Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.
Hyde was exhausted. He had been working overtime at Grooves so he wouldn't have to come home to an empty bed and a sad, lonely life. He never knew he could feel this empty.
While he didn't love Sam, she had helped him pretend that his life wasn't empty and miserable. She kept him from screwing up even more than he already had. He could never forget the look on Jackie's face when Sam first came into their lives, it was a look of utter heartbreak and he could feel his heart shattering as she took off. He had ruined her life and Jackie had ruined him for everyone else.
He knew that it didn't matter how he shared his cot with, it would never be as good as it was with her. They would all pale in comparison to the petite woman he had fallen in love with.
But she was gone, and all that was left was the empty feeling of knowing he had pushed away the one person who believed in him and loved him like no one else did.
He strips down to his boxers, the basement was cold but the way he saw it, his life could not get any colder. Maybe he would freeze to death one night, and that would mean not having to wake up knowing he lost Jackie and that she hated him.
He was about to drop down on his bed when he notices something on his pillow.
For a second he hopes it from the petite brunette but the big brown paper tells him otherwise. The only other person who would give him a present is his adoptive mother, so he opens it carefully.
His fingers still when he sees the picture frame and the picture in it. He sits on his bed stunned.
He removes his sunglasses so he can see it better.
It's him and Jackie.
His fingers ran over the frame softly and he can't help but remember that day.
*Flashback*
He must have about seven years old. The Formans had just come from a wedding and Laurie was on a wedding kick. She had begged Casey Kelso to play wedding with her and he refused, wanting to play basketball before he and his family left to California. So Michael wanting to please the pretty twelve-year-old stepped up, Laurie rolled her eyes but agreed because it was sweet that he cared. She roped Eric into being the ring bearer who was not happy because Donna had scoffed at playing wedding and he liked the redhead. Jackie had come over, she was still new to the group but Kitty doted on her. She seemed excited to play weddings but Michael (who was her ticket to the group), ignored her in favor of the older girl. Laurie made Jackie the flower girl and Steven was to play the priest. So he watched Jackie fidget during the made up wedding and he whined every time Laurie yelled at her to stop moving. It wasn't Jackie's fault, the blonde was simply taking out her anger of Casey Kelso on the young girl.
The wedding was called off before Michael could kiss the bride because Casey came and an argument broke out before he kissed Laurie and the two went off to the Hub. Michael went home dejected and Eric took off running to his room to read a comic as Jackie approached Donna only for the girl to reject Jackie. He watched Donna head to her house and he watched Jackie head to the basement, waiting for Red to drive her home. He headed to the kitchen where Kitty was making cookies and he helped her stir the batter. He liked helping her, she smelled nice and he wished she was his mother.
But then the cookies were in the oven and he headed downstairs to take a nap because Edna and Bud had a party the night before and he didn't get any sleep, wondering one of their friends was going to stumble into his room.
As he walked down the stairs he spotted Jackie on the couch, shoulders slumped, watching the tv.
She had been kicking her legs against the couch and when he approached the couch, he could tell she was crying a bit, as there were tear tracks on her face and he felt bad. So he sat next to her and placed an arm around her back on the couch and she curled in close to him, her head on his shoulder. If it had been anyone else, he would have pulled away but this was Jackie. Tiny Jackie with her big pretty brown eyes who felt right under his arm. Plus she was a girl and he hated making girls cry.
"Hey, Jackie."
"Hi, Steven."
That made him smile a bit. Jackie was stubborn as hell and refused to call him Hyde and after a few unsuccessful attempts, he gave up. He would never admit it but he liked the way she said his name, hardly anyone uses his first name.
"Why are you crying?"
"I wanted to keep playing wedding with Donna and her dolls but Donna said no would want to marry a brat like me."
He frowned, yeah Jackie could be a bit of a brat but she a kid. He didn't like that Donna had been mean to her. Ever since Michael had brought her around the group, Donna had gone out of her way to be cruel. His hand found her shoulder and he squeezed it, the way did whenever she comforted Laurie.
"Donna's wrong. Anyone would be lucky to marry you." He can't help but wish he would be the lucky one.
She looked up at him with big eyes full of tears and he pressed a kiss to her forehead, not wanting to look into her eyes anymore. He wasn't sure what about the tiny doll-like girl that made him act so soft but she was the only one who brought it out of him.
"I'll marry you one day doll."
He froze as he realized the thought in his head had come out of his mouth. She looked up at him and a huge smile appeared on her face and she rose to her knees on the couch.
