"Hi, guys," Eric said as he walked through the door. He had dropped Jackie's hand outside the café reluctantly, understanding the importance of breaking them into the situation slowly.

Jackie came in just behind him and smiled at their friends. "Hey, everyone."

"Eric!" Hyde and Donna said in unison, surprised at his appearance. Randy and Sam remained seated as they rushed to meet their friend. Donna gave him an awkward hug, and Hyde punched him on the shoulder.

"Are you back for good?" Hyde asked.

"When did you get here?" Donna asked.

"Was Jackie with you?" Hyde asked.

"Why didn't you tell us you were coming home?" Donna inquired.

One by one, Eric patiently answered their questions. Once in awhile, he would catch Jackie's eye and smile to remind her that they were in this together. Eventually, he managed to guide the group back to the table and sit down.

"I am home for good, at least for the foreseeable future. I would like to go back to visit though," he began. "I got back a few hours ago, my parents picked me up at the airport. No one knew that I was coming home except them, I wanted to surprise you all."

Fez finally joined his friends, carrying a bag of candy in his left hand. "Hi, guys."

"Look, man, Eric's back," Hyde said.

"I know, I already saw them earlier."

"Them?"

"Um, he and Mr. Red and Ms. Kitty," Fez lied.

"Actually, that's not true," Jackie spoke up. It was the first time she had said a word since their arrival. Sitting to the left of Eric, he reached under the table and squeezed her hand. "We came together."

"Jackie, you haven't really said much," Donna realized finally. "How's your mom? Fez said you went to visit her in Mexico."

"Fez was just covering for me," she admitted. "I went to visit someone else."

"Oooh, is it the mystery man?" Donna prodded.

"What mystery man?" Hyde asked frostily.

"This guy Jackie has been spending all her time talking to," Donna explained. "She even turned down going to the mall with me because she was expecting this call."

Eric looked at her and smiled. "You gave up going to the mall?"

Jackie pushed him playfully. "Yeah, so?"

"What mystery man?" Hyde repeated, this time a little more heated.

Sam narrowed her eyes and looked at him. She detected the jealousy in his voice. "Why does it matter to you so much, honey?"

"It doesn't, I was just wondering why all the secretiveness," Hyde lied.

"Well, that's kind of why I'm here," Jackie said. "I have something to tell you."

"We have something to tell you," Eric corrected her. "Sam, Randy, Fez, could you give us a second with Hyde and Donna."

"You're that guy?" Donna shrieked.

Hyde was on his feet. Jackie flinched at his visible anger. "Steven, sit down."

"How could you do this to us?" Hyde demanded. "How could you, man? With Jackie?"

Eric looked at his best friend. "I figured that you wouldn't really care, seeing you're married and all. You had your chance to marry her, and you didn't take it. She needed someone to confide in, so she called me. We started talking, and here we are."

"Wait, so you and Jackie?" Donna asked. "You had your chance to marry me, but you didn't take that."

"Donna, I'm so sorry," Jackie began.

"Don't you even talk, don't say a word. How could you do this to me, Jackie? You were my best friend. You could have had anyone, so why did it have to be Eric?"

"It had to be Eric, Donna, because it is Eric."

"Don't call this fate, Jackie," her best friend spat back.

"I cannot believe that you were like a brother to me," Hyde said.

Eric watched his friend pump his fist over and over again, hitting into the open palm of his other hand. "You're married," he said, pointing at Hyde. "You're with Randy."

"I'm with Randy because you broke up with me," she reminded him.

"What, Donna?" Randy asked.

"I didn't mean it like that," she said to her boyfriend. "I'm just upset."

"Yeah, right," he replied. "I'm outta here."

"Great, look what you did!" she screamed at Jackie.

"And I'm only married to Sam because I got drunk and made a mistake," Hyde retorted. "You knew that I was going to marry Jackie until I caught her with Kelso."

"I'm a mistake?" Sam asked, which Hyde ignored. She stomped out of the restaurant behind Randy but no one really noticed.

"You know what, Steven, I am so tired of your excuses. And Donna, you moved on," Jackie stated calmly. "I'm sorry that you're both hurt, and I'm sorry that we kept the truth from you. But I will not stand here and apologize for going to Eric. He was there when I needed someone, he was the only one who noticed that I was falling apart."

"Well, you've officially done it, Jackie. You've been with all of us," Hyde said. "The things they used to say about you in high school have finally come true. You've officially become the slut of Point Place.

Jackie willed herself not to cry as she bit her bottom lip. Eric caught sight of his trembling girlfriend as anger tore through him. "Hyde, shut up."

"What, Eric, you know it's true!" Donna yelled.

Eric and Hyde took a step toward each other. Jackie knew that punches were about to be thrown and something ugly was going to go down. She also knew Eric, and she knew that he would regret it later. "Eric!" she called, but he couldn't hear her in his fit of rage. "Eric, stop!" she repeated. Walking around Donna, she stepped between the two men. With her back to Hyde, she placed her hands on both sides of Eric's face and lowered his eyes to hers. "He's not worth it, baby," she whispered. "Take me home."

"He called you a slut."

"Do you think I'm a slut?" Eric shook his head. "Then, it doesn't matter. Come on, let's go home. We're happy, don't let this take that away."

Eric refocused his gaze on her and finally understood what she was telling him. "Oh, God," he mumbled. "I'm so sorry, J."

"It doesn't matter," she reassured him as she took his hand. Neither of them looked back as they left the restaurant hand in hand, leaving a crying Donna and a steaming Hyde in their wake.