Righting All Wrongs

Chapter 2: Burnin' For You…

Four hours into their wait, without concrete news or the steadying presence of Red and Kitty to ease the pressure they all felt, and it was clear something, or someone, was about to burst. It wasn't hot, but each of them noticed a sticky, clammy feeling on the insides of their palms. Collars became too tight, and the air seemed, at once, too thick and too thin. The tick of the clock on the wall had somehow gotten louder, and they were all suddenly aware of the sounds of heavy breathing, though no one could tell if it was their own or someone else's.

So when Fez shot out of his chair in a very dramatic and attention-grabbing way, eyes narrowed and mouth falling open to speak in vehemence, Steven Hyde almost started humming "When the Levee Breaks," as he took a moment to brace himself for what was about to come. After all, they had all feared this, The Confrontation, but no one had really seen it coming. Not until it was too late, and suddenly each one of them were being stared down by a foreigner in too tight of pants.

"Okay, this may not be the best time, but what the hell, may I ask, is wrong with you three sons of three bitches?!"

His stance was familiar: hands on hips, stern expression in place. But this was instantly recognizable as very different from any other time they had ever witnessed Fez's anger, and they all suspected they'd be getting off too easy if he merely said, "Good Day," and stormed out this time.

A shamed silence was his answer as Eric looked at the ceiling, Kelso looked at the floor, and Hyde looked at God only knew what behind the veil of his glasses. Yet he didn't let the moment ease past, he kept his dark eyes fixed with accusation on each of them in turn, before huffing in frustration and spinning his body to glare at the girls. "And you two! What is the matter with you?" He looked for a moment to Jackie and the harshness of his face softened slightly, "I'm sorry, my sweet, but this must be said."

He sighed, heavily, but then the fight face was back as his tone lost the shrill haste of early anger and fell low and seethingly deep. "We are stuck here, people. And it's horrible and scary that we have to be here at all, that something so bad is happening. But by God if we are all going to be here, we are not going to spend this time worrying and pouting and stewing in awkard silence. So, let's figure this out, shall we? You are all going to fix this."

Wearily, Donna near-rolled her eyes as she tucked her hair behind her ear, "But Fez-"

"I said 'fix this!'" And the look he gave her was nothing short of withering, as he held his hand up stiffly in front of her face. Begrudgingly, she recoiled and pursed her lips together in resignation. There was no use arguing with him when he was like this.

Kelso had watched Fez's outburst with a great mix of shame and satisfaction, and a weird tingling in his gut that was what appeared to be realization. He at once knew why he, as sad as he was about the mess they had become, hadn't done anything to stop it. And it came abrupt and sudden, a shocking and spontaneous rush of anger and hurt and courage that was about to culminate in a moment of absolute honesty, and before he could stop himself he was on his feet with a glint of determination in his eyes.

"Fix this? Okay, okay, let's fix this. Let's fix the fact that I feel like I don't know Donna at all anymore. Or really Eric either, but at least he has the excuse of having been in Africa for a freaking long time. Let's fix the fact that I can barely be in the same room with Jackie without feeling so much guilt I think I'm going to be sick. Let's fix the fact that I can hardly look at Hyde without wanting to punch something. You want to fix it, Fez? Fine, great. Show me how." His voice had never really risen, but it had come out stronger and more serious than most of the people in the room had ever heard from him before, and his eyes were locked on Fez's with both pleading and defiance before a small brunette stepped in front of him to steal his gaze.

"Michael?" Jackie's voice was hoarse, from hours of silence and tears, but her surprise was evident all the same.

She asked a lot with just his name, and he took a deep breath before looking down at her. "Jackie, most of the time I was with you I should have been feeling guilty, horribly guilty for both what I was and what I wasn't doing, but I never did. And while I was living in Chicago, every time I came home you looked less and less like the Jackie I knew, and I think then everything I'd ever done to hurt you all sort of hit me at once. Maybe it's sign I'm growing up, I don't know. But it sucks, because I really am sorry, but that's not enough. I'm around you and I remember every lie I told when we were together. I remember every time I couldn't let you go and Hyde took it out on you. I remember it's my fault you were so sad for so long and I am so, so sorry. I hope you know that."

"I know, Michael. You don't have to worry about that anymore. It's over. All of that is over, you-"

"But it's not! It's not over. I feel guilty, but I'm also still so angry. At you, for getting over me. At myself, for a lot of things. And mostly, at Hyde."

Everyone's eyes flew in surprise from Kelso to Hyde, silently wondering what the latter was going to do with this bit of news.

"So, you're mostly mad at me, huh? I can't imagine why." Hyde spoke up in a tone that was at once dangerous and mocking. And his jaw was clenched in a way that all five of them had learned to fear in their years together. "Are you still whining because I "stole" your girlfriend? Get over it. I did." It was evident that Hyde thought, in fact that he insisted, that this would be the absolute end of this conversation. But, with his typical reckless regard for his own wellbeing, Kelso refused to back down.

"No, Hyde. It's not that simple. It was so much more than that. I mean, I know she was yours and all but you wanted her to completely cut me out, and you never realized it but you didn't just steal my girl, you stole my best friend, man. And that hurt. I spent 3 years with her, and you expected it to be no big deal for me to just let it all go."

