One more chapter after this one! (and then an epilogue) enjoy!

...

The night was a rough one. After the escapade in the bar, the four teens walked back to Kelso's house and watched a movie. It wasn't exciting, but frankly Eric would do anything to keep from going home. He wanted to wait until Kitty and Red were asleep, to avoid another confrontation. Eric knew that they would have to talk about what was said, but he didn't want to do that until everyone had calmed down. No, the best time to talk would be at breakfast, after Kitty and Red had their coffee. That way, everyone was still tired, but not grumpy.

After leaving the Kelso house, Eric and Hyde walked home in silence. Steven wanted to bring up what had happened in the bar, but it was very clear that Forman didn't want to talk about it.

The lights were all off, indicating that Red and Kitty were asleep, but Eric didn't dare sneak upstairs. He wasn't sleepy, anyway. Instead he followed Hyde into the basement and sat on the couch. Steven claimed his chair and they proceeded to watch late-night reruns of the Carol Burnett Show.

"What am I gonna say to my mom and dad?" Eric asked quietly, not taking his eyes from the screen.

"Just tell the truth," his friend shrugged.

"I did that a couple hours ago, Hyde. I don't think they liked that very much."

"Well, then there isn't anything worse you could say," Steven snorted.

Eric went silent.

"Maybe they'll just kill me," he said simply.

"We can only hope, Forman," Hyde said, standing and walking to his room with a smirk.

Eric smiled gently and turned back to the show, where he sat up for hours before falling asleep.

His eyes opened to see the cross beams of the basement ceiling. From the very dim light leaking through the back door, he could tell that it was very early in the morning. It wouldn't matter how much light there was; Eric could feel that he'd only slept for a couple hours.

Sitting up with a small groan, Eric had to push his hair away from his eyes in order to see. Assuming that he had a few hours before Red and Kitty woke up, the teen decided to go for one of his walks in order to get his thoughts in order. Carefully cracking the basement door open so as not to wake up Hyde, the young Forman went up the stairs and stopped short when he saw that the garage door was open. It had been closed the previous night, which meant that Red was awake.

Crap.

What time was it anyway? The sun wasn't completely up yet, which meant both of them should have been asleep. But Eric had the feeling that his parents had just as stressful a night as he did.

Well, he hadn't expected to do this now, but he couldn't avoid his father forever. With a deep breath, Eric turned the corner of the garage to meet his fate.

Red was bent over his worktable, sorting through various nails and screws when he heard his son approach. He turned to look the teen up and down, and then rotated back to his work. "Eric."

"Hey, Dad."

Red wasn't necessarily angry, but he wasn't happy. He was also at a loss for what to say. As was his son.

"Hey…I just wanted to say sorry for-"

"No, I'm sorry."

Eric swallowed all of his intended words in surprise. Did his father just apologize to him?

"Wh…what?"

Red's lip twitched. "I'm not gonna say it again."

"Right. Sorry."

Red put down his project and spun in his chair to face Eric.

"About what you said…" the older man began.

"I wasn't thinking when-"

"Actually," Red interrupted again. "It sounded like you'd been thinking that for a while."

Eric nodded and looked down in chagrin.

"Do you really feel that way? Do you hate it in Point Place?"

"Not anymore," Eric admitted. "I just needed to get out of town for a while, and I know that sounds stupid, but…" he trailed off.

"I understand the whole, 'needing to get out' thing," Red said, smirking at the pure shock on his son's face. "I may not have run off to Chicago, but I also didn't join the military just to serve my country."

Eric smiled a little.

"I know I can come down on you pretty hard, but I never meant to make you hate yourself," Red said.

Remembering his words from the night before, Eric shook his head. "It wasn't you and Mom, it was just…me."

Not the most eloquent of sentences, but Red nodded nevertheless.

Eric continued. "I really am sorry that I ran away, and that I said those things yesterday."

"But you're not sorry for going to Chicago," Red said. Eric looked down in embarrassment again, but realized that he would have to stick with his guns.

"No."

"That's ok," Red said. "Don't get me wrong, I'll kick your ass if you ever do anything like that again, but I'd rather you tell me the truth."

