A/N: Well this is the last chapter, kiddies, though there will be an epilogue to follow. I just want to thank everyone who has been such a supporter of this story. It almost didn't get off the ground, but now that it has I am very happy with the direction it went. And Zenkindoflove, you're my girl and deserve a special shout out like always! You made sure I got off my ass and saw this through! Thanks sweetie!

Disclaimer: I don't own 70s show, FIREHOUSE, nor any other rock reference I may make. But Ash is mine, and I wish I was as hip as she is.

Ash, Sam, Maddie, and Adrian were watching THE EVIL DEAD 2 three nights after the Ghost Hunt. Ash was now able to walk without crutches, but slower than usual. Adrian had put his hand on her leg, and Sam rolled his eyes.

"Okay you two, if you're going to get grabby while we watch this movie I am going to just go home," he said.

"Sam, we aren't getting grabby," Ash said, and Adrian removed his hand. "Besides, no one said you couldn't invite your little crush."

"First of all, I don't have a crush on Cady. And second of all, she hates horror movies," he said.

"You two just don't sound compatible," Maddie said.

"Opposites attract, you know," Adrian said. "I don't really understand this movie, though. I mean, is it a remake of the first one, or did they show up at the cabin again? Didn't he learn his lesson?"

"No dissing my namesake," Ash said.

"Besides, Bruce Campbell can't act," Maddie said.

"NO DISSING BRUCE!" Ash and Sam both snapped, shutting Adrian and Maddie up.

Jackie and Paul walked in.

"I LOVE this movie!" Paul exclaimed.

"Don't you dare, we have reservations at Saji Ya," Jackie said.

"Can't we stay a little bit?" he asked.

"Even if we had time, which we DON'T, there's not way I'm watching this movie," Jackie said. "It's so violent!"

"But it's ME!" Ash said, pointing at Ash Williams on the screen as he chainsawed his hand off. Jackie groaned, closing her eyes, and all the males in the room shouted 'COOL!'

"That's disgusting," Maddie said, closing her eyes as well.

"See, look at me! I RULE!" Ash exclaimed, pointing at the screen.

"… Okay, that was pretty badass," Jackie admitted. "But Paul, we have sushi in our near future, not zombies."

"Technically they're just possessed bodies," Paul said, and she pulled on his arm. "Arg, FINE. See you kids later. No orgies."

"PAUL!" Jackie and Ash both exclaimed, and she pulled him out of the house.

"Hey, I was just kidding," he stated. "…. How are you doing?"

"Oh…. Surviving," she said, as they walked to his car. "I know I did the right thing, but part of me wishes that I had just taken him back the other night. I sound like a complete psycho and totally unable to make a decision."

"Well, I know you're hurting, but let me say for the record that as your 'brother', who knows what tomorrow will bring?"

"I guess," she said. "… I could really go for some spicy tuna rolls."

"Me too."

"Can't we watch something else?" Maddie asked. "I mean, can't we watch 'Grease'?"

"Fuck you and your fucking 'Grease'," Ash said, hitting her with the pillow.

"WOW," Adrian said. "Why the hate towards that movie?"

"Please don't let her start," Sam begged, but Ash was on the soapbox.

"The hate towards 'Grease' is because at the end, Sandy changes so Danny will be with her," Ash explained. "She goes all skanky and betrays her character so she can be with a man."

"Hey, Danny changes too, he was wearing that athletic sweater," Maddie said, hitting Ash back with the pillow.

"Oh what, for like TWO seconds!" Ash insisted. "If you remember he took that damn sweater off during their big song and dance number, and went all bad boy again."

"She has a point, though an irrational one," Sam said, turning up the movie. "Now that you've said your piece, can I please watch this movie?"

"Yeah, I'm actually agreeing with him on this, what does THAT say?" Adrian asked.

"…. 'Grease' is sexist," Ash jabbed one last time.

"It is NOT!" Maddie snapped.

"SHUT UP!" Sam snarled at both of them. "Maddie, it's sexist. Ash, you know you love Kinicke and Rizzo. Agree to disagree."

"Jackie, you've barely touched your sushi," Paul said, and she looked up from her daze.

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I guess I'm just not that hungry."

"Well then I'll take it," he said, reaching for them. She hit his hand with her chopsticks. "Hey! Well make up your mind! Hungry or not?"

"Hungry!" she said, and popped a spicy tuna roll in her mouth. "Owwie! It's spicy!"

"It's a spicy tuna roll, what did you expect?"

"I thought that was a California roll."

"You really ARE out of it, they're completely different." She smirked, and shrugged. "Okay, what's going on?" She sighed, and shrugged.

"I don't know," she said. "I know I'm doing the right thing with Steven, but-."

"Jackie, if you're this upset by it why are we still sitting here eating sushi?" he asked.

