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Author's Note: Hello everyone! Woo! Can you believe it I posted on a Monday! And not at midnight so that it's technically Monday! Lol I'm so happy. Think that's a good start off for the New Year huh? I do want to apologize for not posting last week, but see I have a really good excuse. I'm trying to get ahead on my fics since I go back to school next week and i don't wanna jinx anything but so far….i'm doing pretty good. Yay! Oh and can you guys believe it's already been a year since I first posted the preview? And we're barely finishing the first week! Don't wanna make any big speeches about the 'one year anniversary' just yet because I wanna wait till next week when it'll be a year since I first started posting chapters, so I'm warning you now be ready for a long AN lol Thanks so much for all the reviews! I am so glad you all are sticking around and it's always nice to see some new readers! All of you make me smile and I love you all! Please remember I am not a doctor nor am I training to be one, will be taking part two of my anatomy class next week though…fun1 Gonna try for that 'A' again tho. Oh and please forgive the shortness of the chapter as well I had to split the chapter or else it would've been a really really long chapter and I've made you guys suffer enough of those. And next week they'll be a new chapter :-) Ok I'm starting to ramble so I'll cut off now. Thanks for everything you guys! Hope you like this chapter! Enjoy!

It had taken quite a few minutes for Kitty to compose herself and dry the happy tears that had formed in her eyes after hearing Hyde's answer to her first question; but once she had pulled herself together she was ready with her next question—much to Hyde's dismay.

He tired a total of six times, offering to take over until she had calmed herself down. His offer had been quickly shot down.

"So Steven," Kitty began to say trying to make her tone similar to the ones she heard famous reporter use on TV, "How do you see your future?'

Hyde didn't know whether to laugh at his surrogate mother's voice tone or roll his eyes at the question. He settled on a small combination of both, a smirk on his lips while he shook his head as avoided facing the camera once again.

"I don't know Mom." He replied, "It's the future…a long time from now…I've still got awhile to plan it all out you know?"

Kitty nodded from behind the camera, "Yes, I know that." She agreed before adding, "But I also know that I may not be around to see most of your future. So I want to know how you picture it. That way I can make sure it's the right one for you."

His smirk turned into a small smile at Kitty's last comment, he was grateful she added that little humor along with almost morbid words right before it. It made things a little easier on him.

But it didn't help him very much with his answer to her question.

Hyde had always hated those types of questions. What are you going to do with your future? Where is your life headed? Where do you see yourself in twenty years? He'd heard it in school when they usually ask for an essay response to it. He'd heard it from several adults after he'd graduated high school. He'd even heard it in a similar form from Jackie and things did not go well after it been asked.

Yeah, he hated that question.

But still this was Kitty that was asking the question and she'd played the cancer card…he pretty much had to answer the question now.

He gave a heavy sigh before speaking, "I don't know Mom…really I don't."

Kitty sat patiently, watching Hyde and waiting for her answer. This caused Hyde to exhale another loud sigh. He knew she wasn't going to give up until he answered her question and he was really trying to speed through his five questions as fast as he could.

"I guess…"Hyde scratched his left check, "Maybe expanding Grooves abit…a bigger store…maybe recreate the chain. Moving into my own place. One that's close to here of course." He quickly added before Kitty could say a word.

"And later…probably much later on, a wife and one or two kids."

The smile that had broken out on Kitty's face when Hyde had said he'd live somewhere close by to the house, grew even more.

"Oo a wife and kids. And just who would be this wife be?" Kitty asked teasingly, having a hunch that she knew exactly who he had pictured as his wife right now.

And Hyde could see what she was up to so he decided to play along.

He smirked, "A girl."

"What girl?"

"The right girl." Hyde answered still smirking mischievously, knowing a way that would get his mother to change the subject, "And by the way thanks to those two extra questions you asked right now, you're down to one question."

0o0o0o

"What?" Red asked with his brow slightly furrowed; he wanted to make sure he'd heard right.

Jackie took a deep breath and repeated herself, "I think I'm falling in love with your son." She paused for a second or two, "And I'm thinking my thinking is more than thinking."

Red actually did try to follow along to that second part of Jackie's statement but she'd lost him after the second 'thinking.' Instead he kept his attention on the first part, the part she'd said once before.

"Steven?" he asked, remembering the relationship the two of them were in together years ago.

