A/N: This is a story based on the television show and no money is being made and copyright infringement is not intended. I'm only borrowing the characters but the plot is my own

BRACING FOR GOODBYE

Chapter 01 – Alone in the Dark

T7S

March 1984

"Donna, I can't find my blue paisley tie. You know the one that goes with the green shirt?" Donna picked a silk tie from the hook in the closet. "Eric, it's just a staff meeting. Calm down." She wrapped the silk strap around her boyfriend's neck and tied the perfect Windsor knot.

Eric smiled his thanks. "I know, but management is considering me for a co-editor position. This could be a promotion!" Eric looked in the mirror to check on his appearance.

Donna said tiredly. "If it's a promotion, you got it. No one works harder than you at that paper." Eric looked back one more time in the mirror. "Yeah, who would have thought I'd get a job with the Kenosha Register? What a kick in the head."

Donna pulled her soft red hair back into a pony tail. "Well, I'm still Hot Donna and I'll be interviewing post-punk independent bands that can't make it to MTV. I was really hoping to go on location this week. They were supposed to open that new car lot and a locale shot is more fun."

"Admit it. You just want to hand out free tee-shirts and Frisbees to the good looking guys."

Donna chuckled, "You should see the collection Kelso has so far!"

"What about the tee-shirt collection little Betsy still has to grow into?" Eric slid into his corduroy jacket. "I'm late. Good luck with those interviews."

Donna sighed and started picking up the discarded clothing from the floor. Living together for three years and the man still didn't know how to take care of his clothes! Donna paused to think about how different her life was since she chose to keep working at the radio station instead of going to Madison.

January 1980

Donna left the Forman's New Year's Party with a heavy heart. Even seeing Eric after all these months didn't lighten her heart. She had spent every day, every hour down to the minute looking forward to his return and yet he spent the bulk of it with his buddies. Yeah, he was a dumbass all right.

Donna went to the only place she could think of. Randy Pearson took one look at her tear streaked face and opened his arms. "He didn't really miss me….and I was in love with the idea of missing him."

Randy didn't judge, he just hugged the tall blonde and let her cry. Her bus ticket to Madison was returned and she moved into Randy's apartment. The short term romance they shared prior to Eric's return was easily reunited. Randy "got her" whereas Eric was still mentally in high school. He'd rather hang out with Hyde and Kelso or Fez and Donna felt like an outsider to the basement gang.

With the exception of Eric, the rest of the group had no issues with Randy coming back into the fold. Oh, Eric tried to woo her but she held out. She liked Randy. He was fun, exciting and interesting to talk to. She could have a meaningful conversation that didn't include Wookie's and light sabers. They had a whirlwind romance until pressure from Bob and the Forman's forced her to cave and give Eric a second chance.

Randy was cool about it – he always knew Eric was her first love so he stepped back out of the picture and left her with the thought, "I love you and I'll always be here for you."

July 1983

"I can't take it anymore…the love? It's gone. I hold deep affection for him but he's pressuring me to start a family….commit to a marriage. You know how I feel about that,"

Randy rolled over and kissed her mouth. "We can't keep sneaking around either. I feel weird making love in his bed."

Donna rolled up on an elbow. She smiled, "Well, this is the only action this mattress has seen in months."

Randy ran his palm over her smooth shoulder. "You should tell him. But, I'm certain he already suspects."

Donna laid back on the pillow pulling the sheet up over her breasts. "I think he knows too. He looks at me different. We barely talk anymore."

Randy moved over her body and smiled, "Well….we can talk or….we can do this." Donna giggled, "Can't we do both?"

Randy used one strong hand under neck to lift her for his kiss. He nuzzled her lips. "Hmmmm….I can't concentrate if I'm talking." Donna wrapped her arms around his shoulders, "Well….let's save the talking for later and do….this….now."

"I love the way you think." Randy murmured into the shell of her ear.

February 1984

Jackie felt sick. No…it was more than a physical ailment; her heart was tearing itself into little ribbons of grief. She had only suggested couples counseling and Steven's eyes clouded over and he said, "Fuck this. If we can't work it out on our own, then maybe there's nothing left to talk about." He slammed out the door, shaking the drywall and the picture of them on the cruise ship shattered on the floor.

Jackie knew where he was going. She could smell her on him when he came home late at night. Jackie never asked and the elephant in the room was always there but at least they were getting along. Steven had his career with WB and while it took him out of town on occasion, Jackie couldn't complain – hers did too. When Red Forman retired after a successful run of the Muffler and Son business, Jackie approached him with a business idea. That proposal was unheard of in the greater south Wisconsin area and the money started pouring in.

Steven thought it was a stupid idea, but because she hadn't nagged him about marriage, he semi-supported her. They had lived together for four years and now she was at an impasse. She wanted a family more than her business and she was willing to selling 4-Hearts to Red if Steven would only give her a baby.

Jackie sighed and started sweeping up the shattered glass of the picture frame from the floor. Living together for all those years and the Zen was still keeping her at bay. Jackie paused to think about how different her life was since she agreed to live with Steven without commitments. She stopped to think of how sad she was now.

January 1980

Steven showed up at the apartment she shared with Fez. Jackie knew that believing the list of perfect qualities was a bad idea. It was more apparent than she thought when Fez kissed her at midnight and she felt nothing. She was so glad she didn't sleep with her foreign friend. The next day, Steven was banging on the door and demanded she put clothes into a suitcase. They were going to get a place together.

