We Belong In Separate Worlds Chapter 4, a Penny Dreadful + Stranger Things, 2016 Crossover fanfic

"Wake up, Valerie" a woman's soft voice, British accent, whispered in the air. "Wake up, my daughter." My eyes slowly fluttered open, and my back was aching. I groaned from the pain. My eyes widened when I saw myself in a world of pure darkness and the floor was made of some black water that somehow made this world look darker. I looked around, and there standing behind me was a fairly young woman. She had raven black hair like mine, and hers was put up in a messy bun. She had brooding eyes like mine; she looked just like me and I looked just like her. The woman smiled at me, and it made me feel warm inside. It felt like the kind of smile a mother would give her daughter. "My dear, sweet Valerie," the woman said with a big smile on her face. Tears were forming in her eyes.

"Who are you?" I asked cautiously yet I knew the answer deep in my heart.

"I am your mother," she answered with tears rolling down, her smile quivering. "I have...so many questions and...I wish I had eternity to ask them all but frankly, there is not a lot of time." The woman wiped her tears and the smile disappeared from her face. It was serious. "A war is coming, daughter, and it will be a war the world has never seen before." I didn't answer, so my mother continued. "I suppose it all started because of the choices I made. You see, I was never supposed to live a happy life with your father. I was never supposed to have you; that wasn't my destiny. I knew it was never meant to be, yet I wanted it so very much. So much that I chose your father over God's plan for humanity."

I couldn't reply. I was just frozen and listening.

"Yes. I chose to live with your father instead of fighting for humanity's future. A fate that now seems to be one step closer in fulfilling the disastrous prophecies spoken by Apostle John." She meant Revelations. My heart pounded in my chest as my thoughts raced to the Beasts of the Earth and Sea. Could it be the end of the world? Was my mother really responsible for the destruction of the earth? "You must be careful of the beasts. You must kill them before they destroy everything." My mother took a moment to look at my face and tears rolled down her face again. She then took a step back and disappeared into black fog.

My eyes shot open wide and I gasped loudly as if gasping for air. Jonathan jumped from fright, and I looked around to see where I was. I was sitting on my small bed, and he was sitting on a chair next to my bed. "You're awake," he stated.

I wanted to reply but couldn't. My mouth and tongue were dry. I slowly got up, and he quickly leaned in to help me. He grabbed my arm and put one hand behind my back as he helped me sit up in bed. "Thank you," I said weakly.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"The demon running away into the woods. And...my back!" I remembered the demon wounded my back so I touched it and felt scars on them but no fresh wounds. Jonathan looked at me as if waiting for an explanation too. Healing has only happened once in my life before this.

I was just beginning to take Dr. Jekyll's medication religiously at age 10. The first time I took it, I transformed into a wolf that very night. I ran out of the city of London to the nearby woods. I was young and immature, and I hunted down a baby cub. The mother bear tracked me down, and it attacked me. It hurt me badly, but dad and Uncle Kaet were there to help me kill the mother bear. They helped me out of the forest to a clear opening where the moon shone brightly. It was as if the moon's light provided the healing source. And it happened the same way this time too. It was because of the moon.

"So you got healing powers too now?" I looked at Jonathan and I smiled weakly. "Tell me the truth, Valerie. Are you a superhero?"

"No," I chuckled. I thought it was adorable how candid he was. "I'm not a hero." I looked at Jonathan and he looked back at me. We were both smiling at one another, and it warmed me. It made me feel the butterflies when I saw him smile at me like that, as if he was in love with me already after spending just a few days together. "So...I should get out of these bloody clothes." Jonathan realized what I meant, and he blushed madly.

"Y-y-yeah," he stuttered badly and got up. He lost his balance and nearly fell over trying to get to my door.

"Jonathan." He looked back but couldn't look in my eyes for more than 2 seconds so he looked down at the floor. "I...I'm scared and I don't want to be alone tonight. Do you think you can...stay over? Just for tonight?"

