CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
TODFTHR

        Abby and Steve sit knee-to-knee at the fountain, away from the rest of the group.  They don't say anything for a long time, just enjoy the company they give one another.  The horrors of the previous days are still fresh, but they're safe for now.  There's a soft smile on Steve's face as he glances over at her whenever he thinks that she won't notice.  She smiles back at him.  Tell him, tell him, tell him something inside of her urges.  Tell him before it's too late. 

Something overtakes her then because she knows that the voice is right.  She knows that they may not have time, there are a million ways that they can die before the day ends.  These are the seldom few moments that they can spend together, and they might as well be the last.  They're supposed to go to Murray's safe house in Illinois, but their path can be easily intercepted, they can face perils out on the road, and if Hopper's group fails, if the Mind Flayer and its weapon don't disappear then it's all for nothing.  The world is plunged in darkness, the sickness festers, the Earth is no more.

Tell him, tell him, tell him.

Abby shifts and clears her throat.  "Uh, Steve—"

"—Abby," says Steve at the same time.

"Oh, uh, you—you go first," Abby fumbles as she stares down at her hands folded in her lap.

Steve shakes his head.  "No, no, you were going to say something first."

Abby lets out a small, nervous laugh.  She opens her mouth to tell him, to satisfy the voice that urges her to confess, to let the butterflies that settle in her stomach whenever Steve is near out.  "I—uh, it's—it's nothing, really," she finds herself saying, her mouth has betrayed her heart.  They always ask whether it's your mind or your heart that you listen to as if expecting some sort of singular answer.  Abby has found that it can be both. "It's kinda stupid, actually.  You can go."

Steve takes a deep breath and glances at Abby before looking away.  "Oh, well, I wanted to tell you that—"

"Hey, asshole!" Dustin calls as he approaches them.  He tosses a set of keys toward Steve, they soar in an arc through the air and Steve catches them easily in his hands.  "Let's go!  Now!"

"What's going on?" Abby asks.

"We're getting them into the base," Dustin answers.  "But first, we need to get to Cerebro."

"Wait, wait, wait, who's Cerbero?" Steve questions.

"My radio tower," Dustin answers.

Abby nods.  "Okay, cool, I gotta do something first."

She jogs over to Isla who sits alone at the edge of the fountain.  Her eyes flit over to Robin and then to Nancy and finally to Abby who takes a seat beside her.  It's been a long time since she's seen her friend without having to keep secrets hidden away from her.  It's almost relieving to know that the bond that they all share with Nancy, Jonathan, Steve no longer has secrets hidden away beneath the smiles and laughter shared over the lunch table.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" Abby asks softly as she wraps an arm around Isla's shoulders.

Isla shrugs as she leans into Abby's embrace.  "I dunno.  Confused?  Scared?  Everything's just happened so fast.  One day I'm resisting the urge to punch Tom Holloway in the face, and the next rats are exploding and people are melting."

Abby nods sympathetically.  She knows how it feels to suddenly be thrown into the madness of the Upside Down with no warning.  It's like being dunked in cold water; the cold, the way it feels like you can't breathe, the way everything seems to feel alive inside you after that. 

"Well, I know what it feels like to just suddenly be thrown into all of this," she tells her friend.  "I have to go, but we'll meet you at the Illinois safe house.  But just know, if you ever need to talk, I'm always here."

Isla nods and wraps both of her arms around Abby.  Her embrace is warm, like the warmth of Steve's hand, but it's different too.  There aren't the butterflies that squirm around her in chest when she hugs Isla, but regardless, she melts into the warmth of their friendship.

"I've missed you," Abby tells her.

"I missed you too," Isla replies.

Reluctantly, Abby pulls away from her embrace.  "I have to get going."

"Hey, stay safe," Isla calls.

"You too," Abby replies.

Abby steals one last glance and a final parting wave at her friend before she joins Steve, Dustin, Robin, and Erica who stand patiently by the door.  The rest have already said their goodbyes to their friends and siblings with promises to see them later in Illinois.  Abby only hopes that they can make do with their hesitant promises.  Together, they push through the glass doors of the malls, stealing one look back at their companions.

