A/N: I apologize for not updating sooner but I haven't had as much time to write as I would like. I am proud to say though that I bike over 500 miles in the last two weeks. I hope to update more now that I'm home. Thank you to everyone who subscribed to my story or left a review. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.

Snow flutters down to the ground elegantly dusting the frozen and dying grass. A never ending canopy of grey, bare twigs crackling in the breeze, the air is dry, bitter and fresh it bites at her nose as she bundles her head into her scarf.

She moseys on along the sidewalks of Point Place until she reaches the small family home she's really started to call her home in the last few years. The Forman's. She descends the steps into the basement and ducks in out of the cold.

"I've got some terrible news." Jackie says before realizing that the basement is packed full. She was hoping to have a private conversation with Steven but it doesn't look possible. These last few weeks with everyone have not been as great as Jackie had hoped or dreamed. Their alone time had about gone extinct and the little remarks from Eric and Donna were going to drive her up the wall but at least Michael had stepped aside and took to taking care of Brooke. "Those pom pom waving bitches at school have been treating me like crap."

Donna turns to the saddened Jackie, "aren't you one of those pom pom waving bitches."

"No, I quit months ago and they've been making my life a living hell." She crosses the room to Steven whose face was partially impartial and somewhat upset upon hearing how defeated she sounds. "Steven, you've gotta take me to the Christmas eve dance tomorrow."

"Uh, no. Jackie, I will either dance with you or spend Christmas eve with but I don't know if I can physically do both."

"Steven, they will never leave me alone if I don't show up all proud. If you could just see-"

"No."

"-that this is something that's really important to me-"

"No."

"-then you'd understand that as my boyfriend, you should go-"

"No."

"Fine." Jackie wonders if he's putting up such a fight because of the observers of their conversation or if he really didn't want to go to a Christmas eve dance with her. "Please," she pouts.

He doesn't want to say no to her. Disappointing Jackie somehow crushes his soul which is strange because before he met her he wasn't really entirely sure he had a soul. Why does he have to be so argumentative sometimes? "Fine."

"Okay."

A collective "aw" rings through the basement. Jackie stands up on her toes to kiss her puddin' pop.

"Shut up. If I'm going to the dance then so are you, Forman."

"Hey, doesn't the sanctity of this great holy night mean anything to you people? Donna and I had plans to get drunk and fool around. Take Fez and Kelso."

"I can't go to a high school dance. With Brooke and a baby on the way I need to start acting more mature." Kelso sat on the arm of the couch with his eyes focused on two halves of an orange popsicle. He attempts to place both halves together again.

"I'm not going either. The football team and I have a little disagreement. They think it's funny to stuff me into a locker and I disagree."

"Well that's fine the four of us can double date. We can even get dinner first." Donna suggests as Forman rolls his head across the back of the couch in defeat.

"Donna, when I graduated I promised myself it would be the last time I stepped foot in that godforsaken place."

"Okay well, Jackie, Hyde and I will go and you can play santa's little helper with your parents down at the mall."

"Okay, I've changed my mind I'll go."

Hyde's Bedroom

6:21 pm

"My turn, my rules," he says, leaning forward and covering her body by inches.

Jackie struggles fitfully beneath him for a few moments before fixing him with a baleful stare. "You're loving this, aren't you?"

There's nothing Hyde loves more. Smiling, he kisses away her protests and lifts his hips so that she can feel the weight of him, hot and heavy, against her thigh. "I think you'll find that speaks for itself."

She smirks, still not surrendering, still not giving up. It's like she believes that if she keeps him talking, she'll somehow delay this. She grits her teeth and tightens her grip on his arm. But eventually Jackie's willpower crumbles and her body begins to undulate, her stomach tightens.

Steven kisses her, or he tries to. His lips land awkwardly on the corner of her mouth as she turns her head away. "Okay then," he says and pulls back, because he's not going to beg.

"I really want to talk to you but if you really want this, then it's my rules." Jackie hasn't even looked him in the eye since the kiss. "My rules," she repeats. The words are bitten-off and bitter. There's pain in her eyes, obvious even in profile.

"Okay," he says again, agreeing before he's seen the small print. How bad can it be? Maybe he should just let her talk. She came into the basement looking beautiful as hell in her dress. Her stomach peaking out, it was erotic as hell but she seemed upset and he hasn't let her get a word out because he's nervous about what she'll say.

