Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Vickie did not seem to lead an interesting life. For a while she was just sitting in her living room, reading a book. Steve felt incredibly creepy about knowing this information, by the way. He didn’t understand why Nancy put it down to him to be a stalker. Plus, he had to deal with Eddie and the kids all day, conspiring about Vickie doing the most mundane things. Like, she’d get up for a glass of water and Dustin would bring up Patrick’s untimely pool death, or she’d cough and Eddie would ask if that was a symptom of Vecna. It got extremely irritating after a while, and Steve found himself thinking of Robin. She had made him pull away from the others earlier while she spoke to him through the walkie talkie on the way to Penhurst. She mostly just complained about how much she hated wearing Nancy’s clothes and how uncomfortable her bra was. He gave her a little update about Vickie, which really boiled down to apparently she’s a fan of Charlotte Brontë but Robin seemed satisfied nonetheless. 

Finally, Vickie’s aunt and uncle arrived at the house and she slipped out the back door, presumably to avoid them. He tried to keep the car at a reasonable distance as they followed her around town. She listened to her walkman most of the way, occasionally tapping her fingers against the strap of her bag rhythmically. She stopped off at the bakery, bought herself a glazed donut. Then, she sat on a park bench and got back to reading Jane Eyre . 

“I don’t think I’ve ever been more bored in my life,” Lucas complained.

“I know ,” Steve agreed. “How long does it take to talk to a mental patient? The girls can take over when they’re back.”

“Guys,” Dustin said, looking offended. “We are watching over a girl who could literally die at any moment. Have some class.”

Steve looked guiltily out the window, Dustin was right. It’s just, when someone seems totally fine, and you’re sat waiting for literally anything interesting to happen, you start wanting to pull your own hair out. He really hoped Vickie was okay. It must be hard to deal with those headaches and nightmares and such, but he couldn’t help that she seemed a little boring. Maybe that’s why Vecna was targeting her, she didn’t have any friends. Well, maybe she did, but by the way Robin spoke about her it didn’t seem like she was particularly popular. That’s something Steve really thanked his lucky stars for, he was never really without friends. Even after he broke up with Nance, he still had the kids. And then Robin, and then Nancy and Jonathan again. Once this was all over, he hoped Vickie might join their group, she deserved to have some friends.

“Is it just me or is she being weirdly still right now?” Eddie asked suddenly. 

They all looked over. Max nodded. “Yeah no one just sits like that. We should go over there.”

“Wait, just hold on,” Lucas said. “See if she moves before we go jumping to conclusions.”

They all stared silently for a while. At this rate, her natural human instinct would have her turning her head to look at them, no one just doesn’t feel five people staring.

“Okay, that’s it,” Steve announced, opening his door. “I’m checking on her.”

“Steve!” Lucas called.

Everyone got out and followed after him, a couple of them trying to pull him back. He started jogging towards Vickie when she still didn’t move. When he saw her face, he stopped dead in his tracks. Her eyes were rolled back completely and she was totally frozen in place. Her book must have slipped out of her hands as it was open on the floor, page down. He lifted the book onto the bench and crouched in front of her.

“Vickie? Vickie, can you hear me?”

“Holy shit !” Eddie exclaimed, physically jumping back as soon as he saw her. “What the hell is going on?”

“Vickie!” Max yelled, coming beside Steve and shaking her shoulders.

“Dustin, get the walkie!” Steve demanded.

“What?” Dustin asked, looking frantically between Vickie and Steve. 

“Get the fucking walkie talkie !” He bellowed. “Now!”

That seemed to kick him into gear, he instantly darted to the car and threw himself through the open window to retrieve it. He handed it shakily to Steve when he returned.

“Robin, do you copy?” Steve tried. “Robin, Nancy, do you copy? This is a code red, come on-”

“ We copy! ” Robin answered frantically. “ Is she okay? We’ve just got back into town, we ended up getting chased out of there. ”

“She’s in, like, a trance right now, Rob,” Steve said, beginning to pace. “What do I do?”

“ Shit, okay, she needs music. Do you have any way to play some? If not, you're just gonna have to sing her some Bob Dylan acapella. ”

Max snatched up Vickie’s discarded walkman and placed the headphones over her ears. 

“Okay, yeah we’ve got music,” Steve confirmed.

“ Just hold on, okay? We’ll come to you. Where are you guys? ”

“The park right in the middle of town. You know, near the bakery?”

“ We’re just around the corner. Hold on. Over and out. ”

The music didn’t seem to be working. Vickie hadn’t moved an inch. 

“Oh my God, what the fuck ?” Eddie suddenly screeched. 

Everyone took a huge step back. Vickie was lifting up into the air, like a doll on a string.

***

“Victoria, honey,” Aunt Linda called up the stairs. “We’re going out to get groceries. Donna and Wilf are coming over after, will you be around to see them?”

Fuck no. “No, sorry, I’ll probably be out by the time you guys come back.”

“Okay, I’ll see you later sweetheart.”

“Bye!” Vickie called back. Thank God they were leaving.

She loved her aunt and uncle, she really did, but they kept the most annoying friends. Every single person they’d ever brought over to the house had been a nosy, inconsiderate asshole. She didn’t understand how nice people could stand to be around a friend group of complete jerks.

She’d just have to take her book to the park, maybe stop for a treat from the bakery on the way. 

She ended up having to sneak out the back door when Aunt Linda and Uncle Tony returned. She felt bad doing that, she didn’t want to avoid the people she actually enjoyed talking to. But she knew if she stayed around long enough to chat, Aunt Linda would find a way to convince her to stay and talk to Donna and Wilf. And then Donna would ask about her boyfriend, and she’d have to deal with her fake pity when she found out they’d broken up when he went off to college. And then Wilf would want to know if she’d ‘finally’ figured out what she wanted to do after school, and she’d have to try to change the subject. And then Donna would inevitably cut back in and suggest setting Vickie up with some ‘nice boy’ who was the son of her friend or the nephew of Wilf’s cousin or some other guy Vickie had no interest in. 

