Disclaimer: I wish I owned the characters! How fun would that be?

Warning: Mild language, mild...uh...physical stuff. So a little R-ish.

AN: Well, here it is, the end! I hope you've enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun to write! I really appreciate you reading it...anda special thanks tothose of youwho left reviews. You've all beenso sweet andprobably way too nice:) I'm notquite sure about the sequel yet...I'm leaningtowards writing it, but I might need a little break. Then again, I love to write, so I might not!Anyway,hope you enjoy this last chapter! (BTW, I made up the nickname. Sort of. Guess I half stole it...but I added to it. I always wondered whatthat nickname really was.)

Reawakening

Epilogue - The Sweetest Hell

An hour and a half later

Jackie had spent almost an hour crying, until the pain in her head made tears absolutely unbearable. Now she was sitting up on her bed, flipping through a magazine she wasn't really reading, and wondering what Steven was doing.

He's probably having sex with that whore. She'd sleep with anyone who smiled at her, women and foreigners included. Why couldn't she have liked Fez? Fez would have done it with her!

Her eyes closed. NO!

A light knock sounded at her door, and she opened her eyes just as it opened. Her heart skipped a beat. Steven walked in, his glasses off. He was wearing a different t-shirt than he had been earlier, this time his Ted Nugent one, her favorite. But the fact that he'd changed…she could guess what that meant. Sam had probably torn off his other one in a fit of passion. Her face heated with hurt, and she looked down at the magazine, her hands flipping through the pages furiously.

"Hey."

She swallowed hard. "Hey," she answered without looking up.

Hyde closed the door behind him and walked over to her bed. She looked as if she'd been crying, and that really bugged him. Damn, he shouldn't have taken as long as he did. Of course, if Sam hadn't poured close to an entire six pack of beer over his head, maybe he wouldn't have. He sat down on the bed close but not too close to Jackie and took the magazine out of her hands.

She looked up and glared at him. "Hey!"

He shrugged and tossed it over his shoulder. She glared at him, and he gave her a slight smile. "How's your head?"

She didn't answer, but lifted one shoulder and looked down at the bed. The truth was her head was killing her with pain that was closer to a stabbing than a headache, but she didn't need him to feel sorry for her. She unconsciously began tracing S's on the bedspread. God, she wanted to ask him, but she couldn't….no. He could tell her if he wanted to. She wasn't going to ask him. No, she wasn't. She had her pride.

But her mouth opened, and the question tumbled out. "So…what does she…what does she want?"

Hyde watched her small hand moving around, and he almost reached for it. But it was probably a bad idea at this moment. "What do you think she wants?"

Jackie instinctively lifted her head and looked at him. "She…she wants you back."

His lips formed a half smile and he nodded. "Can you really blame her?" Jackie didn't look amused, and she almost immediately dropped her gaze to the bedspread once again. He noticed her lips pursing and the tense set of her jaw. Oh yeah, she was upset. His smile faded. "Look, Jackie, I'm not getting back together with her."

Her heart seemed to expand for a brief moment before deflating again. This didn't mean anything. So he wasn't getting back with her NOW. He was probably just trying to make Sam pay for hurting him. He did that sort of thing. She knew it from firsthand experience. "Why not? I mean, she's your wife."

He sighed. "Ex wife." Jackie just stared at him, and he inched his body slightly closer to her. And he covered her hand with his. "I just…I don't want to be with her." It surprised him, considering how easy everything would be with Sam. No expectations, no real work, nothing explosive. The perfect set up for the lazy ass he was. Jackie demanded of him; Sam just accepted him.

But there was something so…lacking in mere acceptance. Not to mention that Sam's touch today had left him ice cold…something Jackie's had NEVER done, not even when he hated her.

And the fact that he couldn't stop thinking about Jackie the entire time he and Sam had talked told him that he probably shouldn't take that route. The fact that he couldn't forget how he'd felt when Jackie had been hurt…now he wondered if he'd ever be able to get past her. Or if he ever really wanted to.

"Why not?"

Her whisper was broken, teary, and he noticed that she was pinching her face in order to not cry. He took a deep breath. "Because…because of you." His voice was quiet and low.

Jackie jerked her head up and met Steven's eyes. Because of her? Pleasure began to spread in her stomach, but her pride beat it back. Because of her….that could mean anything. It could mean that he felt guilty about her accident, that he didn't think she could handle it if he did what he truly wanted. She jutted her chin out and tossed her hair over her shoulders. "You don't have to say no to her just because of me," she said, filling her voice with haughty coolness, trying to sound like she just didn't give a damn. "If you think that I can't deal with it, don't. I can." Her lips began to tremble, betraying her, and she looked away.

