The Boys are Back in Town

Steven couldn't believe he was at the mall around Christmas time, and shopping with Fez of all people. But Jackie had decided they would celebrate Christmas together and they would of course spend part of Christmas with Eric. Red and Kitty were the only ones that would be going down for his graduation, he would be home till shortly after the first of the year. Jackie had helped get presents for everyone, but he still had to get her something. He thought that even though he gave her a ring, something along the lines of a used t-shirt would put him in the dog house, not a place a man wants to be the week before their wedding. Red had pulled him aside the other day and told him, while he will never forget the times he forgot to get Kitty a present for her birthday or something another, he had very fond memories of the times he did it right. Although there was a hint of disgust in what those fond memories would be for his parental figures, but he got the message, suck it up and buy her a present. And because there wasn't much choice in who to shop with he was at the mall with Fez. He should have brought Donna and let Fez help Jackie decorate the house. At least he isn't at home decorating the tree and all that other crap, but still he was at the mall at Christmas.

"Hyde we have been walking around and have not gone into one store, you are not going to find Jackie a present just walking around and not going into stores."

"Fez man I just don't have any idea what to get her, I know it has to be special, I know it has to be something that tells her how much she means to me and how sorry I am for this crappy year we have had, but that I look forward to our future. Maybe I should have waited and gave her the ring at Christmas, cause now I am screwed."

"Oh had you waited to give her that ring you stilled would have been screwed, Jackie once said that a Christmas engagement is a cheap way out of getting out of an actual present, Christmas is Christmas and engagements are engagements and should never be combined."

"Yea you're right, I guess I need something shiny don't I?"

"For Jackie shiny works" he started following Hyde till he realized what store he was going into and stopped, "You know I will wait out here for you, I think you can handle it"

"Fez you came here to help me shop, so help me shop." He grabbed Fez's neck and pulled him into the store. Then he realized why Fez was so reluctant to come in here, he should have went to another store, there was another jewelry store in Point Place, but he had been here with Kitty that day she found out about Eric and Donna's engagement, he had met Fenton that day. Luckily he wasn't working last month when he came in a bought Jackie's engagement ring, today he wasn't so lucky.

"Well hello there," Fenton greeted Hyde, then saw Fez "Fez"

"Fenton"

"Look guys stop whatever it is, I am here looking for a Christmas gift for my fiancée, Jackie Burkhart"

"OH, Jackie, well I have a Jackie collection over here. Wait, what happened to the lollypop she was shopping with a while back?"

"She wasn't with him, she was just helping him shop for his wedding, that didn't even happen. And what do you mean Jackie collection?"

"Well Jackie used to shop here a lot, but then you now her father, anyway she would still come in and window shop. The person that used to work here before me put together a collection of things she would know that Jackie would love to see. Sadly the ring is gone. Did you say that she's your fiancée?"

"Yes I bought her ring here last month"

Fenton went to the desk and pulled out a picture, "Is this the ring you bought?"

"Yea that is the one, but it was on a regular display not in some collection"

"That was the ring that we had in our collection, I remember the first time she saw it, she told me it was perfect, not too big. But bigger than the lumberjack's or something like that. She liked how simple it was, then she said the ring is just a part of it, she just wanted to make sure everyone knew she had the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with. So when are you getting married?"

"Um New Years Eve" Hyde answered, he was trying to concentrate on the array of jewelry in front of him and ignore Fenton as much as he could."

Fenton took and changed his attention to Fez, "So Fez why did you kick the pretty boy out? I have seen him around the mall but haven't talked to him."

"That is none of your business" Fez trying to ignore Fenton as much as Hyde, "Hyde I like this one" he pointed at a gold locket necklace. Hyde too had been eyeing the locket.

"Yea but don't you put pictures in there? I don't know what would put in there"

Fenton stepped in, "Well you can give her the locket and let her decide what she wants in there. You can also have it engraved on the back with a special message."

"OK, if I write the message down is there a limit?"

"Within reason, if you want to tell me I can make it work if it isn't too long"

Hyde reached over and took a piece of paper and wrote down what he wanted and handed it to Fenton, "Is this doable?"

Fenton looked down at the paper, "Yes that would work."

Fez tried to see, "What did you write?"

"I am not showing you," he turned towards Fenton, "how long will it take to be ready?"

