Chapter 1 – Jackie's POV

Jackie pulled into the Forman's driveway unsure of whether this whole thing was a good idea. It had a been a year since she had poured her heart out to Hyde and tried everything to make the only somewhat healthy relationship in her life work. She should have known he would run off with a bimbo stripper. It was stupid and naïve to have even tried. Everyone she knew had run away somehow, why would he be any different.

Stepping out of her car, she looked over the drive, it was like she stepped through time. Nothing had changed at all, and she didn't know if that was better or worse.

she left after the stripper walked through the door and hadn't looked back. She instead got the earliest bus (ew!) straight back to Chicago. she marched into the tv studio, demanding her old job back and got it. nobody could resist her feminine charms.

Slowly over the past few months she settled herself. Getting a cheap apartment with lucy, one of the girls in the makeup department. Lucy was a ditsy brunette from Indianapolis who barely knew left from right. She knew next to nothing about life but had an eye for colour which had landed her the job. They got on well enough, despite Jackie having to make sure she didn't do anything too stupid from time to time.

Learning to support herself and often lucy, changed Jackie a lot. She had freedom to learn new things about who she was and what she wanted form life. Her love for cars only grew when she was able to purchase one for herself. She rediscovered parts of life that been shrouded by the fog of Hyde. Independence felt good and she refused to think about life before.

So, when she got the call from Mrs Forman out of the blue asking about coming back for the 4th of July, she automatically rejected it.

She would have loved to come but she had other plans.

Nobody from home had bothered to call her even though she has sent her phone number and address to both the Forman and Pinciotti households in case of an emergency. Fez had very quickly forgotten about his goddess when the next woman walked through the door. Kelso would have lost the pieces of paper. Not even Donna tried to call her, but then again donna was always trying to get rid of her. Donna did take Kelso's side when he cheated on jackie but refused to keep her and stevens relationship private for even a day. But she wasn't going to think about that now.

It got a bit harder to say no when she asked her to come back for erics welcome home party.

She had work to do over the weekend, a big story about the subtle styles shifts to expect in the new decade.

Lucy had noticed Jackie looking frazzled and offered to cover her at work if she needed. Jacked had laughed to herself at that and told lucy it was ok and that she could manage. Lucy only smiled and carried on unaware of any of Jackie's white lies.

Finally, when Mrs Forman asked her to come back for Halloween weekend Jackie stumbled, unable to think of a good excuse not to go for dinner. It would only be dinner.

That was how she found herself sliding open the porch doors to the kitchen of her former home.

'Hello!' she hesitantly yelled. silence.

She tried again more confidently, 'It's me Jackie, I'm here for dinner.'

Still getting no response, she huffed in irritation before clicking her way towards the living room. Peering, round the door she found nothing. The whole house was still and uncanny. How could something so familiar feel so different?

Slightly annoyed yet getting slightly spooked, Jackie decided to keep moving. There had to be someone here.

The stairs down to the basement again were identical, but unlike the ground floor it just felt emptier. Each step down brought her closer to memories she tried so hard to forget. By the time she got to the bottom step the nerves in her stomach had become snakes constricting both her movements and any semblance of control Jackie thought she had.

Fighting behind the sofa. learning on the deep freeze. a circle on the floor. Everything kept hitting her over and over again. Every single detail struck something new in her. Even the record player she had used once or twice made her want scream. She couldn't help tunnelling in on every thought before her mind immediately pulled her into another. It didn't matter if they were good, bad, or mundane they just kept on coming and they wouldn't stop.

She needed to leave she knew she couldn't handle it. It was too much; she didn't need this. She was better than this what was the point of coming. She was just going to be happy for a second before being torn down the next. She didn't need them, she needed to leave.

So, she ran out the door and up the steps and leant on the garage. She didn't know what was going on and her mind would stop racing round and round in circles. Slowly, she breathed in the cold air. Letting the pinch of frost cool her lungs and the wind clear the few stray tears that dared to escape her eyes.

This was a mistake, and Mrs Forman would understand. Maybe next year would be different but right now she needed to go back to the flat and wonderful ditsy lucy.

With the decision made and the last few deep breaths in she opened her eyes.

To see two big yellow orbs staring right back at her.

Jackie screamed.

Hyde's POV

'Fuck Halloween' he thought tapping impatiently on the steering wheel of the El Camino. Trick or treating kids were already blocking the street, despite it only being just after 5 o'clock.

