A/N: Hello, I am back with a 4-part Eric/Donna story! I'll be updating with a new chapter every Monday. If you enjoy the story, please follow/fav and review! For more That 70's Show and Eric/Donna content, follow me on tumblr thatseventiesbitch. I am only a fan, and all rights to That 70's Show and its characters belong to The Carsey-Werner Company.

An Angel Returns

Part One: Meeting Myself

January 14th, 1980

Point Place, Wisconsin

1:58 am

Eric bounced a basketball against the concrete of his parents' front patio, dully. Each THUD of the deflated ball sounded pathetic and defeated and the cold, dismal January weather didn't do much to brighten the scene. Cold and gray… that had surely been the mood around here lately, Eric thought to himself. The ball hit a frost-filled crack on the concrete, and bounced away from him erratically.

Hyde sat in one of the patio chairs, and easily looped an arm around the wayfaring basketball. He bounced it back to Eric.

"Want another hit?" he grunted, extending the burning blunt he held in his fingers. It was their second of the evening. They'd never dare to smoke so openly in front of Red and Kitty's house if it weren't nearly two in the morning, and the dead of winter. All of the homes in the neighborhood had been dark for several hours now, the smoke from their furnaces churning billows of smoke that twisted and turned into the night sky.

"No, that's enough for me." Eric held his hand up.

Hyde shrugged, and took another drag himself. As he exhaled, he spoke around the smoke to ask, "Heard from Donna?"

"Still no," Eric shook his head. It was clearly a sore spot. He sat down in the chair next to Hyde and slumped forward pathetically, hunching over the basketball he held in his lap. "It's been over a week," he added, dejected.

"She's busy," Hyde shrugged. "Unpacking, starting classes, meeting new people. Whatever it is that you do at college."

"Yeah. I know," Eric responded glumly. That was precisely what killed him - that she was off at Madison doing all of that without him.

They'd spent all night together when he returned on New Year's Eve. She'd kissed him at midnight, and then he'd spent all night with his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Back where it belonged. But his happiness had been fleeting, because the next morning Donna left for Madison. She'd left the number for her dorm and signed her name with a heart. Eric still had the piece of paper - it had become worn now, but it still smelled faintly like her perfume. But it was all he had.

He didn't begrudge her the experience, of course - Madison was her Africa. He understood. He'd never ask her not to go. But he'd be lying if he said he wasn't shocked that she'd really gone this time. There wasn't a bus - this time it was Bob's Oldsmobile, packed to the gills with boxes and suitcases and 15 pairs of shoes. But she didn't even look back, and it broke his heart.

Eric couldn't explain it. He wanted her to go to college, he just… wanted her to miss him. Like he'd missed her.

Truthfully, he'd missed everything about Point Place. Big things - like the luxury of sleeping in a bed not covered in mosquito netting, food that didn't taste like what Edna used to serve for lunch at Old Maine, and his friends to talk to after a long day of working with ridiculous, annoying pre-teens (who are pretty much the same no matter which country you're in or what language they're speaking, it turns out). And the small things, too, like enjoying a Clapton album or walking alone down by the reservoir. Free time was something that hadn't been easy to come by, and he had to consider his safety in ways he never had before. It was exhausting.

He was always going about his day at the rural schoolhouse and thinking about home. What were his parents doing right now? What had Mom cooked for dinner? How about his friends - had Kelso done anything stupid recently? Was Hyde enjoying a circle right now? And then there were thoughts about… her. Mostly guilt, as he imagined her sitting around Point Place, bored and waiting for him. Again. She was always waiting for him.

So it was a good thing she'd gone. A good thing she was finally in college. It was where she'd always belonged. But without his scholarship money, Eric couldn't join her. And he couldn't stomach the thought of going back to Africa. He didn't know what he was doing anymore, and he'd never felt more trapped by Point Place. He had no scholarship. No plan. No Donna. And no clue what to do next or how to move forward.

Hyde grunted softly, jarring Eric from his thoughts. "Well, man, my fingers are turning blue here," he held up his cold, bare fingers and wiggled them at Eric. The blunt was gone. "So if you're done smokin', I think I'm gonna turn in."

