Izzy was sat at the kitchen table one afternoon, flipping through pamphlets and taking notes on each one. When the door opened and Hyde entered, she looked up with a smile.

"Hi, love." She said, turning back to her notes.

He chuckled and grabbed a pop from the fridge. When he turned back towards her, uncapping the bottle with the bottle opener Red had gotten him, he noticed what was all strewn across the table. "Whatcha got there, doll?" He asked, his brow furrowed slightly.

She giggled. "Playboys."

"No shit, really?" He picked one up and sighed. "Izzy Bee, this has a fully-clothed woman on the cover. I doubt Playboy would ever make a..." He paused to read the cover. "Smith College issue." She laughed as he tossed the brochure back onto the table and took the seat next to her. "Wait, Smith College."

He used his pointer finger to pull the brochure back away from her. "That's not in Wisconsin." Izzy nodded absentmindedly, grabbing another booklet. He craned his neck to read the titles of the others. "Art Institute of Chicago, Parsons School of Design... Izzy Bee, none of these colleges are in Wisconsin."

She hummed. "I know. Florence Klotz went to Parsons."

"Am I... supposed to know who that is?"

"Steven," She rolled her eyes. "She won the Tony Award for costume design two years ago." She paused, seeing the lack of recollection in his eyes. "For Pacific Overtures?" Still nothing. "I made you watch the whole programme with me, you didn't pay attention to who won what?"

Chuckling, he said. "Was probably too busy watching you. You're real cute when you watch the Tonys every year, y'know?" He took a swig of Coke. "You clap like a little kid when the person you like wins."

Izzy's cheeks were flushed. "Well, I like Florence Klotz."

"Then I'll look her up in an encyclopedia."

"Promise?"

"Promise." There was a pause, when the two of them looked at each other with nothing but love in their eyes, before she reluctantly turned back to taking notes on each college.

He let the silence drag on, trying to figure out a way to word what he was about to say and not sound like a jackass.

"I just thought you were gonna stay in Wisconsin for college." He said finally, his voice barely above a whisper.

Izzy looked up. "Steven, you know I've always wanted to see other places."

"Well yeah, other places like Madison. O- Or Milwaukee?"

She sighed. "No, Steven. Other places like not here."

"Last I checked, we don't live in... Kenosha?"

"Chicago's not that far!"

He pointed to the pamphlet for Brown. "Yeah, but Rhode Island is."

"Steven, you're not even going to college, you really don't get a say in where I go."

He paused.

Ow.

"I know that." He said stiffly. "I just didn't think you'd actually want to go so far away from home." From me, he thought.

She didn't respond. He watched as she turned back to her notes, neatly color-coding each college to write their pros and cons.

"Are you even able to afford these schools?" He asked, drumming his fingers against the side of his Coke bottle. "I mean, Red's pretty strict about Eric going to a state school because of the money."

Izzy leaned back in her chair. "I'm going out for every scholarship I can. Every grant, every work-study program... I have the grades for a good scholarship, I just need the talent."

"Which you have." He laid an arm across her shoulder, setting his hand against the back of her neck to be able to move his fingers through her hair. "You'll get a great scholarship, I know you will."

She smiled and leaned in, kissing him softly.

"Oh, you two make me sick."

The two broke apart to see Kitty coming in through the sliding glass door and setting groceries on the kitchen counter. Izzy used her thumb to nonchalantly wipe her lip, making Hyde stifle laughter.

Kitty sighed. "I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. That wasn't me talking, that was the menopause!"

"You don't have to apologize, Mama," Izzy said. "We totally get what you're going through."

"Well, thank the lord! Fertile Myrtle totally gets it!"

Hyde paused, then turned to Izzy. "Basement?"

"Yep."

The two quickly got up to leave the kitchen as Red entered the room with something barking in his bag and a big smile on his face.

-

"I'll see you later," Donna said, pulling away from her mini makeout-sesh Eric. "I'm gonna go get out of this thing." She gestured to her school uniform, and all the boys in the basement started booing her.

Izzy, who was sitting on Hyde's lap, scowled. "Okay, what is it with you guys and this uniform?"

"It makes us want to corrupt you." Fez said simply.

Hyde grinned. "I'm a lucky man. From cheese maiden to Catholic schoolgirl."

