DISCLAIMER: IT IS OWNED BY NEW LINE CINEMA AND WARNER BROS. STUDIOS! I OD NOT OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR MY OC!

A/N: Fifth. Chapter. Is. Finally. Done! This took me FOREVER to get done, so sorry if this seems rushed, even though this is the longest chapter by far!

SuperSentai199: Yes it did!

Connie Hooper: OMG LOL! Thanks! And yes, Richie is almost more scared of Steph than he is of Pennywise XD

.2019: Thanks!

LostBoys453: It's about time you reviewed this! Just kidding, no pressure. Thank you, I'm so happy you love this story! And thanks for agreeing, I'll keep you updated on when that novelization is done!

Guest: OMG! lol

robinmuffins: Thanks! Glad you're excited for this one! And yes, Rest In Peace Stan... :(

Special thanks to SuperSentai199, Connie Hooper, .2019, LostBoys453, Guest, and robinmuffins for either leaving a review or favoriting/following the last chapter!

Now, without further ado, here is the fifth chapter!

Chapter Five

"Okay, so… what do you mean that you've seen us all die?" Eddie asked.

"Yeah, 'cause I gotta be honest, that's a messed up thing to just drop on somebody," Richie added.

"Beep freaking beep, Richie," Steph warned him as she looked at Beverly.

All five of them were in one of the front rooms of the townhouse, Steph and Beverly sitting on a chair, the former having her arm around the latter. But throughout the whole explanation Beverly had given Eddie that she had seen all of the Losers, including herself, die, Steph had been silent. Dread creeped down her spine like molasses. She felt her heart stuck — no, lodged — lodged in her throat; her stomach was full of lead; her feet were frozen to the ground; and her mind was numb as she heard every word.

It was especially worse considering the fact that her worst fear was losing her friends and loved ones. And hearing this confession from Beverly proved that most definitely, and it was very

(well well well Steph it looks like you're stuck in a horrible situation just like when you were a kid but now it's worse oh yes it's much much worse)

terrifying to listen to, but she made sure she didn't show that.

"Every night since Derry, I've… been having these nightmares…" Beverly croaked out, wiping away another tear. "People in pain… people dying… people…" She couldn't get another word out, sniffing and Steph hugged her best friend, trying her best to not cry herself.

"So you have nightmares. I have nightmares," Eddie dismissed. "People… they have nightmares, but that doesn't mean that your visions are true!"

"Shh!" hissed Steph as she glared at her best friend. "Now isn't the time for scolding!" She then turned back to Beverly, who was now locking eyes with her.

"I've watched every single one of us…" She suddenly stopped speaking, more tears streaming down her cheeks. For a moment, Steph could've sworn that she saw a shadow of Beverly's teenage self in front of her, but it only lasted for half a second. But before she could open her mouth, a new voice entered the conversation.

"You've seen every single one of us wuh-what?"

Bill and Mike were standing in the doorway of the room, the former sitting down in another chair in front of Steph and Beverly, looking at them with a solemn expression. She couldn't really tell him what the answer to that question was, she didn't want to make him hear it. But he had to, even though she chose to stay silent.

"At the place that Stanley wound up," sobbed Beverly, her body shaking in Steph's arms as she rested her head on her best friend's shoulder. "That's how we end…"

Steph could see that her husband's face carried an emotion that was not shock, but rather despair at hearing this. She suddenly had a feeling, almost as if Bill knew about what Beverly had told them all, and although she wanted desperately to ask him how or why, she couldn't do it.

"Okay, how come the rest of us aren't seeing that crap?" demanded Richie, who was pointing right at Beverly, making Steph send a piercing glare in his direction. "I mean, what makes her so different?!"

Steph, despite how angry she was at Richie, couldn't help but shrug at his question. She didn't even know the true answer to that, and she wasn't able to reply to him, as much as she wanted to.

"The Deadlights," answered Mike.

Her eyes widened in bewilderment, turning her head in every possible direction, trying to see how everyone else reacted. They looked just as confused as she did, which assured her that she wasn't crazy. But Bill looked more shocked than the others, if not horrified.

"The Duh-Deadlights…" he murmured.

