#edancyweek2022

It was pandemonium at Hawkins Memorial Hospital, with every hall seemingly overflowing with patients, frantic staff, and inconsolable family members. Nancy knew she wouldn’t be able to ask at the front desk where Eddie was, if he was even there, due to the large crowd of desperate people screaming over each other to talk to the clearly overwhelmed receptionist.

Gently pushing her way through the crowd, she raced towards the stairs and almost fell down them numerous times while hurling herself up them. All she cared about was trying to find Eddie. She checked every room, every bed, but he was nowhere.

She even began to lose hope until she came into the final room, everyone else inside of it was asleep apart from the silhouette of someone sat up and staring out the window made her heart skip a beat. Nervously, she slowly walked towards the figure, pushing back the curtain that separated them, causing the figure to turn around.

“Eddie, you’re here,” she whispered, tears brimming in her eyes. Before any tears could fall, she was gripped into his tight embrace, her face buried into his chest. They clung onto each other for a few minutes before eventually letting go, albeit reluctantly. “I thought you were gone.”

His chuckle made the warm glow in her stomach turn into an inferno, almost to the point where it might’ve exploded out of her. “Nah, Wheeler, you’re stuck with me, you can’t get rid of me that easily.”

God how she loved the sound of him laughing and seeing him smile.

Nancy wouldn’t help but blush as she smiled shyly, feeling like an awkward kid again. “I’m glad you’re okay, when are you gonna be sent home?”

Eddie looked at the various bandages and bruises he could see on his arms for a few moments before shrugging and looking back up to Nancy. “Probably later today, I only got a few cuts and bruises. They just wanted to make sure nothing was infected.”

She nodded, another shy smile spreading across her lips. “Did you want me to stay with you?”

There was that damn smile again, the one she felt like he saved just for her. His eyes would shine like starlight, even in the darkest of moments. “Nah, that’s alright, sweetheart. I’ll come by as soon as I can, I promise.” He took her hands in his and pressed a kiss to the back of each one, causing another blush.

His lips felt like sunshine on the hottest summer day against her skin, making her feel warmer than she’d felt in days. While she knew she needed to go, her heart was begging her not to. The rest of the world felt so cold, but wherever Eddie was, there was always warmth.

She squeezed his hands tightly before letting go and leaving the room. There were so many things she wanted to say, but she couldn’t bring herself to say them, the fear of rejection was too much.

Driving home, Nancy knew she couldn’t exactly tell anyone she went to see Eddie; her parents would flip, and Mike would probably have some kind of brain aneurism. Nobody knew about their relationship, every time she wanted tell people, she could never find the right words.

She knew Eddie’s reputation and how harshly he was judged for every aspect of his life, and if people knew they were dating, she would be judged just as harshly or perhaps even more than he was. But maybe after everything that had happened, maybe people would be more forgiving.

Arriving home, she didn’t speak much at dinner until she asked to leave the table due to being tired, despite only eating less than half of her meal. While being tired wasn’t wrong, it wasn’t the whole truth of hardly eating and wanting to go to bed. Being riddled with anxiety over Eddie’s wellbeing was driving her insane; she knew he was fine, he was okay, but until she saw him again, she knew the anxiety would continue to eat at her insides.

Once in her room and safely behind a locked door, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath to attempt to calm herself. Not that doing that ever worked, but it was a start.

 Just as she was maybe on some verge of calm, the phone rang. Although it startled her, she eventually picked up the handset and held it to her ear for a few moments before speaking up. “Hello?”

“Nance?” Eddie’s voice on the other side made her rapidly beating heart skip a beat before finally calming, the warm glow starting once more.

“Hi Eddie. Are you out of the hospital yet?”

“Yeah, they let me go a couple hours ago. The trailer’s completely gone so I’m at the school with my uncle right now.”

Nancy nodded, a small smile ghosting across her lips. “How’s that going?”

Eddie sighed and eventually turned it into a groan. “It sucks, the food isn’t that great, and I have to sneak around just to get some peace and quiet. I’ve mostly just been hiding in the drama room.”

She couldn’t help but smile more as she imagined Eddie camping out in his beloved drama room with his D&D set up still there just to get away from everyone.

Out of the months she knew Eddie, she’d only ever been in there once when a session had happened. She’d gotten fed up with waiting for Mike to come out of the session and had stormed in and demanding he get his ass into the car before she dragged him out. Funnily enough, that was how she met Eddie and the sparks instantly began flying.

“You need me to come and rescue you?” She joked, twirling her fingers around the twisted wire on the phone, once again feeling like the teenager she used to be before everything had happened.

