In which Jackie was Eric's little (adopted) sister, and not a spoiled rich girl, but damaged due to her backstory. In which Kelso is neglected, Steven is abandoned and traumatized, Fez is victim to racism and homophobia, Eric is damaged by the strained relationship with his father as a child, and the divorce of Donna's parents is affecting her entire life. Try to stay true to character traits.
Starts at the ages in Season 1.
She sat on the couch, holding the joint between her two fingers, looking at Donna pointedly. "Alright, Donna, your turn." She spoke, blowing smoke at Kelso, before passing the joint in his direction.
"Ok, Jackie. Truth or dare." The red head fired back. Usually, the brunette would pick truth, and she knew everyone was expecting her to pick truth. So when the words "Dare." left her pretty little lips, everyone stared like it was the end of the world.
"Fine." Donna pondered for a moment, before grinning. "I dare you to kiss Hyde." Everyone in the circle knew of the rivalry between Jackie Forman and Steven Hyde. Hell, everyone in town knew about it. Eric squeaked in disapproval, and Jackie turned red. "I-" She started.
"A dare is a dare." Donna smirked. "And if you don't do the dare then-"
"Fine!" She grimaced, and looked at Hyde, who had a smirk on his face. "Hey doll." She grabbed the collar of his shirt, and pulled him in, the smell of cinnamon and reefer intoxicating her senses. Her soft lips connected with his, his beard scratching her face in a delicious way. His head spun in circles, and his hands found their way to her natural chocolate locks. He bit her lip and she gasped, before two hands pulled her back.
"She said kiss, not fuck." Eric spoke pointedly, patting them each on the back.
She was sick. And she didn't mean that she had a tiny cold, she was sick. In all the days since she had been adopted by her parents, she has never been this sick. Her face was void of makeup, cheeks flushed, and her normally waist length hair, was still in the braid that she slept in. Her long legs were clad in jeans and she wore one of Eric's long sleeve Star War's shirts, with a pair of old, worn tennis shoes.
"Dad." She rasped out, and Red's newspaper slowly fell. He eyed his adopted daughter, and raised an eyebrow.
"This is the third time you've faked being sick this year." He raised an eyebrow. "Lucky for your future, your mother is at work. Off to school."
"But Dad-" She started, and he cut her off. "Do you think we got to take days off in Korea? No! Get your asses to school!"
And so they did, get to school. Her, Eric, and Steven shoved into the front seat of the Cruiser. "Looking rough, Buela." He sneered at her, to which she scoffed. "Wow, no witty comeback. You must really be sick." He told her, watching her teeth chatter. It was a warmer day in September, and it was most likely t-shirt weather. Jackie was wearing a long sleeve shirt and had a blanket draped over her. They pulled up to the school. His hard complexion softened at the girl in front of him. "You okay, Jacks?" He asked, concerned.
She nodded, turning to look at him, her head spinning. Her tinted red face washed over with a greenish color, and she threw up on the taller boys lap. "Hey, why don't we get you home?" He asked, refraining from making a smart comment at the poor girl, and Eric handed him the keys to his Cruiser.
"But Dad said-" She started to mumble, her eyes closing.
"Red can deal. So what, you played hookie because you yuked on me? Kitty would kill him." He pulled out of the parking lot, in the direction of his house.
"Where are we going?" She moaned. They finally pulled up to his house, and he cut the engine. "Casa de la Hyde." He helped her out of the car, and lead her up the semi-broken stairs of his home. She shivered. Two of the windows were broken, and the yard was littered with various different items. They stepped inside, and Jackie looked around, her stomach turning at the stench of what she could only imagine to be all the filth that they were surrounded by.
"Where's Edna?" She plopped on his bed, crawling under the covers, and resting her head on one of the pillows. "Dunno." He shrugged nonchalantly, kicking off his shoes and moving into bed next to her. She hummed.
"How long this time?" She questioned. It was no secret that Edna liked to take off on the boy in front of her. Hell, that's how she had ended up at the Forman's in the first place. She made friends with Eric, and then her parents were wanted by the FBI and fled the country. Soon enough, her maids took off, and one of them finally left her at Eric's house for a playdate that never ended. The rest is history. Usually, Edna would only take off for a week, maybe two at most. And during those periods of time, he would stay with the Formans.
