34 ~ You Make Me Real

'Cause I'm not real enough without you
Oh, what can I do?
You make me real
You make me feel
Like lovers feel
You make me throw away mistaken misery
Make me free, love
Make me free

[One Year Later - September 1980]

Hyde adjusted his tie in the mirror again. "Dude, stop fixing your tie, you look fine," Kelso said.

"You look more than fine, you look breathtaking," Fez said.

Hyde turned away from the mirror to look at him. "Thanks, man."

"You're nervous, aren't you?" Forman asked.

"I'm trying not to be, 'cause there's no reason for me to be nervous," Hyde said. "It's just Jackie."

Kelso snorted. "And that's exactly why you're nervous, man."

Hyde frogged him. Forman shook his head and walked over. "It's totally normal to be nervous. I was nervous two months ago, waiting for Donna to walk down the aisle. Speaking of which, we should get out there and get in our places."

Hyde checked himself in the mirror one last time. "All right. I'm ready."

Jackie grinned at her reflection in the mirror. She looked beautiful today, if she did say so herself. Her dress was stunning, and the fancy braided bun Brooke had put in her hair made her look breathtaking.

"Are you excited?" Donna asked, standing behind her in her red bridesmaid dress.

"Of course! I've been waiting for this day my whole life. It's everything I imagined so far. But if it wasn't, it would still be perfect. Because I'm marrying Steven, and I love him more than anyone else in the world."

"That's so sweet," Brooke said. She adjusted the strap of her similarly red dress.

"It really is," Rhonda agreed. She had opted for a toned-down red suit rather than a dress. Jackie didn't hate it.

"Thanks. I was gonna write something like that in my vows, but then Steven and I decided to do something slightly different," Jackie said. "Anyway, is it almost time to go out?"

Donna checked her watch. "Exactly time. Ready to get married?"

"Of course I am."

Hyde stood near the floral archway Jackie had chosen for the outdoor wedding venue. It was a little cold, but Hyde didn't mind. They'd be inside for the reception.

The procession music started, signalling Donna and Forman to walk down the aisle together. They broke off, Forman coming over to Hyde's side. Kelso and Brooke were next, followed by Rhonda and Fez.

Jackie came after, her father walking her down the aisle. He'd gotten out of prison a couple weeks ago, moving back in with Mrs. Burkhart and Jackie. Hyde smiled when he saw Jackie. She looked gorgeous.

She beamed back at him when she reached the archway.

The minister started talking. Jackie had wanted to get married by a priest, even though Hyde had no religious beliefs. He was cool with whatever she wanted, as long as he got to marry her.

Not too long ago, marriage hadn't meant anything to him. It was just a meaningless legality that supported religious traditions he didn't want to uphold. But now he saw it like Jackie saw it.

Marriage wasn't just a religious tradition that gave the people in it some false guarantee. It was a promise, from each of them to the other that they would share a future. A promise to try and stay together, through whatever life threw at them. A promise that they both knew had a possibility of being broken, but that they chose to make anyway because they loved each other and wanted to keep the promise.

The minister talked about love and cherishing each other, sprinkling in religious quotes and metaphors throughout. Hyde didn't care much for the religious bits, but the parts about love he didn't mind.

"Now, for the vows. If the bride may go first…" the minister said.

Jackie squeezed Hyde's hands gently and said, "If the sun refused to shine, I would still be loving you."

Hyde squeezed her hands back and said, "When mountains crumble to the sea, there will still be you and me."

They'd decided to use lyrics from Led Zeppelin's Thank You as their vows. At first, they were going to write their own, but they both found that nothing they wrote seemed good enough. Then they'd agreed that those lyrics were perfect.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," the minister said.

Hyde kissed her passionately, placing his hands on her waist and dipping her back just a bit. Their friends clapped and cheered. Jackie's hands found his hair, pulling him closer.

As Jackie deepened the kiss, Hyde felt her love for him in the part of his heart that was hers. He hoped she felt his love for her in the part of her heart that was his.

Jackie sighed happily as she danced with Steven. It was their first dance as husband and wife, to Thank You by Led Zeppelin, to match their vows.

"My love is strong… With you there is no wrong… Together we shall go until we die..."

"I don't think there's anything in this world that could make me happier right now," Jackie said quietly.

"Oh yeah?" Steven leaned in and kissed her tenderly. When he pulled away, she grinned.

"Other than that." She rested her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeats for a moment. "I love you so much."

