HAWKINS FREAKS AND QUICK FEET

☀︎

ON THE HUNT FOR EDDIE MUNSON, THE GROUP PILED THEMSELVES INTO NANCY WHEELERS CAR. Taking the way back, Steve and Alex gave up the opportunity for a proper seat for the three of Max, Lucas, and Dustin to cram together in the backseat with Robin and Nancy up front. Helping themselves to Eddie's snacks, Steve dug his hand back into the Pringles container before holding it up to Alex.

Taking the chip from his hands, she hesitantly brought it to her lips, eyeing him carefully. Turning the chip away from her mouth, she gestured over to him with narrowed eyes. "Sweater," she whispered.

Picking at his sweater, Steve pouted before looking back over at her. "Yeah, what about it?"

"It's yellow," she stated in a quiet tone before popping the chip into her mouth. "Weird how I tell you I like you in yellow and suddenly you're wearing that exact color."

"Yeah, it's yellow, don't cream your pants. I didn't do it for you," he mumbled. However, a blush formed on his cheeks as he tossed a chip at her to keep her eyes off him.  The truth was, he hoped it would catch her attention and he would get another chance to be close to her again. If only he knew it didn't take a yellow sweater to do such a thing.

Alex scoffed playfully at his embarrassment. "Then I guess it doesn't matter that I wore this just for you," she said teasingly, gesturing down to the red sweatshirt she wore. It was the very same one that Robin had clutched to her chest several nights ago, pleading with Alex to never give away because she knew it was her absolute favorite. For it to belong to anyone else besides them felt wrong.

Sneaking a glance her way, Steve watched as she smiled at him brightly. "Looks... yeah, you-you look great."

"Don't cream your pants, man," she whispered teasingly. Leaning forward she reached forward between his legs and grabbed the can of Pringles from him. "I think you look very cute today by the way," she said quietly, keeping her eyes focused on the chips.

The two felt they were walking a dangerous line, unsure where they stood in terms of their relationship. Things were starting to feel as if they were back in place, ever so lost in love and not afraid for the other to know it. Only this time, they weren't sure if they were officially back together. With a world-ending crisis laid out before them and helping a friend hide from the cops, the world felt as if it were falling apart, and worrying if they were together or not felt as if it didn't matter when in fact it mattered to them very much. Yet neither of them found the courage to do anything about it besides harmless flirting.

Looking in the rearview mirror, Robin let out a soft squeal before turning to Nancy, her hand clutching onto her chest. "Aren't they just so adorable?"

Pulling her eyes off the road, Nancy's eyes looked into the rearview mirror to spot the two in the way back. Now sitting beside one another, Alex had her arms wrapped around him with her cheek rested against his arm, listening to him as he rambled on and on about a topic Nancy only wished she could listen in on. Whatever it was made Alex blush with a warm, radiant smile that she felt was a rare sight after so long. Turning her eyes back to the road, she immediately agreed, "Incredibly." Sneaking a grinning glance at Robin, Nancy felt warm to know the two had gotten close over such a short period of time. A common goal of reuniting Steve and Alex as well as furthering the investigation of the nightmares in Hawkins brought them to this friendship she never expected. "And is there any special guy out there for you? I figured Alex would kill for a double date with you."

Instantly clamming up, Robin attempted to force a smile at Nancy before keeping her eyes locked in on the road. "Ha, special guy? I-I don't think so. She'd probably want a date with you and Jonathan. You two are a great couple, so why not two great couples just... just, you know, be great together?"

Glancing back to Robin, Nancy felt her closeness to such a strange friend start to not look as tight as she thought. The way Robin grew anxiously red and her usual quirky smirk had instantly disappeared at the mention of something so personal caused Nancy to have her doubts. Clearing her throat, Nancy gave a small nod and attempted to smile at the road in front of her. Before she thought they reached the point of being great friends and now Nancy saw herself as someone stuck on the outside of a trio she longed to be a part of.

Robin felt a closeness with Steve and Alex, an unbreakable bond that she trusted with every secret she could ever possess. Trusting Nancy didn't seem too far-fetched, but to open up was not as easy as all her rambling made it seem. Rather than focus too long on the uncomfortable silence the two shared, Robin sat back in her seat with a huff, bothered by the events that would soon follow once finding Eddie Munson again. "Not to be a wimp, but can I maybe sit in the car for this visit? Because this is gonna totally suck," Robin whined.

"It'll be fine," Nancy said not-so-reassuringly. She also had her doubt in things running smoothly with Eddie. All they had to share was bad news and the good news only seemed to be vague and not as great as they wanted.

Sighing, Robin perched her elbow up by the window and rested her head on his fist. "I just can't stand to see those dull eyes of Eddie's break again. I really, really can't."

With a mouth full, Steve tried to be of help as he held up the case of beer. "At least he can drink himself into feeling better."

"That's what my mom does," Max mumbled. Setting the beer down, Steve frowned at Alex.

