WARNING: SMUT ALERT! This chapter is rated M for serious smutty smut. The dirty stuff begins when they enter the garage for the 2nd time, so you can read safely until then before having to cover your eyes. Of course, you can always just keep them open...

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CHAPTER 15

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Donna and Jackie drink cocoa while sitting at the table. They stare at each other for a moment and then erupt in serious, hysterical laughter.

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"That did not happen" Donna says, doubting her friend's story.

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"Oh it happened" Jackie promises. "And not only did it happen, but it happened twice".

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Donna buries her face in her hands. "I did not need that image burned into my brain".

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Hyde walks into the room at the tail end of the conversation carrying some of Jackie's clothes in his arms. "What are you two magpies gossiping about?" he asks suspiciously.

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"Caddyshack" Donna and Jackie answer simultaneously. They look at each other in surprise. "Nice" they both smile and nod as they speak again at the same time.

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"Jinx" Jackie shouts, pointing at the blonde.

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"Well, um, sorry to break up your little gossip session, but Jackie is needed out front in the garage" he informs them.

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"Mr. Forman is looking for me?" she asks.

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He looks at her lasciviously. "Sure. We'll go with that."

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Donna tries to stifle an amused smile. "Okay kids. Don't mind me, but I'm just going to go downstairs to check on my man-child," she says as she walks towards the basement, carrying her mug.

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Jackie notices Donna mocking her with a kissy face out of the corner of her eye and shakes her head. She then looks in Hyde's direction. "Does our girl talk worry you or something?" she asks. "Believe me, what I had to say will only improve your reputation."

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"Of course it will." Hyde grins devilishly as he helps Jackie up from her chair and hands her a pair of jeans and a sweater. "Put these on" he orders.

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Without asking why, she slips her sweater over Hyde's shirt and pulls off his boxers, replacing them with her jeans. He grabs her snow boots from the mat just inside the sliding glass door and helps her into them. He then puts her coat on for her.

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"You warm enough?" he asks, pulling her woolly hat down over her ears. She nods compliantly. "Come on, we're leaving." he says, guiding her to the door by her elbow.

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"Oh we're really doing this? I thought it was just misdirection to get me alone" she says.

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He slides the glass door open. "Everybody in this house heard us banging this afternoon, Jackie. No misdirection necessary."

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"You're more genteel than Robbie Benson in 'Ice Castles'." she snorts as he ushers her by her slender shoulders outside towards the garage. "Where are you taking me?" she questions him.

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"Stop asking questions" he tells her.

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"Are you trying to get me to fix your car for you?" she wonders.

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"Stop digging for information" he scolds.

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"Where do you expect us to drive to when the roads are all blocked?" she challenges, hoping to trick him into some details.

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He stops walking and turns her around to face him. "Zip it" he orders.

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"Make me" she smiles coyly.

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Hyde shakes his head, amused by her gumption. "Oh I plan to, just not right now."

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They walk into the garage and he starts digging around in the back for something.

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"I love surprises!" she chirps, bouncing up and down to warm herself up.

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Hyde smirks as he pulls something metal from the back, scraping it along the concrete floor. "No. You think you love surprises, but you don't. You don't like anything you can't plan yourself" he retorts.

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Jackie purses her lips in thought. "I suppose you're right, but I really am the best at planning surprises for myself."

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He drags a large sled to the driveway in front of the garage and dusts it off with a rag. "Thought you might like a ride."

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Jackie covers her mouth with her hands. "Oh my God, Steven! This is so romantic!" she turns to him. "Are you...baked right now?" she gently questions.

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Hyde puffs out a breath. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised you think I have to be high to do something nice for you." he says, embarrassment sweeping his face.

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She looks down at the ground. "No, it's just...this usually isn't your kind of thing."

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Watching her try to think up the right euphemism to excuse his past bad behavior makes his cheeks burn hot with shame. It amazes him that even after the way he mistreated her, she still goes out of her way to avoid hurting his feelings. He wonders why he could never bring himself to return the favor. God knows she could have used the support.

