Izzy was sitting in the Hub one day, watching as Kelso introduced Annette to everyone. Yep, the blonde bimbo from California had arrived in Point Place, Wisconsin, and Kelso was proudly showing her off to anyone and everyone he possibly could.

Kelso had wanted Annette to stay with Izzy, and, to be honest, Izzy was fine with that. She and Annette had gotten along decently well in California, based off the very few conversations they had with each other. Kitty was quick to veto that, though, when her parents showed up unexpectedly to stay with them for a few days.

So, because of Bea and Burt, Annette was going to stay with Donna (much to Donna's own dismay).

"Donna," Annette asked. "Can we go to your house? I have to change into my afternoon outfit." She looked around at the others before explaining: "Gauchos and clogs!"

Fez grinned. "Bravo."

"Uh... you have an afternoon outfit?" Donna asked.

"Of course she does!" Kelso said, settling an arm around Annette's waist. "You could use a little freshenin' up too, Big D."

Izzy scowled and punched Kelso in the arm, making Hyde laugh. "Don't be a dick, Kelso."

"Wh- Forwoman! Ow!"

Donna sighed. "Why don't I meet you guys by the car?"

Annette nodded and stood up. "C'mon, Michael. While we're waiting, I'll let you smell my hair!"

"B- But I just got these fries..."

"Fine!" She huffed. "Then I'll go flirt with the gas station guy!"

"Fine!" He grabbed his fries and got up, following her outside but stopping at the Super Ball machine.

"Wow." Fez breathed. "You know when you have a dirty dream? Well, Annette is the girl who's always in it. Oh, she should be ashamed of what she has done to me."

"Okay, I didn't mind her in California, but now that she's got her hooks on Kelso... she's irking me a tad. Something's different." Izzy said thoughtfully.

"Yeah. Something evil." Donna agreed.

Eric nodded. "Agreed. But I just can't put my finger on it."

Just then, Annette opened the door to see Kelso still at the Super Ball machine. "Michael! I'm waiting!"

"I was getting you a Super Ball! Damn!"

"I told you, I don't like presents that bounce!"

As Kelso groaned like a child and followed her outside, Hyde sighed. "Oh god, I figured it out. She's a blonde Jackie."

Donna and Eric gasped, and at the same time, said, "Blackie."

"We are doomed." Fez said quietly.

"I can't spend the night alone with that!" Donna whined. She spotted Jackie and Nick joining their table, and immediately grabbed onto that lifeline. "Jackie, you have to sleep in my house!"

"Ooh, good idea." Eric said. "Put both Jackies in a room, toss some lipstick in the middle... watch them tear each other to shreds."

Jackie shook her head. "No no, I don't wanna sleep over." She paused. "What? I don't like her!"

"Come on Jackie, let's help Donna out." Izzy said. "We can have, like, a pajama party, and we can do makeovers-"

"I'm not interested in stupid girly things. I mean god, I'm not shallow anymore!"

Nick laughed, then saw the look on Jackie's face. "Baby," he said, "last night you made me list all the actresses you're prettier than, and then cried when I could only think of twenty-six names."

"Jackie, come on," Donna said. "You'll have all night to chip away at her self esteem. We can whisper about her, and then, when she asks us what we're talking about, we can giggle and say 'Nothing!'"

Jackie smiled. "Ooh, I've done that to you and Izzy!"

Izzy laughed. "Yeah, I'm guessing that's where she got it."

"Okay, okay." Eric said. "Here's what I think would teach her a good lesson. Dress her up as a Swiss mountain girl, and us fellas will come over, make a couple daiquiris, get a little tipsy, see what happens-"

"Nah man," Hyde said. "That's not a good punishment at all. We should spank her, too."

-

At the Pinciottis' house that night, Izzy was sitting on the floor by Donna's feet, wearing her comfiest pajamas. She was holding a magazine, which Donna was reading over her shoulder, and Jackie and Annette just sat on their own. Overall, the room was filled with an incredibly awkward silence that was only broken by Donna popping her gum periodically.

After a while, Annette sighed and stood up. "I'm gonna go get some Cracker Jacks."

When she was gone, Jackie groaned. "Ugh, she's so cheap she could be the prize in the Cracker Jacks!"

"Wow," Donna said. "You're jealous!"

"I am not jealous!" She paused. "I just wanna pop that inflatable bitch and watch her fly around the room."

