(Ep. 6: The Dive)

"Dustin, can you please slow down?!"

Running around the forest in the pitch darkness is not something Gwen would have willingly chosen. It's hard seeing ahead without some form of lighting and even then, flashlights can only offer so much. She's been focusing on not tripping over her own feet and making sure no one falls behind all while running after her brother, who's adamant on following his wonky compass.

"I think we're getting close," Dustin breathes out, looking behind his shoulder at the group once he passes a few rustling branches and reaches the shore of Lover's Lake.

"Watch your step, big guy," Eddie prevents him from getting closer to the waters, his eyes wandering to the massive lake he had just been in last night.

"Lover's Lake? Really?" Gwen complains, her hands resting on her thighs as she tries catching her breath while ignoring the terrible sensation at the pit of her stomach. Something about being back here where Patrick died feels terribly wrong, and the fact that the compass guided them here, is definitely not a good sign.

"You gotta be shitting me," Steve takes deep breaths as well and gently places his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it comfortably that helps alleviate her nerves.

"I thought these woods seemed familiar," Eddie comments.

Dustin nods, "This is confounding."

"There's a gate in Lover's Lake?" Max questions out loud and it makes the siblings turn to her.

"From the looks of it, it's very probable," Gwen rests against one of the nearby trees and stares aimlessly at the darkness ahead. She's been to Lover's Lake many times with Steve before and she never paid any attention to how sinister it looks at night. It never occurred to her to view the lake as anything but relaxing and beautiful - at least until now.

"Whenever the demogorgon attacked, it always left an opening," Nancy points out, her eyes wide with unease and wandering to every dark corner. "Maybe Vecna's the same way."

"So the mind flayer wasn't the only monster? There was more?" Daphne runs her hands through her hair, feeling herself starting to panic that the most terrifying creature she encountered could possibly not be the worst one. Hawkins really is the gate to hell then.

"There were also demodogs," Gwen reaches for her arm, the same one where one of those monsters had scratched her. The scar remains intact, serving as a reminder of one of the nights where she could have nearly lost her life.

"Demodogs? What the hell?" Daphne mumbles, pacing all around frantically before choosing to rest against one of the trees. That is until she hears some rustling getting nearer that causes her to let out a yelp. "What is that?! Who the hell is out there?!"

The group turns their heads, each of them narrowing their eyes and pointing their flashlights into the darkness ahead. None of them make a move or take a breath, not wanting to make the faintest sound out of the possibility this could be a monster or some curious spectators.

The sound of the crackling leaves becomes louder and the light from a flashlight is waving around. They come closer, their hearts beating frantically and postures as cautious as ever. The footsteps get nearer until eventually a figure emerges, causing both Lucas and Daphne to scream in a high pitched yell.

Gwen leaves her spot when recognizing the person. Her dark raven hair is cascading down her shoulders and she's wearing all black with only her white sneakers peeking through. "Natalia?" she questions while paving her way past the group.

"Gwen Henderson, what a sight for sore eyes," Natalia smirks at her and glances at the group staring in full alert. "So... hey guys."

"How did you find us?" she asks, noticing how Eddie's hiding behind them and is crouched down to make sure he's not seen.

Natalia sighs heavily and folds her arms across her chest, "I tapped into your walkies and heard where you were headed, so now I'm here."

Nancy raises a curious brow at her, "Okay, but why are you here?"

"Look, I know Eddie's innocent. I know that now," Natalia's comment makes Eddie peek his head out, but not high enough to the point she's able to see him. "After seeing Patrick die in that- in that horrible way, I knew Eddie couldn't have done it. I connected the dots and knew it had to do with the mind flayer."

"It's actually not him, but a monster named Vecna," Robin nervously corrects her and quickly averts her gaze once Natalia turns to her.

"Well, whatever monster it is. It killed Chrissy, my best friend, so I want to make sure it pays, which is why I'm here. I want to prove Eddie's innocent since I took a big part in hunting him down-"

"Yeah, you really did," Lucas grumbles, rolling his eyes in vexation and shaking his head at her.

"Does Jason know you're not on his side anymore?" Gwen's not totally sure if believing her is right since she does tend to be a pathological liar.

"He doesn't, but you guys need to know that he's rallied the entire town to hunt down Eddie. They're not listening to the cops anymore so if anyone sees him, he's dead meat."

