Just one of the silly little stories I've thought up and decided to actually post. Set at the start of season 6 except with one pretty major difference. What if Jackie moved away with her family at a young age and wasn't reintroduced into the gang until later in life? What would change and what would remain the same?
Forewarning, Jackie is slightly OOC in this fic! She grew up in a different place with different friends so she's not exactly the Jackie we're used too but don't worry it's not a huge difference (at least I don't think it is).
Anyway, this is JH story first and foremost but the gang all have their own little stories as well. It probably wont end up full of drama or anything, just pretty light-hearted and fun. Not sure how long this will end up being, as i'm not used to actually posting my fanfics, but we'll see how it goes!

Chapter 1.

Manhattan, New-York.
The Burkhart's.

Jackie Burkhart entered through the doors of her family's town house, located in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. She had just gotten back from visiting her father in prison for the first time since he had been arrested 2 weeks ago.

"Mom?!" Jackie yelled through the large house, hoping her mother had finally arrived home from her extended trip overseas. When no answer came back, Jackie sighed and entered the living room.

Pam Burkhart had been in Europe since the day Jackie's father had been arrested and Jackie hadn't heard from her since. Sure, her mother normally disappeared for weeks on end to trips overseas with her floozy friends but this time it was different.

Her father, Pam's husband of 20 years, was in prison and he'd be there for the foreseeable future.

Jackie was all alone. She needed her mother to be there for her. Even more, she needed to talk to someone, anyone who could relate to what she was going through.

Since news of her father's incarceration had made the rounds through everyone worth knowing in Manhattan, the Burkhart family had been socially cut off. Not even Jackie's friends, (who she had made when her family moved into the neighborhood 7 years ago) had stuck around to support her.

It just goes to show that everyone they had met in this city, had been completely fake. It didn't upset her as much as she thought it would have, she had learnt that it wasn't worth wasting her time getting upset over people who clearly didn't care about her or her family.

Besides, her father was in prison and her mother was missing in action, she had bigger things to worry about then two-faced pseudo-friends.

She was rummaging through the empty fridge, trying to find something to satisfy her growling stomach, when the phone in the kitchen began ringing.

"Hello?" Jackie answered the phone quickly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. The heel of her shoe tapped impatiently onto the wooden floorboard beneath her feet as she waited for a response.

"Jackie, honey?!" Pam's voice rang through the other end of the line and Jackie smiled widely, glad to finally be hearing from her mother. "Can you hear me?" Pam shouted into the phone

Jackie nodded quickly. "Yes mother I can"

"Oh really? These phones in Paris have the worst possibly connection, I can barely hear you," Pam informed her, it was the first time Jackie had heard anything about her mother's whereabouts since she had left home. It was good to know where Pam had been, but concern raced through her body as she prepared herself for whatever news her mother was about to bring.

"Paris? Mother are you coming home soon? I just visited daddy in prison and it was horrible I really need you to-"

"Oh, honey please stop talking so much there are things we need to discuss and I'm not sure how much time these disgusting street phones give you."

Jackie frowned at the image of her glamorous mother using a public phone in the middle of a Parisian street. "Why are you using a public phone?" Sure, they had lost most of their money, but public phones felt so beneath the Burkhart's.

"Well I couldn't discuss this in front of my friends and I wasn't about to use the hotel phone where anyone could overhear my private business," Pam responded as if it should have been obvious to her daughter.

"Discuss what mother? Are you not coming home?"

Jackie deflated, she had hoped this call from Pam meant that her mother would be returning to deal with all the things Jackie herself had been afraid to deal with on her own. It seemed that this call signified the opposite of her hopes.

"Darling, I couldn't possibly show my face in that town after what your father has done." Pam's tone was full of contempt and Jackie had to bite her lip to stop herself from crying.

Her mother wasn't coming home, her father was in jail, she had no friends left here. She was all on her own.

"But mother… What - What am I supposed to do here all alone? Someone has to pay the staff and I can't use daddy's check book now that he's in prison."

Pam scoffed through the other end of the line. "I wouldn't worry about the staff sweetie, I've already fired them."

Jackie's mouth hung open in shock as she looked quickly around her surroundings, suddenly aware of how empty the town house was when normally Marie, the maid, Teddy, the eccentric chef and Louis the gardener would be buzzing around.

