked at him for a moment. Her eyes were still wet. "You really are my son, Steven. I couldn't love you more if I'd given birth to you myself."

"Better than if you'd given birth to me," he mumbled, but he felt only a mixture of sadness and warmth. No anger.

He embraced Mrs. Forman fully in his arms, and she cried a little into his neck. "You and Red are just the sweetest men alive."

"Shh..." he said. "Don't want Jackie knowin' that."

"Too late, Puddin'," Jackie said behind him.

Hyde and Mrs. Forman parted, and she rubbed his shoulder tenderly. "I'm sorry for being such a Tearful Tilly. It's been a long day."

He nodded. "I know the feeling." And then the image of a violet-splotched forehead burst into his mind. "Mrs. Forman," he said, "a woman was brought to the hospital today, pregnant. She was in a car accident—"

"Sarah Hobart?" Mrs. Forman said, and her lips bent into a frown.

"Crap." Hyde gripped Jackie's hand behind him. Those extra minutes hadn't helped. "She's dead."

Mrs. Forman's expression shifted from sadness to bewilderment. "Yes, but how did you—"

"I'm the one who called the hospital."

"Oh, my—oh, my God," she covered her mouth, and her voice became a whisper, "it was you. You're the one who—you saved her."

"From what," he said, "dying in the damn car?"

"No!" Fresh sobs lifted from Mrs. Forman's throat, and it took a moment before she spoke again. "They were—they were able to save her baby, Steven, her daughter. And Ben—Mr. Hobart—he named her..."

She was visibly shaking, looked as if she were about to collapse, and Hyde and Jackie both guided her to his cot.

"Heidi," Mrs. Forman whispered. "He named her after you. I didn't realize... but how? He didn't know who called..."

Hyde's own legs felt like Jell-O beneath him, and he had to sit down, too. He'd done it. He saved one of 'em. Saved their kid... thanks to Jackie's insight. "Holy shit," he said. "Holy... fuckin' shit."

Jackie sat beside him and rubbed his back. She didn't question what was going on, but the triumphant, satisfied smile she wore told him she already knew. Somewhere inside her, she knew.

6:46 PM.

In the dining room, everyone was seated and eating the steaks Mrs. Forman had made Red get from the supermarket. The September 8th spaghetti sauce had already been cooking on the stove, but learning of Hyde's "heroism" apparently inspired her to make his favorite meal. He wasn't complaining. It was a nice gesture, and he appreciated it.

Also nice: Her mood during this dinner seemed considerably better than usual. No mention so far of Forman, Africa, or how it was Red's fault that Forman was in Africa. She even demanded a kiss from Red when he accidentally dropped some peas onto the floor. Hyde was glad to see it. Red deserved a break, too

About halfway through the meal, Jackie clanked her her fork on her glass. "I have an announcement," she said and stood up. She presented her thumb with Hyde's eyeball ring on it. "Steven Hyde and I are getting married!"

"We already know that!" Fez said.

Donna elbowed him. "The Formans don't."

Kitty covered her heart with both hands. "Oh, my goodness! This is wonderful!" Then she clapped elatedly. "I might actually get grandchildren!"

"Congratulations, son," Red said, and he flashed a rare smile before taking a bite of his steak.

"You're congratulating them?" Donna said. "How can you be all zippy-doo about their engagement when you tried to sabotage mine and Eric's for a year?" .

Red put down his fork. "It's simple: Steven's not an immature high school dumbass with no car, no job, and no money."

"BURN!" Kelso shouted.

"And when Eric comes back from Africa," Red continued, "if you two want to get engaged—once you're both where you belong, in college—I'll be all 'zippy-doo' for you,all right?"

Donna opened her mouth as if she wanted to respond, but she only sighed and nodded.

Hyde scooped mashed potatoes onto his fork as his thoughts drifted to Forman. Whatever future Hyde had or didn't, he hoped Forman and Donna got the chance to have theirs.

8:52 P.M.

Hyde rolled a 3 with the dice and moved his yellow "Colonel Mustard" game piece into the conservatory. He and his friends had been playing Clue in the basement for the last forty-five minutes, and he had a good guess who'd killed Mr. Boddy.

"Mr. Green with the pipe in the conservatory," he said. Then he opened the envelope containing the solution cards and grinned. "Yup."

Everyone groaned as he lay the cards on the table. "I was so close!" Fez said. "I thought it was Miss Scarlet with the candlestick in the kitchen."

