DISCLAIMER: I don't own That 70's Show or anything related to it. I wish I did cause then I could make Jackie and Hyde be together. Humph… Oh well. Maybe the writers will be nice and let them be together soon.

Summary: Takes place in the 8th Season, during and after Fun It. Jackie and Hyde bottle up their feelings because they can't stand getting hurt again by each other. The final season leads them through tragedy and self-discovery. But will it lead them together again?

Chapter 6: Rats In The Cellar

It had been roughly two weeks since Jackie went on her date with Ian and for two weeks Hyde couldn't stop thinking about it. There was still a small chance with her. But his thinking had been pushed out the door and stomped on when Sam had come back from Las Vegas. She only going to be there for a few days before she had to go back for Christmas and New Years, but in the back of his mind Hyde wished that she'd leave and never come back. It had been a mistake to let her stay and he knew that. But it was too late now.

"Yeah, man, sounds good," Hyde said into the phone.

"I guess. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be. I'll have to tough it out though. I mean, if Luke didn't tough it out when he was…"

"Forman, man, don't even start on that Star Wars crap." Sometimes Hyde couldn't believe his skinny best friend was in Africa, especially when he would talk about Star Wars. They didn't even have electricity where he was, how could he think of Star Wars?

"You just don't get Star Wars," Eric said. "So, how's Jackie?" He knew that they had broken up. Hell, he'd even heard some of their argument in the tape his mom send him several months ago. But he knew what the two meant to each other, even if he thought she was the devil and their relationship was creepy and unnatural.

Hyde glanced over at his 'wife'. She was playing with the bottom of her pink tube top, waiting for her husband to finish talking to some person she'd never met so they could go do it. "Why are you asking me?" he said angrily, "I'm not Jackie's keeper anymore."

"Whoa, Hyde. I was just asking," Eric said, laughing nervously. After that, there wasn't much point in trying to talk anymore so the two lifelong friends said goodbye and returned to their respective lives.

When Hyde thought about it, only his life had turned out how everyone thought it would. Eric had surprised everyone by going to Africa and becoming something. Donna, the only one of the group that had any potential, still lived at home and was 'Hot Donna' at the local radio station. Fez shampooed women's hair, for Pete's sake; no one thought he'd be near women, let alone being able to touch them. And Jackie, by now she and Kelso were supposed to be married. But Kelso was in Chicago, doing the responsible thing for his daughter and her mother and Jackie was alone with no job.

But him? Yeah, he was where he was supposed to be, minus the record store. The store was the one exception that possibly proved the rule. He, Steven Hyde, lived in a basement, smoked and drank more than some rock stars did and was married to a Las Vegas Stripper. Oh, his mother must be proud of him.

"Why did Eric asked you about Jackie?" Sam said, breaking him from his thoughts.

"I don't know."

"Well, we're married. He should ask Fez," she said, still prodding him about it.

He sat down in his chair and, not looking at her, said, "Well, me and Jackie were together for almost three years, its just habit. Now get over it."

"No! Didn't you tell me that you broke up with each other a lot?" She yelled.

Anger was starting to infiltrate his Zen attitude. "Well, that's because I couldn't stop screwing up and hurting her!"

Sam scoffed. "I guess she just didn't love you enough."

"She did! Which is why she always took me back!" Hyde screamed, standing up to confront her. He supposed Red and Kitty could hear them but he didn't really care right now. What the hell did Sam know about him and Jackie?

Clearly offended and hurt, Sam yelled back, "Well if you both love each other so much, then why don't you get back together?" She could feel tears coming to the back of her eyes and fearing his answer, she stormed out the door.

He watched her leave, cursing himself for letting her think that he and Jackie could be together. But he still couldn't stop himself from saying, "Maybe we should," before going to his back room in the grungy basement.

Once the door was closed, a figure came out from behind the shower curtain sucking on a lollipop. He had snuck behind there, hoping to see Hyde and his hot stripper wife doing it, but when they started yelling, his hopes went down. After the argument, he was glad he stayed. He knew something that no one else knew. Hyde still loved Jackie.

Author's Note: I know, REALLY short but after I wrote so much about Sam, my muse started throwing up from how disgusted she was. Poor muse. That's why Sam WON'T be in the next chapter. Review please!