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I. the sight of you will prove to me i’m still alive, and when you take me in your arms and hold me tight i know it’s gonna mean so much tonight
Nancy is sweeping the locker room at The Claw when the music starts playing.
She gives a small sigh, but can’t help the smile that grows on her face as she hears Ace begin to hum along from the kitchen.
It’s just the two of them here, and it hasn’t been too long since she took up this job.
George is still hard on her, Bess is still learning, and Ace is still an enigma.
But something about him soothes her, a wholly unfamiliar sensation. She thinks she likes it.
Just yesterday she found herself opening up to him as he was taking a smoke break. She can’t tell if he was sober enough to understand a thing she said.
Still, she’s glad she told him.
She’s pondering on the oddness of her new blonde coworker (maybe friend?), when “Super Trouper” comes on.
She feels herself jerk to a stop and squeezes her eyes shut. It’s been a while since she last heard this song, and she can remember the last time so vividly.
Her mom had been nearing the end of her illness, when Kate had somehow found enough energy to play it, grab Nancy, and spin her around the room, laughter and sunshine filling the house in a way that Nancy had forgotten was possible.
Nancy allows the pain to wash over her for a moment, but the memory of her mother’s smile fortifies her. Softly, Nancy begins to sing along as she resumes her sweeping.
A moment later Ace’s head pops out from the doorway. “Nancy, you’re an ABBA fan too?” His smile is pleasantly surprised.
She rolls her eyes, but a smile is tugging at her mouth. “I may not be an AC/DC super fan, but I do have taste.”
He shakes his head as he walks in. “When I’m done with you, you’ll be AC/DC’S biggest fan–after me, of course.”
Nancy is almost surprised at the giggle that escapes her. “We’ll see about that.”
There’s silence for a moment before Ace begins to dance toward her. “But ABBA is a yes?”
Her smile grows at his cheesy moves. The admission leaves her without her realizing. “It was my mom’s favorite band.”
Ace pauses for a moment and studies her. She lets him. “It’s my mom's favorite band, too.” And, for some reason, it feels like he’s admitting something too.
Then he holds out a hand. “May I have this dance?”
She gives him a look. “This isn’t exactly a ballroom.”
“It’ll do.” Before she can protest, he grabs her hand and begins to spin her around the room.
Shocked laughter erupts from her. Then they’re both laughing as they spin around the room, and Nancy can’t remember the last time she felt so light.
His hands are warm against her own, and his feet are steady where hers are unsure, so she trusts him to lead her.
He spins her out and when he pulls her back in she knocks into his chest. “Sorry,” she laughs as she meets his gaze.
There’s something surprised in his gaze, yet also satisfied, as if he had guessed something about her correctly without meaning to.
It should scare her. But it doesn’t.
His hand seems to unconsciously curl over her shoulder, where he had caught her, and she gives him a questioning look.
For all her mystery-solving tendencies, she finds herself wanting Ace to unravel organically—not by digging into him but by having him choose to open up to her.
He opens his mouth to say something, when the music stops. Both of their heads jerk to the kitchen where George is standing with a frown on her face and her hands on her hips.
“I didn’t realize I was paying you two to take dance lessons,” George says, annoyance clear in her voice.
“Sorry, boss,” Ace pulls away and Nancy finds herself missing his warmth almost immediately, a thought she pushes to the back of her mind. “It was my idea.”
“Of course it was,” George rolls her eyes. “Why would Drew voluntarily show off those dance moves?”
“Hey!” Nancy scowls at the brunette.
“Don’t worry, Nance,” Ace smiles at her. “We’ll work on those moves.”
“Sure, as long as it’s not while you’re on the clock,” George interrupts as she walks into the locker room and grabs her keys from the bench. She shoves them into her pocket and gives Nancy a look. “No more having fun during work hours.”
Nancy gives George her fakest smile. “Shouldn’t be too hard.”
George rolls her eyes again before she turns and leaves the restaurant.
A different song comes on, one Nancy vaguely recognizes, and she can hear Ace begin to hum to it.
She picks up her broom again, but stands still for a moment and raises a shaky hand to her rapidly beating heart. Nance?