She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly, burying her head into his shoulder and his arms went around her automatically, partly in fear she would topple over and onto the floor.
"I love you, Steven. I want to marry you one day."
The sentence makes him feel warm and his heart is beating fast and he wonders if that is what it feels like to be loved.
It hits him suddenly that she is the first person to tell him that she loves him. That should make him sad but how can he be when she's hugging him?
"Do you mean it, doll?"
She nods and he wonders how can she possibly mean it?
She's rich and he's poor. How can she possibly want to marry him? Anyone would be lucky to marry Jackie, she's full of smiles and laughter.
He wants a life full of smiles and laughs.
He knows that a life of smiles and laughs will be impossible for him, he's going to end up like his parents, angry and drunk.
But he wants that life that Jackie can offer him.
He pries her off him and goes down on one knee, the way he saw people do in the tv shows that and Laurie liked to watch.
"Jackie, will you marry me one day?"
They didn't realize that Mrs. Forman had been watching them from the stairs and she snapped a picture of Hyde down on one knee in front of Jackie.
Jackie squeals and then her arms are around him when he stands up.
They sit on the couch watching Scooby Doo, she's curled up next to him, his hand on her shoulder.
Kitty goes back to making dinner.
They are sitting in silence, watching the show until she sighs, she sighs again and Hyde rolls his eyes, knowing she has something on her mind.
"What is it, doll?"
She's quiet and he nudges her so she whispered.
"Steven, I wish one day was today."
She doesn't want to tell him how lonely she is. She doesn't want to tell him how her daddy yelled at her mom and her mother was drinking again and she had to make breakfast on her own because the maid was sleeping with the pool boy who she has caught in bed with her mother. She doesn't tell him how she wants to marry him because he's nice to her and she has seen him beat up guys so she knows he will protect her. She doesn't tell him how she loves him because of moments like this when its just the two of them. She wishes she could marry him because that way they will be together forever. Steven could give her a life of forever.
He was quiet and then pressed a kiss to her forehead, an idea in his head.
"I'll be right back, doll."
He left Jackie sitting there and run upstairs to the kitchen and tells Kitty that he is heading to the corner store. He takes off before she can tell him no, the quarters in his pocket jingling all the way. He comes back and heads to Eric's room and pulled him out of his comic.
"You are going to marry me and Jackie."
He doesn't have time to explain how hearing her say she loves him and how she wanted to marry him made him feel all warm inside.
"What on earth Hyde?"
Eric was so confused, he wasn't even aware that Hyde liked Jackie. At most, he seemed to tolerate her and now he wants to marry her?
"Look she was crying about how no one wants to marry her so I told her I would marry her."
That made sense. It made him uncomfortable when girls cried so it was no wonder that Hyde offered to marry her to get her to stop.
"Today?"
"Yes, Forman."
Eric was unsure but after Hyde hit him he agreed to play the priest, he then asked Kitty to take pictures and Red arrived home from work just in time and he grumbles as his wife makes him join in.
Hyde heads back down the stairs to grab Jackie who looks up at him with tears in her eyes. She thought that she had said something wrong.
"Don't cry Jackie, I got a surprise for you. Come on."
He grabs her hand and pulls her outside to the driveway, his other hand covering her eyes.
Eric has the bible in his arms and Kitty and Red are sitting in chairs on the porch. Eric watches as Hyde drags Jackie out of the basement, covering her eyes and placing her in position and he watches the realization hit Jackie's face as Hyde whispers something to her and he watches her hug his best friend tightly and to his surprise, Hyde doesn't push her away. He smiles before he heads to stand next to Eric.
Kitty has her camera ready and Red watches his son's best friend with knowing eyes. He hums the wedding march and Jackie walks toward the boys. Hyde takes her hand as she stands next to him and Eric takes a deep breath as they turn to him.
He can't mess this up. Hyde would kill him.
"Dearly beloved, we are here to celebrate a happy day, a happy thing. A marriage. Marriage is very important, it's about being together in good and bad. It's about sharing your feelings and your lemonade and cookies."
Eric trails off not sure what to say so he thinks back to all the shows his mother watches.
"Do you have the rings?"
Hyde pulls out two plastic containers, which he got from the corner store.
He handed one to her and kept the other.
"Jackie, dear, I promise to always protect you from bullies. I promise to always hug you when you are sad and always be there for you. I promise to love you."
He slipped the blue ring on her finger and she beamed.
