"How does one even apologize to other people?" Jackie asked herself in a low voice, really confused. She stood right in front of the Forman residence's basement door, unsure about whether or not she should go inside. There was some noise, so she figured someone had to be watching TV. "Cosmo doesn't say anything about that."

She had mediated this a lot. It was all she could ever think about since her reality came crashing down on her the other day. Once she decided she needed to make amends, there was no doubt in her mind that the first person to see this new Jackie Burkhart had to be none other than Eric Forman. She had been a real bitch to him, calling him names, criticizing his clothes, ridiculing his love for Star Wars and the geek culture, etc. If harsh words could kill, Jackie would be guilty of multiple homicides.

Realizing she must look stupid just standing in front of the door doing nothing, she took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing." she said as she turned the doorknob and opened the door a little, in an attempt to see who was there and go unnoticed. Peeking, she could see some light brown hair just above the couch. She couldn't distinguish anything else, but that info was enough for her to know who the person was. Just who I came to see, was her thought.

Putting on her best non-resting bitch face, she opened the door as she always did and stepped inside. "Eric, I need to -" she was interrupted by a squeak.

"Jackie?" yelled an underwear-wearing Eric Forman just as he jumped out of the couch. "What are you doing here?" he continued, trying to cover himself up with both hands. "Didn't your parents teach to knock before entering? Be thankful I'm wearing boxers!"

Jackie was startled by the sight in front of her. She had heard some stories and myths about the very famous mythological creature known as "Mr. Nude", but she had never seen it up close. Realizing she was staring a little bit too much, she looked the other way, putting a hand over her eyes. "When has someone ever knocked when coming to the basement?" she asked very loudly. "This is on you, Forman! You know this is a public place!" she shook her head as if trying to get rid of the memory of Eric wearing only his boxers, failing miserably.

"But this is my house! You guys should really stop coming here so often!"

"If you don't put on some clothes really soon then I might do just that!" was Jackie's retort. She forced herself to calm down by inhaling and exhaling very slowly. "I didn't come here for this." she thought out loud.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Just do as I say! We need to have a talk and I can't even look at you right now." Jackie said, growing more and more exasperated by the second. "I'll be waiting here."

"Have a talk? You and me? What's this about?" Eric asked, dumbfounded. Jackie removed her hand slowly from her face and stared Eric in the eye. He could feel her intent to kill. "Fine! But I'm doing it because I want to, not because you ordered me." were Eric's last words before turning to the stairs and climbing them as fast as he could.

Letting out a huge sigh, she put her hands on her hips. "Why am I doing this again?"

XxXxX

A few minutes after the incident, Eric was back in the basement, this time fully-clothed, wearing blue jeans, a pair of brown sneakers, and a dark green plaid shirt. Jackie guessed he grabbed the first things he could find. "You dress so... Ordinary." she couldn't help but blurt out. Then she remembered why she was in the basement in the first place. "But I guess it's way better than just boxers." she said, trying not to sound so bitchy.

Eric let out a snort. "It's not like I'm meeting the queen," he said while sitting down on the right side of the couch, trying to be a little bit closer to Jackie who was sitting in Hyde's chair. "What did you want to talk about, midget? I'm sure I just gave you a lot to make fun of with the show I put on."

"I didn't come here to mock you, Forman. I really just want us to talk." She responded with her eyes fixed on the floor. Her voice was full of honesty and Eric could swear there was a hint of regret, too. "It seems like we never do that."

"But of course we do!" Eric tried to find Jackie's eyes, maybe catch a glimpse of what she was up to, but she never once looked his way. He decided to elaborate. "We talk a lot. Don't you remember the times when you made fun of my Star Wars shirt and I called you a brat? We sure talked a lot that day." He grinned at the memory.

She finally looked up. "But that's just it. That's all we ever do, Eric. Do you consider that 'talking'? What do we really know about each other?" She crossed her arms and threw a defiant look his way. "Name one thing that isn't common knowledge and I'll get out of here."

