1 ~ Ramble On

I'm goin' 'round the world, I got to find my girl
On my way
I've been this way ten years to the day
Ramble on
Gotta find the queen of all my dreams

Hyde woke up slowly. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, then turned onto his side. Jackie's face beamed at him from behind the thin glass of the picture frame on his dresser. He scowled at the picture and turned it down so that Jackie's paper face was smiling at nothing.

After a moment, he turned the photo back to its original state, Jackie smiling at him once again. It was one of the few things she'd let him keep after clearing her furniture out of his room.

Four days had passed since he saw her face in person. He missed it, a lot more than he'd like to admit. He scrubbed his face and looked away from the picture.

Part of him was surprised that four days had gone by without a word from Jackie. He really thought she would follow him back and explain, since he hadn't let her back in Chicago. But no. Jackie never showed up. Not even a phone call. He hadn't even heard anything about her from the others.

Then again, he hadn't seen much of the others the past few days. In fact, the last time they'd been around each other was three days ago, when he returned from Chicago. Kelso had returned shortly after he did, explaining that nothing had happened between him and Jackie.

Maybe he should call Jackie. No. They were done, he had to get that through his head.

An urgent knocking sounded at his door. "Go away, Forman," Hyde said. It had to be Forman. Red was still out fishing because Forman punked out of going to Africa. Mrs. Forman never woke him up.

"It's Donna."

"Go away, Donna," Hyde amended.

"It's an emergency."

Hyde got up at the panicked tone of her voice. He opened the door to find Donna on the verge of tears.

"Hyde, oh my God," Donna said. Her words dissolved into watery mumbles.

"Donna, what's going on?" Hyde asked. He rubbed her shoulder gently. She moved in and wrapped her arms around him.

"Jackie's missing," she said into his shoulder.

All the breath left Hyde's lungs. He held Donna at arm's length. When he remembered to breathe, he asked, "What?"

"Kelso said he went to visit her in Chicago again, but she wasn't at the motel. He went to her new job and they said she never came in. Eric and I went to her house and no one was there. Fez checked all of her usual hang out places. We can't find her." Donna was speaking quickly and her voice was shaky, but Hyde followed along.

His thoughts were running a mile a minute, but one thought was louder than the others.

It's all my fault.

It was his fault she was missing. If he hadn't left her in Chicago she wouldn't have been kidnapped or whatever happened to her. If she was hurt or… or dead it was on him.

"Fuck," he said under his breath. Then, a little louder, "Fuck."

He racked his brain for places she could be, but his mind came up empty.

She wouldn't be at her parents' ski cabin; they'd lost it nearly two years ago. It was possible she could have checked into another hotel in Chicago, but her new TV station was paying for the one she'd been staying in. Plus, she hadn't shown up to work at all.

"You're sure she's not at her house? Maybe she just wasn't there when you checked," Hyde said.

"We could check again. We've been calling there a lot," Donna said. She started pacing in the alcove outside his room.

"Let me get dressed and we'll go check again," Hyde said. Donna nodded and walked out to the main part of the basement. Hyde closed his door and leaned against it.

"Fuck," he muttered again.

Hyde got dressed quickly, putting on jeans and a Led Zeppelin shirt. He grabbed his jacket and left his room to see Donna pacing in front of the couch. She was chewing her thumb nail.

"Ready?" Hyde asked.

"Let's get Eric first."

Crystal clear water flowed over smooth rocks into a turquoise tinted pool. The pool was surrounded by towering birch trees, each full of vibrant green leaves. The skies above were blue and cloudless. The sun shone brightly in the sky, casting light on the water.

Eric had never felt such total peace. He felt no worries, no stress. Just complete and utter serenity.

Eric laid back in the lush grass and breathed in the fresh air. It smelled of flowers and warmth. The grass didn't make his arms itchy either. It was soft against his skin.

A bird song could be heard in the distance. Or… no, that wasn't a bird song. At least it didn't sound like any bird Eric had ever heard. No, it sounded more like a voice. A woman's voice.

Eric didn't move as the voice got closer. He felt no need to find the voice. He knew the voice would find him first.

The grass turned sharp beneath Eric's bare arms as the voice grew louder. It sounded so familiar. His mind conjured the image of Hyde, but the voice couldn't belong to his best friend. No, this was a distinctly feminine voice, one that was getting closer with every word she spoke.

