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dwobbitfromtheshire · 4 months ago

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Fire & Rain

A Stancy fanfiction

18+ MINORS DNI

Tw: loss of a baby (not Nancy), tw: Steve has bad parents.

A/N: It wasn't supposed to be this sad, but then I started thinking about my stepmother and how she lost a baby and my bitch of a birth mother told us that she was glad that the baby died, so I worked out some stuff, I guess. Sorry in advance for the smut. It's not my strong suit.

Nancy knocked on the door of Steve’s house and waited for an answer. She heard the sound of a voice but couldn't make out what they were saying. She knocked again.

"COME IN!" She heard Steve’s voice clearly that time.

Nancy opened the door and walked in. She moved toward the living room, but he wasn't in there.

"Steve?" She called out.

"Nancy?" She heard him ask in confusion. "Uh, I'm in the kitchen!"

She turned around and followed his voice. She was surprised to find him kneeling on the island, cleaning it with a dish towel. Not a single part of him was touching the floor.

"What are you doing?" Nancy asked.

"Cleaning the counter," Steve said with a scoff.

"I don't think that's what you're doing," she replied.

"Oh, you think you're so smart, and you know me that well that you figured me out, huh?" Steve asked, and she looked at him. "Yeah, no, both of those things are true."

"Is there a spider on the floor?" Nancy asked with a teasing smile.

"There might possibly be a spider on the floor," Steve said. "Yes."

"Don't you think by now that it could have climbed its way up the island?" She asked in amusement.

Steve shrieked and leaped to the other counter quite impressively.

"Nancy!" Steve yelled.

"Oh, come on, you've taken on demogorgons, Russian soldiers, and demobats," Nancy said. "But you're afraid of a little spider?"

"Yeah, talk to me after a demobat lays an egg inside of you that the doctors have to remove," Steve said. "Stupid Robin. Did she have to say the thing about the spider laying eggs in my hair?"

"The demobat did what now?" Nancy asked.

"Oh, did I not tell you?" Steve asked.

"No," she said.

"Yeah, I'm fine now," he said, and she crossed her arms.

"You know, the spider might have crawled onto that very counter," Nancy said.

"Nancy! What are you doing to me?!" Steve yelled.

"Fucking with you," Nancy smirked and then she picked something up before holding out her hands to Steve. "Is this the spider you're so afraid of?"

"Get that thing away from me!" Steve hollered.

"Do you want me to kill it?" She asked.

"What?! No! I mean, just because it looks scary doesn't mean that it deserves to die," Steve said. "I mean, maybe he has a wife and kids. . .or a husband, or both, and they adopted a bunch of orphaned baby spiders. . .take him outside, let him find his way home."

Nancy smiled sweetly at him before wandering outside with the spider. When she came back in, Steve was sitting directly on the counter and letting his legs dangle over the sides. She hopped up beside him.

"I found a tree with a spider web on it. I hope that's his house," Nancy said.

"Or that other spider just got a new roommate," Steve said and paused. "You probably think that I'm crazy."

"I think it's sweet," Nancy said and paused. "You know, maybe the spiders are both single now. Maybe they'll start to fall in love, tragedy strikes, and the female will spend several months growing in her grief. Maybe she couldn't rid herself of the guilt over her best friend dying. Maybe she couldn't say how she really felt because she was afraid of how she felt and that he wouldn't understand. Maybe she needed to run away for a little while. Maybe she'll find her way back to him."

"And maybe he always understood that she needed someone else to be there for her. . .maybe he didn't fight for her back then because he didn't to push her into anything that she wasn't ready for," Steve said, and he paused. "Do you really think she wants to run back to him?"

"I know it," Nancy said. "They weren't on the page - or rather, web, then, but they are now. She's ready now."

