Disclaimer: I do not own IT or any of the characters. That all belongs to the awesome and talented Stephen King. I only own my OC and other characters I make up along the way.

A/N: So...it's been sometime since I last updated. Yikes. Anyways, sorry for the long wait. What can I say? I was hit with some major writer's block and also just laziness because of how stressed I am at the moment. I'm still trying to find a new job because the last one I had just didn't work out and it's been difficult. So my mood is all over the place. Plus it doesn't help that right now things all over the world are going down hill. I try not to think about how we might be heading into another war, but sometimes it's just hard. It's everywhere on the news and it worries me a lot. I try to distract myself with humor but then I see how that angers people online. I tend to prefer dark humor, in case for those who don't already know. I'm pretty sure all of you by now have seen the memes that have been going around. I've noticed that in our generation no ones takes things seriously anymore. I argue that people make everything into a joke online in order to hide the fear they're feeling. And also this is how I see it...

If we're going down regardless, we might as well go down with a laugh or a drink. I'm sorry if that offends people. I just cope with things differently, like a lot of you do.

Also, strangely enough my mood seems to pick up a bit every time I watch the Black Widow and Wonder Woman trailer. I know it's been awhile since the trailer dropped, but that Black Widow trailer was freakin' amazing. The movie is coming out in May and my birthday is in May...like...how awesome is that? Not to mention the actress Florence Pugh is in the movie and she's playing Yelena Belova. I will admit that I am in awe of her. She's just so amazing. I mean, have you seen her in Midsommar?

Anyways...if you didn't already know I published a story called Floating On Air One-Shots that will focus on one-shots for Floating On Air. The one-shots will include scenes that weren't in Floating On Air or were mentioned. There's only one at the moment but there will be other one-shots as time goes on. I am slowly working on the next one and it'll be about when Gwen and Stan officially met each other. I think you guys will enjoy it.

Also please excuse the whole teen romance/drama TV show mention in this chapter. I've been watching a lot of those kind of shows right now., and really I just wanted to include Gwen singing a song for a teen show, one like Dawson's Creek or even One Tree Hill. It's rather funny.

Now onto the new chapter! I hope you guys like it! I'll fix any errors later.

"We will make it through this, past the edge of the wound."— How We Became Human; Returning from the Enemy, Joy Harjo

Chapter 34: Sleeping arrangements

"Okay. So, what do you mean you've seen us all die?" Eddie asked Beverly, all panic like. He along with the other five Losers were now in the waiting area the Townhouse had.

Unfortunately for Gwen that was also in the same place the bar was at. She was doing her best from letting her gaze fall onto the various liquor bottles that were there...taunting her. She looked over at Eddie, who was currently pacing back and forth. She had taken notice though how Ben was leaning against the bar counter.

Richie himself was standing not that far away from the bar. Beverly was sitting on one of the chairs that was aside from the couch Gwen and Stan were sharing. If it weren't for what Beverly had just told them, the curly haired man's proximity would have greatly affected Gwen more than he already was. The memory what of almost happened between them in her room kept playing in her head but her anxiousness with what Beverly revealed won over her attention. Her brother's voice though made her look his way.

"Yeah, cause I gotta be honest." Richie added dryly, but inwardly he was beyond frightened. Behind his glasses he narrowed his eyes at Beverly. "That's a fucked up thing to just drop on somebody." He was still severely fretting over what Beverly said about seeing all of them die, with the exception of his sister. Apparently what was going to happen to her was worse...much worse.

Beverly wiped the tears that remained on her face. She briefly gave Gwen a glance before facing forward again. "Every night since Derry..." She began saying, voice low. The Losers could detect a tremble there. "I've been having these nightmares. People in pain. People dying. People..." Beverly lost composure again and let out a small cry.

Gwen immediately sympathized with Beverly. Having nightmares...and not just ordinary nightmares, but nightmares because of IT...she just knew what that was like. From where Gwen was sitting she reached for one of Beverly's hands and gave it a comforting squeeze. Beverly made eye contact with her, and although the redhead didn't saying anything to her, her expression was enough of a thank you to Gwen.

"So you have nightmares." Eddie continued saying, catching their attention, along with everyone else's. He was doing his best to throw away the fear he was feeling from what Beverly said. "I have nightmares. People, have nightmares. I mean...Gwen!" He suddenly pointed to the Tozier woman. This made her sit up straighter. "Didn't you used to have nightmares?"

Gwen gave Beverly's hand one last squeeze before letting go. "Yeah, I had them a lot as a kid...and they were about sharp teeth and yellow eyes." She cleared her throat, focusing on a spot on the Townhouse carpet. "I think you all know who those belonged to." She didn't need to look at her friends in order to know that their eyes were filled with disquietude. Stan going absolutely still next to her confirmed that.

"Shit." Eddie muttered after a pause. He then shook his head as he directed his attention onto the redhead in the room. "But that still doesn't mean that Beverly's visions are true!" He announced to the others, still in denial. "About what happens to us...and Gwen." He added that last part quietly too scared to loudly admit the awful fate that supposedly awaited Gwen.

