Chapter 2: Family Matters

"No!" Will was determined to head this one off before it even had the opportunity to get started this time, "It always ends the same way and I am not in the mood!"

"Yeah, veto." Lucas nodded, "No reason for the summer to start off with bloodshed."

"I mean... we'll probably get there eventually," He amended, "But let's ease into it."

Thumbing through the stack of boxes in the closet as the rest of the group staked out seats in the basement, El could feel her head tilt to the side, "But it says right here. 'Fun for the whole family'."

Mike chuckled from his spot on the couch, "Only if your idea of fun is everyone pretending they don't want to kill each other while just wishing it would end for four hours."

"Four hours? Really?" Will looked impressed, "I don't think I've ever seen a game last that long before someone stormed off."

Quickly deciding that she had no desire to personally experience whatever aspect of Monopoly everyone else in the room was so wary of, El kept scanning down the stack, "If people dislike it so much, why keep it?"

Sitting on the top of the stairs while waiting for the late arrivals, Dustin shrugged, "Everyone has it somewhere in their house. It's like... a thing."

El rolled her eyes, "And people think I'm strange."

"Eccentric." Will wandered over to the alcove they'd set up in the corner shortly after moving into the new house, carefully pulling the sheet he'd installed across the entrance to shield it from prying eyes before the others arrived, "Mom prefers eccentric."

Not bothering to look up from the episode of Happy Days running on the small TV in the corner, Lucas kept munching on the remains of the popcorn he'd brought home from the movie, "Besides, these days it's the normal people you have to worry about."

"Yeah." Wheeler was forced to agree, "At this point, anyone in this town who has managed to stay normal? That is not a person to mess with."

El piped in from the closet, "Risk?"

"Oh hell no." Mike tilted his head onto the back of the couch to look at her, "Whoever takes Australia always wins and we spend 2 hours fighting back and forth for control of Kamchatka."

"Hmmmm," The girl turned her head sideways to read along the box, "Maybe dad could help? He's been to Kamchatka."

Will dropped a pat on her shoulder as he passed, "Unless he was using giant dice to control plastic Roman numerals, I don't think it's the same."

El thought for a moment, "He was not."

Mike opened his mouth and waited a few seconds for Lucas to land a rain of popcorn across his face before chewing thoughtfully on the three pieces that actually made it in, "Then keep looking, babe."

"I'm trying!" Rolling her eyes while being polite enough not to point out it was in fact them shooting down all her suggestions, El turned back to the group, "Besides, most of these games would be hard for Max to play."

Reaching up and resting his hand on the small of her back, Mike frowned, "Remember what Joyce said. It's important we include her, even if we have to help."

"Except she hates it when we help," Will chimed in.

"Yeeaaaahhh," The word came out of Lucas's mouth like a physical release of his frustration, "It pretty much just pisses her off. Trust me."

Everyone was quiet for a long moment, most likely replaying their own recent interactions with the redhead.

Dealing with Max since she'd been injured in the fight against Vecna had been trying to say the least.

She'd been volatile and obstinate even before being forced to depend so heavily on those around her, but now it seemed to be ratcheted up to 11 and the dial was stuck.

It was like wandering through a minefield knowing that at any time, the next action or word out of your mouth was as likely to kick off a screaming match as anything else.

"Why do you think I called in the big guns?" Dustin tossed down the stairs while standing on his tiptoes to look out the hall window towards the driveway.

Will looked up towards his friend, clearly confused, "I still don't see how that's supposed to help. Didn't you say he's been almost as bad lately?"

"Not grumpy!" Dustin hollered back, "Just quiet... which is so, so much creepier. Honestly, I'd rather have pissed off."

Having given up the ghost on the board game front, Mike pulled his girlfriend over onto his lap, smiling at the tiny squeak she let out at the sudden action, "I'm sure you could get him there if you tried hard enough, Dustin."

Staring off into space for a second as he considered it, Dustin shrugged, "Probably."