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"It is now" he says with conviction as he lifts her threshold style into the cab of the sled and begins pulling her towards destinations unknown.

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Despite the bitter cold, Jackie's insides vibrate with warmth. In her wildest dreams, she never anticipated that her ex would put so much effort into doing something romantic just to make her happy. She quietly wonders if this is a permanent change or just the holiday spirit possessing him. Either way, she pushes those thoughts out of her mind and tries to enjoy the moment for what it is. He always used to get pissed off when she was too busy thinking about the future to enjoy the present, and though she hates to admit it to herself, but he was right.

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After having absolutely nothing in her life go according to plan, she's been trying to learn to take each day as it comes and not question how it fits into the grand scheme of things. People may think she's shallow, but they have no idea. She would trade all of the natural gifts she was born with in exchange for a feeling of peace and a shot at true happiness. At this point, she'll take what she can get.

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During those rare times that she had the guts to complain to her mother about being neglected, her mom would always respond by saying that 'God doesn't give with both hands'. She always thought this was just her mother's way of cutting her down and making her feel ugly or stupid, but she knows now that her mom was actually referring to herself. Pam Burkhart may have been blessed with great beauty, wealth and an expensive education, but she was denied all of the other things that make life worth living. Perhaps Pam wasn't insulting her daughter, but rather...warning her?

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With an old rope tossed over his shoulder, Hyde trudges through the snow, pulling his lost love behind him. Deep longing tugs at Jackie's loins as she watches his strong arms flex and tighten as he grips the lead. Her eyes fall on his taut behind and her rhythmic breathing increases as her desire for him builds. Feeling her gaze, her shepherd glances over his shoulder and winks at her. She finds herself struggling to stay lucid as her brain clouds over with lust. She guesses this is what happens when you don't have sex for over a year.

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Sliding to a stop, Hyde drops the rope and circles around to extract Jackie from the sled. He lifts her high out of the carrier, but before he has a chance to put her down, she wraps her legs tightly around his waist. Slightly out of breath from his work-out, he sways for a moment, before securing her neatly against his body.

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"What's happening here?" he smiles as he slides his hands under her behind for support.

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Jackie shrugs and then leans forward to kiss him. She takes off one glove and runs her fingers over the nape of his neck and then through his hair. His face is ruddy from exercise and slick with a thin layer of sweat that rubs against her cheek as she buries her head into his neck to nuzzle him. The salty tang of his skin fills her mouth and she finds it strangely intoxicating. The old Jackie would have been too uptight and vain to get a little messy from fooling around, but nowadays she knows you can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs.

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Hyde moans softly as he withstands his ex's kissing assault. Getting carried away, she unwraps his scarf, letting it fall gently to the ground and begins to rapidly unbutton his coat.

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"Woah" he says, halting her from going any further. "As much as I want to do this, I don't think we should risk hypothermia and frostbite."

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"I'm not worth a few amputated fingers?" she pouts, a look of frustration flashing across her multicolored eyes as she unfurls her legs.

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"I wasn't really thinking about my fingers, doll" he says as he struggles to hold himself back, a Herculean effort considering the way this girl looks at him when she's feeling horny.

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"Well, I guess I wouldn't want anything to happen to that either" she purrs, tickling under his chin with her glove-free hand.

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He pulls off one of his own gloves and interlaces his fingers with hers, then tucks both of them into his side coat pocket as he leads her along a snow bank.

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"I'm starting to glisten Steven, which as you know I totally love," she says sarcastically, "so this surprise had better be worth it" she warns.

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"Shut up and walk, Jackie" he laughs as he brings her to the site of his big surprise.

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Jackie surveys the area then looks at him with utter confusion. "My surprise is the water tower?" she asks, disappointment starting to seep in.

