Disclaimer: I don't own That 70s Show.

A/N: This is my submission for the alternate finale challenge going on over at fanforum. It kind of includes SPOILERS, so don't read it if you don't want to know some of what's coming up later in the 8th season. Basically, Fez and Jackie have very recently decided they like each other and are dating, but it's pretty new and not serious. Red and Kitty are moving to Florida with Bob. This will have two parts (I hope to have part two up in the next day or two). I know it's hella long, but I had a long list of interactions I wanted to see happen in the finale, so there you go.

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST

Part One

Kitty Forman was bent over in front of the oven in her kitchen. When she straightened back up, she flung a pan of cookies on to the range with a thud. She was quite disheveled: her hair a mess and her face and clothes covered in flour. She had been baking all day, and the kitchen showed it.

The screen door slid open and Donna entered the room. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the disaster in front of her.

"Oh my God, Mrs. Forman! Did Betty Crocker throw up in here?"

Kitty jumped a little in her spot, clasped her hands together in front of her chest, and squealed. "Donna, my baby's coming home today! I have to feed him. God knows what he's been eating in Africa."

"Well, from what he tells me, it's foods from all the basic food groups: mush, slop, mushy slop and sloppy mush."

Kitty was horrified. "Oh my poor Eric."

"He did say he can't wait to chew something again. Got anything chewy in here?" Donna surveyed the room.

"Are you kidding me? I've got chewy, crunchy, sweet, salty…a little bit of everything." Then, with forced cheerfulness, she added, "I've got to pack all my love in before Red and I leave for Florida and you drag him away to Madison with you."

Donna sighed wearily. "Come on, Mrs. Forman. We've been over this. The Spring semester is getting started and I really need to-"

"I know, I know…'get an education'."

Donna was getting annoyed. "Well, yeah. I've put it off long enough and I feel like if I don't do it now, I never will."

Kitty knew Donna was right. "I know, Honey. I know." She patted Donna's arm then scrunched up her face for a moment, thinking. "Why does Eric have to go with you, again?"

"Because. We've been apart a long time." Donna's voice was steadily rising. "And we got back together over the phone. We need some time to just be together and figure out what we're going to do." She paused for a moment, calming herself and lowering her voice. "I've really missed him, Mrs. Forman."

Kitty looked at her blankly for a moment, taking it all in, before speaking. "Oh you've missed him, have you?"

Donna rolled her eyes, knowing what was coming next.

"Did you suffer through hours of labor to bring him into the world just so he could leave you for a country that doesn't even feed him properly!" she yelled, then crossed her arms across her chest stubbornly. "I've missed him more!"

This was ridiculous. "Oh come on!" Donna screamed back. "That's just-"

A familiar voice interrupted them from the sliding glass door.

"Aw, I feel so loved."

Without bothering to look away from each other, both women responded angrily, "Shut up, Eric!" leaving him standing in the doorway, bewildered.

As soon as his name left their lips, Kitty and Donna realized what they had said and who was there. Simultaneously, they rushed to him.

Donna reached him first and threw her arms around him, almost knocking him over. Before he could respond, Kitty grabbed Donna by the shoulders and pulled her off him. Donna spun around, dazed and trying to re-orient herself. "Hey!" she protested, returning to push Kitty away.

Stunned, Eric wriggled free and backed away from both of them. "Okay, okay," he choked out, his voice breaking. "You're going to break me in half!"

Kitty and Donna stood on either side of him, breathless and glaring at one another. Finally, Eric spread his arms wide, cocking his head to the side and gesturing with his hands for both women to come to him. They each hugged him around one side of his body and all three smiled. Eric turned to his left and kissed Kitty on the cheek, causing her to beam. Then he turned to his right to kiss Donna's lips. Satisfied that she had been first, and pleased to see her son so happy, Kitty looked on with a smile. Her smile slowly faded, though, as Eric and Donna's kiss continued and became more passionate.

