BEVERLY MARSH HAD FOUND it was easier to breathe back in derry. she had received a call from mike only hours before, telling her it was time to come home.
that IT was back.
she wasn't exactly sure why it was so easy to breathe. perhaps it was the country air, or the breeze that ruffled her hair as she walked.
the more she walked through, the more she remembered. the clown, her father, her friends.
but not the one thing the back of her mind wanted her to remember the most. a part of her brain that remember screamed at her, a word that couldn't quite leave the tip of her tongue.
cass.
cass,
cass.
the woman sighed, rubbing at the concealed bruise on her cheek. the one her husband had laid on her only the night before, along with many other cuts and bruises that had accumulated over time.
her husband reminded her so much of her father. hateful. violent.
homophobic.
that was one of his traits that bothered her the most. she wasn't exactly sure why, but whenever he made a comment about a gay couple or said the word faggot, her stomach clenched and anger courses through her veins, and rose onto her freckles cheeks.
though, any comment made about her hate towards homophobia ended in her getting hurt, so she started to bite her tongue after a while.
the redhead stopped walking through the streets of derry, and stared down a long road.
the road she used to live on.
she almost turned, but an unknown force pushed her forward.
pushed her towards a street that led to a house.
the house where her dead best friend (lover) had once lived.
beverly felt an ache in her chest, and let her heart lead her towards the old home.
then all of a sudden, she felt her heart stop.
it was like someone had kicked her straight in the chest, and knocked the air out of her. fresh waves of pain ran over her, and pushed through her bloodstream. she felt tears well in her eyes as her line of vision finally landed on the eyes of a man.
danny frayser.
"bev?" the man called towards her, and beverly took off in a run. her feet ached from the glass wounds she had received the night before, but she kept going until her developed body collided with her dead girlfriends cousin.
"oh god," she breathed into his shoulders, her fresh tears soaking into his shirt. "it, it hurts even more being back here. dan. i- i remember everything."
and that was true. once she remembered cass, the rest of her memories came flooding back, as if someone had poured a bucket of water over her head and awoken her from a deep sleep.
"it's hard to forget her," danny sighed. beverly stayed quiet. she loathed herself for forgetting cass, but deep down knew it wasn't her fault.
it was the clowns.
the clown that killed her lover.
the clown that was supposed to be dead.
"how have you been, dan?" beverly asked, pulling away from him.
"i've been well. i'm- i'm married now. got a little girl. her name is cass." beverly felt tears well in her eyes at his words.
"oh, oh that's wonderful," she sighed, fiddling with the sleeves of her shirt. "it was great seeing you, but i'm meeting with the others. send little cass my love."
"i will, beverly." bev pushed past him, but the sound of her name leaving his lips stopped her. she turned, meeting his eyes.
"i sometimes feel as if i can still see her, ya know? i still live in the house. some nights i'll wake up and she'll be there. just, sitting there. with her sassy little smirk, and her tear stained cheeks. i think, i think she's been waiting for you to come back." beverly smiles, tears dripping down her cheeks.
"i wouldn't doubt it for a second. do you- do you think i'll see her?"
"of course. she loved you. a lot. when you broke up with her, i think you took a piece of her with you."
beverly nodded, her lips pursed.
"i regret it every single day."
"WELL WOULD YOU LOOK at what the cat dragged in!" richie tozier yelled, looking more attractive than ever. he pulled beverly in for a kiss, and eddie smacked him.
beverly hugged all of the losers individually, but was stopped short when she realized one was missing.
"where's stan?" she felt tears well in her eyes, expecting the worse.
"he killed himself, bev. when m-mike called," bills stutter caught at last minute, and he closed his eyes. beverly felt a tear drip down her cheek but she wiped it away.
two people out of eight.
dead.
beverly hadn't felt this much pain in years.
the losers sat together in almost silence, and ate their food. richie tried to break the silence and tension every few seconds with a joke, but eddie would slightly shake his head, and place his delicate hands on richies arms. bev caught herself smiling at them every few seconds, but frowning slightly when she realized she used to have that with cass.
cass.
she felt her heart break all over again every time she let her name cross her mind.
so she stopped thinking.
she wasn't even phased when the damn clown tried to mess with their dinner.
she simply stabbed one of the eyes with her fork, and flared towards the boys who fled like children.