"But then I'd have to work with Grumpy Steve all week, and who wants that?"

Will glowered, "Honestly, it might be a nice change of pace after two weeks of grumpy Jonathan."

Cuddling into Mike's chest and drawing idle patterns along the edge of his shirt decal, El sighed, "Are they fighting again?"

"Again," Will clarified, "Would indicate it stopped at some point. I don't think he and Nancy have been in a room together WITHOUT it ending in yelling since he got back."

The younger Wheeler shook his head, "You'd think he'd realize by now that arguing with Nancy is the best way to get her to dig in and refuse to budge."

"Well...," Having had his own share of difficulties in the women department over the last year, Lucas couldn't help but feel a bit sympathetic. "How would you take it if your girlfriend turned down your proposal?"

Mike had loved his girlfriend since pretty much the moment he'd first laid eyes on her, but never as much as when he caught the 'seriously?' look she leveled at his friend, stating like it was an unimpeachable fact, "I don't think that's something he'll have to worry about."

Still, having had to listen to the other side of this argument more times than he could count, Mike let out a huff while massaging the bridge of his nose, "She didn't 'turn it down', she just needs time to think."

"She's not sure if she's 'there yet'," He added in a nasally impression of his sister.

Will looked at his best friend with a raised eyebrow, "He DID move back across the country for her, man."

Mike dug in, "Which he never hesitates to bring up, either."

"Boys." El shook her head, "Happy day, remember? Everyone back together. Dad has the night off and Joyce is making us all dinner."

Her tone was insistent, "You will be good."

"I still wish we'd just picked up pizza," Lucas sighed, "I'm wasting away over here."

"Sorry, babe." Mike dropped a kiss on her lips, earning a small smile, "I'm just tired of listening to it. Even Holly snapped at her the other day!"

"They're heeeeere!" Dustin thumped his hand against the stairwell a few times to emphasize his announcement before hustling towards the front door.

Setting the remains of his popcorn on the coffee table in front of the couch, Lucas rose to his feet along with Mike, the latter gently depositing El onto her feet as they headed for the landing, "Well, I don't hear yelling."

"That has to be a good sign, right?"

Will chuckled as he came up the stairs behind the rest of the group, "One can only hope."

By the time they'd filtered out onto the porch, Steve had already parked his truck on the street in front of the house and was rounding the bed towards the passenger side.

Having barely seen the man unless they'd accidently run into him around town over the past few months, the small physical changes seemed much more apparent now.

He'd filled out in the upper body, particularly across his shoulders and arms, and had apparently decided the grooming philosophy he'd adopted about his chest would work just as well when it came to his face.

It was admittedly weird seeing the man with stubble far more suitable on the Chief's face than his own. But frankly, it was weird seeing it on Lucas and Mike, too and they were years younger.

But they didn't have the eyes. Steve looked exhausted, dark purplish circles underneath swolen tissue framing them.

"Her royal highness has arrived!" He announced in a pretty awful impression of a British accent while snatching her folded wheelchair from the bed of his truck, earning a middle finger from Max out her window.

"Dude, you're 20 minutes late!" Dustin groused.

"Not my fault!" Steve pointed an emphatic finger at his passenger, "Someone refused to let me load them up until I promised to grab her a Big Gulp on the way."

"And a KitKat!" Max provided 'helpfully', wagging the chocolate bar out the window while taking a long pull from her Mountain Dew.

"How could I forget?" Harrington rolled his eyes, "Where are we headed?"

Will nodded towards the house, "The basement."

Steve quirked a brow, "Got a side door?"

Mike shook his head, "Sorry."

"No problem," Opening the door, he shifted the chair to his right hand while leaning down into the opening, "No sense in loading and unloading twice. Grab on."

"Ugh... fine!" Moving her candy to join the soda in her left hand, Max felt forward slowly until she made contact with Steve's shoulder, threading her right arm around until she could feel her fingers slip through the nap of his hair and tightened around his neck, "Set."

