Disclaimer: I own nothing, not a thing, nada.
Author's Note: Hello All! Sorry for posting a bit late! Please don't be mad, I had a really good excuse, I was out celebrating my birthday. No, my birthday is not today, it was actually yesterday but I'm still celebrating it was a big one lol. Anywoo thanks for all the previous reviews I love them and they always make me smile! Quick notes time. Now Randy is part of this story but please do not get mad at me of he seems out of character right after Sam the Stripper he was my least fav character. Give him a chance though…or better yet me, I just need to get the hang of writing him, the only eps I really see of him is the final and the one with Red and Kitty's anniversary. So he maybe out of character but just give me time. Next note. As always I am not a doctor. I just turned 18 and I am no way like Doogie Howser, but I do love Neil Patrick Harris. Anywoo thanks for everything and Enjoy!
Kitty sat in her spot on the couch as she waited for her next question.
"Are you disappointed in any of us?" Hyde asked.
"Of course not." Kitty answered with a smile.
"Not even Laurie?" Hyde asked sounding like he couldn't believe it.
"Well…" Kitty said before she started to think. A second or two passed before she smiled back at the camera, "No. Not at all. I'm proud of all my children."
"Right." Hyde answered, "It's either Laurie or Eric, right?"
Kitty shook her head as she frowned and tried to fight back a smile.
"Ok, you don't wanna say." Hyde sighed, "So blink once for Laurie and twice for Eric."
~*~
"I tired to warn you." Jackie said to Brooke as the two along with Hyde entered the kitchen, "Mrs. Forman has never…"
Jackie stopped herself mid-sentence as she took in the scene of the kitchen. Kelso and Fez had found the plate of cookies and were helping themselves to mouthfuls as they sat on the kitchen chairs. Betsy sat beside her father in her own chair, taking a bite of her own cookie right after letting her doll have one. But what had caught Jackie's attention was that the two remaining kitchen chairs were taken up as well.
A blonde woman sat in one and a sandy blonde well kept—almost too well kept—haired man sat in the other.
"Lumberjack!" Jackie said happily as she made her way to her friend.
"Midget!" Donna smiled, sounding just as happy.
The two women walked to each other before meeting and embracing in a hug. At the same time Randy walked over to greet his former employer. After a few seconds the couples switched as Randy greeted Jackie and Donna, Hyde.
"Doesn't anyone knock anymore?" Hyde asked as he welcomed Donna with a quick hug.
Donna laughed as she pulled away, "It was Fez's idea. He let us in and told us to wait until you guys noticed us."
"Oh he did, did he?" Hyde asked as he walked closer to his foreign friend and Donna walked over to greet Brooke.
"Yes I did." Fez said as he grinned happily, "Aren't I clever?"
"Yeah." Hyde nodded before swatting the back of Fez's head with his hand, "Real clever."
"Ow!"
Hyde ignored Fez's cry of pain and made his way away from the crowd and over to the fridge to get a soda. Meanwhile Jackie did anything but walk away from their guests.
"Ok Donna, now that the 'hellos' are done, come here. Come on Brooke, you too." Jackie said as she dragged Donna's hand as she walked to the kitchen table.
"Let's get down to business." Jackie said in a serious tone once the three women were sitting at the table, "Show me that ring."
Donna smiled before lifting up her left hand to show off her new engagement ring; the two other women gasped when they saw it.
"Oh it's beautiful, Donna." Brooke complimented.
Jackie nodded, keeping her eyes on the diamond as she lifted Donna's large hand closer to her so she could get a better look, "It's so much bigger than the one Eric got you but I paid for."
"I know!" Donna agreed excitedly.
Soon talk about weddings and flowers and diamonds filled the room as the women, including Betsy and Fez, rambled on. Randy took a seat on an orange bar stool and made himself comfortable as Kelso looked on with a smile. Hyde on the other hand didn't seem to be enjoying the scene very much.
Noticing Hyde standing off in the corner, Kelso practically bounced his way over. He noticed the frown on his friends face and he wondered if Hyde was getting the same view he was. Once Kelso saw that it was the same sight, he shrugged his shoulders and crossed his arms but still smiling.