Nancy touched her fingertips softly to his face, just like she used to do before she kissed him. Steve looked at her and smiled, his hazel eyes lighting up with joy. He knew what this meant. Nancy leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. Steve didn't waste a single second before kissing her back, cupping her cheek with his hand. She missed the way his lips felt against hers, the way he smiled into the kiss, and the way his hand seemed to envelope half of her face. God, she missed him. She broke the kiss, smiling as she stroked his cheek. Steve was beaming at her. Nancy frowned.

"So, explain to me how you got pregnant and didn't tell anyone?" Nancy asked.

"I wasn't pregnant!" Steve laughed. "I mean, not really."

"Steve, were you or were you not carrying a baby inside of you?" Nancy asked.

"I mean, technically. . .sure, according to them, it had half my DNA, which meant that it was half human but. . .it was still half demobat, too," Steve said and threw his hands up in the air. "Nance, you're ruining a wonderful moment!"

He hopped off the counter and started furiously cleaning the counter.

"I think you need to talk about it," Nancy said softly. "I don't want to push you, though."

He continued cleaning the counter with the dish towel before pausing and throwing it down. He sighed, rubbed his forehead with his hand, and put his hands on his hips.

"They called it an obstruction or something," Steve said. "I didn't listen very well when they said it would kill me."

"What?" Nancy asked.

"The egg. They said it was an obstruction or a clot, I think, that formed from problems with the bat bites," Steve sighed. "They didn't tell me it was like an egg until after they removed it. I told them to take it out of me because they said it was going to keep growing until it killed me. . .I didn't even think. . .I just - it was from the Upside Down, and they had to take it out to study it. . .they destroyed her."

"Her?" Nancy asked.

"One of the other doctors revealed, I think out of guilt, that it was a baby," Steve sighed. "I was just thinking about what she could have been, you know. Would she have been a monster, or would she have been like me?"

"Steve, did they know before what she was?" Nancy asked.

Steve paused, looking at her as if deciding on whether or not if he should tell her.

"My parents. . .it was the one time my parents were in town. My mother decided I put on too much weight and decided I needed surgery. I told her I was fine, but she always knew how to get to me. That's when they found the egg. They're both my medical proxies, and they paid one of the doctors to lie to me. So, yeah, the doctors knew. . .my parents knew. . .all because they didn't want the shame and embarrassment of having a son impregnated by a creature from another dimension. Never mind that they just completely took away my choice," Steve said, pinching his nose.

Nancy could tell he was trying so hard not to cry. She couldn't believe that his parents did this to him. Steve slid to the floor, his back pressed to the island. Oh, she wanted to kill his parents.

"Does anyone beside your parents know about this?" Nancy asked.

"No, I didn't even tell Robin. She had already freaked out about possible rabies, and everyone was busy. . .you were busy with your breakup with Jonathan. I didn't want to impose on anyone," Steve said. "I don't know. . .I just felt ashamed, I guess."

"Why?" She asked, kneeling down in front of him.

"I mean, what kind of life would I have given her? A life of being hidden away? Locked up because if she went out, people would have wanted to study her or kill her? I would have been a terrible father," Steve said.

"Are you ashamed that you didn't want to keep her or that you DID want to keep her?" Nancy asked.

"A little bit of both," he choked up. "Am I terrible person?"

"For wanting the baby but at the same time knowing you're not ready for the kind of life you'd have to give her? No, Steve, you're not a terrible person," Nancy said. "Your parents are shitty people for making that choice for you."

"I'm definitely going to change my proxies," Steve sniffled. "You think Claudia would mind?"

"I think I walked in Claudia and Sue that one time arguing about who would adopt you once," Nancy said in amusement. "So, I think so."

"Before, I never really noticed how much of a cage this house is. I mean, there there were times that it definitely felt like it was a cage, but all the good times that I had here, it usually made it less noticeable. All the times with Robin, with the kids, with you. . .it's all I could focus on. But now Robin's house feels more like home, Lucas's and Dustin's. . .All my parents wanted from me was how good I'd make them look, and they left me in this ugly little cage, wanting me to maintain my perfect appearance. . .even if it made me sick," Steve sniffled. "Nothing I ever did was good enough. I was a little relieved that you didn't come around after everything. . .I don't want to bring you down like my dad did my mom. I don't want us to be like them."

