Chapter 7: Sweetheart.

So incredibly sorry that this has taken so long, my laptop died on me just after Eric's phone call and I got a bit angry.

Ok so no baby, this is good for them I promise. As I told some of you in review replies, I think that the two of them need to sort themselves out before they can get together let alone make a little person.

Good news is that my laptop has stopped being silly and I don't have to mess about just to get spell checks.

Ok, um I have no idea why the last chapter was all underlined, I think I've fixed it now. Unfortunately, the laptop is not being so friendly as to let me fix that. I appear to have lost that saving or something, I'm sorry.

Ok I'm gonna dedicate this chapter to a new reader, fastforward. This chapter is a little longer, as you requested in a very pleasant and constructive review. So you heard it people ask and you shall receive!

And yeah Hyde's thought on how to hurt Jackie are from a forum so go give your opinion.

Eric opened up his latest package from home with a disappointed sigh. He was receiving tapes and cartoon clippings from his mother every couple of weeks. Fez wrote a lot and Kelso sent lots of pictures of his new job and Betsy. But yet again, not what he was hoping for. It had been a couple of months since he'd heard anything from Donna, he'd missed her and was beginning to regret breaking up with her.

He hadn't broken up with her because he was finding the long distance hard or for any selfish reason. Being so far from home had given him a lot of time to think, and she was what he thought about. They had been a pair for so long and he realised that since coming to Africa, being away from her, he'd grown up so much and from what he'd heard from home, Donna was still waiting for him. He thought that it was ok to have her waiting for him because the two of them could just pick up where they left off. But they couldn't, he'd changed.

He wasn't whimsical or easy going, he didn't even care about his dolls anymore. Thinking about when he'd decided to become a teacher was laughable. He'd had the mentality of a junior then, and teaching a class was so different to tutoring his friends. In fact this whole experience had made him think that maybe teaching wasn't right for him. He'd never been taught about what he was seeing now. Or about how it feels when the mother of a ten year old says her son won't be coming back to class because of a disease that would seem like nothing back home. He wanted to go home, it made him feel guilty, for not wanting to stay here and help. But he knew when he did go home he would know what he wanted to do and it would mean something to him.

Donna had always been more mature and altogether more capable than him. Maybe he was wrong to have broken up with her, but he didn't want to go back to the same girl as a totally different man. It would break them, maybe it was an insubstantial fear but he felt as if he knew it. This way he felt as though he was giving them a real chance. He was suddenly seeing all their arguments from a totally different point of view. They way he used to complain that she was doing her own thing with no thought of how it affected him. Was there anyway for that to be true? Probably not, she way not have talk out many decision with him, but subconsciously he must have. Now they were apart, she could do anything and she'd never have to wonder what could have been. He desperately wanted to be fair to her. Eric hoped that his letter had explained that, but couldn't know because she hadn't replied.

"Hey Forman." He was pulled out of his thought when the English guy he shared a room with came back. His name was James and something about him reminded Eric of Hyde. He had bleached blonde hair, which had something to do with the lead singer of a band called 'Generation X'. They were a pretty good band actually, or maybe Eric had just been brainwashed by hearing their albums over and over again. "Word from home?"

"Yeah." Eric poured out the contents of his parcel. "Tape from Mom, Fez, Hyde and Jackie? Now that's weird"

"How weird?"

"Jackie's the devil. Hyde's ex so God knows why she'd be sending me a tape." Eric pulled out his journal, just his notes about what happened everyday. He wanted to remember everything, all the feelings, so he'd always know he'd done something with his life.

"Well then play it and find out."

"James." Eric chuckled. "I have been working all day and I'm sweaty. The last thing I need is to hear a voice that causes windows to break. I'll put on Hyde's, might have some Zeppelin." Eric popped the tape into the player and started writing about how fascinated a class of kids were with a map of the world.

"Hey dude." Hyde sounded like he was exhausted, but Eric was right there was Zeppelin in the background. "Turns out Red was right all these years, we're a stupid stupid generation. I dunno whether it's the drugs or the beer or whether it's just her. I was right, you know, Jackie she… God! She just makes you stupid!"

"And again I have no idea what he's talking about." Eric muttered as James stared at the player in confusion.

"Right, I'm gonna go back to the start."

"An excellent idea!" Agreed James with a clap. "Christ, your home town is mental."

