#barnathan

She wasn't sitting by the pool anymore. Nancy frowned. She was probably waiting for her in her car or maybe she really did go home like Nancy told her to. Nancy walked down the road in the direction of where Barb parked. She approached her car and looked in the windows. No Barb. Her frown deepened and a sinking feeling developed in her chest, making its way to her stomach.

"Barb?!" Nancy screamed.

There was no answer. Barb wouldn't have gone anywhere without her car and she certainly wouldn't have left Nancy. She swallowed, trying to take deep breaths. Okay, maybe she went back inside Steve's house. Nancy turned around and walked back into the house, slipping into the back the way she had left. She searched the house.

"Barb?!"

"Nancy?"

She whirled around and saw Steve coming down the stairs, rubbing his eyes.

"Steve," She said, looking surprised, and she wasn't sure why she was. It was his house.

"I'm glad you haven't left yet, I wanted to see you off," Steve smiled.

"Uh, yeah," Nancy said. "Have you seen Barb?"

"No, maybe she's waiting out by the car," Steve said.

"I already checked," Nancy said.

"Okay, let me put on a shirt and shoes then we can look around the house. She's probably wandered into the woods and got a little lost. I've lived here my entire life and I do that all the time," Steve said. "I'm sure she's fine."

Steve squeezed her arms before rushing upstairs. Nancy stood by the stairs, wringing her hands nervously. She heard him in the upstairs hallway as he came back. Tommy and Carol were moving around. She could hear their voices.

"Barb's missing," Steve said. "We're going to go look for her."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up dead like Byers' brother," Tommy laughed with Carol.

"Don't be a fucking dick, man," Steve said. "This is serious."

"No, she's probably off pouting because she couldn't save Saint Nancy's virtue," Carol cackled.

"Go to hell, Carol," Steve snapped.

He appeared at the top of the stairs, looking annoyed. He was carrying a couple of flashlights and he handed her one.

"Thanks," Nancy said. "You don't have to do this."

"I want to," Steve said. "Come on."

He moved with Nancy out the back door and she stared at him. He was completely different when he was away from those two. In fact, she liked him better without them.

"Why are you friends with them?" Nancy asked.

"What?" he asked.

"They're assholes," Nancy said. "I mean, do they care about anything?"

"You heard what they said," Steve winced.

"Yeah, it just doesn't seem like you like them very much, either," Nancy said as the moved towards the woods.

"Tommy wasn't like that until Carol came along and all he wanted to do was impress her," Steve said. "We've been friends since we were kids, and I guess it's hard to let go of that but I hate it. I miss him even when he's standing in front of me."

Nancy fell quiet for a moment before calling out for Barb with Steve beginning to yell with her. After a while, her voice was starting to get tired. What if Barb was hurt and she couldn't cry out? She could feel tears start to form.

"I shouldn't have pressured her into coming here, I shouldn't have pressured her into drinking that stupid beer. I wanted to come, though, it should have just been me," Nancy sniffled. "I regret all of that."

"All of it?" Steve asked.

"Not you, Steve, I don't regret any of that," Nancy said. "I just hated how miserable she was tonight. . .and I don't get why she had a problem with me having sex with you. I don't think she ever thought I'd get this far with you."

"If Barb is really your best friend, I'm sure she'll understand," Steve said softly. "You just wanted her to enjoy herself and you wanted to have fun. She was just worried. I'm sure you'll work it out when we find her."

"Thanks, Steve," Nancy said softly.

They continued to walk through the woods for a while, calling out for Barb. There weren't any signs of her and Nancy's fear was starting to grow. Steve touched her shoulder.

"Hey, you know, you're nothing like Tommy. You just wanted to have a drink, and you just wanted to have sex. You weren't planning on changing your entire personality because otherwise, you would have sex with me in your bedroom but you firmly told me that you didn't want to be like all those other girls I slept with. . .which actually I didn't sleep with all of them. . .but, uh, anyway, I just wanted you to know, that I respected you for being honest with me. I like that about you," Steve said and he blushed. "I know that doesn't matter right now, but I just wanted you to know that."

Nancy smiled slightly and took his hand. They fell silent once again. Nancy's heart was hammering in her chest and she was glad that Steve was here. He really surprised her. Not that she didn't expect that he'd try to help. Nancy frowned.

"Maybe she found her way back somehow," Nancy said. "We've been in here for a while, and we don't want to get lost ourselves."

"Yeah, smart," Steve said, squeezing her hand.

They arrived back at the house, and as they moved closer to the pool, Nancy noticed something floating in the water. She tugged on Steve's sleeve. Barb's bloody bandage was floating in the water. They both moved closer.

"What's that?" Nancy asked.

It looked liked there was some strange fleshy mold growing at the bottom of the pool.

"Ew, I don't know, but I'm not going into the pool for a while," Steve said.

Nancy and Steve walked towards Barb's car. They looked inside and around the area.

"Maybe she went back inside," Nancy said, trembling.

Steve squeezed her hand again and they walked back to the house. They searched inside the house again but there was still no sign of her.

"Shit," Steve said, when he looked at her, as he started to panic.

They found Tommy and Carol raiding Steve's kitchen, laughing their asses off. A fury rose inside Nancy. Who knows what they were laughing at but if she had to guess it was about Barb.

"Still haven't found her?" Tommy asked.

"She probably just left," Carol said.

"Without her car?" Steve scoffed.

"Probably couldn't take hearing Nancy and Steve going at it," Carol laughed and started faking Nancy's voice. "OH, Steve! OH, Steve!"

Tommy laughed. God, the way they laughed was infuriating. Did they know how obnoxious they sounded? Nancy could feel her cheeks turn red.

"Hey! This is serious!" Steve exclaimed. "Did you guys see Barb leave at all?"

"God, no, we didn't. Jesus, Steve. She was probably jealous that you got to make Nancy cum and not her. With hair like that, she's definitely a dy -," Carol giggled.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Steve snapped.

"Hey! You don't talk to her like that!" Tommy snapped.

"She can say whatever the fuck she wants to but no one can tell her to shut up when she's being a bitch!" Steve yelled.

Tommy's fist swung out and hit Steve in the face. He went down, his nose gushing blood.

"Steve!" Nancy exclaimed.

"You're such a pussy," Tommy said.

"Get the fuck out of my house!" Steve snapped.

"Whatever," Carol said and tugged on Tommy's arm. "Wheeler's turned him into such a loser."

They walked out of the house and a moment later they heard them leave in Tommy's car. Nancy helped Steve up off the floor. She grabbed some paper towels and held it to Steve's face to stop the bleeding.

"I'm sorry," Nancy said.

"Why are you apologizing? I should be the one apologizing for them," Steve said.

"You shouldn't have had to do that," Nancy said.

"It was a long time coming," Steve said and he sighed. "I was out there with you and I realized that if I went missing, they wouldn't be bothered to look for me."

"I would look for you," Nancy said softly.

Steve smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Fuck it, I know I'm going to get in trouble with my dad but I don't care, we should call the police," Steve said.

"Yeah," Nancy said, her bottom lip trembling.

Steve pulled her into his arms, holding the paper towel to his face, and hugged her gently. Once he pulled away, he picked up the phone that was hanging up in the kitchen and dialed the police. Nancy watched him, her arms crossed tightly over her chest, feeling sick to her stomach. She couldn't believe this was happening. Steve hung up the phone, rubbing his neck.

"They're on their way," Steve said.

"Okay," Nancy said softly.

She needed to do something, anything. Nancy grabbed another paper towel and wet it before beginning to wipe the blood off his face. It had already stopped bleeding. Tears started to fall as her hands shook and her whole body did as well.

"I don't think it's broken," Steve said quietly.

"I don't either," Nancy sobbed. "I didn't expect that this was how this night was supposed to go."

"I don't think anyone expects this, and I thought my first time was bad," Steve said and he winced. "Sorry."

"No, I think it might help me get my mind off it for a moment while we wait if you told me what happened," Nancy said, and wiped her face with the blood-soaked paper towel without thinking about it.

"Well, I was 14, my parents were gone again. I just joined the basketball team, and I was celebrating with some of the teammates as well as the cheerleaders. I knew what might happen when they asked to use my house to party so I bought some supplies beforehand but I had no clue what I was doing, neither did they. . .I didn't know that you weren't supposed to use that much lube," Steve sighed. "Things got. . .slippery. I ended up hitting my head on my nightstand. That's also how I got my first concussion."

Nancy pressed her hand to her mouth to keep from laughing but she failed. She pressed her forehead to Steve's chest and somehow, her laughter turned into sobs. Steve held her tightly as she cried.

"I just wanted to - all I wanted to do - ," Nancy cried. "All I wanted to do was have some fun. I was so tired of working hard to be what everyone expected me to be. Perfect, good grades, little Miss Goody Two-Shoes. Do you have any idea how hard it is to pretend like you've never made a single mistake in your life? Not one hair out of place, got to keep yourself pure for your future husbands. . .at least that's what they preach at church. Heaven forbid a woman enjoys sex, but no. . .women are for making babies. Only men are allowed to enjoy sex. It's such - such bullshit."

"I don't know what it's like to be a woman, it sounds really hard, though, but trying to be perfect? Trying to pretend to be what everyone expects me to be? Yeah, I get that," Steve sighed.

"I just wanted to try something new, I never meant for anything to happen to Barb," Nancy sighed. "What if something really bad has happened to her, Steve?"

"I'm sure she'll -

"Don't say that," Nancy said.

"Can I say I hope that she's okay?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, that's better," Nancy said, sniffling, and pressed her face into his shoulder. "I like this Steve better than King Steve."

"Me too," he said softly.

A sudden noise from outside startled both of them. They sprang apart. It sounded like something came out of the pool. . .then came a loud screech as though something sharp was being dragged across the back door.

"What was that?" Nancy asked.

"Tommy?! Is that you?! You better not be trying to fuck - ," Steve started to say.

He was interrupted by the sound of the back door being broken open and then came a loud - clicking or growling? - sound. It sounded like both.

"I don't think that's Tommy," Nancy whispered.

The growling sound, followed by sniffing, started to come closer. They could hear heavy footsteps, too. A figure came into view of the open doorway. It was gray with long limbs, claws, and what looked like no face. Nancy froze in horror. Steve pulled her down behind the island before the thing could spot them. She was held with her back to Steve's chest, and her breathing started to grow heavier. Nancy pressed a hand to her mouth. The bloody paper towel fluttered to the floor. The creature moved all the way into the kitchen. Nancy heard it start to come around the corner. She could see its head approach the bloody towel on the floor. It sniffed it and then. . .IT'S FACE OPENED. Nancy pressed her hand harder against her mouth and she could feel Steve struggle to breathe as well. She could see several rows of teeth on its flower-shaped face, on each petal. In one move it ate the paper towel. It doesn't have eyes, it can't see them, right? Judging by the way it moved its head, it couldn't. The head was pointed in their direction, it should have spotted them. Steve must have realized this, too, because he slowly got up with Nancy and they crept backward, trying not to make a sound. The creature moved but not towards them, towards their spot. It sniffed the air and Nancy wondered what it was smelling with, she couldn't see a nose. Nancy and Steve moved slowly around the other side but they didn't factor in the garbage can. They backed into it causing it to fall to the floor with a loud sound. The creature jumped.

"Shit," Steve cursed.

Steve grabbed Nancy and together they ran around the island towards the entrance of the kitchen. They made it out with the creature on their tails. Steve's hand was firmly in hers but his legs were longer and he could move faster. The creature jumped onto Nancy, slamming her on her back and ripping her hand from Steve's. Nancy blinked, remembering she had used the paper towel to wipe her face. It was after blood.

