That '70s Show 1. The Invite

**Chapter One: The Invite**

_Mr and Mrs R Forman request the presence of_

_**Jacqueline Burkhart and guest**_

_On the day of their son Eric's marriage to Cassandra _

Jackie traced the simple words on the fancy parchment paper with her index finger. Below was listed the address of the church back in Point Place. She hadn't been back there since she left town in 1980, pursuing a career in television in Chicago. It hadn't worked out of course, and now in 1984 she found herself working in a publisher's office, successful at her job, although her life was not what she dreamed it would be. After her disastrous fling with Fez which had lasted all of two weeks, she had not been in any hurry to return. Still, it was Eric's wedding. She _had_ to go.

Even if meant seeing people she didn't necessarily want to see- like Steven, for example.

As Jackie sat writing out her RSVP, her knowledge of her old friends' circumstances played through her mind. Although Eric and Donna had attempted to reunite when he'd returned from Africa, things just hadn't been the same. Remaining friends, both had moved on. Donna was a well-known DJ and had published her first novel a few months ago, which had been well-received. She and Jackie were still in contact and met up often as Donna was also living in Chicago just a few blocks from Jackie's apartment. Fez had remained in Point Place and had returned to his womanising, though he also had a steady job as a hairdresser, running his own salon. Michael dropped by occasionally when he was in Chicago visiting Betsey, and he hadn't changed a bit. Eric was still teaching now, and obviously, was getting married to Cassie. Jackie had mainly kept up-to-date with Eric's life via Michael and her frequent phone calls with Mrs Forman.

Steven… she had seen that Grooves had grown and expanded and was doing very well now, with stores rapidly opening up all over. There was even one in New York now. Jackie had actually bumped into Angie one time a couple of years ago at a nightclub in Chicago, where Angie had been promoting the new store, but Jackie had been careful not to ask about Steven. She had never forgiven him for marrying Sam and the cold way he'd treated her after they broke up. The fact a part of her still thought about him everyday… it didn't mean anything. Hyde had broken her heart, much worse than when Michael had done by cheating, much worse than her heart had been broken when she realised her and Fez were just one big joke. Five years had passed now. She was over it. And sure, Steven would be at this wedding. But Jackie was a grown ass woman now. She could face him for one day! How could she even let the thought that she shouldn't go because of him cross her mind? 

Sighing, she crossed her decently sized apartment from her seat at the desk in her office to one on the couch beside the phone, which she picked up and began dialling a number. Jackie glanced at the clock; it was only 8pm, a perfectly reasonable time to call a friend.

Donna picked up on the fourth ring. "Hello?"

"Donna!" Jackie smiled down the phone.

"Oh hey Jackie, how are you?"

"I'm fine. Did you get-?"

"An invitation to Eric's wedding? Yes." Donna finished the sentence.

"Well, are you going?" Jackie demanded immediately. Her last doubts would be vanquished by the guaranteed presence of her best friend at the wedding and she was sure Donna would go.

"Erm…" _Wait. What? _"I don't know Jackie…"

"What do you mean?" Jackie asked, her voice a little more shrill than usual. "I thought you and Eric were friends?"

"We are. We still write." Jackie waited, but Donna didn't continue.

"So? Why wouldn't you go?"

"Jackie… I mean, I want Eric to be happy, and I wish him and Cassie all the best… but I guess… I mean, there was a time when_ I_ was supposed to marry him. I just think it'd be weird if I was there." Jackie took a breath in. She couldn't believe it! She'd talked herself into attending only to find out Donna wasn't planning to go- Donna, the bravest, toughest girl she knew, couldn't face up to her ex. If Donna couldn't face up to Eric, how on Earth could Jackie face up to Hyde?

"Donna Pinciotti, you listen to me." Jackie put on her bossiest, most commanding voice- a voice that brought a smile to any who knew her because it was so reminiscent of the _old_ Jackie they'd all once known, though rarely heard these days. "You _cannot _chicken out of this wedding because you think it might be weird. You can't think Eric hasn't already thought about this? I mean, I bet _Cassie_ probably thought about it too, having his ex-fiancée at their wedding! But they're still inviting you, so you _have_ to go! You have to be the bigger person!"

Jackie closed her eyes during this speech, praying to God that it would sway Donna.

"My Dad said the same thing." Donna said quietly.

"Well, he's right!"

"Well… I don't know, Jackie. There's so much I have to think about if I do go, you know. Do I bring a date, what do I wear, what do I say to Cassie, what do I say to _Eric_…"

_As if you're the only one with an ex at this wedding who you don't know how to act around._

"I mean, I know you're going to have to deal with Hyde being there, but you and Hyde were never going to get married." Jackie flinched. That little point still stung after all these years, that same stab of pain she always had whenever she imagined how her life might be now if Steven had wanted to marry her. Donna seemed to pick up the change in Jackie's mood down the phone, despite the fact Jackie didn't say anything. "Look," Her friend amended, "I didn't mean it that way. And I guess you want me there to support you when you do see him…"

"Well, Donna, I thought we could support each other, you know?" Jackie's tone was still a little icy.

"Yeah…" Donna sighed loudly, and there was a pause. "I know you're right Jackie, you and my Dad. I have to go to this wedding." Jackie's heart sang with relief.

"Yes, Donna! This is totally the right thing to do! And you know what? Don't bring a date. We'll go together, single girls and all of that!" Donna held the phone away from her ear at the other end of the line as Jackie squealed. Despite her earlier misgivings, she was excited to be going to a wedding.

"Okay, whatever." Donna said, chuckling a little when she'd put the phone back to her ear. "We can drive up from Chicago together, I mean it's like a month away so we've got plenty of time to arrange everything."

"Yeah. Oh God, Donna, this is so exciting! We're going to see everyone again! I haven't seen Eric or Fez in years!" She purposely didn't think about the other person she hadn't seen since she'd left Point Place.

"Me either, it's gonna be kind of weird." Donna said, though she sounded slightly more cheerful than before. "I'll call you next weekend, Jackie. See you."

"Bye Donna…" Jackie said, then added more quietly, before her friend could hang up, "And Donna?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."


	2. Shades

**Chapter Two: Shades**

The month between receiving the invitation and the actual weekend of the wedding seemed to race by with unnatural speed. Before she knew it, Jackie found herself in her car with Donna riding shotgun, crossing the border from Illinois to Wisconsin. And then, even more suddenly, she was passing the sign which said 'Welcome to Point Place'. The girls peered at the tree's surrounding the highway, and then the first few houses in town.

"Nothing much changes around here." Donna commented as the shadow of the Water Tower rose in the background.

"When was the last time you came back?" Jackie inquired.

"About a year or so ago, for Dad's birthday. He mainly comes down to Chicago to visit me."

"I haven't been back since I left." And she'd be passing her old house soon, the one she had been born and not so much raised in by her conman father and flighty mother. The former was still in jail for another year and the latter was as difficult to pin down as ever. "Nothing for me to come back to, really."

"Jackie," Donna said carefully, "Are you going to be… you know… alright?" Jackie blinked away the sudden and random tears that had sprung into her eyes.

"What? Of course I am, Donna. Why wouldn't I be alright? I'm totally fine." She stuck her chin out defiantly and put her foot down on the pedal a little more, as if to prove to Donna that she wasn't at all hesitant to be returning to this town, the place where all her best and worst memories laid dormant.

The drive across town was short and Jackie again noted how little anything had changed, except maybe for a few more big corporations having sprung up, along with some new apartment blocks. All too soon, they were turning into Marie Drive and then Jackie was pulling up outside of Bob's house.

"Wasn't your Dad supposed to move to Florida?" Jackie suddenly remembered, as if seeing the house she had once lived in for a time had brought her straight back to what was going on when she last saw it.

"Yeah, well when he realised that the Forman's didn't want to move with him he wasn't so keen… didn't want to not know anybody." Donna explained. Jackie nodded- Kitty had never wanted to move away, really. There was a pause, and then Bob himself came out of the house.

"Hey there, hoe there, hi there!" He approached as he always did, bouncing on the balls of his feet, to open the door for Donna to step out. She hugged her Dad, who looked exactly as Jackie remembered crazy permed hair and all. "Hi Jackie." Bob hugged the small brunette too once she was out of the car.

"Hi Mr Pinciotti." She greeted him politely, her eyes straying to the house next door, the one belonging to the Forman's.

"I'm glad you convinced Donna to come to the wedding." Bob told Jackie as they stepped inside. She smiled. "I sure don't remember you being quiet."

"Oh sorry, Mr Pinciotti, I'm just kind of overwhelmed, being back here." Jackie laughed. Bob had redecorated the kitchen at some point- it was no less brightly coloured, but the main scheme now seemed to be green instead of red and orange. Jackie still wasn't fond of it, preferring neutral tones.

"Well, I hope you girls aren't too tired because Eric dropped by to get me to tell you the plan. The wedding is tomorrow afternoon so tonight he wants you all to go out to a bar and catch up on old times- you two girls and Michael and Steven and Fez, just like old times!" Jackie and Donna exchanged a look.

"Oh that sounds-"Donna hesitated.

"Great!" Jackie managed.

"I thought so- you darn kids, you've all grown up so much! It seems like only yesterday when you were all sitting in that basement together playing board games and watching TV!"

As Jackie was also staying at the Pinciotti's for the weekend, the rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and talking to Bob about the town and what was going on in Chicago and everything else in between. Around seven, they decided it was time to face the inevitable and head over to the Forman's. Jackie tried to be glad that the first time she faced Steven wasn't going to be at the wedding. Still, she was nervous and took extra care when getting dressed and doing her makeup. As soon as they were through the door, Jackie and Donna were engulfed by Kitty in hugs.

"Oh you girls are here! They're here, Red, they're here!" She laughed her familiar, larger-than-life laugh and Jackie felt herself smiling in spite of her nerves. In contrast to the fact that Bob had completely redecorated his house, the Forman's house felt almost trapped in time- a few smaller, subtle changes here and there, but the same familiar feeling of home was there in the pea green armchair and the Littlest Hobo ornament on top of the TV. Red came forward and kissed the girls on the cheek.

"It's nice to see you girls." He was a little greyer than Jackie remembered, and with slightly less hair, but he looked more peaceful and happy than he had when she was a teenager.

When he stepped back, Jackie was able to see Eric. Although he was still slim, he was more lean muscle than purely bony now, and he had a more grown-up haircut. His green eyes were still the same though and Jackie was surprised at the warmth they greeted each other with- once upon a time they'd been more like enemies. His greeting of Donna was just as warm, but with more awkwardness. Jackie barely noticed though, because her eyes had travelled past all of that, over Eric's shoulder and Kitty's head, to where Steven Hyde stood in the doorway to the kitchen, watching them.

His hair was longer than when Jackie had left, more like it'd been when she'd first started hanging out in the basement, back when she was with Michael. He wasn't wearing his sunglasses, but she saw them hanging off the front of his shirt. It was a black button up tucked into black jeans, a belt with a big metallic buckle on and he looked… Jackie could only stare for a moment, feeling oddly winded.

"Hi, Jackie." Hyde said quietly, after he too had had his fill of looking at her- with her almost waist-length brown hair and white smock-dress, she looked almost like a hippie, albeit a much cleaner, preppier hippie than he'd ever seen.

"Hi, Steven." She responded, making to shake his hand, but he surprised her by hugging her tightly to him. The hug also lasted probably for a little longer than it ought to have, as if he was trying to say something with the gesture. Jackie didn't know what, though.

"Kelso and Fez are meeting us there," Eric informed the girls, "We were just waiting for you guys."

"Let's get going then." Donna said, sounding relieved. Apparently now that the initial awkward meeting was over she was fine with seeing Eric. Jackie envied her; even when she turned away she was watching Steven out of the corner of her eye.

Both girls were happy to see Fez, who was as charming and sweet as ever and bought the first round of drinks as they sat at a table in the corner of the bar. Somehow, Jackie had ended up between Michael and Steven. The former was talking proudly about Betsey and how well she was doing at school. She and Brooke were coming to the wedding and were staying in a hotel.

"I'm surprised none of the rest of you have kids yet." Kelso said, grinning round at them.

"Um. I might." Fez said guiltily.

"What?" Everyone chorused.

"Well, we are waiting to see." Hyde shook his head at Fez and turned to look at Jackie, tucked uncomfortably beside him.

"What about you, Jackie?" He asked her. "No plans for marriage or babies yet?" Jackie thought she ought to be offended by the question considering their history, but then maybe the drink was kicking in. _Or maybe it's because he sounds like he's asking because he's interested in you and not like he's trying to burn you._

"No, I'm a career woman now." Jackie answered, still somewhat surprised that he'd already directly addressed her, and not in an unfriendly manner.

"Donna's had some positive effect on you, huh?"

"I guess so." Jackie agreed a little breathlessly. "So, um, what about you?"

"What about me?" Hyde asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you know… marriage… babies…" Jackie tried to sound as cool as he had when he asked her but failed. She was glad the others were all engrossed in their own conversations and not listening. Hyde suddenly sat back and removed his shades from his shirt, opening them out with a flourish and putting them on, shielding his blue eyes from the world. Jackie felt a flicker of annoyance, as she always had whenever Steven openly covered up his feelings like this and started acting Zen towards her. Of course, she had no right to feel irritated by this anymore. _Still_.

"Nah. You know me. A rolling stone gathers no moss and all that." Jackie took a sip of her drink, not knowing what to say to that.

A few games of beer pong later, and everybody was quite well oiled and talk of old times was in full flow.

"I haven't hit a circle in, like, forever. Since before Africa." Eric said slightly wistfully.

"I had to quit the circle when W.B. gave me Grooves. Oh, and I started to think _'they' _were out there." Jackie was mildly surprised by this; Hyde to her was the eternal stoner, the younger version of Leo. But apparently, Steven had grown up, at least in some ways.

"I heard Grooves is doing well these days." Kelso commented.

"Those stores are everywhere now. There's a new one opening up down the block from us, isn't there, Jackie?" Donna asked her. Jackie glared pointedly at her friend for bringing her into a conversation so obviously linked to her ex-boyfriend (though that is kind of difficult when three out of four guys present is an ex).

"Yeah… right on West Illinois Avenue…" Jackie said vaguely. The room was starting to spin a little. "I need a little fresh air."

Somehow she knew before she even left the table that she would not be allowed out alone. She knew before she reached the door that the person who followed her out there would be Hyde. Even so, when she stood shivering slightly outside the bar on the unseasonably cool early autumn evening, she jumped when she saw Steven standing there beside her, his sunglasses off his face once more.

"What do you want?" She asked jerkily, more snappy than she meant to be.

"Geez Jackie, there's no need for the third degree." Hyde said, raising his hands. Jackie glared at him out the corner of her eye but then quickly surrendered.

"I'm sorry." She muttered.

