"I concur. You Dustin Henderson are...a major butthead."

Eddie said, jumping down, scaring them. The entire hike through the woods, Dustin kept holding his compass and argued with Steve that he was going the wrong way. Steve wasn't in the mood, and kept walking forward, annoyed with him and remarking that he knew the spot a million times better. The second he saw Eddie, Steve felt the mounting anxiety and guilt of not coming by last night instantly disappear. Eddie's hair looked as if his hair had dried, looking even crazier than before. His face was pale and tired, but he smirked, staying patient as he hugged Dustin, gently patting him on the back.

"Jesus, we thought you were a goner!"

Dustin said, as Eddie looked over Dustin's shoulder at Steve.

"Yeah me too man. Me too."

Dustin stood back, as Steve and Eddie looked at each other, less than five or so feet away. Both locked eyes, before Steve didn't care that Dustin was watching. He walked forward, hands on his hips, a look of determination in his eyes, before he brought his hands up, and cupped Eddie's cold face. Plunging his lips against his, he kissed him deeply, ignoring the sounds of Dustin pretending to dry heave, before he closed his eyes, and pressed his forehead against Eddie's.

"Jesus Christ, I'm so sorry I wasn't here. I'm so fucking sorry."

Eddie rubbed Steve's back, and shook his head as he held him.

"It wasn't your fault. I'm fine really."

Steve pulled back, eyebrow raised as he closely looked him over. He slipped his hands into Eddie's, hating how cold they felt. Bringing his hands up, he cupped his together, and blew into them.

"You're freezing..."

He went to pull off his sweatshirt, but Eddie shook his head, and lightly kissed him.

"I'm fine really. Just took a dip into Lover's Lake after Jason and company found me."

Steve shook his head feeling awful as the others walked into the clearing. Slipping his arm around Eddie, he carefully led him over to the giant rocks to sit down. They had food, and he wanted Eddie to tell them everything. Sitting down beside him, he took the plastic bag from Lucas, and the canteen.

"Shhh, it's okay. We're here. I'm not leaving you again, understand?"

Eddie looked at the others, before he shut his eyes and sighed. Nodding, he sat back before leaning against Steve who wouldn't let go of him. As Eddie dug into the food, he told them everything that had happened, including Jason and the other basketball players arriving at Rick's, and how it wasn't until nightfall that they checked the boathouse. By then he was trying to paddle out since the boat's engine didn't work. Eddie went into full detail about how Patrick was lifted up into the air, just like Chrissy, and how his bones started breaking. Eddie fully admitted the shock of seeing that while standing, sent his ass right over the boat and into the water...but he still saw everything. Steve felt awful, never letting his arm leave Eddie's waist. He felt cold, and he stared at his wild hair, wishing more than anything that they were safe at his house, and taking a nice warm shower together. Eddie took a drink from the canteen.

"When I got to shore, I tried calling you guys but...my walkie was busted. Drenched. So I...did what I guess I do now. I ran."

Steve could see how tired Eddie was as he laughed at this. Nancy listened.

"Do you know what time the attack was? Exactly?"

Eddie nodded as he slipped his watch up. "

Yeah, I know exactly when it was. My walkie wasn't the only thing that got soaked."

Nancy caught the watch, and they pieced together that at 9:27 was the same time they were at the house, and all of their flashlights exploded. Steve felt confused, but Nancy explained that the surge of energy was Venca attacking Patrick. She tossed Eddie back his watch, and Steve watched sadly as Eddie put the broken thing back on. In the back of his mind, he told himself the first thing he was going to do was buy Eddie a new watch. He deserved at least that much. Sighing, he leaned his head against Edde's, and was comforted to feel Eddie apply the same amount of pressure against him. They all started arguing on how to kill Venca. Steve made a face, remarking how easier things were with Eleven. Eddie smirked at him and nodded.

"Yeah you mentioned her."

Steve smirked, giving his waist a little squeeze before Eddie motioned with his head towards Dustin who kept pacing, looking at his compass, and staring at the woods.

"Is Henderson cursed?"

That's when Dustin revealed that the only reason his compass had gotten messed up, was that there was another gate nearby, which meant there was a way to Venca. Dusitn started to walk away from the clearing, when Steve got up and waved his hands at him. "

Whoa! Wait! Wait! Eddie is still a wanted man. We just can't just take a stroll in the woods!"

Dustin flat out asked Eddie what he thought, and Eddie stood up, saying something about some place Steve had never heard about, before agreeing to a very excited Dustin, Grabbing his walkie and canteen, he took Steve's hand, and the group started through the woods and track what was making the compass get so screwed up. It seemed like a pretty far fetched. theory, but if there was a gate, that meant an opening, and if there was an opening, that meant maybe they could stop this Venca creature. Squeezing Eddie's hand, they walked through the woods as thin sunshine drifted through the branches of the tall trees.

