Previously in 'Resolutions':

Jackie groaned and brought her hands to her head. She wasn't quite sure where the hell she was, but the scent of tequila and sex hung in the air, and that was never good.

She rolled over and her feet knocked into a lump, hiding underneath the covers.

"Shit!" she whispered harshly, as she looked around the room and tried to collect her bearings. This was her room, and that lump beside her was undoubtedly a mistake she'd made somewhere between the 5th shot of tequila and the near-empty bottle of champagne laying on its side on the floor.

Jackie leaned over and picked it up. The label said 'Bollinger', and she gave a half-hearted smile. At least he sprang for the good stuff, it could be much worse. She tossed the bottle back onto the ground and scratched her head, hoping the details would magically appear in her brain if she could just get her circulation going.

Nope.

Maybe if she weren't so dehydrated things would come back to her?

Too hungover to leave bed just yet, she searched the nearby counter tops for any non-alcoholic liquid she could find, and spotted two full-looking glasses of water on the night table.

Unfortunately for her, it was not the night table on her side of the bed. She whimpered, and gingerly reached across her apparent lover to snag a glass.

As she brought the glass to her lips, her eye was distracted by something shiny and out of place.

"Oh! My! God!" Jackie shrieked, waking the lump sleeping next to her with a start. She gawked at the wedding band currently residing on her left hand. "What the fuck is this?" she asked. "Is this 14 karat gold? Ew." She sneered while examining the ring with a scowl.

Jackie didn't know what felt worse, knowing she married someone while completely blotto, or that she got married using a $50 yellow-gold cigar band ring. She shuddered at the tackiness of the ordinary which, in her mind, far exceeded the tackiness of the extraordinary – namely, her booze-addled, Vegas wedding.

"Good morning, princess," the man under the covers said weakly before descending into a long moan. "Fucking tequila..."

"You can say that again," she mumbled to herself. Now wide awake from the sheer terror she was experiencing, she turned around and punched a random spot on her sheet-covered partner in stupidity. "Wake up, hubby!"

He slowly pulled the sheets from his face and frowned. "Spousal abuse? This soon?"

"Gah!" She exhaled her disgust and turned away from him. "How can you be so calm about this? You're not totally and completely horrified? This isn't a shock to you or do you do this all the time?"

He smiled and took her left hand, then brought it to his lips and kissed her ring. "I don't do this all the time, you freak. I'm not shocked because I wasn't as drunk as you were, so I remember last night. And I'm not horrified because...well, if you can't figure that out then you're dumber than you look."

Jackie was mad. Well, she wanted to be mad but she couldn't bring herself to be...not when he was looking at her like that. The corners of her mouth turned up slightly and she sighed her resignation.

Present.

Holy shit, I'm married.

Jackie reached across her body over to pinch her own thigh. "Ow."

An amused grin spread across Hyde's face as he played with the fingers on her left hand. "No need to pinch yourself, baby, I really was that good."

"As if." She rolled her eyes in his direction and flopped back onto the pillow with a groan.

She was married to Steven Hyde. LEGALLY MARRIED to Steven. What was once just a pipe dream, was now an uneasy reality that she was sure she didn't want and was positive she didn't remember. "This is crazy. We're both crazy. Naturally, I blame you."

Hyde kissed her ring finger again and slowly made his way up the inside of her arm, tickling her with his stubble along the way. If she weren't already in a bed, her knees would have given out by this point, loosened by the odd combination of shock and arousal. "Whats so crazy about it?"

Everything!

She jerked her hand back and placed it in her lap. The least she could do was attempt to deal with this like a lady.

Ha! A 'lady of the evening', maybe...

Jackie tried to collect her thoughts, but it was nearly impossible over the snare drum thrumming inside of her head and his warm lips against her puckering skin. "I know you must, like, adore getting drunk-married in Vegas...but this is just not what I do, Steven. This isn't me." She looked at him with desperation, beseeching him with her eyes to understand her feelings on the matter without having to actually explain them aloud. Not that she knew at all what those feelings were or what they meant.

