FOR YOUR LIFE

DISCLAIMER – I DON'T THIS CHAPTER, OR ANY OTHER CHAPTER THAT FOLLOWS IT.

CHAPTER 1 – BRING IT ON HOME

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1978 – NEWTON, MA

Jacqueline Burkhart sat in her last class of the day at Newton Academy. She was staring off into space, biting on her pencil. There was no way that she could concentrate today. In just a few hours, she would be in his arms again. She smiled as she thought about him. It had been four months to the day since she had last felt those arms around her.

"Jacqueline? Ms. Burkhart?"

Jackie snapped out of her daydream when she heard her name being called. She looked at her teacher with wide eyes. She had no idea what was going on and what was being asked of her. Luckily, the bell rang, signaling the end of class, and the end of the day.

"That's it for today. Everyone have a wonderful Christmas and a nice vacation."

Jackie jumped out of her seat and ran out of the class. She ran straight to her locker, eager to get out of school. In two hours, she would be on a plane, heading to Milwaukee, WI. She couldn't get there fast enough.

Jackie still couldn't believe that she was still feeling the way she did about Steven Hyde. They had met by chance that summer in North Bay, WI. She had fallen for the scruffy, poor, orphan boy. But their relationship went beyond a summer romance. They were in love.

It had been a difficult four months, but it was finally over. They had kept in touch, mainly by letters. She was in Boston, MA and he was in Madison, WI. That made for large phone bills. Luckily, her dad allowed her to talk to him on the phone once a week. And her mother had spent the last four months whoring around Miami, FL, and probably didn't care what her daughter was doing.

Jackie smiled to herself as she thought about the letters that they wrote to each other. His letters were always so sweet and expressive. It seemed it was easier for him to write words, rather than say them. Once she got him on the phone every week, it was hard for him to talk the same way. But she didn't care, she knew how he felt about her, thanks to those letters.

She couldn't believe that she was going to see him soon. She had somehow convinced her dad that the best Christmas present would be to buy her a round trip to Wisconsin and back. It actually hadn't been hard to convince him. He always gave her what she wanted. And thankfully, her mother wasn't around to fight with. If she had been, she knew she would have tried to stop it. She didn't talk to her mother much these days, but she knew she didn't approve of her boyfriend.

Jackie opened her locker, and smiled at the pictures she had stuck inside. She had one of her and Hyde from the summer, then of her and Donna, and then one of the whole gang before they had gone bungee jumping that summer.

"Hey Jackie," she heard a familiar voice say behind her.

She turned to see her friend Shayla Brown standing behind her. It had been a tough semester for Jackie at school. She had returned from North Bay, WI a different person. Not only that, but she had to deal with watching her ex-boyfriend and her former best friend sucking each other's faces off whenever they had the chance. She didn't care that Brad and Val were together. She cared about the stares and whispers of everyone around her.

Rumors spread like wildfire in her school, and once the new school year started, she was at the center of it all. The biggest rumor was being that Steven Hyde didn't exist and that Jackie had made him up to ease the pain of losing Brad to Val. She started to lose her popularity status, and even lost the title of head cheerleader to Val. But none of that bothered Jackie anymore.

Shay was the only one of her "friends" that actually stayed her friend. She was grateful for that. She needed an ally among the sharks that infested their school.

"Hey Shay. What's up?"

Shay looked at the pictures she had in her locker and giggled. She thought Hyde was cute and all, but she thought Kelso was the best looking of the group. She loved looking at the picture she had in her locker.

"So, you're all set to go to Wisconsin?"

Jackie squealed and clapped her hands and jumped up and down. "Oh my gosh, Shay, I am so excited! It has been the longest four months of my life! I can't wait to see Steven!"

"I'm excited for you. But break is going to suck without you."

Jackie gave Shay a sympathetic smile. By standing by her, Shay's reputation had taken a major blow as well. They spent most of their time together, and only had each other.

"It's going to be ok. You said your cousins are coming up from Connecticut."

"Yea, but it still won't be the same without you. Hey, send some love to Michael for me," she said with a wink.

Jackie rolled her eyes and smiled. "Sure thing."

"Hey, did you hear from the University of Wisconsin yet?"

Jackie eyes brightened and she shook her head yes. "I got in! And I already sent my deposit to go. Daddy is upset with me because he expected me to go to New York University. But he didn't put up much of a fight. He said I could go wherever I wanted. I can't wait to tell everyone!"

Shay smiled and hugged Jackie. "I'm so happy for you. I'm going to apply there as well. I think it would be fun to go to school together."

"Sure, definitely. But listen Shay I have to run. I have a flight to catch!"

