I don't own That '70s Show.

I'm trying to 'adjust' everyone's lives in this chapter. Jackie's with Forman's and so forth. Red, Kitty, and Hyde will also be introduced so there will be some quick touch-ups on their lives. I'm trying to make the center character Colette, but Jackie and some others will be hanging around for the most part. I'm also trying to get an 'ED' vibe without them actually making a physical appearance in the story. Let's see if I did an 'ok' job.

CH2. Kitty

It had been three days since Colette and Jackie ran into each other. Colette had finished up her paper on the HUB closing and turned it in. She got a 99. One point was deducted for not doing the paper over a "nicer and more appropriate" building.

What a load of crap. She should've gotten a 100.

Anyway, Colette was through with her homework and decided to take her extra weekend and reconnect with her "Big Sister." Needless to say she was excited. Who knew what the day had in stored for her? But then, she knocked on the front door of the house of the address Jackie had given her. Her excitement died right at the front step.

A balding older man, in his mid-fifties opened up. As soon as he saw Colette, he groaned, "More kids? They're like roaches! You manage to get rid of a few and more seem to come back!"

Colette's right foot uncomfortably began to ache, so she rubbed it against the cement of the porch. The older man was so damn intimidating and Colette always prided herself on NEVER being intimidated. Yeah, well this guy ruined her perfect record.

"Um…" Where was she going to start? "Is Jackie home?"

The man gave her an incredulous look, "Home? This is NOT Jackie's home."

Colette tried again, "Well is she here?"

The man looked over Colette for a moment. The young girl wore a white blouse with a red sweater. She wore a pair of khaki pants and red sneakers. Colette's face was full of fading freckles and her brown eyes overflowed with innocence.

The man took a step back, saying to himself, "What's going on here? She's too young to be part of the first batch of degenerates…"

And as if the universe heard him, Reginald Albert Forman-Red, got his answer.

Jackie, sporting a sleeveless black turtleneck with a beige mini skirt and black heeled boots that cut off just above her ankle appeared behind Red. She had just finished doing her makeup and hair and felt a bit more liberated knowing how attractive she looked- especially with Hyde still staying in the Forman basement. Her ex would have to sit through an entire breakfast meal with her looking stunning as usual.

Jackie peeked over Red's shoulder and smiled at Colette, "Little Jackie! Come on in!"

Red shook his head, pointing at Colette, "No. You can stay on out."

And then he turned to Jackie, "And you. What's the big idea? You've barely been back a week from flunking out in Kenosha and already you're giving away this address to anyone you spot on the street? You don't even live here! And the only reason you're staying is because Kitty couldn't stand the thought of you roaming the hills of Wisconsin by yourself!"

Jackie merely smirked before pressing her lips on Red's cheek like if she was his own daughter.

Red flinched, shouting, "Don't even think that sweet, girly crap is gonna work on me! I was in the war dammit! I'm made of much stronger stuff!"

Jackie completely ignored his last comment and giggled, "Mr. Forman, can my protégé please eat breakfast with us?"

Red shook his head, closing his eyes, "No. Absolutely not."

Pause.

He opened one eye and saw Jackie, staring at him with arms folded and with a very disapproving look. He then opened his other eye to see skinny looking Colette. He knew what he had to do and he didn't like it one bit.

"Dammit." He groaned before asking Colette, "You haven't eaten a decent meal, have you?"

"No." The younger girl admitted shyly, looking down. Her stupid brothers pigged out and ate all the cereal, milk, and eggs. She guessed she could've eaten ham but there were two problems with that. The first was that the ham was expired and stunk like hell. The second was that she was allergic to ham.

Red opened the Forman's front door all the way, stepping silently aside for Colette to come in.

"Thank you, Mr. Forman!" Jackie chirped, grabbing Colette's arm and leading her into the living room. As the two went into the kitchen, Red could be heard closing the front door and grumbling, "Why do they always wind up on my doorstep? What the hell's wrong with the Lewis's or the Donohue's?"

