Chapter Eight
When Jackie woke up the next morning, all felt as if it was right with the world. Smiling as she rolled over, the love she felt for Eric deepened as she cast her eyes on him; breathing deeply as he lay next to her in top of the doona while still wearing his pants and shirt from the night before. Jackie lay under the covers in only her bra and panties but, ever the gentleman, Eric hadn't taken advantage of her despite the very drunken state they had both been in.
Instead, Eric had kissed her passionately, his hands roaming every possible inch of her. Jackie had taken the same opportunity, feeling the broad muscles of his chest before making her way down down and grabbing his ass for good measure.
Eric had smiled as he'd then broken the kiss before sweeping her off her feet and into his arms. Carrying her to the bed, he'd kissed her again before telling her, "When we make love for the first time, Jackie, it will be special and a moment that we will treasure for the rest of our lives. That is my promise to you, Jacqueline Burkhart. I am yours, now and forever. You are my unicorn, and I am never letting you go. You can be assured of that."
Kissing her once more, Eric had then covered her up as she'd laid her head on her pillow. He had then laid down on the other side of the bed after kicking off his boots and fallen asleep snuggling next to the woman he loved with one arm firmly wrapped around her waist. Jackie had fallen asleep almost immediately herself, but her heart had been doing gymnastic flips. He had told her that he was hers! She still couldn't believe it!
"I love you, Eric Forman," she said in a quiet whisper, reaching up and stroking his face.
"Good morning, Sleeping Beauty," Eric responded, his eyes still closed. Jackie gasped. Was Eric awake, pretending to be asleep or was he dreaming? "In answer to the question that's most likely going through you mind right now," he continued, "I've been awake for about the last ten minutes, watching you sleep. Kelso woke me up when he fell off the bed."
Jackie giggled. She couldn't help it. "Did he hurt his eye again?" she asked.
"Please. It wouldn't be Kelso if he didn't," Eric answered. "I think that Brooke must've kicked him or something like that because I heard her apologize right after."
Trying hard not to giggle again, Jackie sat up and started to stretch the stiffness out of her muscles. Eric admired the view as he lay there. Reaching out, he caressed the small area of her back as she arched to stretch out the lower muscles. Jackie moaned at the touch, the sensations coursing through her body just from the feel of his fingers as they traced their way along the delicate curves of her lower back and hips.
Jackie turned her head and threw Eric a sultry look that he instantly recognized as specifically spelling trouble for him with a capital T. Watching her bite her bottom lip with mischief in her eyes, Eric watched as Jackie slowly made her way over; as if she was stalking her prey like a jungle cat would.
Straddling him, Jackie sat up and hooked her thumbs under her bra straps. Eric's eyes went wide as she slid them off her shoulders and then undid the back of her bra. Sliding the delicate piece of fabric off her body, Jackie threw the bra to one side before reaching down and almost ripping the shirt Eric was wearing off his body. Throwing it aside as well, Jackie leaned forward and whispered in Eric's ear, "We might not be ready to br truly intimate with one another yet, but that doesn't mean we can't experiment."
A wicked thought entering Eric's mind as he wrapped his arms around her, he quickly rolled over; Jackie yelping as she suddenly found their positions reversed. As Eric leaned in and kissed into her into loving oblivion, Jackie realized that this was a side to Eric Forman she'd never seen before, and she loved it!
The intimate tryst came to an abrupt end when Kelso opened the door to Jackie's bedroom, expecting them to both still be asleep. "Hey guys, it's time to get – hey, did you two finally do it?"
Jackie's response was instinctive. Grabbing the first thing she could lay her hands on, she threw a cushion at his head. Realizing what was about to happen, Kelso ducked just in time to avoid getting hit in the eye again. What he and the others didn't know or realise was that Brooke had been standing almost directly behind him.
The corner of the cushion caught Brooke square on in the face, causing her to reach up with both hands and yell, "OW! My eye!"
Eric couldn't help it. He laughed.
Twenty minutes later, Eric, Brooke and Jackie were sitting at the dining room table. For being the cause of the problem, Kelso had been banished to the couch until such time as that both women were were no longer pissed off at him. Brooke was holding an ice-pack against her eye while eating the breakfast that Eric had made for her and Jackie. As part of his punishment, Kelso was given toast and juice as ordered by Brooke, who wanted her husband reminded about the nicer things and what happened when he stuck his nose where he shouldn't.
Once everyone had finished their food, Jackie cleared up the dishes while Eric checked on Brooke's eye. "Pass me the ice-pack and let me have a look at it," he told her.
