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jennickelsIt Was Only a Matter of Time
by jennickels (aka Jen Connelly)
That 70s Show
Jackie/Hyde
rating: PG-13
Jack and Hyde work through their problems after Hyde finds Kelso in Jackie's Chicago hotel room (AU after season 7 finale). [start from the beginning: Chapter 1]
Chapter 10: Fatherly Advice
Hyde sat at the kitchen table trying to keep control of his growing panic. Mrs. Forman set a plate in front of him-two over easy eggs and a slice of bacon smiled back at him.
Red looked down at his plate and back at Hyde's. "How come he gets a smiley face?"
"Because he's such a sad little guy," she said, wrapping her arms around Hyde's neck and kissing his cheek. He gently tried to disentangle himself from Mrs. Forman's grip. "Look how sad he looks," she continued holding Hyde's chin in her hands and turning it side to side. "First his parents abandon him and now Jackie leaves, too. She hasn't even called once since she left. Oh, you poor thing." She started kissing him on the cheek again. Hyde had enough. Why did she always have to mention his parents leaving, like constantly bringing it up was supposed to make it better? He pulled her arms from around his neck.
"Mrs. Forman," he started. She smiled sweetly at him in over-concerned, motherly way. "I'm fine. Really," he added, hoping it was enough to ease her worries. He had always liked Mrs. Forman. When he was a kid she always offered to have him stay for dinner or to spend the night. He usually accepted eagerly, but there were a lot times he had turned down the offer, telling her that his mom was waiting for him. It was usually a lie. Those times he did go home it was to an empty house or to his drunken mother and a night of criticism, rarely was there food involved. Even back then the Forman's were looking out for him, even if he was a hoodlum and he was corrupting their son. They really cared about him and accepted him for who he was. If it hadn't been for them, Hyde was sure he would have starved as a kid or would be in prison now.
"Well, okay, sweetie. I have to go work now, so you boys behave, hear me?" She patted Hyde on the shoulder and kissed Red good-bye. Hyde took a sip of his juice and glanced over the rim at Red. He sat leaning back in his chair, legs crossed, tapping a finger on the table. He had an amused look on his face.
Hyde tried to ignore him and eat his eggs but he didn't feel very hungry. His mind kept wandering back to Jackie. She was back, but she didn't seem to want to see him. But, then again, shy the heck did she come back, he wondered. It had been two day since Missy had told him that Jackie had come looking for him. He had spent all of yesterday on edge, anxiously waiting for her to come back to the store, but she never did. He had even gone over to Donna's to see if she knew anything about it. Donna had insisted she didn't know anything and had no clue Jackie was even back. Hyde had a sneaking suspicion that she wasn't being truthful. She seemed nervous and kept looking around.
Waiting around the store had been torture, not just because he had no idea what he was going to say to Jackie, but because Missy had gone psycho on him. He was beginning to think she had a split personality. One minute they were having a perfectly normal conversation about how Disco was the downfall of American music and the next she was rubbing up against him and trying to lick his cheek. She sure didn't understand how to be subtle. She would laugh at his shocked reaction and then go back to talking about music.
Frankly she was starting to scare him and he wondered what she was on. He was going to have to fire her if she didn't get it together. They did have a very interesting conversation after she insisted he needed some circle time to calm his nerves. He couldn't quite remember what they were talking about but it left him laughing so hard his side hurt. Missy had doubled over into his lap on the sofa. Hyde hadn't noticed until she started caressing his thigh, ending circle time.
He had left last night tired and drained emotionally. Every time the bells above the door jingled his heard would race and he would look to see just another customer. He was becoming paranoid, thinking Jackie didn't want to see him. For the millionth time since he started dating her he wondered how she could havet his effect on him and cause him to do and think and feel things he said he never would.
She could make his heart race with just a bat of her long eyelashes and stop his breath in his chest with her smile. Sitting on the couch in the basement, she would cross her legs so that her left foot would playfully rub his leg as she bounced it and his head would spin, a warmth spreading throughout his body. He would fight back the urge to grin like a fool. Then she would speak. She had grown up a lot in the last year. She used to bore him with long monologues on what her bitchy cheerleader friends had done or what she thought of the season's new clothing line. Those one sided conversations started coming less frequently as they started to discuss other stuff. Some if made Hyde more uncomfortable then the tirades about how she was prettier then half the girls in school, so why had she not been picked for homecoming queen. Jackie liked to talk about her future and that made Hyde want to run from the room, screaming. Not because he didn't want to have a future with her, he just didn't want to talk about it. She knew just how to get under his skin and that scared him. She knew him too well and that meant he was vulnerable and Hyde didn't like being vulnerable.
"When you're don," Red interrupted his thoughts, "can you come out to the garage. I could use your help."
