Chapter Ten

Eric and Brooke spent the rest of the afternoon cementing their new friendship. Brooke's idea of fun was dancing, so she and Eric visited several clubs before finding one where she and Eric were able to dance. While Brooke knew how to move and shake with the best of them, having been dancing since she was a child, Eric surprised her by demonstrating a few moves of his own.

Taking a break after dancing to several of their favorite songs, as they sat at a table with drinks in hand, Brooke asked, "Eric, where did you learn to move like that?"

Eric grinned as he told her, "I spent a month being taught how to dance by Ginger Rogers. For a woman who was seventy-three at the time, she could and can still move with the best of them. Tough woman. She'd give Red a run for his money."

As she giggled at the thought of one of the most celebrated actress-slash-dancers of Hollywood's Golden Age teaching Eric Forman how to dance, Brooke suddenly remembered something that she had always wanted to ask since that afternoon at the funeral. "Speaking of interesting things. Eric, who taught you fight? I only ask because the way Hyde was after he and Michael chased after you when you went to leave that day."

Knowing exactly what day she was referring to, while it wasn't one of his proudest moments, Eric had been surprised that he'd remembered what he'd been taught. Taking a deep breath, Eric answered, "Okay, I'll tell you, Brooke, but only if you promise to say nothing to Kelso. That's one headache I really don't need as he'll never forgive me if he found out."

Intrigued, Brooke nodded. Taking a deep breath, Eric exhaled, then said, "So, about a year before, I spent nearly six weeks shadowing Chuck Norris around, during which time he began teaching the basics of the various disciplines that he himself had studied as an accomplished martial artist. A lot of what he taught me made its way into 'Requiem for an Assassin' and some of it even featured in 'The Last Stop to Knowhere'."

"When Hyde came at me that day, I just reacted. Of all the group, I thought he would've been the one to change and adapt, but I was saddened and disappointed by what I saw. If anything, I have the most respect for Kelso. Instead of rushing into protect Hyde, he immediately backed off and let me leave, knowing that I wasn't in the mood to talk. When we were younger, he would have the complete opposite. He's matured and come along since our days in the basement and we all know that we have you to thank for that."

Brooke preened at the comment. It had taken her a long time to refine her husband into the man she knew he could be and she was more than happy with how things had turned out. Her only regret was that they hadn't had more children, but she was glad for the life that she had and that she Michael and Betsy in it.

Looking at his watch, Eric realized that they had to be heading back soon. "So, one last dance before we return to reality?" Eric held out his hand. Brooke grinned as she took the proffered hand and let him lead her back to the dance floor.

When Eric and Brooke finally made it back to the apartment, Jackie was in the process of cooking dinner for everyone. While she would never be on the same level as that of Kitty Forman, the lessons that her adopted mother had taught her over the years had enabled Jackie to be able to make meals with minimal fuss and ease.

Several thick steaks were cooking in the frying pan when Eric and Brooke walked through the door. After they had left earlier that day, Jackie had immediately thrown herself into preparing for the meeting that could well and truly make or break her career. A number of hours later, Jackie had halted what she was doing when she felt the rumblings of an empty stomach and realized that she had missed lunch. After what the time was, she'd made herself a small snack while retrieving dinner from the freezer to thaw.

She had then returned to her work, essentially fine-tuning most of what she had already done, before coming to a complete stop and making a start on getting dinner ready. Jackie had just turned the heat down on the stove to let the steaks simmer when her friends returned. Greeting her new love with a kiss and a warm embrace, Jackie asked, "So, did you guys have fun?"

Grinning as Brooke collapsed on the couch, Eric wrapped his arms around the woman he loved. "Maybe you should ask Brooke."

Already having kicked off her shoes and fanning her face as the fun of the day had finally caught up with her, Brooke simply laid her head back, closed her eyes and smiled. Curious, Jackie looked over at her friend. "Well?"

Brooke looked up at Jackie with that same smile on her. "Oh, Jackie. If today was any indication, you are in for the time of your life, girl!" Eric laughed while Jackie could only look at her friend weirdly. Sighing as she realized that there wouldn't be any chance of straight talk until after dinner, Jackie shooed Brooke off the couch and towards the bathroom before pulling Eric towards the kitchen to help with the rest of dinner.

