And She Was

Death is Only the Beginning

(Authors note: This is it guys. The final chapter for Part 1 of And She Was. Now, the events in this chapter might seem a little far fetched and maybe even unrealistic buuut that's the great thing about fiction. Anything can happen. Hope you all enjoy and look forward to Part 2! 🖤)

One year later

As she drove back to Hawkins for spring break, Aileen gripped the steering wheel. Her first year of college was close to completion, but she hadn't been able to really enjoy the excitement of being away from home. Of being on her own. It had been one year since that dreadful day. One year since she began to slowly lose her mind. Since she lost the love of her life. Taking a glance down at the small heart on her arm, she quickly returned her eyes to the road ahead of her, trying not to break down. Every time she went back to Hawkins, it only ever brought on painful memories. What should have been a break away from the stresses of college had become a greater source of pain. She had been plagued by nightmares, seeing him in her dreams, reliving their final moments together. Haunted forever by the fact that they left him in that hell hole; how her love never got a proper funeral.  Cursing to herself as her eyes filled with tears, Aileen swiped them away, becoming irritated. She needed to get a grip.

Pulling into town, noticing that not much had changed, she drove towards the Family Video, wanting to hopefully see Steve and Robin before she headed to her mothers. Parking her car in front of the store, Aileen sat in silence for a moment, simply staring at the store front. As if her mind couldn't help it, she remembered her and Eddie's first date. How they watched The Nightmare on Elm Street. Shaking those thoughts away, trying her best to not succumb even more to her depression, Aileen exited the vehicle, entering the store. Steve was at the counter, leaning against its surface, looking bored. At the sound of the doors chime, he raised gaze up and straightened, his eyes going wide. Rushing around the counter, Steve came up to Aileen, pulling her into a hug. "Aileen, Jesus. It's great to see you." Giving him a hug back, Aileen greeted him back. "Hey, Steve. It's good to see you too. How...how have things been?" Pulling away, Steve looked at her with worry. She had been back a couple times since she had left for college, and every time she looked like she had been doing worse. She had lost weight, had heavy circles under her eyes, her once bright demeanor a flicker of what it once was. Eddie's death had hit all of them hard, but Aileen and Dustin had taken it the hardest as they were the closest to him and they had been there when...

"Things are fine. Still here. Are you back just for spring break?" Aileen nodded, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. "Robin and Nancy come back tomorrow...we should all get together. Catch up." Giving him a weak smile, Aileen told him she would love that, meaning it. She had missed the friends she had made in Hawkins. They had gone through something that had bonded them forever.

The door chimed behind her, and Aileen heard a soft, "Aileen?" Turning towards the door, Aileen's eyes couldn't help but widen and fill with tears. Dustin Henderson stood there, his expression shocked. He rushed over to her, throwing his arms around her, holding her tight. Aileen followed suit, squeezing the young man tightly. "Hey, Dustin. It's so, so good to see you." Dustin pulled away from her, smiling weakly at her. He had missed her presence. Him and Mike had agreed that Hellfire just hadn't been the same without Eddie and Aileen. That school hadn't felt the same. Will and El were back, and that helped but the light had dimmed since the battle with Vecna the previous year.

Aileen chatted with Steve and Dustin for a bit, before telling them she needed to head home.  Her mother knew she was coming back today, and had planned to have Gareth and his parents over for dinner to welcome her back. As they watched Aileen leave, Dustin and Steve exchanged glances. "Do you think...?" Dustin started to ask. Steve shook his head. "There's no way she knows yet."

"Aileen! Welcome home, sweetheart!" Sylvia brought her daughter in for a hug, trying to remain positive. She had seen what the past year had done to her daughter, had asked her about what had happened multiple times. But Aileen had shut her down, refusing to speak about Eddie, about what had happened or where he had gone.  When the Cunningham girl had been murdered, and when news traveled about where it had happened and who the prime suspect was, Sylvia had known the boy couldn't have done it. Not with the way he had treated her daughter so tenderly. How he had so clearly cherished her. But, after receiving a call from the hospital one night, seeing her daughter with a broken arm and tears in her eyes, looking so broken beyond compare, Sylvia had had doubts. Aileen refused to speak with her about it, though, so she tried her best to carry on and act as though life was normal.