NANCY DREW AND CREW

☀︎

THE BELL ABOVE THE LIBRARY RANG OUT AT THE ARRIVAL OF THE GIRLS. Robin and Nancy took lead with Alex trailing behind as they walked up the steps of the library. On the car ride there, Nancy tried her best to explain why she was so interested in digging into the life of Victor Creel. Eddie's uncle mentioned him to her as a potential suspect and at the rate things had gone in Hawkins, she wasn't willing to ignore any lead.

Holding onto her head, Robin began to question the situation explained to her. "Let me get this straight, Eddie's uncle, Wayne, thinks that Victor Creel escaped from Pennhurst Asylum and that he's the one running around committing all these murders?"

Nancy gave her a glance with a fake smile. "Pretty much."

"But Victor committed the eyeball murders, like way back in the '50s."

Pulling open the doors, Nancy corrected her with exact facts. "Well, '59."

Walking in, Robin didn't seem to catch the hint that Nancy was not interested in hearing her doubts. "So, that means these murders predate Eleven in the Upside Down by about thirty years? Which makes spooky Victor Creel like seventy years old."

Nancy gave her a quick nod and turned her attention to Alex as they approached the front desk. Her smile changed from a fake, annoyed smile to a genuine, heartfelt one. "Keys to the basement archives?"

She gave Nancy a small nod as she made her way around back to retrieve what they needed to begin their investigation. Alex passed by Robin, giving her a worried smile before she disappeared. Nancy seemed to have been giving Robin the cold shoulder, uninterested in anything she had to say and it didn't go unnoticed by Alex. Despite her rambling, Robin had a heart of gold and didn't ever mean any harm. However, Nancy still didn't seem interested. Jealousy was a common thing that got under Nancy's skin, but it was unclear to either what could give Nancy such a reason to become increasingly annoyed with Robin.

That didn't mean she stopped trying even if she felt that she had to. Robin wanted to understand full facts so she could be one hundred percent invested in the plan. Alex was already on board, but that was always easy. Even in the most difficult task, she tended to be there as much as she could.

While in search of the key, Alex could hear the desperation from Nancy as she tried to rush her along with the sound of the bell. The singing became increasingly consistent the longer Robin continued to talk, gesturing every which way with her hands to completely express her desperation to find everything out.

Alex had no choice but to call out that she needed one more minute leading Nancy to give up and let out a sigh as she kept her eyes forward, ignoring how Robin now leaned forward with narrowed eyes. "Sorry. It's just, you seem annoyed. You don't know me very well. I don't really have a filter or a strong grasp of social cues. So if I say something that upsets you, just know that I know it's a flaw. Believe me, my mother reminds me daily."

Turning over to her with furrowed brows in concern, Nancy gave a sharp nod. "Got it."

Robin, however, didn't feel the she was being understood clearly and tried to continue to explain herself even if it meant pushing a conversation with Nancy who didn't seem so interested. "Okay, but don't rely on Alex to say anything first either. She doesn't mind the rambling. In fact, she appreciates it."

Nancy flashed her a sarcastic smile. "Does she really?"

Stunned for a moment, Robin left her hands out in confusion, stuck in silence. Coming back out to her rescue, Alex held out the key for them to see, hoping that this was enough to be the reason they could all come together as a team. Snatching the key from her hand, Nancy let out a laugh of excitement. "You're the best, Alex," she beamed, heading off towards the basement on her own. Looking over to Robin, Alex shot her a look of concern. "What happened while I was gone?"

Raising her hands up in just as much wonder, Robin gave a worried smile. "She hates me."

"That's not possible," Alex pouted. Linking her arm with Robin, she pulled her close, resting her head on her shoulder as they followed after Nancy. "You're the best person I know."

Robin tried to smile, wishing such a simple compliment could be enough to be glad she came with the two. Now she felt she was only in the way, bothering them with her need to ramble and coming between the two. Yet Alex stuck by her because there was no one else she wanted to be there with besides Robin. When it came to her, she never acted as if she only wanted Alex around for her own needs, but because she valued their friendship. Doing it without her seemed unreasonable and not worth it. However, it was only the beginning of the day and she had to keep her head held high and find a way for Nancy Wheeler to see she wasn't so bad after all.

While the girls headed straight to the basement archives, Dustin and Steve watched eagerly from the car as Max stood at Ms. Kelley's door so early into spring break. Looking back at them, Max grew anxious with the thought of facing the counselor she tended to avoid to escape facing how she felt. Now she stood at her front step hoping that they created enough of a relationship that Ms. Kelley would be willing to give her some answers about Chrissy and Fred.

