Eddie knew that look on Chrissy's face well, had seen it multiple times and had experienced it more and he knew his place at this very moment was at her side, not hunkering down behind closed doors. He would have to risk ruining everything she had just done for him in walking out there to be with her, but none of it would matter if Vecna was choosing now as his moment to come for her and make her attempt suicide. She didn't have any immediate access to any weapons, but she didn't need them if Vecna had the power to control her to do as he willed. If he wanted her dead, he would find a way.

He started forward, dragging Dustin along with him whose sneakers made a screeching noise on the tile floor as he tried to hold Eddie back.

"Isaac said you can't–"

"He's not in charge of me."

"But you can't–"

"Watch me."

"Eddie, you have to stay here!"

Rounding on Dustin with a ferocity that he couldn't control, Eddie told him in no uncertain terms, "Let go of me, Dustin." He hoped the kid would release him on his own because Eddie didn't have time to be thinking of what he might have to do otherwise. If he had to resort to violence to get Dustin to let go of him, how far would he ultimately have to go to save his girlfriend? How many more would have to suffer because of Vecna's hold on these people who meant so much to Eddie?

"Leave your weapons," said Dustin, reading the intensity on Eddie's face and thankfully understanding. "She might try to go after them when you get close."

Shoving his Colt and his machete into Dustin's hands, Eddie hauled ass out the doors. He heard the reporters and the news anchors shouting, pointing excitedly toward him, but he kept his head down, his eyes on Chrissy alone and as he pushed through the throng to reach her, he felt a rush of cold air sweep through the parking lot. Isaac's grip had shifted from around Chrissy's shoulders to her hand, locking fingers with her to at least keep one hand busy and unable to bring harm to herself, but she could do just as much damage one-handed, a sad fact Eddie had learned too late with Max.

Eddie grasped Chrissy's shoulders to draw her in closer to him and at his touch, she blinked rapidly, breaking out into a panicked gasp while still having trouble focusing. It was unlike the attack on Max who had immediately begun to call for help when she realized what was happening. Chrissy was caught in a trance and not making a move to harm herself, but her inaction frightened Eddie who now couldn't anticipate what might happen next: if she would try to off herself if he let his guard down, if Vecna might try to kill her as he first had by snapping her limbs and crushing her skull, if there was something even worse in store for her. There was no way of telling and the longer Eddie sat here wondering what might happen, the more chances he gave the many prying eyes to piece together a story that didn't show him in a favorable light despite everything Chrissy had just said to try and clear his name.

He needed a distraction, but he couldn't–wouldn't–let go of Chrissy to provide one. He would just have to endure in front of the cameras, even if that meant he had to ruin everything for all of Hawkins to see. He might have to hold Chrissy down, wrestle her to the ground, or break her wrist on live television to save her and the whole town would believe that Mrs. Cunningham's allegations against him were true.

An explosion went off just over the crowd's head and Eddie felt sparks rain down on them, burning slightly as they made contact with his skin. The reporters screamed and scrambled as a voice cried out, "Evacuate the premises! Everyone who isn't a resident here needs to evacuate now!"

Another explosion went off, sounding suspiciously like fireworks to Eddie and he saw Dustin darting back inside, his backpack bulging with some unused bottle rockets and cracklers.

God bless you, Henderson.

However, the mass panic that ensued after the firework detonations made those people who had been pressed in on Eddie and Chrissy suddenly surge and shove against them so roughly that Eddie felt himself being pulled away from her. He tried to hold onto her fingers, but lost his grip as the crowd jostled him along.

"Chrissy!" he hollered as all he could do was watch himself being carried further away from her. He saw her eyes refocus for a moment and then she reached for a pen one of the reporters had dropped and lifted it to eye level with the intent of stabbing herself with it. She was panting for breath now, crying out for help.

Isaac secured his arms around her from behind, pinning hers to her sides even as she tried unwillingly to resist him. She was putting up a tremendous fight and Isaac–for all of his newfound strength as a lieutenant of Vecna–was visibly sweating as he attempted to hold her. He had to plant his feet wide and crouch to stay upright as Chrissy flailed and kicked her legs, trying to reverse rack him. She whipped her head back to knock her skull against his nose and was sobbing as her body refused to obey her.

