That 70s Show fanfic: It Was Only a Matter of Time (16)

[jennickels]

It 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]

don't own... wish I did, but I don't. No infringement intended.

Chapter 16: It Was Only a Matter of Time

Hyde was holding his breath again. Why wasn't she saying anything, he wondered. She looked like she was going to cry. He didn't want her to cry anymore. He didn't want her to hurt. He had seen her standing at the door of the store looking scare and heartbroken. He had only waited a minute before going after her.

Earlier he had gone back to Donna's house looking for her. At first Donna wouldn't talk to him at all.

"Please, Donna, just tell me where she is," he pleaded, completely out of character. Donna glared at him refusing to budge from her "never speak to you again" threat. "Please, Donna. I can't let it end like this. I have to tell her-" He had trailed off as Donna sighed. She told him Jackie had mentioned going to the mall. She would have chosen that place, Hyde had thought. The one place wouldn't be caught dead. He had gone, though, and wandered the halls for a long time hoping to catch a glimpse of her. After an hour he thought it was hopeless and left, going back to the record store.

WB was manning the register himself. He had put his arm around Hyde in a fatherly way and told him what he already knew. "It hurts, doesn't it? A good woman does that to you. She walks into your life and throws everything upside down. You don't know if you are coming or going, but you love the sensation all the same. If you are lucky she will look past all your faults and stick with you. Are you lucky, Steven?"

Hyde had shook his head. "No. Maybe once, but now I'm just plain stupid." WB had started to say something else but stopped. He tapped Hyde on the shoulder and pointed towards the door. That was when he saw Jackie. He had followed her to the playground. He remembered this place from when he was a kid. The girls would sit in the swings pretending to fly while him and Kelso would plot how they were going to scare them with the cherry bomb he had swiped. When they were older, too old to play at the park, but still not wanting to give up their childhoods, they had all sat at the top of the monkey bars complaining about how awful their new teacher was, sipping on a beer taken from Donna's house. Those had been good times. They were from a simpler time, though. Nothing was easy any more.

He knew at that moment he saw her crying on the swing that he had come to tell her the truth, not out of guilt, but because he wanted her to know, to understand what he was really feeling. He wanted her back so bad, his chest hurt just thinking about it. He would get down on one knee right there in the dirt and beg her forgiveness. He didn't care about his macho pride anymore, he just wanted Jackie back in his arms, her warm body pressed against his, their hearts beating in rhythm.

But, when he finally got the courage to hop the fence he couldn't find the words he so desperately wanted to tell her. He had settled on telling her it was all his fault, hoping it would make her feel better. He didn't want her blaming herself. He was about to apologize again when Jackie spoke up, stunning him when she declared she didn't want to get married if he didn't want to.

Hyde knew it was her way of saying it was up to him, that she wouldn't pressure him anymore. He could almost here the hope in her voice, the hope that if she conceded this one point he would take her back. She looked up at him. She wasn't mad anymore, she just looked tired. Hyde felt awful. He had done this to her. He had made her cry so much her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were raw form wiping away the tears. He opened his mouth to apologize again but Jackie wasn't through.

"I'm sorry, Steven. I'm sorry about everything. I just wish we could go back in time," she told him. Hyde's stomach knotted up and he couldn't seem to fill his lungs with air. He was having to concentrate on each breath. He had asked her if maybe she wished she could forget them and instantly knew it was the wrong thing to say. Why did he have to be such a jerk all the time? She got up to leave and he saw his chance slipping away. It was now or never. He jumped up. He surprised himself with the depth of his voice, how strong and sure it sounded in the still playground.

He tired to put into words all the confused feelings he was having and hoped Jackie understood what he was trying to say. She had at least stopped to listen. He found himself sliding his hands onto her cool shoulders without even thinking. It seemed so natural, so comfortable-his hands on her shoulders. She had gone completely rigid at his touch, but he refused to back off. He tried to keep the nervous tremble out of his voice as he whispered his promise to do right by her. When he said all he could think of he took a step back, waiting.

He couldn't believe how beautiful she looked in the growing moonlight as she turned around. Even with her red eyes and puffy face. Hyde realized she wasn't wearing any make-up. He couldn't remember a time he had ever seen her without it and was astonished to find he liked it. It was real, it was Jackie, nothing covering up who she really was. She was even beautiful in all of her horribleness. That was the moment he knew, with certainty, that he could wake up next to her every day for the rest of his life. He could even promise it to her, so before she could open her mouth he pulled the ring from his pocket.

"I got you something," he said quietly.

Jackie had gasped, but didn't say anything. That was how he ended up standing in the middle of the playground holding his breath, waiting for the girl he loved to accept his proposal. But she wasn't saying anything. She just stood there with her mouth open, tears in her eyes.

"Jackie?" he whispered. She looked up, the tears spilling from the corners of her eyes.

"You didn't have to do that, Steven," she whimpered.

Hyde smiled at her. He was still waiting for her to answer. It was heart wrenching. "Yes, I did," he told her. Jackie kept staring at the ring, a smile growing across her tear streaked face. All of her sadness seemed to drain away and he saw the old Jackie in front of him. She slid the ring onto her finger, crying again. Hyde knew they weren't tears of hurt for once. In fact he was crushing back an urge to cry himself. He had never been so relieved. He wrapped his arms around her. Nothing ever seemed so right in his entire life. He stood there holding Jackie, fighting back tears. He had let down his defenses long enough to confess his love to her but there was no way in hell he was going to let her see him cry. He shuddered as he drew in a long, deep breath, mentally cursing the weakness she caused him.

"Steven, are you crying?" she asked, not looking up. She pressed her head against his chest. Hyde knew she could hear his heart racing.

"No," he choked. "I don't cry. I'm not Forman, you know."

She giggled and hugged him tighter. This was going to work, he thought. They were going to be all right. There was just one last thing. He lifted her chin so that he could look into her eyes. His lips brushed against hers so softly he barely felt it, but it was enough to send a charge up his spine. The kiss lasted only a minute but in that minute they exchanged every feeling they had for each other.

"I love you, Jackie Burkhardt," he told her. "And don't you forget it because I'm not going to be saying it all hours of the day."

"Yes you will, and you know it."

Leave it to Jackie to have to get the last word in. Hyde knew she was right, though. Jackie was always right. God, he loved her.

The End