Jackie slowly, almost as if she were frightened, shook her head no. And when he saw this gesture, Red nearly breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn't that he had thought the two had made such a terrible couple or that he thought Jackie could do better than Steven. He loved and thought of Steven as a son, which was one of the reasons his mind had immediately gone to him when Jackie had spoken her words. But he had seen how badly Steven had hurt Jackie before especially when his stripper 'wife' had come into the picture. However, just as he saw Hyde as his second son he saw Jackie as his second daughter. And the last thing a father wanted to see was his daughter with a broken heart.

"Wait a minute…" Red said as he put the pieces together, "If it's not Steven…Eric?"

This time Jackie nodded her head in 'yes' in a much rapid manner.

Suddenly more of the little pieces were coming together, allowing Red to see and understand some of the things going on in his house.

"This is why it feels like North Korea when ever all of you dumbasses are in the same room, isn't it?"

Again Jackie nodded her head.

Red heaved a loud sigh, "Jackie, I'm gonna need to hear some words too."

"Sorry." Jackie said in a small voice.

"Well," Red started to say as he got comfortable in his seat, this was going to take awhile and he knew it, "How did this whole thing get started?"

"It was actually the night you came back home. Eric and I were in the kitchen and we were kissing when Donna and Steven walked in and then just totally…"She'd begun to explain only to be quickly cut of by Red as he held his hands up to stop her talking.

"I don't mean that." He said shaking his head, "I mean you and Eric…the last I remember you two never really got along."

"Yeah, I guess that's true." She agreed, "But that was before and now…Now everything's so different. In a good way. A really good way."

Jackie looked up from the beer can she was tracing her index finger on and was met with Red's frowning face. But this wasn't an angry frowning face it was more of a listening, concerned father frowning face and it made the corners of Jackie's mouth twitch before she carried on with her story.

"I guess it all started when Eric first got here. Steven was pretty much against him when he arrived and was giving him a hard time…he acted pretty childish. And through all of it I was mostly on Eric side helping him against Steven." Jackie explained, leaving out that detail of the thing she hadn't agreed with Eric about. The infamous 'Two Days Deal.'

Shrugging her shoulder's ever so slightly she went on, "We were spending a lot of time together and started talking about all kinds of stuff and I got to see what a great guy your son really is…I mean I'm sure Eric's always been a great guy but I guess I finally opened my eyes and saw it. And Eric seemed to have done the same with me. Then things just kind of clicked between us…much to both of our surprise."

Red continued to stare at the small young woman listening and taking in her words. He didn't know that this was the short version of the story of what had happened while he was away. He had no idea that Jackie was leaving out the parts about how it had been abit difficult to get Eric here in the first place, or how he'd run out during his first visit with Kitty, or the argument between Hyde and Eric that had taken place in the kitchen. And for now, Jackie wanted to keep it that way.

"It's really been fun spending time with Eric." Jackie added with a smile and laughed a bit at the memory of today's events with the two of them and Betsy, "Today we went on a first date at the mall with Betsy with us and he bought me this doll I've wanted since I was a little girl. And we've kissed some pretty…"

"Ah jeeze." Red groaned interrupted Jackie from going on, "I don't wanna hear that."

Jackie giggled, though what she was saying was true she'd added the part about the kisses just to make sure he was listening.

There was another deep breath before Red asked, "Jackie, why are you telling me this stuff?"

"Because I'm happy…and falling in love. And when a girls feel this way she has to talk about it!" she explained in a cheerful voice that toned itself down with her next statement, "And you're really the only one I can talk to about this."

The expression sketched onto Red's face told her to go on and so she did.

"I mean I can't talk to Eric about this yet because I could easily scare him off. And there's Brooke, but I don't know if we're that close to be talking about stuff like this." Jackie paused and felt a small wave or anger and annoyance wash over when she thought about the next two people on her list. She gave a quick eye roll before starting up again, "It would be completely pointless in talking to Steven and Donna about this, they completely freaked out when they caught Eric and me kissing in the kitchen."

"And it doesn't make any sense for Donna to act the way she did." Jackie continued before Red got the chance to gripe about the kiss that had taken place in the room he ate in, "She is engaged to Randy. The poor guy walked out after that and we haven't heard from him since."

"Oh and then Steven…Steven had the nerve to say that if he would have known that this was going to happen between me and Eric, he would've put a stop to it. Can you believe that?" she questioned, feeling the anger she'd felt when Hyde had said the words to them, all over again.

Red didn't say a word, he didn't know if he could believe it or not. It sound like Steven, but then again it didn't. He had to have had a reason for saying that…something that didn't include him still having feelings for Jackie…right?

