They all help Bob's parents pack up his house. At first it was only Joyce, then Jonathan, Will and Nancy, but after making sure mr and mrs Newby were comfortable with it they enlist Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Max to help out as well. Steve drives Dustin over and ends up staying and helping out as well, carrying out all the heavier furniture together with Jonathan and even taking the furniture mr and mrs Newby won't keep to a charity shop downtown. Joyce brings up the subject of the things Bob left at her place but the elderly couple waves her off, insisting she'd keep it, if she wanted. And as the boys goes through Bob's collection of games and comic books mrs Newby lets them all take what they want. "He would've wanted it to come to use rather than it all sitting in boxes in our attic," she says. The things they themselves wanted to have as keepsakes of their only son they had already put away in their car.
So the video camera Bob lent them for Halloween ends up in Jonathan's permanent care. He still goes everywhere with the camera Nancy got him last christmas, but inside the house he prefers to film "everything" to both Will's and Nancy's chagrin. Though she could always get him to drop the camera by casually suggesting that there's something else they could do, if he wanted.
xxx
One day Hopper is waiting on the Byers front porch when they get home from school.
"I need your help," he says, eyeing Nancy.
"With what?"
"The Snow Ball."
El peeks her head out the door.
They end up taking Jonathan's car, Hopper deciding it would draw less attention, as they drive to a mall, not their mall but a mall three towns over, on Hopper's insistance. El giddily chats the whole way, excited to be talking to other people than Hopper for a change. She tells Nancy which of all the Nancy Drew books she gave her were her favourite and can't stop talking about the fact that Nancy is also called Nancy. She thanks Jonathan for the mixtapes and begs for more, which he is happy to oblige. When prodded on what music she liked the most she ranks David Bowie and Ziggy Stardust at the top. Jonathan struggles to explain that they are the same person.
When they get there Hopper at first follows close behind them as Nancy leads El into a shop to look for a dress but Nancy soon tires of it.
"Hey, this is girl time," she declares.
"What?"
"Girl time," El insists.
"Circle the perimeter or whatever, if it makes you feel better. You too, out" Nancy continues and shoos both Hopper and Jonathan out of the store.
Hopper walks back and forth outside the store, keeping track of anyone and everyone walking by in the general vincinity. Jonathan is content to just sit down on a bench, but makes sure he has a clear view of the store front, just in case.
At first El asks her about the different dresses, but Nancy soon stears the conversation the other way, prying El for what colors and patterns and all she likes. She gives some pointers as far as matching colors and combining with shoes and accesories, but she's insistant that El pick out dresses she herself likes. They wind up carrying five different dresses over to the changing room. Even with Nancy's assurances that she was right outside El don't close the door fully, not liking small enclosed places. The dresses were in varying colors, from soft pink to green tones but it's the blue one with faded pink dots and a belt that makes Eleven just stare at herself in the mirror.
"Oh, that looks great on you!" Nancy says excitedly.
"Pretty?" El asks, eyes going from her own reflection in the mirror to Nancy's.
"Very," Nancy confirms.
"Will Mike like it?"
"Of course! Then again you could be wearing a trashbag and he'd still flip. Do you like it? That's what's important."
"Yes. Love it."
"Then I think we've found your dress, El."
"Finally," Hopper mutters as they exit the store. Jonathan stretches as he rises from the bench.
"Yes, now we'll look for shoes!" Nancy informs them.
Hopper's subsequent groan is loud enough to reach the second floor.
xxx
Mike sulks in his room the day before the Snow Ball. She's tempted to let him know, but no, she won't ruin the surprise. She can't wait to see the look on his face when El walks in. But she at least got to make sure he isn't so glum that he'll not even go.
"Hey."
"Hey," he sighes and barely looks up.
"Come on Mike, it's alright. Just hang on a little longer and the Chief will let up."
"This sucks so bad. I waited 353 days, seriously, how many more will it be?"
"Not that many, I think."
"How do you know?"
"Come on, Hopper's reasonable. He's just waiting to see the Lab's next move, they're kind of unpredictable at the moment y'know."
"I promised I'd take her to the Snow Ball and now we're going to miss it for the second year in a row."
"I know, I know, but hey, other times will come."
"Yeah yeah, everything "will come", later. But what about now?"
"Now? Well for now you'll have to make due with having fun with your friends tomorrow. Normal, regular fun without monsters from other dimensions or anything. Think you should appreciate that, considering everything."
"I guess."
"If nothing else you can sit with Will and Dustin and make faces at Lucas while he tries to be smooth with Max," she smirks, eliciting a small laugh from Mike.
"Okay."
"And if it still sucks we can ditch and go for burgers or something."
"Deal."
xxx
In the early evening before the Snow Ball Jonathan drives them over to the cabin so she can help El get ready. Music is playing as Hopper opens the door. They greet El who is standing in the middle of the front room. The girl says hello and turns to Hopper.
"Again."
"No, I think we got it, kid."
"No, one more time," El insists.
"Fine," Hopper sighs.
Nancy and Jonathan share a look of curiosity as Hopper steps toward the girl. They put their hands on each other and start to move to the music. Nancy can't stop grinning at what she's witnessing.
