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Author's Note: Hello All! Long time no see huh? Well for this story anyways! How are you all doing? Hope you're well. I am so so very sorry for taking so long to update this stor but school work and then holiday stories sort of got in the way but as a said last month I have for you a new chapter! And you can expect some more new chapters in the near future. I didn't get as ahead as I would have liked but I'm still at least a chapter ahead so if I can manage my time and posting periods correctly, I think we'll be okay and this story can get moving again. That is of course if you all want this story to be moving again. I know it's been along time since this story was updated and an even longer time since it first started but I hope it still has some readers following. And I want to thank all of you readers who have stuck by the story, reviewed, added to your favorites, and alerts. It really means so much! You all are the reason why I'm continuing this story now! And a special thanks to MidniteRaine for his advice on the Donna and Eric stuff, Thanks JB! Okay you all have waited long enough so let me just say, thanks again for everything, hope you enjoy this chapter, please review if you can, signed in or unsigned old or new readers I would love to hear your thoughts and please, Enjoy!
"What was your first boyfriend like?"
Hyde scowled immediately after hearing the question before moving the camera off his surrogate mother and over to his ex-girlfriend who was also seated on the sofa, "Jackie, this is supposed to be a video about Mom's life not some chick flick thing filled with romance."
"I know this video is about Mom and her life." Jackie replied in an argumentative tone, "But don't you think romance is a big part of her life?"
"No." Hyde answered back almost too quickly. His replied caused Kitty's eyes to widen in shock and when Hyde saw this from the lens of camera he quickly tried to correct himself or she might just decide to fire him and adding Jackie as the interviewer, "Uh I mean…not any more…not that…I …damn it."
Kitty nodded her head at his muttered words, "That's right. And I'll have you know that Jackie is right." She said to catching Jackie straighten herself with pride, "romance has played a pretty big part in my life, both when I was younger and even today."
Frowning with confusion Hyde pointed out, "But you're married to Red."
"Yes, I am and Red is very romantic."
"Red Forman?" he asked, scowl still in place.
"Yes, Red Forman." she replied shaking her head slightly at the way he was still doubting her; however, her smile slowly began to reappear as he went on, "Red can be a very romantic man when he wants to be…or more when I want him to be." She let out a little giggle. "It may not be every day that he does some big romantic thing or whispers something sweet to me but I think that's part of what makes it even more romantic when he finally does take the time to do it."
Nodding his head with a smirk, because that sounded more like the Red Forman he knew, Hyde suddenly thought of another question, "So what's the most romantic thing Red's ever done for you?"
Before Kitty could even open her mouth to begin to give her answer to the question, the younger woman who Hyde had been trying to keep out of the video spoke up—and got back into the shot of the camera—once more, sounding quite upset as she did.
"Hey, you skipped my question!" she stated.
Hyde didn't flinch, "So?"
"So I want Mom to answer my question first."
"Jackie, your question is pointless." He argued from behind the camera, "We know what her first boyfriend was like. He's Red, we…"
"No he wasn't." Kitty interjected Hyde's statement with the correct information; seeing the looks on her children's faces she continued, "Red was not my first boyfriend."
"Really?"
Both Jackie and Hyde asked together, however with much different tones. Jackie sounded excited and intrigued as if she were hearing the latest piece of Point Place gossip. Hyde meanwhile, sounded almost fearful and maybe even a bit queasy, he'd always seen Red and Kitty together…he could imagine them with other people even if it was before they'd met each other. It just felt wrong. Besides finding out things about your mother's love life not exactly something on a son's—adopted or not—to do list.
"That's right. I had a few boyfriends before I even met Red." She shared with them, "And even a few while I was with him."
Jackie's eyes widened at this new piece of information and Hyde managed to dip his head and cover his own eyes, while still keeping the video camera filming and steady. Catching the two diverse reactions, Kitty held in a laugh and knew she had a bit of explaining to do.