Eddie chuckled, readjusting the phone in his hand. “Of course, princess. Your helpless prince is dying for your return.”

A dark blush came across Nancy’s cheeks, she’d always secretly loved when Eddie would talk like that to her, even when she’d tell him he was an idiot and to stop, the blushing and her nervous but adorable laugh would tell a very different story – one Eddie knew all too well.

“You think you can wait until tomorrow morning?” She asked, almost shyly.

There was a pause before Eddie spoke up again. “I’ll wait forever for a moment with you. I’ll see you tomorrow, sweetheart.”

Then the line went dead as he hung up, with Nancy putting the phone down soon after. Eddie was safe and fine, that was for certain. But there was still a nagging idea in her head that there was something he wasn’t entirely telling her, the only real issue there was she wasn’t quite sure how to ask him about it without sounding like an asshole.

That would be tomorrow’s problem, she mused.

In the morning, she woke up bright and early to eat breakfast and head out to the school before anyone would really notice or question where she was going, not that she really had anything to hide. If anyone asked, she was just volunteering, that was… believable.

Arriving at the school, Nancy sped through the halls to try to find Eddie as quickly as possible. It almost reminded her of the hospital but thankfully, there weren’t any crowds she had to push her way through this time. She peeked through the window at the gymnasium to see if Eddie was there, but to the surprise of almost nobody, he wasn’t there.

Although she knew Eddie wouldn’t be eating with everyone else, it was still worth a try. She gave a quick glance towards Wayne before moving on, just to check if he was okay, making a mental note to visit him when she came to properly volunteer the next day.

She took a deep breath as she stood outside the drama room, knowing Eddie would be in there. Well, she hoped he would be in there and waiting for her. She gave a loud round of knocks before opening the door and stepping inside. Sat on his throne, basked in the slightly orange and gold tinted light that shone like a halo around his head, was Eddie.

His face lit up when he saw her, that smile planted firmly on his lips. “My princess finally came to rescue her prince.”

She laughed loudly as she closed the door, walking over to stand beside his throne, instantly feeling the warmth from the stage lighting against her exposed skin. “I told you I’d come! I hope you haven’t been suffering too much without me.”

He wrapped an arm around her waist, moving his hand down a little lower to playfully grab her ass before smacking it, causing a small yelp to leave Nancy’s lips. “All the suffering was worth it now that you’re here, your majesty.”

She playfully hit his arm before playing with some of the fabric on his shirt. Sadly, he wasn’t wearing his Hellfire club shirt, but instead a plain black shirt that had been donated. As much as she wished he had the shirt on, she knew it would only remind both of them of the horrors they’d had to endure and how close they were to losing each other.

Due to their decision to keep the relationship a secret, the pair would always have only fleeting moments of being together before it would be interrupted by someone or something needing their attention. The most time they’d spent together publicly was in The Upside Down of all places, but even then they couldn’t show their true feelings towards each other, there wasn’t enough time to explain to Steve and Robin anything. Although after everything they’d been through, maybe they would understand and not judge either of them.

No more words were exchanged before Eddie stood up, his hands moving to cup Nancy’s face as he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. The sweet and gentle kisses turned into a long and heavy make out session, Eddie bringing his hands back down Nancy’s body to her ass to pick her up and effortlessly bring her onto the table, her legs almost automatically opening so he could stand in between them.

While Nancy’s fingers were tangled in his hair, tugging, and grabbing at it, Eddie began slowly pushing up her skirt until it was around her waist, causing the pair to pull away from their kiss to give each other a breathless smirk.

Eddie’s lips moved from Nancy’s own lips and down to her neck, causing her to shiver a little. She wanted more, she wanted everything he could give her. She moved a little underneath him to try to get more friction between them, Eddie smirking again against her skin as he began nibbling and biting at her neck, being sure to leave a mark.

Nancy couldn’t help but let a loud moan escape her lips as both the sensation of his teeth on her skin and his fingers slipping into her panties was almost enough to make her come right then and there, it had been so long since he’d been able to touch her like that – far too long.

She subconsciously bit down hard on her bottom lip, letting out a few quiet whimpers as Eddie began to rub her clit, already feeling as if she was going to burst. Eddie moved his lips back up to hers, their lips barely touching as he whispered to her. “God, I’ve missed seeing you like this.” Nancy couldn’t even reply as her eyes rolled back, unable to hold back her release.

