It has been awhile since I have written anything but the bug got me and it needed to come out! Please review, flame tell me what I am doing wrong. I do not own That 70's Show.
I also want to thank a special person for helping me edit!I could not have done this without you!
Lonely Life
Feburary 10,1985
Jackie sat on the plush floor of her personal elevator riding it up to her New York penthouse. Swaying back and forth just have finishing a line of cocaine in her pretty red sparkly short dress and her elegant heels thrown off to her side.
She had learned after many drunken nights to always look forward at the doors to keep from spinning but tonight she did not care. The spinning felt like the punishment she deserved.
For the last five years on this night she had hid from the paparazzi on this night because it was all about how many shots could she do, how much 'film' she could smoke, and anything else she could get her hands on, to get through it.
Of course, she partied, it was part of her job as top running fashion designer to mingle at events. The rich knew how to party but not the kind she needed. She could not let her dark side at a work occur because that would be bad for her business image. Her designs were wanted all over the country, so 'good Jackie' always had to be out.
Jackie took a drink out of the whiskey bottle she had brought with her as she looked at herself in the mirrors that lined the elevator only to see the woman staring back at her was a stranger.
The dark circles from like of sleep, sunken eyes from one or another drug and from the long nights working her butt off to get where she was but the priced she paid. She had sex but not meaningful relationships she did not have the time or patience just one night stands. She had become a strong powerful business woman but lost herself along the way.
But she lost her way long before now five years ago is when things went south. The great 1980, a week after it stuck midnight she broke up with Fez. Then she turned herself away from Point Place and never turned back. She looked back yes, after all, she had kept up with the going on of the gang and the Formans; though there were other reasons she left she couldn't handle what happened.
Apparently Hyde couldn't handle Point Place either because he left and was a wealthy record producer for the elite only signing hit singers. His store had expanded to many across the United States. Also word on the street was he had also written a book.
Jackie had missed so much being away but being there, being that cheerful person had died all those years on this date. Jackie shook her head trying to stop bring up all those past thoughts. She had not actually spoken or written to the gang but that did not stop them.
For a while she received postcards from Donna and Forman when they had traveled around Europe to find themselves together before college. Kelso had sent silly cards. Fez and his partner(who did not see that one coming?) had always sent her stuff from hairstyle suggestions to designs.
Once she became famous she had just trashed the letters and things she did not have time for them. She had a goal and to get there she needed those past memories and relationships to be gone. But forgetting all those friends turned her into the woman she did not recognize staring back at her in the mirror.
"Ms. Burkhart this is your floor, can you make it inside?" the older gentlemen Mac bent down to help her like he did every night but she stopped him and handed him two hundreds dollars before she crawled into her penthouse.
She flounced on her back threw the empty bottle and listened to it shatter in the entry way, then she just laid there and watch the room spin.
She hated this night.
She finally got the courage to crawl over to her fully stocked bar and grabbed herself a full whiskey bottle. She began drinking grabbed her hidden stash and lit up as she slowly made her way over to her stereo. She mashed every button until it finally came on. She chuckled and began to cry at the song that came on it served her right for it to be on. It was his favorite band.
Jackie danced to the beat, thought it was more like she fell over every piece of furniture in the room. Then slumped onto the couch pulled the drawer out, she grabbed another joint and lit up.
While the song continued to blare through her penthouse as she started throwing papers out everywhere chugging straight from the bottle. She had to find it she knew it was there she needed to find it. The mess grew around her and smoke filled her penthouse
Tears began to stream down her face. She looked like a mess. She knew she had it she just had to find it.
Then, there in far corner of drawer was a gently worn piece paper that was tucked safely away from the clutter of the drawer.
The tears stopped as she felt the worn paper and carefully began to unfold it. The paper had Stevens number on it. She needed to hear his voice.
She stumbled to dial the number; it was long distance he was in California. On the first ring he picked up.
Hyde couldn't hear anything but Zeppelin in the background and someone breathing in the phone. he knew exactly who it was.
"Jackie I know its you it wasn't your fault. You didn't know I never blamed you. It was both our faults and we have to live with it. Doll, I still love you no matter what happens. In the end I want you to know I love you and I blame myself from the start."
He heard her intake of air. He could feel her pain all the miles away; he wanted to be there with her but she wouldn't see him.
Sobs began with hiccups in between began, "Steven Im so sorry..."
Then as she slammed the phone down he heard the last verse.
Hyde looked out at downtown Los Angeles. The town was just coming alive when he was normally winding down. But not this night. Every year she would call, smashed and crying. He wanted help but he didn't know what he could do for her.
Lost in thoughts his private line had begun ringing again. He knew her she wouldn't call back again. He set town his small tumbler of whiskey to get to the phone.
"Yea Hyde here." he pushed his tears back and brought out the Zen.
"Hyde, its Eric um..." sniffles and tears falling could be heard through the phone.
"Foreman spit it out what is going on?" Steven had already began getting suitcases out ready to go.
"Mom and dad were coming out late there was black Ice and... they slide off the road they were in a wreck they don't know if they are going to make it man. They are giving them 15 hours if their vitals don't go higher they can't perform the surgeries they need."
"Forman I'm on my way. I'm calling in the gang and I'll get my jet ready."
He heard Eric mumble a, " Thank you."
Hyde had to figure out how he was going to get Ms. Burkhart's head out of her ass and come with them. They all needed each other.
Hyde had staff running everywhere, "I'm on the way. You know how to get a hold of me if I'm in the air. Eric, it's going to be okay."
