THE RIGHT WAY AROUND.
Chapter 11 - Shaky Ground.
A/N: Here we go again. I had planned for this to be the last chapter but everyone seems to still be enjoying this story so I have decided to carry on for a little while longer. This chapter was really difficult to write because I had to scrap the original plan for a finale so forgive me if it's a bit crappy. It's actually my least favourite that I have written so now that I have made it sound so fantastic, have a read. Few little things; Schotzie is still around and I am writing Laurie as Lisa Robin Kelly played her. BTW, someone had a nasty reaction to how one person wrote Eric and Donna so as a bit of a warning; Eric comes off somewhat like a dick in one scene but I really like his character and it is for a real reason. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I own nothing and after the crap the show spilled out in Season 8, I'm relieved to have nothing to do with the show.
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EL CAMINO
"Ugh, I swear we should have seen a specialist! I can barely make out the baby in this picture." Jackie groaned as she squinted at the sonogram picture.
"Jackie, the baby doesn't even have arms yet let alone a photogenic appearance." Hyde said sighing. Ever since they left the doctor's office, Jackie had babbled about anything and everything and even Hyde was growing irritated, despite his newfound Mother Teresa like patience when it came to her incessant chatter.
"Well, excuse me for wanting something nice for the next entry of the baby book." Jackie stated.
"Baby book?" Hyde said in shock. They had just come from their first joint doctor's appointment and she was already on her way to making a baby book. "Next entry? When the hell do you find the time to come up with all of this stuff?" Hyde queried, picturing her going to pre-natal classes and stuffing her shirt with pillows.
"You'd be surprised what an unemployed girl can get done when she spends her days hanging around the listening pit at Grooves." Jackie reminded him. "God, I need a job." she started but was cut off by Hyde bursting out into laughter. Glaring at him, Jackie smacked his arm in frustration. "I'm serious, Steven! I cannot spend the next 8 months listening to Mrs. Forman telling me how little Laurie caused so many vaginal tea-"
"Ah, ah!" Hyde interrupted loudly causing Jackie to jump. He continued, "Look, I don't want to hear the 'v' word from your mouth unless you want mine in it." Hyde told her.
"Well, you had no problem staring at it when the doctor was doing his exam." Jackie scolded.
"That was different, I was making sure he didn't start… poking." Hyde said, strangely embarrassed by this.
"Well, I sure as hell saw something poking." she joked, giving a quick glance to his pants. "I never knew a girl getting felt up by a speculum turned you on."
Hyde laughed through his teeth. "You know, this teasing thing of yours is getting to be a real drag. You should probably cut it out before we end up in the emergency room again." At this, Jackie bowed her head as she remembered one of her not so finer moments.
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DECEMBER 1978
POINT PLACE GENERAL HOSPITAL
"So, um…" the nurse said between laughter, "you swallowed it whole?" In all her years of working in the ER, Nurse Sheila Parkhill couldn't recall ever coming across two people in this kind of situation.
"Well, we were in a hurry you see and I got a little carried away and before I knew it I had accidentally swallowed it." Jackie rambled before clutching her stomach in pain. "Look, this really hurts so could you please just get it out?" Jackie ordered.
"The only way that is coming out of you is through a stool and I can't exactly call the O.R. for this you know." Nurse Parkhill told her amusedly. "You the boyfriend?" she asked, indicating to the semi-conscious teen on the other side of the room.
"Yeah." Hyde muttered.
She nodded before telling Jackie she would be back in a moment with some medical students since this was such a "fascinating" case.
"Great, just what I always wanted. To be gawked at by a bunch of virgin geeks." was Jackie's reply. Noticing Hyde's snort, she glared at him, "I'm glad you find this so funny, Steven. Especially since it is all your fault!" This comment stirred Hyde a bit.
"My fault? He asked disbelievingly. "I wasn't the one who followed me into the bathroom and took her underwear off without removing her skirt." Hyde said, beginning to stumble on his words towards the end as he remembered the little act she had performed for him right after she had finished her Christmas cheer for him.
"Well, maybe you weren't. But I definitely wasn't the one who wanted to try wheelbarrow position against the bathtub!" Jackie yelled.
