I sat in the large teacher's room in the sixth floor. It was already the New Year, and classes were winding down. I looked out of the huge windows, and watched the breeze blow, the people walk outside. I had my cup of coffee, with a newspaper next to me.
The teacher's lounge had wooden walls, half of it was rugged, the other had linoleum. The part with linoleum was a kitchen with a large, long table; the rugged area had two couches, a coffee table, and a small book case. We had a few meetings in here, but right now I was the only one in here; which surprised me, there were usually a bunch of teachers in here.
I was happy it was empty actually; it gave me time to think. About Connor, Lacy, Jackie, life, the important stuff. Jackie had actually been feeling under the weather lately. Lacy was turning one next week, and Connor, he loves first grade.
My mom was actually staying with us for a few days; it was the only way Jackie could convince me to go to work. I lounged about the lounge (yeah, I know). The phone rang. I got off my seat and walked down the table.
"Hello?"
"Eric?" Jackie's nasal-ed voice asked.
"Hey baby." I smiled.
"Eric… um… when are you done with school?"
"Around three today…" I said. I knew something was coming up.
"You can't come home earlier?"
"No… unless I cancel the class." It was college, go figure.
"…No… don't do that… see you at three." Jackie said.
"Ok… bye sweetheart."
"Bye baby." She said and hung up. I placed the phone down. That can't be good…
"Baby?" Jackie asked. Eric turned around and smiled.
"Hey."
"Connor is asleep." Jackie smiled, gently massaging her fiancé's shoulders.
"Mmm… great." Eric moaned. Jackie kissed him, upside down. As the kiss ended Eric turned around and looked at Jackie. "You know… maybe with Connor asleep, you can help me warm my bed?"
"Is that a pick up line Mr. Foreman?" Jackie smirked.
"I don't know… is it?" Eric smirked back. Jackie leaned up and gave him a fleeting kiss.
"I think it is." Jackie smiled.
"I don't know, all I know is I want a nice, cute, bed warmer." Eric laughed. Jackie shoved him playfully.
"I have to get home… you know Jenna worries." Jackie chuckled a bit. Eric kissed her.
"She does not." Eric picked Jackie up, princess style. "You are helping me warm my bed Ms. Burkhardt, whether you like it or not."
"I guess I have no choice!" Jackie giggled. Eric carried her to the bedroom.
I walked in the front door, and straight into the kitchen. My mother was frantically running around the kitchen, cooking, or baking, something involving food.
"Mom."
"Oh! Oh Eric! In the living room!" She pushed me out of the kitchen towards the living room. I got to the entrance way and saw Jackie sitting, with her knees tucked under her, on the couch. Tissues all around her. I smiled and walked in.
"Hey baby." I kissed her softly on the lips. She smiled and then looked behind me. I heard a throat clear. But it wasn't mine. And it wasn't hers.
I turned around to be met with Steven Hyde.
**
I walked back downstairs after getting Jackie in bed and checking on Lacy and Connor. I looked in the kitchen quickly, to find my mother m.i.a. I walked to the door way of the living room to find Hyde sitting on the love seat with his head down.
He didn't look that different. Finer lines around the eyes, a bit more tanned, same hairstyle, same clothes, basically the same Hyde. Hyde was never one for change, unless absolutely necessary…
"So, what are the plans?" Eric asked as he took a sip of his beer. Hyde shrugged and looked at his beer.
"She's only in her second month. We decided to get married after the kid is born. Move into an apartment… That sort of shit." Hyde shrugged. Eric nodded.
"Did you guys begin looking for an apartment yet?"
"Yeah, she found a few she really likes and what not." Hyde nodded.
"Are you ok with all this crap man? I mean, you, like hate change."
"I don't know man. When I look at her, its like, "wow, that's the mother of my unborn child." And it stops me every time." Hyde shook his head. "Eric… she's so much to me. And so is the baby. I can't wait to be a dad. I've never been more… happy, grateful. I can't go a minute without Jackie and the baby on my mind." Hyde finished, staring at Eric.
"Wow man, that's deep." Eric said, staring back at Hyde.
"I know, isn't it scary?"
"So?" I said, sitting down. Hyde was leaning back staring at me.
"How's life?" He asked.
"Great." I smiled, trying hard to keep any smugness out of my voice. "What about you?"
"It's cool. I'm here on business. My boss's son owns a garage about half an hour from here." Hyde said, nodding. I nodded back.
"Got a girlfriend yet?" I asked.
"Actually, no, I don't."
"Oh…" Somehow that bothered me.
"Look Foreman, I didn't come here to still Jackie from under your nose, if I wanted to do that, I would have done it three years ago."
"Oh…" I said, this time, intrigued. He would have stolen my wife away from me?
"Don't get your panties in a twist Erica." Hyde shook his head. He really hadn't changed at all. "I long ago accepted you and Jackie."
"That's…" Great, terrific, you better have! "Good."
"Hey…" Hyde said after a few minutes of a welcomed silence.