"It's not?" He looked down at her wedding ring again and a smug expression crossed his face. "I've got a hunch you might be wrong about that one, doll."

Jackie shoved her hands under the covers to hide the ring. She didn't need the reminder of her recklessness staring her in the face, and the fact that he was getting so much enjoyment out of her discomfort was also irksome. "No. This is insane and you know it."

You know what's also insane? Buying me a wide, yellow-gold wedding band. Do I look like I wear 14 karat gold? This is a sign. It just proves he doesn't know me well enough to remain my husband. Any guy who I would marry would know that I'm platinum, all the way.

"Actually...this might be the least insane thing I've done in about a year." Hyde mumbled just loud enough for her to hear. "Oh, and don't think I don't know what that little scowl means." He pointed lazily at her down-turned mouth. "You think I don't know what you like after you shoving it down my throat for two years? I bought that ring drunk, and you were the one who picked it out."

"You're lying." His accusation of her having bad taste was almost more offensive to her than waking up married.

Hyde chuckled and shook his head. "I knew you'd say that, but in my defense, you thought it was hilarious and forced me into it. I think it was supposed to be an 'ironic purchase'."

Jackie couldn't deny it sounded like something she'd find funny while under the influence. She almost smiled imagining how annoying they must have been to the sales clerk. "Guess that's only appropriate, considering the irony of the situation."

Ironic or not, she had to to get this marriage dissolved. After all of the days she'd spent dreaming and planning the perfect wedding throughout her her life, there was no way in hell she was going to let her only wedding go down like this. She couldn't even remember it, but she could reasonably guess that there were no doves released and she wasn't even wearing white!

Why would this be my only wedding? It's not like I would actually stay with him...or like he'd actually stay with me.

Deep down, she wasn't too sure either of those things were true, but based on their past experience, it was pretty damn likely. She had to just bite the bullet and end things before they got messy.

Okay, messier.

Jackie swore to herself right then that she would walk down the aisle once more in her life, maybe even twice. Her mother was likely to get married at least three times before she turned 60, so why should Jackie have higher expectations for herself?

Anymore, at least. I used to think it would be 'one and done', but that was before everything went to shit.

"We should get an annulment, Steven. What does that take in Vegas – an hour? There's got to be a drive-thru." Her goal was to appear casual, as if fielding this kind of crap didn't phase her at all. It obviously wasn't a big deal to him, since he'd made this exact mistake only a year and a half ago. "Oh who am I asking? Obviously, you're the last person who would know what it takes to get an annulment. Your only experience getting divorced was watching your fake wife get into the passenger's seat of her real husband's car on her way out of town."

That was mean, even for me. But you know what? Screw it! It's not like I'm making it up, that actually did happen, so he can suck it!

Jackie looked expectantly toward Hyde, half afraid of what his response might be. If he jumped at the chance for an annulment, her ego would probably shrivel up like a raisin, but if he fought her on it...what the hell did that mean? She wasn't sure she could deal with either of those scenarios without an anxiety attack kicking in.

Hyde's face was unreadable, as always. "Jackie, you can't get an annulment if you already consummated the marriage...and believe me, it was consummated. A lot."

Does this mean he's fighting for us or just informing me of the legalities?

She exhaled roughly and swallowed down the green feeling beginning to wind its way up her throat. There was no way she could last much longer in her current state. "Well, I don't remember, so as far as I'm concerned, it didn't happen."

"You don't remember?" He raised an incredulous eyebrow at her and looked as though he were gearing up for something big. "I'm pretty sure it was the most memorable fuck either of us has ever had, and judging by the color your cheeks are turning now, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you probably agree."

She shook her head. "No."

"No, you don't remember, or no you don't agree?"

If she didn't know Steven better than she did, she'd almost accuse him of wavering in his confidence.

Jackie held her head high and lied through her teeth. "Both."