"Fuck my life!" Eddie exclaims, catching everyone by surprise as he kicks a few rocks into the water and mutters a few profanities. "Well that's just great! Thanks for having contributed to this, princess!" He bitterly addresses her, his tone harsh and as loud as ever.

Natalia scoffs, frowning at him in disbelief, "I thought you killed my best friend! She was found in your trailer and everything pointed at you! Did you seriously expect me to guess her death had been linked to the Upside Down in an instant?!"

"This town thinks I'm a murderer because of you and your posse! If my name doesn't get cleared, I might as well be dead!" Eddie yells as he gets closer to the raven haired girl. "Thanks to you!"

"And I'm sorry for that! I really am!" Natalia yells back, the vein in her forehead popping as her face turns a bright red. "I want to help you prove your innocence, which is why I'm here! So shut up and let me try to do so!"

Gwen stares at them with a deadpan look and her patience starts to gradually wear off. This was a little amusing to witness at first, but it's starting to get annoying from how much time is getting wasted. "Can you guys fight later? We need to figure out if the lake is a gate."

"The cops are looking for me and you think a simple apology will suffice?!" Eddie ignores her and continues arguing, refusing to let the girl that had been nothing but terrible to him in high school get involved in this.

Natalia rolls her eyes and runs her hands through her face in irritation, "Of course not! But I'm trying to fix my mistake and you're making it hard for me to do so!"

"Do you know why?" Eddie rhetorically questions, his hands flailing all around.

The raven haired girl tilts her head and places her hands on her hips, "Why's that?"

"Because I don't like you and I definitely don't trust you!" he exclaims, his face getting closer to hers, "You're responsible for this mess so excuse me for not wanting you involved!"

Gwen glances at Steve, both of them shaking their heads and thinking on how this is anything but helpful. Fighting right now is rendered to be useless and even if it might feel good, it won't prove Eddie's innocence or get them one step closer to ending Vecna.

Natalia scoffs and kicks the ground underneath her, "I could have stayed home and not have come all this way! Do you think it's easy for me to be here knowing you left my best friend's body without a care?! You could've called the cops, but you ran away instead like the coward you are!"

That last sentence seems to cut deep into Eddie. He flinches slightly and is silent for a quarter of a second, trying to brush aside the fact that her words are true and he was nothing but a coward for leaving Chrissy alone.

"What's the matter? Cat got your tongue?!" Natalia flips her hair back in a sassy way, her expression becoming adorned with satisfaction at his silence.

"Just leave, Cortez! I don't need your help! I have them," he gestures towards the group, who just keep staring at them with bewildered looks and a slight tinge of amusement. "Go back to doing whatever it is you prissy princesses like to do."

Refusing to leave and not amend her mistake, she moves forward and glares up at him, "No, Munson. I'm staying, so stop being a baby and get used to me cause I'm not going anywhere!"

Eddie looks towards the group, expecting any of them to take his side and demand for her to leave, but they're all just standing and watching like this is some kind of tv show. "Oh, my God! Just leave!"

"I said no!" she exclaims, her posture and voice as firm as ever.

"Jesus Christ! What's wrong with-"

"SHUT UP!" Gwen's just had about enough with this. She understands where Eddie's coming from, but also understands Natalia. From an outsider's point of view, it looks terrible on his part considering Chrissy was found in his trailer, and instead of reporting it to the cops, he fled the scene like a guilty person would. Besides, the last Natalia knew was that the mind flayer was gone, so how could she have thought her best friend's death was linked to it?

The rest of the group staggers back, all of them exchanging equally concerned looks knowing this won't end well for the arguing pair.

"I have to admit, this argument was entertaining at first, but we're standing in front of what appears to be the gate into the Upside Down. It's our chance to find Vecna and kill him, but if you guys keep yelling at each other, you're only going to waste our precious time and you," she points at Eddie and strides in his direction. "Bitching about how she messed up won't prove your innocence and I understand you don't like her because believe me, she made my life a living hell and I can't stand her either!"

"Are you trying to help me?" Natalia complains.

"My point is, I'm moving past it so I can help you, which is something you should do if you want to return home! And as for you," Gwen turns to Natalia and leaves Eddie's side to stand in front of her. "I'm glad you realized your mistake and are trying to fix it, but don't expect to be welcomed by sunshines and rainbows when you spend days hunting this guy and making sure everyone sees him as enemy number one. I get it, you lost your best friend and I'm so sorry for that, but now that you know the truth, stop fighting Eddie, get over yourself, and just move past it so we can help him!"

