Chapter 25 – Not What She Expected
Bob couldn't stop crying. He mopped his face with a damp handkerchief and hugged his daughter until she squirmed. "Da-ad! " Donna moaned. "I'm here. Give the hugs a break okay?"
Bob wasn't quite ready to stop hugging his little girl but Midge was pulling on his arm for her turn. "Donna honey, we missed you and you had us so worried."
Donna looked at the fine lines in her mother's face and knew she caused those. "I'm sorry Mom. The trip was only supposed to be for a couple of weeks and then we'd have our story and be able to come home and…." Donna stopped as she felt a sob welling up in her chest. She sat down on the sofa and held her mother's soft hand. "Anna's still out there."
Midge smiled, "Does she need her passport too?"
Bob suppressed a groan and looked reassuredly at his daughter, "I'm sure she's okay and will contact you. She does have our phone number right?"
Donna pursed her lips, "Dad….I'm not staying here… with my parents….I'm staying at Anna's apartment – it's….more convenient."
Bob frowned, "But pumpkin…look at you. You're as skinny as your mom was when I married her…"
"Bob!" Midge scolded.
"Sorry Midgie, but you gained a little since high school."
Midge furrowed her brow, "And I remember you had a lot of nice hair."
Donna smiled at her parents bickering, "Really…I'm fine. I'm just ready to get back to work and start feeling like myself again. I wanted to really thank you for getting the documents sent so I could get my passport. I see my car keys are hanging in the kitchen….it will really be nice to drive again."
Bob push an arm around her shoulder and tousled the shorter hair. "Okay Donna but, when you're ready…your mom and I want to talk about your divorce, okay?"
Donna suppressed a sigh and replied "Sure dad. Coming home…there's a lot to take in and I'm just trying to get used to the time zone and everything….but yeah, we'll talk."
•*¨*•.¸¸ ¸¸.•*¨*•
After a brief lunch with Mel and Norm, Jackie followed them to the airport to say her "goodbyes." Which of course was followed by a stern, "You have voice-overs on Wednesday so don't forget to come home."
She smiled, "Now that I'm going into debt…." Then all three of the Californians laughed light heartedly and she continued, "Okay, so I'm still rich but I'm actually going to own something that will last a long time."
Mel touched her chin, "You be careful tonight okay? No broken hearts."
She sighed, "Eric is not going to break my heart."
Mel gave her a chastising face. "It's not your heart I'm worried about. Your little boyfriend is my next investment."
Jackie's eyes got really big. "You called him my boyfriend!"
Mel shrugged, "Well? What would you like me to call him? I seriously think you've moved beyond the 'let's hold hands' phase and into the 'kiss me some more' phase….don't you think?"
Jackie's cheeks turned pink, "Maybe…."
Norm scoffed, "Oh please. That boy is so into you I almost threw up in my mouth."
Jackie looked at her accountant, "You could tell?"
Norm extended his hands with palms out and replied, "Please! I'm not blind and I barely know the fellow. Can I just say congratulations now and add him as a beneficiary?"
Mel laughed and tonked her on the forehead, "Have fun, no shouting and I'll see you when you get home."
Jackie pushed the toe of her shoe into his suitcase and mumbled, "Okay dad, I will." Then she was enveloped in a masculine hug and kissed on the top of her brunette curls. "Be good." Mel admonished. "I have Eric's home phone number you know." He added with a smile.
Jackie watched and waved as her two Hollywood friends disappeared into the crowded sidewalk. She opened the door to the limo and gave instructions to the driver. So much to and so little time!
•*¨**•
The little bell over the door tinkled against the glass as she walked into Grooves. There was a cough, followed by a "Keep your shirt on." and moments later a curly headed Steven Hyde came out of the back room.
His face lit up with a broad smile and his arms were out for a hug. "Long time no see!" he said happily. She fell into his hug and felt tears stinging the back of her eyes. "Dill hole, don't make me cry again."
Donna pulled back and looked at the seemingly older, wiser Steven Hyde. "God, it's like I haven't seen you in forever!" she exclaimed.
He cocked an eyebrow, "Well….at least since last year…you know, when you bolted the whole being married package and everything."
Donna had the compunction to at least look chastised. "That's between me and Eric." She said solemnly.
Hyde shrugged and led her by the elbow to the listening pit. "Not judging, but when a guy brings over the Dear John letter and lets his friends read it….Donna….that was harsh."
It was her turn to shrug. She sat back against the cushy fat cushions and sighed, "I didn't want some drawn out saga from all of you about how we should work it out when the marriage really wasn't working at all."
Hyde sat on the arm of a chair, "Well, I guess you had your reasons and I'm sure they were good….but Forman….you really did a number on him."
Donna threw her hands in the air, "What do you want from me?! I've been through hell and back and all anyone wants to talk about is Eric. What about my feelings? What about the sacrifices I had to make?"
"Chill out….I'm just saying…"Hyde interrupted, "I had a friend on one arm and the other flew the coop – hell, we didn't even know where you were for a while. What was all the damn secrecy about?"
Donna didn't know if she could trust Hyde. Did she say anything or just assume he knew? She sighed, "So…I'm sure Jackie told you everything?"