"Fez, that's nowhere near close," Donna said.

"Winner cleans up!" Kelso shouted, and he, Fez, and Jackie moved away from the spool table as if it were on fire.

Hyde scowled. "Whatever, sore losers." But he started to clean up anyway.

Donna helped him. "You're so different, Hyde," she said.

"Yeah, don't think about it too hard," he said and gathered all the game cards into a pile. "A lot can happen in a day."

9:07 P.M.

Hyde was sitting on his chair with Jackie in his lap. Fez had turned the TV to The Love Boat, and Kelso said, "Have we seen this before?"

"No. It's a new episode," Fez said.

Kelso shook his head. "I swear I've seen this before."

Donna waved at him. "Shh..."

Hyde had definitely seen the episode before, too many times. But he wasn't really paying attention to the show. Jackie's fingertips were tracing lazy circles up and down his arm, prickling his skin.

"I wanna go to your room," she whispered by his ear.

He stood up with her and took hold of her hand. He began to lead her toward his room when Donna said, "Where are you going?"

"Where do you think, Donna?" Fez shook his fists in a synchronized, coordinated dance. "They're going to do it!"

Hyde ignored them and brought Jackie into his room. The first thing he did was find his Led Zeppelin II album and put it on his stereo. The riff from "Whole Lotta Love" blasted from his speakers—that would keep Kelso and Fez from hearing anything.

Jackie was almost completely naked by the time he returned his attention to her. She lay down on his cot, slipped off her panties, and opened her arms wide. Wordlessly, he pulled off his shirt and eased into her hug. He stayed there silently for a little while, enjoying the feel of her breath, her heartbeat. Then he raised himself on his hands to look at her. She was smiling at him—most beautiful fuckin' girl he'd ever seen—and she reached up, touched his face.

Her eyes were asking him a question: Are you ready?

He sat up in response, unbuckled his belt. A few moments later, he was down to his boxers, and he lowered himself back over Jackie's body. He couldn't keep himself away from her anymore.

He kissed her gently at first, teasingly. But he didn't test her patience too long—or his own. The intensity of his kisses increased swiftly, building to a crescendo that had her clutching the back of his head and pulling him deeply into her mouth.

Their heartbeats were pounding, and their breaths were heavy, and his lips and tongue gave full attention to the less obvious parts of her—the spaces between her fingers, the sensitive skin behind her earlobe, the spot right beneath her ribs. He wanted to taste the whole of her... because he loved the whole of her, every damn cell.

She moaned softly as he left open-mouthed kisses along the curve of her waist, and his kisses grew thicker on her breasts, where he sucked and licked until long after her nipples became stiff and her moans rose in volume.

But as his tongue carved a path to her neck, she bucked her hips against him and grabbed desperately at his back. Her moans had become whimpers—like she was in pain.

"Jackie..." He lifted himself off her, but she gripped his shoulders and pulled him back. Her eyes were wide, wet. She looked terrified. "Hey, what is it, doll? What's wrong?"

"I'm afraid you're not gonna do it, Steven. I..." Her eyes squeezed shut, and tears fell down her temples.

He sat up and brought Jackie into his arms. "However you want it," he said. "Okay?"

"I want it now," she said and guided him to lie on his back. He was completely hard, and she gave a little cheer once she yanked off his boxers. "Finally!" She grasped the base of his shaft and gave his dick a light kiss. Then she pressed her cheek against it.

"Holy hell—" Laughter exploded from his chest, reams and reams of laughter, and he draped an arm over his mouth to stifle it. "Ja—Jackie What the hell are you doing?"

"Oh!" Her hand released him, and she glanced away. "I guess I've just missed you... like this."

"Like what?"

"Hard."

She seemed embarrassed—but if she were, she got over it quickly. Her hips swayed as she sauntered to the front of his cot. His small dresser stood just behind it, and she opened the top drawer, plucked out something.

His erection was sheathed inside a rubber a few seconds later. Jackie crawled on top of his body and grabbed his shoulders, leaning into him as she positioned herself. "God, baby," she said, "it feels like I've been waiting forever." Then she sank down on him until he filled her.

His eyes fell shut at the sensation. It had been too long, too damn long. His hands slid up her thighs to her hips, but they couldn't settle there. She'd bent over his chest and rested her forehead beside him on the pillow. Silently, she started to move, squeezing his shaft tightly with her pelvic muscles.