"Your best friend? Are you fucking kidding me? You lied to her, cheated on her, fought with her all the time, but now you want to pretend that you two had some deep, meaningful connection and true love and all that crap? If you honestly believe any of that shit, then you are a bigger moron than I thought." Hyde spat, even as his body remained perfectly still, cool and collected, as he leaned against the wall.

"There's a lot of our relationship that you didn't see. And I think I'm a hell of a lot smarter than you, Hyde. At least I know enough to admit that I don't know everything."

And somehow enough of Fez's anger dissipated enough for him to gasp in shock, and fear for his foolish friend.

It took a moment for Hyde to move, to speak, to do anything other than internally seethe. And when he did push off the wall, it was only to mutter a deceptively apathetic-sounding, "Fuck this," as he walked away from all of them.

Things had returned to silence. Kelso, anger still apparent, stood staring at nothing on the wall. Eyes dark. Arms crossed.

Fez was now looking guilty, for things seemed to have only gotten worse. Jackie sat beside him, her look sympathetic…if only half-hearted.

Eric had tried a few times with his last shred of gangly humor to ease the moment by, but to no avail.

Donna just looked irritated, and was getting worse and worse at hiding it. Finally she broke the stillness, with an overly dramatic sigh and a too-loud muttering of, "Well, great job, guys. Really. Wonderful job at making an already heinous situation ten times worse."

At her words, Fez just looked more dejected and shamed, and if Kelso even heard her he made no effort to show it. But Jackie's chin lifted and her eyes flashed in rage.

"Yeah, naturally, it's all their fault. Shame on them for being honest, for wanting things to be different and better, for not just laying down to worship the Great Steven Hyde. Of course, you'd be on his side in this, Donna. God forbid he ever have to take responsibility for his actions." Jackie's voice was cold, with sarcasm pooling in all the appropriate places.

And Donna's immediate reaction was to fight bitchy with bitchy. "Excuse me? Jackie, what the hell is your problem? I know you're still bitter abou-"

"I wouldn't finish that sentence if I were you." A perfectly groomed eyebrow rose with threat and challenge.

"And why not? I'm not afraid of you."

"And I'm not afraid of you."

Donna rolled her eyes. "You know, I was hoping you'd eventually grow out of that whole spoiled, selfish brat bit but, it's looking more and more unlikely." She crossed her arms and fixed her eyes pointedly at her supposed friend, only to find her laughing.

"It's funny you put it like that. Because I was hoping you'd eventually snap back out of the obnoxious, traitorous bitch phase, but I too, have been disappointed."

"What are you even talking about?"

"You. And the fact that you called yourself my best friend, yet when I needed you most, you left me and mocked me and ignored my pain. All to go play with a cheap Eric-replacement, a stripper, and the bastard who broke my heart. I was abandoned, punished for something I didn't do, by the two people in the whole world who I thought would have been standing beside me no matter what. The way you treated me, the way you sided with Hyde, and God, especially with Sam, there was no excuse, Donna. I'd have never done that to you, and you know it. I've always been the "selfish" one, right? The shallow one, the inconsiderate one, but I would have never done that. So what's that say about you, Donna?"

Jackie let her stern stare linger a moment more on Donna, eyes clear with accusation and judgment, before turning her attention away and leaning into Fez's side. Stunned, the former redhead was left reeling, fuming and speechless.

Whispering her need for fresh air to the only one left who she suspected might care, Donna walked away in the opposite direction Hyde had.

Jackie's eyes were closed again as she pressed herself further into Fez's embrace. She still couldn't sleep, but Fez would let her pretend and she appreciated that. She tried to push the anger out of her body, but was disappointed to find that it lingered and mixed with her exhaustion instead, so she just promised herself she wouldn't cry. And kept reminding herself of that inside her head.

Eric cleared his throat, and looked first to Kelso, who still seemed to be hashing things out internally, and then to Fez. He offered a small, apologetic smile and noticed Fez at least attempt to give a weak one back. He cleared his throat again, but his first few words still came out a little scratchy. "I'm sorry, you know. I mean, things are just…" He sighed and Fez nodded. Neither one needed the situation described to them. "And most the time I feel like it's all my fault."

Fez was quiet a moment, just nodding along, but when it became apparent Eric had nothing more to say, he took a breath and the opportunity. His voice was soft, without a trace of his earlier anger and hardness. But he still remembered his conviction, and so this had to be said. "It's not all your fault, Eric. We might even try to blame you, but it's our own short-comings and hang ups and grudges that did this." He couldn't hide the disgust creeping in, so he paused a moment to swallow it back down. "But you were the glue. And you left us. You left us, so we got lost. You were so far away, and we needed you. And things just fell apart. It isn't your fault, not really. But it kind of feels like it is. It's hard not to feel abandoned."

Eric's eyes fell in line with the back of the chair in front of him, but Fez thought he could still see the tears resurfacing from his place beside him. "I really am sorry, Fez."

"I know, Eric. I just am afraid it's too late."

Okay, this was a lil' messier than I had intended, I have the story planned out but it was hard to take it from concept to chapter…and my fear is that it reads like crap as a result, but I wanted to start getting some of the issues people were having out in the open. This piece is going to be getting heavy on the angst, in case you couldn't tell.

And please take a moment to review. Thanks so much for reading!