Hyde's brows knitted together. "Jackie hasn't told me shit. What are you talking about?"
Donna leaned forward with her forearms resting on her thighs. "She saw us in Germany."
Hyde fell into the chair he was perched on and whispered. "You were with somebody else?"
Donna nodded and then anxiously ran a nervous hand through her dark cap of short hair, "I was kissing someone and Jackie busted us."
Hyde grinned, "Damn! Was it anybody I know? Wait….I don't want to know. But what the hell were you doing in Germany? The last we heard, you were in Prague."
Donna looked at a dirty scruff mark on the checked floor. "We were researching the story and had to stay at a hostel until our tickets arrived for the rest of the trip. It was innocent and Jackie had to go and pitch a fit about how horrible I was for leaving 'my husband' and some shit like that. I thought she would have ran home and told everyone about it."
Hyde sat back with a proud look on his face, "Nope, she didn't say anything to anybody….but now I know. Heh heh heh. Who were you with?"
Donna reached out and frogged her old friend on the arm. "Like I would tell you." She said with a half-smile.
Hyde laughed. "Donna, your secret's safe with me. Anyways, what are you slumming around here for? I got Kelso coming by in about 30 minutes…."
Donna's eyes widened. She wasn't prepared for a Kelso moment. "I just wanted to touch a little bit of home after being stuck in that Embassy for so long. I didn't any friends….there was no one to talk to and my folks….I love them but they can be kind of useless sometimes. Please don't make me explain that."
"Wasn't gonna. But, really…what happened to your hair?"
She ran her fingers through the dark hair and gave Hyde a wry smiled, "Disguise."
He didn't believe her. "Really.
She shook her head, "No…..I was on board a train and with my blond hair, I really stood out as an American and so to blend in, we cut my hair in the bathroom and colored it with ink and mud and whatever was handy."
"And you are going to keep call this mystery person "we" until you trust me….aren't you?" Hyde pressed.
Donna leaned forward and gripped his hand. "Hyde, I need one really good friend right now….will you be him?"
Hyde removed his shades and tucked the ear piece over his tee shirt collar, "Donna – I think we've known each other long enough to know the answer to that."
She smiled, "Good, because I don't think I could handle a burn this soon back."
He flashed a smiled, "If you want one – I got a million of them."
Donna thanked him, "I need to go back to the station and see if I still have a job."
Hyde replied, "If you don't, you can always work here part time. I could use some long lunches these days."
Donna sighed and answered, "You are a good friend. I'm glad not everything changed."
Hyde watched his old friend walk out of the store and realized that Donna was in for quite a bit of change as she settled into her old routine in Point Place. Not everything was the way she expected it to stay.
(✿◠‿◠) *
The reservations were made at Chateau Le Blanc, one of Point Place's newest premier restaurants, Jackie had been told over the telephone. Eric's budget presentation went well, but it was his new VIP status that won over the crowd. The conference room had been packed to overflowing and employees from other departments just showed up.
Jackie told him she was happy for him. She truly was – Eric Forman was coming into his own. He mentioned that when he got home, he only had time for a quick shower so Jackie better be ready to go. Secretly, she was thrilled that she all afternoon to make herself drop dead pretty. Eric Forman would never know what hit him!
She spent the requisite half hour of soaking in lavender baths salts while listening to easy music with closed eyes. She liked Eric's new house. It's didn't have any old "married" smells to it. Since she couldn't remove the extra bed, the best Jackie could do was replace all the linens. It wasn't like she hated Donna…it was more like Jackie wanted all traces of the ex-wife vanished. Just like Donna vanished Eric from the marriage.
Jackie lifted a slim leg and ran her ladies razor over a soft calf and gently around the kneecap while wondering what it would feel like to have strong fingers touch her skin. Since winter, she had been covered with clothes. Tonight, Eric would see leg. She would see if he could handle it.
Giggling, Jackie finished her bath and wrapped a thick towel around her tresses as she padded to the bedroom. The entire contents of her suitcase were hanging in one half of his closet and there was room for more. She could fill that up easily!
The mirror over the dresser reflected back a very happy looking Jackie Burkhart. She was going on a date! Her last real date was with one of those losers from the St. Elmo's fire movie that only wanted to talk about himself. Who was that….Rob? Andrew? Judd? She couldn't remember. Some crap date that was!
This date would be special because there was history there. Jackie knew Eric from a teenager; she knew his faults and all of his kindnesses. She adored his parents and he truly liked her. Yeah, she used to be a pain in his ass, but she could always count on him for advice. Eric was consistent and that was something the 29+ old really needed. He was that one person she had no problem with telling him he was an idiot sometimes and he had no issue reminding her that she was still a Cheese Maiden who kissed her boss.
Jackie sat on the edge of the bed and looked at her face in the mirror, the dreamy expression in her eyes. It looked like love and he hadn't even thrown a pass at her! She was being romanced, in a fashion. Okay, more like she was inserting a Jackie Burkhart tab in the Book of Eric Forman – a fascinating read. Apparently, Eric liked it too because he never told her no. He was available and always happy to see her. Did it get better than this?