Tears burned in Beverly's eyes as she found her voice again. "I've seen all of us..." She couldn't finish that sentence as she looked over at Gwen again. "But not you Gwen. God not you."

"You've seen every single one of us what?" Bill's voice suddenly filled the room. All of the Losers immediately turned towards the opening of the room. There was Bill with Mike by his side. None of them went on to ask where they had been because they each figured that Bill had been the only one to stay willingly with Mike. Which seemed to be the case. He was their leader after all, that hadn't changed.

However, the moment Bill stepped into the room and heard Beverly say that (along with seeing his friends faces) he knew something was up. The Denbrough man made eye contact with Beverly as he took a seat on the armchair. "And what do you mean not Gwen?"

For a moment there Beverly thought she wouldn't be able to repeat what she just told the Losers to Bill. However, staring into Bill's concerned blues eyes (eyes she loved staring into when she had been a kid) gave her sudden strength to speak again. "I saw all of us die except for Gwen." She looked at Bill and then at everyone with what she said next. "Stan, Eddie, Richie, Ben, Mike, me and Bill. We all ended up in a place." Her voice wavered once more after that reveal.

Bill frowned. "And what place is that?"

Beverly felt her stomach drop as she thought about that place. "It's cold and empty...and awful."

"And all of us end up there? Except for Gwen?" Bill asked, disturbed. Thinking about that place made him feel extremely scared, like when he had been a kid. He couldn't imagine actually being there. Except Gwen wouldn't be there but that didn't mean it was a good thing.

Beverly shook her head, voice shaking with what she said. "Gwen doesn't die...but I felt her suffering. She's in a never ending cycle of pain."

"Ripped apart from the inside out." Gwen repeated what Beverly told her not that long ago. Everyone turned to look at her, horror and concern planted on their faces.

Richie was about to make his way towards his sister (in hopes of comforting her) but stopped when he saw Stan take hold of one of her hands. It made him feel relief for a moment there to see how Stan was able to sooth Gwen, and how she wasn't rejecting his hold. His relief grew when he saw their fingers intertwine. Except despite his sister being currently comforted, Richie himself was still panicking on the inside.

"How come the rest of us aren't seeing this shit?" Richie frantically asked. He pointed to Beverly. "What makes her so different?"

That was a good question and it was one that Mike had an answer to right away.

"The deadlights." Mike said causing the memory of that to stir within all the Losers. Bill and Gwen were especially quick to pick up on it. The hold Gwen had on Stan's hand loosened immediately.

"The deadlights." Bill repeated, almost dazed like. "She was the only one of us to get caught in the deadlights that day."

Gwen officially let go of Stan's hand as she thought about the dreaded deadlights. "Gwen." Stan called out. He felt an ache in his heart from the loss of contact.

"Fuck, the deadlights." Gwen said, eyes wide. She turned to look at Stan and then at the rest of the Losers. "I can't believe I forgot about that. I remember now, how IT tried using that against me but it didn't work." She briefly touched her right shoulder and a shudder went through her. "That's when IT bit me. And then something else happened...I think." She frowned, unsure. "I don't remember exactly." Not being able to remember clearly left her feeling disgusted with herself for some reason. It was the same feeling she would get after engaging in sexual activity. Not exactly a feeling she liked to have.

"You weren't affected by the deadlights but Beverly was? How were you able to fight them?" Eddie asked beyond puzzled. He wasn't the only one puzzled by that. All the Losers were, but Richie especially. He was relieved that Gwen hadn't been in the same comatose state as Beverly had been in when they found her floating in the air, but that didn't stop his concern and puzzlement. Gwen was still found unconscious and bloody but at least she was able to wake up from her attack a lot faster than Beverly.

However, the question still remained unanswered. Just how was Gwen able to resist the deadlights?

Whatever the reason, was that why the damn clown seemed to be the most interested in her? Richie as a kid was able to pick up on the weird obsession IT had towards his sister (and he was pretty sure the rest of his friends were able to pick up on that too) and he never liked that. In fact, he hated IT more because of that, and even now as an adult the hatred he had for the clown was still there, growing by the second.

"I..." Gwen gulped. "I don't know. I just was able to but I didn't get away scot-free." She touched her right shoulder again before lowering her hand. "Bev?" She softly called out. It didn't take long for Beverly to figure out what Gwen wanted. She saw the way Gwen eyed the cigarette she had, so Beverly quickly gave her one along with her lighter.

Once again, Gwen caught sight of Beverly's bruised wrist as she handed her the cigarette and lighter. She didn't want to cause a scene (with what was going on) and decided she'd bring it up later. Just as she told herself when she first saw the bruise back at the Chinese restaurant.

Gwen wasted no time in lighting up the cigarette and then taking a puff. The way her hand shook when she passed Beverly her lighter back made Stan's concern triple behind his eyes. Richie felt the same way but his thoughts drifted elsewhere. Better smoking than drinking, he sadly thought.

From the looks of it Stan felt the same as he did. Neither of them liked how frightened Gwen appeared at the moment. The only difference being that Stan didn't know how much of a relief it was to see Gwen smoking rather drinking. Richie now remembered how Stan wasn't a fan of smoking when they had been younger and he assumed that hadn't changed now as adults. If only Stan knew what Richie knew...that Gwen smoking was a lot better than her smoking. That right there said a lot and it pained Richie.