Upon reaching the Forman kitchen, Colette's senses were happily awakened at the smells and sights of all the delicious breakfast dishes Mrs. Forman was preparing. There was small, round, thick Swedish pancakes; there were tiny plates of butter, a canister of honey-sickle syrup, and there were the greatest looking eggs next to the longest strips of sizzling bacon Colette had ever seen. And resting on the round breakfast table were tiny bowls of blueberries, strawberries, and apple slices. And Next to the bowls were two old fashioned pitchers. One was marked for milk, the other for orange juice. And by the counter, between the refrigerator and the microwave a fresh pot of coffee stood perfectly still, and by the scent of it, just brewed.

Did she die and go to heaven?

Colette blinked, her stomach growling and her mouth watering.

Jackie smiled at her, saying, "Yeah, the first time I was over for breakfast I had the same face."

Kitty looked up from stirring the eggs. She happily greeted them, "Oh Jackie! I was so busy I didn't hear you come in!" And then she noticed Colette, "Aw! You have a new little friend! Well, honey, what's your name?"

Before Colette could regain her speech, Jackie answered for her, "This is Little Jackie, my apprentice." Jackie then wrapped her arm tightly around Colette, proclaiming bravely, "I am taking her under my tutelage and molding her into a well-adjusted, happy adult-like me!"

Kitty blinked a bit before laughing, "A-ha, ha, ha, ha-ha! Okay then, you go do that."

Before Jackie could ask what was so funny, another man walked into the kitchen, but he came from the basement. He was a medium built man with broad shoulders. Unfortunately for him, even though he still had a few youthful features in his face, he was already showing the beginnings of a beer belly. It was possible he was aware of this fact because he was wearing a black hoodie in what looked to Colette as him trying to hide his stomach. And she didn't think he was trying to hide his shirt, who in their right minds would hide a shirt like him? From the unzipped upper part of his sweater, she could tell he was wearing a Beatles T-shirt. From what she could see, it looked like the cover of their album Revolver.

With one hand in his blue jean side pockets and the other on his ruffled, dark brown hair, the man coughed, "Good morning, Mrs. Forman."

Kitty beamed, "And good morning to you too, Steven!"

The man scratched his bearded chin, his blue eyes looking everywhere else in the room except where Jackie and Colette stood. Kitty noticed this.

While the mother hen turned off the stove and began setting up the plates, she asked Hyde slowly, "Steven, honey? Don't you think you're forgetting to tell someone else 'good morning'?"

He looked around the room, puzzled for a moment before his eyes fell on Colette. He gave a short nod, "Good morning."

Kitty put down her spatula, obviously upset (as was Jackie) that he was being so rude.

"Steven." Kitty warned, "Jackie is in the room with us. Wouldn't it be nice to wish her a happy 'good morning'?"

He shrugged, not really seeming to give a damn, as he responded, "It would be nice to wish her a happy 'good bye'."

He then took out a pair of black aviators and slid them up the brim of his nose as to shield his eyes.

Kitty sighed patiently, "Steven-"

But Jackie cut her off with, "No, Mrs. Forman, its okay." She was clearly hurt and her eyes showed it, but she didn't let them weal up with tears as she coldly shot at Hyde, "I'm used to Hyde's immature behavior even though it's been like, five years since we were together."

Hyde emotionlessly smirked, "See Mrs. Forman? She's used to it, now-" Hyde changed the subject, popping his knuckles, "-what's for breakfast?"

Kitty went back to preparing the plates, saying out loud, "Honestly Steven, I don't know what has gotten into you the past week. Usually you're so nice and helpful around the house!"

At that moment Red came in from the dining room area, rolling up a newspaper. He turned toward Hyde, asking seriously and in his boisterous manner, "Whatever it is, it better not have anything to do with-" With his rolled up newspaper, Red pointed at Jackie, finishing, "The arrival of this one, or does it?"

Hyde nodded, answering honestly, "Might."

Red paused, eyeing him slowly. And then, the older man told him in a fatherly voice, "Steven, I like you a whole lot more than I do my own son, and I think much of you as a man, so when I tell you to-" Red's voice boomed like a loud speaker, causing all the women to jump and for Kitty to drop a small portion of egg on the floor as he shouted, "GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS BEFORE MY FOOT DECIDES TO JOIN IT!" And then Red cleared his voice, going back to his fatherly tone, "You know I'm just trying to help. So, got that?"

