Once More, With Strangeness

Chapter 10

"Becca said to wait for her!" Steve hissed.

"I'm done waiting," Dustin argued. "She's been gone for like twenty minutes! What if she's in trouble? What if these bats have a hold of her? What if she walked into the trap she warned us about?"

"If there was a trap that I got caught in, your loud ass mouth would have gotten you just as caught as me," Becca called.

They came stomping around the corner of the house and both stopped when they caught sight of Eddie and Becca, kneeling next to each other on the front porch. Dustin's eyes went wide, his mouth gaping open. He stared at them, frozen in time for a moment and then a huge grin spread across his face and he was flying up onto the porch, wrapping his arms around Eddie and knocking him backward.

"Whoa there big guy," Eddie laughed, patting his back.

"Jesus Christ, I thought we'd lost you for good," Dustin muttered, pulling back and sitting down next to them on the porch.

"Yeah, me too buddy. Me too," Eddie agreed, nodding.

Eddie slowly sat up and glanced over at Steve who was still standing at the bottom of the porch steps. Steve smiled and gave a little wave. Becca knew he was anxious, worried that Eddie hated him because she had been feeling the same exact way.

"Hey man, it's really good to see you," Steve finally said.

"You too," Eddie replied, rising to his feet. He made his way down the steps, stopping in front of Steve. Steve pressed his lips together, waiting for what was coming next but Eddie simply pulled him into his chest, patting his back. "It's really good to see all of you."

"What's with the bats?" Dustin asked, gesturing around the house. There must have been two hundred of them perched all around the house.

"They listen to me. They follow me everywhere. I've tried to ditch them but no luck," he sighed with a shrug. "I can't seem to get rid of the little bastards."

"You complete dinguses!" Robin yelled, panting as she slowed up, Ivy and Jax right on her heels. "What in the hell are you..." She stopped. "Drama Queen!" She leapt at him, wrapping her arms around him.

"Whoa...so all of you came, huh?" he asked, laughing.

"You don't know the half of it," came Hopper's voice.

Becca looked up to see the rest of the group walking toward them. Apparently no one listened to her directive of waiting until she came back. She watched as each person took turns hugging Eddie, smiling at the happy reunion.

"I can't believe you're all here," Eddie said, looking around at them in shock. "I mean..." He paused as his eyes fell on the blond vampire standing to the side, bored and leaning against the porch. "Who the hell are you?" His head tilted, eyes narrowing as his heightened senses let him know what he was looking at. "Why did you bring a vampire with you?" Eddie turned to look at Becca. "What the hell is going on Becca?"

"Okay," she said, moving toward him and laying her hands on his chest. "He's part of that plan I started to tell you about before all of these guys interrupted us."

"Plan? Plan for what?"

"Plan for getting you out of here, man," Dustin interjected. "The Upside Down needs a monster master. You can't leave because they need you here to lord over them. So, we're going to give them a substitute option so you're free to go."

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Eddie's brows knit together, a crease appearing between his eyes and Becca reached up, pressing it gently away. He smiled down at her, still unable to believe she was really here. Jesus, he'd missed her. He'd been so crazy with longing, he swore that he'd heard her calling his name, crying for him, talking to him. He'd thought he would never see her again and then there she'd appeared, crouched on the front porch, looking like the most radiant thing that he'd ever seen. No dream could ever do her justice.