Bringing her fist to the door, she knocked loudly, wishing that Alex could be standing beside her. Somehow it would have been easier to have someone with her that was close to Ms. Kelley. Now her relationship with Ms. Kelley was stronger than her relationship with Alex, which said quite a lot. It was enough to feel as if she was falling apart.

Opening the door, Ms. Kelley was startled to find Max Mayfield on her doorstep. It often took a lot of convincing to get her to pay a visit in her office, yet here she stood. Welcoming her into her home, Ms. Kelley stepped aside, curious to what led Max all the way there. Resisting the urge to look back at Dustin and Steve, Max swallowed her nerves and stepped inside to face the difficult part of finding the answers they needed.

Watching as the door shut behind her, Steve relaxed in his seat, "Okay, she's in."

"I'm missing collar bones, not eyes," Dustin mumbled under his breath. A silence hung in the air for a moment as he built the strength to talk to Steve. They discussed practically everything but there was one subject he tended to avoid. Talking about Alex always had Steve on edge and often ended with Dustin feeling worse for asking. What he needed most was for someone to be there for him to share his feelings about their fractured sibling relationship. Something so strong fell apart so quickly and he ended up having to bottle up his feelings.

Dustin hated Alex for leaving him but he couldn't blame her for doing what she felt was best for herself. Steve was supposed to always be there and when they broke up, he feared it would result in choosing sides, something he didn't want to do. But when Alex shut herself off, it was clear that choosing sides would never be an issue, she already made that decision for them. Steve got each and every one of them, even if he didn't want anyone choosing sides.

It didn't help that Dustin had this dream. The future was supposed to be what he imagined. It was the most ideal way he viewed the outcome of his life. He and Suzie would survive the long distance and she'd finally get the chance to visit him. Then he could introduce her to his sister and most importantly, Steve. It was a secret between the two-- something he was careful would only  stay between the two. He shared with Suzie his biggest secret that one day, Steve Harrington wouldn't just be his best friend, but his brother.

After meeting Eddie Munson, he was happy to include him further in his life. Not only did he adore him, but he truly believed that soon enough he would need a new older best friend to take Steve's spot. It wasn't that he was looking to replace Steve, he just knew that one day Steve wouldn't have to be his best friend when he would be something even greater, truly a part of this family— his brother-in-law. It felt ridiculous and embarrassing to admit it to anyone, but he felt safe with Suzie and she'd be the only one to ever know this secret. So he had to try once more to keep that dream alive. "So, are we gonna talk about it?"

"Huh? Sorry, talk about what?"

Dustin leaned his head forward as he met Steve's eyes, hoping he'd just understand and spill his guts. "Your temporary insanity earlier today when you basically threw yourself at Alex."

Steve immediately became on edge at the topic of conversation. Talking about any of it with Robin was hard enough, but to talk to Alex's younger brother was a whole different story. "That's not what happened."

"Pretty sure that's what happened. It was pretty public. There were, like, a lot of witnesses."

Tensed up, Steve looked at him in complete disbelief. "Are you implying I still have a thing for your sister?"

"No. I'm not implying. I'm stating."

"I was just trying to protect a friend." Looking out the window once more, he shook his head at himself. "Friend," he repeated under his breath. Never did he think he would have to refer to her as anything less than his girlfriend ever again. He dreamed of bigger things for the two, a whole life and now he was back to where they began— just friends. "A friend, Henderson. Okay? We may have broken up but I don't wanna find her with her eyes sucked out the front of her skull by this Vecna creep."

"You're, like, bright red in the face right now," Dustin claimed through his giggling. He couldn't help it. Steve was so bothered, but even Dustin could see right through all of it.

"No, I'm not," Steve fought back in defense. He turned his head away, avoiding Dustin's eyes to better shield himself. "I don't wanna talk about it. I'll punch you so hard in your face that your teeth will fall back out."

Stunned by his words, Dustin's smirk fell instantly as he looked at Steve in utter disbelief. "Whoa. Too far."

Pausing, Steve turned back over to Dustin as he realized his choice of words was not for the best. "Not cool. Sorry."

"Not cool," Dustin muttered in repeat. "It's okay," he shrugged creating an awkward silence between the two. Neither was sure how to move forward given the tension that stirred between them. Unsure how else to ease the situation, Steve raised a fist to Dustin and in return, he followed back with a fist bump.

