Author Note: ...Finally!

Chapter 34 – Just Like Old Times

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Smells of cinnamon and nutmeg wafted from the kitchen sliders. The distinct scent of baked ham was wrapped up with the traces of pineapple and honey. Jackie paused by the door of her car and closed her eyes. She was taken back to a time where just waltzing in that door was commonplace – she belonged there. Red would be sitting in his chair, reading the paper or drinking coffee…. Kitty would be standing at the stove cooking something delicious while Jackie said a quick "Hello" not as often as she should have but it was home.

The Forman house was like her home of old.

Jackie opened her eyes and smiled. Kitty was singing a Christmas song on the radio and Red was yelling for someone to take out the trash.

Just like home.

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Eric rolled his eyes, "Dad, I was putting that topper on the tree." He grabbed the garbage can and hoisted it under his arm. "Besides, the guys are in the kitchen watching Frosty so…."

"I know those freeloaders are only here for the food. None of them better be drinking my Christmas beer." Red growled.

Kitty smiled, "Oh honey. They brought you a couple of six packs – you can share."

"Don't want to. My house. My beer." But Red smiled. "I'll share my dinner, but then they leave."

Kitty dropped a kiss on his balding head. "That's the Christmas spirit Red. That's why I love you."

Jackie smiled as she watched Eric trudge out the back door carrying the garbage can. He hadn't noticed her car but he was whistling a happy carol. She waited until he emptied the can and was on the way back before she alerted him with a cough.

Eric looked up, lost his balance, slipped on the ice and grabbed the Vista Cruiser for support. He hung onto the side mirror while his feet danced a Scooby Doo as he struggled to get his balance. Seconds later, he was cool and collected.

"Jackie." He said confidently.

She took a step forward. "Eric."

He let go of the mirror and took a side step. "You came."

Jackie took two steps and replied, "You invited me." She held out a mittened hand, "Do you need help?"

Eric looked longingly at the car mirror and answered, "No, I think I got this."

"Take a walk with me?" She suggested.

Eric's eyes bugged. Walk on the icy driveway? Was she crazy? He could barely keep his balance in these shoes! "Seriously?"

Jackie nodded, "I'm not really ready to go inside just yet."

Eric carefully skidded his way down the driveway towards Jackie's Mustang. "The soles of my shoes have no traction."

Jackie smiled, "My boots do, so you can hang on to my coat."

Eric laughed uncomfortably. "Funny."

They reached the bottom of the drive and Jackie looped her arm around Eric's elbow and turned left on the sidewalk so she could see the lights of the Forman living room. Eric was shivering, "Did I tell you how GLAD I was that you asked me to take a walk with you?"

Jackie snickered, "No, but would you like to borrow my coat?"

He shivered, "No. I'm a man and I'll be cold for the both of us."

She squeezed his arm, "Thank you. So…who's here?"

Eric smiled at the squeeze and replied, "Let's see….Santa Claus is getting plastered on cocktails, Rudolph is passed out in the corner, my dad is drinking beer in the kitchen…"

Jackie playfully slapped his arm, "Seriously, who is inside?"

Eric pulled her closer because Jackie was putting out some heat. "Fez, Hyde and my parents. Nobody else. Dad wants to eat so let's not make this walk too long."

Jackie leaned her head against his arm. "I have more booze in my car."

Eric feigned disappointment, "Oh great…now my mom is going to get all sauced up before dessert and I'll have to wash the dishes."

She laughed, "I'll do the dishes if you're mother passes out. I've got some beer from Holland for your dad. It's something special, or so I'm told, and I think he'll like it. It's supposed to have more alcohol content than regular beer."

"Oh great!" he emoted again in a teasing voice, "Now my dad will be so drunk he'll put his own foot in his ass."

Jackie swung Eric back in the direction of the driveway, "Quit kidding. And I did not get you a present so don't hope for anything."

"Good, because I didn't either." Eric confirmed. Besides, what could he have gotten that would surpass being gifted with THE best job in the world? He squeezed her mittened hand, "Can we hurry with those little baby feet of yours?"

Jackie grinned, "I can let you go and watch you ice skate your way back."

Eric looked up at some gently falling snow. It was going to be a white Christmas after all! "Just kidding!" He tugged her towards the driveway, "I mean, who'll carry all the booze if not for me?"