"Is that what you're afraid of?" Nancy asked, cupping his cheeks. "I don't want us to be like your parents either. I made my choice a long time ago that I wanted to be with you. I just got lost a long the way."

1983

Nancy let out a sigh of relief as she escaped Barb's rant about cheerleaders. She had a thing about them, and Nancy wasn't sure what it was. She loved Barb, but if she had to listen to her talk about Heather Holloway and Chrissy Cunningham again, she'd blow a gasket. Of the cheerleaders, they were the nicest that Nancy had ever worked with. She remembered when she had briefly joined, and Barb didn't talk to her for like two weeks, which she thought was dramatic. When she realized that it wasn't for her, Barb talked to her again. Every time she asked Barbara about it, her face would turn red. She was sure that Barb would tell her when she was ready.

"I hate being stupid," she heard a voice exclaim.

Nancy was in the library when she heard the voice. She frowned. She followed the source of the voice and found it coming from one of the small rooms in the back of the library. She cracked the door open and peered in to find Steve Harrington, king of Hawkins high, crying over his homework. Well, almost crying.

"Do you want some help?" Nancy asked, slipping inside.

She couldn't help herself. She saw someone in distress like that, and she just had to help.

"Harringtons don't need help," he said, straightening up.

"And who told you that?" Nancy asked.

"Just some asshole," Steve said. "Not to be rude, but who are you?"

"It's not rude to ask who someone who is. . .and I was rude first, anyway. I interrupted your crying session," Nancy said.

"I was not crying," he scoffed.

"Because Harringtons don't cry?" she smirked.

"Exactly, you're getting it," Steve said.

"Nancy Wheeler," she introduced and sat down next to him. "I'm pretty smart for a sophomore. I'd be glad to help."

Steve had looked at her and then at the closed door before sighing.

"I don't want to be ashamed of asking for help," Steve said. "So. . .can you please help me not be an idiot?"

"The fact that you want my help suggests that you're not an idiot," Nancy said.

"You're that confident in your abilities?" Steve smirked.

"Oh, yeah," Nancy said.

"So, I'm not an idiot?" Steve asked.

"Everyone learns differently, I think there's definitely hope for you, Steve Harrington," Nancy said.

"Well, when I was younger, I used to pray to Santa," Steve revealed.

"I actually think that's pretty cute," Nancy smiled.

"In first grade, Tommy told me that the moon was made of cheese, and I believed him. I ended up arguing with our teacher about it," Steve said.

"Okay, that makes Tommy an asshole. You were just very trusting," Nancy said.

"What's it going to take for you to call me an idiot?" Steve asked with a smirk.

"You want me to call you an idiot?" Nancy asked.

"I like hearing it come out of your mouth, especially since I know that you actually have more faith in me than. . .well, some people," Steve said.

"You're an idiot, Steve Harrington," Nancy said.

"And you're beautiful, Nancy Wheeler," he said. ". . .So, I'm definitely not a lost cause then?"

"No, I refuse to believe in the "all jocks are dumb" stereotype," Nancy said.

"You know, you look familiar. . .didn't you used to be a cheerleader?" Steve asked.

"I used to be for like two weeks," Nancy said.

"And in volleyball. . .okay, you're going to actually think that I'm an idiot for this," Steve paused. "Someone told me your name was Chrissy Cunningham when they pointed you out to me, and I believed them. So, when I tried to ask you out by asking for Chrissy Cunningham. . ."

"They sent you to Chrissy," Nancy giggled. "Was I perhaps standing next to Chrissy at the time?"

"You were!" Steve exclaimed, and Nancy doubled over with laughter. "Yeah, she thought it was funny, too. Jason dragged her away before I could ask about you. So, it's nice to put a face to the name."

