A/N: Heya folks. I need to ask you a big favor - if you have any ideas or if you want this story to go in a certain direction, contact me or mention something in your review. Remember, reviewing is good! It helps make me a better writer, and this story a better...um...story! So I really, REALLY need the feedback... Anyways, enjoy the chapter! It's actually quite longer than the others... just some random info there for ya...

Chapter Four
Big Shocks, Big News

Eric was sleeping heavily and soundly when a piercing scream woke him up. He lifted his head off what he thought was his pillow, and was shocked to find he was not in his comfy bed, but in the basement. Naked. With a naked Jackie on top of him screaming. And with a splitting headache to boot.

It took a while for the facts to sink in. but they did eventually. He had fucked his best friend's girl, his girlfriend's best friend, someone who he didn't even like that much.

His mind was still fogged up from the amount of alcohol he consumed, call it an A-grade hangover, but even then he could tell how serious this was.

He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say. Hell, he didn't even know what to think. So what did he do?

He threw up on the basement floor.

A few minutes later, Eric's vomit had been cleaned up. Jackie had run upstairs to put on her clothes, but Eric didn't have the energy to get changed. He just sat there, shamefully naked, until he grabbed a blanket to cover himself with. He still couldn't come to terms with what he and Jackie had just done. He just needed some headache pills, a bucket, and some sleep.

But there wasn't time to sleep. How could he sleep knowing that, that this had happened?

Donna. What was she going to say? Eric faintly remembered that they were supposed to be fighting, or something like that anyway, but delving into the subject more just made his head spin. Shit, he had a major hangover. How much had he drunk anyway?

The broken bottles and squashed cans lying all across the basement floor gave him his answer.

Eric punched the couch hard. If, even with this hangover, he knew how much of a mess this was, he wasn't looking forward to when he was completely sober again, and things would really sink in.

Jackie made her way downstairs, slowly and quietly, making sure she didn't wake up the rest of the house. If Kitty or Red found out she had stayed the night, she would die. It was obvious she had been crying, and the rings under her eyes gave away the fact that she too had one large hangover.

She sat down in Hyde's chair. Neither spoke for a few minutes.

"We're screwed, aren't we?" Jackie spoke solemnly after a while, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

Eric only nodded. He couldn't remember what had happened last night, and he didn't particularly want to. I mean, it was Jackie. As hot as she was, they weren't exactly all buddy-like. And the fact that they had slept together, that they had cheated on the ones they loved with someone they didn't even like that much - that was just too much.

"This is just wrong," Jackie sobbed. "This is totally, completely wrong. I mean, we, WE had –"

"Just," Eric interrupted. "Just don't say it, okay? Don't say the S word!"

"Why?" Jackie demanded. "It's not gonna take away the fact that WE SLEPT TOGETHER, ERIC! US!"

Eric felt like hitting something. God, what were they thinking? What the fuck possessed them to do such a stupid and idiotic thing? Not to mention disgusting.

"What are we going to do?" Jackie asked him.

Eric felt even angrier. How the hell could Jackie expect him to know? "Christ, how'm I supposed to know?" Eric yelled in fury.

"Eric, keep your voice down –"

"NO! LIKE YOU SAID, THIS IS WRONG!"

"Eric, for crying out loud, you'll wake –"

"I DON'T CARE!" Eric felt so desperate. He took a deep breath and counted to three in his head. He tried to ignore Jackie's eyes watching him intensely. "I don't care," he whispered.

Jackie sighed. "Let's just take it one step at a time, okay?" She tried to sound calm, but she felt like a nervous wreck. She felt almost dirty, knowing what she and Eric had done. She just wanted to go home, have a long shower, and forget about everything. And then there was Steven. Urgh. This whole thing was such a mess; Jackie didn't know which problem to worry about first.

"Let's just, let's pretend this never happened," Jackie continued. "This is just something between you and me. No one can ever know. Especially Steven and Donna."

Eric didn't know what to say, so just nodded.

"This is our little secret, okay? So, we can just forget this whole thing ever happened."

"Believe me, I've already forgotten," Eric said honestly. It was true; he didn't remember what had happened last night. Didn't particularly want to, either.

"Yeah, me too. So, let's just never speak of this again and carry on with our lives." Deep down, Jackie knew it wasn't going to be as simple as that. She and Eric saw each other nearly every day. She could only imagine how awkward it would be. But they'd learn. One thing Jackie had learnt was that what's done is done, and you can't change that. There's no point in rehashing things, you just have to learn to deal. And she would.