He kissed the top of her head. "I love you too. More than I thought I'd ever love anyone."

"Aww." She kissed him again. "This is one of the best days of my life. And I say one of because we've had a lot of really great days in the past, and I know we'll have some really great days in the future."

Steven smiled at her, that special smile she treasured. "I like the sound of that."

"You know what I like the sound of? Saying you're my husband."

"You know what you'll probably like hearing even more? You're my wife."

Jackie grinned. "Yeah, I did like hearing that."

Steven started to lift her arm, signaling a turn. She spun around, guided by his hand. He pulled her close when she came back to him.

She rested her head against his chest again. As his heart beat against her ear, she took pleasure in the knowledge that hers was beating with it.

Hyde lingered by the side of the dance floor. It was time for the parent-child dance. Jackie was dancing with her dad, talking to him about something Hyde couldn't determine.

He had no one to dance with, so he was standing off to the side.

"How come you haven't asked me to dance yet?" Mrs. Forman asked. Hyde turned to see her standing right beside him.

"Uh…"

"Oh, it doesn't matter. Come on." She grabbed his hand and led him out to the dance floor. She set him up, placing his hands where they needed to be.

They started dancing, and Hyde found himself thinking of the time she taught him to dance, so many years ago. Before the disco in Kenosha, where he'd danced with Donna.

"So, what stopped you from asking me to dance?" she asked.

"Felt awkward," he responded.

"Oh, well, there is no need to feel awkward! You're my son, Steven. I don't care who gave birth to you because I love you like a son."

"Thanks." Hyde danced with her for a few moments before he said, "I've thought of you as a mom for a while now, so… It's nice to hear that, I guess."

Mrs. Forman smiled at him. "Of course it is. It's always nice to hear that people love you. Speaking of which…" She gave him an expectant look.

He sighed, but he smiled. "I love you too."

He really did. Mrs. Forman had been there for him since he first met Forman. He'd grown to think of her as a mother, long before he'd realized it. And it felt damn good to know she thought of him as a son when his real mother had never really seen him that way.

He'd told the Formans and the Barnetts that Edna was dead. He hadn't specified how she died, but it was enough to say she was dead and he was okay.

He really was okay. The only part of Edna's death that stuck with him was how she died. But he didn't feel sad that his birth mother had died. Mostly because he knew he already had a mother, one who loved him far more than Edna ever had.

Hyde brushed the thought away as the song started to end. Before Mrs. Forman could walk away, Hyde hugged her. She hugged him back.

For the first time, Hyde genuinely felt like her son.

"You've got to be all mine, all mine… Foxy lady…" Eric sang to Donna as they danced together amidst the other couples at the wedding.

They'd listened to this song during one of the more fun nights of their honeymoon, on the drive to a secluded cove on the beach. They'd had a romantic tryst in the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico.

"Thinking about the cove?" Donna asked, her voice low and sexy.

"Yeah," Eric said, matching the volume of her voice.

"What would you say to recreating that later when we get home?"

Eric fake-gasped. "What a racy proposal… I'd love that."

Donna smiled. "I love you."

He kissed her deeply.

"Oh, wow. Now I really can't wait to get you alone," Donna said.

"Me neither. But my brother's wedding only comes once if all goes right, so I'd rather not leave early."

"Of course not. Besides, the waiting makes it more fun."

"So scandalous, Mrs. Pinciotti-Forman!"

"Still not tired of saying that after two months?"

"I'll never be sick of it." Eric kissed her again.

Eric felt Donna smile against his lips as they continued kissing. He smiled too, just for a moment, because he was so happy he finally got to call this amazing woman his wife.

Kelso held Brooke close as they danced together. Betsy was with Brooke's mom for the day so that he and Brooke could enjoy the wedding.

Tomorrow marked eight months of Kelso officially being back together with Brooke. He had a special plan for the day that involved red velvet cupcakes- Brooke's favorite- and his first 'I love you' to her.

They hadn't said it to each other as far as Kelso could remember. They definitely hadn't the first time they dated. Kelso was a little scared to say it first because, even after a year, those shadowy voices still whispered in his ears, saying that no one really loved him.

Brooke looked up at him. "Michael, do you remember about two weeks ago when I stayed over at your apartment while Fez was out?"

"Of course I do. It was so hot! Why? Did you wanna do something like that again?"

Brooke blushed a little. "Well… Michael, I'm pregnant."

