"How's Hyde handling it?"

Donna was sitting at her kitchen table, painting her nails while Jackie held a towel firmly around her hair. The girls had just gotten done turning Donna blonde, as a way to change things up after the almost-wedding. But ever since that letter had come in the mail with Izzy's name written on the envelope, it's been the main topic of discussion amongst the girls.

And only the girls.

"He's not talking about it," Izzy sighed. "Every time Paris, or France, or french fries, or Brigitte Bardot gets mentioned, he totally changes the subject!"

"Men," Jackie said, shaking her head. "They're just like dogs. Mention one thing they don't like and boom! They're acting differently for the next week. Happened with Nick a month ago; I mentioned wanting to go on the grapefruit diet, and he refused to talk about fruit for ten days."

Donna chuckled. "Jackie, that's because the grapefruit diet instills fear in everyone," she looked over at Izzy again. "You guys need to talk this out. I mean, Eric and I didn't talk things out, and look where that got us."

Izzy nodded. "I know. And, believe me, I've tried talking to him about it. But at this point, I'm just doing with him what I'm doing with the others."

Izzy looked around, expecting acknowledgement of what she meant. When it was obvious that Donna and Jackie were both clueless, Izzy continued: "Oh. I mean I'm gonna give them time."

"Ohh," Jackie and Donna said in unison.

Donna furrowed her brow. "And by them, you mean..."

"Everyone else? My parents, Fez, Kelso... assuming you two have come to terms with it, of course."

Jackie waved Izzy off. "Of course I have! It's Paris, Iz! Why wouldn't I be excited for you?"

Izzy paused. "Um... because when I first told you, you yelled, 'You bitch!' and ran out of the room?"

"Well, that's because you're gonna be around French guys. Duh."

Donna laughed. "What changed your mind, Jackie?"

"Izzy promised she'd send me a beret."

"Valid," Donna said. "I was fine with it right when you told me, Iz. It's a great opportunity, and I'm in no place to be angry about it," she paused. "Out of sheer curiosity, what were the others' initial reactions?"

Izzy took a breath, trying to recount the events, even though they weren't long ago at all. "After Hyde read the letter, he kind of looked at me for a second, then put it back on the counter and went downstairs. A- And I didn't stop him, because I was in shock, too. He hasn't brought it up since, and I definitely don't want to be the one to.

Kelso seemed pretty excited for me. Fez, too. Part of me thinks they don't actually understand what's happening, but you never know. As for Eric, he was surprised, to say the least. Hugged me real tight, think he broke a few ribs. But he was the first to react positively."

"And your parents?" Donna asked.

Izzy held up a finger. "I'm getting there. So my mom started freaking out when I told her the location is France, not fucking Illinois. She..." Her voice dropped slightly. "I mean, it was really difficult to watch. It was like she was having a full-on panic attack right in front of me. And the whole time my dad was just sitting in his armchair, staring at me. A- And then, when Mom stopped yelling... she started crying." Izzy took in a shaky breath. "And my dad just stood up and went upstairs. And Mom followed."

Donna put her hand over Izzy's to calm her a little. "I- I mean, damn, you guys! I got homesick within two nights when we went to California, I don't know how I'll survive a year four thousand miles away!" She put her head in her hands, shutting her eyes tightly. "What if I just turn it down? We could all forget about this and move on with our mediocre lives."

"Okay, no." Jackie huffed. "You are not throwing away something this amazing because of guilt!" Izzy looked up to see Jackie's hands on her hips. "Steven will come around. And if he doesn't? Screw him!"

"But he will," Donna said reassuringly.

"But he will!" Jackie repeated.

Donna laughed. "And I agree, Kelso and Fez probably don't understand what's happening. But Eric is already super excited for you, and so are we. Your parents, Hyde... keep giving them time, and they'll come to terms with it." Donna poked Izzy's shoulder. "And if they don't, you go to France anyway. Send your mom some macarons and wine, send your dad some D-Day souvenirs, and send Hyde some sexy polaroids. Everything will be fine."

Izzy took a breath and nodded. "Thank you."

"Okay, now back to Donna's hair!" Jackie said, clapping her hands together excitedly.

Donna pinched the bridge of her nose, chuckling. "Jackie, Izzy's having a crisis, we can talk about my hair later."

