So of course I want to apologize for the long delay in updates. Second, I want to apologize if things seem kinda choppy. I wrote this in bits and pieces over the last month so I honestly don't feel like its my best work. I want to thank all of you for sticking with this story and I hope you enjoy it. There may be a few things in this chapter that seem kinda out of left field but trust me they have a purpose. :)

...

Forman's Basement. The Next Morning. 9:45 am

"That was the longest night of my life," Donna sighed, as she followed behind the others as they all trooped up the basement staircase.

"You know, I spent many nights in Korea with gunfire blasts all around me, crouched down in a muddy ditch just waiting for the enemy to blow my head off," Red recounted as they all walked into the kitchen "And I never once prayed for it to be over...Last night I prayed so much I don't have to go to church for another year."

"Oh Red, it wasn't that bad," Kitty tried to look on the bright side "Now how about I cook us all some breakfast?"

"Not me, I've gotta get to Chicago," Kelso insisted, as he opened the door into the living room "Oh man!"

"What?" Eric looked up in the direction of Kelso's shout as they all piled in through the door behind him.

They all stood there, some of them in their Halloween costumes, staring in disbelief. A tree had came through the roof, lying across the coffee table and pea green chair. Rain was dripping through the gigantic hole through the ceiling and the carpet was drenched with it.

"Oh my God!" Kitty shrieked.

"Oh man, there's a giant tree in your living room!" Kelso laughed "I'm glad I'm not you guys."

"Kelso, if you don't get out of here there's going to be a giant foot in your ass!" Red narrowed his eyes at him, causing Kelso to make a break for it through the front door.

"Well Red, I'd like to stay around and help but I gotta go home and check on my own showplace," Bob patted him on the back "I'll drop by later once you've cleaned things up."

Red barely even noticed him, his eyes as wide as saucers staring at the disaster in his living room.

"Now Red," Kitty approached him cautiously "Its not so bad...We'll call that man who put a new roof on the Smith's house last spring. It'll be fixed in a jiffy!"

She forced a smile on her face, and turned to the others urging them to do the same.

"Yeah Dad, its not so bad. You just get a guy to cut up the tree...and rip up the carpet..." Eric began.

"Buy a new coffee table, a new couch, a new chair..." Hyde added.

"It'll be a whole new living room," Jackie agreed as she stood by Donna, then gasped "I can help redecorate it!"

"No!" the group all objected.

They knew how she was with budgets and shopping. The last thing Red needed was a bill from the furniture store.

"Now, why don't we just go into the kitchen," Kitty took Red by the arm "I'll make us some waffles and Eric can get on the phone with the roofer."

"Yeah, we'll take care of it Dad," Eric nodded, "Come on Hyde."

"Sure, we got this Red," Hyde patted him on the back "It'll be as good as new...in about a...month."

Red shot Hyde a stern look, which caused the two boys to race off toward the the den in search of a phone book.

Jackie and Fez's Apartment. 1:52 pm

Jackie let out a sigh of contentment as she walked through her bedroom door all wrapped up in her fluffy purple bathrobe. It felt so nice to be out of her Halloween costume and get into a hot shower. Spending the night and the morning in the basement, being forced to sleep all scrunched up between Fez and Donna was not her idea of beauty rest. Especially when she had to listen to Fez snoring and Mr. Forman threatening to stick his foot in his ass if he didn't shut up. And she had to admit, seeing the Formans' living room destroyed actually made her a little sad. Even though she constantly criticized their home, it was still like her home too. More so than Donna's house had ever been or even her own parents' house.

There had only been two good things about the whole experience, aside from how hot she had looked in her costume. First, Mrs. Forman's amazing breakfast spread she had made in the hopes of pulling out of his trance. Second, Steven's admission that he missed her. She wasn't sure anybody could understand how good it felt to know that. Even if it was still too hard to imagine a future with him, it was nice to know that he still thought about her. That he still wanted her around despite all the terrible things they had said to each other. That he realized what a terrible mistake he had made. He finally understood how much he had hurt her and took responsibility for his part in the breakup.

That still didn't undo all the damage. He couldn't take back all the viscious things he had said to her, he couldn't take back marrying Sam and letting her stay in his room. She didn't even want to think about the things that had gone on in there...The truth was that she wanted to forgive him but to do it completely was easier said than done. Her initial shock over his apology had worn off...but her anger, and more importantly her confusion, continued to come in waves.

It was just as well that he had skipped out to check on the store before breakfast, any more time together and what little progress they had made might have been for nothing.

She curled up on her bed, flipping through the latest issue of Vogue and getting lost in designer dresses to stop thinking about him.

"I'm going to the salon," Fez stuck his head through her open bedroom door "Then I have a date with Brittany."

