AN: 3 more chapters to go! Hope you are enjoying the ride! 3

The silence was the worst part.

On one hand, there was literal silence. Steve hasn't said a single word to Andy for what must have been hours. It was so quiet, even the buzzing of the refrigerator could be heard, even though their house was as gigantic as it was.

Then, there was Andy's silence.

She had to say something, to someone, especially seeing how many questions were being thrown her way. But she kept it as brief as possible, finding it way too private to be shared with just anyone, even their friends. All she said was that they're apart for now. The only people who knew more were the ones who forced words out of her, even going as far as to threaten her with bodily harm - Steve and Robin.

And then, there was the worst silence of them all - Eddie's.

It's been four days. Well, four full days and then some. Four days of complete silence from him. When Andy left his cabin and told him to come and find her once he organizes his thoughts, she didn't exactly think it through. Looking back on it, she didn't regret it. It was the right thing to do, as both of them needed to cool down and decide what to do next. Leaving and telling him to take his time wasn't a mistake by any means, and even if it was an impulsive decision, it wasn't a bad one. What she didn't think through, though, was the option of him not showing up.

She had no idea then if he would show up or not. As she walked home that day, she accepted that she and Eddie might have just reached their breaking point and that there will be no coming back from that. But as days passed, and he still hadn't reached out, Andy had to admit to herself that she did hold hope, the same hope that was dying little by little as each day passed with no word from him.

She couldn't even listen to music. On the morning after the fight, she turned on the radio and realized immediately that listening to Fleetwood Mac was the worst possible thing she could do. Music was off-limits, completely, and she hated that almost as much as she hated the fact that she had somehow managed to ruin everything.

Because she did blame herself. Her thoughts keep going back to her intentions and how Eddie didn't understand them, and while that was clearly true, she couldn't force him to. He had every right to disagree with her idea about keeping their relationship a secret from the general public. But if that was the case, he had to voice it clearly, and insist on talking about it. All she ever got were joking complaints, which she now knew weren't joking at all.

They both fucked up, and deep down, Andy knew that, but that didn't stop her from blaming herself. She wasn't ready for the way it all backfired on her. Loving someone was always a risk, a risk she was familiar with and willing to take, but holy shit, she wasn't ready for the aftermath of Eddie.

And four full days weren't enough for her to become the fully functional Andy she once was.

"I have a question," Steve's voice broke the eerie silence, and Andy responded simply by looking at him. "Is this how you felt when you were comforting me after Nance dumped me?"

"No," Andy answered in a heartbeat. "You took heartbreak a lot better than I do. And I'd say that you knew that it was over once it was over. I'm still an idiot with some hope left."

"Well, to be fair, you haven't actually broken up, have you?" Steve pointed out.

"Steve, I told him to come and find me when he's ready to talk. Do you see him anywhere?"

Andy even spread her arms to show the empty room around him, emphasizing the severe lack of Eddie. It's not even his presence that was lacking, either. In her apartment, there were his things scattered around sporadically - a lighter or a guitar pick, his old T-shirt that Andy shamelessly stole, and random papers with scribbled-down lyrics or reminders. That's exactly why Andy went to her family home, and not her place. The only thing worse than being in an empty house of a broken family was an apartment full of memories of Eddie.

"And has it occurred to you that he's not yet ready to talk?" Steve snapped.

"No," Andy ironically answered, not even the least bit interested in entertaining Steve and his Captain Obvious act. "Of course I figured that he might not be ready, and I'm not fully ready either, Steve, but not reaching out is the worst possible thing we can do. It just… gets us further and further away from each other. If he was in his right mind, he would at least tell me hey, still thinking about it, or something. He knows this must be driving me insane."

"You do realize that you're blaming him for not doing things you're not doing either, right?" Steve asked. She knew, of course, she knew, but it wasn't that simple.

"I'm the one who walked away, Steve," she reminded him. "I don't want to play the blame game because I very clearly hurt his feelings too, but if we were to point fingers, I did it without realizing what I was doing. He said to my face that he thought I would be ashamed of him. Which not only shits over our whole relationship but also my character."