"NANCY!"

The creature's face was inches from hers and it opened up into a flower once again. Saliva dripped from its open maw. Before it could do anything, Steve was jumping onto its back. The monster roared and jumped off Nancy, trying to get Steve off its back. She crawled backwards, looking at the scene in horror. It shook Steve off and turned around, its claws scratching at Steve's chest. It knocked Steve into the wall, his head hitting it with a loud thunk.

"STEVE!"

"Run!" Steve screamed and dove at the monster to get it away from Nancy.

The monster had other ideas, as blood dripped from Steve's chest and forehead. It was now after him. Its clawed hand wrapped around Steve's leg and started dragging him towards the back door. Nancy screamed again and chased after them. She didn't have a weapon, nothing to fight it with. She scrambled back to the kitchen, grabbed the biggest knife she could find, and ran back after the monster. It had dragged Steve outside and towards the pool. She did what Steve did and jumped on its back but not before Steve slipped into the pool. Nancy drove the knife into its back, enjoying the way it screamed. Nancy screamed with it as she pulled the knife back out and stabbed it again. She heard the front door burst open. The monster shook Nancy off as Chief Hopper came out the back door, wielding his gun.

"Jesus H Christ," Hopper breathed.

He started firing at the monster and it screamed again before diving into the pool. Steve popped his head above the water, clinging to the side of the pool. Nancy got up and went to Steve at the same time as Hopper. Despite, her aching shoulder she helped Hopper pull Steve out of the pool as more cops came outside. The three of them watched as the moldy growth at the bottom of the pool opened and then closed behind the monster. Steve coughed up water as Nancy pulled him into her arms, clutching him.

"What the fuck was that thing?" Steve gasped.

"Don't know, kid, come on, let's get you to the hospital," Hopper said.

"It took Barb," Nancy cried. "It took Barb!"

Nancy sat in the waiting room as the doctors tended to Steve, staring straight ahead in shock. She had told Hopper everything she could and then he made a call to their parents. He was going to sit with her until her parents showed up but one of his deputies called him away after he made sure she didn't do anything stupid like look for Barb. After a long talk with Barb's parents, she just couldn't sit here. . .Barb was out there, wherever that thing took her. She knew it. She wasn't as hurt as Steve was so she could go back out there and help. Nancy stood up and followed the direction that Hopper stormed off to. He was standing in the hallway with Deputy Powell.

"NANCY!"

She turned at the sound of her mother's voice. She was moving frantically down the hallway with Ted and Mike behind her. Holly was fast asleep in their father's arms. Her eyes landed on Mike. Nancy ran towards him, and he met her halfway, throwing himself into his arms. Mike was trembling, sobbing into her chest. Nancy held her brother as she cried with him.

"Nancy," Karen spoke softly, but her face looked stressed and worried. "What happened? All they said was that you were attacked by a wild animal."

"We were at Steve's house, and it - I don't know what it was but it came in through the back door," Nancy said as she let go of Mike. "It would have gotten me if Steve hadn't tackled it."

"You told us you were going to an assembly for Will," Karen said, her mouth in a thin line.

"I lied, Mom, if I told you where I was going you wouldn't have let me go," Nancy said.

"You're right, I wouldn't have. What were you thinking? If you hadn't been so quick to - ," Karen started.

"So quick to what Mom? Lose my virginity? Is that what you want to focus on right now? Okay, fine, I had sex with Steve! It was great and I didn't feel any different afterward. I didn't have sex with him because I felt pressured to do so, I did it because I wanted to! A wild animal didn't come into the house because it heard I was having sex and decided that I needed to be punished for doing what I thought was best for me. We were safe. I was on the pill, and he used condoms. . .do you want to know what positions we used, too? Whether we had sex or not, that thing would have gone after us anyway! Will and Barb are missing! I would have been dead tonight if it hadn't been for Steve! Yell at me later, Mom, but right now. . .I am scared and I really don't need to hear how this is my fault, okay!" Nancy yelled, her body shaking with sobs.

Karen's face softened and she put her arms around Nancy.

"Of course, of course. I'm sorry," Karen said and wrapped her arms around Nancy. "Let's get you home."

"We can't just leave Steve," Nancy said, pulling herself away. "Mom, his parents are out of town, and his house is a crime scene. We should take him home for the night, at least."

"Surely, he has some friends who can take him," Karen frowned.

"All his friends were fake, they only cared about what his popularity could do for them! He kicked them out tonight because they were being assholes about Barb! He spent an hour trying to help me look for Barb! He risked his life to save mine if that doesn't warrant one night with us then what the hell does?!" Nancy yelled.

"She's right, Karen," Ted sighed as he shifted Holly in his arms. "Nancy's smart enough not to do anything in the house and the boy is injured."

"Ted! You really want the boy who took our daughter's virginity to sleep in the same house?" Karen asked him.

"He didn't take anything. I happily gave it to him," Nancy said crossly.

"I'd rather have him sleep in our house than sleep on the street. Yeah, I complain about Mike's friends eating us out of house and home but have I ever kicked them out?" Ted asked. "You're just going to have to get over being uncomfortable with our daughter's sex life."

He walked back towards the waiting room that Nancy had come out of, Holly probably weighing heavily in his arms. Nancy never gave him enough credit. He worked his ass off, gave them everything, and still tried to make time for them. It hadn't been enough for them before because they always assumed that he was just lazy and that he didn't care because of the tone in his voice. Maybe the simple fact is that he was too tired, and that's just how he sounded. . .in much the same way she and Mike did, Ted sometimes accidentally put his foot in his mouth. Social cues weren't the best for any of them and maybe it wasn't their fault. Sometimes, you only see things when someone else wants you to. Nancy stared at Karen, who was glaring at the space where Ted had stood.

"Not everything is Dad's fault," Nancy said.

Hopper had left a long time ago, hopefully to look for Barb and Will. Nancy turned and walked towards the waiting room with Mike. She stopped him outside the waiting room.

"I'm sorry," Nancy said. "I was very callous about Will going missing and I just - I should have been more understanding."

"You didn't think that anything bad happened. . .it's Hawkins. Things like this shouldn't happen," Mike said. "I'm sorry about Barb."

Nancy smiled slightly at her brother, squeezed his arm, and walked into the waiting room. She sat down next to Ted while Mike sat down on his other side.

"Thanks, Daddy," Nancy said.

"I usually try to follow what she wants me to do but it's hard when I don't know what that is," Ted frowned. "And I couldn't leave that boy out there."

"I don't think she knows what she wants," Nancy said.

"Well, I think she has a lot of regrets," Ted said and paused. "I think - I think she's just always been jealous of you just going after what you want. You've always been like that, since you were little. You and your brother, both. . .it's hard to believe sometimes, that you're no longer a little girl."

"Yeah, well, she's going to have to accept it at some point," Nancy said.

"I'm glad you're okay," Ted said and kissed her forehead.

Karen walked into the room, tears in her eyes. She sat down next to Nancy, who took her hand and squeezed it. Karen squeezed it back, giving her a watery smile.

"I'm sorry," Karen said.

"I know, me too," Nancy said. "I know you were just worried."

Later, it wasn't a doctor who came to tell them that Steve got the all clear, it was Steve himself. He limped into the waiting room.

"Somehow, I didn't need any stitches, and I don't have a concussion," Steve said. "My ankle is a little sprained though."

Nancy walked over to Steve and hugged him gently.

"You're coming home with us," Nancy said softly.

"Are you sure?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Nancy said.

"You're sleeping in my room," Mike spoke up quickly. "I have bunk beds."

"Any reason he couldn't sleep in the basement?" Karen asked.

"I have D&D set up for when Will comes home," Mike said, swallowing.

"Come on, we'll stop by your place and let you get some clothes," Karen said.

Nancy took Steve's hand and guided him through the hallway, following after her family.

"Hopper got a hold of your parents," Nancy said quietly.

"Yeah, I can only imagine what Dad had to say," Steve said, dryly.

"Do you want the truth?" Nancy asked.

"He was more upset about the beers, wasn't he?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, Steve," Nancy said softly.

"It's fine, I mean. . .did my mom at least try to talk to me?" Steve asked.

"No, I'm really sorry," Nancy said and she paused. "Even when they're at their worst, my parents would show up. Yell first, if you're my mom, and then be concerned. It sucks that you're parents don't at least do that."

"Yeah," Steve said and laced his fingers through hers. "So, is it just me, or is your brother hiding something in your basement?"

"Oh, yeah, but we'll worry about tomorrow," Nancy sighed.

Ted walked with Steve into his house while Karen stayed with the kids. Nancy watched Ted walk Steve to his car and after a minute, Ted awkwardly patted Steve on his shoulder. Steve laughed and put his bag in his car. It made sense, she guessed, to drive his car back to their house. Holly didn't wake up once on the way back, even though she's been jostled quite a few times and been passed around like a sack of potatoes. Nancy was trying to get out of the car with Holly in her arms when Steve was standing by the door and was offering to take her.

"Are you sure?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah," Steve said.

Nancy handed Holly off to Steve and got out of the car. Of course, Holly managed to wake up as soon as they walked into the house.

"Who are you?" Holly asked Steve.

"Well, if Mom has it her way, our future brother-in-law, because we wouldn't want Nancy to bring shame upon this family with her wild ways," Mike said. "And we can't have people thinking Nancy had sex outside of wedlock."

"Oh," Holly said, and then went back to sleep on Steve's shoulder.

"How long are you going to mock me for this?" Karen asked with a sigh.

"At least until Holly goes to college," Nancy said, laughing with her brother.

"It's nice not being the one who put their foot in their mouth for once," Ted said.

"What's sex?" Holly asked sleepily.

"Michael!" Karen scolded.

Nancy helped Steve get settled into her brother's room, smiling when Mike offered him his bottom bunk. She kissed Steve, wished them both goodnight, and then started to walk out the door. As she was closing the door behind her, she heard Mike speak to Steve.

"Thanks for saving my sister," Mike said.

"Anytime, man," Steve said.

"She's actually pretty cool and I wouldn't want anything to happen to her," Mike said. "Don't tell her I said that."

"Why wouldn't you say that to her face?" Steve asked in disbelief.

"You don't have any siblings, do you?" Mike asked.

"Not that I know of," Steve said.

"Goodnight, Steve," Mike sighed.

Nancy chuckled as she moved back to her bedroom. Even though her mind was racing, she was physically exhausted and she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

"Are you sure about going to school today?" Steve asked the next morning.

They were sitting on her bed, Nancy leaning against him as she ran her hand over his.

"I mean, Hopper absolutely forbade us from looking for Barb and if I stay here, I'm just going to constantly think about her until I can't take it anymore. He assured us that he's going to try and find out where the monster came from, where it went. . .I don't want to get in his way," Nancy sighed and then she sighed. "Not unless I have to. . .I'm not even sure where to look."

"I'm going with you," Steve said.

"To school or to find Barb?" Nancy asked.

"Anywhere," Steve blushed. "I mean, I'm fucking terrified but. . .I don't want anything to happen to you."

"I'm scared, too," Nancy said softly. "I don't want anything happening to you, either."

Nancy touched his face and kissed him softly. She pulled back and stood up. She ran her hands through his hair, frowning at the cut and bruise on his forehead. She kissed the spot carefully and looked at him, trying not to think about him jumping onto the monster's back for her.

"So, how likely do you think that no one knows about the "bear" attack?" Steve asked.

"Very unlikely," Nancy asked, laughing and kissed his forehead again.