"And then there's Michael and Fez," Jackie went on breaking Red out of his thoughts, "but…"

The older man lifted up both of his calloused hands to stop the rambling brunette once again, "No need to say it. I understand completely about those two."

Jackie smiled slightly, "I also thought that you should know about Eric and me…and I figured now was a good a time as any."

"Yeah, there sure are quite a few surprises coming out today." He muttered.

Jackie giggled but didn't say anything and instead decided to let Red continue to take control of their conversation.

"Look Jackie, I'm glad that your happy…we could use all the happiness we can get right now." He said in a somber tone before turning his voice into his serious, fatherly tone while looking Jackie in the eyes, "But I want you to remember that Eric is sometimes…most of the time…a dumbass."

"He gets it from you, right?" she asked playfully.

"Right." Red nodded and cleared his throat, "Which is why I want you to tell me if he does any kind of dumbass thing to you or that hurts you; and I'll stick my foot so far up his ass my shoe will drill it's way out through his head."

The grin on Jackie face grew, "Thanks Red."

Even though Jackie was still smiling and she'd even said a 'thank you,' the way she looked down at her beer can and kept her eyes there told Red that this talk of their still wasn't over.

"There's still more isn't there?" he asked pretending to sound like his gruff regular self.

"I'm…I'm just…"she struggled slightly, "I'm a little worried."

"About?"

"About…well, about after." Jackie explained now looking back at her father figure.

It didn't take long for Red to figure out what Jackie meant by the word 'after,' and once he did he felt his heart drop. He didn't like thinking about what would happen after either. It worried him too.

"Oh right." He nodded and this time he was the one to look down at his beer can, "After."

"I'm worried about a lot of stuff that'll happen after. I've always been worried about that stuff." She continued on, "But now I'm worried about what'll happen with Eric and me. Sure nothing's official or anything but still…this whole time that we've been getting along and growing closer has happened now. While Mom's been sick."

By this time Red had shifted his gaze from the can in his hands to the young woman sitting beside him. He knew his thoughts and attention would be better off fixated on whatever Jackie was worried about than letting them drift off and think about what his life would be like after…if he'd still even be able to call it life.

Jackie looked at him and Red could easily see the worry and apprehensiveness in her multicolored eyes.

"What if…"she closed her eyes for a few seconds before reopening them, "What if every time Eric sees me he thinks about his sick mother? And how weak she was how she…wasted away." Jackie managed to keep herself from saying the d-word infront of Red, before relieving her biggest fear, "What if he can't even look at me after because of all those memories."

Red sighed deeply at the sadden girl infront of him, he awkwardly placed his hand over hers. All this emotional stuff was really starting to get to him—there was so much of it going on just tonight that Red thought it should cover the whole year.

"Jackie, you're really over thinking this whole thing." He firmly told her, "Listen, when Kitty and I first met it was during the war. We hadn't been together for more than a year when I left to Korea. And do you know how many times I've looked at her and seen those Korean men I spent a year shooting at or those fellow soldiers I'd sat around a campfire with, dying not five feet away from me or even the bullets that came flying towards me?"

Jackie remained mute.

"Never." Red answered, "The only things I ever see when I've ever looked at Kitty have been the things that made me fall in love with her and the things I love about her today. Nothing else." There was a small pause before he continued, "And I'm pretty sure being a dumbass isn't the only thing Eric got from my side."

Jackie's smile made a return and she leaned her head on her adoptive father's shoulder for a second time that night. "Thanks Red."

"Yeah well…" Red said as he started to feel uncomfortable again and so he cleared his throat, "Now are we done with all the mushy talking crap?"

"Yes." Jackie nodded with a smile, "Now we're done with the mushy talking crap."

Red stood up from his seat, "Good. Now I've just gotta go have one more mushy talking crap thing with Laurie."

As she watched Red walk over to the kitchen's glass doors Jackie jumped up from where she was sitting, her face showing her excitement with her bright smile.

"Your gonna go talk to Laurie?" she asked happily, she knew he would do it eventually but she never imagined he'd do it so soon.

"Yeah." Red nodded and turned around to look at Jackie, "Some yapping brunette girl who can hold flashlight better than anyone I know suggested I do it."

Jackie let out a small laugh before she walked over to where Red was so she could go back into the house with him.

"Come on, let's get inside." He muttered slightly pushing Jackie's small frame closer to the kitchen's side entrance, "It's getting colder out here."

