Author Note: ….mostly Fez and Kelso….the night before the ride-along…

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Chapter 21 – Blindfolded

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Fez liked the feel of the blindfold. It was soft and silky and felt good on his face. "Kelso, I bet this blindfold would feel good in other places." Fez crooned.

"Oh man, don't talk like that! We're almost there." Kelso turned down the road where Brooke and Jackie lived. He smiled when he thought about Brooke and his little girl waiting for him. The inviting two-story came into view and Kelso told Fez he could remove the blindfold.

"But I don't want to."

"Dude, you have to." Kelso argued.

"Don't. ." Fez snapped. "Let me keep it on until you show me the surprise."

Kelso huffed and pulled into the driveway. "Okay, we're here now. Can you peek just enough to get out of the door by yourself? It's starting to get dark out here."

Fez lifted the edge of the blindfold, unbuckled his seatbelt and followed his slim view of Kelso's feet walking along the bricked pathway. "Ooh, it smells like flowers."

"Duh, we're at somebody's home." Kelso wanted to giggle because Fez didn't know that his friends were waiting on the other side. "Okay, there are two…sorry...three steps." He quickly corrected as he saw Fez trip on the last step.

"Aiiyy! Are you trying to kill me?"

"Hey, I told you to take the blindfold off." Kelso admonished. "Now stand here and knock on the door."

"You knock on the door."

Kelso looked at his blindfolded friend and punched him in the shoulder. "It's your party dude!"

"Ow! You bully! Anyhow, I can't see the door." Fez smirked. Kelso muttered, "FINE!" and rapped three times. Fez sang, "…on the ceiling if you love me…knock three times…" he quit singing when Kelso pulled off the blindfold. The door opened and Eric was standing there smiling. "Fez, my friend…come in."

"Eric, what are you doing here?" Fez looked around the large living room and saw Brooke standing by the fireplace with Betsy and then Kelso pushed him through the door.

"Hello Fez." A soft voice said from the other side of the room. He turned his head and tears sprang from his eyes. "Jackie….oh Jackie!" He ran and grabbed her in a hug. Eric felt a lump in his throat and then heard Jessie starting to bark. He looked at Brooke who whispered, "Locked outside."

Fez cried on Jackie's shoulder and fondled her hair at the same time. "I missed you Goddess…you were gone." Jackie hugged her old friend and kissed his cheek. "I missed you too Fez."

"Are you running away again?" he asked wiping his eyes. She looked at him with a soft smile. "No. I'm done running and get your hand off my butt."

"Okay, I just had to make sure it was you." He said quietly. Jackie laughed, "Welcome to my home."

Fez smelled her hair one more time. "Aiiy, you need to come to my salon…you have split ends."

Jackie swatted him on the arm. "Do not. We have a special dinner for you." She said taking his hand, "I hope you are starving."

"You didn't cook it did you?" Fez asked cautiously.

Brooke walked ahead of the pair, "No, I cooked it. Kitty Forman made dessert."

Fez clapped his hands, "Oh, goody I love Miss Kitty's treats!"

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Dinner was like a high school reunion. Everyone had stories that topped someone else's story and there was much laughter and joy without all the cleavage and booze that usually accompanied a Kelso party. Brooke coordinated the events like a professional, removing dinner dishes and replacing with coffee and brownies

Jackie got up to help with the dishes but Brooke turned her back to sit with her friends. Eric told Fez the story about how he met Jackie when he was locked out of his car and how the dog wouldn't let him turn down the radio. Fez laughed and wanted to meet the dog. Betsy ran to the doggy door and pulled the wood out of the flap and Jessie slinked in, all of the new people smells heightening his attention.

He saw his master smiling and giving him the command to sit. The brown man looked afraid and Jessie gave him a threatening smile with a bit of a snarl. Fez pulled his hand back, "He's as big as a goat from my homeland." Fez said slightly alarmed. "Will he bite?"

