DISCLAIMER: IT IS OWNED BY NEW LINE CINEMA AND WARNER BROS. STUDIOS! I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT FOR MY OC!
A/N: I'm gonna upload this early as well! Why not?! It's Valentine's Day and there is a sweet scene between our favorite couple in this chapter, so might as well!
Anyways, Happy Valentine's Day everybody! Hope you guys are going to have a great one! I'm gonna be spending it by watching horror movies, because I'm single and alone! Hey, I'm happy that way, so don't feel sorry for me! What are you guys planning on doing for this 'special' day? Let me know! I'll be watching the 'My Bloody Valentine' movies tonight after school!
By the way, this may be the longest chapter of all of them, which really surprised me! Hope you enjoy it regardless!
SuperSentai199: Yeah, I know... ;( Richie and Eddie would have been the perfect couple! I'm sad that never happened. Hope you enjoy this chapter!
MusicLover14: PLZ PLZ PLZ make an email account! I would love to PM you because we need to be friends! Also, your review on the tenth chapter: you heard breathing in your closet?! I bet it was Michael Myers paying you an early visit before Halloween! MWAHAHAHAH! Glad you love that sentence you pointed out! And yes, Queen Emily! I need to get going with writing the fifth chapter of that story lol And I'm sorry for making you cry again! Also, you forgot a pairing: Stell (Steph and Bill)! I still haven't seen Bird Box lol Your reviews aren't too long! They make my day, so I don't care! Hope you enjoy this chapter!
MissBeckyJolene: I'm sorry for making you cry, but I believe it was supposed to do that, like the movie did. :'( Hope you enjoy this chapter! And your last sentence... PLEASE tell me you don't mean what I think you mean lol I wish you would specify.
Connie Hooper: I'm glad you loved it! My heart is hurting for Steph as well... :( Eddie did deserve to live, he was so brave! And I can't wait to see how you write that part in your story! Hope you enjoy this chapter!
robinmuffins: Thank you! It was tough for me to write because it was emotional! Lol I cry all the time at sad movies XD! And you are right, that is the good part. And it warms my heart that you wanna binge read this again, but go work on your story, because I wanna read more lol Hope you enjoy this chapter!
.2019: Thank you!
Special thanks to SuperSentai199, MusicLover14, MissBeckyJolene, NymphadoraBlackMalfoy, Connie Hooper, robinmuffins, Tiger2014, .2019, and ArkhamAsylumPatient for either leaving a review or favoriting/following the last chapter!
Now, without further ado, here is the twelfth (and MAYBE emotional) chapter! Happy Valentine's Day, guys!
Chapter Twelve
The six remaining Losers strolled up to a metal fence after walking through the woods for a little while. Bill and Steph's filthy hands were connected, and she was running a finger over his wedding ring, something that provided her a bit of comfort. As she took a small glance around them, she noticed that a part of the Barrens actually looked very different then it did 27 years before.
But that was all the way in the past… that was 1989; they were now in 2016, and they couldn't go back, even if they wanted to for just a second.
Most of the shrubbery and leaves behind them were either demolished or torn from the ground during reconstruction of the town. There was now a small clearing that led up to the edge of the cliff…
The cliff that the then eight Losers had leaped off of so long ago.
Steph looked forward again, reading the red words on the sign in front of her that said, 'NO JUMPING OR DIVING AT ANYTIME.' She secretly thought that they weren't going to listen to the sign, and she felt the others were thinking the same thing. She stared into the blue-green waters that awaited them below. She needed to get the dirt, dust, and sewer waters cleansed and washed away from her and this would help it slightly. She glanced at the others and saw how filthy they were, especially Beverly with blood covering most of her face.
So, Steph climbed over the metal rod fence and her feet hit the ground with a light thud. She kicked her shoes off and removed her ruined socks, taking those and throwing them into the distance. She then gently slipped off her long-sleeved shirt, leaving a black tank top underneath. She turned around and saw Beverly climb over the fence after her and take her own shoes off and, soon enough, the others started to follow. She let her best friend go in front of her and the other four gathered around them.
Beverly took a deep breath and ran for the edge of the cliff, while the other five watched her. The redhead soared off of the cliff before landing in the water with a splash. Steph locked eyes with Bill for a second before
she jumped into the water after her best friend.
"What the heck?!" Richie yelled out as she flew through the air, before feeling herself descend towards the water. She hit the surface and felt herself sink under before ascending back up. Steph then looked up, smiling at all of the boys staring down at her and Beverly, dumbfounded. "Come on!" she called out.
She could see Bill smile at her from that distance and felt her stomach erupt with butterflies. He then jumped in seconds after Steph did.
They later found themselves splashing each other in the water. Steph laughed hysterically when Richie and Beverly were trying to see which one could push the other into the water.
"I already won! We already won!" Richie shouted gleefully. He was able to push Beverly off of Bill's shoulders and into the water with a yelp. "They're down! Yes!"
Steph kept laughing until Bill turned to her. "C-Come here! Your turn!" he told her, bravely grabbing her hands and pulling her in the direction of the victorious Richie.
