Chapter 46, To Mordor
(Ep. 6: The Dive)

In the following day, there was an unavoidable tension surrounding the group. With Gwen's condition having been revealed, a new sense of overprotection became present. If everything had been full of distress before, it was now one-hundred percent worse.

But not everything had been a tragedy.

A strange occurrence happened during the time Gwen and Steve were outside. The flashlights started flashing in an odd way in the attic -- the same way they did whenever it involved anything regarding the Upside Down.

It was then when their theory was confirmed and the Creel House was actually Vecna's home.

Currently, the group was cramped in Nancy's station wagon discussing how they would tell Eddie their plan to help him had proven much harder than before. Driving was Nancy, who was having her separate conversation with Robin and Daphne.

And in the back, there was Gwen and Steve.

"Dude, leave some for the rest of us!" Steve leaned forward to remove the can of Pringles from Dustin. He acquired a few chips and then handed the container to her, who was trying her hardest to keep her personal space intact.

Dustin groaned in annoyance, "I'm hungry!"

Gwen took a few chips and handed the can back to him, much to Steve's dismay. She tried to avoid glancing his way, but the small space made it much harder. Her hand instinctively reached for her necklace, the chain fiddling against her fingers nervously, but it was then when she remembered the ring he gave her was in it.

Steve noticed a change, but didn't recognize it was linked to his ring.

His warmth radiated onto her, its comfort becoming intense and colliding with the coldness from within. He felt her trembling, so subtle yet noticeable.

She slightly shifted, her gaze setting onto the blur of trees and disappearing roads.

He winced at her action, but eventually mirrored her movements.

Ever since last night, Gwen had been struggling to believe his declaration actually happened. Many months had been spent dreaming of the improbable, but now that it occurred, she refused to accept a dreamy truth. It was inconceivable, truly unfathomable...

Because how could someone with a heart like his love a heart like hers?

She was damaged goods, entirely shattered and continuing to crack. No one in their right mind would willingly stay, because why would they?

She wasn't special.

She was simply ordinary.

"Wait, what's with all the cops?" Daphne's sudden voice interrupted.

But it was a few seconds later when she realized what was said.

Reefer Rick's home was swarmed with cops, reporters, and a few locals. The sheriff was speaking to a news outlet and kept gesturing to the building out back.

Nancy pulled over a little far from the scene, but Dustin quickly got off before she could put the car into park.

Gwen hurried after him, scolding him in a whisper, "Never run off like that!"

"I need to know if Eddie's been caught," Dustin whispered back, eyes darting toward the cops and the boat house in the very back. "Do you think he did?"

"I'm not sure, but I seriously hope not," she hovered behind him, moving a few branches out of the way and staring at the scene attentively.

Everything was running smoothly until Steve had the brilliant idea of storming toward them, nearly causing them to fall face down to the ground.

"Can you be careful for once?" Dustin complained, earning an eye roll from Steve, who got closer and gestured at the others to join.

"We made our way to the shore of Lover's Lake, about ten yards away from that house behind me," Officer Powell pointed to Reefer Rick's home, his gaze never once leaving the camera directed at him and Callahan. "It was there that we found the victim, an 18 year old senior from Hawkins High, Patrick McKinney."

Gwen felt her heart drop as she remembered Patrick from the times she attended Steve's basketball games. He was one grade below her, so they never spoke, but if she wasn't mistaken, he was friends with Lucas.

"We have also identified another person of interest," Powell held up a photograph, "Eddie Munson."

"This is not good. Really not good."

Just as Powell finalized his statement, the swarm of reporters began firing questions at him. All of them were ignored and the Hawkins Crew took advantage of the chaos to head back to the vehicle.

But, then, Dustin's walkie started going off.

"Dustin, can you hear me? Wheeler?"

The group huddled into a circle, each exchanging relieved looks at not having to do another man-hunt like earlier. At least this task would be somewhat easier once they figure out where exactly Eddie was hiding.

"Eddie! Holy shit!" Dustin exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

There was silence for a brief moment, indicating he was far from being alright. If Patrick died by Lover's Lake, it was safe to assume Eddie could have witnessed everything. Witnessing Chrissy's death took a toll on him, so it was a certainty this second encounter left him with another scar.

