It was the morning of Red's birthday, and Izzy and Donna were in the Pinciottis' kitchen doing history homework. They heard a knock at the door, and when Donna yelled a quick, "Come in!" Hyde entered.

"Hey guys."

"Hey, what's up?"

"Well, it's Red's birthday and I gotta get him a present, so, uh... where do your parents keep your booze?"

"Pretty much everywhere."

Izzy watched as Hyde rummaged through the cupboard in the kitchen. "Hyde, I like that sweater on you."

"Huh? Oh, thanks." He pulled two bottles out and walked over to the girls. "Okay, Izzy Bee, which of these would your dad like better: blueberry brandy or peach schnapps?"

Izzy gave him a confused smile. "My mom's the one who likes schnapps."

He shrugged. "A'ight, then that's what we're goin' with." He looked down at the bottle of brandy before slowly sticking it in his pocket. "Eh, this one's for me."

Midge walked into the kitchen, beelining straight for the whiteboard on the fridge. "Oh, I see your father left me another message. God, he's an ass."

Donna scowled. "Hello? Mom, I have company!"

"Oh, hi Izzy. Hi Steven. Didn't see you there. Isn't Bob an ass?!" She scribbled something on the whiteboard and left the room.

"Okay, um, my parents are freaks and I'm sorry you had to see that."

Izzy shrugged. "It's okay. You're around when my parents act like freaks, too."

Hyde sat down at the table, and the three of them watched as Bob entered the room, reading the whiteboard. "Oh, yeah?!" He said, crossing out what Midge wrote and scribbling something down. "Donna, I don't want you readin' this."

"Dad, my friends are here!"

"Well, Steven can read it 'cause he'll appreciate it. But not you two girls!" He left the kitchen with a satisfied smile.

Donna put her head in her hands. "This sucks!"

"You wanna talk about it?" Izzy asked softly.

"No." She paused. "You know they want to date other people?"

"Your mom's dating?" Steven asked, eyebrows raised. "So where am I, do I have a shot?"

Izzy threw her eraser at him. Donna chuckled. "Oh, could you please date my mom? That'd make my life so much better, Hyde."

Hyde grinned and said, in his perfect Bob Pinciotti impression, "Eey, call me Dad."

"Yeah, but you know what the worst part is?"

Hyde sighed. "Watchin' your parents split up and knowin' there's not a damn thing you can do about it." Izzy realized she had no place in this conversation unless she wanted to be yelled at, so she turned her attention back to the homework.

"Exactly! And you know what else? My mom moved out of their bedroom into the guest room."

"Yeah, it sucked when my dad split. But, I can honestly say that my parents' divorce made me the man I am today."

Izzy chuckled, eyes still on her paper. "Donna, please don't go crazy and begin to think the government is out to get you," she said, twirling her pencil around.

Donna laughed, but Hyde's face was stony. "The government is out to get you, Izzy Bee."

Izzy laughed and closed her textbook. "Alright, whatever you say, Hyde. I gotta go pick up my dad's birthday gift."

"What'd you get him?"

"A, uh, a new Swiss army knife, just so his old army one doesn't get any duller."

Donna chuckled. "God, you're the best at giving gifts, how d'you do it?"

Izzy shrugged. "I'm just perfect." She gathered her books and headed for the door, realizing her hands were too full to get to the handle.

Hyde jumped up. "Ah... here ya go." He said, opening the door for her.

"Thanks, Steven."

"So, uh... you need some company on your little trek?"

Izzy smiled. "I'd love that."

-

"Okay," Kitty said. "Now I want your father to enjoy his birthday, so we're all going to try our best to make it good." The front door opened, and in stumbled Laurie, her hair a mess and a strange stench coming off her.

Izzy, who was sitting sideways in Red's chair, giggled. "Except for Laurie, who's going to stumble in smelling like cigarettes and beer."

"Hey, at least I'm here." Laurie said, sitting sitting on the arm of the chair, but not before hitting Izzy on the back of her head.

"Ow! Mom! Laurie hit me!"

"Laurie, don't hit your sister. And, if I remember correctly, I gave you twenty dollars yesterday, where's your present for your father?"

"God, relax."

"Oh, you can it, Laurie." Kitty scolded.

Eric nodded. "Yeah, can it, Laurie."

"Can it Eric." Kitty said.

"Yeah, can it, Eric."

"I thought I told you to can it."

"Yeah Laurie," Izzy said. "Can it."

Hyde scowled. "Why don't you all can it?"

All at once everyone turned to him and said, "Can it!"

Red entered through the kitchen door, and Kitty started clapping. "Oh, look! It's the birthday boy! Come on in, Birthday Boy, open your presents."

Red sat down in the middle of Eric and Hyde, and Eric nudged him with his elbow. "Wonder what's in the big one!"

"Is it, uh... a Corvette?" Red tore off the wrapping paper. "No, it's two-by-fours."

"To fix the roof!"

"Oh yeah. Thanks for reminding me."

Hyde pulled out the bottle, which Izzy had tied a neat little bow around. "Here ya go, Red. This'll help you forget. Happy birthday, man."

Laurie jumped up. "Daddy, this is for you!"

She handed him a card, and he opened it, smiling. "Well, let's see here! Seven dollars! Isn't that something? Thanks, Sweetie."

Kitty laughed loudly and leaned over to Laurie. "If I don't have thirteen dollars on my dresser by tonight, then so help me God-"

"The card cost fifty cents."

"Fine. Twelve-fifty, and I want a receipt."

"Whatever."

Izzy got up and sat next to Hyde, handing her father the little box. "Here, Daddy," she said as he opened it. "I figured you should keep your one from the army safe, so you can actually use this one."

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Thank you, Isabelle."