"You think this little shit might be right?"

Steve motioned to Dustin tussling though the woods. Eddie smirked and shrugged.

"God knows, but it seems like we're running out of time and options so why not?"

Steve sighed as they kept walking. He gave Eddie's hand a squeeze.

"I really mean it. I'm so Goddamn glad you're okay. The second I saw the cops at Rick's I almost passed out."

Eddie squeezed his hand back, and pointed out for Steve to be careful from an uprooted root that snaked in the path like a large snake. They carefully stepped over it, walking hand in hand, before Steve glanced at Eddie. Even fifty, cold, and in the woods he was still beautiful. Smirking, Steve gave his hand a squeeze back.

"Had a pretty vivid dream about you last night."

Eddie glanced in his direction amused and smirked.

"Yeah?"

Steve gave a soft laugh, shaking his head.

"No, not like that. We were living in a trailer, but it wasn't yours. We were on the beach somewhere. We were married, and had a baby."

Eddie raised an eyebrow as Steve smiled, thinking back on the vivid images that danced through his mind. He nodded.

"Yeah, a little girl named Elora Danan..."

He lowered his voice to almost a whisper.

"You explained to me that Nancy helped us have her. It was...nice."

Eddie raised his eyebrows impressed, before glancing over his shoulder back at Nancy who was walking with Robin. Looking back at Steve, he gave a smirk, with laughter dancing in his dark eyes.

"Wheeler huh? I better have been the father. No way in Hell I'm letting you screw your ex again."

Steve laughed as they continued on their way.

Later...

"Steve?"

Steve paused, tossing Eddie his yellow shirt, ready to go dive in. He looked down at his boyfriend, his wide with worry. When Steve originally said he was going to dive in, and check on the area they had stopped in the middle of the lake, he seemed furious, which was an emotion he didn't see with Eddie.

"What?! Absolutely not!"

Robin held the compass and gulped, before Steve took a deep breath, standing shirtless in the chilly March air, very much aware of Nancy's eyes staring up at him.

"Eddie, I gotta. I was the captain of the swim team, and lifeguard for three years. It's gotta be me. No arguments."

Eddie sighed, looking too exhausted to argue before he shook his head, swearing under his breathe, and taking the plastic bad stuffed in his pocket, and dumped out the candy Dustin had packed for him. Tightly, he wrapped the flashlight.

"Here."

He handed it to him, and the two made eye contact. Right before he jumped in, Eddie called his name, and they stared at each other for just a moment in the slightly rocking boat.

"Be careful please."

Steve smirked, before winking at Eddie, taking three deep breaths, and jumping into the freezing water. He dove down, searching the murky darkness, until he reached the bottom, and saw fishbones which seemed strange. He looked around, ignoring how cold it was, before he saw something red and glowing. He slowly swam over, before looking in complete horror at a gate. Dustin had been right. Shaking his head, he jumped back slightly knowing something was alive in it. Swimming up, his lungs screaming for air, he burst through the surface, gasping for breath, making Eddie and the girls jump back. He swam over, before holding onto the side of the boat.

"Yeah Dustin was right there's a gate down there. It isn't a snack size gate, but it isn't a mama size gate."

That's when he felt something wrap around his ankle, and roughly without any warning drag him underneath the water. He popped back up, just for a fraction of a second, feeling like one of those idiots from Jaws, before he locked eyes with Eddie's scared ones, before he was yanked back underneath the water before he could even take a proper breath. Before he knew it, he felt as if he was being tossed upside down, before he found himself back in that awful dark world he had only visited once before. Hitting the ground hard, something dragged him, before he was flipped over. That's when he started to feel white lighting pain, as something wrapped around his throat choking him. He tried to use an old oar, but it broke away as soon as he tried to swing at these flying creatures. He heard them hiss, before he was thrown down, and started feeling the biting all over his body.

On his sides, digging in multiple rows of razor sharp fangs. Looking up at the dark sky, as red lighting flashed, it hit him that he had messed up. Laying there, struggling to breathe, he cried out as more of the creatures sank their fangs into him, making him honestly believe this was it. He was going to die.

Then... A swipe like a golf club came out of nowhere, and Steve watched as a bat went flying.

Looking up, he saw a wild and drenched looking Eddie stand there with an oar, staring down at him, with the girls behind him.

"Hey there..."