Embarrassed, she cleared her throat and broke free of the embrace. She backed away slowly. "I'm just going to check on the…thing in the…living room."

She scurried out of the kitchen, leaving Eric and Donna to wrap their arms around each other fully and continue reconciling properly.

Later that afternoon, in Donna's bedroom.

Donna sat at her desk, tapping her foot. Jackie was standing behind her, curling iron in one hand and a bottle of hairspray in the other.

"Would you sit still, Donna? I'm trying to work a miracle here, and you're not cooperating. Do you want a giant, ugly burn on your head for your date night with Eric!"

Donna stilled herself. "I'm sorry, Jackie. I'm just nervous, I guess."

"Nervous? To be alone with Eric? Pfft!"

"Come on, Jackie. It's been…a really long time and I just don't want it to be weird."

"Oh, it's going to be weird. It's Eric." She shuddered.

"You know what? I don't want to talk about this with you."

Jackie just smiled, knowing Donna knew she was just giving her a hard time.

"Let's talk about you. What are you going to do about Fez?"

Jackie groaned. "I don't know, Donna. I know he's going to ask me to go to Chicago with him, but…I don't like Chicago. I have very bad memories of that place."

Donna just nodded knowingly, careful not to upset the curling iron clamped in her hair.

"But on the other hand," Jackie continued, weighing her options, "he is the perfect guy for me. Remember that list I made?"

"I remember the list." She mostly remembered the ridiculousness of it all.

Jackie must not have picked up on Donna's tone, because she continued as if she didn't even hear her. "Plus, Michael and Brooke are there, so we could hang out with them. And Betsy. I mean, she is my goddaughter after all."

Donna rolled her eyes, but didn't comment.

"Besides, if I don't go, I'll be all alone. You and Eric are going to Madison, the Formans are going to Florida with your dad. My dad's here, but he's…temporarily inaccessible."

"Hyde'll still be here."

Jackie stopped curling and just smirked at her in the mirror. "Great. We could both be here. Not talking, not hanging out. Sounds like a blast!"

Donna didn't respond. She didn't know what to say about the state of Jackie and Hyde's relationship, or what was left of it. It was a mess.

"Well, it sounds to me like you're not sure about Fez. And if you're not sure, you shouldn't go to Chicago. I told you before you could come to Madison with me and Eric."

Jackie had finished Donna's hair and put the curling iron down. She sat on the edge of her bed, facing her and smiling sincerely. "I know, Donna, and I appreciate it."

"So you'll think about it?"

Jackie nodded. "I'll think about it."

Both girls stood up and hugged, Jackie standing on tip-toe. They broke apart and Jackie walked toward the bedroom door. Before she reached it, she turned back around.

"Donna?"

"Yeah?" Donna was applying another coat of lip gloss in the mirror.

"You look really pretty," Jackie said softly before smiling and leaving through the door.

Donna sat, stunned but touched by her best friend's words.

Meanwhile, in the basement…

Eric and Hyde were cleaning out the basement. The couch could barely be seen behind the four large boxes sitting in front of it: "Florida", "Eric", "Steven", and "Garage Sale".

Hyde was bent over in front of the bookshelf, retrieving a box. "Hey Forman. What about this?"

Eric turned around in the shower to see what Hyde was holding. He smiled when he saw the letters spelling 'Candyland'. "Give it to Fez."

"You don't have any money stashed in there, do you?"

"No, man." Eric laughed, reminded that his friends knew every one of his hiding places.

Hyde just smirked as he returned his attention to the shelves.

Eric emerged shortly from the shower, holding the stupid helmet in front of him. "I don't think there's any need for discussion about where this baby belongs."

Hyde turned to look. "No question. We'll give it to Kelso tomorrow."

Eric walked over to sit on the arm of the couch, the helmet still in his lap. "Man, I can't believe my mom roped him into helping out at the garage sale, too. You know, if she ever enters the Mrs. America pageant? Her talent will be 'guilting young men into performing undesirable tasks'."

