( TW: brief but graphic description of gore, character death )

Two Weeks Later
Wednesday, August 9th, 1989

"You've gotten better about filling up the area between the lines."

"Really?"

"Yeah! You're doing a very great job!"

Both Steph and Justin giggled as the little boy continued to color on the page that contained Darth Vader from an Empire Strikes Back coloring book. The blonde had her head resting on the back of her hand whilst sitting at the kitchen table with Justin, knowing that Amber and Bill were sitting in the living room and watching an installment of the Rocky franchise – Rocky IV, to be exact. She figured that would be a good enough movie for a little kid to watch instead of a scary film this time, since she didn't want to give her nightmares.

Steph had been watching the movie for half an hour but Justin admitted that he was bored and wanted to color, so the blonde abided by his wishes. She was a little bummed that she couldn't hang out with the two other people in the living room but she wanted her surrogate son to be happy until she had to go home for the night. Besides, Bill was leaving right after the movie ended in order to get home before curfew hit Derry; this made her want to speed up the coloring so she could spend at least a tiny bit of time with him.

She calmed herself down just a bit as she chuckled lightly, since she knew she would see Bill tomorrow anyway. She saw him every single day now, and it was always one of her highlights of the weeks that went by since Neibolt. He kept her company whenever Amber, Beverly, or Justin weren't around and she was relieved; they would always hang out and either play board games or watch movies, with Steph teaching him how to play guitar from time to time.

Nothing romantic would happen between them, however; they were keeping their promise of avoiding all forms of affection until Its cycle was finished. It was as if they had never confessed their feelings for each other at all, but they would nonchalantly flirt with one another from time to time to remind themselves that one had a crush on the other. But those moments would end when one of them started blushing or if they were interrupted. Other than that, however, everything between the two teens were semi-normal and that was a massive surprise to them.

Tonight was no exception, as Bill had called Steph earlier that afternoon and had asked if he could help out with babysitting the kids as he always did. But, unlike some of the other times, he wasn't just making up an excuse to see her. He genuinely loved watching over the children from time to time and he looked at them as his own siblings now. It was something that helped him cope with the loss of Georgie, and he was dealing with that much better than in the past several months prior. He couldn't help but thank Steph for that, since she always did everything in order to make him happy – a primary reason he liked her so much – and she was practically dedicating her life to his well-being and his emotions... almost as if hers didn't matter anymore.

Bill decided to return the favor and make her feel happy as well so she wouldn't lose her sanity; he had noticed that she was nowhere near the same sweet girl that he knew two months ago. He could see that the innocent and caring girl was still inside her soul but was buried deep in there, and he mostly saw a young woman who rose to the occasion whenever she was needed much like he did many times in the past. And, while that part of her always surprised him and there were aspects of her that he didn't see coming, he started to really adore how tough she was getting (he had always thought she was strong) and he liked seeing this side of her more often.

But he would be lying if he said that he didn't like how gentle and kind she really was, especially around Amber and Justin. He had examined how loving she was towards them and he just couldn't stop his heart from melting at how affectionate she acted when she was around them, almost as if they were the highlight of her day.

She was always that way with Georgie.... he thought to himself, and he actually smiled.

He didn't realize that Steph had been looking in his direction for a little too long, just longing to spend just a tiny space of time with him – even if it were half a second – but she knew that it wouldn't happen that often until the year-long string of disappearances and murders came to a close. Once it finished, she would take every chance to be around Bill Denbrough, even if she had to make up the dumbest excuses in the world.

It would all be worth it in the end. She was sure of it.

She was reminded of a conversation she had with Justin barely three days ago, where he had basically called her out on her feelings for Bill. She could admit this: Justin Daniel O'Connor was just about as smart as she was, and she was rather impressed with how much he knew. He was very good at picking up social cues and, if there was one thing she absolutely figured out years before, she could not (for the life of her) hide a secret from the nine-year-old. Every person he had met was one he could read like a book if he had the ability to... and she could privately tell that he was able to. It was one thing she learned about him early on in their lifelong friendship.

And Justin was very wise as well and rather mature for a young kid his age. He had advised Steph to cherish every moment with Bill as if it would be her last, even if they weren't together yet; he then said words she would never forget for the rest of her life... in fact, her future self would find herself sobbing at these words:

Hold onto that love for as long as it lasts... I'll be there with you every step of the way.

But, for now, her present self was smiling at the words he had told her because of how comforted she was by them. It even made her feel proud of the young boy and she envisioned a bright future for him ahead of time.

Little did she know, his future wouldn't have the brightest outcome after all of this was over.... But she was sure that it wouldn't be as emotionally devastating for him as it was when he lost his father two months prior.

"Steph, you're not paying attention!"

The blonde drew her attention back to the boy sitting next to her at the dining table, tilting her head in curiosity. "Sorry, kiddo," she replied as she chuckled before examining the rest of the coloring he had done; she grinned out of being impressed by Justin's artistic skills and she even patted him on the back as a result. "That's great!" she spoke up cheerfully, truly grinning now. "You've got a great eye for colors..." Her midnight blue eyes traced over the many blacks, grays, reds, and greens throughout the page and it made her heart lift in happiness.