Kitty gently hit Red's shoulder, hissing, "Red! You scared me! Now I have breakfast all over the floor!"

And that was when Hyde softly groaned and stood up. He told Kitty, "It's alright Mrs. Forman. I'll clean it up."

He made his way over to the pantry to take out a dustpan and broom while Kitty cooed, "Oh, Red! Isn't he the sweetest thing?!"

And Colette could've sworn the curly haired man's cheeks turned a light shade of crimson.

Kitty then turned toward the girls, "Would you two care to take your seats at the table?"

Colette asked awkwardly, "Are you sure it's okay, ma'am? I mean, you were making breakfast for four and I wouldn't want to intrude."

Kitty shook her head, a smile bubbling to her lips, "Nonsense! There's always room for one more at the Forman household!"

At that, Red rolled his eyes, "And she's not kidding either. She literally makes room."

Twenty minutes later and everyone was still eating their food, and Colette felt rather shy about finishing before everyone-twice.

"So," She started, hoping to turn their attention away from her and her fast eating habits (when one lives with four males, one learns to eat swiftly and just swallow the food), "How many children do you have, Mrs. Forman?"

Kitty immediately answered, "Three. The first is Laurie, she just came back from…well…"

The truth was, no one knew where Laurie ran off to in the latter half of the '70s. All they knew was that she had recently returned a few years back, right around the time Fez and Jackie broke up and Jackie moved to Kenosha after obtaining a job. As far as anyone saw, Jackie moved out one day and Laurie moved in with Fez the next.

Kitty shook her head, dismissing everything, "It doesn't matter. All that matters is that she's back in Point Place. She's trying to get a job but with her work ethic…well…yeah." Kitty changed the subject, "And Steven here is the sole owner of Grooves!"

Colette was impressed, "The record store? No way! I love your stuff, but I assumed that guy with mane of hair owned it since I always see him there."

Hyde shook his head, "Randy? Nah. He's like, my manager."

Colette raised her eyebrow, "Still man, that's awesome! My friends and I go there all the time and stuff!"

Kitty then took a sip out of her glass of milk, "Oh, and Eric! I almost forgot about my little baby. He's…um…he's…." She really didn't know what Eric was up to come to think of it.

Jackie, who was seated on Kitty's direct left asked, "Don't you know where he's at, Mrs. Forman?"

Red stopped eating and looked at his wife cautiously. Kitty, after a moment, shook her head, "I really don't know…." She turned to Hyde suddenly, "Steven?"

Hyde shrugged, "Beats me. Last time I saw him, he was having sex with-" He caught himself and immediately tried to rectify it in mid-sentence, "having, um, chess. He was playing chess with Donna the eve of New Years 1980."

Red rolled his eyes, knowing full well that Hyde slipped up. Kitty knew as well, the difference was she was trying really hard to believe that Eric really would play chess with Donna at a New Year's party. And Jackie could only smirk at everyone's reactions, especially Hyde who was not used to screwing up in front of everyone.

Hyde lightly took a sip of his coffee, nodding, "I believe it was a good game. I think Donna won."

Red groaned, "Geez! Do you people think we were born yesterday? We all know that Eric and Donna-"

"RED!" Kitty shouted desperately. Everyone then turned toward her. She awkwardly told her husband, "Whether we know it or not doesn't mean we should say it. That's not breakfast table talk and I will not stand for it in my kitchen! I cook family meals here!"

Red groaned, "Okay-okay, I'm just saying, don't lie to us!"

Kitty shook her head, "Well when the truth is what it is I, for one, would prefer the lies!"

Colette then chimed in, "Well, if no one knows what happened to him, why don't you all get into contact with his girlfriend?"

Hyde shook his head, explaining, "Wouldn't work. They officially severed ties that New Year's."

The newcomer interrupted, "But you said-"

Hyde explained to the girl, trying to use 'breakfast talk' for Kitty's sake and be mindful of his words, "Yeah. They did do it, but it was more like a 'last hurrah' thing then it was a 'let's get back together' deal."

