Disclaimer: I don't own the show or any songs sung and/or mentioned in the story. I'm a poor, poor little writer, trying let out her creative flow.
Author's notes: One more chapter ;)
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"Anything for you doll."
-Hyde, Kelso's Serenade, Season 2 Episode 21
--
Sunday, December 23rd, 1979
W.B.'s Estate.
Hyde sat against the headboard, his arms folded and his eyes staring down at Jackie. He hadn't gotten a lot of sleep. Actually, he had only gotten about three hours. After Jackie had come over and cried, she had drifted soundlessly to sleep. The same could not be said for him. He had tried to get her to calm down, to tell him what had happened, but the most he could get from her were sobs and tears. Nothing coherent could be made out and when all was said and done she was asleep in his arms.
At this point, as he watched her pale face, streaks of a faded salty solution staining against the porcelain of her skin, he wanted her to wake up and tell him what was going on; what could have caused such a violent, emotional reaction on her part.
A sigh escaped his throat and he let his head hit the wooden head board, his eyes closing tightly.
There was once a time when none of this would have fazed him. He would have cared less and found Donna or Kelso or anyone else and shoved Jackie onto their laps. Hell, he would have shoved anyone on to someone else's lap. He did not care. He had never cared. His parents didn't care about him, so why should he care about anyone else.
Of course there had been exceptions to the rules. Like Forman. Or Kitty and Red. Donna, occasionally, but, other then that, Hyde did not do caring. He didn't do, feel, say, anything. He was simply there. Decoration that had words of wisdom.
Blue eyes landed over the porcelain doll once again. His hand reached out, pulling the strands of hair on her face back and tucking them securely behind her ear. As he pulled his hand away he noticed the difference of their skin tones. His callous hand compared to her smooth cheek was the perfect simile to their lives.
He was just short of a trailer park treasure and she was a princess. He wore ripped jeans and scruffy shirts, while she paraded in designer skirts and shoes that were worth more then his rent. Everything about them, separately or together, screamed to run away. Every time he looked at her, he felt it. He felt the judgment, the lack of honor, the unworthiness.
A deep breath was exhaled from her thin neck, and his hand froze above her cheek. She was still sleeping, her breath flirting with the rhythm of sleep and awake. She would probably be waking up at any given moment.
He pulled his hand back, and positioned himself once again against the headboard, his arms being folded against his chest. He took a deep breath.
It was easier when he didn't care; when Jackie didn't care. It was easier when they had no feelings between them; when they danced along the thin line of hate and dislike. That was long gone. He should have just stuck with the notion that it was about sex. See, that he could live with. Jackie was hot. A relationship, based on sex, with a hot chick, it was logical.
Love, pf, that was just plain nonsense. Steven Hyde loved no one. He didn't love Donna. He didn't love that Punk Rock Rebel. He didn't love Sam. He did not do love.
Jackie stirred and shifted so that her body was pressed against his side. Her leg moving over his. It was almost as if she was trying to mold herself with him.
He rolled his eyes, trying to deny the smile that was forming over his lips.
What made her so different? Huh?
Sure she was hot, but lots of girls that he had been with were hot. She was definitely smarter then a lot of the girls he had been with. She was also more innocent then his previous 'girlfriends'. There was something about her that just screamed innocence. Maybe it was her princess drama or the fact that she truly believed the world was a good place, whatever it was, it was hard to ignore.
He had tried to convince himself that all her unicorn, Donnie loving, purple and pink cloud, rainbow bright world, was something unattractive and just plain stupidity. In reality, every thing from her princess attitude to her pink poka dotted painted world, intrigued him. She was eighteen and still believed that there was good in the world if you, yourself, is good. And sure, she was kind-of a bitch, but she did have a softer side. Even if you had to pull some teeth to see it.
Her father was never home, her mother an alcoholic, her house always empty, and numerous people disappointed her at various points of her life, and still the girl would tell you, if asked if she thought the world was the great big ball of happiness and rainbows, it was.
It astounded him. She astounded him. And that, that was the difference between her and any other girl to walk into his life. He could part, full heartedly with any of them, but the minute it looked like Jackie was about to walk out, his heart broke.
And that was new.
"Steven?"
He looked down at her, she was grasping at wake's ledge, but she was still dangling into sleep. She was a sight for sore, tired eyes.
It was all so very new. And maybe that was why he loved her. Because it never got old.
"Jacks, baby, you need to wake up?"
"Am I home?" She was denying her lids the choice of opening. She had to make sure of where she was. If she wasn't where she was suppose to be, she saw no reason to open her eyes.
"You're at W.B.'s." A loud groan was heard and she pulled away from him. There was a sudden chill in the air and a shiver ran the course of his back. "Jackie, I need to know what happened last night."
