This chapter is rated T. No smut here—sorry.
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Thanks again for leaving all of the reviews and for all the 'favorite's—they really push me to keep going. I love knowing people are out there actually reading this!
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CHAPTER 16
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Jackie and Hyde walk into the kitchen only to find they've wandered smack dab in the middle of a ruckus.
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She shoots him a confused look and he shrugs cluelessly. Nobody seems to notice them entering the kitchen with the activity level at such a fevered pitch.
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Taking advantage of their anonymity amongst the distraction, Hyde presses Jackie up against the glass door and kisses her tenderly.
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She gives him a secret smile as he runs his thumb across her lips and shakes his head. "You're gonna kill me one day, Jackie Burkhart."
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She laughs. "Probably. But you'd be going out in style."
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He smiles and kisses her again, then leans to whisper in her ear "I want to get you alone."
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She starts coughing loudly. "I can barely walk right now, Steven. The shop is closed until morning."
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He smirks, slightly proud of himself for wearing her out. "Feel free to say that again and louder in front of the others when we get to the basement."
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Suddenly, Kitty notices the two of them from across the room and flocks over. "What's happening here?"
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"Just having a chat, Mrs. Forman" he answers, trying to deflect attention.
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"Do you normally chat with somebody by shoving your tongue down their throat?" she laughs gleefully.
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Hyde is frozen in place. "You saw that?"
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"You two haven't gotten together again, have you?" she probes, hoping upon hope.
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Hyde shrugs as Jackie looks pointlessly at the ceiling.
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"Oh my God, you've gotten together! Red! Steven and Jackie got back together!" she screams at the top of her lungs and starts clapping frantically. "I knew it! I knew it! I told you this would happen if I invited her here!" she vibrates with excitement until she notices the new couple completely knocked out by the news that they were set up.
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Kitty leans over and pats Jackie on the side of the arm. "Of course, we really wanted you here, dear. Not just for Steven. For, um...conversation" she says in a sing-singy voice as she retreats quickly to the living room to spread the news.
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"That was interesting" she says, completely freaked out.
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He grabs her hand and leads her into the basement. "Come on".
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As they make their way down the stairs, they notice all of their friends hugging Donna and patting Eric on the back.
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"What's with all the commotion, Forman?" Hyde asks before he reaches the bottom of the stairs.
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"Well, Donna and I..." Eric starts.
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"Steven, mistletoe" Jackie interrupts as she points upwards.
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He holds up one finger to the gang and lays a kiss on his woman then turns back to Eric. "You were saying?"
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Eric turns to Donna, completely mystified by the reunified couple. "It doesn't get less unnatural with time, does it?"
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"Sadly, no" Donna responds.
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"Shut up Forman and tell me what's up" he complains.
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"We're getting married!" Donna squeals, showing off her ring.
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"Wow! Really?" Jackie asks, breaking away from Hyde to check out the ring. "Congratulations!"
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"Three times lucky" Hyde says obnoxiously.
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"Steven!" Jackie admonishes him.
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"Sorry" he bites out as he holds his hands up in surrender.
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The entire gang looks at this exchange suspiciously.
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"Did you just apologize, Hyde?" Eric asks, having trouble believing what he's just witnessed.
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Hyde shrugs and pushes his glasses farther back onto his nose.
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"Because she ordered you to?" Eric asks, disgusted.
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"She fucked me into submission, man. What am I gonna do?" he quips, not seemingly bothered by it.
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"Steven!" Jackie shouts angrily and buries her face in her hands with embarrassment.
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Eric dry heaves.
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"Congratulations, man" Hyde says as he hugs Eric.
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"Show me the ring" Jackie demands.
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Donna holds her hand out for the little pixie to survey.
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"Not bad this time" she says, much to Eric's relief. "Not bad at all." she smiles. "Not good either, but definitely not bad."
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Eric deflates.
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"Hey Jackie" Donna starts. "I was thinking...maybe you'd be interested in, I don't know, making my wedding dress?"
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Jackie's eyes widen. "Are you serious?"
