That 70s Finale
Izzy sat in the back of the taxi, picking at her nail polish. She wasn't far from home now, having just gotten off the plane a little while ago. The cab driver was trying to make small talk, and Izzy was trying to pretend she didn't know him.
"How's Eric doing? Man, I can't believe it's been nearly four years since he worked with us! And how long ago did you apply?" She opened her mouth to respond, but was too slow. "Three years ago? Man, I told ya--Fatso Burger never forgets a face!" He paused. "Course, I haven't worked with Fatso in almost a year after the incident where I..." There was a pause. "She said she was eighteen." He glanced at her through his rearview mirror. He cleared his throat. "Anyway, lawsuits are expensive! But hey, if you're ever lookin' for a job-"
"This is it." Izzy said loudly, cutting him off.
It wasn't it. They were still down the block from her house, but man, if she had to spend one more minute listening to this creep...
He stopped the cab. "Okay, then!" He leaned out his window, watching as she pulled her suitcase out of the trunk. "Happy New Year's Eve! See you around, friend!"
Izzy pulled out a few crumpled up bills and threw them in his window. "No, you won't." She stood on the sidewalk until he drove off, waited a few more seconds to make sure he was really gone, and then set off down the block.
A few houses down, she could see the familiar glimmer of warm, comforting light that she had known all her life. Just the glimpse of it gave her butterflies in her stomach and made the luggage she was holding feel a million times heavier.
What was she about to come home to?
She had no idea.
She knew some things. Like how Eric and Donna had broken up. She knew about Donna and Randy, some guy who Hyde had hired to work at Grooves. She knew Jackie had moved to Chicago with Nick, and she knew that Kelso had moved there as well for Betsy. Hyde was now the proud owner of the last Grooves left standing, and she was...
She was home.
"Izzy!" She heard someone shriek. The sliding door flew open, and Fez nearly tripped over his own feet running across the driveway to her. She dropped her bag and laughed, preparing herself for the bear hug that she knew was about to happen.
"Fez!" She laughed, letting his smell of peppermint, salon shampoo, and bubblegum wash over her. "Good morning, buddy, I missed you!"
"You as well, it has been so wonky here without you."
He broke away from the hug, and Izzy was able to see more people joining them. She walked over to her parents first, and they both engulfed her with a hug and greeted her hello.
Kitty smiled at Izzy, looking her up and down. "Your hair is so long," she breathed.
Izzy laughed. "My host family has a six year old. She loves braiding hair, so I like to keep it long for her."
Red put his hand on her shoulder. "It's good to have you here, Isabelle."
"It's good to be here, Daddy." She turned to see her brother, who was standing proudly, hand-in-hand with Donna. "Whoa!" She laughed. "When did this happen?"
Eric grinned. "When I came home yesterday."
Izzy thought for a second, then leaned in. "So what happened with Randy?" She whispered loudly to Donna.
She gave a half smile. "It didn't work out. Sorry I didn't tell you, I just-"
"Don't worry about it, Big Red," she paused, and she couldn't help but smile. "Man, it's so great seeing you two back together. Course, I never really saw you apart. Except for when you broke up. You know what I mean."
"Man, the Fortwins are back!" Kelso yelled, running up and pulling the twins into a hug, nearly choking them both by wrapping an arm around each of their necks.
Eric tapped on Kelso's arm. "Air," he squeaked, before Kelso let them go. "Can we go inside? It's freezing out here."
Izzy nodded and led the group inside, where she saw Jackie and Nick sitting in the living room. "Jackie!" Her eyes widened. "Oh my god," she said, looking back at Kelso. "I totally forgot. How are things in Chicago, you guys?"
Kelso's face lit up. "Betsy can say burn now. She doesn't really use it right, though. I get her a lot more than she gets me."
Jackie stood and hugged Izzy tightly. "Chicago is great. Being on TV is such a beautiful thing, I never knew how good my hair would look under studio lighting!"
Nick chuckled and held his arm open for when Jackie came to sit back down. "Yeah, Chicago's cool. I got a pretty good job not long after we moved, and... well, we wanted to wait and show you in person, but-"
Jackie squealed and jumped up again, flashing her hand in Izzy's face.
"Oh my god!" Izzy said, taking her hand to examine closer. "That ring is beautiful. Congratulations, you two!"
There were footsteps coming from the den, but Izzy didn't hear over Jackie telling the story of the proposal.
Hyde was just coming upstairs to ask Kitty when Izzy's plane would be landing. He didn't expect to see his girlfriend standing in the middle of the living room. He took off his sunglasses and blinked, trying to tell if it was real or just a hallucination from a bad circle.
"Izzy?" He asked softly.
She looked up, smiling from the story, when she saw him. Her smile faded, and she let out a breathy laugh. "Hi."
Without thinking, he rushed over to her and pulled her into a hug. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, holding some of his curls to tell herself that she was really back home. Home in Point Place. Home with her family. Home with him.