"Maybe we can do a trial run," Robin suggested half-heartedly. "Hey, Eddie. uh, good news first this time. We got you some Dustin-approached junk food and that six-pack you requested. Oh, yeah, and we found Vecna. Bad news is that he's in that other darker, much scarier dimension that we told you about, and the gates closed, so we have no way of getting to him. Like he's entirely shut off to us, so basically you're screwed. And, no, I know you were already screwed, but now you're doubly, triply screwed."

"Maybe we don't put it like that," Lucas said hesitantly.

"We're one step closer to finding Vecna," Nancy stated. "That's what we say. That's what's important."

"See, Robin? Positive spin can make all the difference," Steve called from the back.

"Uh-huh," Robin grumbled. Turning over, she rested her hand on the back of Nancy's seat to get a better look at Steve. "Would you go back to groping each other, please? The adults are having a conversation here if you don't mind."

"We aren't... we aren't groping each other," he called back as Alex lifted herself off him. Taking his arm, he wrapped it around her and forced her back to him. "Why don't you keep your eyes on the road and not us?"

"I'm not the one driving here, dingus," she called back with a scoff. Turning back in her seat, she ended up doing as he said as they neared Reefer Rick's home. As they pulled in, there was much more than what they were expecting. Cars filled the area— including cops and news vans. With a new death, there was an uneasy buzz around Hawkins-- especially by Rick's home.

"Oh, shit," Nancy whispered, putting the car in park. What was meant to be an easy drop-off of food and news had turned into a ripple of bad news from last night's events at Lover's Lake.

Filing out of the car, they left Eddie's snacks behind and made a beeline to where Hawkins's newest Chief— Calvin Powell— was giving word to the Hawkins news on the recent murder of Patrick McKinney. Huddled together, the group stayed out of sight behind a news van, sticking close and listening for word on what they missed while investigating the Creel house.

"As many of you know by now the Roane County line received a call a little after midnight... reporting a homicide out here on the lake. Officer Callahan here and myself arrived first on the scene. We made our way to the shore of Lover's Lake, about ten yards from that house you see behind me. It was there that we found the victim, an 18-year-old senior from Hawkins High— Patrick McKinney. His limbs... his body, it was disfigured... There was an eyewitness on the scene. We have also identified a person of interest." Holding up a picture, chief Powell gave a sharp sigh to reveal such heavy information to the public. "Eddie Munson. We encourage anyone with information to please come forward."

Looking behind his shoulder, Dustin looked at Steve in worry. Jason and his friends were on a manhunt big enough for the group to easily skate around, however having the entirety of Hawkins playing hunt the freak was something they couldn't so easily avoid.

Over the radio, Eddie Munson was desperate for a sign of life that he could trust to keep him safe. Starving and afraid of the rest of the world, he cowered within the woods, still damp from last night's swim and shaking with fear. "Dustin, can you hear me? Wheeler?"

Stunned and relieved to hear his voice once more, Dustin lunged for his radio as they turned away from the officers answering questions to take his call. Knowing Dustin was capable of getting the answers they needed to find Eddie, Alex grabbed ahold of Lucas' hand and pulled him towards the car. For a flicker of a moment, she could see the pain and surprise to hear that someone he spent a lot of time playing basketball with was now another victim of Vecna's. She immediately lunged at the opportunity to have a moment alone with him for some comfort. "I don't know how close you were with Patrick, but if you need to talk to me, I am here. Always."

Slipping his hand over hers, he held onto the back of his head as a heavy sigh escaped his lips. "I-I don't know. I don't..." Shaking his head, his arms fell back to his side. Meeting her eyes, he felt himself frowning. "Why him? Why Max? Why you? I don't really know Patrick that well, but you and Max... Maybe if I tried harder..." A flood of regret and guilt engulfed him in just seconds and a panic filled his voice to think he easily could have helped those if he did more.

Grabbing ahold of his arms, she managed a smile for him. "We aren't going anywhere. And I don't know about you and Max, but I do know about us. If it wasn't for you and that basketball game, I would've been alone and if Vecna came for me, no one would know the truth. You fought for me when I couldn't even fight for myself. You were always right there even when I didn't want you to be. I owe you everything. And you can still make it right with Max. If I can, then I have no doubts you can. And I'm here for you for whatever comes. Please know that."

His head slowly bobbed up and down in agreement, but his eyes began to wonder as he got lost in his thoughts. Lucas was often looked over as an essential member of the group yet his fight for his friends is what made him such a key member. There was nothing in his life that had mattered more to him than to be there for his friends because to him, they were family. It would be until his final breath that he would be there for them. For Max, it shouldn't have been any different because he saw her, he loved her, and he needed her in his life again.

As the group approached to begin their hike through the woods, Alex took her hands off of Lucas and kept the conversation as is. It was something between them, something that allowed Lucas to keep going and pushing through. Being there for her when she needed someone the most, Alex wanted the very same for him. Pulling open the car door, she made herself smile at the group as they explained the plan for finding Eddie Munson at Skull Rock.