Eventually.

Eric also knew it would be easier said than done, but agreed. Jackie nodded, and then left the basement, not knowing when she would return to it.

Eric and Jackie spent the next few days avoiding each other. Jackie didn't show her face at the Foreman's, and Eric didn't object. Donna and Hyde still hadn't returned from their stay at Madison.

In a way, Eric hoped Donna wouldn't return today, that she would come home tomorrow. And tomorrow would come, and he found himself wishing that she could just stay there for one more day.

To be honest, Eric didn't really want to face his fiancé. True, he loved her and didn't want anything else than to be with her, but he knew once she returned, they'd have to "talk" about what happened, and why she ran away. And Eric was ninety-nine percent sure everything would turn out right, for both them and for Hyde and Jackie. But Eric was a crap liar, and guilt overpowered him so goddamn easily. How was he supposed to keep the fact he fucked Jackie a secret from his fiancé and his best friend?

So he dreaded, in a way, when they would return, and when he would have to face up to what had happened. What had happened between him and Donna, what had happened between Jackie and Hyde, and what had happened between him and Jackie.

And as much as Eric wished the day away, the day came when Donna and Hyde came back in his El Camino. Eric was all alone in his kitchen, making himself a sandwich, when they both came through the sliding door.

When Donna saw Eric standing there, she stopped in her tracks. She knew how much she would have hurt him, by running away again. Especially since there was no real, real reason. What was she going to say to him?

Hyde gave her a gentle push forward, and gave her a small but reassuring smile. He then made his way downstairs to his room.

Eric looked up and saw Hyde walk to the basement, and then he turned and saw Donna. He dropped the bread and butter knife out of his hands in shock. Christ. The day had come.

"Eric, hi," Donna started.

Eric just picked up his butter knife and returned to his sandwich, pretending to not care that she had returned. 'Play it cool, Forman, don't act like a retard' was the main thought that was going through his head.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay?" Donna continued. "Hyde and I –"

"Yeah, yeah, I know what you and Hyde did, okay? You ran off to Madison together, ditching Jackie and me."

Donna looked stunned, and didn't speak for a moment. "But, but how'd you know? I didn't –"

"You didn't tell me? I know. You didn't bother to call, either. I believe Hyde suggested calling me at a diner." He shrugged. "That seemed to slip your mind. But hey, no biggie. I'm only your fiancé."

Tears started to well up in Donna's eyes. "Do you have any idea how many times I picked up that phone?"

Eric lost it. So much for the 'stay cool' and 'don't act like a retard' plan. "It doesn't matter how many times you tried, the fact is you never actually waited long enough to have the decency to tell me that you were sick of me and that you ran off with my best friend!"

"Eric, I love you! Of course I'm not sick of you!"

"That's not what you told Hyde."

"How the hell did you find this out anyway?"

"I was there in the basement when you and Hyde were having a little 'chat'. When you told him that I was 'weird'."

"I never said that!"

"You might as well have. Seems you can talk to Hyde about our problems, but you can't even tell me that things are 'weird' between us. I had no fucking clue what the hell you were on about then, all I know is that you don't appear to be happy with me."

"I didn't mean any of that!"

Eric rolled his eyes and gave her a 'whatever' look. Really, he wanted nothing more than to forgive her and hug her. But she had hurt him, and she needed to know that wasn't acceptable.

"Look, here me out. What I meant was that I have known you nearly my whole life. We've done everything together. And if we're serious about getting married, I think we also need to know that we can spend a few nights away from each other. We need to have our own independence, Eric, if we want a married relationship to work. I need to know that I'm gonna miss you like hell when we're apart, and that I'll be thinking about you 24/7. Because, if I am, that means that I truly want to be with you. That we were meant to be together."

Dammit, she's good with words, Eric thought. He sighed. "And did you? Did you think about me?"

Donna gave him a small yet beautiful smile, with a tint of sadness to be found. "Every second."

Damn. Eric nodded. He wanted to be with her, and she wanted to be with him, so what was stopping him from forgiving her? "You still could have called."

"I know that. And I wish I did. Every ten minutes I would be going up to a pay phone. But as soon as I picked up the receiver, I had no clue what to say to you. I love you; I didn't want to hurt you. Believe me, Eric, the last thing I wanted was for you to be hurt."

