Chapter 2: Stop Walking Away From Me!

Ok here we go, another update, go me! I don't think you're gonna be happy with me but I can tell you, that I want them together. So don't lose faith in me guys.

Jackie awoke slowly, not bothering to open her eyes. At first she thought she was in the basement, she could feel Steven's possessive arms around her slight body and his breath on her shoulder. After the early blissful seconds before her mind started to work, a niggling doubt grew in the back of the mind. There was something not right here, the bed was too comfortable and there were the muffled sounds of drunken yells outside the door. Last night came back gently as though her mind was compensating for the storm of memories it had unleashed previously. She waited for the devastating pain that she was certain would attack any second. It didn't come; a peaceful numbness was spreading through her muscles. It helped, but she didn't expect it to last.

The thing that surprised her most was the fact that he was still here. She'd expected, and a small part of her had almost hoped, that he would have left and that one final lapse of judgement would be the end of everything. All the pain and tension. She wanted it gone, but lying next to him she knew it wasn't.

She glanced at her watch, wondering just how long this party had been going, from the sounds it was still in full swing. Her face fell when she realised that they'd only slept for forty-five minutes that was why he was still here. Jackie seriously thought about just going back to sleep and seeing what happened, but when she thought about waking up alone she felt an icy stab of agony, even through the numbness her lungs ached. She decided she wouldn't do that to herself. She'd leave now, not to hurt him, to protect herself. Reluctantly she moved out of his embrace, suddenly feeling very empty, Hyde stirred and grumbled sadly.

She dressed in a trance, letting her body run on autopilot and keeping her mind blank as she could. She concentrating on clinging to the numbness that was slipping away, about to be replaced by stinging pain. She stared at Hyde for a long minute; he was shifting uncomfortably, his face sorrowful. Jackie could feel the three words she'd never held inside bubbling in her throat, she whispered them softly into the darkness before slipping out of the door.

She flowed through the roaring crowd and out into the darkness. It wasn't until she was inside the apartment that she realised her face was dry, she had no tears left.

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Hyde fought against whatever tried to drag him out of his deep coma; the room was dark and gloomy. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, his mind was surprisingly clear. Despite being so against waking up his mind had sprung into action now. Hyde picked up his glasses from the bedside tables; he always found it easier to admit his feeling to himself when no-one else would see it. Not that anyone could see him now. Not that it mattered.

So Jackie had left. Hadn't seen that one coming, still he hadn't seen anything past falling asleep next to her. He shifted along onto the pillow she'd been sleeping on. She couldn't have been gone long, the scent of her hair still lingered. It smelt like strawberries and cream, it always had. He still thought he could smell it sometimes.

It was strongest in the dark, when he was alone. Sam and he had started sleeping in Laurie's old room on a permanent basis now. On the condition that they didn't fight at stupid o'clock and keep Red awake. Most nights he didn't sleep there, he'd lie on the edge of the bed faking sleep until Sam drifted off, then he'd creep downstairs and into his old cot. It was then he could smell her, when he was on the edge of sleep. Strawberries and cream creeping up his nose, into his lungs, surrounding him. It never abandoned him in those times. It only grew stronger, so strong he could almost feel her soft hair on her neck. And vanilla, her skin was vanilla scented; it almost tasted of vanilla sometimes. The only time he could remember that was in his room, he could almost convince himself that the smell was really there. Left over on the sheets and mattress. But the feeling that she was there, that had to be fantasy, or dream. He didn't care either way. He'd stay there for hours imaginary scents all around him, until the point when she was there, all soft, sweet skin. Silky curves wrapped around his body in the thick darkness. There until the morning. Light chasing away the dream and forcing reality on him.

What bothered him most about her leaving was that he didn't know why. Had she closed the door on the subject of them? Maybe that was all this was, one final night to end all the mixed up feelings and tension between them, closure so she could move on? But the way she'd looked at him when he was inside her. He knew it was love. She didn't say it but he knew she felt it.

