Author Note: it's so odd that I'm saving this to the document manager on New Years Eve and you guys are still reading chapter 5. Thanks for hanging in there!

Chapter 10 – The Other Cheater

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It was at that time that the huge clock announced the countdown and Donna couldn't unglue her eyes as it looked like Eric – her Eric – was standing beside Dick Clark during the ten second countdown. It was impossible! Eric Forman would never leave Point Place and what? He was kissing Jackie Burkhart on television?

Donna fainted.

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"Donna! Donna are you okay, darling?"

Donna could feel her shoulders gently shaken and Anna's concerned voice calling her name. She opened her eyes, surprised to find she was lying on the floor looking at the ceiling and Anna Cantana's gentle brown eyes so full of worry.

Donna wiped her eyes and sat up, shaking her head; the television still blaring trumpets and the loud noises of fireworks as the program was rolling credits. Dick Clark's Rocking New Year's Eve was over. This was not in her carefully laid out plans.

"I saw my husband." Donna said softly.

Anna steered her towards the bed. "Here sit. I'll get you some water."

Staring blindly at the television, Donna still could not believe that her husband was in New York. The last time they even spoke about the city he said, "Donna. If you leave….you can't come back. If you don't believe that we can make this work together then…well, New York isn't going to be someplace I would want to call home. Point Place is our home." So what the hell was Eric doing in New York?

Anna placed a glass of tepid sink water into her hand. "Drink. You fainted. Perhaps you were dreaming? We are in Vienna…your husband…your ex-husband….he is across the Atlantic ocean…"

Donna shook her head. "No, I saw him on the television. It was still New Year's Eve back home. He was kissing my best friend….well; I thought she was my best friend." She added bitterly.

Anna touched the pale hand, "If you are talking about Jackie Burkhart…well, it's only natural that she would be in television. She's a famous celebrity. Perhaps you saw someone that looked like Eric….I am sure that you still have some feelings of missing him and maybe…."

Donna's eyes narrowed. Could it be? She was missing Eric? Sure…..that's what it was….except it wasn't. Covering this story was her life. Being with Anna was her new life. Eric was just a reminder of the past. Or was he? Why in the hell was she thinking she saw him on TV – Eric hated to be the center of attention….that was on par with being a flagship for a deserved foot-in-his-ass from Red Forman. Donna closed her eyes. That was it – ten years of ringing in the new with Eric – she had some kind residual traditions still in the back of her mind.

But….what would Eric have said he if he saw the New Year's kiss between news reporter Anna Cantana and her uprising new protégé Donna Pinciotti? Donna shivered at the memory.

Cheater!

She wasn't a cheater – why did her brain just go there? Eric had the divorce papers. He had the house and all the belongings. All she needed from him was his signature. Hell, just initial the documents and she would be free of him.

Free of Point Place.

Free to be….Donna.

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Eric was so hungover he barely remembered driving home from the airfield. As he slugged down a couples of aspirin, he hoped at that least he drove safe! He woke up with his answering machine blinking furiously. The red digital display showed 11 missed calls. Grimacing, he rolled over in bed and wondered if they were all from the same person or perhaps Donna actually called. He was ready to tell her he would sign the papers.

The alarm clock read 11:45 but he hardly felt like he had slept. Was that from the time zone change? They left New York after one in the morning but by the time he got back to Wisconsin it seemed barely after midnight. Jet lag. He could blame this hangover on that!

Wincing, he pressed the messages button and listened to the first caller. "Hey! It's Fez you bastard! Why didn't you invite me to New York? You sonovabitch! You were fabulous!" BEEP

"It's Hyde. What the hell man?" BEEP

A sing-song voice replied, "It's your mo-ther! Happy New Year's and we'll be having pot roast at 2:00 p.m. Don't be late!" BEEP

"It's Reggie…." DELETE

"Hey Forman…it's Reg again…" DELETE

"Hello handsome….it's Mel. If you see Jackie before I do, tell her something wonderful just came up….mwah!" and the sound of Mel blowing a kiss was followed by BEEP.