Colette shook her head, "And they just went their separate ways? Just like that? After a lifetime of knowing each other?"

Kitty, drinking her milk, bitterly retorted, "All I know was that while my baby was in Africa, that fabricated blond practically paraded around here with her new boy toy-Randy!"

Colette asked, very much confused, "Blond?"

Jackie filled in, "Donna dyed her hair yellow. I personally saw it as a step up from her classic trucker display."

Kitty shook her head, "Step down if you ask me. All she did was whore herself around, flaunting those-those jugs and shaking those hips to any man that stumbled passed her way!" She then added, "I'm surprised the milkman was left in one piece!"

Red, again, stopped eating and looked up at his wife. Hyde just gave her a quizzical look, "That's breakfast table talk?"

An excited Kitty ignored him, going on, telling Colette, "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if she was something similar to Steven's stripper wife! Or worse- a jogger!"

Colette couldn't believe it, turning to Hyde she asked, "You were married?"

And right when he and Jackie were about to answer, Kitty thought out loud, "I bet I can even guess what that harpy is up to today!"

Kitty's Thoughts:

New York City

A woman in a skimpy outfit ran through the dark streets. Her heels clacked every two feet as she kept running in a direction she wasn't even sure of. Behind her a cloud of men hurried, screaming and calling her name, begging her to go back to them.

Her breath kept coming in short puffs, sweat caking on her forehead as she ran into the nearest alley she could find. The men's voices grew louder as she rounded another corner in the alley. From above, rusty apartments towered over her. The women who lived there threw their dirty water at her, scowling at her and calling her names for what she did to their husbands.

She managed to avoid the water, but stopped when the alley reached a dead end. For a second she stared at the wall in silence before letting out a painful howl. She then turned around, eager to get out as quickly as she went in, but only saw a rat blocking her exit.

It was a big rat. A big, grey, sewer rat the size of her head. It glared at her with its tiny red eyes before hissing madly. It waved it's long, hairless tail at her before scampering off under a diseased ridden mattress with several brown stains on it.

Passing the mattress was the only way to leave the alley, but she was worried that if she did, the rat would come out. Maybe it had rabies. Maybe it would biter her.

The noise from the men grew louder and angrier, all calling out her name to finish what she started. But she had no desire to. She was through throwing away her life, and she just had to get out.

She bolted passed the mattress as fast as she could and ran to the other end of the alley. She kept hearing their grunts and swears as she banged on any door she could find, crying out for them to open up. But every time a descent woman would see her, with her caked on make-up and phony eye lashes and dirty blond hair, they would just shake their heads and lock up their door extra tight. They even turned off their outside lights to make the alleyway extra dark.

She kept running though, her heels clacking louder than ever as she stepped in a puddle of murky water. Her hands began to shake; growing frantic at the possibility of what those men would do to her once they caught up with her. What her past would do to her once it caught up to her.

She could feel her eyes tense up and water. She could feel her heart accelerate. Goosebumps crawled all through her back as she painfully became aware that those men were going to find her. And they were going to do unspeakable things to her.

She saw one last door at the farthest end of the alley. She sprinted to it, landing incorrectly on her left heel and falling because of it. She fell hard, scraping one of her knees. But she wasn't going to give up- not again.

She flung her heels in the opposite direction and struggled to get back on her feet. With the cold, wet gravel ground piercing the flesh under her feet, she walked hurriedly toward her very last hope.

There were two warped, wooden steps in front of the door that she forced herself to walk on. She tried her best not to even look at her knees, knowing full well what she would see. She knocked on the door, hoarsely calling out for someone to help her. She needed someone to get her out of this hellhole.

The inside door opened, leaving the screen door locked and still keeping her out.

Soon the kitchen lamp flickered on and her heart nearly stopped.

"Eric?"

The man inside stepped away, as if worried about something, "Donna."

The noise of the other men grew deafly apparent and he couldn't help but ask, "What happened?"

She answered the only way she knew how, "I don't know."