Kelso stopped dancing. "Really? Man, are we bad at having protected sex."

"Michael!" Brooke gave him a look, but dropped it. "Yes, I'm pregnant. If you think you can't handle two children, I understand-"

"No, no! I… I'm actually excited about this." Kelso picked up the dance again, though slowly so that they could keep talking. "I'm gonna be there for you a lot more than I was for Betsy. If you're cool with that, of course."

"I'd like that." Brooke smiled at him, but it faded quickly. "I will admit that when I found out, I thought you were going to run away again."

"Not this time. 'Cause this time, I love you," Kelso said. This seemed like a more appropriate time to say that than tomorrow.

"I love you too." Brooke kissed him softly.

"So, do you wanna get married?" Kelso asked.

"Oh! Oh, well… not really. I don't think we're quite ready for that."

"Yeah, okay. I'm still gonna be there for you. And our new child." Kelso placed a hand on her stomach. "Maybe we'll get a boy this time."

"Maybe. Either way, I'm gonna let you name this one. I named Betsy, so now it's your turn," Brooke said.

"Ooh, okay. If it's a boy we should name him Maverick-"

"No. I'm not naming my child Maverick."

"Hey, it's my kid, too! But fine. Anyway, if it's a girl we should name her…" Kelso thought about it for a moment. He wanted to do good with this whole naming-his-kid thing, so he thought of the coolest women he knew that his daughter could possibly be named after. "Oh! Jackie. Well, Jacqueline."

Brooke made a face. "I'm not sure I want to name our daughter after your ex-girlfriend."

"No, no, hear me out. Jackie's the one who brought me back to life. If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't be able to have another kid together at all."

Kelso looked over at where Jackie was dancing with Hyde, smiling brightly. A few years ago, Kelso would have been pissed to know that Jackie was marrying someone who wasn't him. But now, he was just happy that Jackie had found someone better than him.

"Yeah, if it's a girl, I wanna name her Jacqueline. We can give her a different nickname to avoid confusion. Oh, and if it's a boy we could just do Jack!"

Brooke smiled softly. "Okay. And I'll get to choose the godparents?"

"It's only fair." Kelso hugged her. "I really am excited for our new kid."

Brooke hugged him tighter. "You know what? I am too."

Fez sat with Rhonda at one of the tables, watching the couples dance. They'd danced earlier, but were now taking a break for the cake.

Fez was very much enjoying their friendship. They'd been attending meetings of the LGBT club in Madison. Fez had long since become certain of bisexuality. And, more recently, he'd become certain of his reemerging feelings for Rhonda.

Nearly every day, Fez found himself wanting to kiss her. The red suit she was wearing today intensified that feeling by a lot.

"This cake is delicious," Rhonda said. "I'll have to ask Jackie what caterer she got it from."

Fez smiled at her as she scraped the last bits of frosting off her plate. "Rhonda, I like you. As more than friends."

Rhonda paused, fork in her mouth. She withdrew it and said, "I like you too."

Fez grinned. "Can I kiss you?"

Rhonda smiled. "Yeah." Fez placed his hand on her jaw and kissed her gently.

When they parted, Rhonda asked, "Wanna share another slice of cake?"

"Definitely." They both stood up and walked over to the dessert table, hand in hand.

Jackie laughed as Donna spun her around. They were dancing to ABBA together, just as they had at Donna's wedding.

When Jackie came out of the turn, she asked, "How's the book coming?"

"It's a collection of short stories," Donna corrected her, not for the first time.

"Yeah, yeah. It's a book of short stories. How is it coming?"

"Pretty good. Although, I just got to Kelso's- er, Christopher's death, so it's been kind of hard for Eric to recount that night for the story."

"Of course it is. I still don't like the names you chose for us, though."

Donna was writing the story of their journey in Terra Tempestas. She'd had to rename everyone to make it seem like fiction, though, and Jackie didn't like the names she'd chosen.

She'd used their middle names, so Michael was Christopher, Fez was Ezequiel, Eric was Albert, Donna was Marie, Steven was James and Jackie was Beulah. She'd begged Donna to change it several times, but to no avail. Steven found it far too funny.

"Anyway, have you decided on a title?" Jackie asked.

"Not yet. I'm thinking either James and Beulah: A Love Story or Beulah's Mind-"

"Shut up! You cannot put my name in the title unless you're going to change it completely."