Hyde picked Jackie's hand up and ran his thumb over her knuckles. He watched its movement, trying to think of what to say. Damn, he was never good at saying what she needed to hear! "Jackie, it's not…I'm not doing it as a favor to you," he finally said. He looked up at her still turned face. "Hey. Look at me." She slowly met his eyes, and he could see the fear. And he understood it. After all, she'd been abandoned almost as often as he had. "I don't want to be with her because of YOU. And ME." He closed his eyes for a moment. Maybe she wouldn't understand. His lids opened again, and he stared into her beautiful eyes, one blue, one green. "Because of US."

Jackie's lips parted, and although she wanted to look away, because the weight of his eyes on hers was so overwhelming and intense, she couldn't. Her eyes locked on his. And a sweet tingling began in her toes and quickly spread upwards through her entire body. Even the pain in her head faded away. "B-but…I mean…Steven, there's not really…there's not really an…us."

Hyde shrugged, smiling a little at the hope in her voice. "But there's a chance, right?" He watched in utter amazement as Jackie's entire face suddenly brightened into sunshine. Obviously he'd found the right words, and his smile broadened.

Jackie sat up straight, that tingling now millions of fireworks rushing through her blood. "Oh my god, Steven," she breathed. "You said no to her just for the chance you could be with me?"

He nodded. "Just for the chance," he agreed quietly. And the happiness on her face, the pure bliss, the beauty of her joy made the slightly sick feeling of having to be honest and almost Forman-ly sappy worth it.

She pulled her hand away from his and leaned forward to place both her hands on his bearded cheeks. Her eyes danced over his face adoringly. "Oh, Steven," she whispered. She'd never felt so happy before, never in her life, and she wasn't sure what to say, or how to react. All she knew was that she wanted to hold Steven's cheeks and look into his eyes forever.

He blinked slowly, feeling that same languid, almost liquid feeling he always did when she touched his face this way. He rested his hands lightly on her waist. "Anything for you, doll," he replied thickly. They smiled softly at one another for a long moment, until the intimacy he felt with this girl, a former CHEERLEADER, for heaven's sake, made Hyde nervous. He cleared his throat. "Just uh…just know that this is the last thing I'm doing for you for like, ever. So don't be expecting me to shave the beard."

Jackie giggled and petted his cheeks. "Oh, I don't want you to. I'm enjoying it right now." She cocked her head. "But eventually I'll get bored with it, and you'll shave it for me because I'll find a way to force you to!"

All Hyde could do was shake his head and let his eyes continue to drink her in. He'd given up an easy life with a woman who didn't torment him for THIS? Jackie's palms flattened on his cheeks and slowly, warmly stroked his jaw bones. His eyes fell shut and he sighed. Oh yeah. Ohhhhhh HELL yeah! He'd given that up for THIS. Her giggles opened his eyes, and he grinned at her. "Shut your piehole, Jackie."

"I didn't say anything!"

"Just in case you do."

She just laughed and continued stroking his face. Her thumb grazed over his lips, and she noticed his eyelids seem to become heavy over his eyes. Her smile widened. "Steven, you really want to kiss me, don't you?" she purred.

Hyde shook his head slightly. "Jackie, if I wanted to kiss you, I'd be kissing you," he retorted. Almost against his will, his eyes lowered to her lips, her pink, soft, plush lips that held amazing sweetness and sensual power. She knew how to use those lips…boy, did she ever! Her smile grew, and he shook his head again in mock disgust. He DID want to kiss her. More than he ever had before, and that was saying a lot. Just thinking about it made his head feel as if it would explode if he didn't taste her. NOW. "Crap!"

Before she knew it, Steven's lips were on hers and softly pushing her lips open in a gentle, breathtakingly longing kiss. Her eyes fluttered closed, and her body went nearly limp because of the warmth and pleasured sensation in, under, through her very skin. His arms wrapped around her waist and drew her closer to him, and she went perfectly willingly.

As they kissed, without realizing it they shifted their bodies so Jackie was lying on her back and Hyde on top of her. The kisses were slow and damp, deep and searching, and Jackie couldn't stop herself from moaning.

Hyde pulled back reluctantly, and stared down at her flushed face. God, he loved how swollen her lips were after he kissed her. Always made him want to kiss her more, just to see how swollen they could get. But he noticed the healing yet still noticeable cut on her lower lip, and wondered if her moan was one of pain. "Is it hurting you?" he whispered. He softly traced his finger over the fading cut on her lip.