Nancy walked into school hand in hand with Steve with everyone staring at them. She supposed they also knew they had sex judging by the way Tommy and Carol were giggling as they passed. She was too worried about Barb to care. Steve opened his mouth to say something but decided not to. She didn't have to read his mind to know what he was thinking. It wasn't worth it. She could still feel their stares and hear their whispers throughout the day. Before it would have bothered her but it didn't matter, nothing was more important than getting through the day and hoping that Chief Hopper made progress in finding Barb along with Will. Nancy met Steve in the cafeteria for lunch.

"How are you feeling?" Nancy asked Steve.

"Sore as hell, but I'm managing," Steve said, rubbing his chest. "I definitely think Tommy told everyone I'm no longer a king. Not that it matters. . .there's more important things to worry about."

"It's still a huge adjustment, though," Nancy said softly.

"Yeah, but I'll, uh, adapt. . .that's the right word?" Steve asked.

"Yeah," she said, smiling.

"It's just weird, I guess, I was so excited about going to watch the game today and now, it's the last thing that I want to do," Steve said.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Just the other day, Barb and I were shopping to find what kind of sweater you'd like," Nancy said, looking at her food sadly. "And now. . ."

Steve reached across the table and took her hand.

"Whatever happens. . .I'm here, whatever you need," Steve said and she smiled at him. "I mean, I don't know what the hell I'm doing here but if you just tell me, I'll try to listen. . .might not understand everything but I'll try."

At the end of the day, it was Steve meeting Nancy outside of the school. She hated the way he limped towards her, his bruised forehead more noticeable under the bright sun, even with it hidden behind clouds. She met him halfway, wrapping an arm around his waist. They were almost to his car when Nicole approached the both of them.

"Nancy, I thought you should know I saw Jonathan Byers in the dark room hanging up photos. I think they were taken last night at Steve's house. You guys were in the pool, and then there was a photo of Nancy in your room, Steve. She was taking her shirt off," Nicole said, scrunching up her nose.

"What?!" Steve and Nancy exclaimed.

"I'm not judging you, I just think what Jonathan did was really creepy," Nicole said.

"Thanks, Nicole," Nancy said.

"I wasn't sure if I should go to the police or not," Nicole replied.

"No, you did the right thing," Nancy said. "We'll handle it. Don't tell anyone, okay?"

Nancy watched Nicole walk away and she turned to Steve's whose jaw was clenched.

"You know I defended him against Tommy? I said, "No, Tommy, Jonathan Byers isn't a creep." I did not want him to be right," Steve scoffed.

Nancy watched Steve rub his forehead and his chest. She placed a hand on his arm.

"Let me handle this. You protected me last night, let me do it this time for both of us," Nancy said.

"I'd let Nancy Wheeler come to my defense anytime," Steve said and she grinned.

It had been his house and his room that Jonathan had spied upon. While what Jonathan did to Nancy was worse and she'd give him hell for it, Steve had been there, too. Nancy and Steve found Jonathan's car in the parking lot. He wasn't there yet so they leaned against it to wait for him. Nancy leaned against him, pressing her cheek against his shoulder. She straightened up when she saw Jonathan approach. He looked guilty the moment he saw her. Nancy walked up to him, her arms crossed.

"Where are they?" Nancy demanded.

"Where's what?" Jonathan asked nervously.

"Don't play dumb, Jonathan! The photos you took of us," Nancy snapped.

"I, uh, - " Jonathan stuttered, clutching his bag.

Nancy glared at the bag and ripped it out of his hands. She flipped it open and started digging through it. She plucked out a folder and opened it.

"Here they are," Nancy said, and began looking through the photos.

"I - I was looking for my brother," Jonathan said.

"Where were you looking? My bra?" Nancy asked and Steve let out a derisive snort. "No, this stalking and it's pretty shitty of you to use your brother as an excuse for taking these photos. You stopped looking for your brother the minute you started taking pictures of us in that pool! So, don't stand here and tell me that you were looking for your brother!"

"I just thought," Jonathan paused. "It just seemed like you were trying - you were trying to be someone else."

Nancy could feel her face twist and anger pool in her stomach. She tore the photos with her bare hands.

"I am so sick and tired of people passing judgments on who I choose to sleep with!" Nancy exclaimed, the torn photos falling to the ground. "What gives you the right? You don't even know me! The only thing we have in common is that our brothers are friends, Will is missing, and so is Barb. . .why the fuck is everyone so focused on my goddamn sex life when there are more important things happening?! I mean, your brother is missing and you're standing in the bushes with - with this!"

Nancy grabbed the camera out of his bag. The sight of it made her furious and looking into Jonathan's desperate face only added to her anger. She could feel her hot tears coming to the surface. She got attacked by a fucking monster last night, more than likely Barb and Will had been dragged to wherever the monster disappeared to. All Jonathan Byers cared about was who she decided to let fuck her. She wanted to smash his camera. She could see it in his eyes like he knew what she was thinking.

"Don't - "

Nancy let the camera drop from the ground. Jonathan flinched.

"You didn't like that? Well, I didn't like you taking my shirtless picture without my permission and I certainly didn't like you developing these photos on school grounds," Nancy said coldly. "Nicole is a notorious blabbermouth. It's going to be all over school before we leave the parking lot so. . .thank you for that."

Breathing heavily, Nancy dropped Jonathan's bag and started walking towards Steve's car. She stopped when she realized that Steve wasn't following her. Nancy turned around and found Steve kneeling to pick up the remains of the pictures. He stood up without looking at Jonathan and hurried over to Nancy. She looked at him in confusion.

"Look," Steve said.

Nancy's eye brows rose and she took the torn photos from Steve.

"The monster. . .he took a picture of the monster," Nancy said.

A squeal of tires startled the both of them. Jonathan was peeling out of the parking lot.

"Shit, he's gone," Steve said.

"Do you think I went too far?" she asked.

"In my opinion, he was the one who went too far," Steve replied. "He doesn't get a free pass to be a dick just because his brother is missing."

"That's true," Nancy said softly.

Steve drove them back to Nancy's house, a hand on her knee the entire time. When they got back to Nancy's, she immediately called Chief Hopper to see if he had any new information. His secretary said he was out following a lead and he promised to call her back. After hanging up the phone, Nancy laid the photos out on her bed, feeling Steve's eyes on her.

"This is probably a stupid question, but are you okay?" Steve asked.

"I'm just - I'm just tired," Nancy said, crying. "And I miss Barb."

Nancy stared at the picture of Barb, tears dripping onto the photo. Steve came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. Nancy leaned back against him for a moment before standing up and burrowing her face into his chest, letting his arms hold her tightly. Her body shook with sobs. Barb was missing and all people seemed to care about was who she wanted to be with. Some people can't seem to believe that there's more to Steve Harrington than what's on the surface. She always believed it, since the moment he started talking to her. She felt Steve shift underneath her and she pulled away, remembering the wound on his chest.

"I'm okay, Nance," Steve said.

"Take off your shirt," Nancy said.

"Whoa, I don't think I'd feel comfortable after - ,"

"No, not that, I know you don't feel up to doing that either," Nancy sighed. "I want to check on your scratch, probably need to put more antibiotics on it."

Steve let Nancy help him out of his shirt and sat on her bed as he waited for her to get the first aid kit. She stared at the wound. It didn't need stitches but it was still pretty bad. She spread the ointment across his chest, Steve wincing again as she did so.

"I feel like I need to apologize but I don't know why," Steve said.

"None of this is your fault, Steve," Nancy said.

"I know that's not what other people are going to say, or what my Dad's going to say," Steve said. "I know I shouldn't be worrying about what he thinks right now. . .I just wish that he could be the kind of Dad who actually gave a shit and I wish my Mom. . .I wish she weren't so worried about what he thinks about her. . .I feel like a burden when they're around and I feel like an even bigger one now."

"You're not, I wish it was under better circumstances but I'm glad you're here with me," Nancy said softly.

"Yeah?" Steve asked.

"Yeah," she said grabbing his chin. "No one wants you here more than I do and if anyone tries to tell me I shouldn't be with you again, I'll kill them. You're more than just a pretty face, Steve Harrington."

Steve smiled softly at her as she put fresh bandages over his wounds.

"Want to go find out what your brother's been up to?" Steve asked.

"Oh, yeah, absolutely. . .what do you think he's hiding in there? A dog?" Nancy asked.

"I have a feeling it's a raccoon," Steve said and she laughed.

Steve slipped his shirt back on and took Nancy's hand. She led him down into the basement and was surprised to find a fort put up against a wall. Someone's been sleeping in here. Someone other than her brother. Nancy knelt by the blankets and found a plate lying on the ground. Someone's been eating in here.

"Well, it's definitely not an animal," Nancy frowned.

"Well, maybe Mike just wanted to make it a really good bed," Steve said.

"No, we would have smelt it," Nancy said. "Plus, there's no animal hair in these blankets. . .there's no hair at all, actually."

"Well, I mean, he can't be keeping a person down here, can he?" Steve asked and Nancy looked at him. "Can he?"

Nancy and Steve went upstairs to help Karen with supper. Well, actually Steve had ended up getting dragged into Holly's room to have a tea party. He playfully put up a fight and "begged" for Nancy's help but she laughed and just went downstairs to help her mother. Her father was out, making sure that the lawn was mowed before it could rain again. Nancy attentively approached Karen at the island.

"Steve's up there playing with Holly," Nancy said.

"Is he?" Karen asked, humming.

"I know you don't like him," Nancy said.

"I never said that I didn't like him," Karen sighed.

"But you have a problem with him," Nancy said.

"I'm still not happy with the way things turned out, especially with you lying to me," Karen said.

"I'm sorry about that, I am," Nancy said. "As I said before, you wouldn't have let go if I told you that I wanted to have sex."

"Your damn right I wouldn't have," Karen said, looking furious.

"Mom, I'm not a little girl anymore. In fact, I'm almost an adult," Nancy said. "I'm not stupid, I was careful. I like Steve. I really like him and I wanted to be with him. There was nothing you could have done to stop me from being with him. I mean, you tell us that we can tell you anything but when we do, you don't like what we have to say, and we get punished for it. The same thing happens with Dad. Either you want to listen to us or you don't. I'm not you, Mom. Maybe it works out with Steve, maybe it doesn't but I'm not going to let people make me feel guilty for doing something that I wanted to do. Especially you. Just because you think it's wrong, or you think it's going to ruin who I am, doesn't mean that it is. I'm still me and if you can't see that then that's your problem to deal with."

"I just don't want you to make the same mistakes that I did," Karen said.

"Are you including us in that statement or just dad?" Nancy snapped.

"Nancy, that's not what I meant," Karen sighed.

"Just because you regretted who you lost your virginity to, doesn't mean I will, even if we don't work out," Nancy said.

"I know you're not me, Nancy, you're a lot braver than I am," Karen sighed.

"If you don't want to be married to him anymore, why don't you just talk to him instead of trying to make everyone around you miserable? Dad's not perfect but I'm starting to see that he doesn't deserve some of the shit you give him," Nancy said.

"It's not that simple," Karen sighed.

"It can be," Nancy said. "You both deserve better than being stuck in a marriage neither of you wants to be in. You're both falling back on what's safe and sometimes being safe isn't always the best thing. The only one holding you back is you. You can be brave, too, Mom."

Before Karen could say anything else, the phone rang. Nancy continued preparing dinner as Ted walked into the room, wiping sweat off his brow. He washed his hands and moved quietly to help Nancy. She watched her dad for a minute while Karen talked on the phone. His face and tone really were just like that, Nancy realized. He did a lot for them, and even around the house when he was dead tired from work. He didn't always have time for them but he always tried. Their life wasn't perfect, Nancy thought, but it was a good life nonetheless.