"I can't change it completely. I already typed everything out on the typewriter Eric got me. It would take freaking forever to retype every page," Donna said.

"Fine. At least make me a badass character if you're gonna give me that stupid name."

"I don't have to do that, 'cause you're already super badass. You saved Eric and Kelso's lives. I don't need to change a thing.'

Jackie smiled. "Thank you." She hugged Donna tightly. Donna hugged her back. "You were a badass too, from what I've heard. You killed a dragon."

"Yeah. We're both pretty badass." Donna grinned at her.

"I don't know the context, but I agree," Eric said as he walked over, Steven in tow. Donna kissed him when he approached. Steven slipped his arm around Jackie's waist and held her close.

"Just talking about Donna's book," Jackie said.

"Collection of short stories," Donna corrected.

"Stop calling it that. It's a consecutive tale, not a bunch of one-offs," Jackie said.

"I'll call it whatever I want, Beulah," Donna said, smiling.

Steven chuckled. Jackie gave him a look. He stopped laughing, but Jackie could tell he was fighting a smile.

"Whatever you call it, it's gonna be awesome," Eric said. "I read the chapter about the day I got hanged, and I swear I was more scared than I was that day."

"He's exaggerating," Donna said. "And Hyde, you're sure you don't mind me writing about Edna and stuff?"

Steven shrugged. "She's part of the story. It is what it is. Just don't make any of your readers have sympathy for her. She's the worst."

"I would never. Oh! I need you guys to fill in a few holes that I have, too. When you get back from your honeymoon, of course," Donna said.

"Sure. I can't promise we'll give you every detail, though, because there are some things that you probably don't want to write about," Jackie said.

Donna made a face. "Definitely not. I don't want to hear-"

Donna was cut off by Michael, who nearly tackled her in a hug. "Donna, Brooke loves me! And she's pregnant again!"

"What?" Fez ran over. "Brooke is pregnant again?"

"Stop hugging me, you freakazoid." Donna pushed Michael off and he fell to the floor. He got up quickly, his joy undeterred.

"Brooke's pregnant again and she's gonna let me name the kid! Oh, but it's a surprise what I'm gonna name it." Michael nodded excitedly.

"I'm gonna make a bet: if it's a girl, Bambi, boy, Maverick," Steven said.

"I already suggested Maverick and Brooke shot it down," Michael said. "But I'm glad she did 'cause I came up with a way better name."

"Yeah? What is it?" Eric asked.

"It's Ja- Hey, wait, I said I wouldn't tell you!" Michael frowned at Eric. Eric smiled innocently.

Jackie raised her eyebrow. "Were you about to say Jackie?"

"Yeah, you got me. Jack if it's a boy. You're the whole reason I even get to have another kid, so I thought I'd name it after you."

"Aw, Michael!" Jackie withdrew from Steven's arm to hug Michael. He patted her back. When they parted, Jackie returned to Steven's side.

Steven looked at his watch. "Almost time for the last dance." He smiled at Jackie teasingly. "Are you ready, Mrs. Burkhart-Hyde?"

"It is so sexy when you say that," Jackie said. She kissed him, making all of their friends boo. She turned to them. "Hey! No booing us on our wedding day!" She turned back to Steven. "I'm ready, Mr. Burkhart-Hyde."

Steven offered her his arm. She took it, and together they prepared for the final dance of their wedding.

Hyde smiled softly. He was perfectly content in this moment, dancing with Jackie. She looked freaking beautiful with the sunset glowing on her dress. When she smiled back at him, Hyde knew she was the most beautiful woman in the world to him, inside and out.

"You make me real… You make me feel… Like lovers feel…"

The song's significance to him and Jackie was not lost on Hyde. Jackie made him real. Without her, he was just some pissed off guy in Forman's basement. He'd been content to stay that way, but falling for Jackie had opened a new world to him.

With her, he was more than a pissed off guy. He was a guy who loved a girl, every single part of her, through anything they went through. He was a guy who loved a girl that brightened every day and brought him out of even the darkest corners of his mind.

"You make me real, Jackie," he whispered.

Jackie's smile softened, and she kissed him gently. "You make me real, too."

Hyde smiled as they continued dancing. They didn't make each other whole. They weren't two halves of one piece. They were whole people on their own, but together they were stronger. Because together, they had each other's support and truly unconditional love. He was still a pissed off guy in Forman's basement sometimes, but he was more than that.

He was a guy who loved a girl that truly loved him back.