Izzy laughed. "Look, here's the thing, Jackie. Kelso likes bossy, vain, shallow princess-types. And you've got a boyfriend now."

Donna nodded. "So he shipped a girl in from out west."

"But he's not supposed to replace me! He's supposed to sit around and pine for me!"

Izzy sighed. "Jackie, you can't wish for that. That's just, like, super toxic behavior. Just focus on Nick. You know, the guy you're actually dating?"

"Oh, you're no fun." Jackie snapped.

Annette came back into the room with her Cracker Jacks, and an awkward silence fell back over the room.

-

After a while, Donna tried to start the conversation back up again. "So, um... so! Did you guys hear about that woman who might be the first female member of the Supreme Court!"

Izzy's eyes widened. "Yes, oh my god! So cool, right?"

Jackie looked at Izzy and Donna with disgust. "No. But I did hear that Dallas Cowboys might hire their first redheaded cheerleader!"

Annette made a face. "Ew!"

"That's exactly what I said!" Jackie gasped, then glanced at Donna. "Oh. Uh oh, redhead in the room."

Annette got up excitedly, sitting next to Jackie. She whispered something into her ear, and the two girls giggled. Donna and Izzy shared a confused look. "Okay," Izzy said. "What are you two talking about?"

They looked at Izzy, then at Donna, then back at Izzy, and said at the same time, "Nothing!"

Izzy sighed and fell back against Donna, giving her a look of Oh lord, please save me from this awful evening. I'd do anything. Literally anything.

Then the phone rang in the other room.

Donna jumped up, desperate to get out of the room that was filling with giggles, and rushed to pick up the phone. She came back a few moments later, her brow knitted.

"Izzy, you gotta go right now. Grab your coat."

Izzy stood up slowly. "Um... what?" Donna went to get Izzy's coat and handed it to her, who slowly started pulling her arms through the sleeves. Annette and Jackie watched as the scene in front of them unfurled.

She grabbed Izzy's hand and pulled her towards the door. "Eric just called. They're at the hospital-"

Izzy froze. "Wait, what? Donna, what happened?"

She tugged on her hand. "He left you the keys to the Cruiser, now come on."

"Donna, just tell me what happened!"

"I- It's your grandpa, Izzy."

-

"They got ice cream in the cafeteria!" Kelso said excitedly, taking a bite.

Eric's eyes widened angrily. "Ice cream? Kelso, my grandpa's in intensive care."

Kelso nodded. "Yeah, but I told them it was my grandfather, so I got the ice cream for free!"

"Put it down." Red grunted.

"Fine. But when my burrito's ready, I'm eating it!"

Red walked over to Eric and sighed. "Why does everybody go everywhere with us? Look at all these damn kids! I feel like a mormon."

Just then, Izzy came rushing into the hospital. She went up to the counter and said quickly, "Burt Sigurdson?" She looked over the receptionist's shoulder and saw her brother standing there with her father. Ignoring the receptionist, she walked past the front desk and up to Eric, pulling him into a tight hug.

"What's going on?" She asked weakly. "Donna didn't say anything before I left."

She felt a hand on her shoulder and recognized it as Red's. "I- I found him on the ground." Eric said quietly. "He wasn't breathing." He pulled away from the hug. "We called an ambulance as quick as we could, but we've been here for a while already-"

"What took you so long?" Red asked.

Izzy rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I'm sorry, I just hit every damn red light, and then a cop almost caught me speeding, a- and then- and then..." She ran her hands down her face and shut her eyes tightly. "I'm sorry, I'm just- I'm really scared."

Eric nodded without another word, and pulled her in for another hug. When they separated, she turned and saw Hyde sitting in one of the seats, watching her. She walked over to him and sat down, taking his hand in hers.

"Hi." She said quietly.

"Hey, doll."

"How long have you been here?"

He took in a breath. "Long enough."

After a moment, Izzy got comfortable next to him and rested her head on Hyde's shoulder. He moved the hair off her face to press a kiss to her forehead. They sat like that for a little while longer, before Kitty came out of the hallway, wringing her hands nervously. Immediately, Izzy stood up and joined Eric and Red.

"How's Burt?" Red asked softly.

"Well, um... I don't know how to say this," She took in a shaky breath. "Daddy's gone to a better place."

A silence settled over the room, then Kelso breathed a sigh of relief. "Good! Cause this hospital sucks!" He looked around at all the faces glaring at him. "What? Ohh." He leaned over to Fez and whispered, "This hospital sucks."

