237A torrent of curse words streamed through Jackie's brain but her whole body seized in agony cutting them off from exiting her mouth. She could hear Hyde's voice, blurred by the ringing of her ears.
It was strange. It hadn't hurt at first. She had noticed how loud the shot was and the relief that Hyde was still standing. Then her body had sounded the alarm. Shock followed close behind, her eyes squeezing shut as if trying to pretend she hadn't been hit.
Pressure on the wound forced her eyes open and she hissed at the pain.
"I'm sorry," Hyde was saying. In fact, he seemed stuck on repeat, only saying those words.
Jackie wanted to reassure him that it wasn't his fault, not even a little bit. Instead when she opened her mouth all she could manage was, "ow!"
"I know, babe. Help's coming and Annette's here."
Jackie's vision was so blurry and she was exhausted, all her limbs weighted. She used Hyde's frantic eyes as an anchor. They were clouded with worry but the sharp, familiar blue grounded her.
"Is my dress ruined?" she mumbled.
"No, no! It looks great," Hyde rambled, tripping over his words. "When is that god damn ambulance going to be here?"
"Liar," Jackie retorted and tried to punch him in the shoulder. Her arms didn't move.
"It'll be here soon," Annette reassured them both. "The pressure will stop the bleeding, just keep her talking."
"Never had to try too hard for that," Hyde joked weakly.
Jackie narrowed her eyes, dimly registering the insult. The pain wasn't as bad now. In fact she almost felt like she was floating.
"Shut up. I'm mad at you."
"Oh yeah, why's that?" His calm tone trembled. She must look terrible if he sounded like that.
"Putting yourself in danger like that for me."
"I had to," Hyde said distantly.
"It was dumb. Kelso level dumb." Her words slurred but Hyde looked offended so that was good.
"I wasn't being dumb," Hyde countered evenly.
"What were you doing?" Her eyelids were so heavy and kept dropping, flickering Hyde in and out of sight.
"What someone who loves you is supposed to do."
…
The confession was out before he could think. Annette studiously focused on checking the assassins pulse and trying to give them the illusion of privacy.
His throat was tight and the silence was heavy. Jackie hadn't responded. In fact she wasn't talking.
"Annette!" He was panicking now but Jackie was frighteningly still. Annette rush to his side, fingers pressing to her pulse.
"She's passed out," Annette assessed. "Her pulse is steady. People don't die from getting shot in the arm."
Hyde would have been reassured by her confidence if she didn't sound so ragged.
Paramedics burst into the room and everything exploded into organised chaos. There were police everywhere.
Everyone in a uniform seemed to know exactly what they were doing whereas Hyde's world was rapidly imploding.
He was forced away from Jackie as the emergency response tended to her. Fez had materialised at some point and was clutching at Hyde's elbow, frantically saying that she would be alright. Hyde didn't know if he was trying to convince himself or Hyde. He was too stunned to shake off his friend's hands and honestly found them comforting rather than clingy right now.
His own were covered in Jackie's blood which had turned tacky and sticky.
She was so tiny they got her onto the stretcher with little to no effort. Hyde followed helplessly in their wake. The guests at the party were as quiet as if this was a funeral and he wanted to scream at them that she wasn't dead, that she was going to be fine.
One of the paramedics tried to stop him from following her into the ambulance, placing a hand on his chest and asking, "Are you family?"
Hyde wanted to break every bone he could get a hold of.
"Yes," Annette answered instead, averting an incident. "He's family. Let him go. We'll meet you at the hospital."
Hyde clambered in behind them, rage deflating out of him almost as quickly as it had come. The flashing red and blue lights of the emergency vehicles cut sharply across the faces waiting behind. The blue made Donna paler than usual, almost like a ghost. The red threw Carlos' handsome features into shadow – he looked murderous. For once Hyde was completely on the same page as the FBI agent.
Hyde sat on Jackie's uninjured side and gently laced his fingers through hers. He took deep steadying breaths in an attempt to stave off the looming spiral into madness.
A million questions burned at him. If he'd followed her immediately, would this have happened? If he had ignored Kelso's requests to throw a party, would Jackie have gotten hurt?
A part of him that was still reasonable knew that the dead man would have found a way to get at them regardless. This had been set in motion way back when his store had been ransacked. As tempting as it was to lash out and blame Kelso for everything, it wasn't right and Jackie wouldn't want that.