"Are you ignoring me? I mean…." DELETE. Eric was delighting in Reggie's impatience. He never should have given his coworker his home number. Still, as Eric listened to all the messages, not a single one was from Donna.

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Anna hung up the phone after an intense call with a colleague in the Paris office. She had been furiously scribbling notes, drinking coffee and lighting up a cigarette and putting it out before smoking it. Donna was pouring over her own interview transcripts and checked her tape recorder for fresh batteries.

"We got in." Anna gushed excitedly, "My friend in Paris is sending us two train tickets to Turkey. We are meeting with Tarana, she's Azerbaijani and is our way into meeting with the Armenians. Henrik is part Croatian and half Armenian…he is on the fence about the whole thing."

Donna inhaled, "Why are we doing this story again?"

Anna smiled, "Because even though my father was from South America, my mother was Croatian….something big going to happen in the next few weeks." Her voice broke to a whisper, "We can break the story – you have the investigative skills and I can network like nobody else." She rubbed Donna's shoulders, "Can you say... Pulitzer Prize?"

Donna grinned. That would be the icing on the top of the cake. This was the key that would open doors to any opportunity she wanted whether it was television, cable, radio or working for the freaking New York Times magazine! Hell, why stop there – Rolling Stone magazine! She could envision Anna's story. Just as she did the first time they conspired at Engleman's Broken Eggs and Coffee.

The clandestine meetings with Anna Cantana, television reporter, were at first just informative – tips to improve her radio career, refining the tone and inflection of her radio voice. Once Anna confessed that she had an angle on a story that would reach all four corners of the world, Donna was smitten.

Donna had a girl crush.

Anna was everything Donna aspired to be. Sexy. Intelligent. Respected. Single. However, Donna Pinciotti-Forman was married to a low energy husband who had no high ambitions. His "hobbies" she had relegated to a box in the garage and he never complained. The teenage boy she fell in love with was slowly becoming an early middle aged man that agreed with everything thing she wanted. However, due to their meager income, there was no money left over after paying for the house she thought she wanted. There was no bongo bucks for taking a vacation. There was no chump change for anything out of the norm.

Once Anna told her of the story and how the cable station was going to give her a budget and she should take a crew member, Donna was employed - her first paycheck was budgeted for a passport. Donna secretly kept all of her personal effects related to the trip at Anna's beautiful apartment.

She used meetings with Jackie Burkhart as a way to get out of the house without Eric being suspicious. Everything was working out perfectly.

Until she saw that New Year's Eve kiss.

Damn.

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Damn.

Eric pulled into his parking space on the city lot only to find it decorated with balloons, spent fireworks and a silly homemade banner that declared one Eric Forman to be the luckiest man of 1989. There was a group of coworkers standing on the sidewalk waiting for him to get out of the car.

Eric's head dropped onto the steering wheel. Did he really have to deal with this today? The first day back after the holiday? Instead of dwelling on the Jackie kiss like it was a bad thing….Eric smiled. It was good. Best kiss he had in a long time. Reggie should be jealous! Eric got out of his car with a purpose. Hell, today he would have lunch in the cafeteria instead of his cubicle. He would make this the best work day ever!

The applause was nice, the girls from the filing room were smiling and Reggie Davis was waiting for details. The parade of colleagues followed Eric to his desk. Questions of "How did you get to New York" were asked with "What was Dick Clark really like" and followed with "Did you really kiss a movie star?" Eric just smiled and nodded his head.

It would totally blow their little minds to think that one ordinary Point Place citizen had a friend that borrowed a private jet, flew him to New York, partied with Dick Clark and he got to kiss a beautiful actress at the stroke of midnight 1990. What a way to bring in the New Year! Okay, so maybe he was a little proud and it might have showed in the way he swaggered when he walked. Today was Eric Forman's best day. He had a new found confidence and the respect of his peers.

