Time passed, and Eric was up and hard at work in the fields and at the schoolyard again.
Despite the tenderness of the new skin on his back, and pain every now and then, Eric was able to more or less resume his previous activities, provided he exercised caution not to overexert himself.
Jackie was wonderful at making sure that he took breaks and rested though, and fussed around him, taking care to ensure he stayed hydrated, and that he didn't reopen wounds that have taken a month to knit itself back together.
It had been yet another month later, and Jackie was still in Africa.
It was more, so much more than the week-long trip that she had initially planned for and all that Eric had allowed himself to hope for.
He hammered the last of the metal poles into the ground and stood back to admire the brand new climbing frame that he had installed in the school yard. He heard cheering behind him and turned to look, shielding his eyes with his forearm in the blinding light of the day time sun.
Jackie stood off by the edge of the low retaining wall with a crowd of Eric's students with her. Saturday classes were hers now, and Eric and the children were happy to have her take them.
She had seen Eric in the distance from the schoolroom and feeling a sudden overwhelming need to be near him, had dismissed the class earlier and took the whole lot of them down to the school yard with her. They had arrived just in time to see him complete the climbing frame and the children had broken out in whoops and cheers.
Eric's eyes met hers over the distance and she smiled into them. He beckoned the kids over with his arm and they ran towards him, giddy with excitement to try out the equipment that he had already finished building in the almost complete schoolyard.
Jackie flounced her skirts about her and sat down on the retaining wall, happy to watch him with the children. She saw him help the smaller kids up the tower to use the slides, and teach the older ones to use the climbing frame and to balance on the row of tires that he had dug into the ground.
The afternoon air was filled with the sound of shouts and laughter and she found herself laughing along with the children too, rejoicing in their happiness.
Eric heard her laugh and turned in her direction, finding himself charmed by the pretty picture she made sitting on the wall in a yellow sundress and her hair in a dark cloud around her shoulders. He was drawn to her, and found himself making his way over to her without much conscious thought.
She stood up as he walked over and greeted him with a soft kiss on the lips.
"How're you feeling today?" she asked him gently.
He shook his head with a small smile. "I'm fine, Jackie."
"Your back doesn't hurt?"
He gave her waist a small squeeze. "No, and I will be sure to tell you if it does."
She smacked him lightly in the chest. "No, you wouldn't, so just take it easy, okay?"
He nodded, hearing the concern in her voice.
She leaned into his side and wrapped an arm around his waist. Looking out at the yard filled with kids she gave a heartfelt sigh.
"Look at you," she murmured, "trying to save Africa, one child at a time."
Thoughts of the kids he didn't save flashed across Eric's mind for a brief instant, but then Jackie looked up at him and the purity of her smile and the pride in her eyes chased it away.
"Yeah," he said instead, "but it's not enough though, it's never enough."
The arm she had around his waist tightened. "It will be," she said determinedly, "it will be."
He nodded to appease her, and tried to live in the joy of the moment at present.
As he did on many a night before, Eric laid out the blanket under the thorn tree and leaned gently against its trunk. He lifted an arm and Jackie snuggled in under it. It was a night like any other, and he closed his eyes as his fingers played with the strands of hair over her shoulder and hers traced patterns on his chest.
It was a night like any other, yet it was also different. Something had changed for Jackie. She could feel it in her body from the tingling in her skin and the shortness of her breath. She glanced up at Eric to see if he had noticed it too. He didn't appear to, and looked pensive as he stared out into the darkness.
Her hand trailed slowly up his body, from his stomach to his chest and her fingers began to trace a sensual pattern there that she could not have stopped even if she tried. He shifted slightly and she felt his breath catch almost imperceptibly as her fingers brushed across a flat nipple. She wouldn't have heard it if her head had not been resting just under his chin. He brought up his hand to catch hers, stopping their activity. A smile caught at the corners of her lips and she tilted her head instead to press kisses against the side of his neck and her tongue darted out to lick the line of his jaw.
He leaned down and smiled at her, understanding her intention now. They shared a hot kiss then, dueling with their tongues and Jackie's hands found their way under his shirt. She marveled at the ridges of his stomach and found herself suddenly desperate to feel more, to touch more. She flipped a leg over his hips and sat straddling his lap as she felt him harden beneath her bottom. Her body responded to the sensation and she felt wetness fill between her legs.
She pulled her simple tee shirt over her head and reached to do the same for him, tossing them both aside on the blanket next to them. Slowly, she began a rhythmic rocking with her hips that left a sheen of sweat popping up across his brow. She had never done anything quite so bold before.
He grasped at her hips to stop her moving, and attempted to flip her onto her back instead. She responded by unclasping her bra and shaking her breasts free in his face. He latched on to one with a low growl and his tongue did a wild dance around the tip that left her nearly purring in pleasure. She was soon desperate for more and gasped for him to stop as she got up and stripped off her shorts. Her panties soon followed and she stood naked before him.
"Come here," he muttered thickly.
She shook her head and knelt down next to him, as she ran her hands over his chest and abdomen. She bent down to kiss him, using her tongue to trace similar patterns that her fingers did earlier and reveled in the pleasure she felt when she felt his muscles tighten as her lips closed around a nipple. She did the same to him what he did to her earlier and her fingers slid down his torso to unbuckle his belt and unbutton his jeans.
"Jackie," Eric said, and she heard the note of warning in his voice.
