Love Is A Battlefield (A Stranger Things/Steve Harrington Fanfiction)

Chapter Eighty-Seven: The Shire Is Burning

After the ceremony, I changed out of Mrs. Wheeler's dress, and into a pair of jeans and a bright, multi-colored sweater. Steve lost the tie and the blazer, and we all piled in the car to head to Eddie's. Nancy was driving while Robin sat in the passenger's seat, Max and Lucas were sitting in the back row, and Steve, Dustin and I were all sitting in the trunk, with me sitting in between Steve's legs with my back against his chest.

"Not to be a wimp, but can I maybe just sit in the car for this visit, 'cause this is gonna totally and royally suck." Robin questioned.

"It'll be fine." Nancy told her.

"I just can't stand to see those dull eyes of Eddie's break again. I really, really can't."

"At least he can drink himself into feeling better." Steve pointed out through a mouthful of pringles, holding up the six-pack we'd bought him.

"That's what my Mom does." Max mumbled.

"Why don't we just give it a trial run?" Robin suggested. " 'Hey Eddie, good news first this time. We got you some Dustin-approved junk food and that six-pack you requested, and Steve and Riley got married this morning. Oh yeah, and we found Vecna, only the bad news is that he's in that other, darker, much scarier dimension, that we told you about and the gate's closed, so we have no way of getting to him, like he's entirely shut off to us, so basically, you're screwed. And no, no, I know, you were already screwed, but now you're doubly, triply, screwed.' "

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, wait, maybe we don't put it like that." Lucas told her.

' We're one step closer to finding Vecna'," Nancy stated, "That's what we say, that's what's important."

"See Robin," Steve said, reaching around me to hand me a chip, "A positive spin can make all the difference."

"Uh huh."

"But wait," I said, suddenly remembering something, "The Demogorgon could travel between our world and the Upside Down as it pleased, right? It could just create a gate, wherever it wanted."

"Yeah, so?" Lucas asked, looking at me over his shoulder.

"So...whose to say taht Vecna isn't doing the same thing," I suggested, "Like...whose to say that he isn't opening gates in order to get access to his victims. I mean yeah, its mental, but he's got to have some connection to them somehow right?"

"Oh crap."

My theory was cut off and forgotten as Nancy slowed to a stop in front of Reefer Rick's house, to find that the place as flooded with cops and reporters being held back by a barricade. We all rushed to climb out of the car.

"Come on, this way." Nancy said, leading us behind one of the news vans so that we could get a closer look at what Powell was telling the media.

"As many of you know by now, the Roane County line received a call a little after midnight reporting a homicide here on the lake."

"Water." Steve whispered over my shoulder.

"Why the heck didn't we hear that on the scanner?" I questioned. 

"Officer Callaghan here, and myself arrived first on the scene, we made our way to the shore of Lover's Lake about ten yards from that house you see behind me. It was there that we found the Victim, and Eighteen-year-old senior from Hawkins High, Patrick McKinney. There was an eyewitness, and we have also identified a person of interest, Eddie Munson. We encourage anyone with information to please come forward."

"Oh man. This is not good, this really not good." Steve pointed out.

"You've got a lot of questions and I'm going to answer as many as I can. Two o'clock at town hall, where anyone from the Hawkins community is welcome. But right now, I've got some work to do and I appreciate your understanding."