Eric nodded at her and she looked up at Steven.
"Steven, I promise not to be a brat and not boss you around... too much. I promise to always hug you and to never leave your side. You are my best friend, you always make me smile when I'm sad so I promise to always make you happy. I promise to always call you Steven. I promise to love you."
She struggled with opening the plastic container and he took it from her and opened. She took it from him and she slipped the purple ring on his finger.
"You may now kiss the bride!" Eric grimaced when he said this, he didn't want to say it but it was the number one thing said at weddings. He closed his eyes after he said it.
Steven Hyde looked down at the tiny girl and pressed a soft kiss to he lips instead of her cheek and he pulled away blushing, Jackie giggled her fingers touching her lips. This was the moment Kitty caught with her camera, him blushing and her looking at him with big eyes, fingers on her lips.
Kitty thought it was cute and then she decided they needed to celebrate.
"Who wants cookies?"
Eric ran into the kitchen and Kitty followed him, while Red watched Jackie hold out a hand to Steven.
"Coming, Steven?"
"Yes, dear."
He took her hand and Hydes walk to the kitchen, hand in hand, to eat cookies.
Red smiled chuckling to himself.
He watched Steven pull Jackie onto his chair, his arm around her as they ate cookies.
Hyde shook his head, pulling himself out of the memory.
He smiles sadly at the picture in his hands.
He and Jackie had a great time pretending to be husband and wife. They had been inseparable.
He enjoyed holding her hand and calling her dear.
It made him feel happy and special whenever she smiled at him.
The happy times they spent together made going home worthwhile. While his parents fought, he would think about something she said or did and he would think of the Formans.
However, their marriage only lasted for two weeks. Donna and her parents had left for vacation the day after their wedding as did the Kelsos. When Donna and Michael came back and found the two curled up in the basement couch together, everything blew up. Donna had some harsh words for the girl and Michael made her cry. Which broke into an argument with Kelso and Hyde and between Donna and Eric. Finally, Eric agreed to kick Jackie out of the basement if the whole wedding fantasy didn't end. Donna was pleased and Jackie was in tears when Hyde agreed she jumped off and ran out of the room. Laurie and Casey Kelso had to walk the poor girl home because she could not wait for Red to drive her home. Laurie who had witnessed the sweetness between the two felt bad for her which after they dropped her off caused a small argument with Casey, who thought Jackie should have been faithful to his brother.
She didn't come by the basement for the rest of the summer, and when school started she was hanging out with the other giggly mean girls of her grade and his grade. A few years later, she began to follow Michael around who doted on her. It broke his heart. Then when they got older he hated her because she brought all these feelings into his life and all she could see was Kelso, stupid Kelso who cheated on her constantly.
He thought about the plastic ring. It was the one thing he kept on him at all times until he lived here in the basement and he no longer had to worry about it being stolen or destroyed, all he had worry was about it being found and being mocked about it.
He went to his stack of books and pulled out a book and opened it up, revealing that it was hollowed out, and he pulled out a plastic ring and sighed.
He had married Jackie once without hesitation simply because it made her happy and then when they were actually together, and he was happy, he couldn't even tell her how much she meant to him. How much he loved her.
He had simply been waiting for her to wake up and realize that she could do better, he had been waiting for her to leave him just like everyone else and when she did leave him with tears in her eyes, he had gotten angry, blaming her.
And then to make matters worse, he assumed the worse of her and one of his best friends who had a history of hitting on her and always being naked and had taken off to on a drinking binge that resulted in him getting married to a stripper. His biggest crime, however, was staying marrying to Sam and rubbing it in in Jackie's face every time she was around.
Sam leaving was one of the best things and worst things to happen, one he was never married but it meant he had htrown Jackie away for nothing. He knew that any chance of fixing things between him and Jackie was gone. It only made him feel guilty, he had chosen something that wasn't real over the girl he loved, all becasue he was angry and hurt.
He thought about his ex- and they had settled into indifference. She pretended he didn't exist and he pretended that his heart was not broken. Although, he knew hers had been broken in a worse way than his.
He thought about the vows he made to her when they were kids and as he stared at the ring in his palm, he felt something like hope rise in his chest.
He knew what he had to do.
It was time he made good on his wedding vows.
Hey, ya'll sorry it's been a week.
It's midterms and compared to some of my other works, a week isn't a long time to wait. (I have some that I have not updated in years)
Anyway, here's chapter two, let me know what you think. I have three and four done, they just need some editing and tweaking.
Love Queen.