"I don't know. Maybe a month and a half?" He shrugged. "It's okay, I guess. Water and electric still work." As soon as he said that, the power in the house shut off. Jackie sighed, and rolled over. "You got any Tylenol?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow, shuddering when a mouse crawled up and over the chair in the corner. He moved to run to the bathroom, where he knew he had some stashed from Kitty. When he returned with a glass of water, she thanked him.
"So," She started, her voice still raspy. "Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked him, placing her empty glass on the table beside his bed. "I don't know, kid." He shrugged, looking at her through his shades, pursing his lips together. "Moment of weakness, I guess." He spoke, retaking his position under the old, tattered Popeye comforter, and resting a head on his bare pillow. At least Jackie's had a Spiderman case on it. She smirked, and hit him. Or at least, meant to. Her arm didn't have enough force in it.
"So." She started again, and took off his sunglasses. "Talk to me Hyde." She frowned, touching a clammy hand to his warm face. "About?" He questioned, eyes closed. They fluttered open to meet hers, and she furrowed her brows. The phone rang, cutting them off. He sighed, walking over to it, and picked it up. He was silent. "Hey, Ma. When are you coming home?" The man sat on the edge of his bed and she crawled over to him, sitting beside him, arms brushing. "Oh." He sounded almost sad. "Have fun." He hung up the phone. There was silence for a second, and she nudged his shoulder.
She knew what was coming, hell, they were so close right now, she could hear the conversation through the phone. Edna wasn't coming home. But she wanted to hear him say it. "She's gone for good." He spoke, with no emotion in his voice. Almost as if the situation was no bother to him. Hell, if she didn't know Steven Hyde, she would have said it didn't. But she has known Hyde since she was a baby, toddling around with Donna and Eric at daycare. This hit closer to home than he had expected, and she could practically hear the next crack in his broken heart. It was still silent, and she slowly wrapped her tiny arms around his solid frame. "I'm sorry, Weavie." She mumbled, when his arm made its way around her. The nickname sounded foreign coming off her tongue, as that's what she called him growing up, since she couldn't pronounce "Steven." He sighed, when she rested her head on his shoulder, and he rested his own on top. "It's alright, doll." He murmured, placing his free arm on the one that was wrapped around his waist.
She was lost in thought when they arrived at her house, sleepy, and detached from reality. She had ended up falling asleep in Hyde's bed, and threw up again on Eric's shirt, so now she was wearing one of Hyde's long sleeve shirts. She was flushed, yet cold. She almost felt like the time she had dropped acid with Donna and the girl down the street. The three walked through the door, to find Red waiting for them.
"So," He smiled. "I see we decided to play hookie today." He looked at his daughter, who was swaying. The smile was wiped off his face. Hyde looked up at Red. "She yacked on my lap and was practically having a seizure. They would have sent her home as soon as she walked through the door-" He was cut off when said girl scoffed.
"It's okay, Weavie, I can handle it." She rasped, turning to look at her father. She paused, to regain her bearings when she realized she had spun around too fast.
"Dad, I wasn't faking. And I know you don't get sick days in Korea. But I'm actually sick." She sat down on the couch, looking up at him with wide eyes. "I'm sorry, Jackie. It's just that you and your brother are dumbasses, so I assumed you were faking." He smiled. She knew he meant it with love.
"Aw, how cute on my couch!" The nasal voice of the matriarch rang through the living room when the kitchen door swung open.
"Mom, I don't feel so hot." She stood up, stopping when she got that dizzy feeling again. "Oh my poor girl!" She exclaimed, rushing to her adopted daughter's side. "What's bothering you?"
"Nothing specific, Mom. Just feverish and yucky." She whined.
"And pukey." Eric and Hyde chimed in from opposite ends of the couch. Jackie huffed and rolled her eyes, falling back onto her adopted brother, and popped the Tylenol that her mother handed to her, and drank her water.
"Well, as long as we keep your fever down you should be fine. Why don't you go take a cool shower, and I'll make you some Cambells for dinner." Jackie perked up, smiling. "Tomato?" She sniffled. Her mother shrugged. "Sure."
