Hello! As always, lots of thanks and love to my reviewers. Special shoutout to Marla's Lost for the nice messages. (PS- Eric will eventually go back to Point Place, but some things have to happen first! Also, that drug he tried in chapter 6 is not LSD- that will be addressed too! All those little details will come back later, don't you worry my wonderful readers.) Enjoy!

It had been a month since Eric had left town, a month since he'd called to say that he was alive. The Forman house was in a sort of limbo without Eric there- they didn't mourn, because there was he wasn't dead (as far as they knew; Kitty couldn't stop thinking about the fact that she might never see her son again.) However, they couldn't pretend to be happy either. Kitty was rarely ever a step away from bursting into tears, and Red did his usual routine of masking his hurt with his temper. (As he had said once, his stages of grief were Anger, and Drinking; that's just what he did.) But, life had to go on. Kitty went back to work, though it took a lot of convincing on Red's part to get her to cut down on her stress-cooking. That turned out to be a bad idea, since Kitty now spent all of her free time in bed. Her small bout of sadness when Eric and Donna had been caught in their car without clothes was nothing compared to this. Red, though originally understanding of Eric's actions, was upset that the teen hadn't called back at all, just to let them know he was okay. Still, his anger at Eric was nothing in comparison to his worry. A feeling of helplessness settled over the household by the second week. How do you find your son, in 1977, if he doesn't want to be found? How do you stay angry at someone who may be dead? What do you do in the meantime?

The eldest Forman returned to work at Price-Mart, though the process of hiring a new kid to replace Eric as stock-boy had been a painful one, even if he'd never admit it to another living soul. However, perhaps more difficult was explaining to the police that Eric had called to say he was alive. Red didn't like to use the word "runaway" to describe his son, but that was essentially what had happened. Since Eric was a minor, the police were still looking for him in Wisconsin, though the fact that he was evidently out of Point Place of his own accord made his case drift to the lowest priority for state troopers. The sheriff, as a favor to Red, placed calls to just about every major city in Wisconsin and Illinois, and local officers from each town promised to keep an eye out.

After the whole debacle with the police at the Forman house, the people of Point Place began to talk. There were some rumors floating around that Eric was dead, or that he had gone to Hollywood to be in the movies (Kelso was responsible for that one). Still, the majority of the talk was exchanged behind closed doors, mostly out of sympathy and/or respect for Red and Kitty. After a month without word, most people had practically forgotten about the whole thing.

Since it was summer, the teens of Point Place did their usual thing- hang out in the basement, go to the Hub, cruise in their cars, etc. But the antics were cut down significantly without Eric there: partially due to the fact that Eric was usually the one that got them out of trouble, and mostly because it wasn't the same without him.

Donna still hung out with her friends, but she spent an inordinate time in her room, thinking about Eric: wondering what he was doing and if he was okay. She hadn't tried dating anyone else since the whole incident with Casey, as it had dealt a huge blow to her confidence. Funnily enough, it was still Hyde taking Eric's absence the hardest.

Hyde relied heavily on the tough-guy act in times of trouble. However, he constantly listened out for the phone, hoping that Eric would call again. Steven constantly kicked himself for not getting a number from Forman the last time he'd called, or at least an address. Instead, he had no way of knowing if his friend was alright, or even if he was still in Chicago. (Hyde had kept that part a secret, knowing full-well that if he told his friends or the Formans, they would launch a crusade to go get Eric back from Chicago, which is the opposite of what Eric wanted.)

Having lost their actual son for the time being, Red and Kitty kept track of their surrogate son with hawk eyes. Steven knew they were afraid he'd run away too (which made more sense to everyone than the idea of Eric leaving home) and because of this fear, they rarely let him out of their sight. It annoyed him, but he played along for the most part. Whenever he would go out, Kitty would demand to know where he was going, who with, and when he'd be back. And if he was more than a few minutes late, Red would come after him in the Vista Cruiser.

It was a boring evening in late June when the phone rang in the Forman house. Steven, Kitty, and Red were sitting around watching "MASH," one of the few shows that the entire household could agree on. Kitty got up to answer it, as she usually did, deciding to answer on the kitchen phone so as not to disrupt the show.

"Hello?"

"…Mom?" Eric said carefully, willing her not to freak out. Of course, she freaked out anyway.

"Eric!" she shouted, quickly summoning Red and Hyde from the den.

"Hey Mom," he said, a smile in his voice. "How….how are you doing?"

"How am I doing?!" she said, her voice reaching a dangerous pitch. "I'm worried sick, that's how I'm doing!"

Red tried to reach out to calm her, but one frightening look from his wife nixed the idea.

"I know, and I'm sorry, I should have called sooner. And before you ask, I'm alright. Everything's okay."

"No it is not," Kitty said vehemently. "Where are you? Why won't you come home?"

How could he explain that he was too happy to come home? She'd be crushed. And if he revealed his whereabouts, he knew his parents would immediately come after him. Suddenly regretting the decision to call them, Eric paused.