She’d rather just avoid the whole boyfriend conversation, even with Aunt Linda. Dan was one of the few people she’d let get close to her in a long time, and he just threw it back in her face. The whole ordeal had put her off relationships for a while. Well, he wasn’t the only problem. 

She walked into town, deciding the park was her best bet for some peace and quiet, and listened to her favourite mixtape. It had an odd mix of genres but it wasn’t supposed to be consistent, it was just a compilation of all her favourites, from The Runaways to Bob Dylan to Joy Division to Prince to Simon & Garfunkel. She reached the park just as The Killing Moon faded out and placed her walkman on the bench beside her. She liked being outside more these days, she’d been seeing some weird stuff around the house. She could’ve swore she saw a clock in the hallway the other day. And at school she’d heard one chime. Her aunt had suggested she start seeing a therapist again, but that was not going to happen. Having to tell a stranger the absolute worst details of her life when she was twelve years old had been humiliating, it had taken her years to build up even a little trust with the guidance counselor, she wasn’t going back to being forced into blind trust. 

She sighed and opened her book. She was about half way through now, she’d really sped through while her aunt and uncle were out. 

“ Vickie ,” said a familiar voice. 

She looked up from her book. The sky had become overcast and it looked like a fog was coming on.

“Vickie,” the voice repeated.

She looked around frantically. “Hello?”

Her mother emerged from the fog. “Victoria, how could you?”

“Mom?” She felt her hands beginning to shake. How was she here? Why was she here?

“Your own father, in prison because of you. Because of your lies .” Her mother spat.

“No, mom,” Vickie tried, feeling tears prick her eyes. “I wasn’t lying.”

“Stop it! You’ve always been a dirty liar, haven’t you? And look where it’s gotten us. My husband is gone because of you!”

“Mom, please ,” Vickie was really crying now, cowering away as her mother continued to close in. “I would never lie about that. I didn’t want any of this to happen! I didn’t want to lose you.”

“There you go again, lying! Admit it, you were relieved when I sent you to Tony and Linda. You were probably glad when I wouldn’t take your calls. Glad when your father killed himself in that cell, too.”

“That’s not true!” she sobbed. Her mom reached toward her and held her gently by the shoulders. “Mom…”

“Tell me the truth. You feel guilty, don’t you? Sometimes, you wish you could take back what you did. You wish you’d never said anything at all, that it would’ve been you gone instead of him.”

Vickie closed her eyes and shook her head. When she opened them she jumped, trying to pull away from the sudden iron grip the creature had on her shoulders. 

“It is time for you to join your father, Vickie,” the creature spoke. “I am going to end your suffering.”

Quick as she could, Vickie booted him hard in the leg and ran. She darted across the park, heading for the trees. Hopefully there was somewhere she could hide. She was completely out of breath by the time she found a tree big enough to cover her. She crouched behind it and chanced a glance behind her.

“You cannot hide from me, Vickie.” 

She darted in the direction of the bakery, praying there would be someone around to save her. 

“Mr.Wells!” She shouted once the building was in sight. “Mr.Wells, please help me!”

When she reached the bakery, she slammed into the door, banging frantically. One look through the window showed the place was completely desolate, no sign of Mr.Wells or his baked goods. She stayed pressed against the door as she looked around for another escape, finding nothing but the fog closing in on her. But wait - somewhere in the distance, the fog glowed red. Slowly, she followed the glow, feeling a strange pull despite its haunting nature, it was just so extremely inviting. After a moment, the fog started to fade, opening up to a world of complete crimson red. At the centre of it all was some kind of fortress protected by huge dark spikes coming out from the ground. 

She continued to follow the pull into the fortress, taking careful steps as she passed through the spikes and the last wisps of the fog. Something told her there was something important, maybe something vulnerable, in the middle of it all. She crossed a bridge over a dark moat, not even hesitating as she felt the creature following close by, and found herself looking at some kind of deconstructed house. 

“What are you doing in here?” The creature questioned. He wasn’t anywhere in sight, his voice was just looming over her somehow. “Come back to me.”

She took another brave step forward and felt something squash under her shoe. As she lifted her foot to see what she had broken, hundreds of spiders dispersed from under her, running away in fear. It must have been some kind of egg. She backed away, almost bumping into- Chrissy ?

Vickie gasped and took several steps away, reanalyzing her surroundings for some kind of safe place. There didn’t seem to be an exit, the fog from whence she came having long faded away and leaving her no other option than to stare at the corpses surrounding her. All the people that had died recently - Chrissy, Fred, Patrick - were being held up by vines on the spikes like sick trophies, their bodies all horrible mutilated and stiff from the rigor mortis. She barely contained a gag as she looked at them, their bodies all coated in some kind of slime or mucus. Who could do something like this? Who could break someone’s limbs, gouge out their eyes, put them on display?

“How do you like them, Vickie?” The creature was back, walking toward her. She had nowhere to run. “Would you like to join them?” 

Suddenly, one of the vines whipped out from the shadows, wrapped around her ankle, and yanked her to the ground. She was completely winded as the thing dragged her backwards, her attempts to kick and scream being thwarted by her own spent lungs. More vines wrapped around each of her limbs, propping her up against one of the spikes while the creature approached. Worst of all, a fifth vine wrapped around her neck, doing her already limited breathing no favours.

Just as he reached her, she heard the start of her all-time favourite song playing overhead, just there the same way the creature’s voice had been earlier. It was Bob Dylan’s Knocking On Heaven's Door . Despite the vines holding her tightly against the spike, she struggled, twisting her head from side to side to find another way out, to figure out where the music was. She managed to get a look over the creature’s shoulder and found some kind of window in the distance, showing her an odd scene. Robin was running to the window, dressed a lot like her friend Nancy Wheeler, with Nancy herself in tow. In fact, it seemed a few of Robin’s friends were there, all crowding around something that she couldn’t quite make out. 