That question caught Eric off guard. He opened his mouth to answer, but only a gasp came out. He tried once more, to no avail. After a few seconds that felt like a lifetime, something finally came to his mind. "You know I sleep with nothing but my boxers on." He said, triumphantly. That should do it.

Jackie scoffed. "C'mon, Eric. Everyone in Point Place knows you sleep in your undies. That's why they call you Mr. Nude! You're practically famous here!" She leaned back into her chair. "Try again." she said, expectantly.

Eric looked up at the ceiling, putting his mind to work. A good 30 seconds passed before he gave up and lowered his head to meet Jackie's eyes. "Fine, you win. I can't think of anything." he said, admitting defeat.

"See?" She asked, leaning closer to him, her eyes returning to the floor. "As I said, the only thing we ever do together is argue or mock each other. I used to make nothing of it, but something happened to me a few days ago that me rethink all my life choices."

Eric couldn't be more surprised. This wasn't like the Jackie he knew. Then again, it seemed like he didn't know her at all.

He decided to be sympathetic toward Jackie. She wouldn't waste her time coming here and babbling about all this if she didn't really mean it. "I hear you, midget. It's been… crazy around here lately. I've been going through some crap myself."

"I know." Seeing Eric's eyes twitch a little, she elaborated quickly, "Bob told me what happened. That's a big part of why I chose to come here first."

"He did? So you did come here to make fun of me." Eric said, getting angrier by the second. "And to think I was starting to believe you." He was about to stand up and storm off, but Jackie stopped him by grabbing his arm and holding him in place.

"I didn't!" She couldn't grab a hold of her frustration anymore, so she simply decided to let it all out in true Jackie Burkhart fashion. "Aren't you listening to me? You jackass, I came here because I'm trying to make amends and I thought you could use a freaking friend right now!" Her voice rose slightly with every word, to the point she ended up screaming very loudly. Realizing this wouldn't be going anywhere, she let go of Eric and stood up, and walked towards the door. "This was a waste of time."

Just as she was about to leave, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She stopped dead in her tracks, expectant to know what he would say next.

"I'm sorry, Jackie." She could tell he really was sorry just by hearing his voice, so she decided to turn around and face him. "It's true. All of it. I could use a friend." Eric said, giving her an apologetic smile.

Jackie wasn't letting it go that easily. "And what about you being a total jackass?"

Eric let out a small laugh. "I was hoping to get away with it." She didn't say anything, instead crossing her arms and staring at him intently. "Alright. I was a total jackass. Happy now?"

"Not yet, but I will be if you keep it up." Jackie let a smile creep into her face for a few seconds. "C'mon, let's sit down."

Once they were back in their seats, they went quiet for what seemed like forever. Eric chose to break the awkward silence and go first. "So Bob told you Donna left..."

Jackie let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Yes. He said that he thought I should know since we were best friends and all that," she said with a voice full of sadness. "I must be a lousy best friend because she left and didn't even leave me a note or something."

Eric was starting to see why Jackie had come to visit him. Looks like we're having a pity party. He thought. "Hey, don't beat yourself up, Burkhart. I'd say it was more my fault than yours. I'm the one who did everything he could to get her and Casey to break up and then said no to getting back together."

Jackie's eyes shot up immediately. She was startled by Eric's words. "You said no?" She asked with huge disbelief in her voice. Eric just nodded. "You said no." Eric nodded once more. She still couldn't believe what she had just heard. "You said no to Donna."

Eric was starting to feel irritated by what she was implying, so he decided to make it pretty clear. "Yes, yes I did! God, why is that so hard to believe?" Jackie just stared at him. She didn't need to mutter any words, the funny look on her face did the job. "Fine, you're right. I wouldn't believe myself either."

"Why did you reject her?" She asked with genuine curiosity. "I mean, wasn't she your one-and-only? The love of your life? The peanut butter to your jelly? The -"

"Hey, would you stop?" Eric pleaded in frustration. "I get it." He sighed, putting all his thoughts in place so everything would come out of his mouth as intended. "I thought she only wanted to get back together because she was on the rebound and hurting a lot. I told her I didn't want to be her second choice."