Watching as the others climbed in and Alex was guided by Steve to climb back into the car, Lucas stood there, wishing he could have said what was on his mind. He wanted to thank her for being there for him when he felt the smallest bit alone and confused. Often he felt his feelings were nothing compared to those around him, that he should be able to get by because there was someone that felt far worse than him, so why worry? Speaking with her, he felt that his feelings were valid and he was allowed to worry about his friends and share how he felt.

For years he thought the meaningless bickering and getting under Alex's skin was as far as their relationship would stem and as good as it would ever get. He felt that's what made them close and now he knew that this is what it always should have been. There was always something more that was often overlooked by their teasing and fighting. He hoped she saw the brotherly love he felt for her and that her simple acts of kindness were what kept him from keeping everything bottled up. Climbing back into the car, he realized that the heavy weight on his shoulders felt just the smallest bit lighter.

『••☀︎••』

A HIKE IN THE WOODS LEFT THE GROUP LOST IN SEARCH OF THE TRUE PATH TO THE SKULL ROCK. Splitting into different groups, Steve found himself back with the Hendersons and easily agitated with the younger of the two. Skull Rock was a popular place for him to visit throughout high school, no compass could tell him otherwise. "Dude, I'm telling you, you're taking us the wrong way," he fought loudly.

Keeping his eyes shifting between the compass and his map, Dustin refused to take Steve's word. Had he been wrong, Steve would have felt more embarrassed after his guess at what lead Vecna to be so in grandfather clocks and Dustin wanted to protect him from further embarrassment. "It's north. I'm positive. I checked the map," Dustin explained, keeping his annoyance with Steve in check.

"You do realize Skull Rock, it's a super popular make-out spot?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Well, it wasn't popular until I made it popular," Steve shot back. "All right, I practically invented it."

Perking up, Alex furrowed her brows as she looked at Steve curiously. "Oh, really? You made it popular? Practically invented it, huh? Sure sounds like a lot of girls you'd have to make out with to make it so popular."

"Oh, look who's jealous now," he spoke loudly. Raising a finger at her, he began to take a new path that teetered off of Dustin's demands of where they should be headed. "I'll remember that! Alex Henderson is fully capable of being jealous too!"

"Too?" Dustin called back in defense of his sister. "So you're finally admitting you actually were jealous?"

Turning his back to the two, he headed off into the woods, waving his arm to keep them headed his way. "I don't have the ability to be jealous! Would you just follow me? Let's go!"

Groaning loudly, Dustin worked fast to catch up and stick with Steve. More than happy to keep things slow, Alex hung back at a slower pace, taking time to think for herself. Somewhere out there, Vecna was lurking and waiting to make a grab for his next victim. With Max able to keep him at bay, it was only a matter of time before someone new fell under his curse.

Carrying Eddie Munson's bag of snacks through the woods, Nancy walked alone as well. Nothing could prepare for the bad news they brought Eddie and the inevitable story of how he wound up at Skull Rock while a new body was left behind at Lover's Lake. The weight on her shoulders was only a reminder of the heavy burden Alex often found herself carrying. For Nancy, she wasn't so willing to let her hold much in when things began to look bleak once again. Calmly approaching Alex, Nancy kept an upbeat smile. Falling in step beside her, she attempted to flash her that hopeful look, however, Alex seemed distracted. Forcing herself to stay optimistic, Nancy glanced at her hopefully. "How are you holding up?"

Alex kept her eyes focused down as they walked, not as full of hope as Nancy was. "I don't know," she admitted. It was as close as she could get to understand exactly how she felt. "I wasn't close to Patrick... It's just... he was my lab partner. We barely talked but, I don't know... He was nice, is all." Looking over to Nancy, she forced a smile as she swallowed hard. Patrick McKinney wasn't close to Alex, they talked in passing and he often said hi to her whenever they crossed paths in the halls. They weren't friends, but they easily could have been. Maybe a different year or a time after Vecna, unfortunately now there was no going back.

There were a lot of regrets that Alex often saw herself facing. After Chrissy, she wished the two could have been friends. Knowing how well she and Eddie got along, she was certain Chrissy would have found a safe space in the party. With Patrick, she felt he deserved more. He was a reserved person that was kind to all and stood by his friends. They were people Alex couldn't take back time with, however, walking through the woods, she knew she could get back her time with her friends that she pushed away.

Letting out a sigh, she shook her head in disbelief. "I just wish I could take back these past few months, you know? I don't know if things would be different or just as crappy, but maybe it would've been easier on everyone." Giving a sad smile, she looked to her feet to hide how hurt she truly was. "Maybe Eddie wouldn't be in the mess he's in because then I wouldn't have been too broken inside to be where I was to send Chrissy his way."

"Don't say that," Nancy interrupted softly. "It doesn't matter what could have happened because you don't know for sure. Maybe he wouldn't have been in this, but then we wouldn't know the truth— all of this is Vecna and not some killer terrorizing Hawkins. Things might've been different but that doesn't mean they would've been better."

Sneaking a glance at Nancy, Alex couldn't help but find herself smiling. "You know, Nance, I wouldn't change anything that happened these past few years if it meant we couldn't be friends. And I'm insanely happy that you're friends with Robin now too. You two are my girls."

