Unholy union

Chapter 9 – Decisions

It was the morning after the break up, and Jackie and Eric walked down the silent and empty street, on their way to the Forman's house.

"I knew it!" Eric's victorious and self confident shout rang through the road. "I knew Hyde wasn't dead inside. Can't you see it Jackie, this is just like Star Wars!" On her bemused look, he continued with explaining himself. " It's just like that time when Darth Vader finally confessed he was Luke's father." Then, his voice drastically changed, mimicking the voice of the notorious character. "Luke, I am your father! And Jackie, I am a jealous asshole!" He smiled, seemingly proud of himself and his interpretation.

Jackie shortly stared him down, and then scanned the road with her eyes. "Where is a damn car when you need to PUSH SOMEONE UNDER IT!" Her companion winced. "We've talked about this. No geek talk!"

"Oooh, come on." Eric grinned and threw one of his arms over her shoulders. "You know you would miss it. There is a whole new world out there, just waiting to be discovered. A whole universe hidden behind the pictures of comic books and…" He stopped his rambling when a car approached and he took a wary step back from the road.

Jackie laughed out loud, and, as usual, returned the topic to herself. "Well, my plan at least half worked." She said, regretfully.

"Oh please, it achieved absolutely nothing. Donna and I are more distant than ever, and Hyde is still with Samantha. Deal with it Jackie, your glorious plan was a total bust!"

"Hey!" The girl yelled defensively. "It was not a bust! It's not my fault that you don't know what the heck you want! I delivered Donna right into your scrawny hands!"

"Ok, fine." He surrendered. "You're the greatest schemer out there."

Jackie beamed at him. "That's better."

Eric shook his head in disbelief, but smiled in spite of himself. "So, what are we going to tell people about the break up?" He emphasized the words 'break up' with his fingers, forming a large quotation mark.

"At least that's easy. We'll just tell them you couldn't satisfy me sexually." She stated, perfectly calm and convincing, and laughed at Forman's girlish whine.

"Hey! We're not telling that! And just so you know, I would sexualize the heck out of you!" After a small pause, he continued. "No. We're going to tell them you couldn't satisfy me!"

"Yeah? And who would believe that?" She stopped walking and put her hands to her hips, looking at him defiantly.

Eric gave her a once over and threw his hands in the air. "Fine!" He squeaked in surrender. "But we're not telling them the first thing either!"

Just as he said it, they entered into Forman's backyard, both feeling nervous about seeing a certain someone.

"While we're on that topic..." She said as they stopped in front of Hyde's El Camino. "I just can't believe that whore tried to have sex with you!" Jackie was still coming around from the shock that Donna, her best friend, would actually go so far and try to seduce her boyfriend.

"Come on, Jackie!" Eric said knowingly. "Who could resist this?" He ran his hands up and down his body, showing up the goods.

"I can't believe Donna tried to have sex with you!" She said again, but this time her statement had a totally different, mocking tone, making Eric scowl.

"Just to let you know, some women appreciate the fine lines of a lean man's body."

"Donna and who else?" She challenged.

"Well, there was this girl, Judy Moore, who always tried to get into my bed." He nodded at Jackie's curious face expression. "Yeah, she was making nap time in kindergarten a bitch."

He complained and Jackie burst out laughing. "Maybe your lean, mean body reminded her of her mom?"

Eric shrieked and Jackie run, enjoying when he chased her and tried to get a hold of her. She screamed when he caught her and rose from the ground, laughing as her legs hit the air.

But, what they couldn't see as they were playing outside, was Hyde, who was silently looking at them from the kitchen, feeling torn apart.

After a while, when Jackie's foot collided with Eric's leg, making him yelp in pain and almost dropping her to the floor, they walked, or in Eric's case, limped, into the kitchen, finding Hyde and Samantha sitting at the table, each on one end of it.

"Hey." Hyde greeted, plainly avoiding looking at them.

"What's up?" Eric asked, this whole scene seeming strange to him. Hyde and Samantha taking? They never talked.

