A/N: And here it is…the final chapter! Yaaay! I hope you guys enjoy it, especially those of you who have been with me over the last two weeks constantly reviewing. I really appreciated each and every one of your reviews.
It was loads of fun writing my first fanfic and putting things I'd imagined down on paper….I strongly recommend that you all write one (so that I have more Jackie/Hyde fics to read, I've nearly read them all). Now I can get back to my study and pray I'm not too far behind haha.
Thanks again x
Chapter Thirty Six
6 Months Later...
Hyde unlocked the door and threw his jacket on the floor in the entrance way. He'd had a long day at work and was eager to relax with some film and Led Zeppelin.
"Ooohhh someone's grumpy" a female voice called out from the kitchen.
"Can it you!" he said as he loosened the noose of oppression, otherwise known as his tie, from around his neck and made his way into the kitchen.
Hyde pushed his way past her to grab a beer out of the fridge as she stood at the bench eating the leftovers from last night's dinner.
"Haven't you got a home to go to? Tell me again why I'm always feeding you" he asked. God I'm sounding more and more like Red every day.
Kirsty stared at him blankly. "Because you took my best friend away from me, therefore you owe me. Plus, I pretty this place up" she said with a smirk.
"Whatever" he moaned. Truth be told Kirsty had really grown on him and he didn't mind her hanging around at all. He had decided a while ago that she was like a stray puppy….it's annoying at first but then you get used to it, and kinda like it, and if it makes your girlfriend happy, then you're happy.
Jackie had moved into his place a couple of months ago leaving Kirsty on her own. The girls had tried to con Hyde into letting Kirsty move in as well but there was no way in hell he was living with two chicks. They were lucky he let her come around as often as she did.
Hyde took another swig of beer and went and sat down on the couch to roll his film. "So where are you ladies off to tonight then?" he asked Kirsty as she sat herself down on a chair.
"A new club is opening up, it's gonna be so cool….I bet we get free drinks" she said dripping with enthusiasm for her upcoming night.
"Sounds like hell."
"God Hyde, you are like a 50 year old man living in a 23 year old's body. You never wanna come out with us" Kirsty moaned.
"Someone's gotta keep the home fires burning Kirsty, and that someone happens to be me, and the home fires happen to be this" Hyde said with a smile as he sparked up his joint and waggled his eyebrows.
Just then Jackie entered the room as dramatically as she possibly could. "Well you two…how do I look?" she said as she spun around.
"You look fabulous Jacks! I love those pants, you have to let me wear them next time" Kirsty said with a touch of envy.
Hyde looked up and checked out his girlfriend. He loved her all in black and those black leather pants were hot. "You look good babe" he said as she walked over to him.
"Good? Is that all I get?" Jackie said as she sat on his lap and kissed him on the lips.
"You look hot Jackie, real hot. So hot that you two should go now so that you can hurry up and come home to me."
"God I love you" Jackie sighed before smacking her lips onto his and kissing him passionately.
She couldn't believe how good things were with Steven…they couldn't be any more perfect. He had grown so much over the last few months and she couldn't be happier with the changes he'd made. Sure, he still wasn't the type of guy that told her he loved her daily, or even weekly, but she didn't care...it was the little things he did; the small gestures. Like when he had noticed that her clothes couldn't all fit into the closet, he went and bought new drawers and moved his own clothes. And when Jackie had put her stuffed unicorns on a chair in their bedroom, he had raised an eyebrow but he never said a word. Those acts showed Hyde's love for her...she didn't need grand declarations of love. If she wanted those she would never have gone with Hyde in the first place.
"Yuck you two" Kirsty quipped. "Can ya not?"
Hyde pulled away from the best kiss of his day. "Can you not?" he said as he smacked Jackie's ass which was now climbing off him. "You want me to come pick you up later babe?" he asked Jackie.
"Oh puddin', I don't want to be a pain…I know you have a busy night ahead with your smoke and your depressing music" she winked.
"He is such an old man Jacks" Kirsty piped up while pouring herself one more wine.
Hyde rolled his eyes at Kirsty before turning his attention back to Jackie. "Babe you know I'll come pick you up if you need me to okay? Just give me a call, anytime" he said as he kissed her neck.
They'd come such a long way and Hyde was now confident enough in the strength of their relationship to not care or get upset when Jackie did her own thing. He felt secure….the most secure he'd ever felt in his whole life. He knew she wasn't gonna leave him, and he tried, in his typical Hyde way, to show her every day that he wasn't going anywhere either.