"WB had me watching his house and of course there was a party. All Randy's fault, I told him not to but does he listen? No, so really everything that's happened can be blamed on him! I mean really, I am seriously considering hitting him with a 2x4 or just tricking him into pissing off Jackie 'till he kicks him. Look the long and short of it is, I slept with Jackie."

"SHE-DEVIL!" Shrieked Eric, falling off the bed in a fit of twitchy hysteria.

"Ooo sex with the ex." Said James laughing. "Never a good idea."

"Not good! Bad really really bad! So bad it's just… There's no words… Bad!" Eric was pointing at the tape recorder, yelling nonsense.

"You get really twitchy when you're upset." James observed mildly.

"He's married, oh yeah, married!" Eric continued yelling furiously, his eyebrows darting wildly.

That surprised his room mate. "Well that makes it less funny."

"There's nothing funny, this is just so wrong!" Eric kept jumping round the bed rambling on about yoko and the devil until Hyde began speaking again.

"Think that gives you enough time for your yelling and twitching now shut up so I can explain the whole situation."

"The explanation better be demonic mind control!" James shushed the skinny man, now listening to the tape with interest.

"The worst part was I wasn't even drunk, tipsy yeah, but not drunk. Well not the first time anyway. And more yelling." Eric was of course yelling again, screaming at the cassette player.

"Quiet, Forman. There's no TV here and I need some entertainment!" James was trying to listen to the tape over Eric's twitchy panic.

"Yeah Forman. There was more than once, just settle down and quit freaking out! Yeah the first time at the party, I was drunk but not hammered. Yeah I started it and I knew what I was doing but that doesn't matter. She surprised me, that's why this is a problem. Genie's outta the bottle now and I can't do anything. I mean I wake up and she's gone, and I wasn't even planning on leaving. Yeah, I probably would've done the same but that's still not the point!"

"Makes sense to me." James said nodding. Hyde was getting pissed again.

"She did it to hurt me as well and she didn't even look guilty! Least I felt bad when I slept with the nurse and married Sam. Yeah Ok Forman I felt bad big whoop! See she messes me up! And just when I start forgetting about it, it happens again! And this time it was not at all my fault! I was completely hammered and there were stupid trees everywhere and she kissed me! She threw herself at me, literally this time. She took advantage of me man!"

"What about Sam?" Eric spluttered at the player.

"Can't ignore this man, I mean Sam's left now. She doesn't know what happened. See her real husband turned up."

"BURN!"

"Shush!"

"I don't know what I'm suppose to do about this. I think… I'm still into her, man." He sighed in frustration. "I love her." The tape went quiet apart for the sounds of Led Zeppelin. "And don't run to your Mommy, Forman. If she finds out Red'll kill me."

"Oh not this again!" Eric groaned as the tape began to rewind.

"Put on the girls tape." James told him, grinning. "See what her story is."

"You know what dude? I think I need a break from ungodly unions, listen to Fez's first." Eric switched the tapes over hoping for something distracting.

"Ai, Eric." There was a melodramatic sigh on the tape.

"Think, he knows." James nodded.

"HYDE AND JACKIE DID THE DIRTY HOKEY POKEY!" The tape ended.

"The girl now?" Asked James, smirking at Eric's look of surprise. Eric rolled his eyes and popped in Jackie's tape.

"Eric, what am I gonna do? You've listened to Fez tape right? Me and Steven slept together. Twice." She sighed softly.

"What were you yelling about? Poor thing."

"Oh no no no, mon frere. This is sad Jackie, the soft vulnerable side that hides the inner beast!" He tossed a photo of Jackie and Hyde at him.

"Now she is adorable. You don't feel at all sorry for her?" James asked in disbelief.

"No! She's evil, she's not sweet and I do not feel sorry for her! Well, I guess… Come on what am I suppose to do for her?"

"I know it was stupid to leave, and selfish too but I didn't wanna wake up there alone, I already felt bad enough." She started to cry quietly. "It just hurt so much, it felt like I'd lost him all over again. And then I throw myself at him? God I'm so stupid sometimes. I feel so guilty right now, which is just stupid because he doesn't care! And now Sam's gone… I don't know, should I talk to him? I can't stop loving him." There was a few seconds more of crying before the tape ended.