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"Yeah. Of course. I think you're really talented, and it would mean a lot to have you do it" she says.
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Jackie smiles, feeling included and valued for the first time in 18 months. "I'll do it" she decides. "It'll be my wedding present to you."
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"That's awesome!" Donna exclaims. "And um...while you're at it...maybe you could also make my maid of honor dress."
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"Is she an uggo? You have to tell me in advance so I know how much 'Jackie Magic' I need to bring to the table. I mean, if she's fat I don't know how much I'm going to be able to do. I'm not a miracle worker yet." she warns. "We can arrange a time for her to come to my apartment and I'll take care of it" Jackie offers.
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"That shouldn't be too hard, since she lives at your house" the blonde explains.
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The petite beauty looks momentarily confused. "Donna, are you asking me to be your maid of honor?"
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"I know it's kind of weird because we haven't spoken in a year, but I can't really think of anybody else I'd rather have," she admits.
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"Aww" Jackie puts her hand over her heart. "Are you sure?"
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"You don't have any other chick friends, do you Donna?" Hyde asks pointedly.
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Donna is sheepish. "I still would have asked Jackie, I swear!"
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Jackie shrugs. "Oh well, it's a wedding. You know I can't say no to those."
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Hyde shifts uncomfortably on his feet.
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"Oh relax Steven. Nobody wants to marry you. You'll be lucky if you get a 2nd date." she balks.
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He grins and brings her hand to his mouth for a kiss. "I missed this."
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"Of course you did" she sniffs, secretly smiling.
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"Nobody else finding this creepy? Just me? Okay then." Eric says, gesturing to the couple.
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"Would you prefer bailing him out of jail at 2am again for another drunk & disorderly?" Donna asks her love.
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Eric thinks, deliberating the pros and cons.
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"Eric!" his fiancee shouts.
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Brooke walks over, slightly snippy. "Donna, did you just ask Jackie to be your maid of honor?"
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"I did" she smiles.
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"But Jackie is my maid of honor" Brooke whines.
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"I—I didn't know" she tells her, apologetically.
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"She can't be both? Are you getting married on the same day as us or something?" Eric asks.
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"No. I mean, I don't know when you're getting married, but our wedding is on Valentine's Day" she announces.
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"Smart move, man" Eric nods to Kelso.
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"Yeah, I know. I figured it would save me from getting in trouble for forgetting both Valentine's Day and my anniversary. This way if I forget either, then I'll probably forget both. The shitstorm will rain supreme on February 15th and then I am dunzo for the rest of the year." he smiles, chuffed with his own cleverness.
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"Nice" Hyde says with admiration.
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"I don't know if that's diabolically brilliant or just plain diabolical" Eric muses.
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All three women roll their eyes hard.
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"You're anticipating forgetting both your anniversary and Valentine's Day?" Donna asks with disgust.
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Kelso backtracks. "No...I just...it gives me fewer chances to screw up. You know I'm not good at remembering stuff, babe." he forces a smile in Brooke's direction.
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"You don't think I can find other reasons to kick up a shitstorm besides those, Michael Kelso? There are reasons. PLENTY of reasons!" she growls and runs off angrily.
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"Seriously, Michael. You are still the king," Jackie shakes her head as she runs off after Brooke.
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"Thanks for that, man" Hyde claps him on the shoulder. "Now she's gonna find some reason to be pissed off at me too," he says, following after the women who have recently fled.
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"Why would Brooke be pissed off at you?" Kelso questions, rolling his eyes at Hyde's 'stupidity'. "Ooh. Do you think now would be a good time to tell her that I accidentally gave her diaphragm to the neighbor's dog as a chew toy? May as well get that over with too, you know, while she's still mad about this. Right?"
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"Ladies and gentlemen: Long live the king!" Eric announces, slow-clapping his hands loudly.
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"I'm going to go after them" Donna tells her man. "Pray for me." she whispers under her breath.
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Brooke is crying in the kitchen while Jackie holds her.
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"I knew he wasn't the brightest when I met him, but he was so sweet and that kind of made up for the rest" she says in-between sobs. "I thought he was excited about marrying me. He makes it sound like such a chore!"