For once, Justin actually felt proud of himself for doing well with the coloring, not only because he had impressed Steph. He was actually improving on being neat when it came to the task and it was all due to the teenage girl's help and her spending as much time as she could to keep him entertained and cheerful. He knew that she didn't have to dedicate so much of her routine to being around him and his little sister, but she did it anyway and it was something to make the last couple of weeks of summer bearable before he went into the fourth grade. Amber would be going into the second grade in September and she was climbing up in the years... slowly, but surely.

It would be emotional for him to watch the little girl grow up alongside him and he knew that Steph would help his mother out with watching over Amber. He was very lucky to have a sibling, even if he only wanted a little brother at first; having a little sister was honestly better because of how different they were (he didn't want a sibling that was the exact same as he was). He would be able to see so many firsts from Amber: her first days of each grade, her first group of friends, her first win for something in school, her first A+, her first high school prom, and then her graduation. And he couldn't wait for those days to come.

Thinking of the optimistic future made Justin smile even more and he even grinned at Steph, but he felt slightly bashful because it felt as though this was the first time he had truly achieved something great. He could tell that the blonde next to him was genuine with her compliment and praise of his work and he couldn't help but blush, only out of insecurity since he put himself down every now and then. He couldn't form words at the moment, despite opening up to his loved ones more often recently.

"He'd be proud of you..." Steph hummed, smiling sadly as she glanced at Justin.

A single tear stung Justin's left eye as he looked back at Steph but he successfully blinked it away as he managed a small smile in return. "Thanks, Steph..." he replied gratefully before sniffing and clearing his throat to make it look as though he was not about to cry.

Steph frowned slightly but she didn't say anything, just putting a hand on Justin's shoulder to provide comfort as she sighed gently. She chose not to say anything else, especially after the young boy placed a hand over hers in order to console her despite the fact that he was the one getting that treatment. She smiled in response since she was proud of him being a selfless little boy; in fact, it had always seemed to be this way... since day one.

"Steph, are you and Justin coming back to watch the rest of the movie?!" came Amber's shouting voice from the living room, and Steph could hear Bill's chuckle in reaction.

The blonde smiled even more as she begrudgingly stood up from her chair and extended her hand to Justin. "C'mon, kiddo," she mumbled teasingly, giggling softly as she pushed her chair in.

Justin rolled his eyes a little but he still took Steph's hand and stood up, walking towards the doorway to the living room. "They're no fun," he groaned out of annoyance as he glanced up at the taller girl.

"Yeah, I know," Steph replied as she grinned. "They just miss us, that's all...."

"No excuse!" Justin said as he chuckled, and Steph even laughed.

Steph dropped her weight down on the couch, sitting to Bill's left as she put both of her arms around the kids sitting on either side of her. It seemed as though the movie had reached the final fight scene between Rocky and Ivan Drago, which was always her favorite part of the film. And, while she was physically focused on the scene and the cheers of the kids beside her, her mental state wasn't exactly concentrated as much.

This time, however, she didn't feel as much paranoia as she had felt in the past and she was more at peace if anything. It was the first time she truly had a good day in a very long time, a day that went by without any tears or depression or anything going wrong. At first, she thought to herself that today was a little too peaceful, but she chose to ignore that instinct deep down in her gut and just be happy for once. Three people she deeply cared for were by her side and it made her feel relieved that they were safe and unscathed and just as happy as she was. They were all probably the happiest they had been all summer and it made her feel as though she had something to do with that.

There was a part of her – the self-aware side – that was screaming at her to pay attention to her gut and to be more paranoid than usual, since a bad feeling settled in her heart. But the other part of her – the naive side – that was assuring her that everything was okay and she had nothing to worry about.

Perhaps that was true...

But a sliver of her subconscious knew that it would end up not being true.

Steph did know that the two kids on either side of her would end up being just fine, however. They had gotten their strength from their parents and that made her feel proud of the way Rachel and Daniel had raised them, they had done their job for her. She knew that they were tougher than they thought, but they were way too young to realize that and she understood. She just hoped that, one day, they would realize just how strong they really were.

Two resilient little kids against the world, Steph thought. What could possibly go wrong?

(everything everything could go wrong and you wouldn't even know it until it's too late)

Steph acknowledged this and it made her tense up slightly, her hands clenching into fists.

Luckily, nobody noticed.

A little while later, the blonde peered at the window, seeing the summer sun beginning to set through the cracks in the blinds. This made her perk up ever so slightly as she raised her head, staring out into the darkness that was slowly enveloping the town, and she couldn't deny that it sent a chill down her spine. Paranoia hit her with full force but it was hidden deep down in her mental state, and she tried her hardest not to show it.

Steph could sense an otherworldly presence in the house and it made her glance around when she was sure that the three people around her wouldn't be aware. She felt like she was being watched, but that was a common sensation in her mind, and she couldn't stop being nervous every time she stepped out into the suffocating heat of the August air. This month, surprisingly, brought out much hotter temperatures than June and July combined. Unlike those previous two months, the weather would sometimes creep into the hundreds and no rain would overcome the atmosphere with relief.