"Nah, man," Eddie admitted, and took a shaky breath. "Pretty... pretty goddamn far from okay."

"Where is he?" Robin asked.

"Where are you?" Dustin then questioned.

"Skull Rock, do you know it?"

"I do," Steve blurted out almost too quickly and nervously glanced in Gwen's direction. "I've been there before so... I can guide you."

Gwen held back the urge to smile as she remembered all the nights spent there. Those late night drives were always her favorite and not just because of the sex, but they were also able to have long conversations about anything.

She never thought she'd be returning with him this way, but it was still a definite triumph.

"Hold on tight, Eddie," Dustin told him. "We're on our way."

"Come on, let's go," Steve ordered, and led the way to the wagon. "Nance, can I have your keys, please?"

Nancy reached into her pockets, slightly hesitant to let anyone else drive her car, "If you leave a scratch on her, I will destroy you."

"I'm an amazing driver, so screw you for thinking otherwise."

Dustin's patience was wearing thin at their joking inconvenience, "Can you guys shut up and focus here?"

Gwen lightly whacked him on the back of his head, earning the harshest of glares. "Stop being such a cranky pants for once. We know where he is, so stop worrying for a split second."

He scoffed, "I have every right to worry. At least I care for others unlike you."

There was one thing that hadn't been mentioned. After her curse had been revealed, Dustin was giving her the cold shoulder for having kept it a secret. She had been trying to speak to him, but every time she got remotely close, he managed to switch the topic or give one of his remarks. It wasn't like Gwen could blame him for that since he had every right to be angry, seeing if it had been Dustin in her place, she would've been furious.

She could only hope he wouldn't be angry for long since she wasn't sure how much time she had left, and God forbid she leaves this world without having made amends.

__________________

With Steve and Dustin leading the way while arguing on where exactly Skull Rock was, the rest of the group trailed after them in complete silence. Every now and then, Gwen would look back to make sure Max and Lucas were still following all while trying to ignore the elephant in place.

"Whatever it is you want to say, just give it to me straight," she broke the silence, causing Nancy, Robin, and Daphne to turn their heads at her.

Nancy held the brown paper bag tighter as she slightly turned, "Were you ever planning on telling us?"

Gwen sighed heavily as she placed her hands into her pockets, now attempting to avoid not just Nancy's accusatory look, but Robin and Daphne's as well. "I don't know. I just- I didn't say anything because I didn't want any attention to be taken from Max. She needs to be kept safe and-"

"You also need to be kept safe," Robin said, and gestured to everyone. "There's plenty of us and we're more than ready to protect you both."

"Vecna better think twice before striking again," Daphne mimicked a karate chop and softly smiled at her.

Gwen held her arms together, uncertain of what more to say. Even if she tried arguing against their involvement, it was extremely unlikely that they would let her surrender to this curse. Her friends were the most determined people to exist that hoping for their defeat would be like the seasons never changing.

"I know things have been... tough," Nancy clutched tighter to the paper bag, staring ahead. "Everything went downhill since the fire and nothing can ever be the same, but I just- I just want you to know that even if things changed, us being here for you never will."

"Exactly!" Robin exclaimed, nearly jumping in excitement. "We're tied for life and it's not because of this end-of-the-world doom and gloom, but because through it all, we're actually friends."

Daphne nodded, "Robin's right. I know I recently joined and I haven't been the greatest friend, but when that asshole comes back, I'm willing to do anything to make sure you come back to us in one piece."

"We'll make him pay for everything," Nancy promised.

"And send him back to hell," Robin added, "If it even exists or even back to the Upside Down... but dead, or maybe here and we can just-"

Daphne cut off her rambles by reaching for her hand, "I think she gets it, Rob."

This was exactly what Gwen had been trying to avoid. She was more than appreciative knowing she had people that cared for her, but it was nerve wracking knowing they would risk themselves to protect her. If anything were to happen to any of them because of her, she would never forgive herself.

"That's the thing," she spoke softly, "I don't want you guys to risk yourself. It's not worth it and I don't-"

"Nuh uh," Robin waved her finger to her face, nearly poking her in the eye. "Don't say it's not worth it, because it is. If I have to slap some sense into you, best believe I'd gladly do so."

