THE MOST IMPORTANT PART

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A TRIP IN A STOLEN WINNEBAGO ALLOWED THE GROUP TO RECOLLECT IN SOFT-SPOKEN WORDS IN A COMFORTABLE SILENCE. It was a sweet and easy road trip that one day they all wished they could take again, this time across the country— far from Hawkins, and banded together, not by the end of the world doom, but for the fun of the family they made together. That one day was all they could hope for.

Up front, Steve Harrington sat alone as he listened to the radio play gently over the speakers. It was the most relaxed he felt in months. Maybe things weren't in the best of place, but after this, he had to count on the idea of them at least starting to come together the way they were supposed to. When a heavy weight of a hand rested on his shoulder, he tensed up wishing that it was instead Alex Henderson to come keep him company.

He hadn't bothered to give a glance over his shoulder, knowing who had approached him for a private conversation. The way the hand rested gently, but with a purpose, it could have only been Nancy Wheeler. Eddie Munson would have made it a point to be heard before giving a sharp smack to Steve's arm. Robin would have raced to the driver's seat, throwing her weight against the back-- most likely after a slight trip of her feet that would land her in that position. And Alex would have wrapped her arms around him from behind. Her touch would have been enough to feel that this journey was going to work in their favor. Whatever it was, she had that touch that would immediately bring a sense of safety.

Giving a quick glance over to Nancy as she slipped into the passenger seat, he hadn't bothered to return the smile she sent his way. Rather, he readjusted himself in his seat and kept his eyes focused on the road in front of him. It was reasonable for him to be angry-- he was stuck in a losing battle to protect all those around him and Nancy had been the one to fight against him with her quick decisions to let others take the fall to save the world.

For a moment, Steve held his breath to keep calm. Brewing up another fight about the plans ahead would only delay them further. Any delay meant that Vecna would claim another victim and he would only be one step closer to claiming Hawkins as his own. Finally resting back, he questioned her, "Did you make your round of apologies?"

Nancy's smile faltered while looking at him with an open mouth. Shaking her head, she acted more surprised than she felt with his tone of voice. "Yeah," she scoffed softly. "Listen, Alex said she'd come with us and Max isn't backing down. I know you're trying to protect them..."

"Yeah, well, Nance, you shouldn't have made it sound like it was our only option. I just think... I don't know, maybe there's something else we could do instead. Alex stays with Max or... or better yet, Max doesn't go through with this insane idea of a plan. The two of them stay put and we go chop off this creeps head or drive a stake through his heart... whatever. Anything but this."

"Except you know that we need him busy and we can't risk the fact that we have no idea who his next victim would be. There's no pattern, no sense to it." Nancy's eyes stayed on him as he kept his silence. Rather than give him that chance to sit deep in thought and come up with another plan to debate over, she cleared her throat knowingly. "Steve, Max is refusing to listen to Alex too. And Alex..." Letting out a breathy laugh, she turned her eyes away from him and focused on the dashboard in front of her. "She's made it clear to me that you don't get to do this without her. You know that I love Alex a tremendous amount and I know I make mistakes. Sometimes... sometimes I don't think I deserve her as a friend. And, uh, I know this plan I came up with is crazy and... and I'm sure it won't be perfect. And if her or Max dies... I'll take that blame. You can yell at me, hate me for the rest of our lives for whatever happens, but I truly believe this is our best shot at killing him."

Steve snuck a glance toward Nancy with no words exchanged. He didn't want to hold that blame over Nancy had anything happened because no matter the fight, they were all on this journey to stick with this plan. Whatever happened, he could only hold on to hope that it would all work out for them. There was nothing but love that floated between this group and to tarnish that, especially had it been their last moments together, resentment and blame couldn't be an option.

Understanding that they lived in a world outside of Vecna, Nancy settled in her seat. It had been some time since she had this kind of moment with Steve. A part of her missed a time where she could look next to her and see him there, knowing everything was normal. Even if it wasn't him that made it normal and instead a time before an undeniable doom awaiting to fall onto Hawkins, she still felt that he was a reminder of a time once good. She longed to have that moment back.

