Wonderland

Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to that "That 70's Show," or Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland"

Jackie was a woman currently unattached from any romantic feelings to any particular person. Or that may be something she was going to tell herself to make the sting of rejection abate. Fez had broken up with her. Fez had broken up with her. Yes, apparently years of longing, admiration and confessed love meant nothing when it flew in the face of a petite blonde haired nympho, who was just so slightly weird that even Jackie had to grudgingly admit, while controlling her upchuck reflex, that they were perfect for each other. Yes little miss perky, candy addict, spontaneous, well traveled, was just perfect for him. Anne, Annie, Fez's little soul mate…

Jackie plopped another stack of magazines into a box situated on the desk chair. It was one of the few pieces of furniture left in her room. Red and the boys had dragged most of her heavy stuff down already. It had been a groan inducing experiencing for most of them, but with the threat of a foot in ass situation, their complaints had quieted.

Despite the unfortunate circumstances it was nice to have the gang together again. Everyone was back in Point Place for the weekend. Donna and Eric had come home, because of both Kitty's insistence at seeing "her little boy," and Jackie's pleading for Donna to make a visit so that she could relate the downfall of yet another relationship. Kelso had heard that Eric and Donna were making the trip, and so he too decided to take a weekend and visit everyone. Hell they might as well make a mini-reunion of it.

Why not, it didn't matter that two of their friends just ended their relationship, and one of those two had moved on so quick that is was surprising he didn't have whiplash. That was just so typical of their group that no one hardly blinked when they heard the news.

Jackie stuffed a couple stuffed animals into the same box, shoving their big plastic eyed faces into a stack of Cosmos rather harshly. Donna entered and took a scan of the room.

"Alright Jackie we have almost everything packed up, Red's goanna head over with the truck and start unloading it with the guys." She gave a small smile of encouragement.

Jackie had been remarkably calm through her dumping, and subsequent eviction, but Donna saw that it was a thin veil between apathetic Jackie, and hysterical angry crying Jackie.

"Thanks Donna." Jackie paused and took a look around her room.

All that was left was the chair, the box she was packing and the two boxes by the door. Donna could feel the beginnings of nostalgia and perhaps even bitterness beginning to take place for the short girl, who was once again finding herself rejected.

"Alright!" She exclaimed with fake cheerfulness. "Let's get going, I know you're going to want to tell the boys where to put your stuff." Donna exclaimed while bending to pick up one of the boxes.

Jackie sensed her need to change the mood, and went along with it.

"Oh my God, your right Donna, Michael can't be trusted in an empty apartment, and Steven is just going to break something on purpose!" Jackie grabbed up the box she just packed and headed to the door.

Heading out into the living room Jackie could see Fez sitting on the couch, looking uncomfortable, like he had all morning as everyone packed. Jackie ignored him and Donna and her proceeded out the door.

For the 50th time that day Jackie cursed how many stairs the apartment had, tiny little stairs that were fricken hard to walk down when you had big boxes in your arms. Now granted she had not lifted anything remotely heavy when compared to the desk, bureau and bed frame and mattress that the boys had lugged down.

Eric would probably get the feeling back in his hands soon, the bruises were sure to go away in few days too. The foot up his ass, delivered by Red for whining like a girl might have to be looked at by a doctor…

By the time they had reached the parking lot, everyone had left for the new place except Eric who was going to take his car with Donna. "Donna to you see this?" Eric exclaimed as they approached his car. He was holding up his red and callused hands. Donna only smirked; she walked by him and maneuvered her box into the car. Jackie was moved in to do the same, equally ignoring the gravely wounded twizzler boy.

Jackie shoved her box into the already packed back seat, boxes were busting, ready to pop out. Maneuvering one hand to the car door she used her other hand and then one foot to show back the boxes, before quickly swinging the door shut. Unfortunately she wasn't fast enough and some overflow managed to slip out in the form of two hard cover books.

"Dammit" She cursed and grabbed at her treasures now lying on the wet pavment.

"Um Jackie what do you think is going to happen when we try to open that door again?" Donna asked from her position beside Eric.

Jackie stopped wiping off the books and looked back at the car. She merely shrugged in response.

"We can take stuff out through the windows." Cleary.

Donna just rolled her eyes."Alright then," Donna said moving the passenger seat. "We will meet you there."

Jackie nodded, she was going to grab that last box upstairs and then drive her car over to the new place. Her car was just as stuffed as Eric and Donna's. Maybe she should have brought the new kitchen plates, and other home essentials over already, but she found it a little too depressing.

"Um Donna, maybe Jackie wants us to stick around." Eric ventured, not seeming to want to head to driver's side of the car.

Donna shot him a skeptical look, and Jackie just looked confused.

"Eric are you saying that just because you don't want to have to help Red bring furniture in? The red head asked, raising a disbelieving brow.

"What!" Eric cried, "Donna of courses not, why would I…okay yes, but have you seen my hands!"

Donna just laughed at this. "Get in the car doofus."

Seeing that he had no other choice Eric began towards the driver's side. "Aw man."

Jackie watched as this was going on, and a thought occurred to her. "Hey wait, I do need you guys to do something."