Eddie said, before another bat tried to fly into his face. Steve watched in shock as Eddie, and the girls fought these bats as they kept flying, and circling around. Steve fought, with help from Eddie and Nancy, before being able to uncoil the bat's tail long enough to sink his teeth into it. Tasting a sour copper tase in his mouth, before slamming it down onto the ground. He grunted, as he stepped on it, ripping it in half. Standing there, dark blood dripping from his mouth, he looked at the others, before Eddie's face crumpled as he tossed the broken oar he had been using.

"Jesus H Christ!"

He marched over, before cupping Steve's face firmly with his hands. He forced him to look at him.

"Steve? Are you okay?"

Steve hissed in pain, before Eddie stepped back, and looked at the two large bite marks on each side of him, near the kidneys.

"Oh fuck..."

Eddie said, as Nancy walked over and looked.

"Are you okay Steve?"

Steve looked down at the ugly bites, and sighed from the awful aching coming from them.

"Well, they took about a pound of flesh...besides that I'm good."

Eddie frowned, looking devastated as he leaned down, gently touching above the tender sensitive areas of the bites. Robin made some stupid comment about rabies, and they all gave her a dirty look, before more bats flew over and all landed right around the gate. They stood there, and Steve eyed them.

"There's not too many. We can take them..."

Suddenly a whole cloud of bats started coming from across the field, flying in the sky which kept lighting up red.

"You were saying?"

Nancy then shouted about the woods, and the four of them started running as fast as they could, looking for cover.

Later...

The four of them all squatted, or knelt underneath the small opening of Skull Rock. They watched as thousands of the bats flew over them, lucky not seeing them. Finally once the coast was clear, they all started to slowly climb out.

"That was close."

Robin said. Eddie gave a small humorless laugh.

"Yeah too close."

Steve stood up to soon, and suddenly felt dizzy. Eddie and Nancy caught it first, and hurried over to him.

"Steve?!"

Steve leaned against the rocks, as Nancy explained he had lost too much blood. Eddie knelt beside him, squeezing, and petting his hand as Nancy tore part of her sweater, and with Eddie's help, wrapped the wounds, and Robin babbled about rabies. Once he was wrapped up, Steve leaned against the rock, nodding at Eddie promising he was okay. Eddie didn't look so convinced, but gave his hand a squeeze, before he got up and went up on one of the rocks. Nancy closely watched Steve as he caught his breath, then slowly with her help climbed out. Eddie turned.

"So? This place is like Hawkins, but with monsters and weird shit?"

"Yeah pretty much."

"Great."

"Hey be careful! It's all a hive mind!"

Eddie looked down at them confused.

"What?"

Steve leaned against the rock, hating how badly these bites felt.

"It's all a hive mind like one. If you step on a vine, you're stepping on a bat...you're stepping on Venca."

Eddie made a face, swearing under his breath as he carefully climbed down. Steve closely watched him, before Robin brought up the idea of going to the police station for weapons for the bats. Nancy then mentioned they didn't need to go downtown, she had guns. Eddie reached the bottom, and looked at Nancy.

"You...Nancy Wheeler, have guns...plural. In your bedroom?"

Nancy told him what kinds of guns she had. Steve stood next to her, shaking slightly from the cold, before Eddie's best flew into his face. Steve looked up, as Eddie tilted his head to the side.

"You're shaking babe."

Steve sadly smirked, shrugging on the vest, faintly smelling his scent on it, which besides him actually being here with him, was his only other comfort. That's when an earthquake hit, and Steve felt himself fall against one of the rocks with Nancy, as Robin fell, and Eddie moved like lighting, grabbing her, as the two of them fell down hard against the ground. The shaking only lasted less than twenty seconds, but it was long enough. Finally it settled down, and the red lighting continued to flash.

"So...guns sounds like a really great idea right now."

Robin sad, sitting up with Eddie.

"Yeah, me too."

The four of them, got up quickly, and started in deeper through the woods, to hopefully find someone or something. They began to walk, all single file, being extra careful not to trip over anything. Robin babbled the whole time, complaining, before Nancy started walking faster, and twice almost stumbled. Eddie took the flashlight from Steve, and hurried head, helping Nancy walk. Just a little behind, Steve and Robin walked through the darkness watching them.

"You okay?"

Robin asked. Steve sighed, looking down at Nancy's bandages from her torn sweater and sighed.

"Hurts like Hell but I'll survive."

Robin then gently nudged his side.

"When you were pulled under the water, your fiancé' dove right in after you."

Steve raised an eyebrow. This entire afternoon, Eddie kept mentioning what a coward he thought he had become, having ran away after Chrissy, and then Jason and Patrick. Steve knew he was just being hard on himself, but hearing that he dove in right after him, sent those stupid butterflies fluttering through his stomach as he watched Eddie hold Nancy's hand, as the two carefully walked down a steep hill ahead of them.

