~November 12, 1983~
After the events with the Demogorgon, the group had headed back to Hawkins Middle School. When Steve pulls up to the school, there were police cars and ambulances with their lights on. Jessica didn't waste a moment and flung herself out of the car.
"Jess, wait!" Steve calls out, quickly putting the car into park. Jessica pushes her way through the crowd. Once she stumbles into the middle of the lot where the ambulances sat, her eyes scan each one until they land on one with Dustin sitting on the back.
"Dustin!"
Dustin looks up at the sound of his name and gives Jessica a toothless smile. Dustin stands up as Jessica rushes over to him. She immediately pulls him in for a hug, her arms wrapping tightly around him. "Oh, Dustin, thank God, you're okay," she breathes out as she pulls away and bends down to his height. She cups his face into her hands and looks him over.
"Are you hurt? Is that why you're sitting in the ambulance?" Dustin shakes his head. "I'm fine. They wanted to check all of us." Jessica lowers her hands down and breathes out a sigh of relief. Dustin's eyes then trail down to Jessica's hand. "Jesus! What happened to you?!" Jessica lifts her hand up. "Oh what? This? It's a long story which-" she says seeing the look on his face. "I will tell you all about it later. Right now, just hug me." Dustin obliges and hugs his sister again.
"I love you, Dusty."
"I love you Jess." Dustin tells her as he peers over his sister's shoulders and sees Steve stepping out of the crowd. "Is that Steve?" Jessica pulls away and turns slightly. Her eyes lands on Steve who gives her a bashful smile along with a small wave. Jessica turns back to Dustin. "Yeah...he sort of saved my life."
"What?" Dustin exclaimed.
"Like I said," Jessica tells him as she wraps an arm around his shoulders. "It's a long story. By the way...he knows." "He knows?!" Dustin exclaims.
"He knows."
Dustin sighs. "...she's gone," Dustin says quietly. Jessica looks down at her brother. "Who? Eleven?" Dustin nods. Jessica sighs sadly and pulls him in closer to her side. Jessica scans the ambulances. "Where's Lucas and Mike?" Dustin points to ambulance closest to the school. "They're over-Where are you going?" Dustin asks as Jessica storms over to the ambulances. Dustin hot on her heels.
She steps around a paramedic and stands in front of an ambulance that had Lucas in it. He lights up when he sees her. "Oh, Lucas!" she exclaims as she steps forward, only to be stopped by a different paramedic. "Miss, are you family?"
Jessica furrows her eyebrows at him. "Am I family? Yes, I'm his sister." The paramedic's eyes trail up and down Jessica before looking over at Lucas. "We're family, now let me see him." "I can't do that-" "Can't or won't?" Jessica says, getting all up in the paramedic face. Dustin finally arrives and bends over, hands on his knees as he struggles to catch his breath. "J-Jess, be n-nice."
"Steve!"
Steve scrambles over and awkwardly stands next to Jessica. "Yes?" "Where's my bat?" Steve chuckles as he looks back and forth between Jessica and the paramedic. "Your bat? Why would you want your-" his words fall short as it clicked. "Jess, you can't threaten a paramedic. You could go to jail." "He won't let me see my brother!" Steve glances to Dustin who motions to Lucas. Steve turns to Lucas and back to the paramedic. "They're step siblings." The paramedic sighs. "Fine, you can see-" the paramedic stumbles back as Jessica pushes through him and wraps her arms around Lucas, who instantly wraps his arms around her.
Jessica pulls back and kneels to his height, the two let out a breathy chuckle. "I'm glad you're okay," she tells him. Lucas' eyes trails down to his hand. "I may be okay but are you?" he asks, pointing to her hand. "I'm fine, don't worry about it, kid."
"Mike!"
Jessica turns to see Mike walking with his mom. He stops and turns around. Dustin waves his hands up in the air. "Mike!" Jessica stands next to Dustin. She watches as Mike's bottom lip quiver. Jessica and Mike both run toward each other. Mike launches himself onto Jessica, her arms wrapping around him. He sobs onto her. Suddenly, Jessica feels more arms around her, and she looks down to see Dustin and Lucas had joined in on the hug.
Steve stands from a distance, his eyes never leaving Jessica. He could feel the love she had for the kids radiating from where he stood. It's official. Steve Harrington's a fool. He should've fought for Jessica when she broke up with him yesterday. More determined than ever, he was going to try and get her back.