"Is this weird for you, too?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah, I'm not going to lie to you, Nancy. Mostly because you could always sniff them out but also you're my daughter," Ted said. "As parents, we have to start trusting you to know if you made a mistake or not. You've been planning everything to the last detail since you could walk and talk. If you're going to do something, you're going in prepared like a soldier heading off to war. You never jump feet first without a backup plan. Except that one time you convinced yourself that you could fly."

Karen snorted as she gazed at them for a moment before turning back to the conversation.

"Mom was the one who said women can do anything if they just work hard enough," Nancy shrugged. "Plus, I was four and Jason Carver told me that girls can't be pirates. He also said there was no such thing as pirate fairies. . .how would he know?"

Ted laughed while Karen struggled to hold in her own laughter. Steve came down at the moment with Holly in his arms. The front of his hair had been put into two pigtails. Nancy giggled.

"Oh my god," Nancy said.

"Yeah, she insisted and I couldn't say no," Steve said.

"His hair is pretty," Holly said.

"Yeah, it is," Nancy beamed at Steve.

"I'll send him on over after dinner," Karen smiled. "You've got a good boy, Maggie. . . .Yeah, I'll let him know. Oh, yeah, okay. . .goodbye."

Karen frowned as she hung up the phone and looked at Steve.

"Was that my mom?" Steve asked.

"Yes, they're home and they want to see you," Karen said. "They're probably just want to make sure that you're okay."

"Yeah, I'm sure they do," Steve said and smiled at Karen. "Thank you for letting me stay here."

"Thank you for saving my daugher's life," Karen said.

Nancy watched as her mother hugged Steve. Whatever Steve's mother had said over the phone had clearly bothered Karen. Steve smiled and hugged her back.

"Mommy! You are squishing me!" Holly yelled out.

They all laughed as Karen pulled her into her arms, happily taking her from Steve.

"You look so squishable, though," Karen said and Holly giggled.

"Hey, Mom, where's Mike?" Nancy asked, suddenly realizing they were missing a person.

"Oh, he wanted to be with Lucas so he's having dinner at his house tonight," Karen said.

Nancy shared a look with Steve before continuing to help her dad finish up dinner. She couldn't help but shake the nagging feeling that her brother was definitely up to something weird. Wherever he was, it wasn't at Lucas's. He was probably looking for Will. . .suddenly the thought hit her and she didn't know why she hadn't thought of it before. If that monster took Barb then it probably took Will and her brother was wasting his time looking in all the wrong places. Steve helped set the table when dinner was finished and sat down next to Nancy, poking Holly in the stomach as he did so.

"Not taking those pigtails out?" Nancy asked.

"My hair's too pretty, Nance," Steve said seriously.

"Yeah, Nance," Holly sang.

They were just about to eat when the front door burst open and Mike came in. He stood in the entryway, crying. Karen dropped her fork.

"Mike?" Karen asked.

"He's gone," Mike sobbed.

Nancy and Steve shared a look as Karen enveloped Mike into her arms. Dinner lay forgotten.

"What are you doing?!" Nancy asked Hopper.

They had sat with Mike for a long time, listening to him cry about them finding Will in the quarry. She couldn't sit there and listen to her brother cry. She couldn't just sit there and do nothing. Nancy had tracked down Hopper by calling the police station and asked Steve to take her over to the Byers'. Hopper's car was parked out front and he was sitting in it with the hat over his head. Nancy approached the car, furiously. She was pleased when he jumped when he slammed her hands on the door.

"Jesus!" Hopper exclaimed.

Steve stood behind her with his hands in his pockets.

"Hey, Chief," Steve said awkwardly.

"What are you doing?" Nancy repeated.

"My job," Hopper said.

"It doesn't look like it. Why aren't you looking for the monster?" Nancy asked. "It killed Will! It might have - it might killed Barb!"

"Kid," Hopper said with a sigh. "I'm doing everything that I can but the people behind this. . .the people have a lot more resources than we do. I can't even get close to them. I barely got in today."

"In where?" Nancy asked.

"Hey, just leave it to me. I got this. You go home," Hopper said. "Be with your brother."

"I just sat with my brother for an hour watching him cry!" Nancy snapped. "I can't just do nothing!"

"This is beyond what I can even handle, Nancy, and I'm doing everything that I can with what I've got. How do you expect to do better when we don't what that thing went through?"

"I - I don't know," Nancy said, her bottom lip trembling. "But she's my best friend. She's my best friend in the whole world and there are things that I did that I want to take back. I want to tell her I'm sorry and I want to show her that she was wrong about Steve. I want to make it right."

Hopper sighed and opened the door. He stood up and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Getting yourself killed in the process isn't the answer," Hopper said.

"Barb - ," Nancy started.

"Needs you to be here when she comes home," Hopper said.

Nancy burst into tears, mixed with sadness and anger. Hopper hugged her, holding her to his chest. Nancy sobbed into his shirt, her whole body shaking with sobs. Hopper pressed his cheek into her hair and then pulled away. He gently pushed her into Steve’s arms.

"Take her home," he said.

Steve pulled into the Wheelers' driveway once again. Nancy stared ahead, playing with her hands.

"I know your parents want you home - ," Nancy started to say.

"Fuck 'em," Steve said quickly. "It's their turn to miss me for once."

Nancy gave him a watery smile and kissed him before getting out of the car. She took Steve's hand.

"I want to check on Mike. I have a feeling he's in the basement again," Nancy said.

It was easier just to go around the side of the house. Nancy tapped on the door with her knuckles. They both heard shuffling and scrambling before the door opened. Mike appeared, breathing heavily.

"You didn't have to knock, you know? It's your basement, too," Mike said.

"Oh, we all know that it practically belongs to you," Nancy said. "I wanted to check on you."

"And what's he doing here?" Mike asked.

"Uh, I'm just here to support Nancy and spite my parents," Steve said casually and Mike snorted.

He stepped aside to let them in. The blanket fort was empty, much to Nancy's disappointment. She was hoping to get a glimpse of whoever Mike was hiding down here. Nancy sat down next to Mike on the couch while Steve sat across from them.

"I probably already know the answer to this but how are you doing?" Nancy asked.

"What do you think?" Mike snapped. "Like shit."

Nancy stared at him, debating with herself on whether she should tell him about the monster. If it dragged Barb somewhere else, maybe it dragged Will away, too, and if Will is dead. . .Nancy shook her head. Maybe somehow Will was alive and that body they pulled out of the quarry wasn't him. Maybe they were both alive. . .Nancy looked at Mike. She couldn't give him false hope. She couldn't tell him that maybe Will might not be dead if it turned out to be true. Could she tell him about the monster? He wouldn't be out there looking for Will. . .but what if he happened to stumble upon the monster? What if he found out she knew and she didn't tell him? She didn't want him to get involved with this. It was bad enough that he was dealing with the death of his friend. He can't be jumping out at shadows, too.

"I just wanted to check on you, and I'm here for you if you need to talk," Nancy said. "I know I haven't been the best sister lately, but I'm here."

Mike looked at her, his brown eyes filling with tears. It broke Nancy's heart to see her little brother like this.

"Thanks, Nancy," Mike said softly. "I hope - I hope when they find Barb that she's - that she's - well, you know."

"I know, me too," Nancy said.

Mike sniffled and wiped his nose with his sleeve.

"Can I be alone now?" Mike asked.

"Yeah, sure," Nancy said softly.

Nancy got up and started walking out of the basement. She got to the stairs, with Steve following her, when her eyes caught sight of the bathroom door. It was cracked open and for a moment she thought she saw a pair of eyes peaking out. They were gone just as quickly as they appeared. Nancy shook her head and walked out of the basement with Steve trailing after her. When they got to her room, Nancy collapsed in Steve's arms.

"Did you get in trouble with your parents?" Nancy asked the next morning when she met Steve at school.

"Yeah, but you know what? Who cares?" Steve asked. "They certainly don't."

"They didn't ask how you're feeling or anything?" Nancy asked.

"They were more worried about the back door," Steve sighed.

Nancy placed her hand on his chest before moving it to caress his cheek and kissed him softly.

"They may not see you but I do. You're a good man, and if they can't be proud of you, I am," Nancy said.

"Thanks, Nance," Steve said softly. "How are you doing?"

"I talked with Barb's parents this morning. . .I can't stand seeing them like that. I know Hopper said he's doing everything he can but there has to be something we can do," Nancy said.

"I don't have an answer. I mean, all we have is that torn-up photo," Steve said.

"The photo. . .," Nancy said. "Jonathan took the photo. Do you think he might have seen the monster?"

"You want to talk to him?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. It's the last thing that I want to do especially knowing what he's going through now," Nancy sighed. "But I have to know and honestly, three heads are better than one."

"That's true," Steve said. "I suppose if you can put your feelings aside for the guy to do this then so can I."

Nancy tilted her head to the side as she stared at him.

"Everyone thinks they know who you are," Nancy said. "I'm glad to be the one who truly does."

"Well, I figured you're going to do this anyway. You don't have to do this alone," Steve said and Nancy kissed him again.

That was how they ended up in the dark room of the high school, surrounded on either side of Jonathan Byers. Nancy had felt guilty for showing up at the funeral home and it made her sick to her stomach to see him picking out caskets for his baby brother. He shouldn't have to do that. Although, seeing the photos he had taken once again made her slightly sick to her stomach. She had to know why he was interested in photography.

"Sometimes, people don't really say what they're really thinking. But you capture the right moment, it says more," Jonathan said.

"What was I saying?" Nancy asked, ignoring Steve's snort.

"What?" Jonathan asked.

"When you took my photo?" Nancy asked.

"I - I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken that," Jonathan said nervously.

"No, you shouldn't have," Steve said and Jonathan cast eyes at him. "What? I'm allowed to have an opinion. It was my house."

Jonathan stared at him, his jaw clenched as though he didn't want to say the next that was on his mind.

"I'm sorry," Jonathan muttered.

Steve stared at him, studying him. It wasn't unkindly, not at first. Nancy could see the curiosity in his eyes as he tried to figure Jonathan out. Most see that look, Nancy thought, and assumed that Steve was judging them or that he was struggling with his thoughts like most people assume jocks do. They just didn't look hard enough and maybe if Steve hadn't jumped on the back of a monster to save her life, she might have assumed the same.

"You know, some people think that to be a jock, you must be really stupid or that you couldn't possibly care anything other than yourself," Steve said and Nancy smiled. They had the same thought. "It's true I'm slow and confident which is a really terrible combination, honestly."

"I never - " Jonathan said, looking guilty.

"Don't lie to me, I'm not going to believe you," Steve said, shaking his head. "Anyway, I do notice things. I notice people and I'm smart enough to know when they don't want me around. Although, sometimes it's a hit and miss. . .I figured it out, though."

"Figured what out?" Jonathan asked.

"Oh, why don't you try to solve that one? Let's see if we can come to the same conclusion," Steve said, not unkindly. "I know why you took those photos. . .do you?"

Before Jonathan could say anything else, the photo was ready. They could see the faceless monster more clearly. Nancy and Steve could easily identify it, a chill going through Nancy at the sight of it behind Barb. It had taken her.

"You said that Hopper's seen the monster?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah, he knows where the monster might have come from but he's not saying anything," Nancy said. "He wants us to stay out of it."

"Are you going to stay out of it?" Jonathan asked.

"I don't know. It freaked my parents out what happened the other night, I'm not sure if I can put them through anything like that," Nancy frowned.

"Steve really jumped on its back to save you?" Jonathan asked.

"Don't sound surprised, Byers," Steve frowned.

Jonathan looked at him apologetically before looking at the photo.

"I have to talk to my mom," Jonathan said.

They quickly parted ways with Nancy and Steve heading towards Steve's car.