Jackie's eyes caught Hyde sneaking into the kitchen. "I'm gonna run to the bathroom." She mumbled, following through the door. She caught him in the fridge, eating cold cuts by themselves. Her eyes softened, and she looked at him with watery eyes. "Steven?" Her small voice made him jump, and he shoved the cold cuts back into the fridge and shut the door.
"What do you want?" He sneered at her. She was taken aback at his tone. Maybe they were back to their old shenanigans.
"Nothing from you, you burn out." She challenged, raising an eyebrow at him. Her voice still sounded small, and had a twinge of concern in her voice, and she crossed her arms over her chest.
"Well why don't you just leave me alone, little orphan Annie." He fired back, and she raised an eyebrow. "That insult goes both ways, so technically, I win." She smirked, before it fell slightly.
"Listen, Hyde." She started, huffing. "Just because we have this thing going on, doesn't mean I don't consider you my friend." She started, but he stopped her.
"Well, I don't consider you my friend. So butt out." He fired back, and she felt a small twinge, as though she had been slapped. Her eyes slightly welled up, but she held them in, and nodded.
"Have a good night." She mumbled, turning and walking to her and Laurie's room. He sighed, knowing he had fucked up, and looked at the fridge. He could either swallow his pride and stay long enough that they feed him dinner, or he could steal food and go home. However he had no power, and he held more respect for Red than that.
"Where's Jacks?" Eric's voice rang through the now silent room, and Steven silently shrugged, taking a sip of his pop, and looking at the fridge. "Hey, Forman, what's for dinner?" He. asked hesitantly.
"Whatever is in the oven. Staying again?" Forman smiled. "Might as well move in, Hyde."
"I don't take handouts." The taller one grunted.
"Oh, believe me, Red would make sure it wasn't a handout." The dork chuckled, before blanking out and looking into the driveway. "Huh, little, scrawny neighbor boy has a crush on Hot-Donna." Hyde smirked at him, and moved past the smaller dork, who walked outside to go see his love.
She laid in the middle of her full-size bed, eyes drooping. She heard a knock at her door, and she mumbled a quiet "come in". A boy with curly hair and sunglasses graced her presence, carrying a tray with a grilled cheese, and a steaming mug of tomato soup with a glass of orange juice. "I thought we weren't friends." She shot at him, sitting up slowly. He set it on her bed, and she read the note on the tray out loud. "Sorry I'm an asshole, Love Hyde." She looked up at him, smiling. "You're forgiven. And you can have the grilled cheese." He grabbed the sandwich quickly, as if he hadn't been fed in days. And, if what she had seen earlier told her anything, he hadn't eaten a proper meal since the last time he stayed for dinner.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" She asked, drinking her soup. He shrugged, munching on his sandwich. "I don't know. Just figured it was time we grew up?" He looked at her. "I mean, I kind of have to be a grown up now anyways, don't I?" He asked, reffering to his home situation. She felt a pang of sadness in her chest, remembering how her parents quite literally left her. But, that was a long time ago, and she had Red and Kitty now.
"I wish there was something we could do." She mumbled. "I wish you didn't have to go through this."
"What's it like?" He asked, after a few beats of silence. His voice broke slightly. He kicked off his old boots, and crawled under the covers with her, looking at the ceiling. That's what they would do, when they were in one of those deep conversations they often had. They would get under the covers. Red and Kitty never questioned it, partly because they had done it since they were five. Despite their rivalries, they were still friends, even though they wouldn't admit it. She knew this was going to be a tough year, with figuring out his situation. "What do you mean?" She asked. It was a dumb question, and she knew exactly what he meant by 'it', but she wanted to hear the words escape his mouth.
"To have this. You went from nobody loving you, to having all of this?" He asked her, gesturing to the room and all of her belongings. She shrugged, trying to think. She honestly didn't remember, because she was so young. It was only second grade when this happened, and she remembered her maids were always there to mother her.