"Yeah, man," Eric lifted his hand to his friend in a half-hearted wave. "Me too. Good night."

Hyde was wrestling his own demons, and Eric suspected they were keeping him up too, but they didn't talk about that.

His stripper wife was long gone - she'd been gone before Eric returned, and Hyde hadn't spoken a word about her. If it was her that Hyde was messed up and moping over or still Jackie, Eric wasn't sure. But his friend was dealing with something in his gruff, detached way. It had always been easier for the two of them to smoke than to talk.

Hyde slipped down the basement steps and left Eric alone on the driveway. It was still, dead-of-night still. The only sound was a slight buzzing from nearby streetlamps and Eric held the basketball tightly in his hands for a few moments, squeezing it hard to feel the pressure. He'd come to hate night time. He'd lay in bed for hours upon hours, tossing and turning, unable to escape his own mind and thoughts of… well. Donna.

He was constantly wondering what she was doing, who she was talking to, whether she was thinking about him. Probably not, Eric grimaced bitterly. He'd tried to call three times now, on the landline she'd left him for her dorm floor. Twice there'd been no answer, and the other time some dumb-sounding girl with a high-pitched voice had asked, "Who's Donna?"

The fact was - Donna was moving on. Without him. And he had no one else to blame but himself, like usual.

Eric sighed, dumped the basketball, and quietly let himself into the kitchen through the sliding door. It was time to go toss and turn in bed for six hours.

"About time, you night owl."

Eric actually jumped off the ground in surprise.

The deep, jovial voice had come from the kitchen table, and when he turned around he saw his guardian angel sitting casually at one of the chairs. He looked exactly the same as Eric remembered him, from that last time he'd appeared and showed Eric what his life would've been like if he and Donna had never kissed.

"Oh it's… you," Eric finished lamely, realizing he didn't actually know the angel's name.

"That's right," the angel lifted his arms wide. He was dressed in the same white suit, and his black hair was slicked back familiarly. "It's me."

"Again?" Eric grumbled. "Don't you guys, like, rotate?"

"Nope. You're stuck with me." The angel stood, his smile wide. "Or maybe I'm stuck with you."

"Okay, well, I don't know why you're here," Eric shook his head. "I already know that it's better to have loved and lost than…. blah, blah, blah."

"Than to have never loved at all," the angel finished the expression for Eric.

"Right. Yeah," Eric rolled his eyes. "Well, I already know that, okay? And guess what?" He dropped his voice and averted his eyes. "I still lost her."

"Things are going to work a little differently this time," the angel said.

"Okay, well, as fun as that sounds…" Eric trailed off, and headed for the swinging door to the living room. "I'm gonna have to pass this time, okay Genie?"

"Angel."

"Whatever."

Eric pushed against the swinging door to the living room, intending to leave and go up to bed, but nothing happened. The door didn't budge. Eric frowned, and shoved against it with his shoulder. Still nothing. He whirled around with a panicked expression. "Let me through."

"Not until you hear what I have to say."

Eric grabbed at his hair in frustration. "Donna and I… we're through, okay? For good. It's not like last time, when you could help."

The angel raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure!" Eric exploded. "I messed up - again - and she's not talking to me. She moved away. It's over."

"And you know that for a fact?" the angel asked him, pointedly.

"I need to go to sleep," Eric growled, his patience nearly gone.

The angel shrugged. "Contrary to what you think, I'm not here to make you do anything you don't wanna do."

"Great." Eric turned around again, headed back towards the swinging kitchen door.

"But it's not too late."

Eric hesitated, his hand about to push open the door. He cringed at himself for falling for this, but spoke after a moment. "What? What do you mean?"

"It's not too late," the angel repeated. "And you know exactly what I mean."

Eric's hand fell away from the door, back to his side, and he let out a deep sigh. "This… you're going to help?"

"Yeah, I'm your guardian angel, dude. Not the antichrist."

Eric turned around now, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, well, you're not a normal angel. Angels are supposed to be, like… nice."

