Work Text:
The Ending They Deserved
The clock on the motel wall was nearing eight o'clock. Jackie sat on the bed, wearing tight jeans and a simple white blouse. Her hair was loose, falling in soft waves over her shoulders, and she was distractedly flipping through a magazine she wasn’t really reading. Beside her, a perfectly closed suitcase waited by the door. Everything was packed up, as if she were ready to leave… or for something to begin.
Then, she heard a knock at the door.
Jackie stood up and opened it, her heart stopping for a second when she saw Steven Hyde standing on the threshold.
"Steven?" she asked, surprised. "What are you doing here?" There was a hint of happiness in her voice—she had been waiting for him.
He looked at her in silence for a few seconds before speaking.
"Can I come in?"
"Sure… come in."
Jackie stood awkwardly in front of him, nervous. There was something different about the way he was looking at her—something she wasn’t sure was reassuring or terrifying.
Hyde closed the door behind him but stayed there, not approaching yet.
"Jackie..." he said without thinking too much, spilling out everything that had been bottled up in his head. "I don’t know what the hell you were thinking when you gave me that ultimatum." His voice was tense. "I hate feeling cornered. And believe me, it didn’t sit well with me at all."
Jackie frowned and crossed her arms.
"Steven, if you came all this way just to blame me or insult me, telling me I’m crazy for pressuring you, you might as well leave. I’m done wasting my time."
He took a step forward, his gaze fixed on her.
"Jackie, for once in your life… shut up and listen to me."
She stayed silent, indignant, but something in his tone stopped her from answering back.
"You told me this was your dream," Hyde continued. "How the hell do you think I felt knowing you were willing to give it all up for me? You really think I’m worth it? What if I don’t make you happy? What if you end up resenting me for making you throw away your future for a guy like me, stuck together by some damn government contract?"
"Look, Steven, I'm not going to feel guilty. If that’s all you came to say, you could’ve saved yourself the trip. A phone call would've been enough," Jackie said, hurt.
"For God's sake, Jackie! Shut up and listen!"
Jackie’s eyes widened in surprise, but she didn’t say anything.
"You dropped that bomb on me… and then you left. You gave me time to think, but you didn’t even wait to hear what I had to say. You left too soon."
"Because I already knew you were going to say no," she said, her tone both annoyed and sad, turning her gaze away.
"I told you to shut up!"
Jackie looked up—and for the first time, she saw Hyde completely vulnerable. His eyes weren’t angry; he was just as nervous as she was.
"When you left," he continued, voice softer now, "I had to work through a thousand things in my head. Think of a million plans, a million outcomes. I wanted to let it go… because everything was a mess. But then I realized something, Jackie. My life would really go to hell… if I lost you."
Jackie swallowed hard. Something shifted in her expression.
"Steven… I…"
"No," he interrupted her gently. "Shut up. Because this isn’t easy for me."
He stepped closer and slid one hand into the pocket of his jacket.
"I’m not going to let you give up your dreams. So I talked to WB. I told them you’re moving to Chicago… and they need to open another Grooves store there. Because I’m going with you."
Jackie’s eyes filled with tears. She took a step toward him, wanting to hug him, but Hyde raised a hand.
"Not yet. Let me finish."
She stopped, her heart pounding.
"We’ll move to Chicago. We’ll find a cheap apartment. You can decorate it however you want… just as long as you don’t fill it with unicorns and pink stuff."
Jackie laughed through her tears.
"We’ll get married," he said firmly. "Not now, but in a couple of years. I want you to focus on your dream, and I’ll focus on the store. We’ll save money. Because when we get married, you’re gonna want a white-picket-fence house and kids, and I want everything ready for that."
She couldn’t hold back her emotions anymore. She looked at him like he had just fallen from an interstellar comet straight into her arms.
"Steven…" she whispered.
"And if I’m gonna do this," he added, "I'm gonna do it right. If this is what makes you happy, then I want to be the one who gives it to you."
Hyde dropped to one knee, pulling out a small velvet box from his jacket. He opened it. Inside was a beautiful engagement ring—just like Jackie had described to him so many times when she thought he wasn’t listening. It was perfect.
Jackie let out a sharp, joyful cry, half-laughing, half-sobbing:
"YES!"
"Jackie," he said dryly, "I haven’t even asked yet."
She clapped her hands over her mouth, embarrassed.
Hyde took a deep breath.
"Jackie, will you marry me?"
Jackie shrieked again, throwing herself onto him, and they tumbled to the floor in a mess of kisses and laughter. He hugged her back, kissing her deeply. Then she sat up like a bolt of lightning.
"Put it on, put it on now!"
Hyde pulled the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger. Jackie stared at it with adoration, then threw her arms around him and kissed him again.
When they pulled apart, he said with a crooked smile:
"One more thing… when you plan the wedding, remember—I’m not Forman. I don’t want to see any stupid china sets, flowers, or frilly decorations. That’s what you have Fez for, okay? I’ll just handle the music… because you have awful taste. And, of course, I’ll handle what I’m gonna do to you on our wedding night..." he added with a lascivious look, eyeing her up and down.
"You’re such a pig!" Jackie exclaimed, hitting him on the arm.
Hyde grinned wider.
"And you’ll be Jackie Hyde… pig."
Jackie laughed through her tears. It wasn’t the perfect proposal. It was better.
It was real.
It was them.
And finally… it was the beginning they deserved.