"Tell me about it." Hyde moved to sit in his chair. "I had barely even moved in here when she had me doing slave labor at the last garage sale."

Eric laughed, remembering Hyde's special brownies and what happened when his mom and dad and the Pinciottis got ahold of them. "That's right. And you got my parents baked!"

"Well, someone had to liven the place up. That whole 'Cleaver family' thing you all had going on over here was creeping me out."

Eric looked at him sincerely. "I'm glad you did, man."

"Did what?"

"Move in here. Stay here. It was…it was great having my best friend here every day."

"Jesus, Forman." Hyde started to complain about the girly show of emotion, but then Eric's words sunk in and he reconsidered. "Well, I'm glad I did, too. I mean…thank you."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you, dumbass. If you hadn't asked your folks to let me stay…" He took a deep breath. "I don't know what would have happened to me. Seriously, man. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you." He swallowed over the lump in his throat.

Eric knew Hyde was uncomfortable with the conversation, so he changed the subject. "Yeah, Hyde. About that…where exactly is 'here'? I mean, what are you doing with your life, young man?" He sounded just like Red..

"What do you mean? I'm runnin' the store, hangin' out…I'm livin' large, man!"

Eric looked behind him at the box marked "Steven".

"Hyde, everything you own, and some of what I own, I might add, are in that box. And in two days, you won't even have a place to put it!"

"Okay, honestly? I haven't figured it out yet. Everything's happened so fast: your parents selling the house, you and Donna leaving, Fez moving to Chicago…"

Eric interrupted him. "Did you know he's going to ask Jackie to go with him? He's going to do it at Mom and Dad's going away party tomorrow night."

"Huh." Eric had clearly expected more of a reaction, so Hyde spoke again. "Dude, what's up with everyone asking Jackie life-altering questions at your parents' parties?"

"I think…and I could be way off base here, but…I think it has something to do with the fact that Jackie likes to be the center of attention."

Hyde laughed. "Likes it? She lives for it."

Eric looked at him quizzically. "So it doesn't bother you? Jackie and Fez?"

Hyde shrugged his shoulders. "Naw, man. Why should it bother me?" His face remained unchanged as he rose from his chair and returned to the bookshelves.

Eric just shook his head as he stood and headed back toward the shower, muttering "No reason" under his breath.

That night, in Donna's bedroom…

Eric and Donna lay naked in her bed. Eric was on his back, arms spread out, while Donna rested her head on his chest. Her smile was happy; his was ecstatic.

"Remind me to thank your dad," Eric said, still a little breathless.

"Um…ew!" Donna contorted her face in disgust as she raised her head to look him in the eye. "I don't know how they did it in Africa, but here in Wisconsin? We don't ruin our post-coital bliss by mentioning our parents. Especially mine."

"Donna, I'm just glad that he decided to go out tonight and left us with the house to ourselves. I mean, neither one of us has any money for a hotel, and my house…well, my house was out of the question." He sliced his hand through the air to make his point.

"Why? We've done it there before." A wide smile spread across Donna's face as she remembered those times.

"Look. I was nervous enough about tonight. I didn't need Red on the other side of the wall, waiting to kick my ass." His eyes widened in fear as he contemplated the possibility of his father catching them.

"You were nervous?"

"What?" Eric put his hand to his chest as he made a show of looking around. "Who said that?"

"You did, dillhole," she teased.

"Hmmm. Interesting theory," he muttered, as if to himself, as he rubbed his chin with his fingers.

Donna just laughed softly as she lowered her head back to Eric's chest. As he played with her hair, she closed her eyes and smiled. She hadn't felt this good in a long time.

"So…the apartment's nice?"

"It's great, Eric. You're gonna love it."

"Well, I'm just glad you let Hyde check it out before you signed the lease. I need a place worthy of my masculine sensibilities."

"Don't worry, there's plenty of room for your spaceships and action dollies in the second bedroom. It's the perfect place for us to begin 'living in sin'," Donna said, using airquotes.

