Chapter 3.

"Let's go Jackie. You'll be fine," Hyde muttered from next to her as if he could sense her nerves. He exited the car and Jackie took a deep breath in before she did the same.

She looked back at her bags in the Camino's flatbed. "We'll deal with your stuff later," Hyde responded, like he had read her mind. She watched as he headed towards the Forman's bin to throw the takeout bag away for her.

He'd done a total 180 since she'd met him at the airport, now he was willingly throwing her rubbish away without her even having to ask him too. She wasn't sure what had changed, but she decidedly preferred this side of him a lot better, so she wouldn't question it.

Jackie followed him down the driveway slowly. She spotted two boys playing basketball at the end of the driveway and wondered if one of them was Eric Forman. The scrawny little boy she remembered to be the Forman's only son.

As she got closer, she deduced that neither looked to be the Forman boy. They hadn't noticed her presence yet as they continued to mess around with the basketball. She watched as the taller boy, who looked familiar, stole the ball from the other boy and proceeded to dunk it through the basketball hoop.

"I win!" He cheered with a big smile on his face.

"No, you cheated," the other boy, who was shorter and had darker hair pointed a finger at his friend. "That's it, I'm not playing with you ever again Kelso."

Kelso…

"Michael!" Jackie announced her presence as she walked up to the two boys. Surprised to see the boy that she used to think she was in-love with, she'd forgotten that he had been close friends with both Eric Forman and Steven Hyde.

He had grown much taller then she had ever expected of him (definitely well over 6 foot) and he still had his good looks, that was no surprise though, he'd been exceptionally beautiful even at the age of 12.

"Hey… Jackie," Kelso greeted her with a big dumb smile as he balanced the basketball between his hip and arm.

"You got hot!" He added a second later as Hyde walked up next to Jackie.

"Kelso… She just got here man. Could you at least wait till she unpacks before you go hitting on her?" Hyde wondered, and Jackie eyed him suspiciously.

Why did he care if Michael hit on her or not? It wasn't like she cared, she wasn't interested in dating right now anyway. So, Kelso could try as hard as he liked to get into her pants, she knew already that it wasn't going to work.

"Uh… No," Kelso looked at Hyde as if he had insulted him. "It's like you don't even know me."

Hyde rolled his eyes. "Jackie, this is Fez… And obviously you remember Kelso."

Jackie turned to face the other boy, whom she had definitely never met before. His looks, and weird fashion sense told her that he wasn't from here. Point Place was notoriously known for its lack in diversity. He must have moved to town while she was in New-York.

"Hello Jackie," Fez began to talk, and Jackie picked up on his strange accent straight away, he had to be a foreigner, which would also explain the strange name.

"I am sorry about your lousy parents. But I'm glad that we have gotten this chance to meet." He held out his hand and Jackie placed hers in his uncertainly, she watched with wide eyes as he brought her hand to his mouth and kissed it.

Jackie pulled her hand away quickly. "Um… Thank you?" She responded unsurely before looking over at Hyde. "Fez?" She whispered quietly.

"Stands for foreign exchange student… Don't bother asking his real name, its too long and no one can pronounce it anyways," Hyde informed her.

"Well Fez… It's nice to meet you." Jackie smiled back over at Fez.

"Jackie was the first girl I ever kissed." Kelso leaned over and elbowed Fez in the arm, causing the ball he had been balancing on his hip to drop to the floor. He rushed to pick it back up before acting like the clumsy display never happened. "Yep. Those were some good times."

Jackie nodded her head slowly, she remembered the kiss he was talking about. It had happened right before she moved to New York and was their one and only kiss. She remembered he'd used way too much tongue and their teeth had clashed together awkwardly.

It definitely wasn't the greatest kiss she'd ever had.

"You know… If you ever get lonely. I'd be happy to reenact that kiss for you," Kelso grinned at her and Jackie had to fight rolling her eyes at the comment. There was no way she wanted to reenact that awful kiss.

It seemed like Kelso had grown up into a young adult while she was away, but his mental age somehow remained that of a 12-year-old boy.