"Thank you baby" Jackie smiled up at him. "I won't be late…..I love you."
Hyde gave her a peck on the lips and whispered in her ear "I love you too". As much as he'd gotten used to saying it to her he still didn't like an audience, even one as drunk as Kirsty. "Hey you over there" he called to Kirsty who was busy dancing to the non-existent music. "Look after my girl yeah." Kirsty just nodded.
Jackie grabbed her purse and gave Hyde one last kiss before she left. He gently grabbed her wrist and placed a kiss on the charm that she always wore. She smiled the sweetest smile before leaving for a night of dancing with her crazy friend the puppy.
Hyde flicked on the stereo and got back to his busy night of film and music. He thought over the last few months and how happy he was that they'd gotten to this point. Jackie finally had her spark back. It'd taken a while, just as Red said it would, but now it was back and hopefully here to stay.
Jackie had been reluctant to go back to modelling, feeling like she should do something more with her life. Hyde had been as supportive as he could and had encouraged her to fulfil her passion….she just couldn't decide what her passion was. For a few weeks after the miscarriage she said she wanted to work with children, maybe in a daycare. Hyde couldn't quite imagine his high maintenance girlfriend dealing with dozens of high maintenance children every day, so he wasn't surprised when Jackie announced one day that she actually didn't really like children (unless they were her own or Betsy) so she needed to find a new passion. It was eventually decided that she would continue modelling until she found out just what that passion was.
Hyde pulled his lighter out of his pocket and relit his joint. He had taken the chain off his lighter a few months ago, having decided to test Red's theory. Sure enough Red had been right, Hyde had taken care of the lighter and still had it…..he had done the same with Jackie, and hadn't lost her either.
He had even gone so far as to suggest that she stay with Kelso or Fez when she had travelled to LA or New York for work. He knew she was pleasantly surprised in his new found trust in her and it had only made their relationship stronger.
Hyde's trust in Jackie's love for him didn't shock him, but his trust in his friends did. He'd learnt that Eric, Kelso and Fez really did have his back; they did want him and Jackie to make it and they weren't trying to screw him over. Eric had proved that tenfold.
Hyde did miss Donna though. He'd tried to get Jackie to talk to her soon after the miscarriage but Jackie refused time and time again. He had explained that Donna was only trying to protect her and that if he could forgive her Jackie should at least try. However the situation seemed hopeless.
Eric had forgiven Donna, Hyde knew that would happen and was pleased. Forman and Big Red were good together, he wouldn't want them to break up over that crap. He just needed to find a way to get Jackie and Donna back together.
…..
It was two weeks later and Hyde was on his hands and knees trying to get nail polish out of his fucking carpet.
"Jackie I told you about this crap, it's gonna fuckn' stain y'know?" he yelled at his girlfriend who was now painting her nails at the table.
She pouted. "Sorry baby."
"Dammit Jackie, I wish you'd listen to me sometimes instead of always thinking you know best." He got up, resigning himself to the fact that his cream carpet now had splashes of red on it.
"Steven, I listen to you all the time don't I? Wasn't it your idea to have this blimmin' party tonight? A party I don't even want?"
Jackie was annoyed. Steven had invited the 'gang' to Chicago for the night, including Donna. Jackie had pleaded, begged, and pouted, for him to reconsider but he wasn't having a bar of it. It was Kelso's birthday and Hyde wanted to throw him a party, a party that included everyone. She wondered when her boyfriend had become so god damn annoyingly considerate.
"Suck it up Jackie, the party is happening" he said, still pretty annoyed about his carpet.
"Yeah but Steven…" Jackie started.
"Flap it elsewhere babe, I'm going to get the beer" Hyde said as he grabbed his keys and left their apartment.
Four hours later Eric, Kelso, Donna and Fez approached Hyde and Jackie's apartment door.
"Well at least we're gonna knock this time" Eric said nervously.
"Shut up Eric" Donna said. "You know I feel sick about coming here. Jackie doesn't want me here, I know she doesn't. She'll probably slap me."
"Oh Donna, if she starts attacking you we will just make sure you girls are in your lingerie and that there is plenty of jell-o" cried Fez, the thought delighting him.
"Shut up Fez" Donna and Eric demanded in unison.
"Well I'm not standing here all night, knock on the door already….it's my birthday and I want my party!" Kelso forced his way between Donna and Eric and banged on the door. "They're probably doing it like last time" he smirked.
Before anyone could tell Kelso 'eww' the door opened and Hyde greeted them. They all gave him hugs and made their way into the lounge where food, alcohol and music were a plenty.