Just that simple gesture alone took away from the awkward feeling in the air and gave Dustin that push to want to dig deeper for answers. Clearing his throat, Dustin made for a jab back at Steve, "At least just tell me what your excuse was when you showered her in movies because I'm pretty sure we didn't know Vecna was a thing at that point."

Holding out his hand, Steve put an end to his words. "That was again, me being a friend. I offered her some movies because I know she's been lonely and..."

"And you wanted to make her not lonely by throwing yourself at her. Got it," Dustin chuckled. It was just too easy for him to hit him back with easy teasing and get under his skin.

"No," he scoffed, adjusting himself anxiously in his seat. "No, man, by giving her something she likes. That's just what friends do."

Dustin couldn't accept that answer as he leaned back in his seat with his arms crossed. "Nope. I won't listen to that bullshit. Just admit you did it to have a reason to talk to her again. I won't laugh, I swear."

Narrowing his eyes, Steve looked at Dustin who was already smiling from ear to ear. "Shut it down, dude. I'm not talking about Alex with you. What happened is between me and her. Cut the crap with this creepy dream of yours where we fall back in love. You're her brother and it's weird."

"We've talked about it before. Even then you couldn't admit it which is why this is so funny. I mean, we've had this whole conversation before where you put on this big scene about not liking her and you just care about her as a friend all because you're worried she won't like you back. It's adorable, really. But I have the girlfriend now and I know better, and I'm telling you, you're stupid."

"Oh, I'm stupid," Steve scoffed. "No, you know what, you're stupid, Henderson."

"Oh, now I'm stupid," Dustin repeated back loudly. "Just admit you still love her. It's okay. I won't tell her, not like she talks to me much anyway. She's all about Robin now. They're practically inseparable." He wouldn't admit it, but he too wished he could be in Robin's spot. Being able to be close to Alex all the same as it was before, acting as if nothing happened. Robin made it look all too easy and for them, it seemed impossible and they were afraid that whatever they tried, Alex would push herself away further, something they didn't want.

Sighing, Steve ran his hand through his hair as he thought it over. Dustin was suffering too not talking to Alex. He deserved so much more than what he was getting and Steve only picked a fight with him over it. "Fine, you wanna talk about your sister, let's talk. You were there that night, right? Scariest shit in the world." He hovered his hand over his face, gesturing downward. "Blood everywhere. Goddamn horror movie. And the screaming, it was insane. I didn't know what the hell was going on. But she's got Robin and Lucas and Eddie helping her out now... So, you know what, I'm gonna let her live her life even if she doesn't want me in it. I'll still be happy for her."

Dustin's smile faded to be reminded of that night. That was the very night everything changed for him. He lost a sister and all she ever was, was a ghost. "You can't be happy for her. No one should. This life she's living is total crap and you should know that."

Steve sighed as he turned away to hide how he truly felt. "I don't know what to say, okay?"

"Where have you been?" Dustin spoke up. He was hurt and Steve was the only person here to take it. Bottling it up for so long created a monster inside of Dustin, one that has been dying to erupt. "How can you say you're happy for her? She doesn't leave the house unless it's for school or work. Robin hasn't talked to her until recently and Lucas got her to do one thing after months of trying when everyone else gave up. I even gave up, but that didn't mean I didn't care. Every night I went into her room just to make sure was still alive. And where were you? Did you even notice or were you too busy dating other girls to try and find out?"

"No," Steve interrupted with his hand raised to put his words to an immediate stop. Guilt weighed on his shoulders every day, but to take the full blame was not fair. "You don't get to blame me, man. I came over every day for as long as I could just to see her and nothing. In case you're forgetting, she broke up with me. Do you really think I would've been with anyone else if she didn't leave? No. No, I would've been with her right now."

"If you love her like I think you do, you would've tried harder."

Dustin's words stung knowing how hard he did try. Steve pursed his lips together as he shook his head "Maybe I didn't love her as much as I thought."

His words caused Dustin to turn away and look out his window with his arms crossed, holding himself as a way to comfort the sorrow that encircled him. He couldn't let Steve see the pain he caused him. Steve knew that Dustin looked up to him and was sincere when he shared how he wanted what they had. For it to be a lie hurt him.

Steve's eyes remained on him, regretful that he easily lied to the person he cared deeply for because he was afraid to open up. "I didn't mean that," Steve whispered. "All right, I'm sorry. I do love her, you're right. It's just, I had to let her go. If I didn't, then, I don't know, I'd love her forever and I'd be stuck. I didn't want to throw myself at all these girls but, you know, it helped take my mind off of her. I thought it'd help me move on with my life. You told me I should do that."