"Now it wasn't anything like that." She began to say, "It was during the time that Red was in Korea and they weren't really boyfriends they were just…suitors…admirers…other soldiers that I would write too."
"So you were a tease?" Jackie asked.
Hyde let out another unhappy groan but went unheard by the gabbing women.
"No, no, no, I wasn't a tease. That just something you did in those days. Young women were always writing to handfuls of young soldiers. Those men were overseas risking their lives to keep us safe at home, writing those letters was the least we could do. It was like our contribution to the war. Some of those soldiers had no one back home and so getting a little letter from a woman back home that he'd met once at a dance was important, it kept him going."
"I remember Red telling me how important those letter from home were to him." Kitty started to share, "He said when he read the letters it allowed him to escape and kept his mind off the war even if it was for only a short while. Which was why we never discussed what was going on over there in our letters."
Her smile stretched as she began to recall some of those old love letters, "You know, the letters I wrote to those other solider were only about a page or two but the ones I wrote to Red." She laughed lightly, "Those were filled with a hundred 'I miss you's and a thousand 'I love you's and that's not even counting the little things that happened to me that week that I would ramble on about to him. By the time I was done the letters would be pages long. but I always loved writing those letter to Red and of course his letters were always my favorite to receive. They were never very long because of course he didn't have as much time to write as I did. But they let me know he was alright…he was alive. Oh and he used to write the sweetest things."
"You still have those letters?" Hyde curiously asked.
Kitty nodded, "Up in the attic in with Red's old war things."
"Hey!" Jackie interrupted, not sounding very happy as she did so, "You skipped over my question."
"Ooops." Hyde replied not sounding very sincere—plus that smirk he wore on his lips wasn't helping much.
The brunette glared in his direction before turning her attention over to Kitty, she asked again, "Mom. Who was your first boyfriend and what was he like?"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Hyde cut in this time, "That's two questions."
"Ooops." Jackie repeated in a small mocking voice, she didn't see why he was being fussy about it, it was practically the same question, "You skipped over my question to ask your own question so that means I get a free question."
"My first boy friend was George Munson." Kitty answered the first part of the question, her voice starting off louder and then slowly going back to normal, her attempt to keep the incoming argument between the pair from happening—it worked. "We went to school together and I was sixteen when he asked me out on our first date. I remember because sixteen was the age that parents had allowed me to date. George had asked me out a few times before but I had to tell him no. Then a few days after my sixteen birthday he asked me out and of course I said yes, he took me out on a little belated birthday date."
"He was such a sweet young man too and a football player at our high school too, so he was very strong." She continued, "But he was also very respectful and really sort of shy when it was just the two of us—which I thought was adorable."
Jackie tilted her head slightly, "So why didn't it work out?"
"Well he was my first boyfriend, Jackie. My first relationship and those things don't last. Well sometimes they do." She corrected herself, "But most of the time they don't and that's okay. Past relationships, especially that first one, play an important part of your life. They help teach you things that you couldn't learn on your own or even from friends or family; things about life and yourself."
"The relationships you had with your ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend are like stepping stones, helping lead you to your future husband or wife. It's like if I had never dated George I might not have met Red…or maybe I would have met him but I might not have been the same person I was when I met him, the person who loved him and who loved me. Every failed relationship, no matter how much heartbreak it gave you, is one you should be grateful for."
Hyde had a feeling she had put in some hidden message there for him and Jackie—and he was sure Jackie did too—but he pretended he hadn't noticed, "This Munson guy break your heart?"
"Oh no." Kitty shook her head, "No. I dumped him. I was never the dumpee, I was the dumper." She suddenly frowned, "that didn't come out right, did it?" she asked and received a chortle from her adopted son as her answer.
0o0o0o
When Donna had first asked Eric if she could talk to him alone she hadn't expected them to go outside and talk in the driveway, but in a full house like The Forman House currently was the driveway seemed to be the most closest private place available. And just like she hadn't expected them to go outside she in no way had predicted to be sitting beside him in their old spot on the hood of the Vista Cruiser, but that's where they were now.
