Probably got a good five to seven more chapters out of this season maybe :/
Enjoy and not edited :)
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"Why the hell do we need four people," Jim snarled, marching up to Murray and staring him down.
"We need four people, Jim, because if something happens to you our Joyce we need Natalie to be there to turn the keys to shut down the gate. Since I will be clearing the path for you guys, I can't be there to make sure it gets done."
Jim shook his head, "no way, there's no way."
"Oh yes way, Jim!" Murray snapped and stomped towards Jonathan and Nancy, giving them the keys to his place. "Get your last goodbyes out because we need to move."
Natalie turned towards Jim, "I don't know what to do," she admitted. A part of her was feeling some relief that Murray wanted her to go with them, but at the same time, she did not want to endanger their baby.
"Damn it," Jim whispered, pinching the bridge of his nose, "damn it," he repeated quietly as he sat down on the edge of the fountain.
El wandered over to them and sat next to Jim, looking between him and Natalie. "Is everything okay?"
Natalie nodded and realized that El had no idea she was pregnant. She looked at El and sighed, "no, not really, but we're figuring it out. How are you?"
"My batteries low, but it will recharge," she said, wiping her nose.
Natalie nodded and shuffled her feet, the bottoms of her converse were sticky from the mall floor. "Good, El, there's probably something we should tell you before you go," she looked down at El with a soft smile, "I'm um, pregnant."
"Pregnant?" El whispered, looking at Natalie's stomach. She grinned, "really?"
Natalie nodded, "really."
El stood to her feet and wrapped Natalie in a hug. Natalie smiled and pulled El into her arms and rested her cheek on her head. Her eyes locked with Jim's who was watching them with an unreadable expression on his face.
El pulled away from Natalie, "I can fight," she said and her eyes traveled down to Natalie's stomach, "I can."
"Better than any of us," Jim said as he stood up and tucked a strand of hair behind El's ear, "but right now I need you safe. This thing is after you, it's not after me or Natalie."
Natalie looked up at Jim and he gave her a sympathetic grimace. So he decided that she needed to come along then. Natalie let out a breath she was holding.
"Do you understand?" Jim asked El, his hand still cradling her cheek.
El gave him a pained look, she obviously didn't want them to leave.
"Okay?" Jim said with a nod, his eyes searching her face for any sign of acceptance.
El nodded.
"Hey," Mike said quietly, interrupting them, "we should probably get going."
El wrapped her arms around Jim and once more around Natalie before Mike and Max helped her hobble off.
"Mike," Jim said as he grabbed his gun, "be careful."
Natalie watched as the kids quickly followed Jonathan and Nancy out of the mall. She turned towards Jim, he looked frustrated. "I hate this so much, you still shouldn't have to come."
"Well, Jimbo, suck it up cause we need Natalie to finish this. Speaking of that we haven't even started. Get your asses into gear-"
"Murray, shut up," Joyce snapped, "we're going."
Murray scoffed as they began to jog towards the maintenance hallway. Jim was mumbling under his breath as they trekked down the long hallway. Natalie caught up to him and placed a hand on his upper arm.
"You gotta promise me that you'll put yourself before me, Nat," Jim said quietly as they neared the elevator doors.
"We'll be fine," Natalie said, her voice high with fear, "don't even think like that."
Jim punched the elevator button, "I know, but please, just listen to me just this once."
"I will, just this once," Natalie answered sincerely a soft smile on her face.
Jim nodded and squeezed her shoulder, he looked content with her answer, "good, looks like our ride is here."
The elevator doors opened to reveal a shiny metal interior with a couple of boxes stuffed to the side. It seemed eerie and Natalie swallowed thickly as she stepped into the elevator. The last time she was going this far down was when her and Jim saw the gate to the upside-down last October.
"Here we go," Murray said as he pushed the down button.
The doors shut with a snap and then they were falling at an incredible speed. Natalie blindly grabbed Jim's sleeve before regaining her balance.
"Alright let's go over the plan again," Murray said as he shuffled through his papers. "We get past the guards and to the air vent where we will split up. I'll go down the vent and that child will supposedly guide me through the vents. You three will stay guard. Once I get to the power room I'll start pulling cables. That'll set off the alarm according to Alexei- may his soul rest in peace- which should give you three an opening to retrieve the keys from the vault."
Joyce nodded, her eyes shifting between Natalie, Jim, and Murray, "and then we follow the map to the observation room, turn the key-"
"Kaboom, we blow this sucker sky-high," Murray said confidently.
"Yeah, then once the rift is closed we escape back through the vents," Joyce added.
"Right under their commie noses," Murray concluded, his lips pulling up into a smug smile.
Jim huffed, "uh."
"Just because it was your plan doesn't make it a bad plan, Jim," Natalie said remembering back to his failed 'plan' at the lab two years ago.
Jim rolled his eyes, "I didn't say it was a bad plan."
"You made a noise," Natalie said, "that little huff you do when you don't like something." She looked at Joyce, "you heard it too."
Joyce nodded, "it was hard to miss."
Jim scoffed, "I did not make a noise."
"Weren't you two just lovey-dovey only three minutes ago?" Murray said distastefully, "some relationships huh."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Natalie asked Murray, her eyebrows raised.
"Whatever," Murray waved his hand around, "it's a good plan. A solid B, maybe B plus, which is laudable given the situation and constraints. Dare I say, if it all goes right, they'll never even know we were here." Murray concluded as the elevator halted to a stop.
Then the doors opened to reveal a group of Russian soldiers pointing their guns at them.
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...