"How's it handle?" Nancy questioned. Such a basic question to keep the silence to a minimum yet it had caught him by surprise. Nancy Wheeler changed the type of person he became. She was his past and there was never a chance he could let her go so easily. That's all she was, however— a thing of the past. A part of him craved to feel how easy it was before, to leave notes in lockers, throw small parties, or climb through a bedroom window without fear of what haunted over Hawkins all this time. Talking with Nancy, all he ever wished for it to ever be that easy.

Giving a small shrug, he followed along with her. Keeping up a relationship strictly as friends became difficult as their lives took different routes. To be back on the same page for even just a conversation brought back that sense of easiness he wished to feel. "Not half bad considering that this is a house."

Amused, Nancy looked down to her lap with a creeping smile falling across her lips. For Steve to catch sight of that, he was left to wonder how all that they shared slipped away so carelessly in a few short years. Seeing her now, he could barely recognize the girl he once loved. Her hair was shorter, her face glowed with a new sense of happiness— something he never really caught before— and never more had he seen her so independent, relying on no one to reassure her of who she was because now she did that all on her own.

Nancy Wheeler and Steve Harrington could see it all so clearly now. They were always meant to be in one another's lives— only now, they understood that it wasn't how they originally planned when they first laid eyes on one another.

With that same glowing smile that he brought out of her, Nancy turned her head over to him, watching his fingers as they lazily drummed against the steering wheel. His mind was far from the small talk she had planned. Somehow, he just didn't light up the way he usually did as if he had his whole life figured out. Now, his smile was faded, his eyes lost into a deeper part of his thoughts— somewhere dark where he never found himself to wander. To watch that pain, Nancy allowed her concern for a lost friend overshadow any fear she had that they just weren't the same people they used to be. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Pulled out of his own head, Steve looked over to Nancy, preparing himself to close her off and shield himself from the fear that she could once again turn his emotions into heartbreak and misery. However, when her eyes met his and the corners of her lips turned up with genuine reassurance she would listen, he felt compelled to allow her in. Maybe not as far as the darkness stretched, but possibly in just a little to see he wasn't the same Steve Harrington she once knew-- that he wasn't bullshit. After all, he could easily see now that this was no longer the same Nancy Wheeler.

Allowing himself to create a shield, he turned his eyes back to the road as a light laugh fell from his lips. "It's silly," he admitted quietly, forcing out once more another breathy laugh. "But I-I've actually... I always had this dream that I'd have this really... really big family. I'm talking, like, uh, a full brood of Harrington's. Like five, six kids..." As his voice trailed off, he brought a hand over his mouth, uncomfortably clearing his throat that he allowed her in so carelessly.

Nancy didn't see this as pain or sorrow. Rather she saw his idea of a family as a signal of hope for the future. Perhaps it wasn't how she would have planned for herself, but to know he could lay awake at night dreaming up a future had brought a smile to her face. "Six?"

Her voice wasn't filled with judgment or utter disbelief. This was an invitation for him to open up a little more. The way she spoke to him created a safety within him to feel a weight lift off his chest and to feel free to dream of something that now seemed so out of reach just for himself to feel that somewhere in the future, he wasn't ever going to be alone. "Yeah, six little nuggets," he chuckled. "Three girls, three boys." To think of that future, Steve found himself laughing at the thought and for that moment, Nancy truly saw him glow just a little brighter. Steve was hopelessly in love with his future that there was no doubt to Nancy that it would come true for him. Staying quiet, she allowed him to feel this way as long as he could, allowing him to continue so she could hang onto his every word.

"And, uh, every summer, I figured all of us Harringtons, we would pack into something like this." He lightly tapped his hand against the wheel as his eyes darted around the front of the Winnebago. "And..." sighing softly, he wrapped his fingers back around the wheel, and his eyes focused on the road because for just a small moment, he could really see it right before him. It was a life that never allowed him to sit in his thoughts and rather, he would get to enjoy every moment spent with his family. "And just see the country. You know, the Rockies, Grand Canyon, maybe Yellowstone. End up in some beachside town in California. Spend a week parked in the sand... learn how to surf or something."