Today, however, the temperature was only eighty-eight degrees; this wasn't as bad as it had been the previous day, where it was as high as a hundred and one outside. It was a sign of the season slowly drawing to a close. Autumn was on the horizon and it was Steph's favorite time of the year.... The crisp, cool air, the leaves changing colors and falling from dead branches, the Halloween decorations, and the chilling atmosphere Fall brought always made her feel relaxed.

But she certainly didn't feel relaxed right now.

This town is cursed, she whispered in her mind. Derry has been filled with a death curse. We are fucking cursed.

Snapping out of her thoughts, she glanced at her watch. It was 6:45. Instinctively, she tapped Bill on the shoulder and showed him the time and this made him sit up a little bit, chuckling out of embarrassment when he realized that he had completely lost track of time. He nodded as a way to thank her, however, and he stood up from the couch just as the movie ended and the credits began to roll.

"Sorry, kids," he told them with a sad smile as he began putting his shoes back on. "I've guh-got to go back home."

"Awwww..." both Amber and Justin groaned with despair, their shoulders slumping from where Steph's arms were wrapped around them.

"Don't worry, guys..." Steph added solemnly. "You'll see him again soon. Besides, you both know you favor him more than you favor me."

Bill couldn't help but smirk in remark, trying to hide a snicker. "Like I said t-t-two months ago, Steph, that's because I l-luh-let them do whatever they w-want," he replied smugly, grinning on the inside.

Steph rolled her eyes as she stood up, removing her arms from Justin and Amber and walking over to Bill. "Oh, you know it's only because you're supposedly 'more fun' than I am," she playfully argued, using quotation symbols and a sarcastic tone.

Bill couldn't help but grin this time as he laughed. "You would be c-correct, Palmer," he said proudly, loving that he was lightly pushing the girl's buttons.

The girl gently punched Bill's shoulder as she giggled, resisting the urge to fire back out of dread that Justin and Amber would tease them again. Even though they weren't together yet, they were incredibly obvious about their feelings towards one another, to the point that the two children always picked on them about their gross crushes, although the teasing was harmless.

Bill and Steph sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G....

Steph just prayed that the 'kissing' part would come true sooner than later because it was becoming increasingly difficult to hold herself back from sharing her first kiss with Bill. She guessed that was what happened when you started to fall head over heels for someone you were fond of. A part of her hated that feeling – utterly despised it – because it made her feel extremely vulnerable around Bill; but most of her welcomed it, it was something she needed, especially after everything that had happened to her. It also brought her some newfound strength that she had desperately searched for all of her life. She was finally starting to reflect her mother's personality from her younger years....

Jamie had been a naturally tough young woman who, although not the best person back then, always stood up for herself and fought back whenever necessary. After she had Steph, that vigor and vitality only grew in its power now that she was a mother, especially considering that she did everything she could within herself to protect her daughter through and through; but she was still lenient on her because her Steph had always been a good girl that rarely got herself into trouble and who was always kind to people whenever necessary.

Jamie Palmer loved her little girl dearly, and that affection was always returned tenfold.

Steph began walking Bill to the front door, hoping that the kids would be preoccupied with picking out their next movie for the next few minutes. She glanced over at her crush and simply smiled, surprised that not a single bit of blush touched her face; this was probably due to her being so used to his presence lately. Sure, they would still have their awkward moments, but those would be brushed aside for more normal scenarios with them involved.

"I hope you have a good ruh-rest of your night," Bill wished upon her, smiling back at her as he opened the front door, the screen door following it temporarily blocking his way. "And try not to let th-the kids bother y-y-you too much..."

The blonde girl smiled as she shrugged her shoulders, looking down for a brief moment. "Oh, you know I won't, Bill," she replied with a joking grin. "I've handled them one too many times, anyway. I mean, I've known them since they were babies, so...."

"Y-Yeah, I know," Bill mumbled under his breath as he chuckled, still amazed that she had known those kids for, practically, her whole entire life (minus three to four years, of course).

"Please be careful on your way home," Steph told him in a somewhat commanding tone as she gave him a worried expression.

"You can n-never be too careful," Bill pointed out with a humorless chuckle, sighing a little to himself.

"I know... I just want you to keep yourself safe," Steph said. She then reached out and took Bill's hand, not wanting him to leave out of concern for him; her paranoia had reached the highest point possible recently, so she couldn't stop her racing heartbeat.

Bill frowned slightly as he then reached out and gently grasped the shorter girl's other hand, squeezing it delicately. "Th-This will all be over s-soon, Steph..." he whispered to her. "I hope so..."

"I hope so, too..." Steph replied, her anxiety slowly dying down at the reassuring words, but it never truly vanished. "I want it to be over now, though. But I need to understand that it's going to be a while until it does."

"We've g-g-gotta stay strong," Bill advised, smiling optimistically, interlocking his fingers with Steph's as he leaned forward and placed a tender kiss on her forehead. It was the first form of true affection he had shown for her in days, and it never failed to make the blonde's breath hitch. He couldn't help but smile.

"Goodnight, Bill..." Steph murmured to him, her vivid eyes shimmering in the moonlit night outside.

"G-Goodnight, Steph..." Bill muttered in return.

And then he left.

And Steph shut the front door, latching the chain and twisting the deadbolt lock.

