That 70s Show fanfic: Homecoming (12)

[jennickels]

Homecoming
by jennickels (aka Jen Connelly)
That 70s Show
Jackie/Hyde
23,369 words
rating: PG-13

Twenty years ago Hyde left Point Place without so much as a look back. What happens when he suddenly finds himself back in town and trying to restart his life?  Will his friends take him back? 

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

Chapter 12: Talk is Cheap

Hyde tried to keep busy the rest of the day to keep his mind off of Jackie. He returned the cuffs to the police station and told the officer at the desk he found them. Kelso walked in a minute later and Hyde could hear them razzing him as he left. Hyde chuckled-Kelso was still the biggest doofus he knew. After that he drove around Point Place but that really didn't work to get his mind off of his past. Every where he looked he saw memories. The water tower had been painted over and was now a bright white with a sickening yellow smiley face watching over him.

He passed by what used to be the Hub. The little pizza place they had hung out at was gone replaced by a Starbucks. Figures, Hyde thought. The high school had been remodeled too. School had just gotten out and Hyde noticed a group of kids hanging out in the parking lot. The two redheads in the center were unmistakable. Kate was standing near the car with Mike, Taylor and Skylar. Shawn was leaning against the car. Kelly was standing next to him and Hyde was almost certain he saw Shawn's arm around her. For a second he thought about going back, but changed his mind. Kelly was already mad enough at him. She was mad about everything these days, he thought.

After an hour of driving he stopped by the record store to see how Steve was doing.

"So, did you and Mom work things out?" he asked. Hyde thought he sounded a little hopeful.

"Sort of. She did stop hitting me finally, so I guess that is progress."

"She hit you?"

"Uh huh. And she called the cops on me. Who would have thought someone that sweet looking could be so ruthless." Steve laughed.

"Yeah. You really don't want to cross, Mom. Once I got in trouble for cheating on this Biology test-Mom stormed into the office and told off my teacher and the principal. She went nuts. In the end she scared them so bad that they let me retake the test and it didn't even go in my record. And the principal is like six-five and 300 pounds. She had him shaking in his boots."

Hyde snorted. "Did you actually cheat?"

Steve glanced at the floor a second then looked at Hyde, "yeah. That was probably the best part of the whole thing. She got me off the hook for something I actually did. They never called her at work again though."

"So what happened?" Steve asked. "After she called the cops."

"Nothing. Kelso showed up and handcuffed us together after she assaulted him. It was actually pretty funny."

"Mike's dad is kind of a-" Steve started to say.

"A moron? Idiot? Dumbass?" Hyde offered.

"Is 'all of the above' an option?" They both laughed. Steve sat down on a stool behind the cash register. Hyde hopped up on the counter and swung his legs. He was finally starting to feel at ease again. Jackie was at least talking to him and things were looking good with him and Steve. At least no one was yelling at him or crying-so that was good.

"How are things going for you at the store? You figuring it all out?"

"Piece of cake, man. This job is so easy even a Kelso could do it," Steve snickered. Hyde rolled his eyes and tried to hold back his laugh.

"Good. Because, you know, someday I'm going to own this business and I'd like to have someone to pass it down to."

"What about, uh, your other kids-ones that know you?"

"We'll worry about that when the time comes," Hyde laughed. Steve looked worried. "Really, don't worry. If the girls want a piece of the action they can split it with you."

Just then the front door flew open, startling the other customers. The group that came in was a mass of giggling, hollering, laughing fools. Naturally Kelly was right in the middle, with Shawn's arm around her again. Hyde's eyes narrowed as he watched the two.

"Hey, Stevey, you ready to go?" Kelly asked. Steve looked over at Hyde, who nodded and gestured for him to get out. Steve grabbed his flannel shirt that was hanging on a hook behind the counter and leaped over some boxes on the floor. Hyde shook his head. Must be nice to be young, he thought, then wondered how he had forgotten already. He made a mental note to ask Donna if Shawn had a girlfriend then told the manager he was going and that Steve had left.

Donna and Hyde sat sipping beers in the living room. The TV was turned to some afternoon talk show but neither was watching.

"So she actually talked to you?" Donna asked. Hyde nodded. "And she only hit you in the nose and kicked you twice? That's some restraint."

