The boathouse was dark, far darker than Belle thought it had been only a few minutes earlier. The world outside had a vague red hue, the only reason she wasn't calling out to check Eddie was there. She knew it was a nightmare, knew that her attempts at staying awake so Eddie could rest had gone to pot.

She had to wake up.

'Clary?' Axel's voice was soft, yet she knew he was calling to her; knew that the buffeting noise of the world – the Upside Down as the others had called it – were making it seem quiet.

Whatever unease ran down her spine was something he felt acutely too. Was something that unnerved him more than he cared to properly admit to her in anything other than vaguely veiled admittances.

But it was just a nightmare, that much she tried to remind herself. Just a nightmare that now had more links to the real world than she could wrap her head around.

Just a nightmare.

But it wasn't as simple as that. She still had the slight scar on her leg from one of her first nightmare visits to the place. A sword injury brought back that she didn't think should have been possible; a nightmare in the waking world as well for the rest of her family. A reminder that perhaps there was more to Axel than she'd ever allowed herself to contemplate in those early days.

'Clary?'

Belle went to take a step, but spotted the vines crawling across the floor a moment before she did so. She stumbled, determined not to step on one. Her hand gripped one of the ropes, making it creak as she righted herself.

Footsteps pounded outside. The door was thrown open to reveal Axel panting in the doorway. His eyes widened, but Belle's attention was skittering across him. He looked more bedraggled than he had done the last time she saw him. She could have sworn there was a cut on his cheek, but in the dim light it was impossible to tell; it could have just been shadow.

He stood there for a moment before turning back to the outside. 'You promised,' he cursed bitterly, his voice carrying on the quiet of the night around them. 'I – I got the information and you promised.'

A low chuckle seemed to crackle around them like thunder. Belle glanced over her shoulder, despite knowing she wouldn't be able to see who had caused that sound. Wouldn't be able to figure out why it sent such a shiver of unease down her spine.

'Axel –'

'No!' he snapped, rounding on her. 'You – you can't stay away from things like this, can you?' His anger seemed to dissipate with each word, becoming more and more resigned as he spoke. His attention shifted to the floor, to the vines that carpeted the space between them.

'Stay away from my friends?' she asked, voice low as if worried that meeting his initial anger might not be the best course of action. 'They're in danger. Real danger.'

'You could be too.'

Belle could only shrug at him. 'What did any of them do to deserve all this?'

'What did I do?'

'You?'

Axel's attention snapped to her, and she practically saw whatever wall he'd let down accidentally had been built back up in an instant. That comment was more than he'd meant to tell her, more than he'd meant to say in the nightmare version of Hawkins at the very least.

He heaved a deep breath, tugged his hands through his hair. 'At least Tey went away.'

'Have you spoken to him?'

Axel scoffed. 'Can't,' she was pretty sure he mumbled.

'Axel, what is going on?' She took a cautious step towards him.

Eddie's heart was in his throat. Belle had whimpered, the sound breaking through his uneasy sleep and waking him in an instant. Despite her constant reassurances that she wasn't a target of Vecna's, he couldn't shake the possibility that she would be. She'd even tried to reassure Mia that she was fine when Steve had come to collect her, dropping off more food with him.

But that sound, that sound had been enough to make dread crash over him. Why she'd decided to stay, he wasn't entirely sure, but he was grateful for the company. Even if now he was terrified.

'Belle?' he asked softly, hand on her shoulder. His thoughts flicked back to Chrissy, to his inability to wake her, to bring her back from Vecna's curse. What if it happened again? What if –?

Belle woke with a start, a soft squeak escaping her as she glanced around.

'Oh thank God,' Eddie breathed, before pulling her in for a hug.

For a moment, she was still against him, but slowly her arms wrapped around his back.

'What happened?' she asked, voice soft.

'I thought… Vecna…'

Belle exhaled deeply; he wasn't sure if the racing heartbeat he could feel was his or hers. What had she seen?

'It was just a normal nightmare. Not like the ones Mia mentioned,' she assured him, gently pulling away.

Eddie reluctantly allowed her to put some distance between them. He could see the certainty behind her eyes. How she could be so confident, he would never understand. Then again, after what she'd admitted with her grandmother, perhaps he could.

'I've had the same kind of nightmares for three years,' she admitted. 'Pretty sure Vecna'd have his own ideas about what to put there.'

'How do you know?' he asked, watching as she carefully pulled the sleeves of her jumper up. 'I didn't know you had a tattoo.'

'I don't,' she said, confusion pinching her expression.

Carefully, Eddie shifted a little closer and took her hand. He turned it to reveal the inside of her wrist. The black writing 019 seemed too dark against her pale skin.

'That… I don't know what that is,' she said, gently rubbing her thumb over the numbers. They smudged with the movement. The furrow between her brows deepened; she rubbed the skin again, removing more of the ink.

'It wasn't me,' he said.

'I know,' she said absently, and for some reason those two simple words did nothing to reassure Eddie about anything.

019. The simple numbers were impossible to forget, and yet despite how Axel hadn't touched her, she knew that they were a message from him. A message that baffled her more than having seen her grandfather's name on the bed. Every so often, Eddie would bring it back up again, would try to question if any of the other victims had had numbers on them.

'Belle,' Eddie said tentatively, his attention turning away from the milk boiling on the hob.

