Once More, With Strangeness

Chapter 19

 Becca raced up the steps of the house, bursting in the door. They had all piled into Steve's car. It had been a tight squeeze but they had managed. Ivy has sat on Robin's lap in the backseat with Malcolm and Becca squeezed in next to them. But she knew they had to get back here as quickly as possible so they could figure out what to do next.

Max, Lucas, Mike, El, and Will were already back, sitting around the living room in various states of dejectedness at not finding Dustin. Eddie, Joyce, and Hopper hadn't returned yet. Becca had been hoping everyone would be here so they could get moving, figure out what they were going to do. Every minute that Spike had Dustin was a minute too long.

She knew she had to let Eddie know as soon as possible but damn if she didn't want to. Becca had no doubt that he was going to do something insanely dangerous and probably really stupid. He would risk everything if it meant saving Dustin. She couldn't blame him and while she understood the need to do so, it didn't stop her from fearing the repercussions that could follow.

Mike's head shot up at her hurried entrance, "Did you guys find something?"

"Yeah," she answered as the others ran in behind her. "Steve talked to Dustin's neighbor and she saw what could only be Spike creeping around Dustin's house earlier in the night. He had to have taken him."

"Shit," Lucas muttered, covering his face with his hands.

"What would the vampire want with Dustin?" asked Max. "It doesn't make sense. He doesn't have powers. He's not a slayer. He's just a kid...I mean, he's insanely smart, possibly a certified genius, but he's just a kid."

"It could be that he is using Dustin as bait," Malcolm offered, walking into the kitchen. He began opening and closing cabinets.

"What do you mean bait and what are you doing?" Becca asked.

"I mean, if he has been watching you for some time, he not only would have seen how destroyed you were at the loss of Eddie. He also would have seen how close you and Dustin have become," Malcolm answered, closing the last cabinet with a sigh. "And I am looking for tea. I could use a cup right now. It helps me focus. Surely you have some tea?"

"When have you ever known me to drink tea?" Becca asked.

"Well, most people keep tea on hand for guests," Malcolm sighed.

"Do you think I've had many guests since I started living here?" Becca huffed. "I was new to this town and was a raging bitch to everyone I actually knew. Not to mention completely sunk in a black oblivion of despair. I wasn't what you'd call great company. People weren't exactly coming round for a cuppa every afternoon."

"Hmm, well we have to remedy that," Malcolm commented, grabbing a glass and filling it at the sink with water. He took a long drink. "Next time I am near a shop, I will buy some tea bags for you to keep on hand. You must have tea available for company."

Becca rolled her eyes. "You mean for you. No one else here drinks tea."

"I actually like a cup on occasion," Ivy said.

Robin smiled. "It's true. We have tea bags at our apartment for the random moments when Ivy decides she wants a cup. It's usually when she's reading or deep in research."

"Okay, while all this talk of tea is awesome," Steve interrupted, "could we maybe get back to the topic at hand. What is this Spike guy doing with Dustin and where would he take him?"

"If he was taking Dustin to bait me, why wouldn't he have let us know he had him?" Becca asked. "We have no idea where he'd be. He doesn't have a lair around here that we know of. If he wanted me to come to him, wouldn't he be taunting us? Leaving us some clues so we could find him?"