Disclaimer: I don't own.

Author's Note: As always, thanks so much for reading and for the reviews! I love them.Our favorite couple isn't in this chapter...sigh...but it ties up (almost completely...one more little part to add later) a subplot. The next chapter will be exclusively J/H. Yay! I'm thinking that after this chapter there will be three left. Enjoy!

Warning: Mild language

Convincing

Chapter 19 – I Want Normal

The Forman driveway

Donna traced a line on the Vista Cruiser's hood and watched her finger moving. Funny. Her mother had once told her that when she was a baby, all she wanted to do was watch her movements, a wave of her tiny palm, or a flicker of a small, plump finger, a gurgle of her little lips. She wondered if Jackie's mother had ever watched Jackie that way. Her finger pressed into the metal harder. She couldn't have. She couldn't have, otherwise how could she have told her only daughter that she "couldn't make it" to her brain surgery?

"Hey, you want a beer? I'll go sneak a couple of Red's." Eric looked at Donna uncomfortably. She was so quiet. She was so tense. She was tracing on the car. All of which meant that she was angry. He didn't like it when she was angry. Made him nervous, made him say stupid things, made her more angry. And that usually deprived him of any sort of loving whatsoever.

"No." Donna flipped her head towards Eric and glared at him. "I mean, how can she do that? How can she just stay in Puerto Rico or Puerto Vaerta or wherever the hell she is when her daughter is having BRAIN surgery?"

Eric sighed in relief that she wasn't angry at him, but still. He wasn't sure he was prepared to have this conversation. Beer might help. He scooted to the edge of the Cruiser. "Yeah, I think we better have some beers. I'll just…"

Donna gripped his arm. "Eric,no. I just…" She shook her head and looked up at the sky. "I mean, did you see the look on Jackie's face?"

He resigned himself and squeezed his girl's hand. "Yeah." He looked up at the sky. Full of stars tonight. Beautiful. Normally, at least. Now, it seemed to him that the stars were mocking. They reminded him of how the tears on Jackie's cheeks had almost sparkled. All through dinner, one or two was always present. "God, why do people have kids? If they're just going to treat them like shit…why do they bother?"

Donna nodded, and like Eric, looked up at the stars. She thought about how she and her mother used to sit in the backyard and stargaze. Her mother had told her stories, mostly fairy tales that were always slightly different than tradition. She was lucky. Her mother had left, true, but she'd always stayed close. Phone calls, letters, cards, visits, genuine interest in her.

Jackie had none of that from her mother. Or her father. Jackie, the girl who seemingly had everything, had never had anything that really mattered.

"You know, as much as Red gets on my ass, I mean, I've always known that if I really needed him, he'd be there." He met Donna's eyes. "We're lucky, you know?"

Donna nodded and moved closer to Eric. She lay her head on his shoulder and put a hand on his thigh. Thin and not exactly muscular, but firm and warm. Like him. Firm and warm and safe. Her rock. "I know." Her eyes closed. She wanted to call her mother and tell her that she loved her. Hear her mother tell her that she loved her. "We have to be there for Jackie, Eric. No matter what."

Eric put his arm around her and gently rubbed her silky hair. Red again. He was glad. Blonde was hot, but red…red was Donna. "I know." The look on Jackie's face was still in his mind, that twisting tornado of unwanted tears, of a pain that wasn't anything new and yet dreaded and perpetually prayed against. "I guess I never thought about how it made her feel, her parents being gone. I never realized…"

Donna smiled. "You never realized she had feelings."

"Well, I've always thought that the Devil was immune to just about everything short of the wrath of God. And with Jackie, I even wondered about that."

She raised her head, but found only a small smile on Eric's lips, one of those wry ones that told her he was teasing.

He always teased Jackie. They all teased each other. Sometimes in pretty damn mean ways. And yet…they always knew that it wasn't real. That it was just covering up everything they were all too cool, or too scared, or too embarrassed to say.

