DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Nothing I tell you! Good day. I said GOOD DAY!

Ch35… Plan B…

***

Something wasn't right. For one he could hear what sounded like Science Fiction Theatre coming from the basement and Jackie refused to watch that show. For another Kitty was following him down the stairs claiming she wanted to just say hi to Mina. He may be a paranoid scruffy burnout but that didn't mean something wasn't going on. He grasped the basement door pulling it open noticing immediately as he walked through the door that one; Jackie was nowhere to be seen and two; this was definitely some kind of set up. The door slammed behind him, the keys jingling before the solid thunk of the lock slid into place, they really should lock that door more often. From above he could hear the muffled curses of Red, a long squeak which he figured was one of the chairs being dragged across the floor before being shoved under the door handle to the basement stairs.
"Ooh I think this is the one with the evil tongue that mutates into baby tongues!" Eric exclaimed "Hey, ow!" He rubbed his stomach where Donna elbowed him. "What was that for?"
Donna rolled her eyes and gestured to Hyde who was still frozen next to the door, no sign that he had even heard Eric showing.
"Hey Hyde, buddy?" Eric waved his hand in front of his sunglasses, snapping his fingers.
"Did we break Hyde?" Fez asked sounding nervous from his seat on the couch. Kelso shook his head pointing to Hyde's hands, which were curled up in fists.
"Nah, I think he's just so mad he can't move."
Eric took a wide step back moving behind the couch to rest his hands on Donna's shoulders.
"Maybe now would be a good time to let Hyde in on Plan A?"
He asked this very slowly trying not to move his lips although afraid any sudden movements might cause Hyde to snap. Donna shook his hands away standing up to face her long time friend whose face was twitching.
"Hyde, you in there?"
Kelso poked him in the back screaming in pain when Hyde spun around and twisted his finger.
"What the hell is going on?" His voice thundered through the basement, later on Eric would swear on his GI Joes that the walls had actually shook.
"It was Donna's idea!" Kelso shouted breathing with relief when Hyde let go of his finger.
"Ooh pretty, can I touch it?"
The gang turned to look at Fez who was fascinated by Kelso's mangled hand.
"Ow!"
"Great job dillhole, it looks broken." Donna wrapped the frozen peas from the deep freeze in an old towel and placed it around Kelso's hand turning back to glare at him, Hyde just shrugged.
"Hyde why don't you sit down, we didn't exactly factor in broken bones in contingency plans B through G." Eric asked pulling rumpled paper from his pants pocket.
"Why don't you start with plan A?" He replied arms crossed his chest, legs spread wide from his chair, somehow he knew the stupid helmet was going to come into play very soon.
"We just wanted things to go back to how they were." Donna started flopping onto the couch. "Everything's been so screwed up lately and-"
"You thought you'd take it upon yourself to just fix everything and tie it up with a little bow?" Hyde interrupted sarcastically. "That's not going to happen Donna, how many times do you need to hear it before it gets through?"
His anger had slowly been boiling all day and it seemed that this was going to cause the eruption. The redhead was frowning, clutching onto Eric's hand.
"I know that! I know I can't fix everything, okay! But I want to at least try; you think I don't know how badly I screwed up? I do. And I hate myself for it."
Tears stained her eyes, her face was now blotchy, the vein above her left eye throbbing. He wanted to yell at her, wanted to let his angry words spew out of him but he bit it back counting to ten in his mind. Mina would be proud, breathing deeply he turned to her.
"It's not me you have to convince Donna, it's Jackie."
"What do you think this whole thing is about? She wont talk to me, she wont listen to me, this was the only way I could think of to get her in the same room as me without leaving."
"And what are we? Witnesses in case she tries to kill you?" Hyde spat out unable to curb his anger.
"No, God Hyde. This isn't just about me, or about Jackie it's about all of us. When was the last time we were all together? Can you even remember that far back?"
He didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing that he couldn't actually remember.
"So what? People grow up Donna, they change no one ever said we all had to be together forever. Maybe it's time we all moved on from this."
Eric jumped up from the couch waving his hands at Hyde.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Just wait a minute here. We are not growing up. We haven't changed." Eric pointed to Fez "Still a pervert who sometimes wears dresses."
"Burn!"
"And Kelso's still… well Kelso." Eric continued glancing back at Donna. "And I'm still a twitchy Star Wars geek with a girl way too hot for him."
"Well that is true." Fez agreed reaching up to play with Donna's hair, scowling when she swatted his hand away.
"And I'm still in love with the string bean." Donna added staring down at the floor. "I still wear plaid and my feet are still huge. And I miss being told why all those things are wrong."
Eric rubbed Donna's back looking over at his friend hopefully.
"Come on Hyde, you'd miss us if we weren't around." Fez sang batting his eyes at him.
"Yeah like a hole in the head." He muttered under his breath. "Look I'm not saying I'll help you but what is this plan of yours besides locking us in here and hoping she wont just kill you."
Four friends exchanged nervous glances and Hyde groaned, she was making it hard not to yell at her.
"That was your plan?"
Eric held out the rumpled paper with a knowing smirk.
"Just A, we've still got B through G!"
"You should be wearing the stupid helmet. Hell you should have put it on a long time ago Donna."
Smirking inwardly as his words landed the sting evident in her face, Hyde settled back into his chair, this was going to be a very long day.