"Andy, he didn't say that because he thought you were mean or something like that," Steve sighed. Another side-effect of that shitshow was that it also affected Steve, too, who clearly wasn't used to seeing Andy in such a state. "He said it because he is used to expecting the worst from people. The only one who never did him wrong is his Uncle, come on!"

"I never did him wrong," Andy deadpanned, knowing fully well that she was telling the truth. "I always stood by his side, I helped him when I could, I did my damn best to prove his innocence and when everyone else, apart from Dustin, was more than happy to leave him to his own devices, I was still checking in on him. I never did him wrong, and I never planned on changing that. He is projecting his previous experiences onto me, which is something that traumatized people do, and I get it, but there's only so much I can handle! What more do I have to do to prove to him that I'm not like that? What kind of relationship is that? What kind of life is that? If he doesn't trust me enough to believe that I don't think ill of him and that I'm not ashamed of him then what the fuck are we even doing?!"

"I don't know!" Steve yelled out in frustration. "I don't fucking know! The only thing I see are two people who very clearly love each other and don't know how to go about it!"

"Well, that's clearly not enough, is it?!"

It wasn't enough, it never was. Not for them, not for anyone else. Andy will slowly have to come to terms that there is a solid chance that there will no longer be her and Eddie. If they can't communicate, if they can't solve that issue and any of the ones that might come in the future, and there will always be issues, then there's no use in trying. They would just keep hurting each other more and more. If they can't solve a conflict like the two adults that they are, then they're just not meant to be together, and Andy knows that. Feelings and all be damned, if the one you love keeps hurting you, it's not worth it. And she knew it went both ways. She knew damn well that she wasn't the only one hurt.

Steve waited for her to calm down before attempting to start a conversation again. "What are you going to do now?" he asked, as if she could have come up with a solution in a minute.

"I'm gonna go back to my place," Andy decided. "I'm out of smokes and clothes and I can't keep hiding away here."

"I meant with Eddie."

"I know," Andy admitted. "I just don't have an answer. Can I ask you something, though?"

"Shoot."

"Max visited yesterday and something she said got me thinking," Andy started, going back to the words she heard yesterday. Max had once again proven that she was wiser beyond her years. "She said that I need to cut Eddie some slack, as, given everything in his life, he clearly isn't someone that is used to actually being wanted. I knew that, but then she said that if I were to dig deeper, I might find that in myself, too."

Steve was silent for a little while, thinking over her words. "You think you're not used to being wanted?" he asked.

"Not as straightforward as that," Andy shook her head, as the phrase didn't quite fit. "It's just, in love, I was either played on or used. With friends… I pretty much adopted your friends, instead of finding my own. And with our folks… I mean, let's face it - they wanted to have kids just to tick off a box. They wanted kids but they never wanted to be parents."

"Ironically, I think I can help you with that," Steve offered her a kind smile. "With love, it's not that you're unlovable - you just didn't have much luck with finding the good ones. With friends, they didn't adopt you because you were my sister, but because they liked you and wanted you as their friend, too. And as far as our parents go… they don't care, Andy. They never did. And all things considered, I think you and I came pretty far without them. And will continue to do so. You're not unlovable, or unwanted. You're just hurt. Once that passes, you will accept how amazing you actually are and how much love you have to give. And if all else fails, I can swear to you, you are the best sister I ever could have asked for."

Andy didn't want to cry - she did plenty of that over the last four days. So, instead of crying, she walked over to her brother and hugged him harder than she did in a very long time.

They can bicker and they can annoy one another to no end, but they will always be there for one another, no matter what. And they will always understand what the other one needs, as well as be there to provide. Life seemed shit to Andy at that moment, but knowing that she had her brother to lean on, well, at least it made it all seem a little bit easier.

Andy knew one thing for sure, and it's been a long time coming - she is going to get herself a car. Biking all the way from her home to the apartment was a pain in the ass when all she wanted to do was crawl under the covers and stay there for hours, perhaps days even.

With Eddie being her usual designated driver lately, and the others picking her up when needed, she got used to not having to drag her stupid purple bike around, so much so that she struggled to get it through the building entrance, cursing as she went.

"Need any help?"

