December 28, 1979: Point Place, Wisconsin

The news of Eric coming back from Africa was an ethereal experience for Donna. She had been used to Eric being an arm's length away almost all her life, or at least since she had entered her teens. And yet, a whole year's worth of distance had brought about emotions that she had not yet begun to expect. Yes, loneliness and misery were expected, but being away from someone so close to you does funny things to your brain. Eric had left in early December last year, and it was her first Christmas away from him in many years. She remembered the cold night of 27th December, in her lawn, pacing restlessly, staring at the snow on the ground. It was interspersed with her footprints, which were gently but surely getting obliterated by fresh snowfall that brought with it memories of times spent with her group of friends. She had involuntarily shivered, her melancholy deepening by the minute.

She had known about Eric leaving, but it had been so ... sudden, after all. She wished she was next to a warm log fire at this moment, with at least a glass or two of wine inside her. Her parents were away that day, to visit Midge's sister. She had gone over to Eric's garage, and taken three cans of beer from the stash she knew was there. The beer made her feel better, but only deepened her loneliness. She vaguely thought of Fez, who had been very supportive that time, but the memory was immediately blanketed by a newfound guilt. She remembered how Fez had walked over to her that cold night, and how she was involuntarily drawn next to him. Both of them had gone to Eric's basement, and a combination of alcohol, loneliness, the warmth of Eric's basement, and Fez's demeanour with his ?musk perfume had created a perfect storm. She ended up kissing him, and it set the stage for many such trysts...

She now had to wait for Eric to be back, probably by next week.

"Donna!"

She was shaken back to reality with the sound of her mother calling her. "Donna! Your friends are here", Midge said, while putting on her shoes, "I am going to go to Oliver's party with your dad, make sure you all don't mess up this place!"

"Sure mum!" Donna replied, coming into the living room, seeing Hyde, Kelso, Jackie and Fez walk in, with Kelso as usual staring at her mom. She had to admit, she used to feel bad about that before, but her mom with her Christmas sweater, red lipstick and a fit body was something few guys could keep their eyes off.

Her mom closed the door shut, as her friends settled in, immediately boisterous and clamoring for beer!

"Alright, alright!" she exclaimed, "all our stuff is ready", while pulling out a cardboard box from under the table with a flourish, "say hello to beer!"

"And say hello to weed!" exclaimed Kelso, pulling out a brown paper bag from his pocket.

As everyone hustled around and grabbed a can each, Donna turned down the lights, and stoked the log fire. It let out a flurry of sparks, immediately transforming the room into a warm, cozy place, with the fire throwing shadows at everyone's faces, embracing them in a warm glow. Everyone settled in a semicircle next to the fire, and Jackie and Donna laid out food and drinks on the floor. "Alright, let's get high!" exclaimed Kelso. They all snuggled into blankets, laughing and talking, as Hyde expertly started rolling the weed.

Donna looked around, glad to see everyone so happy near her. Fez got up to pick up the box with the beer, so that it would be at hand, close to them. God, Donna thought, Fez looked amazing in his black leather jacket and tight jeans. She felt a chill up her spine, and a warmth spread over her breasts and face, as she thought of Fez and her alone in those blankets ... ...

She was not the only one who felt a rush of emotions at the time. The glow from the log fire glinted off the clear glass of night vision goggles, in the trees outside their window.

Fez settled down, the atmosphere already smoky with Hyde's efforts, the initial smoke from the weed starting to have it's desired effect on everyone. "Man! It's sure cold outside!" exclaimed Kelso, pulling a blanket over his head, "now I know how those Canadians feel everyday at home!"

"Shut up Kelso," said Fez, "my pants are too tight! I think this cold may have shrunk them!", as he pointed playfully to his behind.

"Hey! Cut the crap!", Hyde chimed in, "no one want to see your butt Fez!"

Except me, wish I could see it again.. .. thought Donna.

The night vision goggles outside their window moved slightly to the left, as if to get a clearer look at Donna. However, the eyes behind those goggles had seen a lot of beautiful naked women from across the globe, and Donna was not the object of focus at present. The focus was a brown wooden cabinet, kept near the TV, with a steel lock over it.

The man with the glasses brought up his hand to wipe his forehead as a bead of sweat slowly formed, even in the cold weather.

By tonight, that box, and one of the people in that room would be far away from Wisconsin.