Hyde snapped out of it and realized he was sitting with his fork half way to his mouth, a bit of egg still on it. Red shook his head at Hyde as he left. Hyde shoved his bacon into his mouth and downed his whole glass of juice before even swallowing his food. After pouring a cup of coffee he headed out to the garage.
He swore as caught himself looking down the driveway hoping, no wishing, Jackie would be standing there, sun glinting off her hair, eyes sparkling, freckles dotting her tanned nose. There was no one, though.
Red was sorting nuts and bolts into 20 year old baby food jars.
"What do you need help with, Red?" Hyde asked, putting his cup on the workbench.
"Steven, sit down," Red told him, gesturing to a near-by stool. Hyde did as he was told. Red dropped a few more hex bolts into a jar, avoiding Hyde's gaze. After a minute he sighed as if finally deciding there was no easy way to broach whatever subject he needed to talk about. Hyde grabbed his cup and swigged hi coffee to cover his discomfort. He felt trapped in the small garage with Red.
"Steven, you're a smart guy," Red began. "So why are you being such as dumbass?" Hyde stopped mid sip and stared at Red, confused. "I've known you most of your life and you've been living here for what seems like forever and I've watched you. You've built this reputation on being cool and uncaring. Yet time and again I've watched you go out of your way for one of your friends. You have always maintained your composure, though. Until now. Every since you and Jackie started dating you've been…different."
Hyde looked away at the mention of Jackie's name. He didn't like where this was going. Looking around, he tried to figure the quickest way out of the garage and the conversation.
Red continued, "for the first time I saw you care about something and not be afraid to show it." Hyde looked Red in the eyes, making every effort to look uninterested and unfazed by what Red was saying. Red stood with his hands in his pockets. When he spoke again he dropped his voice to a caring, gentle tone. "You love her, don't you?" he asked, watching Hyde.
Hyde felt his composure falter. He realized he was holding his breath and let it out a long sigh. He couldn't face Red anymore so he stared at his feet. Red didn't say anything for awhile; he just stood there. Then just as Hyde was thinking maybe that was going to be the end of it Red started speaking again.
"I found this in your room," he said, holding out his hand. Hyde took the bottom half of the black box from Red and stared at the ring inside. All the emotions from two weeks ago surged through him and he wanted to run from the garage, anything to get away from Red's penetrating gaze.
"She grows on you," Red said. He was full of all sorts of surprises today. Hyde had always thought Red didn't like Jackie, he was always complaining about her. "She's a nice girl, Steven." Hyde nodded. "So why aren't you with her?"
Hyde decided, since Red was being so open and honest, the least he could do was return the gesture. "She chose someone else."
"That kettle head, Kelso? That boy is dumber then nails. Jackie is too smart to fall for him again. Love isn't easy, Steven, but it is usually worth fighting for. You don't seem to be putting up much of a fight these days."
"I just can't give her what she wants. I can't be this knight in shining armor she thinks I am. I can't change who I am."
"Can't or won't?"
Hyde looked at him not sure what he meant.
"Have you tried changing at all?" Red asked.
"Why should I change? Shouldn't she just love me for who I am and be happy with that?"
"Of course not. You don't know how women work. They want to be in control, so if you want to keep most of your pride you have to give a little. It's just how things work. Like me and Kitty. I like to watch football on Sundays and she likes to go to church. She should just accept that I would rather sit at home but she doesn't. So, I give a little and go to church with her most Sundays and play sick when a really good Packers game is on. She's happy and I'm happy, most of the time."
Hyde sighed, staring at his feet again.
"And it's not like Jackie hasn't changed for you. She has become less…whiney and shallow, I have noticed," Red continued. "She seems to have really matured since she has been with you."
"That would have happened eventually. Everyone grows up some time," Hyde said, bleakly.
"So, you don't think she has changed at all?"
Hyde thought for a minute of how Jackie used to be and how she was now. She used to tell stories of how she would marry a rich doctor and live in a mansion with maids and butlers and throw elaborate dinner parties. Now her future fantasies included him and a little house, maybe a couple of kids. She had given up her fancy parties and big house for him. She was willing to throw that dream away to live the rest of her life with him. She was nuts, Hyde thought.
"If this girl really is the one, Steven, then you need to get it together and tell her before she's gone. She won't wait around forever for you. There will be someone out there willing to give her whatever it is she is looking for. Wouldn't you just rather that person be you?"
Defeated, Hyde stood up and crammed the box into his pocket. Red was right. He was being stupid about the whole thing. Half way to the door he thought of a question that had been nagging him all week. "What if she turns me down," he asked.
"Then you take it like a man. You suck it up and drink until you are too drunk to remember crying yourself to sleep." Red smirked and went back to his sorting. Hyde headed for his car. First thing he had to do was get rid of Missy. That girl was a train wreck and he didn't want to get caught up in it.
Chapter 11