Jackie laughed, "Not unless I tell him to." She snapped her fingers and Jessie padded over to sit by Jackie. "Hold out your hand, he'll give you a high five."

Fez smiled. "No way. A smart dog?" Hearing the high five command, Jessie held up his furry foot for the brown man to touch. "Wow, he's like a four legged Kelso!"

Brooke said, "Be nice Fez."

Fez grinned, "Sorry Brooke. You know Kelso likes puppies and this dog reminds me of Kelso." Kelso laughed, "Yeah, throw me a ball." Jessie heard his favorite word and dashed off to find it.

Jackie looked at Brooke who laughed, "I put that raggedy thing in the cupboard above the fridge." Jessie came skidding back into the kitchen with a rubber bone and dropped it at Kelso's feet. Fez laughed, "Hey that's a smart dog!"

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The dramatic theme music indicated the shark was nearing the boat. Fez held tight to Brooke's hand in anticipation. Kelso had taken Betsy upstairs for her bath and to tuck her in bed. Jackie squeezed out of the group sitting on the couch to get a drink of water. She had to admit it was nice to see Fez and Kelso acting all goofy like they always did.

Brooke and Fez shrieked at the shark came out of the water. Jackie looked at the clock; she hoped the movie was over soon because she had an early start tomorrow. She saw Eric get out of the chair and head towards the kitchen. He didn't see her in the dark and it startled him.

"What's a nice guy like you doing hanging out at a sad party like this? She teased. Eric waved his hand, "Just bumming around. I'm supposed to get up before the sun and go with some chick to rescue people."

Jackie laughed softly. "It's not such a bad thing."

Eric smiled. "No, I'm actually looking forward to it. I'm a Transportation Manager for the school district so I really should have a clue about what happens when one of my buses breakdown."

She grinned, "You could always call Sal's Tow Yard. Batman's truck hauls heavy vehicles."

Eric put a hand against the wall beside the kitchen door. She was only inches away and he could possibly sneak a kiss but the flickering light of the television reminded him that they weren't alone. Damn.

Kelso came bounding down the stairs and headed straight for the dog. Jessie rolled on back and the tall man assaulted his belly. The dog groaned with bliss as Kelso found the spot that had the hind leg running in place. Jessie's tongue fell out of mouth and Kelso laughed. How cool was it that he could put his daughter to bed, play with a dog and French kiss Brooke goodbye? This was AWESOME!

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Jackie and Eric walked with Fez out to the car. "You can come back anytime." Jackie told him with a kiss on the cheek. Fez's eyes got big, "But I don't know how to get here!" He pointed a finger at Kelso "That sonofabitch had me blindfolded!"

Kelso laughed, "He loved the blindfold. He wants to do it with the blindfold!" Fez launched himself across the front seat and the two men tussled with each other. Eric laughed and put his hand on Jackie's shoulder. "They'll go at it all night. Just say good bye."

Jackie rapped on the car and waved and stayed until she saw both men drive off. A wet breeze blew across her arms and she shivered. "I hope you brought a hat. It's going to rain."

Eric frowned – how did everyone know it was going to rain? He shrugged and followed Jackie back in the house. Brooke had already brought down pillows and blankets. When Jackie went upstairs, his chestnut haired friend said, "If you have any ideas of sneaking up to the second floor, I will send down the dog. Do you understand?"

"Yes ma'am." Eric said cheekily. He watched as Brooke went about locking up the house and then went upstairs for the night. Eric stripped down to his boxers and climbed into the makeshift bed. It was surprisingly comfortable and the pillows were softer than the ones in his bedroom.

Before his drifted off to sleep, his thoughts strayed to the bedroom door at the top of the stairs. When did he become so enamored with that little cheerleader? He was almost jealous of the hugs Fez received but couldn't begrudge his friend the reunion embrace. Still, a hug is a hug….Eric just wanted more of them.

A lot more of them!

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