"Bill, no! I'm not gonna win!" she shouted in mock anger. She screamed in shock and glee when Bill hoisted her onto his shoulders. Her heart thumped in her chest but her happiness made her ignore her brief nervousness. She was able to be victorious over Richie, which made him scream at her in mock rage, and she grinned at him like a child.
"You know…" Ben spoke up, making Steph turn to look at him with interest. "Eddie would've hated this, guys…"
A small smile graced Steph's facial features as she looked at Ben. She thought about it and he was completely right. Eddie would've despised it if he saw them doing this right now.
It had been about fifteen minutes since the six of them had jumped into the water at the quarry and most of the grime and sewer water was now cleaned off of them all. Steph felt that when she had jumped into the water 27 years ago, she was escaping her innocence and purity; although, she didn't feel that entirely. Now, she felt like she was escaping the pain and sadness for just a little while. And, as she started at Ben for just a second, she felt more amusement than grief.
"What?" Bill asked, his eyes squinted in confusion. "Cleaning ourselves in dirty water?"
Ben sighed humorously. "Yeah," he said, and everybody chuckled a little. Steph's small smile grew into a slight grin that faded away seconds later. Luckily for her, nobody noticed this.
"Yeah," she added, "he would be telling us that we would get some sort of disease or something."
Bill nodded. "Like a staph infection," he said as a last resort, and Steph giggled. "I remember you telling me about that," she replied.
There was a small moment filled with laughter as they looked at each other; all the while, Steph observed Richie for a few seconds, regarding how quiet he was during their banter. She understood why, though. He was still getting over the shock and trauma that he had just gone through, so she instantly felt sympathy for him. This was especially due to the fact that she could just barely catch a glance at the blood that was splattered onto Richie's glasses, and it made her grimace in sorrow.
"Yeah, but he would've made us laugh, though," said Mike, and Steph nodded.
"Oh, yeah," Beverly responded, nodding with a smile.
"He would've been looking out for us…" Bill said solemnly, before looking away for a moment. "...the way he always was…"
Steph looked down for a long minute, reflecting on those words, and it made her heart sink in misery. But her face remained blank as she thought this, although the others could covertly sense her depression. She squeezed her eyes shut, and hid her emotions from the others, not knowing that they could feel what she felt.
"Isn't that right, Richie?" asked Bill. No response.
The first thing Steph could hear that followed this question was the sound of weeping.
Richie's weeping.
She turned to look at him, and her heart broke at what she saw. She was able to see tears dripping from the man's eyes. She could subconsciously feel the walls that held Richie up emotionally break just like that. Moment by moment, she saw the tears fall down his stubbly cheeks and all she wanted was to go over to him and hug him. So she did.
"Hey," Beverly said softly, going over to him as well.
Steph was the first to reach him, and she did the unbelievable action of wrapping her arms around Richie, the friend that was the complete opposite of herself. She hugged him to her just as she felt the presence of the others around her as they also embraced Richie in a group hug. Richie laid his forehead on her shoulder as he sobbed quietly, his cries breaking Steph's heart dozens and dozens of times. She platonically ran her right hand through his black hair, hoping that it would comfort the man in her arms.
She couldn't believe that she was doing this. It was the first time that Steph had comforted Richie in a very long time; it honestly felt like forever ago, now that she thought about it. It made her nearly smile, but she held it back, as this was no time to be happy whatsoever.
Richie sobbed into her shoulder, his right hand holding her left and free one as tightly as possible; Steph didn't mind at all, resting her head on top of Richie's. She and the others held him in silence, and she didn't even notice his tears soaking a strap of her already submerged tank top. It was a long time until Richie finally pulled away, looking at the others. It was one of the only times Steph had seen him without his glasses and he looked very different.
"Thank you," he said in a choked up voice before sniffing. Steph nodded in reassurance. "I don't have my glasses on, so I don't know who you people are, but thank you…"
Steph laughed a little, playfully smacking his arm. "You're a freaking jerk, you know that?" she said jokingly, and his head bobbed up and down as he smiled. She could hear the others chuckling around her.
"I really legit can't find my glasses," Richie said, and Steph raised her eyebrows at his serious tone.
"Are you serious?" Beverly asked in disbelief.
That was when they pulled away from Richie and they started looking for the man's glasses. Steph stayed with Richie, putting a consoling arm around his shoulders. Bill looked at her for a moment, and they locked eyes. They smiled at one another before Bill leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. He then turned around, diving into the water to search for Richie's missing glasses.
"Wow, never thought you of all people would be here holding me like a mother does to their child," deadpanned Richie through the last of his tears. Steph nodded as she giggled slightly.
"Well, here I am," she replied sarcastically, patting him on the shoulder lightheartedly.
There was a long moment of peaceful silence as Steph looked in the direction of Ben and Beverly. Both of them were looking in a particular spot in the water right before the latter pushed Ben under, and she followed. Steph chortled a little before the smile left her face; she then looked at Bill, who was looking in the same direction she herself had gazed at. She saw a look of hilarity flash across his face before he continued his search.