"That's okay Michael. I'm good."

"Jackie…" Fez started, catching her attention. "You are a very beautiful woman, I would also be willing to help with any physical needs that you may have." He nodded his head as if he were doing her a favor and Jackie couldn't help but laugh.

"Fez, you're married man," Hyde pointed out and Jackie felt her eyebrows raise in shock, this weirdo was married?

Fez glared over at Hyde. "Yes, but before my wife ran off on me, we had agreed to an open relationship."

She had no idea what they were talking about, but she was suddenly very interested in finding out. How could this awkward boy have found a wife so early in life when Jackie struggled to find someone she liked for longer than a few weeks?

"Whatever man. Is Red back yet or what?" Hyde questioned before Jackie had a chance to ask Fez more about this wife of his.

"He's inside," Kelso waved a hand at the house, never taking his gaze off Jackie.

Hyde left the group, wandering off into the house. Jackie watched him disappear through the sliding door that looked to lead to the kitchen and wondered if she should follow him.

"Hey Jackie. Need help with your bags? I'm pretty strong you know," Kelso interrupted her thoughts.

"Me too," Fez interjected, and Jackie looked over at the two boys who were now flexing their muscles at her, as if it would impress her but there wasn't much to show off anyway.

Even though they were annoying her, Jackie quickly decided that it's better to have two boys vying for her affection then none and if they wanted to carry all her luggage inside, then who was she to stop them?

"That would be so great. My bags are in the back of the Camino. You can just bring them up to my new room," Jackie flashed her smile at the boys and watched as they began to race each other over to Hyde's car. "And be careful with them!" She shouted back at them, her clothes were expensive and also the only possessions she had left in life, she didn't want anything to get ruined.

Jackie turned towards the kitchen door and took a step forward before the door slid open on its own, and an older short woman came barreling out the house towards her.

"Jackie!" The woman, whom Jackie placed to be Kitty Forman came at her with arms wide open. "It's so good to see you," she wrapped her arms around her in a big hug.

Jackie returned the hug, awkwardly patting the woman on the back. "Mrs. Forman, I just want to thank you so much for letting me stay here," she began as they pulled away from each other.

Kitty waved her hand in the air as if it were no big deal. "Don't be silly, it's our pleasure. Your parents were good friends of mine and Red's back in the day and when I heard from Pam about your poor misfortune of-course I was going to do anything I could to help."

Jackie couldn't believe how nice this woman was, she barely remembered her from when she was younger and back in New York, no-one was ever this nice to others for no reason at all. She'd spent most of her adult life learning that if someone were being nice, it usually meant they wanted something from you.

But Mrs. Forman stood there smiling brightly at her, offering up her home and love for nothing in return.

"Well aren't you just the prettiest little thing," she added, cupping Jackie's face with her hands.

"Thank you," Jackie responded, and Kitty let out an infectious bubbly giggle.

"Now now, stop thanking me. It's my pleasure to have you here. I'm just so sorry about your floozy mother… But it's her loss because we are going to have so much fun here this year! You are going to fit right in, I just know it."

Jackie wasn't so sure, but the reassurance did feel nice.

"How was your trip? Was Steven nice? I know he can be a little grumpy at times, but he really is a sweet boy."

Jackie nodded her head slowly. "The flight was good, and Steven was um… well to be honest Mrs. Forman I'm not sure he likes me very much." She thought they had ended the ride on good terms, but she definitely understood what Kitty meant by his moodiness.

"Oh well I wouldn't take that too personally. Steven pretends not to like most people and most things really but it's just a front… I'm sure once the two of you get to know each other, you'll get along just fine."

"I'm not worried Mrs. Forman. Every-one loves me. Especially men. I'm cute and bubbly, it's a Burkhart trait, most people find it irresistible."

Steven might act like he hates most things and most people, but Jackie Burkhart never met a man she couldn't win over with her shiny personality and breathtakingly good looks.

"That's good dear… Now come inside and you can meet Red," Kitty grabbed hold of Jackie's hand. "I'll just warn you, he's a little grumpy today. We just came back from the hospital this morning, so he might be a tad short with you, but he'll perk up after a good night's rest!"