"Whatever. Look, I just wanted to say, I know this is weird for you- hell, it's weird for me too- and I know last time we saw each other we weren't on the best of terms but… what happened between us, happened years ago. I did and said a tonne of things I really regret and didn't really mean. I'm sure we both did. I just want to put it behind us, Jackie. I want to be friends."

Jackie looked up at him and heard the sincerity in his voice, with every tell-tale hint of how much it cost him to be this open with his feelings even now, especially with her. She wanted more than anything to agree with him and for everything to be fine, but the knowledge she'd had since she'd received the wedding invite a month ago stopped her. She just gazed at him sadly for a moment before she chose her words and spoke:

"Steven, I said and did a lot of dumb things too- and I've regretted those things every day since, even over the past five years. But that's the thing- I _still_ regret them. And that means… that means that it's still there, what happened between us is still this thing… we can't be friends Steven. We were never _friends_. You know that even better than I do."

Hyde looked down at her and said nothing. Jackie knew he had no response to what she was saying because he knew she was right- their business together would never quite be finished, and to ignore that fact would be even more foolish than avoiding each other for another five years.

"I wish I could give you a different answer, Steven." She said sadly, patting him on the arm briefly before heading back inside. She didn't quite make it though, because Hyde grabbed her hand and pulled her back. Before she knew what was going on, he was kissing her. And suddenly, she remembered it all too well- how his kisses always had her feet leaving the ground, how he was the only solid, dependable thing she had in the world, and how she really felt about him. It was as if they were just teenagers again passing away the boring summer vacation by making out like crazy.

_This is too much! _

Jackie pulled away and stared up at him, feeling like she'd been punched really hard in the stomach. The look in his eyes was… well, she couldn't tell, because her own eyes were suddenly swimming with tears again.

"No, Jackie, don't-" It was too late, she was already running inside to the ladies room, where he couldn't follow her or try to explain.


	3. Regrets

**Chapter Three: Regrets**

"Jackie?" Donna was sat on the floor leaning against the cubicle door. Jackie had refused to come out for fifteen minutes now, alternating between sobs and furious protestations that she was fine. "You can't stay in there all night, even if you won't tell me what happened."

"I don't see why not!" Jackie snapped.

"Because you're too old for this crap and because we have to go a wedding tomorrow!"

"_You_ go to the wedding." Jackie sulked. She knew she was being immature but she thought she might die of mortification if she had to see Hyde again.

"No way, Jackie," Donna stood up, annoyed now, "I didn't even want to come to this stupid wedding and you're the one who made me! There is no way I'm letting you back out now because of whatever dumb thing happened between you and Hyde!" Silence rang out after these words and Donna sighed. Before anything else could be said though, there was a knock at the door. Donna went to it and opened it a crack to find Fez peering round.

"I just thought I would tell you that Hyde has gone home for the night." He informed Donna with a significant look. Donna nodded.

"Thanks Fez, we'll be right out." When he was gone, she turned back to the cubicle and banged on the door impatiently. "Come on Jackie, you heard Fez! Hyde's gone!" After another long pause, Jackie unlocked the door and slowly opened it. Her makeup was smeared across her cheeks and she looked nervous. Feeling bad for Jackie, the red-haired girl fished some wet wipes out of her bag and started to help her clean up her face. "What happened, Jackie?"

"He kissed me." Donna paused for half a second before continuing to carefully wipe away the smeared mascara.

"Uh-huh."

"That's it. He… he said he wanted to be friends and I said… I said it'll never work and he… he kissed me." Donna sighed. "What?"

"Well, I don't know… I just think maybe… I mean couldn't you have pretended that you guys could be friends just for this weekend? You'd never have to see him again after that." Donna pointed out.

"Yeah but that's the thing… I can just tell… we can never do that. We_ can't_ pretend; we never could."

"So… why do you think he kissed you?" Donna asked gently, fishing in Jackie's bag this time for makeup to replace the makeup she'd cried off. Jackie blinked.

"I don't know." She replied. "To prove a point, I guess or… or just to make me feel… shitty."

"Do you really believe that? The second one?" Jackie thought about this carefully, considering everything she knew about Steven Hyde, the good and bad. He liked to poke fun at people and burn his friends for a laugh, but ordinarily he would never do something to really and deliberately hurt someone else. He only did that when the person had already done something to provoke him and while Jackie had undoubtedly done that by denying his friendship, kissing her just to upset her didn't seem like something Hyde would do with that end in mind. Slowly, Jackie shook her head.

"No… no I don't really believe that." She answered finally.

"Good. Because I think he did it because he still l-"

"NO!" Jackie clapped her hand over Donna's mouth, surprising her. "Don't say it!" Donna widened her eyes, seeing the determined look in Jackie's, but nodded in agreement. Jackie let her friend go. "We should get back out to the boys- I still haven't even managed to really congratulate Eric."

The small brunette marched back to their table in the corner of the bar, where the boys were all sitting laughing about something. Eric looked up as the two girls approached.

"We were just talking Fez's crazy girlfriend- you remember Caroline?" He said as they sat back down.

"The girl who tried to suffocate herself?" Jackie remembered. "What ever happened to her, anyway?"

"I heard she married some guy." Fez shrugged, not really caring.

"And you don't have any special lady in your life at the moment, Fez?" Donna asked their friend, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"All the ladies are special to Fez." He grinned.

"What about this one who might be the mother of your child?" Eric asked. Fez looked sheepish.

"Yeah, what's the deal with that anyway, man?" Kelso demanded. "I mean, you never even mentioned this to me!"

"Well I uh, I only just found out. She says I am one of four possible fathers…" Fez admitted awkwardly.

"Oh Fez. What kind of skank-wad is this girl?" Jackie asked, half-shocked and half-amused.

"Well… do you remember Pam Macey?" Fez said. There was a pause as everyone thought about this. Kelso was too slow to process the implication however, and he asked,

"Yeah? What about Pam Macey?" The other four just looked at him until slowly, Kelso's eyes widened in realisation, as did his mouth.

"OHHHH."

"Yes…" Fez shifted awkwardly in the seat. "We have to wait until the baby is born before we can do a paternity test." Eric, Jackie, Donna and Michael all looked at each other uncomfortably. It was Eric who finally decided to break the silence, though he looked as if he would rather the floor opened up and swallowed him.

"Fez, man… I mean if a girl doesn't know who the father of her baby is… Are you sure, you know… you're okay? I mean, _you_ can't get pregnant but, haven't you heard about AIDS?"

"Hey, I heard only gays can get-" Kelso began loudly.

"Shut up, Michael! Anyone can get it!" Donna's radio show had covered the controversial issue a couple of weeks before and Jackie had listened to that particular broadcast.

"Oh." He glanced nervously towards Fez, "I mean, Forman has a point. I'm no stranger to the queue at the Free Clinic, you have to remember, sex is cleaner if you wrap your wiener." Jackie snorted at this line, and the tension of their conversation suddenly defused, much to everybody's relief.

"What the hell is _that_?" She demanded, laughing.

"I have one!" Eric grinned, "Don't be a loner, cover your boner!"

"She won't get sick if you wrap your-" Michael began, but Donna cut them off.

"Okay! So you guys still haven't grown up, we get it!" She called, though she and Jackie were laughing at the same time.

"So, are you nervous about tomorrow, Eric?" Jackie asked him once her giggles had subsided. Eric grinned, relaxed.

"No, not really. I thought I would be but… when it's right, it's right." He replied. Jackie smiled, pleased that her friend had found a sense of calm and peace, though whether he'd feel the same way an hour before the ceremony might be a different story. Jackie almost missed the way Eric's eyes flickered almost involuntarily towards Donna then; he'd jilted her at the altar at _their_ wedding, after all. Donna didn't react, merely stirring her straw through her drink.

It was getting late and they all had to be up and ready tomorrow for the wedding, so they departed the bar not long after. Fez didn't live too far away and Michael was staying with him, so they left together. Donna, Jackie and Eric piled into a cab back to Marie Drive. Eric was staying at his parents' the night before, although he already lived with Cassie, so as not to break the rule about seeing the bride before the wedding. Jackie remembered how Red had reacted when he found out Laurie was living with a boyfriend unmarried all those years ago; the older man must have adjusted to the times a little if he'd been okay with Eric doing the same thing.

Donna's teenage bedroom was the only room that had remained unchanged in the Pinciotti's house. Jackie curled up on the cot bed, but she found she couldn't sleep. Talking to her friends in the bar had distracted her from what had happened with Steven before that and now it all came back to her; the way he'd looked when he told her he wanted to be friends, and the change in his expression when she had said they had never been friends.

_Well, it's true. We went from hating each other to crushing on each other and then being together. We were never friends. And when we broke up you acted like an asshole and we hated each other again- or acted like we did, anyway. _

Why hadn't she said any of these things to him earlier, when she had the chance? Why had she just tried to walk away? She'd known he was going to kiss her even before he did. Maybe even as she first headed outside, knowing he would follow her. Jackie wasn't sure how she'd known that, but she had. Why had he kissed her though? She knew Donna's opinion on the subject: he still had some feelings for her, somehow. But that wasn't true. It couldn't be. Steven had stopped having feelings for her the second he'd seen Kelso emerge practically naked in her hotel room, and he'd killed any hope of reconciliation when he'd married Sam in Las Vegas. Those were the facts. And besides, it wasn't really like she had feelings for him either: just regrets.

Regrets were safe, because regrets were _over_. You can't go back and fix something you regret, that's the whole point of them- they are beyond change.

When Jackie finally did drop off to sleep, her mind was full of the way Steven's lips had felt on hers. Okay, maybe she was still attracted to him, but Steven was an attractive guy. She really had to stop reading into things. It was Eric's wedding tomorrow, and she'd stopped being so selfish as to believe every day had to revolve around herself a long time ago.

**A/N: I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has reviewed. The chapters are just flying out here, aren't they?**


	4. The Long Weekend

**Chapter Four: A Long Weekend**

A couple of hours before the wedding, Eric stood in the Forman's kitchen, pulling at the sleeve of his suit jacket. Kitty was rushing around like a headless chicken, apparently even more nervous than her son. Red was sat in a chair at the table, the same seat he'd always sat in, looking irritated by the jittery atmosphere. Hyde and Jackie stood as far apart as possible in the kitchen, Hyde over by the sliding door and Jackie near the phone.

"So how come Donna wouldn't come over?" Hyde asked Jackie, though he didn't look at her.

"Well, her mom flew in from California this morning for the wedding so she wanted to catch up with her." This was half a lie- Midge _had_ flown in for the wedding, but that wasn't why Donna hadn't come over to the Forman's to wish Eric luck before the ceremony. The redhead had told Jackie she thought she might barf if she had to see him before the ceremony, a sentiment the brunette sympathised with as she tried not to look at Steven.

"Makes sense I sup- Forman, cut it out!" Hyde snapped, leaning over to punch Eric on the arm. "Stop fidgeting man, you're making us all nervous!" Eric let go of his sleeve and blinked around at them all as if in a daze. All the calm of the previous night had vanished, though the fact he hadn't run away this time was a good sign, Jackie thought.

"You're going to be fine, son. You don't need to get all… twitchy." Red growled.

"Twitchy is my middle name, Dad!" Eric whined.

"Eric, you're the groom, you have the easiest job of anyone! It's Cassie who has to have perfect hair and makeup and try not to trip over her train on the way down the aisle with everyone looking at her!" Jackie pointed out heatedly, "You just have to stand there and say 'I do'!"

"It's not that simple," Eric began.

"It really is, dumbass." Red interjected, silencing Eric, just as the front doorbell rang. Kitty squeaked and hurried off to get it, wondering aloud who it was. They all heard the door open, followed by a scream. Jackie was first through the door to the lounge, to find Kitty hugging Laurie while rocking from side to side, apparently overjoyed.

"Hi, mom," Laurie said, sheepishly, "Hi Daddy." She added this over Kitty's head as her mother finally let go.

"I didn't think you were coming." Red said.

"You didn't RSVP." Eric added.

"I didn't? I've been so busy…" Laurie mumbled, "But I had to be there for my little brother's wedding… oh hey, Hyde. And Jackie."

"Of course we're glad you're here, honey!" Kitty said happily, grabbing Laurie's bags and setting them down, "It's just been such a long time since we saw you!"

Laurie Forman looked almost the same as when Jackie remembered, on the surface. The Farah Fawcett hair had grown out to more closely resemble the glam-rock look that was in fashion. She was also dressed in similar tight-fitting clothes that she might have worn back in the 70s too, though the styles were slightly different. But something in Laurie's face had changed- the bitchy gleam seemed to have gone from her eyes, Jackie noted.

"I'll just quickly get changed, then." Even the way she spoke was different- there was no provocative edge to her voice or even in the way she walked. Laurie seemed tired. As she grabbed her bags again and headed upstairs, Kitty looked at her husband, who ushered her into the kitchen to talk privately about their daughter. Eric ran a hand through his hair.

"Man, I wasn't counting on Laurie showing up."

"She_ is_ your sister." Jackie reminded him gently. She herself had never been fond of Laurie, and yet she felt some strange affinity for the girl in that moment- Laurie had lost her spark since Jackie had last seen her, and Jackie wasn't quite as sparky as she might once have been, either.

"I'm glad she's here I guess. I just…" Eric shrugged and flopped down onto the couch, gazing out unseeingly. Jackie glanced at Steven. He was already looking at her.

"Things really have changed." He muttered, and Jackie nodded dumbly. Steven was acting like nothing had happened the night before- and maybe it hadn't. After all, they'd both had a bit to drink.

The situation for getting to the church was made dicey by Laurie's return. Hyde was originally going to ride with the Forman's but Laurie was due a space in their car now. Jackie was only driving Donna and Bob however, as Midge had her own car, so she awkwardly offered him a lift. He could drive himself, of course, but it didn't feel right to suggest that, and so reluctantly he climbed into the backseat with Donna, while Bob took shotgun.

"How was Eric?" Bob asked as they followed the Forman's car down the street.

"He was alright." Hyde answered, shooting a half-glance at Jackie in the rear-view mirror as if to warn her not to say anything about Eric's state of nerves in front of the Pinciotti's. _As if I need telling._

"That's good." Donna said. Jackie knew Donna was confused at her current feelings; she was happy for Eric, yet felt a pang of something not so happy at him happily heading down the aisle and doing the deed he had branded a 'mistake' between himself and Donna. It had to be weird- Donna and Eric were childhood sweethearts, no matter how many years they'd been broken up. Jackie tried to recall the last time Donna had had a boyfriend- nobody serious in the past couple of years, that was for sure. After Randy, and then her failed attempt at getting back together with Eric, Donna had had one serious relationship with a guy called Peter whom she met through work for a couple of years. Although they'd been relatively happy together for the most part, Peter had eventually dumped her for some petite blonde. Since then, two years ago now, Donna had dated around a bit but there hadn't been anyone special.