"We were all touched by IT." Mike fervently started saying to his friends. "Changed. Deep down like an infection. Or a virus. A virus!" He pointed to Eddie which only caused him to scurry away from Mike, arms raised in a 'don't touch me' way. Beverly's hand shook as she brought the cigarette she had to her lips as Mike's rant continued, unfazed by his friends reactions. "You understand? Slowly growing. That virus, it's been growing for twenty-seven year. This whole time, metastasizing."

Ben took in everything Mike said and mixed it with what Beverly said. "Okay but why in that order?" Ben asked Beverly, referring to the names she listed.

Beverly, who had just let out a shaky exhale, grew nervously quiet. This allowed Richie to answer for her. "I'm assuming it's from weakest to strongest. So, Stan..." He glanced at the curly haired man. Stan kept quiet, lowering his gaze as if ashamed. Gwen having seen all that immediately threw her brother a glare by what he was suggesting. She wasn't the only one upset by what he was suggesting though.

Bill, who at that point was no longer sitting down, stopped his pacing to shortly look at his bespectacled friend in disbelief. "Jesus Richie."

Richie was about to retort something back but Stan spoke up. "No, he's right." He let out a sigh, clearly defeated. "I am the weakest." His gaze was still on the floor, refusing to look at any of his friends. Gwen in particular because he didn't want her to see just how much of a weakling he was.

"So that means I'm the second weakest of the group?" Eddie asked just as despaired as Stan.

"Hey, I'm right behind you buddy." Richie said as a way to not only comfort Eddie but also as a way apologize for what he said before about Stan.

Gwen was having enough of this madness. "Stanley, look at me." Her voice was hard but the warmth was clearly there and that gave Stan the strength to finally lift his gaze to look at her.

"You're not the weakest." Gwen earnestly told him. His soft brown eyes made her stomach flutter and she needed to take a moment to gather herself before she spoke again. "And Eddie you're not the second weakest." She looked at all her friends then. "In fact, none of you guys are the weakest because none of you are weak. So stop with that nonsense before I slap all of you silly."

Richie felt his lips quirk but not enough to form a full smile. It was difficult for him to smile after she said all that. You're not weak either, he quietly thought to himself. He was able to quickly pick up on how his sister didn't include herself with what she said about how none of them were weak.

Like Gwen, someone else was having negative thoughts about themselves.

Stan believed what she said about the others not being weak but not about what she said about himself. She wouldn't be defending him if she knew what he had been close to doing. Oh, Gwen...if you only knew. The shame from before returned causing Stan to lower his gaze again.

Gwen frowned having noticed that. She was about to call out his name again but Mike talking caught her attention, as did everyone else's.

"What Beverly sees, it will come to pass." Mike urgently told his friends, desperate for them to see things his way, like Bill now did. "It's what'll happen to all of us, eventually, unless we stop it."

"How the hell are we supposed to do that?" Eddie questioned, flabbergasted.

"The Ritual of Chüd." Mike earnestly informed his friends. He looked Bill's way and was glad to see how he was ready to back him up by the nod he sent his way.

The others were lost though. Gwen who had been ready to take another puff from her cigarette blinked, not at all understanding. "I'm sorry, the ritual of what?"

"The Ritual of Chüd." Mike repeated just as eager as before. "The Shokopiwah. The first ones who fought IT, they have a saying. All living things must abide by the laws of the shape they inhabit."

Gwen repeated that last sentence in her head. All living things must abide by the laws of the shape they inhabit. Despite just hearing about this so called ritual she couldn't deny the curiosity she already had towards it. Especially since the ritual was a way to end IT. Something she and the others wanted to do once and for all. So she had the open mind with actually performing the ritual. The frown her brother was giving Mike though made her realize that he wasn't quite open to doing the ritual as she was just yet. In fact, the other Losers, with the exception of Bill and Beverly, appeared to lean towards skepticism at the moment.

"A tribal ritual? Are you fuckin' kidding me man?" Richie shook his head, not at all happy. "First a space Turtle and now this? There's gotta be another way." He looked at Mike with urgency. "This thing comes back, what, every twenty-seven years? Let's kick the can down the road and do it then."

"Wait, we'll be seventy years old, asshole." Eddie raised his hand and looked Richie's way. Richie didn't like his tone of voice and the expression he gave sure showed that. He looked as if he'd been told that someone ate his last chocolate chip cookie. Gwen by now was very familiar with that expression. She'd seen it countless times over the years.

"It doesn't work that way." Beverly spoke trying to keep a steady voice. "None of us make it another twenty years with the way it happens. We all end horribly. And Gwen...you just suffer."

For those who'd been unsure about doing the ritual were now siding on actually going through with it. Stan (who had been the most unsure out of all of them) was now thinking that there was nothing to lose. Either they do nothing and die, or they fight back and die. At least with the second choice there was a chance (according to Mike) that they could win and defeat IT for good. He also figured that choice was the best option because it meant saving Gwen from having to suffer.