Her legs felt like jello as Eddie kept rubbing, causing her to whine a little before that whine turned into a giggle. Grabbing his wrist, she slid off the end of the table and pushed Eddie back into his throne, smirking. “You’ve had your fun; I think it’s my turn now.” She unbuckled his belt and unzipped his jeans open, pulling them down with his boxers as she got down on her knees. “I’ve wanted to do this for so long.”

Eddie groaned as he gently pulled on Nancy’s head to guide her mouth down to his already hard dick, with Nancy ready to begin licking and sucking as soon as his dick entered her mouth. His moans filling the room as his fingers gripped Nancy’s hair, bringing his dick further into her mouth and throat, causing her to gag a little on it. He let her gag for a few moments before releasing her hair, with Nancy giving one last lick to his dick before standing up.

He smirked as he watched her, picking her up and easily placing her down on the table. Taking off his shirt, he kissed her. “I want to fuck you,” he whispered against her lips.

“Are you sure you want our first time to be here?” Nancy whispered back, her eyes slowly opening to look up at his.

Eddie nodded slowly, kissing her again softly. “I’m sure, sweetheart. At least here, we won’t get interrupted.” Both of them laughed at that, knowing it was all too true. “Plus, this is where we first met, why wouldn’t I want it here?”

Nancy took off her shirt and unhooked her bra, tossing them to the floor along with Eddie’s shirt before lying back on the table, the cold wood against her back causing goosebumps all over her skin. Kicking off her boots, she shimmied out of her skirt and panties until she was completely naked on the table in front of him, finding Eddie to be just as naked.

They’d been naked in front of each other before, but they’d never had sex – they’d tried, sure, but it was always interrupted, or they just never had enough time. While they didn’t have all the time in the world now, that moment would have to be enough.

Hesitantly, he grabbed a condom from his jean pocket and tore it open, causing Nancy to raise an eyebrow as he rolled it on. “Were you planning this, Munson?”

He blushed darkly, shaking his head quickly. “Not at all, Nance. I just happened to have one on hand.”

She smiled, kissing him softly. “I believe it, don’t you worry.”

Climbing onto the table, he positioned himself in between her legs, with her wrapping her legs around his waist. Taking a shaky breath, he slowly slid inside, the pair letting out loud moans. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her and kissed him, not even caring how messy the kiss was.

During the kiss, Eddie slowly began to thrust, the pair’s moans seemingly getting louder with each one. Nancy’s nails dug into his back as she broke off the kiss to tilt her head back. “Fuuuuuck it feels so good.”

Looking down at her position, he took the opportunity to kiss her neck and bite down, being sure to leave as many marks as possible; he always found it a turn on to see the love bites on Nancy’s neck or thighs, knowing that he was the cause.

As he bit her neck, he felt her jerking underneath him, knowing she’d cum soon. “Come on, baby, show me how much you’ve wanted this,” he whispered into her ear, causing Nancy to whimper and moan as she came hard, her nails almost painfully digging into his back.

He thrust harder and faster, causing the table to shake and move slightly with each movement of his hips, but not that either of them even cared. Eddie was dying for his own release, but he wanted to at least try to impress Nancy by lasting longer.

Nancy pulled him in for a sloppy kiss, moving his hair away from his neck to move her lips towards it and gently began biting, causing Eddie to moan her name loudly. She smirked against his skin, clearly finding a weak spot.

She kept on gently biting his neck until Eddie whined. “Baby, if you keep this up you’re gonna make me come.”

Smirking again, she moved her lips to his ear. “Come for me, don’t hold back,” she nibbled at his ear a little before moving back to his neck to gently bite and suck on it, feeling Eddie’s thrusts getting sloppier as he struggled to hold back. Eddie let out one last groan before finally relenting and coming.

He kissed her softly, resting his forehead against hers as he tried to catch his breath. “If I’d known sex was that good, I would’ve done it with you months ago.”

She laughed, holding him close. “You’re an idiot, Eddie Munson.”

“And you’re irresistible, Nancy Wheeler.”

The pair cuddled each other in contempt silence for a few minutes, Eddie nuzzling his face into the crook of Nancy’s neck. If they’d been in an actual bed, the pair of them could’ve stayed there all day but after catching their breath, the table was starting to get uncomfortable, against everything inside of him, he pulled out from inside her. “I suppose I should let you go; I know everyone would be wondering where you’ve gone.”

Nancy frowned as she got up, but ultimately nodding knowing that he was right. “Alright, fine. But I’m leaving my window open.”

Eddie gave an exaggerated gasp, faking horror. “Nancy Wheeler is offering a man into her bedroom, what will her mother say?”

