Chapter Text
The plow scraped them out at ten the next morning.
Jackie had the bags packed and ready to go the night before.
“Ready to be rid of me?” Hyde joked but questioned if everything was due to the snow and isolation. Would she change her mind once they got home?
“As great as the last two days have been I can’t wait to soak in a hot bath and properly fix my hair, and have just a little bit of noise.”
That was one of the big things she’d come on this trip to avoid, the echoing silence of her own house. And here she was with one of the quietest people she’d ever known.
He couldn’t blame her for that a week of nothing but nature sounds around them was more than he cared for.
Ranger Smith gave them the all clear and helped them closed up the cabin properly. He thankfully didn’t mention anything about the key they didn’t have. There wasn’t much to do but he gave the fireplaces a once over to make sure they were properly out.
“One for the road,” Jackie pulled him into a kiss before bounding out into the snow and hopping in the car.
He knew it probably wouldn’t be easy but then he’d always been a fighter, and Jackie was worth fighting for.
Kitty had been an agitated nervous wreck from the minute Eric and the others had walked back into the kitchen without her Steven and Jackie.
Every minute.
The door scraped open and in came two tired looking teenagers.
“We’ve been so worried,” Kitty ran over and hugged them both tightly. It didn’t matter that they’d gone to the first gas station to call her and say they were on their way back.
“Sorry we’re late. She wouldn’t stop hounding me until we stopped and I got a tetanus shot.”
“Did the doctor say you needed one?” Jackie asked in a sickeningly sweet voice.
Steven didn’t answer besides scowling at her.
Jackie smiled smugly, “Uh-huh.”
“We’ll, you’re just in time,” Kitty said watching the exchange. Something was definitely different between the two. “Dinner is ready.”
“This early?” Steven had driven slowly since he wasn’t sure about any black ice on the roads, that mixed with the hospital visit made them late but it was only after two.
“I figured neither of you had a good meal the last few days, so take a seat and I’ll get you both a plate.
Neither had to be told twice, “You’re a lifesaver Mrs. Forman. We had food but it was mostly snacks yesterday.”
Despite Mrs. Ranger Smith sending up food for them, there was nothing like a hot home cooked meal by Mrs. Forman.
“Was it terrible?” Kitty questioned them, so glad to have her babies safe at home again.
Hyde shrugged, “We survived.”
“It was really quiet,” Jackie added.
“Well, you better have enjoyed that because it’s been nothing but noise here,” Kitty said.
“It’s good to be home.”
Jackie excused herself to use the bathroom before they went down to the basement to see who was around.
“Sticking to the plan?” Hyde asked.
“Oh yeah.”
“Good.”
Neither one was prepared for what they found.
Now, Jackie’s hair was a bit frizzier and Steven’s clothing was a little more wrinkled but overall they looked close to normal.
They walked down the stairs to see Eric and Donna on the couch.
Eric had always been a nervous sort, jittery and easily spooked, but he looked like hell. Donna sat beside him completely fine.
“What the hell happened to you man?” Hyde asked the second he saw Eric their plan going right out the window.
Eric looked hollow. “This has been the worst few days of my life.”
“I’m sorry,” Jackie said irritably. “We were trapped in the middle of nowhere with no heat or way to get food or help and YOU had the worst week ever?”
“You weren’t here,” Eric said pitifully.
“Yeah, and who’s fault is that?” Hyde asked
He went on as if he hadn’t heard him, “I spent the first night hearing how stupid and irresponsible I am from Red. But you know what was worse, the look in Mom’s eyes every time she said how worried she was. I couldn’t take it.”
He knew it was his fault. He hoped they were okay. Yes, even Jackie because despite their mutual distain, he didn’t want something bad to happen to her either.
Jackie and Hyde looked between them, an unspoken conversation going on. They looked back at him with a moment of pity before Hyde blew a raspberry.
“Suck it up Forman. We could have died, hell my side’s messed up, I had to get a shot, there was no phone or food. We were bored as hell.”
Guilt wracked Eric even more, but it was totally deserved.
Jackie didn’t really feel bad for him, they just got lucky they made it to the lodge before the snow had gotten worse.
“Where were you guys anyway,” Jackie asked.
“It’s not important,” Eric said quickly.
“Oh, please I want to tell them,” Donna had put up with Eric for the whole week so while not on the level of Jackie and Hyde, she too had been through a dismal week.
“The Kid here told us to get ready early and we were at IHop, long enough to give you a chance to get a head start on us.”
The plan had been to razz Eric a bit, then leave. For Hyde the plan went out the window. “You left town, to try and screw with me and I get trapped in a cabin for a week because I didn’t forget your mom’s birthday?”
“I keep telling him,” Donna said with zero compassion. She loved Eric, but today he was on his own.
“Part of me is slightly impressed, but the part that got hurt and had to get a shot and have been living off leftovers for days is pissed off.”
“Steven, it wasn’t all bad,” Jackie laid a hand on his arm trying to soothe him. It moderately worked. Then she went over and hugged Eric, he froze uncomfortable with the contact. Was this a ploy to kill him when he was vulnerable and least suspecting?
Jackie backed off smiling sweetly, “I read the note, it was so sweet of you to set up time just the two of us so we could realize we were wrong. I mean it wasn’t supposed to be that long but what can you do?”
“That is not what I did,” why was Hyde letting her go on like this?
“Eric, don’t fib. We know that you were just trying to help us see where we went wrong.”
Eric paled, “Haha, right. Come on Hyde. This is because you’re mad I get it.”
Hyde ignored him, “Jackie, it’s getting dark already. You want me to drive you home?”
“Aww, I would love that, you’re so thoughtful.” She was laying it on a little thick but it worked. She wrapped her arm around his to hang off of him.
Hyde didn’t seem to mind it, “Let’s go.”
“I get it, haha, good one guys. You really had me going”
“Call you later Donna,” Jackie called over her shoulder as Steven held the door open for her.
Outside Hyde asked her, “Did you get it?”
A malicious smile slid across her face. “It’s in my bag, he hid it under his mattress. Amateur.”
“You are so my kinda chick”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Jackie tugged on his shirt collar, “Prove it.”
Back in the basement, Donna was wondering at her boyfriend’s total denial.
“Eric, they didn’t seem like it was just a joke on you. I think you may have set them up without meaning to.”
“No,” he was adamant, “Hyde hates Jackie. They’re just doing this to mess with me.”
“Okay maybe a little bit, but the way Hyde was looking at Jackie when he asked if she needed a ride home didn’t seem like he was faking it.”
Kelso and Fez entered with bags of chips.
“Guys, why are Jackie and Hyde making out in his car?” Kelso asked.
“They’re just trying to get back at me for a prank.”
“Well, they are really proving their point,” Fez said.
“It’s all a joke don’t worry about it.”
“I wish some girl wanted to joke like that with me,” Fez said.
Eric just whined from his place on the couch.