Note: Nothing much to say, this one's just a bit shorter than the others. Features my only big complaints against Bill as a character.

Rich awoke on the floor of his booth, the intern to relieve him shaking him awake. There were tears drying on his face, but he disregarded them for the jolt of pain in his head. How did he get here?

"Augh, fuck…" he groaned to himself.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Tozier, I was ju-just worried that y-y-you weren't—" The intern babbled, but Rich raised a hand to stop him.

"Don't worry, kid, I just needed a little nap." Rich responded, lifting himself up.

"Ah-ah-are you sure? I could dr-druh—"

Rich shook his head, something in his head screaming at him about the stutter, the stutter, something about…

It wasn't until he made it to his beachside home that he made the connection. Any other morning he would have passed by the coffee table without a second glance, but his eyes lighted on the book. The Black Rapids.

Bill… He needed to call Bill, he needed to… shit… Bill had been the one to kill It right? But could It really die if It was actually in the Outside?

Rich couldn't remember everything, but the anxiety laced through his body all the same-seeming to be misplaced for what he could actually remember.

On a whim, he lifted the book, gazing at the inside of the cover. Turned out his instinct was right. Bill Denbrough himself had signed Richie's copy after Bev's, and lower, already fading, was a California address and two phone numbers. Jackpot, he thought to himself.

Quickly, Richie relined the information in pen, figuring he would call when he woke up, but then he remembered Bill should be in the UK filming by now… or maybe at home in California with Audra.

He picked up the phone and dialed. The first number ended in an answering machine-Richie wasn't surprised Big Bill could afford the machine. He left a quick message in case no one answered on the second number.

The second number rang four times before a bleary voice answered.

"Yes? Hello?" it was a woman, sounding happy, but sleepy.

"Hey, Audra, was it? It's Richi-Rich Tozier, one of Bill's friends. We met in-well, didn't actually meet, but you know," he replied, moving through his home. A small laugh sounded, it seemed she had forgotten about her ordeal in their hometown-good for her.

"Of course, of course, let me get Bill," she replied. There were the sounds of air as the phone was passed, some murmured words.

"Richie?" a voice sounded bringing dull memories of summer and childhood and dark, dark places.

"Bill, I-we killed It, right? It's dead right?" He asked, might as well get it out there at the beginning.

"Yeah, I mean, I-" Bill paused for a moment, as if thinking about it. "I crushed Its heart, Its light faded out. Wh-why are you unsure?"

"I saw It." But there's something off about that, isn't there? He just saw Pennywise, he never…

"Y-yo-you saw It?" Bill sounded almost hysteric.

"I mean, I guess I more felt It. It came to the station, Eddie too."

"It has Eh-eddie?"

"I-I don't know, it's," Richie collected his thoughts before continuing. "I'm not sure if I'm hallucinating or not, I mean, I… I've been working a lot, but you're sure It was dead?"

"I'm sure. I heard the Turtle, It's dead. I don't think It could come back from that-I don't think It could make a new physical form here. At least not this quickly. Did It leave any marks on you? Anything lasting?"

Richie had to check over himself, but nothing seemed out of place.

"No, nothing. L-like I said I've been working a lot and I-I guess I… I feel guilty. We-we left him down there. We…" He trailed off. They hadn't talked about it after it had happened.

"I know. We just-we wouldn't have made it out. You know that."

The anger rose within Rich sudden and unbidden. What had Eddie said to him?

"And yet, we made it out with Audra fine. We had four well-abled people and we couldn't bring him back?"

"She was still alive, Richie! We had to pass her back and forth to just get her out of there. I'm sorry we couldn't-we couldn't bring him back, I'm sorry!"

"Barely! She was barely alive, but lo and behold, of course Big Bill can just bring her right back! You'll do anything for your movie star wife who you cheated on the second you saw Bev, but your childhood friend? The one who died saving us? The only person I could ever imagine spending my life with? You made us leave him down there in the dark! For what? Have you even told your wife what happened in Derry? Or are you just having your cake and eating it too?"

Bill stuttered for a moment. "You kn-nuh-know it's n-not like that. You couldn't even r-re-remember his name a week ag-go."

Rich ran a hand through his hair. "We always forget, don't we? Do these amazing and awful things and just forget everything?" Bill began to speak as if to protest, but Rich cut him off.

"Don't even. I'm at least willing to admit I'm no saint. We could've prevented so many deaths if we had just been smart about it, if we had just cared enough about other people outside our circle. If we didn't let the memories go so easily just to get our own selfish respite. Henry and his gang, all those kids, hell, your wife and Bev's husband-although he probably deserved it-got dragged in and part of me thinks we let them and just forgot the details to sleep at night.

"I wonder sometimes if Stan didn't. Forget, that is… Maybe he didn't… do it because he was scared of It. Maybe he did it because he was scared of us. We've done so much messed up shit to everyone around us, to each other, I wouldn't be surprised if we deserved everything that happened to us, if we don't deserve everything that might still happen. Hell, our own sins might be enough to bring It back all on their own."

"Wh-wuh-what are you trying to s-s-s-say? Do you t-think It's actually—"

"Nah, of course not. Big Bill knows everything and says It's dead, so surely not. Maybe I'm trying to say everything, everyone that chased us that Summer-maybe they weren't the only monsters in Derry." Rich passively lowered the receiver, he could hear Bill stuttering on the other end. Funny, he couldn't remember it ever irritating him as much as it did in that moment. He hung up the phone, a sneer on his face.

Rich half-expected to hear creaking or feel a hand seek him out like a ghostly after-image. Nothing came. He was alone in his home, finished with the one thing he'd thought he'd never do-doubting Big Bill. The pull to forget came and washed over him again, taking his memories and leaving a faint distrust… And of course, Eddie.

It did not surprise him that he could no longer forget Eddie, in fact, it surprised him that he'd ever managed to. With more than a hint of anger, Rich swore he would never forget Eddie again. As the phone rang beside him, Rich-still feeling that anger-ripped out the cord and settled down on his sofa.

As he drifted (floated) into sleep, he blearily thought, I'll never forget Eddie, because he'll never forget me.