The angel shrugged. "Hey, they needed someone real to get through to a stubborn ass like you."

Eric tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Can angels swear now? Is that… is that a thing?" He lowered his voice. "Does God know?"

"Look, do you want to do this or not?" The angel asked him, exasperated.

"Do what?"

"It's complicated. But step one is already in motion." The angel jutted his chin towards the sliding kitchen door, and Eric turned around to see his sixteen-year-old self stretched out across the Vista Cruiser with Donna.

The driveway had completely transformed from a dark, dreary January night to a warm May evening. Eric recognized his light green striped shirt and the bright red hoodie that Donna wore immediately. This was the night of their first kiss.

"Ugh, we're back here again?" Eric complained. The last time the angel had appeared, he'd brought Eric back to this moment, too. He knew, he knew. He wouldn't wish away his whole relationship with Donna this time. He'd just wallow in how bad it felt to lose her. For good.

"Just listen," the angel snapped, already exasperated with Eric's attitude. "It's for a different reason this time. Look," he gestured outside, where Donna was leaning over him and giving him his first kiss. "In about fifty seconds, that kid is gonna walk into this kitchen after his first kiss. And he's gonna see you here."

"What?" Eric balked. "That's not possible."

The angel shook his head impatiently. "Blah, blah, blah, angel magic," he wiggled his fingers half-heartedly. "And it's your job to talk to him. Explain who you are. Get him to come with you."

"Come with me where?"

"Through the door," the angel motioned towards the swinging door to the living room. "When you two are ready, you'll be able to go through."

"To where?"

"That's step two," the angel shook his head. "Don't get ahead of yourself!"

Eric just shook his head, flabbergasted. He couldn't believe he was playing along with this guy - again. He was starting to wonder if this was all a dream, like the last time. Or if he'd had way, way too much of Hyde's blunt. "How do I - what do I say to him?"

"Look, I can't give you all the answers. Where's the fun in that?"

"Fun?" Eric narrowed his eyebrows. "You think this is fun?"

"Oh yeah, I mean for me," the angel clarified. "What, do you think I do this stuff out of the goodness of my heart?" He chuckled and shook his head at Eric's naivety, but before Eric could ask another question, he'd snapped his fingers and disappeared.

The kitchen was calm, almost chillingly quiet for a few seconds. Then the sliding glass door slid open, and a younger version of himself walked into the kitchen from the driveway.

Younger Eric's eyes bugged when he saw Eric standing there.

Eric leaned against the counters, his arms crossed lazily against his chest, and took in the memory that had now physically materialized in front of him. The green shirt younger him wore was a new one from J.C. Penny's, and still a bit too big on him, but his chest and arms would develop some and he'd grow into it in the next couple of years. It was one of Donna's favorites. She said it brought out his eyes. The younger boy's hair was short, still growing out from summer and he had that deer in the headlights look, his gaze nervously darting around the kitchen. Probably looking for Kelso, thinking this was a prank.

"Hi Eric," he greeted himself. This was… really bizarre.

Younger Eric didn't answer, he just stared.

It must be a lot to take in, Eric figured. To be staring at a future version of yourself one night in the middle of your kitchen. He felt a twinge of protectiveness for 16-year-old him.

"I'm, um," he cleared his throat. "You. I'm… you. But older."

Younger Eric still didn't speak. Then suddenly, without warning, he turned around and yanked at the handle of the sliding glass door he'd just entered from, clearly intending to flee. But the door didn't move. Just like the swinging door to the living room, the sliding glass door had become frozen into place. Neither of them were going to be able to leave this kitchen until they were "ready". That's what the angel had said.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Eric said gently. "It's okay."

Younger Eric slowly turned around in defeat.

"Do you… do you have questions for me?" Eric offered. He didn't know how to put him at ease.

"Y-you can't be me," Younger Eric said tentatively, wearily. "It's not - this isn't possible."

"Don't I look like you?" Eric raised his eyebrow. Younger Eric lifted one shoulder in half-hearted agreement.

