Jonathan sped the whole drive to his house. A held breath escapes Laurie that she didn't even know about, "God, Byers. Drive fast enough?" She asks, getting out of the backseat. "We had to get here fast." He argues, "Yeah, fast but not dead. There is a difference." He opens the trunk, and they grab the stuff they took from the station. Then, walking into the house and setting everything down, they know it's go time.

They put the lights back up, Jonathan hammers the bear trap to the hallway floor, Nancy loads up her revolver, and Laurie sharpens her daggers, then ensures she still has good aim. She aims for one of the letters and hits it dead on. A confident smirk forms as she walks over to grab the dagger.

Jonathan hammers some long nails into the wooden bat as Nancy pours gasoline on the carpeted floor of the hallway into Will's room. The three teens then carefully set up the bear trap before slowly returning to the living room.

Nancy hands each of them a knife as they stand in a circle, "Remember," Jonathan starts. "Straight into Will's room. And–" Nancy says, then looks to Laurie, "Don't step on the trap. Wait for the yo-yo to move." She has a nervous smile on her face as they recount the plan. "Then..."Jonathan holds up the lighter, and the girls nod.

"You ready?" He asks, looking at them to ensure neither of them wants to back out. "Ready." They say in sync. They count to three, then cut open their hands to draw in the monster. They all wince in pain then Laurie goes to find a first aid kit. Once she does, she pulls out the medical wrap and antiseptic. She wraps Nancy's hand first and then starts on Jonathan's when they hear something outside. "Did you hear that?" Nancy questions looking around, "It's just the wind." Jonathan says to try and calm her. "Don't worry. My mom said the lights speak when it comes." Nancy and Laurie look at him, confused, "Speak?" He nods, "Blink. Think of them as alarms." Nancy nods, and Laurie returns, wrapping up his hand, "Is it too tight?" She asks, looking at him for an answer, "No, it's fine." he says with a small encouraging smile. She nods and finishes up his hand.

"Here, let me help." Jonathan's voice is soft, and his hands are rough as he holds her hand in his. He cleans the cut like she did theirs and starts to wrap it when someone bangs on the door, making everyone jump. "Jonathan!" Steve's voice calls out from behind the door, "Steve?" She whispers, confused. He continues to knock, "Are you there, man? It's...it's Steve. Listen, I just wanna talk!" He shouts through the door as he continues to bang on it.

"Finish wrapping up her hand. I'll take care of him." Nancy says, getting off the couch and then heading for the door. Jonathan doesn't say a word as he returns to wrapping Laurie's hand. "Steve, listen to me–" Nancy starts but gets spoken over by the boy at the door, "Hey, Nancy, what–" He sounds breathless like he ran here or something.

"You need to leave." She says, not trying to sound too pushy. "I'm not trying to start anything, okay?" She tries to close the door a little more, "I don't care about that. You need to leave." He starts stammering, "No, no, no. Listen, I messed up, okay? I messed...I messed up. Okay? Really. Please. I just want to make things right, even if you don't want me. Okay? Please, please..." Laurie tries to look, but Nancy's body is blocking her view.

"Hey, what happened to your hand?" Oh shit, he saw the bandage. "Is that blood?" Steve questions, grabbing Nancy's wrist, which she quickly pulls out of his grasp. Nancy and Steve go back and forth for a second before he overpowers her and gets the door open enough to walk in while she's yelling no.

He stops in his tracks when he sees Jonathan finishing up the wrapping on Laurie's hand, "Laur, you too?" His voice sounds broken as she looks at him over her shoulder. He then looks around, noticing all the weird weapons and smells, "What is...what the..." Steve mumbles as Jonathan and Laurie stand up in front of the couch, and Nancy closes the door and walks back into the central area of the living room.

"You need to get out of here," Jonathan says, trying to push Steve out, but he holds him back. "Listen to me. I'm not asking you. I'm telling you. Get out!" His face cringes at the smell, "What is that smell? Is that...Is that gasoline?" He questions, pushing Jonathan away as Nancy pulls back the hammer on her revolver.