Please let Mike be right about this, Stan thought with sheer hope.

There was silence in the room but Ben's voice ended it. "So if we don't beat it this cycle then..." He trailed off once realizing what Beverly was saying. It was something that all the Losers by now figured out but were waiting for someone to actually say it aloud.

"We die." Bill grimly finished.

"Horribly." Eddie added, rushed. "Except for Gwen. She ends up suffering." Saying all that left an awful taste in his mouth.

"Yeah, I don't need the horribly part added, or the reminder that my sister gets to suffer." Richie told him with a deep frown.

"I didn't say it she did." Eddie hurriedly pointed to Beverly as she took another drag from her cigarette. The Losers saw another tear escape her.

"Guys, I-I-I've seen what he's t-t-talking about." Bill gestured to Mike. "And it's all t-t-true. It's the only way. If we want this ritual to work..."

"We have to remember." Mike evenly announced to his friends.

"Remember what?" Richie asked getting more and more frustrated with what was happening.

"It's better if I show you." Mike answered sounding more calmly now. "We don't have much time. The cycle will end soon, and once it does..."

"We're fucked." Eddie somberly finished.

There was silence, not at all comforting before Richie finally spoke.

"We should just take Derry and push it somewhere else." The youngest Tozier said as a way to add some type of humor. Unfortunately he didn't exactly accomplish that.

Gwen wrinkled her nose as if the idea smelled bad. "Please tell me you didn't actually bring up an idea that you clearly got from Spongebob Squarepants."

Richie shrugged his shoulders, not really bothered by her reaction. "You have any better ideas? And besides you knew it was from Spongebob Squarepants."

Gwen threw her bother a pointed look. "If I had a better idea I would have said something by now. I mean, it's not like any of us have actual powers." She let out a scoff. " We're not superheroes like the fuckin' Avengers. We can die...like that." She dramatically snapped her fingers.

"Tell us something we don't already know, sis." Richie muttered.

Gwen didn't verbally respond that time. She instead gave her brother a tight smile. Before she was able to do anything else, Eddie spoke up.

"Guys, this is going to sound weird but I don't want to sleep alone." He shakily told his friends.

Richie heard his nervousness and he was sure the others did too. He wanted to tell Eddie he wasn't alone with thinking that but instead he went the joking way, as he always tended to do. His way with coping with things.

Except Richie also couldn't help but tease Eddie. It really was like old times, and Richie had missed that. He threw the shorter man a grin. "Well damn Eduardo, if you wanted to be my sleeping buddy so bad you could have just said that."

Eddie immediately glared at Richie. The others though (including Richie) were able to tell it wasn't an intense glare. The nerves from before were still there. "No asshole, what I mean is that is it smart for all of us to sleep alone considering that damn clown is out there?" He questioned and then shortly afterwards frowned. "And don't you start calling me Eduardo!"

"Alright...Eds." Richie casually ended up saying.

Before the two of them started arguing, Bill spoke up. "He's got a point."

"So what?" Stan furrowed his eyebrows. "We all bunker down in one room?"

"I think that would be the best option." Mike added into the conversation. It really would be better if they stayed together just for the night. He knew once morning came that they each would have to eventually go their own way in order for the ritual to begin working. A piece of information he'd tell them when the right time came.

Richie clapped his hands. "A good old fashion sleep over."

"Who has the biggest room?" Ben asked his friends. Shortly after this question was asked they all turned to look at Gwen.

The Tozier woman who had just released a puff of smoke looked at her friends, eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

As the guys went to get what they needed to sleep from their rooms before going to Gwen's, the Tozier woman accompanied Beverly to her room. Now that they were able to get a moment to themselves, there were matters that needed to be discussed. Urgent matters in Gwen's opinion.

"Bev."

Beverly who had been reaching for pillow and a few blankets stopped her actions. She looked at Gwen who had taken seat on the bed in the middle of the room. One look at the dark haired woman though and Beverly already knew what she was going to ask. It was to be expected knowing Gwen. Still, she sounded unsure.

"Yeah?"

"How'd you get that bruise?" Gwen asked her, straightforward. She gestured to the bruised wrist she had seen when hugging her at the Chinese restaurant.

Beverly touched her injured wrist. "Um..." For a moment there she considered lying (as she had done so many times before to her co-workers), and she actually almost did. However, the worry she saw in Gwen's eyes stopped her from doing so. Throughout her life, Beverly Marsh had seen worried looks thrown her way. Growing up she had seen those looks from her father, and now from her husband. Their worried looks though were always filled with more anger than actual concern.

I worry about you, Bevvie. I worry a lot.

Those haunting words. Those same haunting words that Tom now said to her whenever he thought she crossed the line with him. There had never been any love in those words. Not the love she wanted anyways. Not only was there no love in his words but Beverly now realized (with a clear mind) that Tom (and also her own father) never looked at her with honest worry. There was no softness in their eyes like the way there was softness in Gwen's eyes. The same softness she'd seen in Bill's eyes...and also Ben's.