"Eric… Eric… Eric!"

The owner of the voice couldn't be more than a few feet away. Eric opened his eyes and sat up. His surroundings had changed.

The water was no longer clear and calm. It was blood red and flooding the once shallow pool. The birch trees had been stripped of their leaves, now bare and foreboding. The sky had turned gray and cloudy with lightning thundering nearby.

The feeling of complete peace changed to a feeling of pure terror in the second it took for the lightning to strike.

Eric turned around, towards the forest. The voice was still calling to him, getting closer. A familiar silhouette of white light stood in front of him.

"Eric, tell Fez I'm in his homeland. Tell him to bring the rest of you here to find me. I don't have much time, I only just found you. I don't know where I am, exactly, but it's in Fez's homeland."

In a flash, the silhouette was gone and Eric's surroundings had returned to their peaceful state. But Eric was still stiff with terror.

Eric gasped as he woke up. He sat up in his bed and took fast, shallow breaths. He forced himself to even his breathing as he took in the sight of his room. His posters, his Star Wars models, his G.I. Joes.

He grabbed the notepad from the side of his bed and wrote down what the voice had said to him.

I'm in Fez's homeland.

When he finished writing, he stared at the paper. He wasn't totally sure why he had written it down, but it seemed extremely important.

Eric didn't have time to ponder it, because there was a knock on his door. He opened it to reveal Donna and Hyde, both fully dressed. Donna looked frantic and Hyde looked antsy, tapping his foot impatiently.

"Hey, guys, what's going on?" he asked.

"We're going to go check Jackie's house again. I really think she's missing," Donna said.

Jackie. That was the voice in his dream. He must have thought of Hyde when he first heard it because after two years of them dating, Eric's mind always thought of them together.

"Okay. Let me get dressed," Eric said.

Donna nodded and Eric closed the door. He put on jeans and a flannel button down, tucking the note he'd written into the change pocket on his jeans. Then he met Donna and Hyde in the hallway.

Hyde led the way out of the house to the Vista Cruiser. He got in the backseat, letting Donna sit next to Eric up front. Eric put the keys in the ignition and started the drive to Jackie's.

When Forman pulled up to the Burkhart mansion, there wasn't a car in sight. Of course, Pam had taken the Lincoln with her to Mexico, leaving Jackie without transportation. Hyde was usually her ride, but recently he hadn't been her first choice.

Hyde had to stop himself from slamming the car door when he got out. He pulled his lockpick from his jacket pocket as they walked up to the front door. As soon as he stuck the torsion wrench in the lock, the door pushed open slightly. Hyde cautiously pushed it the rest of the way.

"It's unlocked?" Donna asked.

"Yeah." Hyde stood up, putting his lockpick away. "Stay behind me."

Hyde entered the house and looked around. Donna and Forman stayed close behind him.

There was no evidence anyone had been there recently. The house was in it's usual pristine condition, though slightly dusty. Hyde relaxed a little, but not completely. Someone could still be hiding in the house, waiting to kidnap them too.

He walked up to Jackie's room, a path he'd walked countless times. Hyde pushed open the door, hoping to find Jackie safely asleep in her bed.

She wasn't. In fact, the room looked like no one had touched it in months. Which wasn't true, Hyde had been here a little over a week ago, spending the night with Jackie. A series of fucking stupid events had brought them to this.

Forman looked around Jackie's room. His gaze settled on the half-melted candles on Jackie's dresser. "I don't think she's here, Hyde."

"No shit." Hyde sighed. He wasn't sure what to do next. He began pacing next to Jackie's desk.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Donna and Forman exchange a glance. Without saying anything, Donna dragged Forman out of the room, closing the door behind them. Hyde sat on the edge of Jackie's bed and put his head in his hands.

She was missing. Really, truly missing.

Hyde would do whatever it took to find her. He no longer cared about what he'd seen in Chicago. It seemed completely irrelevant and stupid now. Jackie's life could possibly be in danger. He had to find her.

Hyde took a few deep breaths and lifted his head. He looked around Jackie's room, eyes catching little traces of himself amidst the pink. The records he'd given her over the past two years, his Led Zeppelin shirt, the picture of them on her nightstand.