Jackie, on the other hand, hadn't had anybody serious at all in the five years since she and Steven had broken up. She despised admitting it to herself, but every time a guy had gotten too close she'd pushed him away. Jackie had focused on her career instead, in order to ward anyone off. After Fez, she'd decided she wasn't going to try and second guess her feelings anymore. And maybe she just wasn't a relationship_ person_. Michael had cheated on her and Steven…

Her blue eyes met his in the rear-view mirror then, and she felt the heat rise into her cheeks even as she refocused on the road. Just because he was there, she didn't have to think about this stuff. _This is old news, Jackie. Time to let it go._

The ceremony was beautiful. Jackie watched Cassie, a pretty young woman with honey coloured hair, gloat down the aisle in a white dress with a much simpler design than was currently fashionable, without too many frills or a long train. Eric was shaking almost visibly when Cassie met him at the altar, but managed to stammer out his vows and she returned them. When it was time to kiss the bride, most of the women in the pews were in tears, excluding Donna and Jackie- the former because she wasn't a teary person and Jackie because she felt strangely numb. She'd somehow ended up on the bench beside Michael. Any awkwardness between them had vanished years ago, but when he was holding Betsey still in his lap and grinning at Brooke, Jackie felt suddenly very lonely. However, Donna squeezed her hand from her other side and the feeling disappeared; she wasn't the only one alone at this wedding, after all.

Outside the church, photographs were taken by a professional. During the one with the groom's family, Hyde was included with the Forman's. Jackie smiled at Steven with his adoptive family- the reason they had had such a connection way back when was because both of them had been left pretty much orphans. Steven had found a family in the Forman's and later with W.B. and Angie- a bigger and better family than he'd had before his mother walked out.

Jackie looked at Fez and Donna, standing either side of her, watching the proceedings. Fez looked happy for his friend, but Donna's facial expression was unreadable.

"Hey…" Jackie said, taking her friend to one side. Donna blinked as if surprised to find Jackie right before her. "What's the matter Donna?"

"What? Nothing." Donna tried to smile, but Jackie saw tell-tale tears in her eyes. Donna knew there was no point hiding them. "I sucked it back during the service you know- I'm just happy for Eric!"

"Donna." Jackie said bluntly. Donna sighed.

"Alright, alright, I feel kind of weird about it, okay? Just… don't make a big deal Jackie." Before Jackie could do just that, Laurie sidled up to them, the photos being done now.

"Um, hi," She greeted them awkwardly, in an unusually subdued tone of voice, "Can I ride back with you, Jackie? Please? I just," She glanced over her shoulder, "Eric's going in the Roller with Cassie to the reception and I know that means lecture time with Mom and Dad. So Hyde can go with them instead…?"

"Sure, Laurie," Jackie agreed, and both Donna and Laurie looked surprised, "We should probably move now then, huh?" Jackie led the way back to her car. Donna, Bob and Laurie jumped in with Bob riding shotgun. As the small brunette started the engine and checked her blind spots, she caught sight of Steven and the Forman's looking uncertainly towards her car, obviously looking for Laurie. Shaking her head to clear it, Jackie looked away from them and especially _him_.

"Everyone belted up?" She asked the car at large.

"Yep." Donna confirmed.

"Ready to go." Said Bob.

Jackie most certainly wasn't. This weekend already felt much longer than it ought to and it was far from over.

**A/N: Dear lovely reviewers and story followers, thank you so much! I'm so psyched to get positive feedback! I'm more than willing to converse with people about it as I've noticed a few guests have made some really cool points about this and the characterisation and stuff but I can't reply because, obviously you're guests! Log in guys, talk to me! Thanks so much once again, and thank you for waiting patiently for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it!**


	5. Free Bird

**Chapter Five: Free Bird**

The reception was being held in the old community hall, but it had been so lavishly decorated that the place was hardly recognisable on the inside. Jackie had to admit she was impressed when she saw the silvery drapes hanging from the ceiling and covering the chipped plaster on the walls. A bar had been set up on one side, and a DJ had taken up a corner of the small stage. One side of the room was taken up by small round tables for the guests to sit and eat at, and in the centre was a dance floor complete with fancy glittery lights that looked like stars when they hit the dark wood floor.

Jackie followed Fez towards the bar, where she was immediately pacified with a champagne spritzer.

"You look very nice, Jackie." Fez told her as they stood back to take note of the guests who were milling about variously for food before taking their seats at the little tables. "Who are you sitting near?"

"Um, I'm not sure." Table placements hadn't even occurred to Jackie before- they were the furthest thing from her mind. However, a nagging suspicion filled her at the mention and she instantly rushed off to find out where she was sitting.

Predictably, Eric had worked tirelessly against her and had a little card with _'Jackie Burkhart'_ written on it in dainty calligraphy, right beside another which read '_Steven Hyde'_.

"Of course." She muttered to herself. _Of course it couldn't be any other way. _She immediately hurried over to Michael at the next table. "Michael, Michael, you _have_ to swap seats with me!" Kelso looked at her as if she was crazy- and maybe she was, but right now discretion went right out the window following the events of the previous night.

"I'm sitting with Brooke and Betsey." He told her, indicating the two.

"Have they sat you next to Hyde?" Brooke guessed, looking sympathetic. Jackie nodded dumbly. "Sorry honey, I think it's too late to swap." Jackie glanced around. Most people had taken their seats- including Hyde. She couldn't switch seats now without him knowing she'd done it. Gulping, Jackie tried to be as graceful as possible as she walked back to her own seat. Drawing it back, she carefully sat down, hoping that if she didn't look directly at Steven he somehow wouldn't notice her.

"_Hello_, Jackie." He said sarcastically, dashing her unrealistic hopes.

"Hi." She set her drink down as the waiters came out and began serving the starter. She suddenly wasn't very hungry at all, though she knew it wasn't a good idea to drink on an empty stomach. She also rolled her eyes at herself for acting like such a teenager: she had to be mature about this and just deal with it. Steven wasn't going to bite. Still, she hopefully looked at the other occupants of her table, but was disappointed to find out they were cousins of Cassie's already engrossed in their own conversation and totally ignoring her and Hyde.

"Look," Hyde said, as he accepted his prawn cocktail, "About last night-"

"What about it?" Jackie asked sharply.

"I know I overstepped a line, and I'm sorry. I was drunk and I thou- well, I wasn't thinking, man. I guess I was mad." He sighed. Jackie was startled by this news.

"Mad? Why were you mad?" She prodded her prawn cocktail unenthusiastic with her fork.

"I don't know, I guess I didn't want you to be as rational as you were. I kind of wanted good old fashioned Beulah you know- all kickin', all screamin', dragging up every shitty thing I did to you all over again." Steven laughed slightly bitterly.

"Beulah." She repeated her own middle name with distaste.

"You know that's always been my name for your bitchy cheerleader side." He reminded her, with a small smile. Jackie involuntarily smiled a little at that, too. It'd been so long since she'd heard any of the old burns.

"Yeah, well… I'm not that bitchy cheerleader anymore, Steven." She sighed resignedly. "I grew up."

"I know." He said no more after those two words, eating his food and looking around the room. Jackie thought about what he'd said. If she really had grown up, she ought to prove it:

"I was kinda drunk too, last night." She said, finally, "I guess I didn't notice you've grown up too. And you're right… I mean, I'd love to be friends, Steven. You know I… I did miss you, a little, even when you were being an ass." Hyde laughed at that, a proper belly laugh.

"Well, grasshopper, if you can admit that I guess I can admit I missed you too."

The rest of the meal passed quite pleasantly. Jackie found out it was quite easy to laugh with Steven, if she didn't think about the fact it was _Steven_ so much. His best man speech was also funny, alluding to several memories Jackie also shared, such as when Eric tried to trench Old Man Shinsky's back yard and ended up getting arrested practically half naked and when he only needed to do one pull-up to pass gym and graduate High School. A loud, gravelly guffaw at that had announced the presence of Casey Kelso at the reception.

The bride and groom had their first dance to 'Cosmic Dancer' by T-Rex. They were soon joined by Kitty dancing with Cassie's father and Red leading Cassie's mother across the floor, looking less than cheerful about this particular tradition. Slowly, other couples began filling up the floor, including Michael and Brooke and even Betsey and another little boy around her age in attendance. Fez had persuaded Eric's 'hot' cousin Penny to dance, and Donna was dancing with her Dad.

"Remember the first time we danced?" Hyde asked her quietly.

"Prom." Jackie remembered immediately. She and Steven hadn't even liked each other back then, and she'd wanted to get her revenge on Michael for taking Pam Macey instead. It was strange to think that Michael had settled down his bad behaviour a little over the years but that Pam Macey was now pregnant possibly with Fez's baby, of all people.

"D'you…" Steven began, and Jackie's stomach clenched. _No no no don't ask me to dance! _"…wanna get a drink?" Relieved, Jackie agreed and they made their way over to the bar. Although it had been nice to break the ice with Steven, Jackie was relieved when he got sucked into a conversation with Red about Grooves at the bar. Jackie picked up her drink and drifted politely away, her dark eyes scanning the room for Donna. Before she got very far, however, she crashed into somebody's very solid chest.

"Look where you're going!" She yelled, to cover up her own lack of attention, as her drink spilled everywhere.

"Sorry, that was my fault, I'll get you another." The husky voice was very familiar and sure enough, as Jackie looked up she found herself face-to-face with Casey Kelso. "Hey, aren't you the Burkhart girl?"

"Um, yes, that's me." Jackie had never quite worked out how to speak to guys like Casey. She'd thought he was attractive from a distance but he had been far more Donna's type and besides, he was Michael's brother. She was quite surprised Eric had invited Casey to his wedding, considering how mercilessly Casey had teased him over the years.

"You always were cute." He smirked, leaning over the bar to get her drink replaced.

"Thanks." Jackie said uncertainly, once again peering around. There was still no sign of Donna.

"Here you go." Casey handed her drink to her and she smiled in gratitude. "So what are you doing these days?"

"I work in publishing. You?" He'd been the host at a strip club last Jackie had heard.

"I sell second-hand cars on a lot in Kenosha. I do pretty well." Jackie was actually quite impressed to hear this; Casey had always had the gift of the gab but she'd never imagined he'd actually put it to any kind of use in the long term. "So, you and Hyde are still going, huh?" Jackie looked around at him, shocked.

"Hell, no! We broke up years ago!" _How didn't you know?_

"Oh, geez. I just figured, you were sitting together…" Casey shrugged.

"That was the seating plan." Jackie explained. Casey chuckled, looking at her properly for the first time now that he'd established Jackie was single. Normally she'd be annoyed by this but perhaps the alcohol had gotten to her head again because she actually felt the heat rising in her face.

"So what happened, if you don't mind me asking?" He questioned, indicating over his shoulder to where Hyde was stood still engrossed in conversation with Red a few feet away.

"Oh, you know, the usual." Jackie peered up at him from under her eyelashes. _A little flirting never did a single girl any harm. _But she was unable to stop herself finishing a little sarcastically: "He ran off to Las Vegas and married a stripper." Casey laughed again, though not cruelly.

"Damn, that must've been tough." Unconsciously, Jackie was allowing herself to be steered out towards the community hall porch, which was also decorated with lights. The air was a little chilly out there.

"Yes, it was." Jackie admitted, "But it was a long time ago."

"Well, you're as free as a bird now, right?" Casey asked, gently prying the drink out of her hand and setting it down.

"I guess so." Jackie's answer was a little breathless; she thought she could understand why Donna had always been a bit gushy about Casey now. If one allowed themselves, they could easily be swept away by his charms.

"So I get to dance with the prettiest girl in Point Place?" He had already taken one of her hands in his and placed his hand at her waist. Jackie smiled.

"Why not?"

Given her earlier conversation with Steven, Jackie was unable to resist comparing dancing with him and Casey a little. Casey Kelso had none of the tenderness Hyde did when he held her, though the dance was still intimate as the first verse of 'Free Bird' played from inside. Jackie felt herself relaxing a little as she started to sing along with the song in her head.

_But if I stayed here with you girl_

_Things just couldn't be same_

'_Cause I'm as free as a bird now_

_And this bird you cannot change_

It was several minutes into the song when, as Casey and Jackie revolved on the spot, the latter spotted Donna through the doors. She was talking to Steven now, and as Jackie watched, they both looked out the open doors, straight to where Jackie was dancing with Casey.

Jackie jumped away from Casey as quickly as if she'd been burnt.

"Hey, what's-?" He began to ask.

"I… uh… I have to go… bathroom!" She called vaguely over her shoulder as, for the second time in two days, she did indeed run to take cover in the bathroom.

**A/N: First of all, I do not own 'Cosmic Dancer' by T-Rex or 'Free Bird' by Lynyrd Skynyrd. They are just excellent songs that compliment this fanfiction. Second of all, thanks so much as usual for reading. Please review!**


	6. The Walk of Shame

**CHAPTER SIX: The Walk of Shame**

Jackie didn't make it to the bathroom this time, despite her efforts- because Casey Kelso was a lot faster and more agile than Steven, apparently. He caught her by the arm just before she pushed open the door to the ladies. Jackie turned reluctantly back.

"Hey, what's the matter?" He asked her quietly.

"I…" Jackie stammered.

"It was Hyde, wasn't it? He saw us." Surprised that he had surmised the situation so quickly, Jackie simply nodded in reply. "So what, right? I mean, you're not together and we were only dancing."

"I know." She bit her lip and looked down at her feet. "Look, Casey, I… I mean, you used to date Donna and I used to date your brother. This… this is a little weird, isn't it?" She peered up at him on the question, uncertain herself as to why she'd reacted the way she had. _Stop being such a drama queen, Jackie. Nothing even happened. This isn't high school, you don't have to freak out at every tiny thing. And Casey's right- it doesn't matter._

"Life _is_ strange, kid. You can either embrace it or you can run to the bathroom at the first sign of trouble- which that wasn't, by the way. He didn't even come after you, and nor did Pinciotti. "He was right. Jackie was definitely acting insane. The insanity didn't stop there though, clearly. Jackie and Casey departed the reception soon after and before long, they were falling drunkenly into Casey's bed.

Jackie's head gave a painful throb. Her mouth felt like the Sahara Desert and tasted like garbage. The smells around her were pleasant but unfamiliar- other than the tell-tale scent of sex, there was patchouli and sandalwood in the air. She opened her eyes to an unfamiliar bedroom. The sheets were of black satin and as she turned her head to the side, the source of the snoring, the only sound in the room, was Casey Kelso.

She had no trouble remembering how it had happened: she'd given up, seeking something out maybe. She wasn't exactly sure. But when they'd left Eric's wedding, outsiders to everything else that was going on, they'd headed to a bar for more drinks. They'd gone back to Casey's just around the block and the rest was a whirlwind of clothes and smells and feelings. Now, Casey slept on and Jackie was plotting her escape.

_You've really messed up now, Jackie. _

Jackie got up and tiptoed around the room, recollecting her clothing and putting it on. She was relieved when Casey didn't stir and she glanced in the mirror in his hallway on her way out of his house. Although her hair was a little messy she mostly looked okay, although the fact she was wearing her wedding outfit was an obvious symbol of the fact she was about to do the walk of shame.