She flashed the older women a sympathetic smile. "I was sorry to hear about his heart attack… If you like, I could perform a cheer for him? It always used to perk my dad up when he was in a bad mood."

"Oh, that's alright Jackie. Red doesn't care much for dance routines."

Doesn't care for dance routines?

Poor Mr. Forman.

Before Kitty had the chance to lead Jackie into the house, Kelso and Fez came stumbling over towards them. Kelso was balancing three large bags in his arms while Fez was holding one across each shoulder.

"Jackie you sure do have a lot of things," Fez informed Jackie with a huff, clearly out of breath from carrying her heavy bags up the drive way.

"Oh, you boys are so sweet helping Jackie with her things. You can just bring them straight up to Laurie's old room," Kitty instructed the boys who moved off into the house to do as they were told.

"Hey Fez… It's been awhile since I was in your wife's bedroom… Lotta' memories in there," Jackie heard Kelso say as the two friends disappeared into the Forman's home.

"Okay Jackie. Red's just inside the kitchen, let's go say hi."

She allowed Kitty to take hold of her hand and drag her through the sliding doors and into the kitchen.

Their kitchen was small, much smaller then she was used to. She guessed you could only fit four or five people in here before it began to get overcrowded. Currently the room was at its full capacity, Hyde and Red Forman were seated at the small round kitchen table and were staring up at her.

"Red, you remember Jackie," Kitty re-introduced the two with a big smile on her face and Jackie took a step forward towards the table.

Red had stuck his hand out for her to shake, but Jackie was more of a hugger and before she knew it, she had leaned down and wrapped her arms around him. "Mr. Forman, I heard about your heart attack and I'm so glad you're feeling better," she said sincerely before pecking him on the cheek and pulling away.

Red looked over at her as if she had just slapped him in the face. "Uh well… thanks," he mumbled, and his cheeks turned a shade of red.

"Thank you for letting me stay here."

"Don't thank me… If it were up to me you'd be back in New-York, but Kitty has a thing for strays."

Jackie took a step back at his admission, she realized her stay here had more to do with Mrs. Forman then Mr. Forman but she wasn't used to people being so blunt with her. She also wasn't crazy about being referred to as a stray.

"Red Forman, what did I tell you?" Kitty scolded her husband from her spot next to Jackie as she wrapped a consoling arm around her.

"Be nice to the girl," Red muttered. "But Kitty… I'm not nice to our own son, why would I be nice to this one."

"You're nice to Steven!" Kitty argued, bringing everyone's attention to Hyde who was sitting comfortably with an amused expression on his face as he watched the show unfold in front of him.

"That's because he's the only kid around here that's good for something. He cooks when you're at work," Red motioned with his hand over to Kitty. "Cleans up outside and does chores without being asked… What's this one going to do for me besides spend my money?"

The attention was brought back to Jackie and she felt her cheeks redden. Red was right, Jackie didn't do chores, she couldn't cook, and she had no money of her own anymore. She had nothing to offer them.

She opened her mouth to defend herself, but no words came out.

Hyde cleared his throat and interjected. "Jackie told me she knows a lot about cars… weren't you saying the other day that you need some help with the Toyota, Red?"

Was he trying to talk her up? Jackie thought Steven didn't even believe her when she had told him about her hobby being car mechanics. He'd just totally saved her from not only looking dumb, but also getting Red to value her as more then just some stranger in his house using up all his money.

If he bought it, that was.

Jackie held her breath as she watched Red look from Hyde back to her. "You know anything about Japanese cars?" He asked her, and Jackie nodded her head quickly. "Alright then… Guess she's not totally good for nothing… Like Eric."

Later that night.
The Forman's driveway.

Hyde walked out through the sliding doors with a bag of rubbish in hand. The family had just had their first meal together with Jackie and it was more than a little awkward. Jackie tended to flap her gums, although Hyde already knew that from their journey back from the airport. She spent the entire time talking about how great New-York was and how much she was going to miss it there while he pretended to listen.

