Disclaimer: I own nothing! Just trying to spread some Christmas cheer!
Author's Note: Hi everyone! Sorry for not posting another chapter yesterday, had some last minute shopping to do and holy cow was that a mad house! Can you believe it's Christmas Eve already? Time sure goes by fast! Hope you like this chapter, it one of the longest I've written for this story. Also thanks for the reviews guys! Especially you two girls, Marla and LedZepGrl! And incase I don't get a chance to post a chapter tonight or tomorrow I hope you guys all have a wonderful Christmas! Enjoy your Christmas Eve present! lol
Once the fruitcake was finished the four occupants of the basement decided to move onto something else.
Jackie and Hyde had given up on finding anything of Red's from the war. Mostly because most of their energy was spent on being upset with each other about Jackie returning her gifts.
Kelso and Fez had stopped hunting for any presents that could be hidden in there. It was a lot more work than they remembered it being last year.
So now the group was sitting back on the wooden floor, going through some of the boxes they had found earlier. The boxes hadn't been thoroughly looked through, just a quick glance, but there was something in each that had caught someone's eye.
There were at least seven boxes that were stacked in front of the four.
Fez and Kelso were looking through one that was filled with a few baby stuff. Fez pulled out a ragged old teddy bear—that was missing an eye—that he quickly became attached to. Kelso was busying himself by making a mobile spin above his head.
Over with Jackie and Hyde, was a box they were looking through. It was another box full of Red and Kitty's old clothes. There sure was a lot of boxes like those. Hyde was looking at an old tie of Red's that had a flower pattern on it. He wondered where and if Red had ever worn this.
"Oh my God. Look at this!" Jackie squealed out excitedly.
The three men turned their heads to see Jackie pulling out a dark blue dress from the box. It had a white collar and the skirt was long and poofy, it looked like it could have come out of an episode of I Love Lucy.
"Isn't it cute?" she asked them.
"Yeah, Jackie." Kelso nodded with a smile, "You should put it on!"
"Yes. And most importantly, take off those clothes." Fez added in his unique perverted way.
Jackie shook her head at the boys' words, she then went back to scanning the dress with her eyes, "I really like this dress."
"You mean like it, like it?" Hyde asked looking away from the box and over to Jackie, "Or like the store credit you could get from returning it?"
"Ugh!" Jackie let out, "Steven would you stop?! It's not like could even return this, it's too old and the store's probably gone. So just stop."
"Why do I have to stop?" he asked, "I'm not the one who returns the gifts that people give me."
"No." Jackie agreed as she crossed her arms over her chest, "What you do is even worse."
Hyde looked at Jackie with a confused look. Fez and Kelso also looked at Jackie, both looking very interested in what she had to say.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Hyde questioned.
"You don't even use the gifts people give you!" Jackie stated, "You have a pile of stuff in your room that you've gotten as gifts, and you've never used any of them! Half of them still have wrapping paper on them!"
"At least I kept them." Hyde shot back as he stood up on his feet.
Jackie shook her head and followed Hyde, "But you don't use them. At least when I return my gifts I get something I actually use. That's better than what you do."
"Is not." Hyde scoffed
Jackie frowned, "Is to."
"Is not."
"Is to."
"Is not."
"Is to."
The argument went on as both parties kept themselves in their Zen mode. This only prolonged the fight. Fez and Kelso moved their head from Jackie to Hyde each time one of them spoke; but after awhile their necks began to hurt and they stopped.
"They were right." Fez said to his friend, the bear still in his arms, "This does get boring."
"Yeah. But at least when we were fighting, we were both nice to look at." Kelso reminded as he tried to fit a baby hat on his head.
A few feet away, Donna and Eric were entering the attic. Donna was leading the way as Eric cautiously following from behind her. Donna rolled her eyes when she turned around and saw her frightened looking boyfriend.
"Eric," she called out to him, "would you hurry up?"
"I'm…I'm going."
Donna laughed a bit at his expense, "Eric, there' no ghost up here."
"I know." Eric nodded, still in a shaking tone of voice, "But the same can't be said for spiders."
Eric then quickened his pace but only to catch up to Donna. When he was at her side again, he quickly hid himself, using her as a shield and causing her to laugh.
"Come on." Donna said pulling away, "Let's just find these decorations and get out of here."
Eric nodded in agreement, he really didn't want to be up here any longer. Slowly he began to move around the attic in search of the Christmas decorations his mother had sent them up for.
As Donna closed up a box that seemed to be storing some old dishes, she could have sworn she heard someone say something.
"Eric, did you hear that?"
"What?" Eric quickly asked, practically jumping behind Donna again, "Was it a spider?"
"No." Donna shook her head.
Curiosity soon got the best of Donna and she took the lead in heading to where the sound was coming from. Eric tried to pull her back by holding onto her arm, but he soon realized just how pathetic that was, and so he walked behind her.