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He wraps his arms around her from behind and points to the silo. "You remember how to read dummy, don't you?" he ribs.

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She looks up and notices giant letters to the lower right of the pot leaf that read 'S.J.H + J.B.B.'

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"I would've put our whole names but it's about -20 up there with the wind chill and I was freezing my nads off" he explains.

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The pocket-sized beauty turns around and throws her arms around his neck. "When did you do this?" she wonders. "You've been with me all day".

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Hyde looks away with uncharacteristic bashfulness. "Last week" he mumbles.

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Jackie's eyes grow wide with shock. "You did this last week? How did you even know that I would show up or that we would- -?"

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"I didn't" he says plainly. "All I know is that this is how I feel about you and I don't really give a shit who else knows about it. I should have done this for you years ago. Better late than never, right?"

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Tears well in Jackie's eyes as she launches herself at him, crashing her lips against his hungrily, her body thick with want for him. She pulls his scarf off again and tugs frantically at his coat buttons as her mouth works it's way down the front of his throat.

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"Damn..." he breathes as he musters the resolve to wrestle her off of him again.

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"Are you kidding me?" she shouts at him, banging her tiny fists against his chest in annoyance.

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Hyde chuckles at her eagerness. "Hop on my back and we'll leave the sled here. It'll be faster".

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"Oh, I'm gonna hop on your back, all right" she threatens seductively as she climbs into piggyback position, wrapping her legs and arms tightly around him.

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He runs his hands under her ass and gives it a little squeeze before taking off at top speed towards the Formans' house.

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Hyde lowers Jackie onto the driveway and chases her inside of the garage, pulling the main gate shut behind them.

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Jackie locks the back door and strips her coat, gloves and sparkly red holiday sweater off, leaving her in just a hat, bra and her skin tight jeans.

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Hyde approaches her from across the room with lust in his eyes and carefully removes his gloves, tugging at each finger separately, making her wait.

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Irritated by his sloth, she reaches out and grabs him by the scarf, savagely pulling him in closer before finally stripping his coat from his body.

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He slips one hand down the front of her jeans, causing her to moan on contact. "Eager" he whispers in a low voice. "I see you're still going commando in these jeans" he says with a raised eyebrow.

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"Are you complaining?" She asks as she quickly snatches his sunglasses from his face before he has a chance to stop her.

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"Pretty shifty, doll" he scolds her with an underlying hint of pride.

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She bats her eyes innocently as she tosses them softly on top of his coat.

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"How do you want it?" he asks her, as he continues to tease her with his hand.

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Her breath hitches as her pleasure builds. "Fast and dirty" she manages to force out before a whimper escapes her lips.

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"I could get off just watching you" he whispers hotly in her ear as he tweaks her firm nipple through the material of her bra.

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He unhooks her bra and flings it on to the ground, and she responds by lifting his t-shirt off as well.

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He turns her around and caresses her breasts from behind with one hand while continuing to probe her with the other.

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He buries his wet mouth into her neck, causing her to shiver with each lingering kiss. Between the frigid temperature of the garage and the skill of Steven's fingers, she is shaking like a leaf.

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"Put your hands on the car" he growls as he bends her over the hood of the Vista cruiser.

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Her breathing speeds up as she hears him unbuckle his belt and feels him lean his firmness into her, using his body weight to press her naked breasts into the cold hard steel of the car. He carefully peels her jeans down half way and lowers his chest onto her back to warm her. "You ready?" he checks as he pulls her hair to the side, to provide access to her sweet mouth.

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She nods slowly and he can see a small smile spread across her lips. He can tell already that holding off is going to be a challenge this time.

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He sweeps his hands over the silky skin of her behind before hooking them in front of her hips, which he angles upwards. "Hang on" he instructs her and she curls her fingers around the ridge of the hood.

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He takes a deep breath and sinks roughly into her core with a low groan, causing Jackie to gasp loudly and whisper his name. "You feel so good, baby," he says as he fells her warmth envelop him.