As soon as the word was out of her mouth, Steve slid his left arm under her legs and brought her up to his chest, stepping out and kicking the door closed, "Lead the way, Byers - and be quick about it, she's hungry and I don't like how close her mouth is to my throat."

"Wouldn't stress it, Ken Doll," Max brought her straw up to her lips and took a long pull, "Way you smell, you've got nothing to worry about."

Dustin sighed dramatically as he fell into step beside them and took the wheelchair from Steve, "I told you to shower, dude!"

"He did," Max took a sniff at the junction of his neck and pulled her head back with a gag, "Irish Spring and..."

"Dude? Is that Polo?" Max practically cackled, "Seriously?!"

"So sorry," Harrington deadpanned, "We can't all smell like spearmint gum and sunscreen."

Max glowered behind her sunglasses, "I have fair skin, dick."

"Oh no, I was being serious!" He chuckled while stepping through the door Mike opened for them, "It's really working for me. Might have to steal your girlfriend, Sinclaire."

Max patted him on the chest with a deep laugh, "You couldn't handle this, Harrington!"

"Of that I have no doubt," Steve mumbled, navigating the stairwell sideways so Max's legs wouldn't hit the wall, "But what a ride, am I right?"

Lucas rolled his eyes as he made his way down the stairs, "I'm starting to take this personal."

Hovering for a minute while Dustin arranged her chair by the side of the couch, Steve shook his head, "He's so dramatic."

"I know, right?" Max slapped the older man on the shoulder in thanks as he deposited her into the chair, "It's like dating a chick!"

Lucas would have been a lot more upset if his girlfriend hadn't currently been in such a good mood, a feat in and of itself after coming from physical therapy.

As it was he just dropped a kiss on her cheek and fell into the couch at her side, "That was me, by the way."

Max just smirked while feeling around on the arm of the couch until she located his hand and gave it a tight squeeze, "Kinda figured, stalker. Now, tell me all about the new job!"

"I carry boxes out of the back, Max." Lucas chuckled, "Then put the things that were inside them on the shelves."

Shifting the remains of the popcorn onto her lap, he shrugged, "Congrats, you're up to speed."

"He's selling it short, Max." Steve said, hopping up onto the dryer, "I got to see him in action in the cereal isle on Saturday. Fastest price gun east of the Mississippi!"

The redhead smirked, "Is that right?"

Harrington just nodded sagely, "My Cornflakes barely made it out alive."

"What can I say?" Lucas puffed out his chest, "I didn't like the attitude they were giving me."

While the Party fell into the animated conversation as Dustin and Lucas relayed the finer details of the slasher flick they'd seen to Max and Mike and El cuddled up on the couch while Will tried to studiously ignore it beside them and Steve let his eyes travel around the room.

He'd stepped into the new Byers house a few times since they'd moved in, but then typically only to collect Hopper or snag some food from the man's girlfriend if the Chief was heading straight from work to their patrol.

Even that had become far more rare since the Chief and El had moved into their apartment and the teen had taken it upon herself to make sure Hopper began to eat a little healthier.

You could always spot an El meal when the Chief would pop open his glove box to raid the packets of fast food condiments and seasonings because, 'food is supposed to have a TASTE, dammit!'

Either way, Steve was forced to admit that since the majority of the boxes had been put away, the digs weren't bad.

Will's bed was set off to the corner, a floor to ceiling sheet obscuring it from view. The couch was large enough to fit three adults, or probably five of the kids the way they crammed and sprawled most of the time, bracketed on both sides by lawn furniture that had frankly seen better days.

One corner held the washer and dryer and a door he assumed led to a bathroom, the opposite a small TV resting on 2 stacked plastic milk crates that Joyce had likely taken from her work.

One wall still had the twin mattress El had used upon moving back, and from the looks of the rumpled sheets and magazine pages taped to the wall beside it, she still slept over in it regularly enough for it to be 'hers'.