"Oh man, now this ... this is what I'm talking about!" Steve exclaims as he points to the car pulled haphazardly near the glass doors of the mall.  It's sleek and off-white, the pain shines under the moonlight, and the license plate reads TODFTHR, but there doesn't seem to be anything particularly exciting about it.  Regardless, Steve wears a bright smile on his face.  At least he's found a reason to bring the light to his eyes for just a little bit.

"Todd Father?" Robin reads.

"Oh, screw Todd!  Steve's her daddy now!" Steve exclaims as he launches himself into the driver's seat.

"Did you just talk about yourself in the third person?"

"Did he just call himself daddy?" Erica questions.

Abby pulls open the door and climbs into the passenger's seat beside Steve while the rest squeeze into the back of the car.  Dustin launches himself up and over the car door and lands in the backbench of the car, followed by Erica and Robin. 

"All right, where are we going?" Steve questions.

"Weathertop," Dustin answers.

"Weather-what?"

"Just drive."

"Okay, Jesus!"

✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*

Music blasts through the speakers of the car as they drive steadily into the night.  Abby's knee is bouncing in anticipation as they draw further and further away from the danger and the Russians, but farther into the darkness of the night. She hopes that those they had left behind in the mall remain safe as they journey to Illinois, she hopes that whatever happens down in the Russian base does not end with tragedy.  The wind whips through her hair, there are a few pieces of glass still caught in her locks that glint under the moonlight.  The only sound over the upbeat music of the radio is the low rumbling of the car.

"Jesus, how far is this place, man?" Steve calls over the sound of the wind.

"Relax, we're almost there," Dustin replies.

"Suzie must be pretty special, huh?" Robin asks.  "I mean if you built this thing and lugged it all the way to the middle of nowhere just to talk to her?"

"I mean, nobody's scientifically perfect, but Suzie's about as close to being perfect as any human can possibly be," Dustin answers with a wide grin.  There's that same gleam in his eyes as he talks about Suzie that she recognizes in the eyes of so many others when they talk about the things that they hold dear to them.

"Aw, that's sweet," Abby hums.  She knows that the others are skeptical about Suzie's existence because Dustin paints her to be something without any flaws, so perfect that it's impossible for her to truly exist, but she figures that that's just how Suzie is in Dustin's eyes.

"She sounds made up to me," Erica comments.  She leans forward to address Steve who has not yet made a comment about Suzie.  "She sound made up to you?"

Steve blanches slightly and glances back at Dustin.  He's a deer caught in headlights under Dustin's forceful gaze.  Abby holds back a laugh as Steve opens his mouth before turning his attention back to the road.

"Why are you hesitating, Steve?" Dustin questions.

"I'm—I'm—I'm not!" Steve protests.  "I think she sounds real.  You know, totally, absolutely real."

"Left.  Turn left," Dustin instructs.

"There's not a road there!"

"Turn left now!"

Abby lets out a yelp as the car jerks to the left and she's thrown sideways into Steve.  The car crashes through a rotting, wooden fence, sending the pieces of wood flying through the air and scattering on the ground behind them.  Steve only presses harder on the gas pedal as they tear up a grassy hill.  The car bucks under the small hills of grass, throwing its occupants every which way as they attempt to maintain stability in the wildly bucking car.

They begin their ascension up the steep, grassy hill.  Abby clutches onto the door for support as shouts fill the air.  The wheels of the car being to spin uselessly as the hill becomes steeper and steeper.  The engine stalls as they reach the middle of the hill.  Desperately, Steve presses down even harder on the gas pedal, hoping, praying for the car to start moving again.  They're so close to the top, so close to guiding their companions away from danger.

"Guess the Todd Father has its limitations," Robin comments.

Steve only throws his hands up in defeat.  He cuts the engine and the upbeat music suddenly cuts out.  A tense silence fills the atmosphere as they pile out of the car.  This is not supposed to be a jolly night filled with campfire songs and relays of memories past, though Abby admits that the music has helped to distract her from the thought of impending doom.