"Are you sure? Y-y-you want me to stay over?"

"Yeah. Please?" Jonathan finally looked into my eyes and saw my plead.

"...y-yeah. I'll stay," he answered with a nod. He then walked out to give me privacy and closed the door behind him. I slowly changed out of my bloody and torn up clothes and put on my bathrobe. I threw the clothes into the trash can because it was torn to the point where it was unable to be sewn back.

I left my room and walked down the hallway to the bathroom. I started up the hot water for the bath and took off my robe. I took a moment to look at the mirror behind me. I looked at my back and saw the multiple scars on them. As water slowly filled up the bath, I started humming a song my dad used to sing me all the time when I was little. My fingers lightly played with the surface of the water.

My romance, doesn't need to have a moon in the sky
My romance, doesn't need a blue lagoon standing by
No month of May, no twinkling stars
No hideaway, no soft guitar

Jonathan was sitting on the couch in the living room when he heard the bath starting. A few seconds later, he heard me singing to myself. His ears perked as he was moved by my voice.

My romance doesn't need a castle rising in Spain
Or a dance to a constantly surprising refrain
All at once I can make my most fantastic dreams come true
My romance, doesn't need a thing but you

Jonathan got up off the couch and started walking slowly and quietly down the hallway. My singing was getting louder and so was the sound of the running water. He was getting closer to the bathroom.

And wide awake, I can make my most fantastic dreams come true

Jonathan saw me sitting on the edge of the bath with my back to the door. He took a closer look at the scars on my back. He saw 4 long claw marks that belonged to the monster from tonight, but there were other nasty scars from before. Jonathan's eyes followed the scars from my shoulders to my lower back. His mouth dropped slightly looking at my bare back and he felt guilty thinking I didn't know. But I knew. I could feel his eyes burning into my back, his desire creeping inside of him, curiosity and wonder filling his most inner thoughts and dreams.

I turned my head slightly to the left to see if I could catch a glimpse of Jonathan. It only made him jump and stay still like a statue. I couldn't help but smile to myself, and I stood up to reveal my entire naked body. I could only imagine what the sight made him act, feel, think, wonder. I climbed quietly into the bathtub making sure to only keep my back to Jonathan so that there was no frontal view.

My romance, doesn't need a thing but you

I slowly started scrubbing my body, and I saw the blood dripping off my body mixing with the soap and water in the tub. I felt really tired, drained really. Going to the other world trying to help Will wasn't easy especially with the demon running around. And now that I knew what happens if it hurts me in my dreams...it scared me.

The feel of those claws running through my back. It was the worst physical pain I ever felt, like an extreme flogging. If I wasn't careful enough, I could die. The thought of death frightened me. I was too young and felt like there was so much more left for me to learn about. The mere thought of that terrifying monster sent shivers down my back, and I hurried and finished my bath.

I put on some decent clothes for bed and went back out to see what Jonathan was up to. He was just chilling on the couch and watching TV. "Hey," I said with a shy smile.

"Hey," he replied awkwardly. The image of my naked back flooded his mind the moment he saw me, and he tried his hardest to control his thoughts.

"You must be tired."

"Yeah, kinda."

"Come on. Let's go to sleep."

"T-t-together?!" It was cute seeing how innocent and pure Jonathan was.

"No, I have sleeping bags. Stay in the room with me." It wasn't a question but instead more of a passive demand. I walked back into my room and Jonathan followed behind. I gave him a sleeping bag from my closet, and he set it up right next to my bedside. I wished he could join me in bed and tried to think of something to say. All I could do was watch him set up the sleeping bag, and my heart beat fast.

It was raining hard, and lightning and thunder brewed in the storm. Thunder didn't frighten me, but the idea of the monster out in the woods frightened me. Its roar thundered in my ears, and its fangs and claws glistened under the moon and sparkled in the rain. The monster from my dreams was now prowling around in town, and I could only imagine what it was doing. "Jonathan?" I whispered wondering if he was sleeping. "Jonathan? Are you awake?"