The hugs were welcomed and the kisses where nice – Jackie could feel the love in the Forman kitchen. Red gave her the biggest hug when he discovered his special treat. Kitty just became a mother hen whose chick had finally come home to roost. "I swear it's almost been a year since you were here!" she declared.

Jackie smiled ruefully. She knew the exact time and date she was last at the Forman house. New Year's Eve and Eric had returned late from Africa. She hugged Kitty again and relished the scents of sweet potato pie and some kind of decadent chocolate. "I've missed you too." Jackie murmured into the soft shoulder.

Kitty wiped her eye and smiled, "Dinner is almost ready. Why don't you go sit in the living room with the rest of your friends and we'll eat soon." Jackie was startled as Eric began pulled off her jacket. "Not cold in the front room." He said easily.

Jackie shivered a little when Eric's fingers crossed the back of her neck. "Okay….I'm looking forward to dinner."

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It was almost like old times. Kitty was serving giant portions of food onto overflowing plates. Fez was talking about his new NEW girlfriend, Hyde was chewing and grinning – it was like Jackie had stepped into yesterday. Red smiled at Jackie and thanked her again for the special brew. He said it loud enough that the other fellows wanted a bottle of their own but knew they wouldn't get a drop. That was exactly how Red Forman liked it.

Jackie was stuffed. She didn't even eat this much food in a week, let alone in one sitting. Still, it was nice being back with her adopted family again. Steven was a proper gentleman and Fez was polite. He knew she still resented him for kicking her out of the apartment, but Jackie's life had changed so much since then. Maybe she would let him off the hook at New Years!

Kitty announced it was time to move into the living room for coffee and dessert and they were shuffled off accordingly. Jackie yawned behind her hand. She was too full to eat more and it was getting late. How could she delicately extricate herself from more food and drink?

"Hey everyone?" Jackie started to speak before everyone got comfortable. "I really have to leave, but first I want to thank Mr. and Mrs. Forman for the delicious meal and Mrs. Forman for being such a gracious hostess." There were murmurs and Kitty blushed lightly. Jackie continued, "The hotel is having a big celebration for New Years and if you all want to come….I'll send tickets and give you a room to sleep it off in."

Eric raised his hand and declared, "I refuse to sleep with Fez."

Fez looked heartbroken. "Hey. Who asked you to? Besides, I have a girlfriend." Jackie watched as Steven began to fuel the fire by asking who "her" name was and why hadn't anyone met her. Just like old times.

Kitty frowned. "Honey, are you sure you have to leave so early?"

Jackie smiled, "I'm sorry. I have an early morning tomorrow. But the dinner was great." She stood up and tried memorizing the faces of everyone in the room. It broke her heart just a little that Donna and Michael weren't there, but this was a new decade – she was a new person. Eric stood up, "Um….I'll walk Jackie to her car."

He waited while Jackie finished with the goodbye hugs from her friends and promises of more home cooked dinners whenever she wanted to visit again. Jackie could feel herself getting all choked up and blamed it on the holiday. She had tears in her eyes as Eric brought her coat.

He pushed open the kitchen door and let Jackie walk through first however, before she could proceed further, Eric caught her hand and pulled her back to the door where she bumped into his chest. He cradled her head in his hands as his fingers slid through Jackie's silky hair. Her stammered, "Wha…." only resulted into a finger pointed at a brightly ribboned sprig of mistletoe above the door.

She smiled and her lack of resistance encouraged him. Eric's lips moved across the contours of her face. It was an incredibly intimate gesture and Jackie could feel that tingle of electricity course through her veins. His mouth hovered over hers but their lips never touched. It was like he was breathing her in. The fingers in her hair was unnerving but she couldn't tell him to stop because she liked it. Damn, he had long fingers! When Eric's lips finally kissed her, Jackie's little heart was singing and she was smiling. He was such a good kisser her knees went wobbly!

The Christmas kiss was over and Eric held Jackie at arm's length just so he wouldn't be tempted to ravish her. Her eyes were still closed and she had a smile on her lipstick smudged mouth. Eric was sort of proud that he got those lips a little messy. "So…..Missy…..Merry Christmas."

Jackie's eyes fluttered open and she had a smiled that curled her lips – she couldn't stop smiling even if she wanted to. It was a wonderful kiss! "Merry Christmas Eric." She touched his cheek with her fingertips and felt him shiver. Feeling emboldened, she slid her fingers to the nape of his neck and pulled Eric's head down for a bone melting kiss.