"Brittany? Isn't she that stewardess you went out with a few weeks ago?" Jackie glanced up from her magazine.

"Oh yes," Fez smiled as if remembering their last encounter "Her skies are so friendly."

"Well, have fun," Jackie sighed as she flipped the page.

"Oh I will. She promised to bring me some of those little wings this time," Fez looked giddy, as he turned and went out the door.

She went back to reading but after a while, the nagging thoughts in the back of her mind won over and she slid across the bed. She headed straight for her closet and dug the Steven box out of the back of it. She climbed back on the bed, sitting indian style and studied the top of it for a moment. She ran her hand along Steven's name across the top.

The last time she had opened that box had been a few nights after she wrote the last diary entry. The night she realized that any hope she had of getting Steven back was lost. That she didn't want to get him back if he didn't want to be with her. That she deserved better. That she deserved to work on herself for a change. Still, she had never completely let go of him. If she had, she would have tossed the box a long time ago.

She took a deep breath and lifted the lid. His t-shirt stared back at her and she felt an overwhelming sadness come over her. She had tossed the shirt in there that night, insisting on leaving everything of his behind. Before that, she had slept with it under her pillow.

The purple diary was laying in the corner of the box. She still didn't understand how Steven had gotten it or when and where he had read it. She picked it up, opening it to a random page. She leaned back against her pillows and began to read.

"Donna, are you sure you and Eric don't want to come? I can get you guys tickets. The president of the prom committee already does my algebra homework," Jackie glanced over at Donna as she sat in the middle of the bed watching her get ready.

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna pass," Donna laughed "You know, I'm really surprised you convinced Hyde to take you after you dragged him to the Christmas dance. Didn't he tell you he wouldn't step foot in the gym again? What did he call it? The gateway to hell?"

"Well of course that's what he said," Jackie giggled as she spun around in front of the mirror in her shimmery red prom dress "Come on Donna when have I ever took no for an answer, especially from Steven?"

"Point taken," Donna nodded, as she slid off the end of the bed "Well, I'm going downstairs to make a sandwich. You want anything?"

"Donna, please. I've been on a diet for two months so I could fit into this dress," Jackie raised a surprised eyebrow "You might be ok with looking like a trucker but that doesn't mean the rest of us have to."

...

"Nice suit Hyde," Donna giggled as she came into the living room to find him sitting uncomfortably on the couch.

He had a black tuxedo with a bright red tie that he kept fidgeting with. A corsage box sat on his knee.

"Man, why in the hell did I let her talk me into this? I can't take another night with all those high schoolers. Its like I'm in freakin detention all over again."

"Well, maybe it will be fun," Donna shrugged.

Hyde glared over at her and shook his head in frustration.

"Steven?"

Hyde jumped up from the couch, flower in hand and stood by Donna as Jackie walked into the living room. He had expected her to get all dressed up but he had never expected her to look that beautiful. Her hair was all curly around her face and her red dress sparkled in the light.

"I'll um, I'll leave you guys alone," Donna smiled at the enamored expression on Hyde's face, as she left the room.

"I know you don't really want to go," Jackie let out a sigh as she walked closer to him "But this really means a lot to me...I mean, you have no idea how much I campaigned for queen. I made posters, buttons, I even sat with the biology nerds at lunch two days last week. Do you know what those guys eat? I swear if Susie Rice walks out of the gym with that tiara on her head tonight, heads are going to freakin roll! Starting with hers, and I'll snatch that diamond tiara right off it!"

"Isn't it like some cheap piece of plastic?" Hyde raised an eyebrow.

"Its a crown. I want it," she narrowed her eyes at him.

He gave her an impressed nod of approval and pulled the corsage out of the box.

"I got a white one. That's ok right?" he glanced up at her.

"Aw, Steven," she smiled as he slid it on her wrist "I love it."

"All right, let's go," he tossed the empty box onto the couch "The quicker we get this over with, the quicker we get to the after party."

"How do you know about the after party?"

"Are you kidding me? Who do you think planned it? You didn't think I was going to leave it up to a bunch of high schoolers did you?" he smirked at her as they left the living room.

...

"Who's that loser?" Hyde narrowed his eyes, as he watched some jock get a dorky looking crown placed on his head on the gym stage.

"Shh!" Jackie hushed him, as she crossed her fingers and closed her eyes tightly waiting for the next announcement.

Hyde watched her as she waited anxiously. All her hopes and dreams were pinned on getting a stupid party crown put on her head. And as silly as it was, he hoped she would get it. If she didn't, heads would roll just like she said and he might be the one doing it.

"And Prom Queen goes to..." the perky blonde on the stage slowly opened the envelope to build suspense "...Jackie Burkhardt!"

"I won!" Jackie gasped, her eyes flying open and a giant grin coming over her face "Oh my God Steven! I won!"

