Disclaimer: Ok remember episode, Prank Day? Where the guys drop the oatmeal on Red? Yeah I don't own that or anything else from the show. But that is a funny scene to think about isn't it?
Author's Note: Hello All! Sorry for not posting on Monday, I had this ready but I wanted to finish next weeks chapter first. Didn't finish it though, so I'm not sure if I'll post this Monday, but for sure Friday! Anyways thanks so much for all your support guys it really mean a lot! I'm so happy you guys are still reading this, it's been over six months since I first started, wow! Thanks again! Oh and don't forget to vote on the poll, this one will be closing at the end of this month! On with the story. Enjoy!
In the Forman Pinciotti household, Donna stood in her kitchen, preparing her children's lunch. Some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It was something simple and one of the few things she could prepare without receiving complaints about the finished product. Well expect for her husband, who always made a big deal about her always forgetting to cut off the crust.
As she closed hers son's sandwich, the big baby of the house ran into the room.
"She's back, Donna."
Donna frowned as she looked over at her husband. He was twitching even more than usual. "Who's back?"
"And it stinks, because I was kinda hoping she died." Eric rambled on, "Or at least you know, got hit on the head and couldn't remember us."
"Who?" Donna asked still confused.
"Laurie." he practically hissed, "She's back. She just came out of nowhere and now…now…we've got to hide the children!"
Donna laughed at her husband's panic; he was actually serious. "Eric, I don't understand…"
"Laurie's back and she's eviler than ever."
"Really?" Donna asked surprised. Could Laurie really get any eviler?
"I don't know!" Eric squeaked out, "But I didn't see her coming! And anything I don't see coming is bad! Take Darth Vader being Luke's father. Didn't see that coming and it was terrible! Well, not really cause the movie was awesome…"
Donna shook her head, she had married a nerd. "What did your parents do?"
Eric shrugged as he took a seat down at the table, "I don't know. I don't think they even saw the movie. I mean I told them about it but…"
"I meant about Laurie." he wife almost shouted.
"Oh right." he said calmly before waving his arms around as he told his story, "Nothing! She's got them totally brainwashed! Dad gave her a hug and a kiss on the head…Donna, do you know when was the last time Red kissed my head?"
"No." Donna answered with a frown.
"Exactly!" Eric cried out, "No one even asked her why she was just coming now! Mom…Mom hugged her and gave her a kiss and neither of them said anything hurtful to the other!"
"Wow." Donna said sounded as shocked as she looked. Her mother-in-law and sister-in-law rarely saw eye to eye. "I guess Red's cancer has brought them closer."
"Yeah." Eric nodded softly.
Donna was quick to notice her husbands' solemn behavior. Smiling slightly, she took a seat beside him and placed her hand on his boney shoulder.
"Eric, don't worry. Your mother and Laurie won't get that close." she said gently, hoping that would make him feel better. "And even if they do, Hyde'll always be her favorite."
"Ha ha ha." Eric said mockingly to his laughing wife, "Go ahead and make all the jokes you want Donna. Besides I don't even think that's why Mom was acting like that. I think she was too busy thinking about how this would fit in with her new plan."
Donna frowned, "Her new plan?"
"Yeah. Plan D."
"Plan D?"
"Yeah." Eric nodded before realizing something. "Oh my God! You didn't know about it." her husbands' smile grew, "That means I'm more of the favorite than you!"
"Yeah but Eric, I'm not actually one of your parents kids." Donna pointed out, "I mean, I never even lived with them."
Eric's excitement faded away and it showed on his face, "Yeah but…still."
Donna rolled her eyes and shook her head, "So what's Plan D?"
"Oh right!" Eric snapped out of it, "Well, you didn't hear it from me but, Jackie's staying there."
"Where?" Donna quickly asked.
"Next-door." Eric answered as he gestured to his childhood home.
"No I don't mean where there!" exclaimed as she began to get nervous, "Where there, in the house?"
"Oh, she's staying in Laurie's room. Hyde's in my old room."
"Oh my God!'