That last comment caused Jackie to roll her eyes as she recalled his stubbornness and claims to it not being cold and him not needing a jacket only minutes before.

0o0o0o

Eric gave a chuckle at what the old woman on the television said.

After running out of the kitchen to get away from what he decided was a very possessed doll, Eric had come into the living room, sat himself on the couch and turned on the TV to one of the major networks when he saw it was time for one of his shows. The Golden Girls.

It was really his guilty pleasure show that he only watched when he was home on a Saturday night…which while in Seattle seemed to happen every Saturday night. But he didn't mind very much, he liked the show about the four older women. He laughed with them and occasionally ate a piece of cheesecake with them. If he had to choose a favorite he'd pick the mother of the group Sophia, but there was something about the Rose character that reminded Eric of his grandmother on his mother's side.

In the middle of one of Rose's never ending St. Olaf stories the kitchen door swung open and Eric scrambled with the remote before shutting off the set. He could only imagine the burns and comments that would come if anyone found out about the indulgence of his.

Once the screen had successfully turned black Eric turned to the entrance of the kitchen to see who'd come into the room.

"Oh hey Dad." He greeted sounding nervous but trying to remain cool, "What's up Dad?"

Red gave a deep Red Forman frown, "You better not screw this up."

Confused by his father's words Eric knitted his brows together as he watched Red continue to walk his way to and up the staircase. What was he talking about?

"Uh…good evening to you too, sir." Eric called back, not sure of what else to say.

He really had no idea what Red was talking about. Don't screw up what? There were plenty of things that he could screw up—thanks to the plenty of things he had already screwed up in his past—but he needed to know what his father was talking about now so that he would do his best not to screw up whatever it was Red didn't to be screw up and would probably end in a foot in the ass if he did.

"Hey."

The soft feminine voice pulled Eric from his thoughts and he looked over at the kitchen door once again this time seeing his smiling date.

Eric returned the smile, "Hey."

"What are you doing in here?" Jackie questioned, "I thought you were gonna be in the kitchen?"

"Uh nothing…I just thought I should give you and Red some privacy." Eric lied, not wanting to tell Jackie that he'd bought her a haunted doll, but now that he thought about his answer did seem like a very believable one. "So how'd it go?"

Jackie nodded and took a seat on the arm of the sofa, "It went good. We had a really nice heart to heart."

"Well that's impossible." He said with a slightly furrowed brow, "Because having a 'heart to heart' with require both people to have a heart and Red well…"

Before Eric could finish his statement Jackie swatted his arm in a hard but playful manner; a smile on each of their faces.

"Be nice." She ordered after giving Eric the slap, "Your dad does have a heart and you know it."

Eric nodded with his grin still in place as he looked down at his hands, "I know, I know." He assured, "But joking about Red not having a heart is like joking about him not having hair. It's just fun to do."

Jackie tried, she really did, but the giggle still managed to escape her lips.

"See?" he asked as he gestured his hands at her, proving his point.

It was a good few seconds before Jackie's and Eric's—who couldn't help but join after awhile—laughter diminished into quietness. But the silence they'd fallen into wasn't one with tension or any other form of being uncomfortable. And it didn't go unnoticed by either of them, just as it didn't go unliked either.

Her eyes remaining on Eric, Jackie gave smile, "He's gonna go talk to Laurie."

"What?" he asked in disbelief.

It wasn't that he didn't believe Jackie could do it, she was Red's favorite and if any of the basement gang could get through to hi it was her; but still they hadn't been out there that long! He hadn't even finished the Golden Girls episode!

"Seriously?" he asked again and Jackie grinned proudly with a matching nod, "Wow…just wow. You know if I had gone out there instead of you, I'd still be out there trying to get him back inside. And you would have had to call that ambulance." He went on, "But for me."

The brunette laughed and nodded knowing, "Yea, you'd need a visit to the hospital to get your dad's foot out of your ass." She teased.

"Exactly!" Eric agreed with raised opened palms.

Jackie gave another giggle and that made her smile grow even more. She loved how he made her laugh. So many times. She wanted laughter in her life, not drama and heartache like her previous boyfriends had given her. Sure both Steven and Michael had given her some good times and plenty of laughs at first too, but then eventually they had hurt her. Eric had been hurt by Donna too. Maybe because he knew what it was like to be hurt, maybe he wouldn't hurt her. Maybe…

"Thanks Jackie." Eric said breaking Jackie from her thoughts.

She shook her head trying to remember what he'd said before, if he even had, but couldn't come up with anything, "I'm sorry what?"

