Eric woke up safe and sound in his bed, GI Joe looking down on him as he looked up. He was sure that the events from the night before were just a dream. That was until he sat up. "Thought you got rid of me, didn't you?" The figure standing at the foot of his bed asked. He rubbed his eyes, but the image of Jackie Burkhart wouldn't go away. "Eric stop that you're going to give yourself a black eye. I told you I can't move on till I know Steven is okay." That squeaky shrieky voice just wouldn't go away.
"I am losing my mind." Eric said as he got up out of bed.
"I could have told you that a long time ago." Jackie said as she looked at him. "But you might want to hurry the hell up Red has been yelling for you for five minutes."
"Wake up hop head! Your mother wants you down at breakfast now!" Red said as he busted in the door.
"Told you so." Jackie said with a laugh.
"Shut up." Eric said as he looked at the empty spot that held the image only he could see.
"Are you high?" Red asked as he looked at his son.
"I hope so." Eric said as he stared at Jackie.
"Just put some pants on and come eat." Red said before he left the room.
"You are such an idiot." Jackie said with a laugh.
"Well your dead so…" Eric said as he looked at her.
"Do you really want to piss off the ghost that haunts you?" She asked.
"What are you going to do make scary faces at me while I am in the shower?" He asked her.
"Oh Eric you are going to have another thing coming to you." She said with a laugh before she disappeared. He made it down stairs about a minute later only to find that his little ghost friend wasn't really gone. She was standing behind Hyde watching his every move. "Eric tell him he needs to eat more. He is starting to look sickly."
"No that would sound weird." Eric said as he looked at the small figure standing behind his childhood friend.
"Do it." She said as she looked at him.
"Dude you need to eat more. You're starting to look sickly." Eric mumbled as he looked at Hyde. Hyde just gave him this weird look.
"He is right Steven honey." Kitty Forman said as she looked at her adopted son.
"Kitty leave the boy alone." Her husband said as he looked at her.
"I am just trying to be helpful. The child is going to run himself dead if he keeps up like this." She said as she looked at Steven.
"No don't let them gang up on him that makes him shut down more." Jackie said as she looked at Eric.
"So how about those Packers?" Eric asked awkwardly as he laughed.
"Wow douchebag alert." Jackie said as she looked at him.
"And I thought you were mean before." Eric mumbled as he looked back at the space she stood at.
"Why does this boy keep talking to the wall?" Red asked as he looked at his son.
"Tell them. Tell them you see me." Jackie said as she moved closer to him.
"No." Eric mumbled.
"It must be all that cheese he eats in Madison." Hyde said with a laugh.
"That doesn't even make sense Steven!" Jackie squealed.
"He can't hear you." Eric said as he looked at her.
"But you can." She said as she smiled at him.
"Eric sweetie do you have a fever." Kitty asked as she reached her head across the table to feel his head.
"No mom I am fine. I think I just need some fresh air." He said as he got up.
"Right, well be back by dinner." She said as she watched her son leave.
"If I have to follow you back to Madison to make my point I will." Jackie said as she appeared before him. "I am not going to leave you alone till you help Steven." She said as she crossed her arms.
"What am I supposed to do? Huh? I am supposed to walk up to tell him that I have been seeing the ghost of his dead ex girlfriend? I am supposed to say sorry I am so fucking crazy and I have to bring up all these old feelings, but she wants me to talk to you about this." Eric asked her. "I watched him break down after your death. I have never seen him cry until the day after the funeral when he realized that he would never see you again. When he realized he never got to tell you that he loved you." Eric said as he went to sit in the vista cruiser.
"He said that he loved me." Jackie said as she sat down next to him.
"Yeah." Eric said as he looked at her. "What you weren't ghost stalking him then?" He asked. She just shook her head. "He loved you Jackie. He loved you more than anything. That's why this messed him up so bad. He is usually good with losing people." Eric said as he looked at her.
"I wish I didn't run that night." She said as she looked at Eric. "I wish I would have forgiven him like my heart wanted to, but my head told me not to. I just I thought it was going to be like it was with Michael. Truth is it could never be that way because I truly loved Steven."