"Who said that?"

"Gee, I don't know…you're mother?" Donna laughed. "Don't worry about it. I don't care."

"Well I do. Donna, I'm tired of feeling like we have to defend our relationship all the time. I mean, after everything we've been through, how can anyone doubt that we're going to be together forever?"

"Maybe because we keep breaking up and running away from wedding ceremonies?"

Eric nodded, conceding the point. "Well, no more Donna. Do you hear me? No more! You're stuck with me for good and if it's gonna take matching gold bands and a joint checking account for the rest of the world to see that, then so be it!"

"Eric, what are you say-"

"I'm saying…let's get married!"

Donna narrowed her eyes. "Is that supposed to be some kind of proposal? 'Cause it sounds more like you're clubbing me over the head and dragging my back to your cave."

"Is either way more likely to get a Yes out of you?"

Donna thought for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders. "Not really," she stated simply, smiling.

Eric returned her smile. "Seriously, Donna. I love you. I have always loved you and I want us to be together forever. I don't want to wait any longer to start our life together."

"Neither do I, Eric." Donna's eyes were filled with tears.

"So…engaged again?"

Donna nodded her head, grinning widely. He lowered his head and kissed her several times in succession. When they finally broke apart, they pressed their foreheads together. After a moment, Donna pulled away abruptly. "We've gotta tell your parents. Again." She was not looking forward to that conversation.

"Don't worry, Donna. They're leaving for Florida in two days. We can call them once we're settled in Madison. Red can't kick my ass long distance."

Donna smiled, impressed at his deviousness. "I knew I loved you for a reason."

The next day, in the basesment…

Eric and Fez were still cleaning up the basement. Kelso had arrived to help, but he was mostly concerned with making sure nothing good got sold in the garage sale. He spent most of the day searching for small treasures.

"God, you've got a lot of stuff. You've even got stuff inside other stuff," Kelso marveled as he moved a box away from the wall so he could take the lid off. He noticed a bunch of wadded-up papers in the corner of the floor that was now exposed. "And trash behind stuff, too!" He bent down to pick one of the paper balls up and smoothed it out. It was a label from a beer bottle. "Awesome. Beer!" There was some scribbling on the other side, so he turned it over and read out loud, "I'm sorry I said I don't know, because I do know." He furrowed his brow in confusion. "What is this? Some kind of 'Chinese Fortune Beer'?"

"What are you talking about?" Eric left the broom to rest against the stair railing and walking over to where Kelso stood. Fez put his magazine down and turned to listen as well.

"There's writing on the back of these beer labels. Look, here's another one. 'I know I should have told you before you left, but I do want to marry you'."

Eric had taken the first label from Kelso and was inspecting it. His jaw dropped as he realized whose handwriting it was. Kelso still hadn't. He read another label. "I hope it's not too late because I love you…Jackie!"

As soon as he read her name, Kelso screamed. Fez gasped. Eric quickly snatched the labels from Kelso's hand and added them to the one he had been holding. "Kelso, man, I think these are private."

"What's private?" Hyde asked as he walked down the stairwell. Eric, Kelso and Fez simultaneously turned towards the unexpected voice.

"Um…nothing," Kelso choked out.

"Yeah?" Hyde asked rhetorically, not believing them. He walked over to Eric. "Whatcha got there, Forman?"

Eric just stared at Hyde as he let him take the items in question from him.

As he realized what he was now holding, Hyde's face darkened.

Kelso was still in shock. "You really were going to propose to her, weren't you?"

Hyde was silent for a moment before answering. "Looks that way," he said dryly, indicating the evidence in his hand.

Kelso walked closer to his friend. "Hyde, man, if I had known…" he began apologetically.

Hyde cut him off. "Don't worry about it, man. It doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done. I thought I threw these out," he added to himself under his breath.

"When did you write these, Hyde?" Eric's voice was quiet.