The man responsible for all of this was sitting in a jail cell and if Hyde had anything to do with it, he'd stay there for a long fucking time.
…
It took a few tries before Jackie could open her eyes. The overwhelming white was harsh and Jackie blinked rapidly. It was fairly quiet except for muffled voices, constant footsteps and the steady beep of a machine. Twisting slightly, Jackie gauged the cause of the beep was a heart monitor. The movement twinged her arm bringing everything rushing back.
She'd been shot. The fact she wasn't really in pain probably meant that bag of clear fluids hanging above her head was pain killers. There were black holes in her memory. She could recall jumping in between Hyde and the gun but not much after that.
Someone cleared their throat from the door. It was Annette.
"How are you feeling?" she asked softly.
"Groggy," Jackie confessed. "Is Steven ok?"
'He's fine." Annette gestured with her chin. Jackie tentatively turned again and spotted the figure slumped in the chair at her bedside. Hyde's chin was on his chest, his legs sprawled untidily in front of him. He was asleep.
"Wouldn't leave your side."
Relief flooded her chest. They were both alive and he was right there. Pale and scruffy but unhurt.
"What happened?" Jackie asked, careful to keep her voice low so as not to disturb Hyde's sleep.
"A hit man tried to take you out," Annette assessed flatly.
"I'm flattered."
Annette snorted. "He's dead and you're not. You can feel whatever you want."
"How long do I have to stay in here?"
"A doctor should really talk to you…"
"Please, Annette."
Annette blew out a sigh. "You're going to be fine, let me start with that. And if you're feeling up to it, you only have to stay at hospital overnight. But the bullet went through muscle so you'll have to wear a sling for a few weeks and likely follow that up with physical therapy."
Jackie processed that information. Not great, not terrible.
"Will you be relocating us?"
"That's actually some good news. There is plenty of evidence linking that thug to Victor Ivanov and too many witnesses for him to kill us all. The Bureau actually thinks it would be perfectly safe to go back to Wisconsin though they will insist on a police presence at your house until the trial is over. We've submitted the paperwork to get that expedited in light of everything that has happened."
"I get to go home?" Jackie echoed not quite believing it.
"Sooner rather than later if you're up to it. I've had someone on the phone called Kitty Foreman threatening to drive right here if she couldn't see you herself in 48 hours. She caused enough of a fuss that we'll be flying you back."
Jackie could just imagine how Kitty had behaved on the phone. It was enough to bring a weary smile to her face.
"You don't look as pleased as I thought you would," Annette observed slowly.
"Pain meds," Jackie suggested, possibly too quickly.
"Uhhuh?" Annette raised an eyebrow. "I've spent a fair bit of time with you recently. I know your face, Jackie."
Jackie's shoulders slumped lower in the bed. "What if I don't want to go home?"
"Why wouldn't you want to go home?"
"Because what if it's not the same there? What if it breaks the spell?"
"I'm not following you, Jackie." Annette folded her arms across her chest.
"Steven and I were so good here but when we go back, that's it. We're back to our real lives."
"I really don't think that will change anything," Annette tried to say gently.
Jackie shook her head. "You don't know what we were like there. Angry and broken, and so mean to each other!"
Annette's forehead wrinkled in confusion. "How much do you remember after you got shot?"
"Not much, why?"
"He was really scared that you would die."
Jackie's heart was thumping in her chest. How could she explain her fear to Annette without sounding crazy? "I know he cares about me but how can we make it work this time? When we're back to being just Jackie and Steven? What if he still doesn't see a future for us?"
"I'm afraid I don't have the answers for you," Annette said softly.
"And I'm afraid that what we feel might not be enough."
…
Hyde heard the last part of the conversation and gritted his teeth in an effort to feign sleep and not snap.
Not only did Jackie not even remember his profession of love but she was beginning to question everything between them. She'd just had an incredibly traumatic experience, he tried to remind himself. She wasn't thinking straight.
Or maybe reality had finally caught up with them and he'd been found wanting.
He waited until she fell asleep again before carefully creeping out of the room. His nerves were frayed to the point where even a joint couldn't soothe them.
Clyde came and collected him from the hospital and took him to the hotel where the rest of his friends were staying. They bombarded Hyde with questions about how Jackie was doing which he tried to answer with a neutral face.