"Man Hyde," he said happily, "it's great everybody's finally together."
"Yeah. A real hoot." Hyde answered sarcastically before turning around and walking out of the kitchen.
Kelso furrowed his brow with confusion, trying to figure out what he had said wrong. Jackie, who had also caught the sight of Hyde's exit, sighed a sad sigh.
"He's really taking this hard huh?" Donna asked, apparently Jackie and Kelso weren't the only ones who saw.
"Yeah." Jackie nodded, "And he's really beating himself up about not being able to contact everyone."
"You mean you still haven't gotten a hold of Red?" Brooke asked and Jackie shook her head.
"He's at the convention and he has a room at the hotel but he's never in there because the convention is in some hall or something."
Brooke nodded, making a mental note to help out with the calling while she was here. Meanwhile Jackie continued with her story.
"We haven't gotten a hold of Laurie, the whore. I don't even think she knows she's sick." She said and the others shook their heads, "And Eric…"
"Eric?" Donna interrupted sounding almost excited, "Eric's coming? When?"
Seeing five frowns being sent her way, one being from her future husband, Donna cleared her throat and tried to control herself.
"I mean, really?"
"Yeah well, I called him." Jackie explained, "So he better come."
"I'm sure he will." Brooke reassured while patting Jackie's hand, "She is his mother after all."
"How is Mrs. Forman doing?" Donna asked as she realized she hadn't asked yet.
"She's doing ok."
Brooke nodded, "Yeah, we just came from seeing her."
"She was really happy to see you guys." Jackie said to the family members who had come in from Chicago, before turning to Donna and Randy, "Do you wanna go see her now?"
"Um I don't know." Donna said sounding uncertain, "Maybe I should wait, I bet she's tired from the excitement of seeing you guys. We can just wait here or go to our hotel for awhile and…"
"Donna." Randy interrupted as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
Donna looked up at her fiancé and saw the knowing look in his eyes. She nodded her head and then slowly stood up. Jackie and Brooke exchanged confused looks before turning back to Donna.
"Yeah I guess we could go now." Donna said to Jackie before she started following Randy out of the room. "Is she in her bedroom?"
"Yeah." Jackie nodded.
"Oh and Donna." Brooke called out, "Whatever you do, don't mention hotels."
Donna smiled slightly and nodded before exciting the room.
Kelso didn't notice a thing as he found the bowl of uncooked cookie dough and began eating it. Fez was busy sharing the baked cookies with Betsy and her doll. But Jackie and Brooke noticed the difference in Donna; she was never one to take orders from anyone especially a man. So why now?"
~*~
Kitty was lying in her bed thinking about what she had just seen. Her children were getting older; she hadn't seen Fez or the Kelso's in almost four months and yet they all seemed so much more grown up than before. She wondered how much the others had grown, she hadn't seen them in awhile either. She also had to wonder how much they would grow in the years to come, how much they would change.
After all, she wasn't going to be around for any of that. And that was good and bad. She wouldn't get so emotional when she realized how old her babies really were and she would never feel too old. Of course she wouldn't be able to be there for them whenever they needed advice, food, or just a hug.
She closed her eyes and sighed when she heard a soft knock on the door.
"Come in." she answered reopening her eyes.
A second or two passed before a familiar tall blonde, who once was a redhead, walked into the room.
"Hi Mrs. Forman."
"Hello Donna, dear." Kitty welcomed with a smile before she hugged her, "How are you?"
"I'm great." Donna smiled and took a seat in the nearby chair, "How are you?" not a second after the words left her mouth Donna wished she hadn't said them, "Um I mean…you remember Randy right?"
Kitty smiled slightly at Donna, letting her know it was ok, and then looked over at Randy.
"Of course, I do. Hello Randy."
"Hi Mrs. Forman." Randy smiled as he stuck his hand out to Kitty, "It's good to see you, again."
"Well it's good to see you too Randy, but I will not settle for a handshake." Kitty sternly told him, "You're going to be family soon, give me a hug."
Randy smiled and then leaned in to hug the ill woman. Donna smiled as she watched them, glad that Kitty was accepting Randy into this crazy mixed up family that she loved being a part of.
