Jackie and Hyde are just too sweet in Season 5 and I just couldn't end the fic there, knowing the way things panned out for them on the show...so I fixed it! Hope you like my AU ending to T70S. It takes place about six months after the series finale.
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Chapter is rated M lite for sexytimes.
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EPILOGUE
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Summer, 1980
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A clean-shaven and fit Hyde was sitting on his usual chair in the Forman's basement for the first time in weeks. Shortly after the new year rolled around, Hyde decided to buckle down and grow up.
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The near miss of having to build a future with the worst hangover in history made him really take stock of his life and where he was going—which had usually been to the nearest liquor store. He didn't want to end up like his parents, and was plain sick of looking at himself in the mirror and feeling nothing but ennui. There's only so long a guy can drive an automatic car on a dark road before he falls asleep at the wheel. It was long past time to pony up and go manual, in every sense of the word.
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In early January, Hyde realized he was drowning in his own excess. With Eric, Donna and Kelso gone, he took to filling the hole in his life with booze and sex. His tremendous fall from grace the previous year brought him thisclose to getting 'The Bends', so the decision to pull himself out of the water while he still had the ability to swim was a no brainer.
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Having moved into the apartment above his store, Hyde was now managing every aspect of his life himself like an adult. He was more likely to be in the stock room of Grooves counting cassette tapes than banging chicks he'd picked up in the parking lot of his local watering hole. Once a guy has slept with all the hot women one town has to offer, it looses it's appeal pretty quickly - especially when the one hot chick he really wanted to be with was far out of his reach.
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Watching the sun set on his childhood was difficult, but growing up wasn't nearly as scary as he thought it would be. Much to his surprise, he was already halfway there before he even left the nest – Edna and Bud had seen to that personally.
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Just as Hyde was about to crack open his first beer, the outside door handle jiggled and a vision in plum floated through the room. Cheeks flushed, with her hair pulled up loosely into a bun, a tank top clad Jackie blew past Hyde and went straight for the deep freeze.
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"Sorry. Can't stop to say hi. I'm trying to stop myself from keeling over from heat stroke," she said without sparing him a glance as she lifted the top of the freezer and practically dove inside.
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Hyde stole a glimpse of his ex's ass as she bent over, which was lovingly hugged by a violet and plum-colored peasant skirt. "There are probably more efficient ways of doing that, Jackie," he said, amused by yet another one of her always-dramatic entrances. Now, he also needed to cool down, so he opened the can of beer and look a long chug.
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"Well, don't scream them all out at once, Hyde," Jackie snapped, then shook her head. "Sorry! It's the heat talking." She pouted to herself as she pulled a pudding pop from the freezer, closed the lid and perched herself on top of the unit. "It's like the ninth circle of hell outside" she said as she unwrapped her frozen treat. "When are the Formans going to get a fan down here?"
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Over the past six months, Jackie and Hyde had come to an understanding about their friendship. With half their friends gone, they really only had each other and Fez, and since neither had the energy or desire to make new friends, they settled into a comfortable, if slightly-detached co-existence. They didn't see each other often, but when they did it was relaxed, if not exactly enjoyable. Hard to enjoy a person's company when there's more subtext than dialogue.
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Hyde watched closely as his ex pushed the tip of her pudding pop in-between her lips and held it there for a moment before taking it all the way into her mouth and closing her eyes in relief.
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He cleared his throat and focused on his beverage.
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She let out a frustrated groan. "This is barely helping me at all."
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Hyde grabbed a cold beer and brought it over to Jackie. "No thanks, Hyde. I'm still working on my pudding pop," she said, holding her popsicle aloft - then realized how that came out and affected an apologetic grimace. A few seconds of intense awkwardness between them followed.
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He took the can of beer and wedged it into the crook of her neck, then placed her free hand over it to hold it there. "Keep it there for a few minutes then switch sides," he said.
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She sighed as the cold can brought her body temperature down immediately. "Where'd you learn that?" Several drips of condensation slid down the can and landed in her cleavage.