"Thanks for not killing him," Nancy said.

"Anything for you, Nance," Steve said.

The next day was Will's funeral, something that Jonathan had managed to throw together without any help from Joyce. Nancy didn't want to go but she agreed to meet up there with Jonathan and Steve. Nancy stared at her reflection, ignoring her mother standing behind her. She was trying not to think of this like Barb's funeral. She didn't know if she was dead yet but she didn't want to get her hopes up and standing here in her funeral clothes reminded her that Barb might be dead. Nancy took a deep breath and pushed back her tears. They met Steve at the cemetery. He greeted Karen with a hug and shook hands with Ted. Holly immediately wrapped her arms around Steve's leg. Steve looked at Mike.

"I'm sorry about your friend," Steve said.

"Thanks," Mike said and looked down at Holly. "Sorry about my sister."

"Which one?" Holly asked innocently.

They struggled not to laugh but it was difficult. Karen pursed her lips and pulled Holly off Steve. He moved over to Nancy and placed a comforting hand on her back. She immediately leaned into his touch. They watched the funeral, Nancy staring at the casket as the noises faded around her and she could feel her own heartbeat in her ears. She blinked back the tears, and she felt Steve's arms tighten gently around her. It felt like he was anchoring her and she could breathe more evenly. The funeral progressed quickly after that and she found herself curled up with Jonathan, Steve on his other side. They were tracking the path of the monster, wondering if there was another way to find it. Jonathan was determined to kill this thing just as much as Nancy but he wanted to keep his mother out of this. It didn't sit right with Nancy but she understood it because she didn't want to get Mike involved in this either. She couldn't bear to give him false hope that Will might be alive.

"Hey, looks like we have the same idea," Steve said.

Steve had approached Nancy at her house when she was in mid swing and he ducked, avoiding the bat. Steve held up his own baseball bat. His was metal, though.

"You couldn't find anything else?" Nancy teased.

"Well, nothing that would be useful," Steve shrugged.

Nancy stared at him, worried. Steve still wasn't in the best shape but he said he wanted to do this with her, anyway.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah, Jonathan Byers doesn't scare me, he just makes me uncomfortable," Steve said.

"No," she laughed. "That's not what I meant. I meant, are you sure about hunting this monster?"

"Yeah, no, I mean, I would be lying if I said I wasn't scared as hell but if the cops aren't going to do anything then someone has to," Steve said.

Nancy placed a hand on his arm and squeezed it.

"You're really bothered by Jonathan, though," Nancy said.

"What he did creeps me out and it's not like it's the first time something similar happened in that house," Steve said.

"What?" Nancy asked.

"I was like five and my dad had invited one of his business friends over," Steve said. "I guess he wanted to get some information or whatever on my dad. Apparently, he found the wrong room because he came into my bedroom with a camera. I woke up to my dad beating the shit out of him. I watched my parents drag him out of the house. Never saw him again after that and anything work-related my dad did away from the house. I guess the asshole was trying to set him up for something."

Nancy's eyes went wide as she stared at Steve. Did he not realize - Okay, so, if he wasn't making the connection it was because he didn't want to.

"When did your parents put in the pool again?" Nancy asked.

"Huh, you know, it was shortly after that, I think," Steve said.

Holy shit. Clearly, it wasn't the time to point out to Steve that his parents might have murdered a man. They were going to have to talk about that later. It made Nancy wonder what else he might be repressing. She touched his cheek softly and kissed him.

"Let's go slay a monster," Nancy said.

They met Jonathan in the woods for target practice. He had stolen his dad's Smith & Wesson right out of his car at Will's funeral. Turns out, he wasn't very good at it, much to Steve's delight. Steve wasn't fond of guns either, but he knew how to shoot them. He got behind Jonathan and helped him aim. Steve being close to the other guy, clearly made Jonathan uncomfortable. Nancy rolled her eyes. She doesn't understand what his problem is with Steve. As far as she knew, Steve was one of the jocks who didn't do all that bullshit where they pushed people into lockers for the hell of it. Nancy never would have agreed to go out with him if he were anything like that. Even she didn't know how much Tommy and Carol were both assholes. They both preferred to talk about people behind their backs which is something that most people were guilty of, if they were being truly honest. Jonathan didn't know Steve and he crossed a huge boundary with him, with both of them, but Steve was still willing to help him. Nancy noticed he seemed to relax as they started to talk about their parents and all three agreed that they didn't want to end up like them.

"You never said what I was saying," Nancy said.

Jonathan and Nancy were walking back through the woods. Steve was ahead of them because he thought he saw something. She was pretty sure he was chasing after a squirrel. She couldn't help but wonder if her boyfriend might be a dog.

"What?" Jonathan asked.

"You said I was saying something. That's why you took my picture," Nancy said.

"Oh, I guess, I don't know. . .like I was saying earlier," Jonathan said and paused, looking nervously at her. "I saw this girl, you know, trying to be someone else. But it's like, for that moment, it's like -- you were alone or you thought you were, and you could just be yourself."

Nancy felt like her brain was breaking a little bit. Is he serious?

"That's such bullshit," she spat.

"What?" Jonathan asked.

"I'm not trying to be anyone else because I'm with Steve and I decided to have sex with him," Nancy snapped. "Have you ever thought that you might be reading too much into it?"

"You know what? Forget it? I just thought it was a good picture," Jonathan said.

Nancy felt her jaw clench as he walked ahead of her. So, he wasn't really sorry for taking those photos? He was just fucking sorry he got caught. How the hell could he think those photos were good?

"He's actually a good guy," Nancy snapped at Jonathan.

"Okay," Jonathan scoffed.

"Have you forgotten that he saved my life?!" Nancy asked.

"I'm sure that made it easier to convince you to break my camera," Jonathan said in annoyance.

"Is that what you think?!" Nancy yelled.

"It's what I know," Jonathan said.

"I broke it all on my own! I didn't need any convincing from Steve!" Nancy screamed at him. "And you act like what you did was okay!"

"Never said that," he said.

"Actually, you did when you said that the photos were good. You can't be sorry for taking them and then call them good! So which is it, Jonathan?!" She exclaimed. "I had every right to be pissed! We both did!"

Jonathan whirled around, looking at her. She didn't understand what he had to be so angry about when he was the one who was being an asshole.

"Does that mean I have to like him?" Jonathan asked.

"No - ,"

"Listen, don't take this so personally. I don't like most people. He's in the vast majority," Jonathan said.

Nancy shook her head, she couldn't believe this.

"You know, I was just starting to think you were okay," Nancy said.

"Yeah?" Jonathan asked with a bite in his tone.

"Yeah, I was thinking that Jonathan Byers isn't the pretentious creep everyone thinks he is," Nancy said.

"Yeah, well, I was just starting to think you were okay. Nancy Wheeler, she's not just another suburban girl who thinks she's rebelling by doing exactly what every other suburban girl does. Until that phase passes and they marry some boring one-time jock who now works sales and they live out a perfectly boring little life at the end of a cul-de-sac, exactly like their parents, who they thought were so depressing but hey, now they get it," Jonathan said.

Nancy was struck by his audacity. He couldn't believe he just said that. Nancy felt like she had been slapped. She looked at him with fury in her heart, a fury that was spreading to her belly. The snapping of twigs startled both of them and they looked up to find Steve standing there. Judging by the look in his eyes, he had heard everything. Steve looked as hurt as she felt and just as angry as she was. It was what made her next move so easy. She curled her hand into a fist and raised it before slamming it into Jonathan's face. Jonathan cursed and stumbled back.

"You're a dick," Nancy said coldly.

"And she made that decision all on her own," Steve said with a scoff. "Man, just when I was ready to forgive you but you made it more clear now why you did what you did."

Jonathan had the decency to look ashamed but he was also still angry as he clutched his eye.

"Yeah, why is that?" He asked bitterly.

"You're jealous," Steve said and Jonathan scoffed.

"You think that I'm jealous that Nancy had sex with you?" Jonathan asked in disbelief.

"No, but I think it's interesting that you put it that way," Steve laughed. "You pretend like you're different than us, that you're above all this, but at the end of the day, you want to be a teenager like we are, teenagers who aren't quite ready to be responsible adults. You want to party, let loose, and even fuck. Rather than admit that, you'd rather judge us for joining in. Have you ever thought that maybe just because everyone likes something, that it doesn't have to be a bad thing?"

"That's not - I mean - ," Jonathan stuttered.

"I think maybe you need to let go of this image that you have of us in your head, Jonathan," Nancy said. "And stop viewing people through the lense of a camera."

"It's giving you a very narrow view, man," Steve replied, scratching his chest.

Nancy sighed and moved over to Steve. She slapped his hand away and pushed his shirt up. She peeled back the bandage, giving Jonathan a good look at the scratch on his chest. It was healing nicely but still horrific to look at. Nancy glanced at Jonathan out of the corner of her eye, glad to see that Jonathan looked pale at the sight of where the monster had tried to rip Steve's heart out. She was happy that it could give Jonathan a better idea of who Steve actually is rather than who he thought he was. If anyone needed a wake-up call, it was Jonathan. Nancy pulled Steve's shirt down and yanked his hands away to keep him from scratching. She kissed Steve.

"Stop scratching," Nancy scolded him and he stopped, allowing Nancy to take his hand.

It grew dark rather quickly as they walked further into the woods, trying to find another opening. They already ruled the bottom of the pool out, having checked to see if it was open. It was not. Nancy was thinking they were never going to find signs of the monster until they came upon a wounded deer in the middle of the woods.

"Oh my god, it was hit by a car," Nancy said, kneeling down next to it.

"In the middle of the woods?" Steve scoffed.

Nancy scowled at him but she shook her head. He was right though. They were in the middle of the woods. Maybe she was more tired than she realized. She turned to the deer, her heart breaking listening to it's wounded cries.

"It's suffering," Nancy said sadly.

Jonathan pulled out his gun and pointed it at the deer, planning on putting it out of its misery. He had told them about his father trying to force him to kill a rabbit, and Jonathan had cried because he had been a fan of Thumper. Nancy shared a look with Steve, who turned to Jonathan.

"Are you sure you want to do this, man? I can do it," Steve said.

"No, I've got this," Jonathan said, swallowing thickly.

Before Jonathan could pull the trigger, the deer was forcefully dragged away out of their sight. They didn't see where the monster had taken it and they all whirled around, trying to find it. Jonathan went one way while Nancy went another with Steve hot on her trail. Nancy discovered a hole in a tree, a trail of blood leading into it. It wasn't like anything she had ever seen before. Nancy knelt in front of it and peered into it. There hung a curtain of slimy - well, she wasn't sure what to call them but she could see there was another entrance on the other side. Nancy frowned. It looked like the same woods but at the same time. . .Nancy wasn't sure why but she started crawling through it.

"Nancy!" Steve hissed. "Nancy! . . . Goddamnit! Oh, this is crazy! Fuck!"

Nancy crawled through the hole and made it through the other side. Steve came out behind her and he opened his mouth to say something to her. Nancy quickly placed her finger over his lip and then pointed ahead of them. She grabbed his hand and moved forward, following a monstrous sound. . .the sound of something chewing. Nancy peered around a tree with Steve and saw the monster. It was the very monster that had attacked them, and it was chowing down on the deer. Nancy took a wrong step and the sound of a twig snapping startled the monster. Nancy quickly pushed Steve up against the tree, pressing herself up against him. They waited and once the monster was further away, they quickly ran towards the opening but it was starting to close. Nancy and Steve began screaming then they heard Jonathan screaming for them, as well.

"JONATHAN!"

"NANCY! STEVE!"