It had just sort of happened—Donna couldn't even recall who was the first one to sit down. They'd silently walked out of the house and off the back porch onto the cement of the driveway, the immobile car was parked in the middle of it and like a kind of reflex they sat themselves on the cold hood. It's been years since they'd sat together in that spot and while it had that nice, familiar almost, nostalgic feeling there was a great feeling of differences between then and now. Back then the time spent on the Cruiser's hood was mostly playful and loving moments, sometimes a bit serious but never awkward like it felt now.
They'd been sitting on the vehicle for what felt like months, neither one saying a word because they weren't quite sure who should speak first. Since Donna's eyes seemed to be fixated on her old house, Eric kept his own eyes focused down on his hands.
"You know, I'm surprised you didn't take the Cruiser with you to Seattle." Donna said, breaking the silence with small talk, "Every time I would come visit your mom and see it parked in the driveway part of me always kind expected to find you here."
He looked up and nodded before giving a small shrug, "Yeah, well I flew over there. And if you think the extra fees for getting your pet to fly are bad you should see how much they charge to get your old station wagon on the plane." Dona laughed and Eric smirked a small smirk that diminished more when he looked back down and began to speak again, "Plus you know, this car got a lot of memories. Some I that I was trying to leave behind."
Donna instantly picked up on what he was saying—the memories he was trying to leave behind were the memories he had with her. A light shade of concern appeared on her face as she looked at her seat, "Oh. Right. Do you want us to get up…should we…I…"
"No." Eric replied without missing a beat, "We always had some of our most serious talks here…it's kinda fitting to be sitting here now, huh?"
"Yeah." She agreed with a nod.
Eric gave his own nod before deciding to take the reins of the conversation, "So, read any good books lately?"
"Yeah." Donna answered holding in a laugh as she took the reins right out of his hands, "But that's not what I want to talk to you about. Randy and I made up."
Pretending to act like this was big news, and he hadn't even know the pair had been fighting, Eric raised his eyebrows hoping to appear surprised, "Really? And the wedding's back on and everything?"
"Yeah." She replied not being able to contain a small smile.
"That's great, that's really great Donna." He said no longer pretending to be anything, he really was happy for her and it was then that he realized he hadn't gotten to say so before and so he smiled at her and said, "Congratulations."
She smiled back at him, "Thanks."
"And you know the best part is that Randy figured all of this stuff out all on his own." He said hoping to get Randy a few extra points but at the same time feeling quite curious over whether Randy had told her about his help, "He came back her on his own. And got you guys back together on his own."
"I don't know about al on his own." Donna said her faint smile playing on her lips, "He mentioned something about a little bird helping him out."
Hearing this caused Eric to sit straighter up in his seat. He hadn't been expecting Randy to tell Donna that he had helped, he'd been willing to be seen as the hidden helper who got the pair back together; but learning that Randy had told Donna the truth about his help made him quite happy. It also gave him some hope in his own relationship with Donna being patched up.
"Oh yeah? Did he happen to mention how intelligent and handsome this little bird was?" he asked with a smug look crossing his face.
The blonde laughed a quick laugh, "Yeah, something like the bird wasn't all that modest."
Together the pair shared a laugh and suddenly the awkward atmosphere started to diminish; they felt comfortable with each, feeling like they were sitting with a friend and not a person they hadn't spoken to in three or so years.
"Thanks for going to talk to him, Eric. It really means a lot." She said sounding very genuine in her voice before changing to a more questioning one, "But I still gotta ask, why did you do it? I mean going to talk to your ex-fiancée's new fiancé and getting him to get back together with her…they don't just make guys like you anymore."
Eric smiled at her questions, it's why he could always picture her in journalism, she always wanted to know more even after the big picture had been given to her. "Not since 1960." He said in reply to her comment that followed her query, "We're kinda a limited edition."