II. reality and my destination makes it worth the while, pushin’ through the darkness still another mile
Nancy wakes up from what feels like the millionth nightmare, grateful that at least this time she wasn’t screaming as she did so.
She’s driving to New York to try to get rid of the Wraith. She isn’t sure they’ll be successful. She closes her eyes for a moment and swallows against the lump in her throat.
Then she turns, slightly, to study the boy besides her.
Ace’s gaze is focused on the road, a sternness to his features that she rarely sees.
“Hey,” she said softly.
His features morph into concern as he turns to peek at her. “Hey, how’d you sleep?”
She stretches slightly. “As well as anyone possessed by a creature of darkness can sleep.”
He frowns, his forehead wrinkling in that cute way it does. “That bad?”
“Well,” she glances over at him. “It was better this time than it’s been in a while.”
He takes his eyes off the road for a moment to study her. Then he gives her a smile. “How about some music?”
She smiles back. “Sounds good.”
He picks up his aux cord (when Nancy asked him about it, he said it’s what Florence prefers) and plugs his phone in. A moment later “I Have A Dream” comes on.
She closes her eyes and lets the song wash over her.
A second later Ace swears. “This may have not been the best song choice, I’m sorry,” he mutters as he reaches for his phone which he had left in the cupholder, but Nancy stops him by placing her hand over his own, ignoring the spark that ignites within her when her skin brushes his own.
He looks at her.
She swallows, trying to calm herself even as his gaze burns through her. “Leave it, please. It was my mom’s favorite.”
He nods, his hand turning for a moment to brush his thumb over her thundering pulse.. “Okay.” Then he pulls away.
They both sit in silence for a moment as the song continues: you can take the future, even if you fail, I believe in angels .
Ace interrupts with a question that she knows is anything but sudden. “Do you believe in angels?”
Nancy sits with the question for a moment. These past few months have taught her that not everything is as clear as she had once thought it was. She isn’t sure she believes in angels–but she knows what she does believe in.
She looks out the window to avoid his gaze as she admits something she hadn’t even realized herself until just now. “The lyric after that one: “ something good in everything I see ,” she pauses for a moment. “I believe in that. You…you guys remind me there is good in this world.”
Nancy can feel his gaze on her so she turns and meets it. He’s smiling softly at her.
Some strong wave is threatening to knock Nancy over, so she tries to push the moment away. “What about you? What do you believe in?”
He doesn’t hesitate for a moment before he answers, “I believe in you.”
The wave comes crashing over her, taking her under with it.
If Nancy was capable of being any color other than sickly pale, she’s sure she would be bright red. She smiles at him. “I believe in you, too.”
They hold each other's gaze for a moment, and Nancy isn’t sure why the way he’s looking at her is causing her to heat up, when just a second ago she couldn’t stop shivering from the cold that seemed to be emanating from within her.
Then he turns to look back at the road and the moment is over.
Nancy leans back in her seat and looks out the window again. Nothing has changed since a few minutes ago when she woke up, but, for some reason, she suddenly feels like everything will be okay.
III. times of joys and times of sorrow, we will always see it through
Nancy is well into irritated territory when she steps back into Florence and slams the door shut.
Ace winces. “Easy with Florence, please.”
She’s immediately apologetic as she turns to him with furrowed brows.
“Hey,” he says before she can say anything. “It’s okay.” His soft voice reminds her of his soft touch earlier, when he rested his hand on her knee to reassure her that everything would be okay, even though both of her dads had reverted to their teenage selves.
She nearly shivers at the memory of his palm on her leg.
“I’m sorry,” she groans as she sinks back into the seat. “We’re running out of time. I don’t know what to do.”
A warmth floods through her as he squeezes her shoulder gently. “We’ll figure it out. We always do. Here, you just need a breather.”
She feels an acute loss when he pulls his hand from her, but then a second later music is flooding through the speakers. She turns and smiles at him as “The Way Old Friends Do” plays through Florence.
“You know,” he says after a moment. “This song reminds me of us.”
And her mood sours again. Because he just broke up with Amanda and she shouldn’t expect anything from him, definitely not so soon, but she wants everything from him. “Right. We’re great friends.”
And he must notice the bitterness in her voice because he makes a noise in the back of his throat that sounds like a protest. “That’s not what I meant.”