She latched onto him, wrapping her arms around his neck and jumping up and down. He tried his best to play the whole thing cool but it was kinda tough to do under the circumstances. Finally she pulled away and raced up to the stage. He found himself clapping along with everyone else and trying to mask the smile on his lips.

She was beaming as she lowered herself under the tiara as the blonde pinned it into place and accepted the huge bouquet of roses offered to her.

...

"Its good to be queen!" Jackie sighed as she followed Hyde into the basement and sat down on the couch.

"Jackie, be quiet," he whispered to her "If the Formans hear you down here, I'm screwed."

"Fine," Jackie folded her arms across her chest and pouted up at him.

He shook his head at her but it was hard to be mad at her right now. It was his own fault. They had just left the prom after party at the hotel. He had convinced Roy to help him set the whole thing up. There was only one catch of course, he wanted to be invited. Which was a little creepy in itself but Hyde figured what the hell. The senior class were actually pretty good partiers. The only problem was that Jackie had never really been able to hold her booze. Not even beer. So by the time they left, she was pretty freakin hammered.

"Steven, do you think I'm the most beautiful queen ever?" she looked over at him as he sat down beside her.

"Jackie, you've asked me that question like a hundred times."

"Well, what did you say?" she looked at him confused, as she scooted closer to him on the couch.

He could smell her lavender perfume, mixed in with all the beer.

"I said yes," he looked over at her, his shades tucked away in his jacket pocket.

"Good. Because Pam Macy was queen last year and if you had said Pam Macy..."

"I wouldn't have said Pam Macy," he assured her "Look, maybe I better take you home."

"Home?" Jackie's nose wrinkled up "I don't want to go to Donna's. That is one girl who doesn't appreciate a good crown!...Truckers."

"What?" Hyde looked confused.

"Can I stay with you?" she insisted, tucking her legs up underneath her as she sat pressed up against him on the couch.

Hyde was afraid she was going to say that. He was lucky that he still had a roof over his head after the last time the Formans caught her in his bed. Back then they had an excuse, this time was different.

"I don't know Jackie," he scratched the back of his neck.

"Please?" she pouted at him, her curls falling into her eyes.

He had to admit the idea of holding her all night in his bed, smelling her perfume and feeling her body was worth taking a risk for. Besides, the Formans would be going to church in the morning, they wouldn't even come downstairs until they came home.

"All right," he relented.

She clapped with excitement and he stood up, leading her into his room carefully.

"I'll have to find you something to sleep in," Hyde sighed, as he glanced at her elaborate dress.

"I'm sleeping with this crown on," she informed him with her most serious face.

"Ohhhk," he appeased her, with an amused smirk.

Jackie smiled, as she remembered how she had tried to come onto him after they got in bed but he had told her to get some sleep. Nobody could say Steven Hyde wasn't noble...well when he wanted to be.

Forman's Driveway. 3:42 pm

"Ok, let's move a little bit faster all right buddy? Time is money!" Eric instructed one of the workers as he rummaged through a toolbox.

"Who is this guy?" the worker motioned to Donna as she walked up to the backporch "Does he even live here?"

"Hey, buddy! Who do you think is paying your pay check right now?" Eric pointed his finger at him, trying his best to be stern.

"Eric, you aren't paying anybody," Donna laughed.

"Um, not now Donna!" Eric tried to keep his composure.

The man just laughed at him and walked off toward the ladder to the roof.

"Hey Joe! The twerp's still down here!" he called to his partner.

Donna held her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh. Eric rolled his eyes.

"Big help, Donna. Thanks," Eric sighed, as he leaned against the railing of the porch.

"How's Red?" Donna raised a worried eyebrow.

"Well, he's still sitting at the kitchen table. Oh and when I dropped his tool box earlier, the man didn't even blink!" Eric shook his head astounded "...Its really weird. Its like he's been taken over by like, pod people or something...Its straight out of this comic book I read once that..."

"Eric, I get it," Donna patted him on the back, walking passed him and into the kitchen.

Eric shook his head and followed her. He should know better by now that there was no point in trying to discuss comic books with non-readers. They just didn't understand the pure magic within them.

Kitty was cutting up vegetables for a pot roast for dinner and Red was sitting at the table. Frozen still, eyes unblinking, staring straight ahead in a trance.

"Hey Mrs. Forman," Donna walked over to counter.

"Oh Donna, isn't this just terrible?" Kitty sighed, tossing her knife down on the countertop "I don't know what to do with him. The man watched people get shot right in front of him but he can't handle a disaster in his own living room. You know what it is dont you? A new roof is going to cost us a small fortune."

"Well, maybe not," Donna sighed "I mean, that tree came from the neighbor's yard right? Isn't it like, their responsiblity?"

