Title: 12 songs by Willie Nelson

Disclaimer:  Willie Nelson is mine.  Mine!….oh wait –what would I do with a really old stoner?  Never mind.  Love his music but…I also don't own That 70's show.  

Summary: Jackie's summer alone turns into a summer on the phone with the man that she just can't seem to leave behind.

Credit:  OMG!  Can you believe this is the second to last chapter?  I can't believe this started out as an exercise to purge my writer's block (all my old college Profs would be proud).  I'm so glad you all like it.  I hope it ends the way you hope. (Okay that made it sound like I might do something crazy – I won't).  But anyway thanks again to Starlight for the random quote and my girl Kashmir for the show quote.  You guys really are the greatest.  Still have one more chapter if anyone else would like to be great too.  

Song Cred: Song 11:  Recollection Phoenix – Another song written by Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas.  Has anyone noticed how huge a fan of Rob Thomas I am?  And I guess Willie is too. 

  The simple lack of her is more to me than others' presence

                                                                                           -Edward Thomas

"Steven is almost a man and he needs to meet a girl who will help him find his way."

-Kitty

Recollection Phoenix

It's funny how the miles

Get into me though

I wonder how the earth moves

I wonder what my baby thinks of me-o

Recollection L.A.

Wondering who it is I'm supposed to be-o

Tourist at the roadside

High on souvenirs and cappuccinos

But I think I get it

I think I understand

It's all about hope

And where you go when you get it

I think I get it

I think my heads on straight

And I think (he) knows

Hell, there goes my secret

Recollection Phoenix

I wonder how the hell did I get older

My mind still on my woman

I wonder what she thinks of when I hold her

Yeah, judging by the silence

You might think the road has

Made her colder

But I can't live without her

And I can't remember if I ever told her

The menu offered Chicken Cordon Bleu or Prime rib (two dishes she was sure coach should never attempt to master), the man beside her was snoring and some where on this flying coffin a baby was crying.  Jackie had never been happier in her life. 

They had just taken off from Arizona, her second layover, and she was finally on her way home.  She was tired but ready.  It had been a summer of soul searching.  It was a summer for figuring out who she was and who she wanted to be.  And now she knew. 

Jackie Burkhart wanted to be the kind of girl who forgives.  She wanted to be happy.  And she wanted to embrace love, no matter how flawed. She laughed -that was a far cry from the girl she used to be.  That girl wanted to be spoiled.  She never wanted to have anything to forgive. She wanted love to embrace her.  She wanted –no expected -love to go out of its way to be easy and perfect.  She had been so silly to think that it would do that for her when it never did that for anybody. 

But the girl on the plane with the tan and the smile was different.  Jackie sat back in her seat, glancing at the man beside her and thought of Steven.  What was he doing right now?  What song was playing on the radio?  What concert tee did he have on?  Was he mad about having to ask Kelso for help? 

Okay that last thought was a bummer.  She had the whole vision in her head.  Steven was sitting on the couch, where they had spent the previous summer in make-out bliss, wearing the Ted Nugent shirt.  That shirt was so thread bear it was almost see-thru and Jackie had always fantasized of ripping it off of him.  She wondered how mad that would make him.  Maybe she would try.  But anyway-he was sitting there listening to George Jones' He stopped loving her today (Kenny, the chef –from Georgia –had told her that was a great country song about a guy who dies and then the woman he had lost and pined for his whole life comes to the funeral).  He looked so lonely and beautiful in her dream.  And then she had to go and think of Michael. 

But she couldn't help but wonder.  She hadn't talked to him since her deal with her ex.  But he had been the one to find the Western Union and had told Kelso to tell her to go right then.  He wanted her on the next plane and if that was going to happen she had to pack and leave pronto.  So she had.  So that left her wondering.