Casey didn't live too far from Bob, luckily, but the pale morning was chilly and Jackie only had a light jacket. A couple of cars honked embarrassingly at her as she made her way through the streets. At that moment, Jackie felt as if she'd hit a new low. _Sleeping with Casey Kelso. What the hell was I thinking?_

She was relieved when she reached Marie Drive. It had only been a twenty minute walk but it'd felt like the longest twenty minute walk of her life. She barely made it through the door of the Pinciotti's when Donna jumped up off the couch and hugged her.

"Jackie, what the hell!" As the redhead let Jackie go, the latter blinked up at her blearily.

"What?" She asked absently.

"I've been so worried about you since you left with Casey!"

"Worried? I'm fine." Jackie sat down slowly on the couch. Donna sat beside her and watched her, as if waiting for something to come bursting out of the top of the brunette's head. "What?" Jackie asked again after a moment.

"Jackie, you can't just sleep with Casey Kelso and expect nobody to question it. What the hell were you thinking?" Donna whispered.

"I don't know…" Jackie sighed finally, burying her face in her hands. "I was drunk! I wasn't thinking at all." Donna frowned, concerned. This behaviour was very un-Jackie-like. Jackie had never had a one night stand before, no matter how drunk she might've gotten. In fact, Jackie hardly ever drank enough to be considered more than lightly tipsy, yet she'd done that and more two nights in a row. Donna remembered the look on Jackie's face when they'd first walked into the Forman's lounge the other say and she'd seen Hyde for the first time in four years; she had no doubt why her friend was acting this way, even though she'd never admit it.

"Okay. Look, it doesn't matter, everyone makes mistakes." Donna sighed, not wanting to make Jackie feel worse than she clearly already did. Jackie looked at the redhead.

"Yeah… I mean it's not like it matters. I'm single, Casey's single… I'm never gonna see him again anyway, so no harm done, right?" Jackie had injected her voice with all the positivity and enthusiasm her short stint on TV had taught her, and Donna pretended she was convinced to pacify her.

"Sure. The Forman's invited us over for breakfast by the way. Eric and Cassie went back to their place last night so it's really a chance to talk to Red and Kitty before we head home," Donna informed her, changing the subject, "You know you missed the biggest shocker of them all last night- Laurie is teetotal!"

"Really?" Jackie was surprised, having expected the new Laurie façade to crack under the influence of alcohol and probably end up in Kelso's lap as she had so many times when they were kids. "Why?"

"No idea. Kitty tried asking questions and Laurie went really quiet and wouldn't really talk."

"Hey!" Jackie started, as excited as ever by possible gossip, "You don't think Laurie's pregnant?" Donna thought about this for a moment, then shook her head.

"No… it didn't seem like anything like that." Jackie nodded, remembering Laurie's out of character behaviour in general.

"Hmm… I guess it doesn't seem that way. Oh well. I suppose I need to shower…" Jackie looked reluctantly towards the door, hesitant to go to breakfast with the Forman's knowing she'd be the subject of extreme scrutiny after her actions the previous night.

She wasn't wrong in this assumption as an hour and a half later, she found herself sitting around the Forman's familiar-as-a-recurring-dream dining table with Donna, Red, Kitty and Steven. Laurie sat up at the breakfast bar, looking supremely uncomfortable.

"So…" Donna said awkwardly, "The wedding went well."

"Yes, it did," Kitty agreed, seizing on the opportunity to fill the uneasy silence with obvious relief, "Cassie is such a nice girl."

"What is it she does again?" Steven asked, not actually sounding very interested. His shades hid it but Jackie knew he was watching her out of the corner of his eyes.

"She coaches kids with learning difficulties up at the school." Kitty replied, smiling fondly. "What are you doing nowadays, Jackie?" Jackie cringed at the question, having thus far managed to not have to say more than two words.

"Um. I work in publishing." She mumbled. Kitty looked as if she was about to ask something else but thankfully, Red jumped in with a look at his wife that plainly said, 'leave the girl alone!'

"You'll never guess who I ran into at the gas station the other day? You remember that dumbass Earl who I had to fire?" Steven looked around in surprise.

"That guy whose dog was always being hit by a car?" He snorted amusedly.

"Yeah, well not much has changed. Though he did get married, poor woman!"

"Now Red, that's not very nice!" Kitty reprimanded her husband. "Good for Earl, finding a good woman to take care of him!" Jackie glanced at Donna, who was staring determinedly down at her pancakes, clearly regretting her insistence on having breakfast with the Forman's.

"We should really get going, Donna, beat the traffic back to Chicago before rush hour." Jackie said quickly. Donna jumped up, relieved.

"Yeah, you're right Jackie. Thanks for everything, Mr and Mrs Forman!" Donna agreed chirpily.

"The pleasure was our girls. Don't stay away so long next time!" Kitty added, hugging both of them.

"I hate to admit it but it is nice having you kids around here again." Red added, allowing Jackie to kiss him on the cheek.

"It was nice to catch up with you again, Hyde." Donna said to Steven.

"Yeah, it was." Steven agreed, though he was looking over Donna's shoulder when she hugged him at Jackie. Jackie noticed this and looked quickly away, turning towards Laurie instead.

"Take care, Laurie." She surprised the blonde by hugging her. Laurie hugged her back.

"Thanks… Um… Jackie, can I talk to you for a second? Please?" Jackie frowned, feeling the eyes of the others on her, but followed Laurie into the living room.

"Um… I know you and I have had our differences in the past… and I was pretty horrible to you, but... look, I don't have many friends. I don't have any at all really and I know that we… we used to have stuff in common right? And… I really need a friend, to tell you the truth." Laurie smiled sheepishly. Jackie's instinct was to tell Laurie to go to hell, but for some reason she couldn't do it. When she looked at Laurie now, once considered the devil, she just saw a sad woman.

"Laurie…" Jackie sighed, but then reached into her purse and pulled out her business card. "My number is on there. You can call me any time." Laurie accepted the card and smiled a little wider.

"You've always been a good person, Jackie. Thank you." The two women hugged again, a strange understanding silently passing between them somehow. The others all came into the room then.

"Dad collected your car and loaded all our stuff into it," Donna informed the brunette, "He couldn't see us off though because he's gone to church."

"Oh right. Well…" They headed outside and sure enough, Jackie's car was sitting in the driveway ready to go. She looked around herself, up at the Forman's unchanged house which she had once known so well, and at the surrounding greenery of Point Place. "Thanks again, Mr and Mrs Forman."

"Drive safely, girls." Red advised.

Donna slipped into the front passenger seat and Jackie was about to open the drivers' door when Steven stopped her.

"Jackie… it was really good to see you." He said quietly. "Look after yourself, alright?"

"I will." She promised, and he hugged her. As soon as his scent hit her, one of aftershave and leather combined, Jackie knew she was lost. She buried her face into his shoulder for a moment, feeling safe. _I've always felt safe with you, Steven. _But then he let her go, and Jackie was belting up and driving away from Point Place and back to Chicago, back to her life now, the way it was supposed to be.

And a life she knew that somehow wasn't going to be the same, now that she had confronted her past at last.


	7. The Aftermath

**Chapter Seven: The Aftermath  
**

Neither Donna nor Jackie mentioned anything that'd happened in Point Place in the fortnight following Eric's wedding. Jackie went back to her office, trying to forget everything that had transpired between herself and Steven, not to mention her one night stand with Casey Kelso. She could almost pretend she'd never been back home at all until the Friday night a couple of weeks later when she received a call at home.

"Hello?" Jackie was sitting on her couch with a face pack on watching TV.

"Hi Jackie." It was Laurie.

"Oh, hi… um, how are you?" Jackie asked, surprised and slightly awkward.

"I'm fine… still at home." Laurie replied. "Thanks for letting me call you, by the way."

"That's okay. Is everything… you know… I mean, you seem different." Jackie finally broached the fact. Laurie laughed.

"Yeah, I guess I _am_ different. A lot's changed, Jackie." Jackie thought about this for a moment. What Laurie had said couldn't be more true, for any of them.

"So what have you been doing the past few years? Last I remember hearing you were living in Canada." Jackie spoke often to Mrs Forman on the phone but Kitty had rarely mentioned Laurie to Jackie, knowing that the two had never gotten along. But then again, the Forman's had seemed just as surprised to see Laurie as anybody else at Eric's wedding.

"Um… well I was in Canada for a while." There was a long pause. "Jackie, I made a real mess of everything. Not just the kind of stuff I was doing when we were kids but… I went to LA and things got pretty serious." Laurie was talking fast now, as if she was relieved to be getting something off her chest that she'd never told anybody. In fact, that was exactly the case, and Jackie wondered why on earth Laurie was talking to _her _about this.

"How serious?" Jackie asked carefully.

"Well… I fell in with this band. We were touring around the world and having a good time, but then… Jackie, have you heard of the Betty Ford Center?" Jackie stifled a gasp. The Betty Ford Center, founded by the former president's wife, was a rehabilitation facility for people with substance abuse issues- for drug addicts.

"Laurie…"

"The band's management paid for me to go… and when I was in there is when I got the invite for Eric's wedding. I couldn't RSVP because of that… and then at the wedding… that was two days after I came out of treatment." Jackie took a deep breath, reeling at the news. She'd thought a lot of things about Laurie before but she never thought she'd turn out to be an addict.

"Oh, Laurie," Jackie said finally, "Your parents didn't know, did they?"

"No. I think they suspected I had a problem, but I haven't seen them enough for them to be sure. They just knew I was a groupie and they were embarrassed. They don't know about rehab." Jackie closed her eyes, feeling desperately sorry for Laurie. This explained so much about her changed demeanour and attitude. "I have to start all over again now… start a new life. And it's hard, you know? I didn't realise how hard until the wedding, when everybody had something to tell about themselves except for me. I have nothing to show for the last five years. And… I guess that's why I wanted to talk to you. I _know_ it's weird. But, Jackie, I never used to like you because you were this spoilt brat who had everything. But you've got everything I wish I had and I… I just really wanted to say, I'm so sorry for all the bad things I did to you when we were younger."

Jackie flashed back then to the days Laurie was referring to: she remembered when Steven had tried to teach her to be Zen, but she'd ended up kicking Laurie's ass. "_Where Zen ends, ass kicking begins". That's what he said. _

"It was all a long time ago, Laurie." Jackie said finally. "I wasn't so nice to you, calling you names all the time…"

"Those names were true." Laurie chuckled.

"So… what are you going to do now? Try to find a job?" Jackie asked.

"I've been looking the past couple of weeks but there's nothing here in Point Place. I'm trained for nothing."

"Didn't you go to beauty school?" Jackie recalled.

"Yeah, but I dropped out. I'm sure I'll find something." Laurie said, sounding a little brighter. "Hey, before I go, Hyde told me to tell you that he's going to be in your neighbourhood in a couple of weeks for the opening of Grooves."

"Oh." Jackie said, "Um, why did I need to know that?"

"I don't know, he just told me to say." Laurie replied. Jackie sighed.

"Okay. Well, I'll catch you soon Laurie. Take care."

"Bye, Jackie. And thanks, again."

Jackie spent the next few days looking through the classifieds, browsing the job opportunities in Chicago just in case anything came up that might help Laurie. She wasn't sure why she was helping her former enemy, but it kept her mind from roaming into regions she'd rather it stayed out of, namely the corner of her mind that was permanently dedicated to Steven. _What did he mean when he told me to look after myself? Was he just being polite or is it because of what happened with Casey? Does that mean he cares that something happened with me and Casey, or was he just being a friend? We did say we were going to be friends now. But he looked so good, not to mention _smelt_ so good. Dammit, stop thinking about him, Jackie! Look- store clerk, circle that one, think about Laurie…_

She was going through this endless cycle of thought in a local coffee shop when somebody knocked over her cup of coffee, causing the liquid to spill all over the newspaper she was examining.

"Hey, watch it!" Jackie snapped, looking up to glare at the offending person. It turned out to be a young man around her own age with jet black wavy hair and green eyes who was carrying a bulky guitar case.

"I'm sorry. Let me replace that, it's the least I can do." He returned a moment later with a fresh cup of coffee for Jackie and some napkins, which he used to wipe up the worst of the spill. Jackie watched him, arms folded and lips pursed, until he was done. "I'm sorry about that." He said again.

"Hm. You should be."

"Hey, you looking for a job?" The guy asked, noticing what it was she was actually looking at.

"Helping a friend find a job, not that it's any of your business." Jackie replied snootily, still annoyed with the clumsy coffee-spiller.

"I said sorry, what else can I do?" He questioned sincerely, and Jackie looked at the offended expression on his face and softened.

"You're right, I'm sorry. My mind was elsewhere." The guy smiled.

"That's alright. I'm Seth, by the way." _Seth. Hot name for a hot guy._

"Jackie." They shook hands.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked her. Jackie thought about it for a moment, one moment too many as Steven once again crossed her mind. Rallying against herself, she pushed Steven back out of her head.

"Why not." Seth slid into the chair across from her, an amiable smile curving his lips.

"So you're a musician?" Jackie indicated the guitar case.

"That might be stretching it." Seth joked.

"I bet you're not too bad." It'd been so long since Jackie had flirted that she was surprised she even remembered how to do it. She had kind of let Casey do all the work at Eric's wedding, after all, and before that she hadn't really dated in quite some time.

"You like music?" Jackie had to grudgingly credit her improved music taste and move away from disco to Hyde.

"Who doesn't?" She said, by way of answer. Seth chuckled.

"I guess so, that was a dumb question. So what brings you to this place?" He indicated the coffee shop. Jackie looked fondly around the place- it was considered too 'trendy' for Donna's tastes but Jackie liked the atmosphere.

"I live just around the corner and it's nice to get out on the weekend." She replied, surprised at how easy she was finding Seth to talk to. He looked her in the eyes when they spoke, but not in the way Casey Kelso did, which was just to make you melt and get befuddled. Seth seemed genuinely interested in what Jackie had to say. "What about you?"

"I live across town and I've never been here before in my life. I'm just meeting a friend." Jackie jumped at the opportunity to find out the next vital piece of information.

"What's her name?" She questioned, peering up coyly from under her eyelashes. Seth laughed again, tossing his head so that his black locks fell in his eyes. _Be still, my beating heart!_

"_His_ name is Kyle and that's him actually, coming through the door." Jackie looked over towards the entrance, where another young guy with blonde hair this time had just entered. Seth raised a hand to wave at him. "Sorry, I gotta go. It's been nice meeting you Jackie…. I'd uh, love to see you again." He added, a little shyly. "May I call you?"

Jackie grabbed a clean napkin and scribbled her number on it, smirking a little. She certainly hadn't anticipated this when she was inwardly berating herself for thinking about Steven. She slid the napkin across the table to Seth, and he took it with a pleased grin.