Steph then looked back at Richie, seeing him staring down into the water that reached their chests. "Are you done crying?" she asked gently. He nodded a little, not looking at her. But a bewildered expression formed on his face immediately afterwards. "I'm a little surprised that you're not crying," he said in a small voice, and she shrugged.
"I can save that for later," she replied, her voice raspy and hoarse again. "You need me right now and I'm not going to act like a baby while I comfort you, okay?"
Richie nodded again, lowering his head. Steph reached her other arm to him. "Come here, let me hug you again," she demanded playfully. The man obeyed and he embraced her, resting his head on her shoulder. She patted his back to soothe him, staring into the green trees that surrounded them.
Little did she know that Bill was staring at her with a look of amazement on his face. He was so proud of his wife because of how emotionally strong she was being around them. He sensed that she would finally let all of her sadness out later, and when she did, he would be there to support her and hug her until the end of time. He always would be.
And that was because he loved her. Heck, he loved her so much; he dang well treasured her, and he thought the world of her every single day. And he would until the day he took his last breath.
About an hour later, the six adults finally entered the town of Derry again. They approached the street that led to the town square, all of them beyond exhausted and famished. Steph noticed that Ben and Beverly had been holding hands and she smiled at them, although they didn't notice; she was walking beside Bill, their arms around each other's waists as they took each step. Well, Steph limped due to the wound in her leg and her husband, although he didn't know how she got hurt, helped her move forward.
Steph looked at the buildings neighboring them as they strolled down the street, the sun high in the sky and shining down upon them. She finally felt a sense of solitude overcome her and carry the fear and uneasiness away into the back of her mind. She closed her eyes from the tranquility that washed over her as peace settled inside of her.
"Hey, guys!"
Steph turned around and looked at Beverly, who was staring at her left hand for a very long bit. But a look of slight surprise formed on her face when the redhead turned the hand around for everyone to see. "Look," Bev added. And Steph looked at her own left palm.
No scar. It was now gone and it didn't need to be there anymore.
The blood oath had been fulfilled, and it was over.
"Nothing lasts forever," Mike said in a low voice and Steph found herself nodding as she stared at the perfectly intact skin of her left hand. She also fiddled with the ring that sat on her ring finger, seeing the diamond glittering in the light of day.
She suddenly had the impulsion to look up and in front of her and she gasped slightly; her eyes didn't widen, but the feeling of shock entered her mind. Steph laid her head on Bill's shoulder, moving her arm to grab his hand and he squeezed it tightly, intertwining their fingers together. She stared into the window of the store in front of all of them and saw a sight she was sure she would never see in her memory again.
It wasn't the six of them as adults at all.
It was the eight of them as teenagers, staring back at them. Steph remembered that it was right after she had been released from the hospital and they were walking to their homes. Just like in the present, her past self had her head on a teenage Bill's shoulder and she was holding his hand the exact same way.
"You know that you're pretty dang lucky you were able to shower in the hospital before your mom showed up," Steph spoke up, raising her head from Bill's shoulder to look at Eddie with a smirk on her face. The other boy shrugged.
"Yeah…" he replied. "If I didn't, she would've killed me."
Richie scoffed. "Dude, you were gone for 24 straight hours… your face would've definitely been on a milk carton if we didn't get out of there sooner. And plus… that vomit on you smelled like your mom's slippers!"
Steph rolled her eyes, giving the boy with the glasses a glare. "Oh, shut up, Richie…" she sighed, pulling Bill behind her as they started walking again. Her then best friend and crush didn't bring his bicycle that day, instead opting to politely walk her home, and she didn't mind. And, as they continued strolling ahead of the others, their hands were still intertwined. Steph couldn't help but giggle when she heard Eddie explain to Richie what his mother's slippers actually smelled like.
"No, they don't," Stan dismissed with a shake of his head. Eddie glared at him in skepticism.
"Yes, they do," he snapped back. "And, also, how would you know what they smell like?!"
Mike chuckled a little. "Guys, can we keep it down until we head home?" he asked politely, but he failed to make Eddie and Stan cease their arguing. All the while, during the banter that was going on behind them, Bill and Steph looked at one another for a few seconds that felt like it would be permanent and it would last forever. At the time, neither of them knew that they would start dating within the next few weeks, or that they would get married in the seven years that would follow; this was because they, unbeknownst to the other, were very naive about what they felt for one another.
Steph closed her eyes and turned away, unable to hide the pain any longer. She could only prevent her emotions from taking over for a certain amount of time before she finally broke. She took a deep breath, rubbing her left hand over her forehead and squeezing her eyes even more tightly before reopening them. She locked eyes with Bill and he instantly knew what she wanted.
She wanted to get back to the townhouse as quickly as possible. And she wanted him to walk her back.
So, he nodded and gently pulled her along with him down the street. Steph made sure to stay close to him the entire walk back, and it was only so she didn't lose her mind right there in the middle of town. If she did, either people were going to call her crazy or they would throw her in an asylum. She honestly wouldn't mind if either happened to her right now, since those people didn't know that she had just been through a traumatic experience and that she lost one of her best friends. It really angered her that people didn't realize the horrors that had taken place in Derry for God knows how long and that they just ignored it like it was nothing.
