A/N: I want to thank you all for your patience. I really appreciate it. Also great thanks to all those who have read, reviewed, favorited and followed. I wouldn't be continuing this story if it weren't for all of you. This chapter to me feels different but that may just be me. I love it though so hopefully you will too. Happy Reading!

March 13, 1979

No one would believe me, not our friends anyway, but in the beginning there was always something sweet and, even in his cheap insults, he was almost kind. It's hard to remember the days when he could be mean and coarse.

I wish I could dig deep into the locked subconscious of Steven's mind and figure out what changed and when because it wasn't a kiss or a touch. Change started well before. I don't know, maybe it's just something I simply didn't see or can't remember.

It's been two weeks and there's a shift. Not with Steven but with everyone around us. There's blame and the angry finger is pointed at me. Responsibly so. I never thought that this would be the result of my actions but I still don't regret what I did.

I think Steven is angry. He has been keeping quite quiet but I believe whole heartedly that the anger isn't directed at me. It's hard to tell sometimes. It's been difficult.

Steven enters his room to find Jackie curled up in the chair, wrapped in his blanket, her journal on her lap. He very rarely saw the journal, though he's known of it's existence for years.

He approached her and she didn't close the journal. She wasn't afraid that he'd see it and the level of trust in the simple action, was grand. He peered at her perfectly cursive words as he picked her up in his arms. She was so light and he lifts with the greatest of ease. He takes her seat with her on his lap.

He reads the words she had written and it cuts hard. He has made her feel alone and that's something he had never wanted and wanted to never do to her again. When everyone had found out about them, he had drifted from her and it hurt both of them and he promised he'd never be zen again, not with her.

He took the pen from her hand and wrote beneath the words scrawled by her.

She glanced at me one day long ago. We were standing in the dark. She was dressed in lavender, a color that could only shudder at her beauty. I thought I saw something in her eyes that night and when we touched she didn't pull away from me. I thought that it couldn't be, that couldn't be a spark I just felt with her and I should just ignore it, but then again she's never looked at me like that before.

"I'm sorry. It's been a rough two weeks but I've been very stressed and that's not your fault at all."

Jackie kisses him and closes the journal. "Yeah it has been. Have you heard anything?"

"No, nothing."

Jackie just sits with his unsure of what to say though she does know what she'd like to ask. She doesn't ask it though. She changes the subject. "So what do you want to do tonight?"

"Oh doll, I'm sorry I already made plans with Donna. I guess if you really want I can cancel."

"No, no don't do that. She needs a friend right now, and I guess right now that's just you."

"We're just going to this bar in Kenosha. You can come too."

"I don't think Donna would like that very much."

"Oh come on she isn't that upset anymore. I mean it wasn't really your fault."

"Steven, yesterday I went over there to ask if I could pick up my curling iron and she threw it at my head."

"Okay maybe you shouldn't come."

Jackie crawls off his lap and place a quick kiss on his lips and makes her way upstairs to the Forman's kitchen, Hyde follows behind her. "I just think it's good if I give her some space right now. Or at least until I can figure out how to make it up to her."

"Jackie, you don't have anything to make up for."

"Steven, he left."

"Not because of you. You just told her your opinion and she asked for it. Let Donna take some responsibility for her own decisions. She called off her wedding and now she doesn't have a fiancé, it blows but she can't blame you."

"Well, she does."

"I know, but Donna's a rational chick, she'll come to her senses soon enough."

"I hope so." Jackie said as she walked through the kitchen door into the living room leaving Hyde alone in the kitchen. He needed to find Donna.

WFPP Radio Station

4:47 pm

Hyde walks through the front doors of the radio station and can here Hot Donna's voice coming through the speakers in the ceiling. I waves at her through the window and she waves back before putting on a Zeppelin record and making her way out of the booth.

"Hey I still about fifteen minutes. You can just sit there and wait or you could fetch me a drink for the 7-11 across the street."

"You need to invite Jackie out with us tonight."

"What? No." She shakes her head at him. "You can invite her if you want but I'm not."

"Yes you are, man." He grabs her wrist to keep her from walking back into the booth. "You're my friend but please don't make me choose between the two of you."

"You'd choose her over me!"

"To be fair, she'd break my shin bone with those steel toes of hers before she'd ever let me pick you over her."

Donna slunk back into the office chair and rolled back up against the far wall, her head hung low. "He left me Hyde. I took her advice and he left."

"I know and he's a coward but he'll be back. You know he will."

"How do you know that?"

"Because he ran to California against Red's wishes for you." He rested a hand on her shoulder. "Because he loves you. And so does Jackie so call her."