"Really?'

Steve said still watching him. Robin nodded.

"Yep. He jumped up, looked nervous and scared as Hell before telling us to wait there and jumped right in. Of course we followed but, even though Eddie keeps saying he's a coward...he didn't waist one second Steve. Not one single second. Now, I know I don't have much experience, but that looked to be a sign of true love."

Steve smirked, looking ahead at Eddie, honestly never being more in love with him than he was at this exact moment. That's when another earthquake hit. Robin screamed, complaining that earthquakes were also on the list of her least favorite things. The two of them steadied themselves, as Steve looked ahead at Eddie and Nancy bracing the trees, before Eddie yelled...

"Here we go again!"

Once it stopped, Nancy must have spotted something and ran ahead. Eddie yelled at her, chasing after, as did Robin and Steve. They broke out of the tree-line, and saw after the broken down power lines was the Wheeler house, looking spooky in this other world. They all stood together, Eddie handing the flashlight back to Steve before handing him back the flashlight. Together, the four of them hurried towards the Wheeler house to get Nancy's guns.

Once they entered, everyone started climbing the stairs towards her bedroom when Steve faintly heard Dustin's voice...

Later...

They had communicated with the kids, and decided to try out Dustin's theory, and took the bikes from the garage, and rode the seven miles towards the trailer park. The entire time as the cold wind blew against them, Steve tightly held onto his handle bars, glancing at Eddie who rode beside him, before they passed the Creel house. Looking at it as they rode by, Steve got a strange funny feeling, and seemed to bike faster to get away from it. Eddie yelled where his trailer was, before they all dumped the bikes and walked in. Robin remarked they must have broken some record for biking that long in another detention. Steve coughed, complaining that the stuff that floated in the air was caught in his throat. They entered the dark trailer, before the four of them all stood together, staring up at the pulsing red gate. Eddie stared up with frightened eyes.

"This is where Chrissy died...like right there."

They all stared up, Robin remarking that something was in there. Suddenly something stabbed through, liquids spraying, before they jumped back and looked up at the kids, staring through the gate, upside down. It was the strangest thing Steve had ever seen. Dustin laughed, and cheered, before he called down...or up to them that they would tie together some bedsheets to make a rope and try out a theory. Steve figured they could at least just use a chair, but they stood tightly together watching as the kids worked. When they dragged out Eddie's dirty stained mattress, he looked up completely mortified, muttering...

"Those stains...um...I don't know what those stains are."

Robin shot him a disgusted look, as Steve held back laughter. They tried trugging on the rope, but it firmly held. Robin went first, they watched her climb, before being sucked through, and flipping upside down. She landed on the mattress hard before saying...

"Oh thank God! That was fun..."

Eddie, Nancy, and Steve al stood together, before Eddie motioned to the rope.

"Ladies first."

Nancy shot him a weird look, before shaking her head.

"No, go ahead."

Eddie looked at Steve, waiting for him to go next, before he shrugged, clearly a little annoyed.

"Fine, I guess I'll go first...

Steve was relieved, and helped Eddie as he clung onto the rope, and pulled himself up. Steve watched his long legs wrap around the rope, before he did the same thing as Robin, flipping upside down, and landing down on the mattress.

"That...was fun!"

He looked up at Steve, locking eyes with him before grinning.

"Come on!"

Steve smirked and motioned to the rope for Nancy to go next.

"See you on the other side."

Nancy smiled, still giving him that strange look before taking hold of the rope.

"On the other side..."

That's when everything changed.

Steve froze, before he heard the loud sound of a car engine, revving. Taking a second, he paused before looking over his shoulder. The sound of the car engine becoming louder. He went to look at Nancy, when suddenly she was gone. In fact, when he looked up, he saw nobody standing on the other side of the gate. He was completely alone. Feeling absolutely terrified, he called out, but nobody answered him.

"Guys? Guys?!"

Stepped forward, he opened the trailer's door, before squinting, looking at the bright headlights nearly blinding him outside. He looked out, before instantly he face fell. It was the blue Camaro. It was empty, but it sat there just like that haunted car from that movie Christine. Steve stared at it, before suddenly a firm hand rested on his shoulder. Steve feeling his heart leap out of his chest, spun around only to find Billy, in his bloody tank top staring at him, his dirty blond hair falling on his shoulders like dead wire.

"Hello princess."

Steve's eyes widened before Billy chuckled and tilted his head to the side. His voice suddenly no longer Billy's, but a deep terrible sounding voice like a demon.

"I want to show you..." His voice filled Steve's eyes, before they rolled up into his head, and he was fully trapped into Venca's trance.