"I know!" Eric agreed, "I can't believe Mom's letting people stay in my old room either."
"Not that, you dillhole!" Donna said angrily, "Jackie's staying in Laurie's room and now Laurie's back."
"Yeah, so?" Eric asked confused, "All that means is Jackie will….oh no."
Donna nodded her head at her husband as he figured out the same thing she had, seconds ago.
"This is gonna be a disaster." she groaned.
Eric shrugged his shoulders before placing his arm around her shoulder, "Well on the bright side, we don't live there."
Donna couldn't help but laugh at her husbands words as she playfully smacked her hand against his chest.
******
Meanwhile next door at the Forman house, Jackie was busy packing up her suitcases. Closing the last one she grabbed two of the medium sized ones and walked out of Laurie's bedroom. She figured she'd come back for the others after she took these two.
When she walked out into the hallway she was greeted to the sight of Hyde coming out of Eric's old room, holding two of his own suitcases. He noticed her right away, just at the same time that she'd seen him.
"What are you doing?" he asked with a suspicious frown.
Jackie flashed him the same expression, "What are you doing?'
"I'm moving my stuff." Hyde answered, his suspicion never dying down.
Jackie was the same, "Me too. Where're you moving your stuff to?"
"Where're you moving your stuff to?' Hyde questioned as he raised his chin.
"Somewhere." Jackie answered coolly.
Hyde nodded, "Me too."
"Did you hear about Laurie?' she asked casually.
"Yeah, I was there when the Earth Mother Whore got here." he informed her, "That's why I'm moving my stuff down to the basement."
Jackie's eyes became wide, "What? No! That's why I'm moving my stuff to the basement."
"I'm moving down there, so you can stay in Forman's old room." Hyde stated. He was trying to get on her good side and thought it was a nice gesture. Jackie didn't.
"I am not staying in Eric's dirty old room!" she declared, "It's scary in there!"
"Tell me about it." Hyde agreed, "I thought G.I. Joe was gonna attack me while I was asleep."
"And who knows what kind of disgusting things he and Donna did in there!" Jackie reminded.
The thought alone was enough for the both of them. Jackie grabbed her bags just as Hyde did his, and then the two of them made a dash for the stairs. They ran down the stairs as they pushed and shoved each other while words like, "Get back upstairs, Jackie." and "Don't shove a girl!" left their mouths.
As they reached the final two steps, Jackie placed her bags on the floor and lifted her hands in the air.
"Ok, fine Steven!" she called out, stopping him in his tracks, "You can stay in the basement."
"Really?" Hyde asked not fully convinced that she was being serious.
She nodded her head, "Yes. You can stay in the basement." she paused, "After this weekend!"
After she exclaimed that, Jackie grabbed the suitcases up again and dashed out of the living room, getting ahead start to the basement.
"Jackie!" Hyde called after her as he ran not too far behind.
"Jackie, this is my old room." Hyde reminded as they entered the basement and headed to the small room in the back. "I should stay here not you. Why would you even want to stay here?"
"Because it's not Eric's room!" Jackie shot back.
"That's the only reason?" Hyde asked sounding unconvinced. He saw Jackie nod and he had to frown. "Liar." he mumbled.
"Excuse me?" Jackie asked, in an anything but polite tone. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"That you're lying." he answered with the obvious. "You know why you want to stay here, I know why you want to stay here, everybody we know, knows why. You just can't say it."
Jackie glared at her ex-lover. How did he always manage to get her so mad?
"Keep the damn room, Steven." Jackie practically demanded before turning her heel and heading out of the small room.
"See, there you go again. You can't say it. You can't have things your way, so you run." Hyde said as he followed from behind, "Just like you ran to Chicago."
"Oh and you leaving to California wasn't running?" Jackie snapped back as she turned to face him.
"I only ran to California because you ran off to Chicago and straight into Kelso's arms!" Hyde reminded, raising his voice.
"If I had been alone when you found me," Jackie began as she got ready to ask the question she asked herself almost everyday. "What would have happened?"