Her heart ached at the thought of never seeing these people again, they had been in her life for 7 years and she didn't even get the chance to say goodbye and apologize.

She thought about Marie and her three young children, whom she was raising on her own, how would they survive without the weekly paycheck? She thought of Teddy and his funny laugh as they chatted in the kitchen in the mornings while he made her an egg white omelet. She thought of Louis and his beautiful wife who had tried to teach her how to speak Spanish.

All such wonderful people who had lost their jobs and Jackie hadn't even known.

"Fired?! Mother, how could you?!" Jackie gasped, besides the fact that these people relied on her family and their paychecks to live, how was she supposed to look after this huge house on her own?

Did her mother just expect her to live here all alone?

"Well it doesn't make a lot of sense to have a staff when you don't even have a home for them to work in silly."

Jackie felt her stomach drop. "What are you talking about?"

Pam sighed as if she were annoyed by merely having this conversation, which was the normal tone Jackie's mother took whenever she had to have any real discussion with her daughter. "Jackie, your father owes a lot of money. We've had to sell the town house. I've been on the phone all day trying to work something out for you so please don't be so negative."

Negative? Negative?!

Jackie couldn't believe what she was hearing. Now her mother was telling her she was homeless and acting as if Jackie were a burden.

"Where am I supposed to go?" Jackie sniffed as she slumped against the wall separating the kitchen from the dining room where the phone was hung. This day was going from bad to worse and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Well luckily for you. I've been in touch with your godmother and she has agreed to take you in for your entire senior year!"

Jackie frowned, trying to figure out who exactly her Godmother was. She was 99% sure she didn't actually have any Godparent's, as her family weren't exactly religious and had never mentioned anything about Godparents before.

"Mother who are you talking about? I don't have a Godmother."

Pam paused for a moment before responding as if trying to work it out herself. "Oh, that's right," she laughed across the line. "Well either way, Kitty and Red Forman have agreed to house you back home in Point Place, isn't that wonderful?!"

Jackie groaned out loud.

Point Place hadn't been home to her since she was 10 years old. And she hadn't seen or heard from the Forman's since her family had moved to New York all those years ago, she barely remembered the family.

"Why would they agree to take me in?"

"Because they are good people honey. And Kitty is a good friend of your fathers and mine from our high school days. Anyway, honey you are lucky I could find somewhere for you this late notice. I mean the house is being cleared out on the weekend and no one in New York would take you in so this is really your only option."

"No, mother!" Jackie yelled into the phone, tears escaping her eyes finally. "I should have another option! You need to come home, so that we can work through this together as a family!" She took her shot but knew that once Pam made her mind up about something, there was no changing it.

Pam sighed sounding utterly exasperated. "Jackie, I just can't. Not after everything that's happened with your father. I need to rebuild my life and I can't do that with Jack's mistakes looming over me… It's only for a year, after high school you'll get into a great college and you'll be living out of home anyway."

"College? How am I supposed to afford college if we can't even afford to keep the house?"

"You're a smart girl sweetie, I'm sure you'll get one of those… Oh what are they called. Where you don't have to pay?"

"Scholarship," Jackie whispered into the phone

"That's the one! See how smart you are? Okay Jackie I can hear beeping through the phone, so I must get going. I've booked you onto a flight into Wisconsin tomorrow at 3 o'clock. Just go to the check in desk at the airport, they'll have your ticket and one of the Forman's will be at the airport to pick you up. Love you honey, I'll talk to you in a few weeks when your settled in!"

The phone line went dead before Jackie even had a chance to respond. She let the phone hang from its cord as she pushed back against the wall and wiped away her tears. Her glamorous life in New-York was officially over, her father's indiscretions had ruined more then just his life, they'd ruined Jackie's too.

And her mother hadn't even given her 24 hours to digest the news. She'd be moving in with a family she barely remembered, into a town she once hated, where she'd need to make new friends and climb a whole new social ladder.

There was nothing she could do to change any of it. So, she left the kitchen and moved towards her bedroom to go about packing up her things. The only material possessions she had left in life.

"I can't believe I'm going back to Point Place," she muttered to herself as she climbed the stairs. She had thought their family were completely done with that tiny little town, now she was going back there completely broke and alone.