Almost immediately he opened the door for her, helping her inside. He locked both the inside and the outside doors and did the only thing he could to leave the other men outside in total darkness in the alley- he turned off the outside lights.

He then turned to her, noticing her bleeding all over the kitchen floor. But he noticed what she was wearing first.

"Why are you wearing that…that costume?"

She leaned against one of his walls, slowly setting herself down on the ground to catch her breath.

"Donna, what the hell is going on?!" He shrieked, close to banging on his small, circular kitchen table. She said nothing but averted her eyes from him, choosing to stare at the tiny icebox that served as his refrigerator instead. He knelt down in directly in front of her and whispered harshly, "Donna, there are men out there looking for you. Why are they looking for you?!"

She closed her eyes. She didn't want to cry in front of him. And she wasn't going to.

Eric angrily demanded, "Answer Me!"

"This isn't a costume." She said softly. She then turned her cold eyes directly on him as she said sternly, "It's my uniform. For my job."

Eric couldn't help himself as he spat, "Which is what exactly? Being a whore?"

With clenched teeth she growled, "Well aren't you Mr. High and Mighty today. I guess you took some of your stupid moral fiber."

He pointed at the door, saying, "What about them? Is this what you want now? To run from a bunch of drunken men!"

She made a fist, pounding onto the floor madly. She spat at him, "You cannot judge me! I did what I had to do to stay in school! There's no money from either of my parents and I have too much pride to go and beg for it. So, I picked up a part time job." She then leaned back, trying not to sound too upset as she confessed, "Drunk, horny, married men pay the rent. How the hell was I supposed to know they'd want more than a lap-dance."

He didn't accept her answer, "What's your real reason for doing this? For hurting yourself?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, "What was your real reason for going to Africa. For hurting everyone around you?"

He turned away from her, mumbling, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"The hell you don't." She mumbled, her hand covering her bleeding knee. He stared at her knee thoughtfully for a moment before getting up, saying, "Let me get something for that."

While he was gone, she really took in the sights of the kitchen. It was very small, yellow, and not too furnished. Maybe the rest of the apartment was that way. But there was one thing she did notice. He put cheese graders on the wall next to the door she spilled in from. Even here in New York, it felt like the Forman's.

A pang of guilt her gut as she leaned forward, trying to catch her breath. When he came back she watched quietly as he cleaned out her knee with Hydrogen Peroxide. It stung a little, but far less than her pride. And then she saw him carefully wrap up her knee in some bandages he must've had in his restroom.

Neither of them said a word as he did this simple gesture for her. And she really wanted to thank him, but both of them knew she never would. Like she said earlier, she had too much pride to be a decent person, and too little to be a real human being.

"Why're you here in New York?" She asked, finding that after all these years she just wanted to talk to him.

Eric shrugged, never taking his eyes off his bandaging, "You wouldn't believe it."

"Try me."

Eric looked up doubtfully before smiling, "I'm finding myself."

Donna cocked her eyebrow skeptically, "In New York? What? You'd thought you'd find yourself at the Statue of Liberty or something?"

Eric sat down next to her, shaking his head, "No, think about it. This place is rich with people and culture. Different people. Different cultures. I could learn here, be a teacher as well as a student! Learn of what it is like on this world. You see, Donna, I've been searching for so long for an answer- for a reason to be alive when the answer was there all along. And even though I wasn't sure of the question, I needed the answer! I needed to get in touch with what truly mattered- my fellow man."

She just stared at him with a stumped face. He then added, "And women, of course."

Her lips pursed, her eyes glazing down to the tile floor, "So let me get this straight…you were searching for an answer for a question you weren't even sure about and that's why you ran away to Africa? That's why you're here in New York?"

Eric nodded, smiling, "Yes! To learn and explore more! To find if weather or not there truly is a force!"

She made a face, finding herself growing angrier by the second, "A Force? This better be Physics, Eric."

Eric shook his head, trying to get her to understand as he waved his hands about, "As in Star Wars, Donna. Think about it- what if we were all connected like in-"

She almost lost it.