Dustin couldn't bring himself to look at Steve. The only reason he told anyone to move on was that he was frightened he too wouldn't be able to recover from the broken heart of his sister choosing to leave his life. Maybe if everyone moved on, then he thought he wouldn't feel so guilty for giving up when she needed him most. "Maybe you're right. Maybe you should move on."

Sighing, Steve's shoulders slacked in disappointment. He never wanted to move on but now he hurt Dustin enough to have another Henderson push him away. "Yeah, that's not happening," he confessed. "Robin told me she still loves me." He watched as Dustin began to look his way, hopefulness filling his now bright eyes. "So, sure, maybe you were right. I threw myself at her again to get her to notice that I feel the same way too."

"You're doing a piss-poor job," Dustin stated. "She's never going to believe that shit after seeing you with all those girls. You have to actually talk to her."

"Then so do you," Steve responded back. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but you're sort of the whole reason we even started dating, and I need both Henderson's. Let's get our shit together and... And we'll get her back."

Resting his head back against his seat, Dustin finally felt himself smiling. To see how good it felt for Dustin to open up to him, Steve reached over and placed his hand on top of his head. Giving him a good shake, he hoped he gave him enough confidence to keep fighting just as he was, but this time just a little harder.

『••☀︎••』

THE NIGHT BEGAN TO GROW LATE AS THE GIRLS CONTINUED THEIR SEARCH FOR ANY INFORMATION ON VICTOR CREEL. Alex, at first was glad to be with her friends as they searched for anything to help further their search for information on Vecna. It was soon enough that she realized that her happiness was short-lived when the awkward tension between the two continued to build. Whenever she talked to Robin, Nancy would grow quiet and when she talked to Nancy, Robin was happy to jump into the conversation only to receive a snappy response from Nancy. It was tiresome for Alex to maintain the peace.

Between the three, none were sure what sort of details to look for or where to even begin their search. To find nothing on what Nancy saw as such a solid lead only increased the tension within the room creating a pressure so high it was bound to snap at any moment.

And Alex was saved from that snap when Marissa, the librarian, stuck her head into the room with her usual bright smile. When she asked for Alex's help, Marissa could see the instant relief she felt as she jumped up from her microfilm reader and dismissed herself from the girls to help around the library despite it being her day off of work.

Listening to the sound of Alex's steps retreating, Robin pursed her lips together as she peeked around her microfilm reader for a glimpse at Nancy. With Alex gone, it left them with an uncomfortable silence that had Robin itching to speak up and fill the empty air around them. All she wanted was to feel a part of the group and that meant having the approval of everyone and the only one hesitant to have her around was Nancy Wheeler.

"Anything juicy over there?" Robin's voice squeaked out nervously, afraid that breaking the silence may lead to her own heart being broken in the process.

"Nothing new," Nancy grumbled, wishing for the silence to be back between them.

"Yep, same here. Victor seemed like a normal guy. Dead family, missing eyes, took a plea deal, sent to Pennhurst. Blah, blah, blah, blah," she rambled on, unaware of that heavy breath of air and annoyed eye roll she earned from Nancy. The thing she did notice was the silence setting in once more and she couldn't stand for it. Peering around her microfilm reader, she let her confusion get the best of her. "What are we looking for exactly?" Following had only been silence and concern replaced her sweet confusion. "Nance?" Knocking against the wood, she hoped it was enough to force Nancy out of her shell and speak to her in any way.

Lips formed into a tight line, Nancy couldn't hide her annoyance as she leaned over to see what Robin had wanted. There was too much floating around in her mind that having Robin continue to push as if nothing was wrong irked her. With her Victor Creel lead coming up short and her high concern for Robin's placement in the group, she was more than on edge.

Robin chose to see none of that as she began again. "Any mention of dark wizards or alternate dimensions? Things in that vein?"

Shaking her head, Nancy had reached her peak without Alex there to mediate the two. "I don't know, okay? It's starting to seem like this was just a big waste of time." Standing up from her seat, she slapped her hands down to her side in frustration. "And you're obviously bored. So why don't you just call Steve? I'm sure he'll pick you up. And I mean, I'm not really in danger here and Alex is perfectly fine with me."

Nancy gave her a cold smile before stomping off, leaving Robin in complete disbelief, unsure what she did to earn such a snap in response. All she wished to do was help and fully understand what she needed to look for to find answers faster. Nancy was headed back to the basement for another look through the microfilm archives and that left Robin alone to sort out her thoughts clearly.