"Oh, you wanna do this? How about this one? I wasn't the one who stuck it in her mouth and gulped it down like it was a gummy bear!" Hyde yelled back but Jackie gasped at how bluntly he had put it.
"I did not gulp-" Jackie began but felt something to her left and realized that the doctor had left the curtain wide open allowing the entire floor to hear their conversation. Just then, Nurse Parkhill returned with the eager med students,
"Ladies and gentlemen, meet the first patient I have ever encountered to swallow an entire condom."
----------
"Is that never talking about it again, Steven?" she whispered as they pulled up to the driveway.
Hyde chuckled and stopped the car, ignoring Jackie's glare as he unlocked the doors. "This is my carnival, babe." Grabbing her hand, Hyde led Jackie through to the living room where Eric, Donna and Laurie sat talking. "This is new." Hyde stated as he took in the sight of Eric and Donna laughing at something Laurie had just said.
"Oh hey, how did your appointment go?" Donna asked beaming. She could barely contain the happiness she had felt ever since Eric had shown up a few hours previous. Sure, it had been a shock and she was still a little shaken, but torn between getting pissy for a little while or just accepting a good thing, she chose the latter.
"Great. You know, once Steven stopped beating up the doctor." Jackie said sarcastically. Hyde smirked feeling very proud of himself.
"He won't be going anywhere near her 'v' again." Hyde told them.
"Her 'v'?" the three asked.
"Don't ask." Jackie said yawning. "Is it possible to be getting all the pregnancy symptoms this early on? I'm tired all the time, I feel bloated and just now I was tempted to drink the martini dripping from Schotzie's dog collar." Upon Donna's look, Hyde rolled his eyes and put his arm around Jackie's shoulder. Thankful for the embrace, however out of character, Jackie rested her head on his shoulder and dozed off within moments.
With one down, the four remaining inhabitants of the room quickly began to catch each other up on what they had missed.
"So basically nothing?" Eric retorted when Donna filled him in on what he had missed out on since he had been away in Africa.
"Well I wouldn't say nothing." Donna said. "Your mom getting high, Hyde knocking Jackie up, and Leo getting married to a Las Vegas stripper sound like some good things to be sad about missing out on."
Hyde, however, perked up at the 's' word. "Stripper? Where'd you hear this?" Hyde asked interested.
"Leo sent my mom a postcard from Cairo and he filled us in on the big day." Eric told him. "Funny how they ended up in Egypt in less than a day and how the postcard has already arrived." The group briefly considered this before removing it from their minds. After all, the idea of Hyde and Jackie having a baby together or of Laurie being in love once seemed like foreign concepts but now they were just facts of life.
"So sis," Eric started, "you've told us all about what you did when you left Point Place, but you seem to have neglected the details of your fiancée and how you ended up in this condition." Eric smirked.
"Well we all know how she ended up in this condition." Hyde interrupted. "In fact, every man in Wisconsin could tell us exactly how she ended up in this condition."
"Ah, I've so missed our double burning on Laurie." Eric cooed sarcastically at Hyde.
Laurie smiled sweetly and replied, "The old Laurie would have given you two some form of retaliation but the new me has found solace in the humanity of forgiveness, peace, and love. I love you, brothers." Laurie said in a sincere tone and Hyde and Eric looked like they had been permanently cut off from sex right after every bit of their stash had been flushed down the toilet. Then, Laurie smirked maliciously and said, "Thought that would do the trick."
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FORMAN BASEMENT
CIRCLE
Eric: So here we are men. Back to where we all started.
CUT TO FEZ
Fez: The irony of this moment is not lost on me. As we gain one, we lose another. Ai, the irony. (shakes head)
CUT TO HYDE
Hyde: You guys are looking at this all wrong. Since this is one of the last times the four of us will be in a circle, we have nothing left to hold back. So let's hear it!
CUT TO KELSO
Kelso: You're totally right, man. I don't have to withhold my wisdom from the world anymore and we can say everything we were always too afraid to say. I'll go first. (pauses in thought) Yeah, I got nothing. (laughs)
CUT TO ERIC
Eric: Yeah, that was really profound.
CUT TO FEZ
Fez: You leave him alone! You cannot come back here and insult my friend. Continue Kelso.
CUT BACK TO KELSO
Kelso: Thanks Fez. But I still got nothing.
