CH 20: Hyde

10 Minutes ago:

The Forman Driveway:

Kelso and Brooke were so busy kissing in the darkness of the night that they didn't hear the El Camino as it pulled up and it's driver stepped out of the car.

Hyde walked over to them, quietly.

When they pulled back, they saw him, standing in front of them, smelling a little like stale beer. His eyes were icy, his face stone cut.

Kelso raised an eyebrow, "You okay?"

Hyde grunted, "No. And it's Jackie's fault."

"Wha'd she do?" Kelso dared ask.

Suddenly it appeared as if Hyde was looking right passed them and into the kitchen through the screen door. They awkwardly turned, and saw Jackie, just standing there, looking at Hyde.

After a moment, Jackie began walking toward them, Brooke whispering to her partner, "Looks like we're gonna find out, honey."

Jackie walked out onto the patio, closing the door behind her with a soft click before joining the rest of the people out on the driveway. She walked over to them, eyeing Steven warily.

Hyde nodded, "Jackie."

"Steven." She responded with equal cool.

Brooke noted the awkward tension between the two and pulled Kelso towards the screen door, "Perhaps we should go-"

"No." Hyde said flatly, "We'll go. It would be wrong for us to intrude on you, especially when what you wanted was your privacy."

Kelso arched an eyebrow at this, "What? We didn't-"

Jackie cut him off, glaring at Hyde, "Maybe they need help because they're making rash decisions without consulting their friends and family."

Hyde's mouth twitched, "It's for the best."

Jackie shook her head, "No. It's not."

Brooke pointed at the kitchen that was so close, yet so far away, "Seriously though, we could just leav-"

"Too late. I'm outta here." Came Hyde's gruff reply as he pivoted toward the steps that descended into the basement.

Jackie soon followed, "As am I!"

As both walked to enter the basement, Kelso shrugged his shoulders, looking at Brooke, "I'm glad that we can work out our arguments without that much drama!"

Brooke smirked, hugging him a little closer, "Yeah… me too."

::::::

Hyde entered the basement, Jackie hot on his heels. He shut the door behind him, only for Jackie to catch it, step in, and slam it shut with a loud pop. The sound caused Fez and Laurie, who were making out on the couch in a horizontal position, to jump; Fez practically throwing Laurie on the spindle top table.

"Get a room!" Hyde barked at them, pacing around his usual seat but never actually sitting in it.

Laurie scrambled to her feet, dusting herself off before glaring at him, "We did have one! It's called 'the basement'!"

"Well, we need it now. So go take your grossness somewhere else!" Jackie shouted at them.

"Where the hell do you think we can go in this place?! It's like a church! We can't do anything without disturbing Father Red and Saint Kitty!" Laurie countered, now looking at Jackie.

"This place has three bedrooms! You telling me you don't have access to at least one of those?" Hyde's told her loudly.

Fez and Laurie paused, both looking at one another. Two minds but with a single thought- her old bedroom. Fez slowly rose to his feet, nodding before taking his lady's hand, "Laurie, these angry people are right. We should go somewhere else… with a bed."

Laurie found herself nodding, "Yes. I know just the place."

They turned to each other, both flashing feral grins before running up the stairs, Fez chasing Laurie in a manner that looked astonishingly like how Red chases Kitty up that stairs.

As soon as they were gone, Jackie muttered, "Glad that's over."

Hyde glared at her again, "Wish I could say the same!" He then stormed into his bedroom, but Jackie followed him yet again. He closed the door, but just as before, she caught it, slipped in, and slammed it, shouting at him, "Oh no you don't, Steven! You turn around and you talk to me!"

He whirled around, fire in his blue eyes, "There's nothing to say! Now get out of my business- literally!"

She calmed down some, taking a step closer, her voice going significantly quieter, "What's going on, Steven?"

He began pacing around the room, shaking his head, "I don't know what you're talking about. You're crazy."

"I'm crazy?! You're selling out to Buddy Morgan!" She shrieked.

He turned to face her, reminding her, "You liked Buddy Morgan."

"That was before I realized he was a tool!" She tried to explain, going over to him.

He paused. His voice quiet, "…. Look Jackie, it's too late."

"You were there tonight, weren't you?" She pressed.

"Let. It. Go." His words short, halting in their delivery.

"You were there tonight." But she would not be deterred.

"You don't know anything."

"I knew enough. So please, just admit it."

"…."

"Please Steven." She approached him, eyes pleading, "I need to hear it. I need to know that I am not some loon-"

"You're not a loon."

She held her breath.

"I was there tonight. Hiding. Because I'm ashamed that I lost the last bit of my father's business. I'm everything everyone else always thought I was. I'm a loser. I'm a coward." He then looks her in the eye, "I let go everything that truly mattered, because I was afraid. And hurt. So there you go Jackie, I admit it."

Jackie stepped closer to him, resting her hand on his, "Let me try to help you. Let everyone try to help you. We're a family-"

This was all too much. "Stop."