Nancy didn't realize that as he spoke, her smile grew, seeing it just as easily as him. It was a simple dream, yet to see Steve Harrington within that dream, it felt surreal. "That sounds nice," she admitted gently.

Surprised to hear her pay him attention, Steve let out a small chuckle. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," she said softly. Resting her head back against the chair, she realized when she saw it all, it was easy to imagine who he was with. There was no doubt who would be alongside him in the very seat she sat in, the reason he glowed the way he did. "Have you told Alex?"

Pursing his lips together, he focused out on the road in front of him and a regret settled on his shoulders. He knew she should have been the first one he told, but he was terrified to be so vulnerable in such dark times. "Nah," he breathed out.

Smile faltering, Nancy readjusted herself in her seat, her brows furrowing as she became concerned. "Is... is there a reason? In this big dream of yours... is she there?" To question that felt ridiculous in her eyes. There was no one else that should have been there. For it to be anyone else caused her stomach to turn and her face heated up, wondering where it all went wrong.

"Well, yeah," he admitted quietly, allowing Nancy to sigh in relief for this moment. "That's the thing, Nance. She's the most important part." Letting out a small sigh, he felt himself biting his bottom lip before giving in. "Always has been, you know? I honestly can't imagine a life without her."

Looking behind them, Nancy let herself settle her eyes on Alex resting her head against Robin's shoulder. Together the two giggled and whispered with one another and Nancy felt a warmth inside that had her smiling as she settled back into her seat. Even in the darkest of times, she realized that all this changed them for the better. "If I'm being completely honest, I really don't see a life where you two aren't together either." Laughing to herself, she gestured behind herself. "That is unless her and Robin decide to marry each other instead."

Glancing behind himself for a moment, he caught sight of the two and managed a laugh. "Yeah, yeah, really hope super klutz back there isn't my competition. She's supposed to be my best friend, you know?"

Breathing out a laugh, Nancy agreed to his words. "I have to say, Robin is..." She began to search for the words but none compared to how she truly felt for Robin Buckley. All it took was a simple smile that had Steve nod his head knowingly. "Yeah, I know," he agreed. There truly was no one out in the world that could compare to Robin. Along this treacherous journey, she managed to find a way in, and somehow, it only made everything feel perfect.

Letting out a huff of air, Nancy turned away from Steve to hide the pink that formed on her cheeks. "I should probably admit I may have gotten a little jealous."

"You? No way," Steve remarked sarcastically. Instantly, Nancy's eyes turned over with a stern glare. "Not funny," she stated. Loosening up, she realized the humor in it all. "It's sort of embarrassing, isn't it? Getting jealous that easily..."

"Nah," he disagreed. "No, Nance, I get it. You know, at the party... before you called me bullshit..." clearing his throat, he allowed himself to take his eyes off the road long enough to glance her way. Embarrassment and guilt swept across her face almost immediately from his words and he wished to change that for her. "You know, I guess it sorta was for the better... you getting jealous. I think in a way, made things better for us. I was an idiot before. You had every right for feeling that way after what I did to you."

Shaking her head, Nancy held out her hands to keep him from apologizing. "No, it's fine, honestly. There's plenty I should apologize for after a lot of things I did to you. We both screwed up." Turning her eyes toward him, she looked for the truth. "And it was for the better, right? For Alex and Jonathan."

"Yeah, of course," he chuckled. "I guess what I'm trying to say in a real stupid, 'roundabout way is, um... is thank you."

"Thank me?" She questioned back softly. "For?"

"For giving my head the biggest thump of its life two years ago," he said. "I needed it. It's changed my life and I sorta never got to thank you for it." Licking his lips nervously, he realized that over these years, he never got to have a real conversation with Nancy about how they ended. One day things changed and neither of them had that chance to look back and reflect and see how such a simple fight had changed who they became. "We may have ended things pretty badly but, uh, that doesn't mean we aren't friends, Nance. I still care about you."