“They can’t save you, Vickie,” the creature told her, pulling her attention back onto him. “There’s a reason you don’t make friends anymore, there’s a reason you’re all alone. You belong here, with me.” 

She did her best to ignore him, listening to the music and watching her only friend sprint. “This isn’t happening.” She choked out, trying desperately to pull her hands free of the vines. “I’m not here.”

“Yes you are ,” he shifted his position so he was blocking her view of the window and raised his hand to hover in front of her face. “This is happening.” Tears spilled from her eyes as she started losing her fight. But still, she kicked and she pulled and she dug her nails in wherever they would reach. “Don’t struggle. It’s such a waste of good suffering.”

Vickie closed her eyes and listened to the music, deciding her last moment should be as peaceful as she could make it. She felt herself lift up into the air, the vines loosening their grip. She didn’t let the moment scare her, she refused to give in to whatever this thing wanted from her. She hummed along with Bob Dylan and thought of her fondest memories, her Aunt letting her sit and watch a movie with her after a nightmare, the band conductor praising her, even her mom’s few sweet moments of chasing her around the yard and making her favourite desserts came to mind. She also thought of Robin, of the time they spent together at lunch. She was the only friend Vickie had had for a long time, and the first person to make her want to be with someone again since Dan. God, she wished she could kiss her, just to know. Just to know that Robin felt the same way. Just to know how Robin’s lips felt against her own. 

No, she wasn’t going to give up. Vickie yanked her hands free of the little grip the vines still had on her and used her new freedom to punch the creature hard in the jaw. He stumbled backwards, seeming genuinely taken aback by her self defence. She didn’t stick around to gloat or go back in for more, she just darted as fast as she could towards the window. She could see what they were all crowding around now, it was her , floating high in the air above them. The creature pelted her with boulders and spikes, trying to block her path and trip her up, but she dodged everything he threw at her. She was making it through that window, one way or another. 

“Vickie!” she could hear them all now, shouting for her to wake up, to come down. Robin was the loudest, practically screaming and jumping to get a hold of her. 

Vickie almost fell before she could reach the window but she threw herself back up, ignoring the searing pain in her legs and finally reaching the window.

***

“Vickie!” Robin yelled. “Vickie, if you can hear me, please listen to the music. Come back down here!”

Robin was unapologetically sobbing as she watched her floating there. She was just out of reach. Robin had tried jumping several times to pull her down, she’d even made Steve try. 

“Why isn’t it working?” Max asked, turning to Nancy.

“I don’t know!” She threw her hands up. “It worked for Victor Creel!”

Robin had half a mind to force herself onto Steve’s shoulders and pull Vickie back down, when suddenly she just dropped. She fell heavily on top of Robin and Steve, shaking all over. Robin pulled her in close and Vickie held on so tight, Robin struggled to breath. 

“ Robin ,” Vickie sobbed into her shoulder. “He almost got me, Robin. Like Chrissy Cunningham and Fred and Patrick from the basketball team.”

“I know . The guy, he’s called Vecna. We’re gonna stop him. I promise he’s not gonna get to you again.”

***

It was a quiet drive to the Byers’ house. Steve banished the kids to Nancy’s car while he drove with Robin and Vickie in the back. They had their arms wrapped around each other the whole time, and Steve knew Robin was silently freaking out over it. At this point, Vickie was perfect for Robin, she wouldn’t even have to hide all of the supernatural stuff from her.

Steve wondered absently how Nancy and Eddie were getting on, dealing with the kids. They probably had a hell of a lot of questions, and so did Steve, but now wasn’t really the time to ask them. 

As soon as Steve and Nancy’s cars pulled up outside the house, Mike, Jonathan, and Will were opening the front door. They all stared over at Steve’s car, probably trying to get a look at Vickie. 

“Listen, Vickie,” Steve began. The others had already piled out of Nancy’s car and were walking up to join the Byers and Mike. “The kids might not understand the gravity of the situation, they might try to bombard you with questions, but don’t freak out. The rest of us will try to wrangle them if they get out of hand. But there is a lot of stuff we need to explain to you.”

Vickie nodded. She and Robin shared a look, Steve couldn’t really decipher it, before getting out of the car. He followed them inside where they found everyone already arranged in the living room, anticipating Vickie’s arrival. Robin and Vickie sat close together on the couch while Steve stood beside them. He put one hand on his hip and ran the other through his hair. Where to even begin with this explanation?

Luckily, he didn’t have to worry about that part. Dustin - of course - spoke up. “Hey Vickie. Listen, I’m gonna tell you some stuff that you can’t tell anyone outside of this room about. You have to promise you won’t tell a soul, you could be putting yourself in serious danger.”

The rest of the kids nodded gravely, Steve noticed Vickie reaching for Robin's hand.

“Well,” Vickie said. “I don’t know if anything can shock me more than what just happened.”

Dustin went on to explain the Upside Down, Eleven, and what they knew about Vecna. Nancy took over from that point, filling everyone in about what she and Robin had discovered at the mental institution. It turned out Victor Creel had been an original victim of Vecna. His family were slaughtered, but music playing nearby pulled him out of it, just like Vickie. One of the professionals at the institution had told them that a particularly personal song could calm the mind. 

While all of this was being explained, Steve couldn’t help but glance over at Eddie a few times. He just had this precious look on his face, not seeming too freaked out, more intrigued, like he was really listening closely. Steve seriously needed to get a grip, fawning over him like that. He was starting to sound like Robin on one of her Vickie tangents.