"Okay, boys, thank you for the... the wood and the booze!" Kitty said. The kids all took this as their queue to leave; Laurie ran into the kitchen while Eric, Hyde, and Izzy headed downstairs.

-

"Last night we could hear the Pinciottis fighting all across the driveway," Eric said to the gang, minus Donna. "It was horrible. It was all," he began to impersonate Donna's parents, saying, "'You're the devil, Midge!' and 'Oh! Bob! Shut up!"

Kelso giggled at Eric's breathy impression of Midge. He tossed an arm, impersonating Eric impersonating Midge, "'Oh! Bob! Shut up!' That's classic!"

Hyde scowled. "Man, if you get any dumber, you're gonna need a helmet." He sighed and started playing with Izzy's hair, who was sitting on the ground next to him. "Man, what a bummer for Donna. I can't believe they're sleeping in separate bedrooms."

"Yeah, I know." Eric said. He paused, then shook his head. "Wait, I don't know. What are you talking about?"

"Well Hyde knows something about Donna that Eric does not know. This is an interesting development, let's watch." Fez said, grinning.

Izzy froze. "Um, actually, Donna told both of us-"

Hyde sighed. "Midge is sleepin' in the guest bedroom, man."

Eric furrowed his eyebrows. "How do you know that? Did... did Donna tell you that?"

"Look Forman, it's not a big deal. I guess she's just telling me stuff that she's not telling you."

"See? This is why communication is so important." Jackie said. "Now, Michael and I always-"

"Jackie, they were talking about-"

"Oh hush Izzy, no one cares. Now, Michael? Never keeps secrets from me. Do you, Sweetie?" Everyone stopped and looked at the couple, eyebrows raised.

Kelso looked up. "Huh? Uh... no! No."

"Michael, you hesitated. Why'd you hesitate?"

"No, I- I didn't hesitate! Did I, Hyde?"

"Yup."

"Fez?"

"Oh yes, if you really love her, you would not have hesitated!"

"I- Izzy?"

"Sorry dude, you're on your own."

Jackie stood up. "Conversation, Michael! The van! Now!"

"No! I didn't hesitate!" Kelso whined, following Jackie outside. He stopped, poked his head back in, said, "You guys are dead!" and left.

-

"Izzy, hi."

Izzy looked up from the counter at the Hub. "Oh! Nick, what're you doing here?"

He shrugged. "Just wanted to see if I could catch you on your break."

"Yeah, sure." She turned around. "Hey Frank, I'm takin' ten!"

"Sure thing, Little Forman!"

Izzy hung up her apron and walked out, giving Nick a short kiss as she did. "How're you doing?" She asked, sitting at her usual booth.

He sat in the chair across from her. "Pretty good. I, uh, got an A on that test yesterday."

She raised her eyebrows, but didn't crack a smile. "No shit! Hey, congrats."

He nodded. "Thanks."

He scanned her face quickly. He came to the Hub, expecting to be able to look into her sparkling eyes and hear her laugh and see her scrunch up her nose when he made a bad joke. None of that was there. No sparkle, no laughter, no scrunching. And none of that had been there for a while now.

If he could date it back, he'd say it started around the beginning of November, right after Halloween.

"This is a cool place." He said, looking around the Hub.

She shrugged. "It's kind of a shithole, but I love it, so... yeah."

He didn't bother asking her whether or not she was feeling okay. He knew the answer. Each time they had been together since Fatso Burger on Halloween, she had acted this way. Distant. Cold, almost.

When he asked her how she was feeling, she'd say the same thing every time: "I'm great, 'm always great." But there was never even an ounce of joy in her words.

The bell rang at the entrance of the Hub, making Izzy look over at who had entered. Immediately, a smile broke out on her face.

"Hyde!" She said, waving him over.

He got a drink from Frank at the counter, then headed over to the two of them. "Hey, Izzy Bee." He said with a smile. He turned to Nick. "Hi."

Nick gave him a half smile. "Hey, man."

Hyde sat down next to Izzy and turned his soda so the straw was pointed at her. Without hesitation, she leaned over and took a sip.

"So, uh, Hyde. We haven't really gotten the chance to meet yet, what's up?"

Hyde shrugged. "Nothin' much, man. You?"

"Uh... same."

There was an awkward silence, before Hyde turned to Izzy. "So get this. After you left for work, Eric starts getting upset with me over the whole Donna thing."

Izzy's nose crinkled. "Seriously? Did you tell him-"

"Yeah, I told him you were there. He just-"

"Didn't want to hear that? Steven, we all know-"

"How stubborn Eric is when it comes to Donna. I know. It's just-"

"He can be a dumbass sometimes."

"Exactly, Izzy Bee. You get it."

Nick laughed awkwardly. "Wow, it's like you guys share a brain or something."

The two stopped and looked at Nick. Izzy offered a light -pity- laugh, but Hyde just stared. He shook his head quickly, then turned back to Izzy. "And you're not gonna believe this..."

-

"Little Forman! Your time's up!" Izzy looked up at Frank. "Get back here and, oh, I dunno, do your job!"

Izzy handed Hyde back his pop, which was now empty, and got up. She gave Nick a quick kiss on the top of his head, muttered a small, "Thanks for stopping by," and headed back to work.

Nick sat there across from Hyde, trying to analyze his expression, but was unsuccessful.

"Hey man," Nick said. "This is kind of a stupid question, but uh... did you and Izzy ever... you know, date?"

Hyde chuckled. "No, man, we haven't. That's ridiculous."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure. Why? Why do you ask?"

Nick paused. "You two just... seem close."

"We are."

"But you've... never dated?"

"Nope."

"Never?"

"No, dude, we haven't."

Nick nodded. He stood up slowly and grabbed his jacket. "I'm gonna head out."

"M'kay. See ya around, man."

"I'm sure I will."