Set sometime in late spring of 1980 – Donna did go to Madison, Eric stayed to wait for her. Fez kicked Jackie out of the apartment and she has nowhere to go…For Eric, will a promise from the past change with a promise of the future?

(Non-Canon / AU / All fictional – I own nothing but the plot)

Chapter 01 – Wet Cat Drowned Rat

xXx

She stood in the patio doorway with the rain pouring behind her. Two suitcases sat on the wet concrete. She had been crying but now she just looked like a sad wet cat. "Fez kicked me out…Donna's moved to Madison…Bob's sold the house…I just need a couple of weeks to get my own place. Can I sleep here?" A bolt of cloud to ground lightning struck, lighting the driveway and making her look just that much more wretched.

"Hyde sleeps in the…." Eric protested.

"No, he doesn't. I know he moved to Milwaukee with W.B. Please Eric, I have no place else to go." She wiped her eyes and continued, "I tried to call Michael, but he's living with Brooke and Betsy in Chicago and if this doesn't make things worse, my car broke down three blocks from here."

She looked at him with those big luminous eyes. "Obi-wan. You're my only hope."

Why did she have to go and appeal to his obsession for all things Star Wars? Rolling his eyes, he surrendered. "Just for tonight. My folks are asleep and I don't want them to freak out when they get up and see you here."

Jackie hoped she didn't look at relieved as she felt. Her only other choice was that no-tell motel down the street and she certainly didn't want to pay hourly rates for a skank motel room! "Thank you Eric. I really appreciate this."

"Yeah well….I don't know. You can probably sleep in Laurie's bed. I'll get you some clean sheets." Eric closed the patio doors against the rain and picked up one of her suitcases. "Damn, Jackie, what do you have in here? Bricks?"

Dripping wet and leaving puddles on the floor, Jackie walked over and dragged the suitcase back to the door. "Eric, I'm not looking for sympathy or a hand out. If you don't want to help me, I totally get it. I haven't been exactly nice to you over the years."

"Well, it's never too late to start." He muttered as he opened the kitchen door. Jackie stood there looking at the Forman kitchen. It represented the perfect home she never knew. She had never been glaringly nice to Kitty, but she adored Red Forman. Yet still, this was more of a home than any other she had ever been in. She smiled and picked up her heavy bags and dragged them along the kitchen floor to where Eric was still holding the door.

"Look, why don't you leave these doorstops down here and just … I'll give you a clean pair of pajama's to sleep in. You can get your stuff in the morning."

She reached out hesitantly and touched his arm. "Eric, do you think I can get a shower? I smell like dirty road water."

"Yeah…whatever." He replied as he led the way up the stairs to the second floor. Jackie followed quietly; she didn't want to wake up Mrs. Forman and it was getting late. Eric opened a closet and pulled out a clean set of sheets and pillowcase. He pointed to the bedroom door and Jackie opened it to find most of Laurie's stuff had been moved out. Eric came back in with a towel and pair of Spiderman pajamas. She looked at them and looked back at Eric.

He pointed a finger at her and said, "If you even comment on my choice of sleepwear… we have a garage!"

She smiled sadly, "No, I was wondering if you had a clean pair of boxers. My….delicates…are downstairs…unless you want to go get me a pair." Eric opened his mouth to say something then shut the door behind him. Minutes later a pair of green boxer shorts flew into the room.

Jackie chuckled softly and set about making up the bed. She collected the nightclothes and tiptoed into the hallway. The bathroom door was open and she quickly grabbed a towel and went inside.

The hot water felt great. Kitty had a generic herbal shampoo that made Jackie crinkle her nose at the smell, but she had dirt in her hair and needed it clean. While she was rinsing, she took her blouse and pants, wrung out the excess water and hung the garments over the shower curtain. She could probably get them dry in the morning.

She was just about to turn the water off when she heard the bathroom door open. Carefully, she peeked out the curtain to see it was Mrs. Forman. "Oh Eric, honey…are you showering again? Didn't they have hot showers in Africa? Ahahahaha, I'll be just a minute dear."

Kitty turned on the sink to brush her teeth and the shower water turned scalding hot. Jackie nearly shouted in shock. Kitty laughed, "Oh sorry dear, just be glad I didn't flush the toilet!"

Mrs. Forman finished brushing her teeth and used Jackie's towel to wipe her hands. Jackie could almost feel the cringe coming on. The bathroom door closed and she turned off the water. Using the cleaner half of the towel, Jackie quickly dried off and put on the boxers and Eric's pajamas.

xXx

Red got up first and walked outside to get the morning paper. The damn paperboy threw it in the bushes again. Red sighed, and shut the door behind him. He was looking at the morning headlines when he stubbed his toe on a suitcase.

"God…damn…jeez….ERIC!" He grabbed his toe and hobbled over to the couch. Kitty came running down the stairs, her hair still wrapped in pink foam rollers, tucking her robe belt into a knot. "Oh dear Red, what happened?"

Red pointed at the pair of suitcases parked by the kitchen door. "Where the hell did these come from? I thought your son put all of his crap away!"

Kitty put a hand over her heart, "My son? Why is he my son all of a sudden?"

"…because the dumbass left his luggage on the floor…where I could trip over it!" Red exclaimed. Kitty hurried over to look at the suitcases. "Honey, these aren't Eric's." Kitty flipped the clasp on the lid and out popped brassieres and underwear and delicate filmy nightgowns.

Red looked at the staircase. "He's got a girl upstairs. Kitty, make me some coffee and get that girl down here."

Kitty was aghast! Coffee… and a girl upstairs? "Well, honey, if she's been up there all night, what's the use of waking Eric early? Just take his car keys, he can't escape and we can find out who she is."