Steph froze, feeling as if her body had been drenched in ice cold water. She suddenly remembered a memory — a painful memory that was like a deep and horrible chapter of a book — and she did not want to see it in her head. The memory was like a nightmare, but she knew it wasn't as she took in a shaky breath and

screamed in terror.

Beverly was suspended in midair, eerily floating just like the dead children above all of them. She seemed to have not heard the scream that Steph had let out right then and there. And it looked like she was not coming back down anytime soon. Unless she was pulled back down.

"Bev… she was the only one of us that got c-c-caught in the Deadlights that day…" Bill confirmed, almost as if he had read Steph's mind. She shuddered at the memory, wanting it to go away and never come back. But she felt the sensation that it wouldn't.

Mike walked to the middle of the room, locking eyes with Richie for a split second. "We were all touched by It… changed… deep down, like an infection, or virus… A virus… Do you understand?" He looked at Steph as she nodded, letting him continue. "This virus, it's been growing for 27 years, this whole time, metastasizing! It just got to Stan first, because —"

"He was the weakest," Richie finished for him softly. Steph glared at him furiously.

"Jesus Christ, Rich," Bill said weakly.

"I'm just saying what everyone else was thinking, man," he added, shrugging slightly. Steph scoffed at this.

"You know what, Rich? Just shut up," she snapped. "Alright?" Richie held up his hands in surrender.

"I mean, come on, Richie," Eddie added, sounding more exasperated than ever, and Steph sent him a sympathetic glance.

"What Beverly sees," Mike continued, "it will come to pass! It's what'll happen to all of us eventually… unless we stop It." As he explained this, Richie walked behind the bar, resting his shoulders on the wood as Steph got up, sending a skeptical look in Mike's direction.

"Mike, just so you know, I'm on your side, but I have one question," she said gently. "How in the heck are we supposed to stop It?" All of them knew that it was the most important question to ask in that specific moment, but an influence practically spoke to her, saying that she was not going to like this. And that was confirmed when Mike spoke the following words:

"The Ritual of Chüd."

Steph raised her eyebrows at this response, a sour look forming on her face as she stared at her best friend in disbelief. Did he seriously just say that a ritual would stop this monster that had almost killed her and her friends 27 years ago?

Yes, yes he did.

"The Shokopiwah," Mike continued. "The first ones who fought It, they were saying: 'All living things must abide by the laws of the shape they inhabit.'

"A tribal ritual?!" Richie blurted out. "Are you freaking kidding me, man?!"

Steph shook her head in agreement. "Yeah, sorry, Mike. I have to agree with Richie this time. You're seriously suggesting that a ritual is going to work?"

Mike nodded, and she scoffed in skepticism.

"Alright, there's gotta be some other way," Richie added. "This thing comes back every, what, 27 years? Let's just kick the can down the road and do it then!" This made Steph give him a look of pure annoyance and shock. "Rich, that's impossible!" she shouted.

"She's right, we'll be seventy years old by then!" Eddie barked out, agreeing with the woman.

"None of us make it another twenty years…"

Steph turned at Beverly with wide eyes, her heart hammering against her chest as she heard the red-haired woman say this. She could see more tears in her eyes as she actually failed to breathe for a moment.

"The way it happens…" Beverly let out a sob as Steph rushed over to her and hugged her again. She herself finally let the tears flow, although slowly, not wanting to look vulnerable in front of the others. Bill, who could see his wife crying despite this, rubbed a hand up and down her back to comfort her.

"So, if we don't beat It this cycle, then…" Ben trailed off, and although she didn't want to say it, Steph could feel the words lingering on her tongue.

"We die…" she said before she could stop herself, covering her mouth immediately afterwards.

"Horribly," Eddie added.

"Yeah, I don't need the 'horribly' part," Richie told him in a monotone voice. After taking one glance at Steph, he muttered, "I'll stop now."

"Well, I didn't say it," Eddie replied before pointing to Beverly, "she said it. Not me."

"Hey guys, look," Bill got their attention, and Steph and the others turned to him. "I've seen w-wuh-what he's talking about and it's a-a-a-all true… It's the only way. If we want this ritual to work…"

"We have to remember," Mike finished.

