AN: Sorry about the delay in posting this part. Actually, I came home early Tuesday with a migraine and by 10pm, it was gone, so I decided to start working on the story. I stayed up til 1am to finish it. I got up that morning and went to work. Popped in my disc to look over my story before I sent it out and IT WAS GONE. I spent the next 2 days trying to recover it. No joy. Six pages lost in the twighlight zone. So last night, I sat in my room and tried to rewrite it. Again I was up til 1AM. This time I'm checking it from home. That nasty troll computer at work won't get this one. Although you might think it should. This one isn't as good as the original but it's the best I could do. Hope you enjoy. Thanks for all the feedback and please send more. It'll make all the stress worth it. 8-)

Disclaimer: The 70's show is on Fox. I don't own it. If I did, I would certainly put it on the summer program instead of the crud that's been on in it's place this summer. Sorry. I'm a bit testy when I get no sleep.

Part 4 The Fundamental Things Apply

Jackie lay on the cot, in the bedroom she'd been sharing with Donna over the last few months. Everything just kept changing. One day she has the life of which other girls dream. She's popular, she's rich, and let's face it, she's pretty. Then in the next, she's selling parts of her life to pay off debts.

If only her life was as perfect as she'd led everyone to believe. Even as a child, the only way she could get her father's attention was to be his perfect little princess. You can't be perfect all the time. No matter how hard you try. Then one day she met Kelso and started dating him. Suddenly she had her dad's attention. Negative attention is better than no attention.

Of course, being around Kelso meant she'd had to be around his friends. At first it was a mutual hate. Who would have thought that she'd end up not only considering them all her friends, but also sharing a home with Donna? In a few more weeks, that'd be different. Soon Donna and Eric would be moving off to their own apartment, going off to college, and leaving her behind. The only reason they were still here now was because Eric was worried about Red. Donna had been supportive of Eric's decision, but Jackie knew that Donna couldn't wait to start her new life.

Jackie took a deep breath and tried not to wallow in self-pity, but it was hard not to sometimes. Not that she in any way, envied Donna. Her hair was entirely too red to be a Dallas Cowgirl Cheerleader, after all. But still, Donna had found the guy she loved and despite one or two rough patches, she'd managed to make it work out. Jackie had thought she'd found that too, with Steven, until he'd cheated on her. She was never enough. Not for her father. Not for Kelso. And not for Steven.

"That was an awfully heavy sigh," Donna said quietly. "Wanna talk about it?"

Their midnight chats had become second nature. Something about the darkness surrounding them made it easier to talk. "Just thinking about what it's going to be like to have a room to myself again."

"I don't know what I'll do without you to remind me to exfoliate my skin on a nightly bases."

"Skin products are our friends, Donna," Jackie said, but without her usual enthusiasm. "But never fear, I bought you a thank you/good luck/going away care package, and I even wrote step by step instructions on how to use each item."

"Jackie," Donna said, sitting up in the bed and staring in the direction of Jackie's cot. "I don't know what to say.."

Jackie rolled over on her stomach and propped her chin on her hands. Almost apologetically, she said, "I know you only asked me to stay because Steven and Mrs. Foreman made you. I just wanted to do something to say thanks."

Donna reached behind her and grabbed her pillow. Without a second thought, she swung the pillow over her head, aiming for Jackie's cot. Jackie let out a yelp as the pillow landed squarely in her face. "For the record," Donna said, "you're here because I like having you here. Your like the bratty, snooty, always a pest little sister I never knew I wanted."

"I know what you mean," Jackie said grinning. "You're like the overly aggressive, tomboy, desperately in need of a makeover, older sister, I find myself oddly looking up to."

"Thanks. I think," Donna said laughing.

"And if you ever tell anyone I said that." Jackie said laughing too.

"I know, I know, you'll deny it," Donna finished. "So, did you get a chance to talk to Hyde at the show tonight?" Donna asked, changing the subject.

"Not really."

"Damn it," Donna muttered under her breath.

"Donna!"

"I don't know. I just ..You two were good for each other," Donna said, as she flopped back on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. "And the whole choosing yourself thing isn't working. You spend every second wondering if he's watching you, and he's busy scaring off all the guys who try to get close to you. What both of you need is a good whack against the head."

Jackie got off of the cot, the springs squeaking in protest. "Jackie," Donna said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, you're right," Jackie said happily.

"Then where are you going?" Donna asked smugly.

"To talk to Steven. And if that doesn't work, I'll take your advice and whack him upside the head."

Jackie was focused on one thing, talking to Steven. She hardly remembered grabbing her robe and putting it on before rushing out the door. It was only when she reached the Foreman's basement door that reality hit her. How was she going to get in? Banging on the door this late at night would not please Mr. Foreman. Maybe she should just wait until the morning.

The door opened startling her. "You coming in?" Eric said. He was wrapped in his bed sheet and wearing a big, goofy grin.

"Uh, yea, thanks," Jackie said as she stumbled inside.

Eric turned toward her and said, "Here's looking at you kid." He made the mistake of trying to do the hip, fingers pointed like guns at her and his bed sheet started slipping.