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"Picked it up when I was running," Hyde said.
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She pressed the beer to the other side of her neck and snorted a laugh. "Didn't you run for like, a week?"
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He challenged her with a raised eyebrow.
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"Just please be sure to send Bruce Jenner my regards next time you're out for a jog together," Jackie said in clipped English.
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"Celebrity crush of yours?" Hyde said, then strangely found himself actually wondering about it.
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"Well he is rich, isn't he? And he also has a nice butt." She winked at him, and he could feel his stomach clench.
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Hyde scowled and took a seat. "Yeah, I didn't really need to hear that."
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Jackie kicked her legs rhythmically in the pregnant silence. "When's Donna supposed to get here? It'll be nice to finally have somebody to talk about fun stuff with."
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"Beat's me. I figured I'd just drink until either they showed up or I passed out," he said, as he stretched his legs out and crossed them at the ankles. "You planning on drinking that beer too or just skunking it with your body heat?"
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"As if anything that touched my body could ever go bad," she said, while continuing to swing her legs back and forth against the freezer. "Well, except for you, I guess."
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"I didn't go bad Jackie, I was born that way." After all these years, she was still the only girl he'd met with a tongue quicker than Medusa.
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Jackie opened the can of beer she'd been holding to her neck and helplessly watched it explode all over the front of her thin, white tank. "Crap!" She looked down at her soaked shirt and realized it was now completely sheer.
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Hyde laughed hysterically at her mishap. "Can I get you another round, doll?"
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She fed him a nonplussed look and then pinched the front of the tank to pull the wet material away from her chest.
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"Guess I can cancel that Spring Break trip if we're doing wet t-shirt contests in Point Place now," he said, before finishing off the beer in his hand.
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"I don't suppose you have any extra t-shirts lying around here?" Jackie asked hopefully.
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He shook his head. "Sorry short stuff, Red went over this place with a fine tooth comb to make sure all evidence that I ever existed left with me."
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Jackie frowned. "Well, the beer is certainly cooling me down, but I can't spend the rest of the day smelling like a brewery. I don't know how you do it."
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"I don't drink like I used to, Jackie," Hyde said defensively, slightly hurt she hadn't noticed all of the recent changes he'd been making in his life.
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She gestured to the second beer he was about to open and raised an eyebrow. "I can really tell."
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He frowned, knowing he was drinking far more than he usually would because he knew he'd be seeing her today and needed to take the edge off. "What? It's hot."
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"Whatever..." Jackie forced a yawn.
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Half of him wanted to dig a hole and bury her in it, and the other half couldn't stop looking at her tits, which were now completely visible through her shirt. One thing he always liked about Jackie was her de facto boycott of the bra industry.
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"Oh stop staring at me like that Hyde, of course I've noticed you don't drink as much as you used to. I'm not blind. In fact, I just did a story the other day about the steep drop-off of beer sales in the greater Kenosha area over the past six months," she said, then let go of her shirt to readjust her bun.
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He wanted to avert his eyes, but a hot chick in a wet tank top is nearly impossible not to look at, regardless of who the broad is underneath the shirt. Instead, he just readjusted his glasses.
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She was suddenly extremely aware that she was being stared at. "Ugh. Will you stop checking out my boobs please? I get enough of that from Fez."
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"It's nothing personal Jackie, you're a chick with a great rack in a see-through top. Beyond my control," Hyde said, brushing his hand through the air dramatically.
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"Nothing personal? Gee, thanks." Jackie looked at her own breasts. "I do have a great rack," she purred with a smile. "The least you can do is loan me your shirt until mine dries...consider it the cost of the show," she said, gesturing to her chest again.
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He exhaled, then stood up and removed his shirt. "Only a t-shirt, huh? You're a lot cheaper than the strippers I used to know." He tossed it to her.
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She caught the shirt and narrowed her eyes. "Doubtful."