She shook her head, hitting his arm as she smirked. “Oh, shut up.” Grabbing her clothes from the floor, she began putting them back on, mentally cursing herself for not having access to a mirror to check if she looked as dishevelled as she felt.

“Not a chance, sweetheart.”

Shaking her head one last time, she opened the door and stood in the doorway. “I’ll see you later tonight, don’t be late.” She gave him a smile before leaving the room.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he whispered, knowing Nancy couldn’t hear him.

Both of them felt almost daft; there was one thing they both knew they needed to say to each other but of course, they were worried the other didn’t feel the same, no matter how clear it was from the way they looked at each other, especially the way they looked when the other wasn’t looking.

Eddie Munson was in love with Nancy Wheeler, just as much as Nancy Wheeler was in love with Eddie Munson. That was a fact, but they were both too scared to tell each other.

Later that night, Nancy couldn’t keep her eyes off her slightly open bedroom window, nervous that Eddie wouldn’t actually come. But the familiar sound of someone climbing onto the garage roof put any nerves at bay, jumping out of bed to help Eddie inside her room as quietly as possible.

“Sorry I’m late, sweetheart. I had to pretend to use the pay phone, so they’d let me out,” he ended the sentence with a quick kiss before slipping out of his jacket and sneakers. Nancy raised an eyebrow as she glanced down to his jeans, with Eddie looking confused for a moment before taking them off.

“I’m not letting you in my bed with jeans on, shirt is fine, jeans are a no-no,” she gave him a sarcastically sweet smile before getting back into bed, pulling aside the covers to let him in. Eddie smiled as he shook his head, climbing into bed beside her before hiding under the covers, bringing Nancy underneath with him.

Under Nancy’s covers, the pair of them stared at each other, taking in every small piece of each other. Although it was too dark to really take in any of his features, Nancy had already memorised every inch of Eddie like the back of her hand. “I wanna tell people about us,” Nancy whispered, caressing Eddie’s cheek gently with her thumb.

Eddie looked at her confused for a moment, unsure of what to say. “Why?”

She sighed heavily, almost looking as if she was about to cry. “Because after everything we’ve gone through, I don’t want to keep you hidden. I want to scream it in everyone’s face that we’re together and I don’t care what anyone has to say about it.”

“Are you sure you want to?”

“Do you?”

“Of course, I do, I don’t want to keep sneaking around anymore, you’re not some dirty little secret. You’re my girl.”

She blushed darkly at his words, a ghost of a smile on her lips. It just felt so right to be his girl, no matter what other people’s prejudices would be.

“I love you,” he whispered, causing her heart to skip a beat.

“You love me?”

“Nancy Carolyn Wheeler, I love you.”

“And how do you know my full name? You looked at my driver’s licence, didn’t you?”

Eddie grimaced before nodding slowly. “I looked at your driver’s licence.”

Nancy shook her head, playfully hitting his arm. “You’re an idiot, Eddie Munson.”

He took her face gently in his hands. “And you’re mine, Nancy Wheeler,” he whispered before kissing her softly.

The pair soon fell asleep together, holding onto each other closely, almost protectively. But by the time Nancy awoke in the morning, the bed beside her was empty and Eddie was gone.

Sighing heavily, she got out of bed and got dressed as quickly as possible to begin packing up her unwanted belongings to be donated to the school. She opened her closet doors and began going through each article of clothing and every box inside, slowly accumulating at least a box worth of things to go. Grabbing a cardboard box from the basement and assembling it, she returned to her room to begin putting the belongings into the box and closing the closet doors.

When she turned back towards her bed, she almost screamed as Eddie was sat on her bed, appearing out of almost nowhere. “Jesus, you scared me!”

He chuckled as he looked at her, looking as if she’d seen a ghost. “I did knock!”

She couldn’t help but laugh too as she placed a hand on her heart. “Right, of course, sorry. I was so massively distracted with sorting all this out, I didn’t hear you.”

He got off the bed to grab the box from her. “Let me help you with that stuff.”

Reluctantly, she let go of the box. “I’ll make up another box and start filling it up, you can just put it down somewhere so we can take them all downstairs together, there isn’t much left.” She sprinted back into the basement to grab a second box and set it up, returning to her room to hand the box to Eddie.

“You know, you’re cute when you’re being organized.” Eddie smiled as he watched her put things into the box.

Nancy hit his arm, unable to contain her blush. “Oh, shut up!”

A knock on the door interrupted the couple, with Steve being the one to knock before entering. “You got everything ready?”