Jackie shook her head, eager to feel his lips on hers again. Her hands cupped the back of his neck, and her fingers extended upwards to burrow in his hair. She loved how coarse it was; it reminded her of him. Slightly rough on the outside, but soft deeper down, closer to the root. "No," she answered breathlessly. "In fact…" Her eyes gleamed flirtatiously, and her hands slipped from his neck around his shoulders and too his chest. "It's very…healing."

He kissed her softly, but then pulled away again and looked at her. The bruising was fading, but it was still there. And it reminded him of the accident…he'd almost lost her. She'd almost died, thinking that he'd never loved her.

Damn it. He wasn't ever going to let that happen again.

"Jackie," he said softly. "I…" He rolled his eyes. God, this was corny! "I just…damn it…" He huffed in frustration. Why was it so hard for him to say this to her? Especially when he knew how much she liked and wanted to hear it? And god, he felt it…he knew he felt it as well as he knew his own name.

"What, Steven?" she whispered.

He looked at her and smiled. "I just…I thought you should know that I…you know…"

She arched her eyebrows. "You….what?" Her heart was racing. He looked hesitant, and so she wrapped her legs around his, leaned up and gently rubbed her nose against his. "Come on, Steven, you…what?" She was trying not to squeal in glee, but it was getting quite difficult not to. Her hands moved to his sides, and she squeezed his skin. He gasped in slight pain. "Steven!"

"FINE! I love you!"

"Oh, Steven!" she cried, cupping his face with her hands. Her heart absolutely melted, and she wanted to cover his face with kisses. But instead, she smiled slyly and stroked his beard. "That's so sweet. But…I'm not saying it back."

Hyde chuckled. He'd earned that one. "I don't care!"

They kissed again, and this time the kisses weren't as soft. Passion erupted between them, and soon they were both lightly panting between the repeated urgent unions of their mouths.

"Oh, Steven," Jackie moaned softly while he nipped his way from her lips down to her neck. Her entire body trembled and arched up towards his. She tugged on his waist, trying to get him closer to her.

Hyde grinned as he gently scraped his teeth against the silky skin of her neck, and his hand slid between his body and hers. His fingertips found the hem of her shirt and slipped underneath the cotton. He slowly plunged upwards, fully intending on reaching one particular destination, until he felt the bandages that she still wore because of her broken ribs. He lifted his lips from her neck and breathed heavily down on her, his eyes closing.

Jackie's eyes opened and she looked up at him in confusion. "Steven?" she murmured.

He lifted up slightly. "I…" He shook his head. "I really can't believe I'm going to say this, but I think…I think maybe we should slow down."

Jackie's eyes widened. This was certainly unusual. Sure, Steven had always been understanding in the beginning of their relationship with the slower pace she wanted to take, although she knew better than to tell anyone about that. But he'd never…he'd never been the one to back off. Ever. "What? Don't you want…" Her voice broke with sudden insecurity.

Hyde shook his head. "No, no, Jackie, of course I want you," he said quickly. He pressed his hips down against her. "Come on, isn't it obvious?" She giggled. "I just…I mean, you just got out of the hospital, and I know that your ribs are still…" He tried to cover up any suggestion that he might actually be expressing care for her with a smirk. "I mean, you know how it is…how I get…I just might be too much for you to handle right now."

Jackie stared dumbly at him for a minute, then her eyes widened. I just…I mean, you just got out of the hospital, and I know that your ribs are still… "Oh, my GOD!" she exclaimed, lightly slapping his shoulders. "You're WORRIED about me!"

Hyde groaned. "Oh, god!" He rolled off of her and crawled to the end of the bed. Damn it! How had this happened? He'd turned into a complete girl! He buried his head in his hands. This is what Jackie did to him. THIS is what she did! She made him STUPID! She was probably going to let him do whatever the hell he wanted to do to her, and he had actually STOPPED her! Damn it!

Jackie giggled and crawled after him, ignoring the slight pain in her side. She kneeled behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her chin on his shoulder. "Oh, Steven," she cooed. "You're worried about hurting me! You can't bear the thought of it!"

Hyde rolled his eyes, but he had to admit that having her literally on his back was a very pleasant experience; her hands on his stomach, moving up and down, her breasts pressing softly into his back, her breath warming his cheek and jaw and ear. Yeah, he could get used to this alright! But still. He had to protest. At least a little bit. "Jackie, I just…"

"No, don't deny it." She kissed his cheek. Then his jaw, then his earlobe, then his neck. "You were worried about me."

He shivered and closed his eyes. God, she knew what she was doing! She flicked her tongue against his skin as she kept up with the soft kisses, and he sighed in glorious defeat. Yeah, Jackie made his life absolute hell, but it was the sweetest hell anyone could ever experience.