A loud groan pulled out of him after her first thrust. He tried to catch his breath, but she continued to grind into his body that way, forcing more groans from his throat.

She was fucking him.

After all their time apart, this was what she was doing? Panic rose in his chest despite the physical pleasure erupting into the rest of him. Maybe after all he'd done to her, all the other chicks—her mother, Sam, Donna—all the hurt he'd given her, the waiting, the fear, the death—maybe she couldn't connect with him anymore...

No. That was bullshit. He had a choice here: Let her keep doing this, keep fucking him, or try to make it right.

He held onto her waist to get some traction. "Ja—fuck, slow down. I—" Another hard thrust, and another groan. "Damn it, I want to see you, okay?"

The pressure on his shaft relented. "I wanna make you feel good," she whispered by his cheek. "I wanna give you enough so—so you'll want to stay."

"You are... fuck, you are. But I want this to be about you... not about my dick."

She sat up, giving him a full view of her. Her hands found purchase on his chest, and she began to move again.

He grasped her hips, "Slow it down..." and guided her movement a little. "Yeah, just like that. That's nice."

"Oh, God... you are so sexy right now." She increased the pressure—but not too much—and leaned forward, this time keeping her eyes fixed on his. "Steven...I—" She sucked in a breath that turned into an exhaled moan. "Baby... the way you're looking at me..."

He was smiling, felt like his whole freakin' body was smiling. He tried to speak, but he was beyond words now. Hoped she knew how good she was makin' him feel, how much he fucking loved her. His fingers dug into her hips as he glided himself into her, matching the slow, fluid rhythm she'd eased into. This was what he wanted, a damn moment where time fell away, and nothing stood between them.

"You love me..." she said between gasping breaths. "God, I feel it, Steven!"

He groaned helplessly, happily in response. All that she was filled him up, as if she were coursing through his veins, bringing light to all those dark places still left creeping in the corners. The feeling of it strengthened his thrusts, made him want to give all that he was to her. And soon, Jackie's warmth was squeezing him again, but this time in spasm. She was coming hard, driving pleasure deep into him... and, finally, they released together.

10:43 P.M.

Hyde was on his cot, holding Jackie tightly in his arms. She'd fallen asleep on top of him, head tucked beneath his chin. He could feel his own body drifting to sleep, lulled by her soft breathing. It would be a momentary slumber; he had one last obligation to fill today. But once he filled it, he'd fall asleep to this particular September 8th, 1979 forever—losing this Jackie in the process.

He nuzzled his face into her hair, and she inhaled sharply as if she'd felt him. It was okay. Even though he'd wake up without her "tomorrow," he was okay. He had her now, in this moment.

And this moment was good.

1:10 AM.

Hyde's alarm beeped loudly, waking him and Jackie up with a start.

"You've gotta make that phone call?" she said.

"Yeah," he said and gave her a warm hug. But it still weirded him out that she remembered the call. "Back in a minute."

He left his room and went to the basement couch, dialed the Elkhart, Illinois police about the parking lot rapist. Then he returned to his room and slipped underneath his knit blanket.

Jackie cuddled into him, left a drowsy kiss on his neck "Steven..."

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for coming back."

Hyde was dreaming...

A purple-flowered meadow sprawled out before his eyes, along with everyone who loved him—Red and Mrs. Forman, his uncle Chet, W.B. and Angie. All his friends, Leo, Donna, Kelso, Fez, and even Forman.

Soft hands glided over his palms, grasped them, and he turned to his right. Jackie was standing in front of him, dressed completely in white. Her beautiful, serene face gazed at him, and he squeezed her hands gently.

"You have any fucking clue how right you were?" he said. "About everything?"

"I do," she said. "I do, I do, I do, I..."

Hyde woke with a groan. His eyes remained closed. He didn't want to see the dingy walls of the motel just yet.

"What's wrong, Puddin'?"

His breath froze in his throat. That wasn't how the ABBA song went.

"Steven?"

Soft, strong fingers pried open one of his eyes. Jackie was above him, and he slid a hand up her arm. Her skin was smooth and warm beneath his palm. She was really there.

He kept his eyes only half open. "What time is it?" he said.

"Um..." her head angled to the left, as if she were looking at the alarm clock on his shelf, "eight twenty-one."

"'Eight twenty...'" His body began to shake. "What, um... what day is it?"