She nodded, using some tape to close the box in Eddie’s arms before he gave a slight nod to Steve. “Yup, we managed to fill two boxes. The other is somewhere, not sure where Eddie put it.”

“I put it in front of your chest of draws, didn’t want you to trip over it.” Eddie answered, placing the second box down on top of the first.

“Eddie?” Steve asked, a completely puzzled look on his face as he looked between the two boxes on the floor and Nancy.

Nancy looked confused, too. “Yeah, Eddie’s been helping me. What’s up with that?”

Steve looked like he was about to say one thing but quickly stopped himself, deciding to say something else. “Does he look real to you?”

“Does who look real?”

“Eddie… does he look real?”

Nancy frowned looking between Steve and Eddie stood behind her. “Of course, he looks real, he is real! He’s standing right here!”

Steve rested his hands on Nancy’s arms, shaking her a little. “Nance, actually look at him. Properly look at him.”

The façade dropped at that moment, Nancy slowly turning back to look at Eddie. He was wearing his Hellfire Club shirt and bandana, both were covered in blood and torn to pieces. Tears pricked at her eyes as she tried to tare her eyes away from him, looking back towards Steve.

“Nancy, I am so sorry. It’s a dream, you dreamed it for yourself because the truth was too terrible.”

A sob escaped her lips before she was able to stop it, her knees gave out and she collapsed to the floor. The horrible truth she’d denied over the past few days finally resurfaced; the image of seeing her Eddie lying dead outside his trailer, still wearing the ballet slippers necklace she gave him came flooding back.

Eddie had been dead the whole time she’d been back in Hawkins, all the time they’d spent together had just been lies. But the worst part was knowing that Eddie had died without knowing she loved him, and that she wanted the world to know that they were together.

Eddie was merely minding his business walking around the local bookstore checking out the inventory. He already had a small stack of books in his hand. A Tolkien, two DnD books, and a Stephen King. On particular shelf nestled between two larger books was a dark red hardcover journal. Eddie picked it up flipping through it not expecting to find anything only to be surprised when he saw handwriting in it.

Hi. If you’re not interested in a challenge or doing dares then put this back on the shelf where you found it.

Still here? Excellent. If you can’t solve this puzzle then please put this book back on the shelf. Still interested? Great. Your first clue is a Russian tragedy that is a classic and also shares the same initials as one of the US States. Don’t use the internet or ask for help. What’s the point of the challenge if you get the answers that easily?

His brows furrowed at the words, but he couldn’t help being curious. Deciding to try, he walked around the store again only to stop when he saw Dustin and Mike talking.

“Hey. You guys wouldn’t happen to know who this belongs to, would you?” He asked holding up the journal.

“Nope. You can put it in the lost and found if you want.” Mike shrugged despite knowing exactly who it belonged to.

Dustin shook his head. “I mean, we sell journals, but not that one in particular.”

“Yeah alright. Thanks guys.” Eddie turned and walked around the store again.

He missed the look that the two younger boys shared. The handsome metalhead stopped in front of a shelf of Russian literature and grabbed a particular copy of Anna Karenina. It’s initials were AK which were the same as Alaska. This copy of the book had a scrap of paper sticking out. He took it and placed the book back on the shelf.

Well done. Now it’s time to roll for initiative and find the next clue.

Eddie grinned to himself and made a beeline for the section of the store where the Dungeons and Dragons books were located. He searched the shelves only to find another scrap of paper in one of the player handbooks.

That’s a hit! Okay admittedly I know how to play, but I’m not that well versed in the game. Anyway for the third clue, look for the green light and you might find her.

He walked around the store searching the shelves unsure of what he was looking for. Then he saw it in the classic fiction section. There was a scrap of paper peeking out of a copy of the Great Gatsby.

Not bad. Congratulations you’ve completed the challenge. Now finish this sentence in the journal. All I want for Christmas is?

Eddie tucked the paper scraps into the journal then grabbed a pen from a display. He considered his answer before starting to write in the journal.

All I want for Christmas is for Christmas to be over. All of this fake cheer is obnoxious though I will admit it is fun to see my friends be excited over whatever they got for the holiday.

You mentioned dares earlier so here is one for you. Go to the coffee shop and order a loco hot cocoa. It’s nothing bad, I promise. With how cold it is outside, it will warm you right up.

He placed the book back where he had found it then went to the register to buy the four books he was going to buy initially. Later that day, Nancy Wheeler walked into the store and picked up her journal from the shelf. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the unfamiliar handwriting. Dustin and Mike shared a look as she left the store clutching the journal. Her smile faded when she read what was written. How could this person hate Christmas? She went to the coffee shop ordering the drink which earned her a knowing smile from the barista.