"I know I don't have much money anymore but maybe I can talk to some of my father's old friends, see if they're interested in investing-"

His throat hurt. "Stop."

"Steven, we need to plan! I bought you six more months and what Buddy doesn't know is that we can do a lot in those few months! I just-"

She was too much. Much more than he ever deserved, and he knew it, "Please, stop…..it's over."

And she was losing patience. She erupted, throwing her hands in the air, "Well it is if you just lay down like a dead dog! Where is the man I once loved?! Get up and fight, dammit!"

"You kinda took the fight out of me." He weakly smiled, but no mirth was in the remark.

She calmed, eyes on him. It took her a moment to realize he was joking.

But she decided she wouldn't. She placed her hand on his, the way she used to when they were together, and said in a tone so reminiscent of how she used to be when they were lovers, "Then I give it back to you, Steven. I give you back every last ounce of fight I took from you. Because you need to fight. Not for me, not anymore. Not for the Formans. Not to prove everyone else right or wrong, but for yourself. You need to prove to yourself that you're still a good man that accomplish what he sets his mind to."

He looked up, his eyes held water, but no tear would dare drop from his proud bravado. He said in a timid voice, so unlike himself, "What if a fail?"

She said sternly, "Then you fail. But you gave it every last ounce you got. And you can walk away, truly walk away, with no regrets, because in your heart you did all you could possibly do. And in the end, that's all that matters."

He was quiet for some time, letting her words soak in his conscious. After a moment, he looked up, blue eyes steeled, jaw a little more tightened, shoulders more squared, "Here's a sentence I never thought I'd say…" He looked over at her, his gaze soft, "You're right."

The smile that beamed across her face was priceless as she gently nudged his shoulder with hers, "That's what I've been saying all these years!"

After a brief chuckle, Hyde scratched the back of his neck, obviously more relaxed around his ex-girlfriend now, "Maybe we should go back upstairs with the rest of the Scooby gang."

Jackie agreed, "Yes! And guess who's here!"

Before Hyde could answer, Jackie squealed, "Our goddaughter! Let's go up and see her together!"

He tried to look irritated, but it was easy to tell he was happy to hear the little Kelso was near. She just a ball of positivity and hope, with a dash of her daddy's obliviousness. She was perfect.

He opened the door, but Jackie soon stopped him, saying with a certain tone in her voice, "Wait. She may not recognize you." She then reached for an older pair of dark brown tinted aviators by Hyde's nightstand, slipping them on his face. She then feigned confusion, and acted as if she was appraising him suspiciously before nodding reluctantly, "I don't know…"

Hyde retorted, "This is stupid."

She then nodded happily, "Actually, it's perfect. Now she can recognize her Uncle Hyde!"

He rolled his eyes and gently pushed passed her into the main area of the basement, Jackie perusing him.

They were going up the stairs to the kitchen when a thought crossed Jackie's mind. She placed a hand on Hyde's arm, stopping him, "Steven. Before we go up and see everyone, I just have to ask… have you had any contact with Eric or Donna recently?"

He shook his head, "Not really, why?"

In light of everything, she felt rather foolish admitting, "For a moment, I-I… well I… ohmygod, this is so dumb, but I thought you and Donna were having an affair."

He actually busted out laughing, "What?"

She agreed, even though she felt a little embarrassed, "I know. I thought that was the big secret you were hiding."

His laughter died some, but not the mischievous smile on his face, "I haven't had a crush on Donna Pinciotti since I was 17… and you told everyone at the Forman Christmas Party!"

"Well someone spiked the punch!" Jackie blurted in defense.

Hyde smirked, "And we will never know who did it."

"But I have my suspicions." Jackie threw out, narrowing her eyes at him before asking, her tone playful, "But seriously… who lost touch with both of them?"

Hyde's smile slowly faded, "Yeah."

"Do you wonder about them?"

"I try not to." He sighed, looking into her big, imploring eyes, "Gah Jackie, I hate it when you want to get all emotional and heart-to-hearty. But, you helped me out today- kinda. So, here it goes… my thoughts on Forman and Donna. If you had asked me yesterday, I would tell you how miserable and unhappy they were. That they were probably single and alone, with shitty jobs, eating the crumbs of what was supposed to be a prosperous American Dream."

"But now?"

He shrugged, saying honestly, "Now I just hope they're doing okay. And that they'll come home soon."

Jackie nodded, wrapping her arms around herself, "Yeah. Me too."

Hyde then added, "Because they each took my good stuff and I'm hoping they left a little for some celebratory smokey-smokey homecoming."

"Oh you!" Jackie screeched, lightly smacking his arm as he laughed.

They then entered the kitchen together, leaving the basement empty of the colorful occupants who once spent their days just hanging out, doing the same old things they did last week. When they spent all their time talking to each other or running around down streets.

The basement was eerily quiet, completely still, just like it was on the eve before 1980.