"Make it stop," she begged Isaac even as she tried to bite his wrist.

"I'm trying, hon, I'm trying," said Isaac desperately.

Eddie watched one or two cameramen stop running at the sound of Isaac and Chrissy's scuffle and start recording. There was no time to stop or distract them; Eddie had to prioritize his girlfriend over the damage that recording could do and the only way he could do that was to get to her. He tried to shove back against the mob that were packed in against him like sardines but he couldn't break through, so he did the only sensible thing and dropped to his knees, covering his head as he felt several business heels and pieces of camera equipment smack against him. Someone finally tripped over him, tipping him over like a cow and as he lay on his side, he could see Isaac now bent double over Chrissy whose body was attempting to buck him off without her permission.

Elbowing him hard in the gut, Chrissy flipped him over her back, forcing him to release her as she made a dive for the pen again.

"Oh, no you don't, you motherfucker," Isaac snarled, snatching Chrissy right back up from behind and locking her limbs in tight this time so she couldn't use them against him. Chin digging into Chrissy's shoulder to prevent her from throwing her head back again to headbutt him, he was muttering nonstop under his breath, no doubt calling Vecna every foul name in the book. Vecna, however, appeared to be one petty son of a bitch because name calling was evidently enough to piss him off and punish Isaac accordingly.

One moment Isaac was straining to keep Chrissy contained and the next, his face went gray as if someone had stuck a pipet into his skin and sucked out all the color. "He's coming," he said in a voice that wasn't his own, layered with that deep, grating rasp that belonged to Vecna. "Eddie, I can't hold her. I can't hold her!"

It was the voice of panic as Isaac struggled to remain himself for just long enough to warn Eddie even with half of his body already caving into Vecna's commands. All at once, Isaac's protective embrace changed as his body posture stiffened and his hands moved upward to Chrissy's neck. Eddie didn't think, but charged in, knowing that his only option was to get there in time, knowing the consequences if he didn't. Vecna's vision for the future was about to start with Chrissy's murder by Isaac's hands.

Isaac looked down on Chrissy with casual indifference and made to wrench her head sideways but Eddie sprinted the last few steps and threw himself forward in a dive. He collided with Isaac's side and wrenched him away from Chrissy where they both skidded at least five feet apiece across the asphalt and Eddie felt further damage to his already cut chin. Not three seconds after coming to a halt, Isaac was clawing his way back onto his feet with the intent to get to Chrissy and snap her neck but Eddie held him around the legs and brought him straight back down. Foaming black at the mouth, Isaac raised his injured fist and drove it into Eddie's ribs several times to the point where Eddie was almost certain something had fractured. He took a fistful of Eddie's hair and slammed his face down onto the blacktop before turning his fist upon Eddie's face and hitting him once, twice, three times until Eddie saw stars. As Eddie lifted his arms to protect his face from further assault, Isaac's fingers closed around his throat and clenched.

After taking hits to the face, Eddie was not thinking clearly, but he knew he had limited time to fight back, not only for himself, but for Chrissy. He could feel his eyes beginning to bulge in their sockets, feel his legs starting to kick in protest at the lack of oxygen. He tried to call for help, but the soldiers were still evacuating the reporters and no one could see that he was dying. If he was going to be throttled by his own brother, he didn't want to look at those soulless eyes that held no recognition for him as it was happening and shifted his gaze to the side where he saw a small trickle of red seeping out from under Isaac's pale blue button-up shirt's shoulder.

In an instant, Eddie dug his thumb into the bandaged bullet hole Jason had given Isaac and his brother yelped as more blood gushed from the reopened wound. Eddie used Isaac's recoiling momentum to roll him over and pin him with his knees but Isaac reached around to Eddie's back, stuck his hand up Eddie's shirt and raked his nails down across the belt wounds. Eddie cried out, arching his back and leaving himself defenseless. Isaac tucked back his uninjured arm to punch him square in the nose, but he had frozen in place, eyes still watching Eddie with hatred.

"I've got him, Eddie. Get to Chrissy," called Eleven and Eddie didn't even pause to look for her or make sense of what she had done to Isaac. He just ran.