CUT TO HYDE
Hyde: OK, I got something. Forman? I hate these seats.
CUT TO FEZ
Fez: Ouch.
CUT TO ERIC
Eric: Hey, my mom picked these out years ago. You can't start complaining now.
CUT TO KELSO
Kelso: No, Hyde's right. I get really sensitive when we're in the circle and this couch feels like a plank of wood in my ass. It's not cool, man.
CUT TO ERIC
Eric: You too? I can't believe you two. This place is sacred and you're mocking it. Do you know what Luke would have done if Han Solo and-
CUT TO HYDE
Hyde: Oh, enough with the Star Wars crap. That isn't real Forman and you look like an idiot when you start spurting out references to it in every sentence.
CUT TO FEZ
Fez: Double ouch.
CUT TO ERIC
Eric: Oh, talking about Star Wars makes me look like an idiot but believing that beer makes us smarter than the government is somehow the Messiah speaking?
CUT TO KELSO
Kelso: There's no need to be mean, Eric. We all agree that you go on about Star Wars and we all agree that Hyde is an ass who speaks nothing but crap. (looks at Hyde) Sorry buddy.
CUT TO HYDE
Hyde: I do not speak crap, you baboon. (Kelso shrieks) If anything I am the only sane person in this freak show.
CUT TO FEZ
Fez: Oh, that is overstepping the line Hyde.
CUT TO HYDE
Hyde: Oh I'm sorry Fez. I should know by now better than to insult your one and only soulmate. Go munch on a bag of M&M's.
CUT TO FEZ
Fez: (swallowing a lump in his throat) Ouch.
CUT TO ERIC
Eric: Oh shut up everyone! I should be getting paid a million dollars a week for all the shit I hear you guys talk about. If it's not Fez's whining, then it's Hyde's self-sabotage. And if it's not Hyde, then it's Kelso going on and on and on and on and on about his looks. Just give it a rest already.
CUT TO KELSO
Kelso: You're out of line Forman. We're your friends.
CUT TO HYDE
Hyde: Yeah, but Kelso let's not forget that without the mighty Eric Forman, we're all just a bunch of wasters who can't hold a group together.
CUT TO FEZ
Fez: Please stop it.
CUT TO ERIC
Eric: Well considering Kelso is moving and the rest of you are walking blind, I'd say that's a pretty fair assessment, Hyde.
CUT TO KELSO
Kelso: I can't believe this is how we are spending our last circle together. I don't wanna fight.
CUT TO HYDE
Hyde: Well, maybe this needs to be said Kelso. Cos I'm not feeling too affected by the high so there's no better time to say what we are really thinking.
CUT TO KELSO
Kelso: Yeah, I don't feel all that different either. Are you sure this stash is good?
CUT TO ERIC
Eric: Wow, Hyde. You can't even pick up the right stuff these days. What a dad you'll make.
CUT TO FEZ
Fez: Eric, you take that back!
CUT TO ERIC
Eric: (sensing he went too far) Yeah, I'm sorry Hyde. That was harsh.
CUT TO KELSO
Kelso: To say the least.
CUT TO HYDE:
Hyde says nothing.
CUT TO FEZ
Fez: Maybe we should wrap this up now.
CUT TO ERIC
Eric: Maybe you shouldn't butt-in Fez.
CUT TO KELSO
Kelso: What the hell is going on with you, man? Being mean to Hyde and Fez for no reason and acting like you're better than us. What's up with that?
CUT TO HYDE
Hyde: I'll tell you what's up with that, Kelso. Forman here went off and left this little basement behind for bigger and brighter things and now that he's back, he feels like he really is better than us. Isn't that right Forman?
CUT TO FEZ
Fez: Eric, that is not true, is it?
CUT TO ERIC
Eric: That's crazy Hyde. I'm just calling them as I see them.
CUT TO HYDE
Hyde: Then maybe you should shut up and piss off again.
CUT TO FEZ
Fez: Alright that is enough! Kelso is leaving and I do not want your petty fight to get in the way of how sad this is. Hyde, Eric, apologise at once to each other and let this be done with.
CUT TO HYDE
Hyde: Whatever.
CUT TO KELSO
Kelso: And there it is.
CUT TO HYDE
Hyde: What was that Kelso? You want in on this.
