If I Can't Have You…

Chapter 8

Author's Note: Do a little dance. Make a little love. Read That Disco Chapter, and review, tonight! Okay, I'm a gargantuan dork, but love this/hate this/are terrified of it, I wanna know what you think! Some parts of right out of the script, some parts are changed, molded to my liking. I struggled with it, but I hope it works out alright and that you enjoy it! Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Never in her life had she witnessed anything so horrendous, so tasteless, so repulsive. And every inch of her was mortified as she watched her boyfriend, in his butt-huggers and new girl-y "kicks," make failing attempts at what can only be presumed he thought was dancing.

His lanky body jerked and contorted in sharp spasms, each jolt landing nowhere near the songs pronounced beats. And the expression on his face suggested that he thought he was putting on quite the studly display.

Her cheeks flushed to the ruby color of her dress, she scoffed at his attempt to reach for her, and rushed as quickly, and covertly, as possible, away from him.

With a huff, and full body shudder, she plopped herself down at the table where her friends sat, begrudgingly taking the only available seat between Fez and Hyde.

"Ugh, what is he doing? He looks ridiculous! Like he's hemorridging or something." She scrunched up her nose, talking mostly to herself, and feeling her body sink down further and further into the chair, somewhere between anger and embarrassment.

"Actually, I think it's more seizure-like." Eric threw out nonchalantly, and Jackie nodded sincerely while they all watched, mesmerized, as Kelso took center stage on the dance floor.

They'd been at the disco for approximately 40 minutes now and Jackie could see the night already was, and was going to remain, a disaster. Everyone else had immediately gone directly to the only table with more than two empty chairs, and allowed an awkward silence to stand between them and the rest of carefree, disco crowd.

Jackie, however, having not been called "shy" a single moment in her life, quickly made her way onto the dance floor, and in mere seconds found herself in the arms of an older, and quite talented, dancer name Dwayne.

And it worked exactly as she had hoped it would, pulling a jealous and possessive Michael from his chair, demanding that she dance with him, emphasizing to poor Dwayne that he was her boyfriend at least 5 times.

But that was where Jackie's plan fell to pieces. Rather than striding in, sexy and defensive, to pull her into his arms and show her what a surprisingly, and breathtakingly, beautiful dancer he was, who could pull her and push her and spin her around until everyone stopped and stared and admired how wonderful they both looked, Michael Kelso had stepped on both feet, nearly dropped her twice, and proven to be nothing but a big, stupid oaf.

And now that big, stupid oaf was heading straight for her.

"Baby, where did you go?"

While half shouting over the loud music, half shouting in annoyance, Jackie crossed her arms and glared at him. "I had to get something for you to bite on, 'cause I told everyone you were having a seizure!"

"When do they play the disco music?" Fez asked, innocently, breaking into the tense staring match between the couple beside him.

Donna smiled apologetically. "This is disco music."

"No, no. This is samba."

Jackie's eyes went to a shaded face at the sound of Hyde's voice. "Fez, it's disco man. It's crap."

Taking in his profiled face, she wondered if he just meant the music by that, and forgot how angry she was, for just a minute, to be disappointed. Maybe he meant the music, the dancing, the club, and by extension, her, were all crap. She felt a twist in her stomach.

Suddenly she sensed she'd been spoken to, but having tuned out all the voices in her internal assessment of Steven, it took her a minute to comprehend why Fez was standing, looking at her excitedly.

He wanted to dance with her. And her instinct was to be a little repulsed by this.

"No, I think I'm a little tired." Shooting a dirty "see-what-you-did-look at Kelso, before turning her face away, she was quite surprised when a soft finger pulled her chin around, repositioning her eyes to his.

"Don't resist me, mama. It's boogie time." Without a pause, or time for her to fight him, Fez had pulled her from her chair and led her away.

Hyde's eyes followed the two through the thickening crowd, glad that no one seemed to notice how intently he was watching her.

"I think you just lost your date." Donna's eyes glanced playfully passed him to Kelso.

He wasn't surprised by it, but he definitely didn't like the tone of voice with which his friend barked back, "Yeah, well it's cool 'cause Jackie and I are history!" It bothered him to know how dismissive Kelso was of someone who seemed to love him. But he tried not to think about it, tried to forget anything about their relationship, particularly anything involving Pam Macey, because he had his own battle to win, the battle for Donna, and he didn't need anymore of Jackie-distractions.

But soon everyone's eyes, like his own, were glued to her anyway, as she and Fez moved easily to the music.

He recognized steps here and there. He noticed how Fez, who typically looked so weak, held her and led her so forcefully. And he hated that he noticed, and recognized, the look on her face that was so full of awe and wonder as Fez pushed her around. She looked as if she was having fun.

The Bee Gees continued to sing, and he knew Jackie would call the music "seductive", and his eyes, out of his mind's control, lowered to her hips as she made them sway and roll, perfectly matching the rhythm floating around her. Finally forcing himself to look away, only briefly thinking that her eyes looked darker, more intense and beautiful than usual, he cleared his throat and stared purposefully down at the table.

"She must not weigh that much," Eric stated as he looked up again in time to see Fez lift her, effortlessly.

Hyde had to bite his tongue to keep from assuring Eric that she didn't.

A new song started, one he recognized from his lessons in the basement. And before they'd even made it all the way to the table, Fez was pulling Jackie back out to dance.

He took his glass and gulped down the warm, melted ice, tasting the slightest remnant of sweet coke, needing to relieve his suddenly painfully dry throat.

"Wow, they are really good!" Eric seemed genuinely impressed.