She couldn't believe this is what her life had come to.

1 hour previous.
Point Place, Wisconsin.
The Forman's Kitchen.

Inside the Forman's house, Kitty had just gotten off the phone with Pam Burkhart and had called the boys up from the basement and into the kitchen to share with them the news.

Eric, Hyde and Kelso came up through the interior stairs that lead to the basement door and into the kitchen. Eric and Hyde took a seat down at the kitchen table and Kelso bypassed Kitty to the fridge.

Kitty watched with annoyance as Kelso rummaged through her fridge. "Michael, I really just need to talk to Eric and Steven alone, if that is alright?" She wondered, trying her best to be polite even though she regularly just wanted to scream at Michael Kelso whenever he was being idiotic, which seemed to be more times than none as of late.

Kelso shut the fridge door and stared back at her with a look of horror on his face. "Alright. I get it," he nodded his head. "I know when I'm not wanted," he added before unceremoniously storming out of the kitchen.

Kitty looked over at her beloved two sons, who were now snickering at the reaction of their friend. "Now boys I need to have a serious talk with both of you about something," she mumbled as she came to sit down at the table with them.

She was a little nervous about how this conversation would go down, considering everything that had happened to the family recently. Especially since Red was still in the hospital after his heart attack and Laurie's disappearing to Chicago was just under two weeks ago.

"Is this about Red?" Hyde wondered and even with his signature shades on, Kitty could see the concern laced through his expression.

"He's still coming home tomorrow right? Cause Donna and I are supposed to be moving to Madison in two weeks!" Eric added, and Kitty sighed, wishing Eric could be a little less selfish at times.

She also hated any reminder of the fact that her beautiful boy was going to be leaving her for that red headed temptress, in only 2 weeks times.

Hyde leaned across the table and frogged Eric in the arm. "This isn't about you Forman. Stop being such a jackass."

"Me?! You just punched me and I'm the jackass?!" Eric rubbed his arm vigorously

"Now-now watch your language!" She scolded them before continuing. "And no this isn't about your father, Red is fine and is still coming home from the hospital tomorrow. Thank God for that," she let out a sigh of relief, for a moment there things were looking scary when it came to her beloved husband and she was so thankful that he had made such a recovery.

"So, what's going on?" Eric wondered. "Laurie hasn't married another foreigner, has she?" He joked and then proceeded to laugh at his own joke, but Kitty didn't find it very funny.

"You know very well that no one has heard from your sister since she packed her bags and left for Chicago."

"Which is no different from any of the other times she's ran off," Eric pointed out and even though it was true, it still didn't make Kitty feel any better.

"I do wish she would just call to let us know that she is alright. Red is worried sick about her and I'm worried he's going to have another heart attack because of that girls' actions," Kitty sighed as her thoughts drifted to her troubled daughter.

"Not to mention Fez is going mad trying to track her down," Eric pointed out. "I saw him in town today, just walking around and asking people if they'd seen 'his wife'."

"What is the matter with that boy?" Kitty wondered with a frown. That boy, who technically was her son-in-law now, had only gotten stranger in the last few weeks and she wasn't sure how that was possible.

It was like his marriage to her daughter had caused some sort of mental break down.

"A-lot of things," Hyde responded.

"So, if it's not about dad or Laurie, what's going on?" Eric spoke up as he eyed his mother warily.

"Oh yes," Kitty smiled over at Hyde and Eric, to be honest she was quite excited by the news she had. She had been afraid now that her kids were out of high school she would have an empty nest, but now she wouldn't have to worry about that for at least another year, she just hoped her family would be as positive and excited as she was.

"You remember the Burkhart's? My old friends from high school?"

Kitty searched the blank faces of both Hyde and Eric before realizing they had no idea who she was talking about.

"They had a daughter. Jackie Burkhart, she's a year younger then you boys and went to your grade school."

Kitty paused and waited for any reaction, after a moment both boys scrunched their face up in a frown.

"You mean that annoying-loud chick who used to follow Kelso around all the time?" Hyde wondered, and Kitty nodded her head with an excited smile.

She remembered how cute Michael and Jackie had been holding hands in the playground and calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend when they were 9. You couldn't hold her little relationship with Michael against the girl though, she was very young and couldn't have known how the boy was to grow up like.