Hyde sighed, resigned to the fact that he was going to have to explain himself. "Right after you left for Africa. Look, I decided to go get Jackie in Chicago, but I didn't know what I was going to say to her. I wrote some crap down so I wouldn't sound like a moron."

"Wow," Eric breathed, still stunned. "I had no idea."

"Just forget about it, all right? It's no big deal," he told them all emphatically. "And if anyone mentions it again, I'll kick your ass."

The boys were silent, all lost in their own thoughts. Suddenly, Red's voice bellowed from upstairs. "Eric! Get your ass up here. And bring the tall one!"

Eric looked at Kelso, who walked over to Hyde and measured himself against him. Deciding he had a good three inches on him, he told him, "Guess he means me," and followed Eric up the stairs, leaving Hyde and Fez alone.

Hyde put the labels he had been folding in his back pocket and sighed wearily as he sat down in his chair, stretching his legs out in front of him.

Fez watched his movements silently before finally speaking up. "You really loved her."

Hyde just looked at Fez through his sunglasses. He didn't answer him, but he didn't deny it either. After a moment, he put his feet back on the floor and placed his hands on his knees.

"Look, Fez. Just because you guys found out my 'big secret' doesn't mean anything's changed. Jackie and I are over. She's with you now. You deserve to be happy, man." He mustered up as much sincerity as he could. He stood up, patted Fez on the shoulder, and retreated to his room.

Fez was alone in the basement, still stunned, and utterly confused.

That night, in the Formans' living room…

Donna and Jackie were standing by the kitchen door, surveying the Formans' going-away party. There were some neighbors and several co-workers of Kitty's that the girls had never seen before. Kelso and Eric were talking by the stairs, but there was no sign of Fez or Hyde.

"So…have you figured out what you're going to say to Fez yet?" Donna was asking Jackie.

"Actually, I'm hoping something comes to me in the moment."

"Good plan. Nothing better than making major life decisions on a whim in front of a room full of strangers."

"Oh shut up Donna," Jackie said dismissively. "It's easy for you. You've known you were going to end up with Eric forever."

"I wasn't always so sure, Jackie. We broke up for a year because I didn't know what I wanted. Remember when I…"

Jackie cut her off, exasperated. "We're talking about me, Donna. Your future is settled. You're moving to Madison with Eric and getting married and having a million of his skinny, big-headed lollipop children. I'm the one having a crisis here!"

"Sorry for being so selfish," Donna said dryly as Jackie threw her arms around her for a hug.

"That's what I like to see!"

The girls turned to see Kelso approaching, with Eric following closely behind. They looked at him with disgust and stepped away from one another. "God, Michael! You never change," Jackie chastised him.

"But you love me," said Kelso, grinning.

Jackie rolled her eyes, but then her face softened. "You're right. I did. You were my first love and I'll always remember that." She felt a little teary-eyed as she stood on her tip-toes to kiss him on the cheek.

"God Jackie! You don't gotta talk about me like I'm dying. Chicago's not that far away. You should come visit once in a while. You could baby-sit for Betsy."

"You're going to let her watch your child? Oh, I'm pretty sure Child Protective Services will have something to say about that."

Jackie glared and stuck her tongue out at Eric, who stuck his out right back.

Tired of the childishness, Donna stepped in between them and changed the subject. "Eric, where's Fez? Shouldn't he be here by now?"

Hyde, who had just entered the living room through the kitchen door, spoke up. "He's not coming," he stated matter-of-factly.

"What!" shrieked Kelso. "He said he'd be here. Isn't he supposed to ask Jackie to-"

He was cut off by Eric's elbow in his ribs.

"Ow, Eric! It's not like it was a secret. I know, 'cause he even told me and nobody ever tells me secrets."

"Well, where is he? Did he say why he wasn't coming?" Jackie asked sadly. True, she hadn't been sure about how she would answer his question, but part of her was glad someone was asking it.

"He, uh….he left this for you," Hyde told her, facing her but not meeting her eyes. He held out his hand and, in it, was a folded up piece of paper.