It was two hours later when the trio were sitting on the couch after dinner, each with their drink of choice in hand. After Eric had also tidied himself up following his day out, they had sat down to eat the meal that Jackie had prepared. The menu for the evening was thick sirloin steaks served with pepper sauce on the side, crisp roast potatoes and sauteed vegetables. This was followed up with tiramisu topped with whipped cream for dessert.

It was shortly after the meal had finished that Kelso called the apartment for Brooke, letting her know that the work crisis was taking longer to solve than first thought and that he wouldn't be done until the end of of tomorrow at the earliest. While she was disappointed that her husband was gone for another night, she decided to take the opportunity to see if she could weasel any more stories out of Eric.

Rubbing the soreness from her feet while Jackie snuggled in next to Eric on the couch opposite her, Brooke looked over slyly at the couple. "So, Jackie, I found out something interesting about Eric today."

"Really?" Jackie's curiosity was peaked while alarm bells went off in Eric's head. "What did you discover that I don't know about?" Eric wondered about that as well. Brooke had given her word not to say anything about what had happened between him and Donna until he was ready to do so, but now he was wondering what is was that he might've said that Brooke felt compelled to tell Jackie about. Other than revealing how he had learnt to defend himself, he was stumped as to what it could be.

Brooke grinned. "Well, I learned today that some taught our good friend here how to dance." Jackie eyes went wide as she looked up at her man, stunned by this new development. Eric closed his eyes and groaned good-naturedly as he remembered that he had told Brooke who it was that had taught him. "So, tell us, Eric, where did you learn those moves that you showed off today?" she asked, smiling wickedly.

Looking at the two women, Eric sighed with a smile as he set his glass on the coffee table and pulled Jackie close to him. "So, a few years back when I was writing 'The Last Stop To Knowhere'...", he started telling Jackie and Brooke.

Three hours, several stories and several glasses of alcohol later, Eric and Jackie helped a very drunk and happy Brooke to her bed. Trying not to giggle herself as Brooke fell onto it face down with her ass high in the air, Jackie tried not to stumble as she headed for her bedroom. Taking her gently by the arms, Eric lifted her up and carried her there, gently pacing her on the mattress.

Making sure she was comfortable, Eric laid down on the bed next to her; stroking her hair as she descended peacefully into sleep. As he gazed upon her as she slept, Eric thought back to his conversations with Brooke and had a moment of clarity. Having expressed his feelings about Jackie to her best friend, Eric realized that he had never said the three word sentence that summed up everything he felt for the woman lying asleep next to him.

Eric gently placed a kiss on her forehead and whispered, "I love you, Jacqueline Burkhart." Sliding down to make himself more comfortable, Eric laid his head on top of Jackie's and went to sleep. At the same time, a smile crossed Jackie's lips as a feeling of contentment spread through out the sleeping woman's body; as if all was finally right with the world.

The next morning, Jackie and Eric awoke feeling refreshed and ready to face the day ahead. The same could not be said of Brooke, who wandered out of her room holding both her head and back. Sitting on the counter sat two aspirin, a glass of water and a fresh, steaming hot cup of coffee, all which Jackie had placed there when they'd heard Brooke wake up.

Upon immediately seeing this, Brooke made her way over to the counter as quickly as she could. Throwing the tablets into her mouth, she washed them down with the glass of water before turning her attention to the cup of coffee. As she carefully picked it up, Brooke inhaled the scent of the heady aroma before taking a small sip. The black liquid began to work its magic, working with the aspirin to help ease the pain and cause it to slowly dissipate.

Brooke then turned and grabbed a chair next to Jackie, easing herself into it as her tiny best friend grinned at her with a look of unholy glee in her eye. "So, how are we feeling this fine morning, Brooke?" she asked. The dirty look she shot Jackie said it all, causing Eric to hide his grin behind his own cup of coffee.

