CHAPTER ZERO:
PROLOGUE.

⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅

IT WAS RATHER ODD TO BE IN FRONT OF STEVE HARRINGTON AGAIN. His brown hair was no longer unruly or floppy and he'd ditched his blood splattered sweater from the night Eleven defeated the heinous Demogorgon for a cringy Christmas one that required an undershirt to prevent it from scratching against his bare skin, beige slacks covering his slender legs for a more suitable appearance that Mr. and Mrs. Wheeler would've loved. His gruesome black eye was long gone and healed, no evidence left of his fight with Jonathan Byers nearly a month ago. His dark eyes sparkled with something Eileen didn't quite understand just yet, but nevertheless, he still looked as cute as he had when they were in middle school.

Similar to Steve, most of Eileen's physical wounds had healed and no one could tell that she'd almost gone head-to-head with a terrifying, faceless monster all in order to protect her little sister and her friends. There was a faint scar on the side of her neck where one of the "bad men" had taken a swipe at her when she tried getting him to let go of the little girl she learned was named Eleven, but she was easily able to say it was from an accident from when she was little just like the one on her wrist that she forgot to cover up from time to time.

She hadn't quite understood the mess Penny had gotten herself into at the time, but seeing that Eileen was left all alone to watch over the children while the adults went to search for Will and Nancy and Jonathan had disappeared into the night with the only car left, it was up to Eileen to keep them all safe. At the time, neither Steve or Eileen had known the other had gotten wrapped up into the strangeness unfolding around those they knew, but fate often brought people together in the strangest of ways. Despite having shared a common horror, it wasn't until nearly Christmas that Eileen actually found herself in the presence of her cheeky ex-boyfriend.

"Oh, hi Eileen! Come in, come in," Karen Wheeler was radiantly beaming, cheerfully waving the teenager into her home as she'd done so many times throughout the years. Her brown hair was perfectly styled in delicate waves over her shoulders, parted in the middle to frame her face just the right way. She wore a Santa Claus themed apron stained with chocolate icing which could've only meant one thing: cupcakes━Penelope's favorite dessert that Mrs. Wheeler only made for special occasions. "I think your sister is still gathering her things from the basement, but I told her you were here."

"That's okay," Eileen sweetly smiled, adjusting her grip on the heavy dish she was holding. "Uh, my Dad━he wanted to do something nice for you and your family. . ."

"Aw, how wonderful," Karen smiled, happily accepting the dish.

"You might not think so once you eat it," Eileen cautioned, breathing out a nervous laugh. "It's Texas Potatoes, but my Dad's never really been much of a chef, so, if you don't like it, I wouldn't blame you."

Karen chuckled, shaking her head. She began heading towards the kitchen, her voice causing Eileen to rush after her as she hadn't been sure if she was meant to follow. "Don't be silly. I'm sure we'll love it," she assured her, placing it beside a tray of chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. "Well, Ted will at least."

Eileen snickered, sweetly smiling at the older woman. She suddenly shifted, quickly stepping aside just as the basement door swung open and nearly collided with her. There appeared Penny Nelson, Eileen's little sister whose only friends consisted of boys; only Andy seemed to have a problem with it, but he had his reasons, or so he claimed━but that never stopped him from welcoming the boys into their home whenever they came by. The girl's hair was pulled up into a curly ponytail, a few baby hairs tickling her clammy forehead as she'd been breaking a sweat over an intense game of Dungeons & Dragons. She wore a sparkly black shirt and ripped jeans, a scarf loosely dangling over her shoulders. Two book bags were crammed into her thin arms, struggling to hold them both.

Eileen rolled her eyes and reached forward, taking one from Penny and swinging it over her shoulder with ease. Penny huffed, doing the same to the one still in her grip. "Thanks, Leen."

"Here, why don't you girls take home some cupcakes?" Eileen began to protest, but Karen was a persistent woman. "No, please, I have plenty more still in the oven. I'm sure your father will love them."

"Okay!" Penny chirped, grinning just as bright as the star on top of the Wheelers' shimmering Christmas tree. Eileen breathed out a laugh, twisting her lips.

Karen grinned as she grabbed some and carefully placed them in a large tray with a lid, handing them to Eileen. "Thanks, Mrs. Wheeler," Eileen said, faintly nudging Penny towards the hall as a signal to get a move on. "It was nice seeing you again."

"You too," Karen replied. "Merry Christmas, girls!"

"Merry Christmas!" Eileen and Penny replied in sync, heading towards the front door. Eileen was completely oblivious to the boy sitting by himself in the living room, his girlfriend having gone to the bathroom to freshen up.

"Shit," Penny lowly groaned, halting in her tracks with widened eyes.

Eileen angrily huffed, whipping around in annoyance. They were already running late for dinner with their father and uncle. Eileen had no desire to get blamed for the entire thing. "What is it now?"

"I left my Walkman downstairs," Penny deeply frowned. "If Dustin━"

"We can just get it another time━"

"No! It. . .it was Moms."

Eileen puffed out her cheeks, reluctantly rolling her eyes. "Just hurry. I left the car running and I don't want it to die before we get home 'cause Dad still hasn't shown me to fix it."

Penny hurried off after that with a grin, leaving Eileen alone in the foyer and delicious cupcakes daunting her in her hands. She shifted, her eyes briefly flickering to the living room. Her eyes did a double take when she saw Steve Harrington standing near the entryway, eyes looking anywhere but at Eileen as if to act like he hadn't just been listening to her and Penny bicker.

"Hey, Steve," Eileen timidly greeted him, awkwardly fiddling with the book bag strap.