"Awesome set up Hyde!" Kelso said excitedly.
"Anything for you my friend" Hyde handed Kelso a beer and then took a couple over to Eric and Donna who were standing awkwardly by the door.
"C'mon guys, this is gonna work. If I've learnt anything during my time with Jackie it's that you've gotta be in her face for her to forgive you. I'm telling you man, by the end of the night you'll be best friends again."
"I hope you're right Hyde" Donna said as she downed almost all of the can Hyde had just given her.
Jackie was yet to make her entrance at the party she was supposedly hosting. Instead, she and Kirsty were in her ensuite drinking champagne out of a bottle.
"I'm so nervous Kirst" Jackie said, handing Kirsty the bottle before checking her lipstick.
"Don't be Jacks, she's your oldest friend. Yeah she did a fucking horrible thing but she did it with kinda good intentions right?"
"I guess. But still, what am I gonna say to her?" Jackie didn't want to have to make the first move with Donna, she hoped Donna would do all the talking.
"Nothing, just wait for her girl. You'll be fine, believe me. I have a bigger problem…..how am I gonna stay away from Kelso? God he's hot Jackie."
"Um…ew!" Jackie said as she grabbed Kirsty's arm and dragged her to the party.
Fez was the first one to notice Jackie and Kirsty walk into the lounge.
"Ai ai ai!" he cried. "Now who is this blonde beauty?" he asked rushing up to Kirsty and taking her hand.
Kelso was quick to notice the exchange and nearly fell over the coffee table in his haste to get to Kirsty.
"Back off Fez, she's with me. Ain't that right Kirst?" he said waggling his eyebrows.
Kirsty gave him eyebrows of her own and ignored him. "Fez right? I've heard so much about you, it's good to finally meet you" she said as she brushed past a deflated Kelso with Fez by her side.
While the Kirsty fan club took their party outside Jackie stood alone by the door. She saw Donna approaching her and shifted her eyes, pretending to be interested in the bowl of chips on the table next to her.
"Forman, let's go see what these morons are up to outside, there's three of them now, that can't lead to anything good man" Hyde called to Eric.
Jackie glared at him, he couldn't be more obvious if he tried.
"Um, hey Jackie, how are you?" Donna said handing Jackie a glass of wine.
"Oh hi Donna, I'm good. You?" Jackie answered taking a very big swig of her newly acquired wine.
"Yeah I'm okay thanks." Donna's heart was racing, she knew she had to do this but god it was hard. "Hey, come sit down with me on the couch, we really need to talk."
Jackie looked at the five others outside and desperately wished she was one of them. She knew Hyde wanted her to forgive Donna, and she didn't want to disappoint him, but she really didn't think Donna could say anything that would undo the damage she'd done.
"Um, okay then, we can talk for a minute" she said, following Donna to the couch.
Donna sat and turned to face Jackie. "Look, there are honestly no words that can take back the hurt I've caused you and Hyde…." She started.
"You got that right" Jackie snapped, fiddling nervously with her bracelet.
"Jackie I want you to know how sorry I am for what I did. I was trying to protect you, not just from Hyde, but from all of us, and I fucked up so badly." Donna was crying now, Jackie didn't know whether to put her arm around her or punch her in the face.
"We treated you like shit Jackie, all of us. I never valued your opinion or the contribution you made to our group. You were always the one trying to help us…whether it was something between me and Eric, or Fez with his ballet, or Kelso and his impotence…."
Jackie laughed, that had been pretty funny. Donna couldn't help but smile too.
"…..but when you needed help none of us were there for you, and I'm sorry for that Jackie…I really am."
"Thank you Donna, that's very kind n all. But I still don't get why you took Steven's letter."
Donna wiped her eyes and had a swig of her beer. She took a deep breath and continued her explanation.
"Jackie, I truly thought he'd break your heart and you'd be the butt of everyone's jokes again. I wanted our friendship to last this time…I didn't wanna risk losing our relationship because he'd been a dillhole. Stupid I know."
Jackie thought about what Donna was saying. It sounded to her a lot like the worries Steven's had had when they were in Point Place. He wanted them to be strong before their friends interfered; Donna wanted their friendship to be strong before she got hurt again by Hyde. They both felt guilty for how they'd treated her in the past.
"Donna, Steven is not going to hurt me again, we love each other…we're good" Jackie said, finally turning to look at Donna.
"I know that now Jackie. When I saw you both at the hospital I saw that. When I saw Hyde at the Forman's it was written all over his face how much he cares for you, and how much he wanted the baby. I wish I could've been there for you then" Donna said through tears.
