This chapter is kinda a history of the gang. basically what had gone on and how they got to where they are, also with some j/h history to explain a little bit more why they weren't together in high school.
The last time Hyde had heard from Eric Foreman, he was back from Africa and preparing to go to some school on the East coast. They had celebrated his return with beer and a circle and relived old times. Then he packed up and left again, leaving everyone behind, including the then supposed love of his life, Donna. She had already been heart broken when he broke up with her while in Africa, but her pain increased when Eric left and didn't even acknowledge their relationship. Hyde and Donna spent a lot of time together after Eric left for school. Hyde was there for her when he broke up with her in Africa, but after he left again, Hyde and Donna formed a strong bond, they were the only ones left of the basement gang in Point Place.
Kelso had moved to Chicago shortly after Eric left for Africa, wanting to be closer to his daughter, Betsy. Fez also moved back to his home country around that time. He had a big dream of opening up a hair salon there. Jackie had moved to Boston the year before, right after she had graduated high school, to go to school. Donna had put off going to school for Eric and when he left for Africa, she just couldn't bring herself to go back full-time. She took more classes at the community college, but was working full-time at the radio station and doing very well at it. She was on her way to becoming station manager when Eric got back from Africa. Hyde had been working at his father's record store and was given control over the whole region right before Eric left for the East coast. The distance in everyone from the gang was hard at first, especially with Donna mourning the loss of her first love, but with Hyde's help, she soon got over it and they began to make new friends and move on with their lives., but the two always were there for the other. Donna even had introduced him to his ex-wife, Jenna.
Jenna was a part of Hyde's life that he wished he could have redone. He had loved her, but they just couldn't seem to get it right. She was beautiful and outgoing and always had men all around her, but he didn't love her for those reasons. She challenged him and loved him with so much passion, that Hyde had no choice but to fall in love with her. When she got pregnant, it wasn't even a question that they would get married and when she lost the baby, he still wanted to be her husband. But they were young and foolish and did and said things that they shouldn't have. They had only been married a year when he began his affair with Jackie, but their marriage had been over before that, they were just going through the motions. Hyde found her in bed with one of her coworkers and they decided it was for the best that they separate.
Jackie and Eric had reconnected about a year earlier. They were both living in Boston, Eric was a teacher and Jackie a news reporter. She had been covering a story at his school when they saw each other. They were both instantly grateful for the friendly face and after several coffee shop meetings and dinners out, they found themselves developing feeling for each other. Jackie never told him about her affair with Hyde, not willing to end it. He just assumed she was going on trips for work when she went to see him and she let him believe it. When Eric proposed, Jackie wasn't sure what to do. She was torn between her feelings for him and Hyde, but she accepted thinking that nothing would ever become of her and Hyde, it hadn't years ago in Point Place and it wasn't then. Even though his marriage had been over for a year, Hyde never once mentioned anything about their future together and Jackie was ok with that until Eric had proposed to her and made her think about it.
Jackie and Hyde's feelings for one another were always there. She had been all stalker like at one point, but had gotten over it after they had one date, not wanting herself to look stupid. After her and Kelso broke up for good, Jackie stopped hanging out in the basement as much, but she would stop by every so often to grace the others with her presence. She soon started hanging out with other people and spent more time with them. She rarely saw Hyde after that, each of them into their own things. Until one night at a party, Jackie and Hyde found themselves drunk and talking to each other, both confessing that they had actually felt something in the kiss on their date. Jackie flirted and Hyde let her. Hyde kissed her and Jackie let him. Jackie led him into an empty bedroom and Hyde let her. They made love that night. After that Jackie came around the basement more, but they both knew they weren't going to have a relationship, she was leaving and he wasn't going to stop her. But that night was special to both of them, held onto in memories until the years had gone by and they found themselves back in the arms of one another.
Now neither of them knew what was going to become of them, Jackie had just told him she was going to get married to one of his oldest friends and all he could do was look at her.