"Yeah, if you wanna dance that way."

Hyde was about to turn to the sneering Kelso with a burn about 'that way' versus the pretty boy's way of dancing, when Donna's voice caught his attention.

"I would love to dance that way."

And suddenly, he forgot brunettes and their cheating boyfriends, and a siren went off in his head. This was his chance, this was why he was here to begin with, he could do this, he could show her.

"You wanna dance?"

Surprised, Donna turned to him, but her smile was still bright and genuine, "Sure."

Removing his shades, he stood, so nervous he felt his knees shaking slightly. He held out his hand to help her up, and then led her away from best friends who loved her and confusing thoughts of another girl.

Swallowing deep and hard, forcing down his nerves, and really any feeling other than confidence, he danced her back and forth, never once letting his gaze leave her face.

"You dance?" Her tone was playful and astonished at the same time.

"Actually you're my first." Well, his first that wasn't a lesson…and he didn't figure she needed to know that.

"I'm your first? I'm flattered." Again she sounded as if she was teasing, but also as if she was frightened of something. As if she found herself somewhere she'd never expected to be.

Listening with newly trained ears, he leaned her back and dipped her at a point where he truly felt it to his bones, and staring at her so hard it hurt, he sucked it up and told her. "Donna, man, I feel like I really want to kiss you right now."

She smiled like she thought he was joking. Like she hoped he was.

"I'm serious." His body was tense, his heart stopped for a second. He was serious, completely serious.

And completely terrified.

And his gut felt like it was being assaulted by a thousand ninjas when she laughed the thought away, with pseudo-coyness, and said, "Shut up and dance."

So he did. The song ended, and in slow motion he waited for his heart to sink as she looked relieved and eager, when Eric asked to cut in.

But it never did.

Maybe she'd been wrong that the evening would be a total waste. She'd had fun dancing with Fez. And she was just as shocked by that as anyone else. But half way through their fourth dance, they'd heard a familiar scream, just in time to see Michael pointing in dismay at a woman's shoes…that matched his own. In a slur of accent and worry, Fez had muttered something about his 'poor Kelso,' and scurried off without a second glance. And so now she was alone again.

Making her way over to their table, she was surprised to only find Steven sitting there. She had seen him take Donna out onto the floor, but now taking a quick survey of the room she found the red head and Eric leaning against a wall, talking, both smiling so wide she thought their faces would be sore in the morning, and occasionally taking a peak at the crying Kelso, a few feet away with Fez, trying, unsuccessfully, to stifle their laughter.

Looking back to Hyde she was surprised he didn't seem sadder, more devastated by this. She thought even the master of aloofness would be shaken by rejection. And as mad as she thought she was at him, she was surprised by her own gentleness as she finally sat beside him, and delicately placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?"

He sniffed at the air and sat up straighter at the sound of her voice, and she wondered if he hadn't even noticed she was there, or that she was touching him, before she spoke.

Recoiling slightly at the defensive look that crossed his face as he looked at her, she moved her hand to her lap, playing with the sheer layer of fabric on her dress.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks."

She sighed. His tone wasn't cold, or even cruel, but it was definitely distant and wary. She didn't want it to be like this.

"Look, Steven, I'm sorry about last night. We both were in horrible moods, and well, I guess I overreacted. I'm really sorry. You maybe a dirty burnout jerk, but it was nice not hating each other." She playfully ran her shoulder into his.

He smirked at her. "Whoever said I didn't hate you."

"Well, your hands for one. Mr. Sneaky-Cop-a-Feel." He laughed at her blatant teasing, and at the snorty-giggle she let out, but he might have blushed slightly if he had been capable of such wussy acts because she wasn't wrong.

They fell back into silence, but a comfortable one for a change, and Jackie looked back to where Donna and Eric still were, completely wrapped up in each other, without so much as touching hands.

And she knew Steven had to already know he didn't have a chance.

"So I saw you dancing. You looked really good, Steven."

He smiled slightly, but it was a sad one, "Yeah, but I don't think dancing was enough to make a difference. Forman's got this one in the bag."

She nodded knowingly. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I'm starting to think maybe I'm not as disappointed as I thought I'd be."

"Oh?"

"But thank you, ya know. For the uh, well, you know."

"Your welcome."

He threw a look over his shoulder at her boyfriend, face twisted mid-whine while Fez patted his back comfortingly. "Why aren't you over there, tell him it's not so bad to have girl's shoes on."

She followed his eyes. "I don't know. I feel bad, but I've been so impatient with him lately, I'm afraid I'd say something mean and just make it worse. I'll make it up to him later."

He could tell that she did feel bad, but that she also felt helpless. Once upon a time he'd thought she was shallow and empty headed enough to be perfect of Kelso. Now he was sure he was pretty wrong about that. Rolling his eyes, he was tempted to open his mouth and tell her just that. And to tell her about Pam Macey. But then she looked at him, expertly pushing the layers of emotion from her face and leaving only the excitement of the little girl he knew she still was inside. "Steven Hyde, would you like to dance with me?"

He laughed, and looking to where their four friends were assuredly to wrapped up in themselves to take notice, he took her small hand and pulled her to the dance floor.

As the next song started, Thelma Houston's "Don't Leave Me This Way," he took the now familiar frame close to his body and smirked at her, when she let out a surprise yelp as he brushed his hand across her ass.

"Steven!"

She tried to look upset, but he knew she was really laughing, so he shrugged, looking as innocent as he could. "Sorry, Mr. Sneaky-Cop-a-Feel couldn't help himself."

And he was so very relieved to see her smile up at him.