She looks outraged.

Steven drags his tongue along her stomach, dips it into her belly button and then through the pearlescent smear decorating her skin. Jackie's lips twitch in disgust as she fights not to show him how annoyed she is at this turn of events. He smirks, because he knows how turned on she is now, how hungry.

He tucks a stray lock of soft black hair behind her ear, his fingers sweeping across her cheek. She flinches away, because she's more on her guard than he'll ever be.

This isn't the same as the summer, the summer was a game, it was light-hearted, it was easy.

Hyde and Jackie, together in winter is a very different proposition. It's about unspoken conversations and unversed hurt. A year and a half and Jackie feels confused and lost. She just needs to talk.

It's never going to end well.

His lips trace the line of her bicep, kiss the crease of her elbow and he imagines he can feel the flutter of her pulse there. He imagines that she wants to beg him, just to get on with it.

That's exactly why he draws it out.

He should tell her that his heart aches and when he's in bed with her, sometimes he just wants to reach out. Sometimes he just wants to wrap his arms tight around her and pull her out of the pit they've dug themselves into. The last few weeks have been weird, he can admit that.

Sometimes he just wants to save her.

But she's Jackie Burkhart and she's stronger than that and if anyone's going to rescue her, it's her.

Or it's not him. "I miss you, I know you haven't gone anywhere, but I miss you."

"I'm scared," she says. "Are you pulling away from me?"

"No, I'm not."

"Are you sure because these last few weeks you've been weird. Zen with me and I don't like it one bit."

"I know I'm sorry. It's just weird with everyone watching and awing at us. I hate it. This isn't me."

Jackie gestures slightly between the two of them pressed together naked in his cot. "This is you, Steven. You can't hide from me. I know you."

"I'm not hiding, Doll." "You haven't said anything short of 'No' and any other normal conversation that you'd probably have with Eric, to me."

"Jackie, come on you know me. I'm a bit quiet and I don't share a lot. It's not that I'm afraid to, I just don't often feel the need too. I'm not like you I don't share everything that crosses my mind. I actually understand and respect the power of words." She rolls her eyes at him. "I don't speak often so when I do at least you'll know that I believe it matters and it's true to my soul."

"You still love me? Out here in the open?" Jackie takes his tattooed finger in her hand. He glances down. "Is everything still the same?"

He leans in closer, kissing the sensitive spot behind her ear. "Of course. I'll never stop loving you. I'll try to be better. You deserve better, Jackie."

"Okay, hey so I was thinking for tonight's dance-"

"No."

"How about a tie-"

"No."

"Or a blazer-"

"No."

"Just a jacket-"

"No."

"Fine … Bolo?"

"Fine."

"Okay." She smirks at his resistance, but he'll always give in for her.

The Hub

7:24 pm

Jackie hooks her arm through Steven's as he leads her into the hub. His jacket is draped over her shoulders because she refused to ruin her outfit with a winter coat and he wasn't going to argue. She looks so beautiful. Eric and Donna had taken a seat already at their usual booth, leaving the bench seat open for the couple.

"Hey, I thought we said we'd meet at seven."

Hyde rolls his eyes at Forman. "We did."

"Eric would not stop whining about you two being late so maybe now that you're here, he'll shut up."

Jackie slides into the booth pulling Steven in close to her. "Wow, Eric what did you do to her?"

"I gave her cash to buy her own christmas present because I wanted to make sure she got something she wanted. Apparently though cash is only for hookers and not for girlfriends."

"She's right. Presents are for girlfriends and cash is for hookers."

"Except that Donna is probably good enough you should be paying her." Hyde adds between sips of water.

"Well, I didn't think it was a big deal. We are or were happy, I didn't think that a nice card and money would set her off so badly." Donna swats at his scrawny arm.

"Hey you should've seen it coming man. Cause when you're truly happy, truly, deeply happy, it's a sign you're doing everything wrong."

Jackie turns and meets Stevens smirk. He's lying through his teeth and they both know it. "It's true. When's Steven's unhappy, I know our relationship is in good shape."

He can't help the grin forming on his face. "Well then, Doll, we've been tip top since the moment I met you." He wraps his arm over her shoulder, pulling her in closer to kiss her forehead.

"Hey, Donna, what are you doing the day after your birthday?"

"Uh…nursing a hangover."

"How about you stick to light beer and you and I can get married that day." He smirks.