"I hate Jason," Nancy said, shaking her head.

"Yeah, me too," Steve frowned. "Chrissy totally deserves better. I hate hanging out with them when Tommy wants to talk to him and Tommy Hayes. I don't get it. . .just because we act like animals on the court doesn't mean that we have to act like that all the time."

"You don't want to act like that?" Nancy asked.

"I mean, sometimes I like to goof off, but sometimes I actually want to like, you know, talk," Steve shrugged. "People don't want to actually hear what I have to say."

"I do," Nancy said softly. "Tell me what you're having trouble with."

"I, uh, I have trouble with the words. . .sometimes they swim which is a real bitch because sometimes I like to read," Steve said.

"Well, maybe I can read this out loud," Nancy said. "Do you think that it will help?"

Steve shoved the book towards her, and she smiled. Barb was so wrong about Steve Harrington. There was a soft side to him that no one ever got to see, which was a shame because it was pretty damn great. Maybe people just saw what they wanted to see of Steve. As she looked into his hazel eyes, she smiled. . .yeah, she wanted this man.

Present day. . .

"Let's burn it the ground," Nancy said.

"What?" Steve asked.

She just realized that there were so many signs of Steve’s parents' neglect and abuse, but she had completely missed it.

"Let's burn the fucking cage to the ground," Nancy said, smirking. "Could be therapeutic for both of us."

"It would piss off my parents," Steve smirked and then frowned. "Where would I live?"

"Well, you have the Buckleys, Sinclairs, and the Hendersons to choose from," Nancy said. "Take your pick."

"Yeah, let's burn my parents' house down!" Steve exclaimed excitedly as he jumped up and pulled Nancy with him. "Holy shit, are we really doing this?"

"Yeah, baby," Nancy said.

Steve kissed her harshly, cupping her face as he pushed her up against the counter. She dug her hands into his hair as she deepened the kiss. They hadn't even started yet, and there was already a fire burning deep within her. Steve broke the kiss, and she smirked when she saw his hair sticking up all over the place.

"I, uh, should probably pack up the rest of my things," Steve said. "The rest is all at Claudia's and Robin's."

He blinked rapidly at her, his mouth open, as he tried to think clearly. She smacked his ass.

"Well, get a move on," Nancy said.

"Yes, boss," Steve said.

She smiled as she watched him climb the stairs. He wasn't gone long. He had a handful of bags that he stuffed in the car before walking back into the house and moving through the rooms to make sure he got everything. Steve ended up coming back into the kitchen with another bag.

"That's everything?" She asked.

"Oh yeah," Steve said. "Unless you want to grab that beer in the fridge, I'm good."

Nancy grinned and grabbed the beer before taking Steve’s hand. They stuffed the rest of the Steve’s stuff and the beer in his car before parking the car away from the house. They went back inside to prepare the house. Nancy called Hopper to give him a heads up so he could call the fire department. They didn't want to burn the woods down. Together, Nancy and Steve set to work to make it look like an accident. . .although they might have spilled a few of Steve’s father's fancy alcohol along the way. A little while later, though, they were standing out by the car and watching the flames lick the house. Steve stared at it in wonder, his eyes filling up with tears.

"I really thought the baby could have been a girl," Steve said.

Nancy put her arm through his, her own grief welling up inside of her.

"You would have fought really hard to give her a really good life, Steve," she said. "You would have been a great father, and whatever other kids we have, you'll be just as great."

"Other kids?" Steve asked.

"I would have been there for you, Steve," Nancy said. "And even though the baby wouldn't have my genes, I totally would have loved her."

"But the baby would have interfered with college," Steve said.

"I'm still taking time off, but if can you handle six kids and an apocalypse, then I think I can be a mom and go to college," Nancy said.

"You want kids with me?" Steve asked.