"Remember what?" Steph asked in a small voice, a voice she hadn't used in a very long time. She knew that she was starting to remember things that had happened that summer, but most of it was still blocked from her mind. All she could remember were bits and pieces, and sometimes, they would disappear to the back of her mind. But she didn't know that she would recall them again. Most of them were bad things, and very little of them were good at all, but she was sure she would get to the good stuff sometime soon.

But what exactly did she need to remember? What did the others need to remember?

"It's better if I show you," Mike responded. "This cycle will end soon… and once it does…"

"We're screwed," concluded Eddie, his voice strained as he took a gasp of air from his inhaler. Steph put a hand on his shoulder as some form of support, and he secretly appreciated it. "I can't say I disagree…" she murmured.

"It's nearly midnight," Mike said, looking out the window. "We should get some sleep, but you need to be up bright and early tomorrow."

Steph nodded, hugging Beverly one more time and bidding the others goodnight before jogging up the stairs.

Just taking each step made her breathing rapid and quick. Her pulse pounding in her temples made her feel a little dizzy, her legs beginning to shake as she almost fell while opening her room door. If it weren't for Bill wrapping his arms around her waist at that moment, she was sure she would've fainted. He helped her walk over to their bed and sat her down.

"You-You want me to get you some wa-water?" he asked her, and she shook her head almost immediately. She rested a hand on his chest as she took deep breaths, closing her eyes for an agonizing moment. "I need some sleep, that's all I want, Bill," she muttered, sighing heavily as she turned away from him. He nodded, running a hand over her hair soothingly. "Do you want me to luh-leave you alone?"

Steph looked at him, her dread and sadness feeling hollow in her heart. She didn't know what was worse. A lot of the times that she was sad, there would be an emotional shell guarding her that was sometimes easy to break, but not completely; whenever it did, there would either be one or a river of tears. Other times, it would feel like her heart was made of glass, and when it was shattered, she wouldn't be able to cry.

The latter was what she was feeling right now, her eyes threatening to drown themselves in her tears, but she sniffed, wiping them away. She wasn't going to cry tonight, she could save that for later, and she looked at Bill again.

"Bill…" she whispered, "this is too much for me to handle right now…. It's not your fault, it's nobody's fault, but I just can't deal with this. Can you stay, please? Just stay, that's all I want right now…"

Her husband pulled her into his arms and hugged her, and she gripped his shirt tightly in response, refusing to let him go. She didn't want to be released from this embrace, and neither did Bill, so he carried her to the bed and they both laid down. He held her in his arms, cradling Steph's head against his chest as she finally began to calm down.

"I'll always be here… no matter what happens," promised Bill. Steph nodded her head as she finally felt sleep claim her.

She woke up in the middle of the night in Bill's arms, feeling the urge to vomit out of nowhere. She struggled out of his hold, surprisingly not waking him up as she dashed to the bathroom, switched on the light and felt chunks of bile leave her mouth while holding the trash can. She felt as if she were there forever in the agonizing silence that followed, and it was really uncomfortable for her to handle. She eventually collapsed to the floor, heaving in huge breaths as she gasped for air. But, for some reason, she felt as if she couldn't breathe at all as she laid on the tile, shivering from the cold.

"Steph? You o-okay?"

She weakly lifted her head up to see Bill standing in the doorway with a concerned look on his face. She nodded slightly, finally able to breathe again as she lowered her head to prevent the nausea from returning. Her stomach was killing her as she sat there. "Just a little sick, that's all," she replied.

"Oh, is poor little Steph scared?"

Panic washed through Steph like a tsunami as her eyes widened to the size of saucers. She snapped her head up to see Bill still standing there, but with blood pouring from his neck as he cackled. A cackle that did not sound remotely human in the slightest.

Steph not only felt tears forming in her eyes at the sight, but pure horror settling inside her heart as she opened her mouth and let a scream escape her lips. The scream tore through her like the blade of a knife. She could almost feel her pupils dilating as her heart thundered erratically, her brain set on fire, her blood draining from her face. She had no clue what to do about this, but she only knew that she had to get out of there. Now.

