Chapter Forty-Eight: Split Up

(The Battle Of Starcourt, Pt. 3)

***

So they have a new plan.

Chief Hopper, Aco and Murray would go underground to destroy the machine while Valerie, Robin, Steve, Rowan, Erica and Dustin would head to Dustin's radio tower to navigate the warren of vents that Dustin, Erica and Rowan had crawled through while Valerie, Robin and Steve were interrogated and drugged. Meanwhile, the rest of the group would head to Murray's safe-house, to hide from the Mind Flayer until the gate was closed and it was dead. Cami would be among the group going to the safe-house, which Valerie was relieved by—as much as she hated them separating after only being reunited a couple hours or so ago, at least they'd both be in places that were safe.

It was a good plan, one everyone agreed to, before they got set on doing it.

As Valerie stood with Robin, Dustin and Erica and Steve accepted the keys for the car the police chief had promised them they would have, she saw that Rowan wasn't among them—which Steve also noticed as he turned and saw her still standing in the middle of the mall.

"Graveswood, you coming?" he asked.

Rowan shook her head. "No. I... I need to be here, Steve."

"You're not seriously going back down there," Erica said, voice flat but she looked genuinely worried as Robin, Dustin and Valerie stared at Rowan in confusion. She actually wasn't going back down there, right? Even with her superpowers, it would be crazy, right? Like, totally insane. Right?

Steve, meanwhile, looked shocked and hurt.

"No. I'm not going back to that fucking place as long as I live. I need to be with the kids and Nancy and Jonathan. I need to be with my brother," Rowan explained.

"Rowan—" Dustin started, but Rowan harshly interrupted, "I'm not leaving him again. Not with this thing still fucking alive and kicking."

That ended the argument, as Dustin stared at her before he nodded and turned for the entrance, Erica doing the same. Valerie looked at Rowan. She understood the reasons why—hell, if Valerie wasn't confident in that Cami would be safe, she'd be right there with Rowan. And yet, a part of her, the big sister inside her, worried for Cami's safety, and while she knew Rowan was staying to protect her brother and potentially El, Valerie needed her friend to promise her she'd protect Cami. She needed her to promise her that.

So as Robin mouthed something to Rowan and turned away as the dark-haired girl nodded, Valerie marched up to her and said lowly, "I know you're there for Al or El, but protect Cami too, okay?"

"I can protect myself, Val!" Cami shouted from where she stood behind Rowan, but Valerie ignored her hermanita as she said again, "Protect her, Rowan."

"I will, Val. I'm gonna protect her and the other gremlins," Rowan promised, her voice grave.

Valerie looked at Rowan, at the look on her face, like protecting Cami was something she'd do regardless of Valerie having her do that, that she would protect the other kids Cami and Alistair were friends with—including El—with everything in her. Like she would give her life for every single one of those kids.

That was enough to assure Valerie, and she rejoined the others.

When she did, Robin said, "Guess it's just the five of us."

"Guess so," Valerie concurred as she looked at Rowan and Steve, the two talking. She looked at Cami, and the worry roiled inside her, even with Rowan's promise and that she would be at the safe-house.

Robin, sensing it, nudged Valerie gently. "Hey, she's gonna be okay, Val."

"Yeah, neither Rowan or Al are gonna let the Mind Flayer come near her. Rowan will electrocute it and Al will probably have some zombie animals try and tear it apart," Dustin assured, and even though Valerie was still comprehending the fact Rowan could shoot lightning out of her hands and Alistair could raise up zombies, she smiled at the assurance, knowing Dustin was right, that they would protect Cami along with everyone else—especially Alistair, given how close he and her sister were.

It made Valerie suddenly glad the Graveswood siblings were on their side, not the side these people she saw before her—including her sister—had been fighting against for what sounded like ever since Will disappeared before he came back.

"Thanks, guys," she murmured.

Dustin smiled, and Robin smiled too and Valerie's heart flip-flopped at seeing it, at the reminder of how beautiful it was, before she looked back and saw Rowan and Steve sharing a tight hug before leaving. If what Cami said was true, if what Rowan told her earlier was also true, then Steve and Rowan had probably been fighting the Upside Down together since this started—that this would be the first time they'd be apart. Valerie couldn't imagine how terrifying that would be, especially in regards to how their feelings had changed.

