Fine Line is such a good album man, we stan Harry Styles.
Not edited and enjoy :-) we're getting close to the end hehe
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After a good thirty minutes of painfully awkward silence, they finally reached the fair. Natalie parked the car and gazed at the enormous crowd before them, how in the world would they be able to find the kids?
"Stay here and go over the plans with Smirnoff," Jim growled as he roughly threw the keys at Murray, who barely caught them.
"Jim, if this is about earlier-" Murray began, but Jim quickly cut him off with a fiery glare.
"Just stay here Freud!" Jim snapped and sharply turned on his heel, leaving Natalie and Joyce trailing after him.
As they traveled further into the fair, the crowd began to grow thicker. A group of rowdy kids shoved past Natalie and she huffed in annoyance. Jim slowed his pace to match the girls and refrained from even sparing Natalie a glance after Murray's psychological assessment of the three of them.
Natalie sighed, "well, I'll give him this, Kline sure knows how to throw a party."
Joyce let out a short laugh, "no kidding, how much tax money do you think went into this?"
"Too much," Natalie said as she shook her head, her eyes landing on Kline from across the field. He was taking a picture with the newly crowned Ms. Hawkins. She broke her gaze away from him and began sweeping the crowd for any sign of the kids.
After a good frantic fifteen minutes of searching, Joyce pointed out the Wheelers over by a spinning ride. Joyce grabbed on to Natalie's sleeve and tugged her towards them. Jim barely noticed their disappearance but was quick to catch up with them.
"Karen!" Joyce said, her voice dripping with desperation, "have you seen the kids?"
Karen smiled, "Joyce! Natalie so good to see you two!" she waved at Jim who was wearing a scowl, "Hop, and no I haven't seen the kids. I don't think they're here yet."
Natalie groaned, "where could they be?"
"Hey! you three against the wall!" The ride attendant shouted at them.
Natalie furrowed her eyebrows and it was only then she realized that they were inside the ride.
Karen shrugged, answering Natalie, "I don't know last time I checked they were at Dustin's or was it, Lucas? I honestly can't keep up with them these days."
"Last warning for you guys, get up against the wall!" the ride attendant shouted again.
Natalie felt Jim pull her next to him on the wall to where she was in between Karen and him. Natalie craned her head to look at Joyce on the other side of Jim, her eyes were screwed shut.
"What's this ride?" Natalie asked, her heart dropping to her stomach.
"Oh, it's fun! it spins around and you get pushed against the wall," Karen said, her voice noxiously cheery.
Natalie gulped as the ride started, her stomach knotting with nerves. How did they end up on this stupid ride in the first place? She opened an eye when she felt Jim's hand slip into her and squeeze her hand tightly. She shifted closer to him and shut her eyes as the ride started.
Thankfully, it only lasted around a minute and all three of them were stumbling out of the ride. Natalie placed her hand on her stomach, grimacing.
"You okay?" Jim asked, eyeing her pale face.
She nodded and pushed the feelings of sickness away, "totally fine, we should try and regroup with Murray and Alexei. Maybe we need to go drive through the neighborhood?"
Natalie watched Jim nod and turn away from her, she frowned. Surely, he really didn't think that she was going to get rid of the baby? She was scared, but she was becoming pretty attached to the idea of them raising a baby together. Natalie reached for his arm and gently closed her hand around his wrist, "Jim, are you still upset about what Murray said? I want this to happen, you know that right?"
He looked at her, his eyes held the pain of a parent who lost their child. What Murray said had brought up a lot of insecurities that were long buried.
She nodded and gave him a small smile. She decided he probably just needed time to sort through his own thoughts. Murray did practically flame him in that whole spiel.
Natalie was broken out of her thoughts by Murray's hoarse voice shouting for Jim. She saw him sprint up to them, and her gaze locked on to the blood on his hands.
"What happened?" Natalie asked, her voice pitchy.
Murray wiped his eyes, "they got Alexei! They-they got him! They're here!"
Jim snapped out of his moment and roughly grabbed Natalie and Joyce, his eyes frantically searching for the Russian guy that's been tailing them this entire time. His heart pounded in his chest as he looked down Natalie struggling to keep up with his large strides.
"Jim!" Murray shouted as they ran in between two vendors.
Jim came to stop and frantically looked around before grabbing Murray by the shoulders, "bring the car around the back, take Joyce and Nat. Don't let anything happen to them. Let me repeat that, don't let anything happen to them."
Murray nodded frantically, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand, "I won't, we'll be at the very back of the carnival."
Natalie turned to Jim, "what're you doing? Come with us?"
He shook his head, "I can handle him, I don't want them near you or Joyce. I'll be fine."
"Okay, just don't do anything stupid, J," she said, her hand coming up to his face to cup his cheek.
Jim smiled and gently grabbed her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist. He flashed her one last smile and headed off into the crowd, his head held high as he searched for that one Russain guy.
Natalie and Joyce quickly followed Murray to where he left Alexei. Natalie wrung her hands together nervously, she was hoping that her friend was okay. She could help him if they got to the clinic in time she could maybe help him.
"I left him right here," Murray paused upon seeing Alexei's slumped body, "oh no."
Joyce sank to her knees and looked at Natalie, "is he alive still?"
Natalie looked at Alexei's slumped figure and the large pool of blood that had collected on the trodden grass beneath him. She squatted down and pressed two fingers against the side of his neck and wiped a stray tear that ran down her cheek. "He's gone."
Murray took a shuddering breath, "I just left for a minute for a corn dog, for a stupid corn dog."
YOU ARE READING
Smoke -- Jim Hopper
Fanfiction"Jim," Natalie whispered as she clung to his jacket. Specks of who knows what floated around them as they walked deeper into the upside down. She tugged again on his jacket, "Jim." Jim Hopper wrapped a heavy arm around Natalie and pulled her close...