She got up and bolted to the window. She knew one thing: distance was the only thing that mattered right now. She forced the window open and tried to crawl out, but when she was halfway close to escaping, she felt a strong hand grip her ankle, and she shrieked, yelling for help. Steph was forced to turn around and face the damn clown once again, laughing maniacally as she was easily dragged back into the bathroom. Her head slammed against the floor, and she moaned in excruciating pain.

It stared down at her, giggling menacingly once more. "Silly Steph… you still think you can see me? You'll never see me… You'll only see what your mind will allow!"

Steph glared up at the demon, anger slowly replacing the terror that she was feeling. Her gasps of breath turned into calm ones. "I remember you," she told It, feeling an immense pain in her brain as she did so.

It cocked its head at her, a disturbing grin on its face.

"And I remember we beat you," continued Steph, gritting her teeth before saying the inevitable words: "And I'm not freaking afraid of you!"

It brought her closer to sniff her, and then cowered slightly, furious and even a little frightened of her. He shook his head as he waggled a finger in her face. "You will be," It sneered. "You will be when I kill your little husband and friends. Let's see how you like it when you die alone!"

"NO!"

Steph nearly fell off of the bed as she screamed, but she caught herself before that could happen. Bill was awake instantly, pulling her back to him, and he was shocked that she was trying to fight him. Then he saw that she was still asleep, and he put his hands on both sides of her face. "Steph, wake up! It's me!" he yelled, trying not to panic.

She jerked in his grasp, finally opening her eyes, gasping for air. She desperately searched for Bill and when she found him, she relaxed. "Oh, thank God…" she breathed out harshly. "You're not dead…" Bill could see her lips quivering as she trembled in his arms.

"Are yuh-you okay? Puh-Please tell me your okay," Bill said, his fingers finding her chin and turning her head towards him.

Steph placed a hand on Bill's chest, and sighed with relief at the feeling of his heartbeat. "God," she whispered, lowering her head for a second. "You were dead… You were It." Her voice was quiet and scared, a tone that Bill hated to hear from her.

"I'm not dead," he replied, brushing his fingers along her jaw to keep her calm. "I'm nuh-not It… I'm ruh-right here."

"Oh, my God, Bill," Steph choked out when she was certain she wouldn't cry. She knew that he would want her to talk about it, like she always did after nightmares. And, even though she didn't want to, the words left her mouth anyway.

"I had gotten up because I got sick… you came to check on me but when I looked at you, your throat was cut open and you were laughing… you turned into It and that freaking clown told me that it was going to kill you and the others… and that I would die alone… All alone."

Bill tucked a strand of tangled blonde hair behind his wife's ear. "You will not duh-die alone," he told her confidently. "I'm right here, right nuh-now, with you…"

In response to this, Steph took his hand and placed a chaste kiss on it. "With me," she murmured against his warm skin. She sounded much more calm now, and Bill was now at ease.

"Yeah," he confirmed, hugging her close as her shaky breathing turned more normal in a matter of seconds after this. His wife was back; he gasped a little.

His wife.

Steph raised her head and kissed Bill for a few seconds before breaking away. He pulled her back to him, wanting to comfort her even more, and kissed her deeply. This made her freeze for a moment, before wrapping her arms around his neck, just wanting to be held as they kissed. Somehow, and she didn't know how, her heartbeat slowed down.

They pulled away and laid back down on the bed. Steph stared at the ceiling for a long moment, almost forgetting that it was pitch black in the room.

"A-A-Are you okay now?" asked Bill, and she felt his arm draped over her stomach, which made her smile a little.

"Yeah, I am," she said, falling back asleep, resting her head against Bill's chest as she felt another kiss planted in her hair.

The entire town of Derry was eerily quiet the following morning.

Steph and Bill had gotten up early along with the others and were now walking down the main boulevard away from the town square. All of them had taken this route almost thirty years ago as kids, but now it was different since they were adults. But it somehow still felt the same.

The middle-aged woman was taking further steps down the pavement, Bill on one side, Richie on the other, Mike in front of her. All she wanted was to get this whole Ritual of Chüd thing over and done with since she had already been dealing with things the night before and earlier that morning.