Another groan was produced, her body rolling over till she was facing the blinded window, her back to him. He had ever right to grab her and spin her around to face him, but he thought better of it. Surely she wouldn't make this into a game. Surely she would simply tell him.
"She's selling the house. She's selling the house and they're getting a divorce. That's why she's back. That's the only reason she's back."
Hyde stared at her. He sighed and let his head drop, and then allowed his body to slide down the bed, so that he was lying parallel with her. He rolled over and grabbed her around the waist, pulling her against his stomach, his chest. His lips began to leave gentle kisses down her neck, across her back.
"She didn't even hesitate when she saw daddy. It was the first thing out of her mouth." Jackie's voice was not her own. It was as if she was reading aloud from the newspaper, as if it made no difference to her life. "She still has some contacts with her old job. The one she resigned from. Apparently you can't do your job drunk."
She had yet to face him, his lips still trailing her upper back, his hand rubbing her sides.
"When she got mad at me for not living in the house, it wasn't because I was being ungrateful. It meant that she could have sold the house long ago and she didn't. She wasn't going to sell it directly after we moved out of the Pinciotti's house, she needed a place to stay. And daddy had told her no, because of me. Now she's all up in arms that she could have had a nice lump of change in her pocket, but no, not this time."
Hyde pulled away, resting his face in her hair.
"I thought they were divorced." His voice sounded low, even to his own ears. She shook her head, tickling his face.
"They were separated. She wants to sell the house before they start any divorce proceedings."
"What did your dad say to all this?"
"She can sell the house and keep all the money for herself, but she can't have any of the money from the funds they have stashed somewhere. She said ok." Her voice broke off and Hyde knew that, that was his opportunity. He grabbed her shoulder and rolled her around.
Tears, silent and long, were sliding down the pre-shoveled trails from the night before. She looked short of death and a pang ripped across his chest.
With-in seconds, he had her tightly wrapped in his arms. There were no sobs, no complaints, nothing. Just the sound of their breathing, as she inhaled, he exhaled. Her breath was hot against his chest and he felt the familiar instinct to never let her go. To protect her and harm anyone who dared to look at her the wrong way.
"Steven?" He cocked his head so that his chin hit his chest. Green/blue eyes were staring at him innocently, wide and bright. "Why doesn't she love me?"
He didn't know what to say. Steven Hyde did not do love. He barely understood it in the sense of loving, much less being loved.
A sigh escaped his dry throat and he closed his eyes, tightening his hold around her.
"I don't know Jackie." Her tears were stinging his chest. "I wish I did, but I don't. For what it's worth, though," He opened his eyes, green/blue was staring back at him, bright and wide. "I think she's crazy not to see what I see and love it with everything she has."
Sobs filled the room.
--
"You know," Cori lifted her head from the magazine she was reading and looked over to Fez who was freshly showered and dressed. "I'm not even sure if I really wanted kids."
Cori stared at him for a beat and then smiled, turning to her magazine and closing it. "Fez, you love kids."
"I like other people's kids." He held up a finger. "There's a difference."
Cori laughed and shook her head, patting the seat next to her. Fez rolled his eyes but made his way to the couch. As he sat down Cori snaked her arms around Fez's neck and gave him a long kiss.
Fez, caught off guard, sat there for a few seconds, before finally wrapping his arms around her waist. There was a softness about her middle that had never been there before. And it felt, well, it felt nice.
Cori pulled away and gave him a smile, leaning back and gently pecking his lips.
Fez sighed and let his hands drop from her waist. His hand went from her thigh to his hair, his fingers combed through the slightly damp mess.
"Do we have to get married?" Cori looked at her boyfriend, smiled, and shook her head slightly.
"No, we don't."
"Oh." Fez nodded his head. He reached around, pulling out a plastic egg. "Don't get too excited, it cost fifty cents. And I'm not saying it's an engagement ring. The guys, they always said that you have to do the right thing when you get someone pregnant. Well, you know," Fez rolled his eyes dramatically. "Except Kelso. But I wanted to, you know, I'm happy--"
Cori grabbed the plastic egg from his hand, interrupting his babble, and gently opened it. Inside laid a small, silver beaded necklace with a dangling heart. Cori slipped it out and looked up at Fez, tears lining her eyes. She smiled brightly.
"Oh Fez it's--"
"It's a necklace." Cori looked at him, down at the necklace, and then back up at him. "I thought it was a ring. I paid for a damn ring!"
She stared at him blankly, before doing a one-eighty and smiled brightly, again. She started giggling, her arms wrapping around him. Tears gently seeping into his shirt.
