Author Note: Eric gets told! It is much deserved!

Chapter 07 – Can We Talk?

"Eric, I'll tell Greg I saw you and have him call you later. I have to go wash my hair!"

Eric felt totally left out and clueless. What just happened? He was dismissed by Greg's fiancée for some shampoo? He watched as Nancy disappeared out the door. The waitress came back with their sandwiches and Eric pretty much ate in silence.

Jackie ate her sandwich, made some notes and when she was through, put her book away and finished her soda. She looked up at Eric. "Are you done?"

"No. I thought we could enjoy a lunch together but I was wrong."

Jackie frowned. "Eric, seriously…what's your problem."

"You." He said simply. Jackie stared at him. "Me. How am your problem?" She wiped her hands on the paper napkin. Eric gulped – it was a face off! "Why is it that you are pleasant and funny with everyone else but me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." She did – but he didn't need to know that!

"Like with Nancy. You were warm and friendly and then you and Fez joke around; but with me, you treat me like a stranger."

"Eric, I tried being nice and you brushed me off. Remember being in the hospital and calling for a friend? So, I am lending you a hand like I would any other person that needs my help. You don't treat me like a friend so why should I extend you the same courtesy?"

Eric was annoyed. "What do you mean?"

"Oh please! Spawn of Satan – Devil's daughter? Do you think I don't know? Really… how old are you now and do I really resemble that 17 year old you remember?"

She had him on that one. "Well, no. But your reputation through the years…"

"Excuse me -my reputation? What planet do you live on Eric. Mars? Hello, while you were married I was in school studying to be a cosmetician. While you were getting divorced and going to college, I was working in a beauty parlor cutting hair for old women. While you were getting your degree, I was styling hair for television studios. My reputation has been stellar."

"But…"

"While I'm washing your mother's hair once a month for the last ten years all I hear about is Eric this and Eric that. At least I kept track of my friends. I could tell you what you got for Christmas in freaking 1987! I take care of the people I care about and I tried to do that with you in the hospital but oh no! It's Jackie that Horrible. What did I ever do to you? Why do you hate me so much?"

Jackie threw her napkin on the table and grabbed her bag to run out the door. Eric saw her get in the van and slam the door shut. "I am such an idiot." He said to no one in particular.

*

"He's a stupid insensitive jerk!" She wiped her eyes and checked her mascara in the rear view mirror. I should let him walk home! She could see Eric hurrying out the door. Jackie touched up her lip gloss and cranked the air conditioner on the highest setting.

Eric was praying she didn't drive off and leave him there as she should have, but as he stumbled through the restaurant doors, she was sitting in the van with the engine running. He could see she was wiping her eyes and he knew he made her cry and that was his last intention.

The passenger door was unlocked and he quickly maneuvered his cast in the door and was buckling himself in when she jetted out of the parking lot. "I'm going home." was all she said before she turned the radio on and hiked up the volume.

Eric sat there listening to the end of Opposites Attract by Paula Abdul

I take--2 steps forward
I take--2 steps back
We come together
Cuz opposites attract
And you know--it ain't fiction
Just a natural fact
We come together
Cuz opposites attract

The van stopped in front of her little garden apartment and she took her purse and the car keys and fled for apartment number 3. Eric closed his eyes. I'm going home. Yep, that's what she said and she's probably calling a taxi right now. Eric was starting to sweat in the van and decided to appeal to her good nature and ask to wait in her house for his ride.

Jackie was packing a suitcase with her fresh nightgowns and some summer clothes. She needed her blow dryer and stuffed that in the case as well. She went to the kitchen and grabbed a canvas tote to fill with linens and extra candles. She heard a knock at her door.

Eric was surprised when she opened it – he figured she would ignore it and he would be waiting in the heat for the cab. "What do you want?"

"Er, I was wondering if I could wait inside for the taxi." She looked at him like he was dim. "What taxi?" But she let Eric step inside her apartment. He loved it – there was so much color and happiness in here – not like the Forman house. He turned, "You said you were going home and we're here so I assumed I was taking a cab back to Point Place."

Jackie closed her eyes. "You can be so stupid some times." She felt like tearing out her hair. He eased himself down on the sofa and managed to look so endearing and vulnerable at the same time.

She sat down on the other end of the couch. "Listen to me again." She reached out and pulled his face towards her. "Read my lips. This morning I said that after the pharmacy I had to stop by my apartment for clothes and linens – do you remember any of that?"

He vaguely did, "You don't like green and orange."

She sighed. "Yes, it was in that conversation. What kind of person do you think I am that I would bring you here and make you take a taxi home? God Eric, you are so… so exasperating!"

"Hey….look…we're talking!" Eric felt like there was progress being made. Now he could make some apologies. "Jackie, I'm sorry for being…what you called me…a dick. I made assumptions about you and you are right. I don't really know you. All I remember is comments made by Kelso and he was a doofus. Then there was Hyde and he was always pissed at you or making fun of you and I guess there is my problem. You and I never became actual friends. You were kind of like on the fringe…."

"Well, if you didn't have your head up Donna's ass all the time, you would have seen that other people liked you too. What about Fez and Brooke? Well, we all made fun of Fez but he's got a great heart."

"So you're still friends with Kelso and Brooke?"

"Yes. Fez and I both visit once a month and Betsy's my god-daughter. Did you think I was going to desert them? I'm not like you think I am Eric. If you want me to be a friend, you better start treating me like one."