_____

Two Hours Later
8:45 P.M.

After watching another movie, this time the film being Gremlins, Steph looked to her right and noticed that Justin had passed out and that Amber was slowly beginning to doze off. Unable to stop smiling at the – admittedly – adorable sight, she shut the television off and stood up carefully. She then scooped Justin into her arms, relieved that he was easy to carry, and then turned to the younger sibling.

"Come on, time for bed..." she murmured gently and, although Amber groaned in slight annoyance, her sleepy yawn gave her away.

The little girl stood up and followed Steph up the stairs while the teenaged girl carried Justin all the way to his bedroom. She then tucked him and kissed his forehead, glad that he had remained asleep the entire time.

"You want me to pack you?" Steph asked Amber, and she was answered with a timid nod; in return, she picked the seven-year-old up and took her to her room that was directly next to Justin's. She then placed her on the mattress and pulled the blankets over her, her eyes misted over with tiredness of her own.

"Steph...?" Amber whispered.

"Yeah, honey?" the blonde replied in a quiet voice.

"Can you leave the nightlight on, please?" the young girl asked her meekly, her eyebrows creased in what Steph could see was minor fear. "I... I've become a little scared of the dark lately..."

Steph couldn't help but beam a little at this, since she could heavily relate to having that fear when she was younger. "Well, this is new," she pointed out. "I'll leave the nightlight on, don't worry. But, if you get scared, I'm gonna give you some advice. I used to be scared of the dark when I was your age. But you know what I would do?"

"What would you do?"

"I would say a small little prayer that my mom taught me every night," she told her. "You wanna practice with me?"

Amber nodded eagerly and clasped her hands together in a small prayer stance.

"Okay," Steph muttered. "Now I lay me down to sleep..."

"Now I lay me down to sleep..." Amber replied softly.

"I pray the Lord my soul to keep..."

"I pray the Lord my soul to keep..."

"Please angels watch me through the night, And keep me safe till morning light," Steph continued. "And if I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take..."

Amber finished each verse of the prayer with a comforted smile. "Thanks, Steph..." she said cheerfully now. "That should help."

"That's good!" Steph replied joyfully. "It worked for me in the past, and I bet it'll work for you, too. Goodnight, sweetie..."

"Goodnight," Amber said before Steph placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Sweet dreams. See you in the morning."

The entire duration of time from when she silently shut the bedroom door to when she tiptoed down the steps, Steph was completely unaware of a presence within the house that was watching her every move. And, as she locked each door and each window, she wasn't able to see him in the shadows, his eyes never moving from her.

But Steph did sense a bad feeling within her gut. Her shine wouldn't allow her to detect what it was, however.

_____

Thirty Minutes Later
9:15 P.M.

Steph was curled up on the couch and finally catching up on reading her copy of Paul Sheldon's Misery's Return, in complete peace because of how silent it was in the house. The only light that was on downstairs was the lamp right next to her as she lightly hummed to herself and skimmed through the words on the page carefully. She was halfway through the novella now but she was starting to feel a little tired; however, she had to try her best to stay awake. Rachel would be home around midnight and she would risk walking home afterwards.

In the meantime, she wanted to finish the book so she could move onto another... and a million more until she got sick of reading altogether.

But she highly doubted that would happen anytime soon.

As she turned the page, she suddenly felt her shoulders tense up greatly and her heart seemed to drop. She had no idea why this was happening, but she quickly placed her bookmark back in the novel and put it on the coffee table in front of her. She narrowed her eyes slightly, attempting to figure out the sensation that was in her soul with her shine. It was insanely difficult when everything seemed normal however.

Key word: seemed.

For no reason whatsoever, Steph's skin was crawling with goosebumps and she felt how rough the skin on her arms was at the moment. At any point, a single sound could possibly trigger something within her to snap, and that was proven by the sudden cold sweat that seeped from her palms.

Her head swerved around almost too quickly and her eyes were wide with utter terror.

But there was nothing behind her. There was nobody behind her.

In fact, there was no one downstairs.

Or so it seemed...

(now i lay me down to sleep)

The voice entered her mind gradually and Steph was aware that it did not belong to her; in fact, it sounded childlike and innocent and not as though she was thirteen like herself. She tried to recognize whose it was but it was insanely hard to do so, although her eyes flickered a few times with the attempt to use her power; the color of her voids shifted from midnight blue to a clouded gray for half a second before going back.

The presence in the O'Connor home was now much more apparent in Steph's mind and she knew that someone had undoubtedly entered the residence uninvited. The question was this: how long had he or she been here?

The small idea that it was one of her friends playing a trick on her appeared in her imagination for a fraction of a second but it was abandoned all at once by the sound of a horrified whimper coming from the second floor. Steph's gaze was now directed towards the staircase as the whole house was silent once more; her heart began galloping against her ribcage as she slowly forced herself to stand up.

(i pray the lord my soul to keep)

Her right foot landed on the first step as she ascended the height of the stairway, her eyes peering up to the carpeted platform above. Her hands were trembling but clenching them into fists helped ease her anxiety, but not by much.