CUT TO KELSO
Kelso: No, I would just like it if my best friend could start acting like one and be the great guy Jackie keeps telling us you have been to her lately.
CUT TO ERIC
Eric: Well, to be fair, Jackie is sleeping with him and we all know what sex does to a man.
CUT TO FEZ
Fez: Stings? It always stings for me.
CUT TO HYDE
Hyde: Leave her out of this. In fact, leave me out of this.
Hyde stood from the circle and marched out of the basement. As soon as he left, Eric stormed up the stairs and into the kitchen leaving Kelso to stare at his defeated friend. Sighing, Fez stood and he too walked out of the room. This left Kelso on his own to contemplate how such a solid friendship erupted like that for absolutely no reason.
"I guess we really didn't hold anything back."
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THE NEXT EVENING
FORMAN LIVING ROOM
Red and Hyde were being shuffled around the room by their respective partners as the women constantly rearranged every piece of furniture they could lay their hands on.
"I really wish your father had given me more warning, Jackie. It's not everyday an ex-city councilman, turned ex-con, turned grandfather-in-law, comes to my home for dinner. I feel like I'm on candid camera!" Jackie followed Kitty around the room and replied,
"Hey, I'm as surprised as you are Mrs. Forman. He just said he wanted to meet the scummy parents of the no-good burnout that knocked me up. I'm sure everything will be fine." Jackie said reassuringly.
Momentarily content with how the room looked; the two women proceeded to perfect Hyde and Red until they met standards. Hyde, shockingly, was fidgeting with his tie and was doing everything in his power to escape Jackie's hold. "Stop fidgeting!" Jackie told him which earned a pitying look from Kitty.
"Oh honey, that's not they way to do it. Offer your man a reward and he'll be as swift as a sword. That's my motto." Kitty announced before laughing.
An idea struck Jackie and she leaned forward to whisper in Hyde's ear. Whatever she said did the trick because he stopped fidgeting immediately. Just in time Jackie thought as she had no sooner dusted off his jacket than the doorbell rang.
"Crap." Jackie said suddenly nervous. "How much would it take for you to say flowchart again?" she asked, turning to Hyde. He smiled at the memory of that night and the 30 after that where he had used that word to his advantage.
"Relax, babe. I can totally take him." Jackie's eyes widened at him. "Joke." Hyde whispered.
"Mr. Burkhart, it is just lovely to have you hear tonight. Have you lost weight?" Kitty asked nervously.
"Well, I spent a year and a half in prison and haven't been able to eat since my daughter told me she was pregnant, so yeah I think I have shed a few pounds. Bastard grandchildren are the fasted way to lose weight." Jack retorted.
"Dad," Jackie warned him as she felt Hyde's hand tighten in hers. "You're hardly in the position to dispense parenting knowledge."
"Burn."
There was silence for a moment. It hadn't come from Hyde or Jackie so it must have been…
"Red?" Hyde asked.
Red shrugged his shoulders. "You gotta admit, that was pretty good." Red said smiling. Whatever the reason for his surprise utterance, Jackie was thankful as it had eased the tension considerably.
"Dad, you're a guest here so how about you try and be polite? For me?" Jack knew she was playing the sweet girl routine but he also knew he had the willpower of his ex-wife when it came to margaritas so he relented.
"OK. Kitty, Red, Steven. I apologise for my rudeness and I hope this doesn't disrupt our dinner." Jack said politely.
"Nonsense, we're all friends here. Come on and I'll show you to the dining room." Kitty said, ever the hostess. Red, Hyde and Jackie remained in the living room for a little longer.
"Anybody here who doesn't wanna pound that guy into the ground?"
"Nope." "Hell no."
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FORMAN DINING ROOM
20 MINUTES LATER
It had been only 30 seconds since somebody had last spoken but to Jackie and Kitty, it felt more like 30 years. Red and Hyde however, were happy to dodge every question Jack fired in their direction and the way he was squirming just then was better than sex. Maybe that was a stretch but it was pretty damn well enjoyable.
"Sweetheart…" Jack began
"I'm the only one who calls her sweetheart." Hyde interrupted causing Jack to laugh nervously.
"Honey…"
"That too." Hyde stated once again interrupting him.
