Beth woke slowly, feeling better rested than she'd had the whole week. Eddie was still sleeping beside her, hair sticking up haphazardly. She stretched under the covers, wondering what time it was. Pulling the sheet free to wrap around her body stirred Eddie awake too, rolling over to look at her. "Where're you going?" he mumbled. "Stay here."

"I'm just getting my backpack. It has a change of clothes in it," Beth said as his arm circled her waist. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Nope. Why do you need to get up?"

"Because if your uncle shows up, I don't want to still be in bed?"

"It's a lot nicer here under the blankets," Eddie sleepily reasoned, pulling her in close.

"Eddie, come on," Beth protested, though she smiled as he snuggled into her. "You should get up, too. Wayne's first impression of me was already mediocre; I don't want his second impression to be worse." Eddie groaned, finally releasing her after she kissed him a few times to pacify him.

Beth brought her backpack into the bathroom to wash up and get dressed. "Babe, seriously," she called back into the bedroom as she brushed her teeth. "Wake up. I think I just heard Wayne pull up."

She was walking towards the kitchen, wondering if there was anything in the cabinets that would be good for breakfast when she heard the door rattle. She turned to the door, about to call out to see who it was when she stopped in her tracks.

The deadbolt was turning to unlock.

Beth grabbed a wooden chair, praying that Eddie had in fact ignored her attempts to get him out of bed; there wasn't any time to warn him now. It's always something, she thought bitterly. The door swung open and in walked a strange-looking teen, hair cropped short, looking extremely surprised to find someone already in the cabin. Beth raised the chair. "I don't know who you are but-"

The stranger lifted an arm, and in moments it felt like someone had ripped the chair out of Beth's hands before sending it crashing into the wall. Beth screamed, jumping back as a tall, pale teen with messy dark hair appeared behind the first, who was now gently wiping a trickle of blood at her nose.

"Sorry," she said. "Reflex."

"Beth?!" Eddie came stumbling through the curtain closing off the back bedroom from the rest of the cabin. He recoiled when he clocked the others in the room. "Wheeler," he muttered, nodding curtly as he awkwardly stood in the doorway. "Weird-hair kid I don't know…Other weird-hair kid I don't know," he added as yet a third teenager wandered through the door, looking bewildered. Eddie looked at Beth. "Who-"

"My guess is, the alleged superhero we've heard so much about," she replied, shaking her head in annoyance as she walked out onto the porch. One day. I get one goddamn good day with Eddie before all hell breaks loose. A yellow van with a surfboard-shaped sign mounted on the roof was parked in front, Nancy and Jonathan Byers emerging from it with grocery bags. "Nancy. What the hell?"

Nancy looked equal parts frustrated and apologetic. "I didn't know they were coming, and El needs somewhere to stay, and it is her house-"

"A little warning would have been appreciated," Beth grumbled, crossing her arms across her chest. They both stared at each other silently, at an impasse. "So, what happens now? Are they all staying here? The cabin is too small-"

"I…sort of have an idea," Nancy said slowly as Jonathan went inside the cabin. "You're not going to like it."

"Well that sounds promising," Beth said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"California?" Of all the suggestions that could have come out of Nancy's mouth, this was one Beth never expected. They sat on the porch steps of the cabin. "You want to ship Eddie off to California?"

Nancy sighed. "Look, I know it's drastic, but…Eddie can't stay in Hawkins. Right now people seem to think he might have been one of the earthquake casualties, but if someone ends up seeing him…We're lucky we made it this long without him getting arrested or killed by an angry mob. You of all people know how close Jason got to killing him."

"I know, but-"

"And Vecna isn't gone." Nancy frowned at the ground. "We may have severely wounded him, but he's not dead."

"How can you tell?" Beth asked.

"Will. Jonathan's brother. He hasn't said anything, but Jonathan can tell…he's the reason any of us know about the Upside Down in the first place. Ever since he went missing, he's had this…connection to it, and Jonathan told me Will's looked bad ever since they got to Hawkins. Like-"

"Like he's never known a day's peace in his entire life?" Beth supplied, eyeing the fragile-looking boy helping Mike Wheeler board up a window. Nancy nodded sadly. "Okay…how exactly does this relate to Eddie going across the country?"

"Think about it," Nancy said. "If Eddie gets arrested and thrown in prison, and Vecna starts his assault on Hawkins…there won't be anything we can do to protect Eddie. He'll be trapped. And we already know Lenora is safe, for now, from the effects of the Upside Down. It'll be for Eddie's own good if he goes, and it doesn't have to be forever, just until-"

"Shouldn't Eddie decide what's for Eddie's own good?"