Nancy quickly crawled through, digging her hand through the slimy webbing, and her hand burst forth reaching for something. . .for anything. Nancy felt Jonathan's hand wrap around hers and then Nancy was being pulled out of the tree. Jonathan held onto her and she broke free from his grasp to help Steve. Jonathan quickly grabbed onto Steve and pulled him out of the tree. They managed to yank him forward and Steve held onto both of them, trembling with Nancy. She sobbed and squeezed Steve, burrowing her face into his shoulder as Jonathan held both of them. She realized that Steve was crying, too.

"You didn't have to follow me," Nancy said to Steve.

They were standing in her bathroom, helping each other out of their dirty clothes. Steve had brought his bag in from his car. It made sense to keep a bag on hand and ready to go with everything going on. She liked preparedness. Nancy sighed as she took off Steve's shirt.

"Yeah, I did. I told you, I'm following your lead, Nancy. I'm here for you, whatever you need from me," Steve said.

"You've done so much, Steve," Nancy said. "You don't have anything to prove."

"I know," Steve said softly.

The shower was running behind them, it was probably already warm by now.

"I don't want to be alone," Nancy said.

They got naked and entered the shower together. She didn't understand why people were so prudish about the naked body or why some people made ridiculous jokes about it. Sometimes, it's a naked body and everyone has one underneath their clothes. She wasn't aroused by the sight of Steve underneath the spray of the water, but rather comforted by the fact that he was naked and dirty as she was. Nancy burrowed her face into his chest, letting his comforting arms wrap around her, and cried. Steve held her the entire time and without even having to ask, he helped wash the gunk out of her hair. She snapped out of it and started to do the same with him. It should be a sin, she thought, for hair this good to be put through the ringer like this. When they were out of the shower and dressed, they moved back to her bedroom. Jonathan was unrolling her sleeping bag on her floor. He froze, realizing he didn't ask.

"I just thought -,"

"I don't think either of us wants to be alone," Nancy said.

"Clearly, you don't want to either," Steve said.

Nancy pulled Steve into her bed beside her while Jonathan crawled into her sleeping bag. Nancy and Steve lay on their backs, staring up at the ceiling. She didn't know what to say. They almost died, trapped in that place and Nancy would have been responsible. . .dragging Steve along. He would have died. Would his parents have cared? Definitely. . .I mean, if she was right about them killing someone for him and burying the body in their backyard. She locked that away for later, the monster popping into her head and the image of it coming for both of them. . .the image of it dragging Steve away like it did in his house. . .

"Can you just get up here?" Nancy asked. "Please?!"

Jonathan got up and stared at them. . .stared at Steve, who made space for him. Jonathan continued to hover.

"I don't bite. . .not unless you want me to," Steve said with a small teasing grin.

Jonathan snorted, his cheeks slightly pink, and crawled in next to Steve.

"Lights on or off?" Jonathan asked.

"On!" Nancy and Steve exclaimed.

Somehow they managed to fall asleep, as restless as it was. Her dreams had been full of monsters and blood. She had awoken before Steve and Jonathan. She had apparently spooned Steve during the night, and Steve had spooned Jonathan. Nancy sat up and looked down at them both. Steve was curled up against Jonathan's back, his arm thrown over his upper body. Jonathan was holding Steve's hand against his chest. Nancy couldn't help but smile. Apparently, subconsciously, they were slowly letting go of their hatred of each other. She guessed that facing a monster from another world would do that. Nancy thought about the monster and how it came for her. . .then she thought about Barb. She had been sitting by the pool, with her finger cut. It had possibly leaked into the pool. Nancy scrambled out of bed and pulled out one of her science books. She opened it up to the section on sharks and read over it.

"Did you sleep at all?" Steve asked.

Nancy glanced at him. He had flopped onto his back, causing Jonathan to fall onto his chest. Steve froze for a moment before relaxing and looking back at Nancy.

"Surprisingly more than I thought I would," Nancy said.

"What are you doing?" Steve asked, putting a comforting hand on her lower back.

"Research," Nancy said.

Jonathan woke up, blinking rapidly as he realized what position he was in. He jumped away from Steve, who laughed at him.

"Jesus, you act like you've never cuddled with any of your guy friends," Steve said.

"What? No," Jonathan laughed. "Have you?"

"Yeah, once you've seen each other naked in the locker room there's not a whole lot of boundaries that you're unwilling to cross or unwilling to play with," Steve said.

"What boundaries did you play with?" Jonathan asked.

"So, sharks, huh?" Steve asked Nancy.

Nancy raised an eyebrow at him but she focused her attention on the book.

"Sharks can detect blood in one part per million, that's one drop of blood in a million, and they can smell it from a quarter mile away," Nancy said.

"It can detect blood?" Jonathan asked.

"It's a theory," Nancy said. "But if it works, at least we'll know it's coming."

Steve leaned forward and looked at the page.

"Did you dog ear this page?" Steve asked.

"Earlier," Nancy said quickly.

She didn't want people to know how fascinated she was by sharks. It's not exactly something girls should love. Nor should they have tons of facts saved up in their head. With something like this happening, shouldn't it turn her off of them? Steve looked at her with a fond smile on his face, and out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Jonathan was smiling at her, too.

"I like that you like sharks," Steve said.

"Me too," Jonathan said shyly.

Someone grabbing the locked doorknob startled all three of them and Nancy grabbed their hands.

"Nancy!" Her mother's voice came from the other side of the door. "Breakfast is ready!"

"I'll be down in a minute!" Nancy yelled back, sighing in relief.

They waited until she left before smiling at each other.

"Your mom doesn't knock?" Jonathan asked.

"That must be awkward," Steve said and Nancy laughed with them. "What happens if you want to - you know. . .,"

"That's why I keep the door locked," Nancy said giggling.

"Do girls do that?" Jonathan asked.

Their heads snapped to him and looked at him with sympathy.

"Oh, Jonathan," they said together, before laughing.

Nancy didn't necessarily blame him for that. Society either oversexualizes women or tries to bury the fact that some women enjoy sex just as much as men like it was an evil conspiracy theory. There didn't seem to be an in-between, at least none that she had seen. Plus, Jonathan was a loner, who even though he stood on the outside of society, still got a good view of it as a guy. He still experienced some of the downsides of it too, because of his father. A part of Nancy was determined to knock some sense into him, especially since she knew that he did have a good heart. She could feel it and she could see that Steve was starting to see the same thing she was seeing. Nancy stared at their backs as they wandered the aisles of the army surplus store. They were actually talking and laughing amongst themselves. She didn't know what they were saying but she was glad they were burying the hatchet. Although, there was a primal part of her, which she wasn't going to touch, that was slightly disappointed that they weren't fighting over her. She was better than that. Wasn't she?

"What are you kids planning on doing with all this?" The guy behind the counter asked.

"Monster hunting," Nancy said and the guy snorted.

"Monster hunting?" Jonathan asked as they left the store, and Steve laughed.

"I loved it. You were honest while also playing it off as a joke," Steve laughed. "The look on his face."

"So, what's the weirdest part about all of this?" Jonathan asked as they loaded stuff into the trunk of Steve's car. "Hanging out with me or monster hunting?"

"Oh, you," Nancy smiled.

"Definitely you," Steve said, with a genuine smile.

A car drove past, honking its horn, and a guy popped his head out the window.

"Hey, Nance, Steve, can't wait to see your movie!" The guy laughed.

Nancy shared a confused look with Jonathan and Steve.

"What the hell?" Steve asked.

Nancy's eyes caught sight of the movie theater and she started moving towards it. She gasped at the sign above the theater. All the Right Moves Starring: Nancy the Slut Wheeler and Steve "The Fairy" Harrington.

"What the fuck?" Nancy asked.

Nancy moved closer to the theater with Jonathan and Steve trailing after her. She followed the sound of laughter. Tommy and Carol were standing with Nicole, laughing. Tommy was holding a can of spray paint and writing words across the wall. Jonathan Byers is a pervert. Nancy narrowed her eyes at Nicole. That bitch.

"Hey!" Nancy yelled.

"There they are! The stars of the show!" Carol exclaimed and Nicole laughed.

Nancy shot a look at Nicole. So much not for judging her.

"What the fuck, man?" Steve asked.

"I should be asking you that, Stevie-boy," Tommy said, glaring at him. "Because what the fuck?!"

"I don't know what you think I did, but you're the asshole in this situation," Steve said.

"No, you're the one that fucked things up, I was hoping you'd come around and apologize," Tommy said.

"Apologize?! Me?! You were the one saying all that bullshit about Barb!" Steve exclaimed.

"Oh, come on, we said shit like that all the time. It's never bothered you before!" Tommy yelled.

"It's always bothered me but you never fucking listened to me and you weren't nearly as bad until Carol came along!" Steve yelled.

"You've always had a problem with her," Tommy said, shoving him.

"Because she turned you into a total dick!" Steve snapped.

Nancy and Jonathan tugged on Steve's arms.

"They're not worth it," Nancy said softly.

"Better a dick than a pussy," Tommy said glaring at Nancy before turning to Steve. "Guess you eat both, huh, Stevie-boy?"

"What are you talking about?" Steve asked.

"I saw you curled up with both of them, all snug in Wheeler's bed," Tommy said. "Tell me, how much did you have to pay Byers? Did it cost extra to have him take those photos?"

"You came over to Nancy's last night," Steve said, his jaw clenched.

"I was really hoping you'd apologize and save you from whatever Wheeler's done to you," Tommy said.

"The only thing that Nancy's done is make me see clearly for the first time in a long time and if I stayed with you assholes any longer, I would have hated myself," Steve said. "And unlike you two, they don't go around making everyone around them miserable."

Tommy's nose flared as they got face-to-face. Nancy knew Steve was about to get hit. She tugged on his arm, looking at him.

"Steve," Nancy pleaded him.

"Steve, man, they're assholes. I was wrong about you. You're nothing like them," Jonathan said.

"Byers, you know, I was surprised that you had it in you, man," Tommy said. "What do they see in you? I guess Steve was right about one thing, though. He spent a lot of time trying to figure out if you were a queer or not. I guess he found out firsthand. I bet they don't know what a screw up you are, just like your father, and your queer brother. I bet you were the one who drowned him in the quarry. . ."

Tommy had pushed him with each sentence, fury welling up in Jonathan's eyes. Jonathan swung his fist and punched Tommy in the face. Tommy bent over, touching his bloody lip, and cackled. Before he could punch Jonathan, Steve intervened and punched Tommy. Nancy yelled out but Steve kept punching him and punching him. . . Tommy got the upper hand and knocked him to the ground. Jonathan hit him and Tommy hit Jonathan back, hard enough to knock him onto his ass. Tommy got on top of Steve and continued to hit him. Steve tried to fight back but he was just recently injured so he wasn't up to taking Tommy. Jonathan got up off the ground and tackled Tommy, Steve lying unmoving on the ground. Nancy went to his side. His face was bloody but he gasped and opened his eyes when Nancy touched him. Jonathan had the upper hand on Tommy now and he was wailing on him.

"He's had enough!" Carol screamed.

"Jonathan! Stop!" Nancy yelled.

The sound of sirens startled them and the next thing they knew cops were running towards them. Jonathan wasn't even aware of it, too angry to make sense of his surroundings. He hit the cop trying to pull Jonathan off Tommy. Callahan slammed Jonathan against the hood of the police car. Steve sat up with a groan.

"He didn't mean to hit you!" Steve yelled.

