"Are you sure we shouldn't have told them where we were going?" Reagan wondered, looking over at Jonathan who was driving the car. The boy shook his head once more and the blonde turned to the backseat, wondering if Nancy felt the same way about it. Nancy just gave her a stern look, pursing her lips together. "I'm sure." The brunette piped in confidently as she leaned back against the seat. "I'm not risking Mike or any of his friends... it's too dangerous for them." She added.
Reagan frowned as she settled back into the front seat, staring out the passenger window. She hadn't meant to speak out loud, but her thoughts slipped out. "It's too dangerous for us." Reagan whispered quietly, but both Jonathan and Nancy were able to catch it. They sent her a worried look, knowing she was the weakest of the group both mentally and physically. Reagan was soft in almost any way, which made the two a little guilty for dragging her into this position she was clearly scared of.
Jonathan reached over, taking the blonde's hand. "It's okay to be afraid, Reagan. Nancy and I are too." He spoke gently, squeezing her hand which seemed to comfort Reagan. Jonathan noticed out of the corner of his eye that Nancy was giving him a certain look. He rolled his eyes at the brunette, knowing this wasn't the time to say anything. They pulled up in front of his house, piling out of the car as soon as Jonathan pulled the keys out of the ignition.
They had a plan and they were going to stick to it, especially after they broke into the station to retrieve the weapons Hopper had taken from them.
None of them said a word during the set up. The teenagers had spent enough time planning each part of the attack on the monster. The first thing they settled on doing was placing all the bulbs back on the lights after Jonathan insisted to both Nancy and Reagan that was something they needed to do.
The gasoline was poured in the right spot, and Jonathan pocketed his lighter. Nancy loaded the gun and Reagan found Will's old yo-yo. Jonathan finished hammering nails into the baseball bat and finally all that was left was the trap. The three were all extremely careful when setting up the bear trap, knowing that a wrong move could seriously injure them.
A sigh of relief came from Jonathan when the trap was finally set. The three teenagers looked to each other carefully, nodding their head. Everything was in place, which meant there was only one thing left for them to do. Reagan retrieved the knives, and the three made their way to the living room.
"Remember–" Jonathan began. "Straight into Will's room and–" Nancy continued. "Don't step on the trap." Reagan muttered nervously. "Wait for the yo-yo to move." Nancy added. "Then..." Jonathan trailed off, lifting his lighter and flipping it open to a small flame was produced. The three eyed the small flame before Jonathan closed the lighter. They all shared a nod.
Jonathan pocketed his lighter,"Alright." He said, looking at the girls,"You ready?" He asked them. "Ready." Nancy nodded, looking to Reagan. "Ready." The girl responded, and all of them lifted their hands. "On three." Jonathan began, looking down at his hand with the blade. "One... two..."
Nancy was the first one to notice Reagan's hand was shaking. Her own was unsteady but no where near as wobbly as Reagan's hand was in that moment. Jonathan quickly caught sight of it and he looked at Nancy. "You guys don't have to do this." He paused. Nancy tensed up,"Jonathan, stop talking." She insisted, knowing it would only make her and Reagan more nervous. "I'm just saying, neither of you have to–" "Three!" Reagan exclaimed, prompting them all to slice the palms of their hands.
"Mother..." Nancy bit down on her bottom lip, looking down at the cut in her hand. She wanted to immediately stop the bleeding but knew they had to bleed out a little in order to lure the monster out of the Upside Down. Reagan struggled with the pain, blinking back tears as she squeezed her hand into a fist. "Reagan–" Jonathan began, knowing she didn't have to do that.
She watched as blood dripped down from her hand before looking over to Jonathan. "I'm fine." Reagan insisted, looking to Nancy. After a few minutes, Reagan moved to the first aid kit they had taken out. Reagan wrapped her hand quickly in the gauze, making it tight before securing it with medical tape. "Nancy." The blonde asked, having the other girl move towards her.
Reagan wrapped the other girl's hand, applying pressure to the wound before securing the gauze with tap. Nancy rubbed her hand gently, still feeling the pain. She looked over to Jonathan as he moved over. Reagan sat on the couch, unwrapping more of the rolled gauze. She looked up at Jonathan as he came over to sit down next to her.