Beverly had seen the way Ben looked at her when he accidentally touched her bruised wrist. She'd been able to hide the bruise before he saw but she didn't miss the apologetic way he looked at her for just the accidental touch. Tom never gave her such a look. Ben was so gentle and caring...he'd always been the gentle and caring type and how Beverly liked that.

The difference between Tom and Ben caused a change of attitude in Beverly. "My husband." She answered sharply as she took a seat next to Gwen. Beverly couldn't remember the last time she sounded like that when talking about Tom. If he had been there to hear her speak in such way she would have gotten the belt for sure. That or a punch to the face or stomach. Except he wasn't there. "My husband did this to me."

Gwen looked at her with wide eyes now. "Your husband did that to you?" She asked with an angered tone of voice. She sounded just as angry (perhaps even more) as when Mike talked about the unfortunate death of Adrian Mellon. "The fuck was he trying to do to you?" A better question would have been: What the fuck was he thinking putting his hands on you?

"He was trying to stop me from leaving." Beverly quietly told Gwen. "After Mike called me, Tom woke up right when I was packing and...he wasn't entirely too happy with me leaving."

"So he grabbed your wrist until it bruised?" Gwen asked even more pissed off. The fuck was wrong with that man?

Beverly lowered her eyes, knowing Gwen wasn't going to like what she said next. "This isn't the first time he put his hands on me."

If Gwen's head was able to explode from anger it would have at this moment. "He abuses you? Beverly, why the hell are you still with him?!"

Beverly managed to lift her gaze back up. "I'm not..well, not anymore. I'm going to divorce him. I'm just so..."

Gwen took a deep breath, calming herself. She realized letting her anger get the best of her right now wasn't a good thing. She didn't need to add Beverly more stress. "Scared?" She finished for her.

Beverly nodded her head before she started telling Gwen about her husband, Tom Rogan. "When I met him I knew right away that there was something off with him...yet I stayed. I figured it couldn't be that bad." She admitted with a wavering voice. Oh, how wrong she had been about that. "Once we were together it didn't take long for Tom to tell me that he was the only one that was ever going to be there for me. That only he could protect me because I wasn't strong enough. That no one would ever love me like him."

A scoff escaped Beverly through her sadness. "I believed him because I didn't have anyone. All my life I've had awful relationships with men. I got my nose broken once in college because of an ex-boyfriend who punched me, but not even that pain can compare to what Tom's put me through. You know...he reminds me of my father." Her blue greenish eyes shined with more set of tears. "Oh, Gwen how could I have married someone like my father?!" The redhead was now hyperventilating and large tears were going down her face. She reached for the dark haired woman, putting her head on one of her shoulders and wrapping her arms around her.

"I'm so stupid, Gwen." Beverly sobbed into her shoulder. "So stupid." She was shaking so much that she thought Gwen would fall over the bed with her. The dark haired woman, however, remained steady, allowing her to weep freely. Beverly found herself crying harder when she felt a soft touch on her head. Gwen not only was allowing Beverly to use her for emotional support, but she was also trying to comfort her. Beverly found herself thinking about her mother, Elfrida. Beverly never liked to think about her because it brought such sadness. She was already sad though, so what was the point of pushing away the memory of her mother?

Although her mother had left Beverly at a young age (she liked saying left rather than the correct term others would use) she could somewhat remember how she held her. Gwen's soft touch at the moment brought back memories of her mother because it was very motherly.

"No, you're not." Gwen earnestly announced after Beverly's crying had calmed down a little. She gently got Beverly off her shoulder to look at her her. Her hands were now holding onto the redhead's in a firm but not harming way. She stared deeply into her blue greenish eyes. "Never call yourself stupid. Don't put yourself down anymore because that's exactly what they want you to do. What he wants you to do."

Gwen's words got through to Beverly. All her life she had let herself get put down. First by her father, Greta, Henry, and now her husband...but not anymore. That strength that she had as a kid when she was with her friends was there inside her. She knew that it was...she just needed to find it first. Maybe this ritual Mike had mentioned would do just that.

"And now at least you know you won't go back to him." Gwen said causing Beverly to right away nod her head.

"Never again." The redhead answered evenly. She felt her mood somewhat lift when she saw Gwen release the tiniest of smiles, obvious testing the waters if she can add some type humor into their conversation. Beverly had seen the same exact smile on Richie before when they had been younger. It was a Tozier thing alright.

"You can come back to Brighton with me if you want. It'll be a regular girl on girl time...oh, that came out differently than I intended." Gwen laughed awkwardly. "Not that I wouldn't want to be with you because you're beautiful, but I feel since we're great friends that would only ruin our friendship."

Beverly caught the humor and laughed. Same old Gwen. "I can understand that. I wouldn't mind staying with you. I just don't want to be a freeloader."

"Beverly Marsh, you're no freeloader." The Tozier woman told her. "Hey, if you want I can kick his ass. Like seriously kick his ass. I totally can." Gwen paused and then spoke more ardently. "Or if you want a less violent approach I can kick him right in the balls."

Beverly's lips twitched upwards. "How is that a less violent approach?"

"He gets no broken bones." Gwen shrugged her shoulders. "Though his manly parts would suffer, but then again he isn't a real man. No real man hits a woman."