Eric nodded again. This was awkward, but going better than he'd anticipated.

"So…about your hair."

Red looked down at his hands, then back up to his son.

"I'm sorry that I tried to make you cut your hair. Yes, you have changed a bit, but...I think it has been for the better."

Eric's eyes widened in surprise.

"Mostly," Red qualified. "I still think you look like a hippie. But you have been more mature and responsible. And you stood up for yourself. I did want that."

The teen smiled a little.

"It wasn't just about the hair," Red said.

"I get that now," Eric said. "It wasn't just about that for me, either."

Red nodded, then coughed in discomfort. "Anyway, you're still grounded, but…I'm proud of you for making it on your own for all that time."

His father wasn't smiling, but he wasn't frowning, either. There was a hint of pride shining through from behind his carefully constructed mask of disapproval.

"Thanks, Dad," Eric said, knowing this was closest thing he was getting to an "I love you."

"You're welcome," Red said, awkwardly patting his son on the back. "But seriously, if you ever run off to another city without telling us where you're going, I'll kill you myself."

...

It turned out it was just nearing six in the morning when Eric and Red finished talking. For summer, or even for the school year, this was an ungodly hour in Eric's perspective. Kitty wouldn't be up for another few hours at least, even longer if she was depressed over Eric's outburst.

The teen was exhausted, but he wouldn't be able to get a good night's sleep until things were settled between him and his parents. Actually, while he was at it, he might as well talk to Donna…things were immensely awkward between them, and their friend group would never last if they didn't at least talk it out. The one thing Eric and Donna had always had in common was their need to resolve things through discussion. Avoiding their problems helped lead to their initial breakup, and every conflict they've had since.

His dad let him go for a walk, provided he be back before breakfast, which was something Eric took full advantage of. Who knew when Red would be in such a "good" mood again.

The stroll was completely uneventful, since Eric didn't feel like taking an extensive tour of his hometown, and because almost no one was out at six in the morning. The prodigal teen knew that any conversation with his mother would be far more emotional and comprehensive than the one with Red. Kitty was predictably emotional when it came to her kids, and that included Steven.

Mrs. Forman was still asleep when Eric returned, so the teen went back into the basement and laid back on the couch. Despite his anxiety over the impending conversation with his mother, exhaustion won and the teen drifted off and ended up falling into a deep sleep.

Unfortunately, the stress of the past 24 hours triggered memories of the more... unpleasant moments he'd had in Chicago.

They say one bad experience with drugs will stick with you forever. It had only been a couple of weeks, so the flashbacks of his bad trip came back to him in full force, taking the form of a nightmare.

It was like a replay of the greatest, or rather most terrifying, hits: the crumbling walls, the warping faces, the visions, the paranoia, and the fear. It was horrifying, and the worst thing was, it was a punishment disproportionate to Eric's original mistake. He'd already paid for his accidental overdose during his original bad trip- why was he constantly plagued by memories and repeats?

Luckily, his whimpers and moans woke up Hyde, who lifted his groggy head in confusion. Was someone crying?

Steven didn't comprehend that it was Eric making those sounds until the young Forman cried out loudly, causing Hyde to shoot out of bed to his friend's aid. When he saw that it was only a nightmare, Steven rolled his eyes. But his annoyance subsided when he saw just how distressed Eric was.

"Hey. Hey, Forman…" Hyde said, bending over the back of the couch and roughly shaking Eric. "Wake up, man."

Eric's eyes snapped open, and for a moment he wasn't yet fully awake. He was seeing something else, something that didn't exist. It wasn't until Steven shook him one more time that Eric blinked and gasped, reentering the real world. There was that look again, that expression he'd had at the bar the night before.

"You ok?" Hyde asked, genuine concern gracing his sleepy features.

"Oh…uh, yeah. Sorry, Hyde. Did I wake you up?"

Hyde avoided the question. "Nightmare?"

Eric closed his eyes and breathed. "Yeah."

Hyde huffed and sat down in his chair, not actually wanting to talk about it, but knowing Eric would when he was ready.