Biting the bottom of her lip, Nancy could feel a smile start to break out. "Yeah, it took some time but the rambling... as you'd say, adorable."

Alex's eyes turned over to Nancy at her words. A couple of days ago she worried her two closest friends would have some sort of unspoken feud she could never salvage, but things became different so fast. Robin and Nancy were a constant in her life, people she could never look out into the future and not see there. With them becoming closer, Alex felt that constant was a guarantee and she wanted to be there right beside them. "See, I knew once you spent some time with her, she's pretty awesome. I just want you to know that having Robin in my life... it never took away how close we are. I could... sorta tell you were worried."

Unable to hold back the laugh that escaped her lips, Nancy instantly felt embarrassed. Shaking her head, Nancy glanced over to Alex, now certain that her actions were quite obvious and rude for no apparent reason. "I was an asshole," she corrected through a guilty smile. "I jumped to conclusions and I'll admit maybe I was the teensiest bit jealous that someone swooped in and got some of your love too."

Wrapping her arms around Nancy as they walked, Alex playfully tried to show her that it was okay. "Come on, Nance, I have so much love to pass around."

Rolling her eyes playfully, Nancy felt Alex's arms slip off from around her and she adjusted her tight hold on the grocery bag. "Yeah, I know. I was worried for nothing." Swallowing hard, her hair bounced as she quickly looked over to Alex before her eyes turned to the ground in embarrassment. "I don't think she actually thinks we're friends though. Has she said anything to you?"

"She adores you," Alex gushed, taking hold of Nancy's arm. "I mean, what's not to adore, right? You're Nancy Wheeler, dude."

Pursing her lips into a tight smile, Nancy wanted to be happy. She wished that Robin did in fact adore her but it still didn't feel right. "She just clammed up is all," Nancy whispered. Alex's demeanor changed as her grip loosened on Nancy's arm and her brows furrowed together in concern. Glancing her way, Nancy tried to play it off as no big deal but she was hurt a little. "It's small so it doesn't even matter," she chuckled nervously. "I just asked if there was a special guy out there for her. We've just been plotting so much with you and Steve, I figured maybe it was her turn for love. I-I have Jonathan and if all of us girls could go on a triple date..." shaking her head, Nancy dismissed the idea as nothing. "Nevermind. It's stupid anyways."

Pouting, Alex wished she could be honest with Nancy. Robin's secret was something Alex would take to her grave if need be. There was nothing out there that could force her to ever go against Robin and the friendship and love they had for one another. Biting her tongue for her best friend, Alex reassured Nancy without exploiting Robin. "It's not stupid. I actually love that idea and I know for a fact Robin would love it too. She's just... she's not that open about that kind of stuff."

"I just hope she knows I don't care who he is," Nancy stated. "I don't want it to be because she doesn't see us as friends."

"No, I know that," Alex said quietly. "Robin likes playing Cupid but isn't that into anyone playing Cupid for her."

Brushing off her hurt, Nancy held her head up to find her optimistic attitude once more. "I do like playing Cupid with her," she admitted. "The parents of the group need that little push once in a while, you know?"

Hanging her head, Alex hid her smile until coming to her side, Robin hung onto her arm with a heavy sigh. "Oh my God, they're so adorable! I just wanna squeeze 'em, you know?"

Lifting her head, Alex looked behind Robin to see Max and Lucas. The two stayed close by one another as they walked and for a moment, Alex swore each of them was smiling, something both of them needed in a time like this. Rolling her eyes, Alex decided to play along for the sake of the two beside her. "Yeah, aren't they?"

Perking up at the opening, Robin excitedly looked at Nancy with bright eyes. "If I'm permitted to see a silver lining in this end of the world doom and gloom, it would be the rekindling of old flames that frankly never should've been snuffed out." Seeing the look Alex gave her, Robin let her arm go. "I didn't mean that as a hint or anything. But if I did mean it as a hint, would that be so terrible to wish for happiness for my best friends?"

Narrowing her eyes, Alex playfully scrunched up her face. "Hm, sounds like we had this conversation before..."

"Yeah, well, now it seems that this old flame we discussed is in better standing now."

Joining in, Nancy decided to help Robin out. "Actually, it felt like some serious heat was coming out of that bathroom back at the Creel house."

Turning over to Nancy, Alex sent her a dangerous look. The plotting the two seemed to have discussed was now starting in full effect leaving Alex to battle the two on her own. "Serious heat, huh?"

"Well, what did you two talk about in that bathroom?" Nancy questioned with raised brows.

"Nothing," Alex mumbled, feeling her face beginning to warm up. "We barely even talked. We were... searching for clues or whatever. Doesn't matter."

Poking her finger into her cheek, Robin couldn't stop herself from glowing with excitement. "And I think I just found the most obvious clue right here. You're blushing and that can only mean one thing."

"You two really don't need to play Cupid any longer," Alex stated for her as she brushed away Robin's finger. "Let's just say your devious plotting worked very well. You're a great team that isn't very sneaky, by the way."