As Reagan wrapped his hand, Nancy flinched at the sound of a faint creak. "Did you hear that?" She asked worriedly, looking back to the others. "It's just the wind." Jonathan insisted, but Nancy was still a little worried. "Don't worry. My mom... she said the lights speak when it comes." He told the two. "Speak?" Nancy asked.
"Blink." Jonathan clarified. "Think of them as... alarms." He said, oping that would make Nancy feel better. She nodded her head, looking away from the two at the spot in the floor where the three of them bled. Jonathan looked back at Reagan who was almost finished wrapping his hand. "Is that too tight?" She asked him gently, looking up and meeting his eyes.
He shook his head lightly,"No... thanks." He told her, studying her features with a soft gaze. Reagan applied a strip of medical tap down on the gauze, her fingertips brushing against his as she moved her hand away. However, Jonathan decided to surprise her back taken her wrapped hand into his wrapped hand. "Reagan–" Jonathan rushed out, swallowing a lump in his throat. He had probably been holding this back for too long. "Yeah?" Reagan asked him.
Just as he began to lean in, banging on the door made everyone in the house jump.
"Jonathan?!" Steve called from the other side of the door, making the three confused. After everything that had happened, Steve was probably the last person they were expecting. "Are you there, man? It's... it's Steve!" The boy clarified, just in the case his twin sister, his girlfriend, or the guy who beat him up didn't recognize his voice.
"Listen, I just want to talk." Steve continued banging on the door. Nancy looked at the two before moving towards the door. She opened it partially for her boyfriend, staring at Steve. "Steve, listen to me." She began. "Hey, Nancy, what–" Steve said, confused at the sight of her. "You need to leave." Nancy told him. "I'm not trying to start anything, okay?" Steve clarified.
Nancy frowned,"I don't care about that. You need to leave." While it did make her feel better that Steve had come to apologize for his actions, she knew she couldn't risk him being quite up in this mess. She already had her friends to worry about. Nancy couldn't handle if a boy she really cared about was added to the mix.
Steve shook his head,"No, no, no. Listen, I– I– I messed up, okay? I messed... I messed up. Okay? Really... please." He stammered out, defeated. Reagan frowned at the sound of his voice, knowing she could feel his guilt and pain over the matter. "I just want to make things right." Steve insisted, which tugged on Nancy's heart strings. She couldn't let him in, not in that moment. "Okay? Please... please..." He begged her.
He stopped when he noticed the wrapped wound on her hand. "Hey, what happened to your hand?" Steve questioned, clearly concerned for her. "Is that blood?" He reached out for her just as she pulled away from him. "Nothing... nothing. It was an accident." Nancy stuttered the lie, taken back by Steve's words to her. "What's going on?" Steve asked her.
"Nothing." She repeated. "Wait a sec– did he do this to you?" Steve hoped that wouldn't be the answer, but he couldn't stop looking at the blood seeping through the bandage. "No. No!" Nancy shot him down but Steve pushed the door away from her grasp despite her yelling at him. "Let me in." Steve demanded, pushing past her. He stumbled in, his eyes settling on the disarray of the Byers household. He eyed Jonathan and Reagan, before his eyes settled on the rest.
"What is... what the..." Steve struggled to make sense out of what he was seeing. Jonathan frowned and rushed forward,"You need to get out of here." He told him, pushing him back. "Whoa– what is all–" Steve tried to get out all of his thoughts but it was all too much. "Listen to me, I'm not asking you– I'm telling you, get out of here!" Jonathan yelled at him. "What is that smell?" Steve wondered out loud. "Is that... is that gasoline?" Steve asked, pushing Jonathan off of him.
Nancy raised the gun,"Steve... get out!" She exclaimed, pointing the gun at him. Jonathan immediately backed up, knowing Nancy didn't mess around with that thing. He grabbed Reagan's hand, pulling her behind him in case anything happened. He wouldn't be having her hurt. Steve looked at his girlfriend with wide eyes,"Wait– what?! What is going on?!" Steve yelled, looking between the three others.
She looked at him fiercely,"You have five seconds to get out of here." Nancy instructed, her grip firm on the firearm. "Okay, is this a joke? Stop! Put the gun down." Steve said, his hands out in front of him. "I'm doing this for you." Nancy said, a little bit of her emotions showing in her voice. She cared too much about him to let him get hurt by the monster. Steve tried to reason with her, just as the lights started flickering.