"Shame you don't have the video camera with you," she whispers to Jonathan.
"The Chief would kill me," he smirks.
"Is this right?" El suddenly asks.
"Kid I told you, this is how it's done," Hopper answers.
"Nancy, is this right?"
"Yeah, that's it. You're doing great," she confirms.
"Told you," Hopper sighs.
"Wanted to make sure."
Nancy and El disappear into her room, leaving Jonathan and Hopper standing around awkwardly in the front room. She answers all of El's questions about the Snow Ball while doing her hair and makeup, explaining that it will all be kids her age, and Mike and all of her friends will be there, that they will play both fast and slow songs and that she will be there helping out and that Jonathan will be taking pictures. She tries to steady El's nerves, promising that Mike will just be so excited to see her but that she also happens to look gorgeous. When she's finished they venture back into the living room.
"What do you think?" El asks Hopper who's sitting on the couch, fiddling with something in his hands while Jonathan comes to a halt from pacing back and forth in the room.
"You look great, kid. Hey I don't know if this will mess up your outfit or whatever," Hopper begins as he rises from the couch. "But uh, I got this, if you want it. It was, it was Sara's. Figure it should come to use."
He holds out a bracelet.
"Yes, thank you," El barely audibly answers and puts it on her wrist.
Nancy, feeling a bit out of place witnessing this encounter excuses both herself and Jonathan.
"Hey, we should go and help with the preparations. We'll see you at the dance, El."
"Thank you, Nancy."
Nancy lingers at the door with Hopper.
"You're a big softie, Chief."
He only gives a grumble in response, looking away and shutting the door in her face.
xxx
"Jonathan!" Mr. Clarke calls, making him turn around from his spot on the edge of the dance floor, camera in hand. His old science teacher is looking a bit frantic, seemingly trying to run three different stations at once. "Have you seen Nancy?"
"Yes," he can't help but smile as he nods his head towards where Nancy is dancing with Dustin, the wide grin on Dustin's face visible all the way over to them. Mr. Clarke nods and his moustache turn upward. Jonathan decides to help out and serve punch for a while, having gotten more than enough shots of the dance floor in his opinion, though he wondered if whoever did the middle school yearbook would object to the fact that his girlfriend, little brother and friends were in focus for all of them.
"Hey."
Nancy's back from her trip to the dance floor, a happy Dustin now sitting at a table with Will, who apparently was done dancing with that girl Jonathan didn't know but would be sure to ask Will about later.
"Hey," he couldn't stop smiling at her.
"That was really nice of you, Nancy," Mr. Clarke cuts in.
"It was the least I could do," Nancy shrugged. "He's such a sweet kid."
Jonathan stays with her at the punch table which only slows service down as they end up trading memories of the gym their currently in from their own middle school days and Snow Balls past.
"I remember the Snow Ball in sixth grade. Barb and I went together, as usual. But we kind of thought all the boys in class were idiots. No offence."
"None taken, you were right, myself included," he laughs.
"Nah you were alright, you were always nice, when you actually said something," she gave him a light shove with her hip. "Anyway I remember that we just sat on the bleachers and ate snacks and watched everyone else. George Daniels came up and asked me to dance but he had made fun of Barb's glasses the week before so I told him to get lost."
"Right on."
"Yep."
Mike and El comes over, hand in hand, Mike blushing slightly at his older sister.
"Hey guys, how's your night? You having fun El?" Nancy asks.
"Yes!" El smiles wide.
"Good! Hey, have you guys had your portrait taken?"
"No."
"Well you've got to, come on, Jon, get back there!" Nancy quickly shoves Jonathan back towards his earlier station and instructs El and a flustered Mike to follow. Mike lingers for just a moment.
"She told me you helped her get ready. Can't believe you kept it a secret."
"I like surprises."
"Well, thanks."
"No problem. Now go, go!"
She watches from afar as Jonathan snaps several pictures of Mike and El.
"Hello! Nancy?" She's snapped out of her staring as Lucas calls and snaps his fingers. He's got Max with him.
"Oh, hey guys," she greets and pours them both some punch. "How's it going?"
"Great!" Lucas smile is almost blinding.
"Yeah, he's pretty alright actually," Max adds.
"You guys should be next," Nancy smiles and nods in the direction of Jonathan, Mike and El.
"Do you wanna?" Lucas looks giddily at Max.
"Fine, Stalker," the redhead rolls her eyes but smiles.
"Have fun!" She calls after them.
They continue to help out for the rest of the dance and stay behind when it ends to help clean up. She loses track of Jonathan as she's clearing the punch table but looks up as smooth jazz fills the room. Jonathan's at the sound system talking with the DJ. He walks over to her with a shy smile and stretches out a hand.
"Shall we?"
She can't help but grin like an idiot as she takes his hand. He leads her out on the empty dance floor and places a gentle but firm grip on her hips as she puts her hands around his neck. They start to sway to the sound of Billie Holiday.
"I recognize this," she says with a sly grin.
"Yep."
"Murray played it…"
"Yeah," he's almost blushing now.
"I love it," she lets him know.