Soon, Robin and Vickie departed from the living room, hand in hand. Vickie needed a moment to take everything in and Robin needed to wash off her Nancy-approved makeup and slip into some of Jonathan’s clothes. It seemed she was being very serious in her complaints of Nancy’s clothes being itchy and her bra being too small. Steve knew that Robin’s mom had to use a specific fabric softener for her as Robin could just feel when it was different. She had a big thing with textures. Steve exclusively bought the same one now, just in case she needed to wash her clothes or borrow his. 

“Okay, what are we gonna do about Vecna?” Mike asked. 

“With El’s powers and half my family being gone,” Will said. “Our options are looking pretty slim.”

“We need Vickie to tell us what happened before we go any further,” Dustin said. “We need to know as much about Vecna as possible.”

Robin and Vickie soon returned, Robin now clad in Jonathan’s Talking Heads t-shirt and pajama bottoms. 

Vickie pulled back a little when they asked about her experience when under Vecna’s trance, skittish and not trusting, reminding Steve of a cat. Honestly, she was pretty reluctant to say much of anything, even outside of Vecna. But with Robin beside her, reassuring her and squeezing her hand, she decided it was time to open up.

“I was just sat in the park, reading my book,” Vickie explained. “When someone approached me. It was someone I haven’t seen for a long time, someone from my past. They reminded me all some of my worst memories, brought up the worst things I’ve ever done. I think that ‘Vecna’ wanted to really scare me, make me feel as vulnerable as possible. I just felt like I was being taunted. So I ran through this mist, trying to get away from him, until I saw this red glow. I followed it to some kind of house, everything was torn apart and there were all of these spikes everywhere. He followed me in there and he showed me everyone he had killed, told me that I was next. I managed to escape when I heard the music, a window opened up and I could see myself floating in the air. I ran through it and dropped back down to reality.”

“Why did he show you that house? Just to scare you?” Nancy asked.

Vickie shook her head. “I don’t think so. He didn’t like it when I showed up there, he seemed surprised that I found it.”

“Why would he be surprised by his own vision?” Max asked. “If he was the one to show it to you?”

“I don’t-”

“What if you infiltrated his mind?” Dustin said, eyes wide with realisation. “Maybe that’s why he was surprised that you found it. It could be possible, he got into yours, who’s to say you can’t go into his? Like Freddy Krueger’s boiler room!”

Vickie shrugged. “I wish I could show it to you guys somehow.”

“Wait, I have an idea!” Will sped out the room and up the stairs. Vickie looked around for an explanation but everyone was as confused as she was. He soon returned with paper and pencils, laying them out in front of Vickie. “Describe what you saw, I can draw it.”

The two of them sat for a while, talking back and forth as Will sketched. It turned out the other symptoms she’d been experiencing weren’t the only ones. Recently, she’d started hearing and seeing a grandfather clock that wasn’t actually there. But she found the same clock in Vecna’s fortress. Once the drawings were complete, they all gathered around to look. 

“Wait,” Nancy murmured, picking up one of the drawings. Her eyes went wide. “This is from Victor Creel’s house.”

She started folding all of the pieces of paper, assembling them just so and picking up one of Will’s pencils. She drew outlines around it all and the deconstructed house started coming back together.

“Holy shit,” Steve muttered in awe. 

“But what does this mean, I don’t get it?” Eddie questioned. 

“It means that we know where Vecna might be hiding.”

Everyone except for the Byers and Vickie and Robin piled into Steve and Nancy’s cars and drove over to the Creel house. Mike even joined them this time, though he did have a bit of a debate with Will about it beforehand. He just didn’t seem to want to leave him. Steve could not wait to gossip with Robin about those two later. In the meantime, he was trailing around after Dustin and Eddie.

Nancy had them all split up and look for clues like it was fucking Scooby Doo or something, so everyone was in pairs except for the odd ones out who formed a trio. Steve didn’t mind being with Dustin and Eddie, of course, but they knew a lot of references he had no clue about. He kind of felt like a kid following around his older brothers. One would’ve assumed it’d be Dustin feeling that way but, as usual, Steve drew the short straw. 

“What’s this wizard’s deal with clocks?” Steve mused as they looked around. “Oh, what if he’s a clockmaker!”

“I think you cracked the case, Steve.” Dustin rolled his eyes. “Maybe leave the detective work to the grown-ups.”

Eddie snickered and Steve saw red. “Shut up, you little asshole. I’ll shave you bald.”

“Whoa,” Eddie raised an eyebrow, looking between Steve and Dustin. “Where did that come from?”

“Screw you, Steve,” Dustin punched him hard in the arm. 

Steve retaliated by stealing Dustin’s cap and holding it high in the air. Dustin started pulling at his arm and lifting up on his tip-toes to try and reach it. 

“Give it back !” Dustin growled.

“Never!” Steve declared, running off in the opposite direction. 

Dustin followed and launched at Steve, tackling him to the ground. They tousled on the dust-covered floor for a while, both putting up a decent fight in claiming the hat. Eventually, Dustin won, placing his hat back on his head, victorious. They both continued sitting on the floor beside each other, catching their breath.

“Truce?” Steve offered.

Dustin nodded and shook his hand. “Truce.”

“This is a weird family,” Eddie announced, watching as the boys helped each other up. 

“Yeah,” Steve agreed. “But you get what you get.”

“Love you, mom,” Dustin cooed, pinching Steve’s cheek.

They continued searching, not finding much of anything. For such a big house, it was pretty desolate. All there seemed to be was dust-covered furniture and a general lack of good lighting.

“Do more clocks count as a clue?” Steve wondered aloud.

“You tell me, Freddie,” Eddie joked.

“ Scooby Doo ?” Steve smiled. “He’s actually just Fred.”

“I know,” Eddie leaned into his personal space, yet again. “I was being Daphne.”

“Oh,” Steve said dumbly, feeling his cheeks heat up. He turned away and caught back up to Dustin. “But seriously, what kind of clues are we looking for?”

“ The world is full of obvious things ,” Dustin said, attempting a British accent. “ Which nobody by any chance ever observes .”