"Yeah," he whispered back quietly.

"Are you tired?"

"Not really. You?"

"Not really...do you mind coming up here?" He looked at me from the ground and slowly sat up. Our eyes locked and he slowly made his way towards my bed. I was under the covers, and he lied down on top of the covers next to me. My back was to him, and I knew he was facing me on the bed. I looked back at Jonathan rather quickly, and he froze looking into my face. I tried lifting the blankets up to signal to him to get under the blankets. "Get under the blankets. You'll be cold all night." Jonathan scooted over to get under the blankets. I could feel his body heat warming my body up now and it made me want to get closer.

I scooted a little closer to Jonathan still looking at him, and he continued to look into my eyes. He lay there frozen like ice and I wanted to melt him. "You like music right?" I asked bluntly in a whisper.

"Depends what kind. Why?"

"My dad always tells me 'All sad people like poetry. Happy people like songs.' He's a poetry kind of guy...and so was my mom."

"What about you?"

"I'm more of a singer than a poet."

"Oh yeah? Sing a song then." I smiled sensing the challenge.

"Alright. This song was stuck in my head all night so don't laugh at me, okay?"

"I won't," he replied with a grin eager and waiting for me to sing. I looked up at the ceiling and started to sing.

My romance, doesn't need to have a moon in the sky
My romance, doesn't need a blue lagoon standing by
No month of May, no twinkling stars
No hideaway, no soft guitar

I looked back at Jonathan, and it made me happy seeing the way he was looking at me. It made me feel so wanted and loved. He probably had no idea how he looked, and I loved and cherished that moment with him."Alright. Your turn," I said to him.

"You want me to sing?"

"Yeah. It's your turn now."

"Alright but you might regret it." I laughed and watched Jonathan getting ready to sing by clearing his throat. He looked up at the ceiling while it was my turn to look at him all goo-goo eyed.

I couldn't help myself any longer. I tried hard to fight it at first when he was singing, but it got too hard. I wanted to go for it, and I wanted to be bold about it. I suppose I felt what Jonathan felt when he watched me singing. It was comfort, a reminder that a simple song can conjure up such warm feelings within. I was quiet for a while when Jonathan finished singing, and he looked at me for a response.

I scooted closer, and our breathing paced rapidly. I could feel his uneven breathing on my face and I'm sure he could feel mine on his. I moved in close and gave him a simple kiss on his lips. He was in shock and he couldn't move his lips. I moved away from the kiss and we looked into each other's eyes.

He cupped the back of my head in one hand to pull me in close for a rougher and more passionate kiss. Things moved very quickly and it felt so right. Jonathan awkwardly climbed on top of me and my arms wrapped around him to keep him close. I knew Jonathan was new to all this kissing and intimacy, so I helped him out.

I grabbed his hands and let it slide up and down my body. I let his hands touch my breasts and squeeze them. I moaned lightly under our kiss, and he moaned back from the sensation. I could feel his body tensing up and lust grew in both of us. I pushed Jonathan off of me and pinned him down to the bed. It must've come as a surprise, the look on his face showing it all. And I knew he liked it.

The moment I leaned down to kiss him again, I saw a vision. A terrible one at that, an omen you could say. There Jonathan was in a cemetery. He was on his knees in front of a gravestone crying and mourning. I never saw anyone cry like that before, but I knew it was because he lost a loved one.

I gasped and leaned back to let go of the kiss. Jonathan must've seen the worry in my eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked breathless.

"I...I saw you in a cemetery crying. You lost someone you loved."

"What?" I got off of Jonathan and sat on my bed. I put my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my knees. Jonathan sat up next to me and put his arm around me keeping me close to him. "Wanna tell me more about what you saw?"

"I think...I think I was dead."

"What makes you say that?"

"The very day I came back to Hawkins, the tarot cards showed me 'Death'. I think it's in God's plan for me to die after I've served my purpose. Kind of like...punishing my mom for her transgression."