***

Red was getting tired, the town wasn't that big and he'd driven around it for the fifth time.
"I'm sorry Kitty but she's not here, and she hasn't scheduled another appointment with me until next week. Even the nutritionist said she was doing much better." Mina smiled apologetically gesturing to Jackie's file. "Make sure you get her to call me when you do find her, I think we need to arrange a little chat sooner rather than later."
"Sure thing honey and if you do see her-"
"I'll send her your way." Mina finished. "No problem now get out of her before Dr. Evans sees you, we're a nurse short for the night shift."
Who knew Kitty Forman could move so fast?
"Slow down Kitty if we didn't find the first five times we drove around town what makes you think we'll find her this time?" Red grumbled puffing as he reached his wife who was frantically pulling on the Toyota in her bid to escape from extra hours in the hospital.
"Red Forman! Are you not concerned that Jackie has been missing all day? She wasn't in the woo!ds, or the salon or the mall. She wasn't with Brooke and Betsy. The church or the water tower either."
"Remind me to kick Eric in the ass for that one."
"I doubt it was Eric sweetie, his handwriting has far more swirls in it." Kitty told him absently staring out the window thinking hard. "Maybe she went to the garage?"
Red was going to shoot down his wife's suggestion; how would the tiny girl get into a locked garage without a key? But he didn't have the heart and right now he really needed a sip of the whiskey he kept hidden in his toolbox.

***

She had the familiar ache in her lower back and her shoulders were stiff all telltale signs she hadn't been sleeping in her bed. She only got these pains from sleeping on a cot, an army issue cot to be exact. Yawning silently Jackie sat up slowly her eyes adjusting to the dimness of the room despite the aching of her muscles her sleep had been surprisingly peaceful. The mouldy smell of mothballs had always been a comfort to her. The paper beneath her fingertips crinkled and she looked at the photo once more. How can something feel like so long ago and yet just like it was yesterday at the same time? Her heart thudded in her chest, the blood pounding in her ears. Where there people in the basement? Once upon a time that would have been a stupid question but the once hum of activity had been dormant for weeks.
"…believe she'd think that…"
"…what do you expect….were a bitch…cut out…."
The words were muffled but she could distinctly make out Steven and Donna arguing. There were fast steps and sputtering which was obviously Eric, the steady drum and squeaking meant Kelso was there too, the crinkling of a wrapper, Fez. The whole gang back together, just great.

