Title: Heart to Heart
Rating: PG
Summary: Fill in the blank fic for the end of "The Seeker". Small fluff warning.
Notes: I know what I should be working on, but it's been so long since I've written anything this little thing seemed like a good way to get back in the groove. This hasn't been beta'ed, so all mistakes are mine alone. I watched the finale and in the last scene noticed Jackie never came home that night, or at least didn't sleep in her bed. But I'm a good Zenmaster and I know she spent the night somewhere else. This is how I think it happened.
And I have no idea what's up with the spacing.
Heart to Heart
She found him sitting on a worn park bench that adorned the entrance to the mom and pop restaurant they had stopped at after leaving Milwaukee. He was staring out across the parking lot, not seeing all of the cars that were neatly aligned in rows before him. Just watching some unknown spot in the distance. Pulling her light jacket tight across her body, she left the heated interior of the foyer and slid quietly onto the bench.
Five cars left and seven more pulled into the parking lot before he silently draped his arm over her and pulled her close into his side. She leaned her head on his shoulder and watched as three more couples left the restaurant. By the time the fourth group left the building he started to run his hand up and down her arm, generating welcome heat in the cool night air.
"You didn't eat much." It seemed like a neutral topic, but as the words left her mouth she winced at how pathetic and lame they sounded. She was surprised when he leaned down, gently kissed the top of her head and gave her a slight squeeze. Maybe there was something to this not talking thing, she thought as she snuggled closer.
"I thought I wanted to know." he said, breaking his silence. "I thought I could walk into that office and say 'Surprise Dad!', but once we got there..." he trailed off and became silent again.
"It's ok, it doesn't really matter anyway." she said and realized with a start that it really didn't matter. Not if it made him this upset. She would spend a lifetime of Sunday dinners with Bud and Edna if it meant he didn't have to go through this uncertainty.
He pulled back a little and gave her a disbelieving look. "Right. Did you see that office?"
"It would be nice," she admitted and tried to suppress a chuckle. "Can you imagine? You'd be the rich boy and I'd be the poor trashy girl whose mom jumps into any bed with any man who has money." She looked up quickly and checked to make sure he knew she didn't mean anything by it. It was hard to tell with him. And in all fairness, most of the time she was kidding.
"That could almost inspire a guy to get a job." he said and turned to avoid her retaliating punch.
"You can't help being a pig, can you?"
He laughed and leaned over to brush a quick kiss across her pouting lips.
"You always do that," she complained.
"Because it always works," he singsonged and tapped her playfully on the nose. They exchanged small smiles and he helped her to her feet. "Ready to go?" he motioned towards the restaurant door.
"I'll go get Mr. and Mrs. Forman, they're probably drowning in coffee by now," she kissed him quickly and darted into the restaurant.
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By the time they left the glare of the city lights she was once again tucked comfortably under his arm, watching him stare out of the Toyota's backseat window. His silence wasn't new; they had gone on enough day trips with Red and Kitty for her to know that, but he didn't pull away when she kicked her shoes off, tucked her feet under herself and threaded her arm around his waist, and that was unusual.
Red had pulled the car into the driveway and turned off the ignition before he seemed to notice they had completed the trip. "Well that was…oh hell," he gave up and quickly motioned his wife to get out of the car and follow him into the house.
Kitty stole a quick glance at the couple reclined in the backseat and gave Jackie a reassuring smile before following Red through the patio door.
"Wanna walk me home?" she asked after a while.
"Because it's such a long walk?"
"Because you're such a wonderful boyfriend," she teased and pushed the bucket seat forward. He reached over and opened the door, letting the cool night air fill the interior of the car. Once outside, he wrapped his hand around hers and started off towards the neighbours' home.
They stopped just out of the range of the porch light, hidden in the shadows of the night. He pulled her into a hug and kissed her lightly on the forehead.
"Thanks," he whispered against her hair.
"You're welcome."
It was all that needed to be said, and she was happy to just be there for him.
Her mind registered a branch snapping in the distance, and they broke apart slightly and turned to see who was sneaking around in the middle of the night. She could barely make out the figure that emerged from the bushes that lined the driveway. Confusion ran through her when the person stopped under the window that lead up to the room she shared with Donna.
"Jesus Forman." Hyde mumbled under his breath.
"Wha—"
"Shhh," he cut her off and tugged her closer to the side of the house, out of the way but still in sight of Donna's window.
They watched as Eric looked up at the darkened room, his shoulders slumped and a dismayed look on his face. With a sigh of determination he started to make his way up the trellis that passed beside the window. He stopped and stared in the window for a minute before taking a deep breath and slipping inside.
"Oh my god," Jackie whispered. "What's he doing? Donna's going to kill him."
They crept closer to the window, straining to hear the conversation going on above them. When the muffled voices stopped, and no lights turned on and no bodies flew out of the window Hyde shook his head in wonderment. "I think they've made up."
She looked at him in disgust, "Ewww, I have to sleep in there!"
His eyes softened and he laced his fingers through hers, "Stay with me tonight."
"Yeah?" she asked hopefully. She still longed for the weeks when she woke up every morning in the wonderful security of his arms. They hadn't been able to do that since Bob had offered her a place to stay.
"Yeah." He said and took her hand in his and led her home.
The End