"Oh really?" Gwen spoke in a serious tone that resembled teasing more than anything. "I'd like to see you try then."

In a sudden movement, Robin outstretched her hand forward. If it weren't for Gwen's reflexes, her palm would have struck her across the face, "You moved! That's not fair!"

She stared at her with widened eyes and mouth slightly open, "You were actually going to hit me!"

"You told me to try!" Robin pointed out, the four of them now bursting into a fit of laughter.

"I love you guys," Daphne tossed her arms around them and squeezed them into a tight huddle. "Sorry, I know that was cringe."

Nancy lightly chuckled, "Kind of was."

"This is getting cheesy," Gwen softly laughed and slowly leaned away. Her gaze softened as she looked at each of her friends, "Thank you for this. I really needed it."

Robin linked her arm with hers and the other with Daphne's. She glanced behind her shoulder to check on Max and Lucas, but then set her gaze on Steve and how much he kept doing the same to Gwen.

(Maybe it would be a long shot, but she needed to try to do something to help.)

"Oh, my God, they're so adorable. I just wanna squeeze 'em, you know?" Robin nodded toward Max and Lucas, a hint of mischief gathering in her eyes.

"What?" Nancy muttered under her breath.

"If I'm permitted to see a silver lining in this doomsday crap, it would be the rekindling of old flames that never should've been snuffed out," Robin's words ran a mile a minute, her hands flailing in emphasis. "I didn't mean that as a hint or anything."

Gwen already knew where this was headed.

"But, if I did mean that as a hint, would that be so terrible?" Robin continued, staring firmly into her. "Would it truly be awful for me to wish happiness for my friends?"

"Are you trying to imply something about me and..." Gwen tensed as she caught a glimpse of Steve looking her way. She never considered herself the type to weaken at a man's attention, but when it came to him, everything that didn't make sense suddenly did. It just so happened that this was happening in front of her friends' prying eyes.

Nancy's gaze flickered between them, a soft smile tugging at her lips, "I think she is trying to imply that you and Steve should have never gone your separate ways."

An unintentional wince made itself present.

Gwen didn't want to discuss her love life when the world was going into shambles. If there even was a love life. She understood this was just coming from her friends' concerns and wishes to see them back together, but this was more... complicated.

She was still cursed.

And a part of her was still questioning if she even had the strength to continue.

"You winced!" Daphne jabbed an accusatory finger at her. "I saw you very clearly!"

"What? No, I didn't!" Gwen hastily removed herself from their arms in an attempt to avoid the subject.

(Even if it'd be useless either way.)

"Don't even think about it," Nancy quickened her pace to block her path. She now walked with her back facing Dustin and Steve, ensuring to keep her eyes firmly locked into hers, "You definitely winced and we all saw it."

Robin raised her hand for a high five that surprisingly Nancy took and gave to Daphne. "You see? Nance saw it and whatever she says is right."

Gwen ran her hand through her hair, internally cursing, "I don't know what you guys want from me. It's, like, you want a rundown of everything happening between us when there's not even an us to begin with."

Daphne narrowed her eyes, confused, "But, there is an us. There's always been."

Nancy then pointed to the chain holding the ring, "If there wasn't, you wouldn't be wearing the ring he gave you."

Gwen swallowed thickly.

"And your silence is saying tons," Robin pointed out.

"Steve and I, we're just friends," Gwen spoke in a lower to avoid him from listening. "Well, we're going to try."

Nancy groaned in frustration, "Ugh, why? It's obvious you still have feelings for each other."

"It doesn't matter," she argued.

"Oh, but it does matter," Daphne said.

Nancy nodded, "A lot."

"Okay, fine," Gwen finally said, accepting defeat. "He told me still loves me last night and as much as I want to believe him, I can't help but worry that he only said that because I'm cursed. I mean, he can't still love me. Not when I've been awful to him and broke our promise. It's just... not possible."

"He still wears it, Gwen," Robin blurted out, staring between her and Steve.

She halted, confused, "What?"

"The ring," Robin clarified. "He still wears it in that chain you gave him. He still has your photos and listens to that Cyndi Lauper song on repeat. Believe me when I say that Steve meant every word he said and if you feel the same, tell him."