Steve turned his head, acting a little too surprised. "Oh, hey, Eileen," he smoothly said, taking a few steps closer, leaning against the wall with his arms casually folded over his chest. "I didn't even see you there."

Eileen scoffed, playfully rolling her eyes. He was never able to lie to her. She could see right through it. "Sure, whatever you say."

Steve faintly smiled in her direction, clearing his throat. It'd been a long time since they'd actually spoken to each other. His last words to her had been to wait, but she'd kept on walking away with fresh tears in her eyes and no desire for him to see them, or maybe it was because if she took another look at his face, she'd take it all back and stay with him for as long as their relationship had left.

Steve hadn't thought about their breakup in a long time, but being face-to-face with her once again, it brought it all back.

"How've you been?" He asked, not really sure how to speak to her. With Nancy, it was easy to talk to her, but Eileen was different━she always had been. They'd drifted apart and there might not have been anything to bridge an actual connection between them; not like before, anyways.

"Oh, you know, the usual," Eileen hummed in response, nonchalantly shrugging. "Just facing flesh-eating monsters and discovering new wonders in our stupid town." Steve chuckled, shaking his head. He'd admired her dry sense of humor, but also her general knack of being kind even when others weren't (except for Tommy H. and Carol who Eileen would've gladly slapped). "How about you?"

Steve mimicked Eileen's posture. "The same, ya know."

"How's Nancy doing?" Eileen asked with genuine concern. She and Nancy never really hit it off despite their siblings being such close friends, but there was no hostility between them either. They were merely acquaintances, but Eileen knew Nancy had lost her best friend and that kind of thing wasn't something someone could just get over in a few weeks. She couldn't imagine how hard it must've been to celebrate the holidays but not have Barb at her side like she'd always been.

Steve let out a small sigh, adjusting his posture so he stood taller. "She's been better, but she'll be alright," he answered, a hint of hope etched in his voice as if he didn't yet believe his own words.

"Right," Eileen nodded along.

An awkward silence enveloped them, causing them both to look away from each other as if it would help any. Eileen couldn't believe it was taking Penny so long to find her Walkman, nor could Steve understand how Nancy was still in the bathroom when all she'd wanted to do was touch up her makeup. Thankfully, Nancy came bouncing down the stairs a few moments later.

A sweet smile appeared on her lips when she spotted Eileen, something in her hands. "I thought I heard you," she said, coming up to the girl. Steve grinned and came up beside Nancy, placing his arm around her wrist. She held out what looked like a dress for a little girl, but it definitely wasn't Eileens nor could it have been Pennys. "This is for you, and your sister."

"Uh, I don't think that's e—"

"No, uh, to keep," Nancy explained. Steve still didn't quite understand the Upside Down or Eleven, but Nancy knew the Nelson sisters had grown fond of Eleven and were most likely missing her; they all did. The dress, though, it might've meant more to the sisters than to Nancy. None of them had any clue as to if Eleven was still out there somewhere, but if she wasn't, Nancy wanted to make sure the Nelsons had something to remember the girl by even if it wasn't that much. "I know it's not much, but. . ."

"No, it's. . ." Eileen sadly sighed, tightly holding onto the tattered dress. She lifted her gaze up, catching Nancy's eye once more. "Thank you, Nancy. And I'm sure Pen'll appreciate it, too."

"Found it!" Penny cheered, rushing down the hall with the Walkman in hand. She easily brushed past Nancy and Steve, flashing the older girl a small smile. "Merry Christmas, Nancy." Her eyes shifted, noticing Steve a little off to the side. "Hey, aren't you the one E—"

"Merry Christmas, you guys!" Eileen hastily interjected, grabbing hold of Penny and yanking her towards the front door. She just barely heard Steve and Nancy holler similar phrases as she quickly shut the front door. Then she hurried across the front yard, Penny right in front of her and loudly laughing into the night sky. Stars were beginning to twinkle above them, but clouds were moving in fast, threatening to hide the sky and cover the town in white snow. "You little—"

"C'mon, Leen, don't be a baby! Get into the holiday spirit!" Penny innocently giggled, flashing a smile on her lips while Eileen rounded the back of her car to get to the drivers side. Her eyes were still narrowed, lips pursed together when she stared across at Penny. "Did you really think I'd actually leave Mom's Walkman behind?"

Eileen's eyes widened, a gasp escaping her lips. "Are you k—"

"I may be young, but I'm not stupid, Eileen," Penny firmly stated, flopping into the passenger seat, the bag tossed in her lap. Eileen quickly got inside as the cold had begun to nip at her exposed skin, adjusting the heat so it was getting her feet better. She slightly turned her head, seeing a soft expression on Penny's face. "I know you still like him, too."

"Can we just drop this please?" Eileen pleaded, buckling herself in. She really didn't want to talk about boys at the moment, and especially the notorious Steve Harrington.

"Fine," Penny huffed, doing the same and dropping her bag down by her feet. Then her lips tweaked upwards, carefully eying Eileen out of the corner of her eye. "You didn't deny it—"

"Just shut up and eat a cupcake, alright?" Eileen sternly snapped, putting the car in drive after shooting Penny a nasty glare as a final warning to drop the subject. Reluctantly, the girl complied and grabbed a cupcake; not because Eileen told her to, but because she was already planning on eating one on the drive home. Eileen smiled in relief and pulled away from the Wheeler House, completely unaware that a certain set of brown eyes were pinned to her as his arm was wrapped around another girl.

In that moment, Eileen and Steve, and most Hawkins residents, had settled into a pattern of normalcy and began to breathe a little better with the Demogorgon dead and Will Byers back from supposedly being lost in the woods, but little did they know that Hawkins had something else in store for all of them.