"So, skinny what are you going to do?" James asked, flicking through a magazine.

"Nothing! I'll make this worse, trust me!" Eric started pacing around the room. "Why are they asking me anyway? I have my own problems! Donna!"

"She hasn't talked to you in two months mate." James looked up sympathetically. "Your mates need your help so just call this Hyde guy."

"And say what!" Eric asked.

"That she does feel guilty and to just get back together and stop whining." James answered nonchalantly before he flicked the light switch and crawled into bed. "Night." Ten seconds later Eric hadn't moved. "Call him or go to sleep!"

Eric stormed outside to ring Hyde. Kitty picked up the phone and began squealing excitedly about Steven's marriage ending.

"Mom can you just put Hyde on the phone?"

"Oh of course, he needs his friends. I'll go get him." Eric tapped his foot furiously, determined to stay angry enough to just shout and be out of this situation.

"Hey man."

"What do you think you are doing?" Eric shrieked down the phone.

"Huh, mail to Africa's faster than I thought."

"Don't change the subject! You has sex with the devil and you said your in love with her. How can you fall in love with the devil?"

"Are you planning on helping or just twitching yourself to death?" Hyde asked irritably.

Eric sighed. "What you gonna do man?"

"No idea. She doesn't want me so there's nothing I can do."

"Come on man, you can't give up."

"You just said she was evil."

"But she made you happy, or at least less pissed off." Eric admitted reluctantly. "And she does want you."

"Not anymore, not the same way."

"Oh come on!" Eric shouted. "Do something! We both know that if Kelso was back you'd be doing something to stop them getting back together. Well, someone else is gonna come along and by then it's gonna be too late. So just do something!"

"Hey, she left me man! I don't even understand why she did that, except to hurt me."

"God. You can be so stupid sometimes! She only did that so you couldn't bail first, like you always do. You love her and she loves you so why don't you go tell her that so you can be together dumbass!"

He hung up the phone leaving a surprised Hyde on the other end. Checking the time he rang Grooves. "Randy, I won't be in today… I just wont okay? See you tomorrow."

******************************

Twenty minutes later Hyde was stood at the door to her apartment, marvelling at his own madness. It had only taken five minutes to drive there. The last fifteen minutes had been spent, raising his fist to knock on the door, pacing the hallway, grabbing the handle to just walk in, pacing the hallway then storming off in frustration before returning to pace the hallway. He was surprised that the fruity carpet was still there.

Why was he even here? Just because Sam left? No that definitely not the reason. Or, in a way, it kind of was. Hyde wouldn't be here if Sam hadn't left, his selfish, self-inflicted pain would've kept him away. Staying with her to hurt himself was just sick and he would never have the strength to admit that and end it. But it wasn't even being with Sam that was making him miserable. She was cool, he liked her. The obvious answer seemed to be that he was depressed because he wasn't with Jackie. They'd joke about him never being happy; but he had been. It was insane to think that she had had that much affect on him, and that he hadn't ever noticed it; until now. He slid down the wall to sit on the floor. How was it that marrying a near stranger had made him admit what the relationship between him and Jackie had really meant to him? This was gonna be his final chance with her and either he'd be able to make it work now or that sham of a marriage had done nothing but proved he was far too screwed up to make anything work. He almost laughed when he realised this was the deepest inner monologue he'd ever had while sober.

He was about to attempt to knock on the door again when Fez stepped out into the hallway. He saw Hyde and immediately ran into a fast-track rant. "Hyde! Well hello there Hyde my friend, what is new with you because I don't know, I have no idea who you've been doing. WHAT you've been doing, not who, I don't know what you've been doing. Please do tell. Oh look at the time I best be going, bye!" Fez had darted down the hallway outta sight before even finishing.

"Weird." Hyde shook his head and growled at the door before finally going inside. Jackie was sat on the sofa watching some lame daytime soap opera eating popcorn. She barely glanced toward the door when she heard it open, but stood up with wide eyes when she saw it was him. "Steven… Uh. What are you doing here?"

"Sam left." Hyde could almost feel himself cringe at the words. That wasn't even an answer and it wasn't why he was here, a factor, but not the reason.

"Um, yeah. I heard." She sat back down, fixing her head to face the screen, but her eyes continued to dart in his direction. Hyde sat on the sofa and took off his shades. Having no idea what he was going to say, he sat staring at them in his hand. "Are you alright?" She asked slowly, finally looking at him.