(Oh, how much those words tilted her world on its axis.)

A longing, tethered by past and present, made itself noticeable in her eyes. It had been masked with coldness, hidden behind impassiveness or reproach. Attempts at denying the obvious had been senseless from both parties, but more so in one.

It just so happened that life had a cruel fate already written.

And it was just a matter of when the past and present would be forced to collide.

(Oh, how much she loved him.)

"She's right," Nancy agreed, but her expression faltered into unease, as if taking the advice to heart. "You need to be honest with him. Being truthful is necessary and it will make your relationship healthier."

Gwen noticed.

"Alright, give it to us," she said, "What's going on with you and Jonathan?"

Nancy winced, "Nothing's wrong. We're fine."

Daphne raised a curious brow, "Come on, Nance. You flinched as well."

"Or winced, either one of those," Robin chimed in.

"And your voice got high when you said 'fine'," Gwen pointed out.

"It's just..." Nancy sighed heavily, staring down at her interlocked hands. "He was supposed to be here for break, and then he backed out at the last minute for some vague, mumbly Jonathan reason. And, to be honest, I'm not that surprised because I've been feeling him pulling away. And I don't know if it's because we're 2,000 miles away or if he met someone new or what, and now I can't find out why because apparently he's blown up his family's house phone or something."

(Yeah, long distance relationships were definitely harder than it seemed.

Especially when lack of communication was the root of the problem.)

"So, yeah, if mentioning him caused a slight muscle spasm on my face, that's... probably why."

Robin faintly nodded, "Seems like a perfectly reasonable reason to flinch, wince, or something."

"He's such an idiot," Gwen rolled her eyes, disappointed at how much lack of communication there was between him and Nancy.

Every time she tried asking how things were going between them, Jonathan always changed the subject or dismissed it by saying something along the lines of, 'We're doing great. Totally perfect.'

She should've known better and caught on to his lies.

"You got that right," Nancy agreed. "Did he mention anything to you? Something that indicates he's not happy?"

"He always said things were great, but that's it."

"Of course he did," she mumbled, rolling her eyes in frustration.

"This doesn't make sense!" Dustin suddenly exclaimed, causing the group to walk faster in his direction.

"Yeah, yeah. Even with it staring you in the face, you can't admit it," Steve glanced up at the giant boulder as he made a gesture of annoyance toward the teen. "Can't admit you're wrong, you butthead."

Gwen pushed a few branches out of the way and was then met by the familiar sight of Skull Rock. It had been months since coming here and the last time was definitely unforgettable.

Steve was remembering it as well.

Then, brown and blue eyes collided.

"I concur," Eddie suddenly landed a couple feet in front of her, blocking their direct view. "You, Dustin Henderson, are a total butthead."

Dustin smiled widely as he held him in a tight embrace, "Jesus, we thought you were a goner."

"Yeah, me too, man," Eddie patted him on the back and nodded with appreciation at the others. "Glad to see you guys could make it."

"Like we'd ever leave you to fend for yourself," Gwen playfully nudged his shoulder that caused him to ruffle her hair the same way he did to her brother. "Watch it, Munson. Don't want you messing up my hairdo."

"Why not, female Henderson? We'd have matching hairstyles," Eddie continued ruffling her dark hair, not noticing the harsh glare Steve was sending his way.

"So tell us what happened, Eddie," Robin guided Gwen away from him once taking notice of the jealousy in Steve's eyes.

(An action he deeply appreciated.)

Eddie took a deep breath as he took a spot under the rock, "Jason, Natalia, and Patrick were able to find me. I don't know how, but they did. I used one of the boats to run away, but I only made it worse when they saw me."

With everything that happened, Gwen had forgotten to call Natalia and explain everything. She was certain Natalia would be able to convince Jason to stop going after Eddie, seeing as she knew about the Upside Down due to the Mind Flayer. She intended to call her at the Wheeler's, but Vecna's visions made her forget and lose track of everything.

"Patrick... he umm- he went through the same thing Chrissy did," Eddie continued, his hand rubbing his neck nervously and gaze averting to the ground. "Somehow I fell in the water and I don't know how but... I managed to reach the shore. I tried calling you guys, but, uh... my walkie was busted, man. Drenched. So I did the thing that I do now apparently. I ran."