Oh well. At least all the kids that had gone missing and had gotten killed were now avenged, and it was a huge relief to Steph. But that was not enough to distinguish the guilt in her heart; the guilt that would stay inside of her for months and months to follow. And she felt as if she truly wanted to die, but she was sure to not tell the others until the time was right. When that moment came, she would be able to tell any of her friends.
Steph had her eyes locked on the ground and she walked, watching both of her feet be put in front of the other, and she didn't know how long she did this. But she eventually looked up and saw, to her slight relaxation, the townhouse come into her view. It was at that moment that she realized that she was actually dying for a shower; she desperately needed to get the rest of the filth off of her soft skin and her hair. Oh, God… her hair… That was going to be a freaking challenge to clean, and she wanted to groan in frustration so badly. But, instead, she stayed silent as she and Bill approached the front doors of the building.
A few seconds later, Bill opened one of the doors for her, and Steph turned around for a second to be sure that the others were behind them. They were about to enter the building as well, and she nodded to herself before stepping inside.
At last, the other four followed the married couple inside, and they all separated when they got upstairs. Bill pulled Steph to the side and leaned closer to her. "Go ahead and use the shower in our bathroom," he murmured to her. "I'll use another one, okay?" The blonde woman nodded and their connected hands fell apart as she entered their room, gently shutting the door behind her. She stared at the slightly wrecked room from where Henry had attacked her the day before.
She sighed before moving forward, limping over to where one of the lamps laid on the floor. She tentatively picked it up and placed it back on the nightstand before looking at the damaged drawer that belonged to the dresser that resided on the side of the room. She chuckled just a tiny bit, remembering how she had literally shattered the wood over Bowers's head.
Points for originality go to me, she thought humorously as she glanced out the window.
It truly looked beautiful and calm outside today. It was the perfect weather for the victory of the Losers' Club, and it assured her that it was truly over for good. But that did very little to replace the other emotion she was currently feeling.
She walked towards the bathroom door, but not before grabbing another set of clean clothes. She entered the bathroom and shut the door, locking it. She set her clothes down on the sink and looked at herself in the mirror, her grimy face with the vivid blue eyes staring back very eerily.
There were still a few bits of dirt and grime that covered Steph's face, but thankfully not too much. There was a spot of blood on her right temple from where she had been knocked out just a few hours ago, and it was just a tiny gash that had healed throughout the night. She was pretty lucky in that regard. Her blonde hair was a tangled and soaked mess, and it was also filthy as heck. It made her cringe in disgust. But one thing was for sure: this reflection in particular would always be a reminder for what she had gone through in just one night.
She then lifted her right arm and saw the bandage wrapped around it. It honestly made her heart sink just by looking at it.
Eddie wrapped that up for me, came a thought that echoed through her mind and she could almost hear it, if she were honest.
She gently grabbed the tape and peeled it off of the gauze; it hurt a little as it pulled at her arm hairs, but she was able to remove it as carefully as possible. Steph grimaced a little at the blood that surrounded the small cut on her forearm, but she relaxed when she saw that the crimson substance was surprisingly dry. Eddie patched her arm up very well, if that was the case.
And that was when Steph removed her disgusting clothes from her body, starting with her still soaked tank top; when she and Bill had come inside, she had thrown her shirt in the trash. She then slipped off her blue jeans, tossing the clothes to the side and they handed softly on the tiled floor. She then looked down at her left leg, seeing yet another bandage, this time from where Bowers had dang near murdered her. She sat down on the toilet and carefully moved that gauze as well, seeing more dried up blood around the small cut. She was very relieved that the wounds weren't enough for her to take a trip to the hospital.
Steph then stood back up and took off her undergarments, throwing them on the dirty pile of clothes in the corner of the bathroom. She then walked over to the bathtub and turned the handle of the faucet to the left. Immediately, water poured from the showerhead and splattered against the bottom of the tub. Steam filled the room very quickly, and Steph softly pulled the hair band that held her blonde head of hair off and lazily threw it in the trash can behind her. Her hair, very unsatisfyingly, fell back down and hit her back.
After running both of her hands through it twice, she stepped into the shower, pulling the curtain in front of her to hide her from everything else around her. And, although she felt a little lonely, she felt the need to be isolated from the world for just a little while.
The water cascaded down onto Steph's skin, dripping by her side as it heated her entire body. She grabbed a bottle of shampoo and poured a handful of it into her left palm. Ignoring the pain in her right arm, she started lathering the liquid into her revolting and stinking hair.
For nearly half an hour, Steph stood in the shower, absorbing the blistering hot water as she scrubbed the sewer water, dust, and blood off of her being. She felt as if she were physically washing the events of the night before away, but she knew that she mentally and emotionally wasn't. It would never disappear from her memory. Ever.
