That Beautiful Miracle

Todd Rundgren Tickets To The Rescue

Location: The Cruiser

3rd POV

Red leaned in through the driver's side window, he looked at the five in the car, sparing a second to smile fondly at Angel before sneering at Eric in such a way that she could guess exactly what he was going to say.

"Taking her for a spin, Eric?"

"Yes, sir!" The younger Forman replied, his hands clenched on the wheel, Angel, who had been put in the front passenger seat despite her protest about being short enough to fit comfortably in the back, rubbed his arm that was closest to her to comfort him. He glanced at her with a grimace.

"Well, she's an old girl. So," Red leaned down to make eye contact with his son. "No trips out of the town. She won't make it." He laughed and left them in the car, Angel frowned as she watched him enter the house. It was silent in the car for a minute.

"Eric, I really want to go," Angel pouted and put her hands together, begging him to drive them to Milwaukee for the concert. "Please, I'll be so upset if we don't go. This is my first concert. Please, Eric!" She unbuckled and crawled across the length of the seat to get in Eric's face.

"I'm sorry, Cupid. He's God." Eric mumbled, head down so he wouldn't have to see how disappointed she was.

"Come on, man!" Hyde exclaimed. "You are a man now. You turn eighteen next year, make a decision for yourself. Do you want to be your dad's bitch, or do you want to go to a concert?" He spoke urgently.

Eric looked out of his window towards the house, then he grit his teeth and turned the engine over.

"Buckle up, Cupid. We're taking you to your first concert." Eric gritted out. With a squeal of joy, Angel crawled back to the passenger seat and strapped in again. Her hands were already pressed against the window as they pulled out onto the road, this was Angel's first time in the front seat of a car, and everything looked much more from the front seat.

"Wow, look at that," Angel pointed.

"Angel baby, that's the Peterson's dog." Hyde told her.

"Wow!" She gasped. "Fez, look a chicken!" She pointed again.

"Gelly, you helped the Anderson's buy those chickens." Kelso laughed.

"They were hungry, I told them I'd figure something out." Angel hummed as the town passed by before her eyes.

"Oh my God! Guys, look at the cows!" She yelled excitedly. She waved to the giant behemoths as they drove by pouting when they didn't moo in response but quickly cheered up when she saw more coming up on the roadside. She undid her seatbelt and rose to her knees on the seat to look out the window properly, only for Eric to stop the car and refuse to move until she sat down and strapped in again. Angel pouted at Eric. She hoped he wasn't mad at her.

"Hey, Eric?" Fez asked.

"Yes." Eric snapped in reply, Angel flinched, knowing it was her fault that Eric was mad.

"Should the car be smoking?"

______________________________________

"I'm telling you we're out of gas." Kelso whined.

"It's not gas," Eric sighed. He stood from where he rested against the car and made his way to the mechanic who was checking the engine.

"It's your battery. She's six years old and shot to hell." The mechanic shook his head as he looked between Eric and Kelso. Hyde looked the guy up and down and smirked. The mechanic was sporting several expensive pieces of glam. He was gonna take them for everything he could. "Where are you off to anyway?" The mechanic tried to make conversation.

"We're going to a concert." Angel bounced over to the mechanic. She read his name badge and smiled up at him in the way that had won the boys over when they first met her. "Randy, tell me, how much for a new battery?"

"Thirty-two bucks." He looked down at her unimpressed. She continued to smile up at him as she moved to look through her small bag for the small money packet she'd taken with her.

"Listen, man, what if we give you our old battery and five bucks for a new battery?" Kelso tried to bargain, failing miserably. Hyde, Eric, and Fez looked at him in disappointment from the other side of Randy.

"As good as that sounds pal, no. How about two tickets and I give you the battery for free?" Randy offered.

"Two tickets? Let us think about it for a second?" Eric mumbled.  If this was what it took to get Angel to her first concert, he was prepared to wait in the car. Sure, it would be disappointing, but he could do it.

"No need." Angel looked up from her bag with a big smile and brandished two spare tickets that she'd bought since Kelso had a habit of misplacing things and a handful of dollars. "Two tickets to Todd Rundgren and thirty-two bucks for the battery. If you fix it in fifteen minutes, you can ride with us, and that means you can drink." She added, ignoring the shocked looks she was receiving from her friends.

"Deal." Randy grabbed the cash and tickets from her hands and got started right away.

"By the way, Randy. We don't mind if you take your boyfriend." She spoke quietly and nonchalantly before taking off towards the restrooms, leaving a stunned silence behind her.

"She's a great gal." Randy grinned as he set his mind back on his task.

"Yeah," Hyde smirked.

"She's a real peach." Kelso added.