"Nancy." Jonathan began, noticing the flicker. "Nancy." He said again, more urgently as she held a gun to Steve. "Three– two–" Nancy began counting down as Steve yelled 'no' at her repeated as he held up his hands. "Nancy!" Reagan shouted, gaining the girl's attention. Nancy whipped her head over to look at Jonathan and Reagan. "The lights." Jonathan pointed out. "It's here." He continued, rushing for the baseball bat.
Her jaw dropped as she looked up to see the Christmas lights were all blinking. Reagan leaned forward, grabbing one of the knives. It wasn't much but it was better than having nothing. "Wait, what's here?" Steve asked the three. "Where is it?" Nancy cut him off, looking around. "Where is what? Whoa! Easy with that!" He said, looking to the weapons all three carried but him.
"Where is it?" Nancy yelled, her back brushing up against Jonathan and Reagan's. The three circled, looking around. "I don't know. I don't see it." Jonathan said as he whipped his head around the room. "Where is what?" Steve demanded, fed up with how the three were ignoring his questions. "Hello? Will someone please explain to me what the hell is going–"
The ceiling cracked, making a loud noise that caught the attention of all of the teenagers. The monster broke through the barrier and as soon as Nancy had her eyes on it, she fired out a few shots at the creature. There was no way she was letting that thing leave here alive. "Nance!" Reagan shouted at her, knowing that was not apart of the plan. She grabbed Nancy's arm and began to pull her out of there. "Go! Go! Go! Get out of here!" Jonathan instructed, letting Reagan and Nancy flee ahead of him. Steve stood in shock, prompting Jonathan to grab the other boy's hand and drag him along.
"Jump!" Jonathan called back, letting go of Steve and jumping over the bear trap. Steve panicked, shouting at the top of his lungs. "Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God!" He screamed, jumping over the trap. He ran into Will's room and Reagan shut the door behind him. "Jesus! Jesus! What the hell was that? What the hell was that?!" Steve exclaimed, looking for some answers from the three.
Instead all he got was Jonathan, Nancy, and Reagan turning to face him and shouting at him,"Shut up!"
All of them panted as they faced the door. Nancy held the gun up, aimed right at the door while Jonathan stood ready with the baseball bat and lighter. Reagan gripped the knife, standing in front of her brother. The four watched the door as the lights in the house continued to flicker.
"What's it doing?" Nancy asked. Jonathan narrowed his eyes,"I don't know." He admitted. All of a sudden, the electricity jolted which steadied the lights. They no longer heard the sounds of the creature. "Do you hear anything?" Nancy wondered to the group. "No." Reagan muttered, prompting Jonathan to shut his lighter.
Jonathan took a step forward, opening the door. He took a hesitant step out of the hallway, on alert in case the creature was hiding. Nancy and Reagan followed him out of Will's room, along with Steve who stuck close with his sister. The hallway was now empty, showing almost no trace of the creature.
They didn't let their guard down until they turned the corner of the living room. Jonathan still held the bat up as he looked around the living room. Once the area proved to be monster clear, he loosened the grip on the bat. Steve started to panic as others looked around cautiously. He began muttering to himself until it turned into yelling.
"This is crazy. This is crazy. This is crazy. This is crazy! This is crazy! This is crazy!" He snapped, reaching for the phone on the wall. He began to dial 911 just as Reagan ripped the phone of his hand. "What are you– what are you doing? Are you insane?!" He screamed at his sister as she hung up the phone and tossed it on the ground. "It's going to come back!" Reagan argued at him, meeting his eyes.
Nancy joined her, looking at Steve. "You need to leave." She told him firmly. Steve stared at the two in shock. "Right. Now." Nancy commanded, ignoring the hurt look in his eyes. Steve looked over at his sister before shaking his head. This was too much for him to deal with.
Without another thought, his fight of flight took a hold of him and he ran out of the house. Steve was having enough trouble grasping what he had just seen, and knew it scared the hell out of him to stay in that house, even if Nancy and Reagan were both there and in danger. He stumbled to his car, fumbling with his keys. He finally got the door open when the lights began flickering again in the house. He paused, realizing he was being a coward.