"Um…"
"Yep, that's mines too." Hyde said, willing to carry on doing this for the rest of the meal. Jack glared at Hyde and Jackie implored both men to back down.
"Daddy, what is it?" Jackie asked her father sweetly.
Jack cleared his throat and approached her. "I wanted to know what you and Steven are planning to do. I assume that you will be getting married."
"Sure we will, Dad. Right after I start borrowing Donna's clothes." Jackie told him.
Hyde wanted to laugh but upon Red's look he kept his mouth shut. Jack continued, "Jacqueline…"
"Marriage isn't on the cards right now." Jackie stated firmly to her father's surprise. Someday sure, but not now. Steven owns the store and his dad is rich so money won't be an issue. The mansion is always empty and even if you sell it, Steven and I could find a new place. Don't worry about me. Or the baby." Jackie told him confidently.
"I'll take care of her, Mr. Burkhart." Hyde said giving Jackie a small smile.
"I think that covers everything, don't you think Jack?" Red asked condescendingly.
Thank you Jackie mouthed to Red who smiled secretly.
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TWO HOURS LATER
FORMAN BASEMENT
Jackie slowly walked down the steps in search of her boyfriend and was relieved to find him sitting on the couch in silence.
"Steven." Hyde apparently hadn't heard her come down the stairs because he shot up as soon as he heard his name being called and this left Jackie a bit startled. "Hey, what's wrong?" Jackie asked, concerned. She moved to the couch and pulled him down to sit next to her.
"Nothing's wrong. Just thinking." Hyde told her flippantly. Neither of them believed what he had said but Jackie had come to learn that the safest way to get Hyde to open up was to be there with him. Edging closer to him, Jackie curled up on the couch and leaned into his side, allowing him to loosely wrap his arm around her.
The pair lay like this for so long that Jackie began to forget what was troubling him and felt sleep take hold of her. "Jackie?" This brought her back and she focused her eyes on him.
"Yeah?" she replied softly. He was silent again and Jackie was becoming very confused. Once again, she let him take his time.
"Jackie?" Hyde asked again.
"Yes, Steven?"
"I'm going to be a good father, you know." Hyde told her earnestly. Jackie removed herself from his warm embrace and looked at him head on.
"Of course you are Steven! You are going to piss this baby off beyond the point of no return and that's what every good father needs to be able to do." Hyde didn't know if she was making a joke or if she thought he wasn't being serious but he had to be sure she understood what he was saying. Even if it had been said in the heat of the moment, Eric's words had rung some truth in Hyde's ears.
"Wow, Hyde. You can't even pick up the right stuff these days. What a dad you'll make."
"Jackie, I want to be there for this kid. Not the way Bud, or your dad or even W.B. were there but really there. I…" Hyde trailed off not even sure what he wanted to say yet.
"You want our child to know that you love it?" Jackie offered in the hopes of easing his anxiety. Hyde nodded his head slowly. "You wanna know something, Steven?" Jackie asked him. "I am terrified of having this baby." she revealed.
Hyde looked at her, confused. "But you were so sure you wanted this…"
"I do!" Jackie interrupted. "I mean the actual raising the baby part. I can get through the pregnancy and the labour with drugs and sex but the actual parenting? I don't have a clue what to do!" Jackie exclaimed and Hyde suddenly felt idiotic for worrying that his child might be disappointed in him when he had neglected to think about having to actually take care of it before it could vocalize any thoughts.
Hyde laid his head back on the couch and laughed softly. "This will be fun."
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A WHILE LATER
Jackie and Hyde had not done much talking for the last half hour but a thought suddenly struck Hyde.
"Hey, you never told me what you meant when you said you wanted a job." Hyde recalled.
"Well I tried but if I remember correctly, you laughed at the mention of it and told the story of our condom incident." Jackie told him irritably.
"So tell me now." Hyde offered. "I doubt I'll be moving any time soon."
Jackie fixed her eyes on his sleepy, bare expression and a smile began to form. The clear eyes and rumpled clothes were comforting to her for some reason and she placed herself back into his embrace. "Well, obviously it would be part-time because of all my doctor's appointments and the fact that I would be taking maternity leave soon after I started." Jackie waited for Hyde's response and saw that he was thinking about something and would not be giving her a reply anytime soon. "If I could choose anything I would go back to my public access show but Pam Macey got my spot with "Slut or Not?". Which I started, by the way!" Jackie sighed and rested her head beside Hyde's so that they were both staring at the ceiling. "I don't know what I'll actually go for."