"Well, while you were globetrotting around the universe and in your figurative Millennium Falcon searching for answers- I was struggling without you Eric!" She ran her weary hand through her blond strands, laughing incredulously, "To think I could only think about you for all these years…and all you thought about was 'getting in touch' with a bunch of people who probably thought you were off yer rocker!"

Eric shook his head, trying to get her to realize, "Listen Donna, there are so many possibilities out there. We, as a race, are on the cusp of something much bigger than ourselves, something much stronger! Could you imagine a TV, a radio and phone all as the same thing? Look, I went to this seminar of what the future could bring and-"

She really wanted nothing more than to slap him right now. She fumed, "Eric! A TV, a radio and a phone is just that! A TV, a radio and stupid, freakin' phone! They are all separate entities! You can't combine them! That's just wishful thinking that doesn't have anything to do with anything!"

"I'm serious, Donna." Eric tried again, leaning closer, "There is an edge out there! A silver lining. A horizon where with this new technology we can finally connect not only the world, but perhaps one day learn the truth behind the origin of the human race. I've taken a peek and it's wonderful. You would've loved it. You should've been there-"

She cut him off, snapping, "Maybe I would've if you didn't leave me behind."

He paused for a moment, his mouth hanging open lamely. In the next second he shut it, looking away from her and rubbing the back of his head.

After another moment, she let out a breath, "Eric, I can't do this anymore and yet…and yet, I can't move on. What the hell does your stupid seminar have to say about that? Will your newfound theories and toys finally find a way to treat loneliness? To remedy the anguish and sadness that the human spirit needs to know what happiness truly is? To be one with yourself and another? Will it change Love and Hate? Will it 'cure' us from the very thing that makes us flawed and wonderful to begin with? Will it cure us of living? And will we forget how to be human in the process?"

"I don't know what you mean." He said gently, his voice barely audible as she placed a hand on his leg, "When was the last time you called your mother since your personal quest started?"

He looked up, his mouth dry, "I…can't remember."

She shook her head at him, "You can't even pick up a phone and you already want to hook up a TV and radio to it."

She sighed, asking him slowly, "Why're you even doing this?"

"Because," he started shakily, "Because I'm trying to find the answer!"

"What the hell's the question, Eric?"

"Why am I-" He looked away at her, focusing on the edge of the kitchen table, "Why am I so miserable?"

She looked over her hands. Chipped finger nail polish sprinkled her outfit. With her left hand she rubbed her cheek. When she looked over those fingers she saw the residue of one of the layers of foundation she had applied earlier that night.

She chuckled at the insanity of it all.

"You? At least you were trying." She took in a deep breath, trying to sort it all out in her mind, "I was more lost than you. I had sex with men I don't even know. I've degraded myself because I thought that if I could hurt myself, I could hurt you." She then looked up at him, blinking back the tears, "I am miserable, Eric."

The noise from outside picked up again, the men's voices drawing closer.

He watched the door with a certain look in his eyes that words could never capture. He then took in a deep breath, wondering, "What happened to us, Donna?"

The voices outside were so loud; they both knew that these men were just outside the door. As their anger drowned out Eric and Donna's thoughts, Donna reached out and turned his chin toward her. His eyes soon followed, a very sad expression hidden in his features.

She suggested softly, "Let's just be miserable together."

She pulled him closer to her for one last kiss before-

Kitty's Thoughts End

"The End!" Kitty shouted as she patted the breakfast table.

Everyone broke out at once, Colette's voice the most distinguishable as she cried out, " 'Let's be miserable together'? That's horrible!"

Jackie had a hand raised, "Wait a minute, was Donna a stripper or what? Because I've seen her try to be sexy and believe you me, it is one of the top three saddest things I've ever saw! It's right next to a blind puppy and the creation of the IRS."

Hyde scrounged up his face, "So why was Forman interested in 'finding himself' all of a sudden?"

Red agreed, "My son better not be a damn Hippie!"

Kitty tried to explain, "I put Donna that way because of how she dirtied up my little boy! Even in the end she was all over him! And my Eric was a good boy-"

Red commented, "Well, if you don't like Donna, why did you give her that line about mentioning you?"

Everyone nodded their approval of this question while Kitty shook her head, "Because! Because I….I…Because!"