When Eric asked him what was wrong he lied and claimed he was tired. Foreman's expression said he didn't believe him but thankfully he didn't press the matter. He was too wrapped up with the fact that by now Jackie would have woken again but she hadn't asked for him. He was at a loss. He'd bared his emotions to her, told her he wanted her and that plan had still backfired in his face. He was back to square one with her.
Jackie was well enough to fly the next day though the doctors plied her with pain pills and sedatives, so even if Hyde had summoned enough courage to act on a plan he hadn't yet devised, she was too out of it to engage in conversation.
She'd clung to Donna's arm on her way on to the plane and pulled her into the seat next to her. Donna had obliged but shot confused looks at both Hyde and Eric.
"Still wanna say you're tired?" Eric had needled.
"I don't want to talk about it," Hyde had snapped back and sunk low in his chair. Annette and their FBI entourage would get them safely back to Point Place and that would be that. Though Annette had promised they would only be a phone call away if they had any concerns or even if they wanted to catch up. And there was always the impending trial to consider.
Their arrival into Madison airport was greeted with much fanfare. Hyde spotted W.B. first, standing about a foot taller and wearing more colour than anyone in a hundred meter radius. He rushed to Hyde with his arms outstretched but was beaten by Kitty Foreman who was faster despite her short legs. She wrapped herself around his midriff and Hyde was embarrassed to notice he breathed a little easier in her arms.
He'd missed Kitty and Red who was just behind his wife. "For god's sake Kitty, stop making such a scene and let the boy breathe!"
Kitty's laugh was tinged with tears but she released Hyde to turn her attention to the other returnees.
"I'm glad you're back, she's been driving me half mad with you gone," Red muttered out of the corner of his mouth, which was his own unique way of saying he'd missed Hyde and was relieved to see he was safe.
W.B. managed to embrace him next, squeezing his shoulders tightly. "I know I got to see you but I'm just damned pleased you're all ok."
"Thanks, dad. It's good to be back."
W.B. ruffled his hair affectionately. "You scared us all half to death when we heard about Jackie. Especially when I saw how close you two had gotten."
"Not that close."
W.B.s smile dimmed around the edges. "You not as 'close' as I thought then?"
"Can we not talk about it right now?" he pleaded hoarsely.
W.B. nodded. "Fine, not right now. But soon."
Hyde accepted that, he could buy more time later.
One of the more surprising members of the welcome party was Jackie's mother Pam. She had a few more lines around her eyes than Hyde remembered and her mouth was pinched into a thin line as she looked at Jackie's injury.
"You'll have to move back home so I can take care of you," she was saying while stroking her daughter's hair as if to reassure herself that Jackie was there and alive. She was genuinely and sincerely concerned for Jackie. Which Hyde spitefully thought 'too little, too late' but kept to himself because he knew how much this would mean for Jackie.
There were police cars waiting on hand to take them all home and there was a moment of awkwardness when he found himself briefly alone with Jackie. He was hiding behind his shades because he knew one glance into his eyes would reveal the truth; that he was dying inside.
"How're you feeling?" he asked to fill the silence.
"Alright. Bit sore." She spoke to the ground and it made him want to shout. How had his happiness been snatched away with nothing more than the pulling of a trigger?
What was even left to him to make her stay?
"So you'll stay with your mom?" he followed up. He wanted to run away but never let this conversation end.
"Yeah. I need some time to rest."
"Can I do anything?" Adrenaline was kicking in like he was preparing for a fight.
"I think I just want to be alone for a while."
That was it, the death knell of their relationship. He had never had much time for songs that spoke of dying from a broken heart. Not until he understood them in acute detail. It was like a knife to the chest.
Annette would have told him to stand his ground. Eric and Donna? Probably the same advice, but he was so weakened by the last few days he crumbled under her request for solitude. He watched her leave in the car with Pam without uttering another word.
…
Donna was pacing her room and examining the flowers that were on nearly every flat surface while Jackie sat on her bed surrounded by college acceptances.
"How do you still keep getting flowers?" Donn queried. "You were shot almost three weeks ago."
Jackie shrugged and that didn't cause her as much pain as it had even a few days ago. She'd stopped taking the pain killers about a week ago, not liking the way they made her head all fuzzy.
"And that has to be the quickest turn around on college acceptances ever!"
