A/N – This one's a bit longer than the last chapter. I thought I was going into writer's block again, but I'm good. It was a false alarm. Thanks for the reviews, I always enjoy them. Now you can (hopefully) enjoy this next chapter. Thanks for reading.

Disclaimer – Read the first chapter's.

"So, where are you guys from?" Ayrton asked as he scarfed down a plate of pancakes at the restaurant the group had decided to stop at.

"Wisconsin," Eric replied, pouring a mountain of syrup on his mountain of pancakes, "A small little town called Point Place. It's nice though if you like the calm and quiet lifestyle."

"What did you do for fun around there?" Ayrton asked curiously.

Eric shrugged his shoulders, "There was a place called The Hub we used to go and hang out at, they had a pinball machine. There were two movie theaters and a couple of bowling alleys, other than that, not really much. We had to entertain ourselves most of the time, if we wanted to do anything really fun we had to go out of town."

"Eric, how much syrup do you really need?" Jackie asked, grabbing his arm as he continued pouring the sugary substance on his food.

"You're right," Eric said, putting the syrup down, "I need to leave room for whipped cream."

Eric then put out a hand, trying to wave down a waitress to ask for some as he asked the kid sitting across from him and Jackie, "Where you're from, what's it like?"

"It is nice," He replied, shrugging his shoulders as Eric quietly asked a waitress to go and get him some whipped cream, "It is by a beach, so I used to go there all the time. I want to go back sometimes, but we left for a reason."

"Why'd you leave?" Eric asked curiously.

"There were gangs that started hanging around," Ayrton said, "My brother got tangled up in the mess, he said he did it so I did not have to… When he died my father moved me and my sister away from there. We lived in Mexico City for a while, but then my dad got visas and now here I am."

"Sorry about your brother," Jackie finally spoke, offering a look of sympathy.

Ayrton smiled softly, "It is okay. It has been a couple years now, he was only trying to protect our family."

A waitress came by and gave Eric the whipped cream he was asking for, a smile on her face as Eric said, "Thank you."

The waitress smiled sweetly at him and turned to walk away, sort of strutting her stuff as she walked, looking back at Eric.

Jackie smiled and stifled a giggle, making Eric look over at her as he shook up the whipped cream can, "What?"

"You're telling me you didn't notice that?" Jackie smiled at him.

"Notice what?" Eric asked, a small smile gracing his lips and one eyebrow raised.

"She was checking you out," Jackie said, as if it were obvious, which it was.

"What? No she wasn't," Eric said, putting whipped cream on his pancakes.

"Yes, she was," Jackie said, looking over to Ayrton, "Wasn't she?"

Ayrton smiled a little and nodded, a mouthful of pancakes, "She was doing more than checking you out."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Eric asked the two.

"It means she was undressing you with her eyes," Ayrton replied, making Jackie giggle.

"No she wasn't," Eric defended again, finally deciding to eat the food on his plate.

"You're lying to yourself, Eric," Jackie said as she looked across to Ayrton, "And did you see the way she walked off?"

"Yeah, I enjoyed that part," Ayrton said.

Jackie rolled her eyes, "Ugh, men."

Ayrton smiled and Eric stuffed his face as Jackie sat back and looked out the window. It was going to be a long road trip.

0-0-0-0-0

They got to New York around three that afternoon. Ayrton had fallen asleep in the backseat, using his backpack as a pillow and Jackie and Eric have both been quiet for a while. Everyone was a little tired at this point.

Eric had to garner everyone's attention though when they entered NYC, by shouting, "Guys!"

Both of them jerked, Jackie having been half asleep. She sort of glared at Eric as she tugged at her ear, "What the hell, Eric!"

"Look," Eric said, pointing out the windshield.

The skyscrapers were beautiful, the mid-afternoon sky complementing their height nicely. Jackie looked out the window and felt her lips tug into a smile. She's only been to New York a couple of times, but she never really paid much attention to it, she missed all of the beauty.

"Wow," Ayrton said from the back seat, practically leaning against the window.

"You ever been to New York, kid?" Eric asked, smiling.

Ayrton shook his head, "No, I have just seen the photos. They do not do it justice… This is amazing."

"It is beautiful," Jackie said, enjoying the glamour of the city.