Valerie supposed that would be like her with Robin, if they'd also been fighting it just as long instead of being newly thrown into it, and if Valerie wasn't so damn cowardly to admit her feelings and try to see if Robin wasn't straight, to believe what she'd gotten from what Rowan said about Robin was right.

When they pulled apart, Steve turned and made to walk back to them—until Rowan called out, "Hey, Steve?"

Steve turned to her. "Yeah?"

Instead of answering, Rowan only marched up to him, staring at him for a second before she grabbed his ascot—and pulled his face down onto hers.

Valerie blinked, shock coursing through her at what she was seeing.

Dios mío. ¡DIOS MIO!

Rowan and Steve were kissing. Rowan and Steve were kissing! And judging by how shocked Dustin, Erica and Robin looked, they hadn't expected it as well, and Valerie could see it reflected on the faces of the other teens—but Valerie could see the hints of an ecstatic grin on her hopeless romantic sister's face—before Rowan and Steve pulled apart and Rowan said to him, "Be careful."

She turned away, but Steve grabbed her wrist and pulled her back, saying, "Hey, Rowan."

"Yeah?" she returned,

Steve tilted her head up, murmured something to her that had Rowan nod in reply, before he kissed her again.

Valerie blinked, not expecting that. But as she looked at the four next to her, she could see an elated grin breaking out on Dustin's face, as Robin also grinned. And dammit, Valerie was grinning too—after all, it took them long enough. She watched as the kiss became something deeper, something much more intimate, and Valerie was considering whether they should be looking at this when Steve and Rowan broke apart and he murmured, "Be careful, too."

Rowan nodded, and they shared another, quicker kiss.

And when they pulled apart, Dustin couldn't keep back his excitement as he yelled, "Finally!"

That had the happy couple jump, whirling to Dustin to see the wide, ecstatic grin beaming across his face, the smiles on Valerie's and Robin's faces, and the smirk on Erica's. And Valerie was happy for them, really—with the pining and obvious flirting and heart-eyes, it was about time they kissed, let alone admit they liked each other. And yet...

And yet Valerie couldn't help but feel a stab of jealously that if she kissed Robin—and Robin kissed her back, liked her back—there wouldn't be that same reaction.

Just be happy for them, Valerie chided herself as Steve and Rowan shared one last gesture before Steve finally joined them, looking like he was high on Russian drugs again, except Valerie knew he was just high on kissing Rowan and knowing she felt the same as him, and they headed out to the car.

And when they saw it, Steve's excitement increased.

"Oh man. Now this? This is what I'm talking about," he said excitedly as Valerie stared at the pale yellow convertible parked in front of the mall. Jesus, where the hell did the police chief get a car like that?

"'Toddfather'?" Robin said incredulously, and now Valerie saw the name plate, too.

"What the hell? What kind of an egoistic asshole names his car like that?" Valerie questioned.

"Oh screw Todd! Steve's her daddy now," Steve declared as he hopped into the driver's seat of the car.

Valerie blinked. What the hell did he just say?

"Did you just talk about yourself in the third person?" Robin asked as the four of them headed into the car—Robin in the front while Erica, Valerie and Dustin were in the back.

"Did he seriously just call himself daddy?" Erica questioned in disbelief.

"Qué idiota," Valerie muttered, as Robin smothered a laugh at that.

"Alright, where are we going?" Steve asked as he started the car.

"Weathertop," Dustin answered.

"Weather what?"

"Just drive!" Dustin snapped.

"Okay. Jesus!" Steve returned, twisting over to look over the back as he reversed out. As he did, Valerie remembered how badly beaten his face was and that Steve had recently been drugged, and she asked, "Hey, you sure you're okay to drive?"

"For this car? I'm more than okay!" Steve assured, grinning. And while Valerie didn't entirely believe that, she didn't argue—especially since she had been drugged recently, too, so she probably wouldn't be okay to drive either. Besides, she had a feeling asking to drive instead would be like kicking a puppy when Steve looked this happy to drive the car.

So instead she sat back as Steve finished reversing out and he spun around and he headed to Dustin's radio tower so they could be navigators.

And Valerie prayed to God her sister would be safe.

***

"Bottom lock. Third-to-top lock. Second-to-top lock. Top lock," Murray instructed Nancy and Jonathan with which keys went with which locks at his safe-house. Cami hoped that they could actually be safe there—that the Mind Flayer wouldn't be able to find them and El. But if it did, then Cami knew Rowan and Alistair would push their powers to the limit to protect them.