"I guess when you get a letter of recommendation from an FBI agent it goes a long way to getting you accepted," Jackie surmised, moving them around in front of her in the hopes that it would help her make a decision. There were at least six very good universities in her pile and three had offered her a scholarship. Unfortunately all the institutions offering scholarships meant travelling to another state. After getting shot, not much scared Jackie any more but a few things remained on the list. Moving across the country alone was on there. Right under finally having a talk with a very certain someone.
Jackie ran her fingers over the letter of acceptance from the University of Southern California which had offered her a full academic scholarship to study business.
"Who sent the roses?"
"Carlos," Jackie answered while keeping her attention on the letter. She'd gotten those two days ago. It had wished her a speedy recovery and in the bottom corner the start of a phone number had been scribbled out.
Jackie was somewhat relieved. She would love to be friends with Carlos, he was intelligent and kind, but frankly she'd barely untangled her feelings for Hyde, she didn't want have to field a move made on her by Carlos.
"Can I have him if you're not interested?" Donna flopped on the bed and disturbed the pile of letters.
"What about Eric?"
"Meh." Donna grinned at her friend, clearly just teasing.
Jackie rolled her eyes and swatted at her friend with a letter.
"Have you talked to Hyde yet?"
Jackie bit her lip and didn't answer.
Donna sighed and twisted onto her stomach so she could fix Jackie with a glare. "I don't understand what happened between you two?"
"What do you mean?"
Donna scoffed. "Don't play coy. I saw you that last morning in Beverly Hills, you were glowing. I don't think I've ever seen you so happy!"
"Rose tinted glasses," Jackie dismissed.
"God you two are the worst. You're in denial and he's skulking around like an extra from Night of the Living Dead."
"He is?" Jackie asked and then cursed her obvious interest.
"You know what? No," Donna said waving her finger at her friend. "If you want to know how he is, you have to go talk to him."
"But-"
"But nothing, you're both being ridiculous and I have better things to do with my time then answer veiled questions about how you are."
"He's asking about me?"
"I said no, midget!"
"Ugh," Jackie cried in frustration. "You're so pushy, Donna."
The other girl flashed her a bright smile. "I know."
"I'm just not sure what he wants now that we're back in the real world. It is increasingly likely I'm leaving the state. Again. Will he want to come with me? Because I'm not giving up this opportunity." Jackie waved her acceptance letter in Donna's face for emphasis.
"You won't know unless you ask him," Donna pointed out a little too reasonably for Jackie's liking. She hated when Donna was right.
…
Hyde was sitting on the couch with his feet up on the coffee table in front of him. It was the middle of the day and he hadn't gone into work. Hell, he hadn't even put on pants. He'd smoked a joint but that was the extent of his achievements today.
He'd told W.B. he needed some time off so his father had made sure the store was looked after and told him to take the time he needed. Hyde suspected his father had probably thought he'd meant a day or two, maybe a week; not three weeks. He'd caught a number of whispered conversation between his father and his foster parents. They were clearly worried about his inaction.
Kitty had been fluttering around anxiously, W.B. had 'casually' discussed helping him find his own place, and Red had snarled at him once or twice to get his act together but even that had ceased after about two weeks. He still heard their not-so-secret discussions about their concerns but at least they were leaving him to his misery.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs and that was unexpected enough for Hyde to tilt his head in mild curiosity. Fez, Eric and Kelso were all at work. To Hyde's surprise, Annette materialised in the room.
He squinted at her. "Are you really here or did I just smoke some wicked good pot?"
Annette narrowed her eyes and shot him with a withering glare. "I wish I was a hallucination. Then I wouldn't have to smell this basement. Why aren't you wearing pants?"
"Ahhh mean. That's the agent Godfrey I know and love."
"Have you showered at all since I last saw you?"
"Can't remember," Hyde replied and reached for a beer he'd opened the night before and hadn't finished. It was warm and gross but he didn't care.
"This is pathetic, Hyde, even for you."
"Harsh!"
"No. Harsh is telling you that you're completely fucking up your chances with Jackie. You're going to lose her and you're just sitting there."
That was forceful enough to rattle through the pleasant haze of intoxication he'd built around himself. Just Jackie's name was enough to make his chest ache.
"This is what she wants."
Annette groaned loudly. "You. Are. So. Stupid!"
"It's what she said. She didn't know if she wanted a future with me."