Izzy rolled her eyes. "Come on, Donna. My crisis is dealt with for now, so we move on. How often in someone's life do they go blonde for the first time ever? And with your complexion? Trust me, it's gonna look great,"

Donna shook her head, laughing at the two girls. "It's weird, I actually feel different."

"Well, now that you're not getting married, you have to energize yourself spiritually," Jackie said. "And making superficial changes is the best way to do that."

The kitchen door opened, and in walked Eric, donning his favorite sweater vest. As soon as he entered the room with a quick, "Hello!" Jackie reacted with a loud, "Eugh!"

She paused, looking around at the shocked faces of the others. "Oh, come on! A sweater vest?!"

"Jackie," Donna said, "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

Izzy laughed. "If she followed that rule, she'd never speak again."

"Then again, that's kind of the idea," Eric mumbled.

"Hey!" Jackie said. "Fine, fine. I'm going." Before she made it out the door, she took a breath and turned back to face Eric. "You look like a circus poodle!"

As soon as the door closed behind her, Eric turned to Izzy. "What's poppin?"

"Oh, you know," Donna responded. "Izzy's just contemplating whether or not she should go to France, while Jackie and I talked about sexy polaroids and blonde hair."

Eric raised his eyebrows. "Sexy polaroids, you say?"

Izzy practically jumped out of her seat. "Okay, that's my queue to leave! Adios, everyone!"

"Don't you mean au revoir?" Eric snickered.

"Shut up!"

-

The following afternoon, Izzy, Hyde, Kelso, and Fez all exited Hyde's bedroom to find Eric and Donna sitting on the couch.

"Alright!" Kelso cheered. "Eric traded in Donna for a hot blonde!" Donna turned to look at Kelso, and he jumped in surprise. "Oh, crap. She looks exactly like Donna!"

Hyde scowled. "That is Donna, you ding dong," he paused, then chuckled. "Only now she lets Forman do that thing he's been trying." Izzy rolled her eyes and playfully hit Hyde's arm. "Izzy Bee! I'm only sayin' that because I'd know. I am dating a blonde, after all."

Kelso's eyes grew to the size of saucers. "Really, Forwoman?!"

"Wh- I don't- I mean-" Izzy's face turned beet red. "Steven, you suck!"

"No, you do," he said with a grin. "I'd know."

Hyde sat down in his chair and pulled Izzy into his lap, laughing and fighting her feeble attempt to break free before she gave up and wrapped her arms around him.

"Your hair is beautiful," Fez said, standing behind the couch. "I want to touch it." He reached out to poke Donna's head, and she hit his hand away. He tried again and got the same result. On his fifth try, he held up his finger. "Hey, I can do this all day!" Finally, Donna sighed and leaned her head over so he could touch it. He did, and then shrugged, said "Eh," and went to sit down.

"What, you don't like blondes?" Izzy asked, giggling.

Fez shook his head. "I like my women like I like my wine: red and full of alcohol."

"Whatever," Donna said. "When I was a redhead, at the bakery, they would give me a free donut. But as a blonde? Apple fritter. Learned that from Miss Isabelle Marie Forman herself," Izzy reached over to high-five Donna. "So I think I'm gonna stay blonde for a while," she paused, then stood up. "Now I'm gonna go to the bakery."

When the door closed behind her, Hyde turned to Eric. "You're a lucky man, Forman. Not only is Donna not mad, but as a bonus, she's fixed herself up all whorey."

"And!" Eric said, moving to sit on the back of the couch. "I have an announcement. Donna and I have decided we're not talking about our relationship anymore."

Of course, this was instantly met with a loudly positive response. Fez clapped his hands together, Izzy let out a "Mazel tov!" Hyde raised his beer, and Kelso looked up to thank the lord.

"Finally, we'll have some time to talk about things I want to talk about," Fez said with a grin. "Number one: cocoa butter. It doesn't taste like cocoa or butter!"

Eric nodded. "It's gonna be so great to be with Donna without all the talking and the decisions and the labels. You know, am I your fiance, am I your boyfriend-"

"Wait, wait," Kelso said, unwrapping his popsicle. "Are you and Donna boyfriend and girlfriend or not?"

