That 70s Show fanfic: Homecoming (2)

[jennickels]

Homecoming
by jennickels (aka Jen Connelly)
That 70s Show
Jackie/Hyde
23,369 words
rating: PG-13

Twenty years ago Hyde left Point Place without so much as a look back. What happens when he suddenly finds himself back in town and trying to restart his life?  Will his friends take him back? 

don't own... wish I did, but I don't. No infringement intended.

Chapter 2: Good  to be Home

Hyde felt eighteen again as he walked into the Forman kitchen. Donna had redecorated but the feeling was the same-cozy and familiar. He put his mail and overnight bag on the table and sighed. Donna glanced sideways at him. She was still grinning.

They both asked, "what?" at the same time.

Hyde snorted. "I was just thinking-it feels good to be home."

"I'm glad." He put his arm over Donna's shoulders like he hadn't been gone a day. It was all so damn…comfortable. Donna just kept grinning like a fool.

"You're not trying to snake my girl when I'm not looking?" Eric said coming through the swinging kitchen door. Hyde smiled at his old friend. For a minute they just stood there, twenty years of missed time between them. Hyde shook his head and grabbed Eric's shoulder pulling him in a for a hug. Eric patted his back three times, Hyde did the same. Eric slapped him on the shoulder in a sign of friendship then he strode over to Donna and draped his arm around her shoulders and planted a kiss on her cheek. Forman has changed a lot, Hyde thought.

When Hyde had left his friend was this skinny, scrawny bean pole. But the man standing before him now showed none of those characteristics. He was still a couple inches taller then Hyde but he had filled out in the shoulders and face. Like Hyde, Eric had grown a beard that he was sure Eric was proud of, even if it was a little sparse and scraggly.

What Hyde found amusing was how much they reminded him of Red and Kitty. An awkward silence filled the kitchen as the three retreated into their memories. Eric was the first to break the silence.

"I better go check on the guys. They were supposed to be cleaning the basement, but, you know kids." Eric turned and sprinted for the basement door.

"I haven't seen him this excited since Star Wars came out," Hyde commented.

Donna snorted. "You should see him at Christmas. I don't know who loves it more, him or the kids. You want a beer?" she asked.

"Sounds good." Hyde flopped into a chair next to Donna and twisted the cap off his bottle. He glanced around.

"What?" she asked amused.

"I just keep thinking Red's gonna walk in any minute and catch us drinking his beer."

Donna laughed. "I know. Isn't it weird. And I have to live here. It's down right creepy sometimes." They both fell silent, presumably thinking about the memory of Red.

"How's Kitty doing?" Hyde asked.

"She's good. She likes her new condo. She stayed with us for awhile but said she couldn't handle all the noise. But you know…Red's everywhere in this house." She raised her beer acknowledging Hyde's earlier observation. Hyde returned the gesture. He reached across the table and squeezed her hand, remembering a time when he was seventeen and had a crush on his best friend's girlfriend.

Hyde took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "How's Jackie?" It was a question he had wanted answered for at least the last 19 ½ years. It had only taken him six month to get over his anger at her for cheating, but he never had the nerve to write and ask. Up until he had seen the photo he wasn't even sure Jackie was around. When he left she was starting a new career and a new life in Chicago.

Donna choked on her beer and ran over to the sink to get some water. "Um, Jackie?" she sputtered.

Hyde felt a twang of regret when he heard her name. He hadn't spoken it himself in years. He hadn't even had the heart to tell Sarah about her. When she asked if he had ever been in love before he had said yes-with a girl he knew in high school and left it at that.

"Why'd you send me this?" he asked holding up the photo copy. "You knew I'd read the names."

"Well, I thought you could use a little heads up, that's all." Hyde stood and paced the room.

"I would have rather been clueless." His nerves were getting the better of him. He was starting to feel sick to his stomach.

"Does she know I'm here?"

Donna nodded. "I told her a couple days ago."

"How did she take it?" Hyde was surprised how concerned he was about his ex-girlfriend he hadn't seen in forever.

"She seemed okay, a little shocked. She knew I wrote to you a lot. I think she kept hoping you'd write and ask about her. She never said that though."