Annette's mouth twisted in disdain and before he could stop her, she reached out and snatched the beer he was cradling. She ignored his protests and dumped it down the drain.
"Why do you care?" he demanded, not at all enjoying the way she was forcing him to think about Jackie.
"Get your shit together," she snapped at him, sounding eerily like Red. "You were obviously eavesdropping but you clearly didn't listen to a word she said."
"I heard just fine."
"She said she wasn't sure if there was a future between you, not that she didn't want one. She was worried that going back here would make you act… well, like this probably."
"No that's not right." It couldn't be right. But it kick started his brain.
"She thought you'd go back to old habits and I tried to tell her that wouldn't happen. Well what do you know, she was right."
Hyde flinched. He was receiving a dressing down to rival what Red could deliver when he was mad. And wasn't sure he didn't deserve it.
Was Annette correct? Did Jackie still want him? Was she waiting for him to prove he was serious about her?
Was she waiting for him and he was just sitting there like a decaying fool? His shoulders stiffened.
"Ah there's the Hyde that might actually be good enough for Jackie," Annette cheered and clapped her hands.
"Are you messing with me?"
Annette spread her hands in frustration. "I am an FBI agent, I do not have the time to involve myself in the love life of teenagers."
"Then why are you here?"
Annette jammed her index finger hard into his chest. "I told you – you're fucking it up."
Hyde staggered to his feet. His high was draining away quickly, scared into retreat by Annette's steely stare. "Ok but what do I do to fix this?"
Annette's expression softened into a smile. "You know what you have to do, you don't need to hear it from me."
Hyde nodded absently, mind already turning, and Annette started up the stairs before stopping abruptly. "Just one piece of advice."
"Yeah?"
"Please shower."
Hyde barked out a laugh, which sounded weird in the empty basement. Surely he didn't smell that bad but a quick sniff revealed that he smelt worse than a corpse. Maybe Annette knew what she was on about after all.
He was towelling his hair dry when he received his second visit of the day. Kitty called down and told him he had a guest in the kitchen.
"Jesus Christ, did Annette send you too?"
Nancy Meyer jumped at his abrupt version of a greeting and spilled her coffee. "The FBI agent?" she asked hesitantly.
"She was here just an hour ago," Hyde clarified, guessing that these visits had nothing to do with each other after all.
Kitty scolded him for his lack of manners. "Steven, you need to be more polite, this lovely woman came all the way from California."
His foster mother shoved him into a chair and put a cup of coffee in front of him. It might have been his imagination but he was pretty certain Kitty smelt him too and smiled when she caught the scent of shampoo and shaving cream. It made him wince; he must have been a mess.
Nancy patiently waited for him to settle. She was sitting there in designer clothes that cost more than the furniture in the Foreman house. Which explained why Kitty was so skittish. She felt uncomfortable around wealthy people. But Nancy Meyer was kindness personified and she engaged her host until Hyde was ready to talk.
"Thank you for this coffee, Mrs Foreman. It is exactly what I need after the trip."
Kitty blushed under the compliment. "I just wish I could have offered you something fancier."
"Caffeine is a godsend," Nancy insisted. "You've resurrected me, I assure you."
Kitty tittered, embarrassed. "If you're here for very long, we'll have to have you over for dinner."
"I anticipate being here for a few days at least. I'd so enjoy a home cooked meal over the room service of my hotel."
Hyde had no doubt Nancy was staying in the nicest hotel Point Place had to offer and could order lobster on call but he was grateful for her easy exchange with Kitty. Especially when she followed up with "they gave me complementary bottle of the loveliest wine. It would be criminal not to share it with you after your hospitality."
Kitty practically shone with delight. Hyde cleared his throat, suspecting that if he let them, Nancy would never get to real reason why she was here.
"Of course. I'll leave you to catch up." Kitty almost bowed out of the room causing Hyde to chuckle with affectionate amusement.
"Your mother is very nice," Nancy observed.
Hyde didn't bother to clarify his exact relationship with Kitty. She had been his mother in all the ways that mattered.
"It's nice to see you, Nance, so don't take this the wrong way. But what are you doing here?"
Colour blossomed across Nancy's cheeks. "Honestly, I came to see Me- Jackie. I came to talk to Jackie."
"She's not here," Hyde said bluntly. He was hearing her name way too damn much today but maybe it was what he needed.
"I know. I asked W.B. where to find you, once Hank realised he actually knew you both. I thought I'd find her here too."