More of the awkwardness faded as they shared smiles but Donna, like any good reporter, wanted her answer.
"So?"
"I don't…I don't know." He replied; he knew why he did it but putting it into words that made sense especially when telling them to the woman they most concerned—not the easiest task. But he was going to try his best. "I mean I guess because I was part of the reason you guys were arguing in the first place…"
Donna frowned as she interjected, "Eric, you weren't…"
"Well I felt like was." He interrupted her back, "And so I felt like I should do something to try and fix things. Plus you took the time to com out here and be with my mom and wrote her those letters from before. I really appreciate that." He made sure she knew, making her smile slightly, "But I guess the main reason was because…well Randy…he makes you happy, right?"
"Yeah." She nodded not being able to contain her smile when she simply thought of her feather haired fiancé, "Yeah he does."
Seeing Donna's smile grow—even though he knew she wasn't think of him—made Eric grin as he gave her the final part of his answer, "You always looked the prettiest when you were happy. I want you to be happy, Donna."
Touched by his words, Donna looked eyes with him and smiled, "Thanks Eric. And I want you to be happy too. ..even if it is with Jackie."
The drop in Donna's tone of voice was snot missed by Eric. He scowled but before he could say anything Donna spoke up, apparently she'd noticed it too.
"I didn't mean it like that." She tried to justify herself.
"Oh so you didn't mean it like, I want you to be happy with anyone but Jackie but since you are, I guess I'll have to be. Or at least pretend to be. Well that is good to know, Donna." He said he voice leaking with his sarcasm and budding anger.
The blonde frowned not liking his tone one bit, "Eric, if you would just let me explain myself."
"Okay." He agreed with a nod and gestured with open palms, "Explain."
Donna took a deep breath and shifted her eyes to the hedge that separated The Forman house and her house, well he old house—she really did miss that place. "It's just seeing you and Jackie together…romantically is…is weird." She said after struggling for a better word.
Eric gave a untrue smile as he wagged his finger at her in response to her use of her 'large' vocabulary, "See that's why they pay you the big bucks at the newspaper." He smiled at his own joke but the death glare she sent his way quickly caused his snarky-ness to fade and he put away his finger and spoke in a more sincere tone this time, "Sorry. I'll try to tone down the sarcasm."
"Thank you." She sounded very appreciative before she tried to explain her feelings once more; this time keep her eyes on Eric and not her childhood home, "Look Eric, before you we went out before, we kissed on the hood of this car, before any of that you were my best friend. And Jackie's been my best friend for a long time too—even if I didn't realize it till years later. And I'm happy that you guys are happy but the fact that you guys are making each other happy…that's what gets me so confused and causes me to act like…the way I have been."
With a concentrated frown creased on to his forehead, Eric followed along with her words and suddenly began to understand things a lot more.
"I mean you guys hated each other when we were younger." She continued on.
Eric shook his head, "Donna, we never hated each other."
"Eric, you used to refer to her as the devil." Donna reminded with an unconvinced expression her face.
"So?" he shrugged, "I call Laurie the devil all the time but that doesn't mean I don't love her. She's my sister. 'devil' is like a term of endearment from me."
Hearing this explanation from Eric only made Donna's frown deepen, "So when your kissing Jackie it's like your kissing your sister Laurie?"
Eric's eyes widened and bulged out Donna almost thought they were going to pop out of their sockets like a cartoon character, "What?! He screeched, "How did that…I…No! Oh God!" he felt sick by the thought alone and covered his face with his hands.
"See that right there!" Donna pointed to his reaction, "The way you're feeling about you kissing Laurie…"
"Oh God! The image!" Eric groaned in disgust, now only covering his eyes with his hands—pressing down hard as if that would help the picture get out of his head.
Donna ignored his complaining and went out with the point she was trying to make, "That's how I feel about you and Jackie being together. It's like how you felt when Jackie and Hyde first got together."
"But…" Eric said, very cautiously removing his hands from his eyes, "They were creepy and unnatural. We're not…are we?"