Eric hung up the phone and looked at Donna, she grabbed him as they both sobbed in each other's arms.
Steven hung up the phone while his staff packed his luggage and he rolled himself a joint. As he quickly inhaled and held it in he closed his eyes he was brought back to 1980.
He was sitting in a solo circle in the semi empty room floor packing up his room when his door flung open and small brunette vixen stepped inside.
No words were spoken at for at least an hour or more. She sat down and began taking hits. they sat there just puffing, passing and looking into each other's eyes. She finally decided to talk between hits.
"Fez isn't for me I can't do this any longer. Being with him just gives me the creeps...and the nonexistent sex I can't even describe! I can't do it with him."
Steven handed her a new joint. "Fez is someone's catch but, doll he is not yours. I'm not sure if he is sure if his catch is even a girl."
Jackie coughed out the smoke with laughter and began to cough even more. Steven gently rubbed her back the simple touch was like a spark that reignited. Jackie met his lips the same time he met hers she had already began to climb on top of him and take his shirt off. He pulled her dress off gently trying to remember every look and touch to hold in his eyes.
Both needed this, they needed each other. The world was changing and in that moment they needed something familiar. They had not even noticed the record player had gotten stuck and repeated the same lyrics over and over. They did not notice the entire world moving outside that room. Just each other...
The gang sat in the basement trying to watch television but the constant replay of Zeppelin, that was as loud as it could possibly be, was starting to irk each one of them.
Eric kept turning and looking at the door.
"Eric, stop we are all annoyed with it but Hyde made it perfectly clear hours and hours ago he needed time to clear out alone." Donna grabbed the cotton balls from the bag and stuffed them in her ears.
"I don't know why he needed time to be alone he is definitely not the emotional type I think he is in there with a chick. I can smell the circle from here." Kelso chuckled as he drank his beer.
"Aiy yes, my beautiful friend I agree. He needed to say goodbye with a chick. whoever it is sounds like they are having a wonderful time!" Fez smiled his creepy smile.
Donna could not handle it anymore, "Let's go to the Hub, if I have to hear any of this for much longer I'm going to scream. It's just creepy and unnatural it not like he's moving far, just to his own place across town."
Everyone fled up the stairs to the Vista Cruiser.
Steven touched his lips and shook the memory that had created the down whirled spiral. To his knowledge no one had knew what happened that night; it was one of their deep dark secrets. He really did not feel guilty being with Jackie when she had yet to break up with Fez it had come the next afternoon.
What an afternoon that had turned into...
Hyde had woken to an empty bed, he knew that was going to happen after a night of passion. It was a closure they both had agreed to, it had meant nothing but a goodbye to what they'd had. They had sex many times, smoked weed and talked for hours.
Jackie had dreams, she just had to work the world to her advantage to get what she wanted and it was not to marry a rich guy but to make her own money. Hyde was the only one who knew Jackie was trying to get her life together.
He heard shouting coming right outside his door. He groaned being hung over and sleepy he just wanted to rollover but he heard the voices shouting it was Fez and Jackie. He quickly threw on a t-shirt and jeans and stumbled out the door expecting to get into a fight about how somehow Fez had found out about them. But he stumbled into a bigger mess than their little play in the sheets.
He saw Jackie's face was furious, "Fez I caught you with a guy in our apartment! Apparently it was not the first time you have been seeing him since we got together. I am so happy I never slept with you! Seriously you need to get away from me we are done!"
The rest of the gang just sat there with there, their mouths hanging open. Steven knew he needed to say something before Kelso said something to hurt Jackie about Fez's little escapades with a guy.
"Hey Jacks, Fez couldn't handle your bedroom activities because you do some wickedly good things!" Steven winked at her.
"Yeah Fez, you can't handle this! Go be with your boyfriend."
She had felt guilty and was going to come clean but when she found out it had been going on since New Years Day, she was not coming clean with Fez.
Jackie sat in Stevens chair and smoothed her wrinkled clothes she had worn the day before; she apparently not had time to change before she walked in on the worst thing in her life. She crossed her legs in an elegant manor and calmly asked, "What are we watching?"
The gang just sat there in shock, looking from Fez to Hyde not burning Jackie but saying sexy things about her. Kelso said no words and stuck the helmet on Fez, not for being with a dude but for cheating on Jackie.
Late that night Jackie had come back to the basement, she used a spare key he had given her and snuck in. He was waiting for her.
It was the last night they spent together talking, having sex, smoking, laughing, not a care in the world. She was gone again the next morning and he packed the rest of his stuff and closed his bedroom door one last time and he knew it was time to get a plan.
Not much else was spoken about that day with Fez, everyone took time to adjust and no one had told the Formans.
He was not ready to dive into the other secrets that time held.
He had to pull himself together getting ahold Jackie was not going to be no easy task. He had quickly gotten ahold of Fez and his partner of five years they owned their own popular Salon on Hollywood Boulevard, they were also on their way. Kelso was always easy to reach he worked in as security guard in one of Hyde's stores. He was really proud of Kelso he had gotten his life together with Brooke and they a set a twins just a few months ago. But Kelso was on the first flight out.
His real thoughts needed to be his adoptive parents, he really didn't pray but he closed his eyes as he buckled his seatbelt and began to pray now. He had only prayed one other time in his life, but he did not want that time to be at the front of mind right now. The only other time he had prayed, cried and begged the man upstairs was this faithful night five years ago.