"Oh my God, this is great news!" Robin squealed as she clung back to Alex. "We can, like, totally add this to our incredibly short list of good news to tell Eddie to cover the blow of the insanely horrible news we have."

"I don't think he'd actually care," Alex laughed. "I think you two care more than anyone. I mean, I used to think Robin was for sure the only one obsessed with getting us together, but Nance, I'm surprised with you. I've never seen you so... so Robin-like."

"She's changed me," Nancy chuckled, glancing over to Robin with a soft smile. She wasn't afraid to admit that Robin was something good in her life, someone she felt could continue to make her a better person.

"To be fair, Nance was a teensy bit more geared up for battle than me." Ignoring the glare Nancy sent her way now, Robin found amusement in Nancy's mistake. "No shit, Henderson, she thought Steve and I... blah." Unable to finish her sentence at the disgust from such a thought of the two ever being more than best friends, Robin stuck her tongue out with a look of disgust. "Totally trippy, right?"

"Very," Alex said as she turned to Nacy with wide eyes of astonishment. Pretending to play it off, Nancy turned her eyes away from the two with a fake smile. "Nance, you do realize that's some shit we'd find in the Weekly Watcher." Amused with the thought, Alex turned back to Robin with a giddy smile as potential headlines popped into her head. "Robin Buckley shocks the nation! Kissing Steve The Hair Harrington! Public is outraged, Buckley sent to Pennhurst due to insanity!"

"In my defense, I was looking out for you," Nancy spoke over their laughter. "I didn't know, okay? It sounded plausible to me and then Robin hit me over the head by actually guessing that I had feelings for Steve. I-I mean, that's so far in the past and I'd never do that to you."

Turning it all into a joke, Alex lit up with excitement as she looked back to Robin again. "Nancy Wheeler back on her bullshit and back with King Steve! Robin Buckley sentenced to life in prison for attempted murder on Wheeler, Jonathan Byers gone missing!"

"Okay, ha ha," Nancy stated sarcastically. "Though that last part is very much true." Her standing with Jonathan felt almost as extinct as Alex and Jonathan's which shattered Nancy's heart to even think about. Her true love was slipping through her fingers and no cupids to come save them.

Furrowing her brows, Robin leaned forward for a better look at Nancy. "And how exactly are you two holding up? Because we will be your pair of cupids if need be. I'd do whatever it takes for the happiness of my friends."

"Are you suggesting Jonathan and I aren't together?" Hurt from the topic of conversation staying on Jonathan, Nancy focused her frustration with him on to Robin for a fight.

"No! It's just, the other day in the library, I mentioned Jonathan and you sort of flinched or winced or something..."

Coming to a stop, Nancy grew defensive. "I didn't flinch or wince. Jonathan and I are fine. We're good."

"Right, of course," Robin whispered quickly.

Turning her eyes away, Nancy bit the inside of her cheek as she began to walk. Things were in fact not good. Far from. Having a pair of cupids didn't sound so bad and given Robin's track record, she felt opened up to the idea. "It's just... He was supposed to be here for the break, and then he backed out at the last minute for some vague, mumbly Jonathan reason. And, you know, to be honest, I'm not even that surprised because I've been feeling him pulling away lately. And I don't know if it's because we're 2,000 miles away or if he met someone new or what. And now I can't find out why because apparently he's blown up his family's house phone or something and the one person that could get some real answers out of him has been hidden in her shell for very real, very legitimate reasons, isn't talking to him right now. So, yeah, if... if the mention of his name caused a slight muscle spasm on my face, that's... probably why."

"Seems like a perfectly reasonable reason to flinch, since, or something," Robin said gently.

To get it off of her chest, Nancy felt relief she didn't know she needed all this time. Looking down, she felt that all her jealousy was wasted potential to always have someone like Robin around. Things in the library could have been so different for the three had she accepted that Robin never had any ill intention and was never any threat to her friendship with Alex. "You said, your friends happiness. So does that make us friends? As in, officially?"

Hesitant, Robin glanced at Alex. "Uh, yeah, I... I mean, right?"

"Right," Nancy whispered, smiling down to herself. Wasted anger and jealousy took time away from a friend she knew was going to be everlasting. Now to be able to join in with Robin and Alex, she felt that this was where she always belonged. It's where she truly felt happy.

Seeing the glow that radiated off of Nancy to have that confirmation that she was officially something in Robin's life, Alex took several steps forward before beginning to walk backward for a better view of them. "In honor of my favorite cupids being so undeniably adorable, I will give in to your plotting and leave you two to discuss your next set of moves while I go ahead and catch up to Steve."

Raising a finger, Robin was quick to make a comment to get under her skin once more before she could leave. "Wear protection!"

"Don't listen to her," Nancy pipped up before instantly regretting her choice of words. "I-I mean, you always should... but, uh, take some real advice and don't make jokes about Vecna!"

Waving them off, Alex turned her back to the two, ignoring the advice they set out to give her. Unwilling to let her go so easily, Robin called out once more. "You know Harrington's sensitive and jealous!"

