BAD LIARS

What would have happened if Eric had missed the flight to Africa and Jackie still went to Chicago would the events in season 8 have happened anyways? Would Donna still have met Randy? Would Hyde have married Sam anyways? This is an alternate look at the end of season 7. AU – Non-Canon and just a fictitious story.

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Chapter 01 – Always Have a Backup Plan

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September 1979

Alone and unsure of her future, Jackie sat on the old worn bedspread of the cheap Chicago hotel room. She was missing Steven like crazy and yet she was still torn because this was her chance to spread her wings and fly. A career in television waited for her but….she was willing to give it all up if only Steven would have committed to a possibility of a future together. He couldn't even do that. Instead, he shows up and thinks that a naked Kelso in a towel was a threat. Okay, but when isn't Kelso naked? Steven totally overreacted.

Jackie looked at the cheap calendar on the nightstand and realized that today was the day Eric Forman was supposed to leave for Africa. She knew he didn't really want to and he was only doing it so Donna would have a future. Eric was a lot like Jackie Burkhart – always sacrificing for the ones they loved. She had to call him and say goodbye.

The Forman telephone rang and Eric picked up, "Hello?"

Putting a smile on her face she said, "Hey, Eric? It's Jackie."

"Uh-huh." It sounded like he disbelieved her. She took a deep breath and continued, "Look, I just realized you're leaving for Africa and I won't get a chance to say goodbye in person. It makes me sad; I mean you've always been very special to me."

"Okay, Jackie, if there's a gun to your head just say the word 'cream cheese." Eric sounded like he was teasing.

"No, Eric, I'm just gonna miss you is all, okay? So just take care of yourself in Africa." She really was going to miss him. Burns and all. He was still the nicest of the bunch.

"Okay. I will. Wait, you want to talk to who? You want to tell him you love him? Well, I don't know you guys didn't really leave on the best of terms. Okay, Dad, telephone!"

Suddenly, Red Forman's voice came over the line. "Who's this?"

Jackie gulped. "Hi Mr. Forman…its Jackie. Could you tell me when Eric's flight leaves?"

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Jackie urged the taxi driver to go faster. "My friend's plane leaves in an hour. I have to see him before he goes! I have an extra twenty if you make it happen." The cab driver stepped on the gas throwing Jackie back against the seat as he sped the way towards Kenosha Regional Airport. Jackie just hoped she wasn't too late!

Eric was sitting back against the seat of the cab leaving Point Place. This was his first trip away from home, not to be confused with a camping trip or traveling to Uncle Marty's house. He closed his eyes and remembered the talk with Donna on the hood of the Vista Cruiser. She looked so beautiful when she said, "…you're gonna be back before you know it and then we're gonna have our whole lives to spend together."

All he could manage to get out was, "Listen to me Donna. I love you so much. You're my best friend and I love you." He did. He really loved her despite all of their ups and downs. Going to Africa was scary but he would do it for Donna. To be with Donna. To finish school with Donna. This trip below the equator would help him come back a man and not some skinny twitchy boy. He was 20 years old and had a mission. Donna would be proud of him!

The freeway traffic approaching the airport was gridlocked. Eric looked at his watch, his plane was leaving in 30 minutes and he still needed to go thru Customs. "Driver, is there anyway we can get there faster? I have a plane to catch."

The driver looked at him through the rear view mirror. "Buddy, you and everybody else is trying to get to the airport. Sit tight." The cab driver swerved around the left lane and jumped three spots amidst honking horns and rude gestures aimed at his cab. "Okay, we're a little closer are you happy now?"

Eric sighed, "Okay, I guess I can always catch a later flight." In a smaller voice he added, '"I hope."

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Jackie scanned the airline signs looking for Eric's departure terminal. She pointed for the cab driver to see, "Right there, pull up behind the red VW. The cabbie signaled and started to pull up against the curb when Jackie's taxi was broadsided by an identical colored cab.

"Hey!" she yelped, "Passenger back here!"

Eric was looking at the brochure when he heard a loud BOOM and a crash. He was thrown against the passenger door and looked up to see his taxi had crashed into another cab. A bus pulled up alongside the taxi on the driver's side and he was boxed in. "Oh man, my flight leaves in 10 minutes!" He tried rolling down the window but the handle was broke.

"Hey, you ain't leaving til you pay up. It's gonna cost you 25 bucks man." Eric threw the money on the front seat and tried to squeeze out the other window. The cabbie from the damaged car came around and started yelling at Eric's driver. The light changed green and the bus moved forward with a hiss and a grumble spewing smoke from the exhaust. Eric pushed hard against the door and tumbled onto the road. The cabbie ignored the shouts from the injured taxi driver and came around to get Eric's bags from the trunk.

Jackie picked up the contents of her spilled purse and tossed a couple of bills over the front seat. She needed to run or she would miss Eric's departure. Her strappy sandals smacked the concrete as she ran right through the doors, following behind a tall man in a corduroy jacket. The doors whished as they closed behind her. She was almost at the counter when an airport cop stopped her. "Sorry Miss, only passengers are allowed beyond this point."

"Oh please, I just want to see if my friend is over there. I have to talk to him before he leaves."

"Sorry, unless you have a ticket, you'll have to go." The officer tried to be kind but Jackie just wanted to kick him in the shins. Instead, she moved to the ropes that defined the ticket line from the waiting area. She jumped up and down like a Whack-a-Mole trying to see if Eric was in the crowd. "ERIC!" she hollered but her voice didn't carry in the large airport.