After what seemed like an eternity, she finally turned off the water that was starting to turn cold. Steph remained standing there for a long minute, hugging her arms to herself as she started to shiver. She then pulled the curtain back open, and she saw the fogged up mirror as she stepped out onto the tiled floor. She briefly examined her wounds, and was relieved to see that they were now scabs, so she didn't have to put more gauze on them. They would heal eventually… and leave scars…
She took a towel and roughly ran it over her hair before drying her skin off as well. Afterwards, she grabbed her clean clothes and delicately pulled them on, and she felt more comfortable. She felt refreshed and cleansed from the horrors of the night before… but not completely. It would never be completely gone from her mind.
She walked over and grabbed the filthy clothes, placing them in the trash as well, before opening the bathroom closet and flinging the towel into the laundry basket. She closed the closet door before leaning her forehead against the wood, her hands clenched into fists by her face. She thought about Eddie again and, as much as she didn't want to let it happen, she started losing control.
"It's my fault," she growled to herself angrily. "It's my fault… God…" Her body shook and trembled in rage and grief as she started slamming her fists against the door violently. She even hit her head on the wood a few times, not caring how much it hurt. "IT'S MY FREAKING FAULT!" she cried out furiously.
She pushed herself off of the door and barrelled out of the bathroom, nearly stumbling into the doorway as she stomped over to the bed and plopped down onto the bed; the stress was too much for the middle-aged woman as she did so. Everything that had just occurred in the past several hours - nearly getting killed a few times, the illusion she suffered through, Eddie's death, Richie's grief - had all happened way too fast, and it hit Steph like a freight train at high speed. She buried her face in her hands as the tears flowed once more, finally succumbing to her emotions for the first time since arriving back in Derry.
The world turned into a blur, as did all of the sounds. The smell… the taste… everything was just gone in that one moment. It all started with a lone tear, and just like that, the floodgates opened. So many tears burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down Steph's face. Her chin quivered as if she were a small child again. She breathed heavier than she ever had before. She was gasping for air that simply wasn't there anymore, and her throat closed and burned, trying to form a silent scream. Secretly, it felt good to Steph to finally let all of her anger and grief out in one go.
She wasn't expecting the things that ended up happening to actually happen, and she knew that she was still suffering from that shock, not knowing how she would move on. She started sobbing even more as she raked her fingers through her wet and clean blonde hair; she squeezed her eyes shut as she did this. She had never cried so much in a very long time, and she was finally letting it all out. For a moment, she didn't know if she would stop crying, and she honestly wouldn't mind if she didn't.
"You know, I would love to hold you right now, but I'm afraid you're going to punch me if I bother you."
Steph hesitantly looked up a little, turning her head towards where the sudden voice was coming from. Her body still shook just a bit as she stared at the person in the doorway, her heart rate starting to pick up speed out of anxiety.
Bill was standing there, having just gotten cleaned up himself, leaning against the doorframe with a sympathetic look in his eyes as he looked directly at Steph. She could tell that he wanted to do help her in some way, any way; but she felt that she wouldn't be comforted that easily.
"You here to tell me to quit crying?" she asked in a snarky voice, her voice still hoarse as she looked away from Bill. She couldn't bear to face him like this, ashamed of how she was acting in front of him. She looked really ridiculous and stupid, she felt like a five-year-old as she sat there, crying her eyes out. But, at the same time, this was the moment that she felt truly alone.
"No," replied Bill, his tone patient, "I'm here to comfort you…" This answer made Steph sigh audibly, and she covered her face with her hands once more. Of course he would respond like that; her husband always said that to her when she was distressed.
"Clearly, I'm perfectly fine," she lied through her teeth, not looking up anymore. The tears kept flowing, but she was more quiet about it than she was a few seconds ago. She still felt the sorrow, the dejection, the misery… It just wouldn't go away and it was a burden on her mental state. The emotions that stayed in her heart wouldn't allow her to look up when she heard footsteps approaching her. She inhaled a quivering breath when she felt a pair of hands pull hers off of her face; she kept her eyes closed despite this, her head still lowered. But that didn't last for very long, as Bill gently tilted her chin back up so she was practically forced to look at him. After a very long five seconds, Steph finally opened her eyes.
"No, you're not," Bill whispered, his eyes holding several emotions that not even Steph could comprehend. "I know when something's wrong, especially when you're like this…" He then put his gentle hands on her cheeks, tenderly wiping the tears away with his thumbs. "Now tell me… what is it?"
Steph closed her eyes again. She couldn't believe he was making her feel this way; even after 27 years of being together and 20 of those years being married, she was still unconditionally in love with Bill Denbrough. Every time he did something like this or pretty much anything, she would always act like a teenager on the inside. This time was no different, as she could feel butterflies in her stomach currently. But she was also hesitant to talk… she almost didn't want to tell him the truth about what she was feeling. But she knew that he was waiting for an answer, and she would have to give it to him sooner or later.