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Jackie holds her friend tightly. "Brooke, he is sweet, really he is. He may not have been the best boyfriend when we were kids, but he always made sure I knew how much he cared about me. Nobody knows how to make you feel more loved than Michael. Also, since he's not very smart, he's also not very good at lying, so you know that everything he says he feels is the truth."
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"You're right" Brooke nods, her tears now slowing. "He is very transparent."
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"It's very comforting to know exactly what he's thinking at all times, because it's all out there in the open and there are no nasty surprises. This is as sleazy as he gets!" her small friend smiles, trying to sound upbeat.
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Brooke's lips begin to curl upwards slightly. "I guess so."
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"Believe me, not many men are that open. Michael loves you so much. Anybody who looks at the two of you can tell he's head-over-heels for you, and he re really wants to marry you. I should know, because I know what it looks like when he really doesn't want to marry somebody," she says bluntly.
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The older girl's face softens upon hearing that revelation, and she places both hands on her friend's tiny shoulders. "One day you'll meet somebody who really wants to marry you too, Jackie. I mean, look at you! I'm surprised somebody hasn't locked you down already."
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Donna places her hand on Jackie's back. "She's right. In fact, I'll bet by this time next year you're engaged."
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The little one shakes out of her friend's embrace. "When did this become about me? I appreciate the pep talk ladies, but I'm okay being alone. I actually quite like being alone nowadays, if you want to know the truth. I can focus all of my energy on making myself better, and then there's that whole 'waiting for them to cheat on me' thing - it's nice to not have to worry about that." she admits.
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Donna cocks an eyebrow. "Jackie, you can't be serious. You've always been so in love with the idea of being in love."
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"Yeah" she sighs. "I've realized that for me, being in love is just that—an idea. Nothing more."
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"What about Hyde?" the amazon wonders. "Aren't you guys back together?"
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"We're just...he's...I don't know." she obfuscates, not having come to terms with their new status yet enough to discuss.
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"Do you want to have pizza for dinner?" Brooke asks, trying to change the subject for her friend's benefit.
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"We're totally snowed in. Even if a place were open Brooke, the delivery guys would never be able to get to us," Donna rationalizes.
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"We could make pizza!" she counters excitedly.
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Jackie stretches her arms up over her head and reaches for the sky. She can feel all of the muscles in her body elongate then relax. As much as she loves weddings, marriage has never quite held the same appeal for her. Her parents were married, and look how well that turned out. She had no idea what marriage was really about until she met the Formans—and even then, she wouldn't ever have known what she needed to do to achieve a union like that.
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Quite frankly, if Michael actually had wanted to marry her, they would both have ended up miserable. Though he loved her in his own way, it was never the same as the feelings he has now for Brooke. He would never have changed for her the way he has for his new love. Nobody ever does.
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Standing in the hallway, Hyde sinks back into the wall, wishing he could disappear. Michael Kelso made Jackie feel loved. A guy who cheated on her with dozens of girls knew how to make her feel more secure than a guy who never wanted to be with anybody but her. He absorbs this news like a kick to the gut.
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Like Jackie, Hyde also had no idea what a normal relationship was supposed to look like until he started living with the Formans. With a loose, negligent mom and a booze-hound dad who ran off when he was a kid, the deck was pretty much stacked against him from the start in that regard. The one thing he has that his parents didn't though, is a keen desire not to live the way that they did.
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He wants better for himself and he wants it with Jackie, that much he knows. To make that happen he's going to need a road map, and he's determined to get one from the only people he knows who can show him the way.
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Hyde knocks on the door to Red's study and immediately chicken's out, turning to leave before he's noticed.
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"Which one of you dumbasses is at my door? The hophead or Mr. Nude?" Red calls out.
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Hyde freezes, turns around and clears his throat. "The um...hophead, sir."
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"Come on in" the old man says.
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He walks into the room and takes the seat across from Red, watching quietly for a moment as he restrings his new fishing rod.
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"Why are you bothering me right now, son?" he asks
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"I um..." Hyde falters.