She dropped the bike. She literally let go of the handles and let the thing plop down to the ground as soon as she heard Eddie's voice.

She hadn't seen him at first, but he was sitting on the staircase that led to the first floor. There he was, in flesh and blood, Eddie fucking Munson, sitting in her building, very clearly waiting for her to return. Dressed in his leather jacket and jeans, at first glance, he looked like he usually did. But Andy knew better - she could see that his hair was messy and that the dark circles around his eyes were prominent. He looked a lot like he did when she first reached out to him. He looked like a living metaphor - all the creases that they'd managed to iron out together were now back, and Andy had no doubt that the effects were noticeable on her, too. She cried more in the last week than she did since the night of Vecna's attack.

Andy had to speak at some point. Words just weren't easy. "Um, if you want to help, you can help me take it to the nearest junkyard. I'm done with this bullshit," she pointed at the bike. A part of her felt sad, as it was something she once loved, only to then refer to it as bullshit.

"How about we take it up to your place and then you decide tomorrow if you want to throw it out or not, yeah?"

His words were casual but his tone wasn't - Andy knew that there was a conversation coming, one that she likely wouldn't enjoy one bit. After all, he had to be there for a reason, and given his appearance, he definitely thought long and hard about what he wanted to say.

She wanted to solve it, and it would make zero sense to try and run from it now, even if that was her very first instinct. So, instead of running, she nodded and agreed.

Eddie got down to her and picked the bike up, and when Andy climbed the stairs, he followed. He waited in silence as she unlocked the door, while she re-lived the first time she did that with him; she couldn't get the door open on multiple tries because he kept kissing her, interrupting her with kisses and laughter. The difference was painfully stark.

If Eddie noticed that the state of her apartment wasn't the best, he didn't comment on it, which was something that Andy greatly appreciated. It was awkward as all hell, but by the time he set the bike down in the hallway, Andy knew she had to move. "Do you… Um, do you want something to drink?" she awkwardly managed.

"Nah, I'm good," Eddie shook his head. His body language told that he too was uncomfortable - his arms folded across his chest and the very purposeful avoidance of eye contact with Andy. It wasn't going to end well. "I hope you don't mind me showing up unannounced. I tried calling but you didn't pick up, so I figured you weren't home and the safest bet was for me to wait for you to show up."

"Hope you didn't wait long," Andy awkwardly commented.

"About an hour," Eddie shrugged. Fuck, he even had to wait for her. "We needed to talk, and a little wait was nothing in the bigger picture."

"Yeah, I suppose so," Andy agreed, taking a deep breath in the hopes of calming herself down. "Take a seat. Let's see - where the hell do we start with this? Who goes first?"

"I'm sorry," he blurted out. Andy blinked, not quite sure if she heard that correctly. "You can go first if you want to, but I just wanted to get that out of the way. I'm sorry," he repeated, and that time, he did make direct eye contact. Andy wouldn't consider herself someone who could read people with ease, but she had gotten to know Eddie quite well. Not to mention, he never was the type of man to hide his emotions. He meant it, it was clear on his face.

"Okay," Andy slowly replied as the two of them sat down on the sofa, with Andy hoping that he wouldn't notice all of his random trinkets lying around. Then again, his cabin is still full of her stuff, too, so it likely wouldn't be a surprise to him. "I think that what we need here is to know what the problem was and how to solve it, not just how we feel about it."

"Agreed," Eddie immediately confirmed, much to Andy's surprise. "You start first."

Does she apologize first, or does she explain her actions and thoughts? She loved Eddie, with all her heart, but this time, she had to put herself first.

"You were at the party when I found out I was being cheated on. That was the day I decided that my private life, and love life by extension, was not the business of the masses. I don't care what people think, to the point of it being detrimental sometimes. There isn't a universe in which I would be ashamed of you, in any capacity. What I did, when insisting to keep the town out of the loop, was because I didn't want legal issues to arise. They might be solvable, as you pointed out, but they're also avoidable. What I did, I did because I thought it would help us, and help you. You didn't take it that way, and what you said the other day truly hurt my feelings. That said, I also hurt you, and for that, I am truly sorry."

Was it good? Did she justify herself too much? Did she not make it clear that she understood him too? What if he didn't see it that way?