(now i lay me down to sleep i pray the lord my soul to keep please angels watch me through the night and keep me safe till morning light and if i should die before i wake i pray the lord my soul to take)

What the fuck is going on? Steph thought. Who's voice is that? Is... Is that Amber?

She reached the landing of the second story, and she suddenly sensed another emotion coursing through her veins: hesitance. For some reason, she was reluctant to enter Amber's bedroom, even though her hand was on the silver doorknob. It was then that she noticed the door slightly standing ajar and a sliver of light penetrated the darkness of the hallway where she stood.

(i pray the lord my soul to take)

(amber is that you STEPH what's wrong what's happening STEPH is somebody in there HELP ME PLEASE with you what's the matter sweetie STEPH PLEASE HELP ME THERE'S A MONSTER)

Monster?

In an instant, without hesitation now, Steph swung the door open furiously.

The sight she saw was one that sent panic trailing through her blood.

"Don't you fucking move, Palmer..." a voice snarled at her, followed by a few terrified cries of terror from Amber. And she raised her hands in the air to show surrender.

A blood-splattered Henry Bowers stood before her, just five feet away, and he had what looked to be his father's pistol pointed straight at her. He had his left arm around a petrified Amber's neck, and the girl's bright green eyes were staring at Steph as tears fell down her cheeks.

By looking into the little girl's mind, Steph could see a scene playing out in front of her: Bowers had snuck into the house unbeknownst to everyone, including her and Bill, and he had been stalking each of them. He ended up in Amber's room and just stared over her in her mattress as she shakily prayed for him to go away, believing he was a figment of her nightmares. But he then grabbed her by her brown hair when he had heard a creaking sound in the hallway and pointed the gun at her temple, even though he had no intention of actually killing her. He just wanted to scare Steph.

And now both enemies were facing one another for the first time in nearly two months, and one of them was held at gunpoint.

"Henry..." Steph spoke up calmly, although her heartbeat was thudding insanely loudly in her eardrums. "What... What are you doing?"

"You shouldn't have thrown those rocks at me back in June. You should have just left me to deal with Hanlon. We were doing just fine until you and your loser friends showed up."

"So this is what you're resorting to?!" Steph screeched lightly, her eyes wide in complete disbelief. "Come on, Bowers. Let Amber go. She's not a part of this."

"You fucking made her and her brat brother a part of this!" Bowers replied sadistically, chuckling to himself.

"What did they do to you, huh?! They don't even know you, Henry... They've already been through enough. Just leave them alone, please."

"I'll give them something worse to go through," Henry threatened.

"NO!" Steph screamed, undoubtedly waking Justin from his slumber now. "Let. Her. Go. Bowers. I mean it. Please let her go. You can do whatever you want with me but just don't hurt her or Justin. They're children."

"Why would you give a shit what happens to them?" Bowers retorted, his eyebrows raised in genuine curiosity. "It's not like they're your kids!"

"They may as well be..." was all Steph said in return.

"Bullshit! You don't care about them, you just want the money from babysitting these little brats!"

"You say that to me one more time and it'll be you that gets the bullet in your face!" Steph fired back as she bravely took a step forward.

"What did you say to me?" Bowers growled at her.

Steph narrowed her eyes. "I think you heard me."

"What are you doing with my sister?!" came Justin's purely shocked voice from right beside Steph.

Seeing Justin in the doorway and how scared he seemed to be for his baby sister's safety made Henry pause for just a moment, feeling a bit of doubt about what he was doing. His eyebrows scrunched together as his grip around Amber's neck loosened slightly. He even began to lower the pistol as some sense of sanity trickled back into him.

(no henry you've got to finish the job you've got to kill them all kill the bitch steph and then the two brats and then the losers but kill steph slowly agonizingly make her suffer make her bleed beautiful blood)

He raised the pistol back towards Steph as his eyes flickered a color Steph recognized all too well: golden.

She knew his motive now.

"This isn't you, Henry..." she whispered, gently pushing Justin to be behind her.

All of them faintly heard the sound of shattering glass from downstairs but neither of them could focus on that.

"This is not you, and I know it," Steph continued, staring straight into his blank and insane eyes. "You may not be a good person but I know you would never be capable of murder. Something has a hold on you."

"What are you talking about?"

"You let It in, didn't you?" Steph interrogated. "It's making you do this. The clown. It wants you to kill me because of what I have in my mind. It wants you to do the job instead because it's afraid. It's taken control of you and you let It in, didn't you? DIDN'T YOU???"

Henry suddenly shoved Amber at Steph, making the little girl crash into her arms; this didn't last long, as the teenage girl instantly pushed her behind herself and took a protective stance in front of the two children.

"You're such a bitch, you know that?!" Bowers sneered at her. "You just never know when to quit, do you? When this is over, you and those two little shits are gonna be dead! Nobody will be able to recognize you all!"

Steph, surprisingly, let out a howl of bellowing laughter at this; it was laughter that terrified Henry and the two children shielded behind her.

"You think this is funny, Palmer?!" Henry yelled at her in astonishment and terrible fear of her.

Steph screamed with laughter for a good thirty seconds but it stopped in an instant and her face was suddenly as frozen as stone. But she was smirking at him. "You want to hurt the kids?" she taunted. "You'll have to go through me first, asshole."