When Steph had woken up and gotten ready, she had the courage to open the fortune cookie she had taken the night before from the Chinese place. There was no disgusting creature or blood waiting for her inside. Instead, the slip of paper that resided in it was much more chilling, because the words printed on the paper read:

'Have a good day! Tonight, you die!'

She had shredded up the paper and thrown it in the trash before setting out with the others.

But now the event was in the back of her mind as she kept walking behind Mike, following him into the woods, the others behind her. Steph took each further step along a pathway that she vaguely recognized. It was almost as if another memory was shouting at her again, desperately wanting her to claim and remember it. She could faintly hear the recollection in the back of her mind, but for some reason, she couldn't grasp it with her subconscious fingertips.

Steph was transfixed by the beauty for the woods, the green of the leaves enveloping her eyesight as she took further steps. Her hand was linked with Bill's as she did this. The blonde-haired woman's eyes darted around the wilderness, almost as if she were afraid that she wouldn't be able to see it again.

"The Barrens," Beverly spoke up just as Steph tasted those words on her lips. They died away as soon as she thought them, but it was okay with her. She still cast glances around, in amazement of how more beautiful it was now.

"This is where we came… after the rock fight," Ben said with a grin on his face. Steph smiled even more as she looked at her best friend, the memory sinking into her mind. This was the first time she was genuinely happy since she first saw her friends again, and she wanted to cherish that.

"The clubhouse!" Richie exclaimed, and Steph gasped, that part also clicking for her. "I remember that," she told Ben, patting him on the shoulder with her free hand and they both chuckled.

"Yeah, you built that for us!" voiced Beverly with a giggle.

"Yeah, the hatch's gotta be around here somewhere," Richie said with determination laced in his voice, walking ahead of the others to see if there was any sign of said hatch. Steph was doing the same, letting go of Bill's hand.

"I do remember that!" Eddie exclaimed happily.

Just then, Steph failed to notice a twig in front of her and her foot caught it. She fell forward, yelping in shock, but felt strong arms wrap around her before she could hit the ground.

"You okay, honey?" Bill asked her tentatively, and she nodded, slightly dazed from the worried look he was giving her. She didn't know why; she had been married to him for nearly twenty years. Why was she so nervous around him again? That was the thing; she had no idea.

"Yeah, I'm okay," she replied with a small smile. They stared at one another for a long moment, and that was when they both realized that they were actually being somewhat awkward around one another, something that had not happened since they were teenagers. It made them chuckle a little.

"You know what?" Ben said loudly so everyone else could hear. "I think the door was more…" He stomped on the ground gently a few times before Steph heard a crack and a grunt. She swiftly turned around in Bill's arms just as she saw Ben plummet down a hole, and sprinted for it. She knelt down, peeking inside. "Ben, are you all right?" she called down, her voice echoing slightly.

A small moment of silence.

"Found it," Ben replied.

Steph sighed with relief as she stood up.

"I'm okay! Come down!" he added, shouting for them to join him in the clubhouse.

Their clubhouse.

Steph couldn't help but smile as she allowed Beverly to climb down into the hole first, followed by Richie. Then, taking a deep breath, she turned around, raising her right foot and

slowly but carefully took steps backwards down the ladder, following Beverly. As her feet hit the dirt floor, she took a long examining look around the room, a warm smile growing on her face as her eyes landed on Ben. She nodded to him, her short and frizzy blonde hair bouncing a little.

"Not bad, Haystack!" she complimented him. He gave her a smile in return.

"Thanks, Steph," he replied politely.

Steph giggled quietly to herself as she looked around again, Richie and Bill entering the clubhouse behind her. There were wooden beams that separated the hole into large sections, even a space in the corner that was closed off from the others. She was really impressed, even sort of jealous, wishing that she was able to do something like this.

"What the heck is this?!" Richie asked, sounding more shocked than he ever had. "How'd you build it?!"

This time, due to the adrenaline Steph still had after the rock fight, she laughed at Richie's remark. "Beep beep, Richie," she said despite this.

For a split second, as his feet hit the dirt floor, Bill locked eyes with Steph, and she felt a blush kiss her cheeks like blossoming roses. She looked away with a smile as Bill asked, "Wuh-When did you build it?"

