Disclaimer: I don't own the show or characters.

Warning: Mild language

AN: Thanks to those of you that are reading! And a special thanks to those who have left reviews. Those are so nice. I'm going to try to keep updating quickly, but my weekend over and it's back to work, so it might take longer to get the next few chapters. I don't think the storyline is particularly creative, but it's the story in my head, so I'm going to write it as it is there. Hopefully some things about it will be different. :)

Reawakening

Chapter 3 – The Thing Is…

Jackie sighed nervously. Nothing like a little pressure to make a girl forget the carefully scripted conversation she'd been planning since the scene at the record store. And it wasn't like this was going to be a piece of cake. Apologizing never came easy to her, especially when she still half-felt she'd been entitled to say what she'd said. She twisted her fingers together anxiously. She had to apologize. The look on Steven's face after she'd said what she'd said was really bothering her. Much as she'd hated him recently, hurting him wasn't something she enjoyed. Not really. Not even when he really deserved it. "Look, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry," she said, rushing the words so she wouldn't let herself change her mind. "About what I said earlier. I…I shouldn't have said that."

Hyde shrugged. "Whatever," he answered. "I don't even remember what you said." He was surprised that she was apologizing; Jackie had her pride. And truth be told, he wasn't sure why she was. He'd been pretty harsh with her. Of course, he'd had to be. Just like he had to be now. Because damn it, her game was working. He'd spent all afternoon thinking about how things used to be between them.

The condescension in his voice and that damn shrug of his made her furious. She glared heatedly at him. "Why are you being such a jerk to me, Steven?" she snapped.

He rolled his eyes and brushed past her, heading for his chair. "Because you're playing some sort of game with me and you should stop." He sat down, crossed his arms over his chest and looked over at her. "It's not going to work."

Jackie followed him and sat down on the arm of the couch. She frowned. Could he really have figured her out? Could he really read her that easily? She decided to pretend that he was wrong, that she wasn't doing anything at all, and molded her expression into one of disdain. "Steven, I think you're losing it. I'm not playing any game with you."

Hyde shook his head. "Like hell you're not. You think you're reminding me of the past with your clothes, the freaking Sizzler…you're not, okay? Whatever you think you're going to get out of this, you're not. So just give it up."

Her heart clenched, and before she could stop herself, she found honest words pouring out of her mouth. "Steven, I was just…" She leaned forward. "I was just so surprised when you remembered my outfit. And…happy."

He looked at her, confused by the expression on her face. She was staring down at the ground, her beautiful features softened by something. He watched her lips tighten as if she was holding in tears. And when she looked up again, meeting his eyes, he noticed that hers were shining. Damn. He had to work hard to steel himself. Vulnerability from her, for some reason, had always managed to get to him.

"I mean, after all that's happened this year, I thought you'd completely forgotten what we had….us. And it hurt. So I…" She trailed off and looked away. She really hated feeling this exposed. She really hated being this unguardedly open. And damn it, he knew it. Her shoulders tightened and she wrapped her arms around herself. "It just made me happy that you remembered." She closed her eyes. She would not cry. She would NOT cry.

Hyde groaned inwardly. He could feel her getting inside him; cutting a hole in his Zen so she could slither her way in and snake herself around him. No. Don't let her. Not again. Never again. It would just end badly for both of them. Better to hurt her now then to risk hurting one another much worse down the road. And it would come to that. It always had. He took a breath. "Jackie, I'm forgetting whatever…that was with us. And that's the way I want it." He lifted his shoulders. "I've been forgetting ever since I came back from Vegas. And its working."

Sort of, he thought. At least it HAD been. Sort of. In a way.

The ache around her heart throbbed stronger, and her hands trembled. The ice in his voice, in a way only he could, chilled her to the bone. She gripped her waist tightly. "You…you want to forget everything? Even that I love…loved you? And that…that you loved me?" She furrowed her brow as he went into his Zen mode and stared at the floor in front of him as if nothing was happening around him. "Steven?"

"I don't need to forget that."

Jackie cocked her head to the side, unsure of how to take that. "What does that mean?"

Hyde looked straight at her, grateful for the glasses that shielded the way he was sure his eyes were betraying him. "Well, the thing is, I never loved you." He shrugged again. "Don't need to forget something I never felt."

