A/N: Okay, so... Yep. I'm in Stranger Things Hell, because after Eddie died, I was absolutely devastated. So, that being said, y'all get these drabbles from my brain meat about Eddie living, and an OC I've had rattling around in my brain for too damn long. Some events of the finale have been changed, obviously. Example, Jocelyn having been part of Hellfire, and coming with them into the Upside Down. She and Eddie are childhood friends. So, if y'all looking for a Vampire!Eddie fic with smut, this is the place for you. It's gonna get weird. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I own only Jocelyn Harford, nothing of Stranger Things. All rights go to the Duffer Brothers, and Netflix.

With Or Without You

Chapter 1

Down Under

[Jocelyn]

I'm tapping my fingers on the boulder rhythmically. My leg is bouncing against my other arm. I can feel the blood pounding in my ears as we wait for them to arrive.

"Jocelyn," Nancy says quietly from somewhere to my left, "he's alright. Dustin is getting him."

"I know, Nance," I reply quietly, but my mouth feels dry. It's been two days since I'd last seen or heard from Eddie. He, Steve, Nancy, Dustin, and Robin had all entered the Upside Down to deal with Vecna, and I'd stayed behind with Lucas, Erica, and Max. I had watched as Max had had her limbs snapped, and she is now in a coma at Hawkins' General. Lucas is with her. Eleven, a girl have never met but have heard so much about, apparently saved Max's life. It was after that, that Dustin came and told us Eddie had been hurt in the Upside Down. Hundreds of Demobats had swarmed him, and for a moment it had looked like he wouldn't make it. But then, Dustin had radioed us the next day to let us know Eddie was still alive, and they were coming back. But, not before Dustin went to Eddie's uncle, Wayne, and told him Eddie had died in the "quake".

Now, I am sitting on a rock up a mountainside, waiting for Dustin and Eddie to meet us there, so we can reconvene at Hopper's cabin.

My heart is hammering in my chest, and I'm absently playing with a lock of my long, ginger hair, braiding and unbraiding it, praying they'll show up soon.

"Joce…" Nancy says quietly again. "Maybe you should head to the house. The others will be there soon. You can relax, and –"

"I'm not going anywhere, Nance." I bite back, the words coming out a little harsher than I intended. I turn to look at her, and her blue eyes full of concern. "He's my best friend, Nance. I'm waiting here 'till they show up." She nods quietly, seemingly knowing there is no room to argue. Behind her, Steve slowly approaches.

"They'll be here soon." He says it as more of a statement than to anyone, really. I nod numbly, my eyes returning to look down the mountainside. But then, I see movement. I leap to my feet, my legs nearly giving out as I do.

There, coming up the mountain, are two familiar figures. One, smaller, wearing a cap, carrying a backpack, and chattering away animatedly. The other, taller, longer hair, bandana still tied around his head, limping slightly, but very, very, much alive.

"Eddie, holy shit!" I race down the path towards Eddie, throwing my arms around him. "Dude, holy shit!" I can't help it, tears start pouring down my face, my heart is in my mouth.

Eddie buckles slightly under the weight of my body throwing itself at him. "Hey - easy does it!" He chuckles. "Nah, I'm just fine. You can't kill me that easy." I feel his arms wrap around me in a tight hug.

I step back, "Eddie, you're bleeding." I can see blood slowly seeping though the makeshift wound care that no doubt he or Dustin did. "Come here, let me see." I lead him over to the boulder I was sitting on, making him sit down.

Eddie winces as I try to peel the shitty bandages back. "Ouch! Jesus. I'm fine." He tries to swat my hand away, but I glare at him.

"You're obviously not fine, Eddie."

He considers my face for a moment, before sighing. "Fine, I'm not fine. But, we have more important shit to deal with right now." He gestures behind him at the reddening sky above Hawkins, the fires, and the destruction.

"I thought I told you not to try to be a hero." It's Steve, but he's smiling down at Eddie, and there's some relief in his eyes. "Good to have you back, dude."

Eddie grinned crookedly up at Steve. "Good to be back, man. Those demobats can't do shit."

"Right? Like, they can bite the shit out of you, but I don't know, doesn't seem fatal." Steve forces a laugh.

"That's cuz you both probably have rabies," I grumble, before getting to my feet. "Let's go. Hopper's place isn't far." We all set off up the mountain, Steve and Nancy leading, myself, Eddie, and Dustin bringing up the rear. I can't help but glance sideways at Eddie as we walk. There are cuts on his face and arms, and he's still limping, but he looks very much alive. I exhale a breath I didn't know I was holding, and look back up the path.

Eddie glances at me, "You okay?" He asks quietly.

I take a moment, before whispering, so only he can hear me. "Eddie… we… I… really thought you were dead." I can't look at him anymore. I have to look away, or I'll start crying all over again. I hate feeling like this; I'm such a big fucking baby.

Eddie doesn't say anything for a moment, before he mumbles out, "Yeah… Well, you didn't. I'm back." He gives me what he assumes is a reassuring smile, but it looks more like a grimace. "I'm sorry for making you worry."

I look away, my teeth threatening to chew through my lower lip. "Yeah…"

Eddie stops suddenly, putting his hand on my shoulder so I do, as well. "Hey… are you okay? Did I say something wrong?"