He had been willing to do anything to get her home.  He had visited her dad in prison for goodness sake.  He had told her he loved her again and again.  So why was the wondering?  Why was she worried?  They were back together.  But Jackie knew that until she was in his arms and kissing him again this still wasn't over.  The horizon loomed in the distance and so did the future of Jackie and Steven. 

Steven felt old, sitting on this couch wearing an old ratty t-shirt and missing his woman.  He felt like a character in some old movie, or some song.  Kelso had called about 3 hours ago and told him that Jackie was on her way.  And the relief that flooded through him was immediate and humiliating.  If someone had told him four years ago that he would be depending on Michael Kelso and in love with Jackie Burkhart he would have punched them in the throat.  This new person he had become was only grateful.  Oh how the mighty have fallen. 

Steven felt himself closing his eyes and trying to conjure the image of Jackie in his head. It had been almost three months since he saw her.  Did she look the same?  Better?  He didn't know if his heart could take that.  She had promised him freckles.  She had complained about them for a week solid.  And he just knew they were going to be cuter than kittens at Christmas.  Oh god now he was thinking about kittens.  He was a wuss.  If Jackie didn't come home soon he was going to start quoting Star Wars and overusing hand gestures.       

Yeah the freckles were going to be hot.  He wondered if she would let him…well he wondered if she would let him do a lot of things.  They were back together.  But that didn't mean they could jump right back into heavy caresses and freckle kissing.  It had been three months and he couldn't help but worry about how comfortable they were going to be in each other's presence.  He stopped short of full-blown panic though –because he had promised himself and Jackie that he was past self-recrimination.  He may not deserve her but he wanted her.  And she wanted him.  And that was enough to make him realize that they had another chance. 

He smiled and again laid his head back putting his hands behind his head.  He was going to do it right this time.  So whatever distance -distance had put between them they could overcome.  Somewhere in the sky his girl was coming home.     

Somewhere in the sky Jackie saw her sleeping neighbor get up and walk to the back of the airplane.  He spoke to a stewardess and then she handed him a phone.  He talked for a second and then came back to his seat.  Jackie gave him her best helpless little girl look and asked. "Do you think they would let me use the phone?"

The businessman fell for the look without resistance.  "Why little lady, I don't see why not.  Come on do you want me to ask them for you?"

"Oh would you?" she pleaded, clapping with excitement. 

"Sure, come on." 

They made their way to the back of the plane scooting past another stewardess who didn't seem so excited about passengers just wandering about.  Jackie didn't care.  What ever it took to get to the phone. 

"Mam, could I borrow the phone again?" her would be hero asked.

This stewardess smiled and handed him the phone again "Just keep it short like the last one please. You really should get back to your seat.  We could experience turbulence and you wouldn't want to go jostling around back here."

He nodded and then handed Jackie the phone.  She dialed the number.  Three rings in he answered. 

"Hello?" he said casually.  He wasn't expecting to hear from her until she touched ground. 

"Steven!" she exclaimed. 

"Jackie?  What the hell, are you home already?  Kelso didn't say you would be back until like 6." 

"I'm not home.  I'm on the airplane."

God leave it to Jackie to not even let a little thing like extreme altitude to stop her from calling.  "The plane?"

"Yeah." She glanced at the patient but staring flight attendant "Look I can't talk that long –I just wanted to call and say …. Well thank you and I love you and I can't wait to get home."  She blurted giggling like a little girl.

He smiled, suddenly at ease "Yeah I wanted to say the same thing."

Her grin was huge.  The businessman returned it.  "Okay well I better go – I'll call you when I get to the airport."

"Why don't I just meet you there" he rushed to get out before she hung up. 

She shrugged. "Why don't you?"  She didn't know why they hadn't thought of that before. 

"Okay well I'll see you in a couple of hours then." Steven said.

"I can't wait."

But she would have too.  She hung up the phone and thanked the kindness of these strangers.  In 2 hours she would be home. 

A/N:  Okay –the next one is the big finale.  Please tell me what you think.  Or tell me what you want or anything.  I'll love you forever.