She stared at him so hard that everything around him disappeared. Her heart begged for him to look down, or even just away from her eyes so she could convince herself that he was lying. But he didn't. He didn't move at all.

Her heart shredded. The one thing she'd had to cling to when she missed him desperately; the solitary and usually only slightly comforting consolation ; the only thing left that she could call hope; the memory of and knowledge that he had at one time loved her, was gone. She tried to keep her composure, tried to tell herself it didn't matter. But she didn't, and it did. She wanted to remember the Zen he'd taught her years ago, but it wasn't there. She'd never mastered it the way he had. All she could do was sit there, her mouth opening to speak but only releasing a quiet choking sound.

Hyde watched her crumble into tears, and he closed his eyes. She wore her heart on her sleeve, always, and it was times like this when he really hated that. Because it got to him. Damn it, it was getting to him now. She looked tortured because of him. Again. Instant regret filled his stomach, and he sighed. "Look, Jackie…"

"No!" she cried, standing up and rushing towards the basement door, her hair flying, her body visibly trembling. She nearly tripped on her way around the couch. The door slammed behind her with surprising force.

And he sat still.

That softness she always opened in him wanted him to go after her and tell her he'd lied. Funny how he never wanted to lie to her to make her feel better but was perfectly willing to lie to her to hurt her.

But he had to. He HAD to.

And he had. Now it was over for good. She wouldn't try to get to him anymore, he was certain of that. Oh, eventually she'd talk to him again. She'd burn him as often as she was able to. But she wouldn't ever try to get to him again. And that was a relief. Or at least it would be. Someday.

Hyde took his glasses off and stared in front of him, at nothing.

Finally over. He supposed Jackie would call this "closure". Probably got that from her Vogue or Cosmo or something.

Closure.

He shook his head and closed his eyes. Closure sucked.

Later that evening

A heavy rain broke out in the late afternoon and continued on into the evening with occasional clasps of thunder and streaks of lightning. The storm was so bad that no one was inclined to go out, at least not anywhere other than the Forman basement. The group sat around, Hyde in his chair, Eric, Donna and Fez on the couch, and Kelso on the lawn chair, watching tv, eating popsicles, and generally not doing anything much different than the did every other night of their lives.

"I wonder where Jackie is," Donna said. She sucked her popsicle and narrowed her eyes. "She's been MIA for hours now. I'd say she's hanging out with other friends, but she doesn't have other friends to hang out with."

Fez nodded. "I bet she went shopping." He smiled. "And I hope she buys me a fuzzy sweater." Everyone looked at him, and he shook his head, eyes widening. "I mean, I hope she buys HERSELF a fuzzy sweater."

Kelso licked his popsicle and nodded. "Hey, maybe if we tell her it was stolen, she'll take it off." He chuckled and raised his eyebrows at Fez.

Fez clapped his hands together. "Oh, I hope so. We could all use some Jackie boob."

Hyde rolled his eyes and toyed with the glasses he'd hooked on the collar of this t-shirt. "Personally, I'd be happy to never see her again."

Eric looked at his friend. "My my, Hyde, that's cold. You know, when you talk about Jackie these days you sound an awful lot like you did before you two…"

Donna interrupted, giggling. "Started frenching like a couple of French people at a frenching festival."

Eric looked at her, then nodded proudly at Hyde. "What she said."

Hyde didn't allow himself to react, except to say two words. "Get bent." He stared at the television, even though the show Kelso insisted on watching was one of the stupidest shows on the planet. That wasn't surprising, since it was Kelso's favorite show.

"Kids!"

The group looked behind to see Kitty Forman rushing down the stairs. Normally when this happened, she had a peppy look on her face and in her voice. Neither was present this time, and they watched silently as she moved to the television and turned it off.

Kelso frowned. "Hey, I was watching that!"

Hyde muttered under his breath. "Thank God."

Kitty just shook her head, and Eric noticed that she looked pale and shaken. He sat up. "Mom, what's wrong?"

"I just got a call from Bob. You know, since Jackie's father is still…" Her voice hushed. "Away…and her mother is…" Her brow furrowed. "Well, who the heck knows where her mother is! Bob is still her guardian. Her next of kin."

Hyde frowned. Next of kin?

"Jackie's been in a car accident."