Gears turning in her mind, Robin sat back in her seat, mouth hung open as she realized what all this had been about. All Robin had done so far was live her life exactly as she would normally, acting no different, and yet that was what bothered Nancy. During their short time together, Robin was always clinging to two certain people at all times, two people with deep connections with Nancy.

Jumping up from her seat, she took her chance to speak to Nancy alone without Alex listening to the drama that stirred between the two. Hurrying down the basement stairs, she clung to the railing as she looked at Nancy's back. "Alex can be both of our friends, you know. I'm not trying to deliberately steal her away by any means."

Nancy froze at Robin's confrontation. "Alex can be friends with whoever she wants," she mumbled, wishing to drop the conversation as is. Letting out a soft sigh, she forced a smile to her face. She was jealous, more than she thought she could have been, but she was irritated by Robin nonetheless. Had it just been that she was jealous of them being friends, she was willing to look past it and move on. Alex was her friend no matter what, nothing ever could change that. However, there was something about Robin that made her feel that Alex should be careful. "Did you call Steve yet?"

Panic settled over Robin when her eyes grew wide. Between her and Alex, there was never an issue when it came to Steve. The three of them got along so easily and even through the breakup, nothing came between the three. Now she developed a new fear that perhaps the relationship between Steve and Nancy was not to be forgotten so easily. "You do know Steve and I are, like, totally not a thing, right?"

Spinning around, Nancy was surprised to see that Robin was so quick to assume. "What?"

Hopping down from the steps, Robin stood near her, mindlessly opening drawers and shifting through microfilms as she spoke. "So, I figured you and Steve felt no romantic connection since you and Jonathan are still going strong cause you guys are going to college together. And you're like one of those unstoppable power couples. And you and Alex are just so close I could only assume...but I... I just..."

Shutting the drawer, she turned over to Nancy just to find her watching her in clear disgust. "Are you suggesting I have feelings for Steve?"

Robin paused, seeing her mistake in the matter. "I don't know," she admitted quietly. "You seem upset with me and I don't think I did anything, especially since Steve and I are just friends. Like, platonic with a capital P." Walking around Nancy, she decided to make herself busy, unsure how to handle the situation. Had Nancy still had feelings for Steve, Robin felt it was her duty to break the news to Alex but didn't want to come between any relationship drama she wanted no part of.

Yet it bothered Nancy deeply for Robin to assume something so quick about her. "I don't like Steve in the slightest," she snapped.

"Oh," Robin whispered. "I just... I had to clear that up just in case that was adding any tension between us."

"It wasn't," Nancy said through a fake smile she sent her way. However, an urge to speak her mind continued to grow through the night. Seeing how Robin clung to Alex one second and then left her alone to hold on to Steve, was horrifying to her. Alex needed someone there for her that wouldn't hurt her, and Robin, to her, didn't seem like the right choice. "But don't you think it's a little weird though?" Her question flew out of her mouth before she had the opportunity to bite her tongue and keep it bottled up. "Because when I dated Steve, he and Alex were supposedly platonic too. Then they fell madly in love." Closing her eyes, she turned back to her drawer with a fake smile to hide away the anger she really felt. "Alex has gone through enough, don't you think? Alex and Steve... it was perfect for her because they were always meant to be together, you know? The last thing she needs is for you to hurt her because I did that enough."

Mouth hung open, Robin was blown away that this is where she was ending up. She was the least threat to Alex and Steve's relationship and was one of their biggest supporters. Currently, she was fighting to keep them from giving up entirely on their relationship and encouraged them to do things they wouldn't be willing to do on their own. However, according to Nancy, she was willing to start a battle over it. "I am... I am far from a threat. Steve and I... gross. That is never going to happen. And trust me, Alex knows this. I-I mean Steve and I are close... But that's like how Jonathan and Alex are. It's strictly platonic."

Turning over to Robin, Nancy couldn't help but glare at her. "You do know she likes him, right?"

"Of course," Robin whispered, pain filling her voice.

"So did I. When Steve and I started dating, I knew they liked each other but I didn't care because I liked him too. Steve is a great guy, but he's not worth hurting her. I don't know if Alex sees it, but even if she does, she won't say anything even if it's hurting her. She's always putting her friends first even when she shouldn't have to."

Robin began to open her mouth, wanting to defend herself against Nancy's accusations. However, that moment fled the moment Alex came down the stairs with a soft sigh. She was unsure what kind of situation she was walking into and she hoped it was only progress on their search. "Find anything yet?"