"Yeah, yeah," she whispered. "We're friends. To be honest, I'm not so sure I saw you in my future either. Not with six kids, that's for sure." A playful smile emerged as she peeked over at him. To see him break and allow happiness to fill him up, he nodded his head in complete understanding. "You always loved Alex," she said softly. "Even when we were together, right? I think the only person who didn't see it was Alex. And if anyone needed a thump to the head, it was her." Holding her breath for a few seconds, Nancy tried desperately to bite her tongue and hold herself together. Yet they were friends and she wished for him to feel he could open up. "I just... I don't know why you're scared to tell her this. It just doesn't seem like you to keep something from her."

"I'm just afraid... maybe I'm too hopeless. She's telling me now she wants the same thing I do... but what if I tell her I want that too and she decides that maybe it's all too much... too real. A lot of shits happened to her and I really don't think I want to be the one to accidentally thump her head and make her realize... maybe I'm the mistake." Turning his eyes to her, he forced a smile. "Sorta never been good at any relationship I've been in if I'm being honest."

Nancy sat back in her seat, lost in her own thoughts as she replayed years before that led to this very moment. It was easy before to ignore what she saw brewing between the two when her own desire for romance and sting of jealousy clouded her every bit of judgment. He had always gone out of his way to see Alex, be near her, touch her. His eyes lit up at every moment he made her laugh and how he searched for the very next moment to do it all over again. Even together, Nancy failed to notice how his eyes always stayed on Alex Henderson, watching and waiting for her to look his way and when she did, it was as if no one else surrounded them.

Letting out a light, breathy laugh, she shook her head at the realization. "I don't know how I didn't see it before," she whispered. For a moment, she felt that sadness wash over her because as much as she and Alex believed Nancy was always his, it was all a lie he told himself in order to avoid how he truly felt. It was a discovery that someone she once would have given everything to never loved her the way she believed he had. "It's always been you two," she whispered softly as she met his eyes.

Swallowing hard, Nancy knew there was nothing to be upset over. As they said, it truly was all for the better. The normal she felt may have now been seen as a lie or a cover, but it never took away how she felt. Truthfully, she never could look back and wish she kept that normal no matter how much of it was real. Jonathan was far more than that. Managing a smile, she decided to not take it to heart and rather let Steve know there was nothing to be afraid of any longer. "Well, for now at least. Soon enough it'll be you two and the six kids, which, by the way, sounds like a total nightmare."

Chuckling, he gestured back to the few that sat behind them. "If only we had some practice."

"All right, that's fair," Nancy laughed. "I just think you should tell her, is what I'm trying to say. If she told you she only sees you in her future, I guarantee she's waiting to hear you say the same thing back to her. Honestly, she's probably terrified that she's scaring you off with such big dreams despite yours being even bigger."

"I will tell her then," he whispered. "Thanks, Nance, really." Giving a knock on his head, he grinned at her. "Once again, giving me a good thump on the head."

"Well, as long as I am also there somewhere in your guys' future, I'm always available for another thump," she said playfully. And that's all she could have hoped for after all they went through. She couldn't stand the idea of a passing face that once meant something to them. She always wanted to be there, right beside them whether they were fighting for their lives or simply living the best life they could.

"You are definitely there," he whispered as he flashed her a smile. When his eyes focused back onto the road ahead, Nancy Wheeler never took her eyes off him. There was a different glow to him than when she first met him. It was comforting to see how one thump of the head could so easily change a person. She couldn't give herself all the credit, but she felt that had she never met Steve Harrington, things would be vastly different than what they came to be.

Yet again, there was another pair that had they ever met, perhaps things would have changed. Alex Henderson left Robin and Eddie to their constant teasing and instead found herself propped up in the very back seat alongside Max. Neither spoke a word, sharing a comforting silence as they watched the road trail behind them.

Had it been one of their last moments together, it was how they wanted it. No tears, no regrets, and no guilt. Seeing that she couldn't hold her guilt over Max, Alex snuck her a look, finding herself smiling as she laid her hand over hers. Turning her eyes over to her, Max slipped off her headphones before returning the love. "You think this is crazy, don't you?"

"I think everything we do is absolutely insane," Alex admitted. Scooting closed, Alex propped her chin in the palm of her hand as she looked back out to the road behind them. "I'm really, really happy to have you back, Max. Even if I think this plan is insanely bonkers, I also think it's our best shot. I just don't want to lose you again."