"Here and there, I guess," Ben answered. "It was already dug out from something, so I just had to reinforce the walls… And get some wood for the roof door and that's pretty much it… Pretty good for my first time, huh?" He then put a hand on one of the wooden beams, and a part of the tin roof collapsed. Steph turned around, gasping before putting a hand on her chest. When she noticed that Bill had put a protective arm in front of her, she turned her head away to avoid his eyes, but what she didn't know was that the sudden pinkness of her face gave her away.

"Now, that's a cool feature!" Richie exclaimed sarcastically. "What happens when you put your hand on the other pillar, Professor?!"

"Shut up, Richie," Steph told him with a small glare, before turning back to Ben. "I'm proud of you, Ben," she added with a genuine smile.

"Thanks again," he replied.

"Okay, you see, this is exactly why there are safety codes!" Eddie yelled, smacking the side of his right hand against his left palm; this was something he did pretty often. "That's why we have permits! This place is a death trap, you understand that?!" he added, glaring at Ben.

"Well, it's a work in progress, okay, Eddie?" Ben assured him, looking a little upset that his best friend was reacting like this.

"Just so you know," Eddie carried on, "I get hurt, you are liable! And also, what is this?!" He smacked something that was hanging from one of the wooden beams. "The switch of an iron maiden?"

"That-That's a flashlight," Ben answered for him.

Steph rolled her eyes at Eddie's behavior, shaking her head. She understood that he was unusually hyper after the rock fight, but she was at least calm about her adrenaline; he wasn't.

"Eddie, leave him alone, you should be proud!" she said, defending Ben.

"And what is that? A horse hitch?" resumed Eddie, as if he hadn't heard her at all. "When do you have horses down -? Oh, this is cool!" He then bent down and grabbed a paddle with a ball that was attached to a string, examining it with a small smile.

"That was, like, three dollars. So be careful with that, please?" Ben advised him.

Eddie seemed to ignore him, bouncing the ball on the paddle. "I have one of these," he bragged. He then turned to Stan, still bouncing the ball, but right in the poor boy's face. "Hey, Stan, you see this?"

Stan rolled his eyes, shielding his face from the ball. "Yeah… okay, can you maybe not?" he retorted, clearly annoyed with the smaller boy.

"Maybe not what?" Eddie teased. "Yeah, yeah… hold on… Maybe not what? Maybe not what? Be awesome and have fun and celebrate the MAGIC OF THE PADDLE BALL!"

Eddie was bouncing the ball way too quickly and not so gently, causing it to break off, rebounding off of the floor and falling into a crack in a wooden gate. "Oh, good going, moron! You broke his thing!" Eddie accused.

Stan glared at him. "I broke it?!" he shouted back. Eddie didn't even nod.

"Yeah, you broke it with your face!" the germaphobe added, giving him a blaming look.

"What?" Stan looked so confused as he questioned this.

"Okay, Eds… stop acting like this, okay?" Steph warned him, but he didn't listen to her.

"I'm not putting my freaking hand down there!" he finished.

The moment that saying from a teenage Eddie Kaspbrak echoed in Steph's mind, that very same man bent down and actually plucked the ball from the paddle off of the floor. He twirled it around in his hand and blew the dust off of it, which made her smile. She herself reached out and softly caressed the now broken hammock that had once resided on the main side of the clubhouse. Even though the summer of '89 was the most traumatic three months of her life, a part of her wanted to go back to those days just to be a little kid again.

But, alas, that wouldn't be able to happen, that was just impossible.

"Hey, Losers!"

Steph snapped her head up into the dark space of the clubhouse at the sound of the voice. Never before had she noticed how time was almost exactly like water; it passed by extremely slowly as her heart began to race, and she even thought it froze for a few seconds. Her face turned pale as she pulled her pocket knife out of her jeans, clicking it open and pushing the others behind her.

"Time to float!"

The voice sounded just like It… just like that freaking clown! She felt the fear, but she stepped forward, and amazingly, she found her fearlessness. But when the figure in the shadows walked out, laughing at what he had just did to scare the other losers, Steph rolled her eyes and just barely resisted the urge to beat the life out of the person.