Okay you got me there with the loco hot cocoa. It was the spiciest hot cocoa I’ve ever drank, but it warmed me right up so thank you. I also had a brownie with it. I highly recommend.

Well now it’s your turn. Go to Family Video and rent the Christmas Movie that describes your attitude toward Christmas. You know the one.

Nancy left the book where he would find it in the coffee shop. They missed each other by mere minutes. He grinned when he found the book. It was a fun thing, but he was also cautious in case someone was messing with him.

“How the Grinch stole Christmas? Really? Wouldn’t Black Christmas be more your speed?” Steve asked with a chuckle as he rang him up.

“Yes. It’s a long story.” Eddie smirked playfully at him.

“Sure it is.” He slid the movie over to him.

Ha Ha. You’re real funny. Grinch is a good movie though. Listen, I don’t hate Christmas because I’m a grump. My mom died when I was a little boy and, well, I was never that well off wealth wise. So Christmas over the years was pretty bare. I, uh, don’t really know why I’m admitting that to you.

As for your dare, there’s a toy drive tomorrow at the library. They’re looking for volunteers, but you’ll have to dress the part.

Nancy slipped into family video finding the journal on the shelf behind a copy of the Grinch. Thankfully it was a solo shift for Keith and he was on break at that moment. She left the store and eagerly opened the journal once she was in her car. Her heart broke when she read his words. She then drove over to one of the stores in town buying some toys before bringing them to the library. Nancy donated the toys then signed up to volunteer for the toy drive. To her amusement, she discovered that she would have to wear a Santa’s elf costume, ears and all.

I’m sorry for your loss. It’s understandable why you don’t like Christmas then. In uplifting news, the toy drive was a success. Very funny with the elf costume by the way.

Go tell Santa Hopper what you want for Christmas and you just might get a special gift in return.

He walked out of the library with the journal in hand. Of course he had read her note as soon as he could. Eddie sighed as he got into his van driving over to the Starcourt Mall. He met his bandmates there and explained the situation to them.

Gareth grinned playfully at him. “So the only thing standing in your way of getting your dream girl is Hopper’s lap.”

“Shut up! Look, it’s clearly the jocks messing with me. I go up there, make an ass of myself, and they all get a big laugh.” Eddie scoffed.

“What if you’re wrong and it’s legit?” Jeff pointed out.

He grumbled unsure of what to do. Glancing around, he didn’t really see any of the jocks waiting for him to show up. Eddie sighed giving in and walked over to where Hopper was sitting as Santa. He was last in line and Santa Hopper glared at him. A quiet whispered threat was passed from the Santa to Eddie.

“All I want for Christmas… is to know if this girl is for real or if someone is messing with me.” Eddie admitted quietly.

“She’s real.” It was all Hopper said in return.

Eddie was handed a little gift bag by Joyce as he walked away. Confused, he sat down on a bench and looked in the bag. There was a Tupperware filled with Christmas cookies and a little Santa hat. On one side of the hat, the white felt was embroidered with sparkly gold thread spelling out Nancy. A soft smile appeared on his face.

I’m glad it was a success. Hey, elf girls are cute although that might just be the Tolkien fan in me talking. 

That was humiliating, but thanks for the cookies, Nancy. Attached is a mixtape. I dare you to listen to the whole thing.

On the mixtape written in his scrawl was Nancy’s Special Mix. It made her smile. Nancy listened to the mixtape and was surprised to find that she was enjoying it. There was something familiar about the singer’s voice, but she wasn’t sure what it was that she was recognizing. After listening to it, she grabbed a pen and started to write in the book.

Thank you for the mixtape. I really enjoyed it. The singer is really good. Okay full disclosure, my brother and his friend were the ones who came up with this whole thing. They thought it would help me get a boyfriend. Silly huh?

Even though I don’t know who you are, this has actually been pretty fun so thank you for taking part in it.

Eagerly, Eddie flipped open the book and read the now familiar handwriting. His heart sank when there was no dare. Was this Nancy’s way of ending their fun? An idea then struck him and his tongue stuck out a little in concentration as he wrote in the book again.

I’m glad that you’re enjoying it. I hear he’s singing tonight with his band over at the Hideout. I dare you to go. Maybe I’ll see you there.

Hey I don’t mind. I don’t think it’s silly. I’ve actually had fun too. It’s made the holiday season more bearable, at the very least.