"I said thanks, Jackie." he repeated with a smile as he paused, "And I mean thanks for a lot of things…not just this Laurie thing. I mean really, I don't think I…any of us would be able to do all the things you have."

Jackie smiled slyly, "Sure you would have. You just wouldn't have done it as well as I did it."

"True. Very true." Eric nodded with a chuckle, and then suddenly he stopped and looked at her.

She was looking back at him, her own smile plastered across her lips and she looked just beautiful. It was some time before he managed to tear his eyes off of her, and once they were he looked down at his hands. He wanted to share something with her but wasn't sure just how to word it.

"You know Jackie, ever since I got back here and saw you…there's been this question I keep asking myself." He started to say and then moved his gaze back to the petite young woman beside him.

"When did the devil turn into an angel?" Eric asked, his tone sounding both teasing-like and at the same time truthful

"I don't know." Jackie tilted her head, "When did Yoda turn into Luke Skywalker?"

The Star Wars geek in Eric quickly made an appearance as soon as the question had left Jackie's mouth; he sat himself up in a straight up position and pointed his index finger at her—as if it would help with the point he was going to make.

"Now see that could never happen." He stated as he wagged his finger slightly, "Because Yoda is the one who taught Luke the ways of the Jedi. Not the other way around. If Yoda did turn into Luke Skywalker that would mean he would no longer be the Jedi Master and instead would have to learn his own teaching…but I guess technically they would be Luke's now since…"

By the time Jackie had let out a few giggles and was still shaking her head as Eric continued to ramble on, "Eric, just shut up."

Eric did as he was told, but as soon as his mouth was closed a playful smirk appeared on his face.

"You know there's only way to do that…remember?" He asked still smirking at the memory of the quick 'shut up' kiss they had shared before Laurie and Lucy had gotten here, "And I believe you Fair Lady, still owe me that token of gratitude."

"I believe you're right, Good Sir." She replied before scooting off her seat on the sofa arm and into the small gap between there and Eric.

The couple locked eyes with each other, her mismatched eyes looking into his green and his green looking into her mismatched ones, as they leaned in closer and closer to each other until their lips finally touched. It was a gentle kiss, that started and stayed on the lips only before they added their tongues. However even then the kiss remained soft and kind—though of course the feelings of desire come from both parties was not ignored in the lip lock.

"Wow." Eric said breathlessly when they pulled out of their kiss, it seemed like ever kiss with Jackie always left him breathless. Just being around her sometimes left him breathless. "This has been a really 'wow night,' huh?"

Jackie smiled and nodded, equally breathless, "Yeah."

"So…" Eric began to say, ready to continue with their date, "What do you wanna do now?"

"Well…" she said as she pretended to ponder over the question, she knew exactly what she wanted to do, "We could go upstairs."

Eric's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he heard Jackie's answer and the almost seductive tone she used to say it in. That was the last thing he expected to hear from her. It was a surprise, but a good one. A really really good one.

"Really?" he asked, excitedly and with his voice starting to go up high, luckily he caught it in time and quickly cleared his throat, "I mean, really?"

Jackie let out another giggle as she nodded, "Yeah, I thought we could go up there and…listen outside your parents door to hear Red's talk with Laurie."

A blank look suddenly appeared on Eric face. He blinked his eyes a few times as he did his best to come up with words that could pass as a response. It took a couple of seconds but he soon came up with something.

"That is not what I had in mind." He truthfully admitted before a grin spoke his serious expression he was trying hard to keep, "But it does sound like a lot of fun."

Clearly up for the idea Eric leapt off the sofa and grabbed Jackie's had to pull her up to her feet, earning him another giggle from her. Once they were both on their feet they made a quick dash up the living room staircase.

Author's Note: There you go Chapter 34 of "Two Weeks" Hope you liked!

BTW is it weird that after I wrote that last sentence I got a little sad? Cuz Eric and Jackie ran up the staircase just like Red and Kitty did…not for the same reason but still? Maybe it's just my emotions, finished watching one of the saddest House M.D. eps before I finished up this chapter.

How will Red's talk with Laurie go? Will Jackie and Eric get caught listening at the door? Is listening at the door the only plans Jackie has for when they go upstairs? Will Eric get his goodnight kiss? When will Laurie tell Fez about Lucy? And where the heck is Randy? Confused? You won't be after the next chapter of "Two Weeks"

Until then, thanks for reading, hope you liked, please review and lemme know what you think, stay tuned, take care, and have a nice day!