Project Restoration Chapter 8: We've gotta give it our best shot

Author's Note: Well, this was the hardest chapter yet. I rewrote each section at least 3 times I think. So I hope you enjoy it, but if not that's okay...so long as you don't throw rocks at me. 'Cause ow. At any rate thanks to all of you who keep reading this, and those of you who have commented, you are now my favoritist people ever...seriously, if I take over the world, I'm hooking you up. At any rate, enjoy!

Disclaimer: It's probably a good thing none of this is mine or the show would be all angsty….and I'm wordy, so probably a lot longer than a half hour too.

HANGOVERS:

Hyde woke with a splitting headache. A headache that told him to never drink again. And to avoid sunlight, dairy,and anything louder than a whisper, for the rest of the day. He rarely got hangovers. When he did it was usually not so much from drinking as from getting emotional while he was drunk.

He had been hungover a lot in Vegas.

He looked to see the time and was surprised it was still early. His fight with Jackie had been exhausting. His talk with Kelso had been draining. Yet here he was, wide awake, and it wasn't even 8am yet.

He noticed Fez was no longer in bed. He was relieved. He didn't want to face the disappointment on his friend's face. He knew he had messed up, and he already felt bad enough about it. The reconciliation he'd hoped for had been blown to burning bits.

Over the rumpled mess of blankets Hyde could see Donna. He hadn't talked to her much lately, he didn't know what to say. It wasn't like "Sorry I broke your best friend's heart. Sorry my best friend broke yours," was going to make her feel any better. But he wanted to talk to her now. To see how she was doing and to maybe get some insight into what was going on with Jackie. Donna hadn't always understood him, but she'd always tried. And he felt like he mightbenefit from her efforts right about now. Who knows, maybe she would even feel sorry for him

As if on cue, he heard Donna stretch and sigh, the starting sounds of waking up. He waited quietly as she opened her eyes and spread out a little on the bed, gradually becoming alert. Finally, she sat up a little and noticed him.

"Morning, dumbass." He chuckled, had he really been foolish enough to think Donna was going to show him any sympathy? Temporary insanity must have paid a visit.

"Morning. You want me dead too?" Donna gave a little giggle.

"Fez doesn't want you dead. He'd miss you too much. But he would rather you be dead than stupid. And you've been stupid a lot lately."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Maybe she wasn't going to try and understand him this time.

"I didn't mean for things to get this out of control. And last night especially, my intent was not to hurt her more. You know that I would never intentionally hurt her."

"Do I?" Donna's eyebrow perked up skeptically. "I think marrying a woman you don't love when you were so reluctant to marry Jackie is a lot of things, including spiteful."

"I was drunk."

"That doesn't erase the blame, Hyde. You of all people should know that."

"I want to be with her. I just don't know how."

"Not being married might help."

"Point taken."

"Listen, Hyde, you've been my friend forever and that's never going to change. If I cut people out of my life based on stupidity, I think I'd be all alone. And as much as I love Jackie I know she isn't without fault in this. But at the end of the day what she did was kid's play in comparison. And it's gonna take a lot more than a drunken admission of love to make things okay."

"Do you think I still have a chance?"

"Hyde, she cried for hours last night. Hours. You don't waste that much time crying over a man that hasn't got a chance. She hurts this bad because she loves you so much. When she stops crying, well, that's when you worry."

He gave a nod andsmiled slightlyat her, truly grateful. She had just given him everything he needed, well everything but some aspirin for the hangover.

ESTIMATION:

Michael Kelso was familiar with the principle of estimating. He'd been underestimated his entire life. And he had a tendancy to overestimate when it came to the level ofpossible successwith his masterplans. People estimated all the time and it was only natural. There were few things in life that were certain.

So as he walked with Prince around his neighborhood, Fez walking quietly at his other side, he tried to estimate how much it would hurt when his friends left and how much more he'd miss them now, after the emotional roller coaster of the last few days. He didn't think it was possible to overestimate on this one. He was going to miss them a lot.

He looked over at Fez, who also seemed deep in thought, and wondered when they had gotten to be so serious. He asked Fez if heknew andhad tolaugh at the response.

"When everyone else went flippin' crazy."

That seemed about right.

"How bad had things been, back in Point Place?"He was asking foran honest estimate of the total damage.

"Horrible."

Hmm, just what he had feared.

Kelsoquickly estimated how long it would take for Brooke to forgive him for making the decision without her. He decided 5-6 months tops. She'd just have to understand.

"Fez, I think I'm going to move back."

