Chapter 24 – What a Change

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Donna walked until she could no longer see her old house.

She sat down on the deserted bus bench and put her head in her hands and uttered, "What am I supposed to do now?

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Fortunately, the janitor remembered the tall, formerly blonde woman and begrudgingly opened the door to apartment 17. "When will Anna be back?" he asked in a rough gravelly voice.

Donna lied in her reply, "Um….she had some paperwork to finish up but I expect any day now. Thanks for letting me in, I couldn't find my key anywhere!" The janitor gave the exhausted traveler a worrisome glance then pulled a spare from his ring, "Don't lose it and don't tell the manager I gave you one. Hear me?"

She managed to muster a weary smile, "I won't and don't worry I won't tell the manager." As he was pushing his cart down the hall, Donna slid inside the door and collapsed into the first chair and kicked off her Baku version of hiking boots. Her feet were killing her, the old blisters had calloused and blistered again, open and weeping. Donna closed her eyes and let the tears fall.

Tears of relief that she was back in Wisconsin.

Tears of frustration that Anna's whereabouts were still unknown and tears of self-pity.

(✿◠‿◠) *

Eric woke slowly to the alarm. A soft warm body was curled up behind him, warm tufts of breath heating his neck. Those Egyptian sheets Jackie bragged about actually were just this side of wonderful. Well, at least as close to wonderful as having Jackie cuddled behind him!

He rolled over carefully and looked at her sleeping face in the dim morning light. She was gorgeous – plain and simple and for the life of him, Eric couldn't figure out why she was his friend. Eyelashes fluttered, opened and she smiled at him. "I guess I got cold."

Eric grinned, "Well, the bed was big enough for four people so you must have been very cold."

She nodded. "Well, I am in Wisconsin…." Rising up on an elbow she yawned, "Is anyone else up yet?"

Eric shook his head, "I think we're the first." Jackie scooted backwards until she was resting against the headboard. "What time do you have to be at work?"

Eric looked at the clock. "I start at 8:00. There is some groundbreaking ceremony I have to attend to this morning and then give a presentation in the afternoon."

Jackie smiled behind her hand and said, "I know."

From his pillow, Eric turned his head, "What do you know?"

She was beaming. "The ceremony. Me, Norm and Mel will be there."

Eric sat up. "No, it's some firm named BD & A."

Jackie leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Burkhart, Dupree and Ashworth. We're a partnership. I'm building a mall!" She said excitedly.

Eric blinked. "I can't be there. That would be a…..conflict of interest."

Jackie pshawed his show of ethics. "It's not a conflict. I never told you, besides our architects, engineers and a bunch of other people got the plans rolling. BD and Norm only provided the financial backing so how could you have known?"

Eric felt a bit stupid. A new mall being built across the street from the Point Place Mall. That was so Jackie Burkhart. He closed his eyes and was careful how he worded his next question. "Jackie…Point Place already has one mall….why in the world would you want to build another?"

She crossed her legs Indian fashion and bounced on the mattress. "Don't you see? The Point Place mall is old. The food court is old; the stores are old and the people that go there are old."

She smiled, "My mall is going to have a bridge that crosses the street so while grandma and grandpa are at the old mall, the kids are going to be spending money at the new mall. I'll have all the stores that are fresh, trendy and current. My food court will be a place that you actually want to eat at. I'll have a parking garage with an elevator and my mall with have the prettiest skylights you ever saw."

Eric couldn't help but get caught up in her enthusiasm, "So, does this mean you'll be spending more time in Point Place?"

Jackie nodded. "Lots more. Well, not right away, I still have some commitments I have to attend to but yeah, I'm gonna make Point Place my home again and…you are the one I want to spend my time with the most."

With those words, Eric knew he would be totally and completely lost without Jackie in his life. Her words were like an oasis in the desert. It took all of his will not to kiss her senseless.

But he would.

Eventually.

And it would be totally worth the wait.

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Donna had been sleeping on Anna's couch covered with a hand crocheted blanket and a tingling in her arm which hadn't woken yet. She rose on one elbow and shook out her hand trying to get blood back into her limbs which felt like pins and needles were poking.