Removing the ice pack away from her face, Eric winced as he saw the damage. Jackie had got her good, but nothing permanent from from what he could tell. She would have some bruising for a few days, but makeup would be able to disguise the worst of it. Being the son of a nurse, more than a few things had stuck over the years from all the times that Kitty Forman had had to bandage up one of his friends whenever something had gone wrong.
"You should be alright in a day or two, Brooke," Eric said. "Some makeup and concealer and you should be as right as rain."
Brooke turned and glowered at her husband, who had the good sense to look contrite. "Thanks, Eric." she replied, glad that the damage was only temporary. "Not exactly how I expected to be spending my time off from work, but that's the joys of life; especially when you're married to a Kelso."
"Babe, I already said I was sorry," Kelso complained. "How was I to know that you were standing right behind me when I ducked?"
Both Eric and Jackie grinned as they looked at each other. Noting the look, Brooke knew that she and Eric needed to have a talk before he left for the second half of his trip. As Jackie's best friend, she wanted to make sure that this relationship wasn't going to be a repeat of the past for either of them.
Brooke's train of thought was interrupted when Jackie announced, "Well, people, we have a full day ahead of us and things to do. Let's get to it, shall we?"
It was later that day when the girls had gone out for supplies that the guys finally took a break, allowing Kelso to finally get around to apologizing to Eric. "Sorry about this morning, dude." Eric listened to the words, knowing and seeing that Kelso actually meant them for a change.
Eric nodded. "Appreciate it, man. If it helps, Jackie and I are going to take this as slow as it needs to go. We've both been burned before and we don't want to rush into anything. But, and this is the crazy thing, Kelso, is that with Donna, I thought I knew what it was that we wanted and that it was the same thing. The problem I had, though, was that I couldn't imagine or picture Donna with how I envisioned being together for the rest of our lives. Hence why, after three years of marriage, I got tired of playing second fiddle and filed for divorce."
That was news to Kelso. He'd always thought that Donna had been the one to walk out and leave Eric, not the other way round. "With Jackie, however," Eric continued, "she and I never really spent any time together when we were growing up. She was either hanging out with either you, Donna, Fez or Hyde and I was spending most of my time with Donna, Hyde, Fez or you. We just never intersected the same way that the rest of us did."
"After the Seventies ended and the Eighties rolled in, it was at the family Christmas dinners that I started to finally meet the real Jacqueline Burkhart and not the bratty teenager that I remembered growing up. When I became a full time author and I started travelling, my mom's stories about Jackie and what she was doing were what kept me connected to home. And, when I discovered the true story about everything that had been going on while I was away, that's when I decided that I needed to make some changes in my life, starting with being closer to the people in it that matter the most to me."
"And that includes Jackie?" Kelso wanted to know.
"My re-connection with Jackie at that event last year was, for all intents and purposes, a stroke of luck." Eric smiled as he remembered that night. "I'd always planned to include Jackie, no matter what. It just happened earlier than I expected. Since then, we've kept in contact with weekly phone calls and we've met up twice when her work took her near where I happened to be at that point in time."
"Everything that's happening right now, though? I wouldn't have ever thought of myself having feelings for one Jacqueline Burkhart. But, I can see that our meeting at that convention six months ago started us on a road that I wouldn't change for anything else in the world."
Kelso thought for a moment, then said something very unusual that one wouldn't normally hear come out of a Kelso's mouth. "Just don't hurt her, okay? I only ask because I hate to think about what would happen to her if you guys didn't work out and she's come a long way since the whole situation with Hyde."
It was Eric's turn to be surprised, this time. He had known Michael Kelso since grade school and had always been known as the fun loving goofball that survived no matter how many times he hurt himself. The years married to Brooke seemed to have brought on a few changes for the better. Eric was looking forward to getting to know this version of Michael Kelso better.
"You have my word, Kelso. I will never, ever hurt her if I can avoid doing so." The open and honest look on Eric's face told Kelso everything he needed to know. Michael Kelso had often been described as someone who wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but what he saw happening between Eric and Jackie had that potential for a happy ending; similar to what he and Brooke had. All he could do now was pray that it worked out for them.
Raising his grass, Kelso smiled as he said, "Well, good luck, man. I hope find what it is that you're both looking for."
Grinning, Eric answered, "I'll drink to that." Raising his glass also, the two men drank their drinks down before returning to the last of the heavy lifting left to do.
By the time Brooke and Jackie returned from their supply run, Eric and Kelso had completely finished all the heavy lifting that had been left to do from the previous day. Absolutely delighted by this, Jackie and Brooke made lunch everyone while the guys sat down and found a re-run of Return of the Jedi playing on a channel.
