"The next words out of your mouth better be that you understand, Liza or so help me-"
"I understand" Liza nodded, fingers crossed behind her back.
~x~
In which Liza Henderson fights against the Upside Down with the help of her friends.
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~x~
"No mom, go to Aunt Carols." Liza urged her mother. "Dustin and I are gonna stay with Steve. Yes, we are really back together. Yes, Steve is okay with Dustin being here. Yes, so are his parents. No mom, I can't just leave Max. I'm her legal guardian and the doctors here don't want to transfer her. We'll keep in touch, we love you too."
Liza sighed and hung up the phone, placing her head in her hands. This was the third time she had to have that conversation with her mother. Claudia Henderson was reluctant to leave her children in the destroyed town but Liza had to convince her to go without them, she couldn't worry about her mother on top of everything. She couldn't tell her mother the real reason why the earthquake hit, something she desperately wanted to do but she knew her mother would drag her and Dustin from the city if she did.
"How's mom?" Dustin asked as he sat beside her.
"She's mom. Worried about us and everything. Wants us to go with her to Aunt Carol's." Liza took a sip of her coffee. "You're free to go, I just. . .I can't leave Max or Hawkins."
Dustin shook his head. He couldn't leave Hawkins even if he wanted to. His friends were here, his family was here not to mention he needed to be here to help figure out what to do about the Upside Down now bleeding into the real world. He loved his mother but she needed to leave without them.
"Yeah, she's safer in Indianapolis. I'm also gonna stay here, I'm not leaving you." Dustin took the cup of coffee from his sister and drank, earning him an exasperated glare from the blonde. "Where's Steve, Robin and Eddie?" He had looked around the house and couldn't find anyone else.
"Robin went back home, her mom was freaking out. The boys went to get Eddie's stuff from the Hawkins lab people. They were able to salvage some of it and they had some from when they moved Wayne. Steve is letting Eddie take over the basement."
"Eddie Munson is moving in with Steve Harrington? The world really is going to shit." Dustin laughed. Liza nodded, taking her cup back from the boy. It was empty so she went to get a refill. "Have you tried the Byers?"
"Yup. It's still a busy signal." Liza grimaced, turning to lean against the counter. "What if something happened to them, Dust? What if they also are dealing with the Upside Down? What if Vecna got to them, too."
"I don't want to think about that. I am perfectly content in thinking that Mike, Will and El are having a great time doing whatever the fuck you do in California." Dustin shook his head.
~x~
Liza watched the news as they reported on the fallout of the 'earthquake' and the missing people. She felt a lump in her throat as they showed each of the quadrants of Hawkins, the destruction and the broken streets. She had tried to turn the channel but she couldn't tear her eyes away.