Vecna had caught them all off guard by using Isaac to try and kill Chrissy, but he seemed to have a bird's eye view to what was happening and was tuned in to how his plan had failed, for now he had once again resorted to his previous measures and infiltrated Chrissy's body. She had gone to the weapons stock up alongside the lab and though the soldier on duty knew better than to arm her, he had no say in the matter when Chrissy took an E-tool and smacked him alongside the head in a blindsided attack.

"It's not me, I'm sorry!" she cried as she walked to where the soldier had fallen and relieved him of his sidearm. "Please, help me! Someone do something to stop me!"

Every inch of him ached and his lungs were in agony trying to ingest air through what felt like a straw, but Eddie made it to Chrissy, slid right into her, and grappled for the Beretta. He saw relief, gratitude, concern, and horror all pass over her face as she realized that he had come to her rescue but that she was not yet out of danger.

"Isaac–?"

"No, nothing exists except you and me right now," Eddie told her sternly. "I'll get you through this, I promise."

Chrissy shook her head violently. "I can feel him making me do it. I can feel his anger and he's not going to let me go."

"I'm not going to either."

Behind them, Eddie could hear a shrill voice shouting and he thought he recognized it. He could see Chrissy's eyes roaming about to locate the source, but that was one thing they didn't need right now. It didn't matter if Mrs. Cunningham was trying to get Chrissy's attention or a reporter's. It didn't matter if the cameras were recording Chrissy's attempted suicide. It was just her and Eddie and his promise to not let go of her.

"Eddie, I'm scared," she sobbed as Eddie's forearms shook with the strain to hold back the gun from going to her head.

Eddie's heart broke for her and for himself because Max had told him the same thing before Vecna made her stab herself. She had been so frightened and Eddie had been the only person who possibly could have saved her–and he hadn't completely. He hadn't been enough, but if he doubted himself now, he would lose Chrissy for certain. He had to be enough this time. Something had to go his way for once. Someone upstairs had to have enough mercy to let him win. He couldn't be put through this hell, losing time and time again without ever coming out on top. He couldn't live with all of this emotional turmoil, hoping for a payoff, only to fail when it mattered most. There wasn't any more room left in his heart for failure. It would simply stop working if he had to endure one more loss. His heart would shatter, his mind would bend, and that would be the end of him.

And maybe that was what Vecna wanted, wanted to see Eddie break to stroke his own ego that he was an all-powerful entity and Eddie was just an unextraordinary human. He had wanted to break Eleven in much the same way but she had largely been able to avoid his wrath because Vecna had it out for Eddie because–reasons. It still made no sense why Vecna would be focusing all of his energy and time on a human who just happened to get lucky when Eleven was the much bigger threat, but Eddie felt like he had possibly suffered more than anyone on Earth just for Vecna's entertainment and it needed to stop now. He had to make it stop because no one else could.

With Chrissy's trembling hand in his, he tried to summon the courage to look her in the eye and not show any fear, but the truth of the matter was that he was utterly terrified of losing her and that was something he couldn't hide.

"Eddie, if I don't make it–"

"Don't say it. Don't."

"But–"

"No, goddammit, Chrissy. No. I'm here, I'm not letting you go."

Chrissy's arm gave a violent lurch and Eddie almost lost his grip entirely. He was running out of time before Vecna found some other way to end Chrissy. He couldn't reposition his hands to break her wrist like he had done with Max and he couldn't make her drop the gun any other way. The only way to prevent the inevitable was to fire the gun until the magazine was empty, but he couldn't tell her what he was about to do, either, because Vecna would try to stop him.

"Don't move," he warned her, and then, using all the strength in his hands he could muster, he turned the Beretta nozzle to point downward. He placed his left forefinger over Chrissy's on the trigger and pressed down. A bullet struck the pavement between them and Chrissy shouted out in alarm. Eddie continued pressing the trigger until he got to his ninth or tenth shot and then Chrissy gave a hard yank that nearly pulled him off of his feet.

His grip slipped ever so slightly, his right hand instinctively grabbed hold of the gun with whatever purchase he could manage, and Chrissy fired. The shot cut through Eddie's hand and he let out a wounded yelp followed by a stream of cuss words as he felt the bullet carve its way through flesh and bone. His right hand released the gun and Chrissy turned it inward at herself.

Pulling hard, Eddie moved the nozzle away from her torso but she had already fired again and he saw blood explode from a hole in her thigh. She screamed, but couldn't fall or clutch at her leg or do anything at all except watch herself bleeding out.