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Jackie hadn't thought about Sam in months, but whenever she did, it never failed to put her in a bad mood. It had taken quite a bit of time, but she finally figured out how to stay in the same room with Steven without wanting to murder him. Basement life ran more smoothly if she just instituted a mental block for the last year of her life. Sam leaving helped a bunch with that – though with or without the whore, she still had to deal with the torment of wondering what could have been from time to time.
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The initial grief she felt when he ditched her had been back-breaking. She'd tried to push it away through whatever means she could grasp - most ridiculously her 24 hour 'relationship' with Fez. That evening, her first girlfriend kiss with Fez also became their last. They both immediately realized their smooch had about as much spark as a set of wet matches. It shouldn't have been a surprise to either of them though, considering it took the entire day for them to psyche themselves up for it. Jackie learned the hard way that despite best intentions and planning, the best kisses are the always ones that were never meant to happen at all - the ones that take you by surprise and knock the wind out of your sails.
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However, after that aborted first kiss, she had an awakening. Jackie hadn't been without a man since she was 13 years old. If she was going to make good decisions for herself (ie – not hooking up with cheaters, alcoholic burnouts or pervy foreigners), she was going to have to figure out exactly what she wanted out of life first. In order to do that, she needed to stand by herself and stop letting life happen to her - so she temporarily swore off men and start taking control. A wise, if not frustrating choice on her part.
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"Turn around," Jackie said, tapping her foot against the floor impatiently.
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He grinned and continued to stare. "I believe I was promised a show."
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Completely offended, she threw the shirt back at his head. "I'm not actually one of your skanks, Hyde! I'd rather sit here fermenting in hops than ever take my top off for you again."
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His face fell though he recovered his zen quickly. He was only joking, but in retrospect, he could see how it might have been in bad taste. Her words ate at him like a staph infection, creeping quickly across his body toward his heart. Though he knew logically that they'd never be together again, hearing her actually say the words out loud was like getting a strong hit off a defibrillator.
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He stood up and walked over to the deep freeze then wordlessly handed Jackie his shirt, melodramatically placed his hands over his eyes and turned around.
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She held the shirt in her hands in disbelief.
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"Tell me when it's safe," Hyde said.
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Safe? She didn't think it would be safe until Hyde put his freaking t-shirt back on. She wondered how long she would be able to look at his naked chest before launching herself at it. Jackie felt like an on-the-wagon drunk attending a wedding with an open bar. This was going to be a challenge.
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She speedily peeled off her wet tank top and used the unaffected section at the back to wipe her chest dry, then pulled Hyde's t-shirt over her head and looked down. The words 'Physical Graffiti' were scrawled across her chest. "Okay."
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He turned around, glimpsed her in his Zeppelin shirt and promptly felt all of the air leave his lungs. The last time he saw her in a Zeppelin shirt was when she tossed it on for modesty in order to use the bathroom after he'd just finished fucking the shit out of her twice.
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"Thanks," she said, and nodded with a half-smile creeping up her face, then turned around and dumped her soiled shirt into Kitty's washing machine and turned on a light rinse cycle.
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An uncomfortable silence filled the room as he headed toward the couch and took a seat. "So...um. How's the new job?" Hyde asked, desperate to change the vibe in the room.
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Jackie took a seat at the other end of the couch and tucked her legs under her. They looked awkwardly at one another for a moment and then both turned away.
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"It's fine. I mean, 4am isn't a glamorous time slot—- though I guess it is now." She pretended to pose and gave 'face'. "With daddy still in jail, I just have to keep chugging along like the little people do, right? The rent isn't going to pay itself."
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"That's cool," Hyde tossed out casually, though deep down he did think it was cool how she pulled herself up by her bootstraps and made something of herself. He always knew she could, but figured she'd think it was beneath her and wouldn't want to. If she had wanted to, Jackie could have found a rich guy willing to marry her within a month – easily. Instead, she chose to wake up before the roosters in order to give the local weather and traffic report. Ironically, she was providing a service, and working in 'service', even on television, was the last thing the old Jackie would have done.
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Hyde noticed a small, rectangular present hanging out of her handbag that was sitting beneath her on the floor. "Is that a cassette tape?"