Jackie stood up and went back into her bedroom. Eric leaned back against her comfortable couch. God, this house smelled so good! Yeah, she was right, he was treating her like the enemy and she never really did anything to him. Why did she have to be right? But then, those flashes of a happy Jackie were preferable to the ice queen she could be with him…he wanted to be her friend. He wanted that smile once in a while. The teenage Jackie was still in there but had been tempered by time and a depth of maturity he missed out on. Then that could also be said for all of his friends.

Jackie came back out with her suitcase and two bags which she set by the door. "Well?" She watched as Eric struggled to his feet and walked to the door. He stopped in front of her and held out his hand. "Hi. I'm Eric Forman and I'm the biggest jerk in all of Wisconsin. I'd like to be your friend." He saw the beginnings of a smile hover around the corner of her lips.

She took his hand and shook it. "I'm Jackie Burkhart and it's nice to meet you."

*

The Daisy Maids were stowing their gear when Jackie's van pulled into the driveway. The head of the group took her into the house showing her problems they had or potential problems that needed to be looked at. Meanwhile, Eric slid out of the passenger door and retrieved his wheelchair.

Jackie wrote out a check for their services and went back to the van to get her cases. "When we walk in there, it will smell fresher and look cleaner than it has in the last 10 years."

Eric followed her in to the kitchen where the sliding doors sparkled with a Windex wash and the floor was shined and waxed. The chairs were cleaned and the appliances almost looked new. Jackie breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm checking the rest of the house. You should go rest up before you fall over."

Eric agreed and hopped into the living room. No dust, no grime…just a good clean smell. He sat on the edge of the bed and spilled his prescription medication into his hand and chased it with a swallow of water. He lay back against the pillows and elevated his foot. Ahhhh…..relief!

He closed his eye and recalled the conversation in Jackie's apartment. . "Hi. I'm Eric Forman and I'm the biggest jerk in all of Wisconsin. I'd like to be your friend." Yeah when all is said and done, he had been a dick – every kind gesture she tried to show him he ended up pushing her away. She even tried to hug him and he refused that. He was an idiot!

"I'm Jackie Burkhart and it's nice to meet you." He finally got the smile he wanted – and she was charming. Eric actually felt like he was meeting her for the first time. It was so much better when she smiled. He felt the bed dip and opened his eyes.

"Did I wake you?"

"Um no -I was jus thinking. What's going on?"

Jackie held up a tube from the pharmacy in one hand and a spiky plant leaf in the other. "This is for your eye and the stitches." Eric looked at the leaf – oh she was cruel! She planned on poking him in the eye with the largest plant she could find. He reached up and grabbed the wrist with the plant. She grinned. "The leaf is part of an aloe vera plant. It will help prevent scars. This tube is from your doctor. Now let go of my arm or I WILL poke you in the eye." How did she know what he was thinking?

Jackie squeezed the ointment onto her ring finger and gently rubbed it into the tender bruised skin near the corner of his left eye. She broke the plant leaf into two pieces and some viscous liquid dripped onto her finger. She smoothed the sticky fluid onto the stitches at the side of his cheek and on his forehead. Eric closed his eyes, the gentle massage felt extremely good. It was only minutes later and he fell asleep.

*

The smell of onions and garlic woke him from his nap. Eric didn't realize how hungry he was or how late it got. There was a lamp turned on and the TV was playing a rerun of Hawkeye arguing with Hot Lips. Eric grabbed his crutch and hopped into the kitchen. "Hey, what smells good?"

Jackie turned around. "I'm frying potatoes. How was your nap?"

Eric smiled – this was better – no sniping they were both pleasant and oh jeez, he had to pee again. "It was great! I'll be right back." He hobbled down the hall to the bathroom. Jackie added some cheese to the potatoes and put on the lid moving the pan off the burner.

She turned around and put the breaded the meat into the hot oil. While it sizzled and cooked, she prepared the green beans. If Eric could ever balance and carry, she could get him to set the table. But the only task he could really do was wash dishes.

He came back out of the bathroom, "Now what smells so good?" He wanted to see put she covered the pan. "It's dinner and you have to wait. Why don't you get comfy while I finish up here?"

Eric watched as Jackie brought over the plates and silverware and condiments for dinner. "Where did you learn to cook?"

She looked back over her shoulder. "I learned from your mother. While you were in Africa she gave me and Donna some lessons but Donna could never get the hang of cooking chicken."

Eric thought back briefly to the year of "no chicken" – now the "no fowl" rule Donna had made sense! "Well, I'll have to tell my mom that her graduate student is still tops in her class." Eric was blessed with a quiet smile from the chef.

This dinner was better than yesterday's and he told her so. They had a quiet conversation about his time in Africa and Eric was pleasantly surprised that she remembered his plan to teach impoverished children. She told him how proud Red was on his graduation day – he even came in for a hair cut! Eric liked hearing about his parents from Jackie. She had a way of describing them that was right on the spot. She could do the patented Kitty Forman laugh and he ended up laughing at her rendition.

Dinner was over and Jackie smiled, "Guess what?"

"I don't know."

"You get to wash dishes. I'm going downstairs to wash some clothes. Speaking of washing, I put a stool in the bathroom so you can take a proper shower. I don't think you really want to be hosed off again. Do you?"

Eric grinned. "No, it's not a pretty sight to see Eric Forman in his boxers and garbage bags."

"You are absolutely correct. I thought I was going to go blind from the white skin of your leg!" she teased lightly. Eric pretended to be insulted but laughed. "One day, in the next two or three months, I'll be rid of this thing and then I can blind you with two skinny white legs!'

"You wish." She laughed as she carried the dirty dishes to the sink. "Just make sure you finish all the dishes."

*