"Sunday. D'uh. Yesterday was Saturday, remember?" She pecked his lips and smiled against them. "All day." She pecked his lips again then snuggled into chest. "The alarm went off at eight, but you slept through it. I didn't wanna wake you." Her fingers trailed up to his forehead, combed through his hair. "You're really cute when you sleep."

He couldn't move. He just lay in his cot, staring at the duct running across his room. The bare bulb was turned on, explaining how he could see. Jackie must have done that. "It's eight twenty-one?" he said.

"No," she said. "Now it's eight twenty-three."

"Huh."

He continued to stare at the ceiling, unable to move.

But Jackie's frowning face soon replaced the pipes. "Did you have a bad dream or something?" She touched a fingertip to the corner of his eye, and her skin glinted, as if it were wet.

"No. A really good one," he said.

"Was I in it?"

"No good dream's without you, doll."

Her frown melted into a smile, warming her eyes. The way she was looking at him lit his insides, and the kiss she gave him afterward heated his whole body. He regained movement; his hands traveled up her back and buried themselves in her hair.

When he and Jackie finally parted, it was a little after nine o'clock. He gave them both a minute to get re-dressed before pulling her out of his room.

No one was in the basement besides them, not even Donna, and he turned on the TV. It was tuned to CBS. But instead of The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show, CBS News Sunday Morning popped up on the screen.

Hyde sank to the couch, listening to Bob Schieffer talk about President Carter and Cuba. Jackie sat down next to him and rubbed his back. "Don't you want breakfast?" she said.

"Yeah." He pushed himself to his feet, grabbed her hand. Then he led her upstairs to the kitchen. The tulips and daisies he'd gotten Mrs. Forman were still on the counter—but Mrs. Forman wasn't there cooking breakfast, and Red wasn't there to eat it.

Hyde brought Jackie into the living room next, also empty. So he began to drag her toward the carpeted stairs.

She stopped him. "Steven, what's going on with you?"

"Where are they?" he said.

"Who?"

"The Formans?"

She rolled her eyes. "At church. It's Sunday."

"It's Sunday..." He scooped Jackie in his arms and spun her around. "It's really fucking Sunday!"

"Yeah!" She was giggling. "Why are you grinning like that?"

"Just... happy." Then he carried her back to the kitchen, out of the sliding door, and into the morning sun. The blue sky had different wisps of clouds in it, different shapes. "Jackie..." he put her down on the porch, "am I acting like a fuckin' botard?"

She caressed the side of his face. "A little, but I still love you."

"Yeah?" He arched an eyebrow. "For how long?"

"Always." She raised herself on her toes and kissed him softly. "Today." She kissed him again. "Tomorrow." Kissed him a third time, but deepened the kiss before she parted. "And all the days after that... always."

He hugged her silently, tightly. He'd done things in the last four years no one else would ever be able to do—and walk away whole. He'd died, and he'd killed, and he'd had enough. He'd given love and received it, and he had enough... more than enough. A fresh smile surfaced on his lips, and he shut his eyes against Jackie's hair. Finally, he was enough.

"Steven," she said, "how long are you gonna love me?"

He loosened his hold on her. Then he placed a lingering kiss on her forehead. "Never gonna stop, Grasshopper."

Her face lit up, and she pointed to the Sunday sky. "What does that cloud look like to you?"

"Uh..." He followed her finger to a curly wisp. "The trunk of the elephant Forman's probably running from."

"I'm sure Eric grabbed enough airplane peanuts to pay off the elephants," she said and lightly poked his cheek. He was still smiling, and it seemed to amuse her. "The cloud reminds me of that slide at the playground. You know, the metal one that curved up too much?"

"Oh, the one kept catching on Kelso's pants and hooking his underwear?"

She nodded. "Yeah, that's the one. The sad thing is, he still goes on that slide—and it still hooks his stupid underwear!" She began to chuckle and covered her mouth. "Anyway... what do you wanna do today, Puddin'?"

His smile deepened, which made her full-out laugh and hit his chest lightly. "This," he said. "I want to do this."

"And what's 'this'?" she said. But her expression told him she knew the answer. He loved that mischievous quirk to her mouth, and the way the sunlight reflected off her hair... fuckin' beautiful. He silently soaked her in, but she tugged on his shirt. "Steven, tell meeee."

"This..." he cupped her chin and brought his lips in for kiss, "is enjoying it."

The Beginning