"Fine but you've got to get me pop."

"Deal." He waited for her to dial before he left for 7-11.

Kingston Club

Kenosha WI

8:15 pm

"I'm going to go order drinks." Hyde excuses himself from the awkwardness at the corner booth the three of them sat in. He should have expected this. Donna and Jackie have two completely separate types of dynamic when they fight. Dead silence or aggressive screaming.

He prefers the silence. Especially if it's just the three of them. He couldn't yank them both apart by himself if and when things got physical. He flags down the bartender, "Hey, can I get two beers and a long island." The bartender nods and comes back a minute later with two bottles and Jackie's glass.

He walks by the band and back to their claimed table. It was still silent. He's going to need much more than a beer to get through this night. "Miss!," he flags down the waitress as she passes by, "Can I get nine shots?" She nods and walks off.

"The beer not enough, baby?" Jackie questions taking her tea from his hand.

"We are supposed to be having fun and the drunker I get the more fun this silence between the two of you becomes or you two can drink up."

"I'm sorry I just have nothing to say to her." Donna snaps glaring across at Jackie who's tucked under Hyde's arm.

"Sure you do. You both have a big mouth, for once I'm actually asking you to use it."

Jackie gulps down her long island quickly and takes one of the shots that were set on the table. The shot is thrown to the back of her throat. "You have no right to be mad at me!"

"Eric left!" She shouts back taking a shot and chasing it with her beer. "You told not to marry him and now he's gone!"

Here we go, Hyde thinks leaning back in the booth, pulling Jackie into his side.

"It's not my fault that you fell in love with a scrawny coward who flees instead of fights. Pick them stronger next time."

"He wouldn't have ran off if you would've been a good friend and talk me into marriage not out."

"Donna! If you need to be convinced to get married then you shouldn't be getting married. You know that." Jackie reaches across the table a grabs Donna's hand before she can yank it away. "If I could bring him home to you I would. When I see him again, trust me I'm kick him so hard, but you've got to quit blaming me."

"Well…Eric's not here so blaming him is a little hard."

Hyde sneaks two more shots before flagging down the waitress for another beer. He watches Donna grow quiet after she spoke. Her words quivered like she was going to cry. He nudges Jackie a little more forcefully than he intended, but the alcohol was hitting his system and his depth perception was a bit off.

Jackie scoots in next to Donna. "It's going to be okay."

"How do you know that? What if he never comes back? What's next for me then?"

"Then you'll find somebody else, someone great. Steven taught me that after Michael cheated on me. He was right. I found him. You'll find your someone."

"But I want Eric."

"Well it might just be him. The point is you're going to be fine." She hugs Donna and goes to grab a shot for each of them and notices that there's only two left. She passes a quick glare to Steven who was quickly becoming overly intoxicated. "Now, cheer up, please. I'll do anything."

"Anything?"

"Yeah anything?" Hyde smirks that dirty minded smile.

"For Donna." She reiterates. "What'll cheer up?"

"Tattoo story. Spill. Now."

"What?" Jackie asks, not because she didn't hear her but because that's not what she expected to hear.

"The two of you got matching tattoos on your fingers almost a year ago and I want to know why. Spill."

Hyde remained quiet and let Jackie bicker with Donna. He didn't particularly want to share the story just because he came off a little like Forman. However, he didn't care too much because Donna knew just how much he loved Jackie. There was no hiding it anymore.

"Donna, I told you that story is private."

"Why is it so private?"

"It just is."

"Well, I think you two need to rethink your priorities in term of privacy. Cause I've seen you two going at it more times than I prefer to remember, and yet I can't hear some stupid story."

Hyde thinks over all the times he's gotten Jackie into compromising positions in public. He nods as he smiles. Those memories were some of his favorites. "Alright Donna, listen up because I'm only going to tell this once." He instructs. Jackie sits back defeated in her original seat next to Steven. "So it was last May and we had been together for almost a year, yet none of you dilholes knew yet so things were easier and more exciting. It was late and we were hanging out in my room…

"Steven, do you think we'll end up together?" Hyde rolled onto his back with a groan. That question was too heavy to be asked right after sex. Jackie was smart though, asking him when he was in post-coital bliss.

"I don't know."

She accepts the answer easier than he expected her to. "I really hope so. I can't imagine anyone else being with me the way I am with you."

He knows exactly what she means. "I know, but Jackie, the future is a fickle beast. I can't give you all the answers you want but I can say that I love you and even when the mountains crumble to the sea I hope I can still count on you an me."