I flail, "No! No. Not at all. It's just.." My eyes fill with tears, and I blink them back furiously. "Eddie, I mourned you. For two days. For two days I thought you were dead. It.. it hurt. So much. It still does, even though you're standing right in front of me." My lip trembles, and I force a scowl. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry…

His expression softens, and he takes a small step towards me. "Hey, it's alright. I'm here, Joce. I'm right here." He puts his hand on my shoulder, and I exhale angrily, looking away from him. He cocks his head, bringing his face down to look at me, a small ghost of a grin there. "Do you need a hug?" There's laughter in his voice, and I know he's trying to tease me to make me feel better, but it only makes me smack his arm away.

"You're an ass." I croak out, but when I see he's still grinning at me, I shake my head. "But yes, I'll take a hug." Eddie's grin widens, and he opens his arms, and I leap into them, taking in his scent, feeling him hugging me. He's real. This is real. My best friend is alive, and I don't have to hurt anymore. "I missed you, you dumb idiot." My voice is muffled by his jacket.

"Missed you too, dumbass." He mutters back, and I hear a low chuckle rumble in his throat. "I didn't think anyone would mourn me…" His words catch me off guard, and I let go of him, staring up at him in disbelief.

"Are you kidding me?" When he doesn't speak, I glare at him. "You really are an idiot, you know that?"

Eddie plasters a grin back on his face, but I notice it doesn't reach his eyes. "I'm here, Joce. I'm not going anywhere. Promise."

I straighten, still glaring, but I give him a small, tired smile. "Damn right."

"Oi!" Dustin yells. We turn, and see he's made it farther up the path than us. "Can you two stop flirting, and hurry it up?!"

I feel a blush creep into my cheeks, while Eddie yells, "Shut it, Henderson." He winks at me, and starts up the path again. Slowly, I follow.

We finally make it to Hopper's cabin, and find everyone else there. The moment we do, Mike comes running out of nowhere, practically tackling Eddie.

"Jesus, man, I heard you died! Are you okay?"

Eddie struggles to speak through Mike's vice grip. "I couldn't be better, given the circumstances. You guys look pretty beat up, what happened?" He looks over at the rest of the group.

He's right. Mike and the rest all look like absolute shit.

"Is Lucas still with Max?" I ask. "Are they safe at Hawkins' General?"

Joyce and Hopper exchange a look. "As safe as they can be, with what's going on." Hopper mutters. "But, we're going back into town tomorrow to see if we can get an update."

"How bad is it…?" Nancy asks quietly.

"Bad." Eleven says softly. She looks exhausted. "Very bad."

We all exchange dark looks, before Hopper speaks again. "I overheard on the radio that the army is stepping in to help. For now, we should stay here, to be safe." He says it mostly to Eleven, but I know he's speaking to all of us, too. "We have guns, in case any of those… things…show up."

"Dustin, Mike, do you parents know you're here?" Joyce asks, quietly. The boys exchange guilty looks, and Joyce whisks them from the room.

The moon has risen, glowing a faint pink against the red glow from Hawkins down below us. Eddie is standing by the window, looking outside; everyone else is asleep. The kids are all packed into Eleven's old room, and everyone else is sleeping in sleeping bags on the floor. Joyce is in Hopper's bed. Hopper, however, is pacing outside, holding a rifle, keeping watch. I'm sitting at the kitchen table, twirling a cigarette between my fingers. Finally, I get up, cross the room, open the front door, and sit down on the porch, lighting the cigarette. After a few minutes, the door opens again, and Eddie comes and sits down beside me.

"Hey." His voice is soft in the darkness. "Don't suppose I can bum one of those off you? I'm going to stay up for a little while still."

I look over, and gently pass him my lit cigarette. "Share?" I offer. "Gotta make these last."

He grins slightly, "For sure." He takes the cigarette, taking a long drag, before exhaling the smoke into the night air.

We sit in silence for a few minutes, before I turn to him. "I'm… really glad you're here, Eddie." I lean my head on his shoulder. "Really glad." It's true. If he had died… if something had happened to him… my heart constricts. I don't want to even entertain the idea.

He nods slowly, "Yeah… me too, Harford." I smile lightly. He calls me either "Joce" or "Harford", and only "Jocelyn" when he's being serious. He's only used it maybe three times during our entire friendship.

I exhale, leaning in closer; it's cold. Eddie wraps an arm around me, pulling me in to keep warm. This isn't unlike how we are when we hang out in his trailer. More often than not, we are cuddling up on his couch to watch horror movies, or napping under his ratty comforter on his bed. We've always been like this. It's just our friendship. I wouldn't have it any other way.

I swing my legs over his lap, scooting closer. "Do you mind? I'm fucking freezing."

Eddie smiles, "Not at all," his voice is soft, and he pulls me closer, resting his head on top of mine. After a moment, he mutters. "Don't suppose you'll be able to sleep tonight, huh?"

I shrug. "Probably not." We sit in silence for a few more minutes, before I can feel my eyelids start to get heavy. Maybe I am going to be able to sleep, after all. I yawn softly, and Eddie shifts, looking down at me.

"Do you want to go back inside?" He asks, moving to let me go.

I shake my head, "Don't you dare move, Munson. I'm comfortable right here." I look up at him. "Is that cool?"

Eddie considers the question for a moment, before his lips curl in a smile. "Yeah, Joce, that's fine." I tuck my head back under his chin, and he presses his lips to the top of my head, as he's done many, many times before whenever I'm feeling scared, sad, or angry. I allow my breathing to even out, as Eddie finishes off the cigarette with his free hand, putting it out on the porch, before wrapping his other arm around me. He leans back against the railing, and it isn't long before I can feel his chest rising and falling in rhythm, as my eyes close, and I give into my exhaustion.

A/N: Ooookay. So. Yup. I hope y'all like the first chapter. Idk what I'm doing. Send help.