The three back in the house stayed close together as soon as the lights started flickering again. "Where is it?" Nancy asked, looking around as the lights blinked on and off. "Come on... come on, you son of a bitch." Jonathan said angrily, his grip tight on the baseball bat as he looked around. This monster was going down for sure this time. "You see it?" He asked the two.
"No. Where–" Reagan paused, looking around. She could barely see anything with the lights flickering. "Where are you? Come on!" Jonathan shouted as he looked around. Nancy gripped onto her gun tightly as the lights went out completely. Growling was heard and the girl turned her head to realize where the monster was.
Reagan screamed as the monster stood before her. "Reagan!" Nancy shouted as Jonathan dove in front of the girl. "Jonathan!" Reagan screamed as the monster jumped onto the boy, making him drop the bat. The monster drooled on Jonathan, opening its mouth in a way that made Jonathan's eyes go wide. "Go to hell, you son of a bitch!" Nancy screamed as she shot at the monster, trying to make sure she wouldn't hit Jonathan.
That seemed to get the creature's attention. As soon as it was grazed by one of the bullets, it stood up and turned to Nancy and Reagan. Jonathan coughed as the weight was lifted off of him, allowing him to catch his breath. Nancy stared up with wide eyes at the creature, firing at it.
While she did manage to wound it, the gun started clicking after she ran out of ammo. Reagan went in front of Nancy, holding up the knife in her hand. It wasn't much but she wasn't going to let it get to Nancy. Steve grunted as he stood in front of the two, swinging the baseball bat that Jonathan had dropped. It seemed to do the right amount of damage to capture the monster's attention.
"Steve!" Reagan shouted, concerned for her brother who was now facing the monster. The monster snarled at Steve and the boy gripped the bat with wide eyes. He was probably crazy for doing this. As the monster came at him, Steve dodged the creature's attacks and hit it with the bat a few times. He twirled the bat before swinging it and hitting the monster back.
It growled once its foot came down in the trap. The trap snapped and caught the monster,"It's in the trap!" Steve yelled, moving back with the bat in his hands. "He's stuck!" He shouted. "Jonathan, now!" Nancy yelled, prompting Jonathan to rush forward and whip out his lighter. He flicked the cap off before throwing the lighter on the ground.
The gasoline caught fire, which quickly spread and started to consume the monster in flames. The monster screeched as the fire surrounded it and the teenagers watched as it struggled against the flames. The heat grew intense, prompting Jonathan to cover his eyes partially. He then ran and retrieved the fire extinguisher.
"Get back!" He yelled at the others, moving forward and grunting as he put out the flames. Smoke filled the hallway, making the others cough. Reagan coughed the hardest and Steve put his hand on her back, rubbing her gently. She continued coughing even after the smoke cleared. Nancy looked at the trap,"Where did it go?" She asked. "It has to be dead." Jonathan was convinced. "It has to be." He panted, looking to the scorched mark on the floor.
Reagan pulled out her inhaler, taking a puff. Her breather grew normal just as the lights began to flicker on. The teenagers at first started to panic, with Steve raising the baseball bat and stepping in front of his sister. However they calmed down a little after they saw the lights move around the house and back outside. Steve lowered the bat as Jonathan took a step forward.
"Mom..." He whispered, looking at the lights, almost completely sure it was her. "Is that you?" The boy asked. Jonathan wasn't sure if he would get a response, considering his mother must've been in the Upside Down. "Mom." He breathed out once again, almost swearing to himself he could hear his mother's voice.
Jonathan made his way outside of his house, with the other following close behind him. They watched as a streetlamp not too far from the house flickered. Nancy looked at it,"Where's it going?" She asked. "I don't think that's the monster." Jonathan admitted, looking at the streetlamp before looking to Reagan. She looked up at him, feeling the same odd feeling he was. Reagan knew he was right. She nodded her head up at him, which reassured him.
Reagan attempted to clean up after everything. It wasn't easy, and the others wondered why she bothered. She didn't go near the bear trap, not wanting to touch anything that remained of the creature. But she place the phone back on the wall, and went over to the floor with a wet rag. She attempted to get the blood off the floor but it had already dried up.
She sighed, knowing it was useless, but she kept at it until Jonathan came over and put his hand on her shoulder. "Come on." He whispered, offering his hand to her. She looked up at him before dropping the rag and taking his hand. Jonathan led her out of the house, pulling her out onto the porch into the quiet night. They two were silent as the night quietly surrounded them.