She blinks at him. “What…did you mean?”
“Just,” he gives a small shake of his head. “We’ve been through a lot together since we met. Ups and downs and fights and all that. But after all that, I always find comfort in you.”
Nancy is stunned into silence. She hadn’t expected this honesty from him, even though he’s the most honest man she’s ever met,undercover work with a police officer aside.
“Oh,” she whispers. She doesn’t trust herself to say more.
He smiles at her and then he just keeps going. “This lyric “ I don’t care what comes tomorrow, we can face it together ”–don’t you think that’s us? I know I always feel braver when I’m around you.”
And Nancy is breathless . She never knew it was possible to love someone as much as she loves Ace. She thinks her feelings are clear for anyone to hear in the way she says, “I feel the same way.”
This time, he’s the one who’s startled. He turns to her, surprise and delight in his gaze. A brilliant smile lights up his face. “Yeah?”
It feels like he’s asking her so much more than he’s saying. She knows she’s telling him so much more than she’s saying when she replies, “Yeah."
They smile at each other.
And though this is not the type of conversation old friends have, neither of them say a thing about it.
IV. i was in your arms thinking i belonged there, i figured it made sense
If anyone asks Nancy how she’s doing, she’d say she’s doing great. She has a successful private detective business. She has two great dads. She has a group of friends that love her.
Why wouldn’t she be doing great?
She glances at the boy in the corner of the room, his shaggy blonde hair obscuring his face as he glances down at his phone. Ace seems to feel her gaze and his own snaps up to meet hers.
She stares for a moment, wondering if he can see the incontestable longing deep within her, then she looks away.
She’s not doing great. How can she be doing great when she’s cursed to never be with the man she loves?
She sighs as she turns back to look down at the refreshment table. Nancy had always known high school was hell, but she thought she’d be done once she graduated.
Instead here she is, sucked into volunteering for prom as a disguise for a case she’s working on. She had dragged her friends into helping her–all of them.
So she got all dressed up and is now suffering one hour into a stuffy school dance with no end in sight. And, to bring it all home, the case ended up going nowhere.
Nick and George had snuck out a while ago to do who knows what, but Nancy can’t help but be happy that two of her best friends are back together.
Bess had invited Addy and now the two are giggling and dancing in a corner.
Which leaves–she sneaks a glance at Ace again, this time turning away before he can notice.
It’s just her luck when “The Winner Takes It All” starts playing.
Nancy holds off for as long as she can before she’s turning to stare at him. He’s already staring at her.
When Ace stares at her, it doesn’t feel like all those cliches. Not like she’s the only person in the room, not like she’s flying, not any of that. When Ace stares at her, it feels like she’s been invisible her whole life and she’s only now realizing what it means to feel seen.
She tears her gaze from his and rushes outside, into the hallway. She strides over to a bench and sits, pressing her palms to her eyes to keep the tears from spilling out.
He follows her out. She should’ve known he would (and maybe she did, maybe she hoped) and he sits next to her.
“Not a fan of ABBA?”
A laugh startles out of Nancy at Ace’s attempt at a joke.
“No,” she deadpans. “I can’t stand them.”
A dorky grin breaks onto his face and god it’s been so long since she’s made him smile like that.
She rises and takes a few steps away from him before she can do something stupid.
“Nancy.” His voice is so hesitant it nearly breaks her. She hates to hear him sound so unsure. “Do you want to dance?”
She turns her back to him, because she knows she won’t be able to say what she has to say if she’s staring into his pleading eyes. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“Then,” his voice cracks and she sinks her nails into her palms. “Can we just sit here? Together?”
She knows she should say no, but there’s a longing in his voice that matches her own. And she can't deny him this, not when she’s already denied him so much.
Nancy nods as she sits next to him. She closes her eyes so she won’t be tempted to look at him, and leans her head back against the wall.
They sit there as the lyrics continue, painfully accurate to what she feels: somewhere deep inside, you know I must miss you, but what can I say?
Nancy inhales sharply as she feels Ace’s hand brush against her own. Something tightens painfully within her as he tentatively curls his pinkie over her own.
She knows this is wrong. She shouldn’t be accepting anything from him when anything can lead to–she doesn’t let herself finish the thought.