-

"Mrs. Forman, I'm so sorry for your loss. The service was lovely." Donna said to Kitty, giving her a hug.

Bob walked up to Kitty. "Ah, jeez." He then walked up to Eric and Izzy. "Ah, jeez."

When he got to Red, all he could get out was "Ah-" before Red cut him off with a "We got it, Bob."

Izzy and Eric joined Donna and headed to the center of the living room, where the rest of their friends were standing.

"Hi, baby." Hyde said softly, setting a hand on her cheek, which she leaned into. "I'm sorry about your grandpa."

"You know," Annette said shrilly, making Izzy cringe. "There's a Carly Simon song that always cheers me up!"

"Oh, you don't have to-"

Before Eric could get out another word, Annette started singing. "I haven't the time for the pain! I haven't the room for the pain! I haven't the need for the pain!"

"Really, if you could just-"

"Anymore!"

Izzy looked at Eric awkwardly. "What do I do? Do I clap?"

He sighed. "I'm just gonna walk away."

"That was awesome!" Kelso said with a grin. "Do you know Devil Went Down to Georgia?"

"No, Michael!" Jackie huffed. "She's got better things to do!" She turned to Annette with a smile and said, "Hey, come on, let's go try on people's coats!"

"So. The rich girl goes after the whore." Fez smiled dorkily. "That's a happy ending. Put it on ice, and you've got yourself a show!"

Nick made a face. "So Jackie and Annette are friends now?"

"What's it to you?" Hyde asked.

"Nothin' man, it's just..." Nick looked down at his drink uncomfortably. "Nothing. I- It's nothing." He looked over at Izzy. "I'm sorry about your grandpa, Izzy. I mean, damn, right in your own driveway?"

Izzy sighed. "I guess." She paused. "Man, what was he even doing out there?"

"Well, he caught us spying on your slumber party." Fez explained.

"Wh- you were spying on us?" Izzy asked, surprisingly breaking into laughter. "Steven!"

Hyde jumped a little when Izzy lightly hit his arm. "Hey, look. I got to see you in cute little pj's, I'm not apologizing." She just laughed and pulled him in for a kiss, and Nick awkwardly coughed and walked away.

-

"Hey, are Izzy and I allowed to drink in front of you guys now?" Eric asked, pulling a bottle of wine out of the fridge and making Izzy laugh.

Red rolled his eyes. "Put that back, that's your mother's emergency wine."

Just then, Bea entered the room. Everyone fell silent as Kitty turned to her, wiping the flour off her hands.

"So, um... Mom, you haven't said much." She said quietly. "Are you holding it in? Cause it's okay to let it out, we're family."

"If anybody needs to let anything out, I'd be happy to leave." Red offered.

Bea laughed. "It's just so typical of Burt to make everybody come up from Phoenix in the middle of winter! He never thought about anybody but himself and those damned ostriches!"

When she left, Kitty turned to the others. "Did you hear that? That is not grieving!"

"Okay, Kitty. Calm down." Red said, setting his hands on her shoulders comfortingly. "It's not as bad as you think. Maybe you're just having a hot flash!"

Izzy's eyes widened, and Eric nearly dropped the Coke that was in his hand.

"Oh. Dad." Eric breathed out. "No."

Izzy quickly opened the fridge back up and took out the emergency wine, handing it to Red without another word.

-

After the funeral that night, Isabelle was cleaning up the living room to the best of her ability. She was picking up the cups and the paper plates and throwing them away in the trash bag she had sitting on the coffee table. When she had her back turned away from the kitchen door, she heard a soft voice behind her.

"Izzy?"

She turned around and, when she saw who it was, furrowed her brow, her mouth agape slightly. "Nick? Uh... what's up?" She asked, slowly picking up another plate.

"I wanted to ask you about something."

She sighed, brushing crumbs off the couch. "Look, Nick, if this is about me and Hyde-"

"No, no. I- It's not, I swear." He paused, watching as she worked. "I need your help." She didn't look up. "With... Jackie."

"What?" Her voice was quiet, but she managed to meet his eyes. "Why are you asking me?"

"I'm sorry, I- I know it's weird, but you know Jackie best out of everyone, and I really need your help."

She sighed and walked into the kitchen, setting the trash bag next to the others. "Alright. What's up?"

"Well, uh- oh, okay, we're walking now." He followed her back into the living room, where she checked the bookshelves against the staircase to make sure everything was in order. "Jackie gets in these... these moods sometimes?"