For the first time in her life, Jackie didn't know what to say, think or do. She was frozen in place. Never once in a million years had she expected Eric Forman to say such things. It all sounded so… mature. To say she was impressed would be an understatement.

Eric gave Jackie a chance to express her thoughts on what he had just told her. When she didn't say anything, he continued. "My parents sat me down in the kitchen and knocked some sense into me, but when I went to her place she was already gone."

Still nothing. She didn't even blink.

"Jackie, say something!" he was beginning to regret telling her that. "At least move your eyes or something, anything that lets me know you're still alive and breathing." He had a brilliant idea right there. "That's one ugly blouse, where did you get it?"

"What?" Jackie exclaimed, almost falling off the chair. "You're one to - Oh!" she stopped just in time as she realized what Eric had done. "Good one, Eric. Sorry for not answering. I swear I was listening." She leaned back in her chair, more relaxed now. "I think that was a very grown-up thing to do. Color me impressed."

A tiny smile made its way to Eric's face. "So you don't think I completely shit the bed? My parents sure seemed to think that."

"Honestly, I don't." Eric was amazed at how sincere she sounded. "Actually, I could take a page out of your book from now on. I should've done what you did ages ago."

Eric was hit by a hard realization. That's right! Kelso left too! However, he wasn't about to come out and say it just like that. "I'm sorry if I'm hogging all the attention. How are things on your side of the road?"

Jackie couldn't help but smile at the gesture. Any other day, it would've been something meaningless, but he was letting her know he wanted to meet her halfway. To her, it was kind of an admission of guilt. It seemed like he also blamed himself for their rough past. "Not great. I know Michael had already cheated on me repeatedly but... " she trailed off as she felt her voice break a little. She glanced at Eric and noticed he was listening with interest, so she took a deep breath and kept going. "But I thought it'd be different this time, you know? I thought he'd change and we'd have it all."

Now it was Eric's time to be at a loss for words. He was never good at comforting those close to him. Even Donna. What am I supposed to say to Jackie, the midget I've all but hated for as long as I can remember?

Fortunately for him, Jackie felt right at home when he didn't reply. She saw it as an opportunity to continue. "We were going to get married. He proposed at The Hub."

That got a reaction from Eric. His jaw dropped in disbelief. So he finally decided to marry her? He was about to ask something, but Jackie had some more to say.

"I was so excited, Eric. You should've seen me. I said yes right away and got out of there immediately. I was in Heaven. I didn't waste any time telling Hyde, Fez, and just about everybody I know." She let out a cynical laugh. "Now even Donna's gone and I have nobody to lean on. I guess karma is actually a thing, huh?"

Eric felt she was about to shed some tears, something he wasn't ready to deal with, so he decided to act immediately. "Hey, devil," he said while reaching out and putting his hand on her shoulder. She giggled at the nickname. "Stop dwelling. Take it from someone who's been seen in his undies more times than he'd like to admit in the last few days." A full, genuine laugh came out of Jackie's lips this time.

"I'm sure Donna leaving didn't have anything to do with that, Mr. Nude."

"Yeah, you think you're so clever." Eric retorted, smiling and rolling his eyes at her at the same time. He turned more serious and continued with the pep talk while his inspiration lasted. "I know we were never each other's biggest fan because you were bitchy all the time and I didn't help matters either." Jackie nodded in agreement. "But I also know that nobody deserves to go through all that alone. I'm not saying we have to be best friends all of a sudden, I don't know that we ever will be, but if you ever feel like you need to talk, you're always welcome here. Besides, I wouldn't be able to have conversations like this with Hyde and Fez."

Jackie jumped out of her seat in excitement. "I can't believe this!" She was clapping her hands repeatedly. "Is this what being a nice person feels like? Because it's great! The last time I felt like this was after buying my favorite shoes!"