Of course, it brought their attention to Steve. They pulled him off the ground and cuffed him, too. At least, Steve and Jonathan weren't the only ones. Tommy wasn't quite fast enough and Powell arrested him as well. All four of them had been brought to the police station while Carol and Nicole had left before they could get caught as well. Nancy was cleaning up Steve's face while he was chained to the desk with Jonathan. Tommy was talking to his father in the back of the room. The blood made Steve's face look worse than it did. It was definitely going to be bruised but the cuts weren't so bad. Jonathan was going to have a bruised jaw to go along with the black eye Nancy had given him. Once she finished cleaning and bandaging Steve's face, she took ice from the secretary. She rolled her eyes, smiling as she sat down between them. Nancy held ice to both of their faces.

"What's so funny?" Steve asked.

"Flo apparently thinks Jonathan hit Tommy defending my honor and that because he was so stupid, it must be love," Nancy said.

"Well, my name was up there, too. Does that mean Jonathan's in love with me, too?" Steve laughed.

"Oh, yeah, totally planning on swiping you from Nancy," Jonathan said with a laugh of his own.

"Oh, we've got a confession!" Steve laughed. "Watch out, Nance."

"I think I've already proven I can take him," Nancy said, smirking.

The three of them giggled but they quickly sobered up when Jonathan's mom walked in with Hopper.

"Take those off!" Joyce yelled.

"It's not that easy, ma'am, your son assaulted a police officer and - ," Callahan said.

"Take them off!" Joyce snapped.

"You heard her. Take them off!" Hopper exclaimed.

"Tommy Hagan is pressing charges against Steve and Jonathan," Callahan said.

"What?! But he was the one - ," Nancy started to say.

"Let me talk to him," Steve said.

"That doesn't seem like a good idea," Callahan said.

"Take them off," Hopper said.

Callahan sighed and took the cuffs off of both of them. Steve stood up and moved to the back of the room. He moved Tommy aside while Tommy's father filled out paperwork. Nancy watched as Steve talked in a hushed furious whisper to Tommy. His face went from anger to fear back to anger again but he seemed more downtrodden like he was accepting his fate. Nancy watched as Tommy begrudgingly moved over to his father and started talking to him. His father sighed and ripped up the paperwork. Steve moved back over to Nancy, Jonathan, Joyce, and Hopper. Callahan had moved over to talk to Powell. Tommy and his father approached them.

"We won't be pressing any charges," Tommy said, clenching his jaw. "I'm the one who started this when I vandalized the theater. I was jealous that Steve no longer wanted to be friends with me and replaced me with Byers. And Byers. . .I'm sorry for what I said about your brother and that I implied that you killed him."

"Boy! That's what you did?! No wonder he kicked your ass! Ever since you've been hanging out with that girl - you can't see her anymore! After this, I'm taking you to the Hawk and I'm going to watch as you clean up the mess you made! Honest to God, you act like you were raised by wolves!" Mr. Hagan yelled and he softened looking at Joyce with guilt on his face. "I am so sorry about all of this and I'm so sorry about your son."

Mr. Hagan dragged Tommy out by his ear. Nancy looked at Steve who had watched the whole thing with a smirk on his face.

"What did you do?" Nancy asked.

"I just told him that I have an embarrassing videotape of him that he might not want getting out and that if he was smart at all, he'd do the right thing," Steve said.

"You blackmailed him?" Jonathan asked.

"Is it blackmail if I don't actually have anything on him?" Steve asked.

Nancy and Jonathan shared a laugh. Powell came up to Hopper.

"Chief, there's something you should see," he said.

That's how they found themselves in Hopper's office with Joyce, discussing the monster and how they ended up tracking it as well as discovering that they can track blood from miles away. Joyce ended up dragging Jonathan out into the hallway to scold him. Hopper placed the photo on his desk.

"Didn't I tell you kids to stay out of this?" Hopper asked.

"I couldn't stand by and do nothing!" Nancy exclaimed. "Barb is out there somewhere! And so is Will! If you had sat down with my brother when he thought Will was dead, you'd understand - "

"You don't think I don't understand? Because I do. You two are also young and if anything happened to you, I do not want to have to explain it to your parents," Hopper said.

"Oh, I can't believe that my parents would care if something happened to me," Steve said. "Nancy's parents would."

Hopper looked at Steve, his brows furrowed. Nancy squeezed Steve's hand.

"I don't think that's true, Steve. You should think about that story you told me from when you were five and think about the timing of when they put in the pool," Nancy said, patting his hand. "They care more than you think they do."

"You're making it sound like my parents killed a guy for me," Steve laughed and she looked at him. "Nancy, you're hilarious."

Nancy opened her mouth but Hopper cleared his throat. She looked at him and he shook his head. Nancy frowned. He'd accept when he was ready to. The door opened and Joyce came back in with Jonathan.

"So, about that girl you're looking for," Nancy said, biting her lip. "I think my brother's hiding her in my basement."

When they pulled up to her house, vans and other vehicles surrounded the place. People in dark suits came in and out. The group had parked down the road, out of sight. Nancy jumped out of the car, heart pounding in her chest, and she ran towards her house. Hopper grabbed her by the arm.

"Hey!"

"That's my house!" Nancy exclaimed. "Mike - "

"Do you see that?" Hopper asked, pointing at the helicopter flying over the trees. "They haven't found him yet."

"All that for Mike?" Nancy asked, dumbfounded.

Nancy quickly got back into the backseat of Joyce's car with Jonathan and Steve.

"Do either of you have any idea where else they could be?" Joyce asked.

"No," Jonathan said.

"I can't think of a place, but I know how we can reach them," Nancy said.

Once they got hold of them on Will's walkie, Hopper headed over to the junkyard. It left Nancy with Steve, Jonathan, and Joyce. Joyce was currently checking on Jonathan's bruises.

"Tommy really did a number on you," Joyce frowned and she touched the bruise around his eye.

"No, I deserved it, Mom, I was. . .I was a huge dick. I said and did some things that I'm not proud of. . .things Lonnie would have done," Jonathan said, looking ashamed.

"Uh, that one was from me," Nancy said, feeling even more awkward. "Sorry."

Joyce was about to say something to Nancy when Jonathan stopped her.

"Oh, honey," Joyce said, squeezing his shoulder.

"You've more than made up for it, I think," Nancy said.

"Yeah, man," Steve said. "You're nothing like your dad."

"You've never even met him," Jonathan said.

"Would he have gone to lengths you went to for your brother? Hell, would he have helped save a guy who was a complete douchebag?" Steve asked.

"Well, I mean - no," Jonathan said, blushing. "You weren't a total douchebag, Steve."

"Please, I cared more about my hair before all this," Steve said.

"To be fair, it's really great hair," Nancy said and the three of them giggled.

"I'm sorry, Jonathan, I've been so focused on everything, I haven't really paid much attention to you. I really feel like I don't know anything that's going on in your life even more than I did before," Joyce said.

"Mom, I'm sorry that I didn't believe you about Will, you were right all along - ," Jonathan said.

"Oh, honey, you had every reason to doubt me. I sounded completely batshit and you shouldn't have had to handle putting Will's funeral together by yourself. I should have helped you with that even though I knew that Will was alive," Joyce said. "I'm really glad you have friends now."

"Hey, I have Eric," Jonathan said.

"Jonathan, he's your boss who occasionally asks you to house sit for him," Joyce said and she patted his cheek. "I have to ask. . .what did happen?"

"Oh, sorry, Mrs. Byers, that's between the three of us, and whatever God Jonathan worships," Steve said and Jonathan looked at him. "You're welcome."

"Secrets make better friends," Nancy said, nodding firmly and Joyce smiled at her.

Nancy felt herself relax a little bit and she knew Joyce did too now that she knew her other son was less alone. The woman's youngest was still missing and so was Barb, so there was still a little edge especially with Mike out there. She hoped that Hopper found them before the men in black did. Nancy laced her fingers through Steve's as it grew darker as the sun went down. Finally. . .they all jumped as they heard the sound of a car pulling up and the lights filtered through the living room. All of them rushed outside and the minute Nancy saw Mike, she ran towards her brother.

"Oh, thank god!" Nancy exclaimed and hugged him tightly before looking behind him. "Is that my dress?"

A bald girl stood behind Mike, looking dirty and wearing an old pink dress of Nancy's. The girl waved at Nancy. It was all a blur after that as Nancy struggled to take in all the information. Her brother had been hiding this girl in their basement all week from the men who worked at the Department of Energy which apparently was a secret lab experimenting on children and opening gates to other dimensions. El, the nickname that Mike had given her, could use her powers to look into the Upside Down to find them. The Upside Down was the name that the kids had given to the other world that Will and Barb were trapped in. They had also given a name to the monster. . .the demogorgon. They had certainly been busy, Nancy thought, but then again, so had she.

"You knew about it," Mike said. "The monster. . .you knew about it."

Nancy was walking back to the middle school's gym with her brother as they prepared to make a home sensory deprivation tank for El to help boost her powers. Mike was looking at her, not with accusation but more of a realization.

"I'm sorry, I just - I just didn't want you getting involved and getting hurt," Nancy said.

"Too late for that," Mike said. "I didn't tell you about El for the very same reasons."

"How about this? We promise to try and tell each other everything?" Nancy asked. "No more secrets."

"Deal," Mike grinned.

Once they set up the pool, they all sat around nervously as El got in with Joyce and Hopper's help. Nancy wanted this to happen but she also felt guilty. This girl had been through so much and once again, she was being used for her powers but hopefully, something good will come out of it and El will feel like it's worth it. Nancy was going to use up all of her allowance to buy El all of the dresses or whatever she wanted. Although, what was going to happen to her after this? Nancy watched the girl float in the water and pretty soon the lights started flickering. She hadn't found Will or Barb yet. . .until. . .

"Barb?" Nancy asked.

"Sleeping," El said. "But okay."

Nancy relaxed against Steve, her hand over her mouth as she cried in relief. Steve held her, breathing a sigh of relief as well. She quickly found Will, passing on the message to him that Joyce was coming for him. They were going for both of them. Meanwhile, Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan were supposed to stay here with the kids. Nancy was feeling restless, she needed to do something and the guys were feeling the same way especially Jonathan, who just watched his mother drive away with Hopper.

"I want to kill it," Nancy said.

"What?" Jonathan asked.

"I want to finish what we started. I want to kill this monster," Nancy said.

"Me too," Jonathan said.

"I just - ," Nancy stopped.

Steve took Nancy's hand in his and squeezed it.

"I'll stay here with the kids," Steve said.

"Are you sure?" Nancy asked.

"No," Steve scoffed. "But you need to do this with Jonathan and someone needs to stay here with the kids. Plus, I kinda like that Dustin kid. I got my bat, you've got yours."

Nancy kissed him. It wasn't soft. It was harsh and deep. She pushed him up against the wall, her fingers curling into his hair as she poured every feeling that she had into the kiss. Steve kissed her back, responding with the same vigor. Nancy pulled back with a gasp. Steve’s eyelids were heavy and his mouth was swollen. He looked like he had been drugged.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly, smiling.

"Just trying to remember my own name," Steve said.

Nancy certainly liked how she affected him. She touched his cheek.

"Stay safe," Nancy said.

"You too," Steve said and then he looked at Jonathan. "You too, Byers."

Nancy hated leaving them behind, but after everything Steve had done, she trusted him to look after them.

"They'll be fine," Jonathan said as he drove off.

"Your mom will be fine, too," Nancy said.