Hyde chuckled and relaxed his frame. "It can't be both, Jackie." He shook his head in reassurance to himself. "You either remember and you think it sucked, or you don't. And if you don't remember, then I kinda feel bad for you, 'cause then you have to live with the knowledge that you blanked-out the best sexual experience of your life." He stared her down, almost daring her to mention a third option.

Of course I remember. A girl doesn't forget having five orgasms in one night, that's not an every day event. It's the stuff that came after it that's a bit of a blur.

She looked him in the eye. "Either way, I still want an annulment."

He grunted and jumped off of the bed in a fit of frustration, pacing the carpeted floor, completely buck naked and unashamed. Jackie tried to avert her eyes, but they were drawn to him like a magnet.

The lines of his body had changed over the past year, he'd gotten leaner and more muscular. She'd guess by his physique that he'd been living a healthier lifestyle, eating better and drinking less...maybe even going to the gym?

Okay that was a stretch. He was probably just unloading more boxes at his store for the holiday rush.

She had no idea what he did in his spare time anymore, because they had little to do with one another outside of group events, and when they did mingle they kept their interaction to superficial conversation. Anything deeper and they'd start to argue, it was inevitable. Arguing about nothing was the only way to prevent them from arguing about something, and neither of them had the emotional bandwidth to handle that.

"Jackie." Hyde's voice was low and needy. She had only heard it like that once before, right before he told her he loved her for the first and only time. "You're not even going to give me a chance to win you back?"

Say what?

Jackie thought he had to be joking at first, since Steven had always insisted that phrases like 'give me a chance' and 'win you back' should be relegated only to crappy romantic-comedies and the wet dreams of 12 year old girls. When she examined his face though, the resolution in it knocked her off her axis.

"That's what this is?" Her brows bunched in confusion, and she tried to comprehend how her one night stand turned into a 50 year promise of fidelity to a man whom she no longer trusted.

"Well...what the hell do you think I'm doing here?" Hyde threw his arms up in a huff, making his abdominal muscles undulate with the action, and Jackie's gaze reluctantly followed them on their journey. She couldn't help herself, and his smirk made it known that he was instantly aware.

Holy crap his body is looking good. Too bad it was too dark in the room and I was too drunk to appreciate it when it was hovering over me.

She closed her eyes and the image of Steven's strong neck flashed through her mind...the tendons pulling taut as his moment of euphoria hit and he exploded between her thighs...her name cascading from his lips in a gut-stirring moan.

Woah.

Jackie felt herself flush pink at the memory and tried to ignore the painful throbbing beginning to stir at the apex of her groin. "What do I think you're doing here? Hmm...well, this is the stripper capital of the world, so there's that."

He glared at her and crossed his arms over his chest. "Seriously?"

What are you doing, Jackie? He's being sincere for the first time in...ever? Ease up on the bitchiness.

Her eyelids fluttered apprehensively before speaking. "I don't know. Perhaps you missed your wife?"

Hyde continued to stare at her as if she'd lost her mind. "My wife is sitting on the bed in front of me!" He gestured almost violently in her direction and she jumped at the sudden movement. Cautiously, he knelt at her feet and rested both of his hands tenderly on her knees. She warmed to the contact immediately. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you or anything. I'm just..."

Why is he getting so angry at me for not wanting to be married to him? Aren't I just giving him what he's always wanted – a lifetime of not being my husband?

"I know." And Jackie did know. He was never good with words or expressing himself, but he was giving it his best effort, and for that alone, she would dial it back a notch. She took a deep, cleansing breath, which invited the stench of old booze and stale marijuana smoke to invade her senses.

Big mistake.

Her stomach began to roll, but she forced herself to continue. "Steven...you know last night was...it was what it was...but I'm not your wife. Not really."

"The state of Nevada says otherwise, princess, so you'd better get used to it." Hyde's fingers drifted upwards and absently painted circles on her thighs.

"Why are you doing this? Are you trying to punish me? Or maybe...you think you're teaching me a cosmic lesson by giving me what I've always wanted in a way that proves it wasn't what I wanted after all?" Her lips pouted involuntarily, which was a new sensation for her. "I know how much you love allegories."