"Love. You truly love Steven." Eric said as he pulled the car out of the driveway.
"Yeah." She whispered softly.
"Have you taken time for yourself? Or have you been following Steven every moment since then?" Eric asked her.
"I went to see my dad. He didn't seem upset at all." She said as she looked at Eric.
"Your parent's didn't seem fazed. Bob took it really hard though. He thinks of you as a daughter and knowing that your gone has been rough on him." He said as he looked at her.
"I bet." Jackie said sourly.
"Okay I guess we are going to pay a visit to Bob today." Eric said as he made a u-turn and headed back towards his house. He parked his car back in his driveway and made his way to the house next store.
"Eric it's nice to see you around here." Bob said as he answered the back door. "It's so nice to have you kids home for the summer." Bob said as he looked at Donna who was sitting at the kitchen table. "This big house just isn't the same when I am here all alone." He said as he walked over to the counter. Jackie walked over near him she was captured by the picture sitting on the counter. It was her and Steven's Prom picture.
"How did he ever find this?" She asked as she looked at Eric.
Eric just walked over to the picture and picked it up trying to be smoother than before. "Bob where did you find this?" He asked as he looked at his soon to be father-in-law.
"You know that I framed all the pictures I found in her stuff." Bob said as he looked at Eric. "It's just so hard for me to think that she will never walk back into this house. I miss her so much." He said as he started to cry.
"No, don't cry." Jackie said as she rushed to his side. She wrapped her arms around him. "I am here. I miss you too." She whispered.
"Come on dad maybe I dip in the hot tub will cheer you up." Donna said as she pushed her father out of the room. "I am sorry for that." Donna said once Bob was gone.
"Don't be. The accident messed us all up." Eric said as he looked at Donna.
"It's been a year, but being back here it feels like yesterday." Donna said as she looked at her the love of her life.
"Tell me about it." Eric said as he looked at the sad ghost standing in the corner. "What do you think life would be like if she was still here?" He asked as he looked at Donna.
"I think we would be in the middle of planning the wedding on the century." Donna said with a faint smile. "Listening to Hyde try to bring her down to earth."
"Like he ever could." Eric said with a little laugh. "Do you think she is watching us?" He asked. He wanted to tell her so bad that he was in communication with their lost friend, but she would probably have him locked up if he did.
"Yeah, I think she is sitting up in heaven yelling down something like "Donna you look like a lumberjack in that!"" Donna said as she smiled.
"Well she does." Jackie said as she looked at the couple.
"You know maybe we should go put new flowers on her gravestone. Kitty put some last week, but they might be dead." Donna said as she looked at Eric.
"If that is what you want to do." Eric said as he looked at Jackie in the corner.
"Sunflowers please." Jackie said with a smile. "Kitty always puts white roses those scream death."
"Maybe we should put something with color. Sunflowers were always one of her favorites." Eric said as he smiled at the small young woman that only he could see.
"That sounds like a good ideal." Donna said as she headed for the door.
"Go on without me." Jackie said as she smiled. "I have some things I want to do."
Eric just nodded as he headed out the door. He looked back to see an empty kitchen. He knew in his heart she was going back to Hyde. But, he just looked at the woman he loved. One thing he learned from Jackie was that he needed to make sure Donna knew how much she was loved. That's part of the reason he ran ahead to open her door. That was part of the reason why he let her choose the radio station. That was part of the reason he picked up two bunches of flowers at the florist. Sunflowers for Jackie and daisies for Donna.
"Eric you don't have to." Donna said as she smiled at him.
"Only the best for my lady." He said as he handed her the flowers. She just smiled. Her smile was the light of his whole world. He could never image how much it would hurt to lose her. He wouldn't have a reason to live. Then standing at the gravestone of his friend he knew that was what happened to Hyde. He wasn't living he was just breathing. He was dead on the inside because his light was gone. He knew standing there he had to help make things better. He had to help Jackie and her silly quest for his life. "This is going to be interesting." He mumbled to himself.
"What was that Eric?" Donna asked him.
"I think we need to wipe off the weeds." He said as he sat down on the ground and started to brush off the weeds. "Jackie did always hate weeds." He said as he smiled up at Donna weakly.