This wasn't so one-sided after all. Jackie couldn't help but grin. "I'll talk you to soon." She slid into her coat and left Eric gaping at the kitchen door.

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Abby and Emily were still at work when Jackie got home. She smiled and touched her lips like she could still feel Eric's kiss. Definitely not the kiss of a teenager and not at all like the kiss of an airline executive – this was….sweet and unexpected and the wonderment was that she liked it! Sure, Eric Forman had ample opportunities to kiss her prior, but he waited. He was a gentleman. She didn't have to ask for it.

She loved it.

She wanted more but she had to make sure she could trust in him and in her own feelings.

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Tahoe, Atlanta and Houston were Eric's most recent deliveries. He found that if he picked up a pair of matching salt and pepper shakers from the cities, his mother was extremely delighted. He was extremely busy after the Christmas holiday and was looking forward to New Years.

Looking forward to a new start.

With Jackie.

After procuring a telephone calling card, late night long distance calls commenced. Jackie was always there to listen to him calling from a lonely hotel room in a city far away. She would tell him about her day and he would share his day with her. They developed this connection – something he never experienced with Donna. Every day, Eric wondered if this was what falling in love really felt like. He couldn't want to see Jackie's face, hear her voice….maybe kiss her once more.

He was laying in his bed in Houston while waiting for an early morning flight back to Point Place when he called Jackie. He could tell he had woken her but she answered with a sleepy, "…'lo Eric."

He smiled in the dark. "I think I'm finally happy."

"Finally?" she queried. "When were you unhappy."

He rolled on his side, "When we had the vendetta between us. You were so right. I completely ignored you and I'm an idiot."

She lightly chastised him over the phone, "No, I wasn't clear on why I hated you. I don't hate you anymore."

"Really?" Eric already knew the answer to his question but he liked hearing it from her lips, "Does this mean you like me?

"Of course I like you." She laughed softly. "Hey, tomorrow is New Year's Eve. I want you to make me a promise."

"Anything."

Her voice became softer. Somber. "I want you to promise me that you'll never break three things."

Eric replied in a confident tone. "Sounds easy. What do you have that I shouldn't break?"

"My trust. A promise and my heart." Jackie answered honestly.

Eric paused at the brevity of her request. Trust was a really big thing to Jackie – Eric had firsthand experience at proving he was worthy of her trust. Her heart – that was a heavy request. Eric immediately thought about the many 'ships that Abby had schooled him about and while Donna had broken his heart 'vis a vis' as he broke hers…..Eric didn't think he could ever break Jackie's tender heart.

He took a deep breath and answered just as honestly. "Jackie…I would never hurt you. I would never break your heart, I would never give you cause to distrust me and I always promise to tell you the truth. I would never break a promise to you."

"Thank you Eric. I just wanted to hear it. Good night my friend." She replied softly.

"Good night Jackie." Eric wanted to change this friend-ship into a something-else-ship pretty damn fast. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He hung up the telephone and looked at the ceiling of his hotel room. After a beat and a realization he smiled. The year of 1981 was beginning to look a whole lot better than he had envisioned.

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Kitty thought Red looked adorable in his little party hat. Red thought he looked like a dumbass but Kitty was excited so he sucked it up and wandered over to the bar to get them a drink. The Foreign kid and Steven were chatting up some pretty ladies and Eric had wandered to who the else knows. Red was going to have a nice evening with a sweet suite at the end of the night. He peeked in Kitty's suitcase and saw that pretty lavender nightgown she wore for special occasions.

This was a special occasion!

The Aerosmith cover band was live and loud. The crowd was happy and festive. Eric weaved a path through undulating bodies as they danced on the floor. He was too busy looking for a brunette in a maroon uniform to care about the music. He fell into the lobby and happened upon Angie, the front desk clerk. "Uh hello? Are you lost?"

Eric looked up. "No…er, I'm looking for Jackie…the manager…."

Angie tapped her finger against her lips. "Can you hold on a minute?"

Eric nodded his head. "Sure." He waited while this Angie girl spoke to someone on a radio, flirted with another guest and finally got back to Eric. "She's on the roof preparing the fireworks. Here, I'll give you a laminated pass so you can bypass Security."