Robin turned her back to them with a pout. She was hurt to be accused of ever doing anything to possibly hurt Alex. The heated tension in the air caused Alex to stand still as she looked back and forth between the two, feeling that the tension was far worse than when she left before. To have Robin so quiet meant that something happened that made it clear she never should have left the two to themselves, even if she needed a break.

Coming up, Alex opened her own drawer to look into but her mind was elsewhere. All she wanted was for the two to be close because then it would make it much more exciting. It would mean that they could distract themselves from the hunt for answers and give them a break from the rest of the group. That was far from the case. All this time spent away from friends for months and now that she was back, this is how things ended up being.

Perking up for a moment, Robin felt a small smile come to her lips as she gave a glance to Alex. It hadn't mattered what Nancy accused her of, one thing Robin was sure of, she wouldn't treat Alex any differently. "Henderson, come see this shit." Glad to hear her voice, Alex ditched her drawer, coming up behind Robin, and placing her chin on her shoulder as she looked at what she held in her hands. "The Weekly Watcher. I can't believe you guys have this and you didn't tell me," Robin whispered excitedly.

"Don't they write about Bigfoot and UFOs?" Nancy called over in curiousity.

"First UFOs are absolutely real," Robin laughed, earning a nod of agreement from Alex. "Bigfoot we're still on the fence about." Alex gave a shrug and nodded anyway. Theorizing with Robin about anything and everything that could be around them, hidden in the shadows, was always a thrill. It kept them busy and was a great distraction from the real haunt of monsters that they lived with.

"We are looking for information on dark wizards," Alex said and looked at Robin with a bright smile. "Holy shit, you're a genius."

"If someone's gonna write about that, it's gonna be these weirdos," Robin beamed.

This immediately perked Nancy's interest as she made her way over. "And you two are sure about this?" Her eyes pulled from the film as she met only Alex's eyes. To see her smiling and so quick to agree with Robin gave her enough confidence to follow through with their last attempt at finding answers. Taking the film from Robin and grabbing onto Alex's hand, she raced for the stairs to get to a microfilm reader as quickly as they could.

When the girls had huddled themselves around the microfilm reader, it so far seemed to be a dead end. Nancy's confidence in the two quickly diminished as it all seemed to be pointless and full of useless information. "Elvis cloned by aliens," she read aloud.

Both Robin and Alex looked over at her and spoke in complete unison. "You never know." Unamused by their clear connection and interest in such insane things, Nancy sent them a quick glare before stepping back to consider any new options they could take. So far, it was all pointless to indulge in The Weekly Watcher and the crazy stories that were covered.

Robin and Alex weren't that quick to give up. Sharing a seat together, they continued searching through until finally Robin's eyes lit up and her voice turned deep and gravely as she read the title aloud for them all. "Victor Creel claims vengeful demon killed family. The murder that shocked a small community."

"Ha, ha. That's very funny," Nancy commented sarcastically.

"She's not joking," Alex laughed as Nancy made her way over curiously. "Was it a triple homicide or a demonic ritual?" She read aloud through a large smile. "I'm guessing neither. Just some asshole that kills random teens."

Letting out a breathless laugh, Robin couldn't agree more. "Well, according to several insiders, Victor believed his house was haunted by an ancient demon. Victor allegedly hired a priest to exorcise the demon from his home. Pretty novel for the '50s. Exorcist wasn't even out yet."

"Great movie," Alex whispered. Nodding in agreement, Robin turned to her with a smile. "Add that to the movie date?"

"Not a date," Alex whispered, attempting to send her a small glare just to end up fighting her smile.

Tapping Robin on the shoulder, Nancy was more interested in finding new information than their side conversation she was no part of. "Keep going," she whispered.

Moving on to the next page, Robin narrowed her eyes at the screen, focusing on their mission at hand. "Okay, so Victor claimed this exorcism failed, but it angered this demon, which then murdered his family, removing their eyes. Victor believed he was spared as a punishment."

"That's pretty convenient for Victor," Nancy whispered.

"Yeah, or super inconvenient," Robin spoke up. "Victor was declared legally insane by the court, right? What if this is why? I mean, it sounds pretty insane. It just didn't go public because..."

"The plea bargain," Nancy finished for her. "The records were sealed."

"What if a demon did invade Victor's home? It's just, this demon wasn't any old demon," Robin whispered.