"… Because I like sushi!" she exclaimed. "And you have to pay the bill!"

"Look, he's been proven to be really responsible and trustworthy, what with the whole 'Ash saw a ghost and hurt herself in the process' situation. What I mean is if you are still thinking about Hyde, why aren't you going after him and taking him back?" he asked. She held up her hands, and shook her head.

"Nuh uh," she stated. "I'm not setting myself up for that again."

"God, you are such a coward," he said.

"I prefer to see myself as cautious," Jackie stated, glaring at him quickly. "And besides, where do you get off calling me a coward?"

"I get off at 'Big Brother Is Right Avenue'," he said, eating a spicy tuna roll.

"Paul, for God's sake I'm just trying to keep myself from getting hurt," she hissed. "And I really don't want Ash to get hurt."

"She isn't going to get hurt and you know it!" Paul said. "Selfish."

"I'm not selfish!"

"You are selfish because you're pushing him away because of YOUR fears!"

"Why is that selfish? Why is protecting myself selfish? I'm not telling him to get out of both our lives! I'm not even telling him to get out of my life!" she snapped.

"…. You love him, don't you?" Paul asked. She didn't answer. "Jackie Jackie Jackie. Why are you here and not at his place?"

"Because I refuse, I REFUSE, to let him hurt me again!" she hissed. "Can't you understand that? Can't HE understand that?"

"What I understand is that last week you'd been really REALLY happy," Paul said. "I've never seen you as happy with a guy as you are with Hyde. Isn't the risk worth it?"

"I don't know!" she exclaimed. "I really don't know! Is Steven Hyde worth it? Is he? I've been asking myself this all week! All these YEARS! Is he worth it?!" She hit the table, and held her head in her hands.

"…. No," Paul said. "He's not worth it."

"…. What?" Jackie asked, surprised.

"He's not worth it. He screwed with your heart and mind and NOW wants forgiveness."

"Well, to be fair, I did leave without a goodbye and I never did tell him about Ash-."

"Because he was a dick, that's why you didn't tell him about Ash."

"And because I was afraid," Jackie said, getting irritated with her big brother.

"Rightfully so!" Paul said, sipping his water. "The only reason you're in a moral quandary about him is because you share Ash with him. If Ash wasn't a factor, this wouldn't be such a hard decision for you."

"I disagree," Jackie said, beginning to fume. "I've always had a soft spot for Steven, and he sounds sincere! You didn't hear him the other night, you-!"

"Ah, but he always sounded sincere, didn't he?" he asked. "But he always broke your heart."

"He was a kid, Paul! That was sixteen years ago!"

"So are you saying that people can change?"

"Yes!"

"Are you saying that Steven Hyde has probably changed after all these years?"

"Yes!"

"Well it's about goddamn time you figured that out!" Paul said, popping another California roll in his mouth. She was about to keep going, but realized what he had done. She let her mouth drop, and then closed it again. He was just smiling triumphantly as he ate his sushi.

"You're such a dick."

"If you truly believe he's changed, you should go to him."

"Well you didn't have to berate me to make that point!"

"How about I finish making the point with this," Paul said, reaching into his back pocket. He pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper, and held it up in front of her. "Do you know what I was doing the other night while I was supposed to be working on that document?"

"What?"

"Playing therapist to your ex," Paul said.

"You were not."

"I was too."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I'm saying it now," Paul said. "He was worried that he would never say the right thing because I guess he's not that good at it-."

"He isn't."

"Well, so I told him to write it down," Paul stated, tossing the note across the table. "He wasn't satisfied with how it turned out and threw it away, but I looked it over and thought it was pretty good."

"You read this very personal note?" she asked, slightly miffed but more terrified of the paper in her hand.

"Oh stop it, I learned nosiness from you," he said. "Read it." She looked at him, cautiously. "It's not going to bite you!"

"Oh, THANK YOU for the reassurance!" she said. "I was convinced it was going to open it's invisible jaws and-."

"Jacqueline! Read. It. Now." She huffed, and unfolded it.

Dear Jackie

This is my ninth attempt at writing you a letter. I thought that writing down everything I was thinking and maybe explaining myself on paper would be easier, but it's not. And I think I know why. I can't explain my actions from all those years ago. I can't explain them, and I know that just saying sorry like I did the other night won't be a quick fix. But I meant it. Perhaps in the past I claimed that I meant things, like I'd never hurt you, or that I wasn't ready to be married as a shining example of my hypocrisy, but this is different. Can I prove it? I don't know how. But I can say for certain that you and Ash are the best things that ever happened to me. And I wish that I had figured that out all those years ago. You were never the Rolling Stone, Jacks. Just ask anyone. It was me the whole time. I know that now. And I don't want to be one anymore.

Love, Steven

Jackie looked up from the letter, her eyes wide. She put a hand to her mouth, and Paul rested his chin on his hand.