"Yeah. For the best and all that."

She nodded, looking down. "Some relationships are better off over. Or, maybe, never happening in the first place."

"Not sure which one of those was me and Sam." He heard her scoff. "No, I think there was something good that came outta this whole stupid, crazy mess." Hyde took a deep breath and said a silent prayer to whatever he believed and tried to tell her what he meant by that. He opened his mouth and lost control completely, he started laughing at how mad the past few months had been. Not that any of it was funny, just so completely insane. He looked towards Jackie who was staring at him like he'd gone mad. That just made him laugh even more. "Oh God!" He gasped. "I just realised how God damn stupid it all was. I got married! Married, all because I was drunk and angry. God so fucking stupid!" It was all suddenly hilariously funny to him. Jackie wasn't laughing, just facing him with a stony glare. He stopped laughing, feeling as though he'd been drenched in cold water.

"What about staying with her?" She asked coldly.

"Okay, that wasn't funny. You know, that had nothing to do with you or us, I was…"

"There was no us by then." She snapped getting up and storming into the kitchen area. She stopped once there and then began moving pots and pans about, not really sure what to do with herself but making a lot of noise.

Hyde sighed and bit his tongue, desperate to avoid an argument. "Look, Jackie…"

"Why are you here?" She yelled, her voice sounding strangled. Hyde sat silently, still staring at his hands not knowing how to answer, despite this being his second chance at the question.

"We never finished what we were talking about. Just after I got home?" He moved over to the counter. She turned away and began clearing away plates. "I'm serious Jackie…Will you please stop punishing the cutlery?" Having ran out of plates she was now, apparently, rearranging the knives and forks; violently.

"So what you came to talk?" She asked sarcastically.

"Why not?" He snapped back. He growled softly, getting irritated with himself.

"Talking is for people who have something in common."

"That was years ago! Why are you using that against me?" She was deliberately difficult now and was not intending to talk, or listen, to him. She must have guessed why he was here by now and was going to make this as hard as possible. "What, your just gonna give me the silent treatment now" She didn't reply, the crazy kitchen sort-out had now moved on to the canned goods. "Christ Jackie!" He yelled slamming his hand down on the counter. She jumped at the sound and finally looked at him. Or at least faced his direction, though she didn't look him in the eye. "I came here to talk to you okay. Late but that's why I'm here!" She sighed and stared at the counter quietly.

"I really don't want to." She said softly. "I don't have anything to say to you."

"Then just listen, please."

"No!" She shouted, storming into the living room. "Just leave! I don't want to talk and I don't want to listen. So just get the hell out of my apartment!"

"Why won't you listen to me?"

"Because it hurts! Talking to you, it physically hurts! I'm done, okay. Every time I see you something happens and I get hurt. So I'm done! Done with you and us and just all of it!" Hyde heard himself start shouting back before he'd even decided what he was saying.

"And you think you've never hurt me? You're the one that went to Chicago!"

"You wanted me to go!"

Hyde didn't understand that at all. How could she think that? The one time he would've liked her to know what he was thinking and she gets it all wrong. "No I didn't." He muttered.

"Then why didn't you tell me that?" She was crying now, he threw the shades onto the floor, wanting more than ever to put them back on. "You as good as told me to go."

"Didn't want you to go."

"Then why did you do that?" She'd stopped yelling. The silence that followed was tangible.

"I do.."

"Don't you dare, Steven! Don't you dare fucking say that you don't know again!" He stood silent, he didn't know. He'd been stupid and childish and he didn't no why.

"I was stupid. And stubborn and angry."

"Why?"

"Again, probably because I'm stupid. I wanted you to stay but I didn't want to have to ask you to. I was going to, wasn't gonna like it but I was gonna do it. But then you left, and… I wanted to hurt you."

"Well done." She spat.