Rolling her eyes, Alex picked up the pace to escape their desperate calls to play Cupid just a little longer and raced her way up to Steve. Coming up behind him, she wrapped her arms around his torso, taking him by surprise. Seeing it was only her, his heart rate settled and his tension dissolved as he pulled her around to walk alongside him. "Here to finally admit you were jealous, Henderson?"

Scoffing, Alex rolled her eyes. "Don't make me regret catching up to you. I can totally leave you with my brother."

Looking over his shoulder, he caught sight of Dustin Henderson not too far behind. His eyes continued to stay locked on both his compass and map, searching for a reasonable explanation as to why he couldn't lead them the right way. Sighing, Steve put his focus forward, "Yeah, don't leave me with him. He's a total shit, by the way. Just doesn't know when to let his little ego go and let me take control."

"To be fair, if you were always in charge, we wouldn't have flashlights ever and we'd probably still be in Nancy's basement scratching our heads."

"Ah, not funny, Henderson," he mumbled. "See, you all think I'm just one big idiot, but I'm not. I'm gonna get us to Skull Rock and rub it in your cocky faces that you guys ever doubted me. You're the idiot, not me."

"Wow," she whispered in fake awe. "Nance was right. Your charm is off the charts. It's crazy, Steve, really. Please don't tell me you called Brenda an idiot too," she whined as she clung to his arm just to get further under his skin. "You should know only I get to be your idiot."

"Ah, whatever," he mumbled. Pushing back a tree branch, he held it to the side to let her pass before letting it go and hitting Dustin instead. "You're my idiot."

Laughing, Alex looked over at him in amusement. "You're my bullshit," she said, catching him off guard. It wasn't something he thought about often any longer, afraid that such a sweet memory between the two would turn sour knowing she wasn't in his life any longer. Yet here she was now and she hadn't forgotten any bit of it. It was a way to express their love for one another without having to admit it out loud.

Before he could take his chance to respond, Alex grew eager as she spotted through the trees where they needed to end up. "Skull Rock, guess you were right after all."

Beaming from ear to ear, Steve took lead as he made his way through the low-hanging branches. "Boom! Bada bing, bada boom. There she is, Henderson," he bragged over his shoulder. "Skull Rock! In your face, man. In your stupid, cocky little face."

Coming out into the clearing of Skull Rock, both Hendersons emerged from the trees and looked over the giant rock before them. Taking another look at his compass and map, Dustin was stuck in complete bewilderment to be proven wrong. And it wasn't just anyone to do that— it was Steve Harrington. "Doesn't make sense," he whispered.

"Yeah, yeah. Even with it staring you right in the face, you can't admit it," Steve grumbled. Placing his hands on his hips, he turned his back to Dustin and Alex to look over Skull Rock proudly. "You just can't admit that you're wrong, you little butthead."

Coming up to Steve's side, Alex looked up to Skull Rock with a frown. "You were actually right," she whispered.

"Don't act surprised," he scolded, lightly pushing her shoulder back. Alex stumbled sideways slightly from his push, about to laugh just before the thud of a new arrival greeted them. After hearing the sounds of voices that were pleasantly familiar, Eddie Munson jumped from a rock above them and landed just before them in one swift motion. "I concur. You, Dustin Henderson, are a total butthead."

Instantly filled with relief, Dustin's smile re-emerged to see his friend safe and sound. "Jesus, we thought you were a goner," he breathed out before wrapping his arms around Eddie. For a moment, he held on just a little tighter, glad that he even had this moment to keep him around a little longer. As a wanted man in Hawkins, it was only a matter of time before their plans faced a new obstacle and Eddie Munson was ripped from their grasp.

To see this moment unfold before him, Steve Harrington felt a little lost. He never imagined there would be a day he could ever be jealous of Eddie Munson. To Steve, he had it all, and Eddie was crazy— too loud, obnoxious, and very abrasive. Yet Dustin Henderson turned his back on him and threw himself into Eddie's arms.

As the rest of the group began to emerge into the clearing Dustin broke apart from his friend and a true jealousy broke out across Steve's face. There was no one in the world he wanted Alex Henderson to be with than himself. After everything, he felt he was finally getting her back into his arms and yet now felt as if all he worked for was whisked away when she collided with Eddie and wrapped her arms around him, laughing into his chest at the pure happiness of finding him okay. Biting the inside of his cheek, Steve crossed his arms as he watched the interaction between the two unfold.

Seeing it as merely a sweet moment between friends, Alex embraced Eddie to express her relief in seeing him again. That once annoying Eddie Munson she couldn't stand to be around was here and Alex found herself once again buried underneath grief and regret to see that her annoyance with him was purely her projecting her hatred for herself onto him. He wasn't afraid to be himself when she hated seeing the person she became. She could see who he was now. He was always there for Dustin after she left him alone and confused and he was there when she needed a fresh new face to take away the trauma she's been through.

Cupping his face in her hands, Alex pulled back enough to see him, laughing at the sight of him. "Holy shit, Eddie, can't believe you're actually here."

