Steve and Dustin hunch over to peel the large leafy bushes away from their faces as they stalk through this random Forrest close by Lovers lake.

"You're certain this is where she said they were?" Steve huffed, continuing to push through, Dustin behind him, not being the one of the duo getting smacked in the face with branches.

The pair had also been tracking down A Skull Rock which Dustin was intent on finding, Steve hadn't entirely understood why but he was looking for it just the same for his friend.

"Boom!" Steve shouted again before Dustin could answer his initial question, "Skull Rock, in your face man, in your stupid little cocky face"

The older of the two stood cockily with his hands on his hips awaiting Dustin's response.

"But that doesn't make any sense"

Steve lifted his hand to mock his counter part, "yea yea even with it staring you right in the face you can't admit it, you just can't admit that you're wrong you little butthead"

Margaret listened from the distance shaking her head at Steve's name calling.

Eddie had a more upfront approach, jumping down from a tree to stand beside the two, while Margaret found it easier just to walk out.

"I conquer, you Dustin Henderson are a total butthead" Eddie looked ahead at the pairs shocked faces, Steve looking over Margaret's way as Dustin walked towards Eddie.

"Jesus man we thought you were a goner" Dustin turned back to find Margaret who was stood by Steve still, "we thought both of you were".

Margaret had wandered away to find the exact coordinates of where her father died, as Dustin had requested, a bit of an odd task but she did it. More so because it gave her time to wander, with Nancy that was.

The two girls walked in silence for the first few minutes, not really knowing what to say to each other.

"I uh- I'm sorry about your father" Nancy stuttered, unsure if that was the right thing to say about now, but creased her brows soon after when Margaret simply shrugged.

She turned to look at Nancy who was very much portraying the what the fuck look.

"No no, I'm not heartless I swear" Margaret held her hands up in defence, "but he was" she kicked a stone that was in front of her foot at her somewhat admission to Nancy Wheeler of all people.

"Oh" Nancy muttered, "well, I'm sorry for that too"

Margaret laughed at Nancys apology, not in a horrid way, more in a sympathetic manner, Nancy really was trying her best but didn't really know how to comfort her.

"You know I heard you talking to Robin earlier" Margaret gave Nancy a knowing look only to be met with her puzzled one, "about Jonathan" she confirmed, receiving a tense nod from Nancy, "you deserve to be loved entirely, not halfheartedly, I hope you know that Wheeler" the odd sappiness catching Nancy off guard.

Nancy cleared her throat to fill the silence while she thought of a response, "yea well, unfortunately I don't know that there is someone to do so".

Margaret stopped dead in her tracks looking at Nancy with a tilted head and the seriously look she knew too well.

"Don't bullshit me, you and I both know that's not true" Margaret continued to march ahead again.

Steve loved Nancy wholeheartedly.

"You have someone who loves you entirely" Nancy countered catching up to Margaret again, "Eddie seems fairly fond of you".

Margaret stopped again looking down, "it was here".

"So uh-" Nancy tried to think of a polite way to say what she was about to say, "where is the body?" 

Nope, there was no polite way to say it.

"No idea" Margaret shrugged again, "Eddie and I walked back towards the lake to see if there was any sign of Patrick's body and when we returned it was gone" she looked up at Nancy from the bent knee potion she found herself in whole talking, "although, he died at the exact same time as Patrick, or so we think"

"The same time the flashlights went out" Nancy muttered under her breath.

"So it seems Wheeler" Margaret stood straight again, "we should really get back no?" 

Upon their arrival back to Skull Rock the were greeted by Steve and Dustin arguing yet again, peaceful as always, Margaret had thought, rolling her eyes.

Her eyes soon after finding Eddies, already looking her way.

A small smile finding her lips.

Before she could make her way to him everyone had already started to follow Dustin on a trail to god knows where, Nancy had caught up with Steve who Margaret assumed would be filling her in.

So she did the only sensible thing and walked toward Eddie, "so, what did I miss?"

"Well, Henderson believes there's another gate, somewhere around here" he looked down to find Margaret's gaze, "so, we are headed to find it" he confirmed with a nod.

"But, you are still a very much wanted man" she reminded Eddie who again just hummed in agreement.

Eddie took Margaret's hand briefly to give it a squeeze, "how are you feeling, you know after last night, what you saw?" He looked genuinely concerned for her, dropping her hand lightly after he'd spoke.

She had wished he kept a hold of it, but he hadn't.

"I um-" she paused, "I'm surprised" her answer wasn't as he expected, something that became very clear to her by his facial reaction, "I know this makes me sound like an awful person but, I thought I'd have to live the way I have forever" Eddie felt his heart break at the slight voice shake as she spoke, "I never thought I'd be able to escape him, and now I have, but he's dead and I can't say that's entirely what I wanted but.." she trailed off not knowing what to say.

"But it's a relief?" Eddie knew he may have been speaking out of turn but he did so anyway.