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"This is about the Loud One, isn't it?" he guesses.
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The younger man is relieved his dad knows how to read him so well. Maybe this won't be as painful as he feared. "Yeah. We're back together," he says.
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"I've got to hand it to you, for a lazy burn-out, you sure are some kind of miracle worker," he laughs. "I thought she'd have you wearing your ass as a hat by now, but you proved me wrong."
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"Must've caught her on an off-day" he jokes.
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"Did I see Steven come in here?" Kitty asks as she lets herself into the den.
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"I'm sure you did Kitty, since you've been following him for the past 30 minutes" Red says, busting her.
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"Following? What? Me? No! I am...a mother just knows when one of her children needs to talk" she explains.
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"Especially when she's been eavesdropping outside the door" he teases, grinning.
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Kitty gives her husband a stern look, then turns to Hyde. "Is something troubling you, Steven?"
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"Well, I was wondering if maybe you could give me some advice about Jackie," he asks.
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"I thought you'd never ask!" Kitty squeals, trying to hold in her excitement.
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"Oh boy" Red sighs, turning his attention back to the fishing pole.
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"Jackie agreed to give me another chance and I'm afraid I'm going to mess things up again, because you know...that's kind of my thing," he admits.
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"Oh Steven, messing up is not your thing. You just never learned how to be in a relationship because you had a two-bit floozy for a mother and a dad who was a deadbeat drunk. You never had a good example to follow," she explains.
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Hyde nods, understanding her theory.
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"Steven, dealing with a women is like fishing. It may seem like a complicated process from the outside, but deep down all you really need is a simple string and the right bait. They just want to know that you love them and want to be with them more than anybody else. If you can get that point across, then they can forgive practically any mistake you make. And trust me, you'll make plenty," he warns.
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"And how do I do that?" he asks.
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"Do I have to spell everything out for you morons?" he asks, incredulously.
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"Honey, you might want to start by actually telling Jackie how you feel about her," she suggests gingerly.
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"I've already told her" he claims, defensively.
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"More than once. And not when you're drunk or when you're trying to get something from her. Or when you're begging for forgiveness or-," she says.
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"That doesn't leave him a lot of other time to fill, Kitty" Red interrupts.
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"She just wants to know that you're thinking of her and putting her needs above your own," she tells him.
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"Why would I do that?" Hyde wonders.
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"Do you want to die alone?" Red asks him directly.
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"Honey, you love her don't you? You want to make her happy, right?" Kitty questions.
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He thinks for a minute. "Yeah, I do."
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"Just listen to her. She's quite...loud. She'll tell you what she wants from you. You just need to really listen and then get off your keister and try your hardest to give it to her" she instructs.
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"You're a second class citizen now, Steven. She comes first. Remember that and you'll have a smooth ride" Red says, imparting his wisdom.
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Hyde stands and gives them both a thoughtful smile. "Thanks" he says and then turns to walk out of the room.
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Red turns to Kitty and exhales deeply. "He's going to fuck this up again, isn't he?"
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Hyde walks back in the kitchen and finds Jackie, Brooke and Donna making pizza dough. Jackie is completely covered in flour, courtesy of Donna and laughing musically.
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Give her what she wants. Make her feel loved. Hyde thinks this sounds simple enough. Even Forman seems to have figured that much out and he's as smooth with the ladies as gravel.
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Jackie notices him out of the corner of her amber eyes and smiles.
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Spurred on by his recent education, Hyde marches over to Jackie, lifts her off of her feet and kisses her passionately in front of everybody.
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"What's gotten into you?" she asks, now breathless from his kiss.
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Hyde shrugs. "Just felt like coming over to tell you that I love you."
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Jackie's breath hitches as she looks around her at her friends, who are both also awestruck at Hyde's uncharacteristic behavior.
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Did he just say he loved her? In public?
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"Ditto" she says with a smile as she leans in for another kiss.
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A/N – Well? How'd I do with this chapter? I know not much happens, but I really wanted to write a good Kitty/Red scene. Did you like it? Sound off in the reviews section and let me know!