"this is nothing we haven't faced before, guys. we- we can't get scared every time that, that thing does a circus trick! cass wouldn't want that!" they all looked down like scolded children at the mention of cass's name.
they all knew she wouldn't have stood for their fear. she would have fought.
so that's what they did.
they were going to fight like hell.
IT WAS DARK. BEV hated the dark. ever since that thing had attacked them, she hadn't been able to sleep alone.
or in the dark.
she tossed and turned, closing her eyes tight.
"you're okay."
beverlys eyes shot open, and she sat up, looking for the source of the sound.
"hello?"
"don't freak out. if i turn on this light, you cant freak out."
cass.
"o-okay." beverly pursed her lips, and closed her eyes. she heard the light flick on. she felt her eyes flutter open, and tears pricked her eyes.
"cassie," she breathed. she searched the dead girls face for any sign of IT, knowing it could take on her form, but there was nothing.
only cass.
"hi, bev," the brunette smiled, and the woman got up, and walked towards the ghost.
"are you- are you real?"
"i'm as real as the ring on your finger, bev."
beverly glanced down at the ring and blushed, her lips turning up slightly.
"can i touch you?" cass nodded, and beverly reached her hand out, letting her fingers slightly brush the girls cheek. she let out a choked sob when she felt the warmth of her lover.
cass closed her eyes, savoring the feeling she had missed so much.
"bev," she breathed out, her lips parting softly. "kiss me."
"but i'm, how do you still want me? i'm old," beverly muttered, pulling her hand away. cass reached out, brushing bevs long hair behind her ears.
"you won't be if you kiss me." bev glanced down at the dead girl, lowering her brows.
"what do you mean?"
"if you kiss me, you can come with me. we can be together." beverly took a step back. cass's face dropped.
"what? no, cassie. no. it isnt you." beverly felt tears well in her eyes.
"no! bev. baby it's me. in me. you would be able to tell if it wasn't. if i were, if i were him he would already be trying to kill you. he wouldn't mess with you this long. you just have to kiss me, bev. then we can be together." beverly
took another step forward, her heart rate slowing down.
"do you promise?"
"i pinky swear." cass held up her pinky and bev took it. she felt youth flow into her body slightly, and she moved closer to the young girl. "close your eyes bev. don't be scared."
beverly let out a shaky breath and watched cass get on her tip toes (given beverly had grown a few inches over the years) before closing her eyes. there were a few moments where there was nothing, then she felt cass's lips meet hers.
their lips moved together for the first time in years, and beverly felt a weight lift off of her chest.
she forgot all about the losers. IT. and let herself be selfish, and have cass for herself. she couldn't fight anymore. she needed cass to be alive.
cass felt beverlys face soften and round beneath her hands, feeling the youth flow back into her lovers body. they kept their lips together, not even coming up for air.
bev was afraid that if she pulled away, cass would be gone. she couldn't let that happen.
not again.
beverly felt her hair become shorter, and her body become less developed. she didn't see how it was possible. it was as if cass was transferring her youth into beverly, and she didn't want it to stop.
ever.
soon though, cass pulled away, and stared lovingly at beverly. she had missed her lover so much.
"i forgot that you aren't my girlfriend anymore," beverly breathed out, and cass smiled softly.
"let's change that then," the brunette giggled, and pressed her lips to beverly once more. "beverly marsh, my love, will you be my girlfriend?" beverly nodded vigorously, her curls bouncing up and down. she couldn't wipe the smile off of her face, and tears streamed down her freckled cheeks.
"i cant believe you're real," beverly sobbed.
"me neither," her girlfriend answered. "come on, we have to go."
"where are we going?" beverly asked, taking the girls hand.
"wherever our hearts take us," cass responded, her lips curving into a smile. a bright light flooded into the hotel room, and cass led her lover into it with one last heart warming kiss.
and with that, the two girls were gone.
two masterpieces, who had once been destroyed when they were ripped apart, had become whole again with just the touch of their lips, and an exchange of words.
"i love you."
•••