Jackie looked at him for a moment, not knowing what to do. This was the first direct interaction she'd had with Hyde in a while and it felt weird that he was playing go-between for her and another guy. Not wanting to extend the awkward moment, she reached her hand out to take the note, being very careful not to let their hands touch.

She opened the paper and read its contents to herself. It wasn't a long note, and when she finished reading, she remained silent, staring into middle distance.

"Well?" Donna asked. Everyone was dying to know what Fez had written, especially Hyde. He had resisted the urge to read it before giving it to Jackie. Truthfully, he had been afraid that it was some kind of sickening love note and he didn't think he could take being privy to mushiness between Jackie and Fez.

Jackie cleared her throat. She looked up from the paper, but didn't meet anyone's eyes. "He said, um…he said that he's not coming because he doesn't like goodbyes." Her voice was soft and disbelieving. "And that he's going to Chicago without me. He said he loves me but he knows that we're not in love with each other. Not like Farrah and Lee. And he doesn't want me to end up regretting my decision."

"He actually wrote that?" Eric wanted to know.

"Yeah," Jackie sighed, touched by Fez's insight and selflessness.

"No, I mean the part about Farrah and Lee. He really is a girl, isn't he?"

Jackie and Donna both glared at him. "Inappropriate," was all Donna could manage to say to him.

Ignoring Eric, Jackie turned to Donna. "Well…guess I'll be going to Madison after all."

Donna just smiled at her friend sympathetically. "Come on, Jackie. Let's get you a drink," she suggested as she led her away, towards the bar.

A young girl Kelso had never seen before walked behind them. "Who is that?" he whispered loudly, trying to be discreet but failing miserably.

"Oh, she's the daughter of the couple who bought the house, I think."

"Well then, she must need someone to show her around. I'm pretty familiar with the bedrooms, so I volunteer myself for the job." He grinned widely as he walked after her.

Eric shook his head at his friend, then turned back to Hyde. He followed his gaze across the room to where Jackie stood with Donna and Kitty.

"So…some letter, huh?"

"What?" Hyde mumbled absently, his mind focused elsewhere.

"Fez's letter, man. What do you think changed his mind?"

Hyde ripped his eyes from Jackie and reluctantly turned to Eric. "How should I know?" he snapped. He didn't want to let on that he knew exactly why Fez changed his mind. He didn't know if he could face it right now.

Not wanting to piss Hyde off further, Eric just said, "Hmm" and let it go.

The two boys stood side-by-side, both watching the ladies at the bar. "You know…I'm really glad me and Donna are engaged again."

Hyde just grunted.

"Yeah, I can't believe how close we came to losing each other forever. I mean, I am so lucky things didn't work out with her and that Randy guy. Who, by the way, got to be around Donna all the time since he worked at your store, so, thanks for that."

That earned a hint of a smile from Hyde.

"Yep. Donna and I almost didn't have a second chance. Thank God one of us was smart enough to make the first move."

"Donna?"

"Of course," Eric answered matter-of-factly. He stole a glance out of the corner of his eye to find that Hyde was still staring at Jackie. He hoped his words were sinking in.

"I mean, if Donna hadn't fought for us, we'd both be miserable right now. Maybe forever," he added slowly, drawing out the word for dramatic effect.

Hyde was silent, chewing on his bottom lip, Eric's words resonating in his mind. He had thought that he and Jackie blew their last chance in Chicago, but maybe he was wrong.

As he continued watching from the other side of the room, Hyde saw Jackie hug Kitty first and then Donna. She was obviously saying goodbye.

Eric turned to look at Hyde expectantly, willing him to do something to stop her. Hyde just looped his thumbs in his belt loops and stared at the floor, disappointing his friend.

Jackie headed toward the front door, stopping to make her excuses to Red along the way. Her hand was on the doorknob when a loud voice from the other side of the room stopped her in her tracks.

"Jackie, wait."