Eddie's right hand was numb and maimed and his left alone couldn't hold the Beretta off of Chrissy. She was easily able to pry it out of his hand and lift it to her temple in a horrifying reenactment of the first vision Henry had shown Eddie.

Tell her you love her, Eddie.

The words wouldn't come. Nothing would come out except the sound of his screaming.

The Beretta went flying across the parking lot but Chrissy remained where she was, her entire body vibrating like she was having a seizure that she was fully aware of. There was blood everywhere but Eddie threw his arms around her, locking her down and praying for whatever this was to be over.

She choked into his shoulder, gagging on something that wasn't there and he saw her eyes go momentarily white in a horrendous flashback to both of their first encounter with Vecna in Eddie's trailer. Then she drew in a clogged breath and he felt her go limp in his arms. He took all of her weight and as he felt her clutching at him, he tilted her head back to get a proper look at her face.

"What happened?"

"Eleven," she gasped, and not five feet behind them, Eleven was standing there as an image of complete focus after having banished Vecna from Chrissy's body and now standing guard to ensure he didn't come back.

Eddie reached out his free hand to her and she grasped it, reading his gratitude in the way he squeezed tightly to her fingers. He would never stop owing her for the lives of his loved ones, and he was okay with that. He would fork over every paycheck for the rest of the century to buy her as many strawberry smoothies as she wanted to repay her for being there when his own meager attempts at protecting his family failed.

Aware that his girlfriend's blood was soaking through his jeans as he held her against him, Eddie positioned her hands over the bullet wound and attempted to maneuver her into his arms.

"Keep your hands on it, keep applying pressure," he told her.

"It hurts–"

"I know, but I've got you. I'm gonna carry you inside now."

Chrissy's eyes raked over him and he knew he must look a sorry sight and not at all in a position to be doing any sort of lifting. He knew there was a very real chance that he might drop her because his body was about to give out on him. He could not appreciate the irony that he had pushed his body to its absolute limits to fight against the part of Vecna inside of her but now that he only needed to carry all one hundred and eleven pounds of her, he had nothing left to give.

"I've got her," said the booming voice of Hopper who appeared half in his pajamas and barefoot but with his revolver in hand nevertheless. He must have come to the sound of shouting, fireworks, and gunshots that seemed to have gone on for hours in Eddie's mind but must have only been a few minutes at most, more than enough time for Hopper to leap out of bed, find his firearm, and run down a couple flights of stairs.

Hopper got the condensed version of events from Eleven and then sticking his revolver into his pajama pants waistband, he scooped Chrissy up as if she weighed nothing and carried her inside with Eleven keeping pace.

Eddie stood there, temporarily forgotten but bleeding, bruised, and battered. He remembered that Eleven had been containing Vecna's presence in Isaac, but if she had now moved onto Chrissy, what had happened to Isaac to allow her to abandon him? The answer was in the seven automatics trained on Isaac who lay in the fetal position in another crater that had formed underneath him during some massive fit brought on by Vecna's presence within him.

He peered out from between his arms when he saw Eddie approaching and sat up slowly, aware that any sudden movements could cause the soldiers to open fire on him without cause. His injured arm and fist were drenched in blood but he didn't seem to notice at all as he appealed to Eddie in anticipation.

"Chrissy?" he asked, looking unhinged and helpless which were two words Eddie never thought he would use to describe his brother.

"She's alive," Eddie answered, not sure what to think or feel at the moment.

"Like Max?"

"She shot herself in the leg. Hopper took her in and El's with her."

"Your hand…"

As his brother pointed it out, Eddie felt the pain of the gunshot wound return to him and raised his right hand to his eyes to examine the stub of what had once been arguably his most important finger. His index finger was completely gone and was probably laying in the pool of blood from Chrissy's leg wound, but he wasn't about to go back and look for it. Cradling his maimed hand to his chest, his thoughts turned toward how he would have to cope in the days to come with the loss of such a crucial digit. He could still hold a guitar pick or a pencil without his index finger, but since neither of those were essential skills to have at the moment and shooting a gun was, Eddie would have to teach his middle finger how to become an accurate trigger finger real quick.