"Oh my gosh, have fun! And call me as soon as you get home!"

Jackie hugged her friend and ran down the hall. She couldn't contain her excitement any longer.

She was finally going to see him.

SAME TIME – MADISON, WI

Steven Hyde threw the last of his bags into the back of Kelso's fan. Kelso was bringing his stuff back to Point Place for him. He had to get to Milwaukee to pick Jackie up from the airport. He smiled when he thought about Jackie.

"Hyde's got that stupid grin on his face. Cuz he loooooves Jackie!" Donna Pinciotti said, coming up to Hyde. She started to make kissing noises as well.

"Shut it Pinciotti. It's been four months since I've gotten any. I'm excited to see my girlfriend."

"If you can call her that. How can you have a girlfriend that lives 800 miles away and whom you haven't seen in four months?" Eric Forman asked.

"Can it Forman. You'd do the same if you and Donna had gone to different college."

Eric shrugged his shoulders. "True. Hey man, is everything unplugged in our dorm room?"

Hyde had applied to the college late, and he and Eric hadn't been roommates to begin with. But within the first week of school, Hyde had threatened both his roommate and Eric's, and finally convincing them to switch roommates.

"Alright you guys. I need to get to the airport. Jackie's flight gets in at 6:00. I've still got an hour and a half ride to the airport."

"Alright. We'll see you back at my house then in a bit. With Jackie. Yay!" Eric stated. Donna punched him in the arm.

"Shut up, dill hole. I'm excited to see her too."

"That's because you don't spend time with girls, even though you live with one," Eric said.

"It's not my fault I hate my roommate!"

"She's a blonde version of Jackie!" Eric whined.

"Well, I can only have one Jackie in my life as a friend, and I've already found her," Donna said.

"Ok, I've had enough of this. Here's my stash. Have it ready for me. See you guys later."

Hyde jumped into his el Camino and sped off. He was eager to see her again.

It had been a tough semester for her. Once he had gotten settled into Eric's room, he had to get used to classes. He had never tried very hard in high school, barely ever going to class. He was able to pass by showing up once in awhile. But things were different in college. Red Forman was paying for him to do well in school. And he planned on doing well.

Instead of partying with the rest of the gang, he stayed in to do homework, or study, or write letters to Jackie, or talk to her on the phone. When he did attend parties with the gang, which happened about once a week, girls would throw themselves at him. He politely turned them all down, another un-Hyde move. But he was in love.

Jackie had changed him. She came from a different breed. She was rich, and her parents expected her to be with someone equally as rich. He was nowhere near that. But once he realized he was crazy, and loved her, he decided to go to school to try and be the kind of guy her parents would want her to be with. As a result, he found himself majoring in business management, with a minor in music. He had plans of owning his own music store one day.

Hyde turned his radio up when he heard a Led Zeppelin song come one. It was "Thank You". It had never been one of his favorites, until that summer. She had played that song for him when she was trying to win him back over the summer. They thought of it as their song.

He pressed his foot down harder on the accelerator. He was eager to get to the airport, to see her again. It had been four months since he had seen her, touched her. Sure, she had sent him pictures of herself, but it was nowhere the same as seeing her in the flesh. Being able to hold her. He knew the faster he got to the airport wouldn't matter, since her flight didn't get in until 6:00. But he was so god damn anxious.

He pulled up to the airport at 5:45. He quickly parked the car, and ran inside the airport. He checked to see if her flight was on time, asking one of the workers at the front desk. She stated that as far she knew, the plane was on time. He said a thank you, and ran towards the terminal. He stopped by a gift shop to pick up some flowers. Another thing that the old Hyde wouldn't do, but he knew she would love them, and he wanted to make her happy.

He got to the terminal where she would be arriving at 5:55. He watched as her plane hit down on the runway, and stopped. He held his breathe as the passengers started to walk off the plane. People kept pouring out, but still no Jackie. She was one of the last people to walk off the plane.

Jackie walked out, and stopped dead in her tracks. She was in a totally unfamiliar place, and she had to stop and collect her bearings. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, she saw him. She stood and stared, her eyes filling up with tears. It was so great to see him.

Hyde held his breath when her eyes locked with his. She was even more beautiful then the last time he had seen her.

"Steven!" He heard her scream. And before he knew it, she had flung herself into his arms, and was showering him with kisses all over his face. Her tears and kisses soaked his face.

"Oh my god, baby, it's so good to see you, to feel you, to kiss you!" She gushed.

Hyde just held her and kissed her back. He was never one for words after all. He just enjoyed the moment, having Jackie in his arms again. It felt so good to hold her again.