"No," Jonathan said firmly. It surprised me. It was a first seeing him answer me aggressively. "I won't let you die. I won't let that happen."

"You can't promise me that."

"...no, I guess I can't. But I promise you that I will do everything I can to keep you alive. I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you alive, alright?" I looked in Jonathan's eyes, and he meant it. I knew he'd fight in the pits of hell if it meant keeping me safe from harm, and I appreciated his concern for me.

Most of all, I saw courage in Jonathan's eyes, the courage to do whatever it would take to help me and keep me alive. At first, I thought I could prepare for this holy war by just informing myself and expanding my knowledge about the other world. But I realized at this moment that it's not about being knowledgeable. It's also being courageous, being brave enough to do what's necessary to fulfill your mission. Jonathan's courage will prove to be his shining trait, a trait that would keep me alive a bit longer than originally expected.

Jonathan caressed my face gently with his fingers and I felt tears forming in my eyes. I hated when I got emotional like this and I definitely didn't want Jonathan to see me tearing up. I leaned in quickly to give him one last kiss goodnight, and he kissed me back. "Goodnight Jonathan," I whispered as I got back under the covers and turned my back to him. He went under the covers too and he held me close to his body.

"Goodnight, Valerie," Jonathan whispered back as he closed his eyes to go to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up to the delicious smell of breakfast. I looked beside me and saw that Jonathan wasn't sleeping in bed. I left the room and saw Jonathan cooking in the kitchen. When he saw me, he smiled brightly and it made my stomach do all kinds of twists and turns. "Morning," he said with a big smile.

"Good morning," I replied with a shy smile. "Didn't know you could cook."

"I always cook at home. My uh...my mom comes home late a lot from work, so I make dinner for me and my brother." I helped set up the table, and we ate breakfast together. It was pretty good, better than anything I try to make which is why I don't make food often, rarely even. Eating and talking with Jonathan made me feel like he was already a big part of my life, like we've been friends forever and were on the verge of another blossoming relationship.

After breakfast, we got ready for school together. I gave him a spare toothbrush but he had to go in the same clothes from yesterday. Jonathan drove us to school and we parked in the student parking lot. We got out of his car together and some eyes were already on us whispering and gossiping, wondering why we were driving to school together. I glanced at Jonathan, and he just gave me a small smile as he locked the doors to his car. We entered school together and we stopped in the middle of the hallway because that was where we had to part ways to go to our separate lockers.

It was hard for us to part ways to go to our lockers, and it kind of felt like an awkward goodbye. "What are your plans for after school?" I asked not wanting Jonathan to leave my side.

"I don't know yet. What are yours?"

"I'm grounded. My dad was super angry when I came home late last time."

"So...you'll have to go home right after school then right?" I could hear the disappointment in Jonathan's voice.

"Yeah. But I'll see you at recess?"

"Aren't you gonna hang out with Nancy and Barbara?"

"Uh...well, you can hang out with us."

"I'm okay," Jonathan replied with a weak smile. He appreciated the gesture, I could tell. "I like to spend my recess and lunch alone anyways."

"Are you sure?" I asked. I wanted to spend all my free time with this guy, already heavily invested in him.

"Yeah. We can meet at my car after school for a bit and I'll drop you off at your house."

"Okay, sounds like a plan," I said with a smile so relieved that we'll be seeing each other again today.

At recess, I was waiting for Nance and Barb at the cafeteria, but Nance never showed up. Barb came later by herself. "Hey Barbs. Where's Nance?" I asked.

"I don't know. Probably hanging out with Steve," Barbara replied with disdain and rolling her eyes.

"You don't like Steve?" I asked stating the obvious.

"He sleeps with anyone that will open their legs to him. He's like a hungry horny dog."

"Ew." Barb chuckled at my terse response and I smiled back. "Hey, wanna hang out with Jonathan today?"