"Don't be too hard on yourself. I'd run as well," Gwen softly said.

Eddie shook his head, "Nah. If you're anything like Dustin said, you're anything but a runner."

Dustin scoffed, "Yeah, she used to be."

Gwen heard him loud and clear, but chose not to make things worse by responding.

"Dude, can you not?" Steve scolded him in a loud whisper.

Nancy took a step forward, "Do you know what time this was? The attack?"

"Yeah, no I- I know exactly what time it was," Eddie looked down at his wrist and started unlatching his watch. "My walkie wasn't the only thing that got soaked."

Nancy quickly caught the watch he tossed at her, taking notice of the familiar time, "9:27."

"Same time our flashlights went kablooey," Robin realized.

Steve furrowed his brows, confused, "Which means what, exactly?"

Daphne shot him a look, "It means the surge of energy that happened was Vecna attacking Patrick."

"That means whenever the lights started flickering, it's him putting someone in a trance," Gwen thought aloud, noticing the familiar pattern during the times she went through her visions.

"Basically, yeah," Nancy confirmed and tossed the watch to the ground.

"Well, we're one step closer. We know how Vecna attacks," Robin said.

"And where he attacks from," Lucas continued.

Max looked down at the ground, eyes alert and arms crossed over her chest, "So now we just need to sneak into his lair in the Upside Down and drive a stake through his heart."

"Like a vampire," Gwen jokingly said to try to defuse the tension.

Steve was much more confused, "A stake? Like a vampire? So does that mean he's a vampire?"

She teasingly rolled her eyes at him, "He's not. I was just joking."

"It's a metaphor," Max added, voice getting louder and showing a tinge of frustration.

"A bullet should work on him, right?" Eddie suggested.

Lucas dismissed his question to suggest, "I say we chop his head off."

"All of the above would be nice," Gwen seriously hoped the way to kill Vecna wouldn't have to rely on El like the previous monsters. Considering she was far away in California and lost her powers, it wouldn't be convenient if defeating Vecna relied solely on her.

"We can't do any of those until we find a way into the Upside Down," Nancy brushed off their suggestions, reminding the group of the one predicament forgotten about.

"We need El to get her powers back," Max voiced what everyone was thinking and stomped on the ground beneath her frustratedly.

Steve glanced over at Eddie, unsure if they had explained El to him, "We had this girl. She had superpowers-"

"Superpowers, yeah. You mentioned her," Eddie cut him off, his eyes wandering to a pacing Dustin, who kept glancing down at his compass incessantly. "Hey, uh, Henderson's not, uh, cursed, right?"

Not even noticing who he was looking at, Steve connected the last name to Gwen, "How did you know? Is it noticeable?"

"Wait, so, Henderson really is cursed?"

Steve's gaze flickered between Gwen and Eddie, "Who are you talking about?"

"Henderson..." Eddie trailed off, unsure of why he was having trouble understanding a simple question. He then followed his line of sight and it was then when he noticed him staring at Gwen, "Holy shit. Female Henderson is cursed?"

Steve looked down at him with a dismayed look, "Female Henderson? That's what you're calling her?"

He lazily shrugged, nodding his head before gesturing to the siblings. "So I can avoid this mix up. I call Dustin, Henderson, and Gwen, female Henderson. Easier to tell them apart."

Steve scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief, "It's not like they're twins."

"You get what I mean, but seriously? She's cursed?" Eddie glanced over at her, now even more worried. "We better kill that Vecna monster fast then."

"Couldn't agree more."

For once, Steve found himself agreeing with him. He might not want to admit it, but he had been jealous at how close he and Dustin had become. Considering Dustin always came to him for advice and begged him to drive him around, Steve started feeling left out once Eddie came into the picture. He would never say it out loud, but Dustin was like the brother he longed to have, and when he started drifting away, he missed him and his overbearing behavior.

"BOOM!" Dustin suddenly belted out and waved his hands in the air all triumphantly. He focused his gaze on Steve and began pointing his finger accusingly at him, "Bada... bada... boom. I was right. Skull Rock was north."