Careful to avoid the clutter on the floor she moved towards the door where she could eavesdrop better.
"…quit trying to trick her into forgiving you, it wont work. Getting her locked in here with everybody will probably just piss her off even more!"
Donna's reply was muffled by something, tears maybe? But she caught the gist of the conversation. It made her insides thud once more; it was almost like an intervention, no one could leave. She was the only one missing and she didn't know if she wanted to go out and face them or even if she could. She could only pray that Steven would get fed up and storm off to his room and not alert the others to her presence.
"…be friends again."
"It's not about what you want. You just don't get it you still think this is all about you, the Donna show. It's not! Think hard, it's not just about Sam, it never was."
Finally, the sound of his boots clicked across the basement nearing the door. Jackie breathed in a sigh of relief; even with their awkward conversation on the rise she was thankful to see him.
"Hyde wait. What do you mean?"
Jackie pressed her ear against the flimsy wall very interested in his response.
"Ask anyone, it's pretty damn obvious Donna."
Her heart swelled, she'd once told Donna that it was cool when men acted like they own you but what she really loved was when they defended your honour.
"Guys?" Donna sounded like a small child her green eyes seeking out their faces, which were now avoiding her. "Eric?"
"Well come on Donna you never were the greatest friend to her, you didn't tell her when Kelso fooled around on her with Pam or with Laurie or anyone else."
"Yeah and you were always telling her that Hyde only wanted in her pants and didn't really care about her." Fez added inhaling some chocolate he'd found under the couch cushion. Kelso clapped his hands loudly and jumped up in his chair.
"Ooh I got one! When Jackie decided to take Hyde back you hung out with that biker chick and weren't mean to her!"
"Oh good one Kelso." Fez praised his friend. "Jackie was very upset by that."
"Guys." Eric yelled a warning in his voice. Jackie had to strain to hear the wet sobs that she recognised as Donna's she felt a slight pang but squashed it back down. The door to the small room swung open catching her off guard and she stumbled back.
"What the-" Hyde begun to swear, cut off when Jackie pounced on him holding her small hand over his mouth shaking her head frantically. The other four friends fell silent their footsteps headed towards them.
"Hyde?"
Jackie's eyes pleaded with his and he bit back a groan motioning for her to move settling her behind the door while he talked to the others who were now crowded against the door, Jackie holding her breath hoping she wouldn't be caught.
"What happened?" Kelso was trying to peer into the room but Hyde had planted himself firmly in the way.
"Nothing, I saw a rat."
As predicted Fez and Kelso both visibly paled clutching each other while Eric took a step back.
"We're locked down here with a rat?"
From behind the door Jackie's eyes had widened, he better just be trying to distract them because Donna or no Donna there was no way in hell she was staying in this basement if there was a rat down here.
"Well I dunno, it was black and furry and skittered across the floor just figured rat." Hyde gestured to the stack of boxes behind them.
"It went that way."
Two down, Fez and Kelso both made for the relative safety of the better lit centre of the basement. Eric was tugging on Donna's hand also wanting to get away from the rat. Hyde fixed his zen face on them staring until Donna finally turned and headed back towards the sofa. Swinging the door closed he planted one hand on either side of Jackie's head and leant in close his lips brushing her ear.
"Relax doll there's no rats down here."
Pulling back he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear his finger tracing down her face; her hesitance from this morning waning. The other sounds of the basement murmured in the background, her heart providing a steady drum.
"Well except for them."
Hyde jerked his head to the side indicating their friends and Jackie giggled softly, she could be quiet when she wanted to be.
"Thanks for not busting me."
Her voice was so low she was practically breathing the words, each word hitting his face in little puffs.
"No problem. So you heard all of that?" Hyde asked scratching his ear as he sat on the bed Jackie pulling her legs underneath her as she sat next to him.
"Pretty much. Thanks for sticking up for me." Jackie whispered softly resting her head on his shoulder, his arm curled around her.
"What were you doing down here anyway?" He asked keeping an eye on the door.
"Looking for you." She replied staring down at the photo. "I found this."
Hyde pulled the photo from her hands gently staring down at the two of them from years ago.
"Why do you still have this? I mean after the last time I thought you would have thrown it out."
Hyde clucked his tongue shuffling forward to put the photo back in its place.
"I couldn't."
It was only two words but she knew what he meant. Very slowly she turned and placed a soft kiss on his stubbly cheek nuzzling it.
"Me neither."
But of course he already knew that.
"I read it."
His heart thudded so hard against his chest he wondered if she could feel it.
"You were wrong. I'm exactly what you deserve."
She laced her fingers with his knowing that at any moment he would shrug off this 'touchy feely' moment.
"So how are we going to get out of this basement?" She asked shifting to stare at the ceiling, the hundreds of glow in the dark stars still stuck there. She felt his low grumble of laughter before she heard it.
"Well grasshopper it seems I still have a few lessons in zen and ass kicking to impart on you."

***

How will our favourite Zennie's turn this around on the gang? What are plans B through G? And most importantly will D and J ever make up? Well you'll see in due time….