Shatter [Jonathan Byers] Stranger Things II

XI: Daughter

daugh·ter

noun

a girl or woman in relation to her parents.

Always welcomed at the Byers household, Emilia entered and felt the warmth of the house; it didn't come from the furnace, but from the people inside who greeted her like she belonged there. It had been a while since she had last been there, and so it was a surprise that they expressed such excitement. She smiled humbly, regretting having spent so little time here, having been unable to juggle her friends and family like a normal, well-rounded person would be able to. That was something she and Hopper had in common, she supposed.

"Hey, Joyce!" Emilia hugged the woman who had accepted her with open arms, had been there for her through and through. During her move to Hopper's from her father's, Joyce had always been comforting. As she recovered from the fears of the Upside Down alongside Will, Joyce had been the hand that patted her back. Her thin arms protected with a fierceness of a mother bear.

"Oh, Emilia!" Joyce expressed more joy than usual that night. She grabbed her arm the second she was in the house, jacket still on, and was pulled down the hall. "I need your help with something."

"O-Okay," Emilia looked to Jonathan, who shrugged, and flopped down on the couch next to his little brother. They began to chat, but Emilia didn't get a chance to hear what it was about.

Down the hall and to Joyce's room they scurried, quick paced with all the energy that Joyce always had. Joyce shut the door and looked wide-eyed at Emilia, "I need your help."

Emilia offered a smile, but had no idea what this was about, or how she could possibly help someone as independent as Joyce. "Sure, anything," Emilia said regardless of whether or not she could actually assist.

"I... I'm not staying for movie night, tonight," she sounded nervous.

"We'll stay home and make sure Will is alright, don't worry about that," Emilia and Jonathan often took over the parenting roles for Will, though he really didn't need a babysitter. Joyce was just paranoid ever since last November. It was justified, too, Emilia thought. She also had a feeling that Will preferred to have a night with only the two of them, because they treated him with less parental influence. More of a friend, less of a child incapable of being alone.

"Oh, well I appreciate that, but that's not what I've brought you in for," she said as she clasped her arms in her hands over her chest, a nervous twitch she had.

"Alright, spit it out," Emilia grinned, wondering where this was going, and getting a feeling. Joyce's nervousness was not uncommon, but Emilia was certainly getting a different vibe from her this time.

"I'm going on a date," Joyce whispered, as if it was information that could not escape the room right then. "I just don't know what to wear."

Emilia laughed, Joyce always could make Emilia feel like a daughter. "Well," Emilia shrugged, "I can try to help, but my wardrobe consists of jeans and boring t-shirts. And my dating life hasn't really stretched further than your son, and he isn't really the judging type when it comes to what I choose to wear."

"I raised good sons, didn't I?" Joyce sidetracked.

Emilia smiled fondly, "You know, there was a time when I thought all men were like my father, and Tom-" Emilia stopped, corrected, "the mean kids at school... Jonathan showed me that there are different kinds of people out there."

Sighing pleasantly, Joyce seemed to drift away from the original intent, the goal of bringing Emilia there. Then, she composed herself and mumbled, "We all know they didn't get it from their father."

Emilia snickered to herself, covering her moth and hoping Joyce hadn't heard. Glancing at the bed, where two outfits were draped over the well-made bed, Emilia turned to face them head on. One was a dress that clearly came out of the seventies, and Joyce had likely not worn it since Will hit elementary school. The other was khaki pants with a striped shirt, something that Emilia noticed Joyce wore often.

She pondered, and drifted back to thoughts of her own mother. She never went out with her husband, but Arlene Roth often dressed up just to make dinner, or to go to work. She thought about one outfit she recalled in her mind, black dress pants and a swooping neckline. The shirt was red, if she could recall correctly. Pressing her fingers to her lips, she pondered, then spun to raid Joyce's closet. Joyce watched in nervous anticipation as Emilia tore through the clothing, mumbling to herself as she did.

She found a pair of black pants, a little wrinkled, but nothing noticeable. She slung them over her shoulder, and then located a deep green shirt that reminded her of evergreens. It was long sleeved, which was a bonus in the cold. The neckline wasn't too modest, but not plunging either. Nodding as she agreed with herself that this was the outfit for Joyce, she turned on her heels and eyed Joyce, as if sizing her up. Grabbing the shirt off of her shoulder, she held it up, closed an eye to change the depth perception of which she saw, then stuck out her tongue.

"Yep," Emilia confirmed.

"Oh, that old thing?" Joyce already looked like she was backing out of the date.

"Yep," Emilia repeated. "Come on, try it on. Shoes... front door?"

"Yes," Joyce dropped her shoulders in defeat, and Emilia walked out of the bedroom to let her try on the outfit.

Smiling to herself, she walked with a bit of a skip to her movements down to the front door. Jonathan and Will were looking at her as she sashayed into the living room. She didn't mind them, they were boys, they wouldn't get what she was doing. Seeing a pair of black shoes that would be hidden underneath the pants, she thought they would be best for practicality. Emilia doubted she would find any high heels here, just like her own closet. She smiled at both of the boys, their eyebrows raised in question, and then walked back to Joyce's room.

She rapped her knuckles on the door twice, and entered when Joyce announced she was done changing. She looked good, Emilia noted. The shirt hugged her in all the right places, it brought out her eyes, and it made her skin glow. The black pants were subtle, and wouldn't catch a stain -if they were going out for dinner.

"Wow," Emilia said, nodding in approval. "Maybe I should be a fashion designer."

Joyce looked modestly at her, "I look okay?"

"You do," Emilia nodded, then added, "You look great. Who's this lucky guy?"

"Oh, no one," she blushed fiercely.

"Don't get coy on me now," Emilia teased.

"He's an old friend, I've known him since high school. That was a-ages ago," she accented just how long it felt.

Emilia grinned, "Name?"

"Bob."

Emilia couldn't think of a more generic name, but the family needed something generic, someone to help keep them grounded.

I'd love to hear your feedback, guys!

Question of the Day: Would you guys be okay with me muddling the timeline just slightly to bring Billy in before they do in the show? Like have him arrive in September as opposed to October?