'No,' she said with a little more harshness than she'd expected. Eddie's attention was on her in an instant. With a sigh, Belle ran a weary hand over her face. 'Sorry.'

'Are you all right?' Eddie asked softly, moving to sit in the chair opposite her. There was a softness in his expression she was becoming increasingly familiar with.

'I should be asking you that,' she reminded him.

Eddie was shaking his head before she'd finished speaking. 'You don't have to be here,' he told her softly. 'You could be sleeping in a proper bed –'

'Eddie.' His name was little more than a whisper, but he was silent in an instant. His eyes skimmed over her face, trying to read something in her expression.

'But thank you,' he said, reaching across the table and giving her hand a brief squeeze.

Their hands stayed like that for a moment before he stood up to finish with the hot chocolate.

Belle watched him, watched the usual energy that he put into everything subdued to something almost small. Even when the others were around, he still seemed to be ready to jump in with something. An overreaction, or an outburst that would somehow shatter the tension they were all living under.

'The number's nothing to do with Vecna,' she said softly, hoping that without his attention on her, she might just be able to offer him the distraction he was so desperately craving. She knew the feeling of being powerless, of feeling like there was nothing she could do to help. If Eddie needed something to keep that feeling at bay, she was willing to be somewhat obliging.

But how to explain Axel without fully explaining him? After everything they'd seen, after everything they'd been through, Belle didn't think Eddie would have judged her for it. And yet the words still wouldn't come.

'Cinderella?' Eddie pressed gently, placing a mug of hot chocolate in front of her.

'I think...' She took a breath as she curled her hands around the mug. The truth was on the tip of her tongue, the words desperate to be shared, and yet she couldn't do it.

'OK,' Eddie said softly, drumming his fingers gently on the table near her hand. 'OK. It's nothing to do with this.'

Belle looked up, offered him a grateful smile, before carefully putting her hand on his. 'So, um, what else do I need to do with my D&D character?'

'We're going to Victor Creel's house.' Nancy's announcement drew Mia's attention towards where she was standing on the stairs. Behind her, Robin, Dustin and Max were slowly making their way back down to the den. Mia had woken a few minutes before, but the announcement startled Steve and Lucas awake.

With a groan, Steve ran a weary hand over his face. 'The house where all this started?'

'Yes,' Dustin said simply. 'Max drew it.'

'I saw it yesterday,' Max elaborated as the group made their way down the stairs.

'There might be something there that can help,' said Robin.

Mia rubbed her eyes, her mind straying to the tale the others had told them once they were all safely back in the basement. Then again, she guessed nowhere was truly safe with Vecna. 'Should somebody tell Belle and Eddie? About the music.'

'No time,' Nancy said, though her words were laced heavily with regret.

Robin's attention slipped towards Mia, but when she caught her eye she looked away hastily. 'Vecna's not after them,' she said, though her hands were fidgeting and Mia knew it must have killed her to leave her best friend again. At least they might be able to see their danger coming. Mia doubted the basketball players would go quietly to find Eddie. 'But we'll radio on the way.'

Mia let out a soft breath. 'Does it have to be favourite songs, or just music in general?'

'No idea,' Robin said as they started collecting their things. Dustin already seemed to have most things collected in his rucksack. 'Not sure I wanna test the theory though.'

'Contrary to popular belief,' Mia said, heading up the steps in the hopes of at least getting a good seat in the cars. She could already hear Dustin complaining that he wanted to ride shotgun. 'My favourite song isn't out of a musical.'

Robin chuckled softly, following her up the stairs. 'What is it?'

Mia smirked, turning to glance over her shoulder as she opened the door. 'Beggin' by Franki Valli and the Four Seasons,' she explained, but the soft ding of a shop bell made her turn.

Where she'd expected to see the Wheelers' corridor, instead she could only see brightness. Too white lights, aisles of groceries winding their way through the shop. Soft Latin music sounded from behind the cashier's till, too low to be heard at the back of the shop.

'No,' she breathed, turning quickly but only seeing the other side of Santos's family shop.

'Ximena!' Santos's voice was as cheerful as it had been that day. She wheeled around, facing the young man that had always been ready with a smile and a story. The man she still saw in her nightmares sometimes because of this day.

'You're not real,' she whispered, backing up towards the doors despite knowing who was going to crash through them. Knowing that there was nothing she could do. She hadn't been able to stop the gunman then, there was no changing anything now.

Santos chuckled. The lights flickered and he was no longer smiling at her. Instead, his face was a mess of gore that she had to look away from. 'I'm still real,' he said, voice distorted as if he were talking into a fan. 'I'm just dead now, Mia. Dead because you didn't do anything.'

'I was a kid,' she whispered, groping behind her for the door. Maybe it was as simple as walking through a doorway again for her. Maybe she didn't need to run to get away from it.

'But you still think about it,' said a new voice, deeper and more resonant. 'And now it's –'

Mia stuck her fingers firmly in her ears, and finally dared to open her eyes. The monster before her looked like something that had crawled out of the earth. Vines snaked all over them, moving even as they made their slow way towards her. A casual stroll that was somehow more threatening than if they'd been running.

Taking a deep breath, Mia forced herself to hum her favourite song. She didn't know if it would work, if she could save herself from this nightmare, but she was willing to try anything if it gave her a little more time. And, as the monster took another step towards her, Mia rushed to the left, hoping that the shop layout was still one of the things she remembered about that day.