"I keep getting them...just memories of some stupid stuff in Chicago…" Eric began, effectively piquing Hyde's interest.

"Like…?"

"I…don't really want to relive it," Eric said. "I do that enough already."

That explained the context of the nightmares, at least, but Hyde was more curious about the content.

"Did you really get that scar from a mugging?" Steven asked, trying to guess what was wrong.

"Oh, yeah," Forman said absently. "That's not what I was talking about."

Hyde decided to keep needling. "What about what happened last night?"

"You mean at the bar?" Eric said in surprise. "I just dodged a hit and the guy fell. It was lucky. After I got mugged I had to learn how...not to get mugged anymore."

Hyde grinned. That sounded like the old Eric.

"So what was the nightmare about, then?"

"I…took some stuff."

It sounded like he was admitting to robbery, but Hyde knew exactly what his friend meant.

"The details…aren't important…but I took too much on accident, and it went…bad."

Steven frowned, his heart rate quickening for just a moment. He had lots of relatives for whom "taking something" ended "bad."

"Bad" could mean anything, ranging from a little accident to a major overdose. And from Eric's expression and tone, Hyde could tell just how close his friend had come to something major.

Eric had said he didn't want to go into details, as they were clearly playing on a loop in his head. To distract him, Hyde stood and clapped his friend on the back.

"Look on the bright side," the curly-haired rebel said. "Now you get to talk to your parents."

"Actually, I already talked to my dad. Now it's just my mom…and Donna…"

Hyde's eyebrows lifted, but he nodded and stood to get dressed. "I hope your mom makes pancakes, 'cause I'm starving."

...

It made Eric feel much better to tell someone his secret. Hyde, despite his rebellious nature and his knack for getting other people into trouble, was a great confidant.

The young Forman didn't know why he felt the need to confess what had happened after the concert, and his lack of description hardly made it a real confession anyway…but it helped give him peace of mind, if only a little. He would never be able to tell his Point Place family what really happened- the whole story- they'd never look at him the same way again, and that wasn't what he wanted. He wanted a little more respect and understanding, but he didn't want to alter their perception of him. That's probably why he felt comfortable talking to Hyde about it; Steven was perhaps the least judgmental person on the planet.

Still, he had real conversations to have. One with his mother, and one that he was increasingly sure was necessary- a talk with Donna.

They'd hardly seen each other since Eric's return from Chicago, and always with their friends around. Most of the time they avoided eye contact entirely, and only spoke directly to each other on occasion. They might have broken up over a year before, but Eric knew his ex-girlfriend better than anyone, and realized that if he didn't settle this awkward tension between them, they would end up right where they started when Donna first started dating Casey. That couldn't happen again; Chicago could only fix so many things, the teens would have to do the rest by themselves.

So why was it so hard?

Eric wasn't positive who he was more afraid of apologizing to- Donna or his mother. But as he sat on the basement couch, deciding what to do next, he could hear light footsteps plodding around the kitchen above his head. The tread was too soft for Red, meaning Kitty was awake. If they were all going to be able to eat breakfast together without choking on the discomfort, then the air had to be cleared now. His decision was made for him.

With a soft huff, Eric stood and slowly made his way up the stairs.

...

Kitty had her back to him when he first opened the door to the kitchen. She was bent over the stove, clicking on the flame in order to cook whatever it was she had planned. Eric suddenly shared Hyde's wishes for pancakes, but tossed the thought out of his mind- there were more pressing issues than pancakes at hand.

"Hey mom," he said softly. His mother started slightly at the sound of his voice, and spun to find her son still in yesterday's clothes. There were the beginnings of dark circles forming under his eyes, and his exhaustion seemed to emphasize how thin he looked. (Kitty was sure that she wasn't crazy- despite what Eric or Red insisted, she could tell that the teen had lost a bit of weight.) But his downtrodden appearance was probably to his advantage, because Mrs. Forman's eyes softened at the sight of him. Like Red, she wasn't angry in the slightest. Hurt, yes. Worried, definitely. But not angry. And while Red's initial silence had come from a loss for words, Kitty's came from having so many words that it was best to keep them quiet. Otherwise, these emotions and thoughts would spill out and she would become a mess.