(!!!!!HIDE!!!!!)

Both O'Connor kids could hear the command in their brains and they both made a run for the end of the hallway to where their parents' bedroom was. Steph let out an audible sigh of relief knowing that they would be safe until she successfully lured Bowers out of the house; aware of this, she grinned at him mockingly.

Henry didn't like that very much, to say the least.

"You fucking cunt..." he whispered nastily.

"Coming from you," Steph replied instantaneously.

That was the breaking point.

Bowers charged at Steph with a demonic screaming sound escaping his throat. The blonde expected this, however, slamming the door shut in his face; she even heard some kind of impact and a yelp of pain coming from him. She prayed to Jesus that she had broken his nose.

Afterwards, she raced down the staircase, taking two steps at a time as she panted for air, beyond relaxed at the fact that he hadn't pulled the trigger towards her. She was aware that the safety hadn't even been taken off, but she truly couldn't care right now. All she cared about was getting the fuck out of this house and luring him away from the children for enough time so they could either call the police or run to a nearby neighbor.

She rounded the bottom of the staircase and then collided with someone there; she nearly let out a shriek but her mouth was covered.

"Be quiet," the person said. "Is he upstairs?"

To Steph's utter puzzlement, she was staring right at Victor Criss, who was looking back at her with pure worry etched into his face.

"Victor?" she whisper-yelled at him. "What are you–?"

"WHERE ARE YOU, YOU FUCKING BITCH?!?!"

Victor dragged her to where they were now in the kitchen the moment he heard the bellow coming from upstairs. He then placed his hands on her shoulders and showed generosity towards her for the first time.

"Henry wants to kill you, Steph," he warned her, his voice trembling. "I had a feeling he would be going after you. He's gone crazy and I think he killed his dad. I just knew I had to let you know but you wouldn't answer the door at your house so I figured you'd be here."

"How did you know?"

"I just knew," Victor answered easily and Steph could tell that he was being truthful towards her. "We have to get out of here. Where are the kids? I thought I heard them upstairs."

"I sent them to hide," Steph said, feeling the full horror of the situation hitting her as tears filled her vivid eyes. "Henry has a gun. He had it pointed to Amber's head and at me. They're still upstairs.... Oh, God, they're still up there with him!"

"We need to go get them and get out of here," Victor instructed her, his hands beginning to shake.

"How do I know I can trust you, Victor?" Steph asked him, suspicion rising within her.

"You just have to."

And, with that, the two of them sprinted back up the staircase, just praying that Henry was long gone and had thought that Steph escaped his grasp.

The first thing Steph saw once she reached the second floor after rounding the sprawling balcony that overlooked the living room was the two terrified children cautiously creeping out of their parents' bedroom. Justin was holding Amber protectively as they both cried, but they grinned when their eyes met the blonde's. "Steph!" they both whimpered as they started sobbing hysterically.

"It's all right, kids!" Steph replied as she dashed to them, pulling them both into a tight group hug as she attempted to comfort them.

"Steph..." Victor warned her. "You've all got to go!"

Steph made the mistake of looking over the balcony and she saw Bowers standing downstairs, staring up at all of them menacingly like he was Michael Myers.

"Victor, come with us!" she screamed towards the member of the Bowers Gang that was actually stepping up to be the good guy for once.

"No, go!" he shouted back. "Take them and get up there, Steph! I'll hold him off! Get them out of here, Steph!"

"No, Victor, COME WITH US!" Steph cried out, tears finally falling from her eyes.

"STEPH, COME ON, WE HAVE TO GO!" Justin yelled as he tugged her by the arm, Amber trying to shove the teenage girl forward. "COME ON!"

"GO, STEPH!" Victor commanded.

The two of them locked eyes for a split second as Bowers slowly ascended the stairs, and Steph understood why Victor was doing this for her. He felt terrible for everything he had done to her, and he wanted to apologize to her in a way. The only way he could think of doing so was giving his life for her.

(i forgive you)

So she grabbed the children and ran for the attic at the end of the hallway.

In a matter of seconds, she had the string to the attic door yanked down to the floor and she was pushing the kids up the ladder. In the fraction of time it took to climb up the ladder and shut the trapdoor, she briefly looked into Victor's mind and saw a terrifying sight: him wrestling the pistol out of Henry Bowers's hands as a bullet fired out of it and them practically fighting to the death. She could then see blood... so much of it... pouring from Victor's face as he was lifted by two impossibly strong arms and Bowers's thumbs pierced his skin as he twisted his head around until it snapped loudly. It was a sound that echoed through the whole house as he screamed in agony.

"Stay quiet, you two..." Steph frantically whispered to the two children that were crying horribly.

"Steph, what are we gonna do...?" Amber asked in a meek little whimper, trembling from head to toe.

"We're gonna get out of here, okay, kiddo?" Steph assured, kissing both kids on the forehead before gently pulling them towards the attic window. "Come on, okay?"

"We're going on the roof?!" Justin exclaimed quietly, his eyes wide with doubt.

"It's the only way out now. I'll find a way to lower you two down."

Just then, Steph heard the dreaded sound of the attic door being forced down to the second story's floor. Along with that followed the petrified screams of Justin and Amber and it was too late to cover their mouths with her hands.