"I'll take that last one under consideration." Beverly answered amused but deep down she was actually considering the second option Gwen gave her.

The silence grew and the seriousness took over Gwen. Her smile fell and a neutral expression took over. Despite her expression her dark brown eyes couldn't stop shining with heavy emotion. "You're my best friend, Beverly. I don't know if I've made that clear enough in the past but you are."

Beverly felt the same intensity from when she reunited with the Losers again at the Chinese restaurant. "You're my best friend too, Gwen." She released a small but meaningful smile. "You've been my best friend since that day we ran into each other outside Keene's Pharmacy and you taught me how to throw."

A single tear escaped Gwen before she pulled Beverly into a full hug. Beverly immediately wrapped her arms around her and closed her eyes.

"Gwen, don't tell the others please." She quietly told her as the hug continued. "I know I can't keep this from them forever but for now can it be between us?"

Gwen could understand and respect that. She nodded her head. "Don't worry, I won't tell the others."

"Thank you." Beverly softly replied.

The hug soon ended after that and Gwen watched as Beverly resumed in gathering her things. As this happened, Gwen stayed seated on the bed, remaining hopeful for her red haired friend.

Gwen hoped that once when they got out of Derry (and she really hoped that they did) that Beverly's nightmare with her husband would end as well. Otherwise she'd have to pay a visit to this Tom Rogan fellow herself.

Now the first thing that Richie told Stan once they were in Gwen's room (the others had yet to arrive) made the curly haired man's cheeks turn pink. The Tozier man really didn't waste any time in bringing up the elephant in the room.

"You need to cool it with the staring man."

Stan knew what he was talking about. Really it was surprising that none of the Losers had brought this up a lot sooner. Still, he tried to play the question off but he sounded way too sheepish to even sound the least bit convincing. "What? I'm not staring."

Richie rolled his eyes. "You're worse than Ben." He had a feelings that must people assumed he wasn't that aware of his surroundings, that he was too self absorbed. Which was completely wrong. He actually never liked focusing on himself...for various reasons. He'd rather focus on others. So he noticed things alright. He'd seen the loving way Ben looked at Beverly ever since outside the Chinese restaurant. He looked at Beverly the exact same way Stan looked at Gwen.

"I just haven't seen her for so long." Stan answered quietly. "I feel like she might disappear."

Richie gave him a pat on the shoulder. "She's not going anywhere man. Not with me and the rest of you guys here." His eyes narrowed behind his glasses in determination. "Nothings going to happen to her. We're all going to get out of this shitty town."

Stan let out a sigh. "Yeah, and if—"

"When, not if." Richie corrected. They couldn't be negative about this anymore, especially not when they had been discussing about Gwen disappearing.

Stan nodded his head. "Right, when we get out of here she's going to return to that Cole guy." He hated thinking that, let alone saying it. There was the reassurance that Gwen didn't love Cole as he thought she did but that didn't mean she wasn't going to be with him. Knowing Gwen she'd probably would because Cole was in Stan's words, a safe choice. Being with Cole wouldn't put him in danger, unlike if she were with him. That of course would only apply if IT continued living. Hence why Stan wanted that entity to die already.

"Do I detect jealousy there, old sport?" Richie questioned half-serious doing a Jay Gatsby impression. The question wasn't supposed to mock or hurt Stan in anyway. The question was supposed to lighten the mood. He felt that wouldn't seem too out place since the conversation had taken a turn and now it didn't feel as if two grown adults were talking. Instead it felt like two young teens were talking.

Richie felt déjà vu but not in the way that made goosebumps appear from discomfort. It was the kind of déjà vu that made him think of warm weather and bright skies. He could recall having a somewhat similar conversation with Stan about Gwen when they had been younger. Sometime around July...actually now that his mind was less foggy it was on the fourth of July to be exact.

Stan let out a small humorless laugh. "I'm jealous of a guy I haven't even seen."

Richie's loud mouth got the better of him. "Would you like to see how he looks?"

Stan almost said no but his curiosity won him over. He nodded his head. He needed to know just who had captured Gwen's interest. Sure it wasn't love but obviously there was something there that had caught her attention since her time in college.

Richie reached for his cellphone and within seconds showed Stan a photo from his Facebook page. In the photo Cole was leaning against a truck with a smile that in Richie's opinion could blind someone for days. It was an exaggeration alright but one wouldn't think so once seeing the photo themselves.

The first thought Stan had after seeing the photo was: Damn. With a dazzlingly smile, dirty blond hair and forest green eyes, who wouldn't want to be with a man like that? Not to mention as the photo showed, Cole was in very good shape. Which really shouldn't have been a surprise since he happened to be a cop. Still, a great amount of insecurity ran through the curly haired man. He looked away from the photo and focused on Richie instead, his eyes pleading. "Please tell me that's Photoshop."

Despite seeing his friend's reaction, Richie couldn't help but grin. "Told you he was a hunk." He told him as he put away his cellphone.

This wasn't the first time the Tozier man witnessed the shocked reaction of someone after seeing a photo of Cole Foster. Richie had shown photos of Cole to countless of his friends (well, not really friends more like acquaintances) when they started to hint at having any interest in his sister. Showing photos of him worked because as soon as they saw Cole they were immediately hit with insecurity and any interest towards his sister disappeared.