"That's from a song." He was surprised she knew that.

"Yeah the one that was playing the night I first knew."

"First knew what?" She rolls over on top of his chest.

"That I'd fallen for you."

"Aww!"

"Hush," he puts his finger up to her lips. "Doll, I promise to always fight for you. Even in the uncertain future I promise to always fight for you."

"Really you promise?" She is smiling in that sweet way that she does when she's over the moon with joy and excitement.

Hyde laughs, "I'd tattoo it to my hand so I could never forget."

Jackie sit up abruptly on his lap causing him to twitch in pleasure. "Oh, let's do that!"

"Wait seriously? I was just joking."

"Yeah seriously. I don't want to ever forget that we are worth fighting for." She leans down to capture his lips and grinds softly into his hips. He smiles beneath her kisses.

"Okay." He willingly agrees as he traces the outline of mountains crumbling to the sea on her palm that would later become the tattoo on both their ring fingers…

Then the next day we went to that shop in Madison and here we are." Hyde finishes the story but Donna looks a little disappointed.

"That's it? That's the super secretive story you just couldn't share with me?"

"Well, Steven's not much of a storyteller but it's not really the story I didn't want to share. I just wanted to keep some intimate moments private and that's one of the most important. So, you got the story, are you cheered up yet?"

"Temporarily."

"Well good, now let's dance. It's been such a long time since we've been out." Jackie drags Donna to the dance floor but Hyde stayed in the booth and watched as the girls danced with one another to the beat of the reasonably okay music that was blaring through the speakers.

His level of intoxication had risen quite high but he was only seeing one of Jackie so he was doing okay so far and flags the waitress down for another beer. Jackie had made him and Donna late getting on the road but though that upset him before it didn't anymore. She looked absolutely incredible. Her hair was getting long and so her raven curls danced with her. The black dress clung to her waist but fell off her shoulders and dancing beside Donna she looked even more petite, like a little black swan. It was hot.

He watched as the two girls danced closer to each other with every drink they ordered and by midnight Donna and Hyde were at the point that their brains had shut off but the body and more so their mouths were powering through.

"Jackie, you know I love you. You're my favorite midget in the whole world."

"Love you too Lumberjack." Jackie says as she walks Donna back to the booth, acting as a crutch to hold her friend upright. "Steven stay here. I'll be back I have to throw he in the back of the camino so we can get out of here."

Hyde nods and watches as Jackie pushes Donna towards the exit. It isn't but a second after she leaves that a blond in a skanky top that accentuated her large rack plopped down in the vacant seat beside him.

"Hey cutie!"

"Hey."

"You're looking lonely for this time of night. Someone like you should be snatched up."

"I am snatched up. My girlfriend is out in the parking lot."

The blond runs the back of her finger down his sideburn. "Well she's foolish to leave you in here alone."

"No more like I'm foolish for letting her go out in the dark alone. Jackie's so tiny someone could hurt her so easily and she's like crazy hot too. I've been keeping an eye on all the men here to make sure they all leave her alone."

"Well why didn't you go outside with her?"

"She told me to stay here."

"And you just do everything she asks of you?"

"No. You haven't met Jackie, she'll walk all over you if you let her. So I rarely do anything she asks me to do. Just sometimes cause you know I do love her."

"You're in love with this chick?"

"Are you kidding? Absolutely!" There was no making the enthusiasm in his voice and the blond cringed a little in disappointment. She could usually find a nick in a relationship and turn it into a tear. Apparently not this time. Hyde didn't notice her annoyance. "Jackie is so beautiful, her eyes are so big like a…like a…umm…a doll, like a doll and that is what she is she's my doll. She's kinda crazy but in a good way and she's so caring and I love her, you know and-"

"I know I get it."

"Steven who's this?" He sees Jackie peering around the blond and the the stranger got up to leave.

"I'm Sam and I'm leaving. Congrats you've got someone special with this one." She nods to Hyde and it's clear he isn't paying attention and is growing tired.

"Isn't she beautiful?" He mumbles and Jackie smiles.

"Yeah I do." Jackie essentially drags Hyde to the camino with her arms wrapped around his chest as she stumbles backwards through the dewy grass. Hyde is stumbling around expressing his feelings embarrassingly loud. His shouting about her doll like eyes and how much he wants to kiss her lips proves to be more of a hindrance rather than delightful, but eventually, they make it to the camino.

Hyde decides that he's not quite finished and isn't quite ready to go back to the basement. When Jackie's hand slips into Hyde's back pocket to try to find his keys, a mischievous smirk lights up in his eyes, bright enough to be visible through those damn shades. Before Jackie can even recognize what's happening, he suddenly spins them around and presses Jackie's body up against the camino, pinning her wrist up by either side of her shoulders.

