Don't own anything to do with That 70's show except the characters I create in this story.

Madison, Wisconsin 1981

Herzing University

Eric Forman was was sitting at a picnic table in the quad going over his notes from his social history class; even though he got great grades in the class he really didn't care for it. Math was his subject of choice and he wished that was all he needed to get his Masters and start teaching, after all that's one of the reasons he'd gone to Africa for. He was only one semester away from getting it because of his time spent there and he couldn't wait.

He started thinking of that argument he and Donna had the other night, a fight that was one of many that they'd have been having off and on since they both came here for a higher education. He was seriously getting the idea that they really had no future together and he could tell that Donna was feeling the same way. Plus he was really tired of all the fights they'd been having, he could understand some of them, but a lot of them were over little things - hell if he was honest more than often he didn't know what the fights where about. Just recently he'd started dreading going back to the apartment they shared just off campus, like the other night he'd just come home and she started in on him about something he did or didn't do and he didn't know what the hell that was. She'd just kept yelling at him for no reason, it seems that no matter what he did it was wrong and he could here his dad calling him a dumb-ass in the back of his head and he didn't like it at all.

Eric looked at his watch. "Well looks like it's time to go and see what other imaginary wrong this pig of a male specimen did today," he said to himself. He gathered up his books and put them into his bag, then he got up and headed home.

When he got there he looked around the apartment. "Donna, are you here?" When he didn't get an answer he let out the breath he didn't realize he was holding in. He went to the kitchen, set his book bag next to the counter and went to the fridge to get something to start dinner. When he'd moved here from Point Place and out of his parents house, he realized he'd better learn to cook or he'd starve, since he knew Donna with her feminism wouldn't let him skate by without doing his share of cooking, and take out can get expensive after a while. So during his first semester here he took a cooking class and learned that he really enjoyed it, he wasn't as good as his mother but he was getting there. He thought he would make Donna something special tonight, so he took out the leg of lamb he'd bought the other night. After he prepared it and put in the oven, he took out the other ingredients that he bought to go with it.

He picked up his book bag and placed it on the counter and took out his books, "may as well get some studying done while the food is cooking." He sat there at the counter and opened his social history book and started to read while keeping one eye on the food on the stove.

After everything was done he set two plates on the small table with two wine glasses, after that he took out the best red wine that he could afford and set it in a bowl of ice to keep it cold, then he sat and waited for Donna to get home.

After thirty minutes the phone rang, "hello this is Eric Forman speaking, how may I help?"

"Hey Eric this is Donna, I'm going out with my friends tonight."

"OK, have fun." He then hung up the phone and sighed, 'least I won't get yelled at tonight' he thought. He turned to the table, picked up the extra plate and wine glass, and put them back in their proper places in the cabinet. "Well I guess there's more for me." So he took out the lamb and prepared his plate, grabbed his history book, and sat down at the table to eat and study.

When he'd finished, Eric sat on the couch and turned on the TV. "Hey Magnum P.I." He grabbed the blanket and sat back to enjoy one of the best shows on the tube. After a few hours of television he fell asleep on the couch; he woke up at seven in the morning. He got up off the couch and stretched then headed to the bedroom; when he entered he saw Donna passed out on top of the bed covers on the bed fully clothed. He went back to the couch and grabbed the blanket off of it then went back into the room and covered her with it but not before he'd removed her shoes. He went into the kitchen grabbed a glass, filled it with water and then grabbed a bottle of aspirin; he placed the two items on the bedside table so she could deal with her hangover right away.

Eric made himself some breakfast and a pot of coffee; after he ate he took out a thermos and poured the coffee into it. He wrote a note explaining what was in the thermos then he grabbed his book bag and headed out the door; he would have to wait awhile for the library to open but that was OK.

He was sitting at the picnic table with his math book and the notebook that went with it going over the work he did yesterday to make sure everything was right, when someone plopped down on the bench across from him. When he looked up all he could see was a woman's back with black hair pulled up into a ponytail, she was wearing a red pullover shirt and she looked all sweaty.

"You all right?" Eric asked the woman.

She turned and smiled at him. "Hey Eric, yes I'm doing all right," she said to him as she turned completely around on the bench. "I just finished a run," she said as she looked at the books in front of him. "You never get tired of studying do you?"

Eric smiled at his new companion. "No, just something to do while I wait for the library to open so I can finish up my paper for my History class. You run every morning?"

"No, just on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. I usually don't run on Sundays, but I'm running with a group that's training for a marathon."

"Did you know...never mind." He just knew that he would see her eyes glaze over just like everyone else that he tried to impart interesting facts to, and he could also hear Donna saying, 'shut it dill-hole.'

"Did I know what, Eric?" she asked curious about what he was going to say.

Eric thought about it then decided to take the chance and see her reaction. "That the marathon is run to commemorate the run of Pheidippides, he was a messenger who participated in the battle of Marathon. When the Greeks defeated the Persians he was sent to Athens to give the good news; he ran the whole way there. After he burst into the assembly he said 'We Won', then he died." While he was talking he was watching her eyes, he noticed that they stayed focused and he started to smile when he saw this.