The desk phone rang and he answered it with confidence, "Eric Forman, how can I help you?"

It turned out to be Michael Kelso, "Dude! Why did I have to hear it from Fez and then Hyde? Why couldn't you tell me? Why wasn't I invited? I mean, I could party with Dick. Heh..heh….that sounded dirty didn't it? But never mind, what happened?"

Eric quickly explained the 30 second "be ready" phone call and how it was just a pit stop on Jackie's trip to New York. He ended the call with, "Were you home? I thought you were supposed to be at the Ice Capades with Betsy."

Kelso moaned, "Oh man…I was….but I mean this is Dick Clark! I would have blew off ice skating for a chance to see Dick. Oops, there I go sounding dirty again. Eric…do you think it's cuz I'm….a little overweight?"

"What do you mean?" Eric asked cautiously.

Kelso sighed into the phone. "I'm 30 years old man and I'll admit I'm not the handsome stud I used to be….maybe Jackie didn't invite me because I'm a fatty."

"Kelso, when was the last time Jackie saw you? She probably doesn't even know you gained weight. What did she get you for Christmas?"

Now it sounded a bit like bragging as he replied, "I got this cool Nintendo Gameboy. It must have costed some bucks because I haven't seen it in the stores…."

Before he could ramble, Eric added, "Didn't she used to get you clothes?"

Kelso paused, "Yeah…..I need to lose some weight. Hey, how do I find out where the nearest fat farm is? I mean I could try that Jane Fonda exercise tape but I'd look ridiculous."

Eric chuckled, "I don't know right now, but when I find out….you'll be the first to know."

Kelso thanked him and hung up the phone. Eric wondered what Jackie would do if she saw how large her old boyfriend really was. Wait. What difference did it make? Why did Eric even care? Maybe because he was infatuated with the brunette….he didn't want any competition.

None of that mattered if the feelings weren't returned.

Eric turned back to his desk and back to his job.

Daydreaming.

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"Bavarian Motor Works." Jackie repeated over the telephone. "It's in Munich. I'm leaving next Monday. I just want you to get a message to Fez for me."

Eric was relieved to hear her voice. "Sure, but why didn't just call him?"

Jackie replied, "He won't pick up his damn phone and the answering machine in your garage is full. I need him to delete the messages."

"Well, I can have him do that….you know, I haven't actually seen Fez in a couple of days." Eric tried to think when the last time he'd seen his brown friend. "What's the message?"

"Pillowcases. I have a pallet of pillowcases and shipping material being delivered to your house on Friday and I need him to open the garage door. If this stuff gets wet then I've wasted a lot of money."

Eric could only imagine hundreds of pre-teens resting their heads on a Jackie Burkhart pillowcase. "I'll find him. If he's not available, I can have my neighbor open the garage for the delivery driver."

Jackie gushed, "Eric, you are my hero of the day. This is very important and I really appreciate the help. Anyways….have you heard from Donna?"

He exhaled, "No. As far as I know she's still in Prague and that's it. What are you doing in Munich?"

Eric could almost hear the smile in her voice, "I'm modelling for the new BMW motorcycle calendar. Its good pay!" she nearly gushed. "I'd take you with me but you wouldn't look as pretty in a bathing suit."

"Oooh….burn." Eric laughed. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I'm always nice to you – well not when I was a teenager. I think I was jealous of your happy family life so I had to wound you in some way." She explained in Jackie-speak. "Anyways, you are one of my friends."

Eric wanted to ask if she would ever consider him more than a friend but he was afraid of the answer. According to the law, he was still married and Jackie Burkhart was still unofficially dating some handsome single Hollywood bachelor or Mel….so he bit his tongue and replied, "You are my friend too. Have fun in Germany."

Why did he have such a bad taste in his mouth after he hung up?

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AN:...Donna...uh yeah...did I go *there* with her? Uh-oh....