Suddenly, as Eric stared across the table from him, Red's eyes became unglazed and his frozen features immediately softened.

"Donna, you genious!" Red stood up "Eric, your wife is a real keeper!"

"Um, Dad are you feeling ok?" Eric studied him, then walked over and whispered to the two women "I think I was less freaked out when he was a statue."

"I feel great son! I'm going next door and telling George that he is footing the bill for all of this!"

"What if he says no?" Donna looked skeptical.

"Then I will be footing the bill straight up his ass!" Red stormed out of the kitchen.

"Well, at least things are back to normal around here," Kitty shrugged, turning back to her cooking.

Jackie and Fez's Apartment. 6:32 pm

Jackie wrapped her robe around herself a little tighter and flipped the page in the diary. The date at the top glared back at her. It was a date she would probably never forget, although there were times over the last year that she had really wanted to.

Jackie led Hyde away from Eric and Donna and into his room. Immediately once they were inside, she started kissing him. Hyde was taken aback by how aggressive she was being.

"Jackie," he managed to pry her hands off his cleanly shaven face and gently push her back "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?...You don't want to..?" she immediately looked hurt.

"No, trust me I do. But...why now?"

"Well, you just did something so nice for me. I just wanted to show you that..."

"I did it to cheer you up, not get into your pants," Hyde sighed, dropping down onto his cot.

Jackie reluctantly joined him.

"Its just," Jackie spoke after a few seconds of silence "I've been holding out on you...and I think I know why. I just, I didn't want to be another notch in Steven Hyde's dashboard...I was just afraid you would get tired of me and move on."

Hyde stared at her for a few seconds, then turned his body to face hers and cleared his throat.

"Ok, first of all. I would never make a notch in my dashboard. The Camino is my baby."

Jackie narrowed her eyes at him.

"And second, you're not just some girl. You're my girlfriend. Jackie, I've never been in a relationship before. This whole boyfriend, girlfriend thing, its all knew to me. But I know you shouldn't do something just because you think its what I want you to do."

"Well, what if I want to?" Jackie's gaze softened a little "What if I realized just now that I can count on you?"

"Then, I am ready, willing and definitely able," Hyde's face turned mischevious with a little smirk on his lips.

"I'm ready," Jackie nodded confidently.

Hyde felt his stomach knot up. What the hell? Since when had he ever been nervous to be with a chick? He was very confident in that department. But staring at Jackie right now, being with her...It actually scared him a little.

"You're sure?" he managed to ask, masking it all with a zen exterior.

"Yes," she nodded again, moving closer to him on the mattress "I'm sure."

He took a deep breath and started kissing her, slowly laying down with her on the cot until they were lying facing each other. He stared into her eyes, after their lips parted and tried to forget about the freakin butterflies in his stomach. Who the hell got those? Guys like Forman...Yeah, now was not the time to be thinking about Forman. Why the hell was he so nervous?

"Are you ok?" Jackie looked at him confused.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," he insisted, chewing on the inside of his cheek.

"If you don't want to do this..." Jackie trailed off, a hint of rejection on her face.

He kissed her to erase all the doubt from her mind, as his hand trailed down to pull her green sweater off her shoulders.

...

Hyde had heard about guys who cuddled with chicks after they did the deed. He had never really saw the point in it. The word cuddle even annoyed him just thinking about it. You both get what you want, then you get up and take a shower. Sometimes you called the girl the next day, sometimes you didn't.

But not with Jackie. Everything was different with Jackie. The way she felt, the way she sounded, the way she touched him, the way she looked at him. He was pretty sure the way she looked at him was the biggest difference. She looked at him like she saw him. Not like she just wanted him in the heat of the moment and could have cared less who he was.

He found himself moving different than he ever had before, appreciating things, taking his time, being with Jackie. What the hell was going on? Was this what a relationship was? Was this what it felt like to matter to someone?

And after it was all over, he was freakin cuddling. But he refused to call it that. He refused to tell another living soul that he enjoyed it. But it felt nice, her head resting on his chest. Feeling her heartbeat against his rib cage. She was just so freakin beautiful. He had always known that but now it just seemed intensified.

"Steven?" Jackie glanced up at him, her big eyes staring straight into him again.

"Yeah?"

"You're really quiet. Are you ok?"

"Yeah," he layed his head back on his pillow and stared up at the ceiling "I'm fine...You wanna stay here for a while?"

Jackie shut the journal and shoved it back in the box. She wiped a stray tear that had been running down her cheek. She couldn't read any more.

Donna and Eric's Apartment. The Next Day. 8:32 pm

"Well, I finished it," Eric smiled proudly sitting down at the kitchen table across from Donna.

"Finished what?" she looked up from her composition notebook.