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She looked down and pulled it out of her bag. "I don't know. Fez forgot it at home and wanted me to bring it here for him. It's a welcome home gift for Eric."
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"Do you know what it is?" he asked.
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Jackie lifted the present out of her bag and put it to her forehead. "The Amazing Kreshkin says it's a Jackson Five album." She opened her eyes and pressed the package to Hyde's forehead. "Care to make a guess?"
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"What's faggier than the BeeGees?" Hyde deadpanned.
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"Easy. Zeppelin," she quipped, and brought the present back to her lap.
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He stared her down menacingly and then laughed with abandon.
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Jackie relaxed and smiled. "Wow. I thought for a second you were really going to hit me."
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"I would never do that, Jackie. I don't wanna get blood on my Zeppelin shirt." He grinned evilly.
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"Now, I really want to know what it is," Jackie said and ripped the gift wrapping off of the tape, then tossed it over her shoulder on to the floor.
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"How do you plan to explain that to Fez?" Hyde asked.
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She looked up at him with impunity. "Duh! I'm not gonna." She looked at him like he just asked her if she was wearing boots made out of fake leather.
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She looked at the cassette in her hands and brought it closer to her face. "It's the soundtrack to that movie 'Rock-n-Roll High School'."
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Hyde smiled and reached for it. "Gimme that." She handed it over and he looked at the cover. "This only came into Grooves about two days ago. It's been selling pretty well. Wonder why I didn't see Fez at the store."
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"Maybe he was having a bad hair day and wanted to avoid seeing you. I know I do that sometimes," she said and shrugged.
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Hyde thought about it and nodded in agreement, unsure if he should feel worse for Fez being so girly or himself, for having the flamboyant guy as one of his closest friends. "Sadly, this is a real possibility."
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"I'm bored. Put it on," Jackie said.
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"Say the magic word, doll," he said, in a sternly.
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"Now!" she hissed in a way that made his lower half twitch and tingle.
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Hyde stood up. "Just so we're clear, I'm not putting this on because you want me to. I'm putting it on to drown out the grating sound of your voice." He walked to the tape player and popped it in, then pushed play.
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"Whatever." She yawned again and pulled the pins out of her hair that held the bun in place, letting her dark curls cascade past her shoulders and hang down the back of the couch.
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Hyde watched her hair swing like a metronome in time with the music and reclaimed his seat at the end of the couch.
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They're telling us
They're gonna make a fuss
About the two of us
I want you around
I want you around
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Jackie's ears perked up. This sounded really familiar to her but she couldn't place it.
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Hyde noted her confusion and put her out of her misery. "I Want You Around."
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"What?" She was caught off guard by his statement.
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"The name of the song. By The Ramones," he said sheepishly.
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"Oh," Jackie said with a hint of recognition, until she remembered the last time she listened to The Ramones and her heart practically leapt out of her chest. She hadn't really listened to a Ramones song since 1977, the Fall after she and Hyde first started hooking up.
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She flashed back to the many lazy afternoons she spent sprawled out on the cot in his old bedroom blasting 'Ramones', while he bent her like a pretzel and made it his job to find new and interesting ways to make her scream his name. She knew it had to be a Pavlovian response to the music, but she was under it's spell.
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I know what you're thinking about
That you must have some doubts
I know what you're thinking
When you find out I want you around
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Hyde was suddenly overcome by a similar bout of déjà vu and felt a familiar stirring deep in his gut that had lain dormant for the better part of 12 months. Unwillingly, his mind regurgitated the sensation of feeling his hands drifting over her soft breasts, tasting the salty-sweet caramel of her velvet skin and smelling the sticky haze of sex in the atmosphere after one of their more enthusiastic sessions together.
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His pants got tighter with each passing measure of the song and his desire practically pulsated to the drum beat. He pulled his sunglasses from his face and placed them on the spine of the couch.