"Beth, you're the one who told me to tell you the plan first instead of Eddie," Nancy said in frustration.

"Yeah, I wanted to see how stupid the plan was before presenting it to Eddie," Beth shot back. "Turns out, it's pretty stupid-"

"Look, I get it. I wasn't thrilled when Jonathan moved out to California, you know-"

"This isn't about that, trust me." Because in truth, there was a buried hope jumping around in Beth's chest that wanted this plan to work. But only if it really is the best thing for Eddie, she promised herself. He'd do the same for me. "I'm thinking about the practicality. Where would Eddie even stay? He doesn't know anyone in California."

"Nobody knowing Eddie in California is kind of the point," Nancy reminded her. "And once Argyle drives him across the country, they'll probably be pretty good friends-"

"Yeah, let's talk about this Argyle," Beth cut her off, gesturing towards the woods. "This guy Argyle is currently squatting among the trees, trying to mind-meld with a plant. You want me to trust that guy to safely bring Eddie across the country? He's like if Cheech and Chong had a baby."

Nancy bit her lip, obviously sharing some of those doubts. "Well…Jonathan trusts him. And he did make sure my brother and Will and El got here safe. And he knows about what's happening here, so he'll understand what Eddie's gone through. As far as where Eddie will stay, the Byers do have a house out there that they're not using at the moment. El's gonna have to stay here until Vecna is defeated, and Jonathan and Will aren't going to leave her by herself, which means Joyce will have to come back once we get her on the phone and explain what's happening. It'll almost be like Eddie's housesitting-"

"Housesitting. Your big plan for Eddie is housesitting."

"What do you want from me, Beth?" Nancy said. "If there was a way to keep Eddie safe here, I'd do it, and if you knew a way to do it, we wouldn't be having this conversation. This is the best we can do if you really want Eddie to have a shot at a normal life. No one will know who he is out in California. He won't have to look over his shoulder, wondering if he's going to be arrested for murder. I mean, as far as I know, the national news hasn't picked up the story, which is honestly kind of surprising-"

"I don't think they ever will," Beth said. "If my parents hold up their end of the bargain, anyway."

Nancy looked at her sideways. "Your parents are suppressing the news?"

"Get off your journalistic-integrity high horse, Wheeler. They're suppressing paranoid propaganda, and it's honestly the only decent thing they've ever done." Beth chewed her lip; Nancy's plan was far-fetched, but she was making some good points; and Beth did like the idea of Eddie being free. "You'll never get Wayne to agree," she said quietly. "He's already pissed that a bunch of teenagers kept him away from his nephew. He'll hate the idea that now they want to send him to the West Coast."

Nancy shrugged. "Maybe Wayne will want to go too. His life isn't going to be easy here now, either. And he definitely won't be the only one fleeing Hawkins. Jonathan said there was a whole line of cars driving out of town."

"What are the odds any of them will end up in California?" Beth rubbed her face with her hands. "It's such a long shot, Nance. There's a thousand different reasons why this isn't going to fix anything-"

"What it'll do is buy him more time," Nancy insisted. "It doesn't have to be forever. We just have to take care of Vecna, and that's going to be easier now that El's got her powers back-"

"Would've been nice if she could've gotten here sooner," muttered Beth.

Nancy looked sharply at her. "Don't say anything like that to El," she warned. "Apparently, she did try to help. Something about a sensory deprivation tank they made in a pizza dough freezer—it sounds stupid, but Max was El's best friend, and she tried to save her, and...You know what it's like to not be able to save your best friend, so just…don't, Beth."

"Okay, I'm sorry. I didn't know," Beth said with a grimace. "I'm not going to do anything to piss off Super Girl. She already scared the shit out of me once." She sighed, mulling over this new California possibility. "So, if Eddie decides this is what he wants to do and if Wayne supports the idea…when would he go?"

Nancy took a deep breath. "Tomorrow. Possibly the next day-"

"Tomor—you expect him to make this kind of decision right now?"

"Look, Argyle does have a life to get back to in California, and he already took off for a week to help Jonathan. We can't expect him to just stick around for our sake," Nancy pointed out. "I know it's not ideal, but it's what we have to work with. And it's not-"

"Forever, I know, I just…It's so soon," Beth murmured. Nancy put a sympathetic hand over hers, and Beth looked uneasily back at her. Just when she'd started warming to this crazy scheme, the timeline had made her want to reject it. You're being selfish, she reminded herself. This could work out…in a lot of ways. Beth cocked her head in thought. "Off-topic, but…what do you think the chances are that we all make it to graduation?"

"You're really worried about graduation right now?" Nancy asked her skeptically.