It was Hyde. She turned to look at him, floored. The entire room was quiet now, all eyes on either Jackie or Hyde, anxious see what would happen next.

Jackie just stood in front of the door, waiting to hear why he had stopped her.

"Um…where are you going?" He tried to sound casual. It sounded ridiculous, considering he was talking from twenty feet away and across a room full of people.

"I'm going home to pack. I'm moving to Madison tomorrow. There's nothing left for me here."

"I…" Hyde's heart pounded in his chest. Once. Twice. Three times. "Do you want some company?"

"What…packing?"

"No. In Madison."

Jackie was skeptical, but her heart plummeted into her stomach nonetheless. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Why would you want to go to Madison?" she asked, holding her breath for the answer.

"There's nothing left for me here, either," he told her simply, his voice regaining strength and confidence.

"What do you think there is in Madison?" Her voice was cool, in spite of the fact that she thought she would die waiting for his answer.

"I don't know. Maybe nothing," he conceded, voicing his fear. "But I was hoping that-"

Hyde stopped himself short, suddenly very conscious of the room full of people listening to him with baited breath. He and Jackie both looked around at the anxious faces of their audience. Biting the bullet, Hyde walked over to where Jackie still stood on the landing. He asked her quietly, "Could we talk? Alone?"

Jackie gazed at him through her lashes, her eyes wide. She nodded her head silently and allowed him to lead her to the kitchen with his hand on her back.

As soon as they had passed through the swinging door, the party-goers resumed their conversations.

Donna rushed over to Eric. "Oh my God!" was all she could say.

"I know," he said knowingly. "They won't be back for a while."

Donna nodded, looking over her shoulder to see Kelso coming down the stairs alone. She and Eric walked over to meet him. "Man, first Fez bails, then Little Miss I'm Only Seventeen turns me down flat. This party sucks. Nothing exciting ever happens around here," he complained, completely oblivious to the drama that ensued in his absence.

"Come on," Donna said, taking Eric and Kelso by the elbows. "Let's go check on Fez."

In the kitchen…

Jackie walked through the swinging door with her arms folded across her chest. She was confused by Hyde's outburst and angry that he had put her on the spot in front of a room full of strangers. Hyde followed her, cracking his knuckles. He was nervous.

As soon as she heard the door swing closed behind them and the noise of the party start up again, Jackie turned to face Hyde. "Well?" she demanded. She wasn't going to make this easy. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Could we do this sitting down? I feel like I need to sit."

"Fine," she responded and took Hyde's usual seat at the table. Hyde watched her, waited for her to be seated, and took a deep breath. He joined her, taking Eric's chair and removing his sunglasses.

Jackie looked at him expectantly with her eyebrows raised. She was waiting for an explanation.

"The thing is, Fez left me a note, too," he began, taking a folded piece of paper from his back pocket and placing it on the table between them.

Jackie glanced at it, not moving. "What's it say?" she asked, trying to sound disinterested even though her heart was racing.

Hyde had hoped Jackie would read it herself, but her crossed arms told him that wasn't going to happen. So he took the note and opened it himself. He cleared his throat and began to read. "Dear Hyde,"

Jackie wrinkled her nose at Fez's use of an endearment to address his male friend. Hyde saw her reaction and shrugged, thinking it was a little weird himself.

"You probably know that I was planning to ask Jackie to come with me to Chicago. You probably know this because Kelso cannot keep a secret, that son of a bitch. But I have changed my mind. You are my friend and I realized today that you still love her. Your relationship may have been a blasphemy, but it was the only time you seemed happy. If there is a chance for you to be together again and happy, I think you should take it. I think she still loves you, too."

Hyde finished reading and re-folded the note before looking up at Jackie to gauge her reaction. He had expected her to be all emotional about what Fez had said. Hell, it had hit him like a ton of bricks when he first read it. But Jackie's face was unmoved. She had flinched briefly when Hyde read the part about him still loving her, but it passed.