They were best friends. They relied on one another. They needed one another. And without one another, even just without one of them…

Tears burst in her eyes, and she pulled away from Eric. She slid down the Cruiser and stood in front of it, facing the love of her life and showing him what he was the only one she could show. "I don't want this, Eric! God! I want it to be normal again! I want…I want….God, Eric, I just want Jackie to be okay!"

He got off the car and went to her, putting his arms around her and holding her as tightly as he could. He said nothing. There wasn't anything he could say. He wanted the same thing, but she knew that. She knew that.

"Hey guys. If you're gonna do it, I recommend heading over to Fez's place. He's out of magazines and candy and he needs some entertainment."

Eric and Donna parted slightly and found Kelso smirking at them, his eyebrows waggling high on his forehead. Donna rolled her eyes, and Eric smiled sarcastically. "Thanks, man. We really needed the advice."

Kelso's smirk fell, and he looked serious. "Hey, have you seen Jackie? I need to talk to her." He looked at the ground. "I really need to talk to her.

Donna shook her head. "Kelso…"

He glared at her warning tone. "Look, Donna, she's wrong, okay? I know she said she and Hyde are just like her eyes or whatever, but that doesn't even make sense. How can people be like eyes? And I know that she and I do make sense.I mean, we're practically the same person!" He grinned and leaned in as if to share a secret. "Although I'm better looking. Don't tell her that, though."

Eric elbowed Donna's side softly. "Well, this is certainly normal."

She shook her head, irritated. This was NOT the normal she wanted. She was sick as hell of this, and if she felt that way, she could only imagine who Hyde felt about it. And lately, it seemed to be bothering Jackie, as well. "Look, Kelso, now is not a good time. She's with Hyde, and…"

"But that's just it, Donna." Kelso began to pace. "She shouldn't be with Hyde! She should be with me!"

Eric bit his lower lip. "Kelso, face it. She's with Hyde. She loves Hyde. Not you. Okay?"

"But he doesn't love her!" Kelso took a deep breath. "I mean, yeah, I know he thinks she's hot otherwise he wouldn't make out with her all the time. I'll say this for Hyde, he has good taste in women. Like his hot stripper wife. But still."

Donna and Eric were a bit startled by the plea in his voice, and the sincerity of his expression. He looked honest.

"I know you think I'm being selfish for going after her. But I just hate to see her all…mopey the way she has been lately. That's why I'm doin' this. I want her to be happy. Hyde didn't even give her a present. How can he love her if he didn't even get her a present? Jackie loves presents."

Donna's lips curved upwards. "He did give her a present."

Eric nodded, with the same slight smile Donna wore. "He gave her his sunglasses."

Kelso looked confused. "His sunglasses? I don't get it. Why would he give her his sunglasses?"

Donna thought quickly. How could she explain this to Kelso so it made sense. She stepped towards him. "Okay, look. What's the most important thing that you have, Kelso? What would you absolutely die without?"

He made a face, like she was dumb. "My looks, of course. God, Donna, you're supposed to be smart!"

She ignored that. "And…what's the most important thing to Hyde? What would HE die without? What does he flip out about when he thinks he's lost?"

Kelso shrugged. "His sunglasses. Or his fists. No. No, his sunglasses. He's practically married to them."

"So, would you agree that the way you feel about your looks is the way Hyde feels about his sunglasses?"

Kelso nodded. "Yeah. Except I don't know why he loves those stupid glasses so much. I'm MUCH better looking then they are." His brow furrowed. "Eric, what's Donna's point?"

Eric sighed. Thick didn't even come close to describing Kelso's brainpower or more accurately, lack thereof. "Okay. So say you had to give something to Jackie. Something to show her that you loved her. What would you give her?"

"Well, duh, a bunch of stuffed unicorns! Those are her favorite, man. No wait." His voice rose in excitement. "I'd get her a REAL unicorn! I saw one once, you know. A pink one. I'd get her a real, pink unicorn! She'd go crazy over a real, pink unicorn!"

Donna raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't give her your looks? Even if it was the only thing that would convince her of your love for her?"

He gave her a strange look. "Hell, no, Donna! What is she gonna do with my looks? Damn!"