Hyde had promised Mrs Forman he would be home early to help set up for this big family dinner she had planned. Yes, he loved Mrs Forman but why she instated on holding a dinner party for Halloween was beyond him. Perhaps it was just a rouse for her to drink publicly for once. He wouldn't put it past her.

Although this time something was up she kept giggling like she had a surprise birthday party planned. Yet, this time nobody could figure out what she had done, despite it being obvious she had done something.

Finally, the kids moved, and Hyde continued to drive towards the Forman's.

But what could she have planned? It certainly had nothing to do with him since she was still a little bit scandalised about the whole Sam debacle.

After Sam had announced herself as his wife, Hyde's life had flipped upside down.

Jackie ran away and he had no way of contacting her or finding where she was. Only Mrs Forman knew that, and she refused to tell him. Apparently, it was for his own good but that was bullshit, but what did he care she left him. She had slept with Kelso so he might as well sleep with a stripper.

So, he did for 3 months, showing her off like a shinny new toy to anyone who would look his way. He ignored the fact that she wasn't interested in about learning chess because she got him beer when she asked for it. He couldn't care less if she didn't bother to learn about his family because she was good in bed. And he always overlooked the screaming fights because she was someone he was bound to for the rest of his life.

Until her husband showed up and she left.

Then he was alone for the first time since Jackie left and he hated it. He wouldn't admit that was why he was unhappy; he just blamed the ever-growing success of grooves for taking up his mental energy.

he made his way in a routine of drinking and smoking while also working full shifts. Never really letting himself be alone with his thoughts. Nobody seemed to notice the difference in him though but then again Fez Eric and Donna all thought he was grumpy because Sam left. Hyde never bothered to correct them.

However, Mrs Forman did notice and grew worried about Hyde's lifestyle but would never out right say it too her baby's face. Yet she would occasionally look at him in a way that scarred him, like she was sad for him and wanted to fix it. But how could she there was nothing she could surprise Hyde with, except maybe a time machine, that would fix anything.

'maybe', he thought as he turned onto the Forman's Street, 'Kelso's home'

Kelso had stayed with betty and brook in Chicago much to everyone's surprise. So, it would be nice to have to loveable idiot around some more. Although it did mean Hyde would have to help put all the valuables away. Two Kelso's in one house was a destructive force.

Kelso was the top of Hyde's guess as to what was going when he pulled in next to the Forman's driveway only to see a car he didn't recognise.

Ok so maybe not Kelso then.

He couldn't think of anyone who would have the money for a car, well maybe one small person. But no, not her she couldn't be her. Maybe donna then she did mention something about getting around easier. Or was it a crowd pleaser? He was kind of drunk when she told the story so who knows weather any of these conversations even happened.

Turning the ignition and getting out the Camino he walked towards the car. Even if the car wasn't donnas, he was going to have a quick look despite it getting a bit dark now.

It was very well kept, whoever owned the car clearly loved it. Hm so maybe it wasn't donnas she never really cared all that about ca-

AAARGGGHH HELLLLP!

The ear-piercing screech and loud thumps stopped all of Hyde's thoughts. Instinctively he sprinted towards it somewhere behind the garage maybe.

He reached just in time to see a small woman being flung violently onto the ground by some kind of dog maybe a wolf?

'HEY!' he boomed

The wolf (too big to be a dog) looked up at him and lunged. Hyde had barley enough time to cover his face before the thing locked its jaw into his forearm knocking him to the ground.

The instant they landed the thing began to shake its head as if to rip the flesh clean off his bones. He could feel each tooth moving side to side within him arm.

The pain was so consuming all he could think to do was yell and try and push the thing off him.

Thankfully there was a loud thunk and the canine went limp and loosened his grip on Hyde's forearm. Then another thunk, and he could shove it off completely.

Crawling back away from the thing he looked up to see the woman facing away from him. she was drenched in blood and mud making it difficult to piece together quite who he was looking at. She appeared to be holding a garden rake, maybe that's had scared the thing off.

His vision started to go blurry, and his arm was burning with pain. it didn't make much sense for a bite to burn he thought. He couldn't bear to look at his arm so instead he looked back at the woman. just as she started to look back at him, she dropped heavily at his side.

It's her he thought as he passed out too