Hell & Back

Chapter Sixteen

Eddie woke up and looked around, the room was dark and instinctively he looked over expecting to see Steve strumming away quietly in the corner. He looked down to see Chrissy laying beside him but with her back to him. She was still upset about what happened, but he wasn't sure if it was what the boy said or the fact that she though she had let him down.

When he came out of the bathroom from showering earlier in the night he found her crying under the blankets. She didn't push him away as he whispered to her and wrapped an arm around her as he laid down, and she had even smiled a little. She wouldn't tell him what was wrong and he didn't want to pry, instead he held her until she fell asleep and than fell asleep himself.

You can't save her he heard Vecna's voice say in his head. "Your not here." He said low but firm. This was only his fear taking, he had seen Vecna and he knew he wasn't strong enough to open the door. We are bound together the voice said with a laugh. "No!" Eddie said almost screaming. He jumped out of the bed and stood beside it, looking down at a sleeping Chrissy. Apparently he hadn't been as loud as he though he had been.

Eddie walked over to the desk and looked out the window. At first he seen his own reflection. His hair almost blended in with the night. The black ink of his tattoo stood out more against his pale skin, than they had before going to the upside down. He knew under his shirt were the scars from bite marks and scratches. Permanent reminders that it wasn't a nightmare.

If Vecna was in his mind than that meant he could  be in Steve's too. Eddie looked down at the ground, there was no way he could make it out the window without hurting himself, and he wasn't sure about going out the front door. Eddie wasn't use to having to sneak around when he wanted to leave and was a bit rusty on how to go about it.

He reached down and took his jacket off the desk chair and had it halfway on when he turned and seen Chrissy sleeping soundly. It stopped him dead in his tracks, he couldn't leave her she was in danger to. The moonlight was lighting her hair in blonde and red streaks, she had rolled over and he could see her face. "Shit.Shit....Shit." He said sitting down and running his hands back through his hair.

Only been back one day and your already messing shit up, he thought to himself. "Are you okay?" Chrissy's voice broke through his thought. He looked up and met her eyes, she was still half asleep but was trying to look concerned. He had to smile at her and tried not to laugh as her hair fell down in her eyes. "Yeah, babe. I'm okay." He said standing up and walking over to the bed. "Still on Upside Down time." He climbed into bed and Chrissy laid her head down on his chest.

"Is it hard being back?" Chrissy asked running her fingers up and down his chest. He thought for a moment putting his arm around her and holding her tight against him. "Yes and No." He said with a sigh as he looked up at the ceiling. "It's weird being back. I keep expecting to see Steve laughing in the corner every time I wake up or see him asleep in the corner, he never could stay up through a whole watch. I think I hear the bats pounding or Vecna laughing sometimes but than I turn and it's just in my head."

"On the other hand." He started taking her hand with his free one "I have dreamt of being right here with you, every night for three hundred and fifty nine days. Don't doubt that I'm happy to be here, it's just gonna take me some time to get use to the fact this isn't a dream." Chrissy looked up at him and pulled herself up in order to kiss him. Eddie pulled her the rest of the way so she was now sitting on top of him.

Chrissy woke up to the sound of someone knocking. "Chrissy, time to get up, school day." He moms voice said and she heard the door knob turn. She had locked the door but a panic still set in for a moment. "I'm getting dressed." Chrissy called trying to untangle herself from the blankets without waking Eddie up. Eddie, that's right, he couldn't stay here but where could he go?

Chrissy got up and rushed around to get ready. She pulled on jeans and a pink long sleeved shirt. It felt weird wearing her own clothes again but Eddie would need his now, the thought made her smile over at him. "Hey, come on, wake up." She said shaking his arm. "Waaake uuuupp, my love" He tried to roll over but she kept shaking him. "Good morning." She said when he finally looked at her sleepy and annoyed. "Good morning, beautiful." He said in a voice deep with sleep

"Why did you wake me?" He moaned out pulling the covers back up. "Because." She said pulling them back down "I have to go to school." He never but his shirt back on last night and she could see the red scars from bites. She lightly traced the one by his hip bone and he let out a sigh. "You can't wake me up and tease me all in the same twenty minutes." He said with a smile on his face. "Will you walk with me?" She said and he opened his eyes to look at her "Oh course, babe. I gotta go see Steve this morning anyway." He said sitting up.

Ten minutes later he came out of the bathroom wide awake, she smiled as she watched him sit in the chair and pull his boots on. "Do I have something in my hair?" He asked making her smile at the memory "Actually no, not this time." She said walking towards the door. "My mom left early this morning, some meeting, with some club." Chrissy said waving her hand absently. "Lead the way, your highness." Eddie said bowing as he walked up to her. "I'm not a queen anymore, I'm a freak." She said with a smile which he only returned.

The walked to school talking about what their days would consist of. Eddie was going to see Steve and than stop by and see his bandmates. Chrissy was going to actually make an effort like she promised and avoided Vecna's creepy sidekick. They walked hand in hand to the parking lot of the school when Chrissy stopped. "Embarrassed?" Eddie asked half joking "I don't want to leave you." She said seriously not meeting his eyes. 

"Hey, I'll be right here when your sentence is up." He said lifting her chin so her eyes met his. "I promise." He finished and kissed her. He pulled her into a hug after and than noticed everyone was staring at them, he wasn't use to that anymore, honestly he wasn't use to people anymore. "We have an audience. Should we bow?" He asked her and could feel her giggling against his chest. "I have to go, I love you." She said and gave him a quick peck. "Hope it goes fast, babe. I love you too." He said and watched her walk into the building. 

He looked around and pulled out a cigarette, all these people staring was making him anxious. He started walking towards the video store where Steve and Robin to work. Steve had mentioned before that an didn't like being home so it made sense to check everywhere else first. 

Poor Eddie, so scared to be alone anymore, how is he ever going to keep his little girlfriend safe? He heard Vecna's voice again. Bastard. Eddie kept walking but the voice kept getting louder and louder Maybe I'll make you watch as my pets tear little Chrissy apart, or should Steve go first? It said with a laugh. Eddie started walking faster. Face it you can't keep them both safe, you can't even keep yourself safe, remember you are no hero.

"Get out of my head!" He yelled out, he put his hands over his ears and sat down on the curb. "Eddie, hey man are you okay?" He heard a voice ask, he looked up to see his bassist standing over him. "I need to find Steve Harrington. You seen him?" Eddie said looking up at him "You and Harrington are friends?" He asked looking shocked. "We are something, you seen him or not?" Eddie asked getting a little impatient but finally standing up. "Yeah, in the video store with that band chick." Eddie didn't say anything else, he just ran towards the store.