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IT WAS CHRISTMAS EVE.

The air was crisp and filled with the sweet scent of pine as Isadora gazed out the frosted window, the sun setting on the horizon. Yet, despite the picturesque view, a profound sense of loneliness enveloped her on this Christmas Eve. Ever since she was a child, Christmas had been a time of joy, laughter, and cherished moments spent with her family. The excitement of unwrapping gifts, the warmth of holiday traditions, and the sound of her family's laughter had always filled her heart with happiness, but this year marked her second Christmas without them, and the emptiness was palpable, echoing in the corners of her heart.

The memories flooded her mind, vivid and bittersweet. She recalled the nights spent huddled together, her parents and younger sister, wrapped in cozy blankets as they sipped hot cocoa. They would stay up late, glued to cheesy holiday movies, their laughter mingling with the sounds of the film. Her father would blast Christmas music, and they'd break into spontaneous dances, their voices rising in joyful harmony, much to her mother's playful annoyance. She remembered how her mother would always try to keep the noise down, but eventually gave in and joined them, capturing the moments on her phone as her sister Sophia hung up the decorations. Now, the house, which wasn't even the house she grew up in, was filled with silence, and Isadora felt the sharp sting of nostalgia mixed with sadness.

Since Steve's Christmas Party, where she had let her guard down more than she intended, she had hardly seen Billy or her friends. The fear gnawed at her, an unsettling thought that perhaps she had done something to drive them away. Each day leading up to Christmas, she tried to reach out, but her attempts were met with vague responses and polite excuses. Steve had assured her that everything was fine, but the shadows of doubt loomed larger as Christmas Eve arrived. Now, with the echoing silence of her empty home, Isadora felt more alone than ever.

"I guess I'm spending Christmas Eve alone," she whispered to herself as she made her way downstairs that morning. The living room greeted her with a disheartening emptiness, the air heavy with memories of joy that now felt like a distant dream.

As she stood staring at the bare room, lost in thought, a sudden knock on the door jolted her from her reverie. She quickly wiped away the tears that had begun to well up in her eyes and approached the door, curiosity piqued. "Hopper? What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised to see the familiar figure on her doorstep.

"I need you to escort me to the station, Isadora," Hopper replied, his expression serious.

"What? It's Christmas Eve—okay, fine, whatever," she replied, a hint of reluctance in her voice as she grabbed her coat and trudged out of the house. Following Hopper to his station wagon, she felt a wave of irritation wash over her. The thought of being stuck at the station on Christmas Eve only deepened her already sour mood.

As they drove through the snowy streets, the cold landscape mirrored her feelings. Each house they passed was adorned with twinkling lights and festive decorations, a stark contrast to her own home. Isadora's heart ached as she thought about how different her Christmas would have been if her family were there. By the time they arrived at the station, her mood was at its lowest.

"I don't understand why I'm here on Christmas Eve," Isadora said, taking a seat opposite Hopper and crossing her arms defiantly. "Am I in trouble?"

"You're not in trouble, Isadora. I just need you to fill out some paperwork that was never completed after last year's accident," he explained, placing a stack of papers in front of her.

"Seriously? It's Christmas Eve! I'd rather not think about what happened last year right now. Can't this wait?" she retorted, frustration creeping into her voice.

"I'm afraid it can't wait. You need to complete this today," Hopper insisted, sliding a pen her way.

Isadora scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief. "This is ridiculous, but fine, since I have nothing better to do right now, I'll fill out these stupid papers," she grumbled, flipping through the documents. As she started to write, the realisation struck her that this would take hours, and she felt completely unaware of the real reason she was there. Hopper couldn't tell her, but while she was stuck at the station, her friends were secretly decorating her house, hoping to surprise her.

~*~

Back at Isadora's house, a lively buzz filled the air as Kendra, Billy, Beatrix, Hazel, Eddie, and Steve bustled about, transforming the empty space into a winter wonderland.

"So how did you manage to convince your dad to help us get Isadora out of the house?" Kendra asked Hazel as they entered, arms laden with decorations and holiday cheer.