She peered at the clock across the room to find it was nearly 10:00 a.m. How long had it been since she got that much sleep? Donna couldn't remember. She looked around the apartment in the light of day. Everything was in its proper place just as Anna had left it. In fact, if she closed her eyes, she could practically see Anna coming out of the bedroom with that smile on her face.

God she missed her so much!

Donna rose and stretched her aching limbs. The long plane ride and the walk from the bus stop had all but crippled her. A hot shower, some breakfast and then maybe she could think about going to see her folks. There was going to be a lot of explaining to do!

Donna had a full day ahead of her.

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The three silver shovels were poised above the earth by white hard hat wearing executives. Camera bulbs flashed and the mayor smiled widely for the newspaper and television crew. A new business was springing up in Point Place and with it, more jobs and commerce to popularize the small town. The mayor said a few brief words, introduced a couple of senators and turned the microphone over to Jackie Burkhart.

She stood in front of the crowd, not as a movie star, but as a long standing member of the community. Some of the crowd might remember her as Jack and Pam Burkhart's daughter, or they may recall that she sold cheese at the mall back in the 70's but then again, they may vaguely recall she had a live show on one of the Public Broadcasting stations.

Jackie held the microphone to her lips and began her small speech. "Thank you, Mayor Duncan, for your introduction." She stepped forward from her little trio and continued, "I am honored to be here with you this morning as we break ground for the new Point Place Shopping Center. As everyone knows, 1990 is the beginning of a new decade and this new building will be a combination of the familiar and some fresh innovations in shopping."

There was splattering of applause and she carried on. "BD & A wants to thank Luman and Schulze, Incorporated….the owners of the original Point Place Mall, our neighbors, friends and future customers. We hope to bring new products and some specialty shopping to expand on what we already know and love."

"So excuse us while we kick up some dust and bring a whole new level of commerce to the city of Point Place."

Jackie handed the microphone back to the Mayor as Mel gave Jackie her shovel and together all three investors wedged their shovel heads into the rich soil. They turned the dirt amid a thunderous applause.

(✿◠‿◠) *

The traffic had been horrendous. Roads were blocked off and policemen were directing traffic to a strip mall parking lot two streets away from the site. Running, Reggie, Kathleen and Eric could hear parts of the speech, but by the time they got to the sidewalk, Jackie and company were already digging into the earth.

Eric missed Jackie's speech. He knew this project of hers was very important and felt like kicking Reggie's ass for not having a full tank. Of course they had to stop at a gas station on the way! While Reggie was feasting on the table of donuts (look out Kelso, you are getting competition), Eric made his way through the throngs of well-wishers and professional people handing Jackie and Mel business cards.

Jackie spotted him right away and excused herself from the group of hand shakers and supporters. She squeezed through the horde of people and the minute he turned and recognized her, Eric was enveloped in a brunette hug. She placed her hands on his cheeks and asked excitedly, "Did you hear my speech?"

He smiled and told a white lie, "You were wonderful and the crowd is pumped. You really made a lot of people happy today."

She grinned with all her dazzling white teeth on display, "I did. Didn't I? Oh, and this will give jobs to a lot of people. Dang, I should have put that in my speech."

Eric slipped an arm around her waist and shepherded Jackie back towards Mel and the accountant. Mel was busy taking business cards and Norm was enjoying the attention of the ladies who presumed he was rich (well he was, but it wasn't advertised.) Eric kind of enjoyed the minutiae details of being a personal bodyguard for business owner slash celebrity Jackie Burkhart.

People were looking at him with respect; even City employees he dealt with daily – there was no reconciling employee Eric Forman with this Eric Forman. There were more camera bulb flashes and Jackie giving autographs before most of the crowd waned allowing Jackie some reprieve from all the required smiling and acknowledging of important Point Place leaders.

That was the moment that Reggie and Kathleen found their way to the front of the site. Reggie walked up and put a hand on Eric's shoulder like they were the best of friends, all the while his eyes never left Jackie. "So…is it a coincidence that BD&A is your girlfriends company?"