"For God's sake, Foreman, put some clothes on," Hyde said.

Eric pulled his sheet tighter against him and just smiled. He turned and walked out the door, closing it behind him.

Jackie stood in the room facing Steven. It was the first times in weeks they had been alone together. "Should we be worried that he's walking around outside in nothing but a sheet?"

Hyde took a few steps toward her, stopping at the arm of the couch. He leaned against it, crossed his arms in front of him and smiled. "In a few minutes, he won't even have that." Jackie looked at him confused and he shrugged. "Donna gave Eric the all clear signal. It's why your hear, right, to give them some privacy?"

Jackie shook her head no. Hyde just stared at her waiting for her to talk, and normally, that wouldn't be a problem. Talking was something she was good at. It's why she came over here in the first place, but now that she was here, she just didn't know what to say. Finally, she blurted out, "Did Rick need Ilsa? Did he want her to stay? Or was it just a convenient excuse to get rid of her when the newness wore off?"

"You want to discuss a movie, now?!" Hyde said, bewildered. He looked at her for a minute and then he nodded. "Rick was an idiot," Hyde said. "Ilsa deserved better."

"No, he wasn't. Rick was perfect. Ilsa was a manipulative skank."

Frustrated, Hyde said, "Well, Mr. Perfect let the woman he loved leave with that loser because he was afraid."

"Afraid?" Jackie asked, stepping toward Hyde. "He was the only one not afraid. Ilsa was scared and she ran to the one person she knew would take care of her. She needed him and he was there."

"He was petrified and it colored everything he did. He couldn't deal with the fact that he needed her, because needing her meant she could hurt him," Hyde stepped toward her. They stood face-to-face, inches separating them. His voice dropped lower and he said, "Fear makes you do stupid things. It allowed Rick to let Ilsa leave and it made me drive you away."

Jackie reached out and wrapped her arms around Hyde's waist pulling him toward her. Not that he struggled much. She hugged him as tightly as she could. It felt good to be in his arms again. Right in a way nothing had in a very long time. She laid her head against his chest and breathed in the scent of him. He kissed the top of her head, not breaking the contact she had started nor taking it any farther. Softly he whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry, Baby. I don't know what else to say. I was stupid."

"I know, and if you ever even think of doing something like that again, I'll break you like a twig," Jackie said. Hyde pulled back to look at her. Jackie smiled at him and said, "Okay, maybe I can't, but my dad's in prison. He knows people now."

Hyde grinned at her. "You are such a badass. It's why I love you."

"I love you too, Steven, and I don't want you to think I'm letting you off the hook. I'm not giving you free reign to just break my heart into a million pieces whenever you want. I love you, but I can't forget what you did. And I don't ever want to feel that way again. I'm forgiving you because I realize it wasn't totally your fault."

Jackie took Hyde's hand and led him over to the couch. He sat down and pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her, protectively. He didn't try to speak. It was as if he knew she needed to get this off her chest. She leaned back against him and let his warmth seep into her. "I'm a better person when I'm with you. Even Donna says so, but the old Jackie's still in here. I do things to get attention. It's what I do.

"I wanted you to want me and after you came back from visiting that college with Eric, you were worried that I might have been with someone else. And I liked that. Using Kelso, it wasn't an intentional thing; at least I don't think so.

"At first it seemed harmless, I wanted to go to the Foreman's party, you didn't and Kelso said he'd go with me. I knew that would drive you nuts and it worked, but I shouldn't have let it go on. I shouldn't have let Kelso say those things about our relationship in front of you, when I knew how much it bothered you. I should have never accepted that sweater from him, not if it was going to make you worry.

"I've given you reason to doubt me. With the whole "Get off my boyfriend" thing and all, but the truth is, you never had any reason to worry. Michael's my past, but you're my present. I've lost too many things from past lately. I don't want to lose him too, but as a friend. My heart belongs to you."

"Are you through now?" Hyde asked.

"Yes," Jackie said, turning to look at him.

"Good," he said, and then he kissed her. Kissing Hyde was like riding down a steep hill, with your hands off the handlebars, thrilling, exhilarating, and it took her breath away. There was no such thing as a friendly kiss between them and there hadn't been since that fateful day in Foreman's basement. It was always 0 to 60 in a half a second between them and that was just fine with Jackie. She started to lean back on the couch and pull Hyde down with her, but he lifted her up instead. It wasn't exactly the way Rhett Butler would have done it. She wasn't swept up in his arms. It was more like one minute she's kissing him and the next he's got her thrown over his shoulder fireman style.

She thought about complaining, but then Jackie decided she rather liked the view. She gave in to the temptation to squeeze his butt, and he froze in place. Jackie started giggling. Steven popped her lightly on the behind and said, "Shh, you'll wake up the Foreman's."

He carried her into his room and then dropped her on to the bed. A disheveled Jackie, pushed the hair out of her face, and said, "A little eager, aren't we?"

"You aren't stripped naked on the couch in the basement," Hyde said seriously. "I think I practiced remarkable restraint."

"I agree," Jackie said as she pulled Hyde down on to the bed with her. "And patience should be rewarded."

The end.