"I am not busy I can get it done within the hour"

"Ok, come on Fez I'll get us lunch and then come back"

The two got their food and went to find a table to sit down, "Crap I forgot how packed this place is right now, well we eat then should be able to pick up Jackie's gift, the fruitcake even said he would wrap it."

"You know sometimes you just sound like Mr. Red."

"Why do you think he kept me around so long?"

The two ate in and joked about, Hyde was feeling less tense being in the crowded mall. They didn't see the tall pretty boy approach them, "Hey guys"

Fez and Hyde both looked up, "Kelso" they both said.

"Look I know neither of you want to talk to me, I barely get to see Betsey right now because Brook is still so mad at me. Look I just thought it was a joke, I tried to apologize to Jackie, I am sorry."

"Man ever since you came back from California you never stopped hitting on her or trying to get between us. I thought you'd stop when you worked to get us back together after that summer, but you never really did. You get Brook pregnant and you still hit on Jackie and Donna, you never stop. You say I broke the code? But anytime I was taking Jackie out or something you two were broken up, I never did anything when you guys were together. I even kept your cheating on her with Laurie from her to not break some code, I tried to get you caught but I never ratted you out. Even when I started to think that I was developing feelings for her I tried not to stand in the way of the two of you. Yea as soon as I realized you had left for California with Donna I saw my chance, and it became something I never thought I would have or deserve. But you was always there sowing seeds of doubt"

"I get that Hyde I do, but look back with that nurse, I tried to tell you that nothing was going on with me and Jackie, you never checked with her before you jumped to conclusions. You didn't approach either of us, the first time you just stormed off. I didn't tell Jackie about you cheating when I found out. Yea so what if I thought I could take my chance with Jackie then, you hurt her worse than I ever did, I saw it. She was mad when she would find out about me, but she never was as hurt as she was when she found out about you. I knew I never really have stood a chance, but it was more to get a rise out of her, to see if there was ever really anything left that I did what I did. Even that night in Chicago, you had basically told her to go, I had already lost Brook and thought this meant unless I tried something I would lose Jackie too. Sure it seemed to me an innocent prank. Brook is upset because if Betsey's parents weren't together at least her godparents were. She was so mad that I did something that made you leave Jackie in the motel room. Just know I never meant for it to go as far as it did."

Hyde sat there, when Kelso first came up he really wanted to punch him, but he knew he had a point. It wasn't Kelso's fault that he always jumped to conclusions seeing Jackie with him. He had to stop this flight instinct when it came to Jackie. He felt after everything that happened he was past that, at least he hoped.

"Look I know things may never go back to how they used to be, but I would hope down the road we can be in the same place without the tension, especially with you and Jackie being there for Betsey."

"Let me talk to everyone, if you promise to behave, you can come to the wedding, I mean Betsey is going to be the flower girl, and it would probably be nice for you to see her. I'll call you if it's ok for you to come."

"Thanks man, I would hate to miss seeing you guys get married. Brook did say something about Foreman in boot camp or something?"

"Yea, he is almost done with basic training for the Navy, that is one of the reason we picked to get married when we did, so he can be there before he is gone for who knows how long"

"I understand, it wouldn't be right to get married without Foreman there. Look I am sorry, I shouldn't have done what I did that night. Brook said that it was time I grew up and stopped doing so much stupid stuff. And apparently running around a parking lot nude was pretty stupid. Not to mention when I went back to get my clothes they were gone."

"Yea we all have to grow up sometime." Steven said, he looked at his watch and noticed Jackie's gift should be done. "Well I have to go pick up Jackie's Christmas gift and get out of this hell hole. Fez you coming?"

"Yea, Maybe I will call you sometime, Fenton was asking about you"

"Ok, we'll all talk later" Kelso said to his old friends as they walked off.

That night Jackie was putting the finishing touches on the Christmas presents and placing them under the tree. Steven was sitting in his new chair flipping through the TV. "Nothing but Christmas shows, how much longer till we can get our regular shows back?"

"Pudding, not much longer. Just think Eric comes home in a few days"

"Yea but then he is leaving again, I am stuck here with Fez."

"Hey you have me and Donna too!"

"Yea, I need guy friends, geeze I really must miss him considering him a guy, but then comparing him to Fez," he rolled his eyes.

Jackie got up from her spot on the floor by the tree and went and made her way to Steven's lap.

"Well you had such an amazing personality in high school, I can't believe you don't have more friends" she said dripping with sarcasm.

"You are one to talk, since what we have a total of what ten or fifteen people coming to our wedding? What happened Miss Popularity?"