"It was Vecna," Alex frowned. Both Robin and Nancy looked over at her, but Alex kept her eyes focused on the paper before her. Tortured by Vecna and left with nothing, Victor Creel was an eerie thought in her mind. Had Vecna kept with his plans, she felt she may end up just the same as Victor-- alone, left with nothing but the reminder of the horrors in her mind, and potentially trapped in Pennhurst accused of lying about the true events that led her down that path. Tearing her eyes away, she had to believe this was going to be different for her because she knew who he was and she had a team of people who believed in him all the same.

"We have to tell the others," Nancy declared. Picking up Alex's backpack off the ground, she placed it on her shoulders and gave a smile to the two. "Let's go."

Gathering their stuff together, the girls were quick to head out of the library and out into the night. Exiting the library, Robin was back into bouncing on her heels with pure excitement. This was where she thrived. Fighting monsters was not really her thing, but solving any mystery thrown her way was the most exciting thing she could do. It's what she was best at. Had she some red yarn, a whiteboard, and a series of pictures, she was sure that she could pinpoint exactly what happened at the Creel House and how it connects all to Vecna and the current events in Hawkins.

Taking the radio out, she pulled out the antenna to call out to the other group. "Dustin, do you copy?

On the other end, Dustin was breathless as he held his radio up. "Yeah, I copy."

"So, Nancy's a genius," she glowed. Nodding in agreement, Alex squeezed Nancy's arm in pure happiness, "That's an understatement." A surprised laugh escaped Nancy's lips to see that all of this had made Alex so happy. Had she realized that this was how it always was with her and Robin-- following conspiracy theories every time they had a sleepover, she would have seen it was not as unordinary as she thought. Even as hurt she was inside, bringing back this kind of thrill broke out her old self.

Just as excited, Robin reached out and pinched Alex's arm to release her emotion in some way. "Vecna's first victims date back all the way to 1959. Her shot in the dark was a bullseye!"

Dustin wanted to be just as enthusiastic about the new information, but he was in a state of panic. Flashlight in hand, he glanced around the empty hallways of Hawkins High-- a school break-in. "Okay, that's totally bonkers, but I can't really talk right now."

Coming up to Nancy's car, Robin stopped at the passenger door in confusion. "What are you doing?"

Both Nancy and Alex paused with their doors open, concerned about what kind of trouble the three managed to get themselves involved in while they were away. "Breaking and entering into the school to retrieve confidential and extremely personal files."

As Robin asked him to repeat himself once more, Alex's blood ran cold. Turning over to Nancy, she kept her voice in a whisper to allow Robin to hear out Dustin again. "Nance," she said with a scrunched up face, stuck in worry. "Nance, they're gonna see my file if they go there."

Turning over to her, Nancy shook her head. "No, no, they wouldn't look at it without asking you first." The way she spoke made Alex look at her in disbelief. Nancy had her doubts all the same as she did.

"Dustin will look," she repeated strictly. "I tell Ms. Kelley everything. I mean, the best that I can without sounding insane." Together, they headed into the car to keep the conversation between the two so Robin didn't catch it on the radio for the others to overhear. "I talk about all of them. Max, Dustin, Steve. I want to be the one to tell them how I really feel when I'm ready, not from them snooping because they're afraid I might be involved somehow."

Nancy kept her hands on the wheel, forcing a smile on her face to convince herself that they wouldn't do such a thing. "Steve would never. Max would kill them, right?"

"Dustin would," Alex spoke up. Sitting in the backseat, she sat forward and wrapped her arms around the headrest of the passenger seat for a better look at Nancy. "My file isn't small either. I go talk to her all the time. It'll stand out."

"I'll kill them if they do," she breathed out, even taking Alex by surprise. One thing Nancy could ever promise that she would never hurt Alex Henderson again. Protecting her against anything was what she wanted, now seeing the kind of friend she always should have been for her because she knew Alex would do the very same. Hopping into the car, Robin rolled her eyes as Dustin urged them to get there as soon as they could. The moment the door shut, Nancy pressed on the gas, hoping to get there long before they could start their search for answers.

Robin was oblivious to the conversation, still feeling the excitement of their information as she looked to the backseat at Alex with a wink, radio raising back to her lips. "Hey, is Harrington still with you?"

There was a moment of silence on Dustin's end before his voice spoke back in confusion. "Yeah, Steve's still here, why?"

"Alex says hi, is all," she said simply, however the way her stomach flipped from the antics she was causing, her face told another story. She was smiling ear to ear mischievously. Once again there was a silence causing Robin to raise her brows as she awaited a response.

In the school halls, Max had shined her flashlight on the two as Steve tried to wrestle the radio out from Dustin's hands. As much as she lived for the chaos Robin was causing, she wanted to find the files, get as much information as she could and get out of the school as soon as possible.