"So you want to come to Madison with me because Fez thinks you should? Is that supposed to be romantic or something?" She stood up, thrusting her hands onto her hips.

"No, Jackie. It's not supposed to be anything," Hyde said, rising to meet her. "Look. I want to go to Madison with you because…I miss you," he said in the voice he reserved for his rare moments of vulnerability. "If you leave, we may never see each other again. And I don't want that to happen."

"Is that all?"

"No…" he answered. "Fez is right. We were happy when we were together. And maybe we can be happy again…together." A small smile spread over his lips at the possibility. "But if you leave tomorrow and I stay here and we don't even give it a shot, we'll never know. I don't want to let you go and spend the rest of my life regretting it."

Jackie couldn't believe these words were coming out of Hyde's mouth. "Where is all this coming from, Steven? Ever since you left me in that hotel room six months ago, you've been nothing but mean to me."

Hyde lowered his head guiltily as she continued her rant.

"Do you have any idea how hard that was for me? I loved you with my whole heart and you treated me like I was still just an annoying little girl who had a crush on you. You didn't want to work things out when you came back from Vegas, even after I told you nothing happened with Michael. No, you chose to stay married to a stripper! You didn't bat a single eyelash when Fez and I got together. And now I'm supposed to believe you want to give us another chance!"

"Jackie, I know I've been a dick this year," he agreed, laying it all out there. He tried to make her understand. "I was really messed up after what happened with Kelso and I guess I thought moving on with someone else would straighten out my head. But no matter what I did, it still drove me crazy every time I saw you. I know I took it out on you and I…I'm sorry."

He felt ashamed, remembering how he had treated her. He tried to put it out of his mind so he could continue.

"After Sam left, I realized being with her hadn't fixed anything. I still wanted you. But so much crap had happened between us and I felt like too much damage had been done for us to ever really be together again."

He picked Fez's letter up again and shook it gently. "But this letter made me think that maybe there is one more chance for us. Maybe you do still love me, and if you do…maybe we could try it again. That's all I'm asking, Jackie. Just a chance to try." He looked at her pleadingly. He felt exposed, his entire heart out there for Jackie to either take or stomp on.

"Do you really think it'll work this time?" she asked finally.

"I don't know," he answered honestly

Jackie rolled her eyes and exhaled in frustration. She shifted her weight as if she might leave at any second.

"Wait a minute, Jackie. Just listen to me, okay? I don't know what's going to happen if I come to Madison with you. Just like I don't know where I'm going to work or how the Packers are gonna do next Fall. But I do know that…I never stopped loving you, Jackie, and I want to be with you. And I can't imagine that that's ever going to change."

Jackie felt the wall she had built up around herself where Hyde was concerned start to crumble. It lay in pieces around her feet as he took her hands in his. He bent his legs a little so that he could look purposefully into her eyes.

"I may not know if we have a future together, but I hope we do. I really do, Jackie," he emphasized, trying with everything he had to convince her. "Even if it means I'll be picking out china patters and wearing a tux and getting married surrounded by rainbows and pink unicorns," he added, hoping to get a smile out of her.

Jackie did smile, but it was a pained one. "I want to believe you, Steven. But…I just don't know," she said quietly.

He dropped her hands gently. "I guess that's fair," he offered sadly.

They stood silently for a moment, both looking at the floor. Then Hyde raised his head and asked her, "Will you at least think about it?"

She nodded her head. "I promise."

Hyde smiled as she touched his chest briefly before turning and leaving through the sliding glass doors. He stood in that same spot by the table for almost a full minute, then took a deep breath. He got himself together, putting his sunglasses back on, determined to return to the party with his head held high.

He pushed the swinging door to open it, and immediately heard several loud 'thuds'. As he pushed the door all of the way into the living room, he was met with the embarrassed faces of Red, Kitty, and Bob in a pile on the floor.

"I didn't want to listen," Bob announced. He pointed at Red and Kitty. "It was their idea!"

…to be continued…