Now was it wrong of him to show photos of Cole? Maybe, but Richie didn't feel any guilt because it got the randoms away from his sister. It was comical really. As if any of those guys had a chance with Gwen. Not to mention none of them were worthy to begin with.

However, Richie felt no amusement now as he did back then. Even with that grin of his. This wasn't no ordinary man who was crushing over Gwen...this was Stan. The one person Richie felt was right for his sister. The one person he saw her having a future with. Cole was a nice guy and all but at the end of the day he wasn't the guy Richie wanted Gwen to be with. There was no history between them as there was between Gwen and Stan.

"So there's no competition then?" Stan questioned disheartened.

Richie shook his head, thinking things differently than him. "Oh, there's no competition."

Stan felt like someone had just kicked his ribs. "Figures. I mean...she's this amazing famous singer. Of course she'd be with someone as handsome as him."

Richie knew his sister was amazing. She'd always been amazing. She hadn't always been famous though. However, with the voice she had Richie knew sooner or later she would be famous. Funny enough Richie hadn't realized just how famous she gotten until one of her songs was picked to be the opening for a romantic teen drama show during the mid-nineties. The show had been called So Long True Love and it was the definition of utter cringe...in his opinion anyways. Then again, he never was one for sappy teen romance shows. Apparently a lot of people lived for that crap and because of that the show did good. It lasted a total of seven seasons. One more season than Dawson's Creek. Still...every now and then Richie would tease Gwen for having one of her songs be the show's opening.

Gwen herself made it clear that she hadn't been a huge fan of the show either. She didn't even like talking about it but there was no denying that having her song be the show's opening helped make an impact on her career. Fame, however, didn't change her from who she was on the inside, not really anyways. She wasn't shallow as most famous people were, and Richie knew his fair share of shallow people in Hollywood. Gwen was far from being shallow.

So hearing Stan say that Gwen was with someone as handsome as Cole made him roll his eyes, especially since he wasn't picking up what he was referring to. "No, you idiot. There's no competition because I know she'd pick you in a heartbeat." Richie then grimaced a little, having realized a major issue from that ever happening. "If you weren't married that is." He added that last part quietly, as if he were ashamed to bring up his marriage to another woman that wasn't his sister.

Stan immediately felt a heaviness on his chest. It wasn't until now that he remembered that tiny (well not so tiny) detail. The guilt coming from being in love with another woman that wasn't his wife. "Right...if I wasn't married."

Both men fell silent when they heard footsteps coming towards the bedroom's entrance. They expected to see Gwen entering the room but it was actually Bill followed by Mike. Bill was carrying blankets while Mike carried two pillows. Trailing not that far behind them was Eddie who was also holding his own pillow and blankets. He seemed to be struggling with his items, much to Richie's amusement. Stan was about to make his way to help him but stopped once Gwen and Beverly appeared.

Richie (as he usually did) noticed the way Stan's eyes widened a bit in what he knew was relief when he caught sight of Gwen. What he said before must have hit Stan because it didn't take long for him to look elsewhere. Still, Richie could tell how Stan was struggling with that. Now he was starting to feel bad for even bringing that up. Although he had a feeling it was also because of the whole marriage reminder that made Stan feel awful with his existing feelings for Gwen. Thankfully Ben's entrance ended whatever struggle (for the moment) and he was once again looking towards Gwen. Although he was doing a better job at being discreet, for Richie at least.

Now it had been agreed downstairs that they each would be sleeping on the carpeted floor.

Gwen said that in order to make things fair that nobody should get the bed, herself included. Therefore, they each would be sleeping on the carpeted floor. For the most part everyone seemed to agree with that...well...for the most part.

It wasn't until everybody started setting up their stuff to get ready to sleep, that Richie spoke up.

"I know that we agreed that we'd sleep on the floor but I just wanna say...that's some grade A bullshit."

Gwen looked at Richie after fixing her and Beverly's spot on the floor. She looked somewhat amused but also just as confused by her brother's comment. "Grade A?"

"Yeah, that's right." Richie replied nonchalant. "I said that." He knew he was being somewhat bratty but damn he was tired. He needed a goodnight's rest with what they were going to do tomorrow. Some part of him thought he'd get the bed or maybe share it if he had to. Apparently the rule of how no one gets the bed applied to him as well.

"It's just for a few hours, Rich." Ben reminded him causing Richie to let out a sigh. He fidgeted with his glasses before he went to lay down. None of them had turned off the lights because they sure as hell weren't going to sleep in the dark right now, even as a group.

Mike had taken a spot next to Bill who was currently fluffing up his pillows. Bill was the closest to Ben, who in return was on Beverly's left side. Stan was next to Richie and Eddie, and Eddie happened to be on Gwen's free side. The Losers had been smart in picking Gwen's room because it was big enough to fit all of them. As she started to get comfortable, Gwen felt how fidgety Eddie was with his constant moving around. Finally, Eddie made his discomfort verbal.