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You know if it comes true
I'll be so good to you
I'll never treat you cruel
As long as I've got you around
I want you around
I want you around
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Jackie tried hard to stare at her hands, but Hyde's gravitational pull was too fierce. She could feel his eyes burning hot on her neck from across the couch, and knew if she looked up she would be utterly screwed, in every sense of the word, yet she couldn't help herself.
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She lifted her head and was met by two blue spheres - as open and light as the summer sky.
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His gaze settled on her wide eyes that smoldered and narrowed in his direction like burning embers.
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She saw his mouth purse in anticipation.
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He caught a glimpse of her tongue taking a quick swipe at her rosebud-shaped lips.
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She noticed his chest tense under the weight of her gaze.
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His eyes were once again drawn to the Zeppelin logo of his shirt and everything that laid beneath it.
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They both slowly leaned toward each other at the same time, as if possessed by the spirits of their younger selves and gingerly touched lips, then pulled away quickly to assess the damage.
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Joey Ramone sang the first few lines of The Ramones' cover song 'Come On Let's Go' by Ritchie Valens.
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Well, come on let's go
Let's go, let's go, little darlin'
And tell me that you're never leaving
Come on, come on, let's go-a
Again, again and again
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The former couple turned their heads back at the same time and locked eyes.
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Very quickly, Jackie found herself straddling Hyde's lap, kissing him furiously with barely a second to come up for air.
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His hands threaded themselves through her thick curls and gently pulled down, exposing her neck to his hungry mouth, as her traversed the expanse of skin from her earlobe down to her cleavage.
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Jackie ran her hands over the taut muscles in Hyde's back and leaned into the assault. He tugged the hem of his Zeppelin shirt up and she helpfully lifted her arms so he could remove the offending garment, tossing it to the floor.
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Hyde roughly brushed his thumbs over her puckered nipples, causing her to moan so loudly he nearly lost it. "Fuck, Jackie!" he rasped into her neck as she she pressed her core into his lap hard.
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He flipped her over so she was lying on the couch and then covered her with his body.
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Her hands were shaking as they unbuckled his pot leaf belt and yanked down the zipper of his jeans.
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"What are we doing?" Jackie asked nobody in particular as her staggered breathing picked up at the sight of his erection, straining the confines of his boxers.
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"I don't know," Hyde said in between kisses, his low baritone rumbling against her lips. It was then that he noticed she was shivering. Knowing it was 95 degrees outside, he dipped his head in an attempt to look in her eyes. "Are you cold?"
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She shook her head no.
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With all the resolve he had inside, Hyde forced himself to slow down and then ran his hands down either side of her face, tilting it to force her gaze to meet his. "Hey."
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She tried to look away and slipped her hand beneath the waistband of his boxers.
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"Jackie, slow down. Talk to me," he urged, sensing her frantic actions had more to do with running away from him than running toward him.
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Ignoring his pleas, Jackie forged ahead and tried hard not to let the tears escape that she could feel threatening her eyes. "Can't you just...can't you just shut up and keep going, Hyde?" she asked, wanting to avoid all discussion.
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She knew what they were doing was crazy and self-destructive, but she wanted it more than she had wanted anything in a year and thought if she rushed through it, she might be able to finagle some extra lag time between when her brain caught up with her body.
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Jackie's inability to make eye contact was literally killing Hyde from the inside out. He knew he'd fucked up those many months ago, but at the time, he felt helpless to do anything about it. It was the reason he'd never bothered to explain himself or offer an apology to her once Sam rolled into town. He just turned the corner didn't look back. They never even officially broke up. Probably because he'd never wanted to.
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At the time Hyde assumed he had no real say in the matter, so there was no point in making things worse by talking about them. She would never have taken him back, that much he was sure of, so why chat about it? Talking would've given their relationship closure and he wasn't ready to do that, despite being married to another woman.
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Jackie leaned up and tried to capture Hyde's mouth with her own again, but he pulled back before she could make anything more than faint contact. "You know what? Forget it. This was a huge mistake!" She angrily tried to sit up, but he was straddling her lap which prevented her from doing anything but lying there on her back like an overturned turtle waiting to expire.