Steve and Eddie stared at him blankly. “What?”

“Sherlock Holmes,” Dustin explained, sounding offended. “Eddie, man, seriously? How do neither of you know?”

They continued wandering aimlessly, still finding as much nothing as they already had.

“Guys!” Max called. 

Everyone sped out of their rooms and joined Max and Lucas in the hallway.

“Turn off your flashlights,” Max instructed. 

They did as they were told and watched as each light came on of their own volition, going slowly around them and heading for the stairs. Mike’s was the last to be reached and he immediately took action, trying to follow the source with his flashlight.

“What’s happening right now?” Eddie whispered to Steve.

“Vecna’s here,” he explained. “Well, the Upside Down version of this house.”

Eddie was definitely more spooked than satisfied with that answer. He stuck close to Steve and Dustin, looking around as though Vecna might just jump out at them. The light led them all through the house, Mike guiding everyone up each set of stairs in time with Upside Down Vecna, until suddenly, it stopped. The light just went out.

“ Shit ,” Mike complained. “I’ve lost him.”

“No,” Lucas opened another door. The light inside was glowing. “He’s in there.”

They all followed after Lucas, except for Eddie and Dustin who were worried of some kind of trap. The others ignored them, no strangers to danger, and kept going up until they found themselves at the centre of an attic. All of their lights were on now, at full force.

“What does this mean?” Steve questioned. “What are we meant to do about this?”

Before his question could be answered, Mike’s walkie talkie crackled. Will spoke.

“ Guys, you’d better come back. We’ve got a bit of a situation here. ”

***

“She just, like, gasped,” Robin explained once Steve arrived. “And shoved on her headphones.”

“But, what actually happened?” Steve asked.

“I don’t know,” Robin said sadly. “She just said he tried again. But I don’t know what that actually means.”

“Maybe it was just a false alarm,” Dustin suggested. “If it was me, I would probably never take my headphones off again. I can understand being paranoid.”

“We need to stop him,” Robin declared. “We can’t just sit around while he takes another life. Especially not the life of someone I care about.”

Robin had been expecting the whole group to come back, but Nancy and Mike were missing. She’d just greeted everyone at the door and pulled Steve and Dustin aside for this chat while the others joined Vickie and the Byers in the living room. 

“Oh and,” Robin looked out the window. “Where are the Wheelers?”

Steve and Dustin took her into the living room, saving their explanation for the group at large.

“Nancy and Mike have gone to check out one of the crime scenes,” Dustin told them. “They’re gonna walkie us any minute to tell us what they find. Mine and Nancy’s theory is that Vecna’s using the deaths to create bigger gates somehow. Since, when it was just disappearances like Eddie, the gate was small and closing up. Other than that, there isn’t really any motive we could think of.”

After a while of waiting for the Wheelers, with no sign of their arrival, everyone started splitting off into smaller groups. Vickie took the opportunity to pull Robin aside, out into the hallway.

“I didn’t want to worry everyone,” Vickie explained. “But before, when I had to put my music back on, I started hearing chimes. Like the grandfather clock he keeps showing me.”

Robin sighed. “It’s okay to tell us, you know. We’re already worried, you telling us just helps keep you safe.”

“I know. It’s just…I feel like such a burden. You guys didn’t ask for all of this. And now you’ve gotta take care of me. I mean, I’ve basically invaded the Byers’ house, and their sister and parents are missing. They’ve got enough to deal with.”

Robin shook her head. “No, you’re not a burden. Everyone here cares about each other, we’re like a big family. We’ve all been through so much that keeping someone safe isn’t even a task anymore, the kids just feel like they’ve got a new friend. And even if it was a lot to ask them, they’d do it anyway. Because they’re all good people who care about me. And I care about you .”

Vickie smiled shyly. “You do?”

“Of course I do,” Robin said earnestly. “You’re my friend, and you’re one of us now. I can’t lose you.”

Robin could've swore Vickie looked down at her lips, but the moment was painfully interrupted by the front door swinging open. 

“It’s a gate!” Nancy announced as soon as she and Mike stepped through the door. “The spot where Chrissy died is a gate.”

Everyone gathered around the living room once again while the Wheelers explained.

“It’s huge,” Mike told them. “Like, big enough to fit your whole body through. And it’s on the ground in the middle of her back yard, right where she died.”

“We need to go through,” Nancy said. “Me, Robin, Steve, Eddie. Jonathan needs to stay here because we can’t be followed and someone needs to watch over Vickie and the kids.”

“I don’t want to leave Vickie,” Robin said.

“And I don’t wanna go back into that hell hole,” Eddie chimed in. 

“Yeah, I’m not thrilled about the idea of you going to the Upside Down without me,” Jonathan joined.

“Tough luck,” Nancy said. “This is what’s happening. We’re going to gear up and the four of us are going to first see if we can find any of the people who’re still missing, and second go to Vecna’s house. We’re gonna burn it to the ground with him inside.”

“I’m all for the rescue mission,” Steve said. “But I don’t think we can just take Vecna down like that, Nance.”

“Well we’re going to try, Steve,” she said forcefully. “The longer we wait, the more danger we put ourselves in. I’m not just gonna sit here while more people die or go missing. I’ll go alone if I have to.”

Everyone was very much aware that she wouldn’t actually go alone. But Nancy Wheeler was not to be fucked with. 

***

Dustin had been the hardest to convince to stay behind. He told them that if some of the most important people in his life might die, he was going to die alongside them. It reminded Steve a lot of the time Dustin had refused to step away from him in the Russian elevator, saying that if Steve died, he died. When Nancy finally convinced him to stay behind at the Byers’ house with his walkie talkie at the ready, Dustin had shared some of his most genuine moments with the four of them, hugging them all tightly and telling them not to split up. It was honestly quite emotional, Steve didn’t really think a trip into the Upside Down would kill them, as long as they had each other. 