"You could be the cashier at the muffler shops." Hyde said out of nowhere.
"Huh?" Jackie asked him.
"Makes sense. Red hates people, you love people. Red hates helping people, you love helping people. And you seem to be the only person who can help Red with tools. Add to that, you'd be working with money all day long." Jackie paused for a moment before replying,
"Muffler shop it is."
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ERIC'S ROOM
"I'm sorry."
"Me too."
"I didn't mean…"
"Yeah, me neither."
"Are we cool?"
"Yeah, we're cool."
"Cool."
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FORMAN KITCHEN
"Forman and I are cool." Hyde said walking through the kitchen and out the sliding door.
"Cool." Jackie responded while eating a sandwich coated in gravy.
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FEZ AND KELSO'S APARTMENT
"Hey."
"Hey." the two of them chorused.
"Sorry about before…"
"We know. It's cool." they both said in unison.
"So are we alright?"
"Absolutely. Forget about it." they said together.
"Great. You guys spend way too much together."
"We know." the two of them said.
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FORMAN KITCHEN
"Fez and Kelso are fine." Hyde said, walking through the room and down to the basement.
"Cool." Jackie responded while cutting through a stack of bananas and smearing them onto pancakes.
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CIRCLE
CUT TO KELSO
Kelso: So can we try this again? I leave in a couple of hours and I don't wanna remember that last one.
CUT TO HYDE
Hyde: Well if this stash is better you won't remember this one. (smirks)
CUT TO FEZ
Fez: Kelso, it is going to be so strange without you around. Who will I room with? Who will I eat with? Who will I bathe with?
CUT TO ERIC
Eric: There's always Fenton.
CUT TO FEZ
Fez: Once was enough, thank you.
CUT TO HYDE
Hyde: You can always have Jackie, Fez.
CUT TO FEZ
Fez: Really?
CUT TO HYDE
Hyde: No!
CUT TO KELSO
Kelso: Man, I'm gonna miss this so much. It won't be the same without you guys around.
CUT TO ERIC
Eric: We'll come visit you, buddy. Besides, you're going to work at the Playboy club!
CUT TO FEZ
Fez: Oh great. He will be surrounded by naked, beautiful women, Eric will be with Donna, Hyde will be with Jackie, and Red will be with Miss Kitty. This is just sad.
CUT TO HYDE
Hyde: You know what's really sad? We almost let real life tear us apart. That's why the circle is sacred, man. Nothing makes sense here and we shouldn't get into fights. We should talk about the things that matter. Like there is this car this one guy made. It's got fibre glass engines and it runs on water, man!"
CUT TO KELSO
Kelso: You are blowing my mind!
CUT TO ERIC
Eric: A car that runs on water? That's so cool! Hey, have you mentioned that before Hyde?
CUT TO HYDE
Hyde: Who knows, man? Maybe I did but the government bugged the table so that they can record everything we say and use it against us. It's all connected!
CUT TO KELSO
Kelso: To what?
CUT TO HYDE
Hyde: To beer.
CRANE SHOT OF THE FOUR OF THEM
All: To beer!
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THE HUB
Strangely, after everything the six friends had been through, the one thing they had never counted on coming between was reality. Two of them had nearly come to blows over unresolved anger about life decisions and another one was faced with the dilemma of being a young mother. Eric, Donna, Kelso, Hyde, Jackie and Fez had always managed to escape reality but that wasn't possible anymore. They were about to lose one of their own to reality and it just sucked. In just a few short minutes, Michael Kelso would hop in his van and drive off to his new life and in the process, would be leaving behind five people who had helped shape who he has become. But that was in a few minutes. For the time being, it was still the six of them. They had been six before Hyde had a crush on Donna, before Eric and Donna got together, before Jackie and Hyde got together, before Kelso had a baby, and before Fez had gone from odd to endearingly perverted.
But now, Hyde no longer had a crush on Donna, and Eric and Donna had gotten together, as had Jackie and Hyde, and Kelso had a daughter and Fez was getting hornier by the day. And they were about to become a group of five.