She was smiling the whole time he was telling her the tale. "Wow, now that's really interesting, I didn't know that." She leaned forward, and smiled. "Eric, can I ask you a favor?"

Eric shrugged. "Well that depends, what do you need?"

She smiled at him and knew that he would do it, he was just that kind of person. "As you know I run on Sundays."

Eric nodded and waited for her to continue.

"We need people to help us with setting up and manning water stations, I was hoping you would help us with that?"

Eric sat there and thought about it. "What time and where?"

"If you can get up at five in the morning on Sunday I'll meet you outside your apartment and take you there," she said to him.

"Sure why not Stacy, I have nothing planned."

She jumped up, leaned over the table hugged him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I promise you Eric you won't regret this." She got up and stepped away from the table. "I have to go back to my dorm so I can get ready for class, once again thanks," she said as she backed away and waved bye.

"Anything for a friend Stacy," he said to her as she turned away. He looked at his watch then he got up, packed his book bag and headed to the library. He touched the cheek Stacy kissed, he knew it didn't mean anything more than a friend showing her appreciation to him for agreeing to do something. It felt good to be appreciated, he hadn't felt it in awhile.

Eric woke from a horrible dream; in the dream he was running from spider people. As he woke up he saw Donna standing over him smiling down at him, in one hand she was holding a bloody knife and the other hand …..

She held out her hand and opened it up to show him what she was holding. "Look Eric," she said and her smile got bigger, "I finally got your manhood." Eric looked at what looked like a penis then looked at his crotch and saw nothing but a bloody mess and he started screaming, Donna started laughing.

Eric woke with a start and grabbed himself then sighed with relief. 'It was just a dream' he thought. But deep down he knew that's how he felt every time she went after him for the smallest thing and blamed him for all the wrongs women faced, like she was castrating him. Eric sat up and rubbed his face with his hands. "God, I love Donna and I support her cause but I can't take this anymore."

Donna came in to the room. "Eric are you all right? I heard you screaming."

Without looking at her, he nodded. "I just had a nightmare that's all."

"Let me guess, you had the spider people dream again?" she asked him as she sat next to him on the couch.

Eric laughed into his hands, then looked at her. "I wish it was just that, I could handle that nightmare, I've learned to deal with that one, but it was something else entirely." He leaned back into the couch and sighed. "Donna, I'm not happy."

Donna sat back and put her head on Eric's shoulder. "Neither am I." She took his hand in hers and she felt him lean his head against hers. " I guess that's why I've been sniping at you and picking fights; you didn't deserve all that and for that I am sorry," she said. "So, what are we gonna do?"

"Forgiven." He kissed the top of her head. "Donna, I want you to know that I will always love you."

"And I you Eric." Donna wiped a tear from her eyes. She knew this was coming, hell she was planning on breaking up with him, but he'd beaten her to it. She didn't think it would hurt, but now that it was happening, it did.

Eric kissed the top of her head and said, "when the semester ends next month I'll find a new apartment."

"I'm going to miss your cooking, Eric."

Eric laughed then stood and pulled her up off the couch. "How about I make you The Forman Omelet with several slices of bacon?"

Donna closed her eyes and smiled, she could practically smell it, his omelet was one of her favorite meals, she didn't know what he did to it but it was the best she ever ate. She wished he'd tell her the secret ingredient but he wouldn't. "My favorite, thank you."

"My pleasure, M'lady." Eric smiled as he headed into the small kitchen and gathered up all the fixings. He felt all light now, like a weight was lifted of his shoulders.

Thus their relationship ended not with a bang or whimper, but with a sigh.

*****8

Sunday morning found Eric sitting on the tailgate of a pickup truck waiting for the runners to come by and get their drinks.

"So Eric, how did you get roped into this?" Chris asked as he finished pouring water into the cups on a small table.

Eric jumped off the tailgate, opened the cooler that contained water and alcohol mix and threw in a few sponges. "Stacy asked me and I said yes."

"How do you know Stacy?"

"We have a few classes together and we became friends when we were in the same study groups." Eric looked into the cooler then asked, "what do they do with this?"

Chris looked over and saw him looking at the cooler. "They take the sponges and squeeze them over their heads; the alcohol in the water helps them cool off faster." He looked down the road. "Looks like the first group's coming."

Eric looked at the approaching runners and noticed that Stacy was in the rear of the group. When they got to the table some of them grabbed cups while others went right to the cooler. Stacy looked over at Eric, smiled and waved. As the group started running again, Eric couldn't help but notice that Stacy had one hell of a body.

He was sitting on the hood of Stacy's car while he waited for her to finish up the long run. He glanced down the road and saw the first group heading in, he also saw Stacy at the head instead the rear. When she saw Eric she smiled then ran up to him and gave him a hug. "Damn Eric that was a long run, it felt great."

Eric hugged her back not caring that she was all sweaty. "Glad you had fun."

Stacy pulled away and said, "thanks again for helping."

"No problem, there's fruit and juice over on the tailgate over there." Eric told her.

Two months of friendship and after he found another apartment, Stacy and Eric started dating.