"Well, after Steve told us about Billy's plan to remind Isadora how much she loves Christmas, I talked to my dad. With Ellie's help, we managed to convince him it was a good idea. I was surprised he went along with it, but I guess he could see how important it was to us," Hazel said, her eyes sparkling with excitement as they unloaded the decorations.

"How is Ellie doing?" Kendra inquired, curiosity evident in her tone.

"She seems to be doing better, but she's been spending a lot of time with Max lately. I think she's still coming to terms with the fact that Dad has taken Eleven in," Hazel replied, smiling over at Beatrix, who was helping Billy set up the Christmas tree.

"How mad do you think Isadora is right now?" Kendra asked, setting down some VCRs by the television.

"Why would she be mad?" Billy asked, confused.

"Hopper took her to the station to keep her busy while we decorated," Kendra explained, her brow furrowing.

"Oh," Billy said, a look of understanding dawning on his face.

"Wait a second, I thought we agreed we'd just find a way to keep Isadora occupied?" Steve interjected, frowning slightly.

"Yes, and that's exactly what I did," Hazel shrugged, a mischievous grin on her face.

"I just really hope she's okay. She was already worried she did something to make us all mad at her," Steve said, gathering decorations to hang on the tree.

"She was?" Billy asked, surprised.

"I guess we've been so caught up in planning the surprise that we kind of avoided her," Kendra admitted.

"I tried to reassure her that everything was fine, but I don't think she believed me," Steve added, a hint of guilt creeping into his voice.

"Hopefully, this will cheer her up," Kendra said, moving to the kitchen to help Hazel prepare hot cocoa. Once it was ready, she turned to Billy. "Okay, the Christmas movies are set by the TV, and the hot cocoa is good to go. Just reheat it when Isadora gets here," she instructed.

Eddie appeared with a box from the attic, setting it down beside the tree. "I found this in the attic!" he announced excitedly. As they rummaged through the decorations, Billy spotted one with "Princess" painted on it, surrounded by cheerful yellow stars. He couldn't help but smile, knowing it must have been made by Isadora.

As they continued to decorate, Billy uncovered a framed photo of a young Isadora hugging a baby girl who looked just like her. He felt a pang of curiosity as he examined the image, his heart softening at the sight of her innocent smile.

"Isadora has a sister?" Beatrix asked quietly, glancing at the photo with wide eyes.

Billy didn't respond, placing the picture back in the box. He knew it wasn't his place to discuss Isadora's family, so he turned back to the tree, focusing on the task at hand. As they finished decorating, the place was filled with warmth and laughter, a stark contrast to Isadora's feelings of isolation. Once everything was ready, the group said their goodbyes and headed home, leaving Billy to wait for Hopper and Isadora, unaware of her frustration as she spent the afternoon filling out paperwork.

~*~

"Come on, I'll give you a ride home," Hopper said as Isadora completed the last form, exhaustion etched on her face.

"Oh, so I'm finally free to leave?" she replied, raising an eyebrow.

"It's Christmas Eve. I'm not totally heartless," Hopper assured her with a slight smirk.

"This really couldn't have waited until after Christmas?" Isadora asked as they walked to his car, her tone still laced with annoyance.

"I'm afraid not, kiddo," he replied, his voice softening.

Isadora frowned as she climbed into the car, the dull ache of frustration still lingering in her heart. When they arrived home, she thanked Hopper and made her way across the snow-covered driveway. As she stepped inside, her breath caught in her throat. Tinsel sparkled on the staircase, and her eyes widened as she turned to see a Christmas tree adorned with decorations. It was as if a holiday miracle had unfolded right before her eyes, but what truly made her heart soar was the sight of Billy sitting on the couch, his smile warm and inviting.

"Billy?" she called out, her voice filled with disbelief. At the sound of her voice, he stood up, his smile widening.

"Hi, Is," he greeted, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"What—what's going on?" she stammered, taking in the festive transformation around her.

"Well, I wanted to do something special for you since you said you weren't really looking forward to Christmas. I didn't know if it was stupid—" Billy started, but Isadora cut him off, her heart racing as she moved past him to the pile of VCRs beside the TV.

