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Jackie Burkhart was coming back. She'd gotten her ass out of what Hyde now had to admit was something of a one-horse town so fast a decade ago, never looking behind her to see who she was leaving behind, and now she was coming home. Kitty Forman was sitting across from him, trying to look contrite for his sake, but he could tell she was as giddy as a school girl at the return of the prodigal daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Forman always had loved Jackie, in fact he suspected that Jackie was the only one of Eric's friends that Red Forman could stand.

Hyde cursed. Jackie, the girl he could now admit he'd never really gotten over, was coming back into his life. And she had probably brought her latest paramour with her, as well as her daughter whose very existence made Hyde feel like someone was wedging glass into his heart. She'd probably also bring the kid's father with her. No matter how hard he tried to avoid her, and try he would, he had no chance what so ever of managing to keep from running into her in town, Point Place was just so small. Besides, there was a very real chance that she'd come to Grooves and rub her successful life, and her lover, in his face. She wasn't what he'd call spiteful, but turnabout WAS fair play, and God knows he rubbed Sam in her face till the cows came home. Much as Steven Hyde was loathe to admit it, he did sort of deserve whatever she threw his way.

He hit the wall, managing to hurt his hand far more than the infrastructure.

Kitty shook her head sadly. "Steven, I just want you to know, I'm sorry. So very sorry."

"Thanks for coming here to warn me. I appreciate it."

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Jacqueline Forman opened her front door for her godmother and namesake, her father in quick pursuit.

"Don't open the door sweetheart, you don't know who might be outside!" Eric yelled from a few yards behind. "Oh. Jackie. It's you. Good. Donna was getting worried, you were kind of late. Uh, come in."

Tentatively, Jackie stepped foot over the threshold. She'd never actually been in Eric and Donna's house, every time they'd met since the Great Escape of '79, Jackie had avoided Point Place, and indeed the entire state of Wisconsin like the plague, and had met up with her friends in Manhattan. She'd only actually come home once, for Jacqueline Forman's baptism, and that had been a quick in and out, almost more of a pit stop, driving in ten minutes before the baptism began and leaving the moment it was over. Taking great precaution to never find herself alone with Steven Hyde. This town wasn't her home anymore, and she didn't belong here, she'd told herself. Not as long as HE called it home.

But now it was her home. She lived here. She was staying with her best friend and her family until she could procure for herself a house of her own. A house as far away from Grooves as she could manage. Even if they were going to live in the same town, there was no way she was going to come into contact with Steven Hyde.

"Welcome home," Eric said, breaking her out of her reverie. "The guest room is up the stairs and to the right, and we decided that Beth could reside with Jacqueline for the duration of your stay. Uh, I don't really know what to say, I'm not good at greeting long lost friends. All I can really tell you is that Donna's down at the radio station, but she'll be home in about twenty minutes. You, uh, wanna go unpack your bags? Oh, Beth doesn't mind staying with a four year old, does she? We'd put her somewhere else, but it's the only furnished bedroom we have…"

Jackie just laughed, half out of sadness, half out of how silly Eric sounded. "Nah," she said, responding to the only part of Eric's monologue she felt comfortable answering. "She's always wanted an little sister, so she'll find it fun."

Eric smiled. "Cool. By the way, Fez, Laurie, Kelso and Brooke are coming by tomorrow, they all really wanted to see you, you don't mind, do you."

"Huh-uh. However, I do have a question- Laurie really wants to see me?"

"Well, her husband does, and she's coming along for the ride."

Jackie grinned. "Well, it's fine as long as Laurie's nice."

Eric shook his head. "Have you met my psycho sister?"

Jackie laughed. On the other hand, perhaps it was good to be home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ 25 Minutes Later~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Donna Pinciotti-Forman strode through her front door, feeling the success of a good days work. The radio company which she now owned had, in just one day, acquired two new DJ's for its title station, and brought a new station into the fold. All in a day's work, she thought to herself. And best of all, she'd just gotten a call from Eric that Jackie was arrived. She was about to see her best friend for the first time in seven months.

Just as she was about to announce her presence, her daughter came barreling towards her, screaming. "MOMMY! YOUR HOME!" her daughter screeched in a voice highly reminiscent of her namesake's shrill voice back in the good old days. In fact, Donna realized upon thinking of it, Jacqueline actually was a lot like Jackie Burkhart. She loved shiny things, as well as the sound of her own voice. She, even at the age of four, always put on an overly cheerful façade, but when she was alone with the people she really trusted she opened up, and showed a whole new side of her, a more vulnerable side.

Jacqueline was also a lot like what Jackie was back in middle school, and the beginning of high school, incredibly trusting and somewhat naïve, and sure that the world really was her oyster. Of course, since then Jackie Burkhart had turned… cynical. Of course, she had every reason to, she'd been abandoned by her parents, then the love of her life had run away from her and married a stripper. Donna clutched her daughter just a bit tighter, and vowed to herself that this Jacqueline would never have to go through what her godmother had been forced to endure.

Donna was broken out of her thoughts by a subtle cough coming from behind her. She turned around and saw Eric and Jackie standing by the staircase.

"Hi honey. Welcome home. Oh, guess what, the devil has arrived."

Jackie elbowed Eric good naturedly.

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~*~Next Day~*~

Steven Hyde decided that it was, quite frankly, not in his best interests to go to work that day, and, being both the proprietor of the record store, and the boss' son, and not actually having any employees at the present time, it wouldn't hurt anything if Grooves just remained closed for a day. Besides, the longer he avoided being seen in public, the longer he could avoid Jackie Burkhart. And he was not in the mood to see her today. He, quite simply, was not in a good place right now to have his heart broken.

Especially when that would require admitting that he had a heart. Hyde was quite content to let the childhood allusion that he, Eric, and Kelso were just like the characters from The Wizard of Oz. Eric was the lion, no courage. Due to he was scared of spiders, and girls. Kelso was like the scarecrow, no brains. As evidenced by the enormous frequency with which he set things on fire or glued himself to something, or someone. And he, Steven J. Hyde, was like the tin man. He had no heart, and he had no feelings.

With a self given day off, and the inability to leave his apartment, because if he did he might run into Jackie, Hyde realized he had nothing better to do, and rolled over and went back to sleep. Maybe later, if he got up the energy, he could have a little circle time, he decided. Though he had to admit, circle time wasn't that much fun when you had to do it all by yourself.