Tension (Steve Harrington)

Chap. 26; December 25 1984

Eleven opened Lauren's door waiting for her to say something. Lauren opened her eyes when the light came through. She lifted the blanket insinuating for her to come to lay down. El closed the door and slid under the covers. "Can't sleep?"

"No."

"I used to not be able to. Sara and I used to stay up and catch Santa." Lauren scooted over giving her more space. "Stopped believing in that mother fucker real quick." She said under her breath.

"What's Santa and why did you stop being in it?" Eleven pulled the blanket up.

"This creepy ass myth that this man spies on kids seeing if they are bad or good so he can bring you presents at the end of the year. I stopped believing because he never helped Sara." Lauren said not trying to be morbid on their first Christmas together. "But we don't need Santa to bring us presents. I bought plenty." She pushed one of the curls out of her face.

"I know. I'm excited, that's why I can't sleep."

"How about this but you can't tell Hop, I give you one but you go to sleep." Eleven nodded at her. She got out of bed walking out of the door snagging a gift from under the little four-foot artificial tree that sat by the tv. Lauren climbed back in the bed handing Eleven the little box. Eleven tore open the wrapping paper seeing a Walkman.

"I don't need yours anymore."

"Yeah, and we can go get you some cassettes, soon, some of your own music." Eleven balled up the wrapping paper and threw it over into her trash can. "Ready to go to sleep now because I am." Eleven nodded, setting the walkman on her bedside table, and settling the rest of the way into the bed. Lauren was out before her head hit the pillow and Eleven stared at the ceiling before falling asleep to her snoring. Unlike other people Eleven liked her soft snoring there was something comforting about it.

In the morning Lauren woke up to an empty bed and the smell of French toast. She got up and threw her mess of hair in a bunch and walked out the door. It was too bright compared to her room so she was squinting when she walked. She stubbed her toe on the lazy boy at Eleven was sitting on. "Fuck."

"Great way to start to your Christmas." Lauren nodded with a sarcastic yeah. "Your Grandma called."

"Already the sun is barely up." Lauren sat at the counter next to where he was making toast. "What did she want?"

"What she always wants. The least you could do is give her a pity call." Lauren shook her hand grabbing a Hershey's kiss from the bowl.

"I would if she wouldn't put that cunt on the phone."

"Lauren."

"What you are the one that said I should say how I feel and I feel that she's a cunt. Hell, I'd maybe go to a holiday dinner if her and my new stepdad and my baby sister decided she actually wanted, wouldn't be there. Maybe if she decided she wanted to be a mother over sixteen years ago I wouldn't think she's a cunt." Lauren plastered a fake smile on her face and then grabbed another chocolate from the dish.

"Then call her tomorrow when your mother is not there." Lauren rolled her eyes sliding off the counter.

"Maybe. Are you almost done?"

"Yeah, you want to cut the strawberries for me." Lauren nodded walking over to the sink grabbing the thing of strawberries and a knife. She just cut off the stems and set them in a bowl. Jim had finished the French toast, setting it down at the table. Lauren did the same with strawberries and a dish of hazelnut spread. "El foods ready." Eleven came over sitting at the table grabbing the top thing of French toast.

They ate the food quickly before opening the few things under the tree have some things they just needed like socks and stuff they wanted like books Lauren had wanted, or a radio for Eleven. Music is something she had seemed to like it being one of the few things to do in the house. Now that the boys knew she was alive they came over often. A lot of the time it seemed to just be Mike though.

After they finished opening it Jim threw a trash bag at them to clean up the wrapping paper while he went to his room to grab one last thing. When he came out he tossed Lauren a box the size of a wallet to her. "Did you get me the earrings I was looking at?"

"Just open it." Lauren tore open the wrapping paper to a little black box tape shut. She opened it, reviving a set of keys. Lauren looked at them and back at her dad not sure if it was real and not just in her imagination.

"Are these real?" He nodded, causing Lauren to finally accept that it was real. "Oh my god, I thought you said I wasn't getting on anything soon last week."

"Well you weren't but Callahan just got a new car and he was looking to sell his truck. I thought he might sell it to me if he gets a little Christmas bonus like I'm in charge of that." Lauren stood up and ran over to her dad and hugged him.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you so much,I love you, I love you, I love you. Where is it, can I see it?" She said pulling away.

"Well, It's at the station. I couldn't exactly bring it home a few nights ago could I?"

"Yeah makes sense."

☆

Jim was getting A Christmas Carol set up when Lauren and Eleven were in the kitchen making cookies in the kitchen. "Can you help me?" Eleven pushed the flour over to Lauren who couldn't get it open either.

"Dad come help us?" Jim ripped open the bag with ease other than the fact that he wrapped it to the bottom making it fly onto his face. The girls laugh at him.

"Hey you got a little something right there," Eleven said pointing at her nose.

"Oh really," He wipes his nose not really doing anything. "Did I get it?"

"Yep," he picked a little up with both hands flicking it at both girls the winced away just to still get hit. They both looked at him covered in flour.

"Hey, you guys got a little something." He motioned to his nose.

☆

Small filler but I thought it was a little light hearted.