"No, I'm saying... why put labels on it?"

"Are you dating? Or... can you see other people?"

"Why are you so interested?"

Hyde rolled his eyes. "He's trying to figure out if he can nail Donna."

"Wh- Hyde! Let me build up to it, damn!" He turned back to Eric. "Well, can I?"

Eric looked at Kelso in bewilderment. "No."

"Ugh, thanks for nothin' Hyde!"

Fez grinned. "Eric, you really got it made with Donna. No responsibilities, no plans... what a great way to live your life!"

"You know what? That is a great way to live your life!" Eric paused. "Okay, you know what guys? I figured out what I'm gonna do this year!"

"You're gonna be the first person to put on my human firecracker suit?" Kelso asked.

"No, I'm talking-"

"Wait, what is a firecracker suit?!" Izzy said, her eyes wide. She moved to sit on the couch in between Eric and Fez, leaning towards Kelso to listen closely.

Kelso grinned back at her. "Right. So it's this suit- wait. You have to agree to wear it before I tell you."

Izzy glanced back at Eric. "Hm... I'm intrigued. We'll talk later. Sorry, Eric. Continue."

"Thank you, Iz," Eric said. "You guys, my dad said I gotta have a plan this year, and now I have it." He got up, standing as tall and proud as he could. "I'm gonna take the year off!"

The room fell silent.

"Isn't that was Elvis said before he died on the toilet?" Hyde mumbled.

Eric shook his head. "No you guys, seriously! I mean, rich kids do it, right? After high school, they take a year off, go to Europe, figure out what they're gonna do. I'm gonna do exactly that, just go nowhere and do nothing."

Izzy snickered. "You mean like a bum?"

"In the grandest European tradition, yes!"

Fez raised his eyebrows. "Speaking of Europe, Izzy. I would like to give you some tips to help you survive being a complete foreigner to a country's language, culture, and ladies."

Izzy smiled. "Wait, Fez, that'd be great. I never thought about that before, but I guess going to France means..." Her words trailed off as she watched Hyde get up from his seat and go back into his room.

Eric sighed. "He's taking this pretty hard, huh?"

"Yeah," she whispered. "I know I have to give him time, but... there's not a lot of that right now. I leave in August, a- and I want to be able to..."

"Spend as much time together as possible."

Izzy set her head in her hands. "Yeah."

There was a pause in the room, then Kelso looked at his popsicle, grinning. "Man, popsicles are kinda dirty if you think about it! Look at it, Forwoman! Look at it!"

-

Later on in the driveway, Hyde and Izzy were playing basketball while the others stood around chatting. When Eric joined the group, Hyde caught the ball from Izzy and held it under one arm, turning to face the older twin.

"Forman. Your whole year off plan? It's lazy, it's selfish, and it's gonna piss a lot of people off. So nice job," he paused. "But what're you gonna do for cash, man? You know, rich kids, they have a trust fund. All you got are some poorly-assembled model airplanes."

Izzy's eyes widened. "Oh. Uh, Kelso and I melted those."

Eric paused to think. "Hm. I guess if I have to work, it's not a year off. So... maybe I can sell something. Guys, what do I have that's worth any money?" He turned around and locked eyes with the newest blonde of the group. "Oh, Donna! I can sell your engagement ring!"

Instantly, everyone's eyes went to Donna to gauge her reaction.

"She is going to kill him!" Fez said timidly.

Kelso put his hands on Fez's shoulders and pulled him away. "Fez. Get out of the swing zone."

"I got ten bucks on the girl!" Hyde said.

"And I got ten bucks on Donna!" Izzy added.

Donna chuckled. "Actually, I have no problem with you selling it."

Eric raised his eyebrows and let out a sigh of relief. "You are so amazing. I swear, if I created you in a laboratory, you could not say more perfect things."

"Yeah, but then she'd have those bolts comin' outta her neck." Kelso mumbled.

"There's just one problem," Donna said. "I don't have the ring."

Eric looked shocked. "What?"

"Well, when I was mad at you for blowing off the wedding, I threw it over the water tower!"

Eric's jaw was dropped open. "Donna, that ring was the symbol of our eternal love for each other!"

"You were gonna sell it to finance a year of napping and boozing." Hyde said.