"My mom took me here when I was a little kid," Eric said, slowing down as they met the New York traffic, "There was a nurse's convention or something and she was one of the lucky ones who got to come. I went with her and I remember just loving it here… I knew then that I'd always end up back here, someday."

Jackie smiled as she sat back in her seat, "I didn't know you came here before."

Eric smiled and nodded, "The World Trade Center wasn't even finished yet. And look at it now."

The two other people in the car looked out the windshield, Ayrton leaning forward to see, and right out in front of them in clear view was the World Trade Center. Two beautiful towers, some of the tallest ones in the city.

"This place is… Amazing," Jackie said, but she yawned a moment later.

Eric cast a brief glance her way, "It'll have to be an early night though. We'll find somewhere to stay, go get something to eat, and then head in. I'm a little sleepy myself."

"I am going to have to find a job," Ayrton said from the backseat, "I need to find somewhere to live…"

"You didn't really think all of this through, did ye' kid?" Eric asked, turning right at the corner.

Ayrton shook his head, "I am eighteen, what did you expect?"

Eric smiled, "Yeah… But hey, if you want, you could stay with us for a while."

Ayrton furrowed his brow, "Oh no, I would not want to bother you. I am sure you have got your own lives to handle."

Eric shook his head, pursing his lips, "Kid, we're all runaways here. I've got no plans for the future… I guess we're all nobodies, huh?"

"I am not a nobody," Jackie defended, smacking Eric on the arm.

"I don't mean to be rude, Jackie, but… In a couple of years, when that show of yours is off the air, people are going to forget about you," Eric said, shrugging.

Jackie sighed, deciding not to argue, but she was still disappointed, "You're right… What am I even doing with my life?"

"You're a runaway," Eric said, smiling brightly, "That's pretty mysterious if you ask me. Where did you come from? Why did you run? Those are the questions people will be asking."

"But I didn't run from anything," Jackie said, giving Eric a sort of sad look.

"Then make something up," Eric suggested, adjusting his shoulders, "It'll be fun. Lighten up a bit, we're in New York now, there's no time for moping… Anyway, Ayrton. Do you want to stay with us for a while?"

"I do not want to intrude—"

"You're not intruding!" Eric cried happily, "It's been great having a new friend. I feel like you've got some stories to tell."

"If you do not mind, I would love to stay," Ayrton smiled sheepishly.

"Great!" Eric smiled, looking over at Jackie, "Right Jackie?"

Jackie nodded and smiled lightly, "Yeah, it's actually been fun having you around. You're pretty cool."

Ayrton smiled and blushed a little, not used to all the compliments, "Thank you both, so much."

Eric smiled again, "It's no problem, kid. Really."

The three drove through New York for about an hour before they found a decent and cheap hotel to stay in. They were just hoping they'd find some place to actually live here soon.

0-0-0-0-0

The three stayed in the hotel for three days when Eric came bustling in with a flier. The hotel was nice, but a little run down. The beds were creaky, and not very comfortable, but they managed. Eric called his parents the night they got there after they got back from eating. He told them they made it to where they had to be safely, then he dropped the bombshell. They were surprised that he had just run off to New York like he had, and a little upset that he had talked Jackie into it. Like most middle aged adults, they wanted the kids to have a nice education so they could have nice jobs, but Eric told them that Jackie had actually wanted to leave that night. They were also a little concerned that he had picked up a hitchhiker, but he assured them he was harmless.

After explaining everything to them in their short ten minute phone call, he told them goodnight and hung up, and now here he was three days later.

"Guys, guys!" Eric called as he entered the room, shutting the door behind him. Ayrton was on the bed watching TV, and Jackie was reading a magazine at the small table.

"What?" Jackie looked up at him quizzically, Ayrton doing the same.

"I think I may have found us somewhere to live," Eric said, holding up a flier, "Give me the phone."

Jackie got up out of her seat and let Eric sit down so he could use the telephone. He sat down and set the flier town on the table, picking up the phone and dialing the number on the flier before holding it up to his ear and waiting for a response.

"Hello?" A man's voice said a moment later.

"Hi, I'm calling about your flier, you're looking for a tenant?" Eric said, furrowing his brow.

"Oh yeah, one minute," The man pulled the phone away from his mouth and you could hear quietly, "Andrea, there's someone on the phone about the fliers!"