He'd never understood how she could tell how he felt without him ever speaking. He still didn't know, didn't know why she needed him to say it. Always "I don't know". But she did, she needed him to say that he loved her and that they had a future. For some reason he needed it now. He knew that wasn't fair, when she'd needed it she'd given him everything already. He now had nothing to offer in return for her love.

She'd assumed he'd leave. As soon as the thought entered his head he believed it to be true. She'd abandoned him, like everyone else. In blind hatred he'd decided that she did it to hurt him. Bitch. He rolled out of bed and pulled his clothes on violently.

He tore out into the hallway, not going anyway, just intent on drowning his mind in alcohol and drugs. He didn't want to feel anything. He grabbed a beer out of some drunken idiots hand and downed it in one.

This continued for the next six hours, until he was standing in a spinning room waving around the Frampton guitar. He'd been completely unsuccessful in forgetting about Jackie but he wasn't angry anymore. At least not until he saw her watching him, she rolled her eyes and laughed with Fez. At least he'd felt guilty about deliberately hurting her, she looked completely unconcerned. Granted he had too but that was irrelevant!

At least she didn't look so damn gorgeous anymore. She had changed into day to day clothes; he could almost smell her freshly washed skin from where he was. She was still beautiful, she always was but it didn't hurt to look at her anymore. God how much had he drunk to make him think sappy nonsense like that? He dropped the guitar and went to find more booze. He brushed past her and for a second thought he saw some guilt. She wouldn't look at him anyway; some part of him was very satisfied by this.

There was a few more packs of beer in one of the bedrooms so he cracked open a can and sat down in the hallway. He'd gone through four cans and his vision was blurring when she walked past him, facing the opposite wall stubbornly. "Hey!" He shouted, standing up and immediately leaning on the wall for support.

She turned slowly, when she faced him her arms were crossed and she didn't look him in the eye. "Well?" She asked after a long pause. "Steven? Do you want something?" Hyde wasn't exactly sure what he had intended to say to her. She rolled her eyes and stalked off.

"Hey, no. I wanna talk to you!" He shouted stumbling after her.

She wheeled around looking furious. "Well then talk!" She snapped. The fact that she was angry just pissed him off more.

"Why are you angry? You're the one who just left!"

"Come on, like you weren't just gonna do the same thing!"

"You don't know that!"

She raised her eyebrows confidently. "You weren't planning that?"

"No! Believe it or not that wasn't what I was thinking about!"

"Whatever." She turned to walk away again. He managed to catch up to her this time, growling, he turned her to face him, gripping her shoulders fiercely.

"Stop walking away from me!" Hyde took a couple of deep breaths before continuing. "And don't you dare use zen against me," He snarled in a low voice, dangerously close to her mouth. "I taught you that." She was shaking wildly, unable to look anywhere but at his face. Some drunken couple ran giggling down the halls knocking him forward.

Jackie was pinned between him and the wall. She was vibrating against him, just the proximity making her dizzy. Her feelings were back in full force and a fresh wave or tears were rising inside her, threatening to break out.

Hyde stared down at her, hitting the wall seemed to have helped her regain control of her body. She stared down at the floor stubbornly. Hyde was determined to get a reaction of some kind from her. He dipped his head capturing her lips with his, her head snapped up facing him. He crushed her against the wall savagely. She was shocked by his unexplained actions and tentatively reached for him, before realising what she was doing and slamming her hands against the wall behind her. When Hyde pulled back they were both gasping for air and Jackie's lips were swollen and bright red. The death grip he'd had on her upper arms had loosened and she slipped away without a word.

Hyde stared after her for a second, confused and aroused. He stormed into a nearby empty room, slamming the door behind him. He kicked a chair, furious with just about everyone, before throwing himself on the bed and glaring at the ceiling.

A few rooms away, gasping for air, Jackie was curled up sobbing into a pillow.

So yes he was there. I always liked our dear midget so I spared her some pain, temporarily. I'll make it better! Don't hate me. *Hides*