"Jonathan Byers?" Barbara asked with a big smile already having hear the gossip from the morning. "I heard you two came to school together in the morning. What happened?"

"Nothing happened. We just...he offered to drive me to school."

"But your houses are in the opposite sides of town. He didn't just drive to you in the morning and offer a ride. Did you spend the night together?"

"We..."

"Oh my god, you did!" Barbara gasped and playfully shoved me. "God, first it was Nance and now it's you. Now you're both gonna ditch me for boys." I could tell she was serious about that statement and that was what was getting to her these days.

"What? No way, Barbs. Nothing happened between me and Jonathan, I swear. We just...we just kissed."

"What kinda kiss? Like...a friendly kiss or a kiss-kiss?"

"Kiss-kiss."

"Do you like him?"

"Yeah. He's...he's a really good guy."

"But he's so awkward, and he's always by himself." Barb said it playfully but meant what she said.

"Maybe that's why he needs friends like us, right?" I asked with a shrug. Barb smiled and shook her head.

"I'm glad you didn't change, Val. Honestly, when I heard you were back, I was a little scared. I thought that maybe you changed so much that I wouldn't be able to recognize you. But...you're still the same Val."

"Thanks, Barb," I replied with a warm smile.

"Come on, let's go find Byers then. But you talk to him first, okay?"

"Okay." Barbara and I walked around campus and finally saw Jonathan at the PE fields being bullied again by the two same boys. This time, I ran faster to his side anger flurrying about within me, and the boys continued to push Jonathan around even when I came. "Stop it!" I shouted angrily. Now they were getting me really angry. They didn't heed my first warning and must be taught a lesson.

"Oh, it's you again. Man, you must really like this freako huh?"

"I bet I can show you a better time than he ever can," the other boy said walking towards me with a creepy smile and making kissing noises.

"Back off!" Jonathan shouted aggressively. It shocked me having never before heard such a tone in Jonathan before. The two boys looked back at him, shocked that he finally stood up to them after all these years, all because they slandered my name.

"Oh, so you wanna act all tough now to show off to your little girlfriend huh?" the two boys shoved Jonathan harder, and he fell back on his bottom. I stood there glaring at the two boys, muttering a curse upon them both. Soon I heard the cackling of ravens flying closer. There must've been about 10 ravens flying my direction, and they all attacked the two boys with their beaks. The boys screamed and ran for life as the ravens followed them, torturing the two boys until they barricaded themselves inside a classroom. I then helped Jonathan up on his feet.

"Are you okay?" I asked worried for Jonathan's well-being.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied embarrassed that I had seen him weak and helpless against the bullies again.

"Hey, don't feel embarrassed," I said to him understanding how he felt. I felt the same sort of shame though under different circumstances. In London when my dad trained me in hand-to-hand combat, he'd constantly put me down with words and his overpowering strength. I learned how to deal with being pushed around and mocked at from him. "Why don't you hang out with me and Barb today?"

"Where's Nancy?"

"With Steve." Jonathan glanced at Barb and saw that she was harmless. He agreed so Jonathan, Barb, and I sat on the bleachers looking up at the clouds moving by quickly. I saw Jonathan playing around with his camera occasionally taking a picture or two. "You like taking pictures?"

"Yeah. It's uh...it's pretty fun."

"Why? All you do is press a button," I replied naively.

"No, it's more than that. It helps you capture honest moments of life. If you try to lie in front of the camera, you can tell and it'll get caught."

"Hey, take a picture of me." I fixed my hair lightly and smiled big for the camera. Jonathan took a picture, and he took one of me and Barb together. "Let's take a picture all 3 of us together," I suggested playfully. I was getting a thrill after taking those pictures and had a desire to take more pictures.

"Then I have to set up the timer and-"

"Then set up the timer," I replied cutting off Jonathan from saying anything else which meant do it my way. Jonathan set up the timer on his camera and we took a group picture together. I suppose thinking back to it now, God meant for us to take the picture together for that picture played a big role in the war to come.