"Steve, get out." Laurie looks at her, shocked, "Nancy, what the hell? Put the damn gun down!" She urges her, looking between her best friend and Steve. He starts yelling, confused as to what is going on and why Nancy has a gun pointed at him. "Steve, please! I told you the worst thing you can do is get in our way, and you are! Please, just leave. You're going to get hurt." Laurie pleads. "You're hurt. You're all hurt. What the hell is going on?" He screams.

"Nancy put the gun down." She pleads as the lights start to flicker. Nancy starts counting from five. At two, Jonathan and Laurie yell her name, "The lights." Jonathan says, causing her to look around. Laurie quickly walks over to Steve, "Please. I am begging you, and I never beg. Go home, and I will call you in the morning and answer all your questions. Go home and get safe, please." She tries pushing him out, but he won't budge.

"I am not leaving you and Nancy here with that ever the fuck is going on here." His voice is stern, something Steve doesn't usually get. "It's here." Jonathan grabs his nail bat, "Wait, what's here?" He looks around as Laurie grabs two daggers and puts them in each hand. Steve continues to come undone while Laurie, Nancy, and Jonathan look around for the monster.

The roof breaks open, and everyone turns to look as a figure tries to break through. Nancy starts shooting, but Jonathan grabs her. Laurie holds Steve's hand, and they run as the monster drops, "Jump!" She yells as they near the bear trap, and they both jump over before running into Will's room. Jonathan shuts the door behind them. "What the hell was that? What the hell was that?" Steve screams, "Shut up." They all say before turning to the door with their weapons at the ready.

"What's it doing?" Nancy asks, keeping her eyes on the door, waiting for it to try and barge in. "I don't know," Jonathan says, maintaining the same position. The lights flicker, but nothing happens, and the house goes silent. "Do you hear anything?" Laurie asks softly, "No." Jonathan says, closing his lighter. He opens the door and looks around. Everyone slowly walks out of the room, staying together.

Walking out of the hallway and looking around the living room, the monster is gone. Steve starts muttering to himself as everyone else keeps looking around just in case. "This is crazy. This is crazy. This is crazy. This is crazy! This is crazy! This is crazy!" His voice gets louder and louder each time he repeats the phrase. Finally, he grabs the phone to call someone, more than likely the cops, but Laurie smacks it out of his hands.

"What are you do–What are you doing? Are you insane?"

"It's going to come back! So you need to leave. I can't handle someone else I care about getting hurt. Right now." She commands, her voice surprising everyone. He looks at all three people in the house and heads for the door. She sighs in frustration as she looks at Nancy and Jonathan. "Are you two just going to stand around or what?" She bosses before walking back into the living room.

Outside, Steve runs to his car and drops his keys as he tries to unlock the door. He opens the door, but the lights start flickering before he can get in. Something in him is telling him to run, but something louder and more persistent is telling him to stay and fight. Fight for his honor, don't be a coward, and fight for the girl he loves.

Back inside, the air is heavy. Nancy, Laurie, and Jonathan look around with heavy breaths as they try to find the monster. "Where is it?" Nancy asks, "Come on. Come on, you son of a bitch." Jonathan grits. "Quit being a damn coward and fight already," Laurie says through gritted teeth. The lights start flickering more and start disorienting the girls. Then the lights go out entirely. Pitch dark in the house.

The monster came up from behind with a low growl, "Jonathan!" They yell before it growls, then attack the boy, knocking his bat out of his hands. They keep yelling his name as the monster gets closer to his face. Nancy starts shooting at the beast, and Laurie throws a dagger at its chest.