"Thanks, Jackie. Expect to hear from me." She giggled as Seth got up and followed his friend back out of the coffee shop. Suddenly it seemed sunny outside.


	8. What Friends Are For

**Chapter Eight: What Friends Are For**

Wednesday was Jackie's least favourite day of the week, every week. It was far enough from the weekend to seem like a long stretch and the workload always seemed light on Wednesday's too, making the day drag by slower. She was relieved when five o'clock rolled around and was out of the door before anyone could stop her. The traffic was bad that afternoon and rush hour was in full swing, so when she got home she was relieved. She kicked off her shoes in the hallway as soon as she was through the door. Next off were her smart work clothes, changing into casual lounge-wear and tying her dark hair up. She'd just collapsed onto her couch, feeling the strain of the day leaving her, when the phone rang.

The four days that'd passed since she'd sat in the café talking to Seth had been grey and innocuous by all accounts; she'd thought about him a little, the first attractive new guy in her life in quite some time. However, he was yet to call and Jackie was so sure that this would be his call that she made sure to clear her throat and take a deep, calming breath before she picked up on the fourth ring.

"Hello?" She asked in her most sultry tone.

"Jackie?" She almost dropped the phone at the voice on the other end: it was Steven! What was it with these unexpected callers lately? First Laurie and now this!

"Um, hi, Steven." She said awkwardly.

"Don't sound so enthusiastic, you'll strain your voice," Steven joked. Jackie managed a laugh.

"Sorry, I'm expecting a call from someone else. How are you?"

"Not too bad. I heard you spoke to Laurie the other day." Jackie shut her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, glad he couldn't see her right now, and not just because she did not look her best in her sweatpants with make-up partially smeared.

"Yeah, she called me." Jackie replied hesitantly, unsure what she should say or if Steven even knew the full story of Laurie's absence. He answered these questions with his reply, however:

"She's had a crazy few years, hasn't she? She seems to have turned a corner though. Which brings me to the subject at hand actually: did she tell you Grooves is opening near you on Halloween?" He asked her.

"Oh, yeah she did mention it." Jackie replied, nonplussed.

"Well, I'm giving her a job there. Just a trial at first, you know, but if I don't give her a shot nobody in their right mind will. Anyway, we're having an opening party and I was wondering if you and Donna would drop by?" _Am I imagining it, or does he sound hopeful?  
_

"On Halloween?" Halloween was on a Saturday, so there was no way she could get out of it even if she wasn't a little curious, "Sure. Sounds good."

"Angie and I'll be there, and Laurie obviously. I was gonna ask Kelso, too." Jackie nodded, then realised he couldn't hear a nod.

"Yeah, that'll be nice."_ Good? Nice? Can't you think of any better words, Jackie?_

"Cool, well I'm looking forward to seeing you guys there. Spread the word, yeah?" He asked her.

"Yeah, of course. Bye Steven." She said to him, still a little baffled as to how all this had come about. She could hear his smile down the line when he said:

"See you soon, grasshopper." Her stomach fluttered even as she hung up. What was wrong with her? Jackie sat back in her seat, cursing her own girlishness. _I need to take a leaf out of Donna's book and stop being such a walking cliché. _

Jackie anticipated Seth's call for the next couple of days but it never came. Recalling her excitement at meeting the good looking musician in the coffee shop, she had to admit she was disappointed- it'd been so long since she'd had any sort of genuine male attention and here, again, was another let down. She had actually been looking forward to the idea of going on a date but it didn't seem to be materialising; by that Friday, Seth was most definitely outside the limits of the conventional time in which you could call a girl after she gave you her number. _Expect to hear from me, my ass! _In truth, it was just over a week until Groove's opening and Jackie was painfully aware that once again she would be attending by herself. She'd actually hoped she'd be able to ask Seth, if only to distract her from Steven. Was that using? Jackie didn't know, but she tried not to care now either.

Donna was far more excited about Hyde being in town than Jackie. As the pair sat over drinks that evening, the redhead leaned across to Jackie.

"Hyde seemed keen to have you at Grooves' opening." She pointed out.

"I think he just wants as many people as possible there." Jackie retorted, stirring her cocktail and trying to appear supremely disinterested. Donna was not fooled.

"He made a point of mentioning this opening to you how many times? I mean, at the wedding, then he called you…" And of course via Laurie, but Jackie hadn't exactly told Donna about that part, other than the fact Hyde was giving her a job.

"Donna, Steven and I are friends now. It's not unusual to want your friends at the big opening of one of your new stores." Jackie looked pointedly over at Donna, "If Eric can want you at his wedding then Steven can ask me to go to his opening."

"Eric was different. We've known each other since we were kids." Donna answered, though she now looked uncomfortable. Jackie hadn't been able to get much more than two words out of Donna on this subject since the wedding and being in a particularly defensive mood at that moment decided to pressure her friend.

"Steven and I have still known each other for years- but then again, like you said before, it's not like we were ever going to get married like you and Eric." Donna winced, but looked over at the small brunette.

"Alright, point taken." Jackie instantly felt guilty.

"Sorry, Donna. I don't know why I'm being such a bitch." Donna smiled forgivingly over at her and there was a calm moment between the two women. Jackie sipped her drink and Donna glanced around the quiet bar they were drinking in; there weren't many other patrons in this place, but soft piano music played in the background and everything was shiny or covered in velvet- very much Jackie's choice of venue, but Donna liked this place too. You could actually have a conversation in here.

"Jackie, I know this is kind of crossing a line, but… you're really defensive when it comes to Hyde." Donna said finally, after several moments of hesitation. Jackie blinked.

"What?"

"I mean… don't take this the wrong way, but any time I even remotely suggest that he might still have even the slightest feeling for you, you shut down on me and get all… _Jackie _about it, you know? I mean, if you didn't care about him you wouldn't do that." Jackie's eyebrows rose so high that they disappeared under her shiny locks of brown hair.

"Pot, this is kettle: you're black." Donna looked bemused, "Donna, you do the same exact thing with Eric. Like, you claim to still be friends and I know you guys write to each other but you act really weird for someone who is supposedly happy for him that he's gotten married." The redhead thought about this for a moment, trying to marshal counter-arguments, but Jackie knew she had her. Finally, Donna sighed:

"Fine. I guess I do get weird when it comes to Eric… but I _do_ really wish him well. He's a good guy… I just… I suppose I always envisioned myself as the one of us who would… I guess… win. You know? Like, I'd be the first to get married and _he'd_ have to be there to watch me. But then I feel terrible for even thinking about it that way because it's awful!" Jackie hadn't expected Donna to open up so quickly about this given that she'd been tight lipped for so long before now, but she seized on the subject anyway, glad to divert the subject away from Steven.

"Donna, that's perfectly normal. I felt the same way when Brooke had Betsey. Eric was your first love, that'll never go away." She'd expected this to cheer Donna up but instead the redhead looked, if anything, even worse. "What?" Jackie demanded, grabbing her friends arm. "Something happened, didn't it?" She said excitedly.

Donna sighed and closed her eyes as if willing the world to disappear.

"He kissed me." The redhead basically whispered. Jackie stared. "After you left with Casey at the wedding… I mean, he was kind of drunk by this time but… he dragged me outside for air and started talking about old times and remembering the first time, and how I had to kiss him… and then… well it just happened."

"He kissed you on the night of his wedding to another woman." Jackie summarised, shocked that Eric Foreman of all people would do something like that.

"Don't say it like that, Jackie!" Donna's voice cracked, looking around as if scared that Cassie was going to jump out from behind one of the many black velvet-covered couches.

"Well… then what?" Jackie prompted, when Donna didn't say anything else.

"Huh?"

"I mean… how did you feel? About Eric, I mean." Donna sighed.

"I felt… I felt like I did all those years ago. Like, it felt so right. All the feelings came rushing back, about how I never stopped loving him, all of it…. And then he jumped away from me like I electrocuted him and apologised and hurried away. Then a while later I saw him dancing with his bride like nothing happened- and it didn't, nothing happened. Not for _him_."

Jackie was still staring at her best friend, stunned at these events. Donna had given no hint of anything like this even happening, much less that it'd left any kind of imprint on her emotions. Jackie had just assumed she was hung up on the fact Eric got married first- just as she'd originally said.

"Oh, Donna…" Jackie sighed, "I'm so sorry I wasn't there."

"That's just it… I should've been mad at you for leaving with Casey, but I was glad because it gave me something else to think about." Jackie nodded, understanding that all too well- that was exactly what she was doing right that moment, thinking about Eric and Donna instead of herself and Steven or the fact Seth never called. "I just feel so stupid, because what's the point? Eric's married now. There's nothing I can do."

"Yeah…" Jackie certainly couldn't think of a way to solve this scenario, and she usually had an answer for everything.

"But that's why I keep talking about you and Hyde- because I know you, Jackie. I know for a fact it was the same for you- for both of you. And you're both single, you have nothing to lose!" Jackie stared at her friend, feeling the blood drain out of her face.

"Donna, please."

"You clearly both have feelings for each other." Jackie slammed her empty glass down and stood up decisively.

"I'm going to the bar, do you want another drink?" She was nowhere near ready to have this conversation.

**A/N: Thanks for being so patient with this update, and thank you ever so much to all the lovely people who reviewed, especially Justin for kindly leaving your name so I can actually shout you out for being so kind **

**I want to just address something which has come up: I am all for constructive feedback and telling me what you think, but reviews which are like 'I like it but can you please change huge chunks of the plot'… I mean, come on guys. I appreciate that this is my first That 70s Show fanfiction but trust me, there is a reason to every single part of my plotlines, every characterisation and every relationship. I understand people wanted more Eric and Donna, and I hear you and am certainly going to give it- this chapter was already long in the works, for example. But telling me what I 'should' be writing or asking me to cut something out- you could write your own story you know? No offence, but it's not like I'm making money for writing this so unless you have actual genuine advice it seems kind of superfluous to a) read this and b) review if all you want to do is tell me I should be writing a totally different fic. Whatever floats your boat and all that, but when I plead for reviews I don't mean that this is going to be a choose-your-own-ending deal. I will take suggestions for how to write better or like has been asked, more of another pairing that is actually in the story already or less if it's overload. If you think it sucks, fine, let me know how terrible I am. But complaining about the plotline seems like a waste of time to me- reading this is, after all, optional. Sorry for the rant but I really wanted to clear this up in case anyone is in doubt **


	9. Evasion

**Chapter Nine: Evasion**

"You can't evade the subject forever." Donna stated once Jackie had sat down once again at their table.

"I really don't want to talk about it, Donna."

"But Jackie, you're going to see him in less than a week- don't you want to at least figure out how you feel before then?" Jackie fixed her friend with a dark look.

"Donna, there's nothing to figure out." Jackie had regained some of her resolve whilst waiting for the bartender to serve her their cocktails, but Donna wasn't fooled. Jackie also knew her friend wasn't fooled, and so instead added, "Donna, can you please just drop it?" Her tone was a little pleading, admittedly. The redhead fixed her with a stoical look.

"Okay, fine. But after Saturday, we're _going_ to talk about this." Jackie sighed at the compromise:

"Alright, fine." As alcohol hadn't been her friend lately, Jackie decided to call time on their night after that drink, noting that she was already becoming far louder and more talkative- not a good thing when your best friend is trying to get you to talk about something you're trying to keep as deeply buried as possible.

It was still quite late by the time she reached her apartment though- after 11pm. She was considering having a late night bath and midnight snack before sleeping as she walked up the stairs (the elevator had broken down- again) so she was taken completely by surprise when she arrived on her floor to find somebody sat on the floor, leaning against her door, looking incredibly bored.

"There you are!" The guy jumped up in relief when he saw her, a smile spreading across his handsome face. "I've been waiting for ages."

"Seth?" Jackie asked in shock, staring at him. His green eyes sparkled. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you."

"You didn't _call_ first." Jackie emphasised the word 'call', though failed to sound as catty as she wanted to- it was something about his dimples when he smiled at her.

"I know, and I'm sorry. I was really busy and I thought I left it too late by the time I could."

"So you just decided to show up? How did you know where I live?" Jackie added. Seth actually pinkened.

"Well, I did call earlier but I guess you'd already left- and your answering machine- I don't even know many people who even have those- it gave your work number…" Seth looked even more embarrassed now that he'd arrived at this part of the story. Jackie crossed her arms, trying not to look too amused. "I got through to a security guard and I kind of… erm… harassed him until he gave me your address."

"So you were really eager to see me, huh?" She asked, with an eyebrow raised.

"I can leave if- if you want." Jackie considered telling him that he could walk away right now, but something about his big green eyes stopped her. _I might be a fool but he's too cute!_

"I'll forgive you this time," She said loftily, "If you'll make me a coffee." Seth grinned in relief.

"Sure."

Pretty soon, Jackie found herself sat on the couch with him, having kicked off her heels, and they were talking quite easily. Jackie even told him about Laurie and the fact she was being given a shot at working for Grooves. When she mentioned the record store, Seth got excited:

"Wait- you know the guy who owns Grooves?" He asked. "I love that place! There was one back in Madison." Madison was where he came from originally, Jackie had earlier discovered.

"Yeah I know him." Jackie replied vaguely. "Actually, their opening is on Halloween…"

"I was gonna ask if you had plans for Halloween." Seth interrupted a little shyly, peering at her. Jackie's stomach fluttered whenever he looked at her. _Steven never did this to me. _Making a decision, Jackie flicked her dark hair out of her face and leaned across the couch to tap her fingers lightly on his arm.

"Did you want to come to the Grooves opening with me?" She smouldered in his direction. Seth visibly took a breath, and Jackie suppressed a smirk of satisfaction: _I still have it. _

"If you wouldn't mind," Seth replied, coyly covering her fingers with his own larger hand. Jackie could feel the callouses on his fingers from playing guitar. As she was leaning in, she whispered:

"I wouldn't mind at all." A beautiful moment, Jackie thought proudly. The rest of her worries were the furthest from her mind they'd been in age. But then, their lips connected and she was for a moment thrown bodily backwards in time back to another kiss on another couch.

"Sorry." Seth said, embarrassed. Jackie had jumped back from him as if she'd been scalded. "I didn't mean to…"

"No!" Jackie cried, angry with herself and hating Donna in that moment for making her think about Steven. Catching herself, Jackie restated, "No, I just- I was nervous."

"Oh." Seth smiled, looking more than a little relieved. _God, he is so cute._

He reached up and moved her hair out of her face again, stroking across it's silky service before coming to rest at the back of her neck, pulling her in once more for a kiss. His lips on hers were gentle and warm and this time Jackie allowed herself to get swept away by it. Her small hand made its' way up to his cheek, stroking it gently, while the other entwined with his between them. It was the sweetest kiss Jackie had had in a long time and she didn't want it to end- but Seth broke it kindly, punctuating it with another small peck on the lips.