Her words run a mile a minute and are as loud as ever. She takes a deep breath and leans her head back, her hands resting on her hips as she ignores Eddie and Natalia's wide eyes and mouths hanging open.

"Alright, so Dustin. What's the plan then?" Gwen turns her back on the pair and gawks at the group, who are all staring with the same disbelieving looks.

From behind her, Eddie and Natalia turn to each other with scowls on their faces and rolling eyes. They start sending each other dirty looks and mouthing insults at each other, not realizing Gwen can sense everything and is losing her last thread of patience.

Staring ahead with a deadpan look, Gwen clenches her jaw and sighs in aggravation, "I grew up taking care of my brother and his friends, so don't think I don't know you guys are making faces at each other."

"Sorry," they say in unison and part in the opposite direction, choosing to swallow their pride and try to work together as it's the only way they'll get through this.

Steve presses his lips into a tight line to refrain from smiling and diverts his attention to the issue at hand, "Well, we need to find out if the lake is really a gate. There's only one way to find out."

Dustin starts leading the way to one of the boats covered with a tarp. He curls his fingers around the edge and lifts it up, revealing a small boat that can sit about four people. Maybe five if they're lucky.

Without saying a word, Steve and Eddie take initiative and start pushing the boat to the edge of the shore. The boat creates a loud thumping sound when Eddie drops it too harshly, resulting in Steve complaining, "Hey, easy, man!"

"Sorry, dude," Eddie apologizes.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna do that," Robin presses her hands into their heads for balance, gently stepping onto the boat and taking a seat at the very end.

Eddie rises up from his crouched position and follows her in, much to Steve's dismay as he just glares irritatedly at the metalhead.

"Wheeler," Eddie says and offers his hand as she takes a step inside and situates herself next to Robin. Next is Gwen and he smirks at her before saying, "You're not gonna bite my head off now, are you, female Henderson? Or should I be on the lookout?"

She playfully rolls her eyes and ruffles his messy curls, placing her hand on his and gently smiling, "Oh, I don't know. Maybe, so don't irritate me."

Steve clenches his jaw, his hands forming into fists as he watches them smile at each other all fondly - especially on how Eddie's holding her hand and staring at her with that flirty look. Damn it, if he could push him into the waters, he most definitely would without thinking twice.

Gwen takes a seat in front of Nancy, when she catches Robin staring at her with narrowed eyes and a suspicious expression, "What?"

The freckled girl shrugs, not before turning to look at Steve and noticing his angered glare. She leans closer to Gwen and whispers, "If you're trying to make Steve jealous, it's definitely working."

"W- What?" she stutters all too nervously, her eyes widening and mouth hanging slightly agape. Why Robin thinks she's trying to make him jealous is something she won't understand. If it's because of what she said to Eddie, she's really wishing to take it back as she didn't intend on giving off the wrong impression. She wasn't flirting or anything, so why would Robin think that? "I'm not trying to make him jealous!" Gwen angrily whispers, earning a teasing eye roll from her friend.

"Uh huh," Robin insists, quickly averting her gaze to the lake around her.

"I wasn't-"

"Hey, hey, hey, are you trying to sink us?" Eddie's voice cuts her off and she turns around to see him slapping her brother's forehead back to prevent him from entering. "This thing holds about four people tops, okay?"

Nancy rises up from her seat to stand in front of a perplexed looking Dustin, "It's better this way, okay? You guys stay here with Max."

"Why doesn't Eddie stay back?" Daphne complains, already dreading being the babysitter again since it always seems to be her just like last summer. "Or Robin. Robin's better."

"I'm all for Robin staying, but Eddie can remain where he is," Natalia retorts, causing Eddie to flip her the bird.

"It's better for Max if she has at least one responsible person in the group," Gwen interjects and it only causes Dustin to stare at her in irritation.

"How about you stay then?" he complains, his harsh gaze shooting daggers at her.

"I'm already inside, rugrat," Gwen smiles at him all teasingly, already knowing it will annoy him much more. "So you're staying with the others and keeping an eye out for trouble."

"You keep an eye out," Dustin argues, his voice getting all high like it always does when he's on the verge of losing his temper.

Nancy rolls her eyes and intervenes, "Listen to your sister. You'll be okay with Daphne being in charge."

"Why is she in charge?" Natalia complains while stepping forward.