"Oh Fez! I love it! Who needs a ring? A necklace is perfect!" She pulled away from him and began undoing the simple clasp.
"You like it? Really?" He looked astounded. A smile lit over his face and he chuckled. His dark hands moved over her light ones, taking the necklace from her. Cori's smiling was taking over her face. She spun around and squealed gently as Fez maneuvered the chain around her neck, closing it at the back of her neck.
Cori turned back around, her fingers instinctively wrapping around the charm. She was looking down, admiring the charm with a feverish glint in her eyes.
"I guess it could be worse." Fez stated, leaning back into the couch.
"Yeah, you could have been like Kelso and acted like he never touched Brooke." Cori giggled, turning herself so that she could lean against Fez.
"You're hanging out with the group, way too much." They both chuckled. Fez kissed the top of her head, smoothing her hair back. He looked over her body, noticing the slight roundness that was developing already. "There's a baby inside of you."
Cori snuggled herself back into Fez, sighing as her hands came to rest on her lower abdomen. "Yeah, I know."
"It's just weird." His hand traced along her arm, ending at her hands. He gently squeezed.
She laughed and closed her eyes, a sudden wave of fatigue falling over her. "It's only bound to get weirder, my darling."
--
Eric sat in the basement, staring at Hyde as he paced in front of the television. All Eric had wanted was to come down, watch some TV, eat some freshly made cookies, and pretend that the world was rolling quietly along without him. This was not so much the case.
Hyde had been in the basement, pacing back and forth; back and forth. The end to the pacing was far off into the distance. And as Eric gently shoved a cookie into his mouth, his eyes watching Hyde, moving from side to side, he tried to figure out what was going on.
That was the problem with walking in on the crazies. You never knew what was going on or what happened. And, with the way Hyde was walking and the way his face was twisted into a look of anger, Eric wasn't that enthusiastic to ask what was wrong.
Besides, that was woman's work. If Hyde would appreciate anything, at all, it was the silence; the not asking about feelings and problems.
Eric jumped as the table toppled over from Hyde's swift kick. A cookie, that was mid in his mouth, broke in half, landing in his lap. He dried swallow the half of cookie in his mouth and very cautiously placed the rest of the cookies on to the couch. He folded his hands on his lap, looked at his blue eyed friend, cleared his throat, and then leaned back, casually placing his ankle on his knee.
"So, I see my little ball of sunshine is extra bright today."
Hyde did all but throw Eric half across the room. He let out a frustrated noise before collapsing in the worn out chair that had become his over the past years. He leaned back, folding his arms and mimicking Eric's folded legs.
"I am so tired of Pam. She treats Jackie like some pawn that she can move as she pleases. And Jackie, Jackie just sits there and takes it!" Hyde unfolded his arms, threw them into the air, jumped out of his seat, knocking over the chair in the process, and began pacing in front of the freezer, washer, and dryer.
Eric, who still had his eyes trained on the spot Hyde had just been occupying, sighed, closed his eyes, and then dropped his legs and his hands. He leaned completely into the couch and placed his hands behind his head, green eyes staring up at the ceiling.
"Man, what do you care?" Now, Eric knew this was going into dangerous territory. He knew that with the wrong words he could easily push Hyde into an all out brawl. But, with the right words, with the right infliction, Eric could back Hyde into a corner. The problem was, and always had been, that Hyde was radical. He could take one thing one way one day, and the next day, take the same thing and go in a totally different direction with it. There was no pattern; only madness.
"What do I care? Um, she's my girlfriend. Her misery is sadly my misery. She's always fuckin' crying and complaining and it's gotten ten times worse with fuckin Pam around." Hyde shook his head violently, his arms in the air as his rant reach new decimals. "You think it be fuckin good enough that I told her we'd find a place to live. And that I loved her. And that I'm here. But no, my love isn't good enough."
Eric stared at Hyde. "Why are you and Jackie finding a place to live?"
"Because the wicked bitch of the west decided she was going to sell the mansion. Jackie's all upset and it's all bullshit. Bullshit."
"Dude, Pam is selling the house?"
"Apparently that's the only reason she came back. Had nothing to do with Jackie, obviously. Jackie doesn't even like her mother. Fuckin' crazies!"
Eric, who had derailed his line of vision from his friend to the blank television screen, had his mouth open and his arms folded. He started moving his mouth but wasn't making any kind of sentence or word. It was as if he was trying to mime; and not very well at that point.
"Hyde?" He turned to see Hyde still pacing. He called his friend's name again but was again ignored as Hyde's mumbles grew to almost a decimal of conversation rather then talking to one's self. "Steven! Jesus Christ!"
Hyde froze mid pace, his mouth opened in mid-talking, and his eyes wide. Eric stood up and shoved his friend roughly.
