Once again, I love everyone who reviewed. You guys are awesome! I know I took forever updating this but I got a sudden case of writer's block and then my other fic popped into my head and refused to leave. I'll do my best to update more regularly. Thanks to everyone who's still reading this!

(The very perceptive among you might have noticed I'm writing another fic called "That Summer." I'd love it if you would r&r that too, even though I'm more proud of this one at the moment.)

Chapter 3

Previously… With that, Jackie closed the space between them with two long steps and pulled his head down to hers, filling the emptiness both of them had been carrying for too long, with a kiss that took both their breaths away.

It didn't take long for the shock to wear off. Hyde felt the burning in the pit of his stomach that came with Jackie's touch and deepened the kiss as the heat shot through him. He felt her arms wrap themselves around his neck, felt her fingertips brushing against his skin. Hyde wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her into his body as close as they could get while still being two separate people. His other hand plunged into her smooth hair, tilting her head to gain more access to her mouth. But just as a heavy fog of bliss settled over him, she yanked herself out of his grasp. Hyde stumbled forward and tried to adjust himself to his surroundings but was interrupted by a stinging pain on the side of his face.

Jackie smiled at the look on his face when she slapped him. 'I still got it' she thought as he struggled to come out of his daze. Not that she was unaffected. Her hands were still shaking and the places he touched on her body were burning mercilessly.

"Damn, Jackie what was that for?" Hyde rubbed his face and glared at her.

"For being an idiot," she replied coolly. She turned away from him and walked to the other side of the cramped room. Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of nervousness came over her. What had she been thinking? This was crazy, he was never going to love her the way she wanted him to, never going to care enough about her do open himself up, she should just-

'No,' she thought, I am not giving up on him. Silencing her fears, Jackie took a deep, shaky breath and turned around.

Hyde watched as Jackie turned to face him. Her hands were fidgeting like they always did when she was nervous. She took her time adjusting her jacket and brushing the hair out of her face.

"What did I do to make you think I was going to leave you? Was it the way I said I love you almost constantly? Or how about the way I always, always ran to you for comfort. Was it they way I kissed you and held you and wanted you? Because that's all I remember doing for you, Steven. You were the one that pushed me away and when you did, I tried to get closer to you. What about that says I was leaving you?" Jackie had struck gold. Now he was the one turning away trying to think of the right words to defend himself with.

"Look, Jackie. You should know of all people why I kept pushing you away. every person I've gotten close to has left me, what else was I supposed to think? And the way you kept trying to make me change wasn't helping either. You kept pushing me to change because I wasn't good enough for you," Hyde said. He thought he made a pretty good point until he saw Jackie's expression.

Jackie's disbelief was growing. This man was supposed to be the smart one of the group. Why was he being such a complete moron?

" I kept pushing you because I knew you could do better than this, I know you can do better than this but you never cared. I gave everything to you, Steven, everything. And you gave me nothing and blamed your inability to care on your shitty childhood. Well, you know what? That excuse doesn't work anymore. You can blame your lack of trust in me on your parents but I know that's a load of crap. Look at all of the people who love you, Steven. You have four best friends that will always be there for you, and the Forman's and me. How can you say you've been abandoned?

"All I wanted was for you to care. Why was that so hard for you? Why is it that the only time I ever heard you say you loved me was after you slept with someone else? Why didn't you want me, Steven? Did you ever care about me at all? What did I do to make you hate me?" Jackie felt tears form behind her eyes but willed herself not to cry. "All I wanted was to be happy. I thought you could make me happy because I loved you. I thought that would be enough. Of course, I had counted on you loving me back, and look where that got me."

"How could you not have known that I loved you?" Even as he asked the question, Hyde knew he was walking into a trap. And he was right.

"Gee, I don't know. As I just said, the only time you ever told me you loved me was right after you messed up big time and said it to try to get me back. And I'm not saying that to punish you for what you did, because I forgave you for that a long time ago. I'm only bringing it up because if that hadn't happened, you never would have told me you loved me, would you?" Jackie looked at him accusingly. She always managed to win their arguments, no matter what. Everything she said, she said with such conviction, anything Hyde responded with paled in comparison. And she waited for his response so she could squash that too. But Hyde couldn't think of anything to say. She was right. He was the new king. He took Kelso's crown and slammed it onto his head.

"I'm so sorry Jackie." He said it quietly without looking at her. She blinked furiously in a vain attempt to keep tears from escaping her eyes.

"Don't be sorry. Do something about it." She walked to the door slowly in case he wanted to say anything more. Jackie hesitated at the door before closing it behind her. She ran out of the basement and up the stairs to the driveway as fast as her legs would take her, but the tears leaked out before she got to Donna's front door. She leaned her head against the wood and closed her eyes as sobs shook her small, delicate body. A long time passed before the door opened.

"Oh, Jackie," murmured the tall redhead as Jackie fell into her arms.

I know I said Jackie would get violent in this chapter but I couldn't find a way to fit it in. The story just sort of wrote itself. But don't worry. Hyde will be punished physically later on (in a hot way).