No one brought up the huge elephant in the room. Which was the whole reason why she had to leave her beloved Manhattan… her lousy good for nothing parents abandoning her.

Kitty spent most of the time trying to change the subject to how much Jackie was going to love it in Point Place while she pried anything worth eating out of Red's hands and left him with nothing but green vegetables. Which meant Red spent the dinner complaining about the food.

And to top it off, Eric hadn't even bothered to show. So, Hyde had to deal with the insanity all on his own.

The only reason that he got through dinner at all, was because he knew afterwards he could go down to the basement and get some alone time with his stash. But just as he had snuck down to the basement to smoke up, Kelso and Fez came barging in with Jackie in tow, which meant his plan to get high was ruined.

Sure, he could have started up a circle anyway, but he wasn't sure if he could trust Jackie not to tell the Forman's about his favorite activity. Which was why he was currently outside lugging rubbish down the driveway to the bins, killing time. After 5 minutes with those three in the basement, he had to get out. It was doing his head in listening to Kelso ad Fez constantly hitting on Jackie.

After taking out the trash, he began to make his way back to the house.

"Hyde!" He heard his name being called and turned to see Eric emerging through the Pinciotti's hedge and into the Forman's driveway. It was the first time today that Hyde had seen his friend, it wasn't like the guy to be out all day and he was always home for dinner.

It didn't take a genius to realize that something was off.

"Forman… Where the hell have you been all day?"

"You know… Here and there," Eric replied vaguely as he walked over to the vista cruiser parked in front of the garage and leaned against the back of it.

"Avoiding Jackie huh?" Hyde put two and two together, moving so that he was standing in front of his friend. "Smart man."

Eric looked over at the house. "So, the devils in there right now?"

Hyde nodded. "In the basement with Kelso and Fez… They're giving her a bigger head then she's already got."

"They're into her?"

"It's Kelso and Fez, they're into any chick who's got boobs."

"Yeah but… She's evil."

Hyde shrugged. Jackie was annoying, but he didn't exactly agree with his best-friends view of her and to be honest if he had a choice of sharing the place with Jackie or Laurie, he knew who he'd pick any day.

"She's hot, What are you gonna do?"

Eric gasped dramatically then shot Hyde a disgusted expression. "I can't believe you just said that!"

"Why don't you go in there and meet her before you judge her based off what she was like when she was a kid."

Eric shook his head. "I think I'm going to put that off for a little longer. Besides, I just got back from a 5-hour shift at the Holiday Hotel… I need some time to unwind."

So that's where the guy had been all day.

Hyde frowned. "You weren't supposed to work today." He knew as much because Hyde had to do the rosters himself, Roy was unreliable and had recently been forgetting a lot of shit, so he had been picking up the slack.

"I picked up a shift… Thought I'd give the extra money to mom."

That was surprising, it wasn't like Forman to think about people before himself and he loved his days off.

"That's cool of you man."

"Tell you the truth… I've been feeling kind of guilty lately. Everything that's going on, I mean mom's been working her butt off and I've been so wrapped up in moving away that I've barely noticed. I feel like I've been a little selfish."

"No…" Hyde responded sarcastically, and Eric shot him a dirty look. "Look, I get it man. You're excited to move out with your girl… But your parents are gonna be really strapped for cash, specially with Jackie moving in. Would be really cool if you helped out more."

"I just don't get what mom was thinking. They were barely staying afloat when it was just us four, now she's bringing in another mouth to feed."

"Your mom's a good person, Forman. She saved my life when she took me in and now she's probably saved Jackie's… Listen, maybe you should be thinking about putting off Madison for a bit." Hyde suggested something that had been running through his mind for the last week or so.

Eric sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Except this is my future we're talking about. I'm worried if I stay here, I'll get stuck here and I- I just gotta get out."

"What's so wrong with Point Place?"

Eric paused for a moment before saying. "Nothing… Come on, let's just play some ball or something," he pushed off from the car and walked over to the basketball ring, bending to pick up the ball by the base of the ring.

"Alright man. If you can handle me kicking your ass five nights in a row."