Thinking quickly, she shoved the kids to the rotted floorboards. "Get down, kids!" she ordered them and they obeyed as she took on an official protector mode. Her only goal now was to make sure they got out safely and that they wouldn't be hurt. Her own survival no longer mattered as long as she knew that they would live. So, with this in mind, she placed her hands on the wall and used her left leg to try and break the window that led to the shingled roof.

On the second kick, glass flew outward and into the front yard. She used her foot to get the rest of it out of the way as she heard footsteps climbing up the attic ladder.

"Justin, you go on ahead of me, okay, kiddo?" Steph softly instructed him and he didn't hesitate to listen, carefully climbing onto the roof. "Amber, you get on my back and hold on tightly."

"Steph..." Amber mumbled, faltering for just a moment out of terror.

"We have no time, Amber!" Steph cried out as she saw Henry's figure ascend into the room. "Just get on my back and hang onto me with all your might!"

Amber listened to her and climbed onto the teenage girl, wrapping her arms around her neck but not too tightly so she would strangle her and her legs around her waist.

With that, Steph climbed onto the narrow ledge in front of the window, just praying that Bowers couldn't see what was going on. She peered down at the front yard and nearly suffered a case of vertigo, feeling dizzy for just a second. But she regained control and moved towards the slanted shingles, attempting to climb up the roof when she saw that Justin was already at the very top. However, it was insanely difficult when you had a seven-year-old child on your back that weighed you down. She chose not to give up, though.

"You can do it, Steph," Justin whispered fiercely to her.

"Is there anything you two can climb down, Justin?" she asked him quickly as she was now three feet away from the tip of the roof.

"Yeah, there's a flower trellis right next to the chimney," he answered with quivering ease. "Dad always made sure it was secure so it wouldn't break from us."

"Okay, g–"

Steph's right foot then slipped on one of the shingles and she and Amber went sliding back down the roof. Both of them cried out with fright as they plummeted towards the edge of the ledge, but something managed to stop them from falling right to their possible demise. The girl's black cardigan got caught on a nail that held one of the roof's shingles in place and that was enough to keep her and Amber steady, although the younger girl was just about to drop from the ledge.

"CLIMB BACK ON, AMBER!" Steph screamed at her and Amber held on as tightly as she could as the two ascended the roof once more.

This time, although she struggled even more from that scare, Steph managed to grab the tip of the roof and – with Justin's help – the two were safe for the time being.

Amber's piercing shriek of trepidation broke through the inky black night and shattered all sense of silence when the child saw Henry Bowers making his way onto the other side of the roof with them.

Steph turned and saw her biggest human enemy staring right into her soul; this made her grab Amber and Justin and tug them away from him. "You best leave them alone, you motherfucker! You hear me, Bowers? You best better leave them alone!" she snarled at them.

Refusing to listen to Steph or even reply to her, Bowers carefully walked towards the three younger kids, struggling to keep his balance.

"Climb down to the chimney kids, okay?" she told them.

"Come on, Amber!" Justin yelled, putting his arms around his sister so they could slide down the roof safely.

"I CAN'T!!!" Amber sobbed.

"JUST DO IT, DAMN IT!" Steph growled at her and they listened immediately, the two of the descending towards the chimney. She followed seconds later and climbed down to be with them.

She searched around them frantically but could find nothing. Accepting defeat and knowing she had a low chance of making it out of this alive, she locked eyes with the scared children. "I need you two to climb down the trellis," she told them in a motherly and protective tone. "I want you to be careful and hold on. When you make it to the ground, run like hell. Go to a neighbor's and have them call the police, okay?"

"We're not going without you, Steph!" Justin shouted out of worry for her.

"No, you'll do as I say, okay, kid?" Steph retorted in a majorly frustrated tone. "I'll be fine, don't worry! Now, come on, go to the trellis."

Hesitantly, the kids made their way to the ladder-type structure and placed their feet onto it, beginning to climb down. Justin held onto it with one hand and kept his other hand on Amber's arm so she wouldn't fall.

"You won't fall, I promise," Steph assured them. "It's not that far. You're safe now."

"STEPH, WATCH OUT!!!" Justin bellowed out of pure fear for his best friend.

Steph spun around and yelped as Bowers lunged at her with a large chef's knife he had found in the kitchen downstairs. She dodged the swing, although the blade nicked her cardigan and tore a part of it to shreds. Ripping the ruined cardigan off and being left in a white tank top, she practically jumped a few feet to the right, but she lost her footing in the process. Screaming in terror, she nearly fell off the roof completely but she barely held onto the gutter with her fingertips.

At this point, Justin and Amber were halfway down the trellis and were being as careful as they could. They weren't able to see a thing that was going on, as they were more focused on trying not to miss a single step of their journey down to the grass fifteen feet below.

Steph quickly glanced at the ground beneath her; it would be a good thirty to thirty-five feet if she fell. The worst that could possibly happen if she landed safely would be a sprained ankle, and she figured she could maybe deal with that. She only had a few seconds to decide her next move as she used her hands to move away from Bowers's continuous swings with the knife, as he was trying to stab one of her hands to get her to let go.

She wasn't going to let the blade pierce her flesh, though.