"To me you are." She answered honestly before adding a more hopeful comment, "But that'll change."
Despite Donna making that effort to add the last line it didn't make Eric feel any better, mostly because he didn't hear it. His mind was still wrapped up in the fact that he and Jackie were the new Hyde and Jackie. Their relationship hadn't been accepted by the group and his and Jackie's relationship wasn't exactly welcomed with open arms either—at least not by Donna and Hyde. And while Eric was sure Jackie and Hyde had had their moments their break up was a messy one.
"Jackie and Hyde broke up." He said his mind still focused on that thought.
"I know." Donna bit her bottom lip nervously and nodded, "Not the best example. But you eventually got used to the idea of them being together and were happy for them, right?"
"Yeah…" he nodded, leaving out the part that it had taken quite a bit of time for that to happen. "Wait so does that mean you'll be happy for us?"
She nodded again, "Eventually."
"That works." He agreed.
"But Eric, I think you should talk to Jackie about Hyde." Donna continued, her voice sounding serious again.
Eric became confused, "What about him?"
Donna shifted in her seat, this wasn't the easiest thing to say and she didn't want it to cause more tension in the family but it was for that same reason that she made herself say the words, "Just make sure that she's over him."
"But she is over him" Eric was quick to answer but a small part of him couldn't help but wonder if Donna knew something he didn't. "They've been broken up for years and they don't exactly get along very much lately." He said hoping to convince her an that little part of his doubting self.
"Yeah, but they didn't exactly get along in the first place either. And Jackie's always kinda held a torch for him." She reminded him of those days when she pretty much stalked the curly haired rebel and ended up getting him arrested, "Plus we haven't been here. They have. They've been living together in one house and who knows what could've happened. I'm not saying this to upset or even worry you, Eric. But when you fall in love with a girl it's like you skydive out of a plane and don't bother to check everything before you do. This time, before you jump I think you should do go over that check list, to keep yourself from slamming into the concrete ground and getting hurt."
A smile stretched onto Eric's lips, "Now that's why they pay you those big bucks." He said this time without a trace of irony.
She smiled back at him, "Thanks. I'm trying to help you the way you helped me with Randy." She added, hoping she believed him and didn't t really think this was some kind of trick to break him and Jackie up. She wasn't too keen on the idea of them as a couple but Eric had helped her with her happiness and she wanted to return the favor. He deserved happiness.
"Yeah, I got it." He nodded and his smile and the look on his eyes told her they were okay, "Thanks."
Nodding again, Donna decided to change the subject of conversation, "So have you thought about what's gonna happen after…"
Shaking his head form left to right Eric interrupted her before she could finish, "I haven't thought of any 'after,' Donna. 'After' isn't even in my vocabulary right now. I just wanna focus on now and spend as much time as I can with my mom."
Donna gazed down at the faded hood beneath her, she almost regretted bring up the somber subject but it did open the window for her to tell Eric the words she'd been wanting to tell him since first seeing him at the beginning of this visit. "Eric, I know you're going through a tough time right now and I just want you to know that I'll be here for you. I love you."
Eric's head shot up a hearing this and he looked at Donna with an expression of confusion and what looked a bit like fear, it made her let out a small chuckle.
"You know, in the same way that you told Donna you still love me." She assured and immediate Eric relaxed.
Being loved by two women could be fun but they did not need any more drama around here.
"Thanks Donna, that does make me feel a lot better." He shared with her and she smiled, "Now can I ask you a question?"
"Okay." came her reply.
He placed his hand under his chin and did his best to sound like a questioning journalist, "What do you think of me being part of your wedding?"
Donna laughed at his actions rather than his question, "Do you want to be part of my wedding?"
"Well yeah." Eric said as Eric and not reporter Eric, hoping he wasn't too out of line with this question, "I mean I know the big parts of eth bride and groom are already taken—which is good because you know me as a groom and white isn't really my color—but I'd be fine with a smaller role. I mean we're friends and you put friends in your wedding."