He stood and picked up the picture. It was the two of them sitting on the couch in the basement. He was staring at her and smiling; she was in the middle of telling a story. Fez had taken that picture about a year ago.

When Hyde set the picture back on the nightstand, the backing came loose. As he went to fix it, he noticed there was another photo in the frame.

Carefully, he pulled it out. It was him and Jackie at the prom, years ago. He had no idea she'd framed that picture. He slipped the small picture into the inner pocket of his jacket. If he was going to find Jackie, he'd want a piece of her with him.

Donna couldn't believe what she was hearing. Last night, Eric had had a dream about Jackie. Well, he had heard Jackie's voice, telling him where she could be found.

And he hadn't said anything.

The door to Jackie's room opened and Hyde came out. Donna stared at him and said, "Eric, tell Hyde about your dream."

"Okay," Eric said. He told Hyde about the voice and the silhouette, then showed him the message he'd written down.

"That's fucking stupid," Hyde said.

Eric looked at Donna. "See, that's why I didn't say anything! I knew he was gonna make fun of me."

"But it's our only lead," Hyde continued.

Eric turned to Hyde. "What?" Donna grinned self-satisfactorily.

"Yeah, it's a stupid lead, but it's our only one. I- we have to find Jackie," Hyde said. His voice was even with certainty as he stared at Jackie's bedroom door.

Donna exchanged a look with Eric. They had never seen Hyde so determined. "Okay," Donna said. "Let's go find Fez."

Fez and Kelso were sitting in the basement together, thinking of places Jackie might be. Kelso had called nearly every hotel and motel in Chicago. She wasn't at any of them.

They were running out of ideas.

"Let's watch I Dream Of Jeannie and think of other places Jackie might be," Fez suggested.

"Good idea," Kelso said. He stood up and turned on the television, then changed the channel.

Fez stared at Jeannie's boobs and tried to think of where else Jackie could be. He'd checked the mall several times, as well as the nail salon. He'd checked the Hub. He'd checked everywhere Jackie usually went.

He, Kelso, Donna and Eric had searched all over for Jackie yesterday. They hadn't said a word to Hyde. Fez wasn't sure why, but they had all agreed not to bring him into it.

The basement door opened, distracting Fez from Jeannie. It was Eric, Donna and Hyde.

"Fez, we need to talk to you," Donna said. She sat down in the lawn chair. "Eric had a dream about Jackie last night."

"Ooh. A sexy dream? Was she topless?" Fez asked.

Hyde walked over and punched his shoulder hard. "Be serious. And don't talk about my- about Jackie that way."

"Sorry. Eric, tell me about the dream," Fez said.

Eric walked over to Hyde's usual chair and sat down. Hyde had started pacing behind the couch. Kelso turned off the TV, allowing Fez to give Eric his complete focus as he told them about the dream.

When he finished, Eric handed Fez the paper that contained Jackie's message.

I'm in Fez's homeland.

"Oh, no, no, no. We can't go there," Fez said.

"Why?" Kelso asked.

"It is dangerous and I will not be responsible for any of you getting hurt."

When Hyde spoke, his voice was quiet and angry. "If there is even a sliver of a chance that Jackie is there, we are going. I don't care what you think about it. You are going to take us there and we are going to look for Jackie. Got it?"

"It's dangerous there," Fez repeated. It really was dangerous. He wouldn't put his friends in danger because Eric had a dream.

"I don't give a fuck. We are going to find Jackie," Hyde said.

Fez swallowed hard. This was the scariest Hyde had ever been. "Okay."

Hyde stood up and backed away from Fez. "Good."

Fez glanced at his friends. Kelso's eyes were wide and his mouth was hanging open, Eric's eyebrows had raised into his hairline, Donna had covered her mouth with her hand.

"Now, what do we need to bring?" Hyde asked.

Once everyone was packed with clothes, nonperishable food and bare essential items, they all met in the Formans' driveway. Fez was pacing by the basketball hoop. He had to break some unbelievable news to his friends.

Fez took a deep breath. "I have to tell you all something that is, frankly, unbelievable."

Fez looked at each of his friends in turn. Hyde looked determined, yet worry lay beneath his aloof exterior. Kelso looked mostly confused, like he wasn't quite sure what was happening. Donna was clutching her backpack straps with a nervous look on her face. Eric was fidgeting with the zipper on his jacket.

