I'm back! I know its been forever and I hate myself for it. Writer's block, broken computers on top of moving, school, working 3 jobs and a bad breakup have made for an impossible situation to write in. I'm Sorry to all of those you have been waiting for this. I PROMISE No more long breaks!
Jackie woke up the next morning with a foggy memory and a wave of nausea. After making her way to the bathroom to unload the contents of her stomach, she finally recalled all of the events of the night before. Jackie smiled as she made her way over to the still sleeping Hyde. She kissed his cheek lightly and slowly ran her fingers thru his hair.
"Hey." Hyde whispered as he began to wake up. Jackie gave him a lazy smile and placed a small kiss on his lips. "How are you this morning?" He asked.
"Good, I guess. Other than my nerves getting the best of me as I woke up, But I'm sure that today is not going to be easy, with calling off the wedding." She ran her hands nervously through her hair as she laid back down on the bed.
"Well you know, we could always not waste it…." Hyde waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
"Don't you think we should, I don't know, try dating first?" Jackie giggled. Hyde appeared to be giving it some thought before wrestling her down under him, pinning her arms above her head.
"Jacqueline Burkhart, will you be my girlfriend?" Hyde asked in his best attempt to sound like a love struck boy. Jackie laughed again and rewarded Hyde with a kiss.
"So we should probably get up and get going. Busy day ahead." Jackie sighed and got out of bed to begin getting ready.
Later that evening, Eric, Donna , Jackie and Hyde were seated around the table in Eric and Jackie's apartment. They were all relaxing after having spent the day making phone calls and undercoating the church and reception hall. Hyde had suggested a few beers and everyone had eagerly agreed, Kelso and Fez had just left.
"So guys, I have something I have been saving for just a day like today." Hyde said with an evil grin. He pulled a brown bag out of his pocket. "So how about a good old fashioned circle?" Eric and Donna immediately smiled and agreed. However, Jackie was a little bit hesitant.
"No I'm good." Jackie said looking nervous.
"But Jackie, its for old times sake. I know you want to." Eric tries to convince her.
"You guys go ahead. I'm just gonna step outside and smoke just a cigarette." Jackie said and left before anyone could say otherwise. The remaining three looked at each other confused and Hyde got up to go after her.
"You should just let her go." Eric told him. "She's had a long day, she just needs some alone time." Hyde started to get angry at Eric's opinion of how to handle Jackie.
"Have you told her about you and Donna yet?" Hyde spat out. Eric and Donna exchanged nervous glances and Hyde knew they hadn't. "That's bullshit. You need to tell her soon, because how is she gonna feel if she finds out and realizes that was some of the reason for the stopped wedding. I know we are all cool with each other and stuff, but she already feels horrible about the way things went down and she deserves to know the whole truth. And we all might not be cool if she finds out from someone other than you." Eric let out a deep breath. He knew Hyde was right. He should have told Jackie last night. He got up and started walking to the door.
"What happened to the circle?" Jackie asked from her seat on the steps as Eric came outside.
"Jackie I need to talk to you." Eric shakily said. Jackie nodded for him to continue so he took a deep breath and started talking. "You see the thing is, I should have told you this last night, but I was hurt when I found out about you and Hyde and so I didn't think about it, but I don't want you to hate me and I don't want you to find out any way else so…" Jackie cut him off with a hand on his arm.
"Eric, your rambling."
"Yeah sorry. You see the thing is, I slept with Donna." Eric winced as he said this and looked at Jackie. She was taking deep breathes and small tears were forming in the corners of her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I should have told you before, but that's not the whole reason I called the wedding off, I promise."
"I can't hate you, Eric, when I was doing the same thing. I am disappointed. I should have seen it. Are you going to be together now?"
"I don't know honestly. I really am sorry."
"I know you are." The two sat in silence for a while, before getting up and going back inside.
The rest of the week was spent moving Jackie into Hyde's apartment and getting back into the swing of things and back to the real world. Hyde was noticing that Jackie wasn't quite acting like her usual self and decided to take her on a weekend trip to his lake house. Her spirits seemed to lift as they drove the hour to the house. They teased and flirted and played around like they normally did until they got there.
"Thanks Steven. I needed to break away for a bit." Jackie said in between the kisses her and Hyde were sharing on the couch at the house.
"I know. Glad to be of service." The rest of the weekend was spent making love and laying out on the little beach in front of the lake.
"So what's been wrong with you lately, I mean I know it has to do with more than just the wedding." Hyde asked on Sunday morning as they were eating breakfast.
"Nothing." Jackie said defensively.
"Ok. Your not sleeping with Eric are you, cause you sure are acting strange." Hyde said a little bit harshly.
"No. God, I just need a little time to readjust. I had just gotten used to being back and then everything changed again. Can't I get just a little slack?" Jackie said before she left the room to go outside, slamming the door on the way out. The rest of the day went by with much of the same. When they got home, Jackie immediately left saying she had errands to run.
Jackie was sitting at a local coffee shop, sipping on a cup of coffee when she saw a familiar face come through the door. "Eric, did Steven send you to spy on me?"
"No. For your information, He called to bitch about you, saying you were being weird all week and now you were ignoring him. But he didn't ask me to spy on you, I came on my own accord. I'm worried, is everything ok?"
Jackie rolled her eyes and then stood up pulling Eric with her. "Let's get out of here."
The sun was already set as Eric and Jackie came to the clearing in the park where the swings were. Jackie sat down and Eric instinctively went around to begin swinging her. "Remember when we used to do this all the time in Boston?" Jackie asked with a smile. Eric smiled at the memory and they continued with the silence. Finally after a little while, Jackie spoke up. "I'm pregnant." Eric stopped the swing.
"Are you serious?" Jackie just nodded. "Oh my God! That's great."
"No. I don't even know who the father is. I'm a whore. It could be yours or Hyde's."
"No Jackie, you are not a whore, ok? It was just a confusing time." Tears ran down Jackie's face. "We will make this work, no matter whose it is or what happens." Eric told her as he tilted her head up to look him in the eyes, wiping the tears off her cheeks with his thumb. Jackie stood up from the swing and wrapped her arms around Eric. He ran his hands through her hair to comfort her and rubbed the small of her back. Finally, after a few minutes, her tears seized.
"Thank you, Eric. I feel better already." Jackie said as she smiled at him and pulled him back in for a short hug. "You really are the best." She reached up to give him a kiss on the cheek, she lingered longer than necessary. Before either knew what was happening, their lips collided in a smoldering kiss.