She wouldn't be surprised if in a year, the tale of their previous night were transposed into a story about monkeys and ended up on Hyde's bookshelf in between 'Watership Down' and 'Animal Farm'.

His palms slid off of her legs completely and she found herself surprised that she missed his touch. "You really think-?" He dropped his face into his hands and rubbed his features roughly. "Jesus Christ, I must really be the biggest asshole out there if you actually believe that's what I'm doing."

"You worked at it hard enough," she said matter-of-factly. It wasn't meant to be cold, it was just the truth.

"I know." Hyde let his back fall against the wall across from her and sat on the floor with his knees bent.

"I don't want to be married to you," Jackie said gently, knowing deep down that every word was a lie. "Last night was a big mistake."

Hyde absorbed the blow valiantly, but then scoffed. "Funny, you didn't seem too broken up about it while I was fucking you."

"Will you please stop calling it that?" she barked at him, knowing he was just doing it to make her mad, which pissed her off even more because it was working.

Why does he always know which buttons to press?

He made his way slowly back toward her and rested his hands on her bare knees again, her skin betraying her with its swift reaction to his proximity. Every hair follicle vibrated at an inaudible frequency and piqued with anticipation of what might happen next.

Judas!

Hyde looked up at her, brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. "I'll stop calling it that, when you stop calling last night a mistake."

It was a mistake, though. She was positive of that. It wasn't at all the way she was meant to be married. It was supposed to be magical, or at the very least, she wasn't supposed to be wasted out of her mind and wearing a hot pink mini-dress with gold fuck-me shoes and a borrowed veil. Even if she didn't get her heart's desire, she felt she deserved to be 'there' for it! Nobody should miss their own wedding.

Jackie couldnt help what she wanted. She wanted to be a real bride, with a minister who wasn't dressed like Tom Jones, for Mr. Forman to walk her down an aisle that wasn't decorated with sequins, and to have the kind of photos she could not only frame for her night table, but one day show their grandkids.

Wait...now I'm having grandchildren with him? Snap out of it, Burkhart!

"How could last night not be a mistake? I wanted you to marry me for years and you wouldn't even entertain the idea. And now you just do it on a drunken whim, and I don't even remember it." Her voice broke on the last word and tears began to sting her eyes. And her nausea was returning tenfold.

Don't cry. Don't cry. Don't cry...

He perched next to her on the bed and she tensed up again, but managed to keep herself together. After all, she'd had a year of practice acting normal around him while she was silently falling apart..

Like a Pavlovian response, she gave him an out."You know what? Don't say anything, Steven, okay? I'm sorry I brought it up."

"Why are you sorry?" Hyde looked at her as if she'd gone crazy. "What are you even talking about, woman?"

Jackie shrugged twice before answering. "I know you – this is like, your least favorite subject in the entire world to discuss."

He was almost wild-eyed at the suggestion that he didn't want to confront this topic head-on. Even behind the shades, it was apparent. "We got married last night, and you think I don't want to talk about it?"

She looked at her feet to avoid his intense focus. "You didn't last time it happened."

His hands went to his head again and he exhaled long and hard. "Jesus, Jackie. If you want to talk about it, let's talk about it, okay? I'm not that guy anymore. Just forget about last time, will you?"

What?

Irrational anger welled inside of her chest and she shook her head.

He wants to talk now? Now, when I've finally gotten my life back on track? Now, that the wounds of my heart have finally scabbed over to protect it? What good will talking about it do me now?

Why didn't he want to talk then? She would have done anything he'd wanted her to just to get him to sit down with her for a few minutes.

"I can't." She looked upon him coldly, and was actually able to catch the moment when her inner monologue finally made itself know to him, and she watched with an odd satisfaction as he recoiled.

Hyde pulled his glasses from is face and tossed them carelessly onto the ground, then steeled his gaze. "What do I have to do to get you to believe I've changed?"