Steve, Robin, and Nancy first departed to get changed into some more appropriate clothes - Robin taking a jacket and a pair of jeans from Steve, Nancy going to her own wardrobe for the same, and Steve changing into a t-shirt he didn’t mind getting dirty, deciding to forgo a jacket - before returning to the Byers’ place to stock up on weapons. The four of them each left with a backpack while Nancy carried one of her guns and Steve carried his bat. Steve had been okay with the idea of driving everyone over to Chrissy’s gate, but Nancy decided it was too risky to have one of their cars near a crime scene while the owner was nowhere to be found. So, they walked. 

It was so eerie, being at the sight of someone’s death. There were no actual police guarding it, no one wanted to go near, but there was still police tape surrounding the home. The fence was easily scaled, Steve and Eddie giving the girls a boost before struggling over by themselves. Mike wasn’t lying about the gate being huge, Steve could hardly believe his eyes. 

“I’ll go first,” Steve volunteered, trying to be brave. If anyone had to die, it wasn’t going to be either of the girls, he cared about them too much. And he cared about Dustin too much to let him lose Eddie. “Make sure it’s safe.”

“Two people can fit at the same time,” Robin protested. “I’m coming too.”

“Robin, I have the bat. I’m going.”

“Well, I have a gun,” Nancy piped up. “Let me go.”

Steve looked to his final hope, Eddie. He prayed that the look he gave him read as what he was trying to get across - don’t let them follow me . Then, after Eddie’s curt nod, he dived through the gate. 

“Steve!” Robin screeched. “Eddie, let go !”

Thank God, he’d understood. Steve tumbled out onto the ground and took in his surroundings. It was the same house as the normal world, only covered in thick slug-like vines and appearing to be completely desolate inside. He lifted himself to his feet, about to put a hand back through the gate to beckon the others forward, when something yanked him back down. He hit the ground hard and wheezed, trying to get a glimpse of his attacker. 

“ Shit !” he swore, scrambling away from the swarm of bats that were now circling him. 

One of them dove right for his neck, only just missing him as he dogged and swung his nailbat directly at the thing’s face. He had no time to recover between attacks, one after the other swooped for him, only to be knocked away with the nailbat. It all made his head spin, trying to keep up with them, at one point one of them went right for the side of his torso, ripping a huge hole in his shirt and leaving a long scratch all the way down from his ribs to his hip. He whacked that one particularly hard, even tried to go in for seconds before something got ahold of his backpack. The bag was still strapped securely over his shoulders so when a bat gripped it and yanked it back, Steve went tumbling down with it. They all surrounded him once more, taking the nailbat from his hands and keeping him down.

“No, no, no !” 

They threw his nailbat over the fence and turned back to attack. Steve quickly freed himself of the backpack and got back to his feet, using his bare hands to grab one by its tail and use it to beat the others off. It seemed to be working, they all spread out a little, giving him some space. His victory was short lived, another bat swooped in behind him and wrapped its tail around his neck, tightening its grip on him until he released the bat he had been using to attack the others. As soon as it was set free, the beaten bat bit a chunk out of his bicep. Another came back for his torso, getting a grip on his shirt and ripping it right off. Before he could fall victim to any more attacks, he yanked at the one wrapped around his neck, vaguely noticing something poking through the gate, and released himself from the bat’s choke. He held onto this one’s tail too, beating off a few of the others before deciding he had to just kill the thing, no mercy. He went straight for its neck, revenge for what the little bastard had done to him, and tore the head clean off with his teeth

He kept hold of the body, once again grabbing it by the tail to use it as a weapon against the others, but the others had fled. It turned out that the thing poking through the gate was actually his friends, the three of them had outnumbered the swarm that had attacked him, scaring them all away with their weapons. He slammed the decapitated bat’s body repeatedly to the ground for good measure before tossing it aside. 

“Steve!” Robin threw herself at him, despite the blood and grime and the fact he was now shirtless. “Don’t you ever leave me like that. I hit Eddie!”

Steve looked over to him apologetically, but Eddie was just staring at him, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. Steve turned back to Robin and pulled his hands out of her iron grip, instead rubbing them soothingly up and down her arms.

“I’m sorry, okay? I just didn’t want to see any of you hurt.”

“But you got hurt- oh my God. You’ve been bitten.” She started breathing rapidly. “Oh my God, please don’t have rabies.”

Nancy stepped in and gently moved Robin to the side while she inspected the bite wound on Steve’s arm. It had taken a little chunk out of his bicep, but it wasn’t anything life-threatening. Nancy ripped her shirt and tied it tightly around his arm to quell the bleeding. She then had him spin around while she inspected his torso, but he was only sporting a few nasty scratches here and there, nothing much to worry about. 

“Does he have rabies?” Robin asked worriedly, as if Nancy was a doctor. “I don’t know what to do if he does. Steve, if you start having hallucinations or muscle spasms or, like-”

“Robin-”

“ Steve . If you start having spasms or hallucinations or you start feeling really aggressive,” Robin rambled. “You know, like if you wanna punch one of us or something, let me know because-”

“Yeah punching you sounds kinda good right now,” Steve huffed a laugh.

Robin smiled shakily and started forcing her breathing to slow. “Okay, still got your sense of humour, that’s good. That’s a good sign. Okay. Alright.”

Nancy put an arm around her. “It’s okay, Robin. Just calm down. I don’t think the bats here have rabies. They’re not real bats.”

“Right,” Robin nodded, seeming a little calmer. “You’re right, I’m overreacting, aren’t I?”

The other three nodded and she smiled. They gathered in a circle beside the gate while Nancy directed their next move.

“We’re gonna have to take cover in the woods,” Nancy said. “It’ll be a lot harder for the bats to swoop down on us like that if we hide. And they’ve probably not been scared off, they’re most likely going to get more friends to attack us with. So, let’s move.”

