Eddie wandered around the caravan, listening to Blondie, unfortunately for him.

He made his way around, looking through all her tapes, a lot of queen that he wouldn't have expected from her, one of the half decent artists she had. He was about to change the Blondie one that was in, but he'd thought of what her reaction would've been if she were here. He opted against it.

He walked past the kitchen, opening the door to the large cupboard, he'd told himself she'd kill him if she knew he was peaking but she wasn't there was she?

His eyes widened, she had an acoustic guitar, that he'd expected but, she also had an electric guitar.

His lip turned up into a smirk as he grabbed it, gently, walking back out to sit on a kitchen stool, guitar propped on his knee. He decided to start playing the tune to one way or another, considering it was the song that had been on. The guitar wasn't connected to anything but that didn't matter. Really it was better for him, he could still play without anyone hearing.

He was quite enjoying the time to himself, he'd been looking around at all the trinkets in the living room, after putting the guitar snug back in its place. That was until the large walkie talkie Dustin had given him started speaking, "hello, Eddie, we have a code red!" Dustin yelled down the talkie.

Eddie stumbled in his attempt to run over to the couch.

"I'm here, what's is it" Eddie muttered frustrated after his near fall, sitting on the sofa to avoid it happening again.

He'd expected something stupid, trying his best not to roll his eyes, he knew Dustin was very similar to himself, dramatic.

"It's Margaret" Dustin was totally out of breath, and sounded as if he'd been crying, "Jason, Andy and Patrick they-" he stopped, breathing again, Eddie found himself stood back up as quickly as he'd sat down, "is she back?".

His heart felt as if it was pounding against his rib cage, desperate to escape his chest. Panic filled every cell in his body. It was different to how he felt seeing Chrissy.

He was terrified of seeing it but more so because he was scared the same thing was about to happen to him, but with Margaret, he was terrified something would happen to her.

As soon as he mentioned those names Eddie felt himself become angry in a way he never had done before.

"No man, what the hell is going o-" Eddie's voice was very obviously angered.

The door flew open, a totally disheveled Margaret running in and slamming it behind her. Her hand flying to her chest while she locked the door, then pressing her back to the door and allowing herself to slide down it, due to the pure exhaustion of her running the whole way back.

Eddie made his way over to her, dripping down, one knee on the ground, the other foot flat, keeping him steady.

He took her in, her chest was rising and falling rapidly, her hair looked tugged and messy, not in the pristine ponytail it had been in when she left. She tilted her head up to look at him, that's when he seen the red, already bruising marks on her chin.

"Hey, what happened?" His voice suddenly more calm than it had been seconds again with Dustin.

He watched as she swallowed harshly, trying to catch a breath, "water" she heaved, "I need water" she pointed over to the fridge. Eddie took the order and ran over to the fridge, grabbing a bottle before finding himself in the exact position he'd been in seconds prior.

He watched as she drank nearly the whole bottle in one go, still hearing Dustin yelling down the walkie-talkie the whole time.

Something he elected to ignore.

She took another deep breath as she put the bottle on the floor. Her feet planted on the floor and knees bent up toward the roof.

Eddie decided to chance it, knowing this could make everything worse, but thinking it was worth that risk. He raised his hand, making the skin to skin contact he hadn't realised he'd craved, while his fingers touched the underside of her skin, careful not to touch the marks.

Her wide eyes met his, her lips parting ever so slightly, but no discomfort, no rejection. She let him. She needed the comfort and for someone like Eddie, he was doing surprisingly well.

He ran a thumb over the three small marks on the right side of her jaw, her face creasing at the feeling. They would bruise, something he knew for certain. He turned her head slowly to look at the one slightly larger bruising spot on the left side.

"Who did this to you?" His voice surprised her with its lowness, seriousness. She'd never heard him this way.

She found his eyes again they flashed with a kind of anger, one he hadn't even known himself capable of.

In that moment she couldn't remember the guys name, Phillip? No. Peter? No. She couldn't stop staring at his face, his nostrils flaring, his tongue moving around his cheek. Shortly after tracing his teeth. She watched as he raised his brow still awaiting an answer.

"Was it Jason?" He pushed for an answer.

She let out a shaky breath, "he didn't leave the marks no" she confirmed, "that was on of the other two, because I-" she stopped speaking, realising how crazy she was about to sound, "because I hit Jason with a bat" she waited for Eddie to laugh.

He didn't.

Although, a baffled look appeared on his face, "you did what?"

He couldn't have conveyed the pride he suddenly felt, should he have heard her right. Although it didn't seem like the type of thing she'd do, so he couldn't be sure he did in fact hear her correctly.

"He had Dustin," she began trying to justify her actions, "I just so happened to have a baseball bat in hand, so" she shrugged, "I hit him" she smiled at the thought, "and it worked, until dumb and dumber started chasing after me" she let out a slight giggle now that she had actually thought about what had happened.

She had worried that they may show up at her parents home, her - not so long ago - home, but that wouldn't matter. Her parents had left after everything had gone down, claimed they needed a break, a vacation. They left her and went off on their way.