After letting go of Randy, Kitty smiled and looked at Donna, "So let me see the ring."
Donna smiled before moving her left hand closer to Kitty so she could see her engagement ring. Kitty smiled as she examined the piece of jewelry and Donna shared a smile with Randy.
"Oh it is just gorgeous, sweetie."
"Thanks."
"Bob must be so excited." Kitty commented and Donna nodded, "When is the big day?"
Donna's face dropped. She knew the date, they had decided on it about a month ago, but she didn't want to tell Kitty because she knew that the chance of her being able to attend the wedding was almost zero.
"Um actually Mrs. Forman," Donna began, "we're not too sure right now."
"Except that it's May 16th." Randy added and Donna sent him a glare to which he just shrugged off.
Kitty didn't notice either of them, "Oh a spring wedding. I bet you're going to make a beautiful bride, sweetheart."
"Thanks Mrs. Forman." Donna said now starting to feel sad at the fact that Mrs. Forman wouldn't be able to be at her wedding.
Kitty noticed the tears that were starting to shine in Donna's eyes. She hated when her kids cried, especially if it was because of her. Thinking quickly she came up with a topic that could change the conversation.
"How's everything in Rhode Island?" she asked patting Donna's hand.
"It's great." Donna nodded, "It really is. Randy's working at a bank right now and I started writing for the paper. I have my own column!"
Kitty smiled at the young woman's excitement and nodded her head, "I know."
"You do?" she asked with a small frown.
Kitty nodded again before explaining, "Red's brother Marty lives out there, so he mails us his papers every once in awhile. We haven't read them all but we've read a few."
Donna grinned, "That's so cool."
"We're proud of you Donna." Kitty went on, "We're proud of all our basement babies."
"That's really sweet Mrs. Forman." Donna continued to smile, "Thanks."
Feeling a bit out of place, Randy decided to give the two women some more time to talk alone.
"Um, Donna I'm gonna go drop our bags off at the hotel." He explained, "I'll be right back."
Kitty frowned at the words she had heard as Donna slammed her head against her hand as she heard the same words.
"Hotel?" Kitty asked with a frown and then looked at the blonde, "Oh Donna, you've known me for almost your whole life, you should have known better."
"We just thought that it would be easier on you if we stayed at a hotel." Randy explained for Donna.
"Oh nonsense." Kitty said with a shake of her head, "You two are welcomed to stay here."
Donna frowned a bit, feeling slightly guilty, "Well we did already make the reservation…"
"Then you can cancel them."
"But…"
"Donna," Kitty began as she grabbed Donna's hand, "I'm a dying woman. You don't argue with a dying woman."
"Ok." Donna sighed, "But that's the last time you can use the 'dying woman' card on me."
Kitty just smiled and patted her hand before instructing Randy to tell Jackie or Hyde that they were staying here so they could get a room fixed for them. Randy then left the room letting Kitty and Donna chat on about the details of the upcoming wedding.
~*~
Eric Forman stood in front of his childhood home.
He had been standing in the front yard since the cab dropped him off almost ten minutes ago, despite the snow. He just stared at the house, it hadn't changed much on the outside but he knew the same couldn't be said for the people on the inside.
He wasn't exactly ready to face those who were probably there. Hyde and had told him that the others were coming but Eric wasn't sure if they were already here. However, they weren't the ones who scared him.
It was Hyde, who was probably still upset with him. It was Jackie, who just scared him period; especially after her phone call. It was his father, who he was sure would give him a good foot in the ass for not coming sooner. It was his mother, who he was afraid would look sick, weak, miserable everything that she never was.
Eric had thought that by going through the front door, it would be easier. It wasn't. He couldn't bring himself to open the door. He wasn't sure if he should, after all he hadn't been home in months. Maybe Red had changed the locks. Maybe they had actually started locking their doors. Maybe he should've gone through the kitchen…no he wasn't ready to see that room without his mother in it.
Taking a deep breath, he raised his fist up before tapping it against the door.
He waited a few seconds before the door opened up, revealing a frowning Hyde. Immediately Eric prepared himself by closing his eyes and scrunching up his face in pain.