The others nodded in unison and made to follow her lead. Robin grasped Steve’s hand, she clearly hadn’t calmed all the way down after her little freak out.

“Steve,” Eddie said. He tossed him the denim jacket he wore over his leather one, forcing Steve to momentarily let go of Robin so he could catch it. “For your modesty, dude.”

“Thanks,” Steve pulled the jacket on. It fit well, made him feel kind of cool, to be honest. 

Robin wolf-whistled, causing Nancy to giggle. “Lookin’ good, Steve.”

He shoved at her shoulder with a grin and continued moving. He was finally reunited with his nailbat once they scaled the fence and he held it tightly as they headed for the trees. 

***

The girls ended up walking a little in front of the boys, both pairs splitting off into their own quiet conversations. Robin still felt she should be holding on to Steve, checking him for signs of rabies or general illness, but she trusted Nancy. 

“It’s a good thing we have you, Dr.Wheeler.”

Nancy laughed. “It’s no big deal. The real magic’s gonna happen later. I might have to give him a few stitches when we get back.”

“He’s gonna be okay, though?” Robin asked. “A few stitches isn’t a big deal?”

Nancy shook her head. “No. He might not even need them, I’ll have to take a closer look.”

Robin nodded, feeling relieved once again. It was probably a good thing she was a lesbian, she didn’t think she’d be very good if her kid broke their leg playing sports or something. Well, maybe lesbians could still have kids, actually. If one of them adopted and the other was their ‘roommate’ or something. She wondered if Vickie wants kids. In fact, she wondered if any of her friends wanted them. They hadn’t ever really discussed it before, other than Steve who was adamant about the fact he was going to have a big family some day.

“Do you want kids?” she blurted.

“What?” Nancy laughed.

“Like, you and Jonathan,” Robin explained. “Do you think you guys will have kids someday?”

Nancy shrugged. “I don’t think so. If we do, it wouldn’t be until we’re much older. I want to focus on my career first, and figure out where we’re gonna live after college. I love kids, I love taking care of them, but I don’t know if I want that to be my life, you know? And I mean, some of my friends or Mike or Holly are bound to have kids, so maybe it’ll be better being an aunt. What about you, do you want kids?”

Robin tilted her head from side to side. “Not really. But maybe if I met a- uh, a person who wanted them really badly, I’d think about it.”

Nancy nodded but was quiet for a moment, seeming to contemplate something. “Robin, why don’t you want to date Steve?”

Robin shrugged. “I just don’t see him that way. He’s like my brother.”

“Yeah but…” Nancy sighed, seeming to choose her words carefully. “Do you maybe have your eye on someone a bit different? Like…like Vickie?”

Robin froze. “What?”

“Shit, I’m sorry, I thought you were-”

“No, it’s okay,” Robin interrupted. “Uh, I am. A lesbian, that is. And I do like Vickie.”

Nancy nodded. There was silence for a moment as they took it all in. “You know, I think she likes you back.”

Robin smiled. “So does Steve! He’s been saying it for months but it’s just so hard to know, you know? You have to be sure.”

“About Steve,” Nancy ventured. “Is he…? Because he’s not as slick as he thinks he is. I see the way he looks at Indiana Jones.”

“Oh, I don’t know. I think that’s his story to tell.” Robin didn’t really know if Steve would like her telling Nancy. She knew it was okay to tell someone who came out to her, like when Steve told Will about the two of them, but they hadn’t really discussed situations like this. The general rule tended to be just keep it quiet.

Nancy nodded. “Of course. It’s good that you two have each other, either way.”

“I’m glad we all have each other,” Robin smiled brightly. “Us combined with you and Jonathan is, like, an unstoppable force.”

***

Somehow, Eddie ended up walking with Steve while the girls wandered off in front of them, having their own talk. He glanced nervously at Steve, trying to figure out what to say.

“Hey man,” Steve began, saving Eddie the trouble of starting the conversation. “Thanks for that, back there. Holding the girls back for me. I was worried you wouldn’t understand what I was trying to say.”

“Of course,” Eddie said, trying his hardest to seem unbothered. He failed. “I knew you weren’t gonna let them go with you. But, I gotta say man, biting a bat’s head off? Real Ozzy move.”

“Ozzy?” Steve asked confusedly.

“Ozzy Osbourne? He bit a bat’s head off on stage?”

Steve shook his head. “I don’t know-”

“It was very metal, what you did. All I’m trying to say.”

Steve huffed a laugh, seeming a lot more unbothered than Eddie had tried to be. God, why was he actually cool. It’s not fair. “Thanks.”

“You know,” Eddie continued, digging himself a deeper, more embarrassing hole. If they were gonna fight demon bats together, why not try to have a real talk. “Dustin always says you're a badass.”

Steve seemed to stand up a little taller when he said that. “Really?”

“Oh yeah,” Eddie confirmed. “All those little twerps. Even Max and Mike, they can make fun of you but no one else can. None of them seem to ride as hard for you as Dusitn, though. Kid worships you, dude.”

Steve seemed stunned, dropping his unbothered exterior from before. “I didn’t realise he even talked about me.”

“Oh, everyone has to know that he’s friends with the Steve Harrington,” Eddie said. ‘It’s kind of annoying, actually. I don’t know why I care what he thinks. But, honestly, it made me kinda jealous, Steve.”

“Of me ?” Steve asked incredulously, like he was nothing to be jealous of, or maybe that he was the one who was jealous of Eddie.

“I mean, yeah. Seeing them all love you, seeing you drive them around all the time. I couldn’t accept the fact that ‘King’ Steve Harrington was actually a good dude. I mean it’s not fair, right? Rich, popular, new girlfriend every week, and not a complete douchebag? Pfft, no way .”

“Yeah, I don’t think most of those things apply to me anymore, man,” Steve said, seeming kinda shy. Eddie was seriously about to keel over. Shy .