"Most of my friends are gonna be wearing blue bridesmaid dresses." She informed with a smile.
"Well see, that works out perfectly because I've actually been told blue looks great with my skin tone."
His words caused Donna to laugh right out loud and soon he was laughing along with her. The she reached over and gave the side of his head a slight shove. Surprised by the action, Eric looked at her and found her grinning, his grin grew and he returned the playful shove. And just like that it felt like it was 1978 again.
0o0o0o
"Whatcha you doing?"
The little voice startled both of the men who were usually collective, strong, and not easily surprised. However this time, they had been focused on their task that when they heard the familiar voice sounding so close to them they jumped up a little more than they would have liked to admit. And of course it didn't help their pride any when they turned their heads to look behind them and found a petite brunette giggling away.
After walking Angela out to her car and waving her off, Jackie had hurried back into the warm house mad her way to the kitchen. She was partly hoping to find Eric in there having finished with his talk with Donna so that he could tell her what happened and they could spend sometime together. She knew it sounded selfish, especially with the situation the family was in, but she felt like she had hardly spent any time with him, or maybe she had but she wished they could spend a few more moments together, she hadn't realized it when they were younger but talking about serious stuff or just plain silly stuff Eric Forman was good company.
There had also been another part, a smaller part, of Jackie that had hoped she would run into Steven in the kitchen. She knew they needed to have their own talk and now that she'd spilled the beans about the whole stripper thing to Angela, now that she'd told a part of his past that he and all of them tried to forget ever happened to someone he was hoping could be part of his future, Jackie knew that talk had to happen soon.
And to say she wasn't expecting to find Red listening in on the conversation going on in the basement would have been a lie. She saw that determination in his face and she'd guessed it before he even started! But she definitely had not been expecting to find both Red and Hyde listening in on the conversation with the ears pressed against the drinking glasses that they held up against the wall.
Catching the men, who would get after her and Kitty when they gossiped or stuck their nose in other people's business doing that exact same thing, Jackie knew it was too good of a chance to pass up and if Kitty weren't ill in bed she'd be right beside her in making sure the boys knew they had been caught.
What had surprised Jackie was how little it took to make them react the way the had; their reaction had sent her into a fit of giggles that she still couldn't get out of.
"We're uh checking for termites." Hyde told his amused ex-girlfriend with a frown. Why was she still laughing? It wasn't that funny.
Once Jackie was able to contain her laughter, though her smile stayed in place, she crossed her arms with a skeptical look on her face as she glanced at the glass in his hand and then back up at him, "With your ear pressed against a drinking glass?"
Hyde shrugged his shoulders, "Best way to do it." He said remembering another one of the lines Red had given him earlier.
But of course, it didn't fool Jackie Burkhart either.
However instead of arguing further with Hyde, Jackie turned her attention to the older of the two men—who'd gone back to listening with his household hearing aid, obviously not caring much of what it was that Jackie thought. She stepped closer to him, uncrossing her arms only to put her hands up on her hips.
"You're really listening in on Laurie introducing Lucy to Fez, aren't you?" she questioned, already knowing the correct answer but wondering if he would admit to it right away.
Reluctantly, Red pulled his ear off the bottom of the glass and scowled in Jackie's direction, "If I say 'yes' will you go away?"
"Nope." She waited not a second to reply with a single head shake, "But I won't tell Mom or Laurie. If you let me stay and listen too. Deal?"
"Fine." Red was quick to agree, though not in the happiest of tones, so that he could go back to his listening. "Just be quiet."
She gave an affirmative nod, "Okay. Scoot over."
Jackie gave Hyde a shove that surprisingly enough, considering her small size, was able to move him enough to give Jackie some space to squeeze in and take a place near the basement wall. But she didn't stop there, not only did Jackie take Hyde's space by the door but before she started listening in she grabbed the drinking glass out of Hyde's hand and used it as her own.