"Steven?"

He angled his head towards her, but didn't open his eyes. "Yeah?"

She put her cheek on his and closed her eyes, squeezing her arms around his waist. Tears were in her eyes yet again, but this time, they were happy ones. She finally had Steven back…he loved her. He LOVED her! Her breath caught in her throat. "I…I just…god, Steven, I love you so much."

That foggy feeling he always got when she said she loved him clouded his heart, and all he could do was turn his head and find her lips. He kissed her gently until she pulled away, and he smiled when she beamed down at him.

"Awww, Puddin' Pop, you're smiling."

He kissed her chin. "Shut it, dollface." They kissed, until Jackie pulled back. He watched as she rolled off the bed and moved to stand in front of him, in between his legs.

She grinned down at him and put her hands on his shoulder. "So, Steven, is there a REASON you had to change your shirt before you came over?"

Hyde shrugged. "Well…" And then he figured, what the hell. Jackie would laugh. And her laughing was good. Her smiling was good. Her being happy was the best. He grinned sheepishly. "Sam poured beer over my head when I told her I didn't want to be with her."

Jackie's face froze, her mouth open in shock for a moment, and then she broke down in laughter. "Oh my god! She…she poured…beer…." She couldn't help laughing hard. She could just see Steven standing there with beer dripping out of his hair, off his glasses, from his shirt.

"Yeah, I thought you might like that," he said, amused by her laughter.

"Awww," Jackie cooed, quickly sitting down on her lap and making herself comfortable. She put her arms around his neck. "Well, if I see her again, I'll kick her ass. Just for you."

Hyde pondered that. "Hm. Cat fight." He grinned. "Yeah, I could deal with that!"

Jackie shook her head and leaned down to give him a long, sweet kiss. "Mmmm," she sighed when it ended. "You don't taste like beer or smell like beer."

"Well, I took a shower."

"Awwww, you took a shower for ME?"

"Shut your piehole, Jackie!"

"I just…mmmmm…."

He interrupted her with another kiss. When it ended, he looked up at her. "Come on, dollface. Let's go to Forman's." She gave him a questioning look, and he smiled. "Aren't you looking forward to flapping on and on to everyone about how we're back together?" She squealed and leapt off his lap and began chattering about how excited everyone would be for her.

He grinned.

Yep. That was his chick. The sweetest hell there could ever be.

Forty five minutes later

Jackie found herself in the best seat in the basement; perched in Steven's lap. She looked around happily. Eric and Donna sat snuggled together on the couch. Fez sat next to her grazing from a bag of M&Ms. Michael sat in the lawn chair, playing absently with one of Betsy's toys that had been left the last time she visited. She sighed in contentment. It was like the puzzle had finally been put back together after having been scattered and tossed around the room over and over again.

Hyde noticed her little sigh and looked up at her. She was grinning for no apparent reason. "What are you smiling about?" he asked curiously.

She shrugged. "I just…this is good, that's all," she explained, gesturing towards the others.

He looked around at his friends, then back at Jackie. "Yeah, it is," he agreed. He grinned and tightened his arms around her waist. "It really is." She kissed his cheek, and for the first time in a long time, maybe ever, he felt complete peace.

Eric stood up and walked to the television. "How about some…" He turned the set on and when the picture came on, he grinned. "Price is Right, anyone?"

"JacquelineHyde, come on down! You're the next contestant on the Price Is Right!"

Jackie gasped loudly and looked down at Steven, her eyes wide as saucers. "Did you hear that?" She bounced up and down on his lap for a moment, until the pain in her side made her stop. Even so, her excitement remained. She clapped her hands together. "It's a SIGN, Steven!"

"Oh, GOD!" he groaned, wincing. Now he was in for it. All he'd hear about for the next month at the very least was how good their names sounded paired together, and how beautiful he'd once told her she looked in a wedding dress.

Pure hell.

Donna chuckled. "Oh, god, sorry Hyde," she said, shaking her head at Jackie's antics.

Hyde glared at her, but when he looked up at Jackie, he couldn't help but chuckle. She had this sparkle about her when she was excited, and even though he'd never want to be that giddy and goofy himself, he kind of liked it on her. Her dancing eyes met his, and he shook his head. "Damn wheel," he muttered.

Jackie smiled and leaned down and hovered her lips over his. "Oh hush," she whispered. "You know you love it. It's your favorite show. Just like I'm your favorite pretty little dollfa…"

Before she could finish the words, Steven's lips caught hers and shut her up.

And for once in her life, Jackie Burkhardt didn't mind being shut up.

The End