It was a sore subject with her, but they had never really talked about it, and his comments hurt, she pulled herself from his lap and started storming upstairs, "Yea it's great to find out that everyone was so fake and never really stayed around, not even my own family, or those so called friends in high school!" Then she from the top of the stairs she looked at him, "Hell you didn't stick around, I wonder how long you would have been gone if Eric and WB didn't track you down!" And she slammed the door.

Steven sat there in stunned silence, he never thought about how much she had her own abandonment issues. It was probably part of the reason she had been pushing for a commitment from him. He thought back to his talk with Kelso earlier in the day. He was always waiting for her to go back to Kelso he didn't think about how she was scared he was going to leave her. He got up and went to the drawer in the kitchen, he had a feeling Jackie locked the door after she shut it, he grabbed the screwdriver to unlock the door so he could hopefully have a conversation with her and not the door.

First he knocked on the door, "Jacks can we talk?"

"Go away Steven, that is what everyone does anyways"

"Jackie I am not going anywhere, I am sorry about what I said. But I would rather talk to you and not the door." He waited but heard no movement from he tried the door, it was locked so he took the screwdriver to unlocked the door.

"Jacks you should know you can't lock me out, I have had plenty of practice with picking locks" He looked up at her as she was in a fetal position on their bed. He went over and sat by her. "I am sorry for what I said, I didn't mean to hurt you or bring up bad thoughts."

"Easy for you, you have basically three parents now, I have nothing. I don't even know who is going to escort me down the aisle, but then I am also trying to figure out why we are doing this, its not like we are going to have that many people, the reception will fit in the Foreman's living room, heck we could just have it there instead of the church. I know you really don't want to get married in a church, if you really want to get married at all."

"Ok so you still want to marry me? Because I was beginning to worry that you didn't want to. Come here" He pulled her to his lap as he sat with his back to the headboard of the bed. "Look I know in the past I have been anti marriage and even anti church, but I want to do whatever makes you happy. I want to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you. How we get married is totally up to you, just tell me when and where and I'll be there with my best pair of jeans and cleanest t-shirt." This was met with a pinch to his side, "Ow Woman!"

"You are at least wearing a suit Mister!"

"Anything for you Doll, you should know that by now." He smiled, she was going to love her Christmas present if anything for the inscription alone.

"Look I guess I am missing hanging out with everyone, it just everything has changed so much."

"I know we don't go sit in the basement anymore and just hang out. I guess you are missing Michael?"

"Fez and I saw him today, I guess that was what led to everything I said downstairs. He apologized for everything he did. We talked and he made me think about a lot of things."

"About?" Jackie asked

Steven held her tighter, "That he does stupid shit and I should know better than to have thought something was going on between you two, and my not trusting you is on me I can't blame him."

"Steven I would never go back to Michael, even that summer, I was just so hurt, more hurt than I was when Michael cheated on me, I didn't even understand it for some time why there was a difference, but it was something I realized spending time with myself that summer."

"I am sorry for how I acted when you came to me at the end of that summer, I was upset and thought you were just using me to play some sort of game."

"I started it off that way, between you and Michael but only because I was so hurt and you was acting like you had not done anything wrong after a while. But on that camping trip I was tired of the games, but I still couldn't forgive you."

"I know I said I loved you back then I should have told you before that, I should have told you after that, but I do love you Jacks, always"

"I love you too, I never loved anyone as much as I loved you. Do you think you can get past this with Michael and be friends again?"

"I am going to try, I told him maybe he could come to the wedding, I don't know maybe all us guys can do something this week together, bowling or something while Foreman is home."

Jackie started to kiss his cheek and neck, "Well bowling sounds nice you don't hate bowling"

"No I don't, but I can think of several things I like more than bowling, and oddly enough they all involve you" He began to kiss her.

The next few days were a flurry of activity, Foreman came home, he looked somewhat different, he had started to fill out in basic. But he wouldn't say much where he was going next. Kitty was glad to have her son home because she knew this time when he left it would be for a longer period of time, but she was so proud of her son that graduated Naval training. She made sure that they boys all came over for dinner at her house before they went bowling for the night.

While the guys were bowling the girls were putting together the last minute details for the wedding. Christmas had went by in a blur with all the excitement of Eric's return and the wedding planning.

The guys were sitting around bowling and drinking and acting as if nothing had happened between them.