Izzy rolled her eyes with a smile and set her head against his chest. "Bye, Donna."

"Bye." When the door closed behind the redhead, her boyfriend was already talking about her.

"Man, Donna is so awesome! She can afford to go to any school she wants, but she wants to go where I go. Just so we can be together."

Hyde turned to Izzy. "Why don't you do that?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Go where you're gonna go?"

"Yeah."

"Steven, you're going here. To the basement. Maybe the kitchen, for a field trip."

"My point stands."

"Hey!" Kelso said, standing up. "A good girlfriend accepts her guy, no matter what! Jackie was always trying to change me," he glanced down at the brunette girl sitting on the couch. "It was always 'Grow up, Michael,' or 'Act your age, Michael,' or even 'Stop shooting Grandmother with the water pistol, Michael!'"

Jackie glowered. "She's ninety-two, Michael!"

"She had jam on her face!"

Eric sighed. "Well, all I know is that things between me and Donna are going really, really well. This is just about the point where I screw things up."

"Just don't screw it up!" Fez said supportively.

"Fez, no offense... but if history has taught us anything, it's that screwing up in my nature." He snapped his fingers. "Ooh, you know what I can do? Bank a little goodwill. Do something nice. Buy her a present."

"Yup." Kelso said. "She deserves it, too. You know how many times I tried to grab her boob on the way to California?"

Izzy scrunched up her nose. "Yes, I do know."

"Well, it woulda been easier for you two if you just let me! Cause you know me, I won't stop!"

"Hey, man." Hyde said. "That's my girlfriend."

Izzy nodded, scrunching her nose. "Stop being gross."

"You know what else is gross? You two frenchin' on that couch all the time."

Hyde scowled. "Hey man, don't get mad at us just cause you're not gettin' any." Kelso opened his mouth and let out a girlish gasp.

"I gotta get Donna something real special." Eric said. "Something that reminds her that, even though I'm an idiot, I'm an idiot who loves her."

Kelso jumped. "I've got it. A scented candle!" Immediately, Izzy and Jackie groaned. "What? Chicks can't keep their shirts on around a scented candle!"

"Please." Jackie said. "The battlefield of love is littered with guys who give candles."

Izzy nodded. "Mitch Miller once got me a scented candle that smelled like ass. That, paired with the fact that he's the same height as me? No, thank you."

Eric raised his eyebrows. "You and Mitch are the same height? But you're-"

"Five-one, yeah I know."

"No way, he's gotta be taller than that."

"He's not!"

"He's gotta be!"

Jackie held up a hand. "Irregardless-"

"That's not a word."

"Irregardless, it's expensive jewelry or nothing. Look, if you can't put a price tag on love, then how do you know how much it's worth?"

"What kind of crap is that?" Hyde asked, disgusted. "Romance was created by corporations to prey on losers who think buying nice things will make somebody love them. If you ever read something besides-" He looked at the magazine that Jackie was holding. "What Donny Osmond Puts on His Waffles? Really?"

Kelso grabbed the magazine and grinned. "I put whipped cream on my waffles, too! I eat like the stars!"

Izzy nodded. "I agree with Steven. Expensive isn't always the way to go. Every time I went out with Nick, I'd feel guilty because of how much everything cost."

Eric shook his head. "No, Izzy, you felt guilty because our parents--namely our father--ingrained into us from a young age that any money spent for joy instead of necessity is just a burden on him and a strain on his wallet."

Jackie shook her head. "See, I don't have that problem. I know what it's like to be rich. You know, people who say that money can't buy happiness has clearly not gone to La Petite Maison with Nick."

Hyde quirked an eyebrow, challenging Jackie. "Izzy has."

"Ooh, burn!" Kelso yelled.

-

Izzy and Eric were walking around the mall for an hour, looking for something that Eric could give Donna. They must have walked past the jewelry store six times before Izzy finally stopped in front of it and pointed at it with her thumb.

"Why haven't we gone in here?"

Eric raised his eyebrows. "Uh..." Before he could say anything else, Izzy jumped a little bit and went into the store, excited to look at all the sparkly things. He chuckled and followed her in. He couldn't help but relate Izzy to their mother whenever they see something shiny.