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"You have to be kidding. I'm supposed to be on that flight! How can it be overbooked?" Eric looked at the ticket in his hand. "Flight 9864 at 4:00 pm - I'm right on time."

The man at the ticket counter shrugged. "I can only tell you what the computer says. We can put you on standby but there's no telling when your next flight will be. You might want to call the Consulate of that country and tell them you're going to be a little late."

Eric turned and groaned. It was exactly four o'clock. Despite the taxi accident, he was there...ready to step on the plane and begin his new adventure. His ears were ringing. Didn't Kitty say that when your ears were ringing someone was talking about you? He looked around and made eye contact with the little spawn of Satan. Oh crap!

Jackie saw her friend standing by the ticket counter – he hadn't left yet! Yay! She almost did a homecoming cheer right there in the airport!

"ERIC!" She shouted again and he looked around like there was another Eric in the airport. That twitchy nerd! Jackie ran through the crowd and pushed her way to the desk. She was almost out of breath. "I would have been here sooner but my stupid taxi was hit by another taxi."

Eric frowned, "No…MY taxi was hit by a taxi."

Jackie gasped. "Fate! Our taxi's collided so I could come and say goodbye to you in person!"

Eric looked around just in case someone saw him standing with the midget nutcase. "O-Kay. Goodbye. Jackie." He turned around, fervently hoping the airport counter guy had come up with an alternate flight to Africa. "Sir, as I told you moments ago….you might want to call your Consulate….there is a payphone right over in that kiosk." The red jacketed official pointed to a bank of telephones near an open air booth.

Jackie tugged on his jacket. "Eric, be nice. I came all the way up from Chicago because I wanted to see you off."

"You mean you wanted to see my plane crash and burn." He said sadly.

Her eyebrows knitted in a slight frown. "No…why would I want to see that? Why aren't you boarding with all those other passengers?"

Eric sighed loudly. "Because… they overbooked this flight - I'm on standby until the next one comes up. Jackie, do you have any spare change? I have to call Africa."

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"I see. Uh-huh….yeah, not your fault. Okay, thank you very much." Eric hung up the telephone and slid down wall covering his face with his hands. Jackie pulled over his duffel bag and sat on it. "What happened?" she asked.

Eric looked over at his "sort of" friend. "My trip was cancelled. They decided to revoke the funding due to economic reasons. Now what am I supposed to do? I've got a butt load of malaria and tetanus shots and everything else in me and let me tell you what! That hurt a lot! Don't let anyone ever tell you, 'oh, you'll just feel a little sting." He put his finger in the air. "If they say that, they are lying!"

Jackie bit her lip. "Well, you can always go home."

Eric gave her a look like she asked him to eat a spider. "Home? I can't go home! I mean they gave me a going away party and everything! Donna thinks I'm on a plane right now! And now…I can't call her because I used all my change to call Africa. This blows chunks!"

"You're parents will understand."

"Are you kidding? This will just get Red's foot twitching! He's wanted me out of the house since we missed graduation last year. I can't go home. I don't know what I'm going to do."

Jackie looked at the last passenger boarding the walkway and the stewardess closed the doors behind them. There went Eric Forman's future. She turned towards him.

"I have a plan."

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"What? You are crazy! That's what everyone told me but I kinda wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt but now I don't know….." Eric backed away from the tiny brunette. She sat there on his duffle bag, filing her nails and calmly said, "Okay. Tell me what you came up with."

Eric stammered. "I – I…I can go to my Uncle Marty's house."

"Where does Uncle Marty live?" Jackie lifted a delicate eyebrow. Eric's mouth opened and closed. "I don't know….because he moves around a lot."

"Okay, how are you going to find him?"

"I…I don't know and hey, why are you asking me all these hard questions?"

Jackie shrugged. "Maybe because it bothers you?" She laughed. "No seriously, think about my idea."

"Go with you to Chicago and get a job?" Eric scoffed. "Ha! I don't have any skills. I wanted to be a teacher because I can do that without lifting anything heavy."

"Oh god! You are more of a whiner than me missing a shoe sale! Look Eric, it's simple. The TV producer loved my public access show and offered me a job. I start Monday and you can be my assistant."

"What? No freaking way! You want me?" He pointed to his chest for emphasis, "To be your…" he pointed back at Jackie, "….assistant? Is this some major burn for the time I forgot to tell you about the time Kelso and Laurie did it in the basement?"

Her eyes got big. "You FORGOT?" Jackie calmed herself. "No, you took that A-V class in school…I can tell them you're my camera man. Plus, I'd feel safer if someone I knew was kinda hanging around, you know, since Steven decided to be a dink and all." Couldn't envision a future with me in it!

Eric sort of forgot about all that due to his getting ready to leave Donna. Steven's problems were low on his totem pole of "things to worry about."

"Donna is going to hate me." He said sadly.

Jackie reached over and touched Eric's arm. "No, this is going to work. Listen; let everyone THINK you went to Africa. Call home collect, they won't know the difference. Send a change of address card to the Consulate and they will forward all your postcards and packages to Chicago. You'll still get the mail, it will just be later. Then after a year, you'll have made enough money to go to Madison with Donna just like you planned."

Eric pursed his lips. Why did the devil child's plan make such sense? "Jackie, I don't know. Where am I supposed to live? How do we get around? We don't even have a car."

Jackie smirked, "The beauty of my plan is that on the weekends, we can rent a car and spy on our friends. We'll find an apartment and besides, Chicago is big city; we can walk wherever we want to go."

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A/N: Thanks to Snipersnake111 for the challenge!