"Yeah?" I questioned. Perking up a bit.
"I saw Donna."
"What?" I asked, my voice, having dramatically flattened.
"While she was visiting her mom, or whoever, she came into the garage, needed to fix something with the car she had." Hyde said, as if it was a casual, laid-back conversation topic.
"Small world." My voice still flat.
"She was talking about her son, and work, and shit. Nothing majorly important. She wasn't talking my ear off about you, at least." Hyde stopped and looked at me, I guess upon catching his last phrase. I glared at him, as best as I could. "I mean… not like… just that… in the old days… you know what I mean." He finished by clearing his throat.
I decided saying anything would make the situation more awkward then it should have to be. I nodded. I knew what he meant; she hadn't talked his ear off about how much she loved me. Yeah, that was like, forever ago.
"What happened?" I was brought back to my reality by Hyde's question.
"With what?" I asked confused.
"What happened between you and Donna, man, you guys were… fitted in high school?" He asked, staring at me. I looked at him and shrugged.
"I don't know. Shit happens." He stared at me. And I stopped for a second too. At one point we *were* happy, and then we weren't…
Donna walked into the apartment. There were various items on the floor and the coffee table. Blankets on the couch. There was a smell of fish in the air, and the window was wide open. Donna growled a bit. She had just gotten fired and came home to find a disgusting house.
"Hi." Eric said coming in the front door. Donna stared at him.
"Why is this place such a freakin' mess?" Donna asked.
"I don't know, it looked like this, this morning, right before either of us went to work." Eric shrugged.
"You know… what ever…" Donna said shaking her head.
"What is your problem?" Eric asked, a bit angrily.
"You know what… I hate living in this tiny apartment. I hate having to have to come home and clean. I hate living by some standard that women are the homemakers. I got fired today. Do you know why I got fired? Cause a *man* with less experience then me, wanted, no, needed *my* job. And like that ((she snaps her fingers)) I was fired!" Donna finished her rant and walked into the kitchen. Eric stared after her.
"Well… My life isn't peaches and cream ya know!" He shouted after her. And then began picking up the living room.
I went under the covers. Jackie rolled over and gently put her arm over my chest.
"Is he staying with us?"
"No, he's staying at a hotel." I said softly, kissing her forehead.
"Eric…" She said a little more awake. "I love you."
"I love you too." I said, and kissed her forehead.
I knew she still loved him, to some degree, to some power. Just like I loved Donna. Neither of us would dare, think, upon acting on it, because neither of us wanted too. That was the best part of finding Jackie. We both lost something, and yet we accept each other keeping the memories. That's what every marriage should have, acceptance for the past and memories.
**
I drank my coffee slowly the next morning. A few things were still in my head. After talking about Donna for a little while, Hyde mentioned Kelso, and Kelso's modeling job. And how stupid Kelso was in the long run. It was almost like old times. Almost.
There were still some… ify feelings on both, mine and his, parts, mainly concerning Jackie.
It's weird, I never imagined myself with Jackie. I couldn't even fathom the idea. And then, I saw her, after five years, after being divorced for two… and I could see her, and I saw me, and soon enough, I could see us together. It's funny… the person you thought you would never give up, is now your ex. And the person you went on hour long rants about how they *were* Dark Vader and the Devil, becomes the person you *can't* see yourself living without.
Life works out like that…
**
I and Jackie sat around the small diner. Hyde was across from us, sitting his coffee. I had a sandwich and a soda in front of me, and Jackie was having her tea.
Jackie and Hyde had spent exactly, an hour and fifty seven minutes, and forty two seconds talking earlier. I wasn't quite sure about what, but they seemed to be ok. Like a healthy ex-couple. Not like me and Donna, where one day in the future we'll be staring each other down with guns…
"I guess I better get going." Hyde got up, leaving his pay for his coffee. He patted my shoulder and kissed Jackie's head.
As he left I looked at Jackie. "What did you talk about for two hours?"
"About the baby… and him leaving. And what happened in the past ten years." Jackie said, shrugging.
"You're not thinking about running off with him are you?" I asked smirking. She kissed the tip of my nose.
"I didn't want you to find out." She giggled as she jumped out of the booth. I stared after her as she ran outside. I took the keys, threw down some money and ran after her.
You only get some many chances in life.
I didn't want a huge big thing with Hyde. Hyde complicates already complicated things… though in the next chapter there will be Hyde/Jackie interaction and Jackie/Donna interaction. So next chapter *might* be in Jackie's P.O.V haven't decided… don't even bring up MBE with me… I have like a page and a half done for the… fourth or fifth chapter. And I'm totally blocked P Er… It's so annoying. But I updated this story. And next chapter will prob be more fulfilling. This chapter had a bit more insight to some crap…. Not much. I'm sorry I'm a lil cranky, I work a long shift today, and you know a full week of school, with minimum sleep ( Life's a trip, I'm very close to the fall. :( Ok, so R&r and you can expect the next chapter to be a bit better… :) eh more like :-/... He has an ugly nose…