Watching Eric and Kelso get into an argument about who would win in a fight between Boba Fett and Luke Skywalker, Brooke took the opportunity to have another word with her friend about what was going on between her and Eric. "Jackie, tell me something. Are you and Eric serious?"
Jackie looked over at her long-time friend. "We're. . . . . . exploring," she finally said. "Neither of us want to rush into anything, Brooke. We're both damaged by our pasts and I think what we're both feeling, at least for me, could lead to something better for us. Donna did almost as much damage to Eric as what Stephen did to me."
"Do you love him?" Brooke asked. The question, while not unexpected, still caught Jackie by surprise. Eric had professed his love to her last night while drunk. She'd whispered it back this morning. Neither of them had said the words to each other aloud, however.
Brooke saw the fear and uncertainty displayed across Jackie's face and her heart broke as she realized that her friend was still scared of being rejected. "Come here," she told Jackie, who was nearly on the verge of breaking down. Hugging Jackie close, Brooke held her until Jackie was able to get her emotions under control again.
Stepping back, Brooke place her hand on Jackie's cheek and told her, "Just be yourself, girl. Everything else will happen as it's meant to." Jackie smiled, the advice reminding her that, no matter what, to hold true to herself and that if was meant to be, it was meant to be.
"I think Eric and I need to have a discussion before he leaves on Sunday," Jackie said as the women returned to making lunch.
Brooke nodded, then turned her attention to listening to her husband and his best friend cheering as Princess Leia strangled Jabba the Hutt to death while Luke Skywalker rescued Han Solo and Chewbacca from the Sarlacc Pit.
Once lunch was ready, the women joined the men and watched the rest of Return of the Jedi. They all laughed, cheered and cried at all the iconic moments as they ate. After lunch was was finished, Jackie and Brooke settled in with Eric and Kelso to watch the final moments of the film. Brooke laid down on the sofa, her head on Kelso's lap while he gently stroked her hair. Jackie tucked herself in under Eric's arm, laying her head on his shoulder. Eric placed a kiss on her forehead before resting his head against hers.
Eric and Kelso nodded their heads in respect when Luke lit the funeral pyre to honor the man who had once been his father, Anakin Skywalker, while Jackie and Brooke cried as a young man said goodbye to his father after only having just helped him redeem himself and losing the chance to know him.
They all cheered when they saw everyone celebrating the Empire's defeat and the Death Star's destruction at Endor, with everyone reuniting at the Ewok village. All four cheered when they saw Yoda and Obi-Wan's Force ghosts appearing and Anakin joining them as well; completing his redemption and return to the light.
Both couples sat on the couch through the credits, enjoying the blanket of peaceful bliss that had settled over them. When the movie finally came to an end, Jackie reached up gently and kissed Eric on the cheek. Smiling, Eric asked, "So, what's the plan for the rest for the day?"
Looking around, Jackie saw that there was only a few boxes left to unpack. "Just finishing off what's left in here," she replied. "We got things done a lot quicker than I thought we would."
"Means you'll have more time to prep for your meeting on Friday with Elena and Gio, though," Eric reminded her. The tiny brunette's eyes went wide at the reminder. She'd completely forgotten about the meeting!
Eric tried hard not to laugh, pretending instead that it was a cough, but wasn't very successful at hiding it. Jackie realized what he was trying to do and gave him an evil look. "Sorry about that," he said. "It's just that you've never looked cuter than when your face has that wild look about it."
Mock growling, Jackie couldn't help but grin as she whacked Eric on the chest. Brooke giggled as she listened to the pair interact with one another. Hearing the sound, Eric looked over at his friend's wife. "Shouldn't throw stones, Brooke, or I might have to let Betsy know how her parents met and what happened afterwards."
Kelso's head jerked up and around as Brooke gasped. "Dude! So not cool!" Brooke looked up at Eric and saw a mischievous glint in Eric's eye as Jackie tried not to laugh. Everyone remembered Kelso's reaction when Brooke had admitted to having sex with him at the Molly Hatchet concert and then the denial phase he went through when she told him she was pregnant.
"Kelso, you should know that, of the embarrassing stories I could tell Betsy, the one I could really burn you with is the story of Big Chief Brown Bottom." Brooke and Jackie both gasped as they all saw the look of horror on Kelso's face.
Brooke sat up. "Do tell the story of Big Chief Brown Bottom, Eric," she said, unholy glee on her face as she suddenly discovered that there was something about her husband that she didn't know. Jackie was also intrigued, not knowing the story either.