"What the hell are you thinking?" Eric's voice rippled across the basement. "Jackie's mom is selling their house. Jackie's house. The first thing in years that Jackie had taken on as her own, cleaning it and freshening it up. And now she has to lose it? Of course she's sad and frustrated. And don't you dare tell me that if your mom or dad walked back into your life you wouldn't want their love."
"I DON'T want their love, man!" Hyde took a step away from Eric. "I want nothing to do with them. They weren't there for me. They were never there for me. Why would I want their love now?"
"Because every child wants their parents acceptance!" Eric shook his head, taking a step back from his childhood friend; just as Hyde had. "Every kid wants to know that they're loved and appreciated."
"I love and appreciate Jackie!"
"I bet you do." Eric shook his head, raising his hands up, almost as if in defeat. But, in reality, he was stopping Hyde from coming near to him or trying to rebuttal against him. "You have always wanted the approval of the grown-ups. Yeah, yeah, Steven, I'm so cool, and I'm a rebel, and I smoke and drink and have sex with whoever I want, Hyde, wants the approval of grown-ups, just as I, Donna, Jackie, and most of the other 'dumb-asses' want. You don't want to admit it because that makes you weak and vulnerable. Jackie's dad is in prison. Her mom is the biggest lush on this side of the world, and now she's going to be homeless." Eric shook his head, folding his arms, back-stepping towards the basement door. "But, I'm sorry, let's feel bad for Hyde who has to deal with a teary eyed girlfriend."
With a look and a perfect one-eighty spin, Eric was out the basement door. Leaving Hyde with guilt and other too familiar emotions.
--
Kelso was lounged out across Donna's couch, looking through an old Cosmopolitan that Jackie had left at the blonde's house. Donna was sitting in the small chair next to the couch reading a book that Brooke had suggested to her. The two had been sitting in silence for the last ten minutes. They had basically spent the morning together and it had been a comfortable time, talking when there was something to be said and basking in silence when their was nothing on their minds worth sharing.
Maybe growing up wasn't as hard as they had all thought it to be.
"I totally look way hotter then most of the models in here." Kelso mumbled, flipping the page. "UH!" He turned the magazine to Donna who had lifted her head. "Tell me that is not the most fugly person you have ever seen in your life?" He turned the magazine back towards himself, bringing it closer to his face to examine the male model. "He should be ashamed to be in the magazine. Think of all the fugly people out there who are going to get their hopes up now."
Donna stared at Kelso for a hard minute, then rolled her eyes in a complete circle. She bowed her head and looked back at her book, trying to find her place.
"So, you know, with Jackie and Hyde getting engaged, and Fez and Cori having a baby, and you and Eric moving off to college, I was thinking I should make, like, a commitment to Brooke."
Donna's eyes moved slowly from her book to Kelso's face. He was staring at the ceiling, avoiding her green eyes. She sighed and gently closed the book, sliding it from her palm to the coffee table.
"You want to ask Brooke to marry you?"
Kelso shrugged, his shoulders pushing against the couch's arm. Then he shook his head, closing his eyes in the process. After a minute of that, he re-opened his eyes, sighed, and twisted his neck to look at Donna.
"I want to elope. I think an engagement, wedding, would be too much now, you know, and Jackie might kill us. And, I just, I want it to be ours. Not like, everyone else's."
Donna wasn't a hundred percent on what Kelso was saying, but a revelation struck her hard. They weren't kids anymore. Kelso had a daughter. Hyde and Jackie were engaged, albeit a little screwed up at the moment. Fez was now going to be a father. Eric and herself, they were weeks away from moving onto campus.
They weren't the basement gang anymore. They were, dare we imagine, adults. They had years ahead of them before they were grown-ups, which at least gave them lee-way with still being slightly stupid and having lots of fun. But, damn, they were adults. Starting their lives, planning their futures, literal steps from being complete individuals with real-life responsibilities.
She had planned and waited her entire life around this whole concept of being an adult, an individual independent of her parents and her childhood scars. And, here they were.
How freakin' scary was that?
And why was she so very obsessed with it all?
She shook the thoughts and the revelations out of her head. She looked back over to Kelso who had shifted himself and was looking back up at the ceiling.
"What do you mean you want it to be yours and not everyone else's. Weddings are for you, Brooke, and everyone who loves you both."
Kelso made a face. "I don't want a big ceremony. I just want it to be me and Brooke."
"I always had you peg for a big wedding." Donna stated thoughtfully.
Kelso sat up, stretching his arms towards the ceiling. Cocking his head, he looked at Donna with a very serious expression, completely out of character for the foolish boy.