Jackie's sudden enthusiasm was starting to rub off on Eric, who couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the young woman acting like a child. This is nothing like the Jackie who usually hangs out here. The voice in his head said. Or anywhere, for that matter.

"This is what happens when you behave like a lady, devil. You should try it more often." he teased.

Jackie stopped jumping around and put her hands around her waist. "I always behave like a lady, Forman."

"You're right. You behave like the bossiest, bitchiest, and most irritating lady on the planet." Eric had to duck his head in order to avoid getting hit by a cushion Jackie throw at him. He knew there were no hard feelings when he glanced at her and saw her mouth curved into a smile.

"Don't push your luck, Forman, or I might have to boss you around."

"I'd like to see you try, Burkhart." They shared a laugh. Both of them knew that Jackie didn't need to try. "Thank you. For coming here to bury the hatchet, turn over a new leaf, whatever you want to call it." Eric said sincerely. "I didn't realize how much I needed to loosen up and talk to someone about it all until today."

"Don't mention it." came her response. "It's what… Pity party buddies are for?" She wasn't going to drop the F word on him so soon. A lifetime of mocking and belittling each other didn't fade away just because of one good day. They still had a long way to go.

Eric noticed her hesitation and was glad she gave it a second thought. He chose not to say anything about it. "You know it."

Jackie glanced at her watch and gasped when she noticed how late it was. They had been talking for over 2 hours. If she didn't go back home now, she'd miss dinner. "I better get going. It's later than I thought."

"Yeah, time flies when you're nice to others." Eric said after nodding.

"Why did nobody ever tell me that? I'm gonna be the nicest person at school then!" Jackie replied mockingly while walking towards the door.

He chuckled. "I'd tell you to get home safe, but you'll have to promise you'll act as if this never happened."

Jackie raised her eyebrows. "So you want me to stay bossy and spoiled?"

"On second thought…"

"Just kidding, Forman. I have no problem keeping this a secret." She said as she opened the door and stepped outside. "I'll see you around." were the last words Eric heard before she finally left and closed the door behind her.

Eric, finally alone, turned his eyes back to the TV. With the movie he was watching before long over, he chose to just close his eyes and get a little rest. After a few minutes of peace and quiet, he could only wonder one thing.

"What just happened?"

XxXxX

Roughly 30 minutes after Jackie left, Eric decided to go upstairs and have dinner. Being alone in the basement right after talking about his ex-girlfriend wasn't doing him any favors. There was nothing worth watching on TV and every time he closed his eyes, he'd see Donna's face smiling at him.

Entering the kitchen, he saw his parents and Hyde were about to finish their dinner. Walking towards the table and taking a seat on the only unoccupied chair, he couldn't help but wonder. "Mom, why didn't you tell me to come up and have dinner with you guys?"

Kitty was taking a bite of her sandwich when he asked, so she couldn't reply right away. Seeing this as an opening, Hyde decided he'd be the one to answer the question.

"She was scared to go down there." He said with an amusing tone. "We all were. We didn't want to get caught in the middle of all the screaming and name-calling. I think one of the neighbors might've called the cops on you."

"Steven!" Kitty fussed, almost choking on her sandwich. "Don't listen to him, honey. We didn't hear anything. I just figured you'd come up when you were ready."

"Didn't hear anything?" Red asked, grabbing his plate and standing up. "C'mon, Kitty! Everybody in the neighborhood heard! They even came here to check on us!"

There was no point in trying to hide it. "Hey, it wasn't as bad as you're making it out to be. Don't act as if you've never yelled at someone before," he said with a knowing smirk. "Besides, it was all Jackie. I had nothing to do with it." he finished, taking a bite.

"Son," Red said as he put his plate in the dishwasher. "When a woman yells, it's always a man's fault. In this case, it's a dumbass fault! Next time you're yelled at, let it be out of this house!" With that said, he left the kitchen.