The monster stands up, unharmed. Nancy keeps shooting as Laurie tries to aim for the inside of its mouth. Unfortunately, she can't get a good look with the flashing lights. The gun clicks, signaling that Nancy's out of bullets, so Laure takes her shot. As it roars, she throws the dagger, which lands perfectly in the middle of its mouth. This causes it to scream in pain as it tries to shake off the dagger.

The next thing they hear is a grunt. "Steve!" Laurie says in amazement as the boy attacks the monster with the nailed ball bat. He gets some good shots, then twirls the bat before landing another good strike.

He's able to back the monster into the bear trap. The beast screams out in pain as it tries to get out but to no avail. "He's stuck!" Steve yells, "Jonathan, now!" Nancy screams as the Byers boy runs over, flicks the lighter on, and throws it at the line of gasoline. The monster screeches as it burns, and everyone covers their face from the sudden heat.

Jonathan runs off to grab the fire extinguisher while the rest watch to ensure the monster can't escape. He sprays the flames, and after a few moments, the fire is out, and all that is left is a melted monster.

The lights start flickering again, but this time it's one at a time like something is lighting them as they walk by. Steve stands in front of Laurie, Jonathan, and Nancy, waiting for the monster to come. Confused as the lights start to head away, they follow until Jonathan realizes what's happening. "Mom. Is that you?" The group goes outside and sees the streetlight flickering. "Where's it going?" Laurie's voice is barely above a whisper as she watches down the street.

"I don't think that's the monster," Jonathan says, looking over at her. The group walks back into the house and goes quiet. It's weird compared to what the house was like only a minute or two ago. "Can someone please explain what happened?" Steve asks with a regular and calm tone. Finally settling down after a long day.

"That thing we just killed. It took Will and Barb into a different dimension. It sounds crazy, but you saw it for yourself. Will isn't dead, but Barb was killed in the other dimension. We came here to fight the monster, and then you came along, and now we're here. That's all, I think." Laurie looks at him with a tight-lipped smile. He lets out an airy laugh before looking at the group again, "I don't even know what to say anymore." He says, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Let's just pray that this whole thing is over," Nancy says with a small smile.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Later that night, well early the next morning, like super early, the local hospital waiting room is full. So Laurie, Nancy, Jonathan, and even Steve went to the hospital after Joyce called, saying they found Will.

Ted and Karen are there, along with all the kids and Hopper. Laurie sits beside Nancy, who is off in her little world, while Dustin is leaning on Lucas while both boys sleep. The small moment brings a smile onto her face. Then, Jonathan walks in, and it catches everyone's attention. She laughs as Mike jerks the boys awake and runs out of the waiting room. Nancy follows along, and Laurie starts to but decides against it.

Instead, she heads out to find the closest vending machine. "Hey, where are you going?" Steve asks, jogging to catch up to her. "Looking for a vending machine. I haven't eaten in a while." She says with a small laugh which he returns. "I think there's one around the corner." They walk together as he leads her to the beloved vending machine; when the machine comes into sight, she almost drops to her knees.

"Oh, home of the sugary and salty treats. I have missed you." He laughs at her dramatics while leaning against the closest wall. She buys a snack she can share with him because she feels he might be just as hungry, if not more. Walking over to the boy, she hands him half as she takes a bit of her half. "You didn't have to give me half." He chuckles before taking a bite.

"I thought you might be hungry." She jokes, "Yeah, just a bit." The two go silent, but it's not an awkward one. "So, have you decided on the whole Nancy thing?" She looks up at him as she takes another bite. "Yeah, and I want to give it another shot. I've learned a lot in the past few hours and hope she can forgive me. I don't need to run away from my problems." He looks down at her and smiles softly.

Her nose scrunches up as she smiles, "That is so cute. But, oh my gosh, you're killing me." Her voice goes dramatic in the last part, making them both laugh. It's nice to have things go normal for once, even if it breaks her heart to hear that he wants to stay with Nancy, but it's also good because he fights for what he cares about. He wraps his arm around her shoulder as they head back to the waiting room.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

One Month Later

Knocking on the door of the Wheeler house, Karen opens the door with a smile. "Laurie, it's so nice to see you. Come on in. The boys should be finishing up in a second." She thanks the woman and wipes off her feet from the snow before walking in. She was covered in a thick red and yellow striped sweater with light-washed jeans and boots. She takes off her scarf as the warmth of the house envelopes her.