Welcoming to this Alex Henderson he's been desperate to see, Eddie took her hug as everything he's asked for. It was a piece of her she was willing to let him have because he took pain away from her when she needed someone most. Placing his hand on the back of her head, he slid his hand down her hair in a comforting manner as his other stayed on her back. In a joyful disbelief, he breathed out a soft sigh, "Alexandra, you surprise me daily."

As she pulled back out of his hold, she managed another laugh but her cheeks told how embarrassed she felt. "Yeah, and you surprise me. How the hell are you even here right now? Half of Hawkins is hunting you down, man."

"I ran," he chuckled, a bow extended her way. "Learned it from you, the best runner Hawkins has ever seen."

She scoffed as she turned away from him. That was the Eddie Munson she got to know and somehow through all his running, he still managed to make his obnoxious digs at her, just to see her roll her eyes. However, he hadn't been so willing to let her go off in an annoyed state. Taking a step after her, he wrapped his arm around her neck and forced her back against him. "Let's face it, Alexandra, we're twin flames."

Taking his hand, she unwrapped his arm from around her with a laugh. "Yeah, sure, twins flames," she remarked sarcastically. "Hawkins freaks with quick feet, huh?"

Pointing a finger at her, his smile grew. "Exactly." Seeing as she grew back into what he could only assume to be her old self had felt refreshing. Never had he seen her smile as brightly as much as she had been, even with all the nightmares that floated around Hawkins.

Finally able to escape him, Alex headed towards Skull Rock with a heavy sigh. Her eyes traveled around, taking in such a familiar place she hadn't seen in some time. Approaching her cautiously, Steve pulled his eyes off of her enough to observe it himself. Slapping his hand down on the rock, he let out a heavy breath of air. "You miss it?"

Turning over to him, Alex couldn't help but smile with a roll of her eyes. "Oh, yeah, I miss the place you brought all your girlfriends to make out."

Crossing his arms, he looked down at her with a fake frown. "Sure, sure, but you were the best... and the last."

"Aren't I lucky," she chuckled, attempting to move past but he stepped in her way. "Listen, Henderson, I have to know..." His eyes pulled away from her nervously before clearing his throat. No matter what they went through, he always had his doubts about the two of them. "If I'm stepping between you and Eddie, you give me the word and I'll back off. You know, it might completely shatter my heart but, uh, yeah, I would rather have you happy."

Amused, she raised her eyebrows at him, unable to fight back a laugh. "Me and Eddie? Yeah, we're incredibly in love."

His eyes found their way back to her, not as amused with her sarcasm. "I'm being serious."

Stepping forward, Alex held onto his arms, "Eddie Munson is an annoying shit... and I adore him in the least romantic way possible. You, however, have my full heart, like I told you. That's not changing because another guy with great hair comes into my life."

Running a hand through his hair, Steve looked down at her with innocent eyes. "Yeah, but my hairs better."

"Yeah, of course," she whispered with a pat on his arm. Letting him go, she moved around him, leaving him under Skull Rock while the others joined together for some discussion on what they could possibly do next.

After losing Patrick, it was only getting harder to navigate around Hawkins. The town was set on a manhunt for Eddie Munson and there was a fear among all that they could very well be next. With the belief that the killings were ritualistic sacrifices, Hawkins developed a panicked state in what was known as the Hellfire club.

Gathering around, Eddie took a seat for himself, finally able to have a chance at food and water as he retold the horrors of the night before. With a shaky breath, he looked around, reliving the fear he held onto. "When I got to the shore, I tried calling you guys, but, uh... my walkie was busted, man. Drenched. So, uh, I did the thing that I do now, apparently," meeting Alex's eyes, a joking grin came to his face to mask his true pain, "I ran." Chuckling, he looked around the group to see the lack of amusement they had on the subject.

"Do you know what time this was? The attack?" Nancy questioned curiously.

"Yeah, no, I know exactly what time it was," he shared. Taking off his watch from his wrist, he extended it out her way for a look. "My walkie wasn't the only thing that got soaked."

"9:27," Nancy announced, looking right over to Robin. Nodding along, she was quick to catch on to Nancy's suspicions, "Same time our flashlights went kablooey."

"Which means what, exactly?" Steve asked in confusion. Unable to catch on, he hoped his act of getting them to Eddie was enough to not have too much disappointment within the group.

Crossing her arms, Alex gave a small shrug. "It means that all that energy that caused our flashlights to explode was Vecna. Vecna killing Patrick," she said quietly.

Extending a hand out, Robin placed it on Alex's arm and looked at the positive spin on the situation— just as Steve told her to. "Well, we're one step closer. We know how Vecna attacks."

"And where he attacks from," Lucas added in with a simple nod.

Standing beside him, Max crossed her arms. "So now we just need to sneak into his lair in the Upside Down and drive a stake through his heart."

"If he even has a heart," Robin mumbled.

"A stake? Is he like a vamp— Is he a vampire?" Steve asked around innocently. Given this was a monster they were dealing with, he felt it was entirely possible. Unamused, Max sent him a small glare, "It was a metaphor."

"A bullet should work on him, right?" Eddie suggested next.