Steve could feel his eyes narrow just a bit as he eyed the teen and her boyfriend locked in hushed conversation on the couch, foreheads resting against each other and sharing furtive touches when they thought no one was looking.

It certainly had better JUST be her bed, he mused, otherwise he imagined one of his patrol nights with Hopper would include digging a hole outside of town.

Not that he could really say much, as he'd been doing a lot worse at their age... but that was different - these were HIS kids.

Slipping down off the dryer in one of his trademark bouts of nervous energy, Steve ran a hand along the wall as he idly made a circuit of the room.

Just as he wandered past a TV still blaring an annoyingly cheerful jingle for dishwashing detergent, he noticed something he hadn't before.

A dark sheet he'd assumed had been covering a window from across the room seemed to be obscuring something far larger on closer inspection, this close to the wall it was obvious the hole behind it ran floor to ceiling.

Not thinking anything of it, he closed the distance with a curious tilt of his head, sliding the sheet along the runners, feeling his eyes grow wider with every exposed inch.

Drawings, photos, along with dozens of papers and sticky notes adorned all 3 walls of the alcove, sitting above a table with a map of Hawkins divided into quadrants and dotted with with dozens of small figurines and models.

Looking over his shoulder to catch most of the room staring at his back with various looks of panic, the older teen glowered, "Oh, HELL no! This is not..."

Before he could finish his thoughts, there was a thunderous banging at the door leading down into the basement, Joyce's voice as always carrying far better than you'd imagine for a woman that size, "Dinner's ready!"

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"Dig in guys!"

Tossing a pad of butter into the middle of the steaming mound of mashed potatoes, Joyce quickly sprinkled some pepper over both it and the pile of carrots opposite before snagging a fork from the drawer.

Weaving between the quickly scrambling forms of six hungry teenagers and one grumpy boyfriend all trying to grab their own dinners before the food disappeared, she set the plate and a glass of grape juice down in front of where Steve had pushed Max's chair up to the table.

"There you go, sweetie." Pushing the chair a bit closer, Joyce flashed a smile before making her way back towards the counter, "If you want anything else just holler!"

"Ummm... yeah. Thanks." After looking like she was about to say something, Max simply tucked her chin down into her chest a bit, hands fidgeting in her lap while her cheeks darkened.

Glancing around for a few seconds to see if anyone else was going to notice over the mad scramble for dinner, Hopper set his empty plate back on the counter with a smirk.

"I see how it is!" Shaking his head, he settled in behind Max for a second to let her realize what he was doing before reaching forward and pulling her hands apart gently, "A couple bumps and bruises and you expect everyone to wait on you hand and foot, huh?"

Letting out a shaky breath, Max tried not to let her embarrassment show on her face, "Well, I've gotta find some way to make you feel useful, right?"

Guiding the girl's left hand up he slipped it onto her cup, the other to where the fork rested opposite. Waiting until she had the utensil firmly in hand he spun the plate a few degrees and guided the fork around it for her as he spoke, "Carrots two to five o'clock, mashed are six to nine, everything else is meatloaf."

"I'd start with the meatloaf, Joyce has it down to an artform." Catching the mortified look on his girlfriend's face he gave her upper arm a squeeze as he passed, leaning in and dropping his voice, "Relax, she'll be fine. She's a tough kid."

Joyce brought her hands up to the sides of her mouth, head tilting as she eyed the taller man, "But... how did you know?"

"Those, uh... the books, remember?" Hopper looked flustered as he focused intently on the potatoes in front of him, "When the kids asked me to do the ramp, I just figured..."

Setting the serving spoon back into the bowl a little harder than necessary, he exhaled sharply, "I figured if I wanted to make things easier for her to do, I'd have to actually understand HOW she did things."

Clearing the back of his throat, he moved along the counter to the carrots while avoiding her gaze, "It's nothing. Just a little..."