The sight that welcomed the couple was not one that they had expected.
Jackie and Hyde were arguing and Fez and Kelso were acting like idiots. This was a scene that was regular to the basement but not in the newly discovered attic.
"What are you guys doing here?" Donna finally called out, starling the four others some more than others.
"Ah!" Jackie and Fez exclaimed in high pitched screams as Kelso let out his own manly version. Hyde wasn't so surprised, but what did come to a surprise was that after Jackie screamed she hid behind Hyde and he moved his arm out to protect her.
The screaming had startled the couple as well.
"What?!" Eric shrieked out, "Was it a spider?!"
"Oh yay!" Fez cheered, once they realized it was only Eric and Donna, as he clapped his hands, "Now we're all here!"
Eric frowned at his foreign friend, still confused as to why he was in his parents' attic. His frown deepened when he saw the old toy in his arms.
"Fez!" Eric exclaimed moving away from Donna and closer to the wall of the fort, "What are you doing with Mr. Bear Bear?"
"Mr. Bear Bear?" Hyde asked with a smirk.
Donna couldn't help but join her friend in the laugh, "What, did you like word so much you had to say it twice?"
Eric looked down for a few seconds before finally answering, "Yes."
Fez shook his head and tightened his grip on the teddy bear, "His name is not 'Mr. Bear Bear.' It is Philip."
"That's a better name, Fez." Kelso complimented.
"What?! No!" Eric screeched out, "He doesn't even look like a Philip!"
"Um back to what's important." Donna called out, getting at least Jackie and Hyde's attention, "What are you guys doing up here?"
Jackie and Hyde exchanged glances. They had already been through the twice, they didn't want to get their hopes up too high. Crossing their arms at the same time, they looked back at the redhead.
"What are you doing up here?" Hyde asked.
"Mom sent us up here to get some decorations.' Eric informed before going back to arguing with Fez, "Fez give me Mr. Bear Bear!"
"His name is Philip!"
No one except Kelso paid any attention to Fez or Eric. Donna just frowned at Jackie and Hyde as they looked at each other with almost disappointed faces.
"Oh."
They simultaneously said and then walked back over to where Fez and Kelso were sitting with the old boxes. They sat themselves down and went back to looking through the old stuff.
Donna continued to frown "Guys, what are you doing up here?!"
"The Forman locked us up in here." Jackie informed her friend.
Hyde turned away from the box and over to Donna, "Just like they did to you guys."
"What are you…?"
Just then, a familiar slam was heard Eric and Donna quickly turned their heads around to find the attic door closed up.
"Oh my God!" Eric exclaimed
Donna turned to her friends, "We're stuck up here?"
"Yup." Jackie causally answered.
"And you're not freaking out?!" Eric asked as he began to turn into his twitchy self.
"Been up here for almost five hours, man." Hyde replied never looking up from the box.
"And Mom and Dad are the ones who did this?"
"That's what Hyde says." Kelso said, with the stretched out baby hat still on his head, "My money's on the Ninja Raccoon."
Donna finally noticed what it was they were doing.
"So since you guys think the Formans locked us up here," she began, making sure she understood, "you guys are snooping through their stuff?"
"Yes ma'am!" Fez was quick to answer, "Want to join us?"
Donna and Eric both stared blankly at the foreign boy inside the fort of boxes. After a few seconds Eric finally shrugged his shoulders and spoke.
"Yeah, ok." He said before hopping over the wall and into the fort.
However, Donna still wasn't too sure. She watched the gang pull various items out of the cardboard boxes but she just shook her head and frowned.
"I don't know you guys." She started to say, "I don't think the Formans did this. It doesn't sound like…"
She stopped herself as she realized that she was wrong. Not saying another word, she climbed over the boxes and joined her friends on the floor and into the boxes.
******
Meanwhile downstairs in the Forman living room, Kitty was sitting on the sofa looking through a magazine. It was at that moment the Red appeared, climbing down the staircase after just closing up the attic door. Again.
He took a seat beside his wife and stared at her for a few seconds. Feeling someone's else on her, Kitty looked up from the article and over at Red.
"What?"
Red gave her a suspicious frown, "What are you up to?"
"Nothing!" Kitty defended herself, weakly.
"Then explain to me why we locked all the dumbasses up in our attic." Red said to her, "You said you were just gonna lock up Jackie and Steven so they could get their heads out of their asses and get back together."
Kitty giggled, she knew Red had a soft spot for those kids.
"I know. And I did." Kitty nodded, "That's why I locked the two of them up first. That way they could get some bonding done before everyone else joined them."
Red looked at her with narrow eyes, "That still doesn't answer my question."
Kitty sighed and then shut her magazine before looking at Red.
"Red, our kids are growing up." She began, "They're getting older and doing their own things. This past year they hardly spent any time together. The basement was so empty."