Cami watched as the siblings shared a goodbye with their aunt, as Will did the same with his mom and El did with Hopper. Cami had already said goodbye to her sister, and even though she knew she was okay, that she hadn't been Flayed and that she would be safe at Weathertop, Cami was still worried for her sister—especially since Valerie had been interrogated and drugged by Russians. That was terrifying to think that was what her big sister had endured right under her feet.

Max, as if noticing her worry, said, "Hey, she's gonna be okay. We're all gonna be okay."

"Yeah, I know. I mean, we have a plan and this time we definitely won't be going rogue and staying put in Murray's safe-house," Cami pointed out, and Max snorted, as the memory of the Byers house and them leaving to burn the tunnels when they were supposed to stay put. But the humour soon faded when Cami noticed the look in her friend's face.

Bumping her shoulder, she murmured, "He won't find us, okay? And if he does, Rowan would probably kick his ass again."

"I know," Max said, before she looked to Cami and added, "Cami, if Billy... if he isn't part of that thing... he's gonna die when the gate's closed. Once the Mind Flayer dies, he..."

Max couldn't finish, tears in her eyes, and Cami pulled her friend into a hug.

"Hey, if... if he finds us and Al can exorcise him before the gate's closed, he could be saved," Cami assured, but even as she said it, that was a vain hope. This wasn't like Will—they had already tried that in the sauna, and it had failed, and no way would they be lucky enough to attempt an exorcism again, especially since the main worry was keeping El safe from the Mind Flayer and in closing the gate to stop it once and for all. If Billy hadn't become part of that monster... he would die.

And Cami promised herself that she'd stay by Max's side, to comfort her through that.

Max didn't say anything, like she knew what Cami said was a kind lie, embracing Cami before she pulled away and headed to another part of the mall. Cami remained, watching as Rowan now headed to Max—the goodbye between the Graveswoods finished, it seemed. Cami tried to see if she could find her best friend, but Alistair had vanished.

Cami frowned. Where was he?

Deciding to go search for him and see if he was okay, she wandered around the lower level of the mall, peering into the stores, trying to find Alistair.

Until she looped back around and saw Alistair and Will in a gap between two stores, Will pressed against the wall. And they were... kissing!

They were kissing!

Immediately, an ecstatic smile curved up Cami's lips. Finally! 

Alistair and Will were kissing! They were kissing and it was all Cami could do to keep from squealing in sheer excitement and happiness for her friend. Her wingwoman plans had worked and now Alistair and Will were kissing and maybe even had a love confession! Finally!

That was when Cami noticed Rowan, also happy her brother and his crush had admitted their feelings to each other at long last and were kissing, and she mouthed to her, "Took them long enough."

Rowan nodded in agreement.

Deciding to give them some privacy—and make sure no one else stumbled across them—Rowan and Cami headed back to the main group, where Mike asked them, "Where are Al and Will?"

"Don't worry, they'll be here. They're just... talking," Cami lied as she shared a secret look with Rowan.

Yeah, Alistair and Will were talking.

However, true to word, Alistair and Will soon arrived, trying to hide the evidence of sharing their first kiss.

"Hey guys," Alistair greeted as Will smiled, obviously trying to not look so giddy he'd just kissed Alistair. "We're leaving?"

"Yeah," Mike affirmed.

That sobered up the post-kiss high Alistair had as he nodded, serious once more as Will was, too. Alistair soon joined Mike and Max to help El so she could head into the car. Cami waited with the rest of the group as the quartet hobbled up, and behind them, the adults got ready to head into the Russian base and close the gate and kill the Mind Flayer.

And hopefully end things for good while keeping El away from the Mind Flayer until it was certainly dead.

Hopefully.

***

Things are happening...

We got Stowan AND Alisill background kisses!! I loved writing them kiss, you have no idea! 

And yeah, Valerie had Rowan promise to look after her sister, even though Rowan would do so without question. And yes, the iconic "screw Todd" scene—I love that scene so freaking much 😂

And yeah, Cami comforted Max over how Billy could die when the Mind Flayer dies (because I think that was always gonna happen since everything connected to the Mind Flayer dies with it when the gate is closed)

But yes, the plan's gonna go off the rails soon...

Spanish translations:

Dios mío: Oh my God

Qué idiota: What an idiot

Please read, comment and vote!

GhostWriterGirl out!