"He chose us because he sees the darkness in his victims, right? He uses our darkest memories against us, but it's our minds. Whatever happens, I'm going to keep running to the light." Pausing, Max became lost in her mind. There were plenty of good memories that she felt could help her hide. But there was one that was the most important to her— a night she would never forget. Focusing back on Alex, Max attempted to smile at her. "I think you should do the same... you know, just in case."

Just in case gave Alex a bit of comfort Max knew she needed. That meant Max felt there was a possibility that nothing would go wrong, and if it did, she had a plan to protect her. However, Max flinched at her words. She didn't believe in the possibility of winning or losing. Somewhere down the line, she felt they would lose at something. There was no just in case because she truly believed Alex needed to start planning on protecting herself and finding that light before Vecna could take hold.

Curious, Alex rested her chin in her hand. "A happy one?" Growing worrisome at the thought of finding that memory to hold on to, she felt herself frowning. There were plenty of moments that she knew made her happy, but they also brought a sadness down upon her. They were tainted. A shame brought down on them from the constant horrors that flooded Hawkins, that forced her to have those memories because if it wasn't for the inescapable darkness, they never would have found themselves there.

"It could be anything," Max whispered.

Alex's eyes turned over as she observed all the people that sat inside. It was easy to say all of her happy moments came from these people. They weren't just a family any longer— they were her world, her everything. Yet with every good memory shared with them also followed a haunting reason. Lifting her head out of her hands, she wrapped her arms around herself, her voice as small as she made her demeanor. "Anything?"

Max watched Alex with hopeful eyes, awaiting the moment she shared a memory that meant something deep to her. A memory that sat in her heart and removed the heaviness of the rest of the world. As a silence followed, Max's hopeful eyes began to darken and her smile faded away. She couldn't understand if it had been the lack of a happy memory— that all the chaos of Hawkins had managed to destroy the person before her that was magnetic, enough to draw anyone and everyone in with the simplicity of her kindness. Or perhaps it had been that Alex closed that memory up, afraid that Max Mayfield wasn't allowed any further than the surface of Alex Henderson.

Clearing her throat, Max brushed it off. Whatever it was, she was confident that when Alex needed it most, that memory and light would soon flood in just in time to protect her. "Can I ask you something?" she continued curiously. However, when Alex's eyes fell upon her, Max couldn't resist looking away. "I know Vecna has this... this plan. With you, with El, with Hawkins... but did he say anything? Anything at all? Maybe why? Or... or what he's even thinking?"

That search for a happy memory had halted straight into a void of darkness. Fidgeting with her fingers, Alex scrunched up her face in thought as she shook her head. "I don't know or-or I don't understand. Something about desirable potential that has Henry foaming at the mouth." Alex paused as she pulled her hand up to her mouth, trailing the edges of her lips as she brought her eyes to the window once more. The world passed by so clearly and yet she had never felt more stuck— frozen in place. "I think my life stopped the moment I was out there in the woods when the boys found El. I think... I don't know, I completely screwed her. Caring for her, loving her, just being there. And when that Demogorgon got me... it made my bond with him almost unbreakable. And that piece of him... it had to have seen how much of her was a part of my life. When everyone thought she died, I knew she was out there, staying in Hop's cabin. I gave her my clothes and I promised him that I wouldn't tell anyone. But Henry had to have known, you know, that she was still out there. Probably gave him more of a reason to do what he did to me and Will. Which only means I totally screwed up Will's life too. They've both been through enough."

A tightness wrapped around Max. In her darkest times, she laid in bed begging for a new shot at life. Sometimes that darkness brought out the worst that she never truly believed in her heart. Ideas that perhaps if Lucas Sinclair never brought her to the junkyard, things would have been better. No monsters, no Alex to turn her back on her, and no inescapable nightmares. Or a life where Billy Hargrove never met Alex Henderson. That he never would have asked her to sit in his car for some warmth, opening him up to the life the Mind Flayer had in store for him, one that would end in his death.