"So, did Little Red Riding Bitch pull a number on you?" Hyde asked, smirking. "Fez wanted us to go down there but I feared for our lives, man. I don't want to be anywhere near her right now. Kelso really must've fucked her up."

"Cut her some slack, man. She didn't do anything that I didn't deserve." was Eric's honest answer. "She actually surprised me a lot today. Said she wants to bury the hatchet and be nicer to other people. That's why she came." Eric told Hyde as he sipped some soda.

"So it's official then." Hyde grinned. "Kelso did fuck her up."

Kitty stomped her foot on the ground. "Language, Steven. I'm still here, remember?"

"Sorry, Mrs. Forman. I got a little carried away." He replied, unfazed.

Eric let out a small laugh at their antics. "So where'd Fez go? You mentioned he was here earlier?"

"I'd tell you but I didn't understand one bit of what he said before storming off." The three of them laughed and he got up. "Well, now that I can finally have my room to myself, I'd like to go and burn some." were his final words before leaving for the basement.

"I love his silly slang for sleeping," Kitty said as she stood up and grabbed the three plates. "Burn some. That's silly." She laughed a little.

Eric returned the laugh, albeit his was a pretty nervous and fake one. "Well, I'm off to burn some too! It's been quite the day." Just as he was walking towards the door, his mom's voice brought him to a stop.

"She's a good kid, that Jackie. A spoiled, self-centered kid, but a good one nonetheless. I know for a fact that she's your father's favorite."

Eric turned around to face his mom. "Let me get back to you on that."

Kitty wasn't about to drop the subject that easily. "I'm serious, Eric. I know she's going through a tough time and she doesn't have her best friend to be there for her."

At this, Eric couldn't keep a straight face. He let out a gasp and looked his mother in the eye. All he saw was understanding and compassion. Let's get this over with...

"So you heard that too, huh…" All of a sudden, he felt so ashamed that he couldn't bare to talk to his mother while looking straight at her, so he lowered his gaze to the ground, preparing himself for the lecture he was about to receive.

But it never came. Kitty took a few steps forward and pulled him into a tight hug. "Oh, sweetie. I'm sorry. I know you kept it all bottled up because you didn't want me to be all over you, but sometimes a kid just needs his mother. I just want you to know that I'm here for you whenever you need me." she made sure to channel as much compassion as possible through her tone. She didn't want Eric to think she was berating him for keeping her in the dark. "I gotta tell you, it's been hard staying out of it. Glad that's over."

Eric pulled back instantly. "What? Since when have you known about this?"

"For a few - Alright, fine! Your father told me the same day you told him." Kitty had nothing more to offer than an apologetic smile, hoping it'd do some sort of damage control.

It didn't work. "And to think I trusted him!" Eric said, furious. Turning around and pulling back his sleeves, he put a frown on his face. "Oh, he's gonna hear about this…."

"No, he's not." Kitty said, pulling Eric by the ear. "He made me promise not to tell you." Eric didn't respond. He just rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Oh, dear, he only did it because I wouldn't stop pushing him. It's just… He looked so worried and out of place. Besides, I would've found out today anyway. We all did."

That got Eric's attention. "Dad was… Worried? About me?" His mouth was wide open in awe.

"You weren't supposed to know that either." She said, avoiding Eric's face. "Look, Eric, let's pretend this conversation didn't happen."

"Apparently we don't do that here," Eric said, laughing at his own joke.

Kitty's eyes turned dark and her voice lowered. "Don't be such a smart-mouth, mister. If you want to continue eating three meals a day, you'll keep quiet."

"Yes, ma'am!" was the only thing Eric could say. His fear almost rendered him speechless.

"That's my boy," she said, her usual smile and cheery mood coming right back. "Now go burn some."

Finally free of his mother's death grasp on his ear, he was about to take her up on that offer. "You know what, mom? I think that's just what I need right now." And with that, he was out of the kitchen.

Kitty, feeling like she had accomplished her mission, started to fix herself a margarita. "For a job well done." She said, cheerily.