What I Wrote to You
AN: I think that's the last time I post a chapter before doing a proper revision and editing check. I've updated chapter 9 with the revised version so if you want to reread the chapter feel free to. It doesn't really have anything new in terms of content but it is a much more enjoyable read than the previous version. Anyways the usual thanks to Ambient and Marla for those consistent reviews! I can always count on you guys for those. Everyone else feel free to leave me one as well 'cause you know supports always welcomed. Now, on with the chapter!
Disclaimer: I don't own That 70's Show
Chapter 10: The Right Medicine
Eric felt like he had been force fed pounds and pound of cookies and brownies. When he had finished the ones on his plate his mom would stealthily sneak some on making it seem like he was eating an endless supplies of sweet sugary treats. If he hadn't missed the home made taste of the baked good he probably would not have been able to eat so much. After what must have been the dozen cookies he gulped down he finally pleaded with his mom to stop adding to his plate.
"You're not even being subtle about it anymore mom. There's literally a trail of crumbs on the table."
She just smiled like a fifty watt light bulb, "Ahahahahaha did you like them honey?"
"They're definitely the best batch you've ever made!"
"I don't know if I should be insulted or proud," she said with a sly grin. "Jackie made most of what you've eaten."
"Really?" He asked with his eyes going wide. "You really taught her well I guess."
"Of course," his mom said in a boastful tone. "When we first started that girl couldn't even crack an egg without the shells joining the mix. Now she's baking like a pro."
He couldn't help but chuckle at him mom acting like a proud parent. Was that how she was when it came to him? He'd never heard that kind of tone when she talked about Laurie. "So I'm guessing Jackie was a frequent visitor here?"
"Oh Eric she is just the sweetest. Even with Steven coming by every now and then—you know how much that relationship hurt her— she still took the time and effort to spend time with your father and I."
He smiled that the girl had kept her promise and kept in contact with his parents. He did feel bad having made her do that even though Hyde was still around. Maybe he would get her a present for her troubles.
"Out of all your little friends Jackie was the only one that still comes around. I so do wish the house was still as lively as it was back then. But don't let your father hear that he enjoys the lack of kids too much ahahaha!"
"Well maybe I'll have to come over with them sometime once I find out where everyone is."
Her eyes lit up with pure joy. "Oh honey that would be great! I'm not sure about Michael and that foreign boy but Steven sleeps in the basement sometimes though he's still living in the groove store."
"I'll go say hi to him once I'm all situated." He said trying to calm her down.
"Don't worry honey I kept your room nice and clean while you were away so you can get situated quickly ahahahaha."
A frown formed on his face, "Wait mom I'm not moving back in."
His mom's face mirrored his own. "Eric, where are you going to stay if you're not moving back in?"
"I'm staying with a friend right now," he said with a little shrug. "I don't think I'll be staying there long since I'll be looking for an apartment as soon as I can."
"Can you pay for your own apartment?" She looked at him skeptically. "I know you just got back so you must not even have a job yet!"
A smile creeped up on his lips at her words, "Mom, why don't you get dad in here. I have something to tell you guys."
She just looked at him peculiarly before turning and screaming, "Red, honey! Eric has something to tell us. Could you come in here?"
He could hear his dad grumbling from the other room but he still came over. "Kitty, what is it now?"
"Honey, Eric has something to tell us."
"Well what is it dumbass. This better be important, I'm missing the Bucks game right now."
"You know how I've been sending you money." He said building up his big reveal.
"You better not have done something illegal or I swear to god—"
"—Red! Language."
"Sorry dear." Red turned back and glared at his son. "I will stick this foot so far up your ass your mouth will taste grip."
"Well it's a good thing I've been good." He was actually more interested with how his dad came up with those foot in the ass variations. He must stay up late at night imagining different scenarios and what version would suite the occasion.
"Well then out with it."
A grin formed on his face. "Mom, have you ever heard of Emir Franco?"
His mom's eyes lit up in recognition of the name. "I have a hard cover version of his book! Oh Eric you should read his work. He is a breathtaking writer."
"Thanks mom my agent tells me the same thing but it's really not the same hearing it from your own mother."
"What are you talking about honey?" She looked utterly confused trying to decipher his words. "What agent?"
"Mom do you know what Emir Franco looks like?"
She shook her head no.
"Well what if I told you that you gave birth to Emir Franco?"
Reds eyes grew wide causing a big grin to form on his face.
"Laurie…?"
It was Eric's eyes turn to turn wide. "What!? NO! I'm Emir Franco. How could you even think that Laurie has enough brain cells left to write a coherent sentence let alone a whole book!?"
Red just scoffed at his words. "It's a more likely alternative than what you're suggesting."
"Well it's true," he said glaring at his dad. "I can prove it too."
Red was skeptical of his son's claims but that glare and the way he stuck up for himself made him falter a bit. Eric had always withered when he put his foot down but this one in front of him had more of a backbone than he had ever seen from the boy. Well maybe there was some truth to his claims.
"Alright let's hear it then."
Eric took out a small notepad and pen that he always kept in his back pocket and wrote down 'Emir Franco'.
"Emir Franco is just a pen name that I use." Next he wrote down his own name and started connecting the letters. "It's actually pretty simple once you know what you're looking for since Emir has the same amount of letters as Eric and Franco with Forman." He chuckled once it started to dawn on his parents that he was telling the truth. "It's a simple anagram of Eric Forman but it actually took me the better part of a week to come up with it."
Both his parents were speechless at his news. They had never considered his profession would be an author. That was not something they saw coming.