Hyde and Eric began to play and almost instantaneously Hyde had intercepted the ball off Eric, shooting and sinking the ball through the hoop of the ring. A few minutes later and Hyde was up by 5 points when Jackie rounded the corner from the backyard.

He noticed her standing by the vista cruiser watching the two play, so he dunked the ball one last time before acknowledging her.

"Hey Jackie… Where's dumb and dumber?" He asked her as he continued to bounce the ball in front of him.

Jackie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. It was getting chilly outside and she was still in the sundress that she had been wearing since he picked her up from the airport.

"They were annoying me, so I asked them to unpack my things upstairs."

"Shouldn't have done that… Kelso's notorious for panty raiding," Hyde pointed out and watched as Jackie scrunched up her nose in disgust.

"Ewww!"

Eric cleared his throat from next to Hyde and stepped forward towards Jackie. Hyde stood back to watch the show, both Eric and Jackie were looking each other up and down as if waiting for the other to speak.

Eric caved first. "Jackie."

"Eric."

"I see you're still short."

Jackie placed a hand on her hip. "And you're still a dweeb."

Hyde tried to stifle his laughter but was failing miserably.

"I was right… You are still evil," Eric squinted at her.

"Like I care what you think of me," Jackie responded sarcastically.

"Oh, I'm just getting started Missy."

"Missy?... I almost forgot what a scrawny little weirdo you are."

"Hey! I am not scrawny. It's not my fault that I have a fast metabolism, you- you witch!"

"Witch? That's the best you can come up with?"

"Oh, I can do a lot better than-"

Hyde rolled his eyes, already over watching this. He stepped forward in between the two and pushed Eric back a little. "Would the both of you just can it… Can't believe I gotta listen to the two of you bitch at each other for a whole year."

"And I can't believe my parents invited the devil incarnated to live in our family home!"

Jackie huffed, stomping a heeled foot in anger. "Well I can't believe I have to live with a twitchy little loser!"

"Oh, don't worry. I'll be moving out of here with my beautiful fiancée soon, so you won't have to live with this twitchy little loser for long."

Jackie let out a bellowing laugh. "Fiancée? Yeah right. Who on earth would agree to marry you? And Imaginary people don't count."

"Well the jokes on you because she is real, and she is going to marry me."

"Then she must be a weirdo just like you."

Forman had the exact same crazy look in his eye that he got when he was fighting with his sister Laurie, right before he came out with an uncharacteristically good burn. Hyde would have pulled the two apart again, but he was dying to hear what his buddy had come up with.

He watched with anticipation as Eric's mouth opened, but before he got the chance to burn Jackie, Kelso and Fez came running out the house in a hurry.

"Jackie," Kelso started, cutting off Eric. "I finished unpacking your stuff."

"We! We finished unpacking. I helped too Jackie," Fez cut in.

Jackie tore her eyes away from Eric to look over at Kelso and Fez. "Oh, thanks guys."

"So, Jackie, I was thinking we could go…" Kelso began, watching Jackie as she completely ignored him and walked off, leaving the group behind as she entered through the sliding door back into the Forman's house.

"That's cool, another time," Kelso waved a hand in her direction before turning back to Hyde and the others. "I don't think she heard me."

"No, she heard you. She was just pretending not too... You just got burned my friend," Fez stated the obvious and began to laugh.

Kelso flashed Fez a hurt look, before digging his hand down and into his jean pockets. "At least the night wasn't a total loss… Look what I stole," he pulled a pair of purple panties out of his pocket and held them high in the air with a big smile on his face.

"I knew it," Hyde shook his head.

"Gross Kelso put those away," Eric muttered with a look of disgust on his face.

"Give me the panties!" Fez leaned forward and reached up to try and snatch the panties away from Kelso.

As the two boys fought to keep possession of a pair of panties, Eric turned to Hyde. "Circle time?"

"Thought you'd never ask man."

There we go - Jackie's met almost all of the basement gang and the Forman's, next chapter we'll get more into the actual story.

Once again, thanks for reading and don't forget to click the Fav/Follow button and comment on your favorite parts in the review section below.