"Oh my god are you setting a date?"

"Yes I am. Merry Christmas." Donna leans in and kisses him.

"Way to go, Forman. Now you'll never forget your anniversary."

Jackie laughs. "Or he'll forget and be doubly screwed, you know how fiery Donna gets."

Donna glares at Jackie but quickly turns to Eric. She plants her hands on either side of his face. "I love you."

"Boo!" The observing couple calls out as they start kissing in a rather hungry sort of way. "Nobody wants to see that and I thought we made a rule about public groping."

"That rule was just for Fez."

"We made it up because of him but it applies to everyone."

Donna rolls her eyes at Jackie's hypocrisy. "Everyone but you two apparently."

"Yes."

Christmas Eve Dance

8:00 pm

Steven leads her into the gym with his arm around her little waist and his jacket refastened. A blond with a dirty look on her face comes through the door and fixates her glare right on Jackie.

"Okay, that's Julie she's the head cheerleader."

"Hello Jackie, I am surprised you decided to show your face around here."

"Hello Julie, I'm surprised too that you'd be here considering that wearing that I mean." Jackie eyes the pink floral atrocity. "This is my boyfriend, Steven J. Hyde III."

"The first two are in jail." Jackie laughs uncomfortably and grants him a soft hit to the side. He tightens his grip on her waist and leads her around the blond and her stuck up face and into the gym.

The gym is decked out in christmas chic as Jackie would say but in Hyde's opinion it looks as though Santa Claus threw up on the place. Twinkling christmas lights hung from the ceiling giving a warm glow to the usually cold room and fake snow dusted the floor resembling the falling flurries currently decorating Point Place.

Christmas had never been his favorite holiday. He had too many memories of waking up on christmas morning and seeing nothing but empty beer bottles or passed out men under the poorly decorated tree. The Forman's were however the perfect picture of the christmas spirit.

Jackie saw him looking around the room and even through his sunglasses it was clear he wanted to run. She brushes his cheek with her finger and kisses his lips lightly. "We can leave if you want." She lets him know quietly, yet she's really hoping he won't ask too. She'd feel selfish if she didn't at least offer.

"Come on Doll, let's dance." He takes her hand as Judy Garland's lyrical voice plays over the speakers.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas, Let yourself be light, Next year all our troubles will be out of sight

He pulls her close as they dance in the center of the room, swaying back and forth. "Thank you for coming with me, Steven."

"Anything for you, Doll."

Once again as in olden days, Happy golden days of yours, Faithful friends who were dear to us, Will be near to us once more,

She lays her head on his shoulder. "It just doesn't feel like Christmas, you know. My dad's been in prison for a year now and my mom doesn't even call anymore. I just need something to feel right."

He kisses the top of her head, feeling the hurt in her voice. "Jackie, if there's one thing I've learned it's that just because your parents aren't around doesn't mean your family isn't."

Until then we'll have to muddle through some how, So have yourself a merry little Christmas night.

The song comes to it's close but he continues to hold onto her and dance slowly to the next more upbeat christmas song. Julie snuck behind Jackie and taps her on the shoulder. "Jackie, how come you never told me you were dating as older man?"

Jackie turns to Julie but keeps herself tucked into Steven's side. She rolls her eyes at the look the blond is giving her. "I don't know, I guess I was distracted by the life I lead outside of this school."

"I'm jealous. You know light of you showing up with your super hot boyfriend, I'd like to invite you to rejoin the cheerleading squad."

"Julie, you didn't kick me off the team. I quit because I realized I had better things to do than to be seen around with girls that have the likes of you."

"Excuse me?"

"You and those girls aren't my friends, they are." She point to the dance floor where Donna and Eric are dancing together. "Now we were just leaving. Have a Merry Christmas." She takes Steven's hand and lead him towards the exit.

"Proud of you, Doll."

Forman's Kitchen

9:11 pm

Magically, the falling flurries transformed Point Place, a rather dingy small town, into a wonderland of sorts. Jackie stood at the Forman's kitchen door, warming her hands on a freshly poured mug of cocoa. Watching the snow continue to fall, she waited for her friends to arrive. Although tensions were still kind of flying fairly high between many people in within the small, close-knit group of friends, everyone agreed to let that go for the evening. Christmas was about showing your love for one another, not arguing about things that happened in the past. Being here with Steven was about looking towards the future.