"Good morning, sweetheart," she said, turning back to the stove and putting a skillet on it, not actually sure of what she was going to prepare.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Eric said, not moving from his position at the door.

"Of course," Kitty responded. Usually when one of the kids came to her for help, she would drop anything she was doing, brush off her hands, and turn to them with an expectant look, and maybe a plate of cookies she always seemed to have on hand. But this wasn't Fez, or Donna, or even Hyde. It was Eric, and for the first time in his life, she didn't know how to deal with him. Seventeen years of taking after his father, and suppressing all of his feelings had finally come back to bite him the previous night. But her son's outburst revealed to the world a core of self loathing, of doubt, one that directly correlated to the sarcastic and seemingly weak exterior. Kitty was not only feeling a little guilty at the fact at Eric's claims of misery, but also at the fact that she hadn't seen those emotions bubbling under the surface.

Eric knew from Kitty's silence that he was going to have to be the first one to speak.

"I'm sorry about what happened last night…"

Red had taken up the conversation by this point, but Kitty did not. Eric shuffled his feet a moment and stared at the floor, unsure of exactly how to keep going. Kitty had remained facing the stove, though it was purely to keep her son from seeing the tears welling up in her eyes.

"I know you're probably really mad about what I said, but I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I was being…dramatic, I guess."

"Oh Eric," Kitty sighed. "I'm not mad, I'm just…"

"Horribly, horribly depressed?" Eric supplied with a slight grin, remembering the phrase she'd used to describe her emotions when his and Donna's sex life was revealed.

Kitty laughed a little. "Something like that."

Eric cast his eyes back down, and Mrs. Forman knew it was her turn to speak.

"I'm sorry that you feel so unhappy here," she began. "I just wish you'd told us instead…instead of.." the tears in her eyes threatened to spill over. Alarmed at this, Eric reached one arm out and she took the opportunity to hug him for what must have been the thousandth time since he'd returned to Point Place.

"I didn't just run away because I was miserable," the teen tried to explain. "I did it because I just needed to…"

He let the words hang in the air, but Kitty knew the small list of reasons he had running through his mind. She didn't blame him for not sharing, as the phrase, 'I had to take stock of my life and the people and life I knew in Point Place was not going to allow me to do so effectively,' was just about the least "Eric-like" thing he could possibly say. But that was the gist of it.

Still, that didn't mean she was happy about it, and she finally pulled away from their hug. "You don't know how much we missed you." There was a tone of accusation in her voice, but it was the best compliment Eric had ever received. This was partially because of how honest the statement was; this was the openness they needed in order to make this conversation effective.

"I'm sorry," he offered once more. "I promise I won't run away unless I tell you first."

Kitty laughed again, but needed to one more thing. He'd been honest with her, and now she with him, but that wasn't quite enough.

"I didn't like that you'd taken care of yourself in Chicago. I'm used to that being my job."

"Mom, you know I'm always gonna need you. And not just to keep Dad off my back."

And then, since she'd paid him such a nice compliment by revealing that everyone truly had missed him, Eric said the best thing Kitty would ever hear from her son. "…I did lose some weight in Chicago. A few times, I wished you were there to remind me to eat something else. I really do need you, Mom."

It was enough to bring more tears to Kitty's eyes, but she only said, "I knew it!"

A comfortable calm settled in the kitchen, much like the sensation one has in their chest after a deep breath- that feeling of renewal that comes with oxygen spreading all throughout the lungs. Kitty and Eric smiled at each other before Mrs. Forman affectionately kissed her son on the cheek.

"Well," she said, turning back to the stove and the empty pan. "I'm going to make a big breakfast for all of us, then. Any requests?"

"Pancakes?" Eric suggested.

Kitty nodded. "With extra buttermilk," she said, looking Eric's skinny frame up and down.

Eric smiled again and went upstairs to shower and change. Valerie had been right- closure was the key. Now there was only one more person he had to settle things with, and that was Donna. He would need reinforcements for this one- which meant a call to Chicago was in order.