Sitting around the kitchen table, all of the adults sipped their coffee and talked at length about what to do with the metalhead in the storage closet. Steve had offered to talk to him, but Hopper quickly shot the idea down. Everyone else hardly disagreed after the events of last night. It wasn't like Steve to impulsively throw himself at a dangerous situation, if anything he was the most reluctant to spring to action. He'd have your back in a pinch, but he wasn't exactly thrilled about it.

Robin sipped her coffee quietly while Jonathan and Argyle explained the concept of vampires to Joyce. It wasn't like she'd never heard of them before. She'd seen the old black and white movies with her parents and had a boyfriend who dressed up as Dracula one Halloween, but that was the extent of her knowledge. As Argyle explained that vampires can't be near garlic, so under no circumstances should she cook with garlic , Robin set her mug down and cleared her throat.

"Eleven told me something last night." They all turned their attention to her. "She said she felt something bad in Eddie."

"I mean," Steve said, "I don't think we needed her to tell us that - "

"No," Robin shook her head, "she said it felt like what she saw in Billy. You know, Billy Hargrove. The same Billy Hargrove who was literally possessed by the mind flayer and feeding information back to it."

Jonathan furrowed his brow. "What do you think that means?"

Robin bit her lip and hesitated. "I don't know," She admitted, "but if it were up to me, I think we should be extremely careful around Eddie."

"You guys," Steve sat up, "he's still Eddie . I mean, just because he's… whatever this is now, doesn't mean he's not still on our side."

"She's right." Hopper said. "We don't know what he's capable of or if he's going to get dangerous again. I don't know about you, but I'm not thrilled by the idea of the kids being near someone that could snap at any moment. Frankly, I don't even want him in this house."

Steve could hardly argue. He'd seen and felt what Eddie could do when he lost control. They were right to be wary, especially since he'd seemingly come back from death. For all anyone knew, this wasn't even the real Eddie. To Steve, however, this was still their friend, and he needed their help. Even in the scariest situations, Eddie could crack a joke and ease the tension. He made you feel like you could always be yourself. It was something Steve had recognized, and when Eddie was gone, he felt like he'd let something good in the world disappear. It was a deep regret that never really left him.

"I can go into his mind." Eleven said, standing at the doorway. They all turned to look at her, surprised. Hopper shook his head immediately.

"No way. I'm not letting you get near him."

Joyce placed a hand on his. "Hopper, it may be a good idea."

"And if he attacks her? What then?"

"He's tied up, sweetheart. He's not going anywhere." She soothed, and then smirked. "Besides, I think we can all agree that Jane can handle herself."

"I can see if he's being controlled by Vecna. If he's… really Eddie." Eleven said quietly.

Hopper hesitated, but he knew he wasn't going to stop her. She'd do it anyway, she always has. Besides, he was outnumbered. He sighed and threw up his hands. "Fine."


Eddie was jostled awake by the sound of the lock on the storage room door being clicked. He looked up, bleary eyed, to see the handle turning, and then opening. Hopper stood in the doorframe, hand on his gun.

"Morning, Munson." He said, curtly.

Eddie squinted up at him. "Chief."

Behind him, Eleven stood with Steve and the rest of the adults. She swallowed and walked forward. Eddie locked eyes with Steve as she approached, and his stomach dropped. He looked tired, but he was okay. He was relieved, but shame quickly overtook him. He couldn't look him in the eye.

"Hi, Eddie." She said quietly.

"Hey." He offered her a nervous smile. "Uh… Sorry… about yesterday, I mean."

She didn't respond, but held out her hand instead. "I'm going to look into your mind."

"Uh… Okay." He looked at the other adults, brows furrowed. "That feels a tad invasive."

"It's either that, or you stay locked up in here. Your choice." Hopper said. He folded his arms.

Eddie rolled his eyes, sighing. "Fine."

Eleven closed her eyes and concentrated as best as she could. It took a moment, but she found the tether, and grasped it, linking their minds together. When she opened her eyes, she was in an empty black void. Water dribbled outwards from her feet. It was all too familiar now. She took a few steps, the sound of water splashing softly echoed with each movement. Calm, peaceful.

That's when she began to hear the faintest sound of music playing in the distance. She inclined her head and followed the noise. As it got louder, she strained to hear the melody, but it wasn't anything she'd heard before. That's when she realized it wasn't just any music, it was metal. Guitars blasted throughout the void and a singer screamed the lyrics. It was certainly a very strange sound to Eleven, and it made her giggle at the absurdity of it. It sounded like it was all around her, but she didn't know where it could possibly be coming from.