The Wheeler girl narrows her eyes as her lips form a perfect scowl, "Because she's been here way longer than you, and no offense, but you're not the most trustworthy person right now."

"Thank you!" Eddie bellows and pats Nancy on the back.

"Dude, you're not helping," Steve rolls his eyes and runs his hands through his hair in frustration, already wishing to be paddling and getting closer to figure out if this lake is the source for a gate or not.

"Just stay here, Dustin," Nancy orders once more.

"It's my goddamn theory!"

Robin sighs heavily, her patience already wearing thin, "You heard, Nance."

"You're staying here whether you like it or not," Gwen loses her teasing demeanor and puts on her most authoritative voice. If his theory is right and Lover's Lake is a gate, she's not about to let him come near it. "I'm not asking, so stop arguing."

"Who put those two in charge?" Dustin points at them, his face becoming adorned with curiosity and vexation.

"I did," Robin states, causing the teen to turn quiet.

"Compass," Nancy extends her hand in his direction, wiggling her fingers so he'd give her the gadget.

Pouting, Dustin stomps the ground and reluctantly hands her the compass. He glares at the entire group and takes a few steps back to rejoin the others.

Steve, taking advantage of this, stands up and tosses his backpack at him, "Hey, here you go." He turns around and pushes the boat deeper into the lake, briskly jumping in and taking a seat at the very end.

"You said four!" the curly haired boy argues.

"Sorry," Steve whispers, but it's obvious he's not in the slightest bit regretful for this.

"Bedtime at nine, kiddos!" Robin teases while paddling the boat away from the shore and deeper into the lake. Dustin flips her the bird, a deadpan look becoming apparent on his face as he starts to slowly turn away. "Miss you already!"

"Now he's even more pissed," Gwen softly chuckles while pointing her flashlight into the gloomy waters. She squints her eyes and pays close attention to anything that might seem remotely off and could be taken as a sign of being a possible gate. "How's that compass going, Nance?"

Staring attentively at the gadget, Nancy takes a few seconds to respond until finally saying, "Whoa, whoa, slow down. Slow down, guys."

The boat comes to an abrupt stop and Gwen's certain if she had been the one rowing it, it's very possible that water would have splashed all over them. She hasn't paddled in years and even then, she was never good considering she nearly toppled the canoe over.

"What's the compass saying?" she questions, leaning closer to her friend and noticing the arrow moving around chaotically. "The gate must be here."

"Well that's thrilling," Steve mutters and peeks his head out to study the waters to check if there's anything strange underneath them.

"Guys, what's going on?" Dustin's voice emits from the walkie and Robin's the first one to answer.

"Uh, Dustin, your compass has gone from wonky with a capital 'ahh!'"

As if some kind of sign had been given, Steve starts removing his shoes and socks as if his life depends on it.

Gwen frowns, her face becoming filled with concern at his action that sends a shiver to run down her spine. "Steve, what are you doing?"

"Somebody's gotta go down and check this out," he answers, not bothering to look up at her. "Unless one of you can top being a Hawkins High swim co-captain and a certified lifeguard for three years, then..." he trails off, struggling to remove his footwear. "It's gotta be me. No complaints, all right?"

"None of that matters!" Gwen places her hand on his, attempting to stop him from continuing this terrible plan of his. He always does this and is always the first one to jump into direct danger. It's been the one quality of his that she admires, but also the one that makes her petrified. He's so self-sacrificial that it terrifies her knowing one day it will blow in his face and become the reason for his demise. She's not about to let him go through with this, not if she can prevent it. "You're not going under there. At least not alone."

Before she can attempt to remove her own shoes off, Steve holds both of her hands and stares directly into her blue eyes, "No, you're not. You're staying here with them while I go check it out. End of story."

She scoffs, rolling her eyes at his insistence, "Are you out of your mind? You're heading into the lion's den! If Dustin's theory is right, Vecna's not the only monster down there and I can't let you go down there without some backup."

Steve can feel his heart glow when seeing how much she cares for him. Ever since he confessed he loves her and she didn't say if she feels the same, he's been afraid that she doesn't love him anymore. Seeing the concern in her eyes brings him hope that maybe, his feelings are reciprocated, which is why he can't allow her to dive into danger with him as all he wants is to keep her safe and away from harm's way.

"Gwen, I can handle myself. I'm more than capable of going down there and coming back safe and sound," he begins standing up, ignoring the disbelief in her eyes before turning away and looking down at the dark waters.