-
Kitty handed the bowl to Izzy, who began filling the crust. It was the early afternoon now, and the two were making apple pie for dessert. They fit right into their baking routine, almost like Izzy had never left.
"Man, I can't believe Jackie's getting married."
"To Nick, too!" Kitty exclaimed. "I mean, they are definitely an attractive couple." She laughed her signature Kitty Forman laugh, which made Izzy feel right at home. "You're okay with them together. Right, Isabelle?"
Izzy nodded and began weaving the lattice crust for the top of the pie. "I am. I think they make each other really happy, and that's all that matters."
Kitty smiled at her daughter. "So. Have you and Steven given any thought to it?"
"To what?"
"Marriage!"
Izzy paused. She didn't know whether or not she should tell her mother about the conversation that had happened with Hyde right before she had left. She took the letter with her everywhere, folded up in her wallet. She just knew Kitty's secret-keeping reputation, and she knew she would have to talk to Hyde about this before sharing any possible news.
But if she talked to Hyde about this, what would come from it? What if he changed his mind since she left? Realistically, she knew he wouldn't. But what if he did? What if all the time spent away from each other made him realize-
"Mrs. Forman! Good to see you! Where're the guys?"
Izzy turned to look at who had entered the kitchen. It was a tall guy with swoopy brown hair, dressed pretty well in a patterned shirt and a denim jacket.
As she was trying to figure out who he was, he was clearly doing the same to her.
"Wow," he said with a smile. "Hi. You new in town?"
Izzy smiled awkwardly. "No?"
"Well," he chuckled, leaning against the counter. "I think I would remember such a pretty face."
Kitty laughed loudly. "Randy, this is my daughter, Isabelle."
Randy's jaw dropped slightly. Izzy laughed and brushed some flour off her hands with her apron, then held one out for him to shake. "Hi, Randy. I've heard a lot about you."
"You're Hyde's girlfriend," he said, shaking hands slowly. "Shit. Sorry about that. I- I do remember your face now. From pictures. I- Sorry."
"No worries," Izzy chuckled. "Are you coming to dinner tonight? We're making apple pie for dessert."
He raised his eyebrows. "I have heard about how legendary your baking is. And I know how amazing Mrs. Forman's baking is. I fear the two of you together might be a little much for me to handle."
Kitty waved him off. "Nonsense! You should come."
He chuckled. "Alright. Thanks, you two." He paused, then ran a hand through his hair. "So, uh... Where're the guys?"
"Ah, they're at the water tower right now," Izzy said. "Should be back soon, though."
"Thanks."
As soon as he was gone, Izzy turned to her mother with her eyebrows raised. "So that's Randy."
"Now you can see why Donna dated him."
"Now I can."
-
An hour later, the pie was out of the oven and on the cooling rack. Izzy took off her oven mitts and untied her apron. "I'm gonna go downstairs and see if they're back." She kissed her mom on the cheek, grabbed two beers from the fridge, and headed into the basement.
Sitting on the couch were Eric, Donna, and Fez. Kelso was in his folding chair. Hyde was in his usual chair. Randy was looking through the records, and Jackie and Nick were leaning against the back wall. Izzy stood at the base of the stairs, soaking it all in.
She loved being in France. She loved her host family, the food, the art, culture, fashion, everything. But the one thing she hadn't felt in so long was a family of her own.
Sure, she loved the people who had graciously opened their home to her, but she always felt a little out of place. She was too polite to ever impose much on their lives, and she always felt a little awkward when they would treat her like one of their own.
But here... Here was different. This was Point Place, not Paris. Here, you could meet someone in the kitchen after they awkwardly hit on you, and then already call them your friend an hour later. Here, you could drive around in your brother's car for hours without actually going anywhere, and then watch your friend fall off a water tower for the millionth time. Here, the love of your life lived only two floors below you.
"Izzy Bee!" Hyde said with a smile, turning in his chair to look at her. She smiled and walked further into the basement, handing him a beer. "C'mere," he opened his arms, and immediately she sat on his lap and let him hold her there. Again, it was like nothing changed. If she put her head on his chest, she knew she would be able to hear his steady heartbeat.
"How long until midnight?" She asked, opening her beer and taking a sip.
Eric checked his watch. "Around eight hours."
Izzy groaned and leaned her head back against Hyde. "I'm exhausted."
Donna chuckled. "From what? All you've done today is unpack and bake."
"Which is exhausting! Plus, red eye flights suck. The guy next to me was snoring the whole way."
Jackie crinkled her nose. "Which is why you always fly first class. Have I taught you nothing, Iz?"
"How long are you home for?" Nick asked.
"Two whole weeks," Hyde answered with a grin.
Izzy looked over at her brother. "What about you? How long are you staying?"
Eric nodded slightly, his eyebrows raised. "Well, uh..." He shifted in his seat. "I'm not going back to Africa."