Kathleen gasped, having just connected the dots. "That could be a problem! We've been signing all those permits and authorizing all…"

Reggie interrupted. "I think the problem could be that Forman has been hiding the truth all along."

Eric looked aghast, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Reggie winked at Jackie like they shared a secret. "You know. That presentation you have after lunch? It's not really a presentation….is it?"

Jackie could see the crap spilling out of this guy's mouth as he spoke so she interjected, not very nicely, "I'm pretty sure you don't have a clue about what you think you're talking about, but hey….don't let me stop you."

She gave Eric's hand a squeeze, "Sorry we can't stay longer, but I have to make sure Eric gets back to work to go over those budget numbers."

Kathleen swatted Reggie on the arm. "You ass. You just insulted Point Place's biggest celebrity."

Kathleen watched as the world famous Jackie Burkhart held hands with her coworker and led Eric to a beautiful white limousine while she had to ride back to work in Reggie's old rust bucket of a car. "I really detest you sometimes." Kathleen groused.

Reggie was still trying to decipher what he didn't have a clue about. Wasn't the actress the presentation? Wasn't this all some set up that Forman had planned? Reggie was flummoxed!

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After a little bit of poking around, Donna was able to find her wallet (with driver's license!), 40 plus dollars cash, Anna's spare keys and some clean clothes. A hot shower, breakfast and then reuniting with her parents was next in order.

Carefully peeling off her filthy travelling clothes, Donna let them fall to the floor and reached into the bathtub to turn on the water. Lifting the key for the shower, water began to fall like a steady rain. She could smell the perspiration from under her arms and the stickiness from days old sweat. Then she made the mistake of looking up and caught her reflection in the mirrored medicine cabinet. Donna Pinciotti was a dark haired ghost of her former self. Her cap of hair was matted and the loss of 20 lbs. made her face look gaunt. Donna's collarbones were clearly visible and that scar on her forehead was still visible.

She looked terrible! But somewhere inside, Donna drew up a fortitude she didn't know she still had, and stepped into that shower and rinsed off the dirt and grime of several countries and a war she hadn't anticipated participating in. The soapy gray water swirled down the drain until the shower became too cold to stand in.

Donna wrapped the fluffy towel around her and wiped the fog from the mirror. She smiled because her eyes were clear, her teeth were still good and she was alive. Today was a new day. She was back home in Point Place, which under ordinary circumstances she would have loathed to admit, she was really glad to be home. She had Anna's phone and she could make some calls. There was the cable studio that still had her on contract…perhaps they could help find Anna. There was still promise in this new day.

Donna's stomach growled loudly and she determined that the new day would start after a good breakfast! Look out, Wisconsin….Hot Donna was back!

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Eric was torn. This presentation of his was important but then Jackie and Company were leaving for Hollywood at the same time. Did he go to the airport with them or did he stay and finish his work day? Jackie was dusting soil fragments from his shoulder. "You go in there and slay them with your numbers." She instructed.

Mel and Norm bit back smiles. It was so cute to see their little actress in the beginning stages of a promising relationship. Mel whispered to Norm, "Five bucks he calls off the meeting."

Norm whispered back, "Ten bucks she stays the night."

Jackie looked at Eric, so full of confidence and professional acumen and she felt a sense of pride. She was the fulcrum that drug Eric Forman, kicking and screaming into the new decade. He dressed better, stood straighter and was finally making manly decisions. Eric was assertive in a slightly dorky way and Jackie found that extremely sexy. She tugged on his tie, bringing his nose down to hers. His eyes closed.

"I'm postponing my flight until tomorrow….you're taking me out to dinner tonight." And she kissed him while he stood in the employee parking lot with shaking knees.

The little over five foot midget could knock Eric off kilter with nothing more than a command and a kiss. His heart was pounding as Jackie walked away, as he always imaged she would, but this time it wasn't permanent. He waved and realized his palms were sweating. Damn. Eric glanced over to see Mel Dupree sliding a ten dollar bill into the accountant's hand.

It felt like Eric's world had just tilted 9 degrees in a new direction and he liked it. Life was changing and he liked it.

Point Place was never going to be the same.

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