"I never wanted a big wedding. I let Jackie say and do whatever she wanted because, well, you've met her. And looking back on that mess of memories, Jackie and I were never going to make it through the proposal much less the wedding. Brooke doesn't seem to care, and she often doesn't talk about it. I guess because she thinks I don't want to marry her or whatever. I just want something simple and straight to the point."
Donna stared at her friend. A smile formed across her lips and she nodded her head gently. "I understand what you mean."
Kelso smiled back at her, and then, after a beat, his smiled turned into a happy goofy expression. Donna raised an eyebrow.
"I think it would also be really cool if I could have dogs. Me, Brooke, and some dogs, to hold the rings and stuff." Donna let out a withered sigh, reaching for her book. Kelso was still smiling goofily. "It be totally awesome."
--
--
Tuesday, December 25th, 1979
Forman Living Room.
"Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Falalalala-Lalalala." Kitty laughed as she finished her carol. She began skipping across the living room, snapping picture after picture.
Eric and Red were both unamused.
"Isn't it just wonderful!" She took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh scent of the pine tree that sat in the corner, unwrapped presents, empty boxes, and torn wrapping paper lying all around the base. "I can not wait until Steven and Jackie get here!" She swiveled towards the bar, snapping a picture of the small stack of presents for the couple.
Eric shook his head but smiled, looking at the bottle with the tiny ship in it. "Hyde said he be here by eleven and Jackie said she'd come over after seeing her dad at the prison. I think Mr. Pinciotti and Donna are coming over later this afternoon."
"Well, I invited them for dinner. I figured with W.B. canceling his party, and Pam only having certain people at her party," Kitty paused angrily, took a breath, and then laughed. "I thought a nice dinner for us and you kids would be fun."
"It is." Eric stood up and kissed his mother's cheek. "Too bad Laurie isn't here."
Kitty laughed, but at a much lower decimal then usual. Red simply sighed.
"Hello?" The kitchen door swung open to reveal a very tired looking Jackie. Her hair was pulled up in a loose ponytail, curls cascading from the clip, and a beautiful red dress hugged her body perfectly. "Merry Christmas." She smiled, an almost hallow smile, but held up a bag, heavy with gifts.
Kitty rushed over to her, giving her a tight hug and grabbing the bag. "Sit, sit, I'll get you some egg-nog."
"I don't really like egg-nog Mrs. Forman." Kitty shook her head at Jackie's statement.
"Non-sense, you'll love my egg-nog. There's a special ingredient." Kitty made a face of excitement and then winked, rushing into the kitchen, the bag of presents sitting on the coffee table.
Jackie pulled the bag towards her and looked at Eric who was staring at the kitchen door with an amused expression. His eyes caught Jackie and he chuckled.
"The special ingredient is liquor." Jackie laughed.
"Shocker." The two began giggling, while Jackie sifted through the bag. "When's Steven getting here?" She handed a small box to Red and then a slightly bigger box to Eric.
"Around eleven." Eric shrugged, ripping the wrapping from his gift, as if he was five and it was his first 'real' Christmas.
Red, who was sitting in his favorite chair, of course, was slowly and carefully unwrapping Jackie's gift. His eyes were darting in between his gift and the fragile looking girl on his couch.
Both, Red and Jackie, jumped as Eric flew up from the couch and squealed. "It's the first edition, unrated, with exclusive interview, fan guide of Star Wars. Oh, Jackie!"
The brunette was suddenly pinned against the couch as Eric held on to her in a tight hug. She looked over his shoulder at Red, who's mouth was slightly open, shame echoing every inch of his face.
"You're welcome Eric." She tried to nudge him off of her, but he was gripping too tightly. There were also a possibility of joyful tears spilling onto her shoulder as well as the couch. "Ok Eric, I get it, it's a great present." She began pushing him. "Eric, darling, come on now."
Red let his head drop. A low groan falling from his lips. He stood up, grabbed Eric's collar, and pulled the boy to his feet. Eric's face was a mess of happiness and tears as he clung to his book.
"I didn't think anyone would get it for me."
"Why on god's good green earth would you encourage this?" Red stared down at the brunette, his hand gesturing to the mess that was Eric.
Jackie smiled and positioned herself more comfortably on to the couch. She shrugged. "Do you like your present?"
Red opened the box and stared at the gold and silver watch. He looked over at Jackie and then back at the watch. A smile, albeit small and closed lipped, formed across his face.
"It's great." He leaned down and gently kissed Jackie's forehead.
"It's waterproof and has glow in the dark hands, so when your working on the car, you can dunk it into water and check the time under those dark hoods." Jackie smiled brightly as Red began laughing with a bit of jolly.