“I’ve still been jealous,” Eddie confessed. “Honestly I don’t know if I would’ve gone after you through that gate if the girls hadn’t fought me off and gone in first. I know I wouldn’t have under any normal circumstances, anyway. I mean, outside of D&D, I’m a total coward.”

Steve shook his head. “Man, if you were a total coward, you wouldn’t have followed the girls in at all.”

“Seriously, I haven’t even had the guts to try and get you guys down here and help me find Gareth -”

“Give yourself a break, man,” Steve said, shaking his head. “The fact you killed a demogorgon and survived here for twenty hours or something crazy like that, should be enough to prove to you that you’re not as cowardly as you think.”

Eddie felt his cheeks heat up, he looked away. “I guess. Still not as brave as you, my liege.”

Steve scoffed.

“I’m serious! You came in here, made the rest of us stay behind, all in the effort to help some chick your girlfriend is friends with.”

“My girlfriend?” Steve asked confusedly. “Oh! Oh, no. Robin and I are just friends. She always says platonic with a capital P.”

Eddie was genuinely shocked. “You’ve seriously not made a move on her? Come on, with the way she was throwing herself at you when you were injured, she obviously feels something for you. I’ve seen you two hold hands at least twice, man. You really have changed.”

Steve shrugged, seeming sort of offended for some reason. “I mean, I would date her, I guess. But it’s just not like that. I used to want her but…I don’t know, things change.”

Eddie stopped him then, and leaned in towards him conspiratorially. “Seriously, what is the deal? I can believe you're not an asshole, maybe you’ve changed a lot since school, but this? You’re not going after a pretty girl who clearly likes you?”

Eddie didn’t necessarily want Steve to go after Robin. But they were both nice and they looked at each other like they were the only two people in the room. He seriously couldn’t understand why Steve, with his history and reputation, wouldn’t at least try. Or, maybe he had. But then why - wait. Was one of them gay? The most traitorous part of his brain was saying please be Steve but the most logical part knew that if it was going to be anyone, it would be Robin.

“Trust me,” Steve grinned and shook his head. He reached into his shirt and pulled out a necklace. It took Eddie a moment to process what he was looking at, but it turned out to be a fucking friendship necklace . “She doesn’t like me. Well, not like that. We love each other like family. But I’m not her type.”

Oh yeah, it was Robin. Eddie nodded. “I see.”

They continued on, not saying much after that. They eventually joined back up with the girls, only for Steve and Robin to pull back a little for their own conversation about the bats again. Apparently, they were getting close to Vecna’s domain. 

“So, how are we gonna find Gareth? And the others, if they’re still around.” Eddie asked.

“I’m not really sure,” Nancy confessed. “I guess we just keep looking. Maybe go to the Upside Down version of his house to see if he’s hiding there. It’d be so much easier if we had El, she can go into a void and find people.”

Eddie blinked in shock. “Yeah, I don’t thinkI’ve heard much about her. I mean, I thought her name was Jane. I know she’s Will’s step-sister and the Chief’s daughter, but I don’t know much about the superpowers.”

“She can make things move with her mind,” Nancy explained. “And she can open and close gates to the Upside Down. She can sort of manipulate sound waves, she can play the sound of someone’s voice from one location to another through speakers and stuff. She’s honestly awesome, even without her powers.”

“How did she get them?”

“I think she was born with them. It’s hard to know,” Nancy shrugged. “But, she lost them last year, after the stuff at the mall. That was when Russians kidnapped Steve and Robin and a flesh monster attacked us and almost killed Billy Hargrove. I didn’t really want you to know about all this stuff, but you’re in too deep anyway.”

“Is something bad gonna happen to me?” Eddie asked nervously. “Because I know this stuff?”

Nancy shook her head. “Worst thing that can happen is the government finding out and making you sign a ton of stuff. Like, non-disclosure agreements, stuff to say you won’t blab.”

He nodded. That didn’t really sound like something he wanted to do, but he supposed it was better than letting Gareth die down here so he could feign ignorance to some government bastards. Steve and Robin soon rejoined them and the quartet kept on until they finally reached the edge of the woods.

“There it is,” Nancy announced.

It was a huge broken down house, covered in vines just like everything else. But there was more, it seemed this was the bats nesting place or something. A huge hoard of them, maybe hundreds, maybe thousands, were circling the house like it was their home. 

“How the hell are we gonna get through all of them?” Robin questioned. 

Nancy looked like she might cry. “I don’t know ! I didn’t think there would be any obstacles like this.”

“Maybe we could do it,” Steve said. “If we had more people. And a better plan.”

Nancy sighed, looking very put-out. “Yeah. Come on, we need to look around for Gareth and the others.”

They spread out all over the woods, searching high and low, but they didn’t find anything. They were starting to consider just giving up and going home when Eddie noticed something. 

“Is that an egg ?” 

The top was cracked off, but it looked just like an egg, only it was slimy and about half his size and nestled among the vines like its mother had tried to make it cozy. On closer inspection, it wasn’t the only one. There were about five dotted around them. 

“Shit,” Steve said, looking around frantically. “We’ve found a nest.”

Eddie put his face in his hands. “God, I just want this to be over. I fucking hate this place-”

“Oh my God!” Robin screeched.

Eddie tried to approach the part she’d wandered off to but Nancy shoved him back.

“Turn around, Eddie,” Nancy said urgently. “Don’t look over, okay? Just stay here.”

“What’s going on?” Eddie asked worriedly, doing as he was told. 

“We need to get out of here,” Steve announced. “Right now. Let’s go.”

Steve used one hand to grab Eddie’s arm so he could guide him forward while his other arm was wrapped around a shaken Robin. 

“Eddie, I’m so sorry,” Robin said, sounding close to tears. 

“What happened? I don’t understand.” Eddie stopped firmly and pulled his arm out of Steve’s - very strong, oh my - grasp. 

Nancy bowed her head. “It was Gareth, over there. He’s dead, Eddie.”