Freaking Richie Tozier and his jokes!

"Richie, what the heck?!" she exclaimed, closing her knife and stuffing it back in her pocket. "I could've killed you!"

"Jesus, Richie!" Bill added, accidentally slamming his head against a wooden beam, and Steph quickly pulled him out of the way so he wouldn't do it again.

"Dude!" Eddie scolded him.

"Remember when he used to say that?" Richie asked, still amused and not phased from the glare Steph sent him. "He did that little dance?" he added, eerily recreating the exact dance. "Am I the only one who remembers this stuff?"

"Are you going to be like this the entire time we're home?" Eddie asked harshly, which made Richie look at the others for support, but after glancing at Steph, his shoulders sagged. "Sorry," he muttered.

"It's all right, Rich," she replied, actually chuckling a little.

He nodded. "Okay, just trying to add some levity to this crap… I'll go kill myself," he said calmly, stuffing his hands in his pockets without a care in the world. Steph took her left hand and gently ran it along the dirt wall, not caring if the dust clung to her pores, crazily thinking it would help her remember this memory as her own this time. It was a beautiful memory she didn't want to forget, and she was sure the others didn't want to either.

"Hey, you guys?"

Steph turned to Bill, who had a big coffee can in his hands, and he was holding it out for them to see. "This says 'S-S-Stan… For the use of L-Luh-Losers ONLY,'" he told them. He then went to open the can, and everyone except for Steph looked worried as to what would be inside.

"Bill," Eddie warned him, and Steph looked at him, shaking her head as her husband opened the can. He paused for a long moment, almost as if he were hesitant, before reaching inside of it and

pulled out a showercap, passing it to Steph. "Here you g-guh-go," Bill said kindly, and she took it from him. She looked at Stan, nodding her thanks and giving him a smile. He returned the smile as he passed the can around while Steph pulled the showercap over her head. She looked at Bill and shook her head in amusement, and he shrugged at her. The song 'Word Up!' by Cameo was playing on the radio that Steph had brought with her, but she had personally carried her Walkman and headphones along with that.

"What the heck is this?" Richie asked, making Steph look in his and Stan's direction, seeing that the former was holding one of the showercaps in his hands, a magazine in the other. Steph stifled a laugh as she heard this.

"It's so you don't get spiders stuck in your hair when you're down here," Stan explained simply.

"Stanley, we're not afraid of freaking spiders!" Richie retorted with a scoff, tossing the showercap to the side, making Stan stomp to the other side of the clubhouse.

Steph and Richie locked eyes for a long moment, where the latter raised his eyebrows in defeated surprise. "I stand corrected," he confirmed.

She chuckled at this, as well as Beverly, who was taking another drag of her cigarette. "That's a first," she remarked with a smirk, and turned back to help Ben fix the clubhouse to make it more homely.

"Touché," Richie agreed, looking back at his magazine.

"Hey, Richie!" Eddie got his attention. "Your ten minutes are up."

"What are talking about?" replied Richie, giving him an innocent look.

Eddie's eyes widened in disbelief. "The hammock. Ten minutes each was the rule!"

"I don't see any sign," Richie said ignorantly, taking a sweeping look around the room before going back to his magazine.

"Are you being this way right now? Really? No, no, no." Eddie shook his head, rolling his eyes in annoyance. "There wouldn't be a sign if it was a verbal agreement, and I remember you agreeing on the freaking rule!" He then jumped into the hammock beside Richie, and they both grunted, fighting for their own space.

"I can see your thing!" Richie snapped at him sarcastically.

"Ten minutes each!" Eddie screeched.

"Get back in your stupid corner! I kissed your mom!"

"No, you didn't! Take that back, jerk!"

"Screw you!" Richie yelled.

Steph clapped her hands together, trying to get their attention. "Boys, that's not how us Losers act! Stop it," she demanded, but they ignored her as she took her Walkman and headphones, going to the secluded space of the clubhouse and sitting on a small bench that could fit two people. She sneakily slipped the showercap off of her head, running a hand through her hair as she put her headphones on. She pressed Play on the Walkman, hearing the lyrics of 'Don't Fear the Reaper' blast through her ears, although not too loudly.

