A/N: Just a note, it's hard for me to write from Fez's POV, so if he seems OOC, a thousand pardons.
Disclaimer: I don't own either THAT 70S SHOW or RENT.
Chapter 1: Christmas Bells (Fez)
There comes a time in every person's life that they need to find something beyond their comfort zone. I believe that is why I left my home country. I needed to explore the world, and find myself. Little did I know that I would end up in Point Place, Wisconsin, but I do believe that I have found that new place where I want to be. So I am able to understand when someone else wants to find that place.
Christmas Bells are ringing.
Christmas Bells are ringing.
Christmas Bells are ringing.
On TV. At Saks.
It was just surprising when I found out that Jackie wanted to do just that. Jackie was always the girl who didn't see anything beyond her surroundings, and her comfort zone, and rarely wanted to leave it. She was always the delicate flower who would open to the world, but when the scary dark night came, she'd fold back up again. Perhaps it was because she had seen the night enough to know that she needed to escape it, and hiding wouldn't do it. Fez, you metaphorical gigolo.
And what drives a flower to uproot herself and face the night? A selfish sonofabitch by the name of Hyde. He toyed with her feelings, and then messed up our friendship. I, Fez, had the flower in my possession for a full two weeks. We confessed our undying love for each other, spent two weeks of romantic evenings (though my needs were not fulfilled), long walks, and sinfully lovely dinners of strawberries (fruit, blech) and chocolate (candy!). But then I had to break it off. Because she was obviously still in love with that JERK Hyde.
But it was no matter. We were better as friends anyway. So imagine my sadness when I found out she was leaving.
No sleigh bells, no Santa Claus.
No yule log, no tinsel.
No holly, no hearth.
It started out innocently enough. Miss Kitty was throwing her annual Christmas Party a few days before Christmas. Hyde's wife had returned the week before, though she isn't really his wife. Never was his wife. Already married. Anyhoo, so at Kitty's party, I was eating lots of cookies and candy, and drinking eggnog, and everyone was having a good time.
"Fez, smile for the camera," Eric said, and I grinned and waved. My stomach was rumbly though. I realized that what the party needed was some ham. So I walked into the kitchen, and began to raid the fridge. I knew that Miss Kitty had some ham she was going to cook the next night. I was about to cut some off, when I heard muffled yelling from the living room. I walked to the door, and listened to the commotion. I couldn't hear what was being said, but I knew it was between Jackie and Hyde. I decided to stay in the kitchen, so I don't know what was said. But before I knew it, the front door SLAMMED and then Hyde came through the kitchen door and went out the back and SLAMMED it, and Sam came running after him. I went back into the living room, a hunk of ham in my hand. The only people left were Bob, Red, Miss Kitty, and Eric.
"What… did I MISS!" I exclaimed, damning my stomach. And no one answered. Though Red did chase me out of the house for cutting into the ham.
No Rudolph the red nosed reindeer.
No Rudolph the red nosed reindeer.
I didn't hear from Jackie for a couple days. She went to her mothers, and stayed there. When she came back to our apartment, on Christmas Eve, she brought a moving truck she rented.
"Jackie, what's going on?" I asked.
"I'm moving back in with my Mom," she said, packing up her things from her room.
"Why?" I asked.
"Because I can't stay here another minute," she stated, throwing her stuffed animals in the boxes. "I can't be with any of you while I work on my life. Fez, I'm leaving Point Place."
"Oh really?" I asked, and laughed a little. She looked at me with sad eyes. "I mean, oh. Where are you going?"
"If things go my way, New York University," she said. I was shocked. New York University? I had heard many things about this University. And this city. I had hoped that someday I could go there.
"That's pretty far away."
"That's kind of the point." And she took about the afternoon to get all her things on the truck and out of our home. She asked me to help, and I did, but I was shocked. I didn't know that the fight at the Christmas Party was so bad. I was seething at what Hyde had done, but I didn't show it while I helped her pack. She was very quiet, deep in thought. Once we had loaded the last of her things onto the truck, we stopped and looked at each other.
"You really don't have to move out," I said.
"Yeah, I do," she said. "But thanks for letting me know I'm welcome. It's been awhile since I've felt welcome anywhere." I nodded, and we hugged.
"And I'm sorry that it didn't work out. Us, I mean," she said.
"We could try again."
"No, no, that's okay, it's better that it didn't work out," she said. "You were right. I still care about Steven too much."
"He doesn't deserve you," I stated. She smiled to herself, and looked up at me.
"Merry Christmas, Fez," she said.
"Merry Christmas, Jackie," I answered, and she got into the van, and drove down the street. It was snowing again as she left. And that was our last tender moment.
No room at the Holiday Inn, oh no!
And it's beginning to snow….