Chapter 21: Jackie meets Colette

Jackie and Hyde met the others in the living room. Betsy immediately ran to her godparents, raising her arms up in the sky and insisting to Hyde that he carry her. He did, and gave Kelso a slight nod.

With an arm around Brooke, Kelso nodded back.

On the other side of the room sat Fez and Laurie, sitting on the piano bench and holding hands, gazing happily into each other's eyes.

Little Jackie was by the stairs, talking with Casey, but as soon as she caught sight of Jackie, she said something to him that looked like a goodbye and walked over to the brunette woman.

She smiled, "Hey!"

Jackie looked at Casey with some suspicion, "What was that about?"

The redheaded teenager shrugged, "He's making plans about his future."

"As long as they don't involve you-"

"They don't." Colette chuckled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "Say, I was gonna ask you, do you think you could drop me off? After everything that's happened today, I'm kinda tired. And tomorrow I'll get a friend to swing by and we'll probably pick up my bike then."

Jackie nodded, regarding the girl in front of her, "Sure thing."

She asked Red, who was sitting in his usual chair, Kitty kneeling down and talking to him in lowered voices. From what Jackie could hear, Red wasn't too happy that everyone- especially Kelso- was in his house and seemed convinced his wife had something to do with it. Kitty was denying even knowing Michael was in Point Place until recently.

She interrupted them reluctantly, asking to borrow their Toyota to drop off Little Jackie. Red looked like he wanted to say 'no', but was at war with himself because he didn't want the girls to walk the streets of Point Place late at night. He also was upset to hear of what happened to Jackie's Mustang, saying such a beautiful car didn't deserve to be sitting in a stinking apartment complex parking lot. After some sweet words from Kitty, he did cave, and let her take the keys.

He dug the keys out of his pocket, narrowing his eyes at Jackie, "Can you bring this vehicle back in one piece?"

She took the keys, smiling, "Like those tacky bathing suits, Mr. Forman!"

She motioned for Colette to follow her. They said their 'good byes' to everyone as Red asked Kitty, annoyed, "What was she talking about?"

Kitty shook her head, rubbing his shoulders in a soothing manner, "Oh Red, it doesn't matter. Just as long as their safe."

At this he grumbled, "That's true…" He took in the sight of everyone in his living room, "…dumbasses."

She then leaned forward and kissed his cheek, "Oh you sweet man!"

:::)()()(:::

Jackie and Colette drove in silence, the car illuminated only by the streetlights in the night. Cyndi Lauper's 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun'. Jerry Thunder had announced the song as a 'throwback' even though it was only a couple years old.

Little Jackie referred to it as a classic.

Jackie had to bite her tongue and swallow how "old" she felt.

They pulled up to the younger girl's house, Jackie resting the Toyota just outside the curve. She turned to her passenger, "And now you may exit stage left."

"Witty." Came Colette's dry reply.

"More clever than anything else." Jackie smirked.

Jackie studied the younger woman for a moment. She looked like she wanted to say something, but wasn't sure how to state it. Until, the girl did.

"You know, I asked everyone their opinions on what happened to Eric and Donna, but I never asked you."

Ah, this again….

The ex-cheerleader shrugged, this time trying to be more witty more than clever, "True. But as I recall, I never offered."

"So, what do you think happened to them? Like really Jackie, no foolin'." She seemed invested in her answer. Jackie tried not to let it get to her, and replied as she thought she normally would've in any given situation, "It doesn't matter."

"I think it does." Little Jackie told her, her tone with conviction, "At least your thoughts on it matter to me."

At this Jackie looked over at her young friend, and then sighed, forcing herself to say what she didn't feel in heart, for Colette's benefit, "They're in love. And they're together. And they're happy. Probably sitting on a yacht somewhere, sipping fruity drinks because Eric's a light drinker. Sunlight kissing them, and them being with each other, because it's enough. And any day now, they're gonna come back home."

She thought of Steven. He had said that his answer had changed in regards to this million dollar question. And she wondered if it hadn't, but he only lied to her for her benefit, the way she did for Little Jackie.

"Yeah," Little Jackie interrupted her thoughts, "It'll be enough."

Maybe… maybe for the first time in a long time, everything was going to be o.k.

Jackie saw the shift in the younger girl's eyes, the inner working of her mind slowly turning behind young eyes. The older woman was about to comment on it, but thought better of it, not wanting to disturb it.

Colette found her voice, saying, "I know this all started out over a paper I was writing. Or maybe it started out because we both needed to hang out with someone for this VERY long day, but I gotta say, before I lose my nerve, I had fun."

"You had fun being abducted by a crazy person and being subjected to her whims?" Jackie joked, a twinkle of her former self shining through for a moment.

Colette shrugged, not at all believing what she was saying, "Crazy Caroline wasn't so bad."

Jackie leaned forward a bit, nudging Colette's shoulder with her own in a friendly manner, "I meant me, but it's good to know you weren't damaged beyond repair."

Both snickered at that, but soon the snickers grew into laughter. And before either of them knew it, or could explain it, they were both hunched over, laughing loudly, releasing all the stresses of the past day.

They laughed until their stomachs hurt.

They laughed until their eyes watered.

They laughed like old friends.

And when they both grasped their breaths, Colette was the first to speak, "Oh my God, today was nuts, right?"

"It was." Jackie conceded, a trace of mirth in her tone.