Suspecting that Hyde was more than a little uncomfortable about last night, she dragged Eric into the living room, still not ready to talk to him after everything.

As Jackie opened the swinging door, she almost knocked down Mrs. Forman, who she was squatting behind them, and at the last moment Red covered her mouth to stop her from screaming and revealing their position. "You're eavesdropping." Jackie expertly concluded and eyed the older woman. "Why?"

"Even you, dad?" Eric asked, more than a little surprised to find him in this position.

"Shut up, dumbass!" Red grumbled.

"Oh, children…" Kitty started, barely keeping her excitement at bay. "You won't believe this! Samantha'shusbandLarrycametodaylookingforherandhewantstotaheheraway!" And looked at them with widespread, hopeful eyes.

The kids looked at her strangely, not understanding anything she just said, and it was Red who finally explained. "Samantha's husband dropped by today." Eric and Jackie gasped. "It seems Steven isn't married after all."

As soon as he said it, the duo found itself in the same position as Mrs. Forman and glued their ears to the wood that separated them from the kitchen.

"I'm really really really sorry Hyde." They heard the stripper say. "But.. You were so nice to me that I just couldn't tell you the truth."

Not a word came from Steven.

"I love you."

He was still quiet.

"If you want, I'll leave with him right away. But, if you want me to stay, I'll stay with you."

It seemed like his silence lasted for hours and it made all of the co-conspirators anxious.

"Hyde?" – "Steven?" Sam and Kitty questioned together, each from their own side of the door.

Eric couldn't take it anymore. "Hyde!" He yelled and quickly and unexpectedly entered the kitchen, making Jackie and Kitty unceremoniously fell to the kitchen floor, and Red stumbled right behind them.

Hyde jumped from his chair and turned to face them. "What the hell?"

"Are you actually considering it?" He asked unapologetically and harshly walked to face his best friend.

"Get bent Forman." The stronger man warned him. "This is none of your business."

"I can't believe this!" The skinny man yelled, not noticing how Jackie, Red and Kitty stood behind him and listened. "You can't be serious!"

"Go away."

"No!" Eric rebelled. "I won't let this happen again."

"Dammit!" Hyde huffed, looked at his adoptive parents and his ex-girlfriend and stalked towards the basement, with Eric hot on his heels.

"Stop following me!" The followed guy shouted.

Eric yelled back. "NO!" And stayed right behind him.

The burnout of the group extended his step and quickly jumped into his room, closing the door behind him.

But that didn't stop his friend. "You won't chase me away!" He shouted and banged against the door. "I can be here whole day!" He banged some more. "I have nowhere else to be but here and scream at you!"

Hyde sharply opened the door. "What?!"

Eric walked in, taking that as invitation. "What the fuck man? Did the film burn the last brain cell out of your head?"

Hyde crossed his arms over his chest and stared at him.

"You know you're not happy with her.

"I already told you Forman, I'm never happy."

"Well, you sure as hell aren't less pissed off either! I don't get it. Are you doing this to hurt Jackie?"

"I don't care about her." He murmured.

"She told me about yesterday."

Hyde winced internally, but continued as though nothing has happened. "I have no idea what happened yesterday, I was hammered." He explained himself.

"I don't believe you!" Eric accused him."You're doing this because you want to hurt Jackie!"

"No!" Hyde took his sunglasses off and tiredly rubbed his eyes. "I don't want to hurt her. Not anymore. And whatever happened yesterday, you don't have to worry. I would never get in between you and Jackie."

"Oh my God!" The taller man exclaimed, the meaning behind Hyde's words becoming evident. "You are doing this because of Jackie! You need Samantha to keep you away from her!" Eric's words softened. "Because you don't want to hurt me."

"That's nonsense." Steven said in his usual Zen way.

"Hyde, I'm ok with that. Go to her. Make her happy! We broke up yesterday."