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She struggled for a minute more, then let out a frustrated scream and begrudgingly relaxed into her cheap cushion prison.
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"You done squirming?" He spoke to her as if she were his child.
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"Go fuck yourself, Hyde. God! What the hell was I thinking? Every time I come near you it's like my brain short-circuits and I forget what a huge asshole you are." She scowled and continued to avert her eyes, mainly to piss him off at this point.
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Hyde looked tenderly at her perfect face, with it's delicate but strong features and planted a kiss in the center of her forehead. He smoothed the hair out of her face, then kissed her nose, her chin, both cheeks and finally her lips.
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Jackie remembered him doing this once before, years ago, when she thought he was rejecting sex with her and she wanted to leave his room. Her eyes closed and rolled into the back of her head but she could feel the aggression lifting despite her efforts to stay mad. "Why do you keep coming back? Why can't you just leave me alone?" she asked him in a small voice, her eyes still tightly shut to him.
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"I don't know, I just cant." He caressed the side of her jaw and brought his lips to her ear. "I miss you, doll. I wanna be with you again."
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She nodded her understanding, and clenched her eyelids shut to prevent tears from spilling out of them.
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"I know I was a dick, but it was only because I was pissed off. I wanted you so much and knew you'd never take me back." He placed his head on her bare chest and listened to her heart beat. "I'm so sorry. For everything," he whispered. "You have no idea how much."
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"It's too late," she said coldly, though her insides were a hot mess of emotions.
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Hyde felt his stomach knot at her words and pressed his lips to her heart. "Come on. As long as we haven't kicked the bucket yet, there's no such thing as too late."
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"I can't go back. I can't." She suspected she was talking more to herself than him.
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"Then let's go forward," he said optimistically, trying to break through her wall with the weight of his gaze. "Jackie, I've changed. I know it sounds like a bunch of bullshit, but it's true."
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She brought one forearm to her head and rested it over her pained eyes. "I've changed too, Hyde. I used to think you hung the moon. Not anymore."
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He pulled her hand away from her face and looked shameful. "I know I don't deserve a second chance, but I'm asking you for one anyway. All I can do is promise I won't fuck it up."
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"You can't make that promise." Jackie shook her head in disbelief, her eyes radiated fear.
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"I can promise I'll try. Really try. How's that?" Hyde asked, still stroking her cheek as she laid beneath him.
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He hadn't actually planned any of this. Sure, he had fantasized about it many times, but never actually thought he'd be having this discussion with Jackie in reality...but then her lips touched his and his world order changed. He knew he had to scramble if he wanted to feel whole again. This was his last chance to try to get it right, his last chance to treat her the way he should've but didn't – the way she deserved.
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"Trying isn't good enough," she said, her storm of tears brewing rapidly like a giant cumulonimbus cloud ready to blow. "And before you start moaning about it, I know you're not all to blame for us breaking up. I was pushing you to do something you weren't comfortable with and that was wrong, but I just...I thought you were going to leave me."
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Hyde felt a hard lump forming at the base of his throat. "Why would you think I was gonna bolt? I never once said I wanted out."
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"You never said the opposite either. You never said anything!" Jackie hiccuped air and scrambled to sit up. "Marrying me was the only way I could be sure you actually loved me and that you wouldn't leave me all alone. That sure worked out well, huh? Don't worry, I see how stupid it all was now."
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He rubbed his hand roughly over his face. "Man, I don't get what I'm doing wrong here."
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"I know." She smiled sadly and decided to finally let herself cry. Tears streamed from her eyes like fat raindrops and rolled down her cheek, collecting in the form of a puddle on her chest.
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Hyde leaned back and allowed her to get out from under him. He'd tried and failed. He would've done anything to get her back again. He would have given in to almost any one of her crazy demands, but she made no demands. She wanted nothing from him. At that moment he realized she was over him. She didn't love him anymore, and he felt the weight of a thousand bricks fall onto his chest.
