dead in the water ( IT CH:2 ) DISCONTINUED

bonus: draft reveal

another draft reveal!

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Hannah's heart felt heavy in her chest as she fished around her bag for the spare key Levi had gifted her when she'd moved in; wrapping her fingers around it, she pulled it out and unlocked the door, hesitantly pushing it open.

The apartment smelled faintly of pine wood and Levi's favorite perfume; the walls and shelves were littered with pictures of past birthdays, holidays, vacations, work events and research trips. Everything was just so overwhelmingly Levi—the nicknacks on the coffee table, the tower of used and unused notebooks, pads, and pieces of paper on the desk, the mismatched throw pillows and blankets on the couch—that Hannah nearly had half a mind to turn back on her heels and keep everything as it was.

Taking a deep breath, she closed the door behind her and took off her shoes—recalling all of the times her best friend had scolded her or given her a stern look for tracking dirt into the home—before she ventured deeper into the apartment. As her fingers traced the frayed edges of the blanket hanging from the back of the loveseat, a small, haphazardly-decorated box caught her eye; she moved around the loveseat with ease, taking the wooden, sparkly box in her hands, running her thumb over the old, peeling, foam letters that spelled out MEMORIES. A fresh wave of tears sprang to her eyes as she finally remembered—she and Levi had made that box just before the start of their freshman year, and they had made it their mission to take as many pictures of the Losers' Club as they could ("So that we can look back at them when we're older and remember the good things about this town," Levi had said when she'd presented the box to them at the clubhouse).

Quietly, Hannah stuffed the box into her purse, fishing her phone out and dialing Beverly's number; the line opened after three rings.

"Bev? I'll be home soon. Call Rich and Eddie, tell them to come over. I have something to show you all."

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No more than an hour and a half later, Richie and Eddie walked into the Marsh-Jameson apartment and were sitting on the couch, Hannah and Beverly sitting next to them. Mike, Bill and Ben were on Skype.

"Okay, can you guys hear us?" Hannah asked, waiting for the three men to respond. When they did, she continued. "I went to Lev's apartment today to pick up some things...And I found this."

She reached behind her, unzipping her purse and carefully taking out the box, setting it in her lap and looking up at her friends to gauge their reaction.

"Holy shit," Bill chuckled, a fond smile turning his lips upwards.

"The memory box." Beverly's voice was thick with nostalgia, tears pricking her eyes as she looked up at her wife. Hannah nodded and slowly took the lid off, revealing a plethora of old pictures, movie ticket stubs, pieces of notebook paper, and random nicknacks.

"Oh my God, look at this one." Richie reached over Eddie, picking up a picture of himself and Mike at the Quarry. The caption read 'Mike and Rich. Quarry. Aug. 1989.' in bold, black marker, and below, in smaller letters, Hannah's handwriting read, 'Best friends'.

Bev, Eddie, Richie, and Hannah all began pulling pictures and items out of the box, holding them up to the camera so that Bill, Ben, and Mike could see them as well, all of them laughing about the story behind the photograph or thing.

"Ben, look at you!" Hannah held up a picture of a younger Ben, all round cheeks and light brown hair. He was sitting on the curb in front of the ice cream shop, waiting for the rest of the Losers to come outside.

"Oh my God," Ben laughed, moving closer to the screen in order to see the picture better. "Look at Richie in the back."

The banter continued with every picture they pulled out; there was a picture of Hannah on Bill's back, one of Levi wearing Richie's glasses, one of Levi standing on the back of Mike's bike, one of Eddie and Richie laying on the hammock at the clubhouse.

Eddie reached into the box, pulling out a Polaroid without looking and turning it over in his hands. "Look," He spoke softly, taking everyone's attention away from the photo Beverly had been talking about. In his hands, he held a strip of photo-booth pictures; in the first picture, Levi was kissing Stan's cheek, her hands on his shoulders; Stan's wide eyes gave away the fact that it had been a spontaneous movement. In the second picture, Levi was pulling away from Stan, a wide grin on her face that mirrored the one on Stan's.

In the final picture, they were both in the middle of a laughing fit, all scrunched noses and eyes squeezed shut as they leaned on each other for support. The Losers all looked at the strip of photographs, their hearts growing heavy.

"Those two would've gotten married if we didn't all forget each other," Richie piped up, his eyes soft as he remembered the pair.

"Yeah. It was kinda gross how much they liked each other." Bill shook his head fondly, playfully pulling a disgusted face.

"They loved each other, Billy." Mike corrected, his expressions turning forlorn. "Even when they both forgot everything, the feelings never left."

A small moment of silence passed, all six of them lost in remembering every moment they had with Levi and Stan and every moment they had witnessed how they were when they were together.

"Do you think they're together now?" Hannah's voice was barely above a whisper, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears.

"Oh, yeah," Richie nodded enthusiastically. "I bet they're making up for lost time." He wiggled his eyebrows, earning himself a shove from Eddie.

"Gross, Rich. Shut up," Hannah groaned, letting out a laugh as she wiped under her eyes.

"Nah, but seriously," Richie continued, his tone no longer mischievous. Instead, Richie's voice was full of tenderness and love, with the slightest tinge of yearning for the friends they had lost. "I do think they're together. That's how they were always meant to be."

They all nodded in agreement, Beverly wrapping her arm around Hannah's shoulders and bringing her into her side, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

The night went on, full of laughter and reminiscence. The air around them felt warm and light, and they themselves felt ten times lighter without the imminent threat of Pennywise hanging above them, and the knowledge that they're two lost friends safe and sound and finally with each other; Levi and Stan would always be looking over them and, this time, they wouldn't be forgotten. They'd go on to be an aunt and an uncle and the Losers would tell stories about them to their kids—stories about a boy who was always loyal and would give it all for his friends, despite his fears, and a girl who had a sharp wit and loved unconditionally.