Any response she'd been about to make disappeared when her husband chose that moment to enter the apartment. Gasping in surprise, Brooke put down her cup and quickly ran over to him, embracing Kelso and kissing him as if it had been nearly a year since she'd seen him last. After a minute or two, they finally came up for air. "What are you doing back? I thought you told me that the whole situation was going to take longer than you thought?"

Kelso nodded. "That's what I thought too, babe. But we caught a lucky break when we were reviewing the camera footage and a number of things started falling into place after that once we'd made certain discoveries as things progressed, so after I'd finished giving my statement, I was told by the detectives that I could leave, but to be prepared for any follow ups if needed."

As the couple sat down table with Jackie and Eric, Eric hoped his friend wouldn't mind if he used his story as the basis for a crime novel that he'd been toying with for some time. He'd come up with a main character and a supporting cast, but had been having trouble with the plot line of late. He did know that he'd definitely had to credit his friend with giving him the idea, but now that he his problem had been resolved, he now had an itch to get writing as soon as he possibly could.

"So, you guys know what I've been up to," Kelso said, "but what's everyone else been up to while I was gone? Also, I'm hungry."

After feeding a very hungry Michael Kelso breakfast and themselves as well, Brooke, Eric and Jackie quickly filled him in on what he had missed while he been gone. While he wasn't too happy about the fact that Brooke had gotten to ride in Eric's Mustang before him, he was happy that his wife had gotten to have some fun while he'd been gone. He was even more surprised that Jackie hadn't gone along for the ride, seeing as how this was her holiday, but she was quick to point out that an opportunity had presented itself that she just couldn't afford to pass up.

Once breakfast was over, Kelso quickly headed into the bathroom to clean himself up before grabbing some much needed sleep. Noticing Brooke quickly disappear as well shortly afterwards, Eric looked at Jackie. "Given how hot and heavy it's likely to get very shortly, what say we grab our things and skedaddle before it gets too weird, shall we?"

Almost as if on cue, certain sounds began emanating from the bathroom, quickly making it an easy decision for the duo. Looking at one another, Eric grabbed his writing gear while Jackie collected all her paperwork for the meeting, scribbling a quick note before leaving the apartment and the happy couple to enjoy their reunion.

After escaping the apartment, Jackie and Eric went for a drive. There was no destination in mind as Eric drove, just a desire to keep going on until they reached a point where they couldn't go any further. This ended up taking them to Lake Michigan, where they found a small coffee house and decided to get some breakfast.

After placing their order and finding a table to sit at, Eric smiled at Jackie. "So, are you ready for today?"

Exhaling the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in, Jackie gathered her thoughts. "Ready isn't isn't quite the word I would use," she finally answered. "Am I prepared? Yes. As much I'll ever be. This meeting with Elena and Gio is the opportunity of a lifetime and one that, if all goes well, could be a huge step forward towards achieving my dream."

Eric had often heard Jackie mention having goals and dreams, but, until that moment, he realized that he'd never even thought or bothered to ask her properly about them."Tell me about your dream."

As Jackie began to speak and revealed more of herself to him, telling him about her plan for the future, Eric saw another side to the woman he loved that, more often than not, remained hidden: the fiery passion and intelligence that went hand in hand together. Many had underestimated Jacqueline Burkhart over the years and that led to many being undone by it. Eric knew from both experience and other sources just how successful she had been over the years at whatever job she had worked at. He also knew that she would a lot further ahead if it hadn't been for Hyde interfering in all aspects of her life for all those years.

"So, if all goes to plan," Jackie finished, "the aim is to have the money put together by the end of the year and start the next new year as the owner and operator of my own company. I still haven't decided on what I'll call it yet, but anything is better than what it's currently called."

Eric nodded and smiled. "Well, Jackie, I really do hope you succeed. And, if you ever need it, don't hesitate to ask me for help."

Touched by the gesture, Jackie's faced beamed at the man she loved. "I'll hold you to that," she said as she drank some coffee. At that moment, the waiter arrived with their food. After he'd placed them on the table and disappeared, the couple's attention turned to other matters of interest. But, in the back of Eric's mind, as he ate and spoke to the woman he loved, he continued to think about the ways in which he could help her achieve her dream and give her the life she truly deserved.