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Suddenly dizzy, Hyde dug the heels of his palms into his eyes and reclined against the back of the couch. He just assumed they'd always love each other, that it was a given – that kind of connection doesn't just disappear. Jackie was the only person he'd ever truly loved, and he loved her today just as strongly as he did the day he shaved off his beard for her, even if he couldn't admit it to himself until now.
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Then it hit him. She had no idea he felt this way. Why would she? It's not like he ever bothered to tell her.
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Hyde picked his shirt up off the floor and dried her tears with it. "Jackie..." he said, stopping for a second to build some courage. "I love you." His face was a mask of determination, layered over pure terror.
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Jackie sniffled and took a deep breath. "Really? You...you really...?" she asked, certain she had heard him wrong.
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He leaned forward and wiped the rest of the tears off of her face with his hands. "Yeah. I'm sorry I didn't say it enough before. Or at all, really."
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"Oh," she said flatly, completely in shock.
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"I'd do anything for another chance to be with you," Hyde said, looking directly into her eyes. "I'd even...I'll marry you." He looked at her with an intense glare that made a shiver run down her spine. "I want to marry you," he said with conviction.
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Jackie's mouth fell open and both hands shot up to cover her mouth. She didn't know whether to laugh from joy or cry from the irony. The little one did neither of those things—she just remained frozen in this position until she remembered to tell herself to breathe. Thinking about breathing made her think about her lungs, which were under her rib cage, which was completely exposed since she was currently using Hyde's t-shirt as a tissue. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and she covered them with her hands. "I'm topless."
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His attention was called to her breasts and he smiled. "It's a good look for you."
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"No. No, you just proposed to a girl who isn't wearing a shirt. I imagine this is how you proposed to Sam. I am such a skank." She pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "This was not the way it all went down in my dream journal."
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Sam. Hearing that name tumble off of Jackie's lips made him feel a fresh stab of guilt. "I never proposed to Sam. I never wanted to be married to her, it just happened. It should have been you, and if I didn't act like such a dumbass in Chicago, it would've been," he said, swallowing hard. "And I'm not wearing a shirt either, if that makes you feel any better, baby." He smirked at her boyishly in the way he knew she loved, hoping to lighten her mood.
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Jackie shook her head. "It doesn't. That makes it worse, actually. Now, all we need is to move in to that trailer Donna bought for Eric and I've plummeted about ten class levels. Pam would be so proud."
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Hyde chuckled. She may be shallow, but she usually managed to make it entertaining. "Give me an answer anyway."
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Her eyes widened. "You were serious? I thought it was a hypothetical proposal!"
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He looked confused and annoyed. "Why would you think that? What the fuck is a hypothetical proposal?"
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Jackie bit her bottom lip and looked at the ground. "Hyde..."
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"At least call me Steven again while you trample my balls," he requested bitterly.
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She placed her hands on either side of his face and smiled at the familiar feel of his stubble beneath her fingers. "I don't want to trample your balls, Steven. I'm going to need them some day when we want kids."
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He touched his forehead to hers. "Are you fucking around?" he asked. He could feel himself holding his breath. In one afternoon his entire life was changing, just as it had three years ago on this very couch.
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"No, I'm not fucking around, but come on...us getting married right now is insane and you know it," she said, with a long exhale.
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"I meant it when I said I'd do anything," Hyde said. He couldn't mess this up again. "I'll marry you, if that's what you want."
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"Is that what you want?" Jackie asked, truly believing there was no way he actually did.
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He thought hard for a moment. "Yeah."
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Jackie stared at him, trying to figure out where this was all coming from. Just when she was about to be taken in again, she waved a hand in front of her face in an attempt to break the spell. "This is crazy! We have too many problems between us that we need to work out." She wondered why he was so intent on pushing the issue.
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Hyde nodded. He knew she was right, but something inside of him felt vaguely disappointed by being turned down. Not only did he realize right then that he wanted a life with her, he also decided he didn't want to waste anymore time not living that life.
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"How about you ask me on a first date? Can we just start there?" Jackie asked, encouraging him with her eyes.
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He answered her with a kiss, but she could tell his heart wasn't in it.