"I've made a mistake from the get-go, because I never really told you what bothered me and why," Eddie started. Andy wanted to tell him that it wasn't too late to fix that, but she didn't want to interrupt - he waited for her to finish, after all. "And the things that bothered me had no connection to you. And em expecting the worst from you, despite everything you have done, was just… wrong. And unfair. And I'm really sorry."

"I also should have seen the issue for what it was," Andy shook her head. "I kept insisting, and I had reasons, but I just… didn't listen to you."

"And I wasn't being clear enough when expressing my opinion, Andrea," Eddie shook his head, clearly beating himself up about it. It wasn't a pretty sight. "I should have told you very directly, hey, I don't really mind the possible issues, I would just be sure of myself, and of us, if we just did whatever the fuck we wanted."

"It's okay," she reassured him, her voice low. "Shit like that isn't easy to say. We need to keep in mind that we do not mind read and that we need to speak up. I get it now."

"I agree, we need to say it like it is. No filter, no bullshit," he said, and Andy held back from reaching for his hand. It was too soon. They still weren't done, but by god, did she want to hold his hand. "And, I might be sorry for a lot of shit I said and I did, but I am truly fucking sorry for implying that you would see me like that. You are… Andy, you're a good person. Saying that you'd be capable of something like that is the shittiest thing I've ever done."

"I'm not going to lie, that hurt a lot," she admitted. In fact, it hurt the most. "But I can accept that it was hurt and fear talking. What I do need to know… I need you to know that I would never be like that. I need you to trust me. Because if we keep this up, and you expect me to stab you in the back, it's not going to lead anywhere. I love you, Eddie. With my whole fucking heart. I'd rather hurt myself than hurt you, and I need you to remember that."

"I'm so, so sorry Andy. I let it get the best of me. You deserved better."

"And you deserved compassion," Andy insisted. "I walked away because I could tell that we needed time to think, and I'm glad I did, but you deserved understanding that I wasn't able to provide. The truth of the matter is, we both fucked up, and measuring who did more damage won't do us any good. I just really want to try and work on fixing this, because I had a little preview of what my life is like without you and I didn't like it one bit."

"For a while there, I thought I lost you," Eddie admitted and that time, Andy didn't hesitate in reaching for his hand. "I promise I will voice my opinions more clearly. And that I will make a clear line between what was before and what I have with you."

"And I promise that I will be more careful, and… gentle?" she suggested, for lack of a better word. "And that I will do my damn best to communicate clearly. Promise me - whatever we go through, whatever shit gets thrown our way, we talk and we solve. Because that's how we keep this," he emphasized her point by lifting their hands.

"I love you," Eddie breathed out, the sound of a heavy weight dropping from his shoulders so easily audible in his sigh. "I refuse to lose you because of miscommunication."

"Good. That means we're on the same page. Cause I fucking love you too."

"Can I kiss you?" he blurted out quickly. "I'm sorry, if you need more time, we can wait, I totally get it - I just missed you so much and I hated it, and… can I kiss you?"

"You'd better," Andy laughed in response, the first real laugh in days. She, too, felt a huge weight fall off her shoulders. They get another chance, and she has no intentions of dropping it. They're not over. It's not happening.

The time it took Eddie to scoot closer to Andy felt like an entire lifetime, and when he finally kissed her, Andy realized just how close to tears she was. Nothing, and she knew that for a fact, nothing had ever felt as right as Eddie did right then.

She told him before that she felt safe with him, and knowing that they'd managed to skip over the first obstacle together, only made her feel even safer.

Andy needed to do that for him, too. And if to Eddie, feeling safe meant knowing every day that he was loved, wanted, and appreciated, then Andy will do that. She will do that gladly, and with just one kiss, he sealed that.

It didn't stop with one kiss.

The four days apart left their mark, and before either of them stopped to think, they were on the floor of Andy's living room, pieces of clothing flying around them in a blur of movements. They needed one another and weren't willing to wait.

With Eddie above her, inside her, and all around her, Andy did find herself shedding a tear - despite all the passion and want that was consuming her, she allowed herself to feel relief in knowing that it wasn't over and that Eddie was there to stay.