"In my homeland… magic is real," Fez said.

"What?" Hyde asked.

"Awesome!" Kelso shouted.

"No way," Donna said.

Eric pumped his fist. "Yes! I knew it!"

"It's true. My country uses magic. To get there, we will use magic," Fez said.

"All right, let's go," Hyde said. They all stared at him. "What?"

"You're the last person I expected to believe in magic," Donna said.

"Yeah. And you've just gone along with whatever we say. Usually you tell us we're stupid when we say things like that," Eric said.

"Yeah, well… Jackie's missing. This is our best shot at finding her. I don't care if it's magic or if we have slay a fucking dragon or some bullshit like that; we're finding Jackie," Hyde said. "So, how do we get to your homeland?"

"The passageway is near school," Fez said. "We can drive there, but we can not take vehicles through the passage."

"Then let's go find Hyde's lady love," Eric said. Hyde punched his shoulder.

Hyde got out of the Vista Cruiser and moved aside to let Donna out after him. Fez and Kelso got out from the backseat and Forman turned off the car, then locked the doors.

"What are the chances my car is gonna get stolen?" Forman asked.

"I'd say four in ten," Kelso said.

"The Vista Cruiser should be fine. Follow me to the passageway," Fez said.

Fez led them to a thick tree next to the school parking lot. It's leaves had already turned brown, but hadn't fallen yet. Fez reverently laid his fingers on the bark, but withdrew them a second later. He turned to the four of them.

"Before I open the passage, is there anything you would like to know?" Fez asked.

"Yeah," Hyde said. He hiked his thumb toward Kelso. "Why's the moron joining us?"

"Hey!" Kelso squawked indignantly.

"Why shouldn't he? The more people to find Jackie the better," Fez said.

"He shouldn't come because it's his fault she's missing," Hyde said. "I mean, it's mostly my fault, but Kelso's gonna screw this up somehow."

"How is it Kelso's fault?" Donna asked.

"If he hadn't walked into the motel room, I wouldn't have left. If I hadn't left, Jackie wouldn't have been kidnapped."

"And if you hadn't waited 'til the last second to give Jackie your answer, she wouldn't have gone to Chicago at all," Donna said.

"Wait, what?" Kelso's eyebrows drew together as his brain made the connections. "Oh my God! You were gonna say yes?"

"I'm not talking about this," Hyde said. "Let's just go."

Fez nodded. "Yes, we should try to make this as fast as possible. My homeland is dangerous and if Jackie really is there, she could very well be in severe danger."

Hyde bit his tongue to keep from speaking his thoughts. If Jackie was in severe danger, all because of him… he'd never forgive himself.

"Wait, Fez, where are you even from?" Forman asked.

"I am from the village of Riverbend, on the vast island of Terra Tempestas," Fez said.

"Terra Tempestas?" Donna asked. "That's Latin for 'Land of the Storm.' Why is it called that?"

"It rains pretty often. It's more of a metaphor for magic," Fez said dismissively. "Ready to go?"

Forman raised his hand. "I forgot to tell my parents I was leaving."

"Why the hell does that matter? Red's still fishing from you not going to Africa a few days ago," Hyde said.

Forman lowered his hand. "Right."

"Open the tree, Fez!" Kelso said excitedly. He must have been out of his mind excited to see real magic. He was like a kid.

Fez turned toward the tree and traced his index finger down a path in the bark. As he traced the pattern through the wood, it began to glow a soft yellow. Hyde stood in awe at what he was seeing. Today was fucking crazy.

When Fez finished tracing the pattern, he stepped back. The glow retreated back into the bark. Then the tree split itself in half, opening up to a dark tunnel. The tunnel lit itself up, glowing golden yellow.

"Holy shit," Forman said, his voice raised an octave.

"Let's go," Fez said. He stepped into the glowing tunnel. No one moved for a few seconds.

"I'm not going in there," Forman said.

"Yes, you are," Hyde said. He stepped forward into the tree and was immersed in the yellow glow. It was strangely peaceful, like after a circle.

Kelso bumped into him from behind, then Donna, who was dragging Forman by the wrist. The tree closed behind them, leaving the five of them in a tunnel of light with seemingly no end.

Hyde took a deep breath. "Let's go find Jackie."