"What the hell are you doing?" Hyde asked in a gruff voice.
"Waiting for you to punch me." Eric replied keeping his eyes shut.
Hyde just stared at him, "I'm not gonna punch you, Forman."
Eric opened his eyes again, "You're not?"
"No. I mean yeah you deserve it." Hyde began, "But unlike you, I don't like disappointing Mom."
And with that said, he used the exit to Red's den to leave the room. Both guilt and a burn in one sentence, the man was good.
Eric let himself into the house, bringing his bags with him. He hadn't exactly expected Hyde to welcome him with open arms, but it had gone better than he had thought it would.
Suddenly he frowned as he reviewed Hyde's guilt-burn. When had he started calling his mom 'Mom?' Before he could draw any sort of conclusion or get any sort of idea, the kitchen door swung open and Jackie walked in.
"Steven who was at the…Eric, you came." She said sounding slightly surprised.
"I had to." Eric replied with a shrug, after taking off his jacket "Jackie Burkhart apparently always gets her way."
"You bet your ass she does." Jackie said with a smirk before she made her way to him and wrapped her arms around him.
Gradually Eric did the same. He wasn't exactly use to hugging the Devil; he didn't think you could hug her without catching on fire or being turned evil. But he did hug her back, a bit awkwardly at first but after a few seconds he realized how nice it felt to have his large arms around her tiny frame.
Jackie smiled and pulled herself out of the embrace, "It's good to see you, Eric."
"Um yeah, yeah you too, Jackie." Eric nodded as the smell of her coconut shampoo lingered in his nose…wait when did he smell her hair? "You look great."
She was wearing everyday clothes, some jeans and a turtleneck. It was a look she had worn several times in the years he'd known her, but this time, she really pulled it off.
"I know." Jackie agreed with a smile, "You look good too."
That was a bit of an understatement. Eric looked just as great as Jackie, maybe a bit tired from the plane ride but it didn't affect him too much. He'd finally grown into his tall frame. His skinny self was long gone as nicely curved muscles filled the once flat areas.
"Thanks." He smiled back, his cheeks suddenly feeling warm. Was he blushing? He couldn't let her see him do that! Clearing his throat he changed the subject, "So um where's Mom?"
"Oh she's upstairs. She actually just fell asleep awhile ago." She explained to him, "But I'm sure she wouldn't mind if you woke her up so you could visit with her…"
"No." Eric answered almost too quickly, "I mean, no it's ok. She needs her rest, I'll see her tomorrow."
Jackie just nodded, "Okay. Well are you hungry? I think Fez and Kelso might have left some of the casserole."
"Fez and Kelso?" Eric asked with a small frown "They're here already?"
"Yeah, they got here earlier in the day." Jackie informed, "Everyone's here. Come on, let's go to the kitchen so you can say 'hi.'"
Eric gulped as Jackie grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the swinging door. Everyone was here already? He wasn't ready to face everyone.
"Um Jackie, you know what?" Eric asked, planting his feet firmly on the ground so Jackie couldn't budge him another step forward, "I'm actually pretty tired and the jetlag and all. I think I'll just hang out here for awhile if that's ok."
"Oh." Jackie said sounding a bit disappointed, "Alright, sure. You stay here. I'm going back in the kitchen."
It was Eric's turn to nod as Jackie turned around and disappeared into the kitchen. He sighed in relief as he leaned his head on the back of the old couch and plopped his feet up on the table. That was a close one.
Jackie's voice was soon heard again.
"Hey you guys, Eric's here. He's in the living room."
Eric's head shot back up as he looked at the closed swinging door. Then before he knew it, he was surrounded by his old friends who soon began grilling him with questions.
He looked over at Jackie for help; she just stood by the door her arms crossed over her chest and a smirk on her lips. Didn't he understand? Jackie Burkhart always got her way.
Author's Note: There it is Chapter 3 of "Two Weeks" Hope you liked!
Be sure to come back next Monday when Eric and the gang begin to catch each other up on things!
Until next time, thanks for reading, hope you liked, please review and lemme know what you think, stay tuned, see you next Monday, take care, and have a nice day!