His friend stopped and just stared at him. After a few steps, realizing Fez was no longer beside him, he looked back at the shocked face.

"Really, Kelso?" He noticed the hopeful lift in Fez's voice.

Kelso shrugged and smiled. "Yeah. I need you guys, and I think from the sound of things, you guys kinda need me too."

Fez was beaming. "Oh, thank God. I thought I was going to have to handle those nutjobs alone."

Then Prince began to bark impatiently, wanting to keep walking. Quicklythe conversationturned to deciding the best Batman villain, a topic more their style.

But in the back of his mind, as he tried to estimate the value of the choice he'd just made, Kelso thought it would rank pretty high on his "Most Important Decisions of My Life" list.

REDEMPTION:

After hearing Kelso leave to take the dog out, Jackie opened her eyes, sick of faking sleep. Stopping by the bathroom to make sure she didn't look scary, she quickly left the apartment before any curly-haired boys could crossher path.

She started walking, avoiding thought, and though she hadn't really planned it, her feet seemed to know exactly where to take her.

It was a small church a few blocks away, she had passed the building on her walk the day before.It was quaint,looked as if ithad been there for ages. White steeple thrusting confidently into the sky. She was relieved to find it empty.

She wasn't really religious. She liked Pastor Dave alright and had gone to service with the Forman family and the rest of the gang occasionally (when you mooched off a family as much as they all did off the Formans you did what was necessary to keep them happy, and by them she meant Kitty,), but when it came down to it she wasn't sure what she believed. And she didn't know where to start to find out, sinceher parents had seemed to operate on the idea that God took bribes, so she usually just didn't mess with it.

The lamps had been turned off, leaving only sunlight to filter in from the windows. She couldn't tell what type of church itwas, but she didn't think it really mattered. As she sat in a pew towards the middle she thought back to the last time she'd heard Pastor Dave speak. He'd said something she really liked at the time.He claimed it wasn't their jobas peopleto be perfect, butit was their job to try. And through Redemption, that became enough.

As with everything else these days, that made her think of Steven.

Steven was sorry. She felt that.

Steven loved her. She believed that.

But Steven wasn't perfect. She knew that.

Then again, though, neither was she.

Maybe if they were both willing to try? Maybe if they could both forgive?

Maybe thenthey could start over?

She wasn't sure if that exactly was what Pastor Dave had had in mind, but to her, that felt like Redemption. So she got up to leave feeling more satisfied than she ever had before when exiting a church, and made her way back to the apartment.

SURPRISES:

She had always had bad luck with surprises.

"Surprise! Hey Donna, your boyfriend killed your cat!"

"Surprise! Hey Donna, your mom is gone!"

"Surprise! You are getting married without a groom, Donna!"

"Surprise! I'm moving to Africa, Donna, see you later!"

She had learned in her 20 years of life that while predictability was a lot less exciting, it was a lot safer than surprises.

But today had been a little different. It had been a nice surprise when, while pouring a bowl of cereal, a small, plastic toy had fallen out into her breakfast. Granted as a young woman she really had no need for a tiny tie-dye whistle, but all the same it had made her smile.

And she had been pleasantly surprised, and truly overjoyed, when Fez began shouting as soon as he entered the apartment, "Kelso's coming home, Kelso's coming home!"

All the same though, as she celebrated the good news in a circle with the boys, she wasn't ready to change her stance on surprises.

But then the phone rang.

Fez, who could be described as nothing else but giddy, bounced to answer it.

Donna was genuinely surprised when she heard Fez squeal, "ERIC! My good friend it is so nice to hear from you!" She knew he had said he would call, but she thought it would be a week or so. Well surprises were doing good by her today.

She waited, somewhat impatiently, for her turn to talk, and finally Hyde handed her the phone.

"Hey." His voice sounded better than anything.

"Hey."

"Look Donna, I can't talk long, but I have a surprise for you."

Donna felt something fall to the pit of her stomach. What could he have to say? It couldn't be good, could it? What if he had malaria? What if hehad fallen in love over night and was never coming home?Ugh, this is why she hated surprises-- they sucked.

"I'm coming home early. Like in two months early."

Donna remained silent, letting his words hang in the air, as if her speaking would erase any truth behind them. Her reverie was broken though asat that momentshe heard her best friend charge in, and she peered out of the kitchenjust in time to seeJackie march straight up to Hyde.

"Steven, I love you, and we need to figure this out."

Donna's eyes grew wide, andas she heard Eric calling her name over the phone, still waiting for her response, she thought to herself she just might owe whoever was in charge of surprises an apology.