"Hey."

She turned around to find Eddie, sitting in front of a bed, with cassettes and records strewn about on the floor. It looked like a bedroom, and he grinned and cocked his head at her.

"This, my friend, is Black Sabbath. One of the greatest metal bands of all time."

She tilted her head curiously, just as Dustin walked past her, sitting next to him. He examined the cassette. "Dude, this is so cool! I've heard of them but my mom would literally kill me if she heard me listening to it."

"Parents are squares, young apprentice. They wouldn't know good music if it hit them in the face. My motto in life is: whatever makes the geriatrics of this nation uncomfortable, is the shit you need to pay attention to."

He grinned and stuck a guitar pick between his teeth. Then, suddenly, he got up and grabbed the guitar off his wall. "Here, see if you can play some chords."

Dustin's eyes widened. "You'd let me play it? Seriously?"

"I can think of no better man to wield The Warlock." He announced with a dramatic flair. "Your sword, my good knight! Wield it well."

Eddie bowed down and handed it to him as a king would to a warrior. Eleven raised an eyebrow, giggling at the sight. Out of nowhere, she heard a gasp behind her. She jumped and turned around to find Eddie laying in the brambles of the forest. He was dirty and covered in sweat. His eyes were wide, looking all around him. She looked back at the other memory, only to find that it had disappeared, leaving nothing but an empty void in its place. When she returned her gaze to the forest, Eddie was standing in front of her, shivering. She gasped and backed away in shock, noticing his red eyes and sharp fangs immediately. His claws jutted out from his hands and his skin was sheet white. This was the Eddie she'd seen last night, the one who attacked Steve.

He was breathing heavily, confused, scared. Then, a branch snapped. His eyes flicked over to a deer, totally unaware of his presence. Something feral entered his eyes and he slid his tongue over his fangs.

"Eddie…" Eleven breathed. She knew it was a memory, but it was too difficult to watch. She knew what came next. Closing her eyes tight, she willed it to vanish, and thankfully, it did. When she opened them again, she took a deep breath. These were Eddie's actual memories, pieces of himself in his mind. It wasn't some imitation, some trick. It was really him.

Now, she just needed to find any traces of Vecna. If she found even one, she'd know he was being used as a spy, and he was a danger to them all. Eleven scoured his mind, looking in every corner, every recess, yet she found nothing. He was Eddie, and he wasn't some spyglass into their world. He was just… Eddie.

She retreated from his mind and opened her eyes. Eddie sat in front of her, chewing his lip. He must have been just as uncertain of what she'd find, because when she came to, he sat up in anticipation.

"It's really him." Eleven said, looking back at the group. "It's Eddie."


Eddie was finally untied and allowed to leave the storage room. Hopper was still wary of him, but he had no reason to doubt Eleven. He just wouldn't be all buddy buddy with the kid he used to have in the back of his police cruiser every other month. Eddie took a shower he desperately needed, and was given some of Jonathan's clothes to wear. It wasn't his ideal wardrobe, but sweatpants and an ELO shirt would have to do. Sheepishly, he exited the room, knowing how awkward it was going to be to see everyone. As he rounded the corner, he was stopped by Dustin walking down the hall. They both looked at each other in surprise.

"Oh, sorry." Dustin said.

"You're good." Eddie muttered.

They stood there for a moment. Then, Dustin swallowed and ran to Eddie, throwing his arms around him. He choked down tears and gripped the back of his shirt.

"I missed you so much." He sobbed.

Eddie let out a breath and squeezed him tight. "Hey buddy, I'm so sorry."

Dustin pulled back and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "I'm so glad you're back. I have so much to tell you. Iron Maiden released a new album and you weren't even here to see it!"

Eddie laughed a bit and ruffled his hair. "You'll have to catch me up to speed." He thought for a moment, and his brows furrowed. "How long was I gone?"

Dustin frowned slightly. "5 months. You had a funeral and everything."

"Are you shitting me…?" He muttered, eyes wide. "Was it a cool funeral? Did I get a viking's burial?"

Dustin shoved his arm and chuckled. "Kind of, we had a bonfire. Wayne played all your favorite songs"

Eddie grinned and made the 'rock and roll' motion with his hand. "Sick."

"Are you hungry? Joyce made eggs and bacon - wait… Can you even eat regular food anymore?"

Eddie hadn't considered this. He wasn't hungry right now, and was actually still full from last night… which made him feel a little ill at the thought.