"Eddie, I'm sorry," said Isaac and for the first time, he sounded afraid, not of Vecna or what he had almost done, but of Eddie, of Eddie's judgment. "I didn't wanna hurt her, you know I didn't. I didn't know Vecna would–I couldn't have known that he'd use me like that at that exact moment. You know I'd never intentionally hurt her. You know I love her like family, like she's my sister, right?"

"I know," said Eddie shortly. "I know you couldn't help it, but I'm still trying to process it. It's not every day you get to watch your brother try to both murder your girlfriend and beat the living shit out of you."

It hadn't been Isaac to consciously deliver the blow, but it was still his face that Eddie had to look at as each strike fell, still his hands that moved to harm him. Isaac could be stern and occasionally slightly condescending when it came to reprimanding Eddie but he had never, ever, raised a hand to Eddie. The fact that he had done so with no hesitation proved just how easily and often Vecna could slip into his mind and command anything of him and he would have to do it and suffer the repercussions after. How would that have affected him if he had killed Eddie and Chrissy and not known about it until Vecna allowed him to come back to his senses? It would destroy him, of that Eddie was certain. His brother would take his own life rather than live with the guilt of that.

Even though none of it had actually happened, it might as well have for all the uncertainty and despair Eddie was seeing on Isaac's face. He didn't have the energy to console his brother for something he hadn't done, but he knew Isaac would have offered him words of encouragement no matter the circumstances, no matter how tired or ill-equipped to be the backbone he was. He had been there after nearly every heart-wrenching situation: seeing Penny Kroehler murdered, being nearly killed by a giant spider in the Upside Down, being beaten and humiliated by Jason, losing Wayne, nearly losing Max. Isaac had given everything to Eddie to be his comfort when he most needed it and Eddie would be one shitty brother if he couldn't do the same now.

Taking the handcuffs from his jacket pocket, he assured the soldiers that Isaac was no longer a threat and cuffed his brother before helping him to stand.

"I still trust my brother to protect her," he told Isaac quietly. "He's the only one I trust to look out for her as I would."

Isaac nodded as if he knew where this was going.

"But you're not always him and until I know for sure that you won't slip into Vecna's version of you, I can't let you near her. You saved her today, and for that you have my thanks and hers, but Vecna tried to make you kill her. I can't risk her or anyone else for you."

"I understand," said Isaac, though he sounded gutted.

"It's not forever," Eddie told him without conviction since they had had this conversation before and neither of them felt any more optimistic about it now than the first time. "And when you're back to normal when shit stops flying, she wants you to walk her down the aisle. She said she already asked you."

Isaac was a good enough actor that he managed to look like this was inconsequential news to him for about five seconds, but then Eddie was able to pick up on the telltale signs of genuine surprise and endearment. Apparently, Chrissy had not given Isaac a heads up on this, but he was quite clearly touched by the news.

"She didn't let me in on that little secret. But I will. When the time comes, if I'm still around, I will. I've known for a long time that she was gonna end up in the family."

It was difficult to appreciate Isaac's words that he had known Eddie's affection for Chrissy well before Eddie had when he had thrown that "if I'm still around' in there.

"We should get you looked at," Isaac suggested, gesturing at Eddie in his entirety.

"Oh, I'll be just fine," said Eddie dismissively. "I think you only shattered my face. But you're bleeding pretty badly."

"Well, if we're both opposed to getting fixed up, let's agree to help each other up to the infirmary where we can both sulk about it," Isaac offered.

"Or, we can help," said the voice of Nancy as she, Steve, and Robin appeared also half-dressed and armed, though looking slightly put-out that they had arrived too late to participate in the excitement.

"Jesus, who did that to you?" asked Steve with a glance at Eddie's face. "And what the hell happened to your hand?"

"Eddie, your finger is gone," said Robin, staring at his bloodied hand.

"Thanks, Rob, I had no idea," said Eddie tensely.

"Let's get you both inside," said Nancy, placing her hand against the small of Isaac's back as Steve and Robin walked on either side of Eddie to make sure he didn't fall. The five of them made their way back inside dripping a trail of blood.

