Touch Of Death

I knew my dad was back,

"No! Max Edward Hargrove get that marker away from your sisters face!"Billy yelled through the phone, I smiled to myself.

"Is El and Mike there yet?"

"No, but they should be here soon- Mattie don't eat that!"

"Sounds like you've got your hands full, hey listen, don't let him out of your sight okay? I don't want to take any risks."I sighed putting the car in park, looking at my surroundings.

"I know, Bea I know. Hey look I gotta go- Max is feeding Mattie crayons. I love you, bye."

"I love you too, bye."I hung up, throwing the phone in the passenger seat, grabbing the flowers. I pulled the sun visor down grabbing a picture out looking at it, it was a picture of Matt and Eddie, one of their last photos taken together.

I put the picture back getting out, making my way up the small hill, shoving my free hand in my pocket.

I stepped up to the two stones, "Hey guys."

I looked at the graves, sitting in front of them putting the flowers down.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to come see you guys, I really miss you though. Hell I named both my kids after you idiots. Man I really miss you, oh Matt, you would've loved Max and Mattie, especially Mattie, she is just like you it's scary. Billy gets annoyed with her, how much she reminds him of you and your stubbornness. And Eddie, you can really tell how much Dustin Mike and Lucas miss you, their always telling Will how great you were, and how you and him would've gotten along so well. Max always asks me to tell him stories about you two, and I never seem to run out of things to tell him. It's like, each day a new memory comes back to me, and it's amazing-"

"Eddie really enjoyed that brother of yours, always talked about him."I turned around at the unfamiliar voice.

I sighed when I recognized him to be Eddie's uncle.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, I was coming up to clean off their graves and I saw you. How are you?"

"I'm good, how are you?"I stood up, brushing my hands off.

"I'm better, it's still pretty hard without him. It was really hard at first, not knowing what really happened to him, or where his body was. Or is. I heard you have a couple kids of your own,"

"Yeah, I have two, Max and Mattie. I actually named Max after Eddie, Max Edwars Hargrove."I smiled, sticking my hands in my pockets.

"So you and Neil's boy are still together huh?"he smiled

"Yeah, eight years this spring."I smiled

"Yeah, Neil told me you guys have been together longer than him and his ex."

That's a weird thing to tell someone, and when could he have told him that?

"Oh really? We're you friends with Neil?"

"I am yeah, I actually just had breakfast with him. He mentioned to me he heard you two were back for a bit."

"Oh!"I nodded, looking down at my car, "Y'know it was really nice catching up with you, Mr.Munson, but I gotta head back to Billy and the kids. Y'know how dad's can be when their left alone with kids."

"Yeah yeah, definitely. Have a good day Beatrice!"

****

"Are you okay?"Billy asked, sitting on the bed next to me.

"Yeah,"I nodded, "actually no, when I was at their grave, Eddie's uncle was there, and he told me something."

"What?"

"Your dad's here in Hawkins."I looked up at him, he stared at me with his mouth parted open.

"He is?"

"I guess,"I shrugged, rubbing my hands together, staring at him nervously.

"Ok,"he nodded, standing up, rubbing his hands on his legs, looking around, stumbling on his words than finally walking out.

I sighed, looking down at the crib next to me, "I may have just fucked all of this up Mattie."

She stared up at me, before smiling.

"Bea!"Billy yelled, his voice in a panic, I looked down at Mattie who was in the middle of being picked up, I hurriedly grabbed her running out of the room, holding her head tightly.

I ran where Billy's voice was coming from, him and Jonathan were hovering something on the floor while Nancy stood back with her hand on her mouth and stomach.

Jonathan backed up letting me see what it was, "Max!"

I handed Nancy Mattie, rushing to Maxs side, staring at his face.

"What's wrong with him?"I cried, looking at Jonathan.

"I think he might be possessed, by Vecna or the mind flayer or something, this is exactly what Will did when the mind flayer was in him."

I looked back down, watching his eyes flickering rapidly.

"How'd you get it out?"

******

"Are you sure this will work?"I looked down at my baby, sweating like crazy.

"Yes, it freed Will."

"But what if this isn't like Will? What if it's like Max, what if this isn't him being possessed like Will to be his minion, what if it's like Max getting possessed to be killed like him."I looked between everyone, Billy ran his hands over his face walking away.

"Don't think like that."Nancy scrunched her face.

I just looked at her and followed after Billy.

"I didn't come back here, to might loosing my son, and get abused by my dad again."

"What? You saw him?"I asked, confused since he's been with me since I told him his dad was back.

"Love, I knew my dad was back, the third day of us being here, I was out in town, and I ran into my dad, and he took us to the back alley, to talk, and I was dumb enough to follow, and he beat me, for every little thing that's happened in my life in the last seven years."he looked down, lifting his shirt, I gasped, running my fingers down his badly bruised torso.