"Jackie, you're my favorite." He took the watch from the box. Eric ignored them, his nose basically pressed against the binding of the book.
"Here we go!" Kitty walked in with a tray of egg-nog.
"Look!" Eric held up his book, showing it to Kitty, excitement still on his face. "It's the book I was telling you about, that you said I could have for Christmas, but, low and behold I didn't get it. Well, I got it mom!" Kitty stared at her only son, a smile still on her face. She then turned to Red and Jackie, folding her hands over her apron.
"What what did you get Red?" He held up his wrist and showed her the watch.
"Genuine design and function." His lower lips was over his upper lip as he pulled his wrist away from his wife and back up to his eyes. "Perfect father's Christmas gift."
Eric looked at his father and rolled his eyes. "I'm assuming that's your way of saying you didn't appreciate the tool box I got you."
Red, not looking up from his watch, scoffed. "It's a fine tool box, I'm just saying that Jackie's gift had a bit more jazz behind it."
A dirty look crossed Eric's face, and very slowly he opened his book and lowered his eyes to the small font. Jackie was looking between the two and quietly grabbed a glass, lifting it to her lips. She winced slightly as the slightest taste of the vodka pierced her taste buds.
"You're present is," Jackie placed down her glass and sifted through the bag once more, pulling out a elongated box. "Right here."
Kitty giggled and took the box, gently ripping off the paper. It was a velvet blue, with a silver name sketched into the soft fabric. The older woman squealed slightly, recognizing the name as a prestigious jeweler in Madison. She lifted the lid and her mouth fell open.
Inside the box was a beautiful roped, gold necklace. The strands twined in and out of each other, sparkling in the lit living room. Kitty pulled the necklace out, letting the charm sit in her palm. It was a small cat like charm, one paw lifted with a small diamond sitting on the paw, like a ball of yarn. There was a diamond cut quality to the necklace, which made prisms bounce across the ceiling and the faces of the other occupants in the room.
Kitty looked down at Jackie and flung her arms around the girl's neck. For a second time Jackie was pinned to the couch.
She laughed and patted Kitty's shoulder, looking towards Red. He sighed and with great care, pulled his wife up and shifted her so that she was facing the TV rather then Jackie.
"It's so beautiful." Kitty whispered, gently placing the necklace on.
"I'm glad everyone likes their gifts." Jackie stated, taking another sip of the drinking, wincing once again as the vodka hit her tongue. "Mrs. Forman, how much vodka did you put into the egg-nog."
Kitty, who was enthralled with her necklace shrugged. Red on the other hand shook his head and picked up a glass. He took a sip, smacked his lips together, and then let his head drop back slightly.
"She made this last night, when Steven was over. There was yelling and crying. I'd say about a bottle."
"Did Steven yell at Mrs. Forman?" Jackie stood up so fast her head spun.
"Pf," Eric, not looking up from his book, scoffed. "Mom was screaming so loudly, police officers had to make sure there were was no domestic violence being committed."
"Why were you yelling?" Kitty turned laughing.
"Dear, you know me. I hear problems and I have to go about fixing them for everyone." She laughed again. It faded as the other three occupants looked at her. She reached down and grabbed a glass off the coffee table. She averted her eyes and took a sip. "Mmm. Yummy." The other three continued to look at her. "Oh, just cut it out."
Kitty turned and headed towards the kitchen.
Jackie and Eric locked eyes and started laughing, both falling onto the couch. Red looked at the two, took a deep breath, and followed his wife.
"It was so funny last night. She was biting his head off for not giving you back the ring." Eric chuckled, looking towards her left ring finger. Jackie nodded her head, the laughter fading in her throat. "I see he still hasn't given it back."
"I don't blame him, Eric." She sighed and grabbed her glass. With the sip she took, most of the contents passed her lips, falling down her throat. "I threw the ring at him and told him he wasn't good enough."
"You were mad." Eric stated softly.
Jackie smirked, her attention focused across the living room, on the opposite wall. "Why are you being so nice to me Eric?"
He looked over at her. Leaning forward he grabbed a glass and down about half of it. He leaned into the couch, took another look at her, and then began staring in the same direction as she was.
"Because," Eric tilted his head from side to side, lifting the glass to his lips. A silence filled between the two. After several minutes Jackie gave up on waiting for an answer. She lifted the glass and drank the liquor, her insides warming as the effects began to take.
She sighed and closed her eyes. Just as she lifted the glass to her lips, once again, Eric's voice cut across her brain.
"I guess, in the grand scheme of things, you're not so bad."
Jackie shifted her body and looked over to Eric, a small, Mona Lisa smile gracing her lips. She turned back to the wall and leaned her head against his shoulder.
"I guess you're not bad yourself, you Star Wars freak." Eric chuckled.