"What?" She sat up a little straighter. "Why not?"
"I didn't love it. I missed it here too much. Told Mom and Dad yesterday. I got some money for school, though, from that program. I didn't love being in Africa, but I really liked teaching. I think I'll stick with that."
Izzy nodded, taking this all in. "That's why you and Donna are back together."
"Well, you see-"
"Yes. Yes, it is." Donna answered with a laugh.
Randy hit play on some music and went to sit on the couch's armrest. "So, Izzy. I've heard so much about you from everyone that I feel like I know you." He paused. "Which is total bullshit, or else what happened upstairs wouldn't have happened. So tell me about yourself!"
Izzy laughed. "Ah, well I'm spending a year in France to study art. When I come back, I want to get my masters and become an art history professor. Or an art teacher for younger kids. That way, I can work on my own projects while still rakin' in the dough."
He considered it. "Very respectable. I wish you the best of luck on this escapade."
"Hey," Hyde poked Izzy's side, making her squirm. "Can I talk to you in my room?"
There was a chorus of "ooooh"s from the others.
"They are going to do it," Fez whispered loudly.
Hyde chuckled as Izzy got up. "We're not gonna do it." He trailed behind his girlfriend, and once she was in his room, he ducked back out. "Okay, we might do it." He grinned. "I'm gonna propose again."
And with that, he rushed into his room and shut the door behind him, muffling the reactions of everyone at once.
-
When Hyde closed the door behind him, he turned around to see Izzy looking at his wall. Hanging up was a small canvas with some skyscrapers painted onto it.
"Still bitter about that," he chuckled. "To this day, I can't believe you like Spiderman more than me."
"Shut up, you're my Spiderman," she said, standing up and walking over to him. He put his hands around her waist, silently thinking about how goddamn much he missed her blue, blue eyes. "Plus, if you're my Spiderman, that means I'm Gwen Stacy."
He raised his eyebrows. "Not Mary Jane? I love Mary Jane." He paused. "The girl and the euphemism."
"I'm hot and blonde. I have to be Gwen."
"Ah. Of course. Just, please don't let Kelso throw you off the George Washington Bridge."
Izzy laughed. "So he's the Green Goblin in this narrative?"
"Marry me."
There was a pause.
Izzy's smile faded as her cheeks reddened. "What?"
He let his hands fall from her hips. "You're back." He paused, and when she didn't say anything after a second, he said, "I- I said I'd ask when you got back."
She reached up and placed a hand on his cheek lightly. "Steven, I..."
He took a second, waiting for her to say more. "You..."
She smiled. "I would love nothing more."
-
"Okay everyone, grab some champagne!" Kitty said, setting a tray of her fanciest plastic flutes onto the table. Everyone took one, getting ready for the final moments of the decade.
On the stairs, Jackie and Nick were sitting and talking about ideas for their wedding. Soon they would be getting married in Chicago, surrounded by friends, family, and notoriously great gift-givers.
Eric was on the couch with his arm around Donna, enjoying being back with her for the first time in far too long. Their relationship had been through so much that by this point, it was just nice enjoying each other's company. They didn't have to say anything, for just knowing the other was there was enough.
Fez was talking animatedly with Kitty and Bob about his plans for the following year. Although Bob was moving to Florida, he and Fez had a standing agreement to send each other detailed reviews of every new Tom Jones album they heard.
Hyde picked up some champagne for Izzy, a beer in his other hand for himself. She was leaning against the wall next to the kitchen door, watching everyone's interactions with a content smile on her face.
"Welcome to Wasted Airlines," Hyde said, handing her the flute. "Should you experience loss of buzz, a drink will fall into your hand. Please make sure to drink that alcohol before helping small children with theirs."
Izzy laughed and rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot."
"Yeah, but you love me."
She smiled and closed the distance between them, kissing him softly. "I can't argue with that one."
The kitchen door flew open and in ran Kelso, holding up a giant firework. "Hey, Mr. Forman! Can I light this off in your house?"
Red raised his eyebrows. "Sure! Then I'll light my foot off in your ass."
"And that, my friends," Hyde said, raising his beer, "is the last foot-in-ass of the decade. Cheers!"
"Ooh, ooh!" Kitty said excitedly, waving her hands for everyone to pay attention. "Time for the countdown!"
They all turned their attention either to the television for the ball drop, or to each other. Their glasses raised, they began to count.
"10... 9... 8..."
"Everyone, I have something to say!" Izzy said excitedly, using Hyde's arm to help stand up on the couch.
"Make it quick!" Donna laughed.
"5... 4... 3..."
"Steven and I are engaged!"
Everyone stopped counting. "What?!"
Hyde grinned. "Happy New Year!"
And the new year it was.
-
A/N: Stay tuned for the alternate epilogue!! Coming out (hopefully) in a week or so :)