"I say we chop off his head," Lucas stated simply. It was quick, easy, and guaranteed them the most success at killing him. No head meant the body would fall.

"Yeah, I'd say all of the above, but we can't do any of that until we find a way into the Upside Down," Nancy said in disappointment. "The closest we've even gotten to him was between Max and Alex and that didn't exactly go as planned."

"We need El to get her powers back," Max mumbled. "Or better yet, Alex gives it a go and cracks open a door right now."

"Eh, opening doorways inside minds is more likely to happen again than that," Alex commented with a shake of her head.

Holding a hand up to Alex, Eddie hushed her as his eyes traveled back and forth at Dustin's pacing. "Hey, uh, Henderson's not, uh, cursed, is he?"

Glancing over at him, Steve watched as he finally came to a halt and shook his head. "Cursed? No, no. He's fine. Mental? Absolutely."

"Boom!" Dustin screamed, echoing through the trees. Filled with a new excitement to have new information, he whipped his attention back to the group. Raising a finger directly at Steve, he mocked his choice of words when he cockily announced their arrival at Skull Rock. "Bada... bada... boom," he whispered. Holding a finger now to his chest, he glowed with an inflated ego. "I was right. Skull Rock was north." His announcement collectively earned him frustrated rolls of their eyes and some sighs of annoyance.

The most annoyed was Steve Harrington as he sent Dustin a glare. "Seriously? You're serious?" Gesturing to the obvious rock before them, Steve let his frustration take control. "This is Skull Rock! You're totally, absolutely, one hundred percent wrong! Right now."

"Yes," he said happily. "And no."

"Oh my God," Steve mumbled, holding his head in his hands. Coming to his aid, Alex placed a hand on his back, rubbing it for a moment before letting it settle on his waist to hold him close.

Holding up his compass, Dustin finally decided to give an explanation to everyone. "This worked correctly when we left the Wheelers'. It was correct when we got in the car on Curly. But it started to slip the further east we went. Now it's way off. When I was leading us here, I wasn't wrong. The compass was."

Placing one arm around Alex, Steve raised his other at Dustin in annoyance. "So you're using faulty equipment. Dude, you're still wrong!"

"Except it isn't faulty," Dustin said through a bright smile. Quickly turning to Lucas, he recalled an exact moment from years ago to help lead him to this conclusion. "Lucas, do you remember what can affect a compass?"

"An electromagnetic field," Lucas said in a single breath. Catching on to what Dustin was saying, he placed his hands on top of his head in complete disbelief.

"I'm sorry, I must've skipped that class," Robin called over, unsure how the two could be so amazed by a faulty compass.

Turning over to her, Dustin was more than happy to explain. "In the presence of a stronger electromagnetic field, the needle will deflect towards that power. So either there's some super big magnet around here, or..."

"There's a gate," Lucas finished for him. Darting his eyes over to Alex, he had to be sure she was okay with this new information. The more they dived into this, the harder he felt it would be on her. Opening back up old wounds was sure to send her into a spiral and he wanted to be there to catch her.

"But we're nowhere near the lab," Nancy said in question.

Running a hand over her face, Alex forced back all her emotions just to hold onto a fake smile. "That just means there's another gate. First the lab, then Starcourt... it's not unlikely."

"Exactly," Dustin beamed. "Just smaller and way less powerful. All I know is that something is causing this disturbance, and the last time we've seen anything like it, it was a gate. And I hope it is because then we'd have a way to Vecna. And a shot at freeing Max from this curse. And to tell that asshole to leave my sister alone!" Purely thrilled with the idea of helping those in need and starting up an adventure, Dustin didn't wait for a pointless discussion. Instead, he took the leading spot as he started to make his way back into the woods and to find that gate himself.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey," Steve called out to him, putting him to a stop just a few feet away. "Eddie's still a wanted man. We can't just go for a hike in the woods!"

Holding up his compass once more, Dustin wasn't in the mood for a debate. "This little steel capsule might be the key to saving both Max and Eddie." Keeping his focus on Eddie, Dustin raised his arms out in question, "What say you, Eddie the Banished?"

There was a silence as all eyes turned to Eddie. Still cowered in his spot, clearly shaken up from all he went through, he considered his options. He hated being a runner, hiding away from all his battles. "I say you're asking me to follow you into Mordor, which, if I'm totally straight with you, I think is a really bad idea. But, uh, the Shire... the Shire is burning." Looking from the sky to Dustin, his smile grew to see the enthusiastic jumping he had done in place to hear him ready to take on a battle for a change. Standing tall, Eddie let his confidence in Dustin Henderson be the reason he chose to fight. "So Mordor it is."

With no questions asked, the group began to fall in line with Dustin, letting his compass show them to a portal to hell. Despite his complaints and mumbly disagreements in the new mission, Steve still followed in line with Alex guiding him along, encouraging him this was a good idea. Yet it was far from, when what lurked on the other side awaited the arrival of fresh blood and a purpose of returning what Vecna felt was his. Even in the Upside Down, no one was safe from the hell Vecna was willing to unleash on the group for their attempts to bring him down.