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He pumps away relentlessly, as deep and as hard as they can both withstand. Her body is pinned so tightly against the hood of the cruiser that she can barely breath, her fingers white-knuckling the sides of the hood to keep from sliding off.

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"Jackie, you're so damn beautiful" he pants as he pulls her hips sharply towards his pelvis, knowing full-well they would both be earning some bruises from this.

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"Steeeven" she moans in ecstasy as he brings her closer to completion.

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"God I missed you" he grunts as he continues stroking her insides hard. "I love you so much Jackie" he says, words tumbling aimlessly from his lips without the aid of a censor.

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"Oh God" she cries, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "Please..."

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"I want you" he yells into her back, "Don't leave me" he pleads recklessly under his breath.

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"Don't stop, please don't stop!" she begs as he slams into her harder.

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Watching this goddess writhe beneath him, Hyde feels like the luckiest bastard in the universe. Never in a million years did he dare to hope that he'd have the chance to be inside of her again, much less have her gagging for it this badly. He wants her to truly feel him, to know the things he has trouble expressing any other way but this.

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Jackie curses his name loudly as he pushes her past her breaking point, pleasure overwhelming all of her senses and wiping her brain of all thoughts but him.

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She shakes beneath him as he joins her, emptying into her, letting himself go - all of his fears, struggles and pain are a distant memory and all he can see in front of him right now is this woman who has haunted his life like a ghost. If only he could really let himself go. That would be the greatest high of all.

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They remain frozen in place, both recovering from their mind-blowing encounter. Hyde pulls her closer to him, letting himself be comforted by the delicate sound of her heart beating through her back.

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Jackie lifts her head, squirming gently out of his grasp. "I'm having trouble breathing" she says apologetically. "You're not light."

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"Sorry" he mumbles clumsily as he lifts himself off of her and break their intimate contact below.

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She flips over onto her back to look up into his uncovered eyes. "That was...wow" she shakes her head. "Blue ribbon all the way," she blurts out, for lack of a better description. She giggles girlishly as her hair spreads out dramatically across the hood of the car.

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Hyde laughs. "Blue ribbon, eh?' he grins, letting her explore his clear, cerulean eyes without limitation.

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An awkward silence passes between them.

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She shifts her weight and begins playing with the curls on the back of his neck. "You've been uncharacteristically, um, vocal" she begins, not knowing what to say or how to say it.

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He sighs inwardly, knowing where this conversation is headed. He's never been on this end of the discussion though, so it should prove to be very enlightening.

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"You know, I find it funny. For two years you would always tell me how much you loved me, and I wasn't man enough to say it back. Now that I finally grew a pair, you can't bring yourself to do it anymore, can you?" he asks.

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Jackie's face constricts as she fields conflicting emotions. "It's not that I don't feel it, I do. It's just that for so long, I couldn't let myself feel anything for you, because I knew you didn't feel the same way about me. I trained myself to push those things aside, and it's just hard to let myself go now."

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Hyde exhales hoarsely as he brings his hands to either side of her head. "Of course I felt those things. If I could go back..."

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"But you can't go back" she replies. "It is what it is and we just have to deal with what's in front of us" she says decisively. "No matter how much we might wish it were otherwise," she says softly as she begins to pick her clothes up and get dressed.

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"Can I ask you something, doll?" he starts apprehensively, too nervous to ask but too desperate for answers not to.

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"Is this a regular question or one of the 20 questions?" she teases.

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"Well, I really want an answer, so let's make it official. #19 – Do you think...would you ever consider giving us another shot?" he holds his breath to wait for an answer.

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Her heart speeds up and she can hear it loudly beating away in her ears, like a marching band. "I, um, I don't know really."

