Author's Note: After very close to two years working on this story (and long hiatuses along the way), I have decided to conclude it with this epilogue chapter. It admittedly is not the original plan for how I saw this story going (as is often the case, and frankly after so much time I don't remember where I initially saw this one going) but I think it may be as fitting an ending as I will be able to write without delaying this story any longer. Enjoy!

One year later:

Hyde sits behind the counter in Grooves, watching Leo interact with waves of uncomfortable customers who are unsure how to interact with the bearded hippy. Hyde smirks at the awkward smiles the young teens offer Leo as he goes on short-memory rants about his ownership of a little house with a lot of cameras and that one time he was on the bus and saw Jesus, though it wasn't really Jesus, just a guy named Jesus who worked at the mall. From his spot, Hyde could see their shifty eyes as they tried to come up with a way to escape or put someone else in the line of fire. More often than not this was unsuccessful as Leo would simply restate a conversation, not realizing that they had already talked about whatever it was he had brought up.

Around this time, Hyde would usually head outside and grab some food, but the cold winter day made him hesitate. Was he hungry enough to brave the chill? After a few minutes, the grumbling in his stomach provided him with the answer and he went back to the office, grabbed his jacket and told Leo he would return shortly.

Once outside he quickly regretted his decision but the pang in his stomach encouraged him to continue. He walked the few steps to his car and got in. The cold leather seats made him shiver and he immediately decided to head over to the Forman's for a quick lunch instead of having to deal with the long lines at Fatso Burger or the Hub. The drive was short, as pretty much any walk in Point Place is.

During the past year, his life has been less exciting, which he has learned to appreciate after the chaos of the previous year. Of his group of friends, only Donna and Fez still talk to him and Eric whenever he calls. He had hoped that after Eric returned last year, he would decide to stay and fix things with Donna, but the visit was just that. His best friend had decided that Africa was where he was supposed to be for now and made his way back across the globe. He had no idea what Kelso was up to, not that he asked and he would see Jackie in passing but she would never look at him much less speak to him.

When he arrives at the Formans, he is not surprised to see his pseudo-parents sitting around the table enjoying their lunch.

"Steven, what are you doing here?" Red asks when Hyde walks through the sliding doors.

"Got hungry, decided to see if there was anything here" Hyde says with a shrug.

"Oh of course there is sweetie, sit I'll make you a plate" Kitty said instantly getting out of her seat and rushing to feed him.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt" Hyde said walking over to grab a spot by the table.

"Don't worry about it" Red said, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"How is work sweetie?" Kitty asked from across the room.

"It's a little slow today, I left Leo in change."

"Leo!? You left Leo in charge? Boy, you kids nowadays sure don't appreciate what you have. That dirty hippy will probably burn down the joint before you get there" Red tells Hyde who just shrugs his shoulders.

Kitty walks back and places a sandwich in front of Hyde with a glass of orange juice. Hyde utters a thank you and she pats him softly on the top of his head.

The lunch goes by quickly, a little too quickly for Hyde's taste. He enjoys spending time with the Formans and hearing their banter which never last more than 30 seconds. He thinks back on his own, short-lived marriage and how it was everything he had imagined his marriage would be like and not enough in the slightest. His time with Sam had proven to be his teenage dream come true. She had been the kind of wife he had always envisioned, blonde, leggy and easy. She did not bother him or demand anything from him. Every afternoon when he got back from work she would wait with a beer and lingerie, ready to make him forget anything and everything. He should have been content, but it just wasn't enough. He tried at first to snap out of it and told himself he was living every man's fantasy, but he soon realized his fantasy had changed all thanks to a tiny, loud mouthed girl who asked too much of him and expected the world. He hadn't realized how much he actually wanted to provide her with just that until it was too late.

Whenever he has too much time on his hards, he manages to think about Jackie and their time together. Silly memories that he hadn't valued then seem to pop to mind. Memories such as the first day she slept over after she was left alone, the first Thanksgiving they spent together as a couple and how she told him how grateful she was to be with him, the Valentine's Day cards she would make for him with embarrassing messages he would never live down if their friends ever saw. His favorite memory, however, was when he went over to her house after her parents left to check up on her. She had asked him to stay until she fell asleep and they both laid in her pink, overly-pillowed bed, telling each other things no one else knew. She told him about how she became afraid of clowns and what her home life had really been like growing up and he told her about his childhood and the abuse he endured during his parent's drunken stupors. That simple moment, the first time he ever opened up to someone in that degree, is what he missed. It had also been the moment he knew she would change his life, which she did.

Now, whenever he sees her out an about, he has to come to terms with her new relationship. Having to watch her walking around town with her new boyfriend was almost as bad as watching her accept Kelso's proposal. At least with Kelso, he knew they would not last. He knew that even if they managed to make it down the aisle, it would be short-lived. This new guy, however, who no one knew, he was a toss-up. All Hyde knew about him was his name and that he owned a construction company out in Kenosha. Hyde would overhear Donna and Fez talking about Jackie' plans to move out to Kenosha to be with him and that damn near devastated Hyde. Those plans alone meant that the relationship was pretty serious and could actually mean he would lose her forever, not that he had any hope anymore that she would forgive him after last year. In a very sick twist of fate, he was now going through what she must have experienced when Sam walked through the door. He must say, he didn't like it.

Watching the one girl he ever truly cared about move on with someone else makes him realize just how much he messed up, and how much of their demise he contributed to. Also, it makes him realize that he had what he wanted all along and his stupid pride got in the way and cost him everything. Now, as she is rebuilding her own life, he needs to find a way to be alright with him not being a part of her life but still hold on to the hope that one day, he might be. As he starts his drive back to Grooves, he shakes tugs at the sleeves of his jacket and slides his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose and wonders how much damage Leo can do in half an hour.