"Hello?" came the familiar voice of Dr. Owens over the phone.

Robin smiled. "Hey, Uncle Sam," she said. "Good to hear you. Stevie's here, too, if you want to say hi."

"Hey there, kids," Dr. Owens said with a laugh. Nancy scrunched her eyebrows. Though she knew the doctor was easygoing and charismatic, it was strange to hear him so casual with her friends. "What brings you to such a desperate measure as calling me?"

The three teenagers glanced at each other. Nancy took the phone from them and took a deep breath. "Hi, Dr. Owens," she said cautiously, "this is Nancy Wheeler. I have some unfortunate news."

"Hello, Ms. Wheeler," the Doctor replied, his tone hardening. For a moment, hurt coursed through Nancy's mind. Then she remembered she was mostly responsible for the scandal that leaked, causing his laboratory to be restricted.

Hard feelings aside, she launched into the story. "So Jonathan Byers, Eleven, my brother, Mike, and I were on a weekend getaway in Smarton, Michigan. And before you ask, no, our parents didn't know."

Dr. Owens was silent. "That's the stupidest thing you could have done," he muttered, though Nancy thought she caught a hint of awe in his voice. "Though I suppose we never told you that you couldn't."

"Exactly," Nancy said. "But, because it was so stupid, we got kidnapped by Russians. Remember them?"

"I remember," Dr. Owens said wearily. "Let me guess, Yegor found you and assisted you safely out of the compound? And you're all four of you now safe back in Hawkins?"

"Sort of," Nancy muttered. "Mike and I managed to escape. But they took El and ...and Jonathan. They're still in there and we have no idea what's happening to them." To her surprise, her throat began to tighten and tears dripped from her eyes. She hadn't cried at all, the whole journey. But now, as she pictured El and her Jonathan alone in the compound, she couldn't control the urge.

Steve put a comforting hand on her shoulder, earning a subtle eyebrow raise from Robin.

"I'm sorry about your predicament, Ms. Wheeler," Dr. Owens said, his tone slightly softer. "But I'm afraid all you can do is give me an address and wait for my associates to show up. I assure you, Mr. Byers and Ms. Ives will be safe."

"Thank you," Nancy said, then shoved the phone back in the receiver.

The three of them stood wordlessly, not daring to speak. Nancy tried her best to cry quietly, the tears still slipping down her face. Finally, Steve pulled her into a proper hug, though his face was solemn and somewhat conflicted.

"We're going to get them back, Nance," he said, holding her tight. "Did you hear Sam? He's going to send a bunch of people to get them back."

"I know," Nancy sniffled. "I know."

Robin glanced around awkwardly. "Yeah, I'm sure your boyfriend and his sister are fine. They're tough." She shuffled her feet, pointedly staring, transfixed, at a potted plant on the windowsill.

Finally, Steve and Nancy let go of each other. Each looked sufficiently reddened. "Thanks," Nancy said under her breath.

"Don't mention it," Steve replied. He grabbed a hand towel and breezed by her back towards the living room, leaving Nancy to collect herself.

Robin came up behind him. "Why did you take that?" she asked, gesturing at the towel.

Steve paused. "I don't know," he said after a few seconds. "Instinct. That's weird."

They arrived back in the living room, Nancy close behind them. The kids were talking quietly amongst themselves, worried undertones accentuating their otherwise cheerful conversation.

"Listen up, scrubs," Steve projected, slinging the towel over his shoulder. "Our friends are in trouble and help is on the way. But it won't get here for who knows how long. So we're gonna sit here and not do anything rash."

Both Robin and Nancy rolled their eyes, sharing a glance. Even the kids had knowing smirks on their faces.

"In your dreams, Mom," Dustin said teasingly, eyeing the hand towel. "When was the last time we actually sat at home and did nothing when a faction of us were in mortal danger?"

Steve sighed. "No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes," came the resounding defiance from everyone in the room. Steve jumped back in betrayal as even Nancy and Robin looked exasperated.

He pursed his lips. "Fine," he said after a long moment. "Fine, get in the car. But if anybody finds out about this, the blood is on your hands. Not mine." He threw the dish towel down in defeat as the 7 of them trudged out into the cold November afternoon.

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I LOVE STEVE HARRINGTON WITH MY WHOLE HEART. Also, for you concerned Jancy shippers very few Stancy shippers, their relationship in this is going to be "grudgingly platonic". They've been through a lot together (they dated for an entire year, pretty much), but there are still some hard feelings. So yeah. And I also love Robin!