I'm horrible I know. So sorry for the wait. Thank you everyone for the wonderful reviews. I hope this last chapter satisfies.

Warning: Un-beta'd, read at your own risk.

Valentine's Day

Hyde adjusted the knot of his tie with one hand. He cleared his throat before knocking, thought better of it and took a deep breath instead. It wasn't nerves. He was sure, had never been more sure of anything. It was more of an underlying insecurity, a fear of being rejected that had him staring at Jackie's door for the past twenty minutes. They've been together since New Years, if you could call phone dates and phone sex being together. It certainly wasn't enough for Hyde.

Taking it slow, that's what Jackie had said, and while he understood her trepidation, he couldn't... he just couldn't. So there he stood, staring at her door with his heart in his throat. Coming to California was the easiest decision he'd ever made, but knocking on Jackie's door was becoming harder and harder. What if she wasn't happy to see him? What if she had a man in there? What if...

He closed his eyes, trying to remember the sound of her voice when she told him she loved him. Holding on to that thought he knocked, pushing down the insecurities that told him he wasn't good enough, that she deserved better, that he couldn't make her happy.

A bark sounded on the other side, the door unlocked, and then Jackie pulled open the door with a dog at her side. The corner of her mouth was stained with what appeared to be chocolate crumbs and her hair was a matted mess on the top her hair. She wore dark flannel pajama bottoms and white top. It hurt, right in the middle of his chest, to look at her. He'd missed her so fucking much.

"Steven!" Her eyes had gone wide in surprise but her delight in seeing him was clear. Some of the weight lifted of his shoulders. She was happy to see him.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Jackie," he said as he handed her a bouquet of red roses. Jackie's eyes went rounder, and Hyde called himself all types of names for not having done this for her before. He didn't feel foolish, not even caring that he'd fallen victim to a commercial holiday, not when Jackie was looking at him as if he'd hung the moon.

"They're beautiful Steven, thank you." Jackie gathered the flowers close to her chest and grinned at him before pulling him down by his tie for a kiss that quickly turned into another and another.

"You came." She said, her voice awed almost as if she couldn't believe it was really him.

"I missed you too damn much."

Jackie bit her lip. It was easier to say now, that he loved her, that he missed her, that he needed her. It shamed him to know that it still surprised Jackie when he was so candid. He brought her close, her small body fitting perfectly in his arms. "I love you."

"I love you, Steven."

She pulled him into her apartment, a neat and feminine place, filled with color and warmth. The complete opposite of his own place. She'd been watching a movie, gorging on chocolates and red wine by the looks of it. Even in a suit and tie he felt he would never fit into her life.

Then she beamed up at him and the feeling evaporated.

"I can't believe you're here! You told me you were going to be busy with the renovation." She wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss his throat.

"Didn't want to ruin the surprise."

"How long have you been planning this?"

"A month. Maybe two." He smirked at her. "Pretty much as soon as we hung up on New Year's Eve. I wanted to make it special for you."

Jackie smile could light up the sun. "You have. I never expected..." She laughs, running a hand through her wild hair self-consciously. "Obviously."

Hyde shook his head, laughing, using his thumb to rub off the chocolate on the side of her lips. "I like you like this." Unguarded, soft and approachable.

Jackie rolled her eyes in disbelief but tip-toed to kiss him softly. "Even so, I'd like to change. Sit down, entertain Cheeto," Jackie said, gesturing to the boxer that was curiously looking up at him.

"Wait, wait," he said taking her arm before she disappeared for who knew how long to fix herself to her satisfaction. "We need to talk."

Jackie's dark brows scrounged adorably. "I never realized how scary that sentence sounded before now."

"You're telling me," Hyde said wryly.

Now or never he thought. He took a deep breath. "Grooves is being renovated. It's coming along. Also, Red and I, we've decided to open up a shop. He's bored with retirement and he'd liked the idea when I brought it up. I've..." he cleared his throat. "I've bought a house. It's not much. It's close to the Forman's..."

"You bought a house?" Jackie said is disbelief.

"Yeah. Joined the ranks of upstanding citizens and all that."

Jackie laughed. "That's great but why are you telling me all this?"

He kissed her softly on the lips before pushing her away gently. He smiled at her nervously as he pulled out a box from the pocket of his blazer. His throat constricted painfully but he managed a shaky, "Will you marry me?"

Jackie started at the velvet box and then at him and then at the box again. She opened it slowly with her breath held. When she saw the ring her breath whooshed out of her. Even more nervous now at her lack of response, Hyde explained. "It's not much I know, but it's the one I got you when I went for you to Chicago. It seemed fitting, that it would the same ring-"

"You went to Chicago with this ring? To marry me?"