"I don't know." He lied.
He knew exactly what would have happened; at times he wished it would've happened. But now was not the time to tell her.
"God, I hate those words!" Jackie groaned, "Well, you know who did know? Will. Will knew what he wanted in his life. He knew he wanted me in his life." Jackie continued, "He loved me and he wanted to marry me! But now he's gone and it's all your fault, Steven. This stupid mess is your fault. This whole thing is all your fault!" she shouted.
Hyde stared at the raging beauty. She had some nerve alright.
"My fault?!" he asked finally releasing his anger. "None of this would've happened if you wouldn't have slept with Kelso!"
"I didn't sleep with Michael!"
"Yeah." He replied going back in his Zen mode, "Just like it didn't hurt me like two stabs in the back."
Jackie rolled her eyes. This had gone on long enough.
"Steven, Michael and I did not have sex…"
"Jackie, he was wearing only a towel." He reminded, "What the hell else could you two have been doing? Playing dress up?"
Jackie took in a deep breath; this was going to be a long story.
"Yes." She nodded and Hyde frowned at her.
"Ten years later and that's the best you can come up with?" he asked her, "That's sad, Jackie."
"No, that's the truth, Steven." Jackie declared.
Hyde still wasn't convinced, but that didn't surprise Jackie.
"Whatever." Hyde answered before walked off and up the stairs, "I'm out of here."
Jackie stormed off after him. She'd finally been able to tell him what had really happened and now he didn't believe him. She was not going to let him leave like that.
Hyde walked into the living room, in search of his keys while ignoring the clinking of Jackie's heels from close behind.
"I know it's hard to believe, but it is the truth, Steven." Jackie insisted as she came into the room, "I swear on my life. On Red's life."
Hyde shook his head. He just wanted to get out of there; but he couldn't find his stupid keys. 'Crap.' He thought to himself as he realized his keys were up in Eric's old room.
"I don't care, Jackie. I'm leaving." He reminded before climbing up the stairway to retrieve his keys.
"You're not going anywhere until we talk about this. Until you listen to what I have to say!" Jackie firmly said, "It's been ten damn years!"
The two entered Eric's old room and Hyde immediately grabbed the ring of keys from the dresser. He was ready to leave the room, he didn't care that Jackie was blocking the door by standing infront of it. All he had to do was lift her up and move her off to the side. But first, he decided, he should have the last word.
"You know Jackie, today I told the Formans I was gonna try and fix thing between us." He told the angry looking brunette, "I told them I was gonna listen to what you had to say about the whole Kelso thing."
Jackie got ready to respond to Hyde's words, but he wasn't finished.
"But I meant I was going to listen to the truth you had to say, not some pathetic excuse you came up with off the top of your head."
Jackie sighed; she knew this was going to be hard. Sometimes she, herself, couldn't believe that that was why her relationship with Steven was destroyed.
"Steven, I was upset that night. Michael was just trying to be a good friend." Jackie explained and Hyde rolled his eyes under his glasses, "He wanted to cheer me up. And dressing up Michael in dresses, was something we used to do when we were together, it was something that would make me happy."
Hyde rolled his eyes once more, hoping she noticed, as he walked passed her; but not yet exiting the room. Before leaving he turned around to face her once more.
"Yeah, I'm sure the two of you did something you used to do that made you very happy, sl…"
Before he could finish the word, Jackie's right hand collided with the left side of Hyde's face. Anger shinned in Jackie's mismatched eyes as she glared into Hyde's shaded ones.
"You are done hurting me, Steven James Hyde." She announced while pointing her index finger at him, "Because I am done with you! I am staying for the Formans and as soon as I can, I'm leaving. And when I do, I don't want to see or hear of you again."
"Ditto." Hyde answered before turning around and heading out of the room.
"Ugh! I hate you Steven! You've done nothing but cause me pain!" Jackie practically shouted with tears in her eyes, "You sent me to Chicago, you sent Will away. You broke my heart too many times to count! You have never made me happy or anyone else for that matter!" she yelled after him, from the doorframe, as he walked away. "
Hyde did his best to ignore her. If he didn't, he knew he would do something that he would regret. And he already had enough of those.