"I am so happy, this is the first time we have been bowling that I no longer have to use the pink ball" Fez said excitedly.

Eric looked around, "Yea when was the last time we went bowling?"

"Um junior year when you and Donna was broken up." Hyde told him.

"Wow that seems forever ago" Eric responded.

"Tell me about it, I was with Jackie then or were we broken up? It was before I went to California I know that much." Kelso said getting ready to bowl.

"OH, and Hyde had that one girl Jill come and hang out with us." Fez said as he got up and picked up his ball.

Kelso walking back after knocking only 2 pins down, "Man what happened to her?"

"Who knows. She was just a girl to pass time while I waited for you to screw up with Jackie for the last time" Hyde said as he sat at the table and kept score.

"Man were you really into Jackie that much back then?" Kelso asked seriously.

"Honestly, I guess so. I tried to get her to catch you with Laurie, went to jail for her, punched that guy out, helped figured out how much you owed her over the years. So I guess so, just took time to let myself believe it."

"Man when Jackie first came around with Kelso I would have never thought she would end up marrying you" Eric said taking his spot to bowl.

"Yea well she isn't really that spoiled rich cheerleader that she wanted everyone to think she was." Hyde defended his fiancée

Fez looked up from his seat, "Yes the goddess used her snobby personality as a cover, like Hyde's zen"

Hyde had enough of the guys asking questions or making comments about Jackie, "Why don't we forget the girls tonight and just bowl, I thought this was a guys' night?"

"Yea enough talk of the devil, Hyde you are up."

As Hyde got up, he frogged Eric, "Foreman quit calling her the devil"

"So I haven't talked to Donna since I have been home, I thought we were going to be friends, but it is like she is avoiding me"

After bowling two strikes, Hyde looked at his friend, "Man I thought we weren't going to talk about the girls?"

"Well have you guys talked to her? Just wondering what is going on"

"I just started talking to these guys and I ran into Jackie and Donna at the mall a few weeks ago, but we didn't talk much with Donna, for the most part I talked to Jackie about how sorry I was, but Jackie and Donna are definitely avoiding me for now."

"Jackie is OK with you as long as you quit hitting on her, Donna probably feels the same way." Hyde said as he began to put his boots back on. "Look Foreman, Donna is trying to figure out her life, she told Jackie that she is planning on going to visit her mom for a bit after the wedding. She said she needs to find herself, and she thinks she needs to do that away from here. She's not running away like she did last time. She said she'll be back, she just wants to go and get away from everything and get a focus on her life."

"Ok, I guess I understand that, so who won?" Eric said as he put his shoes on.

"Who do you think?" Hyde said as he looked at his friends with a smug look. "I am the only one that got any strikes this whole game, you guys really suck.

Fez looked at the smug man, "Why is it always you that keeps score? Why not Fez or one of these other guys?"

"I got the highest math scores in high school out of all of you," he could tell Kelso was about to interrupt him, "Without sleeping with the teacher, and Foreman almost failed math completely, and as for you can you count?"

Kelso still being a moron, "Seriously, you keep score and you win each time, seems rigged to me."

"Suck it up you are just upset that you have to pay for the beers, you came in last."

Later that night Jackie was already in bed when Hyde got home, he stripped down and crawled into bed. Back earlier in the year he never thought when he said that he didn't see a future with her that future of climbing into bed with her every night.

"Hey Puddin, did you guys have a good time?"

"Yea I kicked their asses in bowling, they paid for all the beers, and now I get to sleep here with you."

"That doesn't seem fair, you make more money than probably all three of them combined."

"Yea but rules are rules, being playing the same way for years, why change a good thing."

"So you all got along? Did you talk things out with Michael?"

"Yes we got along, and no I am a man we don't discuss our feelings. But Kelso and I are good now, is that what you want to hear babe."

"So only a few more days and you'll be a married man, you are not going to pull an Eric are you?"

"Hell no, I saw what you did to him when he came back"

"So are you marrying me out of fear of what I would do to you?"

He couldn't help but laugh, "No I am marrying you because I love you and want to make sure I get to spend the rest of my life with you in my arms, so I can get a good night's sleep." He looked down at her eyes that were staring back at him, she wasn't completely happy with that answer, "And I love you." He leaned down to kiss her and hold her tight. He wasn't letting go of her again.

AN: I am still working on this, I hope to have one more chapter done before I leave on vacation this weekend, this story is almost done, only a few more chapters left.