"Yeah, yeah, you midget devil, you."
--
Hyde sat in the kitchen with Red, watching as Kitty rushed around, seasoning her giant ham and preparing the rest of her dishes for cooking.
He had been sitting in the kitchen for ten minutes, having only arrived through the bitter cold weather. Kitty was still not talking to him and Red was fascinated with the watch on his wrist.
"Who else is coming over?" He directed his question towards Red, not wanting another lecture from his surrogate mother.
"Donna and Bob," Red rolled his eyes slightly. "The foreign kid and the girl he knocked up. Possibly kettle head and his girlfriend--"
"With little Betsy." Kitty smiled, shoving the ham back into the oven. She placed down her oven mitt, stars in her eyes and as looked towards the ceiling. "I can't wait to have a little grand-baby. Spoiling him and washing her and doing all sorts of things a loving grandmother would do." She sighed, her eyes falling over the kitchen table. Hyde's eyes were wide and Red had braced himself at the table. "I'm never going to get one, am I?" Her eyebrows knitted together violently. "You just had to go and ruin my perfect wedding and my chances of being a grandmother!" She was pointing at Hyde and with a twist of her heel she was heading towards the dining room.
Red sighed and called out to her. "You still have Eric!"
"You know, Laurie could have a couple of kids running around by now." Hyde stated, only to have Red turn to him, an unamused expression over his aging face. "Well, we don't know that she doesn't."
"Steven," Red shifted so that he could stare at the kitchen table rather then the boy sitting next to him. "I'm a little curious myself, as well as half the block, as to why you haven't given Jackie back her ring."
"She, um, threw it at me." Hyde stated, turning his palm upwards.
"Do you know how many times Kitty threw her ring at me?" Red rolled his eyes. "I'm talking big numbers, one time I had to get on my hands and knees and begin searching through blades of grass." Wise eyes turned to stubborn eyes. "Do you think that you can do better then Jackie? That someone is going to come along and love you, and treat you, and want you, the way Jackie does?"
Hyde shook his head, words failing in his throat. For what it was worth, he didn't think that he deserved Jackie. Even with all the bullshit that went on between them. No matter what, at the end of the day, Jackie loved him more then anyone ever had. But, what was love?
"Boy," Red sighed, leaning back in his chair. His finger was gently tapping on the kitchen table. "Every man has to make a choice. Is this girl worth it? Do you think you're the only one who has ever had a difficult girlfriend? Do you think that every woman is made to order? Kitty drove me up the walls with her wedding planning, just as I drive her up the walls with my bullshit. That is what marriage is, driving each other up the wall. The key, Steven, is to figure out if, when all is said and done, you still want to go home to her; to all her little quirks and all her little flaws, knowing that she's just going to drive you up the wall a minute after you step into the house." Red cocked his head to the side. "It's best to take into consideration that she's putting up with all your bullshit as well."
Hyde stared at Red, a look of annoyance peeking through his 'Zen' attitude. "What was the point of that?"
Red glared at Hyde. "You still have the ring in your pocket?" Hyde looked at him and then down to his jacket. A little velvet box was securely placed and then zippered inside his jacket. "That's what I thought. You and Jackie are a real piece of work, you know that." Red shook his head. "Either you get married and you work out your problems. Or you take that ring back and move on. Jackie's going through a lot of shit, and either your there," Red gestured towards the living room. "Or your not."
Red grunted and stood up, he gently nudged Hyde's head, then made his way past the counters and through the dining room.
Hyde sat at the kitchen table, watching as Red left and then at the kitchen door. His eyes finally landed to the kitchen table. There was a large amount of confusion rushing over his body.
"Wait, what the hell just happened?"
--
"He still hasn't talked to her?" Donna's green eyes were narrowed as she sat on the front stoop of the Forman abode. She folded her arms over her bubbly jacket, letting out a huff. "I should kill him."
Eric rolled his eyes, leaning back on his elbows from his position next to the blonde haired woman. He was staring out into the street, watching as kids played in the snow. Tom and Doris Morris, Mrs. Morris' newly wed son and his wife, danced in Mrs. Morris' driveway to the Christmas music drifting from the house. He had been counting the cars that were parked along the street as his neighbors' families piled into the houses, with bags and boxes of presents.
"Why do we always go back to talking about them?" Eric laughed, looking over to Donna who was still stewing.
"Because they are our friends and I'm going to kill Hyde."
"Here." Eric sat up, making Donna turn to him. He pulled a badly wrapped present from his jacket pocket.
"We agreed no presents." Donna pouted, taking the gift. "I see your mom didn't help wrap this one."
"I think she would have freaked out if she saw what it was." Eric smirked.