Eric shook his head. "Well I was."

"I know. And only God knows how sorry I am. Look, Eric, if I could turn back time I would, okay? It was a stupid mistake. I just needed some reassurance that we were meant to be. And I really think we are."

Eric stood silent for a few moments, taking it all in. Donna loved him. He loved Donna. She had made a mistake, and was deeply sorry. He had also made a mistake, far bigger than hers, and words could not describe how regretful he was of what happened between him and Jackie.

He realized how hypocritical he would be to just dismiss Donna's apology. He knew how sorry she was. He knew how much she didn't want him to get hurt. He knew how much she loved him.

He stepped forward and held Donna in a tight embrace, not wanting to let go. "I love you, Donna," he whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek.

"I love you too, Eric."

Hyde entered the Hub, nervous as hell. He spotted Jackie, sitting at a table with Fez. He took a deep breath and prepared himself to walk over to them.

"Oh, Hyde's back!" Fez said rather loudly. Hyde felt like throwing a brick at him, but nevertheless walked over to them casually. Jackie's head whipped around. As soon as she saw him, she bolted out of the Hub.

"Shit," Hyde said, half to himself, half to anyone who'd be listening. He then went after her.

Outside, Jackie fought hard to keep her tears back. When she heard the Hub door swing open again, she quickly readjusted the scarf she was wearing. She knew how stupid she must have looked, seeing it was a beautiful spring's day, but she couldn't show Steven the hickey Eric had left on her neck, now, could she?

"Jackie," Hyde began, turning her around to face him. Before he could continue, Jackie did the first thing that came to her head. She slapped him hard across the face. A painful sound was made as her hands came to contact with his cheek. Hyde staggered back a little, his hands automatically going to where he had just been hit. His cheek was burning like hell, but he put on a brave face. Deep down, he knew he deserved that.

"Jerk!" Jackie hissed. "Who the hell do you think you are, ditching me like that?"

"Jackie," Hyde started again, but was interrupted by the small brunette.

"No! Do you have any clue how hurt I was? When Eric and Fez had to tell me that you and Donna had run off together? Now, I'd like to point out that it's one thing to run away from your girlfriend, but it's another to drag someone else with you! Espeically Donna! My best friend! Did it ever occur to you I'd need her for comfort?!"

"Oh, so now you're my girlfriend?" Hyde snapped. "A few days ago, I believe you told me I didn't have a girlfriend. And for your information, Donna volunteered to come. I didn't 'drag someone else with me'."

"That doesn't make it any better!" Jackie screamed, tears starting to fall. "The fact is that when we have a fight, when you were caught lying to me, instead of facing up to your actions, you had to ditch me!"

Hyde's glare softened. Just a bit. "For starters, I wasn't lying to you."

Jackie raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "No?"

"No. Now, you have to listen to me. No interruptions. I don't wanna have you jump to any conclusions half-way and make this even more of a mess. Okay?"

Jackie just rolled her eyes. That was good enough for him, though.

"Now, when I said that it was just a slip of the tongue, I didn't mean it the way it probably sounded." Jackie raised her eyebrows again, but remained silent. "What it meant was that you are my first real girlfriend. Before you, I was making out with random chicks every night. Of course it's gonna be a hard habit to break." Jackie opened her mouth is shock, and Hyde realized his mistake. "NO! I didn't mean it like that!" Jackie shut her mouth, but the hurt was still there in her eyes. "What I meant is that I've now got a reputation as a partier. When I do go out, girls know who I am. So when I'm offered to see the back seat of their car, I just automatically say yes. But then I realise that I – I'm with you, and I want to be with you, so then I tell them that I have a girlfriend and they walk off."

Jackie nodded, taking it all in. She realized that Steven had admitted he wanted to be with her. If Steven admitted it, then it must have been true. She knew how much trouble he had with expressing his emotions, and how he felt.

She looked into his eyes, and straightaway Jackie knew that he was telling the truth. She knew it was all a big misunderstanding. He gave her a small smile and her heart melted. She loved him. And, even though he wouldn't admit it all that often, she knew he loved her.

Suddenly the fight they had had seemed so petty and unimportant.

"Oh Steven!" she said, wrapping her arms around him. He hugged her back, until she pulled away. "But that's still no excuse for running out on me like that."