Hyde must have been in the mood for a bit of torture because even though he already knew the answer he still asked, "why?"
Nancy blinked at him slowly. "Because I assumed you were married."
Hyde folded his arms defensively across his body. "Nope. We had to pretend to be so they'd let us stay at that stupid, expensive commune with the guards."
His attitude didn't rattle Nancy any. "You two are very good actors," she noted mildly. "You certainly tricked me into thinking you cared about her."
"I do." It tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop himself. Hyde grimaced. The last few months had affected him more than he knew. Normally he was perfectly capable of pretending he had no emotions.
"So you are together then?"
"No." His response sounded small even to him.
"Why not?" Nancy leaned forward.
"Are you sure you and Annette didn't cooperate on this whole 'remind Hyde he is an idiot' thing?"
Nancy grinned at him. "I promise. Though it sounds like people who have seen you together are of the same mind and think you should be a couple."
Hyde glowered, more annoyed that they were correct than that they were messing in his private life.
"It's possible you guys are right," he spat out.
"Do you have a plan?"
Just like that, Hyde did have a plan. It terrified him but not as much as losing Jackie all over again.
"Yes, actually. And I need your help."
…
Jackie eased her arm back into the sling. She was beginning to hate the stupid thing. She just wanted to be able to move around like normal. Her physical therapist had told her as they wrapped up their appointment that she could remove it for short periods of time but to take it easy. It would also restore some of her independence. Jackie never thought she'd say this but she was finding her mother just too attentive lately. Jackie wished Pam would be inflicted with another bout of wanderlust and head off to for a month or two and give Jackie some breathing space. Between her and the cops perpetually placed outside her home while they waited for the trial, Jackie was smothered.
Almost every time she turned around Pam was there offering her help. It was incredibly well-meaning of her but there was nothing like being constantly surrounded by people to reinforce how god damn lonely she sometimes felt. Because it was never the person she wanted it to be.
And part of that was on her as Donna had so astutely pointed out. Her heart longed for Hyde but her stupid head wouldn't get out of the way. She just couldn't bring herself to go to him and lay those cards on the table. She was too scared he'd reject her, make her cry – and she'd promised he would never make her cry again.
So instead she suffered. Which as Donna had so helpfully highlighted, was ludicrous too.
"Only you could make a sling look pretty," a voice noted from behind.
At first Jackie could only see flowers but they were quickly lowered to reveal Nancy. Jackie squealed and stepped forward to hug her friend but caught herself. She hadn't spoken to Nancy since she'd discovered Jackie was nothing but a lie.
Nancy tutted low in her throat and swept her into an embrace so warm tears immediately sprung to Jackie's eyes. Realising that people in the rehab wing of the hospital were beginning to stare, Jackie reluctantly released her friend.
"These are for you," Nancy told her thickly, swiping at her eyes and handing her the flowers. "The girls all signed the card."
"Thank you," Jackie breathed. "Nancy, I left before I got to say sorry to you."
Nancy waved it off. "W.B. explained everything to us. You have no reason to say sorry. You had no choice."
"I can't tell you how many times I wanted to tell you!"
Nancy reached out and tenderly tucked some hair behind Jackie's ear. "I know, sweetheart. It's all forgotten."
"How did you find me here?" Jackie asked, clutching the beautiful flowers close.
"I went to your young man's house."
Jackie swallowed. "He's not my young man."
"I know that now."
"How… how was he?"
"Forlorn."
Jackie's stomach clenched – god she missed him. "Oh."
"But I didn't come to discuss how he's pining away for you. I want to talk about how I'm pining for you."
Jackie laughed at Nancy's melodramatic phrasing. "What did you want to talk about?"
"You never got back to me about my offer of a business partnership."
Jackie froze and stared at Nancy like a deer in headlights. "I assumed the offer wasn't there anymore."
"I'm still interested if you are."
"But I was dishonest," Jackie stuttered.
"Sweetheart, you can't fake good taste. So I have to assume that you were as truthful with me as you could be. Do you still want to start a personal shopping business?"
"More than ever," Jackie admitted.
Nancy beamed at her. "Perfect. Then it's settled."
"Wait! Just like that?"
"Just like that. I'd still like you to go to university first if you remain committed to that course. Business degree if I recall."
Jackie nodded wordlessly, thrilled beyond words.