"My letter to George Lucas. Yeah, I set him straight baby!" Eric tapped the envelope on the table top.

"Do you really think he's going to read that?"

"Of course he will. And I'm sure I'm not the only one writing him. Maybe once he realizes how he royally screwed up the galaxy he can correct everything in the next one. I mean..." then in his best serious voice "...He's our only hope."

Donna smiled lovingly at Eric's offical dorkiness and flipped to the next page in her book.

"Got some more studying to do huh?" he questioned as he watched her staring intently at the page.

"Hm? Oh, its just this thing I'm working on for english class...Its an essay...on The Great Gatsby..." she chewed on the eraser at the end of her pencil "I just, I'm kinda stuck."

"Well, let me see," Eric reached out for it and when he did he knocked an even bigger notebook off the table, the contents sliding out across the floor.

"I got it!" Donna quickly tried to pick them up, but Eric managed to get a few pieces of paper.

His eyes quickly scanned over them.

"Are you, are you writing a book?" he looked up at her stunned.

"What?" Donna laughed it off.

Eric stared at her in confusion.

"Well, sort of," she sighed, tucking her hair behind her ear nervously "I mean, I'm not going to have it published or anything. I just kinda wrote it for me."

"Well,what's it about?" he handed over the sheets he had grabbed, surprise still on his face.

"Its...about...us," she looked up sheepishly.

She saw the look of shear terror on Eric's face. The last time she had wrote about him hadn't exactly went over so well.

"All of us," she immediately started to defend herself "Except I set the whole thing in New York in the 1920s, you know prohibition? Everybody's in it, even our parents. Of course, I changed the names and everything."

By the time she was finished the explination, her enthusiasm for it was clearly written all over her face. She looked like Fez in a candy store.

"Can I read it?" Eric leaned against the table.

"No," she answered flatly "Besides, I still have to write the epilogue. Look, its not a big deal ok? Its just, something silly I wrote that's all."

"Donna, you wouldn't have filled up that whole notebook if it was nothing. You should have someone read it."

"Not right now," she insisted, shoving all the papers back into the book "I have to finish this essay for my class. Its due tomorrow. Really Eric, it's not a big deal."

Eric studied her as she continued to work feverishly on her paper. He had honestly thought she had stopped writing. She hadn't talked about it in so long. Donna was a good writer. What if she had written something really amazing?

Grooves. 11:22 pm

Hyde had closed up an hour ago but he was still trying to get the place cleaned up. W.B. would be by in a couple days to inspect the place and he wasn't really in the mood to take anymore crap for it being a complete mess. He was a manager not a housekeeper.

He rummaged around in a box in the office that was filled with cleaning supplies. He didn't know the difference between them but he was sure Angie had bought them up. He rarely talked to her anymore. It kinda sucked but since she moved she was always busy furthering her career. She did come to visit last Christmas and he had seen her at W.B.'s for a rather awkard family dinner. Even though he was totally cool with both of them, the idea of calling them family still didn't feel exactly right.

He finally chose a bottle out of the collection and went back into the store, spraying down the counter with it. He rubbed a towel around on it for about a minute and then tossed it down. That was good enough. He walked over to the pit and sat down on the couch, picking up a magazine off the table.

It wasn't one of the typical music magazines he kept on hand in the store. Donna must have left it there or something. He was just about to put it down, when an ad on the inside cover caught his eye.

A jewelry ad. And not just a jewelery ad, a wedding jewelry ad. In fact the ring looked strikingly similar to the one he had bought Jackie. He let out an annoyed groan and tossed it back onto the table.

He still couldn't believe how much money he had lost on that deal. A nice chunk of the savings he had, thanks to W.B.'s guilt of being an absent father, down the drain. And all freakin Kelso had ever bought her was stupid balloon...

"A balloon?" Hyde sneared as he walked into the mall with Fez and Kelso "You're kidding right? I had hoped somewhere between the basement and here you would have came to whatever senses you have left."

"Hey, you're the one who told me I had to propose," Kelso shook his head "And I'm telling you, she'd like a balloon!"

"I said you needed to propose to her if you wanted to be with her," Hyde ran his hands over his face, his annoyance growing "But if you hand Jackie a balloon, you might as well just tell her the truth."

"You're being to hard on him, Hyde," Fez insisted "Jackie said nothing under to two carats. Kelso is doing the next best thing. All girls love balloons."

"A balloon over a diamond. Yep, that sounds like something Jackie would say," Hyde rolled his eyes "Look whatever man, I don't care what happens."

"Man, I don't know what I'm going to say," Kelso let out a worried breath, as they headed into the party store "What did you say when you proposed to Sam?"

"You're asking me that?" Hyde shook his head "I was drunk and high as freakin kite. She's lucky I remembered who she was the next day...Look, don't you think you should buy a ring?"