"Yeah, I really noticed it from your game of catch this morning." Hyde couldn't keep the bitterness out of his words.

"No, really, you don't have to sacrifice yourself. We're just friends."

"Whatever, it doesn't matter man." The curly haired man returned the sunglasses to their place. "I don't care. Now, would you get the heck out of here?"

This time Forman listened to and got out. He knew there was nothing more he could do here. Instead, he ran to the only girl who could.

Eric rushed to Jackie as, not even noticing Samantha who still waited for Steven, as well as his parents. "Come on, you have to go to him. You have to talk him out of this!" He said and grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to push her toward the basement.

"What? No!" Jackie got out of his embrace and faced him. "I am not going down there! If he wants to be with that…" She pointed at the stripper. "…he can be. I. Don't. Care." She was done, his was the last straw.

"You can't let this happen! Please Jackie." He pleaded with her.

She eyed him suspiciously. "How desperate must you be if you think that Hyde would listen to me?"

"If you don't do something I'm going to tell him everything." He threatened. "Everything!"

She didn't like the way he emphasized that word. "Fine!"

The girl caved and starting walking towards the basement, only to be stopped by Mrs. Forman. "Now, honey, just remember, be gentle with him. Only kind words will rearrange that sad, broken heart." She said lovingly, nervously squeezing her hand.

"And if that doesn't help, just let your foot lovingly kick his ass." Red said from behind his wife's back, ignoring her scolding look. "And I'll gladly help if you'll need me."

Jackie smiled and looked at Eric, new resolve spreading inside of her.

"You game?" He asked, completely believing in her.

"I'm game." She smiled and started descending down the stairs.

"Remember sweety, gentle!" Kitty yelled one last time.

Jackie saw him as soon as she stepped into the basement, puttering something behind the shower curtain. She guessed he was probably looking for beer. "So…" Jackie started and hopped on the freezer. "How much of yesterday do you remember?" She was confident and it showed. She was also sick and tired of this dance with him.

Hyde's shoulders tensed as soon as he heard her, but he didn't look at her. "Nothing." He said, his Zen in full force.

The ex cheerleader eyed his back. "That much, huh?"

Hyde sighed and finally turned to look at her. He should've know it won't be easy to fool her. "What do you want from me?" He asked her and threw his sunglasses on the couch, not wanting to mess with her anymore. After everything that happened yesterday, he saw no point in it. He was tired, and his face and his voice showed it.

Jackie was half surprised when he hasn't burned her, and more so that he showed no intention to do so. "You can't stay with her." She said easily. "I don't care how scared you are, you just can't."

Her words riled him up. "And why the hell not?" He asked her defiantly. Hyde already knew that himself, but any direct order from her made him stubborn, even more than usual.

"Because, if you do, you'll lose me forever." She said it with complete honesty.

He couldn't look at her anymore so he averted his gaze. "It's too late for that anyway."

"Maybe to be boyfriend and girlfriend." She continued. "But, if we try hard enough, maybe we can be friends."

Steven snickered. "We'll never be friends, Jackie."

"Why not?" The girl questioned. "We were once. I was your grasshopper, remember?"

Hyde smiled at the memory. "That was a long time ago."

"So?"

"So, that's it." He shrugged.

"Cut the crap Hyde!" She said, much sharper than before, and jumped from the freezer. "I don't want to play games anymore. I want honesty."

He just stared at her.

"Why can't we be friends?"

"Because I can't be your friend!" He was yelling now, his Zen lost somewhere along the way. "Not after everything! It's just too much."

Jackie was fuming. "So what, you can be married to a slut, but you can't be my friend?"

"She's not a slut!"

"Oh please, it's like she fell from the slut tree and hit every branch on her way down!"

At any other moment Steven would appreciate the burn, but now he barely noticed it. "At least she's not so pushy and nagging like you!"

"I'm not pushy." She bit out.

"Oh please, it was always: 'When are we gonna get married Steven? When will you propose Steven? Steven Steven Steven!' It was exhausting as hell!"