"Then we make it happen."
"Nancy, you're being so kind to me despite everything." Jackie could scarcely let herself believe this was happening.
"What are friends for?"
"So we're friends?" Jackie pressed, heart in her mouth.
Nancy held out her hand suddenly. "Hi, I'm Nancy Meyer. I'd love to go into business with you and be your friend."
Jackie reached out with her own uninjured arm and clasped the offered hand. "Jackie Burkhart. Very pleased to meet you."
"How about you go home, change into something divine and I'll send a car for you in say an hour? I have a bottle of wine that would be criminal to keep for myself."
Jackie could have been walking on clouds as she made her way home. This was everything she'd ever wanted. There was only one thing missing. Hyde.
Jackie paused with her lipstick mere inches away from her mouth. What was she doing? She knew what she wanted! She wanted to go to college. She wanted to go into business with Nancy Meyer. And she wanted Steven Hyde.
He was a scruffy idiot but she knew that and she wanted him all the same. Jackie cursed her own absurdity. She knew Hyde better than he knew himself – he wasn't one for grand gestures or declarations and she'd created a scenario where the only way he could have her was if he defied every one of his natural inclinations.
With renewed determination she finished her lipstick. She looked fantastic, which was ideal since when she was done with Nancy, she was going straight round to tell Hyde how much she loved him and to ask him to come with her to California.
Standing straighter than she had done weeks and chancing an evening without the sling, Jackie practically ran for the car that pulled up out front. It took her to a hotel not four blocks away, one in the nice part of town.
The driver told her the room Nancy was staying in and said she was expecting her.
Jackie ignored the elevator and bounded up the steps. Her arm hurt but it was easy to forget. Her hands were trembling with excitement.
She rapped on the door, which opened immediately. Jackie had been ready to tell Nancy everything and get her advice on how to win Hyde over, if he'd needing persuading.
But it wasn't Nancy at the door.
No, the person on the inside of the room was Hyde. His unexpected presence made Jackie forget the English language.
Instead Jackie could only stare as Hyde shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. He held out a hand to her and Jackie took it wordlessly.
The room was bathed in a soft glow from a number of candles.
"Wine?" the question was squeaked in her direction.
"Please," Jackie accepted to buy time. Hyde had never squeaked anything in his entire life and how he was practically vibrating with nerves.
He handed her a glass of champagne that had bubbled down the side. It slid over Jackie's fingers and she quickly licked them so they wouldn't get sticky. Hyde's pupils darkened and made Jackie self-conscious at the attention.
He hadn't spoken beyond asking if she'd like a drink and Jackie was increasingly bemused.
"I expected Nancy," she finally noted.
"She's at the Foreman's."
"Why?"
"Because I wanted to talk to you alone."
He was regarding her with an intensity that dragged up along her body, making her aware of every nerve. His gaze was heat on her bare skin.
Jackie took a frantic sip. "What did you want to talk about?" she managed to rasp. He wasn't wearing his sunglasses she realised suddenly. His shades were nowhere in sight. And he was wearing a buttoned shirt with a blazer. Her fingertips were beginning to tingle.
"Us."
One single, simple word and her pulse was thundering.
"I was awake in that hospital room, Jackie. I know you were wondering about what would happen when we got back to Point Place. Whether we had a future."
Jackie's cheeks burned so hot she was sure she was almost glowing in the dim room. She hadn't known he'd heard that but it explained his behaviour in the hours that had followed. How skittish he'd been.
"I knew you were afraid of me disappearing and I did exactly that."
He was berating himself, but Jackie wasn't sure he deserved to shoulder the blame solo. "I asked for time alone," she croaked. "You were just doing what I asked."
Hyde exhaled roughly. "No. I appreciate you trying to give me an out but I could have come to you before now. But I was afraid as well."
"Of what?" The question was barely more than a whisper.
"Of not having a future with you too."
Jackie couldn't move even if she'd wanted to. She was rooted to the spot, completely consumed by what he was saying to her.
"I know I'm terrible at this kind of thing but I figure the least I could do is try and show you that, if you want, I'm all in."
"Ok. I'm here so tell me."
That's when he laughed and it startled her enough that she slapped his arm. "This isn't funny."
"No it isn't. But I said show, not tell."