"I want it all with you," Nancy said. "I want it to be there. When I see the future, I see you."

"Really?" Steve asked.

"You don't hold me back. You never did," Nancy said. "The only thing that ever did was my fear of turning into my parents. I never apologized for hurting you, and I'm so sorry, Steve."

"I forgave you a long time ago," he whispered.

"I love you, Steve Harrington," Nancy said.

"I love you too, Nancy Wheeler."

"I wish Barb could see the real you," she whispered, and he placed a kiss on her forehead.

They took another moment with the house before driving off to Mount Weathertop, Nancy following behind Steve in her own car. They grabbed the beers, a radio, and a blanket before climbing up to the top. Yeah, they could definitely see his house burning from here, and the firetrucks were on their way. Steve and Nancy sprawled out onto the grass, sitting on the blanket with the beers between them.

"I wish we had some marshmallows," Nancy said.

"We'd need really big sticks," Steve said.

"Weelll. . .," Nancy trailed off, looking at Steve's lap.

"Shut up, it's not that big," Steve blushed, and she laughed.

Nancy grinned and pulled a pocket knife out of her boot. She stood up, opened the knife, and took a beer. She poked a hole in the can and proceeded to shotgun the whole thing. She curtsied, grinning victoriously at him. Steve laughed.

"You think you're so impressive?" Steve asked.

"I am so impressive," Nancy replied.

She closed the knife and tossed it to him. He opened it and poked a hole in his own can of beer. He drained the can, smiling. He let out a belch, and Nancy let out a louder one. They burst into laughter.

"I didn't think you'd ever want to do that again," Steve said.

"I didn't either, but it took a long time for me to accept that I wasn't trying to be anyone else that night but myself. I was only trying to have a good time with you. I had everything planned before the little get-together was even an idea. I had a new sweater, I had a new bra. . .I wanted to sleep with you that night. I wanted to be with you every night after that. I liked you because you were never afraid to show me the real you, and you showed me that there could be a good balance of trying new things but also still feel true to yourself," Nancy said.

"You showed me that I could be myself and that I deserved better than Tommy and Carol," Steve said.

"It's not wrong to have a little fun," she said.

Nancy turned on the radio. Africa by Toto started playing.

"Our song!" Steve and Nancy exclaimed.

"You think it's our song, too?" Steve asked her.

"It's when I realized that I didn't have to worry about you pressuring me into doing something that I didn't want to do," Nancy said. "When I told you no, you backed off, and you actually studied with me. Plus, the thing with teddy bear was pretty fucking cute. You respected me and my wishes. . .Oh, it took everything for me not to jump you right then and there."

"You wanted something real with me, and that means so much to me," Steve said. "I thought that I could really fall for this girl."

Nancy bit her lip, staring at him. She moved closer to him, standing on the blanket.

"Do you want to take off your clothes?" Nancy asked.

"Right here?" Steve asked.

"Why not on top of the world?" Nancy asked, her eyes twinkling.

Steve stood up and took off his shirt. Nancy's eyes snapped to his chest before trailing all the way down to his pants. She touched the scars on his stomach. She had seen the bat bites before they had healed, but there was a new scar there.

"I know, it's very ugly - " Steve started to say.

"You're beautiful, Steve Harrington," Nancy said.

"Guess that makes you an idiot, Nancy Wheeler," Steve said, and she laughed.

He slipped off his shoes while Nancy began undoing his pants. Steve slipped off his pants and his boxers. He left his socks on.

"Your feet still get cold during sex?" Nancy asked in amusement.

"Yeah, that hasn't changed," Steve said.

Nancy giggled as she took off her own clothes. Standing naked before him, she started running her hands over every bit of naked skin she could find on him. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him. He moved his arms around her as well, returning the kiss as he pulled her flush against him. She yanked him down onto the blanket, pushing him onto his back, and straddled his waist. Steve broke the kiss.

"Fuck, condoms!" Steve exclaimed.