"You can't think that," Max whispered, almost inaudible. Somehow it also felt as if she was convincing herself not to feel the very same as Alex, allowing haunting thoughts to chew away until there was nothing left but an empty shell.

Alex ignored her, holding her head back as she let out a breath of a laugh. "You know, I haven't felt him like I used to. No chills, no voices in my head, nothing. So I thought it was over... that my brain was just malfunctioning like Owens said. My brain should be screwed having something like that in my head for so long." Breathing heavily, she allowed a fake, cold smile that felt nothing but the deepest of cuts settle on her face. "Now I think maybe he latched on so tightly that he's just a part of me. That maybe I am Henry in some ways. I mean, it makes sense. Sometimes I... I can't even tell what's me and what's him. Like we're just one."

A frustrated rage began to build inside of Max to hear Alex speak this way. It wasn't fair that someone who would die for this world could ever believe to be the same as a vicious monster that thirsted for end times. "No," she stated in disbelief. "No, Alex, that's shit. Maybe there's a part of him there but that's because he wormed his way in. It doesn't make you him. It means he's a total shithead that used the wrong person to help him hunt down El. No amount of manipulation is ever going to make you turn on her or... or any of us. You could never hurt anyone." Watching Alex, she kept shaking her head, "If there's a part of him in you, then there's a part of me in there too. He can't take that away from you, he can't take me."

"I can't lose you, Max," Alex said softly. To think of a world without her was unimaginable. She was a lot like herself and all she ever wanted for her was an out. To be free from this mess Hawkins created and live the life she deserved.

And just like Alex, Max was strong-willed, ready to face anything for her friends. Placing her hand on Alex's knee, she leaned forward to ensure they never broke eye contact. "I'm accepting this risk. And I'm not losing you, and you're not losing me." Sitting back with a soft smile, she cocked her head to the side to show it would all be okay. "But I will admit, I do think it's a tad ridiculous you going after him. It's like stalking your stalker. Maybe hanging out with me and Lucas isn't so bad and who the hell knows what will happen on the other side, but with us, you'll be safe."

"I'm going to kill him for us," Alex said in a soft tone. It was all she wanted— to know she could end all of this for them. After all, it could take away at least a fraction of the burden that rested upon her shoulders. It was a way to right a wrong she felt she caused.

Max appreciated the gesture of love but her doubts about this plan were at an all-time high. She knew what she was stepping into and who she was risking this all for. For Alex, she believed that if things fell apart, the sacrifice would lead to far greater doom. "Of all people, you should know you're walking into the eye of the storm. Maybe..." Max licked her lips anxiously, afraid that if she admitted her doubts that Alex would crumble just as she did before. "Maybe you shouldn't be doing this. You could... you could stay with your mom. Maybe see if you can get Owens on the phone. Just stay somewhere safe... I-I don't know."

"I have to do this, Max. If I don't, I don't think I'll ever forgive myself. I've done a lot of running since Starcourt and... and I can't have it hold me back."

Max allowed herself to truly frown as she kept her gaze on Alex. "So there's no convincing you?"

"Is there any convincing you?" Alex questioned back. For a moment, Max turned her eyes to the front of the Winnebago and in that split second knew that there was no one to convince her. Hanging her head, she accepted this risk just as she did years ago when Lucas Sinclair cornered her in the back of the arcade to convince her of the truth. Lifting her eyes, she attempted a smile, "Like I said, I'm accepting this risk. No convincing."

Alex gave a simple nod of understanding. To sit there and beg was no use because she knew if anyone had done that with her, she'd stand her ground until the end of times. Max was taking on some hell for the greater good. Alex couldn't convince her otherwise, but she could show Max that even through that hell, she was there to be her voice. Rising from her seat, she raised a finger at Max with certainty. "One word, Max. One word and I shut this all down for you. No questions asked."

Feeling small, Max glanced at Alex quickly before finding herself watching out the window. "Thanks," she whispered. She knew Alex would tear it all down had she asked and truthfully Max wished she was strong enough to say that one word. She was terrified of the uncertainty of what was to come. It consumed her every thought. But as she replayed her best memory over in her head, she couldn't help but find herself smiling and that was the reason she wouldn't back down. It was all for him, for Lucas Sinclair.