"Yes."

Then the tears starting falling.

Hyde had pictured her reaction to his proposal from a pleased yes to a resounding no. In none of the scenarios he had envisioned did she end up a sobbing mess.

The ring was a simple thin band with a single small diamond. Well, from what she could tell because the tears were blurring her vision horribly. He'd kept it all this time, for her. More tears slipped down, and she was already on her way to ugly bawling. Jackie had never thought he'd do something so unlike him. Proposing on valentine's day, with roses, with the ring he meant to marry her years before...

But none of that mattered.

Jackie didn't need the flowers or the jewelry. All she wanted was Steven. And she had him. A watery laugh escaped her. She wiped her face, but the flow of tears wouldn't subside.

"I'll get you another one," she heard Steven say apologetically.

"No."

"No?"

Silly man, how could he possibly think she would reject him? "I want this one."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

A goofy grin spread on his clean shaven face. "Are you going to make me get on my knees before you say yes?" His voice was strained, but she heard the humor behind it, and the determination that told her he would get down on his knees if she asked him.

Jackie laughed again, tears still streaming down her face as she launched herself at him, wrapping her legs around him. Cheeto following his human's lead barked excitedly before he too jumped on Steven toppling them all down.

On the floor, while Cheeto ran circles around them and barked excitedly, Steven reached for the box to pull out the ring. He slip the band around her finger, "Marry me, Jackie. I'll move here if that's what you want. Just marry me." His voice was thick and cracking, his eyes watering and earnest. "I love you. Marry me."

"Yes."

Epilogue

In the end, fed up with colors, venues and guest lists, Jackie decided to damn everything.

On a sunny Tuesday morning while perusing a bridal magazine, Jackie closed the magazine angrily. She'd only been back to point place for three weeks, but it was enough to show her that she couldn't wait anymore. She'd been waiting for years. Screw the wedding and the dress. She wanted to be married.

Quickly picking out a pink silk dress from her wardrobe, Jackie dressed and peeled out of her mother's driveway in Bob's car. She'd been staying in her mother's house since her arrival, and despite how much she missed her childhood home and despite her mom's newly acquired nurturing side, what Jackie wanted most was to be with Steven.

And this wedding thing was just making things worse.

She arrived at Steven's place in record time. Jackie waved at the employees and made her way to Steven's office. She went in without knocking.

"Let's get married."

Steven put down his feet from the desk where he had been resting them. He raised an eyebrow. "I thought we were already doing that."

"I mean now."

"Now, now?"

"Yes. Now." Jackie said, taking a seat on his lap. Her lips were pursed in a pout.

"And the Wedding? The dress?"

Jackie sighed. Marrying Steven in a big wedding was all she had dreamed about while growing up. But now... "I don't need it. Actually, I don't want it. All I've ever wanted is to be with you. Everything else is unnecessary. I want to be married to you already. It seems I've been waiting to be your wife for half my life."

He smiled, that lazy, big smile that crinkled his eyes. "Let's do it."

Jackie squealed.

It was a courthouse wedding for them, with no guests or family, just the two of them. It was perfect, and wonderful, and... there were no words. She was floating on the way back. Steven was laughing too, staring at her as if he couldn't believe they belonged to each other now.

He took her to the house he'd bought for them, still unfurnished, still needing paint, and hours of work. A work in progress it was, just like them. Jackie had fallen in love with the place as soon as he had shown it to her. So close to the Forman's, to Eric and Donna. She had been running away from her home for so long, when everything she had needed had been right there.

Jackie giggled, as he knew she would, when he picked her up to carry her over the threshold. He was finally understanding how little Jackie needed to be happy. She'd filled her life with trinkets and clothes hoping it would fulfill her, forced people into her life for fear of being alone. They weren't all that different after all. He'd forced people away, made his life bereft and lonely, thinking that if he didn't care about anything he wouldn't be hurt. They'd both been fighting the same thing in different ways.

He carried Jackie to the bedroom. The house though unfurnished, did have one small mattress which he slept on when working late on the house. He and Jackie had made good use of it after hours of painting the house. He smiled at the memory, their paint splattered clothes, Jackie's wide smile, making love for their first time in their house.

Hyde wasn't scared of failing her anymore. Life was a little less scary, less daunting now that they were together. Hyde took her hand in his to knit their fingers together. He had never even dreamed about this type of bursting in your chest- knot in your throat happiness.

He was turning into a sap.

But Jackie was smiling at him, her heart in her eyes and he couldn't be bothered to care.

The End