As soon as they crest the top of the hill, Dustin scrambles to the tall tower.  Cerebro stands tall upon the hill, there are a few lights that blink on and off that pierce the night sky.  He and Erica all gather around it in the grass while Abby, Steve, and Robin stray a few feet away from them, gazing over at Hawkins from the crest of the hill.  She's always found it funny how everything seems so much smaller from a distance, the mall is nothing but a small speck somewhere on the horizon.  The Mind Flayer is nothing but a small speck in Hawkins, seemingly insignificant.

"Bald Eagle, I repeat, this is Scoops Troop, do you copy?" Dustin calls into the radio.

"Yes, I copy," comes Murray's placated response.

They all chuckle in relief as Dustin asks, "Call sign?"

"Bald Eagle."

"Please repeat."

"Bald Eagle.  This is Bald Eagle!"

"Copy that," Dustin responds, a little too gleefully, barely managing to keep the laughter out of his voice.  Abby chuckles lightly and glances over at Steve who wears the same look of amusement on his face.  "Good to hear your voice, Bald Eagle.  What's your 20?"

"We reached the vent, I'll contact you when I need you," Murray answers.  He doesn't even try to hide the subtle hostility in his voice.  "Until then, silence."

Dustin raises the radio to his lips.  "Roger that, Bald Eagle.  This is Scoops Troop going radio silent.  10-10, over."

"I don't think he liked being called Bald Eagle very much," Abby muses.

Steve grins and pats Dustin on the shoulder as he lowers the radio from his lips.  Abby lays back in the grass and stares up at the twinkling stars in the night sky as a small gust of wind sweeps over them.  All they can do now is wait.

"Scoops Troop, this is ... hm, Bald Eagle," comes Murray's voice, as hesitant and aggravated as before.  Abby pushes herself up and leans back against her hands.  "I've reached another junction."

"This is what?" Dustin asks.

"The fourth junction," Erica answers.

Dustin nods.  "All right, so if memory serves, this is right after the My Little Pony thesis."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Abby agrees.

"We went left, so he has to go right," says Erica.

"Right," Dustin nods.  He holds the radio up to his lips again and instructs, "Fly right, Bald Eagle.  Fly right."

"Roger that, flying right," Murray responds.

"What's the My Little Pony thesis?" Robin wonders.

"Don't get him started," Erica warns.

"Get him started?  Just tell me—"

"Hey, guys?" Steve calls.

He stands at the edge of the hill, but his gaze is not focused on them.  Instead, he gazes out at the horizon of small twinkling lights.  Their heads turn in Steve's direction before they scramble up from the ground and jog toward him.  In the center of the small twinkling lights sits Starcourt Mall, so small, and yet significantly larger than the rest of the town.  The lights flicker rapidly as if they're trying to catch their attention as if they are a honing beacon for all things gone wrong. 

Without a single word, they all turn around and run back to the radio.  Dustin falls to his knees in front of the radio and the rest gather around them as they stare at the radio tower anxiously.  Dustin raises the radio to his lips and desperately calls, "Griswold Family, this is Scoops Troop.  Do you copy?  Over!"

Nothing.

"Griswold Family, I repeat, this is Scoops Troop.  Do you—" Dustin's call is abruptly cut off by a loud screeching.  "Griswold Family, do you copy?"

Abby recoils in horror as a loud, demonic, ear-shattering screeching issues from the radio. 

"Griswold Family, this is Scoops Troop," Dustin repeats.  The desperation is clear in the tremor that tears through his voice.  "Please confirm your safety!  Griswold Family, this is Scoops Troop.  Please confirm your safety!  Are you en route to Bald Eagle's nest?"

Dustin continues to shout desperate pleas into the radio as the silence from the other side continues to drone on.  Abby's heart is beating rapidly in her chest as she stares down at the radio, willing the other side to spark to life, to assure them that they're on the way to Murray's safe house, but there is no response.  Steve jumps to his feet with a determination gleaming in his eyes as he tears away from the group.

"Where are you going?!" Erica calls.

"To get them the hell out of there!" Steve answers as he begins to disappear over the hill.  "Stay here, contact the others!"

Abby pushes herself onto her feet and turns to the others.  "Can you guys hold the fort here?  Great, thanks!"

She follows Steve down the hill.  Robin follows after her, clutching a radio to her chest as the car comes into view.  Her feet pound against the grass as the determination to save her companions continues to grow.

author's note: haha, no confessions just yet