It was quiet for a moment, but then there was a shuffling on the other line and few words exchanged between the two before another man's voice said, "Hello?"

"Hi, I'm Eric Forman, you're looking for a tenant?" He asked again, this time to the landlord.

"Yes, I am," The man said, "Did you want to come by and see it?"

"It's only a hundred dollars a month?" Eric asked, looking down at the flier on the table.

"Yes it is," The other man confirmed.

Eric smiled then, "I'd love to come by and see it."

0-0-0-0-0

The three of them took the trip across to Greenwich Village where the apartment was. The place was above a bar that opened at five every afternoon and closed around one in the morning, unless it was a weekend, then it was open noon to five the next morning.

The three got out of their car and walked up to the front of the building, trying to figure out how to get in. Eric looked up at the apartment above the bar and saw the window was open. Eric stepped back, garnering the attention of his friends before he shouted, "Yo, let us in!"

Jackie smacked Eric on the arm, "They're going to think we're robbers or something if you yell at them like that!"

Eric was about to retort when a voice shouted back, "Are you Eric?!"

Eric looked up and saw a man with shaggy blonde hair sticking his head out the window and looking down at them, "Yeah, we're here to see the apartment!"

"One second!" The man went back into the apartment and the three waited there for a minute.

After about two minutes of waiting, they saw through the glass door the blonde man coming towards them. They stepped back away from the door and waited for him to unlock it, which only took him a second and then he opened the door.

"Come in," He said, holding the door for them.

The three passed by him, Jackie turning back to look at him, "There's three of us, I hope that's not a problem."

The man shook his head, "No, Andrea's had plenty of tenants living here at the same time before. It's no problem at all. But you will all have to pay your own share."

Jackie nodded and followed the man as he passed by them. She'd have to find a job, so would Ayrton. Eric was settled for right now, but eventually he'd to go looking for something as well. He said he'd pay their rent for the time being though, so that was nice.

"Follow me," The blonde man ordered, walking through a door where the stairwell was.

The three followed him up the stairs and walked with him through the door to the apartment. After everyone was inside, he closed the door behind him and walked past them.

"Andrea! They're here!" He called, fixing the cuffs on his button down shirt.

A moment later a dark haired man came out of a bedroom presumably, looking anything but pleased. He walked over to them and held out his hand, shaking everyone else's, "Hello, I'm Andrea. Pleased to meet you."

"Hi, I'm Eric, and these are my friend's Jackie and Ayrton," Eric introduced as he released the accented man's hand.

"Pleased to meet you all," Andrea said, still frowning though, "Follow me."

He turned and led the three through the apartment as the blonde man disappeared into another room. A moment later they were in the living room, which was actually decent sized. The walls were painted orange, although the paint was chipped in sections, and there was several pieces of art hanging on the walls. There was a couch that matched the walls and a lounge chair that was a sort of sea foam color, and on the other side of the couch was an oak whicker char with a yellow cushion in it. There was a rug on that covered a good majority of the floor in front of the TV that was the same color as the lounge chair.

Andrea led them into another room that was connected to the living room and in this room the walls were a dark blue color and there were several couches in here and some more art on the walls. This must be a little relaxing type of area, there wasn't really much to this room.

Then there was the kitchen. It was small, the walls had an ugly pea green color on them, the paint, like the res the house's, was chipped in areas. There was a tiny table that sat four people in the middle of the room. There was a toaster and a microwave and a small refrigerator, and there was clock above the fridge.

The bathroom was tiny, you could barely move around in the there. There were four rooms though. One was decent sized, the walls were the same shade as the living room, there was a full sized bed, a desk, and a wardrobe. And there was plenty of room for other things if you wanted anything else. Another room was smaller, the walls were green and it held a full sized bed, a dresser, and a wall mirror. The other room was the blonde haired man's and then the other was Andrea's.

After the tour of the apartment was over, the three followed Andrea back out into the living room. He turned to look at them and clasped his hands together, "So, what did you think?"

Eric nodded, looking around the living room, his lips pursed, "It's nice. I like it."

"So… Are you going to want to live here? Yes? No?" Andrea asked, his shoulders tense.