Before she can walk too far away from the door, someone else knocks. She opens it to find Jonathan. "Hello, fellow older sibling driver." He laughs while walking into the house. Since Will was found, Laurie and Jonathan have been in charge of picking their younger brothers up from D&D, especially Jonathan.

The two head downstairs, seeming to interrupt a discussion. "Jeez, what's that smell?" He asks, looking at the boys, "Have you guys been playing games all day or just farting?" She follows behind him. "Probably the farting. The campaign was too short of having been done with already if they were playing games." She teases, and Mike rolls his eyes as the boys thank her.

"Sorry, didn't mean to team up on ya, Mike." He waves her off. Lucas starts making fun of Dustin farting, which has everyone but Dustin laughing. "Lucas, knock it off. I'm the only one who can make fun of him." Laurie says, laughing as she nudges his shoulder. Will and Jonathan leave as Lucas finishes his teasing, "Dustin, time to go. Mom won't wait all night." She says before heading upstairs as well. The front door closed as she got there, which meant that the Byers had already left.

"Laurie! I didn't even hear you come in." Nancy says happily, seeing her best friend. The girls hug tightly as a familiar 5'11 guy walks out. "Laur." He says as if he's amazed to see her and hugs her. "Sup, Harrington? How's the happy couple?" She smiles at them excitedly. "We're fine. Enjoying some holiday cheer." Nancy laughs, which fills Laurie with happiness.

It might hurt that the man she's been in love with since she could remember is happy with her best friend, but they're happy together, making her happy. "Oh, hang on, I wanted to give you something," Steve says, running to grab her gift. "It's from both of us, don't let him lie to you."

"You didn't have to get me anything." She says as he walks out with a long box. She unwraps it to see that it's a new dagger set. "These are beautiful. Thank you." She hugs them both with a huge smile. "It's no problem. They really said, Laurie. Not joking, look." Steve points and her heart swells. They got them engraved with her name on them. "This is way too expensive. You shouldn't have."

"If I can't spoil my girls, what am I good for?" Steve jokes, making both girls smile. "Hey, Laur. Look up." Nancy says, and the girl looks up and then blushes. "Oh, damn. Mistletoe." Steve looks up as well and laughs. "That's unfortunate." Again, he jokes, and she blushes even harder. "It's tradition, Laur. It's nothing crazy." Nancy assures her with a small smile. "I can't leave until I do your little tradition, huh?" She asks, then groans when Nancy nods.

"It's a Christmas miracle, Harrington," She mutters before leaning in and kissing his cheek softly. "Ew," Dustin says, coming around the corner. "Oh, now you want to make your presence known?" She scolds him before pushing him to the door. "Merry Christmas, everyone!" She calls out before walking out the door.

When the Hendersons are outside, Laurie sighs deeply. "Hey, you got your Christmas wish. You kissed Steve." Dustin tries to joke, but it doesn't work. "Yeah, I guess I did." She mumbles while putting her gift away in the car. "Let's get home; mom has hot chocolate and cookies ready. You just have to decide the movie." She taps his nose, and he scrunches it.

Turning the car on, she turns the radio to a station playing some Christmas music, then backs out of the Wheeler's driveway. Dustin rambles on about the campaign as a soft smile forms on her face. The passing Christmas lights, the steadily falling snow, and lively jingles make her at ease.

It's crazy how it seemed as if their whole world was ending just a month ago before her eyes.

HAPPY END OF SEASON ONE!!! I hope you all enjoyed it! This was so much fun to write, and I cannot wait for y'all to read season two. See you soon!