"Do you want me to drive you over there?" he asked.

"Yes, please," she said.

"Check please!" Paul said to the passing waitress.

Hyde was looking at the picture Ash had given him and sitting on the couch in his apartment. He had some late night TV show on, he wasn't sure what anymore, and was about ready to just call it a night. Probably call Ash the next day, see if she was interested in going to a movie or for a walk or something. He also needed to get a frame for the picture. He turned off the TV, and turned on the radio.

"Well I believe that we should try something a little different after that track from Bob Seger," the DJ said. "I feel like I'm in a power ballad mood tonight, so I think that maybe I'm going to throw on something by Firehouse, even if it isn't really 'classic' rock. You're listening to 92 KQRS."

He was trying to decide if he was going to hang it on his wall or put it on his desk at work, when there was a knocking on his door. How on Earth did they get in without him buzzing them up? He got up, and walked to the door.

"This better be something important," he called through the door. "Cuz I'm not in a mood to-." He stopped talking when he saw Jackie on his stoop.

"Hello, Steven."

"….. Jackie."

I guess the time was right for us to say
We'd take our time and live our lives
Together day by day
We'll make a wish and send it on a prayer
We know our dreams can all come true
With love that we can share

"Can I come in?" she asked.

"…. Yeah, sure," he said, opening the door wider. She walked in, and took in a deep breath. "So what's going on?" She turned around.

"I'm ridiculous, that's what," she said.

"Well I knew that, but-."

"Shh! I have to get this out and if you interrupt me it'll throw off my train of thought!" she stated. "Okay…. Steven, I know that neither of us can know if we're going to hurt each other again. We've done so much of that in the past that some would say that it was inevitable. In fact, my better sense is saying that it is. But who am I to listen to that side of me when it came to you?"

"I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted," he said.

"Okay, what I'm trying to say, and obviously failing at, is that… I feel the exact same way as you do. The time we've spent together, and with Ash, I've never been happier in my entire life. I'm just so scared because whenever I'm at my happiest, life likes to throw a curveball at me and take it away. At least when it comes to you."

With you I never wonder will you be there for me?
With you I never wonder--you're the right one for me
I finally found the love of a lifetime
A love to last my whole life through
I finally found the love of a lifetime
Forever in my heart
I finally found the love of a lifetime

"I know I said that our relationship was toxic-," she continued.

"You… never actually said that," he said.

"Oh… Well, I thought it," she said. "I've tried telling myself that we won't work, I've tried telling myself that I can handle you as simply Ash's Dad and nothing more to me, but now that the chance of having you is out there, I can't pass it up. I just can't. And PLEASE don't make me beg because it would be pathetic and very 1970s Jackie. I'm not her anymore."

"I can see that."

"And I know that you aren't 1970s Steven either. We've both changed for the better," she said. "I'm so, so sorry that I just let you leave after the barbeque. But I had my reasons, okay? I was terrified of being hurt again, but I think I was more afraid of Ash losing her Dad because of one of our spats. But forget all that. Forget the past, forget Sam, forget Chicago, forget everything we did to each other. I just want to live for right now. Now is all that matters to me. I want to wake up in your arms again, I want to read the paper with you and watch you and Ash talk over morning coffee. I want you to see her grow up before your eyes, and I want to marry you and have more kids with you so you can see how amazing it is. I want us to be the family we should have been when she was a baby. Steven, I want you. I love you."

With every kiss, our love is like brand-new
And every star up in the sky
Was made for me and you
Still we both know that the road is long
But we know that we will be together
Because our love is strong

Hyde looked at his ex, who was trying her best to not only assert herself but also get him back. Heh, like she really had to try, he thought. He walked to her, and kissed her deeply. She enfolded her arms around his back and held him close, as if she'd never let him go ever again.

"Yeah, okay," he said, pulling away. "When you put it THAT way-."

"Don't act like I'm the one who came begging, you begged first."

"Oh I didn't beg, I PLEADED," he said, and she laughed as he lifted her up.

"Let's go back to my place," she said. "Tell Ash the good news."

"And Paul," he said. "What's he going to think?"

"I think as long as I stop moping he'll be satisfied," she stated. "Besides, he's the one who berated me into admitting how I feel. He likes ya." They entwined their hands together, and she looked down at them. Finally, they felt right.

"What changed your mind?" he asked, and she dug into her purse. She held out the letter, and Hyde took it.

"Oh that BASTARD!" Hyde snapped. "He gave this to you? It wasn't even close to what I wanted to say!"

"It was perfect, Steven," she assured him. "Really."

"How dare he read my personal stuff?"

"You threw it out!"

"It was private!"

"Well I'd be glad that Paul is a nosy 'bastard', cuz he showed it to me and now here I am," she said. "…. I probably would have come around anyway, but this… It was beautiful." Hyde smiled, and kissed the top of her head.