The six left the Hub and stood on the pavement, looking awkwardly at one another and waiting for somebody to make the first move.
Ever the impatient one, Jackie stepped forward. "Come here, you." Jackie said to Kelso. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and told him, "I am counting on you to teach my goddaughter that looks are all that matter." The two broke apart and smiled at each other, feeling all the history that there was among them. "Bye, Michael." Jackie said softly before stepping back beside Hyde. Hyde smiled at her and for the first time, she saw he held no residual jealousy towards Kelso. Ironic that now he gets over it, huh? Jackie thought.
Turning to Donna, Kelso said, "I promise I won't touch anything."
"Shut up." Donna said launching herself at him.
"Big D!" Kelso shouted when Donna wrapped him in a hug. "Thanks for the flash." Kelso whispered causing her to laugh. She gave him a bittersweet smile and that was her goodbye.
Kelso stepped up to Eric and Hyde and the three of them were preparing for their manly goodbye when Hyde grabbed Kelso into a fierce hug and Eric followed suit. "Thanks for being such a pain in the ass." Hyde joked. Kelso smiled and pulled away from the two of them. Only one left.
"No tears." Fez told him, his eyes already glistening. Kelso gave him a tight hug and finally pulled away.
"People make fun of how weird you are Fez, and of how weird our friendship is but… it's been fun. You've been fun."
The goodbyes had been said and the five prepared to say goodbye to the one. "Well, I'm glad this isn't awkward." Eric said dryly and the gang let out a nervous laugh.
"Hey Michael, you'll come back when the baby's born, right?" Jackie asked hopefully.
"Totally. I'm not letting Forman walk off with the pool." Kelso said oblivious.
"Kelso!" Eric and Hyde shouted.
"What pool?" Jackie demanded.
"I'll tell you later, babe." Hyde said sweetly but Jackie remained suspicious.
"Well this is just getting depressing so I'm gonna go now. I'll call you guys and you know, I'll visit."
The rest was kind of a blur for the five but somehow they ended up back in Eric's kitchen. They hadn't been back to the basement yet and were in no hurry to. Hyde had gone to Grooves on the walk back but it turned out he had another place in mind.
----------
ROAD TO CHICAGO
"Oh man," Kelso groaned as he heard a police siren behind him. Checking his mirror, Kelso was confused when he saw a black car pull up behind him. Moments later, Hyde appeared at his window.
"Hi, buddy." Hyde aid gleefully.
"Hyde? You're a cop? Man, they'll let anybody join." Kelso said, once again oblivious.
"I'm not a cop, Kelso. I just swiped that siren from your cop car Fez and I borrowed last year. Besides I wanted to talk to you about something." Hyde said turning serious.
"OK…" Kelso mumbled.
"It's really important to Jackie that you are there when the baby is born. And you know…" Hyde gestured so that Kelso could figure out the rest.
"I'll be there, Hyde. Don't worry. Besides, I have to make sure my name is still in the running for godfather." Kelso joked.
"You're name won't be in the running Kelso." Hyde sighed. Kelso looked hurt.
"You're not even-"
"I already made you godfather." Hyde interrupted and Kelso's eyes widened before he broke out into a huge smile. "It's not like I'd ask anyone else." Hyde told him in as nice a tone as he could muster. He could not remember the last 'Hyde' thing he had done what with all the good deeds he had been performing.
"Thanks Hyde."
Hyde shook his head lightly. "But you have gotta show up when he's born. And you can't think this is like being best man where you get to screw the godmother." Hyde warned him.
"Hey, I promise." Kelso swore.
"Alright then. I'll see you in July." Hyde stated, thankful for the private goodbye he was getting with his old friend. Things would be strange now that he was gone. Things would be normal which is what would be strange Hyde thought, confusing himself.
"I'll see you in July."
After Kelso had driven off, Hyde drove back to Point Place after making a quick stop at a little store. Things were about to get even more interesting…
To be continued.
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A/N: I had to redeem the circle because there was no way I could leave it with them all fighting. That was just my event of the chapter because I felt like the focus could be taken off Jackie and Hyde for a while and onto something else that Hyde was having a hard time with e.g. his friend leaving abruptly and then coming back without warning. It was difficult to write this time around so I would love feedback.
Stay safe.