He took the mug from Jackie's hands and put in on the counter so he could pull her closer to him. Steven wormed his arms around her waist, tickling her slightly to ignite the warm laugh that was like music to his ears. When she wasn't expecting it, Steven bent down and captured Jackie's lips in his own, reveling in the strong taste of hot chocolate.

Warmth pumped in between the couple as the kiss became increasingly more heated, with Steven's hand dancing lower and lower down Jackie's back and her hands adventured under Steven's shirt, which he quickly changed into upon returning home, tracing his toned stomach. Just as he was about to slide his tongue into her mouth, there was a creak of the opening door. Jackie groaned into Steven's mouth before pulling away, straightening out Steven's shirt after.

"Hi guys" Donna smiled, shaking off her coat and stomping her boots. "I hope we weren't interrupting anything"

"Is anyone else here yet?" Eric asked.

"Just you two," Jackie said. "Kelso and Fez, and I think Brooke too, should be here soon." The four went down to the basement and congregated around the couch, Donna and Eric stretched out across cushions while Jackie and Steven curled up on the chair.

"You beat us here? That must've been one boring dance." Kelso's familiar loud voice rung out.

"It seems to be snowing a little" Brooke smiles, signaling to their snow covered coats.

"How on earth did you get snowed on that much walking from your car to basement door? Is it really snowing that hard?" Jackie quizzed.

"Look outside, Jackie!" Kelso nearly shrieked. "It's like we're in Antarctica!" The group chuckled at Kelso's comparison, which was surprisingly right for once. He was completely correct; the snow was really coming down out there.

A couple hours pass and Jackie and Steven are cuddled up under a blanket as are Eric and Donna, even Brooke and Kelso, leaving just Fez curled up alone. They had found It's a Wonderful Life on TV but the film ended shortly after all the food Mrs. Forman had put out was eaten. Donna flicked the lights on. Steven and Jackie were too busy with their tongues down each other's throats to even realize what was going on. It may have been quite cute if you couldn't see the tongue movements, and if Jackie wasn't moving her hips so much against Steven.

"Um Jackie?" Donna eventually said, standing behind the two lovebirds. They tore apart and looked around at everyone gawking. Whoops. Steven breathed in, pushed Jackie gently off him and rubbed his sweaty hands down his crossed legs. He'd have to thank Jackie for that later.

"Oh, uh sorry" Jackie bit her lip. "Oh my god have you seen the snow?!" She internally prayed it was still snowing, because she hadn't actually checked, she just wanted all eyes off her. From their reactions, she guessed there was more.

"Crap it's up to the door!" Eric said, getting up to look closer at it.

"Eric don't open it" Donna instructed like he was five, knowing too well he would try to.

He stepped away with his bottom lip stuck exaggeratedly out. "No way are any of you going to be able to get out"

"I could probably get home" Donna said, raising her hand slightly. "I only live next door."

"No way," Eric shook his head. "It's at least waist deep. No one could walk in that."

"There's not a chance we are going to be able to get up to see your Mom tomorrow then" Kelso said to Brooke, and her face fell.

"I better go call her then" she sighed.

"Forman, it's alright if we all stay here tonight then, right?"

"Yeah of course, my mom wouldn't have it any other way."

Hyde's Bedroom

Jackie and Steven curled up in her bed, both watching the clock as the minutes slowly ticked away, getting closer and closer to midnight.

"Surprisingly, this has been one of my best ever Christmases" Jackie smiled, running her fingers along Steven's cheeks.

"Really?" Steven smiled, putting his hand over Jackie's. "Why's that?"

"I'm around people who I actually feel like love me, and instead of sitting alone watching an old Christmas film in silence and having a massive banquet, I've had fun," She said softly. "And you're here"

"You aren't even bothered a little bit that your parents aren't here?" He asked.

"Sure, a little bit" Jackie shrugged slightly. "But, if they were here, I wouldn't be able to do this" She leant over and planted a long, supple kiss on Steven's hungry lips.

"And I wouldn't be able to do this" This time it was his turn to take control, and he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her fully on top of him.

Steven pulled Jackie's face closer to his. Soon, their lips were dancing together in a fit of passion. The clock flashes midnight and catches his attention. "Merry Christmas, Doll."

A/N: I hope you enjoyed a little bit of Christmas even though it's June. Please Review I'd like to hear from you all.