"I'll pick you up on Saturday. I'll be sure to call you this time." He added quietly, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb before letting it go and getting to his feet. Jackie stood up a little slower, slightly dazed. Was this real? Had she pulled off the impossible and managed to secure a date for Grooves' opening? "See you, Jackie." Seth said stopping in the open doorway.

"Bye…." He kissed her again. Jackie sighed, her back hitting the doorframe. There was no rush to these kisses, no expectation. Seth broke away from her again and chuckled.

"I should go."

"I disagree." Jackie replied, then cringed when she realised the implication. He gave her a wicked grin.

"So do I. Goodnight, Jackie."

"Goodnight Seth."

After she closed the door behind him, she waited for a minute to be safe before squealing and jumping up and down on the spot.

The week seemed to flash by in a flurry of excitement and nerves. Seth confirmed with Jackie by calling on Wednesday and in the late afternoon of the day of truth, she could be found standing in front of her full-length mirror dressed as a vampire in full goth gear- long black dress with sweeping sleeves, a cape, pale make up combined with purple lipstick and a few artful rips in her fishnet tights. All in all, she knew she couldn't look any hotter- a double result given that she'd be in the presence of two ex-boyfriend's and her current date.

Donna had not been best pleased when Jackie informed her Seth would be coming to the Grooves opening. She seemed to think Jackie was using him. However, when the day finally arrived, Jackie wasn't thinking about Donna. Seth was standing on the threshold of her apartment, holding an unusual bunch of flowers- their petals were a very dark purple, almost black. He handed these to Jackie with a sweet smile:

"Happy Halloween." He said, a little shyly. Jackie squealed and hurried inside.

"Come on, I'll put them in water! What are they?"

"Black Dahlia's." Seth replied, watching as Jackie filled up a glass vase with water at the kitchen sink and arranged the flowers inside. She placed them beside the kitchen window so they'd get some light. They looked mysterious.

"Thank you, they're lovely." Jackie smiled at him.

"So are you." He responded, then cringed at his own corniness. Jackie giggled, taking him in. They'd unintentionally matched their outfits. Seth was wearing a long cape with tight black jeans and a dark red silk shirt. Peering through his bangs, he looked as enigmatic as the flowers he'd given her.

"Shall we get going, then?" Jackie asked.

It was only a short walk from her apartment down to Grooves of around ten minutes. On the way, the initial awkwardness between them vanished as they chatted about previous Halloweens. The previous year, Seth had attended a party on a rooftop and was halfway through a funny story involving a bowl of punch and a girl dressed as a block of cheese when Jackie found herself standing outside the new Grooves store.

When the Point Place Grooves had opened, they'd ended up using milk crates to hold records as they hadn't ordered display boxes. As the individual character of each store in the chain had proven successful, the theme had continued, with each Grooves store being decorated slightly differently. The new Chicago store had some sort of psychedelic theme going on, though it was also made up to suit the holiday, with everything hung with artificial cobwebs and dead flowers alike, giving it a dead flower power, almost Altamont atmosphere. Jackie led the way in, taking Seth's hand without realising at first. He squeezed her hand, no longer talking, and she felt a little stronger for some reason.

Angie was stood right inside the door when Jackie entered, holding a tray with a few glasses of champagne on.

"Hi, Jackie! It's good to see you again." She smiled. Jackie took a glass for herself and one for Seth.

"Thanks Angie, how's it going?"

"It's just getting started, feel free to have a look around- I think I saw Kelso somewhere." She added. Jackie nodded, looking around to ask Seth whether there was anything he particularly wanted to check out, when Angie finally noticed Jackie wasn't alone. "Oh my God, sorry, that was rude of me! Hi, I'm Angie Barnett, co-director of Grooves." She held out a hand and Seth shook it politely.

"Hi, I'm Seth. It's nice to meet you."

"Do I know you from somewhere?" Angie frowned, and Seth glanced around.

"Erm, no, I don't think so." He replied. _Oh my god, what if they've dated? That'd be the worst!_

"Oh, right, you just have one of those faces I suppose. Still, it's nice to meet you too!" She moved on then to speak to somebody else who'd just arrived, leaving Jackie to look questioningly at Seth.

"Whatever." He shrugged quirkily, making Jackie laugh in spite of herself. What was she panicking for? "This place looks cool, how I remember record stores looking as a kid, you know?"

"Yeah, I like it." Jackie agreed. It reminded her forcibly of Leo.

"I could always spend hours in the record store just looking at everything… I'd buy everything you know, with my allowance, right out the bargain bin. I just wanted to listen to whatever I could lay my hands on. Nothing much has changed really." He was running his hand along a row of records right then, feeling the dent where the vinyl beneath stood out against the cardboard. Jackie smiled at the passion in his voice, but then they were interrupted.

"Jackie, you made it!" It was Laurie, engulfing Jackie immediately in a lot of blonde hair.

"Hi Laurie, how are you?"

"I'm good, listen, Hyde told me to tell him when you got here." Laurie said immediately, talking very quickly. "He seemed really excited that you were coming, I think he wants to talk to you about- oh!" Jackie had stamped on Laurie's foot. The latter immediately stopped talking, and followed Jackie's pointed look in Seth's direction. He turned to smile in greeting at Laurie. When the blonde saw his face, a strange expression crossed it- almost one of shock. He widened his eyes a little at her, a fact Jackie did not miss, but Laurie merely turned away from him and looked back at Jackie.

"Come on Jackie, we need to go find Hyde." She said.

"Alright, Seth-"

"No, no, you wait here, we'll only be a minute." Before either Jackie or Seth could say anything more, Laurie had seized Jackie's hand and was dragging her away. _What the hell is up with her?_

"Laurie, what-?"

"You'll see, wait a minute. Hyde!" And there he was, suddenly right in front of them, looking as cool as ever with his curls and shades. Jackie felt the familiar flutter in her stomach when Steven smiled at her.

"You made it- great!"

"Hey Jackie!" Jackie hadn't even noticed Hyde had been talking to Kelso, but she gave a small wave to her other ex-boyfriend (oh what a mess this was).

"Yeah, I made it." Jackie replied awkwardly. Hyde opened his mouth to speak but Laurie swiftly interrupted.

"And she bought a date with her!" There was something very pointed about her tone that once again made Jackie frown questioningly at Laurie, but the latter gave nothing more away. Hyde's face changed a little, but it was hardly noticeable.

"Oh right. Do we get to meet this guy?"

"Um," With every second that went by, Jackie was thinking more and more that it had been a terrible idea to bring Seth here- or to have come at all. It was Halloween, there were plenty of other places she could have been, with plenty of other people. But no, she chose to come where Steven would be. "Sure."

"We left him talking to somebody though, I'm sure you'll come across him later on." Laurie said quickly. Now Hyde looked just as suspicious of Laurie as Jackie felt. What was her game? "I know you wanted to say hi, Hyde." And again, Laurie was wheeling Jackie away from Hyde and Kelso before anything more could be said.

"Laurie!" Jackie wrenched her hand out of Laurie's grip this time and stood still, forcing Laurie to turn around and look at her. The brunette folded her arms in an indignant gesture. "What the _hell_ is going on?"

"Jackie… how do you know him? Seth?" This was not the direction Jackie had expected this conversation to go in. Her eyebrows rose in surprise.

"We- we met in a coffee shop. Why?"

"And he- did he tell you what he does?" Laurie questioned uncertainly.

"Sure- he's a musician." Jackie shrugged, nonplussed. Laurie sighed.

"Jackie, _look_." And Laurie pointed in Seth's direction, where Jackie was surprised to see half the party surrounding him, girls and boys alike, offering him records and magazines to sign. Jackie frowned. "He's not just any musician- he's the guitarist from Steel Angels." The name rang a bell, for sure; they were an up and coming rock band that everybody seemed to be talking about, which straddled the line between hair metal and contemporary rock. Jackie wouldn't have known their members or even their music from a hole in the ground, of course, but shock pulsed through her as she realised she was probably the only one who wouldn't know who he was. Hyde definitely would, that's for sure. _Why didn't he tell me?"_

"Is that your date?" Kelso's awe-filled voice asked from just behind her. "Jackie's dating a band again!"

"N-not the band, Michael. Just him." Jackie replied emptily.

"Nice endorsement for Grooves." Hyde was there too now. Although his words suggested he was happy, there was something eerily cold about his voice that Jackie had never heard before. Jackie turned to say something- what, she wasn't sure- but Hyde was already walking away, moving to mingle with other guests. Instead, her confused gaze fell on Laurie again.

"You really had no idea?" She asked the brunette quietly. Jackie shook her head.

"None."

**A/N: Alright alright, sorry again for the ridiculous wait. This fic is ****back on**** people, keep an eye out, and please leave me a review!**


	10. Really and Truly

**Chapter Ten: Really and Truly**

_Something's happening, happening to me_

_My friends say I'm acting peculiarly _

_Come on baby, we better make a start_

_You better make it soon before you break my heart_

"Jackie." They were in the corner of Grooves half an hour, once Jackie had been able to convey how annoyed she was. Now, Seth was pleading with her to listen: "I didn't tell you because I didn't want to complicate things! You have no idea how nice it is having a girl who likes you and not your fame!"

"Yeah, because you must get all the girls, Mr Famous." Jackie wasn't even sure why she was being so _Jackie _about this. Really, she understood why Seth hadn't told her and actually kind of appreciated it- but she wished she could have known before she brought him to a party with her friends and exes.

"Are you really mad?" Seth's green eyes looked wide and worried. Jackie stared him down for a minute, trying to feel angry but failing. Finally, she sighed:

"No, but nobody is going to believe I had no idea." She answered sullenly.

"It doesn't matter, does it? What other people think?" He looked genuinely worried and Jackie felt the last of her annoyance dissipate. _He's just too sweet to stay mad at!_

"I guess not…" Steven had ignored her completely since he'd seen who she was with. She supposed it was preferable to having to try and converse normally with him, but she couldn't help that it bothered her a little. Laurie had never told her what Steven had been planning to speak to her about, but she'd known it wasn't for Seth's ears anyway. "But I would have found out eventually, one way or the other."

"I know, but I wanted it to be after enough time that you wouldn't care. " Seth said pleadingly. Why was it so hard for her to stay mad at him? _I can still build up a head of steam about Steven over nothing and go on for hours, what happened the night before Eric's wedding is proof of that._

"Well, Laurie blew your cover." Jackie said out loud.

"Look, coming here was probably a bad idea." Seth cast his eyes around the place. He was still getting double takes by almost everybody in the store. "I guess I'm still not really used to not being able to go places and do normal things." Jackie strangely found herself thinking back to herself just a few years ago- she'd have been overjoyed to find herself dating somebody famous, even he hadn't reached megastar status yet. Now, although it was kind of exciting, her mind was playing over the practicalities of the matter- like, for example, the fact their date was now effectively ruined.

"I don't know why I thought it'd be a good idea," Jackie sighed, "I'm sorry." Seth smiled softly and stepped forward to kiss her on the cheek.

"I'll call you, Jackie. I still want to spend time with you." She felt the heat rising in her neck.

"Bye." She squeaked, watching as Seth departed in a distracted sort of way. It took her a moment or two to come back to Earth and when she blinked she found both Michael and Fez standing in front of her. "Oh, you made it." She noted to the latter.

"Yes, but the traffic was terrible so I'm a little late. Was that Seth Carmichael?" Their foreign friend added, looking with interest towards the door Seth had just departed through.

"Aw, even Fez knows who he is!" Jackie moaned, closing her eyes in horror at her own ignorance. Michael laughed.

"Hyde is pissed." He informed her cheerfully, "He started muttering to himself and then stomped off to change the music. Nice burn."

"Burn?" Jackie repeated, frowning, "What burn?"

"Oh come on, Jackie. You are dating the guy Hyde could've been if he hadn't been born to a broken home in a crappy Wisconsin town!" Fez pointed out, with much emphasis, "That's gotta sting, especially when he was hoping-" Kelso, not usually the king of subtlety, elbowed Fez hard in the side. "Ai!"

"How's Pam Macy?" Jackie lashed out meanly, as she always did when she felt defensive. Fez just shook his head and walked away in the direction of Hyde, who was talking to Angie. "I'm gonna get out of here." Jackie told Michael.

"Already? Donna isn't even here yet." He reminded her.

"Yeah, but I see Donna all the time. Bye Michael." Jackie didn't speak to anybody else before she left the party, not even to say goodbye, but she thought she could feel Hyde's eyes on the back of her head as she walked away. What the hell had she been thinking, coming to this stupid party, let alone with a date?

"_You are dating the guy Hyde could've been"_

Jackie's reverie that night was broken by a pounding at her door. She'd been staring at the TV, reliving the mortification of the Grooves party over and over again and was startled at the racket. It was late, almost eleven, and for a second she was excited that it might be another late night visit from Seth, but something told her that he would've called first. She wondered if she'd really ever see Seth again as she made her way to the door. _You've probably completely screwed that one up, Jackie- it wouldn't be the first time._

When she opened the door however, she found Donna, Michael, Fez, Laurie, Angie and Steven standing there. Jackie blinked at them all in surprise, especially at the latter.

"We noticed you took off early so we wanted to make sure you were okay." Angie explained when nobody spoke.

"Oh. Well. I am." There was a long, awkward pause. "Come in."

They all crowded onto her couch, and for a moment Jackie was transported back to another couch in another room. Steven even took the armchair rather than the sofa, separating himself slightly as ever from the rest of the group. Jackie stood awkwardly as they all looked up at her.

"Do you guys want, erm, coffee or-?" She offered. There was a general murmur of assent and Jackie went through to the kitchen looking a little ruffled by procedings. She could hear quietly murmured conversation as she set about making coffee, but she couldn't hear exactly what they were saying. She almost jumped out of her skin when she turned towards the fridge to get the milk and found Steven standing in the doorframe.

"Hey, Jackie." He said. His shades were on and his voice was subdued.

"Hi, Steven." She responded, frozen to the spot for a moment. He watched her silently and she jolted herself back into action suddenly, scrabbling for words to fill the awkward silence. "So the opening went well…"

"Yeah, we even got some press attention because news of our famous guest got out." He added sarcastically. Jackie had her back to him now but he didn't miss her cringe. "Look, Jackie, I just wish you'd told me."

"I didn't know he was in Steel Angels." She said.

"Really?" He asked sceptically, which piqued her temper enough to make her spin around to face him, hands on her hips.

"_Really!"_ He stared her down for a minute but then the corner of his mouth twitched upwards into a smile.

"Okay. I'm sorry." Steven said, and removed his shades. "I didn't mean to give you a hard time."

"It's fine…" Jackie mumbled, feeling once again like a deer trapped in the headlights when she was fixed with his blue eyed gaze. She turned back to continue with the coffee.

"Anyway, everyone figured it'd be cool to hang out. I know Forman's not here but everyone else is. And I kind of wanted to ask you a favour, while I'm at it." Hyde added, leaning suddenly quite close beside her at the counter. "Keep an eye on Laurie, please. I won't be in Chicago for much longer and she's doing really well- you're the only friend she has that isn't the kind of person she needs to stay the hell away from."