Nancy was unsure, but she went to the Hideout anyway that night. There weren’t that many people there so she stuck out like a sore thumb. It made her a little nervous. At ten on the dot, Corroded Coffin took the stage. Of course she recognized the lead singer. It was Eddie Munson. How could she not recognize him? When the band started to play, it was mostly metal until the last song of the set.

“This one’s for you, Nancy.” Eddie spoke in the mic and then started to sing.

Her blue eyes widened as she recognized the song. It was from her mixtape. Had she really been writing with Eddie this whole time? When the song finished, she clapped for the band. Eddie took a long drink of water after setting his guitar down then hopped off the stage. They met each other halfway. 

“Nice to finally meet you, Nancy.” Eddie gave her a playful grin.

She blushed as she looked at him. “Did you know this whole time?”

“No. Of course not. I didn’t know until I saw you in the crowd.” He admitted with a chuckle.

Nancy smiled softly at him. “Well I’m glad that it was you.”

“I’m glad that it was you too. Wait that means Mike and Dustin knew this whole time. Those little shits.” His big brown eyes widened in realization.

“You feeling okay sitting up?” her father in law asks nervously, opening her lotion and smoothing some against her cheeks. Nancy doesn’t blame him for being anxious. Her vitals had been so unstable she’d started blacking out trying to push, so dizzy she’d vomited several times, and they’d decided to perform a C-section just to finally give her some relief and keep Esther from going into distress. 

“M’okay,” she breathes, “just getting sleepy.” 

 Wayne doesn’t look convinced, reaching for her pajamas with one hand and feeling the pulse on the side of her neck with the other.

“Little fast, kiddo,” he comments, “arms out.”

Wayne helps her into one of Eddie’s soft button up flannels and a pair of his loose sweats, tugging her hair into a ponytail for her. Her belly is starting to hurt more the longer she sits upright, and when Wayne hands her her toothbrush she notices dully that her hands are shaking. 

“I don’t think I feel very good,” Nancy rasps as Wayne wraps both arms around her middle and lifts her to her feet. She lets her head fall against his chest as Wayne rubs her back through Eddie’s old shirt. Wayne keeps a careful hold of her as they shuffle back into her hospital room. Nancy is so focused on picking up her feet and not tripping in her exhaustion that she doesn’t look up until Wayne gently nudges her.

“Oh, Eddie,” she gasps. Her husband beams at her, shirtless and in a pair of joggers with little menorahs all over them. Nancy had matching ones, but she’d been wearing them when her water broke. Esther is tucked against his chest in a baby sling, one tiny, chubby fist curled up next to his nipple piercing. 

There’s an electric menorah in the window of the room, six candles lit up, and a cheesy paper banner that says “Happy Hanukkah” hanging over her hospital bed. On a plate next to her hospital bed are latkes and pierogi from that Jewish deli they all love. Eddie lifts Esther out of the baby sling and carefully adjusts her so Nancy can see her onesie, a little royal blue one with “my first Hanukkah” on it in gold, sparkly lettering. She bites back a sob, remembering how she’d cried over Esther never getting to wear it when they’d missed her due date. Her baby girl looks adorable in it, a tiny velcro bow in her dark curls that matches. Her sleepy eyes are open, blue irises, and she smacks her lips and lets out a little sound. 

“Say hi, Mama,” Eddie coos, waving their daughter’s little arm, “Chag Sameach!” 

Nancy is in tears now, Wayne smoothing the blankets over her legs and helping her lean back against her pillows before taking a seat in one of the chairs in her hospital room. Esther lets out a slightly sharper cry and Eddie walks over to the bed and slips onto the edge, passing their baby over to her. Esther nestles her little head against Nancy’s chest and starts nursing contentedly. It’s almost surreal, feeling her weight. 

“You look beautiful,” Eddie murmurs, taking the plate of latkes and cutting her off a bite, offering the fork. Nancy lets him feed her since her hands are occupied with a happily eating newborn, but makes a face at him for telling her she’s pretty.

“I can’t shower because I got cut open, I’m in a diaper because there’s like 9 months of periods coming out of me, I’m sweaty, and you watched me throw up like three times today,” she grumbles, taking another bite of latke, “and then watched them lift a gooey, bloody, screaming creature out of me.” 

“Esther, tell your mama she’s beautiful,” Eddie murmurs. Esther just smacks her lips and keeps eating, but she does clutch at one of Eddie’s pinkies with a chubby fist. Nancy adjusts herself so she can lean against Eddie’s bare chest, snuggling into his warmth as Esther finishes eating and blinks up at Nancy, milk drunk. 