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He braces himself for battle and looks earnestly into her eyes. "Today has been the best day I've had since the last day you and I spent together and every day in-between the two has been absolute crap. I don't want to stop feeling this good," he confesses, knowing he has to reveal more than he's comfortable with in order for her to understand his commitment. He's prepared to sing like a jailbird if it will keep her from walking out the door.

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"Me too" she says as the corners of her mouth begin to pick up slightly. "But I'm scared".

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Hyde takes a yet another deep breath and jumps into the deep end. "I'm scared too," he admits.

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Jackie's eyes register her surprise. "You're scared? Of me?"

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He shrugs. "It may have seemed like I was fine when I was with Sam, but I was far from fine. I kind of felt..." he takes a moment to gear up. "I was lost without you. I really didn't know who I was when I was with her," he admits begrudgingly.

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She smiles and her eyes sparkle with admiration for him risking to open up. "Go on," she urges.

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He smiles and shakes his finger at her. "You're loving this a little too much."

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She raises an eyebrow at him. "Well I'm entitled to, considering it's never happened before. I believe you were saying something about what I do for you..."

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He rubs the back of his neck with the palm of his hand, stalling to build some courage. "It's not just what you do for me Jackie. I don't want you to think that. I like taking care of you too, it made me feel good. I liked it when you were my responsibility."

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"Come on" she blurts out incredulously. "You always acted like it was such a drag to do anything for me. I had to beg and bribe you to do the smallest things".

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"I didn't know what was best for me," he says, leaning against the cruiser with his jeans still undone. "You make me feel things and I don't feel things, that's not my thing," he admits bravely. "But I know it's good for me and I'm afraid that if you leave again, I'm just gonna be numb again and turn into something I'm not proud of. I mean, I know I don't have a lot to offer you, but-"

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"What are you talking about?" she asks, completely bewildered. "Before we started up, I was so used to relying on my looks for things that I didn't even think to question whether I was good for anything other than that. You demanded more from me and it made me want to be more," she reveals. "I mean, there are tons of hot chicks out there, but you wanted to be with me, which made me think that if a deep hippie like you wanted me, I must be more than just a pretty face. You're the only one who ever told me I could do anything with my life besides marry well. You gave me confidence," she says emphatically, then turns to look at her feet "but then you kind of took it all away."

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Like a knife twisting in his gut, her words tear up his insides. He paces one lap around the garage and then turns away from her, unable to face her directly as tears threaten to sting his eyes. "I didn't know. I mean, that's not true, I did know. I did it on purpose, but I wasn't even aware it was happening. Look, I was scared shitless you'd leave me and figured as long as I you thought I was pulling away, you'd fight for me and you'd stay," he explains with labored breathing. "I knew you would fight and I knew that I couldn't. But I am now."

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Jackie is speechless. She'd always felt deep down that he was doing this to her, but always assumed it was just in her imagination until this moment. Anger rises hot inside her chest and her hands reflexively clench in an effort to keep herself in line. "And you had the audacity to call me manipulative? You screwed with my head and made me think I was barely enough to keep you around!"

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Regaining his composure, Hyde takes her hand, flattening it out again. He looks directly into her eyes, leaving himself completely vulnerable. "Look Jackie, I know my life is going to suck without you in it, but I won't...I won't bother you if I make you feel like shit about yourself. I only want to make you feel good from now on babydoll, I swear. I'll do anything it takes."

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She locks eyes with him as she worries her bottom lip. "You really love me?"

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He nods tightly.

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Like a long nasty spell that has been broken, all of Jackie's anger begins to slowly melt away, freeing her from it's tight grip. Looking at him, she just knows. He means everything he's saying and he does in fact, much to her surprise, actually love her.

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She licks her lips and swallows hard to quench her dry throat. "Okay, we can try" she says softly and before she can utter another word, his mouth crashes against hers in a searing kiss.

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A/N – I know I know. Another angsty chapter. I promise from here on in, you will get some lighter stuff. So-what did you think? Did the smut work for you? Was the confession scene okay? Please review and let me know!