She glanced back up at Henry and grinned psychotically, knowing she would outsmart him like she always had. She had an idea.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she braced herself and let go of the gutter, her stomach somersaulting crazily as she plunged towards the ground. She screeched out of fear that the impact would hurt more than she originally thought, her arms swinging wildly and her legs kicking frantically.

She then hit the ground hard.

_____

Justin's POV

The boy heard the scream that Steph had let out; that horrible, horrible scream. And the sound of her crumpling on the ground resonated in his ears and would haunt him for the rest of his life. He could have sworn he had heard something snap from that impact, but it could have been the sheer force of her rough landing that rang out into the pitch black night.

Amber heard it too, and she let out a cry of concern but Justin shushed her. "Be quiet!" he hissed at her as the two of them climbed down lower and lower. It was immensely difficult to hang onto the trellis with one hand and Amber with the other but, miraculously, Justin barely managed to do it.

Grunting with the pain in his left arm, he encouraged Amber to jump the rest of the way down, which was just three feet, and she bravely listened to him. He followed suit and landed on his feet, instantly sprinting to where he thought Steph had landed. He nearly got tripped by a hole in the dirt but he regained his footing and found his friend's limp figure strewn about on the grass.

"Steph!" he whisper-yelled, kneeling down and shaking her furiously. "Wake up, we're down here! Wake up!"

But Steph wasn't moving an inch.

"Is..." Amber muttered, beginning to cry again. "Is... she d-dead...?"

Being smart, Justin placed two of his fingers against Steph's neck to feel for a pulse. To his utter relief, he felt it beating strongly against her throat.

"No, she's not dead," he replied to his little sister, grabbing her hand to comfort her. "I think she knocked herself out."

"Well, wake her up!" Amber demanded desperately.

"That's what I'm trying to do!" Justin said irritatedly.

For the next two minutes, the children tried their hardest to wake Steph up and, although she grumbled from time to time, nothing prevailed.

She was out cold.

"Steph, please, please, please, wake up!" Amber wailed hysterically. "Don't die, please don't die!"

Then, something happened. Something almost amazing.

Justin felt the faint touch of Steph's fingers against his hands and he suddenly noticed that her eyes were just barely open. She tried to whisper something to him but she didn't want to be too loud.

"Run..." she mouthed silently, her eyes fluttering open and closed.

(!!!!!RUN HE'S RIGHT THERE HE'S LOOKING AT YOU TWO RUN DOWN THE STREET LEAVE ME HERE!!!!!)

It was at that moment when Justin realized that Steph was only pretending to be passed out for their benefit, so they could get away. She would lure Bowers away from them once she got her strength back.

As if by God's will, Justin slowly turned his head around to face the back door and, much to his expectations, Henry Bowers was standing right there. He was staring at the two kids with murderous hatred in his dark eyes, and it was something that sent chills down Justin's spine.

Deciding to listen to Steph's inaudible order, Justin grasped Amber's arms and heaved her off of the ground. "Don't look behind you..." he whispered to her as he pulled her across the yard. "Just run with me."

But Amber had already looked at the back porch and she let out a gut wrenching and heart shattering scream at the sight of the teenaged boy that had nearly put a bullet in her skull.

That was when Justin put his arms around Amber and they both took off running, crying deliriously as they finally lost all sense of calm. They rounded the house and raced down the sidewalk, just hoping there was a neighbor with their porch light on.

"SOMEBODY HELP US!" Justin bellowed, his voice a high-pitched howl of pure panic. "PLEASE! HELP US! PLEASE!"

"HEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!" Amber squealed, nearly fainting from the utter terror she felt but Justin held her upright and they continued running, praying they would find someone.

In the O'Connor's backyard, Steph was crawling to her feet, groaning from the pain she felt all over her body. Luckily, she didn't sprain or break anything; she was just sore.

Bowers was no longer on the back porch.

With this knowledge, she ran out of the backyard, planning to get him to stop chasing the two children she loved most in this world.

A/N: this chapter took a complete 180 turn in the tone, didn't it? like, it went from lighthearted and adorable to terrifying and suspenseful in a matter of seconds!

ANYWAYS, thoughts on this chapter? did you enjoy it? i finally gathered motivation to continue writing this story, as every other chapter had been prewritten for up to three years before i lost motivation. this, and the following two chapters were done this week!

did you like the first scene with steph and justin? you can tell they truly care for one another like a family does.

what about the small moment between steph and bill? it's a subtle moment of romance but i found it to be wholesome and sweet!🥺

what about the scene with steph comforting amber before she goes to sleep?

did you expect bowers to be the one attacking steph and the kids? this moment was planned from the start, as i wanted to raise the stakes for the characters.

what about victor criss's redemption where he gave his life for steph and the kids as an apology for all he did to her?

what about the terrifying rooftop chase? did you like how steph protected the children until the very last minute? if you've ever seen Halloween 4, you should know what this scene was referencing!😉

did you like how justin instantly stepped up to keep his little sister safe? he's like, "nope, she ain't dying today! not on my watch!"

predictions for the next chapter? warning: it will be extremely violent and brutal.

be looking forward to the next chapter... i guess....

-denbroughswife