Eric's attention was immediately piqued. Jackie walked up to Donna who was in the passenger seat with the window rolled down.

"Here can you guys go pick up the pizzas I ordered." She thrust the appropriate amount of money at Donna.

Donna stared at the money for second. "Cool Jackie, I didn't know you were getting us pizza." She took the money and pocketed it. "Sure we can do that."

Eric at this point was elated to have reason to delay them from getting to the new place, hopefully this would allow enough time for the others to get all the heavy stuff in before they got there.

"Nice Jackie, you know since I got back from Africa you seem a lot nicer, less devil like." He said impressed.

"And I'm surprised you came back at all, you seem like the kind of person who would get eaten over there…" Jackie couldn't let the devil comment slide, she was after all Jackie Burkhart still.

"Aw see there's the little she-devil I remember."

Donna just shook her head as Erica started the car.

"See you there Jackie" She said as she rolled up her window and the car pulled out the lot.

Jackie watched them go. They seemed happy, well not like sickenly happy, but normal couple helping out a friend happy.

They kind of sucked.

Jackie took a deep breath. She was not going to be a negative person. She had a job, a place to live and friends. This was a sort of mantra she had repeated to herself throughout the day, particularly when she was around happy people. It was like they were just rubbing their felicity in her face, slamming it down her through, poking her in the arm constantly with it…okay maybe that was exaggeration, but it was still very annoying.

Jackie tried to shove those unwanted thoughts from her mind, but as she reached the entrance to her building she was stopped by a box at about eye level, atop a chair, held up by brown hands with meticulously manicured nails.

"Fez!" Jackie cried out in surprise.

Fez put down the chair and box, and looked at her forlornly.

"Jackie, I do not want us not to be friends anymore! I want to be helping you move with everyone else!" He wailed.

Jackie was nonplussed by his despair.

"Fez the only reason I have to move is because your new girlfriend said she wouldn't sleep again with you until I moved out!"

"But Jackie you pulled out a chunk of her hair and called her a skank!"

"She gave you a blowjob on your first date!"

Fez stamped his foot impatiently. "I know! She is perfect for me!"

Jackie groaned in frustration. "Jackie let's not fight, please please please please!" He grabbed hold of the petite girl's shoulders and squeezed her tight.

"Ugh, fine get the car!" Fez immediately let go of her and smiled like a Cheshire cat as he picked up the chair again and started off to her car.

What was she getting herself into?

She was about to go hang out with all three of her exes. Even worse…Fez had broken up with her. Fez had broken up with her; she was never going to live this down.

This was the burn that would live in infamy.

Oh sure they acted like everyone was going to be all mature about it this morning, but that was only because Red was with them the whole time and everyone knew he had a soft spot for the loud one. Ugh. This was going to be a very bad day.

Jackie trudged over to her car where Fez had managed to get the chair and box on top of the other stuff and was now sitting serenely in the passenger seat. Well here goes nothing. Jackie plunked herself down in the driver's seat and started up the car. She passed Fez the two books that had fallen out of Eric's car to him.

"Here can you hang on to these?" Fez took them without complaint, but looked curiously at the covers.

"What is this about, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass," are these naughty books?" Fez looked at them with excitement at the idea.

"Oh does this Alice go on sexual adventures?"

Jackie stared incredulously at Fez with her mouth agape. "Their children's stories you perv!!!"

Fez put the books on the floor, disappointed with their content. They sat in silence for a while after that.

"Isn't this better Jackie? We are friends again." Fez declared still smiling. J

Jackie didn't exactly want to rain on his parade, but she wasn't sure it was going to as easy as that.

"We'll see Fez."

They pulled out onto the street, and a few minutes passed in silence. Jackie's thoughts raced with a hundred different things, not all of them pleasant. Who knew that this was going to be her life? Sitting in a car, driving to tiny little apartment, with yet another ex boyfriend sitting shot-gun, after he only told her a weak before that she would have to find a new place to live.

For Fez the silence was daunting. Things he wanted to say wouldn't come out, so instead he reached into his pocket and produced it contents as a way of occupying himself. He pulled out a bag of candy and deck of cards. Jackie was brought out of her revere as she caught sight of Fez doing this.

"Why do you have a deck of cards in your pocket?"

Fez shrugged, "Oh these are Hyde's, I borrowed them to play strip poker with Annie."

Jackie's reaction was instantaneous. "OH! God Fez don't tell me that! What is wrong with you!"

"Well don't ask me next time woman!"

Jackie rolled her eyes. "You know, I don't think Steven would want them back if he knew what you did with them."

Fez didn't seemed worried, "Meh, don't tell him then." There he was, back to smiling, but the smile faltered before he added. "Like those other things you don't tell him."

Jackie whipped her head around and glared at the brazen foreigner. "You are crazy, not wait, better yet you are delusional Fez." Then she added through gritted teeth, "I am not still in love with Steven Hyde!" Fez had tried to tell her the same thing three weeks ago when he broke up with her…

3 weeks prior.

"What do you mean you met someone else?" Jackie sat on their living room couch sure that she was being pranked.