Stifling a laugh at just how flustered he was getting, Joyce was having WAY too much fun to let him off the hook, "How many, Hop?"

"Five! Five, alright!" Catching the snickers from half the table behind him, including Max, Jim pointed the spoon menacingly at his girlfriend, "I was just sitting in the squad car clocking speeders anyways. It was either that or Sports Illustrated and the Pacers suck this year. It's depressing."

"Mmmmhmmm," Leaning forward and wrapping her arms around his midsection, Joyce sighed happily, "Sure it was."

Snagging a large helping of meatloaf before shoving a plate into Joyce's hands, the Chief was shaking his head as he made his way towards the head of the table, "You're already making me regret it!"

The group quickly settled into their meals in comfortable silence, or as close to silence as it was possible to achieve with the table manners of a bunch of hungry teens and Hopper, anyways.

For Joyce it was sometimes a bit surreal, watching this group of people, some of whom she hadn't even known existed just a few years ago, who in many ways had become closer than family.

They'd saved her boy, stood toe to toe against literal monsters, taken on the Soviet military... it was hard to imagine anyone ever doing more for her family than the people surrounding her now.

Hopper often liked to give her grief about the fact her home had become the defacto "home base" since she'd moved back to Hawkins, but honestly? She wouldn't have changed a thing.

Well, maybe one thing, and it was currently making it's way across the porch and towards the front door... loudly.

"That wasn't what I meant!" Following just a few steps behind her boyfriend as he barreled through the front door, Nancy looked to be about as tired of the drama as she was, "Stop putting words in my mouth!"

Spinning on his heels, Jonathan let out an exasperated sigh, "It was a simple question!"

"Nothing about this kind of decision is simple." Nancy drew out between clenched teeth, more than aware of how the entire dining room table had pivoted to look at the interruption.

"It really is! You know I'm looking for a place now that I've transferred back," The elder Byers shook his head, "I just want to know if it's going to be by myself, or with you!"

"Guys," Joyce cast a warning look around the table, most of the kids turning their attention back to their food. "Maybe this is a conversation you want to finish later?"

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Nancy nodded, expression back to neutral by the time she made her way over to the table, "Of course. Sorry."

Casting a look around the room, Jonathan scrubbed a hand over his face, "Fine. I'm grabbing a shower..."

"Wait!" Hopper sighed, motioning the kid to an empty chair, "Not yet. 'Family meeting'."

That brought pretty much everything around the table to a screeching halt, looks crisscrossing back and forth for a moment before settling back on the man lighting a cigarette at the head of it.

His eyes narrowed, "That wasn't a suggestion, folks."

Waiting until Jonathan had grabbed a chair, and pointedly ignoring the kid's eyeroll, he continued. "It's been brought to my attention that some of us apparently need a refresher on the rules."

"So," Hopper ashed his cigarette a little harder than necessary, "We are going to have a little reminder."

About the only one besides Steve and Nancy not currently making themselves as tiny as possible, Mike shook his head, "We haven't done any..."

"I will TALK!" The Chief pivoted his glare over to the young man until he shrunk back into his seat, "You will LISTEN."

Joyce sighed, "Hop..."

"I'm not yelling." He took a moment to compose himself, starting again in a softer voice, "El, what was the deal you and Mike agreed to when we moved back?"

Gripping her boyfriend's hand under the table, she couldn't quite meet her father's eyes, "We're on the bench."

"On the bench! Exactly!" Hopper took a long drag to calm himself, "That Steve and I would keep tabs on the gate and keep you all in the loop so you wouldn't go running around and forcing us to play catch up - again!"

"You guys gave us your word," He reminded them, "Then your mom finds all that crap in the basement..."

"I'm sorry," Looking around the table, still chewing on a mouthful of carrots, Steve raised a hand, "Not up to speed over here. What exactly was that stuff?"