Grinning, Eric settled in with Jackie at his side as he said,"Well, let me tell you a story, of a time when Michael Kelso and I were young and we spent an interesting summer away at camp . . . "
Twenty minutes later, as Eric was finishing telling the story of that long ago time, Brooke and Jackie were laying on the floor; laughing uncontrollably as tears streamed down their faces. Kelso just sat there, arms folded and his face red with embarrassment. That summer camp all those years ago hadn't been one of Eric's proudest moments either, but it was nice to to have actually shared the story with other people after all this time.
The last time he'd nearly shared it was when he'd been at odds with his sister Laurie over some stupid thing and had revealed how he'd gotten the nickname Doctor Peepee. Kelso had made fun of him then, only to shut his mouth quite quickly when Eric had threatened to reveal the story back then to Hyde and Fez.
Struggling to get the laughter under control, Brooke looked at her husband. "I know you've had some interesting moments throughout your life, but, really? That really happened?" Kelso sighed, then looked at his wife and nodded. The confirmation set both women off again, laughing so hard that Eric decided to save his friend from further humiliation.
"Think of it like this, Kelso," he told his childhood friend, "if anyone had to know the whole story, better your wife and your ex-girlfriend than anyone else." Kelso finally looked at Eric and gave his friend a lopsided grin. While it had been very embarrassing for him as a kid, there lots of other just as equally embarrassing moments that had happened to him over the years.
Patting his friend on the back, Eric saw that Brooke and Jackie had finally calmed down enough for him to ask, "Hey, girls, once we've finished the last of the unpacking, why don't we order dinner in and play a few games like we used to?"
"That sounds great, Eric," Jackie said. "Any ideas about dinner?"
Brooke asked, "What about Chinese food?"
"Dude, chinese food sounds awesome," Kelso chimed in. "Can we get chopsticks as well?" Eric just closed his eyes and grinned while the girls started laughing uncontrollably once more. Kelso looked his friends in consternation" "What?"
The rest of the day was spent as Eric had hoped: with the ones that he loved and cared deeply about. Jackie, Brooke and Kelso filled Eric in on some of the other things that they'd been up to over the years while Eric kept his word to Kelso and told them stories about some of the celebrities he had met since becoming an author. He also enthralled Jackie and Brooke with stories of some of the places he had visited over the years as well; remembering that both women had had dreams of travelling the world at one point.
Once they had finished unpacking the last of the boxes, everyone got themselves cleaned up up and then sat down at the dining table to play the U.S. version of Monopoly. While Brooke and Jackie set the game up, Eric ordered dinner, pointedly ignoring Kelso as he tried to add on other bits and pieces to the meal.
Once that was done, Eric and Kelso joined the girls at the table and everyone selected their playing piece. Jackie was the Top Hat, Kelso was the Race Car, Brooke was the Wheelbarrow and Eric was the Boot. Jackie giggled when she saw what Eric had picked. "What?" he asked. "Kind of symbolic, don't you think? All those times that Red threatened to put his foot in my ass, maybe I can do it to you guys at this game."
"Dude! Burn!" Kelso crowed. He was unhappy a few seconds later when it was decided that Brooke would be the banker. He was reminded by both Eric and Jackie that he'd had an unhealthy habit of cheating when he was the banker in the past.
Half an hour after the game had started, dinner arrived. Eric quickly paid for the food and drinks and made sure that the delivery guy received a nice, healthy tip before leaving. Hurrying back to the game once the guy was gone, the food was quickly divided up and the game then continued.
It was very cutthroat and very close right to the end before Eric was declared the winner with Jackie and Brooke equal second and Kelso completely obliterated in the last few rounds of the game. While Kelso bemoaned the fact that he'd lost, Jackie and Brooke rewarded Eric with a kiss each for his victory.
The game was quickly cleared away, the group adjourning to the sofa for drinks. Brooke and Jackie drank red wine wine while Kelso had a beer in his hand. Eric surprised the others by having a glass of scotch whisky in his hand. "I thought you were a beer man, dude," Keslo said.
Taking a sip of his drink, Eric told them, "When I was writing my third novel, if memory serves, I was developing my main character to have a certain sense of style and sophistication. So, I decided to travel to Las Vegas, New York and London for research. While I was in London, a friend suggested that I tour the distilleries of Scotland in order to complete my character development."
Eric smiled as he remembered the fun he'd had during his extended stay in the British Isles. "Let's just say that what was supposed to be an extra two weeks, turned into an extra two months that I will never forget."