"A two carat diamond? Are you kidding me Hyde? I wouldn't spend that much money on anybody but myself! A guy would have to be crazy to do that!"

Kelso calling another guy crazy? That was ironic. Especially considering Hyde was said guy. Kelso wasn't the only one who knew Jackie's diamond rule and Hyde was clearly the only one who had stuck to it.

"Damn it! They don't have any purple. I can't give a good proposal without one," Kelso groaned.

Hyde stood there watching hiim struggle with his color decision and felt a gnawing in the pit of his stomach...He wasn't jealous was he? It made him disgusted with himself. It was a lot easier to cut her down and make cheap shots behind her back than it was to admit anything to himself...Screw that. He was over Jackie and he was freakin over looking back. She was a cheater. Kelso was the biggest cheater he knew. They deserved each other.

"I have never seen so many candles in one place!" Fez came around the corner, his arms filled with boxes of birthday candles "I could take a million bubble baths with these around the tub!"

Kelso and Hyde stared at him.

"What? Fire is soothing," Fez shrugged, going back around the corner.

"Man, now I have to figure out which color to get," Kelso flipped through the rack again

"Blue," Hyde finished for him "She likes blue."

"Yeah?" Kelso grabbed a blue balloon "All right, whatever. I'm the real prize anyway."

Hyde flipped off the lights in the store and pulled the door behind him on his way out. He tossed the magazine into the trashcan by the curb.

Forman's Kitchen. The Next Day. 2:15 pm

"Um, Mrs. Forman," Hyde approached her at the kitchen table "Could I talk to you for a minute?"

Kitty was going over some recipe cards she was organizing into a case.

"Sure, Steven," she smiled, pushing them aside "You caught me right between lasagna and linguine."

She laughed to herself as he pulled out the chair across from her and slid into it slowly.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Kitty sat up on the edge of her seat eagerly.

It was rare that any of the kids asked for her advice anymore, let alone Steven. She had learned long ago it was best not to ask him what was bothering him, but let him come to her. Even though she had been simply dying to ask him how things were with Jackie.

"Well," he licked his lower lip nervously and started chewing more intently on the gum in his mouth "I was thinking maybe you could help me out."

"With what?" she tried her best to play clueless but it only made him realize she knew everything already.

"Well, since you know about Jackie," he sighed, leaning back in his seat "I was wondering what you think I should do about it."

"About what?" she still tried to play it off.

"You know, how do I...how do I..." he grimaced, the words not wanting to be spoken out loud.

"How do you get her back?" Kitty finished for him with a pleased smile of satisfaction.

"Not get her back," Hyde lied "I just wanna be able to you know, talk to her without her having the urge to punch me in the face...or kick me in the shins. That seems to be her weapon of choice...her high heels."

"Well, I thought things went pretty well at the party the other night?"

"Well yeah, she didn't kick me or anything," Hyde sighed, rubbing his hands on his jeans nervously "But its not like she's forgiven me."

"Steven," Kitty sighed, folding her hands on the table "You hurt that girl a great deal. Now I realize that she made some bad choices, but I saw the look on your face that day she left you that note. And how about going to Las Vegas for three weeks without bothering to tell a soul?Now I've seen you upset but sweetie you looked so miserable...As a matter of fact you haven't been happy in a really long time."

Hyde was just about to protest with his usual line about never being happy, when Red came in from the living room.

"Oh hey Red!" Hyde called over his shoulder, as Red came around them "Did you convince George to pay for the roof and the carpet yet?"

"I sure did," Red smiled, thoroughly pleased with himself.

"How?" Hyde looked up at him confused.

After two failed attempts, both of which included a lot of yelling and name calling, Hyde was shocked.

"Let's just say I threatened to let Katherine know where he's been spending his Friday and Saturday nights," Red gloated, as he began to make a sandwich at the counter.

"Where?"

"At Bob's house, with our poker club," Red laughed "He must have lost a thousand dollars over the last year."

"A thousand dollars?" Kitty looked shocked.

"Yep, and seeing as how he told Katherine her mother couldn't move in because they couldn't afford the extra expenses...Let's just say my foot wouldn't have been the only one going up his lousy poker playing ass."

Red finished making his sandwich and sat down at the table with them. Hyde looked at Red nervously. He wasn't about to bare his feelings in front of Red. It was hard enough talking about it to Mrs. Forman.

"Did I interrupt something?" Red asked, after taking a bite of his blt.

"Nope, I was just leaving," Hyde stood to go.

"Now Steven, you sit back down," Kitty insisted.

Hyde groaned and slid back into his seat.

"What's going on? Are you talking about Jackie?" Red rolled his eyes.

Red wasn't in the mood for an emotional conversation either. He hadn't had one of those in...thirty years at least.