/ /

Two nurses had been spared to redress Isaac's bullet wound and wrap Eddie's hand but after concluding that Eddie had no broken bones, they allowed Robin, Steve, and Nancy to finish fixing the Munson Brothers up. Isaac wouldn't allow Nancy to uncuff him in such an exposed position, so Steve had to give Isaac the key, lock him in the bathroom, and wait for him to quickly change into a fresh shirt while Nancy stood guard with her shotgun. When he emerged in a clean button-up, he sat down at the far end of the room with Nancy keeping a close eye on him, as she was the only one of his and Eddie's three friends who could account for accuracy with a gun

"How do we always end up here with you getting the shit beaten out of you?" asked Robin as she dabbed at the cut across the bridge of Eddie's nose.

"Douchebag magnetism," Eddie responded without humor, flinching at the alcoholic pad Robin was using to sanitize the area. "They find me and they can't resist taking a swing."

"You saying your brother's a douchebag?" asked Steve.

"That wasn't my brother," Eddie corrected. "And that's as much as I'd like to discuss that right now. I want to go see Chrissy."

"You can when I finish up here," said Robin, slapping an ice pack over Eddie's left cheek. "You wanna look like Chrissy's boyfriend somewhat? Keep that ice on there or your face will swell to the size of a melon." Eddie lifted his right hand to hold the pack in place but Robin smacked his wrist and said, "Hold it with your other hand."

Eddie fixed her with a glare, though he was not unappreciative of her work on him. "Can I go now, Nurse Buckley, or would you like me to turn and cough?"

"Go on, your beloved awaits," said Robin sardonically.

"I'd like to come too," said Isaac quietly. "I can stand out in the hall to talk to her or even talk over the walkie, but I need to apologize."

"She won't want you to. It wasn't your fault," Eddie reminded him.

"I need to do this. You tell me what you're comfortable with, but I have to speak to her."

Isaac looked so dejected, so woebegone, that Eddie couldn't help but cave in to his request under the condition that Steve accompany them and stand directly behind Isaac the whole time to grab him if necessary. It seemed ridiculous that only that morning, Isaac was the one protecting Chrissy from her own mother and now Eddie refused to let his brother within ten feet of his girlfriend, but Isaac's condition had taken seconds to deteriorate and now they had to err on the side of caution.

Chrissy had been given a room three doors down from Max's and after poking his head in to see Lucas and Mrs. Hargrove with Max, Eddie continued on to Chrissy's room since he didn't feel up for explaining why his face looked like it had been put through a meat grinder. Eleven, Dustin, and Mrs. Byers were sitting with Chrissy whose face was still a mess from crying but also rather pale from the blood loss. She had a blood transfusion going and her leg was heavily bandaged and propped up but she appeared to be in better spirits now that she had been calmed somewhat.

Eddie bent over her bed and pressed his lips to a spot just above her eyebrow.

"I'm okay," she told him sincerely. "El hasn't felt or sensed Vecna trying to come back since they brought me in here."

"That just means he'll be preparing to come back with a vengeance," said Isaac from the doorway. "I don't know if El can sense it, but he's working on something right now and if there's something that's far beyond the point of being pissed off, that's what he's feeling. Just like in the spring when Eddie stopped him from getting you and Max the first time, he's fuming that it happened again. So we need to be ready. You and Max guarded, soldiers on double patrol, weapons ready, everyone in the most secure part of the building, and I need to be chained up in a cell."

"It wasn't your fault," said Chrissy, watching Isaac through watery eyes. "No matter what Vecna tried to make you do, you were still there to stop him at first."

"I've seen what he has in store for you and it always involves me killing you somehow, so I can't give him that chance. Whether or not it was my fault is irrelevant; it's my body that he can use against me. So I have to take the ability to use me away from him. You know I love you, Chris, but I have to keep my distance for now."

"Just tell me that you know I'm not blaming you."

Isaac gave her a sad smile that may have just looked like a man being upset he temporarily couldn't go near this woman who he considered to be family, but to Eddie, was the look of someone who was mustering a brave face despite knowing a harsher truth. It was an expression of farewell.

"There's only two people in the world who I know you'd ever blame for anything and I'm not either of them," said Isaac to which Chrissy beamed. He backed out of the room and Eddie heard him request to Steve to be locked in a supply closet with some water and a box of Saltines.

"Is he going to be okay?" asked Mrs. Byers with motherly concern.