She chuckled. "Oh, I'm familiar."

"A- And she'll invite me places and ask me to go with her on dates and stuff, but then when we get there, it seems like her mind is elsewhere. It's happened a few times now, kinda spread out over the time we've been dating," He chuckled. "A- And it drives me crazy. I mean, usually she drives me crazy in a good way, but this... Do you know what it means?"

Izzy froze, her eyebrows raised, then she laughed and fell back against the wall. "Uh... yeah, I do." She chuckled. "I do know what that means, actually."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Could'ja tell me, then? Please?"

"First, you need to remember that you're dating a spoiled, cheerleading ex-girl scout. Wrap your mind around that, and then-"

"Okay yeah, I've got that part."

Izzy laughed. "Good. See, this would happen every few months when she dated Kelso, it's a routine Jackie Burkhart thing." She paused. "Look, she wants you to do a grand, romantic gesture for her."

"A what?"

"You know! Get her flowers, buy her a new dress, or shoes, o- or that kinda thing! Y'know?"

Nick paused, then let out a breath and leaned one hand against the wall next to Izzy's head. "Oh, thank god. I thought she was mad at me."

"No way! Just be a good boyfriend. I know you're capable of that, and that's what she likes."

He laughed and ruffled her hair. "Thanks, Iz."

-

Hyde had been on a run to the corner store to get some more wine for Kitty, as per Red's request, and by the time he pulled back into the Formans' driveway, he was exhausted.

That day was a lot for everyone, and it was hard for Hyde to see Mrs. Forman so upset. But Red told him to keep his distance unless he wanted to get yelled and-or cried at, so he did. He stuck by Izzy's side all night, knowing that, even though she wasn't close with Burt, he was still her grandfather.

He didn't leave her side. At all. And that's why it confused him so much when he pulled up in his car and saw through the window how she was leaning up against a wall with Nick over her, one arm against the wall, keeping her in place.

Even though his bones ached from exhaustion, he rushed to park the car and practically ran into the living room, just in time to see him ruffle her hair, mumble something, and kiss the top of her head.

"Oh, you're fucking dead!"

-

Izzy couldn't quite comprehend what was happening as Hyde rushed through the door, right up to Nick.

"Oh, you're fucking dead!" He said angrily, grabbing Nick by the shoulder and throwing him against the wall.

"Steven!" She yelped, shocked.

"Look, man-" Nick started, taking a few steps away from Hyde with his hands up, but Hyde was quicker. He took the collar of Nick's jacket in his fists and pushed him up against the wall, holding him there.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing with my girl?" Hyde snarled.

Izzy's eyes were wide. "Steven, stop!" She cried, but he wasn't listening.

He pushed Nick a little harder against the wall, getting in his face and yelling, "You're not with my Izzy anymore! You're with Jackie! You can't have it both fuckin' ways-"

"Hyde, man, you've got it all wrong-"

"Steven let him go!"

Hyde wasn't even hearing what they were saying. Izzy watched as he let one hand off Nick and curl it into a fist. Without thinking, Izzy grabbed his arm and pushed him away, yelling, "Hyde, stop!"

When Hyde turned sharply to Izzy, she flinched, shutting her eyes tightly.

That's what hit him.

He dropped his fist immediately, a horrified look on his face. He looked at Nick, then down at his fist, then at Izzy, who still had her eyes shut, seemingly bracing herself for an impact.

Hyde took a step back, noticing how Izzy was trembling.

And when Izzy opened her eyes, Hyde was already heading for the basement stairs. She looked at Nick, her eyes full of tears.

"I- I'm so sorry, Izzy, I didn't mean to-"

"Don't apologize." She mumbled, turning away from him and going to follow Hyde.

When she turned into the den, where the basement stairs were, she saw Eric sitting in Red's reading chair. He was reading some novel that had a cover with a woman and a man with flowy hair and an even flowier tunic.

He looked up at her, a grin on his face. "Are Hyde and Kelso done fighting? I was gonna check it out, but I feel like Hyde woulda jumped me, too-" His voice faltered as he saw the tears threatening to spill from Izzy's eyes.

He set the book down and stood up. "You okay? What happened?"

She sniffed and rubbed her nose with the back of her hand. "Um... Hyde just pushed Nick."

Eric's face dropped. "What?"

"Yeah, uh..." She practically fell into the chair. "Nick was asking for help with something, a- and Hyde thought he was coming onto me-"