With the danger suddenly feeling gone, both of them were oddly relaxed and at peace. Reagan knew she would sure sleep better knowing that there was little chance the monster was still out there.
"Where's Nancy and Steve?" Reagan asked, looking over at him. Jonathan shrugged his shoulders, making his way over to the bench on the porch. He took a seat gesturing for Reagan to join him. Reagan moved over, taking a seat next to him. She stared out at the night,"They're probably... making out." She joked lightly, surprised at all she was able to make a joke after everything.
He cracked a small smile,"For my sake I hope they're just making up. I told Nancy she could use my room." Jonathan explained, turning his head over to Reagan. They shared a look before bursting out into laughter. It felt good to laugh again. Reagan smiled, leaning over and resting her head on his shoulder. She settled gently against him, so close that Jonathan wondered if she could hear his heart racing.
"Reagan..." Jonathan said softly, gaining her attention. She shifted her head, looking up at him. "Yes?" Reagan asked him, meeting his eyes. Jonathan looked down at her, knowing that he had hesitated many times before. But he tried to think of every moment he had with her when he didn't hesitate. When he was honest with her. Jonathan leaned down and pressed his lips against her, pulling her into a kiss she was unlikely to forget.
The boy reached his hand, cupping her face gently as he pulled her closer against him. Jonathan kissed her softly but firmly, before pulling away. He waited for a reaction from her, but Reagan just stared into his eyes. She finally smiled, moving her hand and resting it at the back of his neck before pulling him in for another kiss.
Their moment was unfortunately interrupted by faint ringing. Reagan pulled away just as things were getting good. She narrowed her eyes, looking to the house. "Did you hear that?" She asked him. Jonathan almost wanted to say no, so they could continue what they were doing, but he heard it too. "The phone." Jonathan realized, standing up from the bench.
He moved back inside, going to pick up the phone. Jonathan held the phone to his eye, listening to the voice on the other side. "Mom?" He asked, relieved to hear her voice. Reagan joined him, studying him as a smile grew on his face and tears filled his eyes. "Oh my God... I– I'll be right there. I'll bring Reagan. I'll see you soon, okay? I love you too. Bye." He said before hanging up the phone. He let out a breath of relief, looking to Reagan. She looked up at him expectingly, almost knowing for sure what Joyce called about.
"They found Will." He said, making Reagan laugh in relief. She threw her arms around him as happiness flooded her system. Jonathan chuckled as he lifted the short girl off the floor, gripping her like he was never going to let go. He finally set her down and met her eyes. Jonathan smiled before leaning in, only to be cut off.
Steve cleared his throat, making the boy jump away from her. Jonathan glared over at him, while Steve grinned and draped his arm around Nancy. "Just because of tonight doesn't mean I approve of this–" Steve was cut off when Nancy elbowed him sharply in the rips. He coughed,"Never mind." Steve said, reaching over to rub his side as he looked down at his girlfriend.
Reagan chuckled as she sent a smile at Nancy. She then looked over at Jonathan,"Let's go see your brother, yeah?" She told him. Jonathan smiled down at her and nodded his head.
While the drive to the hospital wasn't that long, it felt longer, only because Jonathan and Reagan couldn't wait to set their eyes on Will. It felt like he had been gone for ages, even though the boy had only been gone for a week. Too much had happened though to make them feel like that amount of time had actually passed. It felt like more.
Soon enough, they will all waiting in his hospital room. Will was unconscious as he laid on the hospital bed, and the people who cared most about him waited for him to wake up.
The monitor beeped steadily as Will blinked his eyes open. The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes were the faces of his mother, his brother, and Reagan. He looked at his family with a smile.
"Hey..." Joyce perked up as soon as she noticed his eyes were open. "Hi, sweetheart." She said softly, gently brushing his hair back. "Hey." Jonathan mumbled, reaching out and taking his arm in his hands. Reagan smiled with tears in her eyes at the sight of Will,"Hey, Will." She greeted him.
