On the concourse at Chicago O'Hare International a couple were kissing, the girl a tall striking blonde, the boy wiry, but equally tall.

"Final call for British Airways flight No. BA1463 to London Heathrow. Will all passengers please make their way to gate 21 where boarding will commence in 10 minutes."

"Eric, stop it you have to go"", even though she doesn't want him to go at all. "God is that what I think it is," feeling his boner on her thigh, " I thought we did it enough times last night to at least hold you until you get to Africa and into the privacy of your own room where you could introduce yourself to your new best friend and lover, You hand!"

"Yes, but its not anywhere near as good as you. Anyway I have to go now, as a leans over to pick up his cabin bag."

Donna now crying walks with him to passport control and watches him disappear through the gate after waving a final goodbye. "Dammit I didn't want him to see me cry.' Donna very seldom cry's and in the main, its been due to Eric. She just wishes that he didn't have to go to Africa for a year to gain a scholarship that would enable him to go to college with her next year. In the meantime She was going to continue on the radio as "Hot Donna" in order to build up her own college funds even though Bob, her father had plenty money from all his little inventions that were selling in their thousands through telemarketing.

Reaching the car park and getting into the vista cruiser she watches the BA jet take off, with both her heart and Eric on it, fast disappearing into the blue sky. She's now racked by tears as the loneliness is already starting to hit as she realizes just how far away Eric going to be, no longer just next door as he has been through most of her life, first as best friends until the fell in love becoming that rarity both in love and best friends that enable them to get back together after a major breakup and a failed attempt at marriage which although instigated by Eric not appearing, was agreed by both to be too soon and both of them agreed that marrying after college would be soon enough.

Eric, sees the car park from his window seat but can't identify the Vista Cruiser, is already realizing that he is already further away from Donna than he has ever been. and is feeling depressed inside.

Eric has always been able to separate his public self from his private self. He was able to work at Pricemart with Red as his boss and impress him with his work ethic evident even in his short stint at Fatsoburger. Even his year off as a bum was a success from the point of view that being a bum was his objective. And, when he realized that it was time to stop being a bum and get on with life he quickly reset his objective, to be a teacher and set out to get himself a scholarship that would pay for him to go to college and be with Donna.

In truth his long term objective has always been to marry Donna and support her in her own objectives even to the point of not turning up to their wedding to force her to turn back to her own long term objectives.

Sitting on the plane Eric reviews his relationship with Donna and begins to realize how much he's going to miss her and also realizes that they haven't really talked about their long term future even though they have always, in the main, been able to talk out their short term problems.

With that Eric decides that part of his letters to Donna over the next year must be about about their future and setting long term objectives for the two of them and not just themselves.

With that Eric digs out a letter writing kit that he got from Hyde and starts to write his first letter home to Donna telling her of how much he misses her, how much he loves her and setting out how he sees their future life together asking her to do the same so that they can agree on what their life together should be.

Donna arriving home, parks the car, and sits there red eyed and still crying until Kitty sees her and brings her into the Foreman;s kitchen, where a bottle of wine was opened and consumed with both of them crying.

Kitty has been through this before when Red went to war, and tells Donna of her own fears at that time and how she has those same fears for Eric. Kitty, has since Eric and Donna became intimate seen Donna as a rival for Eric's affections though at the same time loving Donna as a daughter explains the emotional roller-coaster that Donna's going to feel especially after talking to Eric on the phone or after getting a letter from him. She tells Donna that in her letters to and from Red that they had been able to keep their love for each other alive by expressing them fully in writing and by writing their future plans for themselves and each other so that they both wholeheartedly were able to march forward together into their future vision for them.

After going home. hugging Bob. Donna headed for her room to be alone so that she could write her first letter to Eric in Africa, to tell him how much she loved him, missed him and a start to planning their future years together. But, first a good long cry with the candles lit and the door locked, she didn't want to have to deal with Fez this evening, she might kill him.

About 4 am Donna's bedroom door was being very noisily thumped and cry's of "Donna open this door at once" reverberated through the door. Only one of her friends could generated this level of audio abuse and she thought that she would be tucked up in a Chicago motel with another of her friends celebrating a proposal of marriage between the two friends.

When she opening the door she barely recognized the emotional wreck standing there as her her best friend Jackie. "What the hell" pulling her into the bedroom. "I thought Hyde was going to propose to you tonight and give you that ring he got inscribed."

"In a word Kelso"

"Kelso gave me a lift to Chicago and managed to spill coffee on everything. So when we got to the motel I let Kelso use the shower and when he came out I showered off all the coffee. Kelso shouted something about getting some Ice and went out.

"There was knock on the door and there was Steven, me in a towel and then Kelso arrived still wearing only a towel. Steven just looked hurt grabbed Kelso's towel and ran him off before disappearing without even trying to listen to me. I got Kelso to to drive me back here to find him before he doe's something stupid to get back at me. Remember the nurse?"

"Jackie I don't think there's anything we can do till daylight. If his cars not there he's not back yet. You'd better stay here and get some sleep. God knows I haven't had any yet. I've just finished a letter for Eric"

"God with my Steven troubles I clean forgotten that Eric had left yesterday. How are you feeling Donna."

"For almost the first time in nearly fifteen years I can't sense Eric near me. We've both been able to sense when we been close, even during the break-up and after that failed marriage attempt."

"Thats why you were always already smiling before Eric came into view and come to think of it the same goes for Eric." I begin to see why you and Eric are together, now come on tell me the rest (Jackie's sense of gossip gets the better of her own tragedy)."

"The whole of the High School wondered that all the time and it constantly worried Eric. Eric has always been in the right place and been able to say the the right thing to make me feel better what ever the problem."

"What about the breakup." "That was down to Eric's insecurity. He didn't think that I would stay with him always. Our marriage attempt was too early, neither of us was ready for marriage.'

"What about the sex Donna." Donna, for once overcoming her normal reticence, answers, Eric is great in bed and once Kitty bought that book 'The Joys of Sex' we have worked our way through it finding what works for the both of us plus Eric has got great stamina, he made me come about ten times last night and I still sore in places from all that loving"

'Eww Donna, a simple great would have sufficed." "No it wouldn't, Eric has always had to hear at least half the school wondering why I was dating a geek and the other half wondering aloud as to when I would dump him for one of the corvette crowd." "So Jackie, what is that you see in Hyde?'

"This minute, I don't really know, with the bastard stalking out of Chicago without even listening to what I was trying to tell him."

Three hours later and two tubs of chocolate ice cream later Jackie was reading Donna's letter to Eric while Donna slept. She was crying her eyes out both from the loss of Hyde and from Donna's raw emotions poured out into the tear stained letter. She came to a decision and then woke Donna up.

"I read your letter to Eric and it really pulls on the heartstrings and I can see that your growing up and accepting that Eric is in your future and if you two can create that joint vision you write about then your going to be together forever. One thing though, I would copy that letter before sending it, I would like to buy the book! Now lets go find Hyde before he does something stupid.

Eric, was now in his London Airport hotel waiting out the 8 hours till his flight to Kenya was ready. He would be meeting the London agent for the scholarship before leaving the hotel as he was to add a trunk, to his luggage, for the School in Africa. He had finished his letter to Donna pouring out his love, despair at being so far from her and his hopes and plans for their future together. He also could no longer sense that Donna was close but had only to look into his heart to see her smiling there.