The two of them looked in the glass cases in silence. Every so often, one of them would point to something, but the other would just shrug, shake their head, or do an overexaggerated vomiting noise. Izzy got a lot of strange looks for that one, but it's not her fault when Eric just had to point at the gaudiest jewel-encrusted anklet.

"How can I help you two?" Izzy looked up to see a skinny man with a receding hairline, who was wearing a turtleneck that was just slightly too tight on him.

Izzy smiled brightly. "Hi! My brother here's looking for a present for his girlfriend."

Eric nodded. "You know, something that lets her know how I feel about her."

"Ah, no problem." The salesman, whose name tag just read Fenton, picked something out of the case and clasped it around his own neck in one swift gesture. He showed it off to them with a smirk. "Would your lady like a necklace?"

Izzy started laughing, while Eric just looked uncomfortable. "Well that's... that's nice. A little creepy." He paused. "Doesn't really say what I wanna say, though."

"Well okay, okay." Fenton ducked back down to look at the jewelry, then came back up with a ring. "How about... a promise ring?"

Izzy's eyes widened. "No way! They're horrible with them."

"Yeah!" Eric nodded. "One time, I gave her one and she didn't even want it, but then she-"

"How about that." Fenton said, cutting him off. "Look at that shine! That's nice, huh?"

"Well your... finger hair, curling over the ring, is kinda ruining it for me. Does, uh, wearing the merchandise usually work for you?"

"I don't know, I'm new here." He said saucily. "I used to work at the lingerie store." He nodded. "Yeah, they fired me."

Izzy stopped. "Lingerie store?" She turned to her brother. "You don't need me to help you anymore, right?"

"Uh-"

"Okay, cool! Thanks, big brother!" She said, already on her way out of the store.

Fenton chuckled. "I think I know what you're looking for." He paused, picking something else up. "How about a diamond ring?"

-

"Donna!" Eric said, bursting into the basement. "You, me, tonight, the water tower. Make yourself foxy, cause you're getting something pretty special."

Donna grinned. "Really? A present? I will get foxy!"

"And, Donna?" Jackie butted in. "Don't forget to wear flats so that Eric can feel like the boy."

Izzy stumbled in through the basement door, out of breath. "Jesus Christ, Eric. Why're you in such a hurry?"

Donna excitedly patted Izzy on the shoulder on her way out of the basement. "Eric has a surprise for me tonight! I'm gonna go get ready."

"Babe, why'd you have to run in here? You hate breaking a sweat." Hyde snickered as Izzy took her seat on his lap.

"I didn't want to miss him telling you what the gift is. He won't tell me anything!"

"Weren't you with him to pick it out?"

"Nah, I played hooky at the lingerie store."

Kelso's eyebrows shot up. "What'd you get?" Izzy just rolled her eyes.

"So, Forman." Hyde said. "Finally broke down, huh. What'd you get her? Earrings? Bracelet?"

"No. I got her way more than a piece of jewelry. I got her a gift that really says something." He pulled a small box out of the bag. "A diamond engagement ring."

The room froze.

"As a joke?" Kelso asked hoarsely.

"No! You guys, I'm gonna ask Donna to marry me."

"As a joke?!" Izzy repeated.

Hyde sighed. "Hate to do this, buddy. Actually, no I don't." He walked to the bookshelf at the back of the basement and picked something up, making Fez hold Eric still while he put the helmet on Eric's head.

"The stupid helmet?!" Eric whined. "Why do I have to wear the stupid helmet?"

"Because you're stupid!" Hyde responded. "You can't ask Donna to marry you, man!"

"Why not? I mean, we already know we're gonna be together forever."

Kelso shook his head wildly. "No! You think that you're gonna be together forever."

Izzy hit the helmet, making Eric wince. "Remember how you were worried about screwing things up? Ding ding ding, jackass!"

"Even in my country, we are not stupid enough to get married in high school." Fez said. "And we eat bugs!"

"Forman. What the hell are you thinking?"

"You don't understand, okay?" Eric said, standing up. "I love her. I was down at the store and I realized- What am I waiting for? We're happy."

"You don't get engaged when you're happy!" Hyde yelled. "What's the point? You do it when your back's against the wall and there's no way out! Like if the girl's pregnant."

Izzy gasped. "Oh, you take that back right now, Steven!"

"Wh- Izzy Bee, come on! Eric and Donna can't get engaged!"