The fight didn't last long after Steve put Dustin in a headlock and held him tight against his chest as he held the radio up. "Can you tell her I said hi?"

Robin turned back around to face Alex with a devious smile. "Why don't you guys just tell each other yourselves? Just one second." Holding out the radio, Robin tried not to laugh at the irritation that fumed off Alex. She was red in the face and breathing heavily, but Robin could tell that her heart was swelling up just to even hear his voice.

Angrily accepting the radio, Alex shook off her nerves and turned to face the window to avoid Robin's teasing. "Hey, are you guys good?"

Steve's grip loosened up on Dustin, clearing his throat, feeling anxious that no matter what he would say would be wrong. It was just the same as it was when he first met her. Scared, nervous, and desperate to hear her voice one more time. "Oh, yeah, you know, your brothers a total shit, but we're good. How are... how are you guys?"

"Oh, Robin's a total shit too, but besides that, we're totally fine," she laughed softly. Despite it being such a casual conversation, being able to hear him again never failed to have her heart soar. Something about Steve Harrington had that effect on her.

Hearing her quiet laugh come from the other end was what made him feel lighter as they continued their way down the halls. She laughed and he had Robin to thank for making her take the radio. "All right, Henderson, you should get here as soon as you can. We..." he paused, correcting himself all because he made that promise to Dustin to say how he felt rather than cover it up. "I need you here. Not used to babysitting without you."

"We'll be there soon," she smiled. "I left you alone for two hours, Harrington, survive just a few minutes until I get there." Clicking off the radio, Alex passed it back up to Robin before she sat back in her seat, biting back the smile that was growing on her face. Nancy and Robin glanced at one another, Robin cocky, raising her brows at Nancy as a way of saying I told you so! She was not a threat whatsoever and Nancy felt relieved, seeing that she was causing tension for no reason when this whole time, they should have been working together.

Steve handed off the walkie to Dustin as they walked into Ms. Kelley's office, a new pep in his step as they entered. Dustin rolled his eyes as he took the radio back with a huff. "You're like a little school girl with a crush, you know that?"

"Shut up, man," he scoffed, giving him a light a shove. Following Max over to the filing cabinet, he shook his head. "And I don't need the I told you so, either, okay? I already told you that you were right, I'm still into her."

Dustin was waiting for this moment to make a sarcastic remark or dig into Steve for being so predictable, but his attention was caught by Max in complete shock as she pulled files out for herself to see. "Holy shit," she whispered. Coming over, he looked at the files she held in her hand. "Alex was right, Fred was seeing Ms. Kelley too. I got both his and Chrissy's files."

Steve took them into his hands but Dustin wandered over to the file cabinet and began to rifle through it. His curiosity to see if Vecna's next victim had been seeing Ms. Kelley got the best of him. While Max and Steve compared the two files, Dustin stopped at the most interesting file. Pulling it out, he swallowed hard, knowing it was wrong of him to even give it a second glance. Holding it out before him, he gripped on tight to a file that was larger than the others. "This is Alex's," he whispered. Spinning around, Steve shined his flashlight at him, seeing that the file he held onto belonged to Alex. Reaching out, he took it from his grasp before Dustin did something he'd regret, "Nope, not reading that shit."

"What if she told her something she's not telling us? What if she's in danger and she's covering it up? That's my sister and I deserve to know."

"She'll tell us," Steve stated. But even he wasn't all that sure. Alex tended to hide things away in fear that she would be blamed for everything happening or hurt those around her. He had to hold onto the hope that maybe this time around, things would be different. The stakes were high this time around and she knew how desperately they needed her to be there for them all the same.

Placing the file down onto the desk, he couldn't help but watch it, resisting his own desire to see what could possibly be inside. Everything she felt was right in front of him and he was willing to let it all go so that he didn't lose her along the way.

Steve and Dustin weren't the only ones so curious to see what hidden horrors lurked beyond that file, what Alex kept from them.

Max could see clearly through the symptoms that stood out in both Chrissy and Eddie's file that she was next. The bloody noses, headaches, past trauma, and constant nightmares, it was everything wrong with her. All those things that pushed her away were just the same and she feared Alex did the same because of similar symptoms. Her eyes lingered from the files as they slowly shifted towards Alex Henderson's, unaware that she was now locked into a curse she would never be able to escape. The same evil being that haunted Alex's every step, watched her every move, and found a home within her heart had called to Max, wishing she would join all the same as his previous victims in a hell like no other.