Red grumbled and carried his newspaper into the kitchen. Kitty followed to make a pot of coffee.

xXx

Eric was having the best dream in months. Donna was running up the stairs, her robe open and fluttering with each stride. Her long red hair was streaming behind her and she was calling his name. "Oh Eric, I can't believe it….wake up honey…"

"Oh Donna…" he smiled in his sleep.

"ERIC WAKE UP!"

Eric bolted upright in shock. "MOM? What the hell!"

Kitty was throwing covers around. "Where is she?" Kitty got down on her hands and knees looking under the bed, opening the closet. Eric jumped out of bed, "Mom, what are you doing!"

Kitty stood up. "You have a girl in here mister. You are just lucky that I'm upstairs and not your father!"

"Mom, calm down. I don't have a girl in here. Jackie Burkhart is sleeping across the hall in Laurie's room."

"What?" Kitty turned around. "What are you talking about?"

Eric explained how he heard noises in the middle of night and when he went down to the kitchen he saw her standing in the rain. He told his mom the rest of the story and she sat down on the edge of his bed.

"That poor dear. It's just like the time her mother abandoned her but there's no Bob Pinciotti to take her in this time."

Eric thought back to the time they found out Jackie had been "sleeping" in the basement with Hyde and was promptly dispatched to the Pinciotti's. Oh Donna. Eric looked at his mom. "I couldn't just kick her out so I told her she could spend the night."

The mother instinct in Kitty kicked in. "Well, you did the right thing, no young lady should be walking through the rain with her belongings when the Forman's have an extra bedroom. Honey, you get dressed and bring Jackie downstairs. I'll talk to your father."

xXx

Red sputtered and nearly choked on his coffee. "Again? Where are this girls parents?"

Kitty took a dishtowel and wiped up the sprayed coffee. "Now Red, you know her father is a jailbird and her mother is a floozy….the poor thing just tries so hard. She's not my favorite of Eric's friends, but she's a good girl deep in side. Deep. Deep inside. Very deep."

Red rolled his eyes. "First Eric comes back, we get rid of Steven and now we have another stray under our roof? Am I wearing a sign on my back that says "All homeless and hungry are invited to the Forman house?" NO! She can spend the night and then send her packing."

"Red, that is not very nice. What kind of examples do we set as parents if we put a friend of our son's back out on the street? Honey, we have to find her a place to stay."

"Kitty, I don't want to get involved." He frowned. Then opened his mouth to add another protest but said, "Jeez…it's a girl this time!" Kitty smiled "You big lug, I think you always had a soft spot for Jackie. The girl is all bark and no bite."

xXx

Jackie rolled over and opened her eyes. She did not recognize anything in the room. She sat up and the room started to look vaguely familiar. Oh my god, I'm wearing Spiderman pajamas! She quickly jumped out of bed. Where were her clothes…she had to get out of here! Sneak out and maybe no one would know she had ever been in Laurie's room!

Jackie carefully opened the door and quietly pulled it shut with a "click". She whirled around and ran smack into Eric's chest. Eric had been trying to sneak downstairs before Jackie woke up and they both collided into each other.

"Whoa…Jackie. Don't scream." Eric said in a low voice, "I don't want you pissing my dad off this early in the morning." He grabbed her arms and pushed her away. "My mom found your suitcase this morning so they know you're here."

Jackie pushed her dark hair out of her face. "God, now I'm really embarrassed. I was hoping to slip out and go….go somewhere."

Eric looked down at his short friend. "Jackie, seriously…where are you going to go?"

"I don't know! I hate being homeless again." She looked up, "Do you think they made coffee?"

Eric laughed. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure there's coffee down there and some breakfast. You might as well face the music." Eric followed her down the stairs and noticed that his Spiderman pants never looked that good on him!

xXx

Red peered over the top of his newspaper at the brunette mop of hair that walked into the kitchen. He lowered the paper and said, "Good morning Jackie."

She held up a too long sleeve of pajama arm and waved, "Hello Mr. Forman."

Kitty came over with a plate of hot pancakes. "Sit honey and eat something. I have syrup or jelly, which do you like?"

Jackie smiled cautiously, "Syrup please." She watched as Eric sat in the extra green chair. "Hey dad! Good Morning!"

Red glared at him, "What's good about it?" Red folded his newspaper and set it on the table. "Now listen. Both of you. Jackie, you should know better than to be out all alone on a dark rainy night. Eric, you know better than to sneak a girl in here! You should have got your mother out of bed."

Jackie spoke up, "Mr. Forman, please don't be mad at Eric. He was only trying to help; I would have slept in the garage. You have a thoughtful son and he was just being sweet to a crying girl with no options."

Kitty sat down and patted her husband's hand. "There Red, aren't you proud that you raised a thoughtful son?"

Red looked like he was going to choke. "Thoughtful? Of all the dumbass…."

"Dad! I was only doing what I thought you would do." Eric looked at Jackie who seemed to say, "Good save!" Red peered at Eric for some ulterior motive. "Well…I guess I would have done the same thing in this situation but that doesn't mean I like it any less."

Jackie put her hand on Red's other hand. "Thank you Mr. Forman, I'll try to find a place to go today so you'll never know I was here."

Kitty tsked, "Jackie, honey…it's all right. Take your time, it's not like you have a lot of choices open right now. It's a Saturday…I'll help you make some phone calls. We'll get you squared away."

"Thank you Mrs. Forman." She smiled at Red, "Thank you Mr. Forman." Red squirmed under her beaming smiled. She looked at Eric, "Thank you for saving a drowned rat."

xXx