Jackie didn't like the idea of Steven giving her an ultimatum but then she had done the same to him when she went to Chicago. Still, she moved in with the love of her life and even without the ring on her finger. It was like they were newlyweds and life was just perfect.

Their friends knew the inevitable had finally happened. Fez was not happy and complained that the cheerleader was just another heart breaker. When Steven Hyde got an apartment it was already with the assumption Jackie would move in. It was no secret that Randy and Donna were a couple and Eric hated it as he now often spent time hanging out with Jackie and Hyde.

Jackie watched from the sidelines Eric tried so desperately hard to make their relationship work again. After years of pressure from Bob Pinciotti and the Forman's, Donna finally relented and broke up with Randy. She was willing to give this new grown up Eric Forman a second chance. Jackie was waiting to be the friend Eric or Donna needed.

The last morning Jackie remembered seeing Randy he told Donna and Eric he was cool with it. He knew that Donna had always loved Eric and Randy graciously stepped back to make the love of his life happy. Even if it caused him pain. Jackie wished Fez had been so magnanimous.

August 1983

It was 12:30 in the morning when the phone rang. Eric groaned and rolled over slapping at the nightstand until he grabbed the receiver. "Lo?" He asked sleepily. Donna grumbled something about what idiot called this late on a Friday night.

"Eric? It's Jackie." She sobbed. "I need a ride home. Steven and I had another fight."

He squinted at the clock and rubbed his eyes. "What? Where are you?"

Donna groaned and put the pillow over her head. She heard some distinct mumbling and felt Eric get out of bed. He said something about 'back later' and she fell back asleep with the click of the door lock.

Jackie hung up the payphone and went back to the stool at the bar. It felt safer there. How did the evening go from meeting one of Steven's colleagues to an all out shouting match in the middle of the tavern?

"Isn't this good enough for you anymore? You wanted a commitment! We live together, we share bills and meals…how much more can you want?"

"But Steven, that's not what I said. I was just admiring his wedding band…."

"Jackie, I told you I'm not ready for marriage… or kids… or the whole damn thing." He gripped her shoulders, "Maybe I'm not the man you want or need." Jackie could feel the tears welling in her eyes. Their spark was gone. It just faded out like the last ember in a fire. Her wonderful Steven was now this angry jaded businessman and everything she said he took out of context.

"Steven, don't… I'm sorry." She whispered.

His blue eyes glared at her, "Yeah, you're always sorry. You forced me into this and you are reaping your rewards. I'm outta here." That said, he grabbed his jacket and threw a couple of bills on the bar to pay for their drinks. Jackie was frozen to the spot as he actually left her sitting there. Two seconds, thirty seconds, she couldn't remember which before she was flying out the door just in time to see the tail lights of the El Camino fading in the distance.

He left her on the sidewalk outside a tavern. Alone. In the dark. Jackie waited for him just in case he was merely going around the block but 30 minutes later she was still there and he wasn't coming back. Her Steven left her at a bar and didn't come back!

Eric entered the bar wearing a windbreaker over his pajama top and when he made eye contact with his old friend, she ran across the room and gave him a hug. Hesitantly, he patted her back while she sobbed into his chest. "Let's go sit." He needed to get the brunette out of the middle of the room. They were making a late night scene and it was embarrassing him.

"Jackie you smell a little drunk."

She lifted her red rimmed, tear-stained eyes and replied, "I had to keep buying drinks so I didn't have to stand outside."

Eric pushed the beer mug aside and put his elbow on the table. "Well, instead of buying all this beer why didn't you just call for a cab?"

She wiped her eyes. "Steven has the keys to the condo. We changed the lock last weekend and I didn't bring my key. I tried to call home but he wouldn't pick up. I don't even know if he's there."

Eric rubbed his face with his hand. "Well that's not very cool of Hyde to just leave you here like this. What were you guys fighting about?"

Jackie gave him a brief synopsis of meeting with Jansen Gallagher, an upcoming record producer out of Milwaukee and how Jackie was admiring his engraved wedding band. "I think Steve took it like I was begging to get married again."

"Has he done this before? Left you and drove off?" Eric asked gently.

She nodded. "Yes, but he always came back a few minutes later…I've been pressuring him too much lately."

Eric had the feeling that this was going to be a long night. "Can I get a cup of coffee?" he asked the bartender. He turned to Jackie and asked her to start at the beginning.

Four cups of coffee later and the bar was starting to close and Eric knew more about Hyde and Jackie's relationship than he really wanted to know. Those two passionate teenagers that used to be full of angst and passion were now just anxious and indifferent to each other. Curiously, a lot like his and Donna's relationship. Eric felt sympathy for Jackie, the inner cheerleader in her was waving its pompom for the last game of the season and the team was losing. "Eric…" she said softy, "You know what the worst part is?"

"What's that Jackie?"

"I think he's found someone else." To her credit, she didn't cry or scream but just said it as plainly as someone would talk about the weather. Eric didn't want to admit he was shocked but it was definitely in Hyde's character to cheat on Jackie not once or twice but possibly a third time. The nurses convention….the stripper…Steven Hyde had developed a pattern and Jackie was either going to live with it or do something about it.

"I'll take you back to our place and in the morning, we'll call Hyde and see if you can go home." Jackie hiccuped either from the beer or crying, Eric didn't know which but she agreed to everything he said and sort of scared him. Little Jackie Burkhart was maturing. Who would have thought?

T7S