"What does that even mean?" Jackie demanded when Hyde dropped to his knees. Specifically, one knee. Her hands flew to cover her mouth, mobility issues forgotten in the moment.
Hyde dug around in his pocket and produced a tiny velvet box. He popped it open without preamble.
Jackie gestured at its contents with shaky fingers. "What is that?"
"You know it is a momentous day when Jackie Burkhart can't recognise jewellery when she sees it." His smile was crooked but his eyes betrayed his apprehension. It was a delicate ring made of white gold and a tiny diamond. "I know its small but Red said it had belonged to his mother."
A sob burst out of Jackie's mouth.
"Are you crying?" Hyde asked doubtfully.
"No," Jackie insisted. "Keep talking."
Hyde paused but quickly resumed. "I want you to go to college and start that business with Nancy so we don't have to get married yet. But I want you to know that I go where you go. If you'll have me?"
Jackie could only stare. First at the ring and then at Hyde.
He tugged at his collar and coughed, breaking her reverie. "About now is where you say something. My knee is starting to hurt."
It was such a perfectly Hyde way to end a proposal. And that's what he was doing. Proposing to her, after all they'd been through together.
"Yes."
"Yes?" he repeated slowly. He hadn't been confident she'd say yes, Jackie realised and her heart pounded extra hard. He'd not known but he'd still asked.
"Yes! Of course I'll have you, Steven."
He was on his feet in a flash, pressing a kiss to her lips that soothed any lingering hurt she'd been holding on to. This was right.
Epilogue
"This calls for scotch."
"You think every situation calls for scotch," Hyde informed Hank good naturedly.
"Well, it does," the older man insisted and turned to his liquor cabinet.
W.B. caught his son's eyes and lifted his eyebrows in amusement. The contracts had been signed with the music store and the record company for a number of cross country appearance for a handful of up and coming musicians.
It meant a bit of travel for Hyde but that was fine because Jackie was beginning to franchise her personal shopping business. It had taken barely a year after she'd finished university for hers and Nancy's business to explode. Within nine months, they'd been forced to hire staff to cope with the demand.
Two years on and they were establishing offices in New York and New Orleans. Hyde couldn't be prouder.
As if summoned by his thoughts, Jackie appeared in the office.
"All done?"
"All signed," Hyde confirmed and wound an arm around her shoulder after she'd kissed both Hank and W.B. on the cheek. "How was Annette?"
"Flying off to Florida for some job she couldn't tell me about."
"Is she the reason you smell like champagne?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Jackie replied primly. "Champagne doesn't smell of anything."
Hyde snorted and ran his hand down her arm affectionately, fingers brushing over a fading scar. When they could, Hyde and Jackie caught up with Annette though she seemed to be the one person busier than they were. She'd give them updates on the other FBI agents who had kept them safe. Clyde had become a regional station manager in Hawaii, Eleanor had retired and become a private detective, and Carlos was deep undercover somewhere Annette couldn't say.
"Heading back to Point Place tonight?" W.B. asked.
Jackie nodded. "We promised we'd do Christmas at the Foreman's this year. And Donna is due early January and I can't miss that."
"Their first?" Hank queried, pouring a fourth glass for Jackie.
"Yes, and they've all reached the freak out stage."
"Both of them?"
"Yeah, Eric, Donna and Fez are all a little stressed," Hyde explained. Eric had spent nearly an hour on the phone to him yesterday telling him how nuts things had gotten in his home town. Hyde was pretty pleased he was living all the way out in California these days.
"You'll be there though won't you, W.B?" Jackie turned to the man.
"I'll be there Christmas morning. Angie is in Connecticut with her family this year so I'm all free for a Wisconsin Christmas."
Hyde took another quick sip, Hank really did have outstanding booze. "We should go. It is going to be a long drive."
Jackie smirked and tugged his ear playfully. "I was just going to sleep in the back and let you drive."
Hyde pulled her against him and pressed a light kiss to her lips to the groans of the other men in the room. "Not a chance," he murmured against her mouth.
Jackie laughed lightly. "You're a terrible husband."
"Yeah but you still married me."
Hyde captured his wife's hand in his and ran a thumb over the ring that rested there. It wasn't her first wedding ring but it was the first real one and he never got tired of seeing it or its twin on his own hand.
AN: thanks for everyone who read and reviewed. This is the end of the story, contained but hopefully everyone enjoyed the ride. Let me know in a review!
MD666