"I try," he said. "Perhaps Ash gets her writing skills from her old man."

"Perhaps she does!"

I finally found the love of a lifetime
A love to last my whole life through
I finally found the love of a lifetime
Forever in my heart
I finally found the love of a lifetime

Back at the Burkhart household, the movie had ended, Sam and Maddie had left, and Ash and Adrian were sitting on the couch.

"So have you talked to Hyde much since the whole ankle thing?" he asked.

"I've been so busy these past couple days, doing chores, chilling with Sam and Maddie, and you," she said.

"Busy lying on the couch with your bum leg, gimpy?" he asked.

"Shut up. I should probably call him, see if he wants to go out for lunch or something."

"Yeah, you should do that," he prompted, and she grinned. "Until then, now that Sam and Maddie are gone…"

"And what do you think of my best friends?" she asked.

"Well, she's pretty cool, if not a little ditzy and maybe slightly slutty."

"You hit that nail on the head."

"He's funny but has a serious reading problem."

"What do you mean?"

"He needs to read more than Fangoria," he stated, and she laughed out loud. They then fell into that awkward teenage silence.

"So…." he said.

"So…." she answered. "So do you want to make out or something?"

"…. Yeah, okay," he stated. "I've never made out with Bruce Campbell before." She laughed, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Give me some sugar, baby," she purred, happy she could finally use that ridiculous Ash Williams quote, and they began kissing on the couch.

Hyde pulled up the Burkhart driveway in his car, Jackie sitting in the passenger seat. Their hands hadn't unlatched the entire ride over, and he smiled at her slyly. She smiled at him too, and they got out of the car.

"Do you think Ash will be happy?" he asked.

"I think she will be," Jackie said. "Here's the key, you go ahead, I didn't get the mail yet today."

"Absentminded still, I see."

"Hey, I've had a lot on my mind," she said, walking to the mailbox. He chuckled, and unlocked the front door and walked into the house.

He then saw Ash and Adrian on the couch, pawing at each other.

"HEY!" he exclaimed, furious that this punk writer was putting his hands on his daughter. Ash and Adrian pulled away, surprised.

"Dad!" Ash exclaimed. "What the hell?! You just storm in here like the sex police and scare us half to death? Where do you get off?"

"Well and I'm glad I DID, who knows where… Wait, did you just call me 'Dad'?" Ash thought for a second, and then made an impressed face.

"I guess I did," she said. "Hey, that's pretty cool!! You know, I think it's great that-."

"Yes it's great, but don't change the subject, young lady!" he snapped, pointing at her. "You're too young to be doing stuff like this!"

"Dad, how old were YOU when YOU did heavy petting on the couch?" she asked.

"Sixteen," he said, proudly. "You're a year younger than that, so you have no excuse."

Jackie walked into the house.

"Hi Ash, guess wha-."

"Mom, how old were you when you started heavy petting on the couch?" Ash demanded, Adrian turning redder by the minute.

"….. Uh…. Fifteen, but-."

"SEE!" Ash said, pointing at Jackie. "If MOM isn't a whore, I'M not a whore!"

"Hey!" Jackie exclaimed.

"I never called you a whore!" Hyde growled. "Jackie, I caught her and HIM making out on the couch!"

"Oh. Well Ash, Adrian, you're… Hey WAIT A MINUTE!" Jackie exclaimed. "I will not let our daughter's sexcapades-."

"Did she say 'sexcapades?" Adrian asked, and Ash groaned in sheer embarrassment.

"-steal OUR thunder!" Jackie exclaimed, grabbing Hyde's hand again. "Ash. Your father and I have decided to try again. We're together, and we want your blessing." Ash looked from her Mom to her Dad, and smiled widely.

"Cool!" she said. "Yeah, you got it, you got my blessing."
"Good," Jackie said. "Now Adrian. It's late, and I think it might be time for you to go home if you want to make your curfew."

"Yeah, I think so too," he said. "See ya later, Leigh."

"Bye, Adrian," she said, and he went in for a kiss, but Hyde grabbed him by the collar and led him towards the door. "Daaaaad!"

"Did she just call you Dad?" Jackie asked, as Hyde slammed the door in Adrian's face.

"Yep!" he said, proudly.

"Yeah, because you completely embarrassed me as only a Dad could do," Ash muttered. "Jeeze. Somehow I think I'm going to be rebelling against you in no time."

"Kiddo, I can't wait," Hyde said, putting at arm around her shoulders.

"You say that now," Jackie said. "But when she goes into full teenager mode…"

"I'm gonna make your life a living hell," Ash said, grinning at her dad. Hyde smiled back, and felt that somehow it wasn't going to be bad at all.

A/N2: Awww. Happy family. An epilogue should go up in the next couple of days!