wow okay I finished the smut thing, ill publish it after this chapter. Be warned it's really intense, didn't really mean to do that but oh well. ***you can find it on my profile I just published it***

anyway, the last chapter before things start heating up. Wow. SAD (so yes a filler chapter but it's sweet)

As always enjoy, I love you all 3000

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Later that night, Natalie was home alone with the dogs and the two teens sucking their faces off in El's bedroom. She shuddered as she rummaged through the freezer looking for her coffee flavored ice cream. With an excited grin, she grabbed the carton and opened it to only see it was empty.

"For the love of god," she muttered feeling anger start to course through her veins.

Just then the door opened to reveal Jim, his note that he's been working on all day in his hand as he went over his lines again.

Natalie watched him through narrowed eyes as he sat at the kitchen table and started scribbling some more words while puffing on his cigarette. She walked over to him, her spoon in one hand and the empty ice cream carton in the other. "Hey," she said and waved her spoon in front of his face.

"What? I'm busy, Nat," he said, his voice short.

She set the empty carton in front of him with a scowl, "did you eat the rest of my ice cream and leave the empty carton in the freezer?" she asked ignoring his previous statement.

Jim looked up at her, his eyes flashing in fear for himself for nearly a second, and then he looked down and continued writing, "no of course not, it was probably Mike. That damn kid ruins everything."

"Jim," she pressed and slid into the seat in front of him, "you know how much I look forward to my ice cream," she said pissed.

Jim leaned back in his seat with a sigh, "okay, yes I ate your damn ice cream, why are you so bent out of shape, Nat. I'll get you more in the morning."

Her stomach growled painfully, "but you don't understand I need it," she said, "it's a primal need. I have to have ice cream."

Jim snorted, his eyes sparkling, "you're ridiculous, I'll take you to get ice cream after I kick this little punk out of our house."

Natalie sighed and nodded, a small smile growing on her face. She watched him enter the room and sit down in front of Mike and El. The music was soon turned off and she snickered when he started reciting his lines. Then her mouth dropped in shock when he quickly switched his antics.

"You know what, you're mom called," Jim said.

"huh?" Mike answered obviously confused.

Jim nodded, "yeah, she needs you home right away,"

Natalie watched Mike sit up straighter, "is everything okay?"

Jim shook his head, "no, no, I don't think so. It's your grandma."

Natalie slapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from laughing, what in the world was he doing to the poor kid.

Mike and Jim immediately left the room and Jim gave Natalie a look that told her to follow them out to the car.

Mike tried to keep up with Jim's long strides as he barreled him with questions, "is she dead?"

"No," Jim replied dryly as he unlocked the car doors, and Natalie quietly got into the back.

"Did she fall again?" Mike asked as he got into the car.

"No," Jim told him as he got into the driver's seat.

"Does she have cancer?" Mike asked looking at Jim with wide eyes.

Jim shook his head, "no."

Mike threw his hands up, "then I don't understand, what's wrong with Nana?"

Jim clenched his jaw before looking at Mike and pretty much exploding, "nothing is wrong with Nana!"

Mike scoffed, baffled, "what?"

Natalie raised her eyebrows and held back a snicker.

"But there is something wrong between you and El," Jim told Mike and rubbed his eyes, clearly stressed.

Mike's eyes narrowed angrily and then tried to get out of the car, only to have Jim lock the door every time he tried to open it. Mike turned to face him, "oh you lying piece of shit!" he screamed, "you're crazy! Crazy!"

Jim looked at Mike with a crazy face, and he actually did look crazy, "crazy?" he said, his voice unnaturally high, "you want to see real crazy, you threaten me again!" he shouted back at Mike.

Mike shrank down in the passenger seat, clearly shocked.

Jim turned on the car, "here's what's going to happen. I'm going to drive you home, and I'm going to speak and you're going to listen, and then maybe, maybe if you're lucky I will continue to let you date my daughter. Nod if you understand."

Mike was frozen in place with fear.

"Nod if you understand?" Jim repeated his voice deep and authoritative.

Mike frantically nodded and Jim booked it away from the cabin. The speedometer never dipped below fifty. Natalie listened to Jim rant to Mike about every little thing that he did not like about Mike's motives, how he treated El, and so on. Thankfully, the ride was short and Mike sprinted out of Jim's car and into his house.

Jim sighed and Natalie climbed up to the front seat, laughing to herself, "that was something."

"That damn kid better not come back," Jim said as he started to drive to the drive through ice cream joint.

"Hmm I think you scared him pretty good, so I'd say he's gone forever," Natalie said as she eagerly watched the ice cream joint grow closer and closer.

Jim snorted seeing her awestruck expression, "geez Nat, what's up with you and ice cream lately?"

She shrugged, her mouth watering as they pulled into the line, "dunno, but I just love it. Speaking of that, I can now get ice cream at the mall at Steve's place for free. He works at Scoops Ahoy full time."

Jim rolled down his window, "what do you want?" he asked, his arm hanging outside the window.

"Get me one of the vanilla milkshakes that has the extra strawberries and chocolate sauce in it," she said, her mouth starting to water at the thought of it.

Hopper gave her a quirky smile, not used to seeing her as such a foodie. He pulled up and paid the bored teen who handed him her ice cream. She snatched it from his hand and instantly dug into it. "Wow," Natalie said with a moan, "this is literally the best thing I've ever eaten."

Jim chuckled as they started to drive home, "American Pie" by Don Mclean was softly playing over the speakers. The windows were down letting the sweet warm summer air into the car and fireflies were gathered at the edge of the forest. He glanced at Natalie to see her looking out the window admiring nature as she ate her ice cream, and he smiled. Jim really realized how truly lucky he was to have a beautiful fiance, a beautiful duaghter- he had a beautiful life.

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okay confession, I love ice cream like way too much. As I was writing this I really wanted ice cream so that's why this chapter was so heavily influenced with ice cream lol