Why did Donna leave him? Didn't she see the potential the grown up Eric had?
Her loss.
Jackie's gain.
She smiled again at her reflection. Time to make Eric Forman forget there were any other women in his life until Jackie Burkhart took his heart. It was a little giggle and a warmth in her stomach and Jackie knew that something good was brewing.
(✿◠‿◠) *
He couldn't stop staring. He knew it was rude and impolite and at the same time he was hopelessly in love with the image sitting across the table from him. Jackie's arms moved with a fragile grace as she explained a scene from a movie to him in Jackie-speak. Eric couldn't understand the words, he could only hear the tones and inflections in her voice as she conversed. Right there, in the middle of dinner, Eric Forman was acutely and aching aware that this was something he always wanted and never could find. This intimate dinner with Jackie Burkhart was what fantasies were made of. If he was a girl, which he was not – but that was how he felt at that moment.
He managed to drag his eyes away for a moment and looked at the steak that was congealing on his plate. Ugh. Eric looked up, "Would you like to dance?"
Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "I thought you'd never ask!" Jackie waited as Eric pushed away from the table to walk around and take her small hand into his. She rose gracefully and tugged on her skirt which of course drew his eyes to her lovely legs. She saw his Adam's apple move as he gulped and she bit back a smile. "I love this song."
In the background, Tony Bennett was crooning "The Way You Look Tonight" and Eric was agreeing wholeheartedly. She was a perfect in his arms. The sassy little dress hugged her in all the right places and her back was exposed. No brassiere - egads, now he felt a bit like Fez! Daring to be brave, Eric let his fingers trail over her back to rest in the small of her waist.
The long fingers were sending goosebumps along her spine and Jackie's inner teenage cheerleader was doing cartwheels with her heart. Eric's hands were warm and his chest was solid and the music was pleasant and she could just feel a big relaxed sigh overwhelm her senses. He did notice the dress, just as she hoped he would!
Without warning, Eric twirled her away and spun her back with a thunk against his jacket. She giggled at the clumsiness of the movement and looked up and proposed, "Seriously, I think you and do better than that."
Eric grinned and spun her back out into the other dancing couples and returned the beautiful brunette back to his arms. He took the chance and kissed her lips and while she snaked her arms around his neck. When he finally removed his mouth, he pressed his cheek to hers and whispered, "You are so beautiful."
Jackie's butterflies were back and her heart was still cartwheeling just waiting to start cheering. She blurted out, "I know!"
Eric laughed. Only Jackie Burkhart could take a compliment and improve on it. He cupped her face in his hands and watched as she closed her eyes. Just a slight slant of his head and they were kissing again. Kissing in the middle of a crowd. Camera lights flashing. People murmuring and Eric didn't care.
Eric didn't know and didn't care that he and his date would make the front page of the Point Place Register's Entertainment section that Sunday morning. If dancing with Jackie could make him feel this good and take his breath away at the same time...He didn't care.
Eric Forman was coming into his own.
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Donna sat on the last empty chair in the newsroom and waited for Carl to finish his meeting. Anna had revealed the name of her contact person that authorized the trip. Donna's hope was that her old boss Carl Wolfe could help her.
The ringing phones and the undertones of breaking news permeated the room. It was like a heartbeat that called Donna's name. She knew that at each moment something new and exciting and possible newsworthy was happening. Donna Pinciotti needed to be here. She could reinvent the story here with all the resources to fill in the missing pieces. Well, except for what happened to the missing Anna Cantana.
The office door opened and a waft of stinky cigar smoke dissipated into the newsroom. "Pinciotti? I'm available." The gruff voice called out. Donna rose and stepped towards Carl's office waving away the leftover stank from the cigar smoke. She easily slid into the chair opposite his desk. Carl was writing some notes and finished with a flourish of his pen and a powerful dot for exclamation. He looked up.
"So, you went on a trip and things went south." He uttered with no sentiment in his voice.
Donna nodded. "I didn't have access to a telephone due to the damages at the Embassy….I couldn't call anyone. Anna's still out there – I just don't know where."
Carl pressed his hands together, "And what are you expecting me to do about this situation? Cantana's a big girl. She knew what she was getting into when she told us about the pending uprising in Europe and her family connections….Anna had full reins to do the story. We were going to release it as a one hour cable special….but now, we have no story and no Anna Cantana."
Donna gritted her teeth. Could this guy be any more of an asshole? Jeez! She took a breath and replied, "I have notes. Anna phoned in a lot of material – I can write this. Hell, I lived it. I can do this story."
Carl raised a brow – he looked skeptical. "I'm not saying that you don't have talents." He wanted to add that she had a nice pair of talents under that blouse, but Personnel had warned him about his wandering eye. "Tell you what. Give me a draft of your story and I'll let you use any of the networks resources to find my missing reporter. Make sure you add that to the story – it's a great human interest piece." Carl pushed away from his desk, "Oh….before I forget, stop by Payroll on Monday – you have some checks they have been holding for you."
Donna found herself smiling. A job. Some money for the bank. Things were definitely looking up. Now she just needed a couple of days to rest. Thank God none of her friends knew where she was staying.
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