"I'll come home some time in the next few weeks," Eric said lamely, knowing that wouldn't be enough. Now she would wait up for him every day for weeks, and he really didn't know when he would actually return to Point Place.

"Eric-"

"Mom, I really am ok. I kind of like what I'm doing and where I am right now. I can't tell you exactly where I am, because I know you'll just get upset, but I promise I'm safe. I'm remembering to eat and everything."

"Who's doing your laundry?" Kitty asked, impulsively thinking about all of his needs. There was a silence on the line, Eric said simply, "I am," as if she should have known that. Eric smiled into his empty hotel room, imagining his mother's surprise at the idea of him taking care of himself.

"I miss you, Eric," Kitty said, tears quietly spilling over. Red pulled her into a hug while she spoke.

"I miss you too," Eric said. Thinking for a moment, he offered. "Would it help if I called once a week?"

"It would help if you came home," she sniffed, but then added. "Twice a week."

"Deal….and Mom, I'm sorry. I know you're angry-"

"I'm beyond angry, Eric," she said. "But I love you and I want you to come home."

"I will. Can I talk to Hyde?"

"Here, talk to your father first," she said, handing the phone off to Red before truly bursting into tears and retreating to her room.

Eric stiffened, waiting for the onslaught of shouting that Red would surely dish out. His father did not disappoint. You see, Red had been so understanding with Eric originally, because he had assumed this little vacation would last a weekend, possibly a week. Red had done that once as a kid, so he could sympathize. In his mind, this was a step in the right direction for Eric. But after a month of worrying over his son, Red predictably saw Eric's decision as a dumbass move. And even though he would give anything to see his son, in person and in one piece, in this moment the concern and fear dissipated, leaving only anger.

He unleashed it upon Eric, who characteristically listened in silence.

After five minutes of shouting, seemingly without taking a breath, Red stopped with the question, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Eric sat silently, completely unsure of what to say to his father that wouldn't just earn him five more minutes of yelling.

"I'm…sorry?" he asked, more than said.

Wrong move. He was rewarded with more hollering, which ended with the muttering of "dumbass," before Red handed the phone off to Hyde, who had watched the exchange wordlessly.

"Hey Hyde," Eric said, almost breathless. After everything, Red still scared the heck out of him.

"Forman, what's up man?" When Red was out of earshot, he asked, "How's Chicago?"

"It's….it's pretty amazing, Hyde."

"Sorta wish I was there," Hyde admitted.

"Yeah, well, there have been some downsides," Eric said, eyeing the place where he had been cut on the arm by that mugger, before he had met his new friends. The cut had healed messily, leaving a thin scar up his arm. It looked tough enough, but he hated looking at it.

Since Eric didn't elaborate, Hyde decided not to question it.

"So, have you met any hot chicks?"

Eric laughed. "Lots," he said, thinking about all of the girls he'd met at parties and clubs over the past month. But that thought quickly sobered. "Speaking of which…how's Donna?"

Hyde honestly didn't know how to answer. He settled with "Donna's good," which was the truth. She was good, it was true, but this way Eric didn't have to know how Donna hardly came to the basement anymore.

"Good," Forman said faintly. "Man, you should see my hair. Red is gonna kill me when he gets a look at it."

Hyde grinned. "Chicago has changed you, man," he said jokingly.

"What can I say…all that disco…"

Hyde gagged, and Eric laughed again, then added. "I really freaked out my mom and dad, huh?"

"Freaked out? Dude, your mom won't stop crying. Red has me on a curfew."

"Sorry," Eric winced, not having realized just how upset his parents would be. He knew they were angry, but he didn't think about the fact that he had hurt them. Secretly, it made him feel good to know that even Red was worried about him. "So how's everyone else?"

They talked for a few more minutes, and Eric gave Hyde his hotel's phone number with his room's extension, under the promise that Steven wouldn't give it to anyone, not even Red and Kitty. When they hung up, almost thirty minutes after Kitty had answered, Hyde let out a big breath, thinking as he retreated to the basement that Eric had sounded different somehow.

...

Making that call to Point Place forced Eric to acknowledge emotions and thoughts that he had held at bay for over a month. The vague guilt over leaving his friends and family returned, but only just. The real sucker-punch came from, as always, thoughts of Donna. Over the past few weeks the Wisconsin native had distracted himself with work and friends and self discovery. This was good, of course, but his habit of suppressing negative emotions was once again coming back to bite him on the ass.

In the meantime, he had grown very close with Ritch and Aaron, the latter spent a huge amount of time at the record store, and slow days were spent goofing off and listening to new albums. It had been revealed to Eric that when he wasn't working on music, Aaron was a substitute English teacher at a local high school. This had blown the teen away even more so than finding out that Joy had been a groupie. Aaron had laughed, shrugged his shoulders, and simply explained that it paid the bills, and he had summers off. It was a crazy idea, especially when he thought about how young Aaron was- only a few years older than actual high schoolers. However, it wasn't like being a substitute required a college degree, and it did explain all of the classic novels in Aaron and Joy's apartment. Also, it did give Aaron tons of time to work on his music- he was currently trying to pull together a new band to play the local scene. But despite his carefree, reckless attitude and his rock-star lifestyle, Aaron was a great friend for Eric; he was smart and widened but only a little older, like a big brother. This made Ritch the even-older brother; it was no secret that he and Valerie were the parents of the group much in the same way that Eric and Donna had been the "mom" and "dad" of their group.