"You know, I have no idea, but I think I'll pass for now." He hesitated a moment. "Hey, do you know where Steve is…?"

"I think he's outside." Dustin said.

"Cool. Uh, I'm gonna take a walk. Save a seat for me, huh?"

"Sure."


Outside, Steve sat on the porch looking out into the trees. The afternoon sun was beginning to warm the area, but he didn't mind. He enjoyed listening to the sounds of nature and watching the branches sway with the wind. Joyce and the kids had moved back to Hawkins and in with Hopper after Vecna was destroyed. Nobody believed the threat was gone for good, but it provided a moment of respite for everything to feel normal again. Almost.

The sky still had gashes in it from the upside down. News anchors and journalists had filed in from all over the world to report on the otherworldly happenings in Hawkins. It was national news. Ash rained from the sky, red clouds bubbled from the tears, but nothing ever emerged. They simply hung in stasis, occasionally spitting out tendrils of red lightning. After a few months of inactivity, everyone just moved on. Scientific studies slowed to a halt, the wild stories about Hawkins' insane weather phenomenon died out, and soon it became just another novelty of the town that attracted waves of tourists every month. The group knew better. They knew it was only a matter of time before those tears birthed something terrible. It had certainly never left Steve's mind.

"Hey."

Steve looked up, broken out of his thoughts, to find Eddie walking towards him.

"This seat taken?" He said, gesturing to the empty spot on the stairs beside Steve.

"Uh, no, go for it." Steve muttered. Eddie sat down and looked out into the trees.

"This is quite the place. Very rustic. Very manly. Makes sense for good ole chief Hopper." He snorted. "I imagine the frilly throw pillows are Will's mom's work."

"You would guess correct." Steve chuckled a little.

"I would ask how Hopper is living and breathing right now but, you know, I can't say shit about any of that." Eddie fiddled with the rings on his fingers. "Hey, um… I'm… I'm really sorry about last night." He muttered. "I wasn't really myself…"

"I know." Steve nodded. "It's okay."

"It's not though," Eddie sighed and shook his head, "it could have been bad."

"To be fair, I probably shouldn't have just walked in there and offered my hand on a silver plate." Steve chuckled. "I kind of deserved it, anyway."

Eddie frowned a bit. "Why would you have deserved it?"

Steve hesitated. "I… I sort of…" He sighed, not realizing how difficult it would be to talk about this. "It's not important. I'm glad you're here. The kids really missed you."

Eddie nodded a bit, he could see Steve avoiding the conversation a mile away, but knew to just drop it. He'd always admired Steve. From afar, of course. They'd only considered each other friends recently, but Eddie had known about Steve Harrington since they were freshman. It was kind of hard not to, Steve was the popular, sports star, prom king of the school. He could have any girl he wanted at the drop of a hat. The thing that stuck out to Eddie was that he was also kind. That shit was rarer than gold these days.

He'd hung around some real shitheads that gave Eddie hell from day one, but it was never Steve. While the guys in the locker room called him every homophobic name under the sun, Harrington had always shut it down. It stung, because Eddie Munson was gay, but he wasn't out and would most likely never be. Not in a town like Hawkins anyway. He'd gotten enough shit just for being into metal and selling weed. Eddie knew his place. He knew Steve Harrington was caring, athletic, attractive, but untouchable. There wasn't a chance in hell he felt even remotely the same way about him.

"Everyone seems to be doing okay since Vecna." Eddie said. "I trust you guys gave him a thorough kick in the ass."

Steve chuckled. "You could say that. We honestly have you to thank for that."

Something flickered in Eddie. He looked up at Steve. "You mean… You mean it worked?" He said quietly. Steve recognized the look in his eyes. The look of finally being needed, helpful.

"You bought us the time we needed to get to him. It made all the difference." Steve nudged Eddie in support. "You were a hero."

Eddie stared at him, eyes wide. His throat bobbled and he chuckled pitifully, his eyes beginning to well. "Shit, man…"

Steve clapped him on the shoulder and shook him a little. "You saved Hawkins, Munson."

Eddie chuckled and wiped his eyes quickly. "Dammit…" He shook his head. "I don't appreciate you trying to make me cry, Harrington."

Steve smiled and sat back. "That's what I'm here for." He stood up, grabbing his empty coffee cup. "You coming in?"

"Uh, nah… I think I'll hang out here for a while. You go ahead."

Steve nodded and gave a short wave, before heading back inside. Eddie watched him enter the house and then looked back into the line of trees. He chuckled, pulling out a cigarette and sticking it in his teeth

"Fuck you, Harrington."