"Yeah, that'd be great," Eric responded, not even going over it with Jackie and Ayrton, although Ayrton did seem to like it, "When can we move in?"

Andrea shrugged, "Anytime is fine. Today even, if you would like."

"Great," Eric smiled, reaching into his back pocket, "We'll go get packed and start getting everything moved in. I've got first month's rent, so… Here ye' go."

Eric slapped three hundred dollars in cash into Andrea's hand, which surprised the dark haired man, "Wow…"

"It was nice meeting you, Mister…" Eric trailed off, never catching his last name.

"Venturi," Andrea finished, shaking Eric's hand, "But you can just call me Andrea."

"Alright," Eric smiled in a friendly way, finally earning a small smile from the other man.

Andrea was odd, seemingly a bit unfriendly. He was a couple of inches shorter than Eric and skinny, his dark, shaggy curly hair complimenting his pale skin. He had an accent, presumably Italian, but it was easy to understand him.

"Oh, and the other man who lives here, that's David," Andrea said, finally putting a name tag on the blonde haired man.

Just as he said that, the man they were speaking off came out of his room, a tie now around his neck, "Have you seen my bag, Andrea?"

"No," Andrea said, looking back at David, "Did you leave it downstairs?"

"Maybe…" David shrugged, then he looked over at the three standing in the center of the living room, "So are you guys staying or leaving?"

"We're staying," Eric answered, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Well then I should probably introduce myself," David said, stepping over to them and shaking all of their hands, "I'm David Hayden, nice to meet you all."

David was similarly skinny to Andrea, but shorter, he was probably only an inch taller than Jackie. He had a slight New York accent, but you could only really hear it if he was antsy, as he was right now.

"Sorry, I'll try to talk to you all later, I've got to go. I don't want to be late," He said, looking down at his watch, "I'll see ye' later, Andrea."

David gently pat his roommate on the back, making Andrea flinch a little, as he turned to leave, cursing to himself as he left the apartment.

Everyone was quiet for a moment before a smiling Eric Forman said, "He seems nice."

"When he wants to be," Andrea said, "He can be a pain in my ass."

"Hey look at that, Eric can be a pain in mine," Jackie replied, smiling smugly.

Andrea smiled a little before he said, "Well, you three should get going so you can pack. I'll be here all day, so… You can come back at any time."

"Alright, thanks man," Eric said, shaking Andrea's hand one last time.

"No problem," He replied, forcing a smile.

"We'll be back between three and four, how's that sound?" Eric asked.

"Sounds fine," Andrea said, releasing Eric's hand, "I'll see you later."

"Alright, see ye'," Eric said, walking towards the door, his friends following.

The three closed the door to the apartment behind them and went down the stairs. After they left the bar downstairs and were back outside, Jackie grabbed Eric's arm and pulled him back, "Eric, what the hell?"

Eric furrowed his brow and looked down at the annoyed woman, "What did I do?"

"We could have at least talked about this first," Jackie said, glaring at him, "We don't just jump into things like this."

"Why not?" Eric asked, scrunching his shoulders, "It's a nice place for the price of it. I liked it."

"So did I," Ayrton smiled, butting into their argument.

"Yeah, and Andrea and David seem pretty cool," Eric said, "I don't see what the big deal is."

"I don't know," Jackie said, crossing her arms, "Andrea seems like a little bit of a dick."

Eric raised one eyebrow, "No he doesn't. He's probably just shy or something."

"He did seem kind of shy," Ayrton said, leaning against the hood of Eric's car, crossing his arms.

"Either way, we still needed to discuss this," Jackie defended, her hard gaze still on Eric.

"Jackie, name another place in this city with a cheap price with that much space," Eric challenged, "You're not going to find anything."

"But—" Jackie tried, but Eric cut her off.

"Jackie, trust me," Eric started, "I know what I'm getting us into, it'll all be perfectly fine. Who knows, maybe those guys will be the best friends you'll ever have."

Jackie rolled her eyes as Eric turned and opened the door to his car, getting in. Ayrton went around to the back and got in as well as Jackie continued to stand on the sidewalk, her arms still crossed.

"You coming or what?" Eric asked, smiling sweetly at her.

Jackie couldn't help but smile back, his smile was contagious, "I hate you."

Eric smiled as Jackie went around and got in the passenger seat, "I know."