It was no surprise, then, that he would go to Aaron, Ritch, and Valerie for advice. It was the day after he had called home, and the four of them were working in the store when Eric brought it up. He still couldn't get Donna out of his mind, and he figured that since they were all very experienced with adult relationships, that they would be able to help him.

"Hey guys," he began, his voice a little more nervous than he would have liked. It made Ritch stop what he was doing, and Aaron's eyebrows knitted in concern.

"What's wrong?" Valerie asked.

"I just wanted your advice about Donna."

Eric's Chicago friends knew the redhead more as an entity than as a person; he rarely spoke about her, though they knew that he was in love with her. They had seen a picture from Eric's wallet, and had asked about Donna, but they still had a hard time in getting a sense of who she was. This was probably because Eric had described her only in the most idealistic way.

Ritch had to go answer the phone, and Valerie gave Aaron a meaningful look. Catching her eye, he nodded ever so slightly, then went to help an older customer who looked rather lost amongst the KISS albums. This left Eric alone with Valerie, who knew that no matter how close the three guys were, Eric would feel less nervous about sharing his feelings with her, one-on-one.

"Okay, Eric," she began, leaning up against the counter. He followed suit. "So you're still having trouble getting over this girl."

He nodded.

"Val, you must have broken up with guys before you met Ritch, right? How do you deal with something like that? I broke up with Donna over a year ago, and it still hurts."

"Because you genuinely love her," Valerie cut in gently.

"So was I wrong to turn her down?" he asked, not sure if he wanted the answer to be no, or yes.

But she just shrugged. "I don't know Donna, I don't know how you two are together. But just because you really love someone doesn't mean you two are compatible. That's when it hurts the most."

"No kidding," he agreed.

"But if it doesn't work out, then it wasn't meant to be," Valerie concluded.

"That's sort of like what Donna said. But I said that it works out when you say it will, and then you stay together forever."

Valerie paused, trying to figure out exactly how to explain what she was thinking.

"Well, you're both right," she conceded after a minute. "All relationships take work. Even soulmates have to make an effort to be together. But you can't fix something that is fundamentally broken…. a bad relationship is like a car without an engine. It looks nice, but the thing is empty inside, and it doesn't go anywhere."

After a long bout of silence, Eric sighed and hung his head. "You're right, I know you are, it's just….I feel like all that time with her was wasted if I'm just gonna hurt over it now, you know?"

Valerie shook her head. "Don't think like that. It's good that you were with Donna. That time made you who you are now. And now you know what it's like to be in a relationship." She studied him closely. "I can tell you're not the kind of guy who likes short flings."

When he shook his head, she nodded. "I can relate," she smiled fondly at her husband, who had hung up the phone and was now sorting inventory. "…Think of it this way, Eric. We love lots of people in one lifetime. And each serious boyfriend or girlfriend…that's special, it's important, even when it's over. Because it shows you who you are with someone, and outside of them. Kinda like training for the Big One. Whoever you choose to spend the rest of your life with."

He was quiet as she finished speaking, and at that moment, Joy walked in, fresh off of work. She started to head over to Valerie and Eric at the counter, but seeing that they were clearly in the middle of something important, she looked around and found her boyfriend. Eric and Valerie watched her slide up next to him and immediately Aaron put his arm around her, even before looking down at her and smiling. As they began to educate the couple on the finer points of Creedence Clearwater Revival's discography, Eric couldn't help but notice how natural they were together. They were constantly in each other's worlds, never as a second thought; not needing any thought at all. Ritch and Val were the same way.

That's not to say they didn't have to work at staying together. They had their vices, but those vices complimented each other.

Eric watched and realized that no matter how causal or easy going he and Donna were together, it was never to that extent. He hadn't noticed the difference before, but looking back on it, he couldn't possibly understand how he'd ever missed it in the first place. He could see the difference in Valerie and Ritch- they didn't keep score in their relationship, and every mistake didn't become a fight. Eric could see the difference even in his parents…Red and Kitty could sit together in silence for ages, just happy to be together. He and Donna had never done anything like that. It might have been an age thing, a matter of maturity, but suddenly Eric found himself outgrowing it- wanting more.

And just like that, that knot of leftover feelings for Donna…it loosened ever so slightly.

"It's really up to you," Valerie said, watching the change come over his features. "You've been holding yourself back from moving on."

"You're saying this is my fault?" he asked. She smiled.

"Not exactly," she said. "But I've known you for a month now and I've never seen you do anything with a girl other than dancing with a stranger at a party or club. You've met some of our friends, and nice girls come in here all the time. Why not try actually talking to one? I'd say that you should just do it, like ripping off a bandaid, but it has been a year, after all."

He smiled and she patted his hand, moving to join her husband.