Donna's eyes narrowed slightly. "I swear if it's an engagement ring, I'll murder you."
Eric let out a loud laugh, causing the children who were across the street to look over to them. "Ah, what lively Christmas spirits my little Marilyn."
Donna blushed but gave him a look. She pulled off the wrapping and stared at the long wooden box, Eric and Donna's name carved into it.
"I made it in junior year." Eric stated, he shifted his attention back to the street, his eyes darting over to Donna's gloved hands. "It was before you ran off to California."
She didn't say anything, her eyes were glued to the smooth wood and the grainy carving of their names. Without thinking her fingers delicately opened the lid, and sitting against the beige colored wood was a silver key.
"What's this?" Eric turned his head and looked down into the box. He smiled and turned back to the street.
"You know I got my check from the foundation a couple of weeks ago, right?"
"Yeah," Donna looked up at him.
"I went to the college Friday afternoon, while you were at work. That, m'lady, is the key to your new on-campus apartment. I put the first and last months rent down. It's paid up until March." Eric shrugged as Donna's mouth slowly opened wide. "I must say, working in Africa for as long as I did was sort-of worth--"
He was cut off by Donna's lips. He smiled through the kiss, placing his hands over her jacket. It lasted only a few minutes, and as Donna pulled away she frogged Eric in the arm.
"Ow! Donna!" Eric's hand went over his bruised arm. There was a smile on his face which reflected the smile on Donna's face.
"I thought we agreed we would pick one out together!" There was no malice, no anger, nothing, just smiles as she held the key in her hands. "You shouldn't have done this!"
Eric shrugged, leaning back onto his elbows. "I shouldn't do a lot of things, but here we are. I couldn't not get you a Christmas present. And forget about a birthday or anniversary present next year. This is the lump gift for the year '80."
Donna chuckled, leaning over and kissing Eric's cheek. "I guess you deserve a good present later tonight."
Eric raised his eyebrows. "Do I get to pick out the underwear I want you to wear?"
Donna laughed, her head moving to rest over Eric's heart. "Sure."
"Yay!" Eric did a little dance, making Donna laugh even more.
--
Jackie walk down the stairs to the basement. She stood on the second to last step, staring at Hyde who was oblivious to her presence. His head was down and he was staring at the opened velvet box, tilting it in different directions, letting the light catch the sparkling diamond.
She sighed and took the last step down, walking over to the stereo near the door. Hyde looked up, watching her. He was still hunched over, the ring still sparkling brightly in it's box. His eyebrows rose over his sunglasses, his lips tightly closed.
Thin fingers picked up a record, spinning it vertically between her two index fingers. Hyde shut the velvet box, sitting back, flicking his nose with his thumb, and then folding his arms over his chest. Jackie looked over her shoulder, biting her bottom lip gently. She turned back to the stereo and placed the record into the player and laid the needle over it.
Hyde couldn't help the smirk that formed across his lips as the electric sounds of Elton John's Bennie and the Jets started to echo across the speakers.
"You would choose Elton John." Jackie shrugged, the beginnings of a smile forming over her lips.
"He is fabulous." She mumbled. With ease she walked over to him, gently placing herself on his lap. "What are you doing with my ring?"
"Your ring?" Hyde had a smile playing over his lips. "If I remember correctly you threw it onto the table."
"You were being a dill hole."
"I have a tendency to be a dill hole." Hyde admitted, his arm snaking around her waist.
"I'm sorry Steven." Her hand reached up, knocking his glasses far into his curly hair. "Everything is so, ridiculous and I'm just, I'm giving you an incredibly hard time. What?"
Hyde wore an expression of shock. "I'm just impressed you're admitting to being difficult."
After a beat, Jackie broke out into a full blown smile and smacked Hyde's chin. "You're such a jackass."
Hyde rolled his eyes and then brought her head down to meet his, their lips crashing into a tight lipped kiss. With his right hand, the one which held the ring, he maneuvered the ring from the box, letting it hit the ground. He got up, holding Jackie as he laid her on to the couch, their lips still connected. He pulled back and smirked. His eyes left her face, darting across her stomach to her left hand. With a bit of force he grabbed it and pushed the ring down her thin finger, staring at it for half a second before he was interrupted by Jackie's lips on his, her hands running into his hair, pushing his sunglasses to the ground.
Red walked down the stairs, his hand rubbing his head, trying to escape the headache of his house. He had just walked in on Eric and Donna making out on his freshly shoveled and salted stoop, what more did he need?
He froze a few steps from the bottom of basement stairwell. He looked at the couple kissing on his couch. He let his head drop, turned around, and began walking up the stairs.
"Kitty! I'm buying new locks!"