"Yeah!" Nancy glared in her brother's direction, "I'd like to know too, Mike. What happened to 'normal unless necessary'? Do you have any idea how hard it was to convince mom and dad not to pack us up?!"

"I know!" Squirming a bit in his seat, the younger Wheeler shrugged, "But come on, we all know that when it comes, El is the only person with a chance to take him down!"

"Yeah," Lucas agreed, shoving the remains of his food around aimlessly, "And trying to keep us out of it won't stop anything. Vecna has never cared about who he targets, you're not protecting us by..."

"Stop." Holding up a hand, Hopper let his gaze make the circuit around the table, "This is not up for negotiation."

"Everything you're saying has already been considered, discussed, and decided on. I thought I'd made myself clear!"

"Listen, guys... I get it." Steve frowned, "But this time it's different, okay? What worked before just won't now."

"Why?" Finally letting his frustration slip through, Mike looked over at his 'friend', pretty upset he seemed to be abandoning them on this, "Every time people say we don't know what we're doing, every time it's them that makes it worse and US that fix it!"

"Okay...okay." Snubbing out his cigarette, Hopper's tone lost any and all sense of good humor, "Allow me to break it down for you."

"First, you guys have zero idea what you're planning for. Every time this guy has come at us, it's been a different M.O. Get it? We've had to see what's happening and adapt on the fly."

"Right now we only know two things: he's coming back and he is extremely pissed of at us, specifically."

"Second, the military is now on the case and actively keeping tabs. They know what they're looking for, they also know who WE are and believe me when I say we are all very much on their radar."

"Right now they're working with me, they're sharing information, they're keeping us in the loop. If you all go barreling into their business, that will stop - and we will have ZERO ability to move freely."

"Now third... and most importantly." Hopper spoke very slowly, emphasizing every word, "This guy gets into your head. He sees what you see. Knows what you know. We're gonna get one chance, if we're lucky, to kill this son of a bitch. He. Can't. See. It. Coming."

"That is why you're on the bench!" Leaning back in his chair with a sigh, the Chief polished off his beer. "That is why you're going to toss all the crap on that little strategy table you think you had hidden in the basement in the damn trash and let Steve and I do our jobs. Have I made myself clear?"

Glancing around the sea of cowed faces, Hopper just nodded crisply as he rose, "Good."

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Pulling up the parking brake on the Ford and killing the engine, Steve hopped out into the muggy summer air and made his way over to where Hopper was already digging into the trunk of his cruiser.

Stifling a yawn while stretching stressed and tired muscles, he ran a weary eye along the edge of the woods, wishing the cloud cover and the waning moon weren't conspiring to make the stifling darkness just that much more imposing.

"You were a little hard on 'em, dontcha think?" Catching the shotgun as it was tossed towards his chest, Steve couldn't hide his smirk, "Just an opinion, jeeze."

Retrieving his own weapon from the trunk as well as a metallic ammunition box, Hopper turned around to lean against the bumper, "I don't know if you've noticed kid, but we haven't had the best results with warm and fuzzy."

"Fair enough," Not really sure he agreed, the younger man at least knew better than to argue, "What's on the menu tonight?"

"It's been a few weeks since we hit the old lab perimeter, seems like a good time." Popping the lid on the ammo box, Hopper set it on the bumper between them, "Load up, I picked us up something a little more effective on the department's last requisition."

Looking over the shell for a few seconds before sliding it into place, Steve quirked a brow, "How effective are we talking?"

"Dragon's breath." Loading his own shotgun, Hopper elaborated, "We used it in Nam. Fires this magnesium shit, burns over 3,000 degrees. Basically turns your shotgun into a short blast flamethrower - so be careful not to fire it with anyone too close or they'll go up like kindling."

Steve let out a low whistle, "Good to know. Would have been nice to have some of this around when I was charging in with a bat... just sayin'."