"What?" Hyde spat.

"Well, honey of course he knows. We all know," Kitty sighed.

"You dumbass," Red shook his head.

"What? You too?" Hyde was feeling worse by the second "Didn't you think I was doing the right thing?"

"Steven, let me tell you something. The right thing is whatever the woman you love wants you to do. You wanna know why? Because it keeps the peace."

Kitty nodded approvingly along with him.

"You get to sleep at night and you have someone to make your coffee for you in the morning," Red pointed at him matter of factly with the hand holding the sandwich.

Kitty shot Red an annoyed look.

"So I should have just proposed to her and forgot about seeing Kelso in her hotel room?"

"Well, obviously marrying a stripper and continuing to live in our basement was the better plan," Red took another bite of his sandwich.

Why was it Red could always make you see how stupid you were with that same formula, no matter what your situation? When he put it that way...

"Sweetie, maybe you should ask Jackie on a date?" Kitty offered.

"A date? Mrs. Forman, I don't think we've got to that point yet. I just now got her to stay in the same room with me without running out."

"Well, just tell her you want to go somewhere and talk about things," Kitty urged him on "Just sit her down and let her know how you feel."

"Talk about my feelings?' Hyde snarled "Yeah, I can't do that."

"Well, then stay single and bitter in our basement," Red stood up, taking his empty plate to the sink "Doesn't matter to me."

Hyde let out a deep sigh and pushed back from the table.

"Well it matters to me," Kitty insisted "You don't know how much I wanted to see you get married and..."

"Gotta go!" Red and Hyde both said in unison, each exiting the room as quickly as possible.

Hair Salon. 4:33 pm

"Hey Fez," Jackie came through the front door to find him standing at the receptionist podium.

Fez glanced up from the scheduling book to see a rather somber Jackie staring back at him.

"My hair was looking kinda flat so I thought I'd come by for one of your miracle shampoos. You busy?" she looked at him pleadingly.

"I always have time for you," Fez winked at her "But I think I have something that will make you feel even better than my magic fingers."

"Oh yeah, what's that?" Jackie sighed, leaning against the counter.

"Well, I got these out of the box this morning," Fez pulled two envelopes out from the bottom of the podium "I was going to wait until I got home and surprise you."

"Is that what I think it is?" Jackie suddenly perked up "Oh my gosh Fez. This is exactly what I needed!"

Something else to focus on rather than staring at that diary and all the memories.

"Yes! It is our acceptance letters," Fez grinned proudly, handing her the one with her name on it.

"You opened them?" Jackie brushed her hair behind her ear and then began digging into the back of the envelope to rip it open.

"No, but why else would they send us a letter?" Fez looked confused.

"Well, they can always say no," Jackie sighed, as she pulled her letter out and flipped it open.

"They can?" Fez looked nervous.

"But they didn't!" Jackie squealed as she looked up at him "I'm in Fez! I'm going to college next semester!"

"That's, that's great!" Fez fidgeted nervously "Um, here. Open mine. I cannot look."

He shoved his own envelope at her, which she immediately noticed was a lot thinner than her own. Inside her envelope was a course catalog and information on dorms and food plans.

"Ok," she continued to smile hoping for the best as she ripped his open.

Her eyes scanned over it carefully.

"What? What does it say?" Fez continued to fidget, adverting his eyes from her.

"Oh Fez," Jackie looked up at him slowly "I'm so sorry."

"What?" Fez gasped, ripping the letter from her hands and reading it for himself "How is this possible? And after I told him my virginity story...That bastard!"

"Well, the bright side is they included a complimentary list of colleges that you might be better suited for," Jackie pulled another sheet out of his envelope.

"Where is that?" Fez raised a curious eyebrow "Harvard? Yale? The University of..."

"Clown college," Jackie finished for him with an awkward expression on her face.

"Ai!" Fez sighed, walking over and sitting down in the waiting area.

Jackie followed him, struggling to come up with any words of encouragement.

"Oh Fez, what do they know? Its just one school. There's hundreds of schools out there."

"Yes but the only ones who will accept me want to a put a rubber ball on the end of my nose and make my hair look like freakin cotton candy!"

Fez folded his arms across his chest and pouted.

"Well, the good thing is you can come and visit me all the time. And Donna and Eric will be there too. Oh! And I'll introduce you to all my new friends and get you invited to all the sorority parties," she nudged him playfully.

"You mean, I can still party with all the beautiful college girls and I won't have to do any homework?" Fez had a renewed spirit.

"Yep," Jackie smiled.

"It is the best of both worlds. I can still be the world's greatest shampoo boy and have all the topless college girls of my dreams," Fez grinned excitedly.

"Um, yeah that's a great way to look at it," Jackie patted him on the back "Well, I think I'm going to skip the shampoo and head back to the apartment. I have a lot of planning to do!"

