A/N I lost my beta but I really wanted to post another chapter, hopefully this won't have to many mistakes. If you spot any please let me know so I can fix them. Oh yes and if anyone would like to be my beta please let me know.

Wedding Bells

Chapter four: Second choice

1978

Eric Forman's Basement

3:00am

"Let me get this straight, you slept with Donna and you thought you were back together; how am I not supposed to be upset?" Hyde said in his Zen voice but, even hiding behind his sun glasses Eric could tell he was disappointed.

Eric just stood there speechless mouthing words but no sound came out.

"Forman, I get you still love her and I get that this situation is my fault." Hyde turned his head away.

"Steven, please, I just…maybe I do… love her, but I want to be with you, I want her, but I want you too."

"And so now you just want me because you can't have her!" Hyde stood up and walked towards the freezer.

"It's not like that." Eric stammered.

"Oh ya? So explain it to me."

"I don't know, nothing was happening between us and then it was Donna and I, I…" Eric stammered off unsure of how to explain his feelings.

"Just thought that she wanted to get back together with and forgot all the reasons you broke up? Wasn't it you that broke up with her?" Hyde asked obviously his Zen was gone and he stood vulnerable in the dark empty basement looking at Eric to take away his confusion. "Why would you want to get back together with her?" Hyde desperately wanted to understand.

"Yes, yes I did brake up with her. I just…thought, maybe, that…she, um, couldn't see her lifewithoutmeafterall" Eric mumbled.

"What?"

"I just thought that what happened between us—"

"Sex"

"Yes that it represented that she couldn't see her life with out me after all, which is why we broke up, because I couldn't imagine my life without her but she could."

Hyde turned away "great. So you love her and she's the easy one and she's the one you want." He paused "Fuck Forman, why didn't you tell me she was more then a fling, a high school sweetheart – she was the one you wanted. I would have never gone after you if I had known." All Hyde wanted to do was tell Eric what to do to make everything better, how to fix what ever he had fucked up this time, only problem was this time Eric had fucked up with him and Hyde had no idea how to fix it.

"Excuse me?"

"Eric had I know you wanted to spend your life with her I would not have gotten in the way. No wonder you wanted to get back with her." Hyde sighed as he sat down is his chair and took of his glasses, defeated.

"But Steven…"

"I get it. Eric I…I care about you, but this isn't going to work, this is over. Try to get back with her, get over her. Find another girl." He got up and headed out to his car.

"But I only want you." Eric whispered to himself once the basement door had closed.

Present Day

The Forman's living-room

"Hyde who knew you could be so sensitive." Kelso sorted, Angie hit him.

"Eric." Eric looked at the floor unable to move his eyes to Donna's face.

"I didn't realize that…that you felt that way about me."

"You didn't surmise that when I broke up with you because you wouldn't wear the ring?" Eric spoke quietly but annoyed.

"Well, I think we have already established I didn't know you very well Eric. That I didn't understand you, what you felt, what you wanted, why you broke up with me." Donna said in a hurt voice.

"Whatever Donna, it was my entire fault." Eric said sarcastically

"Well you did brake up with me both times, and it wasn't like I forced you to, I tried to understand you, I though I did, that we just weren't right for each other or we had irreconcilable differences." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh yes, because I just broke up with you on a whim. To mix up my life Donna, it tore me up to brake up with you." Eric rolled

"Well then explain to me what you felt while we were dating Eric! Mr. you broke my heart even though you broke up with me."

"Well let's see Donna, if I remember correctly you broke my heart and then I broke up with you."

"Because I didn't what your stupid promise ring."

"Please, and then you wanted me back after Casey refused to date you. And you expected me to date you. How do you think it made me feel, you basically saying hey, Eric-second choice man- since my top choice fell through lets get back together. As if the reason we broke up had gone away." Eric spoke in a sad and tried voice.

"I think you are over reacting Eric, I wanted you."

"After you couldn't have Casey."

"How does that matter?"

"It makes all the difference, no one wants to be second choice." Steven answered calmly.

"Maybe so." Donna said still angry "But that doesn't explain why you" she looked directly at Eric "came to California for me if you didn't want to be someone's second choice."

"Because, I loved you and well, Jackie and Steven made me, they saw how un-happy was... God you have know idea how hard I tried to get over you. Its not like I wanted to be in love a girl who didn't love me in the same way."

"Eric, I had no idea that you felt that I didn't love you. I thought you understood, it was that I didn't want to be in such a commented relationship at such a young age, not that I didn't want to be in one with you." Donna played with her hands.

"But if you had loved me that much, it wouldn't have mattered." He sighed "And I eventfully got that you didn't want a man to tie you down. A little to late admittedly."

"What do you mean?"

"You sacrificed so much of what you wanted and even through I never asked you to, I could tell you resented me for it. By the time I realized that marriage was exactly what you didn't want, I hurt you. But I have to believe I hurt you less leaving you then I would have if we had gotten married."

"Wait so you left me at the alter because you thought it was what I wanted?"

"Yes, you wanted to go to college, to write, to explore. Not to live in a trailer married at 20 and work at a radio station. It wasn't that I didn't want to marry you—"

"So you just decided what I wanted for my life!?"

"Come on Donna, I know you were thinking about leaving too…"

"But I didn't!" she said adamantly.

"Maybe so, but your glade I did. You were mad I embarrassed, you not that we didn't get married." Donna knows he is right so she just looks away. "I finally got that we weren't meant to be." There was a long silence.

"So why did the duck cross the road?" Angie asked trying to brake the silence and lighten the mood.

"Sorry Angie" Eric spoke, "I didn't realize just how many unresolved feeling Donna and I had to work out. It's your's and Kelso's day, enough about Donna and me."

Ok, but I think some of us still want you and Steven explained" Angie smiled "So maybe just got on with the story and leave angry fights about suppressed feeling for later." She gave a slight laugh.

"Yes" Jackie agreed, "so Eric got rejected twice, blah, blah, blah. Let move the story on to more important matters—me. Steven if you were in love with Eric why did you choice to um date me? I mean was our whole relationship a lie? Did you not want to marry me because you never wanted me?" Jackie wasn't sure whether she wanted to kill Steven for being with Eric or kiss him for the best gossip ever. Part of her was still angry at him for not marring he, for disappearing for never saying goodbye, But most of her was over him and just wanted to understand her old flame and yet she couldn't help looking at Eric and felling envious because part of her still loved him.

"God Jackie, you are so over dramatic, I loved you, I was attracted to you. Our relationship didn't fail because I never wanted you. And I didn't marry because you gave me an ultimatum and then slept with Kelso, not because of Eric" Steven rolled his eyes. He was not as confused about his feeling for Jackie as she was about him, Steven was long over her.

"Ok, so explain it me." Now Jackie was annoyed, why did he always have to be so condescending?

"What is to explain, girl meet guy, guy thinks girl is hot. Girl and guy get togther."

"But five minutes ago you recapped a story explaining your unrequited love for Eric."

"So you want to me explain what changed."

"Yes please." Jackie gave a fake smile, full with frustration.

"Ok…"

TBC