"Not even yourself!" Jackie shouted, now with hot tears down her cheeks.
With that said and with all that emotion given out, Jackie felt drained. She slammed the door and flopped down onto the bed-not caring what had ever been done in it-and cried her eyes out.
Meanwhile Hyde was walking to the stairway, trying to keep Zen. It was hard, though; Jackie's words had struck a cord. And he had to wonder if she was right. At the moment he couldn't think of anyone he had made happy, only people he had disappointed. Bud. Edna. Jackie.
His list was cut short as he heard a soft sniffle. He frowned curiously, was it Jackie? He doubted it. She usually didn't cry softly and besides it sounded like it was coming from downstairs.
Taking a quick peek, by sticking his head out to where the staircase began, he looked down into the living room. There he saw Kitty. She was standing by the sofa, her back to him, looking a Red's chair. Her shoulders shook slightly and Hyde knew where the sniffles were coming from.
As Hyde began to descend down the stairs, Kitty took a seat on the yellow couch, covering her mouth and crying softly.
"Mrs. Forman?" he called softly, as if not to frighten her.
Still she gave a small jump.
"Oh, Steven." she looked up at him, only to look away to dry her tears, "What are you doing up so late?"
Hyde looked down at his watch, "Uh, it's only seven-thirty."
"Oh." Was all Kitty could say.
"What's wrong Mrs. Forman?" Hyde asked seriously.
Kitty shook her head and Hyde took a seat next to her.
"Nothing, it's nothing, Steven. Everything's fine."
Hyde frowned, something had to be going on; there had to be a reason behind Kitty's tears.
"Come on, Mrs. Forman, you can tell me." Hyde coaxed, trying to sound as comforting as possible, "What happened? You finally realize, Laurie's really here?"
Kitty laughed at his joke as her tears still shown in her eyes.
"No." she shook her head, before taking in a deep breath, "It's Red."
Hyde smirked "What did Laurie do this time to give him a heart attack?" he joked and instantly regretted it.
"Nothing." Kitty said, wiping her tears with her tissue.
'Shit.' Hyde thought 'Jackie swore on hers and Red's life, that the stupid dress up thing happened. I knew she was lying.'
By the way Kitty was acting and by the tone of her voice, Hyde knew something was wrong. He also knew that Kitty wouldn't tell him or the others, of any bad news; especially not right away. That's just how she and Red worked; they tried to keep them from knowing just how bad things were. Back when the plant was closing, with Red cancer and other times he was sure. But not this time.
"Mrs. Forman, I want you to tell me what's going on. I wanna know, what's going on." Hyde instructed trying to sound firm and serious, but not harsh in any way. "I'm an adult now, and I can handle whatever it is you've gotta say. I wanna be here for you and Red. Please tell me what's going on."
Kitty looked over at Hyde and saw, through her tears, a young man. He was no longer the little boy who would wander into her kitchen needing something to eat and on several occasions a bath. He was now an adult and he should know what was happening.
Kitty grabbed her surrogate son's hands with her own.
"He's coming home." She said through her smile and happy tears.
A wave of relief washed over Hyde and he didn't pull away when Kitty enveloped him in a hug. Instead he hugged her tighter. Red was going to be ok, he was coming home. So did that mean Jackie was telling the truth?
Damn, he was a dumbass.
Author's Note: And that would be Chapter 34 of "Learning to Fly." Hope you liked!
The idea for the whole dress up thing happened when I was watching the episode. And thought hey I don't think that's been done before. So I did it. Sorry if there is one, I kinda wanted to try something new.
Was Jackie telling the truth? Will Hyde ever find out? Is Red really coming home? What will happen when Fez and Laurie see each other? Are there any more familiar faces coming for a visit? Confused? You won't be after the next chapter of "Learning to Fly."
Until then, thanks for reading, hope you liked, please review and lemme know what you think, see you next time, take care, and have a nice day!