Hyde frowned at his hand that was still in the form of holding the now gone glass before looking over at Jackie, "Hey, that's my glass?"
Removing her ear from the glass and giving it a look over she shrugged her shoulders and looked at Hyde, "I don't see you name on it." She commented and then went back to her eavesdropping position.
"Jackie, I was using it." Hyde argued not caring that he sounded a bit childish, mostly because he didn't think he did,
"And now your not." She said her raven hair whipping behind as she straighten herself up once more, "Just get another glass."
Hyde continued to stand his ground over the simple drinking glass. "I don't want another glass. I want the one I was using. You get another glass."
"I'm not getting another glass…"
That was the last clearly heard line before it all became a jumbled up mess of fighting words coming from both Hyde and Jackie all over a drinking glass that had several look-alikes in the cabinet a few feet away. Red tried his best to ignore the disagreeing pair and it worked for awhile until the already muffled voices coming from his glass became drowned out by the pointless argument and that was when he had had enough.
With a scowl in place Red marched over to the pair who didn't notice him until he began to speak and they silenced themselves.
"That's it! Give me that." He ordered and Jackie swiftly placed the glass in his waiting hand; using the same hand that held onto the glass he pointed at the two, "Now both of you have to get another glass. And after you do I want you to shut it or I'll shut it for you. Understood?"
"Yes, sir." They both replied sounding and looking almost like soldiers who had just been given a command.
Once Red left them alone and went back to trying to hear what was going on downstairs, Hyde and Jackie scurried over to the kitchen cabinets where the glasses wear kept. They hurried over there looking like they were competing again and if they were, Hyde had won that race. Of course the only reason for hi success was because Jackie got distracted. On her way to the cupboard she caught the sight of Eric and Donna sitting on the Vista Cruiser talking and laughing and she suddenly found herself feeling jealous.
She wasn't jealous of Donna though, she was jealous of the relationship the two had. It wasn't that she wanted her relationship with Eric to be like that but she wouldn't have minded if her relationship with Steven was like what she was seeing out in the driveway. Donna and Eric were broken up and though they hadn't been on the best of terms before watching their interaction from afar Jackie had a strong sense that that had changed. With her and Steven since they had broken up there had been only a few moments where they were able to forget about their pasts and how they'd hurt each other and had been able to be friends.
But it never lasted very long.
"Looks like they're having a nice talk." A deep voice said from behind her.
Jackie turned around and found Hyde standing there with a glass in each hand, she quickly turned back to the slide door, "It's just a talk, Steven."
"Yeah, I know." He said sounding as Zen as ever, "That's why I said 'having a nice talk,' Jackie."
Her mismatched eyes focused on Eric's smiling face outside as she folded her arms over chest, "Yeah, well…I guess they're able to still be friends after their break up since they were friends before they got together. We were never really friends were we?" she looked at him again but found his shaded eyes focused on the scene in the driveway.
"I don't even know what we are now." came his Zen reply.
The two perfectly shaped eyebrows wrinkled close together as she stared at him, but he never glanced her way like she want him to. Jackie at last tore her eyes from him when the shrill ring of the telephone filled the room. Red wasn't going to answer it, she knew for a fact, and getting Steven to answer the phone on his own, well you had a better chance of finding him listening to country music than you did finding him answering the phone.
Letting out a deep breath, Jackie brushed past Hyde and took one more look at him before grabbing the receiver off the hook and up to her ear.
"Hello, Forman Residence." She greeted the person calling but the next sounds that came from the other line made her feel confused and maybe even a little scared, "What? Who is this? I.. I don't understand." She said as her frown deepened and she became silent, listening to the other person on the other end, but she was still lost.
Hearing the commotion going on behind him, Hyde turned around and found Jackie standing with the phone next to her ear and a scowl on her face. As soon as Jackie saw him looking at her, she saw her way out and with a shake of her head she pulled the recovered away from her and stretched the spirally cord so that Hyde could grab the phone.
