Stenbrough Nights

|Shot 66| • Returning I • |Stenbrough|

•An alternate version of Stenbrough oneshot #6 "Forever"• •Revisited•

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BILL'S POV

"May God rest his soul, as he now rests in his heavenly arms, forever. Amen"

"Amen"

The preacher closed his bible, and 6 black suited men prepared the casket to be lowered. All of Derry gathered, it seemed, but nobody besides the Losers and I gave a shit about him.

The rain fell heavily, dampening the ground, my suit, and mixed with the tears that consistently streamed down my eyes.

Why does this keep happening to me? I thought as I sobbed.

Stan was gone, his name etched in the gravestone the same way he was etched in my heart, and now I was going to have to learn how to live without him, how to breathe without him.

Pennywise was defeated, but in the process I'd lost my best friend, my laugh, my smile, my soulmate, my lover.

"I'm so sorry, Bill. Stan was a great guy" Richie comforted.

He grabbed my shoulder as we painfully watched the casket be buried.

"The best" I quivered and wiped my eyes. "H-How...how do I-I breathe w-without h-him, R-Rich?"

"I don't know, Bill. You just do, he would want you to move on, and remember him with a smile Big Bill" he smirked.

I couldn't help but curl my lip, but even Richie couldn't change the ache that coursed through my heart.

"Goodbye, Stan"

--

27 years later

"Bill...Bill? Dinner is cold, won't you come eat now?"

"In...in a minute, Audra..." I said quietly.

She looked at me with sympathy filled eyes as she softly walked towards me and placed her hand gently on my shoulder.

"What's wrong, dear? Are you still thinking about...Stanley Uris?"

I nodded and closed my eyes, trying to keep the tears from falling as they brimmed my eyes.

"It's been 27 years, Audra...I don't think I'll ever be over it. When I lost him, I lost a part of me...I lost my soulmate...my everything...27 years now I've had to live with the pain of having a part of me torn away"

Audra wrapped her arms around me as I took a moment to remember Stan. 27 years now and I still wasn't over him.

"I'm sorry, Bill. But you know, he would want you to be happy. From what you've told me about him, I'm sure he's smiling down at you right now, happy to see how grown and successful you've become" she smiled.