"I'm sorry. Jackie, I love you." Hyde moved closer towards her. She backed away until her back hit the wall. Hyde just stood looking at her, waiting for her to say something. "I'm miserable without you ok. Being with Sam, made me realised I don't just love." He practically had to chock out the word. "I need you." She stayed silent, it was driving him mad and it had only been a few seconds. "Jackie, please say something." She didn't move. Didn't look at him, she stayed looking at the floor, biting her lower lip. "Say something sweetheart, please." He whispered. He'd never allow her to tell his friends but that was what he'd call her. At that moment he'd call everyone in the phonebook to confess that if she'd say something, fucking anything. She tilted her head further down and closed her eyes. Hyde inched closer until there was only the tinniest sliver of air between them. He could smell her now, strawberries and cream, vanilla and warm caramel popcorn. He felt his own breathing grow heavier, in sync with hers, just being close to her was a cruel test of self-control. Especially considering his body's recent rebellion against his mind, either his heart or his cock had taken over. Didn't matter really since they were both focused on the girl in front of him. He reached out and trailed his fingers softly from her ear, along the bone to her chin. She leaned into his touch, almost involuntarily responding. He raised her chin, her parted lips were less than an inch from his. Jackie's eyes flickered open ns locked on his. Hyde moved his face closer to hers.

"Steven, don't." She breathed weakly, her mouth mover closer to his anyway.

"Tell me to stop." He challenged hoarsely, his breathing so fast it was making his head spin. She moaned softly in her throat. Hyde closed the gap between them, swiftly crushing his lips against hers and pinning her against the wall. Jackie's back arched, pushing close against his body as her arms slid up around his neck. Hyde moaned deeply, dipping his tongue into her mouth, tasting the sweet caramel there. He cupped her face, caressing her creamy skin. Her body moulded smoothly against his, so different then their secret times together. Their lips moved together like they had so long ago as if they'd never been apart. Everything felt right, every simple, if just for those few seconds.

Hyde began to move his lips slower, kissing her more softly as his hands slid down her sides and under her shirt to feel the warm skin of her bare back. Her nails scratched lightly through the hairs on the back of his neck and he leaned forward, feeling his body go limp. She moved her hands to his shoulders, trailing her fingers lightly down his back to the hem of his t-shirt and pulling it over his head hastily. Hyde moved his hands lower, cupping her ass and lifting her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he tried to find his way to the bedroom without breaking contact. He didn't know what part of his body was in charge now, not that it really mattered since every single part of him was screaming with joy.

He somehow fell through a doorway and onto something that felt like a bed. Good enough. He thought, finally breaking the kiss to look at her. It took her a couple of seconds to open her eyes again. She looked happy but something in her eyes were different, making it impossible to tell if she really believed anything he'd said. He pecked her lips sweetly, "Sweetheart." he whispered against her lips. She kissed him again causing them to both fall off the bed onto the floor. Hyde stared down at her again. "You sure you wanna do this baby?" He wanted her to know that this wasn't just fucking, never just sex ever again.

"God, yes." She whispered, pulling the blanket over them both. She pulled off her own shirt as he unbuckled his belt furiously. He felt her tongue flick against his collarbone as her skirt slid down, somehow getting wrapped around Hyde's foot. He stroked her gently though her underwear, feeling her wet already. She sat up, peeling them off and kicking them away before pulling him back down on top of her. Hyde bit his lip as she began sucking on his ear lobe, nipping him gently with her teeth. "Now." She whispered passionately.

"Condom?"

"Pill."

Hyde kissed her deeply, sliding into her slowly. He felt her nails dig into his shoulders, deep enough to leave marks as her head tipped back. He trailed his tongue along her exposed neck. Drawing out a long moan. Hyde buried his face in her neck, moving inside her slowly. He held her tiny body tight against his, listening to her soft sounds of enjoyment. "Fuck baby, I'm not gonna last." He hissed kissing the drops of sweat on her shoulder.

"Oh God, so close." She whispered faintly, nibbling and licking his neck tenderly. Hyde shifted so his pelvis was grinding against her clit, driving her wild beneath him. He wound his hands in her silky dark hair as she moaned nonsense under her breath. She grew louder as her biting became harder, he felt her muscles contract around him as she repeated his name. It sent him over the edge as he came inside her.

"Fuck." He whispered, waiting for his heart rate to slow before he moved. "Was that just me or was that way more intense than before?" He buried his face in her strawberry hair. Silently admitting to himself that he was unbelievably happy.

There we go people, I've began thinking forward planning some returns and some goodbyes (just gotta figure how to work a 2x4 into it). And yet again I'm posting t half two in the morning. My creativity is totally working on American time.