Alex Henderson made her way to the front of the Winnebago, passing all those that created her happiest of memories, and yet she still struggled to latch onto one. Rather than dwell on searching for answers in a moment carved out just for them— free from the darkness that haunted over Hawkins, she instead let herself hold on to this moment. Coming forward, she leaned herself against the back of the driver's seat and wrapped her arms around, one hand holding onto her wrist as she encapsulated Steve in her arms. "How's it going up here?" she asked, ending her question with an instinctive kiss to the top of Steve Harrington's head.

For that small moment, Nancy felt her breath hitch in her throat. Right then she felt she had seen the future Steve had decided he wanted for himself. It was so easy to imagine but to see it before her eyes amazed her. Rising from her seat, she flashed Alex a smile as she offered up her seat. "Here, Alex, you can sit here. I was just gonna make a list of what everyone should grab before we get there. You know, divide and conquer."

Slipping her arms off from around Steve, Alex thanked Nancy for the seat. As Nancy headed toward the rest of the group, Alex found herself slipping into the passenger seat with a heavy sigh and closed her eyes. "You think when this is all over, maybe we can sleep for a few days straight?"

Glancing her way, he initially chuckled at her exhausted composure. "Make it a week," he commented through his laughter. Yet as he peeled his eyes off the road once more for another look at her, he could see it much more clearly now. There was a brokenness to her that the lack of sleep only added a fraction to. "I don't know how you do it, honestly. Staying up this much... totally throwing me off my game here."

"Wait, you have game?" Alex questioned teasingly. Cracking open the corner of her eyes, she caught as he annoyingly shook his head, smiling at the road in front of him. With a quick glance her way, he saw her as she peeked over at him and made a quick motion to pinch her side.

Quickly moving from his hand, Alex let out a laugh as she positioned herself to watch him rather than the road. The sun that shone through the trees created a stunning glow against his face. It took away all signs of exhaustion and defeat and instead caused a beauty that Alex couldn't help but appreciate. Seeing him in this light, she was unsure how she had broken him and still managed to get him back in her life.

Sighing heavily, she turned herself away which caused a spark of interest in Steve as he looked at her. "What?"

Clicking her tongue, Alex pursed her lips out as she shook her head in disbelief. "Just don't deserve you, is all." Frustrated with herself, she threw her arms up into the air just to have them fall into her lap. Amused with her actions, Steve couldn't help but chuckle as he raised a brow of suspicion, "Seriously, Henderson?"

"Couldn't be more serious, Harrington," she said with a shake of her head. Letting out a frustrated sigh from between her lips, she never allowed herself to take her eyes off him for even a second. "I sorta missed out on months with you. It really is all on me for what happened." Wrapping her arms around herself, she shifted for a look out before them when he glanced her way. She couldn't stand to watch him have such a sadness flood eyes that she felt deserved so much more than what she had given him. "I mean, the first girl you ever dated, would you even think of facing all... all of this?" Gesturing around her, she left the question up for grabs in utter silence before her hand fell back into her lap. "You would've ran."

"Well, for starters, she wasn't you," he chuckled. Sneaking a glance her way, he hoped his reach to lighten the mood would encourage her to smile just for even a second. When she hadn't, he nervously drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. "Come on, Alex. I never wanted to leave your side through all this. If I had known from the jump all this would have happened, would've slung you over my shoulder and ran straight out of Hawkins."

Turning over to him, Alex found herself smiling at the very thought. "Maybe now we can pack up everyone else and run. Steal them away forever. Have some other assholes deal with Henry. Sounds like a perfect plan to me."

Exchanging genuine smiles with one another, they knew it could only be a hopeless dream. Leaving Hawkins wasn't in their cards this time even if they dreamed of running far away. It was inescapable. The end of the world relied on them— teenagers who felt they lost every bit of sense of direction outside of Hawkins horrors. The very same who searched for popularity, struggled with relationships, jobs, and college applications, and some graduating this very year— 1986. For their spring break, the typical worries were put on hold for something much larger— something that would make them unnamed heroes for a world that was unsuspecting to the end of the world doom.