++++++
The aftermath of everyone's adventures had led them to the hospital. Everyone sat quietly in the un-comfy chairs, waiting for any news about Will. He had been found to the relief of everyone. Soon it'll raise questions as to how he was alive this whole time when the town had buried him a few days ago.
Jessica and Steve sat beside each other in the hospital chairs. Jessica looks to her right and smiles at the sight of her brother and Lucas. Dustin had his body facing away from her and his head was on Lucas. Lucas' head rested on top of Dustin; the two boys unaware that they were cuddling. "That's adorable," she says as Steve looks over at Dustin and Lucas. "Yeah...adorable." Jessica looks up at Steve momentarily before directing her eyes onto her shoes. "Thank you...for everything."
Steve opens his mouth but closes it as Jonathan opens the door to the waiting room. "He's up," he tells everyone. Mike shots out of his seat and shakes Dustin and Lucas awake. "Guys. Guys, he's up. Will is up. Guys, Will's up." Dustin and Lucas wake up as Mike runs out of the room. "Guys, come on." Dustin and Lucas run out of the room.
"Jess, he's asking for you," Jonathan tells her.
Jessica turns to Steve. "Go on," he tells her. Jessica stands up from her chair and follows Jonathan out of the room. Once the two teens reach Will's hospital room, they come upon Mike, Lucas and Dustin all piling on top of Will, giving him a hug.
"Guys, go easy on him," Jonathan tells them.
"Is Jess here?"
"Right here, Will the Wise," Jessica says as Mike, Dustin and Lucas moves out of the way for her. Will gives her a big smile as she leans down and gently hugs him. She steps back and the boys began bombarding Will with everything that had happened.
"You won't believe what happened when you were gone, man," Lucas began. "It was mental," Dustin added. "You had a funeral," Lucas tells him. "Jennifer Hayes was crying-" "Everyone was crying," Jessica added. "And Troy peed himself," Lucas said with a snicker.
"What?!" Will exclaimed.
"In front of the whole school!"
Feeling eyes on her, Jessica turns her head toward the door and Steve awkwardly standing out in the corridor. He lifts his hand up and gives her a small wave. Jessica walks out of the hospital rooms and stands in front of Steve. "Hey, can we go for a walk and...talk?" Jessica stares up into his eyes. By the way his eyes look, he was pleading her to take him up on his offer. Jessica nods. Steve holds his hand out toward her, and she takes it, warmth spreading into her hand.
She had missed this feeling.
The two walks off together. They come to a stop by the vending machines.
"I'm sorry," Steve begins as Jessica looks up at him. "I'm sorry for not listening to you about Barb. I'm sorry for bitching about my dad-" "You already apologized for that," she reminds Steve. "I know I did but I'm sorry. I'm sorry for thinking you had a threesome-" A nurse walks by, making Steve stop. He didn't want rumors of her to keep spreading around. After the nurse turned a corner, Steve looks back down at Jess. "-With Jonathan and Nancy. I'm sorry for not stopping my idiot former friends from spray painting that...that untruthful message about you. I'm sorry for abandoning you back at the house-"
"You came back and saved me," she tells him.
"That I did because I couldn't stand the thought of losing you." He steps forward and takes Jessica's hands into his. He made sure to be gentle with her left hand since it was bandaged up. "Jessica, I don't know how you feel about me anymore or what you think of me but...I love you."
Jessica's eyes widen at Steve's confession.
"I love you. I love your smile, the love you have for your brother and his friends, I love how smart you are, I love your hatred for rock music-" Jessica giggles. "It may start growing on me again." "If it does, I'll still love you." Steve tells her as he gazes into her eyes. "I would like for us to get back together...only if you want to.
"Steve..."
"Yes?"
"I love you," she whispers. "What?" Steve asks. "I love you." Steve shakes his head. "Sorry. Could you say that one more time?" Jessica playfully slaps his chest, making him chuckle. "You're an idiot. I love you, Steve Harrington."
"And I love you, Jessica Henderson."
Steve leans down and goes to kiss her but Jessica pulls away. "What?" he asks her. "I want to be with you again, but..." "But?" Steve asks, confused. Jessica sighs. "I hate the person I became when I started dating you." Steve's eyebrows raised. "The person you became?" Jessica lets go off his hands and steps back. "Forget it, you wouldn't understand." She turns around and Steve circles around her, blocking her from leaving. "I-I'll understand if you explain it to me. What do you mean by the person you became?"