"Is it always this weird with you and your friends?"

Jackie paused, her smile broadening at the thought of Colette being a new friend, "Yes, it is."

For the first time this whole, turbulent day, Jackie no longer saw a little girl from the Big Brothers/ Big Sisters program. She saw a young woman, coming into her own, with a reluctant yet powerfully confident smile, and a chin that would never hang in shame. A woman who's shoulders would square if need be, and hands open to help those around her. A vibrant woman, who wasn't quite there yet, but getting there at her own pace and would get "there" eventually… whatever "there" was. But that was the beauty of it, "there" was whatever she wanted it to be.

Jackie was taken aback that she hadn't seen it before. And she did her best to hide it. She averted her gaze, trying to stifle the bit of envy that was creeping up her spine as she asked, "So what's next for you?"

Colette shrugged, her smile almost infectious, "I don't know. I want to get a job. I want to be better than my brothers. I want to be a great aunt to my nieces and nephews. I want a bunch of things, but I guess most of all, I just want to be happy."

"It is the dream, happiness." Jackie commented, her smile slowly falling. She looked passed her passenger, eyes focused on her house, "So you ready to go home."

"I am." Little Jackie reached over and hugged her friend. She pulled back, smirking, "You know, you're not half bad as an older sister."

"And you're not half bad as a younger one." Jackie said. The younger girl smiled and soon exited the Toyota. She slowly walked up the path to her front door. She knocked, fidgeting awkwardly with the hem of Laurie's shirt.

Soon the front door opened and the girl was greeted inside by what looked like a seriously overworked mother. The girl turned around, smiling brilliantly as she waved one final time, "Goodnight, Jackie!"

The door would close, and all that would be left was the dim porchlight that illuminated a raggedy, yet modest front porch.

Jackie then whispered, "Goodnight, Colette."

She then pulled forward, and guided the car back to the Formans, back to her home.

::::::

Jackie entered the sliding door of the Forman kitchen, tired and a little hungry. Maybe she would get a little midnight snack before she went to bed. Nothing crazy, just a granola bar. She knew Mrs. Forman had a few stashed in one of the cupboards.

But she stopped after she locked the sliding door for the night, confused when she saw Michael Kelso, Steven Hyde and Fez huddled around the yellow phone on the far end of the kitchen.

"What's going on?" She immediately asked.

"Ssshhh!" Fez squealed, pulling his ear away from the receiver, "We are listening in!"

"On what?" Jackie demanded, walking up to them.

"On a phone call, what else?!" Kelso groaned, rolling his eyes, "Geez, and they call me stupid!"

"Where're the Formans?" She asked.

Hyde looked up, and it made her more alert to see that even he was excited, and it looked like he was keeping great pains to appear zen. Maybe he could fool the others, but she was his ex-girlfriend and more importantly, former zen pupil. She knew his moods better than anyone.

He whispered as coolly as his emotions would let him, "Red went to bed. Mrs. Forman was about to ask everyone who doesn't live here to go home, but the phone rang. She picked up the receiver, turned white, and screamed for Red to wake up and pick up the phone in their bedroom. He grumbled that he did and she took off upstairs. And now we're eavesdropping on the conversation."

"Steven!" She hissed, about to whack his hand- as it was the one holding the receiver, "You should know better! I can understand Michael or Fez pulling a stunt like this but the Formans trust yo-"

"They're coming home, Jackie." The words just tumbled out of his mouth.

She blinked, not quite sure if she heard right, "Who?"

Fez and Kelso eyed each other and both squealed like little girls.

She already knew the answer, but she needed someone to say it outload. Her heart was starting to hammer in her chest and God help her she was actually growing giddy, but she needed it to be said. She needed to hear it with her own two ears. She needed it to be real.

Hyde looked her in the eye, and held the receiver to her ear so she could listen in as well, "Forman and Donna, Jacks. They're coming home."

And even from the distance between her ear and the receiver, she could clearly hear Eric's voice talking to his mother, and he sounded so happy about something.

She squeezed between Kelso and Fez in the huddle, and looked up at her friend, Steven Hyde as her delicate features erupted into a jaw dropping smile, "Today was a journey. A special trip, if you will. And what a long strange trip it's been…"

On instinct, the three boys said in unison, "In Forman's basement!"

Suddenly they heard Donna's voice interrupt Eric and Kitty, "Eric, hold up. What was that chant? Are we being spied on by a cult?"

There was a brief pause as everyone held their breaths, only to then hear Red's voice boom from upstairs, "KIDS!"

Hyde immediately slammed down the receiver, practically running to the basement, "Gotta hit some 'Zs!"

Fez shouted as he sprinted into the living room, "Laurie! We must leave!"

Kelso running out the sliding door, hollering over his shoulder, "Meet you in the car, Brooke! Don't forget Betsy!"

Jackie ran into the living room, but soon turned around and ran into the kitchen, snatched a granola bar, and ran back into the living room, taking the steps two at a time, saying over her shoulder with a little youthful pep in her step to everybody still in the house, "Goodnight everyone! It's been a pleasure, bye!"

Author's Note: And it really has been a pleasure. Thank you to anyone who has stuck around for so long, reading this fic! Hope you are doing well, staying safe. And even though I am not 'The Most Interesting Man in the World', I will ask that you all stay healthy my friends :)