"Wait," Fez stopped her, as if the situation was just sinking in on him "Does this mean you will be living in Madison?"

"Yeah, of course."

She watched Fez's face fall a little.

"So, we won't be roommates anymore?"

"No," Jackie felt a wave of sadness wash over her "We won't."

She would miss rooming with Fez. All their late night talks over a bowl of ice cream. Nights on the couch watching Dallas. Fighting over the bathroom. She had really put Fez through the ringer, for more years than she cared to count. No matter what she did. Whether it was turning him down, crying over Michael and Steven, or even convincing herself she was in love with him, he was always there for her.

"I'm going to miss you Jackie," Fez smiled softly.

"I'm going to miss you too Fez."

Jackie and Fez's Apartment. 5:02 pm

Hyde took a deep breath as he stood outside the apartment door. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Mrs. Forman just wanted to push them together so she could have a wedding and babies and all that mushy crap. He just wanted to have a civil conversation with Jackie that lasted more than five minutes.

He had tried to call Forman but Donna said he was staying late at his teaching seminar. She of course had tried to snoop and find out what was going on but he didn't let her. All he needed was the opinion of another chick, and another married chick at that.

"Steven?"

Hyde heard her call his name behind him and he whipped around to find Jackie standing at the top of the stairs.

"Oh, hey," he managed.

Man, whatever amount of coolness he still had in her eyes would surely vanish now that she found him lurking outside her apartment.

"Fez is at work," she walked passed him and opened the door "I don't know when he'll be back."

"Actually," Hyde followed her into the living room "I came here to talk to you."

"Me?" her eyebrows furrowed in surprise "Why?"

He watched her as she layed a large manila envelope down on the coffee table and kicked off her high heels. He breathed a little internal sigh of relief.

"Uh," he shoved his hands into his pockets "I just, thought maybe we could talk some more."

"About what?" she sat down on the couch.

"I don't know," he shrugged, this was going down hill fast.

"Look Steven, I'm trying ok?" she huffed "I told you, its going to take some time. We can't just go back to being friends like nothing ever happened."

She could tell his walls were quickly coming up.

"That's cool," he chewed on his lower lip "I get it."

"Besides, I'm going to be really busy," a pleased smile came across her lips.

"Busy?"

"Yeah, I got into Madison," she stood up "I'll be leaving the first week of January...I'm so excited!"

She expected at least some kind of a reaction out of him. But he just stood there.

"You could say congratulations," she wrinkled up her nose with annoyance.

"Uh, yeah, congratulations," Hyde nodded "That's uh, that's great. Is Fez going with you?"

"Um, no," her face fell "He didn't get in...I feel so bad for him. Poor Fez."

"Man, that sucks," Hyde shook his head "...Sounds like he'll be in the market for a new roommate though."

"Why? You interested?" Jackie was taken aback.

"Maybe," he shifted his feet "I mean, I've been thinking for a while now that its time I move out of the basement. Red and Mrs. Forman, they need some space you know?"

"Well, I've got a lot to do," Jackie smiled, picking up the envelope "I have to look at the dorm options, decide what sorority I'm going to let have the privelege of accepting me...oh! And I have to start shopping for a new college wardrobe."

"Yeah, I should get going," Hyde headed toward the door "Uh, congratulations again. I'm sure you'll, you'll do great."

"Thanks," she smiled.

After he shut the door behind him, Jackie let out a deep breath. That was harder than she imagined it would be. After reading some of those diary entries, her emotions were all over the place. But she couldn't let anything get in the way of her plans for Madison. She felt just as strongly now, as she did when she first applied. She needed a change of pace, a change of scenery. She needed time to sort out all of her feelings. Yes, she could have a civil conversation with Steven but that was as far as she was willing to let it go. Her heart had been through enough for now.

Hyde stood on the other side of the door in a daze. What the hell? He was trying to work his way into asking her out to dinner and she tells him she's moving? It was like freakin Chicago all over again. Now or never. Take it or leave it. Jackie was on to bigger and better things and he was going to get left behind. He was the one who had screwed everything up.

Jackie was making some tea in the kitchen when she heard the door open. She looked up to see Hyde walking through the door.

"What did I tell you about locking this door?" he shook his head, as he stood awkardly just inside of it.

"Did you forget something?" she walked toward him, confusion all over her face.

"Um, yeah," he ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek.

Then before Jackie knew what was happening, she felt Hyde's lips against hers for the first time in over a year.

...

Next Chapter: Jackie's reaction to Hyde's kiss is not what he expected. Eric mails Donna's novel to a publisher behind her back. Kelso and Brooke seek couple's advice from Red and Kitty. Jackie gets advice on Hyde from an unexpected source.