Eric smiled. "Fine. You wouldn't give her your looks. But here's the thing. Hyde DID give her his sunglasses."

Kelso stared at Eric, then his eyes moved to Donna, back to Eric, to Donna, to Eric, as he struggled to figure out what they meant.

"Kelso, Hyde gave her the most important thing to him. Whereas you said, "hell no." Do you understand what I'm saying?"

And Donna could have sworn she saw one of those lightbulbs over Kelso's head the moment he realized what she and Eric were trying to show him. His entire body stiffened, and his shoulders slumped somewhat.

"God…he gave her his sunglasses? He beat up that kid for stealing 'em. And whenever I ask to wear 'em he says no and then frogs me!" He began to pace again, but it was a brief walk. He stopped and looked at the couple. "So…god, he really does love her. I mean, I never thought I'd see then day when he actually willingly gave those sunglasses away to anyone. He said he was even gonna be buried with them." His eyes were mixed with odd tones of relief and disappointment. He looked at Eric. "He must really love her, huh?"

Eric nodded. "I'm afraid so, buddy."

Donna cocked her head. "So…you gonna leave them alone and stop trying to interfere?"

He nodded. "I just….I guess I don't really want her want her….I mean, come on, you know Jackie is hell to be around for longer than three seconds." He shrugged. "I just don't know what else to do. You guys think I don't get what's going on with Jackie, but I do. I just…I don't know, maybe it's stupid, but I thought…I thought it would be easier for her if I hit on her. 'Cause she used to like it when I did. She used to like it when I fawned all over her and gave her stuff. I'm no good at other stuff, you know, the serious crap that Hyde has to deal with." His eyes met Eric's, then Donna's. "It's all I know how to do to make her happy." He looked down at the ground. "I just thought her being happy would help."

Both Donna and Eric were astonished by what Kelso had just confessed. They'd both believed he had no clue.

They'd both apparently been wrong, because what he'd just said made perfect sense.

Funny how impending loss affected everyone, even the most seemingly oblivious. Funny how sickness changed so much.

Funny how just the idea of death changed life.

"Do you think I could just be her friend and still help? 'Cause, man, I just remembered how Jackie looks when she's sick." He made a face. "It is NOT pretty. I'm talking Bride of Frankenstein! And no pink robe is gonna be enough to fix THAT!"

Donna laughed, and Eric chuckled, both amused but also reassured. Kelso was still Kelso. Too much else was going on; if he suddenly became wise, Donna thought, she just might believe in Eric's suggestion of the impending apocalypse. She moved to Kelso and put an arm around him. "Yeah, Kelso, I think you can be just her friend and still help." She shrugged. "In fact, I think she'd really like that."

Hyde might be another story, but Jackie can deal with him. Hopefully.

Eric nodded. "Yeah, and I recommend starting with not buying her anymore nighties."

Kelso bobbed his head up and down, his eyes widening. "I know, man! Did you see the look on Hyde's face? Man, I never really noticed since he's always wearing those sunglasses, but his eyes should be registered as lethal weapons. Like lasers or something."

Eric sighed in relief. "God, I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees it!" He grinned. "Personally, I think they're more like light sabers."

Donna rolled her eyes. "Come on, you big babies. Lets go to the Hub. I'm starving."

"Lets get Fez, first. I think he's ate all his candy, and I don't wanna find him passed out on the coffee table again."

They laughed and headed out.

And Donna felt a tiny sense of relief. They'd go to the Hub, they'd call Hyde and tell him to bring Jackie down. They'd hang out, eat, burn each other, burn other people, argue about the music, eat more, burn each other more. Fez would gaze longingly at women he could never get. Kelso would taunt him by flirting with them and securing their phone numbers. Eric would tell endless and rather unfunny Star Wars jokes. Jackie would drive Hyde crazy by demanding he play some sappy love song on the juke box for her.

Just for a couple hours, maybe it could just be normal. Just for a few, blessed hours.

Or even just for a few, blessed minutes. Even that would be enough.