"Not that girl who used to force us to play tea parties with her?" Eric wondered with shuddered, although Kitty remembered that situation a little differently. Eric had always been the one who wanted to play tea parties, back then he was thrilled that someone had come along who finally agreed to play with him.

Kitty smiled brightly at the sweet memory and nodded. "Yes, that's little Jackie."

"Jackie Burkhart… We used to call her the devil," Eric muttered in a dark tone and Kitty reached out to lightly slap him over the arm. "Ow!" He yelled even though she had barely touched him. "Alright that's it, everyone has got to stop hitting me or I'm going to lose it!" He looked back and forth from Kitty and Hyde.

"She was a sweet little girl, who I'm sure is still just as lovely. Stop being so dramatic."

"Mrs. Forman why are we talking about some chick who moved away years ago?" Hyde questioned moving the conversation along to get to the point.

"It seems Jack, Jackie's father. Has gone to prison over some fraud allegations."

Pam hadn't told her the extent to the situation, but Kitty did know that much. She hadn't wanted to pry, it wasn't her business what crimes Jack had (or hadn't) committed.

"If he's in prison, I don't think they are allegations anymore," Eric pointed out with a snicker.

"Whether or not he did or didn't steal millions from his clients, is none of our business. I was on the phone with Pam Burkhart just then, apparently the family have lost their home and Pam cannot look after Jackie at this time-"

"That's crap Mrs. Forman. She doesn't want to look after her kid anymore because she's selfish, so she's splitting on her… Just say it like it is man," Hyde read between the lines, as a child of abandon himself he was sensitive to the issue.

"Okay… Pam is blowing through the remainder of whatever money Jack left them, in Europe while she looks for a new sugar daddy. So, she needs someone to take in Jackie while she completes her senior year," Kitty informed the two bluntly.

Eric instantly groaned. "No! Mom don't tell me," her son had put two and two together, jumping to the conclusion.

"I agreed to take her in."

"I said don't tell me!" Eric groaned again and rested his head against the table top dramatically.

"Mrs. Forman, are you serious? That girl is a spoiled brat man," Hyde pointed out and Kitty was disappointed, she thought Hyde would be the one on her side.

"You haven't seen her in 7 years Steven," Kitty pointed out trying to be positive

"She was a brat then, sure she's a brat now," Hyde added. "You just got rid of one ungrateful spoiled daughter and now you want to invite another one into your house?... You don't gotta take in every orphan you come across."

Kitty was shocked at how Steven was reacting, she expected so much from Eric, but Steven was an orphan once too and out of everyone, she couldn't believe how inconsiderate he was being.

"Steven I can't believe you would say that. I really thought out of everyone you would be the most understanding to poor Jackie's situation. She's found herself suddenly parent-less and homeless, she has nowhere to go and we have a spare room now that Laurie has gone AWOL. I won't allow the poor girl to live on the streets!"

Hyde blinked back at Kitty, as Eric continued to moan with his face pressed against the table.

"Sorry," Hyde mumbled as if he were embarrassed by his reaction. "You're right. It's cool that you're letting her stay here and I'll help out when you need."

Kitty smiled, pleased with her adopted sons response, she hated raising her voice at the boys, but this was something she felt strongly about, and she needed them both to get on board before Red came home.

"Well I'm very glad to hear that Steven. Because her flight gets in tomorrow afternoon and I need you to go and pick her up."

"What? Tomorrow?!" Eric and Hyde exclaimed at the same time.

"Her mother wanted her to get settled before school started, and she needed to get her out of the house before they started to sell all the furniture out from under her. And I would pick her up myself but Red's coming home from the hospital tomorrow and Eric and I need to be there for him."

Eric nodded in agreement, turning his head to smile smugly at Hyde. "You did say you'd help out when needed."

"Shut it, Forman," Hyde warned, annoyed by the smug expression on his friend's face. "I'll pick her up," he added quietly, he wasn't happy about the task, but he was willing to do his part for the family in their time of need.

"Thank you, Steven! You are such a good boy," Kitty leaned across the table to kiss Hyde on the check, he scrunched his face up and leaned away like he normally did when she showed him any type of affection.

"Red's not going to be happy about you bringing home another stray," Eric pointed out suddenly.