She ignored it and pulled down his zipper, her hand finally grazing the prominent bulge in his boxers that was him. He hissed through his teeth at the feel of her hand on him, and reached down to wrap his fingers around her wrist.
"I think you should stop there, sweetheart."
"No," she whispered back and opened her fingers to grasp him gently. He groaned and the pressure on her wrist tightened.
"Jackie," he said sounding strained. "I won't be able to hold back if you keep doing this."
"Then don't," she whispered in reply. She let go of him and pulled his boxers down, and he sprang free. "Mmmmm," she purred and before he could react, she grasped his shoulders and raised herself slowly above him, rubbing herself along him and teasing his length with the wetness of her core.
He swore. His fingers flew to her hips and dug into the flesh at their sides. "Jackie, I don't have that much control. You need to stop. Now."
She ignored him and bent down to kiss him, her hair falling in a curtain down the both of them. He lost himself in the kiss and found himself unable to deny the pleasure she was bringing him. His fingers dug into her buttocks and he told himself that he was going to stop her soon, but every time she rubbed her slick folds up and along his length, he felt himself losing that little bit of self-control.
"Jackie, God," he rasped, "I didn't bring you out here to-" He sucked in a sharp breath as she reached down and fisted her hand around him. "-Have sex with you," he finished through gritted teeth.
"I know," she said solemnly and looked down into his green, green eyes. "But I want you to."
She saw them turned dark into a grey as he registered her words. She held her breath, and shivered with anticipation.
He held her gaze with his own, looking deep into her eyes. "Are you sure?" he asked her in a low voice that was heavy with meaning.
In response, she removed her hand from where it had been between them and drew her hips up, positioning her entrance at his tip. Slowly, she slid down his length, gasping a little as she felt her muscles stretch around his thickness and welcoming the feel of him as she slowly took him into her. She saw his pupils dilate and his jaw clench as he struggled to hold himself still instead of flipping her around and pounding into her like he wanted.
"Eric," she breathed as she took him fully into her. She lifted herself up slightly and slid back down again. "Eric," she cried, as pleasure filled her at that little movement.
He sprung to life and took charge. "So damn tight," he whispered gravelly, and grasped her hips, lifting her up till he was almost out and then slamming her back down on him again. He grunted and she gasped, digging her nails into his shoulder, careful to avoid the just healed skin on his back.
He brought her up again and this time she helped him, using her thighs to bring herself up and then down again over him. They soon found a furious rhythm and her breasts bounced as she rode him and cried and gasped his name.
Eric was finding it incredibly difficult to think straight. He had wanted her for so long, and she was hot and wet and so unbelievably tight and it was his name that was falling from her lips. His.
He moved his hands to her waist to shift her on his lap at a different angle and she moaned as a fresh wave of pleasure filled her. "Eric," she whimpered needing more and he nodded, pressing kisses up her neck and covering her lips with his own. He thrust harder upward and held on to her hips, controlling her movements with his arms. She ceded to him and held on to his neck as he expertly worked to increase her pleasure and took her to soaring heights as he felt her contort around him. He rode out her pleasure until he could hold back no more, than lifted her clean off of him before he took his own release, spilling on the ground below them.
She collapsed in his arms breathing heavily and feeling his chest rise and fall with similar exertion. He held her close and pushed back her sweaty hair, pressing a tender kiss to her temple. A breeze blew past them, nice and cool on their heated skin.
"You pulled out," she said later after their breathing had returned to normal.
"Yeah, of course. After your scare last time..." he trailed off.
Last time. With Hyde. Jackie thought back to the time when she had been beside herself with fear, feeling helpless and alone. It felt like a different life time. A different her.
God, she just had sex with Eric. Eric Forman. The most mind-blowing sex; never had she felt so connected to someone. She waited for the ramifications of it to hit her, for reality to crash through, some feeling that this was weird and wrong, but all she felt was a deep peace and an acceptance.
She tilted her head up and saw that his eyes were closed in the dim light of the moon. She stretched out her naked body against his and rolled up onto him so that they were pressed together down the front and skin to skin. She folded her hands under her chin, feeling his chest rumble beneath her breasts.
"Are you staring at me?" he asked lazily, with his eyes still closed.
She nodded her head. "Uh-huh," she said and kissed his chin.
His arms came up from his sides and he wrapped one around her waist and laid the other over the curve of her bottom. "Do you regret this?" he asked her softly, opening his eyes to search the depths of her clear brown ones.
She shook her head, sending her hair rustling over her back and his torso. "No. It was amazing."
He smiled one of his rare smiles. "You're amazing," he said meaningfully. He turned his eyes skywards towards the stars and constellations and she felt him heave a contented sigh.
They lay on the ground breathing in the clean night air, listening to the chirping of crickets and the hoot of some faraway owl in the vast land.
Jackie lay on top of him, luxuriating in the feel of him under her and continued staring at him, admiring him. The line of his chin, the contour of his lips, and those eyes. Those eyes that held so much of him, of his soul. Tonight she saw the stars up above reflected in their green depths, and for some reason she couldn't look away.
He must have felt her staring still, for he looked down and caught her gaze. He smiled another little smile and she felt the earth shift.
It would only be years later, when she got lost in memories and thought of this moment with Eric; the stars of the night sky above them, and the crisp scent of the Acacia flowers on the wind, that she recognized that had she been just a little less misguided about the illusion of loyalty with Steven Hyde; she would have known that she had already fallen deeply in love with his best friend.
If she had only known, and just been that little less misguided. She would have caused them both a whole lot less heartache and pain.