"Guys, I changed my mind. Can I please get the bed?" Eddie begged, standing up. "I just can't sleep on the floor. There's germs everywhere!" His face was starting to get flushed from talking fast. "I once read a study from the Hygiene Council that said kitchen floors in front of sinks have more bacteria than the trash can! The trash can guys!"

"Eddie this isn't a kitchen." Bill calmly told him. Even with his eyes closed and his head on his pillow, his leader demeanor was on point.

That, however, did nothing to lessen Eddie's ranting. "Exactly! So there could be more germs on bedroom floors!"

"Dude, you used to sleep on the floor all the time when you would spend the night at my place." Richie told Eddie as he reminisced about their youth.

"That was different!" Eddie heatedly argued. "We had sleeping bags." He took a deep breath in order to calm himself. "Look can I just please get the bed?"

Despite the agreement, the Losers this time didn't seem to mind but Eddie was waiting to hear Gwen's response. This was her room after all. He wouldn't take the bed unless she said it was okay.

Gwen, who was tired and wanted to sleep, decided to let him have the bed. This was Eddie after all, and she couldn't refuse giving him the bed with the puppy dog look he was giving her. He probably didn't even realize just how much power those brown eyes of his had over her. "It's fine Eddie. Just take the bed." She assured him and then laid her head on her pillow.

Eddie gave the Tozier woman a grateful smile. "Thank you!"

Richie got up to stand too, his hair even more disheveled. "Fuck that. If he's sleeping on the bed then so am I. Unless someone else wants to." Inwardly he was hoping none of them would say that they wanted to. He was relieved when they all answered no.

Eddie threw him the bespectacled man a warning look when he pulled the covers to enter. "Don't you dare take off your socks."

Richie just gave him a grin before getting in the bed as well. It didn't take long after he took off his glasses that the bickering between friends started. Richie had done what Eddie asked him not to and apparently was now pressing his cold feet onto his.

"I cant believe this is happening." Gwen groaned into her pillow. "This is real life. My forty year old brother is arguing with his friend over socks. While I am on the floor. What is my life?"

Stan's voice filled the air. "I'm thinking the exact same thing."

Gwen briefly opened her eyes before closing them again. Now that Eddie and Richie were no longer there to be between them, Stan sounded a lot closer to her now. She didn't even need to be facing his way to know just how close he was. She could feel his warmth. It was both soothing and irritating. Soothing because it was Stan, and irritating because she couldn't bask in that warmth without feeling awful.

He was a married man for crying out loud...something she seemed to be forgetting anytime they were close to one another. For a short time anyways. Now here they were in the same room where she admitted that she wasn't in love with Cole. Not only that, Gwen had almost told Stan that he was the one she was in love with.

Despite their moment being interrupted, Gwen was nonetheless glad for the interruption. She couldn't tell Stan that she as in love with him. Not when they were in Derry, and not when IT was still out there. Damn clown.

A part of Gwen wished that she wasn't in love with Stan, that her feeling would just go away...but another part of her didn't want that. She supposed that was her selfish side showing. Then there was another part that said she deserved to feel this way for not realizing Stan's own feelings for her a lot sooner.

Gwen knew that Stan's feeling for her had started at a very young age...but her feelings for him started showing later. It wasn't love at first sight for her. She felt bad for even thinking that but it was the truth. During her youth all Gwen had thought about was Chase Campbell. The blue eyed boy who was her like first real crush.

Gwen though remembered how heartbroken she was because of Chase's death. How she wanted to kill IT so bad because of what happened to Chase, and all those innocent lives that were taken.

She also remembered how she thought she would never like someone the way she liked Chase. But then Gwen's feelings for Stan came…and they never went away.

No, it hadn't been love at first sight for her….but the love she felt for him was just as strong. After all, it'd been twenty-seven years later and she was still in love with Stanley Uris.

There were just two problems.

First, Stan was married.

Second, there was an evil entity out to get her and her friends. Though IT definitely had more of an interest towards her…..and that made things worse.

"Alright guys, get some rest." Mike's earnest voice caught her attention, along with everyone else's. "Remember, we're gonna have to wake up bright and early."

"Sweet dreams, guys." Richie said in a joking way. Despite his joking manner nobody laughed. Goodnight's were exchanged between the friend group, and there was another complaint thrown Richie's way from Eddie before the shorter man mumbled another goodnight to the bespectacled man.

There was silence, and Gwen had made herself quite comfortable within that silence. Just then a soft voice spoke, and the person behind that voice was addressing one person only. None of the other Losers said anything as words were exchanged.

"Goodnight, Gwen."

"Night, Stanley."

Sleep after that didn't come so easily for Gwen or Stan. Not because they were scared to fall asleep but because their unresolved feelings prevented them from doing so. The tension in the air was just too thick to let them rest right away.

It wasn't until later, when the others had fallen asleep that they ended up in the empty space between them. As if they were opposite ends of magnets that were being pulled to each other. Gwen's head now laid on Stan's chest, and Stan had a gentle yet firm hold on Gwen, with their legs intertwined as well. That's exactly how the others found them bright and early in the morning.

Which to Richie's amusement was something he wasn't going to let Stan forget anytime soon.