Beth shrugged. "Just…trying to hold on to something normal, I guess." Inside, she heard the familiar yelp and rapid-fire cursing signaling Eddie was in distress. "So few opportunities to do that these days," she muttered as she and Nancy scrambled to their feet to investigate.

Eddie was frantic as he shot out of the back bedroom, looking around for a place to hide. "Zombies," he whimpered. "We have zombies…You." He pointed a finger at Nancy, grimacing with frustration. "You didn't say a thing about zombies, Wheeler." Ignoring all requests for clarification, Eddie turned and dashed into the bathroom, climbing into the tub and pulling the shower curtain closed.

"Jesus Christ, it's one thing after another today," Beth grumbled as Mike and Will appeared at the doorway.

"Nancy, get out here," Mike said. "You have to see this-"

They all hurried back out to the porch, watching a car that had just pulled up, its occupants slamming the door shut. "Oh my god," Nancy whispered, eyes wide, as Will ran to the woman who'd gotten out of the back seat. "Well…I guess we know why Eddie thought there were zombies…"

Beth squinted as she watched long-presumed-dead Chief Hopper walk towards the cabin. "Gotta ask him what horror movies he's watching, because I don't think zombies usually look that…muscle-y."

Eddie jumped nearly a foot in the air as Beth yanked the shower curtain back, having returned to try to calm him down. "Relax, it's me," she said. "There's still no such thing as zombies. Just ex-police chiefs who have returned from Soviet prison camps."

He sputtered. "What the-"

"I know. I've officially given up on anything making sense anymore," Beth sighed, perching on the edge of the tub.

"Hopper being alive is great for him and all," Eddie muttered as he slid down in the tub, "but considering that right up until his apparent death, he's been gunning for me as a drug dealer…can't say I'm thrilled to see him."

"Yeah, I think he'll be too grateful to be reunited with Eleven to really care about your past infractions," Beth said.

"What's the connection there?"

"Adopted daughter, turns out."

"So many layers," Eddie marveled, Beth nodding in agreement. "So, uh…what were you and Wheeler talking about out there?" he asked. "You looked intense."

Beth bit her lip. "She's gotten some…ideas. About what your next steps could be."

"Oh yeah?" Eddie sat up straighter. "Like what?"

She looked down at her hands. "I…don't want to say. I think I'll let her tell you. I just…need this to be your decision. Completely your decision. Like mine is with college. I don't want to influence you one way or the other. In fact, I might not even stick around for the deliberations."

"Shit," Eddie murmured. "You hate the idea that much?"

"I don't hate the idea," Beth said. "Or at least not the whole idea…" She shook her head. "Nope, promised myself I wouldn't get in the way of this decision. It's your life. You have to do what's right for you." She stood up and held out a hand to Eddie. "Come on. Time to talk to Nancy."

He suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Maybe she can just…come in here?"

Beth narrowed her eyes. "Is this about Hopper? Are you seriously still scared of him?"

Eddie whined, "Beth, that guy hates me-"

"You have survived an attempt on your life, gone into an alternate dimension multiple times, and nearly sacrificed yourself to mutant bats. You can deal with Hopper," Beth reasoned, pulling him to his feet. "And there's like ten other people out there to protect you anyway."

"So you're really going to leave?" Eddie laced his fingers through hers. "I know whatever the plan is, I have to do what I think is right, but…I don't mind you being there." He smirked. "Can't imagine you passing up the chance to give your opinion."

Beth rolled her eyes. "I am capable of letting people do what they want, you know. Sometimes. If it's important. And you already made it clear that I have to choose a college on my own, so…"

"So I'm on my own, too." Eddie sighed, frowning slightly. "I don't always make the best decisions on my own."

"I would make one suggestion," Beth said. "Let Wayne in on the decision-making process. Don't let him make the decision for you, but...let him weigh in. He has your best interests in mind. Having family like that is…really important. Don't take it for granted."

Eddie nodded, his frown deepening. "Beth…are you going to be okay? Going back to your house?"

"Yes, I'll be fine," she insisted. "It's nothing I can't handle. As long as I don't give them a reason to suspect I'm still in contact with you, they will live in their blissful ignorance. For the record," Beth added a slight tinge of guilt in her voice, "They think you might be dead. And I didn't say anything to contradict that…please don't be mad?"

Eddie chuckled. "Honestly, faking my own death is probably the best thing I could do at this point."

"I would leave it ambiguous," Beth advised, leaning into Eddie's chest as his arms encircled her. "In case your name does get cleared. Easier to come back if there wasn't a funeral." They held each other in silence for a while. "You're stalling," she pointed out.