All our times have come

Here but now they're gone

Seasons don't fear the reaper

Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain, we can be like they are

She smiled to herself as she rested her chin in her hand, blocking out the surroundings around her. She stared into space, not really recalling what she was thinking about in that moment. She didn't acknowledge anything else, just the world of music.

Valentine is done

Here but now they're gone

Romeo and Juliet

Are together in eternity, Romeo and Juliet

40,000 men and women everyday, like Romeo and Juliet

40,000 men and women everyday, Redefine happiness

Another 40,000 coming everyday, We can be like they are

Steph glanced up and saw Bill standing there in the entrance of the small space, and she pulled her headphones off, giving him a kind smile.

"C-Can I juh-join you?" Bill asked shyly.

She nodded, that smile never leaving her face. He walked inside and sat down next to her, leaving a peaceful silence between them. A silence that they both knew had to be broken soon. So, Steph decided to do it first.

"Have the two losers compromised over the hammock problem?" she inquired, smirking and fighting off a laugh. Bill, however, actually laughed as he shrugged. "No," he answered, "they're st-st-still going at-at it…"

Steph indeed heard Richie and Eddie still arguing, which made her giggle quietly. At Bill's slightly wide eyes, she gave him a look of confusion. "What?"

He shook his head. "Nuh-Nothing," he said in a sheepish voice. "It's just… you luh-luh-look cute when you laugh…"

She blushed furiously as she looked down. "Thanks," she replied bashfully. "That's very sweet."

There was a long moment of silence as they both stared at each other. After about five seconds, Steph could've sworn that Bill was getting closer as she felt him take her hand. She inhaled a trembling breath at the realization. Was he seriously about to do what she thought he was doing?

Yes, she was sure he was.

So she started leaning in as well, her heart hammering against her ribcage as she did so. Closer and closer she got…

"Hey, guys, we were just -"

Steph and Bill sprung apart quickly to see Ben looking at them with a shocked expression. She gave him a pleading look as he snapped out of his surprise. "Sorry, uh…" he said, trying to get out of this.

She shook her head. "It's okay, Ben… Just don't tell anyone about this…" she whispered. He nodded as he left them alone again, an awkward silence hanging in the air.

"Wuh-We should…" Bill said, gesturing to the main room.

"Yeah," Steph breathed out, chuckling a little as they left the secluded area, the tense situation behind them now.

"Stan, you should go with Mike to Florida," Richie suggested. "You already act 80. You'd clean up with all the grandmas." He made a kissing face which made Steph and the others laugh as she sat down next to Stan.

"D-Do you guys think we'll still be friends… when we're older?"

Steph turned to the boy that asked this question, noticing that he had a worried look on his face, like he was scared of the future.

"What?" she exclaimed in bewilderment.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Ben asked.

"D-Do any of your parents still hang out with their friends from middle school?" Stan added. "I mean, things might be different then… We all might be different."

Steph's shoulders sagged as she thought about this question, not knowing if she should answer it. She felt guilty for not pondering about this earlier, making the wise choice to stay silent.

"We'll always still be friends," Bill answered. "I don't… I don't think that just g-g-go-goes away because we get older."

Steph nodded, satisfied with this answer as she gave him an appreciative smile, not blushing from embarrassment this time.

"Yeah, Stan. Come on," Beverly added. "You don't have to be so…" She paused for a long moment, before opening her mouth to finish the sentence.

"...sad," both Steph and Beverly finished.

A/N: You know...

Another cliffhanger, but not too drastic, so I know you won't hate me lol

Steph is about to go down more of memory lane and there will be A LOT of flashbacks here, some of which take place after the first story. I think that would be a unique idea!

What did you think of the nightmare scene? Were you surprised I put that in there?

Was the clubhouse scene as funny as it was in the film? What did you think of the transitions and the small moment between young Steph and Bill? Hope you liked it!

I'm sure you guys loved this chapter, but I hope you still did! Be looking forward to the next one coming out on Saturday! Once again, have a great day, and until next time!

- Hermione Romanoff