"Jackie, I met someone who I really like and she really likes me." He grabbed her hand, as she sat there still in shock. "I think she will make me happy, and I can make her happy." Fez, her friend, her boyfriend, the one that was suppose to always be there for her, even when other guys had let her down, was dumping her? Jackie swallowed hard. "So that's it, you met someone better and your just kicking me to the curb!" Her voice was rising in pitch, she felt like she was either going to fall to pieces or explode at any moment.

"Jackie, it's not like that, it's just…you will never love me…and Jackie, Fez needs love too!" Jackie mentally back pedaled. "Fez what are you talking about I loo…" She tried again. "I lov…" She stopped and looked at him helplessly. "I like you a lot Fez."

Fez could only give a tight smile. "I know, but you will never love me, your heart belongs to another." He said with all possible overdramatic flourish.

Jackie jerked back. "What! Who?"

Fez just gave her an expectant look.

"Steven?" She intoned after a second to think about it. "No, no, no, I am not still in love with Steven Hyde!"

Fez merely stood from the couch. "Jackie we both know that you only went out with me because you wanted someone completely opposite from the guy who broke your heart." Fez move in and put his finger under her chin. "We had some good times, but we both know this isn't right." He said in his best tough guy persona, which was so much a character that Jackie was pretty sure he was taking these lines from some movie. "We'll always have disco baby."

With that he walked off to his room, leaving a stunned girl in his wake.

She stared hard at Fez, willing her words to become ingrained in his head, so that he would stop bringing up this subject. As she was staring she watched Fez's face morph into one of horror, he suddenly cried out.

"Watch out!"

Jackie managed to turn and see a car completely stopped mere feet ahead of them, and then they crashed.

She could hear her scream and Fez's as they impacted. The air whooshed right out of her lungs and she was sure her life flashed right before her eyes. When all had finally stopped Jackie sat shaking. She glanced over at Fez who was holding his head and groaning. "Oh crap! Oh my God Fez are you ok."

He rubbed a spot on his head. "Yes. Oh Jackie no more being angry while driving." He groaned.

He seemed to be out of it, he looked like he hit his head pretty hard on the dash. The crash had been so forceful that the deck of cards he had, had gone flying all over floor of the passenger seat, covering the two books. He looked like he was in rough shape.

"Oh ok, ok, um…" Jackie opened her door and got out on unsteady feet.

"Um Fez I'm going to go call an ambulance ok." Jackie ran up to the car she hit, and noticed that it was not running and no one was in it.

"Who the hell parks a car on bridge!" She cried. She quickly headed back down the street, towards the downtown area where she could find a place to call for help. She did look back and notice with some annoyance the license plate of the other car had the name "LEWIS." Well whoever Lewis was, he was an ass.

Jackie had her head turned, or she might have seen the other car making its way along the bridge. By the time the driver realized that there were cars stopped up ahead it was too late. The driver slammed on their brakes, locking them up. The car skidded out of control.

Jackie's nerves were still on high alert from the crash, and now they sprung her into action. She got herself as far out of the way as possible, stopping just at the rail of the bridge. Just when she had thought she had brought herself out of harm's way the oncoming car began to swerve in her direction. As the hurdling mass of angry metal descended on her, Jackie had the strange thought that this was it, it was finally over.

Then it hit, there was a blinding pain in her right leg, and then she was falling. Down, down, down into the icy water bellow. Darkness enveloped her, there was no light. She felt like she was lost in the blackness, it was just the pain and the blackness. She closed her eyes.

When she opened them again the blackness was gone, instead it was replaced by a bright unforgiving light. She could hear the roar of the river, and in the distance the sound of a siren. And there arms holding her up, dragging her out of the icy blackness.

"Miss, miss are you okay," Said the disembodied savior.

Jackie couldn't really focus her eyes; her head pounded and she could taste metal when she tried to swallow. Her leg ache so bad she wanted to cry out.

"Miss, please, what is your name?"

Jackie dragged her eyes to meet the friendly brown eyes of the man holding her on the bank of the river.

"Jackie." She finally mumbled.

He smiled. "Hi Jackie, I'm Charlie Dodgson. The ambulance is almost here ok." He put a hand to the wound on her head, trying to stop the bleeding.

Jackie could feel the darkness creeping back in. She panicked feeling that she was dying.

"Please keep talking." She gasped out.

The man seemed unsure of what to say, and so he asked, "What do you want me to talk about?"

Jackie felt a particular awful wave of pain. "Anything." She finally said.

The man took a deep breath and then began. "Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do…" The rest went unheard by Jackie who drifted off into unconsciousness.

TT

Next up: Down the Rabbit Hole

This is an experiment, I saw the new movie and just felt inspire to write this. This is going to be based more off the book than the movie adaptation. If anyone wants to go read either of the original books www. gutenberg .org/wiki/Main_Page is a great site (Take the spaces out!). It has books online that are FREE. They are free because many of their copyright dates have expired so they can be printed by anyone. I just read Pride and Prejudice there. Okay now back to the story…just for fun there are 5 references to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in this prologue..pick them out and get brownie points!...what are brownie points good for? Nothing! Lol , but if ur Alice in Wonderland fan this shouldn't be too hard, Good Luck!