There was a pause, then Eric said, "Yeah, that's true. So... who's wrong here?"

Hyde shrugged. "I think there's a little something wrong with all of us. So what, are we gonna go look for the ring now?"

"We have to!" Fez said. "It'll be our own little ring adventure."

Izzy sighed. "I need to go grocery shopping for my mom. Fill me in when you guys get back?"

"Course." Hyde mumbled, pulling her in around the waist for a kiss, making everyone groan.

-

Dinner that evening was quiet.

Izzy made fried chicken for everyone, and since Red had forbidden Eric from eating until he had a plan for the next year, it was just Izzy and her parents at the table. She had been alone with the two of them since breaking the news, but it was always awkward, and it was usually filled with Kitty gossiping about someone in the town. Tonight, though, it was silent other than the clink of cutlery.

After a few minutes of enduring the tension that lingered over the room, Izzy slowly set her fork down. "Um..." She said softly, gaining her parents' attention. "I just found out that my apartment is completely covered by the internship. I- I have some pictures of the place, if you'd like to-" She was cut off by Red dropping his knife and fork, pushing his chair out, and walking right out of the kitchen.

Izzy watched as he went, tears quickly filling her eyes. She stood up, getting ready to follow him, but was stopped by Kitty setting her hand on Izzy's arm. Izzy looked down to see her mother with eyes just as teary as her own. Slowly and quietly, she sat back down.

"What's wrong with the men in this house?" She asked shakily, only half-joking.

Kitty smiled slightly. "Isabelle, we're all just worried."

"I know you are! But I'm eighteen, Mama. I'd be moving away anyway, if I were going to college!"

"I know, but Paris is a lot farther than Madison."

Izzy wiped the tears off her cheek. "I've been dreaming about an opportunity like this since I first picked up a paintbrush. It's a merit-based program, we don't even have to pay for it. I- I'm never gonna get something like this coming my way again."

Kitty took her daughter's hand in her own. "You know how much it hurts us to see you kids grow up. In all the parenting books I've ever read, there's never been anything about what to do when one of your children decides to move halfway across the world. We don't know how to handle this situation, Isabelle, but I want you to know that I'm here in support of you. I was the one who wanted to submit your work for this, so I should be here to back you up through it all."

Izzy paused, then threw her arms around Kitty. "Thank you," she said softly.

Kitty smiled and held her tight. When the two parted, she squished Izzy's cheeks together. "Now, go get your father. I don't want his food to get cold."

-

"Daddy?" Izzy asked timidly, knocking on his bedroom door. After no response, she slowly opened it to see Red sitting at his desk, his head in his hands. "Oh," she breathed, going over to him. "Listen, I- I'd like to talk to you about everything. If that's alright."

He didn't look up.

She took in a breath. "This is my dream, Daddy. I know you always dreamed of having a Corvette and becoming a millionaire, and instead you got Laurie and two small idiots. But then you got a Corvette, and remember how happy you were when you had it?" She paused. "A- And I know you're mad at me-"

"Mad at you?" He looked up, meeting her eyes. "Isabelle, I'm not mad." He stood up and brushed a lock of hair out of her face. "I'm so... I'm..." He swallowed thickly. "I'm so proud of you." He wiped some tears off her cheek. "I just don't know what I'm going to do without my little girl here. I can't take care of you all the way in Paris, Isabelle." This time, it was Izzy wiping a few of his tears. "But... I suppose you're all grown up now. And you don't need me anymore."

Izzy took in a sharp breath and hugged her father tightly. "I'm always going to need you. You're my dad, I- I could never..." She paused. "I love you."

He let out a breath of a laugh and patted her on the back. "I love you too."

-

Back at the kitchen table, Izzy and her parents were enjoying their fried chicken once again when Eric burst into the kitchen and sat down at the table. "Okay, I'm here to earn my dinner!" He looked at Red. "What am I doing about Donna? We're hangin' out. What am I doing about my job? I quit! What am I doing about my future? Nothin'. When am I moving out?" He paused and took a bite of the fried chicken. "Make me."

Izzy laughed. "I'm assuming you found the you-know-what?"

He pointed his fried chicken at his sister. "That I did, Little Forman. That. I. Did."