Will looked at the three,"Where... where am I?" He asked them. Joyce sighed, looking to her eldest. "You're home. You're home now." Jonathan assured his little brother. "You're safe." Reagan said, reaching for the young boy's hand. "Jonathan." Will grinned at his brother. "Yeah, it's me, buddy." Jonathan confirmed, a tear slipping down his cheek. "We missed you. We really missed you." He said, looking over to Reagan.
"Are you guys okay?" Will asked softly, looking to the bandages on Jonathan and Reagan's hand. "What, this? It's just a cut. It's nothing." Jonathan dismissed. "We're okay, Will." Reagan assured the boy. Jonathan smiled as he looked at his brother,"You're worried about our hands." He couldn't help but chuckle, making his mother and Reagan chuckle too. They almost forgot how great a kid Will was. They had spent too much time apart from him.
"Oh, hey, uh..." Jonathan looked over to Reagan and she clued in, reaching for the box they had brought. "We brought you some stuff... so you don't get bored in here." Jonathan mentioned, taking the box from Reagan and placing it down on the bed. "Uh, I made you a new mix tape." Jonathan said, reaching for the cassette before handing it to Will. "There's some stuff on there I think you really might like." He told him.
Reagan smiled, pulling out a comic book,"X-Men 134... courtesy of Dustin." She chuckled lightly as she looked at Will. "Speaking of which..." She turned her attention to Joyce who nodded her head. She tapped Will's hand gently,"I'll be right back. Another surprise." She told him.
Will smiled over at Jonathan,"Another?" He asked weakly.
Reagan opened the door to the waiting room, catching Mike's eyes first. She gave the young boy a breath nod, which got him to his feet instantly. "You guys." Mike shook Lucas and Dustin, who had passed out while waiting. "Guys, he's up. Will is up. Guys, Will's up." Mike rushed out. Lucas and Dustin grunted as they woke up, and ran after Mike ran out of the waiting room. Reagan held the door open, chuckling as the boy ran out. "Guys, come on!" Mike urged his friends who weren't going fast enough.
She followed after the boys, who screamed and cheered as they entered Will's hospital room. Joyce told them to be careful but all of them went forth to squish the boy who had just woke up. Jonathan chuckled as he watched, smiling as Reagan entered back into the room.
"Guys, guys, go easy on him." Jonathan told the boys, but Will had the biggest grin on his face when he greeted his friends. "You won't believe what happened when you were gone, man." Lucas told him. "It was mental." Dustin agreed. "You had a funeral." Lucas pointed out. "Jennifer Hayes was crying." Dustin added. "And Troy peed himself." Lucas snickered. "What?" Will asked. "In front of the whole school!" Dustin exclaimed.
Will began coughing which brought the boys back into reality. The smiles melted off their faces as they watched him with concern. "You okay?" Mike asked him. "It got me. The Demogorgon." Will explained. "We know." Mike said. "It's okay. It's dead." He added, trying to be assuring. "We made a new friend. She stopped it. She saved us. But she's gone now." Mike explained.
"Her name's Eleven." Dustin said. Will raised his brows,"Like the number?" He wondered. "Well, we call her 'El' for short." Lucas shrugged his shoulders casually. "She's basically a wizard." Dustin mentioned. "She has superpowers." Lucas whispered to Will. "More like a Yoda." Mike interjected. "She flipped a van with her mind, and these agents were trying to shoot us–" Dustin, Lucas and Mike began to recount their adventure much to Will's excitement.
Jonathan and Reagan watched the boys fondly, glad Will was among friends once again. They barely noticed Nancy was standing behind them, until the sight made her sad. She left the hospital room, and Reagan noticed her leave. She went out after her, guessing what she was upset about.
"Nance." Reagan stopped the girl. Nancy paused, turning around to look at her. She wasn't so sure she was up to talking to Reagan about Barbara as of yet. The subject was too upsetting for her. "I'm sorry." Reagan simply said. "About Barb. And if you need to talk– when you're ready to talk... I'll be there." She told her, assuring her that if Nancy needed, she would always be her friend. Nancy nodded her head gently,"Thanks... for the offer. I'll keep that in mind." Nancy said, turning back in order to walk away.
But she paused after only a few steps. Nancy turned on her heel, looking back at Reagan. "You know... you're a good friend, Reagan." She told the blonde. "Thank you." Nancy said with a soft smile which made Reagan smile, and then she walked down the hall to go back to her parents.