"Yeah, I found them in your car," Nancy said and pulled the box out of her pants pocket.

It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you. There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do. I bless the rains down in Africa. Gonna take some time to do the things we never had, ooh-hoo.

Nancy sank down onto Steve, letting him fill her up. . .letting him all all the way. It felt right, in this moment, with him. She loved the way he felt, the way he looked when she was on top, with her hands on his chest, and she loved the way he looked. The cool air on her skin felt amazing. She felt exposed. . .so raw, and she never felt as open with him as she did right now. She began to move her hips.

"Fuck! Nancy!"

"That's right, say my name, baby. You're mine, all mine."

It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you. There's nothin' that a hundred men or more could ever do. I bless the rains down in Africa. Gonna take some time to do the things we never had, ooh-hoo

Hurry, boy, she's waiting there for you.

Suddenly, she was letting him flip her onto her back. Steve groaned as he rocked into her, her nails digging into his back. . .determined not to let him go. Everything about this felt right. She was no longer running away from her feelings anymore. It wasn't something she could bury or deny. She wanted Steve. She wanted all of him. She could feel the euphoria building up in side of her, the fire burning bright, and it was like the stars were exploding above them, crying out with them. She hugged him tightly with her legs.

"Steve!"

I bless the rains down in Africa (I bless the rains). I bless the rains down in Africa. I bless the rains down in Africa (ooh, I'm gonna take the time). Gonna take some time to do the things we never had, ooh-hoo

Steve collapsed against her, his head pressed against her chest. They were exhausted but in the best way possible. Nancy ran her fingers through his hair, smiling as he listened to the sound of her still racing heart. Suddenly, the radio crackled, and the people on the radio started arguing.

"Why the hell did you play that song so many times?!"

"I JUST KNOW SOMEONE OUT THERE ENJOYED IT!"

"JOHNNY!"

The radio crackled again and another person came on.

"Uh, you guys know that we're still on the air, right?"

Suddenly, Africa by Toto started playing again. Steve and Nancy laughed.

"Yeah, we definitely enjoyed it," Steve said.

"Hm, it'd definitely take a lot to drag me away from you now," Nancy said.

"Yeah?"

"I'd burn anyone who'd try to take our dreams away from us," Nancy whispered.

"You would?" Steve asked.

"Yeah. You're mine, Steve Harrington, all mine."

Steve was enjoying the feeling of Nancy's dancing across his exposed back when he heard the sound of thunder.

"Is it going to rain?" Steve asked.

"It didn't call for rain this evening," Nancy said.

A moment later, Steve and Nancy were running back to the car with their clothes in hand as the rain came pouring down. They were shrieking and laughing the entire way. They quickly shoved their things in the car. Nancy pulled Steve out into the rain, dancing naked with each other. Nancy was sure they'd get sick but she didn't give a fuck. She slammed her lips to his.

THREE WEEKS LATER. . .

". . .So, let me get this straight. . .hahaha, Eddie, yeah, I know I'm not straight. . .you two just happened to be away. . .reuniting when Steve’s house happened to catch fire?" Robin asked.

Chrissy, Eddie, Steve, Nancy, Robin, and Vickie were sitting in the living room of the Munsons' new home, hanging out when Robin brought up the subject of the fire.

"Yes, it's lucky we were so busy," Nancy said, hers twinkling.

There hadn't been much room in the living room, so Nancy was perched on Steve’s lap. Not that Steve or Nancy minded or anything. Her hand was on the back of his neck, playing with his hair.

"I didn't even realize it had been my house when we were together," Steve said. "My attention was elsewhere."

"And then we ended up getting caught in the rain before we could even put our clothes back on," Nancy said.

"Worth getting those colds for," Steve grinned.

"Wild," Eddie said with a grin. "Didn't know Nancy Wheeler had it in her. Doing it out in the open like that."

"I'm not ashamed to admit that I can be a bit of a freak," Nancy said.