Kitty frowned, she was aware her husband probably wouldn't be happy at first about her impulse decision to house another orphaned teenager, but she had her ways of convincing Red to do things he didn't necessarily like.

"You let me worry about your father."

That night.
The Forman's basement.

"Well Donna, it looks like you and I are getting out of here just in time," Eric commented as he walked in to the basement through the interior staircase with Hyde in tow.

Donna and Fez were seated on the couch while Kelso was seated on the lawn chair, they were all watching an episode of 'Three's Company' but had turned to look at Eric and Hyde as they sat down in their respected spots.

Eric next to Donna and Hyde in his chair across from Kelso.

"What are you talking about?" Donna wondered with an amused look on her face as Eric placed his arm around her and pulled her lightly into his side.

"I'm talking about the reemergence of a certain she-devil with brown hair and pink toenails, that's what I'm talking about," Eric continued, shuddering at the mere thought of the spoiled princess from hell normally referred to as Jackie Burkhart.

"Does she have a boyfriend?" Fez questioned quickly.

Everyone in the room turned to look at Fez.

"Man, you don't even know who he's talking about," Hyde pointed out with a frown on his face.

"And I thought you were into Laurie… You know, your wife?" Donna pointed out, reminding Fez about his current relationship status with her fiance's annoying older sister.

"I know… I have just been so lonely since my wife's mysterious disappearance and I have needs."

Kelso leaned forward to pat a sad Fez on the back. "I'm sure she'll show up somewhere buddy… It's like when I lost my BB gun all those years ago, and then I found it buried in my backyard!"

"Kelso… How is this anything like that?" Hyde questioned.

"My gun was lost, and then I found it! Geez Hyde, I thought you were supposed to be the smart one," Kelso scoffed. "No wonder I scored better on the STA'S," he muttered over to Fez.

"It's the SAT'S you moron!" Hyde exclaimed, frustrated. He couldn't believe that that guy had somehow outscored him in that test.

Donna looked back and forth from her friends before turning to face Eric. "So, what were you talking about?" She wondered her curiosity peaking.

"Remember Jackie Burkhart? She used to live in that fancy house near the woods?" Eric began looking down at his fiancé.

Donna scrunched her nose up. "You mean that annoying rich girl who used to call me a giant?" She questioned, and Eric nodded his head back at her. "Hey, wasn't she technically Kelso's first girlfriend?"

Everyone turned to look at Kelso and he stared back blankly at them for a moment before remembering. "Oh yeah! Jackie… Good times man," he bobbed his head up and down with a big smile on his face as memories of the little brunette bossing him around filled his mind.

"Didn't she move to New York?" Donna wondered, turning back to face Eric.

"That she did Donna… Well, turns out Jackie's parents revile our own good buddy Hyde's, with the worst parents ever title."

"Hey," Hyde pointed a finger over at Eric. "No-one's parents are shittier then Edna and Bud… Although Jackie's ones gotta come a close second."

"I don't get it… Did Jackie's parents abandon Hyde?" Fez asked with a confused look on his face and Kelso, Eric and Donna laughed back.

"No Fez man… They abandoned Jackie," Hyde responded.

"Who?"

"Her parents man!"

Donna interjected. "Would the two of you dill holes shut up!... Eric, explain."

"Apparently her dad is some sort of criminal and her mom is a gold-digging floozy… Anyhow, Jackie's got no parents and no place to live so of course my mom had to invite her to live with us," Eric filled in the rest of the story.

"Oh my God," Donna exclaimed surprised. "Jackie Burkhart's going to be living here?"

"In Laurie's room… Hyde's going to pick her up tomorrow."

"Well… I am glad we're moving to Madison," Donna smiled, agreeing with her fiancé's earlier remark.

"If you ask me, this is going to be awesome… If I remember correctly Jackie is smoking hot. And I bet she's going to be dying at the chance to get with this whole package again," Kelso used his hand to motion to his body, with a cocky smirk.

"Man… She was like 10 when she moved out of town," Hyde pointed out to his friend.

"So?" Kelso replied.

"So, you just called a 10-year-old smoking hot."

"I call it like I see it Hyde," Kelso leaned back in his lawn chair with a grin.

"I can't believe miss Kitty is already trying to replace my sweet Laurie," Fez stood up from his spot on the couch. "She has only been gone 2 weeks and already you are giving her room away to someone else! This isn't right!"