Hyde nodded. There was something important he needed to know but he didn't think Donna should be the one to tell him. Donna seemed to feel the same, because she changed the subject.

"I'm throwing a homecoming party for the prodigal son," she said, patting his head. "Everyone is coming on Saturday." Hyde rolled his eyes. Donna knew how he felt about parties. She was seeming more and more like Mrs. Forman now.

"So, Hyde, tell me what you've been up to the last twenty years."

"You want the Reader's Digest or the long story?"

"Um, Reader's Digest," Donna giggled. Hyde liked that sound.

"Let's see. Moved to St. Louis. Worked a lot. Had a kid. Got married. Had another kid. Worked even harder. Got divorced. Followed my crazy ex back here. In that order."

"You've got kids?" Donna squealed. "Do you have pictures?"

Hyde smiled. He knew that was coming. "Of course." Women could be so predictable some times, especially when it came to weddings and babies. Hyde pulled his wallet out.

"This is Kelly. And this is Karrie," he said putting their school pictures on the table.

"They're beautiful, Hyde. Who knew you'd make such good looking kids," she smirked. "How old are they?"

"Kelly is sixteen and Karrie just turned fifteen."

"Same as Shawn," Donna noted. The two exchanged knowing glances.

"Well, looks like we've got it done," Eric said coming from the basement. He clapped his hands. "What are you two doing?"

"Baby pictures," Donna giggled. Hyde rolled his eyes.

"You've got kids, Hyde? That's a shocker."

"Yeah, this one is fifteen and this one is sixteen," Donna said, handing Eric the pictures.

"Oh, whoa. Are you sure these are your kids? Better keep them away from Shawn and the guys."

"Thanks for the advice, man." Hyde snatched the photos back.

Eric cleared his throat and rubbed his hands together. "Well the guys have been working all day and they finally got your room cleared out. It took awhile because, well, first we had to clean out the garage to find a place to put all the crap."

"It would have gone faster if you hadn't stopped to chug a beer every ten minutes," Donna added.

Eric belched dramatically. "It was every fifteen minutes, thank you," he informed her. Just then the whole kitchen started to tremble. It was a curious feeling.

"Earthquake?" Hyde asked amused.

"Umm, nope. Just the kids," Eric said, smiling. He moved out of the main path through the kitchen and motioned Hyde to do the same. He scooted his chair closer to the table as the doorway erupted with teenagers. They were all pushing and jostling to get to the fridge first.

"Ow! My eye!" one of the screamed. Hyde spewed his beer all over the table and Donna guffawed.

"It's not funny!" the kid yelled. Eric put his arm around him.

"This, you probably guessed, is Mike Kelso." Hyde couldn't believe how much the kid looked like his father. He was just as tall as Kelso with the same goofy smile, same dimples, same voice even.

"Freaky isn't it?" Donna whispered. Hyde nodded.

"Mikey," another of the boys shouted and tossed him a can of pop. Mike was a little slower then the other kid anticipated and the can bounced off his chest. Mike picked it up, looking slightly embarrassed, and shrugged. Now that they had their drinks the kids headed for the door chattering and hollering. Eric grabbed one of them. He was only and inch or so shorter then Eric with red hair and freckles. He was much broader across and better built then his father at that age.

"This is Shawn," Eric told Hyde, beaming with pride.

"So you're the famous Hyde we hear so much about? Dad and Mr. Kelso never shut up bout you."

"All right, that's enough." Shawn clapped his dad on the back and threw his arm around the dark skinned girl with the long black hair. Must be Fez's kid, Hyde thought. They followed Mike and another girl (that Hyde recognized as Kelso's youngest daughter) out the door. The last girl in the group stopped.

"I'm Kate," she giggled and shook his hand. Then she darted after her friends.

"Did we make that much noise when we were kids?" Hyde asked.

"This house is like Grand Central Station," Donna laughed.

"Always was," Hyde agreed.

"Yeah, but don't you worry. The kids promised not to bother you when they are hanging in the basement."

Hyde snorted. "Yeah, right."

Chapter 3