"Christmas in Connecticut, Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Story," she read aloud, her face lighting up with joy. As she looked around the living room, she felt a swell of happiness. She turned back to Billy, her eyes shining with gratitude. "This isn't stupid! This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me."

"And there's hot cocoa too," Billy added, but Isadora was already captivated by the Christmas tree. Spotting the Princess decoration hanging from one of the branches, she smiled nostalgically. "I think I was about eight or nine when I painted this. Thank you for this, for all of this," she said, walking over to hug him tightly.

Billy wrapped his arms around her, feeling a sense of relief and happiness wash over him. He kissed the top of her head, letting the moment linger before stepping away to heat the cocoa.

Once he returned with two steaming mugs, Isadora took a sip, her eyes widening in delight. "Mm, this is delicious. Did you make this?" she asked, her heart swelling with affection.

"Uh, I had some help from Kendra and Hazel. Well, they made it, actually. I don't know how to," he admitted with a shrug, a sheepish grin spreading across his face.

"This is really amazing! But are you sure it's okay that you're here and not at home with your—"

"It's fine, Is. They won't miss me," he reassured her, waving a hand dismissively.

"I'm sorry," she blurted out suddenly, the words spilling from her lips before she could think.

"What for?" he asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"Well, when we first started working on the project together, I accused you of not having anything going on at home and thought you were just avoiding your half of it. I'm sorry for that," she confessed, the guilt hanging heavy in her chest.

"It's fine. I forgive you. You didn't know what was going on," Billy replied, his tone gentle.

"Still, I shouldn't have assumed. It was wrong of me. I was acting like an entitled princess," she admitted, a hint of shame creeping into her voice.

"Can you please say that again?" Billy teased, a playful smirk on his lips.

"Absolutely not," Isadora groaned, rolling her eyes at him, but a smile crept onto her face.

"Do you remember the day I showed up at your house, and you thought I had a new girlfriend?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

"Uh, yeah. Not that I want to dwell on that since I know now she's your cousin," Isadora grimaced, recalling her previous jealousy. "You were injured pretty badly, and you said you'd been in a fight."

"I wasn't exactly in a fight. My father did that to me," Billy revealed quietly, his voice dropping as he shared the vulnerable truth.

"Oh, Billy. I'm so sorry," Isadora said, her heart aching for him as she rested her hands on his knees. "If you ever need a place to stay, you're always welcome here."

"Thank you, Princess," he replied, leaning in to kiss her softly. The warmth of the moment wrapped around them, cocooning them in a bubble of shared understanding.

After settling into a comfortable position, they started the movie. Isadora snuggled against Billy, sipping her hot cocoa, the rich chocolate warming her from the inside out. As the film played, they shared laughter and glances, feeling the growing bond between them.

After the movie ended, Isadora pulled away suddenly, her eyes wide with panic. "Oh no! I didn't have time to get you a Christmas present!" she exclaimed, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

"I don't need anything, Is. I have everything I need right here. I have you," he said sincerely, his gaze steady on hers.

Isadora felt her heart flutter as she blushed, tilting her head to the side. "Can I tell you a secret?" he asked, his tone serious.

"Yes, of course," she replied, her curiosity piqued.

"I'm in love with you too, Isadora Jones," he confessed, his voice steady yet vulnerable.

"I love you too... wait, what do you mean 'in love with me too'? I never told you how I felt! Did I?" Isadora stammered, her mind racing.

"Is, you yelled it at Amanda at Steve's Christmas party. I'm pretty sure everyone there knows you love me," Billy said, unable to suppress his smirk.

"I can't believe you heard me! That wasn't how I wanted you to find out how I felt," she groaned, her face burning with embarrassment.

"It was pretty adorable, Is," he said, his tone teasing as he leaned in to kiss her once more.

As their lips met, a rush of happiness washed over Isadora. In that moment, she knew she was completely and utterly in love with Billy Hargrove. Christmas Eve may have begun with sadness, but it had transformed into something magical, and as they held each other close, Isadora felt a sense of hope blossoming in her heart.

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Enjoy! Xo

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