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Jackie cocked her head to the side and stared at him. "What's wrong?"
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Hyde looked down as he played with the fingers on her left hand and shrugged. "Just wondering if you still, you know...forget it, man. I think the heat is getting to my brain."
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"Of course I do, Puddin' Pop. I have since that night you brought me to the hospital to get stitches," she confessed readily and kissed him hard.
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Relieved, he cupped her face again and brought his forehead to hers. "Me too."
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"I know." Jackie nodded with emotion. "I know that now."
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It was reckless to trust him again, she knew, but how could she not? He claimed he wanted to marry her - he wouldn't do that unless he were absolutely serious. That much was certain. She'd been alone for a while and though unhappy, she survived. She was strong now, and whatever happened with them this time, she knew she'd be okay in the end.
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Jackie felt lightheaded and couldn't tell if it was from euphoria, the heat, or a combination of the two. "Now shut your pie hole and take your clothes off before I get so dehydrated that we can't 'prove our love' To each other."
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Hyde grinned. "Yes, dear," he said dutifully, then lifted her up and carried her threshold-style to his now vacant room in the back.
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They both looked down at the bare cot and then each other. Impatient, Jackie squirmed in his grasp to get the ball rolling. "Steven, that cot isn't going to knock itself up against the wall."
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Hyde smiled and gently tossed her on the bed. "You never used to be this impatient."
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"You never used to be this built," she cooed while regarding his more developed chest with approval.
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"Same could be said of you." He crouched down on the bed beside her and cupped her breasts with his hands as he leered at her with a palpable hunger.
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Through the wall, they could hear Joey Ramone's familiar warble come over the speakers again.
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Yeah yeah she's the one
Yeah yeah she's the one
When I see her on the street
You know she makes my life complete
And you know I told you so
She's the one, she's the one
Yeah yeah she's my girl
Yeah yeah she's my girl
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Now both naked, Jackie slid down onto Hyde's lap and wrapped her arms and legs around him, forming a protective cocoon. "Being married right now would be stupid, but you know...it might be fun to live together...at some point."
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She looked away shyly, but he grabbed her chin and turned her head back to him. "I just want to be with you, I don't care how it happens. I'm signing up to take the ride, wherever it goes."
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Jackie's head dropped back and she grinned. "You can sign me up too."
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"I'll give you a ride," Hyde quipped, eliciting a moan as he bucked his pelvis against hers. "So...this living together business...would you sleep dressed like this every night?" Hyde raised an eyebrow.
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She looked down at their nude, intertwined bodies and smirked. "Would you make it worth my while?"
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He nipped her earlobe then soothed it with his tongue. "From now on, I will always make it worth your while, doll. Always..." he whispered quietly in her ear as he began to move inside of her.
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Outside of the room, Donna and Eric opened the door to the basement and filtered inside with their luggage.
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Eric stopped short and looked at his girlfriend quizzically. "Why is there a Ramones album blasting in my basement when nobody is around?" he asked while checking out the room. "In fact, why is nobody around? My mom said Hyde and Jackie would be..."
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Donna's eyes widened and she instinctively threw a hand over Eric mouth.
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He pulled her hand away and mouthed "OH MY GOD!" with a look of sheer disgust.
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"Come on," she whispered harshly and grabbed his hand. "Let's get out of here before-"
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Before she could finish her sentence, the sound of the cot slamming rhythmically against the outer wall of the back room echoed through the basement.
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Eric groaned. "She has to be the devil. It's the only way to explain Hyde constantly going back for more. He's clearly turned to the dark side."
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"Red really might want to consider investing in a solid bed frame." Donna grimaced.
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Eric dropped both suitcases on the floor and grabbed Donna's hips. "Quick. Run for your life!" he hissed at her as they ran laughing from the basement into the safety of the driveway.
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The End!
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A/N - Hope you liked the epilogue. I just thought they really deserved a happy ending :)
Please let me know what you thought of this in the reviews section. Thanks again for reading my story and for all of the favs and alerts! You are awesome!