Margaret gave a curt and quick nod, she widened her eyes at her sheer rudeness, "how are you feeling Eddie? You had to witness that all over again, I can't imagine.." he'd watched what had happened to Chrissy on a reply right before his very eyes again, while being hunted down by Jason, "I can only apologise for my fathers part in them finding you".

Eddie shook his head pulling her in with an over the shoulders tug.

"Don't worry about me Mar, I was just worried about you, when I seen him floating, all I could think about was how you had been left alone with that.. monster, I just needed to find you"

Hours had gone by, the skies were dark, and Dustin had now - when everyone was already tired - began running ahead.

Mumbles, grumbles and curses came out of everyone else's lips as he stalked towards the waters edge.

Everyone catching up and stopping abruptly at the sight of the water.

"There's a gate in lovers lake?" Max looked out to the infinite looking depth of water, looking toward Margaret who shrugged.

"Maybe Vecna has always left an opening" Nancy suggested.

"Yea only one way to find out" Steve muttered.

Steve and Eddie had produced a boat and started loading Robin and Nancy on when Eddie stepped on, Margaret going to follow after him, "wow wow wow, no chance" he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Move Edward" she pushed his hand away and stepped on the boat, sitting by Robin at the back.

Steve had stepped in last after Eddie had pushed Dustin out too, claimed the boat only held 4 people, 5 max and there was now 5 of them on the worryingly small boat.

After at least 15 minutes of Robin and Eddie rowing Margaret had picked up on Nancy and Steve's longing glances shaking her head at the pair of them and their pure stupidity.

They were totally in love with each other and you'd have to be dead not to see it.

Well, dead or being Nancy and Steve who obviously shared a brain cell between them when it came to knowing love when they see it.

"Wow! Stop" Nancy yelled ahead to Eddie and Robin holding out the compass which was going crazy in her hand.

Margaret took a hold of the compass studying it while Robin and Dustin spoke back and forth.

Margaret seeing in her peripheral vision, that Steve was taking his socks off.

"Wow, what are you doing?" She looked at him and his trotters with a rather disgusted look on her face, something that made Eddie let out a small chuckle.

"Somebody's gotta go down there and check this thing out" Nancy looked as if she were ready to protest but held back, "unless one of you four can top being a Hawkins high swim co captain and a certified life guard for 3 years then it's gotta be me, no complaints alright" he smiled to Nancy sarcastically while standing up.

"No complaints from me that's for sure" Margaret received a rather harsh look from Nancy after speaking.

It became apparent to both Robin and Margaret that Nancy was totally eye stalking Steve while he took his top off.

Before anyone else could say much Steve had dived in, torch wrapped up in a bag to look.

Nancy only seemed to be on edge the entire time.

Margaret held back from a rather loud screech at the sight of Steve diving up out the water after being under for what seemed like 5 minutes.

"I found it" he spoke breathlessly clinging on to the boat, "It's wild, it's more of a snack size gate than the mama gate but-" he stopped talking after being hurled back under the water, Margaret leaning over the boat as she was the closest to where Steve was, decided to stick her hand in the water.

"Steve! Grab my hand" she yelled trying to look down, in hopes of catching a glimpse of him.

She did see something hoping it was him and sticking her hand in further, enough to soak the entire sleeve of the jumper style top she had on.

Only it wasn't Steve, that she knew as soon as something long and thin wrapped around her wrist, yanking her down forcefully into the water, Eddie doing his best to try and grab her but missing due to the sheer speed she was pulled at.

Margaret could only hold her breath and open her eyes to see what was grabbing her.

Some bat looking thing, pulling her towards a large red gate, no sign of Steve anywhere, she tried to kick upward to the boat but had no luck.

Only being pulled closer to the red throbbing gate into what she could only assume to be this upside down, screaming the word shit as it pulled her only to come out as bubbles.

She had used the last of her breath, thinking this was it for her when she felt a sudden surge of air.

Opening her eyes to find bats flying around above her with a red sky, groaning and yelling reaching her ears as she sat up after being dropped flat on her back.

Steve.

Steve was pinned down to the ground by theses things, trying to pull them off. One wrapped tightly around his neck.

She did what any other irrational person would and ran toward him.

"AHHH" she yelled to get their attention whilst grabbing one of the ones that clung to his stomach, ripping it out and swinging it around mercilessly like a different type of bat, a baseball bat, to smack all the other ones that were headed their way.

It had worked for about 10 seconds before there was too many. One digging it's teeth into the flesh of her upper arm causing a blood curdling scream to come out her mouth.

"Margaret-" Steve spoke weakly while being chocked out.

She dropped down to her knees while another one of these bats dug it's teeth into the top of her back at the other side.

Grabbing the bat around Steve's neck trying to unwrap it as much as she possibly could.

"Shit I can't- ahhh" she yelped at the pain from her arm.

The pair looked at each other one last time, almost in acceptance of what was about to happen to them, Margaret nodded still trying to untangle this bat from his neck, not focusing on all the bats swarming her.

They were going to die here.

And she'd never get to tell Eddie she loved him.