"It's okay Donna, I had your weedy boyfriend instead" Jackie said, patting Donna's hand.
Donna laughed. "Yeah you did, sorry about that. Do you think there's any chance we can be friends again Jackie? I miss you so much. I miss all of us so much, and we're not 'all of us' without you."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I know Steven's really missed 'all of us', I guess that's why he organised tonight. He really thought it was over….no more gang in the basement" Jackie said as she looked outside at her boyfriend frogging Kelso. "Y'know what Donna, if I can forgive that hottie for all he's done to me, I can forgive you. I have missed you too y'know?"
"Oh my god Jackie, thank you! You don't know how relieved I am to hear you say that." Donna wrapped her arms around her little friend and squeezed her tightly.
"Ouch careful lumberjack! Remember I'm a tiny porcelain doll" Jackie winked and the two friends started laughing.
"God I missed you" Donna said through her giggles.
…
"Told you it'd work" Hyde smiled as he watched Jackie and Donna from the balcony.
"Yes my friend, you are somewhat of a genius" Eric said as he clinked his beer with Hyde's.
"Watching them like that gives me needs" wailed Fez.
"I have needs too my foreign friend, but my needs involve a circle and film" Hyde smirked as he pulled his tin out of his back pocket, instigating happy smiles from those around him.
The circle
Eric: (sighs loudly) I've missed this you guys, I always feel so relaxed when we're together…or is it just when we're in the circle together? Yeah, when we're in the circle, that's when I'm relaxed…yeeeeah.
Kelso: I'll tell ya when I'm relaxed, that's when I'm doing it…but don't worry Kirsty, not all of me is relaxed, if ya get what I mean (winking at Kirsty).
Kirsty: Ewww (before winking back at Kelso)
Fez: Hyde, I must say, I do like your apartment. For a straight man you do keep a nice house. Miss Kitty would be proud.
Jackie: (laughing) Oh my god you guys I forgot to tell you, Steven here has a cl…
(Hyde shoves cake in her mouth) Oohhh yum, chocolate….thank you baby.
Hyde: Jackie takes good care of the place, y'know, like a good woman should (smirking)
Donna: Takes care of the place…space….mase….case….face….oh my god, my hand is bigger than my face!
Two hours later
Jackie looked around at her friends and couldn't believe what a fun night she'd had.
"What'cha thinking?" Hyde asked as he came up behind her and kissed her neck.
"I'm thinking that I'm a pretty lucky girl to have such a great guy" she said raising her arm up behind her and putting it around Hyde's neck.
"Yeah, you are pretty lucky…very lucky actually."
"Whatever. I mean it Steven, thank you for bringing everyone here tonight, it's been so nice being together again."
Hyde looked around the room. Fez was asleep on the ground by the door, weed and alcohol was never a good mix for him. Eric and Donna were outside cuddling, as they always do. And Kelso and Kirsty were pretty much having sex on the couch with their clothes on.
"Hhmmmm, I hardly call this 'being together' Jackie, but whatever, if you're happy I'm happy" he said as he kissed her head.
"I'm really happy Steven, and as much as you try to be a broody brood I know you are too" she smiled.
"I guess I'm somewhat happy" he teased. "I'd be much happier if my carpet didn't have random splashes of red all over it though."
Jackie turned around and put both arms around Hyde's neck. "I'm sorry…I'll make it up to you later, I promise."
Donna walked in to change the music.
"Ooohh yay, haven't heard this in a while!" she said as she placed the needle on the record. Love is a Battlefield came on putting a wide smile on Jackie's face.
"Oh hell no! I don't want this mood killer on right now" moaned Kelso as he began to get up off Kirsty to change the music.
"Move another inch Kelso and you're dead" yelled Hyde, glaring at his friend.
"Fiiine!" Kelso yelled back.
Hyde wrapped his arms around his girl and they started moving to the music, Eric and Donna doing the same not far from them. Kelso picked Kirsty up from the couch and they both stumbled into the spare bedroom.
"Kirsty's gonna regret that in the morning" Jackie smiled.
"She sure is" Hyde said as he kissed the charm on Jackie's bracelet. "I don't regret going home with you that night at the club though."
Jackie looked up at him, she took in the love she could see in his eyes, god I love his eyes.
"Nor do I" she whispered. "I love you Steven Hyde."
Hyde swept her off her feet and spun her around. "I love you Jackie Burkhart and I always will…. nail polish, yapping, Donny Osmond n all."
The End