Jackie held his eye contact and pondered her answer, but as she opened her mouth to respond, a rush of queasiness filled her throat. "I'm sorry, but I think I'm going to be sick." She haphazardly wrapped the rumpled sheet around her naked body, nearly tripping over the end of it as she ran toward the bathroom.

She shut the door behind her with a bang, and barely made it to the toilet, when the entire contents of her stomach came rocketing out of her body in protest. It was like her stomach knew something that her brain didn't.

What the hell did I eat?

She looked down at the mess she's created and realized that she hadn't eaten a thing. The entire haul was clear liquid and reeked of tequila.

Gross. This must be what Pam feels like every Sunday morning.

An urgent knock sounded on the outside of the bathroom door, startling her from her thoughts. "Jackie, are you okay?"

Is that a fucking joke? No. Nothing about me is okay right now in any way, shape or form.

Tears pricked her eyes as her reality came crashing down around her. She was on the floor of a Vegas bathroom, tossing her cookies into a toilet bowl, while her ex-boyfriend/new husband stood impatiently on the other side of the door, waiting for her to get sober enough to have 'the talk'. She would have laughed at herself if she'd at all had the energy.

Jackie pulled off a few squares of toilet paper and blew her nose. "I'm fine, Steven, just leave me alone. Please."

The room began to spin and she could feel the sick pressure building underneath her esophagus again.

Not again...

"Doll?"

Jackie latched her arm onto the side of the sink cabinet for support and heaved into the bowl.

The door swung open, revealing a worried-looking, and still very naked, Hyde. No guy had ever seen her throw up before, not even her own father. The housekeepers and nannies used to be the ones who took care of her when she was young, and when she got older, she had no choice but to do it herself. The whole morning was mortifying, and she cursed herself for bringing that first KIR Royale he bought her to her lips.

Jackie Burkhart...meet Rock Bottom. Rock Bottom...Miss Jackie Burkhart.

When she finally noticed his presence, she gasped. "What are you doing in here? I said I was fine!" Before she had a chance to truly register the sight before her, she launched into a staccato of painful dry heaves.

"Yeah, you look real fine." Hyde rushed behind her, dropped to his knees and wrapped one arm under her breasts to prop her up, while using his free hand to twist her hair loosely around his fist. "I've got you. Just lean over and get it all out. You'll feel better afterward," he whispered sweetly into her hair. "Man, I should've known not to let you be in charge of the tequila bottle last night. Fucking lightweight. What the hell was I thinking?"

"I think it's safe to say you weren't." A puff of laughter escaped her lips, followed by a fresh round of vomiting. When she was sure she'd gotten it all out of her system, she closed her eyes and leaned back into his chest. "You must think I'm the most disgusting girl you've ever met."

I wonder which one of our mothers I remind him of right now.

"You really think this is the most disgusting thing I've ever seen?" His eyes danced with amusement. "This isn't even the most disgusting thing I've seen this weekend."

"Really?"

"Come on. You even barf cute, Jackie."

Jackie laughed weakly and burrowed into his chest. She knew he was lying to make her feel better, but she was too tired to be embarrassed about it anymore. She sank into his arms and waited helplessly for the darkness to close in around her. "Thank you."

Hyde grinned as he pulled down a hand towel and wiped her mouth. "You don't have to thank me, Jackie. It's kind of my job now."

I had a job offer once, and then I let it fuck my whole life up.

"You're okay, doll, I've got you. Just sleep it off." Hyde's lips pressed firmly against the side of Jackie's head and she felt almost like the teenager she used to be, only more world-weary. If she were really honest with herself though, she was always world-weary, it just took being with Hyde to make her strong enough to shine a light on it. Before that, she'd been content to keep up her illusions, and had done such a wonderful job of it that she'd sometimes even believed them herself.

"I've got you..." His words washed over her like a balm as he gathered her closer in his arms. "I've got you, princess...just relax..."

As the real world slipped from her sight, the last thing she could remember was hoping Hyde would be there when she woke up. Even half in the bag and fully hung-over, she knew it was the dumbest thing in the universe she should ever want.

Like that's ever stopped me before...