"I know, baby, I know," Hyde said, wiping away a single tear from her face. "And I'm really sorry. Believe me."

Jackie smiled despite herself. She loved him so much, it was so hard to hold a grudge against him for too long. Especially when she knew he was deeply sorry for what he had done.

He lifted her chin up and pulled her in for a kiss. She didn't object. His hands moved to take off her scarf, and she quickly pulled away from his embrace, fixing it up.

"What's wrong?" he asked, confused.

"Nothing," she said, thoughts of Eric and what had happened flooding back to her. She felt so guilty. She had cheated on the man she loved with his best friend? She was a horrible person!

"Are you cold?" Hyde asked. "Because I, uh...." He leaned a little closer, a mischievous grin spread across his face. "I know ways that can warm you up."

She giggled and hit his arm playfully. She then remembered that she couldn't show Steven the love-bite. "Thanks, but no thanks," she said somewhat regretfully. "I think that we should, you know, kinda... hold off on each other?"

Hyde took a step back. He sure didn't see that one coming. "What?"

"Yeah, well, if you really want to be with me, you'll be with me... for me, right?"

Hyde looked disappointed, probably because he wasn't going to get some hot make-up sex or whatever. But Jackie had to know he loved her for her, not because of her body or her sex. Hyde eventually nodded.

"Whatever you want, babe," he said, kissing her forehead. He then took her hand. "Do you wanna go hang at the Forman's?"

Jackie dropped his hand. "Um, you know, I just remembered I have a ton of homework to do." Sure, it was a lame excuse, but she hadn't seen Eric ever since 'the incident' and didn't plan to anytime soon. Besides, she wasn't going to jeopardize her relationship with Steven because she would feel uncomfortable and guilty.

Steven raised his eyebrows. "Um... okay," he said. "I'll call you later then."

Jackie smiled and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "I love you, Steven," she told him truthfully before walking away.

Hyde nodded to himself. "I love you too, Jacks," he whispered to the air once he was certain no one could hear him, before hopping into his car and driving off.

For the next few weeks things were somewhat normal. Donna and Eric were all over each other, and Jackie and Hyde, despite not having 'sexual relations', hadn't actually fought in all that time. Everything was 'peachy'.

Until now.

Eric was all alone in the basement, sitting on the couch and watching some lame TV show. He heard the basement door open and someone bound inside. Turning around to see who it was, he was disappointed and nervous to find Jackie.

He and her hadn't ever been in the same room alone since what happened. Sure, if the others were around they'd make friendly chitchat and burn each other, but it was all for their friends and their partners. If one walked in to find the other alone, they would just go out straight away. It was just awkward spending time together.

That was why Eric was extremely surprised to find Jackie sit down next to him. They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Eric self-consciously moved away from her on the couch. She, too, moved to the end of the couch, so the gap between them was bigger. And safer.

"Eric," Jackie said, turning around to face him. Eric made eye contact with her for the first time, and could tell she had been crying. Her mascara had run all down her cheeks, and her usually gorgeous face was red and blotchy.

"What is it?" Eric asked her, not bothering to hide the irritation he felt. He didn't really want to hear what she had to say, frankly because he wasn't interested. He just wanted her to get out, because he felt so uneasy around her.

"Um, you know how we... you know..."

"Yeah yeah yeah," Eric quickly interrupted. For some reason, articulating the event made it ten times worse.

"Well, um, you see... um..."

"What is it?" Eric repeated, but this time there was more concern in his voice. A gazillion thoughts were going through his head, but Jackie confirmed the worst of them.

She sighed loudly, but spoke on.

"I'm pregnant."

A/N 2: Oh yeah, don't forget to review this story NOW. No one go anywhere without giving me feedback, please? I really, REALLY need the contribution. Remember, if you want the story to swing in a certain direction, or for certain people to break up or hook up or whatever, ANY ideas AT ALL, big or small, would be greatly appreciated. I really honestly have no idea on how it will turn out, so I really need to know your thoughts. Comment on the story so far, if you wish, but please, tell me what you want to happen in future chapters. I don't care how miniscule or huge the idea is, I really would like to know how you want this story to end.

Just stressing how your comments and feedback is very important to me, in this story especially. Otherwise, I'm not going to be able to update. :(

Thanks again, kisses to you all :)