Leaning his head back and letting out an aggravated sigh, Steve stared in utter disbelief, "Seriously? You're serious? This is Skull Rock, okay? You're totally, absolutely, 100% wrong right now!"

"Yes and no," Dustin argued while raising his gadget into the air. "This compass worked correctly when we left the Wheeler's. It was correct when we got into the car on Kerley, but it started to slip the further east we went. Now it's way off. When I was leading us here, I wasn't wrong. The compass was."

"So you're using faulty equipment. You're still wrong!"

This sounded awfully familiar and maybe it was all the strange things that happened, but Gwen couldn't help but be reminded of the way Joyce complained on how her magnets kept falling off. They worked perfectly fine and after the blackout, their magnetism failed out of the blue, and she wasn't wrong in suspecting it since it had been linked to the Russians opening a gate.

"Let's say his equipment isn't faulty," Gwen spoke up, causing everyone's attention to fall on her. "What else can affect a compass?"

As if a light bulb turned on inside his head, Lucas stepped forward and said, "An electromagnetic field."

"Exactly!" Dustin glanced at the others with a wide grimace before looking over at his sister and nodding his head in approval.

She smiled and felt a tad bit better in getting closer to making amends. It might take more from her, but she was willing to do whatever it takes to get him to forgive her.

Robin blinked sharply, not understanding the gist of this. "I'm sorry. I must have skipped that class."

"In the presence of a stronger electromagnetic field, the needle will deflect towards that power," Dustin explained, ignoring the irritated glare from Steve. "So either there's some super big magnet around here or..."

"There's a gate," Lucas finished his sentence.

"But we're nowhere near the lab," Nancy interjected, still not catching on to what they were implying.

"What if somehow there's another gate?" Dustin rhetorically asked. "A gate that we don't know about. It'd have to be smaller and way less powerful."

"Snack-size gate," Robin suggested.

Steve, still not grasping everything being told, continued asking, "How? Why?"

"No idea, but all I know is that something is causing this disturbance, and the last time we've seen anything like it, it was a gate," Dustin continued, "And I hope it is because then we'd have a way to Vecna and a shot at freeing Max and Gwen from this curse."

Then, he started wandering off into the forest.

Confused, Gwen trailed after him like a mother going after her child, "And just where do you think you're going?"

"Eddie's still a wanted man," Steve stated in a louder voice. "We can't just go for a hike in the woods."

"This little steel capsule might be the key to saving Gwen, Eddie, and Max," Dustin gestured his arms in Eddie's direction and now spoke in a deeper voice. "What say you, Eddie the Banished?"

Eddie stared at the ground in contemplation as he ran through every possible scenario, "I say you're asking me to follow you into Mordor, which, if I'm totally straight with you, I think is a really bad idea. But, uh, the Shire is burning, so Mordor it is."

The group wasted no time in following after Dustin once Eddie left his spot.

"What is Mordor?" Steve grumbled to himself.

"It's from The Lord of the Rings. Mordor is a dark realm ruled by Sauron and constantly has volcanic activity to prevent his enemies from invading it," Gwen ran through her words as she continued walking in the group's direction, surprising not just Steve, but Eddie as well.

"You know Tolkien?" Eddie stared at her in astonishment, never once having met a girl who knew of The Lord of the Rings.

She scoffed, "You don't?"

"You're actually a nerd," Steve teased and playfully nudged her, which made her turn around and return the action.

"It's called having taste," she pointed out, raising her finger at him all authoritatively. "You should try to acquire it sometime."

"Oh, I have taste," he looked her up and down and she felt her face turn a crimson red. "An amazing one by the way."

Eddie looked at the two of them as they gazed at one another with intensity that made him unwilling to walk with the pair any longer. "I'm definitely intruding on something, so if you excuse me, Eddie the Banished is actually going to... banish."

Gwen sensed this was the right time to confess her feelings. They were alone, so it'd be reasonable to do so. She parted her lips to speak, but even through all the silence and perfect timing, she was suddenly unable to pour her heart out.

What if things don't run in her favor?

Was she willing to let herself be happy if it was just going to be taken from her?

Regardless of what the future held, confessing right now didn't feel proper, but if there was one thing she was certain about was that she needed to do it soon before the clock ran out.