"You're letting me stall," he muttered into her hair.

Beth had to admit it was true; after all, she knew how short their time would be if he decided to go. Still, she stepped back and reached up to give him a kiss. "I'll tell Nancy to let me know once you've made your choice, and we'll talk," she told him. "And remember, no matter what…I love you."

Eddie smiled. "Love you too, Beth."

Beth had struggled to leave the cabin after that— not just because of Eddie's looming decision, and not just because of the ominous smoke and ash that had appeared just as she was about to head home. It was also because of the discovery Wayne made as he arrived, just in time to watch the car that brought Hopper and Joyce Byers to the cabin. The woman who was driving, he told her, was the same federal agent who'd evacuated him from the trailer. Beth had wasted no time in hassling Hopper over getting that agent back to the cabin in order to convince her to work with them to clear Eddie's name. "No matter what crap he's gotten up to in the past," she told him, "Eddie doesn't deserve the reputation he has now. He's not a murderer. He's a hero." Hopper had made non-committal grumbles about seeing what he could do, and Beth started to press harder when the ash started raining down, distracting them from their conversation as they watched pillars of smoke rise from the ground in the distance.

Now Beth sat in her room, six college acceptance letters spread out on her bed. Notebook on her lap, pencil in hand for writing down pros and cons of each college. I'm going to make this decision like Eddie wants me to, she promised herself. Based on what's right for me. Like this week never happened. The eraser tip of the pencil bounced against the page as she considered the options. One stood out against the rest, too perfect not to be a contender. I applied there months ago, she reasoned to herself. Even if Eddie questions it, he can't deny it's clearly been a serious option for me since the beginning. If he chooses to leave. Which is a big "if"…

Notre Dame's letter sat at the end like the one multiple-choice answer on a test that's only included to make sure you're paying attention—too ridiculous to circle as a legitimate choice.

Chrissy really did want to go there—but only because of Jason. Beth had rolled her eyes at Chrissy's decision-making process then, begging her to think for herself instead of just following a boy. You've never been in love, Chrissy had told her. We've been together since freshman year. Why would I end it now? Beth could argue that Chrissy was more scared of branching out into unfamiliar territory than she was in love with Jason, and she could certainly debate Jason's merits as a good person at this point, but maybe Chrissy had a point.

If someone makes you happy, why walk away?

Beth picked two acceptance letters out of the lineup, and unceremoniously swept the other four to the floor. One close to Hawkins. One…decidedly not. And I'll be happy at either one. Sorry, Eddie, but this week did happen. And it changed everything for me.

The blank page of her notebook was slowly filled, not by merits of various colleges, but song titles. Usually when Beth created mix tapes, they were for cheer practice or parties. This would be her first mix of love songs. Soon she was rifling through her collection of cassettes, searching for a blank one, and beginning the arduous task of recording each song to the blank. She was halfway through when the phone rang, and she scrambled to be the first in the house to answer.

"Nancy, hey," Beth said after she picked up, cradling the phone on her shoulder to pick up the two acceptance letters. "So? What's the verdict?"

Later that night, Nancy drove Beth back to the cabin. Apparently Jonathan's mom had convinced Hopper to leave the cabin for a bit and let the kids have it for one evening.

After all, Eddie deserved to have a going-away party.

It was more calm of an affair than most parties would be, considering everything they'd all been through. Still, the full crew was glad to be mostly reunited. "No Lucas?" Beth had whispered to Erica, who shook her head sadly; Lucas seemed to only be interested in leaving the house to stand vigil at Max's hospital bed.

Stories were swapped about the things they'd seen and done. The California crew had been caught between two warring factions of the government while El had been taken to a secret bunker to regain her powers, all while Vecna terrorized Hawkins. Eddie especially seemed to take pride in telling his parts of the story, theatrically recounting saving Steve from the bats and his guitar solo atop the trailer. It kept the kids enthralled; Even Will seemed to come out of his gloom for a bit. Beth hung back, snapping candid Polaroids as Eddie laughed about Steve's handling of the Winnebago, until Jonathan volunteered to take over the photography. After that, she stuck to Eddie's side nearly the whole night, joining in with her own side of the battle stories and sharing silent glances with Robin, both noting the tension between Jonathan and Steve. Beth almost felt like she'd become a real part of the crew.

"We haven't really gotten a chance to talk," Beth said at one point into Eddie's ear. "You know, since the big decision." They snuck out to the porch quietly while Mike was describing the chaotic house they'd gone to in their quest to track down Eleven.

"So, do you hate me?" Eddie asked shyly, an uneasy half-smile on his face.