They both ended up being right. . .well, it didn't end well for Jonathan's dad who showed up unexpectedly looking for his watch. Of course, neither of them expected that Lonnie would sacrifice himself to save Jonathan. There were a lot of things his dad had done but apparently letting his son die was something he couldn't do. They managed to wound the demogorgon and kept the way clear for the rescue mission into the Upside Down. Jonathan had sworn that he'd never shed a tear over the guy but when he pushed Jonathan out of the way and got devoured by the demogorgon, Jonathan collapsed into tears as soon as the monster had run off. Now, Nancy was sitting in the waiting room of the hospital, between Steve and her father. Barb's parents had gone to see her first, of course, and waited by her side for her to wake up. Jonathan and his mother were doing the same. Across from them, Dustin was sleeping on Lucas's shoulder while Mike was staring at the floor with a deep sadness on his face. Nancy's heart clenched in her chest. He had watched the girl he liked die in front of him. She couldn't imagine what he was feeling. Jonathan popped his head into the room.

"He's awake," Jonathan said.

Lucas pushed Dustin awake and the three of them ran down the hallway.

"Do you know - " Nancy started to say.

"Yeah, she's awake, too. Her parents went to get something to eat. She wants to talk to you."

Nancy got up, grabbed Steve’s hand, and pulled him down the hallway. He chuckled but followed her. Nancy raced into Barb's room, rushing to her bedside and dropping Steve’s hand in the process.

"Barb!" Nancy burst into tears.

"I'm okay, Nance," Barb said.

"I'm so sorry," Nancy sobbed.

"What are you sorry for? I should be apologizing," Barb said.

"For what? For being - ,"

"A bitch?" Barb asked.

"I was going to say wrong," Nancy laughed. "You were wrong about Steve."

"Was I?" Barb asked.

Nancy looked at Steve, who was leaning in the doorway. She smiled.

"Yes, you were," Nancy said. "And you were wrong about me."

Nancy launched into the story of everything that happened that night and everything that happened after that. She had a tight grip on Barb's hand the entire time, Barb enraptured by the story.

"You didn't have to do all that for me, Nance," Barb said tearfully.

"Yes, I did," Nancy said.

"Steve. . .you did do all that for Nance?" Barb asked.

"Well, I mean, for you, too. I couldn't have you thinking I was just some dumb jock. You needed to know about my awesome ninja skills," Steve said, and proceeded to do a karate chop in the air.

Barb immediately burst into laughter and pressed a hand to her mouth.

"Oh my god, how are you popular?" Barb giggled. "You're such a dork!"

"Well, I have been dethroned, so I guess I'm no longer popular," Steve said.

"Why do you think I went out with him in the first place, Barbara?" Nancy teased. "He was always a dork disguised as a king."

"I can see it now," Barb said, the smile falling from her face. "Nance, the only reason that I didn't want to see that before is because I was jealous."

"What? You never said that you had a crush on Steve!" Nancy exclaimed.

"Nance, come on!" Barb laughed.

"What?" Nancy asked.

"I'm in love with you and I have been for a long time but I know you're never going to feel the same way about me. I just have to figure out how not to be in love with you. I know that I can, and I know that I still want to be a part of your life. It was all that I could think about," Barb said.

Nancy felt like she should be more surprised but maybe she should be more surprised at herself for not seeing this, for not seeing Barbara before. With tears in her eyes, she squeezed her hand.

"I love you, I do, though, I know it's not what you want but I want you to be a part of my life, too," Nancy said. "You're my best friend."

"You're my best friend, too," Barb said.

"One day, you're going to find someone who loves you the way you deserve to be loved," Nancy said, sniffling. "And you're going to love them back. You're funny, smart, and brave. . .you saved Will's life."

"I doubt it," Barb said. "I'm probably the only lesbian in Hawkins."

"You'd be surprised," Steve said.

Nancy's head snapped up to look at Steve, who looked sheepishly. God, she was really slow. Steve shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged his shoulders.

"You're a lesbian?" Barb asked and Steve laughed.

"No, I'm just - I don't know, I wouldn't call myself straight, though," Steve said.

"What Hagan wrote on the sign - it was true," Barb said.

"Yeah, it was the only thing he got right," Steve said.

"He's such a dick," Nancy said and the three of them laughed.

Nancy knew they were forever changed by what happened, parts of them for the worse, and others for the better. It did make Nancy's heart happy to see Steve and Barb getting along, she just wished it had happened under better circumstances. Jonathan appeared in the doorway, his head ducked down slightly.

"Hey, uh, Barb," Jonathan said.

"Hey," Barb said.

"I just wanted to say thank you for looking after my brother while you guys were in there," Jonathan said.

"Anytime," Barb said. "There's a reason why they call me a damn good babysitter."

Jonathan snorted, ducking his head even more.

"Yeah," he said.

"How is he?" Barb asked.

"Good, he's good," Jonathan said.

"Good, that's good," Barb said.

A MONTH LATER. . .

Nancy was putting the finishing touches on Jonathan's gift with Steve. The present was on her bed and they were both kneeling in front of it. Barb was pacing. Nancy knew her best friend and she knew there was something that she wanted to say. They had spent a lot of time together over the last month, but not nearly as much as they used to before. It wasn't just Barb, Nancy, and Steve. It was Jonathan, too. They had formed a tight-knit group with shared scars and shared trauma solidifying their bond along with the realization that they were never all that different to begin with. It helped with the nightmares. Nancy knew that Barb was spending most of her time with Byers' now, specifically Will who had clung to her during their time in the Upside Down. It meant that Barb was also spending all her time with Jonathan, too.

"Spit it out, Barb," Nancy said with a smile.

"Yeah, you can practically see the smoke coming out of your ears," Steve said.

Barb sighed and sat down on Nancy's chair, turning to face them.

"I have to ask this because I need to know," Barb said. "There are rumors - "

"Oh, I thought we agreed we wouldn't listen to those," Nancy said with amusement.

"Yeah, I thought so too," Steve said.

"Hilarious. Yes, we agreed but you know, some rumors turn out to be true," Barb said. "I really hope this rumor isn't true."

"Okay, so ask us," Nancy said.

"Are you two - are you two sleeping with Jonathan?" Barb asked.

Nancy and Steve shared a look before giggling.

"No!" They yelled.

"I mean, we think he's cute but no, we are not sleeping with him," Nancy said. "Why?"

"Oh! She's in love with me now, she wants to be a part of this," Steve said, pointing between him and Nancy.

"In your dreams, Harrington," Barb laughed. "No, it's not either of you."

"It's Jonathan," Nancy said, smiling.

"Yeah, it's Jonathan," Barb said.

"So. . .you're like us, then?" Nancy asked.

It took that moment in that hospital room where Steve made his own revelation that Nancy realized her own. Her obsession with Debbie Harry made sense because it wasn't an obsession - well, maybe a little - but it was also a crush. It was a crush she shared with Steve, along with their crush on Tom Cruise.

"I don't know, I don't know what I am," Barb said. "I don't think I necessarily care what it's in the pants. . .or maybe he's just an exception to the rule."

"Hm, we definitely care," Steve said and Nancy chuckled.

Nancy placed the finishing touches on the present and slid it towards Barb.

"You should give it to him," Nancy said.

"What? No!" Barb exclaimed. "He probably doesn't even like me. He has a crush on Nancy. . .besides, I already got him a present."

"Don't you have a crush on Nancy?" Steve asked.

"What's your point?" Barb asked.

"Maybe you can have a crush on her together. Some couples like the same movie and some couples have a crush on the same woman," Steve said with a grin.

"Hm, Debbie," Nancy and Steve said together with a dreamy sigh.

"I'm just saying that I'm not exactly - I'm not exactly what he looks for in a woman," Barb said.

"Barb! I keep telling you that you're - " Nancy was cut off by Jonathan's sudden appearance.

"You're beautiful," Jonathan said softly.

Jonathan was standing in the doorway, his hands stuffed in his pockets. Nancy hid his present.

"Jonathan!" Barb exclaimed, blushing.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to overhear. I just dropped Will off downstairs," Jonathan said, blushing. "Your mom said that Barb was here and I could go up if I wanted to."

"No, it's fine," Barb said.

"I like you, too," Jonathan said.

Barb blushed and reached into her pocket. It was a small rectangular-shaped package wrapped in red shiny wrapping paper. Jonathan raised an eyebrow and she gave him an encouraging nod. Nancy and Steve were watching, still kneeling by the bed with their elbows propped up on it. They should probably give them the room but Nancy couldn't look away. They both deserved good things in their lives and even though it wasn't the most important thing in their lives, it felt like icing on top of the cake after everything they've been through. It was something good and she'd take the feeling of Steve's arms around her over fighting monsters any day. Jonathan ripped open the package and found that he was holding a cassette tape.

"It's a mixtape," Barb said. "They're all the songs that I listen to that remind me of you."

Jonathan smiled softly, looking absolutely touched by her gift. He held it to his chest.

"Thanks, I love it," Jonathan said.

"You haven't even heard what's on there," Barb said.

"I still love it," Jonathan said. "I got you something, too."

"You didn't - ," Barb said as Jonathan pulled a larger rectangular package wrapped in newspaper.

"The only thing I spent money on is the frame and it wasn't much. Mom helped me pick it out," Jonathan said, his cheeks turning redder by the second.

Barb opened it up, and it was a picture frame. Nancy and Steve leaned forward to get a look at it but they couldn't see it. They crawled towards Barb, who laughed at them. She turned it around. It was a picture of Barb and Will lying in the snow, making snow angels. They were both looking up at the sky and laughing.

"I love it, Jonathan, thank you," Barb said.

"It's my favorite picture," Jonathan admitted. "Will wasn't too fond of the first snow on the ground. . .you know, since being in that place but you made him feel better and you encouraged him to go out into the snow. You made him laugh. It was the moment I realized how much I liked you."

"Oh, Jonathan," Barb breathed.

Nancy beamed as she watched her best friend light up with joy. They stared at each other for the longest time. . .too long, honestly.

"If you don't kiss him, Barbara, I will because damn, that was good," Steve said.

"Get your own Jonathan, Harrington," Barb laughed.

She grabbed Jonathan and pulled him into a kiss. He stumbled and fell into her lap. He quickly held onto her, returning the kiss. Barb smiled into the kiss, cupping the back of Jonathan's head.

"Should we be watching this?" Steve whispered to Nancy.

"Shhh," Nancy said, waving at him.

Barb laughed as she broke the kiss and Jonathan turned away, quickly getting up.

"You have a problem sitting in my lap, Jonathan?" Barb asked.

"No, I think he was about to have too much of a problem," Steve said.

"Oh," Barb giggled.

"Shut up, Steve," Jonathan groaned.

The three of them burst into laughter while Jonathan face planted into Nancy's bed. Steve's laughter was the loudest. Jonathan grabbed a pillow and threw it at Steve as Barb excused herself to go to the bathroom. He laughed and hit Jonathan back with it. Jonathan grabbed it and pulled Steve onto the bed with him. Nancy sat back, sitting up against her bench. She watched in amusement as Jonathan and Steve wrestled on the bed.

"You're cleaning those sheets," Nancy taunted.

Barb walked back into the room and laughed at the sight of the guys wrestling. She slid down next to Nancy, looking a little pale.

"I was gone for a minute!" Barb exclaimed.

"Are you okay?" Nancy asked.

"You've got to stop asking me that, Nance," Barb said.

"I know - I'm just glad you're still here," Nancy said.

"Me too," Barb said.

Nancy put her arm through Barb's and tucked her head into her shoulder.

"Should we put money on them?" Nancy asked.

"What?! No. That would be childish," Barb scoffed.

"You're only saying that because you know my guy would win," Nancy said.

"You're not going to goad me into this," Barb giggled.

"Hm, it looks like Steve's winning," Nancy said.

"Oh, Jonathan's so going to win. He might be small, but he can totally take Steve," Barb said.

"I don't know," Nancy said in a sing song voice.

"Ugh, fine! Five on Jonathan!" Barb exclaimed.