Fez nodded. "It is settled then. Eric will get Donna pregnant. I will oversee the proceeding for educational purposes." He paused. "Ah, but he's so stupid, how do we know he can do it?"

Izzy groaned and put her head in her hands. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have gone shopping, you needed me to knock some sense into that dumbass head of yours."

Kelso's eyes widened. "Nuh-uh! Don't ever apologize for going lingerie shopping!"

"Dude, that's my girlfriend!" Hyde retaliated.

"Jackie!" Eric said, effectively cutting off the bickering. "Help me out here."

"Yeah, Jackie!" Izzy crossed her arms. "What do you think?"

Jackie, who was sitting down and examining the ring, sighed. "Well, I think it's beautiful. And I think it's very romantic-"

"Oh, what do you know?" Izzy snapped.

Jackie huffed and stood up. "Romance is expensive! And Donna deserves something pretty like this! Just don't ruin it, Eric." She handed him the ring and briskly walked out of the basement.

"Listen, you guys." Eric said calmly. "I've thought about this a lot. Donna's willing to commit four years of college to me. I wanna commit, too."

"Eric." Izzy took his head in her hands. "I say this as your sister, who loves seeing you get hurt. If you don't take that ring back right now, you're gonna end up in a world of misery and pain."

"Hey." Eric jerked his head away. "I love Donna. So... did it ever occur to any of you that I'm ready for a world of misery and pain? Maybe you should stop trying to give advice about my relationship for once, Izzy! Think about that!" With that, he ran out of the basement.

A few seconds went by, then he threw the door back open, took off the stupid helmet, calmly set it onto the coffee table, then ran back out.

-

Hyde sat on the basement couch that night, Izzy curled up in his arms as the two of them watched whatever mindless television show that was on. There was a silence sitting in the room, but it was a comfortable one.

They were unequivocally more engrossed in each other than the show.

Hyde was running his fingers through Izzy's hair, thinking about how soft it was and how it smelled of strawberries and vanilla. It half reminded him of the picnic they went on atop a hill two summers ago, and her dress had little strawberries on it. The other half made him think back to last holiday season, when it was snowing outside and Hyde came home after a long shift at the PhotoHut, kicking off his boots and seeing her making vanilla cupcakes. He felt safe, warm, and happy when he smelled that.

Izzy, curled up in his arms, was focused on the way his shirt felt against her cheek. It smelled like him--like leather, weed, and the coconut shampoo that Kitty insisted he use. It was intoxicating to Isabelle. She had one hand under his shirt, resting against his chest so she could feel his steady breaths, listening to his heartbeat and enjoying just being with him.

"You know I didn't mean what I said earlier, right?" He said softly.

She looked up at him, surprised slightly by the sudden apology. "What did you say earlier?"

"When I said you should only get engaged when there's no way out."

Izzy nodded silently, breathing out a soft, "Oh."

There was another silence. This silence wasn't a comfortable one, though. Hyde didn't know if he should keep talking about it, or leave it there. Neither did Izzy. This was completely uncharted territory for both of them.

Izzy shifted out of Hyde's arms, sitting back on the couch so she could look at him better. She gave him a quizzical look and, finally breaking the silence, said, "Do you want to get married someday?"

Hyde kept his eyes on the television. "I dunno."

"Steven, that's not an answer."

He shrugged. "We're seventeen. Why do you want to talk about this right now?"

"You brought it up."

Another pause.

"Please, just answer my question. I- I'm curious. Completely theoretically, would you ever want to get married?"

He sighed and turned to face her, finally meeting her eyes. "Completely theoretically... I would if you wanted to."

"So that's a no." Izzy sounded disappointed. "You don't want to."

"No, Izzy Bee, I didn't say that. I said I would if you wanted to, that... that's different. I want you to be happy, and if that makes you happy then that's what I'll do."

"But will it make you happy?" Izzy moved to take his hands in hers. "You matter to me, too."

He retracted his hands and sat back in his seat, watching the television again. "If you're happy, I'm happy." He said in a dismissive tone. He just wanted to go back to the way everything was just a minute ago, when neither of them were talking about this, and the only thing on his mind was the way her hair felt against his fingertips.

"Steven."

"What?!" He asked, slightly annoyed now. "What do you want me to say, Iz?"