Eddie, trying to diffuse the tension, says the first thing that pops into his mind, "Hey, I'm not complaining. I do not want to go down there."

"Steve," Gwen calls out, her voice becoming filled with more worry and frustration. "Please don't do-" Her voice trails off once he removes his yellow sweater, revealing his exposed abdomen that always drove her crazy and still does. She stares at his chest, studying his complexion and the way his muscles are taunting her. Her face starts turning a crimson red and suddenly, her mind turns into a huge blank that all she can do is stare at how perfect he looks.

"Hey," Eddie hands him a flashlight covered with a white plastic bag, "Good luck."

"Thanks," Steve takes the light from his hand and glances down at Gwen, handing her his yellow sweater in hopes she doesn't continue arguing. He discreetly smiles once she takes it and turns around as he prepares himself to jump. Steve would never admit it, but he's scared of diving into the unknown as he's not certain of all the dangers waiting down there, but someone has to do it and he would much rather it be him than anyone else.

"Steve?" Gwen calls out to him and she's relieved when he turns to look at her. Despite how nervous she is that he's diving in, staring into his brown eyes comfort her and make her unease fade just a tad bit. "Please be careful."

He softly smiles at her, his heart leaping in joy at the way she's staring at him with a profound sense of adoration. He's been waiting for the time when she looks at him like he's her song and she's the writer. Steve never thought he'd see this look again, which fills him with courage to jump in knowing she'd be waiting for him to come back up.

When he dives down, Gwen peeks her head out and stares attentively as the light from the flashlight becomes dimmer by the second. Her hands tighten around the wooden edge of the boat, her mind starts trying to plague her with the worst possible thoughts, and everything around her starts closing in on her as her worry becomes much more magnified with every second that goes by.

Gwen is terrified that while she's here safe and sound, Steve is down there facing all kinds of dangers. She might not be strong enough or have any powers to help her, but regardless of whatever peril is thrown her way, she's not about to let him fight alone. If he fights, you bet she'd fight as well. If he goes down, she's going down with him.

"He's taking too long," she taps the edge impatiently, looking back at the others for some kind of reassurement, but all of them are just as worried as she is. "Do you think he's okay?"

"I'm sure he is," Nancy's voice is low and gentle, but her eyes are filled with a mountain of concern that worsens Gwen's terrible sense of trepidation. "He's Steve. He's gone through lots of things and always comes back up. He's fine and he's coming at any second now."

"Just tell me where we're at," she dismisses her words, glancing down at her watch that makes Robin and Eddie come closer.

"Closing in on a minute," Nancy tells her.

"You know what? I'm going down to get him," Gwen hands Robin his sweater and is about to jump down, when the water suddenly splashes and Steve comes bursting out. "Oh thank God. Are you okay?"

"I'm alright and I found it," Steve reveals, his arms moving in a synchronized pattern and creating ringlets in the water.

"You found it?"

"Yeah, I found it," Steve swims closer to the boat and rests his arms against the wooden edge.

Robin smiles in delight and turns on the radio, "Dustin, you are a goddamn Einstein. Steve found the gate."

"It's pretty wild," he admits, his eyes growing wide in amazement. "It's more of a snack-sized gate than the mama gate, but still, it's pretty damn big."

Something suddenly pulls Steve down into the water, making all of them gasp and stare in horror. He comes back up and remains still for a few seconds. Gwen starts reaching for his hands, but before he's able to take them, he's dragged back down into the darkness again.

"Steve!" Gwen yells, hovering above the dark pit and praying he comes back at any second, but the more seconds pass, the more she realizes whatever dragged him down isn't thinking of letting him return. She can't stay here and wait like a complete fool. She has to go after him and protect him as she can't fathom what she'd do if anything were to happen to the man she loves.

"Steve! Steve!" Nancy and Robin panic, their voices becoming louder as they look down at the lake.

"What the hell was that, man?!" Eddie exclaims, the pitch of his voice getting higher.

"Nancy, Gwen! What happened?!" Robin frantically screams, her hands flailing up in hysteria as she waits for any of them to say anything.

Gwen just stares at the water, not even paying attention to the panicked voices behind her. Steve's in terrible danger and she's not about to stay here and not do anything. She can't lose him, she can't let him face this on his own, and she most certainly won't let this terrible dimension take more from her than it already has.

Without thinking twice, she jumps into the waters, not bothering to care for anything other than him.