"Mommy, look!" A small girl with big brown eyes, and black hair in pigtails with pink ribbon came bounding down the hallway, a toothy grin on her face. "I made this for you!" She handed a sloppy macaroni art to her mother, who smiled. "Very nice, Jacklyn." She smiled, putting it aside and continuing to sip on her margarita. The little girl stood, for maybe five minutes, before trying to hug her mother.
"Aren't you going to hang it up?" She frowned, looking up at her mother. "Eric and Donna's Mommies always hang up their artwork." She pointed at the kitchen. "On the fridge!"
"Well, I'm your mother. Why don't you go play with Alba?" She asked, refering to the nanny. The little girl didn't think anything of it, going to find her Nanny, skipping along the way. Pamela threw the macaroni artwork into the trash barrel beside her.
She told him this story, remembering the ache in her chest that she felt when she found her artwork in the trash barrel with Alba. So she rushed over to this very house, tears in her eyes. Red was the only one home, and while he terrified every kid, he never managed to scare her. "We were in the garage, and I was sitting on the stool, crying. I told him what happened." She smiled. "You know that macaroni art hanging above the workbench?" Steven nodded, smiling about the fact that Red was a softie. "He never took it down, and he gave me a real good piece of advice that day. Never to let anybody make me feel small. Not even my dumbass parents." She snorted.
Her parents and brother stood in the hallway, listening to the conversation. Eric had relayed that Steven had basically been abandoned to Kitty, and now they were eavesdropping on the two kids laying in bed and talking. "Eric, how come I always have to take in all of your dumbass friends?" His father huffed.
"Red is a good guy. I've always respected the guy. Even if he's constantly telling me he's gonna put his foot in my ass." The boy smiled, putting his glasses on the bedside table. He remembered them doing this in this bed when they were younger, except they were smaller, and the bed seemed much bigger. Eric smirked at his father, who smiled at Steven's comment. "You know, I always liked Steven. But he still hasn't said anything about Edna leaving."
"You know, Jacks. Today gave me a lot of time to think." The burnout sighed, rolling to look at the girl. "If I'm gonna survive, I need to get a full time job to keep that house, now that Edna is gone, and isn't paying for anything anymore, I'm gonna have to drop out." She frowned, and went to say something but it failed her.
"Steven." Her voice was small. "I don't want you to do that." She opened her chocolate eyes, and reached her hand out to hug him. He felt wetness on his shoulder, and he hugged her back. "Oh." He spoke, moving slightly. "You're crying." He didn't do well with emotions.
"I'm sorry." She wiped her eyes, and rolled onto her back. "What if we can find a way to make it so you didn't have to-" She started, and he cut her off. "Jackie, I didn't think I was gonna make it through high school anyways. I'm on a one way track." He spoke, a numbness in his voice. She felt something bubble in her stomach that didn't make her feel very nice. She couldn't describe it.
Eric came in the room, and got in the bed. "You know, if Hyde moved in, it would be like a never-ending sleepover!" He cheered like a third-grader. Jackie snorted, and Hyde cracked a small smile. Red and Kitty were no longer listening.
"Listen, Forman." The older boy spoke, sighing. "Your folks are barely making it as is. I can't do that to them."
"My mother is quite literally going to force you to move in if you don't." He smirked. "Plus, Kelso would literally flip if he found out Steven Hyde was sleeping down the hall from his girly friend." He smirked, waggling his eyebrows, and Jackie rolled her eyes.
"Michael and I aren't serious. He's planning on dumping me next week." She mumbled. "Just for shits and giggles."
"What happened to 'Oh my god, Michael! I love you forever!'" Hyde mocked, and Eric snickered. "At least she knows, man." He defended his younger sister.
"It's getting late, I should leave, man." The burly one spoke, moving to put on his worn down shoes. "Steven-"
"Nah, doll, I'll be fine." He spoke, walking out the door. Eric sighed, looking at his sister. "You know," He finally spoke after a long beat of silence. "You used to be a spoiled little rich girl." He laughed at her, and she smiled.
"I'm just lucky that I stumbled upon the home for little wanderers." She laughed, playfully whacking him. "I just hope Hyde realizes that this is what he needs."
So, what did you think? I'll still incorporate Jackie's sass and shrillness, and stay as true as I can to the storyline!