"It's sweet you're looking out for Laurie, Steven. Of course I will." Jackie replied solemnly, finally meeting his eyes.

"We might not always have gotten on but she is kind of my sister, just as much as Angie." He replied. Jackie smiled. "Thanks, grasshopper." He said, brushing his lips lightly against her cheek before going back to rejoin the group. Jackie followed soon after, though her heart was fluttering like crazy.

**A/N: Thanks for reading and to everyone who reviewed, thank you once again! Please let me know what you think of this chapter, I spent a lot of time trying to get it all right even if it isn't so long! P.S. The lyrics at the beginning are from 'Everywhere' by Fleetwood Mac and I don't own them in any sense of the word.**


	11. The City of Angels

**Chapter Eleven: The City of Angels**

Monday came with its usual bleak swiftness. Jackie could be found sitting at her desk proofreading, though in reality she was still running over the recent events in her life. Eric's wedding seemed like forever ago already, and then everything that had followed with Laurie's rehab, Donna's moment with Eric, Seth and the entire mess surrounding herself and Steven had all happened in rapid succession. She turned a page idly over, highlighting a paragraph in neon green. Although she liked her job, sometimes she didn't feel like it occupied her mind enough anymore. _I actually wish this was a hard job. _

Eloise, a secretary, came rushing up to her desk quite unexpectedly.

"Jackie, you have a call at the front desk."

"Who from?" Jackie asked curiously.

"He didn't say." Frowning, Jackie followed Eloise to the front, where she picked up the waiting receiver.

"Hello?"

"Jackie?" Her heart jumped into her mouth at the sound of Seth's voice. In spite of herself, Jackie felt herself smiling. "Hi, it's me."

"How are you?" She asked, her finger automatically curling through the phone cord.

"I'm great. Um, listen, the reason I'm calling is because I'm about to leave for LA." He explained, sounding hurried. Jackie's mouth opened.

"What?"

"It was kind of unexpected but we got some studio time out there and we have to leave now. I'll be out there for a few weeks." Eloise was watching Jackie, so she turned away to hide her facial expression and leant back against the desk, facing outwards towards the doors.

"Oh… Well… Have fun, I guess." Even to her own ears, her voice sounded disheartened. She still hadn't quite swallowed the fact Seth was famous, let alone begun to think about the fact he'd probably spend a lot of time away from Chicago. There was recording, and touring, and promotion… This was probably going to happen a lot.

"I will… when you're with me." She recognised the slightly shy, nervous tone to his voice even down the line and could picture his green eyes cast downwards as he peered at her through his eyelashes. _Even the thought of those eyes flusters me, God Jackie, get a grip!_

"What?" She breathed, more excitedly than the last time she'd asked the same question.

"Come out to LA Jackie. I'd love for you to be there, I can show you the city… have you ever been to California?" He added. She hadn't, but many moons ago Donna had, and Michael, when they'd run away from Point Place one summer to stay with Midge. As long ago as Eric's wedding seemed, that summer seemed like only yesterday. It had been then she'd finally gotten together with Steven.

"No… And I don't know if I can, I mean, what about work?" Oh, she_ wanted_ to go, she wanted to go really badly. But she had to try and keep her head screwed on.

"Can't you take off some holiday time, I don't know, next week? You could fly out this weekend. I'll pay." He added, slightly pleadingly. She smiled at the tone of voice but protested:

"I suppose it _is_ doable… but I'll pay for my own flight." Once upon a time, Jackie Burkhart would have loved to be dating a rich and famous guy who could fly her out to interesting and glamorous places but she was older now and didn't want to appear to be cashing in on his celebrity in any way.

"If you're sure… I really would love for you to come." Seth added shyly. Jackie's smile widened.

"Call me at home when you get there and tell me the details." She said, before saying goodbye and hanging up. She paused for a long moment, smiling to herself, before jumping up into the air and squealing. Eloise stared at her like she was crazy until Jackie explained: "I'm going to Los Angeles!"

Her explanation for her happiness was no different when she saw Donna that same night. She'd gone round to the redhead's apartment for dinner.

"Just like that?" Donna asked, stunned.

"Yeah, my boss okayed me because I never use up my vacation time!" Jackie was grinning from ear-to-ear, still unable to believe her luck and already internally planning her shopping spree in preparation. Although Donna was happy for her friend, she couldn't hide the concern in her face as she bit her lip. Jackie frowned, but Donna jumped in before Jackie could demand anything: 

"This is great news, Jackie!" She hugged her friend, wiping all traces of worry from her voice. There was no use telling Jackie how quickly this was all moving. Jackie already knew. _This could be a total disaster and then I'll be stranded the other side of the country. _But it was also the most romantic thing anybody had ever done for her. For some reason her mind flashed back to Eric's wedding, when Casey had led her out onto the porch at the reception. The lights had seemed bright to her and she felt entranced for a minute; was the same thing happening with Seth? She put the thought out of her mind quickly.

The rest of the week seemed to drag by. Seth mailed her plane ticket and so all she had to do was board on Friday evening. She was leaving work early to go home and grab her suitcase before heading to the airport, but as she checked her answering machine for the last time before departing, she was surprised to hear the beep announcing that she had a message. Jackie impatiently tapped her foot as she waited for it to play, looking at her watch. She supposed it'd just be Laurie or Donna wishing her a safe journey. How wrong she was.

"Jackie, darling, it's your father. I have sent you multiple visiting orders which you've ignored. I need you to come and visit me as soon as possible." _I can't take another drama right now. I just can't. _Jackie ground her teeth as she deleted the message. She hadn't visited her father in prison for years. He'd spoilt her, growing up, but he'd never been there for her and when he went to jail her whole world had fallen apart. She had stopped missing his money when she started making her own way back when she was a Cheese Maiden. She wrote him letters sometimes, just to make sure he was alive, but she had nothing left to say to the man. _Trust one of my parents to put a downer on my trip to LA. _

As soon as she arrived at the airport, however, her mood vanished. When she took her seat on the plane and fastened her seatbelt for take-off, a sense of elation once again filled her: she was heading to the sun, and more importantly, to Seth! Her father didn't enter her mind once on that flight, and neither did Steven (much). However, when the captain announced they'd be landing in thirty minutes, Jackie did start to get nervous: what if this was some horrible joke and Seth was going to stand her up at the airport after flying all the way out here?

Indeed, when she got off the plane she didn't see him. As she watched the carousel despondently, waiting for her luggage to come through, she jumped out of her skin when something tapped her on the shoulder. It was Seth of course.

"You made it!" He smiled his sweet smile at her, clearly pleased.

"I did!" They embraced and he handed her a single red rose which he'd been holding behind his back. "Oh, it's lovely." She smiled happily. "And there's my bag!" Seth pushed her hand aside and grabbed it, dragging it on its wheels across the shiny airport floor. "I could do that." Jackie protested feebly.

"What am I if not a gentleman?" Seth seemed a little different than usual here- more confident somehow. Maybe it was because of the sun, Jackie mused. She certainly felt even more cheerful when it's bright yellow rays touched her skin when they stepped outside. Even though it was almost winter it was still pleasantly warm in California. Jackie did not miss Illinois in that moment, much less Wisconsin and its harsh winters. Seth had a hire car waiting, which he opened the passenger door for her once he'd stowed her suitcase in the truck.

"Nice. Is this the Mustang?" Jackie questioned admiringly as Seth started the engine. He grinned.

"Yeah, it's the GT 5.0. The record company want to give off a certain vibe." He explained, with an eye roll.

"I wouldn't complain if I was you." Jackie smiled, looking out the window at the freeway now flashing past. Even the sky seemed a purer blue in the west.

"I have no reason to complain now you're here." Seth said quietly, looking coy.

"Oh you know how to charm me." Jackie giggled. He gave her a flash of his green eyes that made her blush.

"I hope so." The rest of the drive was amiable, with easy conversation passing between them. It wasn't too long before, with the sun setting in the background, Seth was parking. Jackie blinked dazedly at her new surroundings as she got out of the car. Seth handed the keys over to the valet and handed Jackie her suitcase. Jackie was staring up at the beautiful white building surrounded by green.

"I don't know if you've ever seen this place before, but it's the-" He was cut off by Jackie flinging her arms around his neck and kissing him. When she let him go again, Seth looking slightly dizzy, Jackie finished his sentence for him:

"-Chateau Marmont!" She squeaked excitedly.

**A/N: I know this is another kind of short one but it was more of a moving the story along kind of chapter than anything. Thanks so much to everybody who reviewed the last chapter! It wouldn't let me thank anyone individually because the site seemed to glitch out on reviews for me lately for some reason, but please don't think you're going unthanked! I'm as grateful as ever and would love if you dropped me more feedback **


	12. Living The Dream

** Chapter Twelve: Living the Dream**

This was the life Jackie had always dreamed she'd live. Their hotel room wasn't just a room- it was a suite. She entered into a lavish living room with a bouncy shag pile carpet and comfy seats everywhere. She squealed on entry and Seth laughed. He deposited her bags by the door and closed the door.

"You like it?" He asked with a smile.

"This. Is. SO COOL!" Jackie cried happily, flopping down onto the plush sofa.

"Yeah it's not bad," Seth admitted slightly abashed, "You haven't seen the rest though." Jackie allowed him to pull her to her feet and steer her towards another door. He turned the handle of the door and stepped back to allow Jackie to enter first.

The Californian sun came through wide windows, streaming across the biggest and most comfortable looking bed Jackie had ever seen. The sheets matched the rest of the décor, neutral and classy colours, and a single candle burned on the bedside table, filling the room with a light floral scent. Jackie gasped.  
"Welcome to L.A." Seth whispered in her ear, and Jackie turned. Their lips met and for a while Jackie was lost in the embrace. Seth lowered her to the bed and she was just starting to enjoy the attention he was giving her when the phone started to ring. Jackie and Seth broke apart for a moment but then went back to business, kissing, until the ringing started to drive Jackie crazy and she pushed him away.

"You should get that," She told him. He sighed and rolled across the bed to where the phone sat on the bedside table.

"Hello?" Seth listened for a minute and Jackie watched as his expression became annoyed. "I'll be right there." He put the phone down irritably and looked at Jackie with regret. "Something's come up. I have to head down to the studio to sort out this problem with the sound guy."

"Can't it wait?" Jackie asked with disappointment. He bit his lip.

"I wish it could." Jackie sighed, realising she didn't have a leg to stand on. "I won't be long, I promise." He leant over and kissed her and Jackie smiled, seeing that his disappointment was sincere. Seth departed, leaving her alone in the big lavish room. She explored everything, from the fancy light fittings to the big TV to the view of LA they were afforded out of the window. She had read enough to understand that Steel Angels were rising very fast, but she thought that they probably wouldn't be housed in such an expensive hotel if it wasn't to give off a certain image. Keeping up appearances was important in Los Angeles, everybody knew that. Looking over the big, sunshine city, Jackie felt like a real small town hick. She'd lived in Chicago for long enough to be used to cities but right then she felt small and insignificant, just like a girl from a two horse town in Wisconsin was_ supposed _to feel in places like this. To cheer herself up, she called Laurie.

"Hey Jackie! How do you like LA?" Laurie asked happily once she realised who it was.

"I love it, it's beautiful," Jackie answered truthfully.

"Where are you staying?"

"The Chateau Marmont!" Jackie squealed, "He's so romantic, he gave me a rose when I landed and everything."

"Oh I'm so happy for you Jackie," Laurie congratulated, "So, where is Seth right now?"

"He had to go down to the studio to figure something out. He won't be gone for long," Jackie added. Laurie took a moment to respond and that pause gave Jackie a sudden uncomfortable feeling in her stomach.

"Sure!" Laurie said, but it sounded a little insincere. "So have you seen any famous faces yet? I know a few great bars and clubs you have to hit where you can meet everybody you've ever heard of."

"I've only just got here Laurie but I'd love to hit the bars later on!" Jackie told her, trying to bring back some of her previous excitement to the conversation. "What are you doing?"

"I just finished my shift at the record store. Hyde went back to Kenosha today." The mention of Steven just increased Jackie's unease. She didn't want to think about him while she was out here living the dream with Seth. She hadn't been able to get the image of his face out of her mind- the way he'd looked when he saw her with Seth. Of course, they were supposedly fine now, but somehow Jackie still hated mixing the two concepts together; her ex-boyfriend and her current one. It was plain weird.

"Are you gonna be okay while he's gone?" Jackie asked Laurie, to fill in the gaps.

"I'll be fine," Laurie assured her, "I need to get myself a life soon though or I'm gonna go nuts."

"We'll do something when I get back," Jackie promised. She turned on the TV and ordered room service, setting on some sort of movie. She was content for a while but eventually she began to notice the passage of time; Seth had been gone for hours. _So much for 'I won't be long'_.  
By the time he did reappear, Jackie was in a bad mood. A whole day of her LA break was gone and she'd spent it alone, holed up in a hotel room. She was not impressed to say the least.

"Jackie, I'm so sorry," Seth apologised immediately, "I got held up and then…"

"Whatever," Jackie said emotionlessly, not even looking at him, acting zen. She was going to make him pay for this abandonment.

"Jackie…" Seth sighed, running a hand through his dark hair.

"Yes?" She asked in as disinterested a tone as she could muster. This stumped him, much to her satisfaction. Finally he took the bait, "Look, let me make it up to you. We can go out and get dinner and then maybe go see a band or something?" Jackie smiled, pleased that he was grovelling. She turned the smile onto him, and he looked relieved as they headed out the door hand-in-hand.

The weekend seemed to flash by. Apart from his being called away for band related issues every now and then, Jackie had a lot of fun and enjoyed Seth's company immensely. They managed to hit most of the main tourist spots as well as go to a gig and hang out in the hotel; that they did _a lot_. When Jackie was on her flight back to Chicago, she had a smile on her face. Seth would be back soon, too, and she couldn't wait to see him again.

Her good mood lasted her all the way home and back to her apartment. She was quite looking forward to crashing in her own bed again, though she was going to miss sharing it with Seth. She'd had mail while she was away, but she didn't look at it, dumping the envelope onto her desk on her way to the bathroom. It was probably just a bill or something of the sort- something that would put a damper on her excellent mood, in order words, and therefore not worth looking at until the morning when she would be returning to real life.

Jackie didn't even look at it when she woke up. She was running late to work from the second she opened her eyes and had to rush down there, flustered. Eloise was smirking evilly at her from behind the desk when she entered the building, obviously jubilant that Jackie was late returning from her time away. Jackie ignored her, knowing that the girl was just jealous, and headed up to her office. Her boss, Simon, was waiting for her.  
"You're late, Miss Burkhart," He stated the obvious.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," She apologised, "I was jetlagged."