A smirk found it's way to Eddie's lips, "badass" he felt his heart beat calm at the smile he received in return, "you doctored me, it's my turn to make sure you are okay" he spoke while removing his hand from her face and standing up.

She was about to decline his offer, but something in her told her not to.

He reached down with a hand for her to take. A hand she did take, he'd noted how shaky her hands were. He helped pull her upward toward him.

When she reached her feet she fell forward, her other hand pressing to Eddie's chest, only to steady herself. Her head rising to find his, he was already looking down at her. When she'd stood, her legs were shaky, the same way they'd always been should you sprint miles to get home.

"Sorry" she mumbled watching as Eddie's smile grew, his eyes falling downward to her hand which was still on his chest. She'd noticed how in sync his heartbeat had been with her own before quickly removing her hand.

He then looked to her other hand which still very tightly gripped his.

She let out a small gasp before moving that hand too.

He moved aside to let her walk to the sofa and sit. Him taking up the exact position she had done only nights ago. Sitting on the table, her legs clasped together between his open ones. That was after he'd grabbed a bag of pre cut carrots from the small freezer above her fridge.

"I think I might've uh-" she tried to think of the words, "hurt one of his friends too" she stopped as the lightbulb hit, "Patrick! I'm sure it was Patrick" there was that silly name that had escaped her thoughts.

Eddie raised a brow, totally intrigued by her, "what exactly did you do?" He queried, excited for her answer.

"Well he had my hair an-"

"He what?" Eddie's face had changed to a scowl yet again over the smile she'd found herself to be quite liking.

"He had grabbed my ponytail" she confirmed, "and not in a hot wa-" she stopped speaking immediately widening her eyes. What the fuck Margaret, she'd thought. That's the type of stupid shit she'd say to Chrissy. She'd essentially just told Eddie Munson she  liked to have her hair pulled.

She found Eddie's eyes which were oddly calm, slightly hazy in fact. She watched as his tongue ran over his top row of teeth, she couldn't tell how shocked he was, something he'd hidden quite well. Had she just said pulling hair could be hot? Was she into hair pulling? A smug smile grazing his lips.

"That's not what I meant" she put a hand out, "it was a joke" she then followed. Her hand finding his squeezing it slightly, trying to backtrack.

"You didn't mean it or it was a joke? Which one is it Mar" she clung onto the last word. Mar. A nickname she'd never been called before. She'd been called Maggie of course but never Mar.

She liked it.

She liked the sound of it.

Although only from his lips.

She swallowed before clearing her throat, "anyway, I turned around, but he hadn't let me go so his arm sort of twisted" she cringed at the sound, "there was this snapping sort of noise"

He felt proud of her, yet again, not that he'd stopped in the past 5 minutes. She could stick up for herself, and to Jason and his lot essentially.

He laughed enough to show his teeth for a few seconds.

She'd noted how much she did like his laughter.

How happy it had made her feel.

She watched as he raised his hand, noticing how large it was in comparison to the frozen veggie pack, how his veins were emphasised. She let her teeth dig into her lip at the sight. That was until the freezing cold bag met her face. Another gasp leaving her lips.

Eddie had remembered how much he enjoyed that sound.

A surprised little gasp.

He enjoyed surprising her, although this time it was the carrots that had done so.

He held it there, her hand cupping over his own thinking he'd want her to do it instead, but he hadn't moved his hand as she'd expected him to do. He kept it under her own. She now felt it look incredibly awkward to move hers.

"Do you have PJ's?" He'd questioned she shook her head, of course she had, but none looked out. Only the shorts sitting at the end of the sofa.

She'd taken in his appearance, he'd changed into a black T-shirt with a Metallica photo, and more black jeans, after Steve and Dustin had snuck into his caravan to grab as much clothing as possible before dropping it off while Margaret was in the room.

He indicated for her to hold the carrots.

She watched while he rummaged through his bag. He had noted just how many hell fire T-shirts he'd made himself. Plucking one out.

"It'll be a little big but it'll do" he smiled.

"Eddie, I have pyjamas in my room, just none looked out" she confirmed.

"Humour me" he held the T-shirt out to her, "please". So she did. A simply nod as she took the top from his hand into her own. Watching as he picked her brush up from the table and walking around to sit by her, "now turn so I can fix your hair"

She gave him a questioning look.

"What you think I get this" he ruffled his hair lightly, "without work? No chance sweetheart".

Sweetheart.

She turned as he'd asked her to, feeling him carefully pull the ponytail band from her messy hair, flatting it with his hands before running the brush through it, ever so gently.

Being extra careful around the one tuggy area.

He stood up afterwards, flicking his eyes down to the shorts and top she held in her hands.

"Uh, I'll go to bed now" she nodded as she stood. Mentally slapping herself for how awkwardly she'd announced her bedtime. Eddie on the other hand just covered his mouth with his hand, smiling at her awkwardness. The awkwardness he'd never known her to have, she hadn't either.

Why did she have to declare she was going to bed? What the hell was this man doing to her?