"That was 'Requiem for an Assassin', wasn't it?" Brooke asked. Eric nodded. His follow up novel to 'The Last Duke Of Milan', while it had still sold well and had been well received, hadn't done as well as he'd hoped with his audience. His decision to write several different genres, however, seemed to be paying off for him; as evidenced by the success of his latest novel being a number one bestseller.
Eric nodded. "It was. Though, I will admit, the only other part of that trip that was better than Scotland was my visit to Las Vegas. Dinner, drinks and a photo op with Frank Sinatra will rate as one of the greatest moments of all time in my life for me."
The jaws of his friends dropped; even Kelso's. Many dreamed about meeting one of the greatest stars of stage and screen, but Eric, in his bid to achieve something with his life, was actually going out and doing it. "How did that happen and what was he like?" Jackie asked.
Remembering, Eric told them how he had happened to run into Frank Jr in the one of the restaurants at the hotel one night, not long after he had arrived in Las Vegas. Mentioning that he had come to the City of Sin to gather some insight on the finer things of life for his next book, Frank Jr was delighted to learn that he was sitting with the author of his new favorite book.
Spending several evenings dining with Frank Jr, Eric had been able to build a rough sketch in his head of the main character and was able to start writing down some ideas. When his time came to an end in Las Vegas, Eric and Frank Jr had met up for dinner and drinks to farewell Eric's last night in the City of Sin.
What he hadn't expected was for Ol' Blue Eyes himself to join them. Having met several other celebrities following the release of his book, Eric had considered himself somewhat used to meeting other famous people. He had found himself disabused of this notion when the Chairman of the Board had entered the private dining room.
After quickly getting over the shell shock, Eric had introduced himself before the three men had sat down to eat. It was a night Eric would never forget. Listening to stories of the Golden Age of Hollywood from one of the all-time greats himself. Being given advice on a whole array of subjects. That entire evening would be a moment he truly treasure forever.
Once dinner was over, Frank Sr had then invited Eric to come with him and Frank Jr. Not a fool to turn down such an invitation, Eric had gone with them to the floor of the hotel where the Sinatras had been staying. Upon arriving, Eric was surprised to find Frank Sr's personal tailor waiting for them.
Eric would leave with three pin-striped suits and a tuxedo and a number of other gifts given to him by Frank Sr as thanks for simply being a friend to his son. He would then attend the concert that Frank Sr was having that night and share one last drink with them at the bar. The last gift he would receive before his departure would be a photo of him standing on one side of Frank Sr with Frank Jr on the other.
The next morning, Frank Jr had taken Eric to the airport personally. After ensuring everything was set, the two men had shaken hands before Eric had boarded the plane destined for New York. "Frank Jr and I exchange letters about three or four times a year. We caught up last year when his dad was performing in New York," Eric said as he came to the end of his story. "I'm hoping to get to Las Vegas later this year for another catch-up if possible."
As Eric finished his drink, Jackie and Brooke could only wonder at who else Eric had met in the short time since becoming a writer. As everyone else followed Eric's lead and finished their drinks as well, Jackie saw the time on the clock. "Oh shit! People, it's that time and I have a lot to do tomorrow. Let's hit the sack and we'll work out in the morning what's happening."
After saying goodnight to Brooke and Kelso, Eric entered Jackie's bedroom. He found Jackie already dressed for bed, only this time it wasn't lacy Victoria's Secret underwear she was wearing, but track pants and a t-shirt.
"Can't always dress up sexy for you every night, Eric," Jackie grinned as she brushed her hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. Eric chuckled as he remembered the night before. But, then again, he always thought that Jackie looked sexy in whatever she was wearing, no matter what.
Coming up behind her, Eric wrapped his arms around her waist and placed a kiss in the hollow of her neck. Jackie closed her eyes and moaned at the sensations his lips were causing within her.
They swayed back and forth for several moments, enjoying the bliss before Jackie opened her eyes. "Eric."
"Mmmm?"
"You do know that, at some point, we need to have the Talk." Turning around and wrapping her arms around his neck, Jackie said, "I know this isn't something either of us wants to do, but, sooner or later, we will need to talk about us and where this is all headed."
Eric nodded."And we will have that Talk very soon. I do know that it will happen before I leave for Chicago. I promise." Pressing his lips to hers, Eric kissed Jackie gently. Cupping his cheek as she returned the kiss, the pair eventually parted, smiling at one another. Saying nothing, Jackie took Eric by the hand and led him to the bed. Climbing under the covers, Jackie snuggled in as Eric laid next to her and wrapped his arm around her waist. Reaching over to the bedside table, Jackie switched off the lamp, the couple drifting off to sleep happy and content that all was right with the world.