Closing the ammo box and returning it to the trunk, Hopper grabbed the flashlights before handing one off and slamming it closed, "Like I told the kids, no more half measures. I am done with this asshole."

Flipping on his flashlight and shouldering his weapon, Harrington set off for the tree line with a nod, "Yeah. All in... I get it."

Eying the kid making his way into the woods a dozen feet off to his side as they let the beams of their lights scan slowly back and forth in the darkness, the Chief found himself wondering, not for the first time, about the changes in his formerly easygoing 'babysitter'.

As long as he'd been interacting with him over the past few years, he'd barely been able to get him to shut up. He'd been goofy, friendly, and most dangerously, recklessly overconfident.

Since their last run-in with Vecna, that had changed. He seemed focused to the point of blocking out everything else in his life. It reminded Hopper just a little too much of what he'd been like after losing Sarah and his wife.

It made him wonder just what he'd lost that had shaken him so deeply.

The one time he'd asked the kid how he was doing, he'd just shrugged and told the older man he was 'just trying to crawl forward', whatever the hell that meant.

"Shhhhhhh...," The target of his thoughts stopped dead in his tracks a few paces off to his left, head tilting to the west, "You hear that?"

After a long pause, and just as he was about to tell him no, the Chief began to pick up what the other man was talking about. It was faint, but off to the side he could clearly hear what sounded like something making it's way clumsily through the underbrush.

Flicking his light off and motioning for the other man to do the same, Hopper swung past Steve off to his left, whispering, "Fall in. Keep your spacing though, and remember what I said about shooting that shit too close to me."

Nodding once in confirmation, Harrington shouldered his shotgun and fell into a crouch off to his right, his barrel traversing side to side as they made their way towards the source of the sound.

Just as they were pushing through a dense clump of trees, a loud snap followed by a muttered curse and the sound of a body descending the hill off to their left had both men picking up their pace.

Scanning the east side of the small hill, Hopper quickly realized the noise must have come from the other slope, taking the side in long, loping strides to try and close the distance.

"Those were definitely words," He hissed just as both men were cresting the peak of the hill, "Be careful."

As they hit the top, Steve dove down onto his stomach preparing to provide cover if necessary, and it was a good thing he did. The rock whistling past his head nearly parted his hair before bouncing off a tree trunk near his left foot, "The fuck?!"

The figure at the base of the hill, still trying to right itself from it's tumble, quickly whipped another rock in the man's direction with a very clear, "Piss off, redneck! Do I look like a deer?!"

"Show me your hands!" Quickly snapping on his flashlight, Hopper was more than a little surprised when it bathed the lanky, and very naked figure in front of him in a bright white light, "Now!"

"What the..." Pulling himself up onto a knee, it took Steve a long second before he shook himself and spoke again, "Munson?!"

Squinting into the light to try and make out the men on the other side, Eddie very, very slowly let his hands rise up beside his head while trying not to shiver in the cool night air, "Harrington? Funny seeing you here man..."

Steve nodded, clearly in a state of shock, "Funny..."

"Great to see you, how are the kids and all that good stuff." Letting his hands fall to his sides, the expression on Eddie's face looked slightly manic, "But would someone mind terribly, like..."

Both the men on the hill cringed a bit as the Munson screamed, "Letting me know what the HOLY FUCK is going on?!"

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AN: To those wondering about the gap between the end of Season 4 and now, it's pretty simple. Part of it is the fact it's kinda implausible for a town to start operating in any fashion with the kind of damage that was shown (roads, including the highway leading into town being split down the middle, etc), and for people to return to the area. Since this is the culminating battle, I also wanted most of the cast to be present, and didn't want chapter upon chapter being the process of people relocating. It's just easier to set the start of the story down the road.

I also noted that if this is the first fic of mine you've read, it can take some getting used to. I often have major events that are hinted at having happened only to have it revealed later - just like it would be for the other characters if they don't know what's going on either.

Hope that helps, and as always, feedback feeds the idea machine.