Eric swept his hand over his forehead, lifting his hair away from his hairline. "Here, look," he offered. "I have a scar on my forehead. Right here," he gestured for Younger Eric to look closer, and after a moment's hesitation, he did. "You have one too," Eric said knowingly. "We got it when we were 6, at the Dane County Fair. Laurie pushed us when we were getting off the carousel."

Younger Eric lifted his hand to touch the spot on his own forehead, almost subconsciously, but he still didn't look convinced.

"You just had your first kiss out there on the Vista Cruiser, with Donna," Eric continued. He watched Younger Eric's chest puff out with pride, and grinned. They were proud of that one.

"Well - I mean, it was our first real kiss," he amended. "The time Rachel Kushner kissed us on the monkey bars in kindergarten doesn't really count, right?"

He sensed that Younger Eric was being won over - or that he was at least becoming very confused about what he thought was happening here.

Younger Eric frowned, though. "So, you were there that day at the Dane County Fair," he said. "So you're a creep, who hangs out at playgrounds and watched Rachel Kushner kiss me." He shook his head, and Eric could practically see his gears churning. He was struggling to rationalize why not to believe him. "That doesn't mean you're me."

But Eric shook his head, impatiently. He wanted to see whatever was behind that door, wherever the angel had gone. He'd told Eric that he still had a chance with Donna, but he didn't know how long that chance would last.

"Oh, I am you," Eric chuckled humorlessly. On this side of a conversation with himself, he realized how stubborn he could be.

"Let's see. Some of the worst things you've ever done," he held up his hand, and started listing things on his fingers. "You smashed Christine del Bueno's diorama of the four food groups in second grade because you thought she did better than you." Younger Eric froze. "You clogged the kitchen sink by trying to stuff most of a sandwich down there, but you let Laurie take the blame when Red had to replace the whole thing. He was so pissed, he actually spanked her." Younger Eric gulped.

The list of things he'd done wrong in his life got worse - a lot worse - but most of it came later, when he was older than 16. So he changed the subject, turning to Younger Eric's insecurities now.

"You're worried your dick is too small," Eric said. "And that you're going to have zits for the rest of your life. And you masturbate to - "

"Stop." Younger Eric had finally cut him off. His eyes were squeezed closed. Eric paused, and gave him a chance to say something else. When he didn't, Eric continued mercilessly. "You masturbate to Donna," he continued. "Especially that picture of her from the summer after 8th grade, where she's wearing that white t-shirt and you can see the outline of her bra." They shared a knowing look.

"But oh so many others have made appearances over the years. Haven't they?" He grinned at his younger self wickedly. "There's TV's Nancy Drew, Ms. Pamela Sue Martin. You know the one. You know the plaid jumper."

Younger Eric groaned in embarrassment.

"Farrah Fawcett, in that red swimsuit. And out of that red swimsuit."

"Stop it," Younger Eric said again, clearly uncomfortable.

"Say you believe me. Say you understand now, that we're the same person."

Younger Eric swallowed, but he didn't say anything.

"You know, here's a fun one," Eric continued, his eyes locked with Younger Eric's. "Mrs. Burrow. Yep, that's right. Our fifth grade teacher. Remember the," he gestured in front of his chest, as if cupping a generous pair of breasts, "On her? Yeah. I know you do." He paused. "Do you really want me to keep going? Because it does not get better from here, man…"

"Okay," Younger Eric finally whispered, his voice breaking. "Okay. You're me. I understand. I understand now."

"Good." Eric released a deep breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.

"But why are you here?"

"I - " Eric hesitated. "I don't know."

He couldn't tell his younger self everything - that their guardian angel was some fat guy in a white suit who could show up at the most inconvenient times - that they had to go through those doors to an unknown location for an unknown reason - and that he'd fucked things up with Donna so badly that this was their very last chance to be with her.

"But do you trust me?" he asked his younger self.

Younger Eric eyed him wearily. But slowly, he started to nod. "I - I guess so."

Eric swallowed. "Good. Follow me."

A/N: Step Two will be posted next week. Please review and let me know what you thought. :)