She knows it’s wrong, but she selfishly takes it, sitting there barely touching, and the song playing around them.
She should know better, and she does, but she can’t resist this, can’t resist him. And though the song has to end eventually, she allows herself to pretend this moment can stretch into forever.
V. and finally, it seems my lonely days are through, i’ve been waiting for you
The curse has been broken. Nancy can’t believe it even as she knows it’s true.
She thinks this must be because it’s too good to be true. She can finally tell Ace, go to him, hold him like she’s been wanting to so desperately.
They haven’t talked yet, but she knows they will. Or maybe she’ll just kiss him. She supposes it’ll depend.
It all feels too good to be true, as she sits surrounded by her friends, all of them smiling and free, no curses, no supernatural villains, just them.
Here they are–having a game night at The Claw, music playing from George’s speaker, and three boxes of pizza open on one of the booths. And she feels so happy she thinks her heart could burst.
She rises from the table and all eyes are on her as she gives a smile. “I’ll be right back.”
They all go back to the game except Ace who watches her, almost as if to confirm. She gives him a wink which he laughs softly at.
Nancy walks into the kitchen then further back, into the locker room. She leans against her locker and closes her eyes.
She wants this moment to last forever, and though nothing ever does, she thinks they’ll all be okay now. She thinks this happiness can last a long, long time.
When “I’ve Been Waiting For You” comes on, Nancy knows it’s only a matter of time before Ace finds her.
She leans against the wall and a moment later he’s rounding the corner and smiling when he sees her. She smiles back.
“Needed a break?” he asks.
She shakes her head. “No, actually, the opposite. I was just thinking…it’s been so long since we’ve had a moment like this. Happy and free and just…right.”
He takes a step closer to her. “Yeah. I know what you mean.” He holds out a hand. “So…may I have this dance?”
“We only ever dance in this locker room, you know.”
Ace’s smile grows. “Should we get in Florence and head to a ballroom right now?”
The laugh that bubbles out of her feels so freeing. She grabs him by his collar and pulls him into her. “No,” she says as his arms encircle her. “No, this is perfect.”
Though this song may not be the perfect tempo for a slow dance, they make it work. They always do.
Peace has never been a thing Nancy has sought out. She never thought it was a state of being she was capable of, some overwhelming urge to run always thrumming under her skin.
Now, here, in Ace’s arms–she finds peace.
It’s not what she ever thought it would be like.
She’d been close to it with him in the dreamscape, but Ryan’s death had been looming too near for it to be true peace. But this is true. Ace is true, has always been her truth.
His thumbs trace circles on her back and he leans closer. His lips brush against her ear and she shivers.
He begins to sing along with the song, his voice so soft she could drift away on it, “I think you’ll be able make all my dreams come true, and you ease me.”
Nancy closes her eyes as she sinks further into his embrace, her grasp on his shirt tightening. Her voice is shaky as she sings back to him, a few lyrics later, “You’re something I’d been pleading for. I love you, I adore you.”
Ace jerks to a halt suddenly and pulls back. She’s worried for a moment before she sees the smile on his face.
His smile has always been something that’s enticed her, warm like the first peek of sun after a long winter. But now it’s brighter than it’s ever been, a supernova one only witnesses if they’re extraordinarily lucky. She knows she is.
“I was going to sing that part, you know,” he says.
She smiles back at him, knowing it’s just as bright as his is. He watches her in wonder as his right hand rises to cup her face, his thumb brushing along her cheekbone.
She leans into his touch and asks, “Oh? What are you going to do about it?”
Her heart stutters as he tips his face close to hers, loose strands of his hair brushing her forehead. “I love you too.”
And even though she had known, even though he’d said it in the dreamscape–well, nothing is ever like the real thing.
She confirms this when she tilts her head up and brushes her lips against his own, and kissing Ace in reality is a million times better than all her dreams and fantasies. Then his fingers tangle in her curls as he tilts her head back further and deepens the kiss and she’s lost to the moment.
Nancy doesn’t know a thing about forever, and she isn’t sure anyone ever can, but she thinks this is as close as any human being can possibly get to it.
When they pull apart and continue their dance, and when she leans her head into his chest and can hear his heartbeat–steady and calming–it sounds and feels a lot like forever.