Meanwhile, Bill was sitting on his knees, holding his wife's kind and perfect face in his hands. He was patiently waiting for Steph to speak again, and he perfectly understood why she was reluctant to speak; he had been when she had comforted him all those years ago after Georgie went missing. He remembered that moment, and that might have been the day when his feelings for her had started. Of course, he didn't realize it at the time, since he didn't know what it was. Well… he now knew, and he was happy that he did.
An excruciating minute passed as the two sat in silence, one waiting for the other to talk. And, finally, after an eternity, Steph opened her mouth and began to explain everything to him…. And it wasn't just about Eddie….
"I used to have nothing but a mother to look after me…" she started. "But, because of her… illness… I was the one having to take care of her. She told me that she didn't want me having to do that all the time, that she wanted me to go out and make friends. But I just wasn't able to do that. Mom was so important to me that my need to take care of her became… very out of hand… Do you understand what I mean?"
Bill nodded, staying respectfully silent as she continued.
"Well… because of that, I gained a reputation at school. I was known as -"
"'The Mute Girl,'" Bill finished for her, lowering his head in concern before meeting her eyes again. Steph didn't glare at him; she instead gave him a small smirk as she said, "You remember."
Bill's head bobbed up and down again, his eyes not leaving hers. "I do," he replied. "And I heard everything about that… the rumors… people called you a ghost. I'm not gonna lie… I hadn't even met you at the time, but that really ticked me off. I always heard that you were quiet, that you didn't speak to anyone. But it really interested me, to tell you the truth."
Steph scoffed lightly at this. "I always interested people, but they never tried to be friends with me. The first person that even attempted to try was Beverly, and that worked really quickly…. Do you remember that I met Eddie before you guys?"
Bill didn't nod immediately; instead, his eyes widened slightly as he pondered it. "I didn't until just now, but I do," he said. Steph sighed as she began to tell him, the memory very vivid in her mind.
"Where do you think you're going, brace-face?"
A ten-year-old Steph swiftly turned her head around to see where the voice had come from, pulling her backpack closer to herself as she scanned her surroundings. She didn't have to look for very long, however, as her eyes landed on the source of the voice. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers as she froze for a second; she knew that she had to get away as quickly as possible, or at least get someone else's attention.
But, as she started to move faster, she bumped into someone else. She jumped and twisted around to see Henry Bowers standing there; she remained silent, but she didn't even get the chance to run as he grabbed a fistful of her short blonde hair and pulled her a few feet to the right.
"You walking home all by yourself, Mute Girl?" Bowers taunted as he let her go, making her stumble a little. Steph's blue eyes that weren't quite vivid yet glared up at the older bully. It had been around this time that she had lost her fear of him and his gang, and she always showed her bravery when she had the chance. Even if nobody was going to save her, this time was no different.
"Yeah, I am," she retorted. "What's it to you? The fact that you guys are jerks and won't leave people alone for one second? Is that it?"
Henry cackled along with the others. "So the ghost does have a voice!" he exclaimed sarcastically. "Ha, never would've noticed! Well, let's see if we can get you to talk more!" He then grabbed Steph by the wrist and held it tightly to the point that he might've left bruises. She didn't make a sound, but her eyes pierced into the older boy's soul as she was dragged towards a private spot near the school, most likely so he could call her awful names and hit her again; he had done this dozens of times, and she hardly cared anymore. She just took it and took it without saying a word.
"Let go of her, Bowers!"
Steph swerved her head around right as she was about to disappear behind the school, her arm still in Henry's grasp. She looked ahead to see a boy that was a little shorter than her; he had ordinary, brown hair and what seemed to be brown eyes. They were normally kind and gentle eyes, but they held a fierce scowl as he looked at the boy that had her trapped.
Bowers scoffed, still not letting go of her as he gave the boy a look of disbelief. "What are you gonna do about it, Kaspbrak?!" he fired back, an evil sneer on his face. "Look at you, you're so small that I could literally beat you up just like that!" He then snapped his fingers with his free hand.
"Not today, jerk!" retorted the Kaspbrak kid. "Now freaking let her go on her way and leave her alone!"
Steph had heard all about this boy, mostly from the whispers going on about him around the school. He was the hypochondriac that they spoke about; the small boy with the crazy and overprotective mother that very rarely let her son out of the house, unless it was to go to school. To be honest, she felt major sympathy for the kid, and she was even proud of him for being brave; but she had been sure that not even a boy like him would stand up for her. She secretly believed that she didn't need any saving, but she would come to be wrong in the years that followed.
And, right now, face to face with a surprisingly courageous Eddie Kaspbrak, she saw this as an opportunity to get back at Bowers and give him a little bit of comeuppance.
"And what are you gonna do if I don't?!" taunted Bowers, his fingers starting to dig into Steph's skin, which was something that annoyed her to no end. She was about to open her mouth to bring her own words into this confrontation, but before she could, a new voice arrived.
"Wuh-We'll have something to say ab-about it!"
Steph glanced up and saw three other boys approach her and Bowers and they all stood behind Eddie. They looked ready for a fight if it were going in that direction. She recognized all of them instantly: the Jewish boy, Stan Uris; the jokester that often did terrible voices that she herself had heard, Richie Tozier; and, last but not least, the Denbrough kid, the boy that often stuttered, although she didn't know his first name at all.
