"Third!" Eddie announced, tossing a cheap-looking bronze medal on the table.

Dustin picked it up. Nothing but foiled plastic stamped with a little devil on one side and a worn 3 on the other. Had it come from a dollar-store? Probably, but the members of Corroded Coffin were grinning proudly around, awaiting praise.

"That's amazing!"

"Cool." Mike added.

"What does that mean?" Inquired Will.

"It means we're going to Indianapolis next month."

"And Columbus after that." Warren claimed.

"Potentially!" Eddie corrected. "Potentially. Top fives go on to the next venue, then top threes the next round, then winners to New York."

"So you need to get third or better to go to Columbus?" Mike deduced.

"Correct!"

"Yeah, but that's easy." Garret put in. "We've already got third."

Paulie rolled his eyes. "Did you see some of the kids playing last Friday?"

"Paulie's right, beating them is a step in the right direction." Eddie put one foot up on his chair, standing like a general at the ready. "But the true war has yet to begin."

"What'll happen to Hellfire?" Will looked worried. "While you're gone?"

"We'll still be here most of the time." Warren assured him. "I guess you guys can do another campaign when we're not?"

"I could think of a short one?" Offered Dustin.

"Much as we would love to fight by your sides. We must do battle in the East." Munson sat down heavily. "Where a dark terror awaits."

"What? Success?" Garret snorted.

"New Yorkers."

The air was like ice. Dustin hunched his shoulders against it and jogged over to Rosie's station wagon. She had called ahead, so there was no wrestling Mike and Will for their bikes. Any of them would be insane to try and cycle; the roads were already starting to sparkle with a thin layer of frost, and the atmosphere had that weird light feeling he always observed before snow. They bundled into the safety of the heater as it spluttered out stale bursts of warm dust.

"Why the hell are you wearing that?" Rosie scolded. "You need a proper hat."

"It's warm." He lied.

"Do you think it'll fall tonight?" Will asked, tugging his knitted hat down over his ears.

Mike breathed on the window and drew a smiley face. "More important: will it snow enough for the school to close?"

"Doubt it." Rosie answered, eyeing the pitch sky. "It'll be that shitty, sludgy stuff."

"Shit's impossible to bike in."

"I'll give you a ride if it does, Dust. Is the heater enough?"

"It's fine."

"Good. I'm gonna go talk to Eddie. Sit tight, but come get me if it's too cold."

"Right."

She jumped out. Dustin scowled at Mike and Will, making kissy noises in the back. Doofuses.

"Rosiiiiie!" Warren skipped over to hug her. "Did you hear we got third?"

"I was there, remember? In the van?"

"Oh. Right. Just you slept most of the way back."

"I heard. Congrats."

"Eddie wore her out." Paulie remarked.

"Ahem!"

"Come to think of it, Ed. Didn't you take the next day off work?"

"Out."

"I'm just sayin -"

"Get out!"

Whooping like hyenas, the three of them ran out, shouts echoing down the hall. Eddie watched them go.

"Morons."

"They're great."

"Hmph."

Rosie sidled over, running her palms up his chest. He'd finally taken her advice, and wore a striped sweater under his jacket. No hat, scarf, or gloves, but it was a start.

"I missed you."

Eddie tilted his head in amusement. "It's only been three days."

She leaned closer and purred: "I missed you."

"You too." He gave in, rewarding her with a slow kiss. Swaying slightly and uttering a little sigh of contentment. Her heart fluttered.

"Do you have a ride home?"

"Garret's driving tonight."

"Come with me."

"In a car with those little farts?"

"Please?"

"Shotgun?"

She winced. "That's Dustin's."

He grumbled like an inconvenienced toddler. "Dustin's a dweeb!"

"Ey!" Rosie pinched his underarm. "That's my nephew."

"Ow. Tch. Fine."

Eddie scrunched into the back with Mike and Will. Mike refused to it in the middle seat, so he ended up between them. He glared comically into the rear-view the whole way, and she nearly crashed the car from laughing when they started arguing across him. Something about whether or not Lucas's wrist rocket would be effective against a hydra. Dustin joined in, too.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" He exploded, inevitably, frightening the three of them into silence. His voice had gone into that high-pitched snarl she loved so much. "No-one cares!"

"It's important to think about these things!" Dustin shot back.

"Why, Henderson? Why is it important to know whether a slingshot can take out a hydra?"

"Wrist rocket. And you never know -"

"Shhhh!" Will interrupted.

Rosie sensed them all eyeing her, and frowned. "Oh by all means, don't let me interrupt your nerd talk."

Eddie glowered. She pursed her lips.

"It's all imaginary." Dustin assured her.

"Oh that's good. I thought we were talking about a real hydra. Heads. Fire breathing. Whole shebang."

He laughed suspiciously. "There's no such thing."

"Thank you for informing me, Dusty."

The boys fidgeted about for a while, Eddie with his hands gripping his knees, staring into the road ahead.

"But if he hit it in the eye…" Mike went on.

"It has seven more." Will huffed, again.

"You'll only piss it off!"

Eddie buried his head in his hands, almost weeping. "It doesn't matter."

"Honey, I hope you're not getting the kids worked up before bed." Rosie didn't care how he bared his teeth at her. She couldn't resist.

Mike and Will were gone. She decided to drop Dustin off before Eddie, wanting some alone time. As her nephew hopped out of the car, he dove over the front seat and play-throttled her. Rosie cackled manically back, ruffling his hair and only half fighting as he mouthed her neck.

"I didn't deserve that. " He growled against her lips. "Not one bit."

"It was too good." She nipped lightly. "They take that shit so seriously."

"Yeah well. They half-believe they're gonna need it."

"Kids."

"Yeah. Kids."

"What?" She cupped his chin, catching the change in tone.

"Nothing." He replied quickly. "Y'know. I was going to catch up with Warren and the others in about… an hour. Old steelworks. Very dingy. Slightly creepy. No-one goes there. Not far from the trailer park. You could come, if you like?"

"Sounds lovely."

"I mean it's pretty cool."

"Sure." Rosie turned off the engine, killed the lights, and turned better toward him. "So… we have an hour to kill?"