"H-honey, aren't you suppose to be a famous author or something?" His mom asked with eyes completely wide.
"Well Emir is," he said with a casual shrug but inside he was giddy at how speechless his parents were. "Eric Forman is just rich because of it."
His dad's jaws dropped but managed to compose himself. "Exactly how rich are we talking about here son?"
He couldn't help it. The smirk formed before he could stop it. "Do you guys want to see how many zero's there are in my bank account?"
Eric lazed on the couch upside down with his legs over the cushions and a copy of the daily paper flipped to the ads section over his face. If he hadn't done all of the chores around the house the past couple of days Greta would have smacked and scolded him for his lazy display. Since he actually did everything she just smacked him upside the head. No scolding though.
"Ow! Was that really necessary?" He flipped over so he was sitting and glared at the old woman trying to act innocent. "I was doing something."
"I wouldn't need to hit you if you had only been sitting properly." She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Now what were you doing anyways?"
"I'm looking for an apartment, house, or just someplace to live. Just something."
She glanced over to the newspaper in his hands to see a few listings circled. True to his word he had circled whatever sounded good and not even minding if it was a three bedroom apartment or a two floored house.
"Boy are you out of your mind?" She took the paper from his hands and smacked him with it. "What are you going to do with a house with five bedrooms? "
"Can we agree to not be so violent?" He asked and tried to defend his choice of possible place to live. "And the house has a pool, I've always wanted to have a house with a pool."
"So does this one," she pointed to another ad that listed that it had the same thing. "At least this one only has three bedrooms."
"Yeah but the yard is too small."
"What?"
He rolled his eyes, "Look it says the yard is barely anything. If I buy a house I don't want a small yard."
"That is not how you go about looking for a place to live." She said it slowly like he couldn't comprehend properly.
"Well it's how I do it."
"You are such a man." Greta looked at him with pity in her eyes like he didn't know something she did. "Ask help from one of your friends. A female friend would be preferred and only then will I allow you to buy a house or apartment or whatever it is you want."
He should have been mad at the way she was trying to control his life choices but her harping was so grandmother like that he felt like a grandson being fussed over by a crazy old coot. He felt like rolling his eyes and laughing at the same time.
"Well Greta," he said with amusement coloring his tone. "You're a woman and you're my friend, right?"
She glared at him before he could even continue, "I don't have time to be helping you find a place to live sonny. I have a store run."
"Fine, fine," he said placing his hands up in surrender. "I'll find someone else."
"Good, maybe then someone else could smack you upside the head when you get one of those crazy ideas in your head."
"They're not that crazy." He said sounding scandalous.
His only response back from her was loud laughter.
They weren't!
Jackie was starting to get frustrated. It had already been a couple days since she had missed Eric's visit to her restaurant and he still had not come by to visit her. Didn't he say he'd see her soon? A quick call to Mrs. Forman had informed her that she had just missed him again when he went to visit them, which only added to her frustration.
Her growing irritation had not gone unnoticed by her employees and had taken to giving her a wide berth when she was around. Everyone except for Katy, that is. They had known each other long enough, and were friends outside of the work place, that she was comfortable teasing her boss about the 'green eyed hunk' that had been looking for her.
She couldn't even really do anything about it either because the girl technically wasn't doing anything! She would just give her those sly little smiles and ask if she had heard from him or if anything exciting had happened recently. It was getting to be so bad that she was starting to get irrationally angry with Eric.
Couple all that with the crazy busy day she had and a terrible headache was the result. Not even the couple of aspirins she had downed were helping. Granted it had only been a few minutes since she took the medicine but still she had bought the strong kind. She needed relief now! Maybe she didn't buy the right medicine?
She heard a knock on her door and groaned. She couldn't handle company right now. The last thing she wanted to do was open the door but another couple of knocks and her polite side had won over.
"Okay, give me a moment!" She yelled but quickly regretted the action. Her head was still throbbing and the yelling wasn't helping at all.
Jackie peeked out the peephole to find only the blue of a shirt. She rubbed her temples thinking she didn't have the patients or capacity to care about what it could be and just opened the door. If it was some door to door salesman well… let just hope the person isn't one.
"Look I don't want whatever you're selling." She said without even looking at who it was. She was still rubbing her temples with her eyes closed trying to rid some of pain.
"Good because I don't really have anything to sell you."
The amused voice caused her eyes to fly open and then widen once she realized just who it was that had knocked on her door.
"Eric!" She screamed in surprise and quickly regretted it.
"That's me," he said with amusement before looking concern. "Hey are you alright?"
Oh my god what was he doing outside her apartment!? Why did he have to come looking for her now of all times. She probably looked like a mess.
"I'm fine," she said brightly trying to cover up her throbbing headache. "What are you doing here? How did you even find out where I live?"
"Well I came by your restaurant earlier but one of the waitresses—Katy I think her name was— told me that you left early. So I asked her where you lived since we seemed to be missing each other every time."
Jackie didn't know whether to be angry that her employee was giving away her address or happy that Eric had come looking for her. She didn't care at the moment though and quickly wrapped her friend in a warm embrace.
"Oh Eric I've missed you!"
He welcomed the hug wholeheartedly and squeezed right back. "I missed you too."
Perhaps it was just the aspirins starting to kick in but hugging him suddenly made her head feel a lot better.
AN: Just a little progression into the story and finally the meeting between the two! A little cliffy with the cut off reunion but ya know I feel like I've done it so many times already that it HAD to be cut off there...