Disclaimer: Don't own it, sadly.
A/N: My first full-fledged T7S story. I've started many. I have 55 (not even joking) unfinished JH stories, all of which I fully plan on finishing some day. Most likely 10 years from now. Anyways, this is set at the end of Take it or Leave it, when Jackie gives Hyde that horrible note. And the second part is set on New Years Eve, assuming Eric didn't miss his first flight.
July 31, 1979
Jackie took a deep breath, lying her hand on the door handle. It was still early, not even noon. The air outside was cool but muggy, the September weather normal for Wisconsin. Sleep had not come to her last night, instead she had tossed and turned most of the night, and at three am decided to go for a two hour drive. Makeup covered her wide, sleep deprived eyes.
Kitty Forman was preparing sandwiches for lunch and smiled at her when she came into the kitchen, "Hello Jackie."
"Hi Mrs. Forman." She stood in the kitchen awkwardly, twisting her hands nervously behind her back, "Is, uh, Steven here?"
The older lady smiled wide, "He's in the living room."
Jackie forced a tiny smile, "Thanks." She walked towards the swinging door, her feet moving sluggishly slow. He was going to turn her down. Of course he was. He wouldn't want to marry her. She wondered if she could take another rejection, or if she should just leave now. Give him a note and leave for Chicago.
But as she was about to turn around and leave, two hands were on her back, pushing her forward. This made her bump into the door and open it, which made her visible to Hyde, who sat on the couch. He was wearing his white Zeppelin t shirt from the previous night and he smelled like beer. Eric was next to him with his arm slung over the couch, looking slightly less hung-over than his best friend.
Eric's mother followed her into the living room, wanting to hear the conversation. Jackie stood before him, biting her lip and unsure of what to say. Hyde watched her, deciding he wouldn't be the one to speak first. They challenged each other on who would speak first. It was a good three minutes before she finally clicked her tongue.
Hyde cleared his throat, looking over at his best friend and mom. Eric finally took the hint, eliciting an 'oh' before grabbing Kitty and taking her to the study. Very reluctantly on Kitty's part, as she wanted to hear the gossip. The mother-son sat on the bottom step and neither Jackie nor Hyde noticed them.
"Um..." He stumbled, trying to find the words he wanted to say.
"Would you please just do it already?" Her bitchy tone pierced the air. It wasn't that she wanted to sound like a bitch. She just wanted him to tell her to leave now. Not to have him pussyfoot around it for ten minutes.
"Alright fine." He stood and walked a few steps closer to her. She blinked hard, preparing for the brutal blow, "You should take the job."
On the stairs, Kitty and Eric gasped. Tears welled up in Jackie's eyes and she hung her head, even though she had known this was coming. Her chest ached. It was over. For real this time. They were done. She closed her eyes and attempted to push the tears back.
Suddenly she felt his hand take hers. As much as she wanted to look up, she didn't. She didn't want him to see the wetness making its way down her cheeks.
"I want you to take it," Hyde took a deep breath and paused shortly, "'Cause I'm gonna move with you."
Her head flung up immediately, confusion written on her face. Kitty gasped loudly, but they either didn't notice it or didn't care.
"What?" The word was spoken softly.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small velvet box. This time all three gasped. And very loud gasps, at that. Jackie was sure this had to be a joke. Until he opened the box. It was the perfect ring. She recognized it from somewhere. It was Mrs. Forman's ring. A sapphire center with small diamonds surrounding it. And it was perfect. She touched a hand to her mouth.
"Jackie?" He held the ring out to her, feeling extremely awkward and nervous, "Marry me, okay?"
It wasn't like she'd always pictured it. No white horses or doves. No pretty dresses and Steven definitely wasn't in a tux. But somehow it was the only way she wanted it to be.
Her breath hitched and she put her palms together under her chin, nodding furiously, "Yes." He smiled at her, took the ring out of the box and placed it on her awaiting finger. She wiped her cheeks with the back of her palms. Admiring her ring, she smiled and started to get tears in her eyes again.
"Mom!" Eric yelped at his mother, both of whom were standing now, "You have Hyde your engagement ring? What about me?" He was being very twitchy.
"Well, sweetie. It's just, Donna already has a ring. And she loves it so much."
"Mo-om. I sold Donna's ring, remember?" He whined.
"Oh, Eric. The moment after you pawned that ring I went down to the store and bought it back. It's been in my top drawer since." She waved her hand at her son.