Jessica folds her arms across her chest. "Jonathan was right. I was trying to be someone else when we were together. I was trying to make myself seem cooler to your idiot friends." "You are cool," Steve tells her. "Of course, I am," she says. "But I wasn't cool when I was blowing Dustin and the boys off for a game of D&D every time, we had a date or a make-out session. I wasn't cool when I ignored Barbara when she wanted to go home that night. I practically sent her to her death and-"
Steve takes a step forward, placing his hands onto her arms and rubs them up and down. "You didn't kill Barbara." Tears welled up in Jessica's eyes. "Then why does it feel like I did?" "It feels that way because you, Jessica Henderson, are a girl with a heart of gold. That's another one of the many reasons why we're perfect together."
Jessica smiles sadly at Steve. "We're not perfect together, Steve. We're opposites."
"Haven't you heard of the saying; opposites attract?"
Jessica nods. "I have." Steve steps closer, the two chests to chest. "I want to get to know the real you," he tells Jessica, her heart fluttering at his words. "That is," he says as he takes her hands into his once again. "If you'll let me." "And what about you?" "What about me?" "Who is the real Steve Harrington now that Tommy and Carol are not your friends anymore." "That's a good question. How about we found out together?"
Jessica softly smiles up at him. "I'd like that." "You'd like that, huh?" Steve says making her giggle. "I'd like that too," he tells her as he leans down and kisses her. He pulls his hands out of hers and rest them onto her hips. Jessica wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him in closer.
After a few moments, both teens pull away to catch their breath.
"I love you," they say in unison, a smile breaking out on their faces as they pull each other in for a hug.
ONE MONTH LATER
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer plays on the TV as Dustin slept soundlessly in an armchair, a bowl of popcorn on his lap. Jessica giggles at the sight of her brother and walks over to him. She lifts the bowl of popcorn up and sets it down onto the coffee table.
"Here," Steve says handing her a blanket. Jessica thanks him with a smile and lays it on top of Dustin. Steve sits down on the couch. "I'll be right back," she tells him as she rushes out of the room. Steve spots a plate of sugar cookies on the table. He leans forward, plucking one off the plate and takes a bite out of it. His eyes widen, it was delicious.
Stepping into her bedroom, Jessica grabs Steve's present and carries it into the living room. Steve looks up as she makes her way over. "These cookies are delicious. I'm already on my third one." Jessica giggles as she sits down beside him. "Thank you. I baked them myself."
Steve points his cookie at her. "You baked these?" Jessica nods. "I love to cook and bake. It's one of my many hidden talents." "You're amazing," he breathes out, making Jessica blush. She holds out a neatly wrapped blue Christmas present that was decorated with snowmen. "Merry Christmas, Steve."
Steve shoves the cookie into his mouth and takes the present from Jessica. He tears the wrapping paper apart which revealed a medium sized box. He opens it up to find a brand-new jean jacket. "Oh sweet!" he exclaims taking the jacket out of the box and holding it up to examine it. He places it back into the box and turns to Jessica. He thanks her with a kiss. He pulls away and sets the box onto the table.
He bends down and reaches for a tube-shaped package. He hands it over to Jessica. "Merry Christmas, Jessica." Jessica takes the tube out of Steve's hands and pops open the lid. She tilts the tube and catches a rolled-up paper in her hands. She sets the tube down on the couch and unravels the paper. Her eyes light up once the paper revealed to be a poster of Tom Cruise which also happened to be signed by him.
"Oh, Steve! Thank you!" she turns to him and wraps her arms around his waist. Steve presses a kiss on the top of her head. Jessica leans forward, placing her new poster on the table. She leans back into Steve's side and snuggles up to him. Steve wraps an arm around her shoulders. The two began to watch the remainder of the Christmas movie as Dustin's light snores sounded through the room.
(This manip of Jess and Steve is horrible but at least I attempted to do one)
[Published 6/5/22]
Author's Note: Season One is officially DONE! I'm so glad I made the decision to go back and edit/rewrite the chapters. I first published this book back in 2019 and stopped once I hit writer's block. Then inspiration struck when the S4 came out. I went back and re-read my chapters and hated them. I have grown and my writing has drastically changed since then. So thank you all for still standing by my side and re-reading the book and leaving positive feedback. Love you all.
With that being said, S2 is now in the works! Chapters for S2 will be released this week :) I'm so excited to continue to write about Steve and Jessica's relationship and all the trouble they will get into once again when evil stirs in Hawkins.