"Shoot, it's you losers again," Bowers sighed. "You don't know when to mind other people's business, do y'all?"
The Uris kid was the first one to step forward. "Not when it involves you hurting someone, we don't!" he said bravely. "Now let her go!"
"No can do, flamer!" quipped Bowers with a sarcastic chuckle. "Why don't you four little fairies waltz on out of here and maybe we'll leave you alone…"
Suddenly, another member of the gang stepped in and Steph was able to recognize him: Belch Huggins. She concluded that he must've been the one that had called out to her before Henry got a hold of her. Soon enough, she also saw Victor Criss and that freaking creepy Hockstetter kid approach them from behind.
"Let go of her, you mullet-wearing moron!" shouted the Tozier kid, and Steph could see that he looked pissed.
Henry jerked Steph back, making her wince a little but she didn't show it. "You losers come near us, we can hurt her right in front of you if you want," he threatened. "I'm not scared to cut up such a pretty little face…" He then creepily touched Steph's cheek, making her visibly flinch and reel back.
That was when she brought up her right leg and slammed it to where the sun didn't shine for Bowers. He howled in pain and finally let her go, clutching where she had kicked him. Steph then smartly removed her backpack and swung it at Belch when he ran at her, getting him pretty good in the face. Then Patrick made a move to grab at her, but she was able to unzip her backpack and pull out a pretty large book. She then bashed him over the head with the book, and she could have sworn that she broke his nose. But, before she could get away, she felt a hand grab her and she grunted, struggling to break free.
That was when all of the boys stepped forward. She saw them charging at Victor, the person that had gotten a hold of her; she noticed that the Denbrough boy was the fastest of all of them. While three of them pulled Victor away from her and started beating the life out of him, the Kaspbrak kid knelt next to her after she had fallen to the ground.
"You okay?" he asked her. She nodded immediately. "I'm fine," she replied. "Thanks."
"No problem," he replied, extending a hand out to her and helping her up. Steph noticed that his clothes looked incredibly neat and clean, confirming her suspicions that this was the germaphobe everyone talked about. But, unlike the others, she treated him with respect as she thanked him again.
The other three boys had managed to scare the Bowers Gang away by the time Steph was able to stand up again. She was a little dazed from what had just happened, but she was relieved that she wasn't going to get hurt again like she had been several times before. At least someone finally interfered and distracted them for long enough. She gave them a small smile as they walked up to her.
"A-A-Are you okay?" the Denbrough boy asked her, and she nodded again.
"Are you guys okay?" Steph inquired, looking at the other boys, and their heads bobbed up and down.
"Wait," Tozier spoke up, and she looked at him. "Aren't you the quiet girl that everyone talks about?"
Steph raised her eyebrows and looked away just as Uris spoke up. "Beep beep, Richie," he deadpanned. After a good three seconds, the blonde turned back to the boy.
"Yeah, I am," she replied. "I'm not the type of person that talks to people. That's why I don't have any friends…."
A long moment of silence passed between the five; but it felt somewhat comfortable, if not slightly awkward. Steph pondered over the words she had just said to the boys that were practically strangers to them. Sure, she knew them, but she didn't know them, and she was worried that they would never speak to her again after this incident.
Oh, how very wrong she was.
"We'll be your fruh-friends…" Denbrough said, his tone a little shy. "If-If you want…"
Steph looked up at the taller boy, taking in his cropped brown hair and sky blue eyes and his kind nature. Little did she know that she was looking at the boy that she would end up falling in love with. She couldn't help but give him a kind smile, and he returned it as she said, "Sure, that would be nice…. I didn't get your names, though." She looked at the others, awaiting their replies.
"Well, I'm pretty sure you know our names by now," Richie scoffed. "I mean, we're sort of freaking famous people when it comes to Derry!"
"Sh-Shut up, Richie," the taller boy said, and he then reached out his hand. "I'm Bill D-Denbrough." Steph didn't hesitate to shake his hand, feeling the need to be polite. "Glad to hear a first name from you, Bill," she replied jokingly, and he laughed a little.
Then the boy with the large coke bottle glasses stretched out his hand. "Richie Tozier's my name," he introduced, and Steph shook his hand, an exasperated look etched into her face. "And doing voices is my game!" he added, before putting an arm around the Uris kid to present him. "This is Stan 'The Man' Uris. Stan's a Jew, that means he's very smart and says, 'Oi,' a lot!"
Stan shrugged himself out from under Richie's arm. "Shut up, Trashmouth," he said, his tone very serious, and Steph giggled a little. "Nice to meet you, Stan," she said politely.
"Same to you," he responded.
Richie then went up to the Kaspbrak kid and put his arm around him. "And this, my lady, is Eddie Spaghetti!" He then ruffled the hypochondriac's hair, which annoyed the smaller boy very quickly, as he threw Richie's arm off of him.
"Don't do that, Rich!" he scolded irritatedly. "I freaking hate it when you do that! And don't call me Eddie Spaghetti!"
