Title: Whisky Lullaby

Fandom: That 70's show

Couple: Eric/ Donna

Author: EmmaJean

Author's note: Set when Eric and Donna break up. Eric can't deal with Donna dating Casey. Then Donna can't deal with Eric being gone.

She put him out
Like the burning end of a midnight cigarette
She broke his heart
He spent his whole life trying to forget

Technically it wasn't my fault that Eric can't deal with me dating other people. He's the one that wanted to see other people. Not me. And now that I went out with Casey, he is regretting it. I can't deal with his jealousy. I can't handle being dragged around. Did I like it when he went out with someone else? No. I hated it. It hurt so badly but I got over it. I wasn't an ass to everyone around. I don't know what his problem is.


We watched him drink his pain away
A little bit at a time
But he never could get drunk enough
To get her off his mind
Until the night

"What ya doin' man?" Hyde asked looking at Eric Forman from the doorway. He should have known what he was doing. Everyday since Donna had started dating Casey; Eric did the same thing. He sat and drank. He had more beer than Red ever thought of having. He was drunk more than sober these days.

"Beer?" Eric held a can out to his friend.

"It's 9 in the morning Forman" Hyde raised an eye brow.

"So? No hangover if you don't stop drinking." Eric smiled.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Hyde shook his head and walked out of the room.

"It's easier not to think of Donna if I am drunk." Eric mumbled as he opened another beer.

He put the bottle to his head and pulled the trigger
He finally drank away her memory
Life is short
But this time it was bigger
Than the strength he had to get up off his knees

Kelso stood outside the basement door watching Eric drink yet again. He didn't even want to be down in the basement now. He hated seeing Forman this way. He felt like it was his fault because Casey was his brother. He knew Casey wasn't right for Donna but how could he get in the middle of it. He was friends with Eric and Donna for ages and they were like family to him but Casey was his brother. It was easier to not be here with him. It was easier to not be around any of his friends these days. Instead of going in he took one last look through the window and walked away.

We found him with his face down in the pillow
With a note that says I'll love her till I die
And when we buried him beneath the willow
The angels sang a whiskey lullaby

"I can't believe he's gone." Jackie cried into Hyde's chest.

"I don't understand." Fes wiped the tears from his eye.

"Alcohol poisoning Fes. He drank too much." Hyde replied. "He was a dumbass who couldn't get it together and ended up killing himself."

"Eric would not do that to himself. It was an accident" Fes cried.

"He would rather of been drunk than to deal with his problems. That isn't an accident. That's stupid and it's the same thing as killing himself." Hyde snapped.

"Steven. STOP IT!" Jackie smacked him and walked over to hug Fes.

"I'm out of here." Hyde slammed the door.

"Has anyone told Donna yet?" Kelso asked. Jackie nodded her head.

"Mrs. Forman called her this morning." Jackie whispered.

The rumors flew
But nobody knew
How much she blamed herself
For years and years
She tried to hide the whisky on her breath

She finally drank her pain away
A little at a time
But she never could get drunk enough
To get him off her mind
Until the night

Donna looked around. Where was she? She didn't recognize the apartment. She touched her forehead with the palm of her hand. Her head was pounding. She closed her eyes tight. What was the last thing she remembered? The club, she was dancing. Everything was spinning. Then she couldn't find Casey or Jackie. A nice man was guiding her to the bar. He bought her a shot while she waited for her friends to return. The drink smelled awful but as she swallowed it she didn't even feel the burn. Vodka was her new best friend. You could never smell it on her breath and it always took the edge off.

She remembered another guy asking her to dance. He led her out to the floor. It was a slower song. All she could see was Eric's face. It had been 10 years and yet she still saw him every time she closed her eyes. He was smiling at her like he had at the senior prom. She would never forget that smile.

The guy whispered something in her ear and led her off the dance floor. She remembered looking around for Jackie but there was no sign of her. The guy tugged on her hand as they headed to the exit. Then everything went fuzzy.

She needed a cigarette and a shot. She felt the ground for her purse. Barely opening one eye she fumbled through her purse finding the small flask. She took a drink and relaxed a bit. Opening her eyes she saw a strange man laying next her in bed.

Without a sound, she slipped out of bed and got dressed. She looked back at the bed as she exited the room. She thought to herself she needed to slow down but she knew she wouldn't. She couldn't do it. She needed to forget and this was the only way.

She put the bottle to her head and pulled the trigger

And finally drank away his memory
Life is short but this time it was bigger
Than the strength she had to get up off her knees

We found her with her face down in the pillow
Clinging to his picture for dear life
We laid her next to him beneath the willow
While the angels sang a whisky lullaby

Midge and Bob stood in the empty field surrounded by friends and family. Kitty was crying. Red had his hand on her back and his eyes were glassy too. Jackie was clinging to Kelso as Fes slowly rocking himself his head in his hands. He kept repeating "Oh Donna. Oh Donna."

Steven Hyde had his shades on and stood off to the side observing the scene. He couldn't help how ironic it was. 10 years ago to the day they had been in this field with the same scene. Only he was holding Donna up as she grieved. Today they were saying goodbye to Donna the same way they had said goodbye to Eric. Maybe they could be together now.

lyrics in bold are from song by Brad Paisley and Allison Krauss "whiskey lullaby".