Hi! I wrote this story for myself because there really isn't enough Steve stories around and that's a damn shame. I did so much research on 80's culture and slang to make this story as accurate as possible, I have used the phrase 'gag me with a spoon' so many times in daily life now I'm beginning to believe I may have been born in the wrong generation.

This story starts at the beginning of season 2 and does move a little slowly in order to integrate my OC's into the story. I actually have a bigger story planned than this and see this as kind of a prologue to that.

I really hope you enjoy this story, I wasn't going to publish it but decided if I was missing Stranger Things maybe others were too. Please let me know what you think! I would love some feedback.

I don't own Stranger things or any of it's characters, if I owned Steve he'd be a happy little bean...

Do you wanna be a hero?
Can I lay in your arms?
Will you tell me it's alright, even though I know it's not.
Can I lay back into the dark?

Hero - George Maple

Allison Edwards had never left Wakeford, Massachusetts before her family moved to Hawkins, Indiana.

She knew how small towns worked, where she had come from was small, even by Hawkins standard; they bragged of a population of only 10,000. Wakeford was known as one of the safest towns in America. Nothing ever happened there and if it did it was the talk of the town for a century afterwards.

Allison could never forget the story of the teenager who ran away and joined the circus, it was more than 60 years ago, and people still spoke like it happened only yesterday. That was the kind of place her hometown was, quaint, gossipy, homey. Allison had lived in Wakeford for 17 years and in all that time they had only ever seen 2 new families with children settle in the town.

New students were like the latest toy; some people treated them like gold and others, Allison was ashamed to admit, like herself were vindictive and mean. She had grown up though, in fact, her best friend was one of the girls who had moved to Wakeford sophomore year. They had started off with Allison making her life a living Hell and had somehow grown to think of each other as sisters, they had both cried on the day Allison left.

She hoped that Hawkins wouldn't treat her and her younger brother, Daniel like toys or science experiments. Allison was a senior and she didn't really care if she didn't make friends, she already had friends and they had planned to go to college in Boston, she could survive a year without them. Allison wanted to be a journalist, isolation and different situations-built character; or so she told herself.

Daniel, on the other hand, was only 14, Hawkins was his home now and trying to fit in and make friends made him nervous. Allison had seen his face light up when he discovered that his middle school had an AV club and hoped that maybe he would be alright, he was tough and smart after all. Wakeford didn't have AV clubs or after-school activities for people who didn't like sport. They had a football team and a cheer squad, that was it. Not great opportunities for a kid who was a tech genius and a future reporter.

Allison admitted she was a little jealous of Daniel getting this clean slate, she would have loved the chance to be involved in student government, or the school newspaper, or even a track team but she was a little late to the party. She chose to find solace in the fact the whichever College she chose in Boston, she would be able to drown herself in extra-curricular activities.

Starting school late hadn't been ideal, but the teens had been grateful to have the weekend to prepare before starting school Monday, it was already the end of October meaning school was well and truly underway and Halloween only a few days away, both hated to be starting the school year late, it made Allison nervous that people would pay more attention to her; Daniel on the other hand just hoped all the clubs he wanted to join would accept him.

Richard and Mary Edwards where their parents, they had been married for 20 years and behaved much like a typical family would. Mary was an elementary school teacher who had given up her career to raise her family, Hawkins was a new opportunity for the mother to teach again. Richard was a scientist and the driving force behind the move. He had been offered a position at Hawkins Laboratories, an offer to good to refuse, he had informed them.

It was his dream to work in the Lab and would mean he could be home with his family more. His previous job had been over an hour away from Wakeford, so Allison and Daniel rarely saw him. They had asked their mother why he always had to leave once, and she had explained that he was a very special scientist who helped the government to keep us safe.

Hawkins Lab had taken care of all the expenses, they paid for the move and the new house on the corner of Dearborn and Maple Street, a short drive to the Labs for their father and a few minutes by bike to school for Allison and Daniel when Allison didn't want to drive. The house was modern with brick and dark wood, it contained 3 levels including a basement and 4 bedrooms.

Their Mother was incredibly pleased with the choice, especially when she saw a group of 4 boys bike past and turn onto Maple, they were all around Daniels age and one of them, a boy with uncontrollable curly brown hair had waved at Daniel as they biked past. She had beamed as her son hesitantly waved back and grabbed his face smothering him with kisses and exclaiming about best friends.