"Oh, but I thought you loved it, Eds!" Richie teased, throwing his hands up in surrender. "Well dang… guess I need to find a better nickname…"
"You already found a worse one," retorted Eddie. "Don't call me Eds either!"
"You guys are hilarious," Steph said around a chuckle. "I'm Stephanie Palmer… but I usually go by 'Steph.'"
The other boys nodded, and Eddie extended his hand out to her before turning it into a fist. "Welcome to the Losers' Club, Steph!" he said proudly.
Steph laughed playfully as they bumped their fists together.
"He checked on you while we were beating them up," Bill spoke up after Steph finished. "I remember now…"
Steph nodded, lowering her head slightly. She sniffed a little before continuing. "I never had any friends, because I was just so focused on taking care of my mom. Everyone called me a loser because I never hung out with anyone or even spoke to anyone…. I felt like I didn't deserve happiness... but then I met you guys. After we became friends, I grew a little more protective of Eddie than the rest of you… Don't get me wrong, I loved you all, especially you." At Bill's slight blush, she managed to smile slightly. "But, Eddie was vulnerable… probably the most vulnerable out of all of us. I felt that I needed to be there for him when he needed it… And I feel like I failed him…"
Bill just stared at her for a while, his heart breaking at those words. The look on her face made him want to cry, but he chose to stay strong just so she could. His hands that were still on her face fell to her shoulders and he squeezed them gently, which was something that made her close her eyes again. He knew why she reacted that way, and he smiled a little, but it dropped a few seconds later.
"I don't know if I can move on from that…" whispered Steph, opening her eyes again, but they didn't meet Bill's. "It's just… I really miss him, you know. I miss calling him Eds and all that… I don't think I will be able to move on…"
Bill sighed quietly, his hands moving down her arms to take her hands in his. "Steph…" he began, "...you can move on from this. I promise you that you can. You are a very strong woman, and I'm so proud of you for that. And I won't say that if you need help, I'll be there for you. No, I am going to help you, no matter what. And you can't do a thing about it."
They both laughed a little at Bill's mock stern tone, eventually letting another long moment envelop them. Steph looked directly into his eyes for an extremely long minute, staring into his soul. She finally noticed that there were specks of green in the blue voids, something that she had never seen before. But the look he was giving her started to calm her slightly as she took a deep breath.
"Do you promise that?" she asked softly.
Bill scoffed lightly at the question, giving Steph a serious look. "Honey, why do you think I married you?" he replied. "That alone defines every promise I make for you…."
Steph looked down as the waterworks finally began to stop. "I feel so stupid for crying," she admitted, chuckling a little. "I wasn't crying earlier because I tried to stay strong for y'all… But I guess that failed miserably…." She stared at the hardwood floor for a second, before looking at Bill again. To her slight surprise, he was shaking his head, his eyes full of sadness. He stood up and sat down next to her, slipping an arm around her back and one under her legs. He pulled her onto his lap and hugged her to him.
"Sweetheart, it's perfectly okay to cry," he assured her as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I mean, I hate to see you upset, but everyone cries when they need to, just like you are now…. It's completely normal, so don't feel stupid. You don't have to be strong all the time. Okay?"
The blonde woman's head bobbed up and down, and Bill gingerly lifted up her right arm. "What happened here?" he asked in a worried tone. Steph shrugged at him.
"Bowers," she said simply. At the sight of Bill's eyes widening, she shook her head. "Richie killed him… he cut my leg, too."
Bill was still worried, tracing his fingers along her jaw so he would also feel some sort of comfort. "You're okay, though, right?" he inquired, his soft voice one of concern.
Steph nodded, wrapping her arms around Bill's neck as she inhaled shakily. "You know I love you, right?" she said, smiling up at him. He nodded without hesitation; she herself didn't know that her statement had made his heart race.
"Of course I do," he replied easily. "And I love you, too… We'll help each other through this. Together."
The smile on Steph's face didn't waver as she wiped the remaining tears away. She met Bill's eyes and refused to shy away from his sympathetic stare. Instead, she pulled herself closer to him and rested her forehead against his, but not before giving him a brief but loving kiss. And in a quiet voice, she repeated his final word:
"Together."
A/N: VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE! PLEASE READ THIS!
Awww, wasn't that sweet? The ending of this chapter was the scene I hinted at in my preview you saw in the first story! So, here you go! It's there now!
Thoughts on this chapter? What was your favorite moment? Did you like the quarry scene? Was the ending of the chapter sweet?
Only two more chapters to go! I'm probably gonna cry when I finish this... I feel like it hasn't even been that long. One more week of writing... Jesus...
But at least I can work on more stories afterwards so YAY! Still, it's gonna be hard saying goodbye to Steph... :(
Anyways, I'm gonna go! Happy Valentine's Day again! Hope you have a great one! Be looking forward to the next chapter! As always, have a great day, and until next time!
- Hermione Romanoff
P.S. Do you think we can do a Q&A related to these stories? If so, let me know and ask all the question you want! I will also make a list of the references I made in this story, if y'all want me to!