He made sure she knew it, too, saying it over and over again, whispering it into her ear between kisses and whispers of her name.

They were going to make it. Someway, somehow, they were going to make it.

"Morning Chief," Andy smiled at Hopper as he joined her and Nancy - the two were standing in the shelter parking lot, helping Steve and Jonathan unload a bunch of boxes full of canned goods - it was delivery day, and every able-bodied helper was welcome."

"Don't you talk to me!" Hopper glared at her, making Andy visibly flinch. He must have realized that he pushed it too far. "Ever since you stopped working at the bakery, El didn't want to continue working. And I've finally gotten used to driving her around at 3 AM!"

She laughed, and so did Nancy, who overheard the entire exchange. "Chief, you need to stop blaming me for things that are beyond my control," Andy shrugged, having a laugh at teasing the man. "Come on, at least you had a break from her spending every moment with Mike, right?"

"Not good enough," Hopper growled. "But thank you, kid. You've been nice to her. Both of you have," he nodded toward Nancy, including her in the conversation. "I don't want to jinx it or anything, but it seems like things have finally started going back to normal."

"Aaaaand you just jinxed it," Steve pipped up, catching the very end of the conversation.

"I wouldn't bet on that," Jonathan laughs as he walks over to Nancy, casually throwing his arm around her, smiling down as she leaned into his hug. "I'm pretty sure that over the past couple of years, we maxed out on bad luck."

"Jinxing it, again," Nancy laughed. "At this point, I'm resolved to us just going through whatever happens next, whenever it happens."

"Even if it never happens?" Andy jokingly asked. Despite her cautious optimism, she was on Jonathan's side for this one - at some point, all the bad luck that had been smacking them around for years was bound to leave them alone. After all, it had officially been more than a year since the last Upside Down incident. If there ever was a time for them to believe that they were in the clear, it was then.

"Yeah well, with a bunch of you and all the kiddos, even if shit hits the fan again, we're gonna be good," Hopper decided. They all share a moment, mostly a moment of quiet contemplation and knowing smiles - it was one of those times when they knew how much more information they had than the rest of the world. Andy might have mentioned trauma bonding more than once, but she was absolutely positive that it was a real deal.

It meant that she could stand in the parking lot, unloading food to help a town she hated, chatting with a bunch of friends - former enemies and exes, too, and offering the Chief of Police a smoke. Kids joining forces with adults, giving inter-dimensional monsters, communist soldiers, and the US government a run for their money. Truly, if Andy, or any one of them, was to write a novel, it wouldn't even pass as believable fiction.

There was only one thing missing - well, one person, really. And Andy saw his van even before he turned toward the parking lot. She was no longer surprised by his presence, fully accepting that in the past few months, she had become so hyper-aware of him, that he wouldn't be able to surprise her, even if he tried.

Except, maybe, if he sits on the staircase and doesn't greet her before she sees him.

"If you'll excuse me for a second," Andy said, to no one in particular, but all of them knew what was happening. She made her way to the parking spot that Eddie selected, smiling when she saw his grin, even through the windshield. Andy watched as he fumbled with his seatbelt in a rush to jump out of the van. She slowed down, taking her time, but Eddie beelined directly toward her, still grinning. He stopped, though, at a safe distance away.

"I thought you said you'll be taking a day off today," Andy commented.

"Yeah," Eddie shifted his weight from leg to leg. "I kinda missed you, though."

"That's very reassuring, because I missed you, too," Andy admitted.

She noticed Eddie's surprise as she stepped closer to him, his eyes widening like saucers when she put her hands around his neck.

"Half the town can see us," Eddie reminded her, somewhat frantically looking around.

Like Andy didn't already know. She knew and she didn't care one bit.

"Let's give them something to talk about then, yeah?"

Andy never gave a shit what others thought about her. But she never cared less than she did at that moment. Confidently, and with a smile so big it hurt her cheeks, she pulled Eddie closer to herself and kissed him. She kissed him and held him close and she didn't pull away until she was forced to, simply in the need of oxygen.

Eddie laughed, looking as overwhelmed as Andy felt. He laughed and kissed her again.