"Yeah." Red answered with a grin, the past few months had been filled with some nice peace and quiet.
Kitty frowned at him before going on, "I think it's important for them to remember that they should still make time for each other. That they're still friends and care deeply for each other." She explained, "Locking the kids up there is helping them bond and reconnect. And I bet when they get out things will be better than ever."
"They'll still be a bunch of dumbasses."
Kitty sighed and shook her head, "I don't see why you're so suspicious about this, Red. I would've thought you'd be happy. With the kids all up in the attic, it leaves the rest of the house all to ourselves."
"That's true." Red agreed as a smirk slowly made its way to his lips, "I guess this could be a very nice Christmas pres…"
He drifted off and ended his sentence there when he looked at his wife. She smiled back at him with a big smile as she giggled that girlish laugh of hers. Red's smile grew as he realized Kitty's other reason for locking the kids up.
"Merry Christmas, Red!" she happily exclaimed
"Kitty," Red said as he wrapped his arm around her, "This is the best Christmas gift ever."
Kitty giggled as he kissed her cheek, and then she pulled away slightly.
"Now are you just going to tell me thank you, or are you going to show me?" she asked teasingly.
"Oh, I'll show you something alright." Red grinned mischievously.
Kitty giggled again as Red wiggled his eyebrows. And before either of them knew it they were running up the living room stairs as Red chased Kitty. But like never before the couple got interrupted and their trip got cut short.
"Mommy, Daddy, I'm home!"
Over at the front door was a young blonde woman in tight jeans and an even tighter sweater, smiling a ditzy smile. The one—and luckily—only Laurie Forman. Luggage and all.
Red and Kitty stared down at their daughter with shock written on their faces. Gradually, they looked away from the smiling girl and to each other. The exchanged a knowing looking, they knew what had to be done.
******
Red Forman closed the attic door for what he hoped would be the last time. At least until he spent some alone time with his wife. Once he made sure the door was securely closed he looked at Kitty who was standing beside him.
"Now, that that's taken care of." He said as his mischievous grin reappeared, "Where were we?"
"Hmm." Kitty said as she pretended to ponder, "Oh I know!"
And just like that, the two were running back on the trail to their bedroom.
******
Up in the attic, Laurie was staring down at the closed door.
"Mommy! Daddy!" she called out innocently, "I promise I'll come visit more often, if you let me out!"
She waited a few seconds but after getting no response, she gave up on the innocent thing and became more demanding and angry.
"You can't do this to me!" she exclaimed, "Let me out of here!"
Over in the fort, the six young adults sat perfectly still, still in shock at seeing the Earth Mother Whore in person.
"If we stay really still," Eric softly whispered to the group, "maybe she won't notice we're here."
Unfortunately, Eric's voice wasn't soft enough and his sister heard him loud and clear. Turning her head around to the fort she saw Eric and his group of dumb friends.
Eric, Donna, Hyde, and Jackie sat in their places, sitting as still as statues. Kelso and Fez were a different story they waved both their hands in the air as they gawked at Laurie.
"Ugh, I can't believe I'm stuck up here with you losers!" Laurie complained as she dragged herself closer to the old boxes.
Eric snorted at his sister's comment, "Yeah like you're a barrel of fun."
Laurie glared at her little brother as she came up with a comeback, but before she could say it Donna jumped in.
"Eric, we're in an attic." She reminded, "Not even Funland could make this place fun."
Fun. The word rang in Fez' ears. It was Christmas Eve. They should be having fun, who cares if they were in an attic. There had to be something fun for them to do up there. And after a few seconds of thinking, Fez knew what that was.
Not five minutes later, the group found themselves wanting to be anywhere else but in the attic. Even more than ever.
They were all now sitting the fort, including Laurie. Despite Eric's protest. They were all looking very miserable with long faces and deep frowns. Well all of them except for Fez.
Fez just smiled and sang away.
"What a bright time, is the right time to rock the night away!" he sang loudly, "Jingle bell time is a swell time, to go ridding in a one horse sleigh! Everybody!"
Not one mouth moved as Fez waited for them all to join in. Not letting his smile faded away too much, Fez got ready to continue the song by himself. But just before he did, his trust pal Kelso swung his arm around his shoulder and joined in.
"Giddy up, jingle horse. Pick up your feet. Jingle around the clock. Mix and mingle in a jingling beat. That's the jingle bell rock!"
Author's Note: There you go chapter 16 of "Stuck with You" Hope you liked!
Today's song was picked because Laurie came home for Christmas! Any of you guys see that one coming? And now that everyone's up in the attic the real snooping can start!
Until next time, thanks for reading, hope you liked, please review and lemme know what you think, stay tuned, take care, have a nice day, and remember tomorrow's Christmas! Hope you have a great one!