"Sure he will," Eddie lied. "But he's right about Vecna planning for something worse now. Whatever he's gonna do, it'll be meant to distract us from Chrissy and Max so someone has to be with them at all times, even in the bathroom. Around the clock. So it's back to keeping the Walkman on for as long as possible. I hope you're not fed up with Winwood yet, Chrissy."

"Never."

"So if I could ask everyone to help take shifts looking after Chrissy and Max–" Eddie began, but Dustin cut him off with a loud boast of, "Do you even have to ask? They're in the Party, of course we're gonna help keep an eye on them. Whenever Mike and Will wake up, they'll be more than happy to pitch in. And since we're not allowed outside armed, at least we can be useful inside."

Eddie pulled Dustin into a hug and then slightly ruined the moment by giving the younger boy a noogie dead-center on his skull. "That stint with the fireworks was an act of sheer and utter brilliance, my young friend. I would say I'll name my firstborn child after you, but since I don't plan on having any of those, I'll name my dog after you or something."

"As long as it's not a chihuahua, I'd be okay with that," said Dustin with his wide, toothy grin. "But I don't think I managed to get them all to clear out before anything happened. Pretty sure we're gonna see some bullshit on the news tonight."

"Then we'll eat popcorn and see some bullshit," said Eddie, past the point of caring whether or not Hawkins saw him as a misunderstood outcast or a manipulative predator. There was too much shit going on in his life to waste any of it caring about anyone outside of the lab's walls. If he lived and the town survived to see it, they'd run him out; if he died, they would pretend to mourn him. It made no nevermind to him anymore, though he would probably be singing a different tune when he saw the giant, steaming pile of manure the Hawkins reporters had cooked up.

"I need a few minutes alone with Chrissy," he told the others who all quietly filed out.

"It's not his fault," Chrissy insisted once the others had left. "Don't let him beat himself up about this."

"He knows it's not his fault, but he's doing the responsible thing in isolating himself. He's doing what I should have done from the start."

"Now, don't you go blaming yourself too–"

"I'm not, I'm just saying that keeping him away from you is the smartest thing we can do right now. And it's not forever." He was starting to recite this lie so easily that one of these days, he was going to believe it. "He said you never asked him about any potential wedding details, you liar. But he did say he'd walk you down the aisle if you still wanted him to."

"I do."

Now was the time to ask. If not now, he never would because he had a very bad feeling that Vecna would not let them get away with another casualty-free encounter. He would have eventually planned to ask her, but every day he grew more and more certain that there would be no "eventually" and this latest visit by Vecna proved that none of them were safe, even for a second. Any moment could be their last and Eddie had to know now while he still had the chance.

"If–when I ask you, are you gonna say yes?" he asked boldly.

Chrissy looked at him with pleasant surprise but managed to turn her answer into a question of her own. "Is there another option?"

"Well, yeah, you could say no."

"No, I couldn't. It's always going to be yes."

Eddie hadn't really expected her to say no, but it still brought a great leap to his heart to know that–if they survived–she planned to stay with him.

"Then when we're both ready, will you?"

"When we're both ready…yes."

He moved in to kiss her when a heavy knock upon the open door made him draw back in alarm as if he expected an attack. He saw Doctor Brenner standing there with a sly smirk that Eddie did not care for in the least. Mrs. Byers offered a silent apology behind Brenner, indicating that she could not keep the doctor from entering the room.

"Eleven has brought me up to speed on what occurred in the parking lot earlier. I'm glad you survived, Chrissy. You're a very lucky woman. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind letting me borrow Eddie for a few minutes? I have some things I need to discuss with him."

Judging by the hardened expression on her face, Chrissy did mind, but seeing as how it was thanks to Brenner's influence that these doctors were here to help tend to her, she wasn't exactly in a position to say no, so she gave Eddie's hand a reassuring squeeze, leaving him no choice but to follow Brenner out.

The doctor led him to what looked to be an office of sorts with a large desk in the middle and two chairs on either side. He gestured that Eddie should take the smaller while he sat down in the larger of the two and Eddie plopped down into his seat, feeling like he was once again sitting in the principal's office after being accused of graffitiing the dumpsters. Between the two doctors, Owens never gave Eddie the impression that he could personally order a hit on him and smile while doing it, but that was exactly the sort of vibe Eddie was getting off of Brenner who was regarding him with vague interest like Eddie was a mildly interesting subject.