"Mommy." The two hugged and then joined the couple.
Jackie met Kitty, "Mrs. Forman, I can't take your ring. I know how much you love it."
Kitty only smiled, "Nonsense. I do love that ring. But I want you to have it now." Kitty hugged the young woman, "My first daughter!"
6 months later...
Monday, December 31, 1979--New Year's Eve
Eric Forman sat on the couch in his parent's basement, the one that had been in the same spot for nearly ten years. Battered and bruised, one of the legs popped off and its cushions smashed so much you couldn't feel them underneath you. More people had had sex on this particular couch than he wished to think of. For some reason it was where everyone liked to take off their pants and get caught in the act.
He was enjoying the solace of the empty basement, reeling from doing exactly what everyone did on that couch for over an hour with his recently reunited girlfriend. He had no idea where his three best friends were, and simply didn't care. Six months of being away from them had all been made up for in an hour of drinking beers and smoking pot. Eric was happy to rest for a while until his mother's big New Year's party that was going to be held this evening.
His mother would most definitely get shit faced, something that was inevitable no matter what day it was. His father would be grouchy but secretly enjoy the time. Fez would be wasted within half an hour and be in a dress before midnight. Kelso would act dumb whether he drank anything or not. Hyde would get drunk and feel up his fiancee in the middle of his living room, who would squeal in her annoying way and laugh so loud that it sang over everyone else's voices. And Donna. Donna would seduce him up to his bedroom--or that fateful couch--in ten minutes. She had that way about her.
Deciding that he would have a busy, tiring night of pleasuring his gal, he figured he needed as much lounging on the sex couch as possible.
Until the devil stormed down the basement stairs. He knew it was her before the door even opened, being as she was the only one who wore boots that were inches high and clicked with every step. He didn't bother to look up, or even open his eyes when she slammed the door shut and huffed loudly, clearly wanting him to do so.
Grumbling, he kept his eyes shut but choose to not ignore her, "What?"
"Is Donna here?"
Gross her out.
"She's showering after a full afternoon of passion on this very spot with," He pointed at himself, ",me. Yes, yes."
Worked perfectly.
"Eew!" She plopped down on the couch anyways, forcing him to move over to give her room, "We'll you're more of a girl than Donna anyways."
Would the girl joke ever get old? Jackie figured not.
He rolled his eyes but didn't even try to comeback.
"I'm pregnant."
His eyes were wide open in horror, his back straight, his neck turned to face her.
Despite being scared of the situation at hand, she took the opportunity to gross him out, "Oh. And it happened right here." An evil grin lie on her lips.
He jumped up and moved to the lawn chair, shuddering the entire way, "Jackie...are you sure?"
"Yes." Her voice turned whiny suddenly, "I'm two months late and I took five tests."
She pushed her bottom lip out into a pout, her big mismatched eyes beginning to fill with water. He moved back to the couch, not able to stay in one place. As soon as he returned to his spot next to her, she took advantage of him, putting her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around him. His eyes were wide with shock, but he didn't pull away at her touch, instead, patted his hand on her back.
"Eric, what am I gonna do!?" She cried out, tears evident in her voice.
He crinkled his eyebrows together, "I don't think you really have to...do anything. Isn't...it already done? So..." He shrugged, earning an angry look from the girl in his arms, "Oh! You mean about your fiancee who only proposed because you forced him to by using your devil powers?"
Another glare.
"Okay, look Jackie, things will be fine. Hyde won't be mad at you, he'll...he's going to be a little...freaked at first but things will work out."
Jackie sniffled and squeezed him tight, "Thank you."
"Yeah, yeah. Just make sure you don't tell anyone about," He gestured at the two of them, "this."
The two enemies shared a chuckle, sitting together for few minutes-on the sex crazed couch-before Jackie stood to leave, collecting her purse off the ground while Eric moved to the freezer to get a popsicle, "Oh, Eric?"
"Yeah?"
"We do it there too."
With a satisfied smirk at his slamming the deep freeze shut and running up to the kitchen, she left, wiping her tears away on her way up the back stairs.
A/N: So technically, Kitty's engagement ring was cheap. But I'm pretending that didn't happen-just like I do with all of S8. Also, Kitty is a Libra and Jackie is a Virgo, so her engagement ring wouldn't be a sapphire, but I'm pretending Kitty's birthday is a little bit earlier for the sake of the ring.