"Steven, here. I can't understand a word they're saying." She explained her face suddenly scrunching with disgust, "They're all cry-y and boogery!"
Hyde took the phone but only because it looked like Jackie was going to drop it on the floor, fearing that the germs form the boogery person on the other end would get on her. He gave Jackie one more frown before taking the call.
"Hello?" he spoke into the mouth piece and the next thing he heard very much fit the description Jackie gave. The person calling was definitely crying, sobbing more like, and it was causing them to be sniffling and blowing their noses in what Hyde hoped was some type of tissue,
"Hey buddy, you gotta calm down. Who're you trying to talk to?" he paused and waited for a response but the one he was given only mad him front more, "Alfred? Look man there's no Alfred here…wait…" Hyde looked at his father still listening with the glass at the wall. This person call had to be someone who had heard about Kitty's condition and that's why they were calling and Alfred did kinda sound like Red…."Um here Red, I think it's for you."
Red scowled at the yellow phone Hyde was handing out to him, "Who is it?"
"Some crying dude." Hyde informed with a shrug, "Can't understand what he's saying."
"Hang up." Red barked back, not wanting to deal with any crying people especially not over the phone.
"Come on man, that's meaner than the both of us put together."
"Fine, give me that." Red grumbled and at last moved away from the basement door and grabbed the out of his adopted son's hand; however before he took the call he looked at the two in the room, "But you two go take over there and listen in—and don't start arguing about it."
Not needing to be told twice Jackie and Hyde each grabbed a glass that Hyde had placed on the counter seconds ago and hurried over to the listening post while Red dealt with Weeping Winnie.
"Yeah, what do you want?" Red spoke into the phone, dismissing the quick 'hello' greeting; the other person said something on his end and though Red's frown diminished some, he did roll his eyes, "Oh, hi Bob."
Hearing Red greet his former neighbor, Jackie and Hyde exchanged looks. The man had been a blubbering mess when they'd talked to him not more than a minute ago, sure he couldn't have gotten a hold of himself so quickly. How did Red know it was Bob so quickly? They kept one ear on the glass but were suddenly much more interested in the phone conversation happening before them.
"Yeah, yeah." Red nodded, "She's uh…she's doing okay….Uh huh. Right." He seemed to just be giving short answers that agreed with what ever Bob said, at least until Bob said something that shook Red from his zombie like replies, "What? No. No Bob, don't come up here."
His voice was firm as his argued with his old friend trying to keep him from making a trip to Point place, the last thing he needed was another person staying in his house. This was worse than it was when the kids were younger at least back then they all had their own houses to go back to. And of course back then Kitty wasn't sick.
"Listen Bob, if you come up here to pay us a visit my foot will be paying a visit to the inside of your ass. Got it?" Bob said something else and Red sighed thinking more about the ill woman sleeping upstairs than whatever the crying man on the other end had said, "Alright, we'll see you tomorrow."
As soon s the phone was hung back up on the hook Jackie and Hyde pulled themselves away from the wall and looked at Red. Though there was no need to ask what Bob had said, they'd heard the most important part about Bob coming to town, there was still one question on their mind.
"Red, man, how'd you know it was Bob?" Hyde was the one who asked the question.
"I lived next door to the man for over fifteen years." Red explained, "Half the time he sounded like that anyway."
Author's Note: There you go, Chapter 49 of "Two Weeks" Hope you liked!
How are things going down in the basement with Fez, Laurie, and Lucy? Will Eric be part of Donna's wedding? Will he have to wear a dress? What will things be like when Bob gets there? Who told Bob what was going on? Will Jackie be able to tell Hyde about her spilling the bean about the stripper? And is Jackie really over Hyde? Confused? You won't be after the next chapter of "Two Weeks"
So what did you think of the chapter? Good? Bad? Happy it's back? Or not so happy? Lemme know!
Until next time, thanks for reading, hope you liked, please review and lemme know what you think, stay tuned, take care, and have a nice day!