Beth shook her head. "It'll be a fresh start for you. I mean, Argyle is…weird. But he seems like your type of weird. He'll be a good friend to have while you settle in."

"Yeah, into the shootout house," Eddie quipped. "I hope they at least moved the corpses out."

"Nancy really could've mentioned that when she explained the plan," Beth agreed.

"Maybe she didn't know."

"It's possible. I feel like Jonathan's got secrets," Beth said with a smirk. "So Wayne's okay with you moving out to California?"

Eddie nodded. "It took some convincing, but he agrees it's probably for the best. He's gonna come out too, as soon as he can settle everything here." He sighed laboriously as he said, "Hopper thinks I can get my name legally cleared as long as I stay out of trouble in Lenora, but he's obviously convinced I won't be able to do that."

"So prove him wrong," Beth said with a shrug. "You've survived this long with the odds against you." She took his hands, lacing her fingers through his. "I'm gonna miss you."

Eddie smiled at her. "I'm gonna miss you too, sweetheart." He pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on her head. "So…I may have talked to Robin and Nancy about you?"

Beth twisted her head up to squint at him. "What about me?"

"Just…Look, I know you put on a brave face whenever your parents come up, and I'm not going to force you to tell me anything…" Eddie said slowly. "But I asked them if they can…look out for you. Keep their doors open, you know? Because Chrissy's gone, and I won't be here…"

"Eddie, I swear, I'm fine-"

"Okay, so you're fine. But their doors are still open," Eddie said firmly. "The hardest thing about this is worrying about whether or not you're going to be okay."

"I'm going to be okay…but thanks," Beth said softly, genuinely appreciating the thought. "When did you even talk to them?"

"I think you were grilling Argyle at the time," Eddie chuckled, Beth grinning into his chest. He twirled the ends of her hair between his fingers. "At least now you have a real address to write to," he murmured.

Beth nodded. "It's going to be a long five months. I'll definitely be writing a lot of letters."

"Five months?" Eddie asked. "Is that how long you think it'll take to defeat Vecna and clear my name enough for me to come back? Because I gotta say, seems a little optimistic-"

"Actually, no," Beth said, stepping back so she could look at Eddie. "Um, I made my decision too. About college. And before you start questioning my motives, I just want to remind you that I made the decision to apply months before all this happened, so you can't say-"

"Beth." Eddie held her hands, eyes wide. "Are you…"

She smiled. "UCLA. It's about two and a half hours from Lenora. I checked."

"Are you sure?" Eddie bit his lip, concern crossing his face. "You said you were going to choose based on what's right for you-"

"I did. It's thousands of miles away from my parents, they've got a law school if I decide I want to go for that, and the cheer squad is awesome. I'm all set."

"You're serious about the law school thing?" Eddie said. "Not that I don't think you could do it…"

Beth nodded. "I've been thinking about it a lot, actually. Thinking about how you told me the deck was stacked against you from the beginning. Because of your dad, and where you live, and how other people see you. I just feel like…there's other kids like you, Eddie. And maybe I can't be your lawyer now…but I could be their lawyer someday. I could put up a fair fight for them."

Eddie smiled, clearly touched by Beth's intentions. She continued, "I feel like I'm not the same person I used to be, before all this happened. You're a big part of the reason why. And I don't think it's fair that you can't be part of my decision at all. Even if we don't last—even if we don't last the five months we're apart—I know I still want you in my life. We've literally been through hell together…that's a bond that doesn't break."

Eddie exhaled hard. "You really mean that?" he asked, his voice low.

Beth nodded, shyly reaching into her jacket pocket. "I kind of made you a mixtape," she said, pulling it out and handing it to Eddie. "Of love songs. You'll probably hate everything on it."

"I'll listen to it with an open mind," Eddie promised, though a skeptical smile played on his lips. "At the very least, it'll remind me of you. And that's always a good thing." He laughed softly. "Jesus, there's probably so much synth on this…"

"Hey, open mind," Beth reminded him, poking him playfully.

Eddie leaned down and kissed her slowly, his arms slowly moving around her waist. "I'll be counting the days until you get there," he murmured in between his kisses. "Five months…"

"I know," Beth whispered sadly, her hands grasping the lapels of his leather jacket. "Better make this count. It's gonna have to last me a while."

"I wish I wasn't leaving tomorrow," Eddie lamented, leaning her against the cabin wall.

"I know. I'd leave with you, if UCLA didn't insist I graduate high school before going there." Beth sighed. "Not to mention the whole end of the world thing."

"Christ, you better make it out there," he muttered, forehead close to hers.

Beth smirked. "I'd like to see Vecna try and stop me."