“Come ‘ere,” Eddie says, then gets farther onto the bed and under the blankets with her, scooping Nancy into his lap and throwing a burp cloth over her shoulder. Esther snuggles down against her once her belly is full and she’s comfortable, long lashes fluttering closed against her pink cheeks. Nancy finishes eating cradled in Eddie’s lap, her infant sleeping happily on her chest. Esther’s hair is downy soft when she runs her fingers through it, her skin warm. Nancy feels her eyes start to get heavy.

“Why don’t we do the menorah,” Eddie murmurs into her sweaty ponytail, “and then I brought you your present.”

“Oh,” She slurs into Esther’s scalp, “I forgot yours.”

“Baby,” Eddie says, quirking an eyebrow at her, “You just gave birth to the best Hanukkah present I could ever want.” He punctuates his statement by dragging a tattooed finger down Esther’s tiny nose and over the bow of her rosebud mouth. Esther’s little face wrinkles, and she nuzzles against Nancy’s half naked chest. 

“She is pretty great,” Nancy mumbles. Her head falls back against Eddie’s collarbone and she presses her cheek against where her name is tattooed above his heart. 

“Don’t think I can get up to get the menorah,” Nancy murmurs after a few seconds, “It’s starting to hurt.” 

“You’re about due for more pain meds, motek,” Wayne says, “You want me to get a nurse?”

Nancy shakes her head tiredly, sinking further into Eddie’s warmth and under her covers. Eddie gently adjusts the baby so that he’s got one big hand splayed across her tiny back.

“I’ll do the bulb,” Wayne offers, standing from his chair and popping his spine, “And we can all do the prayer, huh?”

Nancy starts to pray and tries to keep up, but after about three words she just closes her eyes and lets the rhythm of Eddie and Wayne’s smooth Hebrew flow over her. Esther makes a cooing sound and wiggles a bit but Nancy is just so tired-

“Why don’t we go see Saba, E? Nance, can Wayne take the baby?”

Nancy nods, pries her eyes open enough to watch Wayne scoop Esther out of Eddie’s arms. Esther wriggles a little, clenching a tiny hand around the chain of Wayne’s Magen David.

“Soon you’ll have one too, bubbeleh,” Wayne tells her, eyes tearing up as he looks into her face. Nancy grins. 

“We can do your present tomorrow,” Eddie offers, adjusting so they’re mostly laying down in her bed. Nancy shakes her head. She can hear Wayne talking quietly to Esther in Hebrew, tilts her head so she can see the delicate way he cradles his granddaughter to his chest in his chair. Esther’s eyes are open, cloudy newborn blue locked on Wayne’s rugged face.

Her hands tremble as she tries to slip the paper off the tiny box Eddie hands her, cuddling ever closer to him in her fatigue. Eddie brushes a hand over her hair and helps her tear the tape off the box, wads up the paper and puts it on the bedside table. Eddie opens the box for her and Nancy just stares.

It’s a pendant shaped like a mother and child, delicate silver with a blue topaz set in the middle. She’s almost scared to touch it, fingers tracing the tiny baby’s head.

“Eddie-” 

“I was going to give you this on the last night,” he says into her hair, throat thick with tears, “But then Esther decided to make her appearance and I thought-”

“It’s beautiful,” she sniffles, “Please put it on me.”

Eddie has to lift her head for her, cradling it in a more upright position against his throat so he can loop the necklace around her throat and do up the clasp. It’s cool against her skin, settling delicately on her sternum.

“I got it on Etsy,” he says, “I know you love that small business stuff.”

“Don’t knock Etsy,” Nancy says, “S’where I got your pants.” Eddie helps her lay down completely, curving himself around her body and propping his head on one tattooed hand. He’s warm, still bare chested, and he’s looking down at her with the most dopey expression on his face. She loves him so much. She loves the baby they made together so much. She’s so tired. Nancy lets her eyes fall shut. 

Wayne starts to sing across the room to the baby, something in Hebrew Nancy only recognizes from her and Eddie’s wedding. Eddie joins in, chest rumbling under her head. She listens to them finish up the song.

“That’s the Shehecheyanu, bubbeleh. We're singing it to welcome a little miracle into the world.”

“You can sleep,” her husband murmurs, once he and Wayne fall silent, “We’ve got E, and I can tell you’re exhausted, baby.” 

“Don’t wanna miss time with the baby,” she slurs. She’s not sure how much of what she says makes sense, but Eddie just kisses the bridge of her nose and starts rubbing her back. 

“S’cheating,” she mumbles, but she’s already falling asleep. Wayne is talking to the baby again, and Nancy just can’t stay awake anymore.