"Hey." He smirks, grinning down at Jackie. She loves the height difference between them especially at moments such as these. The way he looks down at her with admiration, his forehead tipping down to rest on hers.

"Hey! Take me home!" Donna shouts from the flatbed where Jackie had coaxed her to lie down. She had refused to wait to get into the front.

"You are unbelievable." Jackie scoffs trying to sound upset but failing, as Hyde attempts to place a kiss on her nose but mistakes the distance and lands just below her hairline. "Steven, if you think you're getting any tonight after drinking this much, you're dumber than Michael."

"Your words are hurtful, Jacqueline." He tells her, attempting to look serious but was still smiling like an absolute dork.

"Hey don't call me that. My name is Jackie."

"I know I know." Hyde grins. "I just wanted to call you that, it sounds more serious, you know."

"What am I going to do with you?" Jackie gripes, pushing Hyde off her.

"Love me, baby and don't ever never leave me."

"Never ever," Jackie corrects him, she opens the passenger door and pushes Hyde onto the seat. "Belt on now." She orders, though she knows he probably won't listen and she won't fight him on this.

She watches Hyde for a few seconds struggle to sit up in his seat, Hyde places a sloppy kiss on her cheek as she goes to pull out of the parking lot carefully. She didn't want to jostle Donna too much or she might throw up all over the flatbed. She manages to get them all back to the Forman's without any other problems from her drunken love.

Somehow, she manages to get Donna home and come back to drag Hyde's heavy, limp body down the stairs and into his room when they arrive home. She's hours past exhausted and ready for bed, but she looks down at his dirt-stained jeans and winces at the amount of beer that had somehow spilt on his shirt. She's not even going to bother trying to get him in the shower because that would end up with both of them soaking wet and sudsy, but there's no way she's climbing into bed next to him like that.

"Strip." She instructs. Hyde happily obliges, quickly pulling off his jeans but he manages to get his shirt caught over her head. Groaning, Jackie starts helping him undress. Hyde's stumbling around and Jackie struggling to attempt to pull his shirt over his head causes them to both lose their footing, and fall backward onto the cot.

Hyde laughs, looking down at Jackie who's trapped beneath his weight.

"Just go to bed." Jackie groans.

"Okay." He agrees, then shuffling still on top of Jackie's body, he makes himself comfortable by nestling his head in the valley between her breasts. His eyes close and Jackie breathes a sigh of relief but that lasts only a moment.

"Steven, you're suffocating me!" Jackie yells, attempting to roll Hyde off her chest who was basically just completely dead weight at this point.

He snickers and presses into her chest. Jackie had had enough and she was getting crankier by the moment, mastering all her strength, she hoisted Hyde off her and rolled him onto the floor.

"Ow! You're so mean." Hyde whined from the ground.

"Good." Jackie snapped, standing up angrily with hands on her hips as she looked down at the mess of a man sitting at her feet.

"I still love you though." Hyde announced, looking at Jackie's pissed expression. "Hey Jackie, you're very very sexy when you're angry."

"I am going to give you so much hell tomorrow morning." Jackie vows, but her frown softens slightly. "Now, if you promise to be good and go straight to sleep, I'll let you come back to bed."

"I promise." Hyde swears seriously, attempting to place a solemn expression on his face as he scooted back into bed close to Jackie's side.

Without a word, she wraps her arms around Steven's waist and allows him to curl up closer into her embrace.

"You know, Jackie, I'm going to marry you one day." Hyde mumbles sleepily, cuddling Jackie closer.

For once taking pleasure in the fact that Hyde would be unable to recall this conversation, Jackie allows the fantasy to continue. "Oh yeah, and how will you propose to me?" she asks out of curiosity.

"I don't know. It'll be something big. I'll use fireworks. Or… I'll…. I'll stand up in the middle of the Forman's driveway and propose in front of everyone, or…or…shout…love…I…love you…everyone…knows…will knows…be…me…Mr. Jackie Hyde…"

Jackie can't help but snort at his drunken ramblings as he passes out. Hyde, though not afraid of a kissing her or touching her, showing physical affection, was definitely more reserved with their relationship. She couldn't imagine him making any grand declaration of love to her in front of a crowd. Even if that crowd was just family and close friends.

Then again she never imagined having a relationship with Steven Hyde quite like this so maybe he could still surprise her.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter and didn't miss the other characters too much. Please Review I really want to hear from all of you!