"Me too."
"So, did you swipe it from him?"
"Hah, no. I couldn't get it out of my head, any of it from that day… or night, or morning. I found it in the record store on Main Street. Was thinking of saving it for your birthday or something but then you volunteered us for this and I thought…"
"I love you." She kissed him.
"Love you too."
They continue dancing. The sound of Holiday eventually fades out, but insted of silence, Roy Orbison follows. She raises an eyebrow at him.
"So it turns out they have a pretty big supply of jazz records in the back of the store…"
"Okay how much time did you spend there?!" She asks, shaking her head but failing to wipe the grin off her face.
"Not too long, Rodney who runs the place keeps it well-organized. And he was pretty helpful. Honestly I think he was just happy to see me out of the punk and alternative section for once."
She draws him closer and puts her head on his shoulder for the rest of the song.
They gather their things and sneak out of the gymnasium hand in hand. Nancy keeps looking up at Jonathan and each time find him sneaking the same glances down at her. A familiar feeling stirs in her. Taking a quick look around and noting the emptiness of the hallway and the relative seclusion of the corner she presses Jonathan up against the wall and kisses him. The way he kisses her back almost take her breath away, just like the first night.
"Did I tell you how gorgeous you look tonight?" He asks in a husky voice.
"Only like five times," she answers and crashes her lips into his again.
Their make out session is on the verge of developing into something more as Jonathan's hands starts to get dangerously low, making her almost gasp. It's not until the sound of someone clearing their throat sound out that they pull away. Flustered and redfaced they look at mr Clarke.
"Ahem, if you could maybe take that somewhere else, so I could lock up?"
"Oh, yes, sorry mr Clarke," Nancy's quick to answer despite her face turning redder by the second. Getting caught making out in middle school by her old science teacher wasn't something she exactly thought would happen to her at 17. "Goodnight," she offers as she pulls Jonathan with her out the door. Mr Clarke gives a small wave.
They go back to his place, separating now very much not an option. It's quiet and dark in the house, both Joyce and Will having gone to bed so they are as quiet as possible as they sneak into his room and continue from where they left off. Joyce is cool but maybe they shouldn't press their luck, she thinks.
xxx
She wakes up in her underwear to an empty bed the next morning, but rolling over to the spot where he slept it's still warm so he must have just risen. Her eyes peek open and she takes a look around his room. Her dress that she'd carelessly left on the floor during last night's passionate encounter is now hanging neatly from the back of a chair. She goes to his closet and finds a pair of sweatpants and a black t-shirt with a Sonic Youth print that she pulls on.
She finds him in the kitchen, making breakfast. She sneaks up on him and squeezes herself in between him and the kitchen sink, locking her arms around his neck and giving him a kiss.
"Good morning."
"Very," he answers. "I thought I'd let you sleep."
"Not as comfy without you."
They hear doors opening and closing in other parts of the house so she disentangles herself from him and takes a seat at the kitchen table while he returns to the stove.
"Morning, Will."
"Hey buddy."
"Morning," the youngest Byers answer and takes a seat at the table.
"Did you have fun last night?" She asks.
"Yeah."
"Who was that girl you were dancing with?" Jonathan asks.
"Oh, Laurie Bennett."
"Cool," Nancy declares.
"How did you ask her?" Jonathan asks, intrigued.
"I didn't, she asked me," Will shrugs.
"Wow, very cool!" Nancy levels it up to. "She must be into you then."
"You think so?"
"Of course! She wouldn't bother otherwise! Do you like her?" She probes, carefully.
"I barely know her. She sits next to me in English."
"Well how did it go?"
"Okay I guess. I don't even know if I like dancing that much, do you?"
"Yeah, now I do," Jonathan answers straightaway, causing Nancy to look down and shake her head, trying to mask her smirk as Will looks between the two of them.
"Morning," Joyce joins them just as Jonathan sets plates of eggs and toast on the table.
"Morning!"
"How was your night?"
"Great," Nancy and Jonathan answer at the same time.
"Hey, I saw your brother with El, they're so sweet together."
"Yeah. Was Hopper able to pry them apart even?" Nancy asks, grinning.
"Just barely," Joyce smirks. "So, what do you guys have planned for today?"
"Don't know," Nancy says, looking to Jonathan who shrugs. "Guess we'll see where the day takes us."
A/N: And there we are, the Snow Ball. Technically that's the end of the gaps in season 2 but it's not the end of this. I've got more scenes written and several more ideas floating around but it may take some time to figure out the order of them (i.e. I've got almost a whole New Years chapter down but don't want to straight to that and also don't want to go back and forth chronologically).
Two small notes on this chapter 1) I know El said that she didn't know how to dance but I couldn't resist writing that scene plus I think you could also interpret the scene in the show as her being nervous at seeing all the other kids dancing. 2) Billie Holiday - You Better Go Now and Roy Orbison - Blue Bayou are the two great jazz songs that plays over scenes at Murray's in 2x06, even if they were played over, not in scenes (i.e non-diegetic music) I headcanon that Murray played both songs at some point.
Thanks so much for all the reads, reviews, follows and favorites!