"I know you're probably exhausted, so I'll try to make this as brief as I can," said Brenner. "The events of the past few days have seen me bear witness to extraordinary things, things that I always suspected but never knew might actually occur with Henry's return. And as intrigued as I am, I know that you are confused and yearning for answers, answers that no one can provide for you, no matter how closely connected to Henry they may be. I am the only person here who has known Henry for most of his life and can tell you what I believe are his true motives for hunting you the way he has and targeting your loved ones. I have theories, though I believe them to be accurate, and I have ways of testing those theories that may require certain–sacrifices–on your part. These sacrifices would be beneficial to a much greater cause–"

"Don't talk down to me like I'm too stupid to see what you're doing," said Eddie coldly. "Don't treat me like I know shit-all about sacrifices, either because I'm pretty sure I know more than most people in this building. Let's not forget that I'm the one who was burned halfway to hell as an experiment. Well, I'm not your experiment, doc, and I'm not gonna be toyed with. I know the sort of treatment Eleven got while under your care and I'm telling you right now, not with me and not with my brother. We're not your test subjects and as long as I'm breathing, you're gonna keep your hands to yourself."

Brenner's smile faltered and there was a hint of anger in the corner of his mouth that this conversation was not going the way he had intended.

"If you will not allow me to observe your brother and do what I can to delay Henry's complete takeover of him, you are allowing more people to potentially come to harm. He is unstable and dangerous and if you will not let me help him, you leave me no choice but to do what must be done to protect these people here at the lab if he becomes a threat."

"You and your soldiers stay away from him," said Eddie stoutly.

"At best, he's unpredictable; at worst, he's a wild animal."

"He can't help what happened to him and if anyone has to put him down, I'll be the one to do it. He deserves to have his only family do it. He's earned that mercy."

"You won't be able to," said Brenner skeptically. "I've seen how protective you are of him and you won't be able to pull the trigger when the time comes."

"Then I'll tell you what I told him when he doubted me; I already pulled the trigger the first time he died and I'd like to be taken seriously when I say that I can do it again. I want to make this very clear when I say that no one touches him without my say-so. I'm appreciative of everything you and Owens have done for us, doc, but you're about to cross a line here. You and your men stay away from him, do you understand?"

"You are in no place to be giving orders here when you're as erratic as he is even without Henry's influence over you," said Brenner with a touch of savagery. "Trialed by life you may be, of age you may be, but I have lived decades longer than you and in my eyes, you are still but a child who is in much too deep over your head. You have no idea what Henry is capable of making your brother do, yet your misplaced sense of righteousness tells you that shielding him from my observation is the best way to defeat Henry."

"I think we'll leave it up to the people who killed Henry the first time on how to handle him this time, pal. So piss off your high horse about being older than me and knowing more. You haven't fought him with your own two hands and you haven't had him in your head and your body. You're qualified for jack-shit."

"Eddie, I think you need to be reasonable about this–"

Slamming his injured hand down on the table, Eddie had to bite back the yelp of pain that longed to escape him. Without raising his voice, Eddie stood up, leaning closer to the doctor and wishing he had some of Vecna's ferocity still in him to make his eyes go a darker shade of brown in warning for Brenner to not test him.

"If you touch him, we're gonna have a problem on our hands. I have seen and experienced way too much shit in the past few days than you have in your whole life, so I'm not far from my breaking point and if you push me to that point, it is your funeral. Leave–my–brother–alone."

Excusing himself before Brenner could push more bullshit on him, Eddie threw open the door, hurried down the hallway until he had put at least ten doors between him and Brenner, and then backed himself against the wall, letting out a sharp exhale through his nose. He had just threatened one of the two men who held the most power and influence in this building, which was already a monumental step in the wrong direction, but the fact that he had threatened someone at all without them already having given him cause to do so was alarming. He had threatened Jason at gunpoint and that was when he was at half Vecna capacity. Now, he was just Eddie with traces of Vecna remaining and he had openly told Brenner that there would be blood if Brenner decided to wage war over this fight for Isaac's rights.

What a well-balanced, perfectly sane, intelligent Party leader Eddie was turning out to be to be making enemies both inside and outside the walls.