"Your vacation is over now Miss Burkhart. Consider this a warning." Jackie watched him walk away back to his own office, seething; she'd never been late before in her life, but he was punishing her for one indiscretion! Her good mood was dissipating very quickly and she found herself fantasising about the fun and sun in California as opposed to the Chicago drizzle that was her reality.

Her day only went from bad to worse; her workload was incredibly high all of a sudden as it was coming up to manuscript deadline time and Simon kept snapping at her for tiny things. Eloise gave her evil looks every time she passed by and then the tape in Jackie's typewriter jammed, leaving her in a mess for a while. This put her even further behind, giving Simon even more of an excuse to tell her off. When the time came to clock out and go home, Jackie ran before anybody could stop her. She had loved her job before she went to LA and had always been able to tolerate Simon's anal qualities as she knew that was what made their office efficient. She'd never paid much mind to Eloise, either, but for some reason that day both of those things were bothering her much more than they ever had before.

Donna was waiting for her in the foyer of the building at the end of the day and made to hug her, but then changed her mind when she saw Jackie's face.  
"Are you okay?" The redhead asked her.

"No. Come on, we're going to find somewhere to drown our sorrows." And so, in the very early evening, Jackie and Donna were sat with a bottle of wine between them. It was an Irish style pub that Jackie had never been in before, but it was open and that was all that mattered to her at that moment as she told Donna about her awful day.  
"Way to kill the spirit," She finished.

"So you haven't even told me what happened in LA," Donna said, changing the subject- probably because she was tired of Jackie's tirade of abuse against her boss and Eloise.

"Oh, LA was great, we went out a lot and hung out at the hotel. It was awesome," Jackie grinned, perking up a little bit.

"Laurie said you called her," Donna mentioned.

"Yeah, I was bored waiting for Seth." Jackie was a little defensive, though she wasn't sure why she should feel that way.

"Did he work a lot while you were there?" Donna asked her.

"Only when he couldn't get out of stuff," Jackie shrugged in reply, "Laurie told me that Steven is back in Kenosha now." Usually Donna would take the bait if Jackie brought Steven up, wanting to launch into questions about her feelings for ex-boyfriend. However, this time the deflection didn't work.

"Jackie, didn't he bring you out there to spend his free weekend with you?"

"Yeah, and he did."

"Apart from when he was dealing with band stuff," Donna added. Jackie glared at her and Donna threw her hands up, "What? Look, I work in radio, I know how all-encompassing a musician's life is. I just want to make sure you're prepared for that… you know, he's gonna be gone a lot. And they don't exactly keep normal, office hours."

"I know that," Jackie snapped, annoyed.

"Okay! I was just trying to look out for you." Donna let the subject go and began to talk about something else, but the seed of discomfort had been sown. Jackie had been happy, or at least she thought she had been, back in LA, with the way things were. But now she was wondering what else she didn't know about rockstars lives and what else she would have to tolerate to be with Seth.

Speaking to Laurie didn't help her feelings much either. The blonde came around a few days later to see her. Jackie noticed that Laurie was already looking a little healthier than she had been and some of her former glow was returning, though she'd never quite be the girl she once was.  
"The bigger they get, the more it becomes that way," Laurie told her, when Jackie admitted her doubts, "Being in a band that's gonna be as big as Steel Angels are… it's not just a job, it's a lifestyle. You have to be able to keep up with it."

"Or?" Jackie asked, not really wanting to know the answer.

"Or you'll be left behind."

"Or maybe Seth will just take me along with him," Jackie suggested optimistically. She didn't believe, with the way he acted around her, that Seth _wanted_ to leave her behind: he had made so much effort so far to bring her along.

"Sure," Laurie agreed, looking like she wanted to believe it as much as Jackie did. Jackie, for her part, decided that only she knew what she and Seth's relationship was going to entail, not anybody else. Something must have shown in her expression though, because Laurie changed the subject, "Hey, why don't I make us some more coffee?" While Laurie bustled about in her kitchen, Jackie remembered the envelope that she had forgotten all about since she got back from LA. She kept moving it around, intending to open it but never quite getting there. At the moment it was sat on the coffee table in front of her, a ring mark staining one corner of it from where she'd set her mug on top of it. She picked it up, considering the post mark on it, when Laurie returned.

"What's that?" The blonde asked her.

"I don't know, I keep forgetting to check," Jackie told her, shrugging as she tore into the envelope, removing the letter inside. She unfolded it and as she read it she could feel the blood draining out of her face. She looked up at Laurie, who frowned questioningly.  
"It's a visiting order," Jackie explained, "From my Dad."

Jackie never visited her father in jail. She had, back when he first got sent there, but over the years her interest had vastly waned. He didn't bother to write to her or call and with her mother having been mostly gone too, Jackie had carved out her own life separate from her parents. As she got older, she had realised that she was not so different from Steven. His parents had abandoned him by walking out on him, but hers had by being there but never having any time for her. They had tried to buy her love with whatever she asked for and all that had resulted was a spoilt brat that hardly anybody liked. Jackie had basically been alone for most of her childhood, and now that she wasn't alone as an adult she felt like she could hardly remember her father.

"Isn't he due out soon?" Laurie asked, taking the letter and glancing over it.

"In a couple of years," Jackie had expected a visiting order closer to that time. Her mother had officially divorced her father in 1980 and had never looked back, making Jackie his next of kin and only family. But she hadn't expected one now.

"Are you going to go?"

"I suppose I have to."

* * *

**A/N: I know it's been literally a zillion years since I updated this story. I'm sorry! I got really bad writers block and then my life got a bit crazy. I just started rewatching That 70s Show though so I felt like I should actually toss you an update. So if anyone is still reading, thank you! I'd love to get some feedback. I promise I won't take so long next time!**


	13. Guilt Trip

**Chapter Thirteen: Guilt Trip  
**

On the drive back to Wisconsin that weekend, Jackie purposely blasted music as loudly as possible to try and block out all her worries. The tape she had in was actually Steven's from years ago- a Led Zeppelin compilation that included all of their more well-known hits. Jackie suddenly found herself experiencing a new level of appreciation for 'The Immigrant Song' as she crossed the border from Illinois, heading home for Point Place.

She was staying with the Forman's while she was in town, something that Kitty was delighted about. As soon as she arrived, Eric's mother was smothering her with hugs while Red helped take her things up to Eric's old room. The bedroom itself was like a time capsule from Eric's teenage years, though Kitty had changed the Spiderman bedsheets. Jackie made a mental note to get rid of all the G.I. Joe's and their beady eyes before she went to sleep that night.

"Steven tells me you're dating a nice boy named Steph?" Kitty asked, as they settled in the living room.

"Seth," Jackie corrected, "And yes, I am."

"Oh, what does he do?"

"He's a musician," Jackie replied, smiling. Kitty clapped her hands excitedly.

"Ooh, a musician!"

"A musician like the type of 'musician' Laurie hangs out with?" Red fixed her with a look that made her smile fade away. She sighed.

"Laurie doesn't hang around with those types of people anymore, Mr Forman," Jackie told him truthfully. Laurie really did seem to have turned over a new leaf now and Jackie could see a big difference in her- she'd made so much progress she was hardly recognisable. Red gave her a look but said no more.

"So you're enjoying life in the big city," Kitty said, "You know, the city was never for me. Don't you ever miss home?" Jackie thought about Point Place; sure, she missed it, because she'd grown up there, but she had made her life in Chicago. That being said, she missed living somewhere smaller and quieter, away from the bustle.

"I don't really have a home here anymore," Jackie pointed out. She'd felt strange passing by her old house on the way here; two little girls had been playing in the front yard, which was a little more overgrown than she remembered, though much more homely and welcoming. It was their home now, not hers.

"You always have a home here, Jackie," Kitty told her, and Jackie smiled gratefully; the Forman's definitely felt like home to her, that was for sure.  
Being back in Point Place, Jackie had made sure to pass on the message to Eric, who was living with Cassie not far from his childhood home. He had been pleased to hear from her and agreed to hang out with her the night before she went to visit her father. They met in the basement, the place they'd spent so much time as teenagers, and Eric brought Cassie with him.

"So your Dad went to jail why?" Cassie asked, kindly, as the three of them sat around on the beaten up couch and seats. The old TV still worked and it was on in the background.

"Fraud," Jackie answered, still feeling shame when she remembered just how much her father had extorted. The whole town had laughed at the Burkhart's after that, as many people had always resented them for being well off. Cassie didn't seem to know what to say, because she made an excuse to leave the room to get something, leaving Jackie alone with Eric. She was about to make some sort of attempt at small talk when he spoke up, taking her by surprise:

"Are you going to be okay going to see your Dad?" He asked her.

"What?" Said Jackie, "Yeah… yeah why wouldn't I be?" Eric glanced towards the stairs.

"Don't kill me, but I told Hyde." Jackie stared at him, shocked. Why would he do that? She had thought of Steven, of course, because he was the person that she had always turned to after her father was first jailed. She remembered how he had shaved his beard off to cheer her up when he didn't know how else to comfort her. The memory often made her smile. "Look, Jackie, I'll come with you if you want. You shouldn't have to go alone."

"Eric, I… thanks," She stammered, "It's kind of you but I'll be fine. Why did you tell Steven though?"

"When my parents told me why you were coming I realised how long it'd been since you'd visited your dad. We were both still living at home back then and, well, I wanted to help you but I didn't know how." Jackie surveyed his expression, his sincere green eyes wide.

"You would have done better to ask Donna," She informed him. Eric swallowed.

"I can't," He replied, "I shouldn't speak to her after…" The door at the top of the stairs reopened as Cassie made her way down. Eric and Jackie felt silent on the subject and switched to different things.

When morning came, Jackie turned down the offer of a lift from Red to the jail. She appreciated that they were all trying to help and support her but she needed to do this alone. There was obviously a reason that her father had sent the visiting order to her and she needed to know that for herself. So, she began the hour-long drive alone to the county jail alone. The building was the same as it always had been; big, grey and foreboding. She felt remote as she looked up at it- she remembered feeling scared and sad when she first saw the place that would house her father, but now she didn't really feel anything. She was searched on the way in but eventually admitted to the visiting room.

Jackie hardly recognised him when she entered the room. Other visitors headed straight over to the person they were there to see, greeting them with hugs. It wasn't the sort of jail where everybody wore jumpsuits, but all the prisoners wore a kind of yellow sash across their shoulders to distinguish them. Jack Burkhart had always been immaculately groomed and presentable, giving off a powerful presence which had enabled him in his political career. But it was only once all the other visitors had taken their seats that she managed to locate her father. His hair was more silver than the grey she remembered, he was thin and pale, and he was looking over at her as if he'd seen a ghost. Feeling the same as he looked, Jackie slowly walked over and took the empty seat.

"You came," Her father said.

"I wondered why you wanted me to come." She watched his expressions closely as she spoke.

"You look very well Jackie," He told her, ignoring what she'd said, "You getting by okay? Found a nice husband to take care of you?"

"Like you care," She said coldly, not knowing how else to respond to that. Once, that'd been what she expected out of life: to grow up, marry somebody rich, and settle down and do whatever it was her mother did. But her friends- Donna and Steven in particular- had encouraged her to think differently, and Jackie was proud of what she had achieved by herself. Now the idea of her entire life totalling up to whoever she married was almost offensive to her.

"I do care, Jackie," He replied, "I care."

"You haven't written to me for two years Dad. And the last letter before that was a year earlier."

"You didn't write to me either," He pointed out. Jackie had no argument against that; she'd thought about writing to him many times but she had never bothered. She'd figured it was his duty, not hers, but a part of her had always known that she was responsible for her relationship with her father too.

"I'm working in a publishing company," Jackie told him finally, "Living in Chicago. I'm doing well. I'm dating a musician." Her father smiled at her then.

"Not that businessman from when you were younger then," He noted.

"Who?"

"Bud's kid." Jackie had to wrack her brains to remember who Bud even was for a second, but then she recalled that he was the man Steven had thought was his father until he met W.B. He'd never been much of a father, that was for sure. Her parents had never had anything good to say about Bud, nor about Steven. But she supposed that news of Grooves travelled fast.

"Not anymore." She was cautious with her answer. Now that Steven had money her father would be encouraging- this, she knew, but her relationship with Steven had never been about money. And besides, she didn't have a relationship with Steven at all now. She had to keep reminding herself that she was with Seth, even though in these parts her past was far more imminent than her present seemed to be.

"That's a shame," Jack said. Jackie looked at him firmly.

"Why did you call me here, Dad?" Jack looked around himself as if hoping for an escape route from answering the question, but Jackie knew there had to be a real reason. It was some time before he answered, but when he did, Jack looked sad and scared.

"I'm dying, Jackie," He replied. Jackie stared at him, at the father she could just about recognise.

"What?"

"I'm on the hospital wing now. They're transferring me to a hospice on compassionate grounds soon…" Jackie had to close her eyes hard, force herself to concentrate, before she could hear anything beyond that.

"Why?" Her voice was very quiet when she asked the question.

"I have this, uh, this thing, on my brain. This cancer. There's nothing they can do." A roaring sound filled Jackie's ears, blocking out everything else around her. She had come here with hostility, demanding to know what her father wanted with her after all this time, wanting to show him how she had managed to succeed without him… but she hadn't expected this. She didn't want her Dad to die. Nobody wanted that.

"H-how long?" She managed to ask, through her state of shock.

"They've given me between two and six months."

The rest of her visit passed in a blur. Jack tried to explain exactly what he tumour was doing to him but Jackie was in no state of mind to take it in. He apologised for being distant and not trying harder, but Jackie just stared at him, unspeaking. Finally, visiting time was over and she made to simply walk away, but she couldn't do it. She turned back and hugged her father, remembering how she had always ran to hug him as a little girl, always having been a daddy's girl. He had seemed big and strong then, there to protect her, but he felt thin and frail to her now. She promised to see him again.

She walked out of the jail, trying to think about the way home, but all she could think about was how she had lost so much time with her father. The guilt would rip her to shreds- it was already beginning to. She crossed the parking lot in a daze, but somebody as waiting for her there. When she got closer, she realised it was Steven. He looked concerned, an expression which only deepened when he really looked at her. Without a word, Jackie stepped into his arms, letting him hold her.

"He's dying," She told him quietly, and then the tears broke.

Hyde took her keys and drove her home. Jackie sat in the passenger seat, crying her eyes out. Everything else- the business with her boss, the doubts about Seth- it all seemed so unimportant now. But she was aware of a glimmer of something positive; she was now glad that Eric had told Steven, because she never would have gotten home if he hadn't come to get her. Steven didn't say anything to her for most of the journey back, but when they turned into Marie Drive, he finally spoke:

"They're gonna ask what went on," He told her. Jackie nodded. "Do you want me to tell them?" She thought about it for a minute. She knew she should be telling everybody about her father, but at that moment in time she couldn't face it. So, she nodded again. "You go and wash up, I'll speak to them." They pulled into the drive then and she followed Steven's advice, hurrying up to the bathroom before Kitty could stop her.


End file.

That '70s Show, Angst, Romance