"She can be a biter, too," Steve said.

"Hey, so can Chrissy!" Eddie grinned. "I still have a bite mark on my - "

"Eddie!" Chrissy scolded playfully.

"It's okay, Vickie bites too," Robin said, blushing.

"Well, it's really not our fault that we have such delicious partners," Nancy grinned.

"Okay, great, you want to eat us. . .the fire, though!" Robin said.

"Jesus, Robin, you act like you're suspicious of them. What? Do you think they're lying and that they burned Steve’s house down?" Eddie asked.

"Well, something happened, and Hopper knows!" Robin exclaimed.

Nancy buried her face into Steve’s shoulder, trying not to laugh.

"Oh, babe, you and your conspiracy theories," Vickie said, patting her knee. "So, how is it living with Dustin and his mom?"

"Good, Dustin's super excited. It's like a sleepover for him every night. Claudia loves it, too. Even though I told her I was saving up for a place, she says there's no rush. She casually asked if I would be staying until Dustin graduates college. She's also been making disappointed noises whenever I call her Claudia. She's not subtle. I think she wants me to start calling her mom," Steve said.

"Are you going to?" Chrissy asked.

"I mean, yeah, trying to work up the courage," Steve said.

"Just casually drop it, man," Eddie said. "I did it with Wayne the other day. It didn't go over well, though."

"Because you called him daddy and immediately told him you broke one of his mugs!" Chrissy laughed.

"You told me that it used to get you out of trouble with your father when you were younger," Eddie said.

"I'm a girl," Chrissy giggled.

"Ah! Double standards!" Eddie exclaimed, throwing his hands up.

Robin was pouting next to Vickie, her arms crossed. Nancy looked at Steve.

"I think we should put Robin out of her misery," Nancy said.

"Yes! Please, kill me!" Robin exclaimed.

"No, we're not going to kill you," Steve said.

"Is it a conspiracy theory if you happen to be right?" Nancy asked.

"YOU BURNED DOWN STEVE’S HOUSE?!" Everyone yelled.

"I WAS RIGHT!" Robin screamed.

"Yeah, we'd appreciate it if it stayed in this room," Steve said.

"Why?" Chrissy asked.

"That house was nothing more than a cage. It suffocated both me and Nancy," Steve said, shrugging. "We both wanted to break free from it."

"I know your parents were awful, but were they really that bad?" Eddie asked.

"Well, last time I saw them, my mom went on a rant about how fat I was and convinced me to have surgery to correct it. I didn't go through with it, but I did have some. . .uh, complications from the bat bites. It wasn't the first time that my parents made me feel bad about how I looked, but I wanted it to be the last," Steve said.

"I'm so sorry, Steve," Chrissy said. "I know how hard that is. Biological mothers can be total bitches."

Nancy slipped off Steve’s lap so he could hug Chrissy. She smiled as they hugged each other tightly. She caught Eddie's eyes. They were both angry for their partners and sad that they had to go through that because of the unrealistic expectations their parents had for them.

"You want us to do your house next?" Steve asked and Chrissy laughed.

"Hell yeah! I'm up for a little arson!" Eddie exclaimed, slapping his knee.

"I'm not going to condone turning us all into arsonists," Nancy said, rolling her eyes. "It was a one-time thing. It was therapeutic, though, but I'd suggest finding a different, less dangerous outline. Don't be like us."

"But it sounds fun being like you," Eddie whined.

Nancy sat down in the chair, pulling Steve into her lap this time, her hand resting on his stomach. She caressed it gently as she looked around the room. She couldn't help but think about forest fires and how a fire can help bring new life after it destroys the forest. After all they've been through, she could feel new life being breathed through all of them.

Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain. I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end. I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend, but I always thought that I'd see you, baby. One more time again, now. Thought I'd see you one more time again. There's just a few things coming my way this time around, now. Thought I'd see you, thought I'd see you, fire and rain, now.

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