Colette raised her fork, asking, "So were they gonna get busy at the end or were they getting back together-?"

Kitty shook her head, stating firmly, "That is no one's business and I most certainly will not get any further into this topic! And besides, I'm too much of a lady to report the next event, but knowing that Donna..."

After a short pause, Red asked his wife slowly, "Kitty, we need to have a good, long conversation over the definition of 'breakfast talk'."

Jackie then turned to Colette, "We're usually not this crazy around here."

Hyde nodded, raising his glass, "Damn right. Usually it's worse. It's pretty tame this morning."

Jackie shot him a nasty look.

Kitty shook her head, upset, "It's just…I cared for her as if she were my very own! When Bob and Midge would leave for long periods of time I let her stay here with us and break bread on this very table! When Midge left, I took care of her and tried to be the mother she never had! I taught her how to make classic, home-made waffles dammit! And her and Eric were so close I…I just couldn't believe how she moved on so fast when my baby left. And I knew how much Eric cared for her that it just hurt, because it didn't seem…as if it meant nothing to her though I think it did and I…I, um," Colette, as did the rest, saw Kitty's expressions contort with all sorts of mixed emotions, especially pain. She dabbed her left eye with a napkin, saying, "Excuse me everyone."

Her eyes grew watery as she cleared her throat, taking Hyde's plate, "Steven, honey, you're done. I'll just go and wash-"

Hyde put his arm around her, telling her, "It's okay Mrs. Forman. I'll do it."

Red uncomfortable looked down as Kitty shrugged, admitting, "Laurie used to send letters. Most were full of sarcastic remarks, but she still sent them so that I knew my first baby was safe out there. And Eric called while he was in Africa. He knew it was long-distance, but he still called me every single day. And Steven here, well," She reached over and patted Hyde's cheek gently, laughing a little, "Oh, a-ha, he's just my little protector. Always around and helping around the house." She then stared at the orange juice pitcher, letting out a sad sigh, "I thought Donna would be more appreciative. But, she just packed her bags and left New Year's Day. She thanked me and promised me she would call the house if anything important came up. That was four years ago. I haven't heard a word since. And I just…oh I don't know. I guess it would be nice if I knew that somewhere out there she was at least thinking of us."

She gave a small shrug, "If Eric was thinking of us."

A stiff silenced followed as Red told his wife, as if no one else was around, "It's not your fault, Kitty. And, it's not Donna's either. Now, I'm not saying I condone what she did, but it must be pretty hard for her, picking up the pieces of her life as we all are doing. The last thing she would probably want is to be around anything that even remotely reminds her of Eric. Unfortunately, that includes us. We are her ex-boyfriends parents."

"We are far more than that." Kitty flatly said in the most serious tone anyone had ever heard from her.

Red, on the hand, took the most understanding tone, "I know. But give her time. And give Eric time. They'll come back." His voice switched to his regular gruffness as his eyes settled on Jackie as he remarked, "They always do weather we want them to or not."

I kept thinking about it over and over and, well, over again. Who was I going to start with? And then it hit me. Not like a baseball bat or anything, but like a little light bulb. I'd start with Kitty. She was after all Eric's mother. Who would be more attatched to a boy than his mom? And besides, I figured she would be the most hurt out of anyone I could think of if any one of the kids (especially her Eric) left. But what I didn't count on was her attitude toward Donna. I know that in some episodes she had a hostile and competitive attitude for her, but at the same time cared for her as she did all the kids. I tried to incorporate aspects of both (which is why she puts Donna in her role of the story as a 'woman of the night' yet 'conscience' for Eric to begin with). I know it's very contradictory, but I think her feelings for Donna are something like that. And also Eric seems to have everything together until he opens his mouth. Like how a toddler frequently asks, "What's this?" and "How does that work?", he finds himself asking the same questions. He's too absorbed in the bigger picture that he's missing all the details of life, his mother and Donna both being those 'trivial' details. Now, for everything as a whole, I did my best to keep everyone in character and believable. Let me know what you think and I'll see ya around.

As for a Batman fic, I'm definately thinking about it. But, it's gonna be awhile.