Eric nodded his thanks and reached for the lanyard and pulled it over his head. He strode over to the bank of elevators and rode to the roof. Glancing at his watch, he found he had 20 minutes until this year was over to say what he wanted to say.

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Jackie and Olivia were moving containers of trees to the edge of the rooftop. Custodial staff were busy setting up the bar and unfolding chairs for the fireworks show. Some heating elements were positioned near the floor to ward off the chill in the clear dark night. Jackie was excited, this was her last event as a manager – next week she would be shadowing Olivia and performing as Event Organizer. Her first event would be Valentine's Day and she was ecstatic about the opportunity.

As they continued the last minute preparations, party goers were milling around waiting for the midnight hour. The jovial laughing and party voices were like music to Jackie's ears. She even spied Red and Kitty cuddling together for warmth. Frowning slightly, she looked at her watch – it was 11:55 and neither Fez or Steven or Eric for that matter had made it to the rooftop!

Jackie tagged Olivia to take the microphone as she wanted to scout the crowd. Where were they? The band was gearing up to play some dance music but where the hell was Eric? There was a tap on her shoulder and she whirled around. Eric's smiling face greeted her with a glass of champagne. "I believe you are entitled to a break….even if this is your last night as manager?"

Jackie grinned. How impulsive was this? "Well, yeah….it is my last show, but I'm letting Olivia do the announcements."

Eric managed to steer the brunette towards some foliage away from the malingering crowd. He casually put an arm around her waist and smiled goofily. "What is that about?" she asked. Eric took a second and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Did I ever tell you about the conversation I had with your roommate?"

"What?" Jackie asked confused. She could see Olivia standing on the riser getting ready for the countdown.

"Abby told me about this Barry Manilow song called Ships." Eric began. "Jackie….I don't want us to be a ship anymore."

"What?" This time she was even more confused but suddenly Eric was touching her wrist and his fingertips were cool against her warm skin yet she didn't' stop him because his eyes are so intense and the way he was looking at her created turbulence in her stomach. The countdown was being shouted but Jackie only heard it in slow motion as Eric's hand cupped her cheek. "Our friendship…..I need a little more than that…."

"Eric…." She started to say but the stars were so dazzling and his breath on her face was warm and he was leaning closer. "I want more than a courtship…" his lips were a whisper on her skin as they brushed her – he hadn't kissed her but it was more provocative than simply a kiss. She felt all bubbly and invigorated, almost like she was a bottle of Jackie champagne!

She touched his chest, his heartbeat strong against the palm of her hand, "You want more….what?"

Eric smiled, "I think that I want to begin a new ship with you."

She looked up at him with those gorgeous eyes, "What is it with you and boats tonight?"

Grinning, Eric could hear the "THREE, TWO….ONE…Happy New Year, " from the crowd and he leaned down, wrapping his arm around Jackie's shoulders as his mouth covered hers and she didn't hesitate in kissing him back. At some point, she dropped her champagne flute but the shattering of the glass was like the last of the ice shattering from around her heart.

He breathed against her ear, "I'm giving you my heart. It's yours to break – if you want to, but right here, right now – this is the only place I want to be."

Jackie understood the succinctness with which Eric's confession was spoken and it thrilled her to the toes. A coy smile adorned her face. "You know what?"

It was Eric's turn to answer the 'what' questions. He gave her a warm hug. "What's that Jackie?"

"Well, it's been 365 days since you came back from Africa and I think tonight you did it right."

He grinned. "Yeah, I kissed the wrong girl on the hood of my car and let the right girl get way."

"You got that right!" she teased. Eric rubbed his nose against hers in an Eskimo kiss. "And if you think about it, you probably have about 60 more New Year's Eves to get it right again and again."

Eric laughed and tugged on her hand. "Dance with me." A shrill laugh came from the crowd as Kitty Forman stumbled into her husband. "I think your mom's drunk again."

Eric rested his chin on the top of a brunette head and uttered, "Just like old times Jackie, it's just like old times."

She wrapped her arms around his waist. "I have a feeling that 1981 is going to be the best year ever!"

Eric wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hung on tight, "Those are the wisest words I've heard all night. This time is going to be different. No more ships that pass in the night."

She poked him in the ribs. "Cut it out with the boats before I throw you overboard."

Eric laughed freely – happily, "Anything Jackie. You can do anything."

The End.

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