"Has she said anything to you?" Hyde asked, hopefully.

Donna looked around, avoiding his eyes. "I'm not allowed to discuss it with you, sorry."

"Oh. Some kind of girly pact, huh?"

"No. I just don't want to get my butt kicked like you just did." Hyde grunted.

"But she does talk about me?"

"Yeah. Mostly she just yells and screams and throws things so I try not to bring it up when she's over here. I have a lot of things I would rather not see in little pieces on the floor. Plus she scares the kids." Donna giggled. "I probably shouldn't be drinking this much before work. Last time I couldn't stop laughing on the air. You look tired, Hyde," she said, changing the subject.

"It's hard to sleep with all the traffic in and out of the basement. I think I need to find a place of my own."

"Eric will be devastated. He was hoping you'd put together some Lego sets he found in the attic." Hyde's head was starting to hurt from all the laughing he was doing. He had forgotten what a great sense of humor Donna had.

"I'm sure he'll get over it."

"You know-my dad has been wanting to move to Florida for awhile now but can't seem to get anyone to buy his house-"

"I wonder why?" Hyde muttered under his breath.

"Ha, ha," Donna said then continued, "you should go talk to him. Maybe he'll let you move in right away before all the paperwork is done."

"And live next to you guys and have our kids fall in love and cause us all sorts of misery. Gosh that sounds familiar-" Hyde was saying when Donna interrupted him.

"I think Shawn and Kelly are going out now. They spend a lot of time together just sitting outside talking."

"Yeah. I was kind of thinking the same thing. They came into the store to get Steve earlier and he had his arm around her." Hyde raised an eyebrow and glanced at Donna. She just shook her head. "Shawn can be the scrawny neighbor boy."

"I think we are in trouble," Donna mumbled as she stood up. "Well I have to get going." She patted Hyde on the arm. "It must be karma; payback for all we did wrong as kids. I'm sure one day their kids will torture them, too." Hyde tried to shake the image of Kelly having kids with Shawn Forman. He flipped through the stations trying to find something to watch. The house was eerily silent without the kids around. Finally giving up on finding anything decent to watch he shut off the TV. That's when he thought he heard the sliding door in the kitchen open. He waited to hear the ruckus of the kids coming home but there was no noise. He was about to go into the kitchen to investigate when the door swung open almost hitting him in his already sore nose. He jumped back.

"Steven," Jackie exclaimed. "Are you all right?"

"You missed me this time. Better try it again," he said with a grin spreading across his face. "Donna's not here. She had to go to work already."

Jackie just stood staring at him. He wasn't sure she had heard him so he started to repeat himself. Jackie waved him off. "I didn't come to see Donna."

"Oh." She didn't say anything else, just kept looking around the living room. "I'm the only one home," he said, answering her unasked question. Jackie sat down on the couch and Hyde followed her, making sure he sat at the other end. She took a deep breath several times, like she was trying to find the words she wanted to use but couldn't. Finally she just sighed and shook her head.

"I had this whole speech worked out in my head but now I can't seem to remember it," she said quietly. Hyde didn't say anything. This was her turn to talk. "I guess I just wanted to come tell you that I thought a lot about what you said and…" Hyde felt his heart race. He felt young, nineteen again, with that same darn knot in his stomach that he got every time they had a fight. Just like old times, he thought. "…I guess I can accept your apology. I'm not saying I forgive you, but I'll let you say your sorry."

Hyde smiled at her and tried to hold her hand. She pulled it away. "I really am sorry, Jackie. I want to try and make things up to you-and Steve."

"I don't know, Steven. We can't just pick up where we left off, you know."

"Can we at least be friends again?"

"Were we ever friends? One day you hated me and the next we were making out on the couch. I don't remember us ever being just friends."

"It's not like I would have admitted it, you know," Hyde said, softly.

"Me either."

After a minute Hyde stood up. "You wanna go get something to eat? I'm starving." Jackie chewed her lip then finally nodded in agreement. "Only if I pay half," she said.

"Hell, you can pay for both of us if you want." She glared at him but all Hyde could do was smile. Jackie tried to keep her angry look but it wasn't working. Eventually she cracked a smile and Hyde slid his arm around her shoulder and sighed. She didn't push him away. "So where do you want to eat?"

Chapter 13