Getaway Car: A Hellcheer pregnancy story

17 weeks

Baby Cunningham-Munson is 17 weeks along.

When Chrissy feels good, she feels great. She's happy, glowing and bursting with energy which is positive considering they're moving soon. She puts it all to good use, packing up things they don't immediately need.

The opposite end of that spectrum is a hormonal nightmare of killer headaches and diaphragm pain that brings her to tears. She spends her day in bed with a basin nearby only able to stomach water. Frantic with worry, Eddie calls the doctor to make a home visit, but the advice is less than helpful.

"I'm afraid there isn't much we can do at this stage. I've given Chrissy an antiemetic for the sickness but her blood pressure is still a little variable," he tells them. "Just keep stress to a minimum and if anything gets worse, there's always the ER."

Easier said than done. Eddie is trying his best to keep things light and upbeat but when Phillip drops the bomb that Laura has been released by Hawkins P.D, he wants to beat the man to death with a rock. That news is the opposite of peaceful.

Chrissy does not react how he expects.

"Oh."

"Oh?" Eddie repeats warily. "Are you okay?"

Chrissy sits cross legged on the sofa, clutching a cup of Wayne's lemon, ginger, and honey tea. Her head tilts in thought, meeting Eddie's eyes with a content smile.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Dad said she's going to be taking some time away, so I don't expect to see her," Chrissy says. "I've got more good things going on. I don't need to think about it. I'm alright, I promise."

"That woman comes anywhere near us, I'm going to lose my shit," Eddie grumbles.

Chrissy puts down her mug with a gentle smile, pushing herself up to meet him where he stands, wrapping her arms around his slim waist. She kisses his chest through his tee.

"My big protective man," she purrs. "Always taking such good care of us."

Eddie kisses her crown. "Not gonna be able to do that from prison so I'll try to restrain myself."

He puts it to the back of his mind.

This week, Eddie isn't about to let them be distracted. They have too much to celebrate, it's the end of an era. An era that lasted two years too long for Eddie's taste.

Before they can receive their diplomas, there's one more reason to go to school.

"Are you sure you wanna come with?" Eddie asks. Chrissy is climbing into the front of the van, rolling her eyes at him. It's the fourth time that afternoon Eddie has asked.

"Do you want to leave me at home?" She retorts, giving him a cheeky smile.

It's clingy as hell, they both know that, but Eddie isn't fond of leaving Chrissy if he doesn't have to. Chrissy herself prefers having him nearby too, his presence soothing even if they're just sitting in silence together.

"Touché," he relents.

It's the end of a different kind of era, one that's bittersweet for Eddie. The Hellfire Club has been his safe haven since freshman year, a place he could use to escape, where he could craft his own worlds and save other lost souls who needed his protection. Now he's finally graduating and it's time to pass the torch.

First, he has one more campaign to run.

"Are you sad?" Chrissy asks.

Eddie shrugs, trying to play it cool until he relents, nodding with a half smile. "I put a lot of time into Hellfire, poured hours of my life into creating the best, weirdest, most sadistic campaigns I could. So, yeah, I guess I'm sad that it's ending."