Author's Note: From here on out, these chapters occur during the summer between season 4 and 5.

Jackie wasn't sure how it had started. 'It', of course, being her falling in love with Steven Hyde.

She supposed, if she really thought about it, it was the couch in the Forman's basement that had been the catalyst. The summer had started with Jackie and Hyde sitting on opposite ends of that couch. Today, she sat on the same couch, only this time she was tucked into Hyde's side with his left arm wrapped around her shoulders, his fingers interweaved with her own.

It had been a slow progression. Opposite ends of the couch lead to either Jackie or Hyde moving to the middle, right between the two cushions. Day trips to The Hub or running errands for Mrs. Forman at the Piggly-Wiggly had helped further dissolve the barrier between them. Next Jackie was sitting cross-legged on the couch with her knee spilling over into Steven's lap. One day Steven's hand landed on top of her knee and it never left. Then, before Jackie knew it, her fingers were interlocked with Steven's, their intertwined hands swaying back and forth between them as they strolled through the Annual Auto Show of Kenosha with Red, who didn't bother giving the two teenagers' sudden intimacy a second thought. And today, well today Jackie knew that she would kiss Steven Hyde.

Jackie wasn't sure what exactly was blaring on the television in front of them. All she knew was that she had a burning question for Steven and couldn't wait until the commercials hit so she could ask it. When they did she tugged on his hand that was clasped with her own.

"Hey, Steven. Do you remember your secret hide out?" She turned slightly to face him.

Steven narrowed his eyes. "Yeah," he said, warily.

"Hmm," Jackie pondered. She hadn't thought about what she'd say next. She had just been thinking about their date all those years ago and had wanted to know if he remembered it too.

"Do you – do you remember what you said that…night?" she pushed.

Steven's wariness deepened, and rightfully so, Jackie thought. She was going somewhere with this now.

"Jackie, what are you getting at?" He read her thoughts.

She expelled a heavy sigh, unsure how to go about what she wanted to know. Jackie knew Steven wasn't her soulmate, and that just by sitting here with him she would be eternally damned for being with someone that she knew wasn't her soulmate. But as each day passed, filled in a haze of heat and uncertainty, she felt that she no longer cared as much.

"Did you really mean it when you said…that you felt nothing when we kissed?" Her voice was hoarse.

Ever since that night, Jackie's mind had refused to give up on that one little word he'd said: "Well." And not just the word, but the ambiguity that it carried with it. At some point along the way Jackie had realized that he might've been lying that night. Before this summer, she had desperately hoped that she had been wrong about it, but now she was secretly hoping for him to confirm her suspicions.

Steven's eyes fell away from hers and Jackie could see his taut jaw when he turned his face away from hers. When he said nothing after a long moment Jackie used her free hand – he had yet to remove his hand from hers – to reach forward and cup his jaw to turn his face back towards her.

"Steven," she whispered pleadingly. Her eyes darted back and forth, meeting both of his own. Then she slid her hand from his jaw to the nape of his neck and pulled him closer, bringing her lips softly to his own.

His response was immediate. The arm that had been wrapped around Jackie's shoulders tightened, bringing her body closer to his while his free hand wrapped around the small of her back. This time, Jackie let all her inhibitions slip away as she just let herself kiss Steven, who she knew this time was really kissing her back. And just like last time, the passion and intensity of their hungry mouths and tangled bodies was immensely hot. And also just like last time, she did feel something – although she had told Steven it was nothing – the only difference being that this time she could identify these feelings as wholesome and pure…and unbearably heartbreaking.

"Wait," she pushed herself away suddenly. Steven watched her closely, but she couldn't tell what he was thinking.

But then, she didn't know what she was thinking either. Steven wasn't her soulmate. Yes, she wanted to be with him more than she'd ever wanted to be with Michael, and she knew what she felt for Steven was love, if that were even possible. But she also knew that she loved him enough to not do this to him; to not subject him to a life of misery for choosing her over his true soulmate.

Suddenly, Jackie felt herself rise from the couch. "I – I need to go," she said. She stumbled for the door, tripping in her rush to call Donna.

Jackie didn't want to wait until she got home to call Donna, but she also didn't want to use the phone in the Forman's kitchen and risk running into Steven again. So she compromised by running across the yard to the Pinciotti's where she'd ask Bob if she could use his phone.

"Hello?" Donna's voice filled Jackie's ears not five minutes later.

"Donna, it's me," Jackie paused and caught her breath. She didn't know why she felt so breathless all of a sudden. "I think I'm in love with Steven Hyde."

There was a period of silence with just the buzzing of the connection between them. "So?" came Donna's response.

"Donna, you don't get it," Jackie said impatiently. "Steven's not my soulmate. Michael is."

"How do you know that?" Donna asked, her voice suddenly forceful.

"What do you mean?"

"How do you know that Hyde's not your soulmate and Kelso is?"

Jackie rolled her eyes. "Duh, because my soulmate clock went off when I met Michael."

"I know, Jackie. I was there that day. In the gym. Remember?" Donna asked.

Jackie thought about that for a moment. Her memory of that day was foggy; she'd really only remembered laying eyes on Michael, but now that she thought about it she remembered Donna too. "That's right, you threw that dodgeball at me!" Jackie recalled.

"Hyde was there too." Donna said.

"Wait, no he wasn't." Jackie scoffed. "No, the first time I met Steven was, um…"

Then it hit her.

Welcome to public school!

"Oh my God."

"Listen, Jackie," Donna said. "I would've said something sooner, but Kelso only just told me the other day that you weren't his soulmate and so I realized – "

"No, Donna. Thank you. Thank you so much. I've gotta go."

"Wait, where are you going?"

Jackie smiled into the phone and brought her hand to her rapidly beating heart. "I'm going to go be with my soulmate."