"Fez relax man," Eric looked up at his friend with an amused expression. "If Laurie comes back, I'm sure Hyde wont mind sharing the basement with the devil."

Hyde stared down Eric as his other friends snickered at the thought of him and Jackie bunking together. "Don't piss me off. Still can't believe I'm the one who got stuck picking this chick up from the airport."

"Yeah, how did that happen?" Donna wondered as Fez took his seat back next to her.

"Mrs. Forman guilt tripped me into it," Hyde mumbled back. "Anyone else up for a ride to the airport tomorrow?" He wondered, trying to rope someone else into coming with him.

"I've gotta pack for our move," Donna respond. "Sorry."

"Gotta pick up the old man from the hospital," Eric added.

"I'll come," Kelso put up his hand.

"Anyone but Kelso," Hyde responded quickly.

"What, why not?!" Kelso exclaimed with a hurt look on his face.

"Cause, the only thing worse then picking up a chick like Jackie from the airport. Is picking up a chick like Jackie from the airport, then having to listen to you hitting on her all the way home."

Kelso paused before slumping back down into his chair. "Fine."

Hyde turned to look at Fez expectantly.

"I would… But I have to go into town and print out the missing person fliers I made for Laurie," Fez explained with a sympathetic expression.

Hyde groaned. "Man, you know Laurie isn't actually missing right?"

"She's staying with a friend in Chicago, we've told you this a million times Fez," Eric reminded his friend.

"That's what you say. But every time I call the number, there is no answer, or some lady tells me she doesn't know a Laurie then hangs up on me! And I refused to believe that my wife would just leave me like this."

"Fez, she's probably banging two dudes for rent money as we speak," Hyde informed Fez.

Kelso laughed. "Yeah that Laurie was a wild one…" He gazed off into the distance.

"Stop day dreaming about my wife you son of a bitch!" Fez lunged forward and tackled Kelso off his chair.

Eric, Donna and Hyde all ignored Fez and Kelso, turning away from them to face each-other. "Eric, how are your parents going to afford putting up another kid?" Donna wondered.

"I don't know," Eric shrugged, the thought hadn't exactly crossed his mind before.

"I mean. Red's not going to be able to work for a while, and Kitty is already working double shifts just trying to afford the bare minimum as it is."

Eric felt a twinge a guilt run through him. It was true he hadn't thought about his family's financial situation as of late, to busy with the thoughts of his sick father and then of his impending move with Donna.

His mother had been working herself to the bone lately, and even with the money she'd been getting for the double shifts she'd been working, it was barely enough to keep food in the house. Eric had thought once Red got home that everything would go back to normal. But Donna was right, he wouldn't be healthy enough to go back to work for a while.

And now with the added responsibility of Jackie coming to live with them, they'd be running themselves dry.

"I hadn't really thought about it," Eric mumbled, guilt ridden.

"Eric don't worry about it. I can give your parents some extra cash now that I'm starting full time at the Holiday Hotel," Hyde offered but it only made Eric feel guiltier.

Shouldn't he be the one to help his parents in their time of need?

"They're probably fine… I'm sure Mrs. Forman wouldn't have offered to take in Jackie if they weren't able to afford it financially, right?" Donna added with a concerned expression on her face as she looked over at Eric, she could tell he was worried.

"Right," Eric nodded his head slowly, trying to convince himself of the same thing.

Suddenly a loud bang sounded from the other end of the room as Kelso and Fez bumped into the small bookshelf that housed Eric and Hyde's record player.

"Take it back!" Fez exclaimed as the two continued to wrestle each other.

Hyde stood up from his chair. "That's it," he walked over towards the two and reached down to lay a few blows to each of his friends, successfully ending their impromptu wrestling match.

"Owe, my eye!" Kelso stood up suddenly, cupping his eye and staring coldly at Hyde before storming out of the basement.

"Think I'll move to Madison with you guys," Hyde jokingly stated to Eric and Donna as he walked back over to his chair.

"Oh sure, just leave me here alone with Kelso!" Fez exclaimed in annoyance as he fixed his creased shirt and sat down on the lawn chair.

So there's our set up chapter and the first chapter to this story.
Would love to hear what you guys thought of it so far.