"Fine!" She raised her voice. "I was pushing you! But only because you were pulling away from me." She choked on her words. "Why were you pulling away?" She asked in a small voice.

He saw her hurt and felt like shit for doing that. Something he hasn't felt in a while. "I was scared, OK?"

"Of what?"

"It was getting so serious, so fast.. I was terrified of marriage."

Jackie nodded in disdain. "But you weren't scared when you married her?"

Hyde exhaled. "I was drunk. Drunk and stupid."

"Were you drunk and stupid when you paraded her in front of me? When you were insulting me every day? Humiliating me?"

He sat on the couch, surrendering. "Yeah. Most of the times both." He looked at the floor. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it anymore." She said. "You're a grown man now. You can't blame your immaturity for everything anymore."

"Immaturity?" He was heating up again. ""I can see how unmistakable and mature you are. With your threats, letters and leavings!"

"I've made mistakes." The brunette confessed. "But I was never mean or disrespectful towards you!"

"You screwed Kelso!" he threw at her, proving the point.

"I didn't!" She defended herself. "He just wanted to make me laugh!"

"He was naked Jackie!"

"He is stupid Hyde! Him getting naked is his cure for everything!"

Hyde studied her, trying to see if she's telling the truth.

"But you thought I did, so you had to do the same to get even. Again." She concluded, hurt evident in her voice. "You'll never change."

That stung. A lot. "I'm sorry." He said again, knowing full well that it won't help, no matter how many times he repeats it.

They were silent for a long while, Hyde sitting unmovingly, all the while feeling burning sensation from Jackie's look that haven't detached itself from him, not even once.

"Did you give her my ring?"

She surprised him with the most random question he could imagine. But, that was Jackie for you. Always with the most unrelated queries you could imagine. It was no wonder she wanted to know about the ring now. "No." He answered shortly.

"Where is it then?"

Steven took a deep breath, looking her straight in the eyes. "I sold it for beer and pot."

"That's a lie." She said easily. When he was like this, open and more like himself, she saw right through him. "I told you I want only truth now."

Obediently, Hyde got off the couch and into his room. He returned a few seconds later and put a red velvet box on the coffee table. After that, he sat back down and inaudibly cursed that he had no beer around.

Jackie just looked at the box for the longest time, and when she collected enough courage, she took the box in her small hands and opened it. She gasped at the sight of it. Big princess cut diamond on a pedestal of white gold, with a few of smaller diamonds surrounding it. "It's perfect." She said quietly. It was just like the ones she was always showing him in the windows of jewelry stores, but she always thought he wasn't paying attention.

Hyde shrugged awkwardly, lost for words.

"We could've been so happy."Jackie whispered to herself, not even aware that he could hear her. She gently caressed the ring as if it was going to burn her, tears stinging at her eyes as she took it out of the box. She was going to put it on, but a quick look at Steven revealed the cold reality that crashed back onto her. Quickly, she put it back into the box, closed the lid and returned it to the place where he put it.

"It's all right." Steven said comforting, consoling himself more than her. "You're happy with Forman now."

Jackie swallowed and ignored her own request for honesty. "We broke up."

Now, when Eric wasn't the only one who said it, he started to believe them. "Why?"

"I love him. I really do." Hyde grimaced. "But as a friend." She said lovingly. "He's the best friend I ever had."

"Yeah, the best friend who hugs you and twirls you around the driveway." Hyde said with so much bitterness that it surprised even him.

"That's none of your business." She threw at him. "Are you staying married or what?" She asked him, lifting a perfectly shaped eyebrow at him.

"She's not my wife. She can leave." The guy told her easily and received a first genuine smile from her in months.

"That's good." Whit her job done, she went to the stairs.

"Will you ever again look at me without thinking about all that crap I've done first?" Jackie tensed, not turning back to look at him. "I don't know." She said honestly. "It's going to be a long way."

Hyde smiled as he watched her leave. "Well, that's something."