{Dear Billy, Part I}

"It was here. Right here!"

Robin, Nancy, and Alice had joined Steve, Dustin, and Max at the high school. They stood in a secluded corridor, flashlights shining on an empty wall straight ahead, as Max described a recent vision. 

"A grandfather clock?" Nancy asked.

"It was so real," Max said, voice cracking. "And then, when I got closer, suddenly I just...I woke up."

"It was like she was in a trance or something," Dustin said. "Exactly what Eddie said happened to Chrissy."

"That's not even the bad part," Max said. She led the group back to Ms. Kelley's office, gesturing to Chrissy and Fred's files.

"Fred and Chrissy," Max continued, "they both came to Ms. Kelley for help. They both were having headaches, bad headaches that wouldn't go away. And then the nightmares. Trouble sleeping. They'd wake up in a cold sweat."

A billion thoughts—all of them negative—swirled through Alice's mind.

"Then," Max said, "they started seeing things. Bad things from their pasts. These visions—they just kept on getting worse and worse until eventually everything ended."

"Vecna's curse," Robin said quietly. 

"Chrissy's headache started a week ago," Max said, pointing to the girl's file. Tears stained her cheeks as she spoke. "Fred's, six days ago. I've been having them for 5 days. I don't know how long I have. All I know is that for Fred and Chrissy, they both died less than 24 hours after their first vision. And I just saw that goddamn clock, so it looks like I'm going to die tomorrow."

Somber silence settled over the group.

A tsunami of nausea washed over Alice. The nightmares and the headaches and the visions were familiar, but she wasn't worried for herself right now. Sure, Vecna was terrifying, but Alice had powers and could hold her own against him. Max didn't have that advantage. Max didn't deserve this kind of torment.

"We're not going to let him take you," Alice said, eyes shining with defiance.

Max, terrified and numb, couldn't look anyone in the eye.

From somewhere else in the school, a loud creak! startled them.

"Stay here," Steve said in a low voice. He paused before unplugging a tall, ugly lamp and creeping into the hall.

"We're not actually going to stay, right?" Dustin whispered.

"Obviously not!" Alice said. "Come on."

Ignoring Steve's direct order, the others followed him. Rapidly incoming footsteps alerted them to someone's presence. It wasn't Vecna—they were moving too fast for that.

Steve raised the lamp to attack when, suddenly, Lucas zipped around the corner. Everyone screamed, startled.

"It's me!" Lucas cried out.

"Lucas?!" Nancy said, shocked but relieved to see a familiar face.

"It's me!" Lucas repeated.

"Jesus!" Steve shouted. "What is wrong with you, Sinclair? I could've taken you out with this lamp!"

"I'm sorry!" Lucas said. He leaned down with his hands on his knees, attempting to catch his breath. "Sorry guys, I was biking for eight miles. Give me a second, shit. We've got a Code Red."

"What?" Steve said.

"Dustin," Lucas said. "I've been with Jason, Patrick, and Andy."

Alice bristled at the mentions of Jason and Andy. Their hurtful words from after the game rattled around in her head.

"They've totally gone off the rails!" Lucas continued. "They're trying to capture Eddie."

"Capture him?" Alice said. "Like a citizen's arrest? That's so stupid."

"Jason's not thinking clearly," Lucas said. "He's devastated about Chrissy. But they think Dustin knows where Eddie is. Dustin, you're in terrible danger!"

"That definitely sucks," Dustin said, "but we have bigger problems than Jason right now."

He nodded in the direction of Max. Lucas frowned.

"Wait, what's going on?" he said. "Max, are you okay?"

"Far from it," she said bitterly. "It seems like every time we kill an Upside Down monster, we get hit with another one."

"Is it like the Mind Flayer?" Lucas said. His memory flashed to the creature at the mall that they destroyed with fireworks.

"Worse," Robin said. "Way worse."

"We're calling him Vecna," Dustin explained. "He's a dark wizard. He can get into people's heads and...do some really bad stuff. He's who got Chrissy, not Eddie. Lucas, Eddie is innocent."

Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"How sure are you of that, exactly?"

"100% sure," Dustin said. "Vecna's been haunting Alice for weeks. He just killed Chrissy and Fred. And now he wants to kill..."

It was too horrible to say aloud. All Dustin could do was nod in Max's direction again.

Lucas' heart dropped to his feet. He gingerly stepped closer to Max. She looked down at her shoes.

"That can't be true," Lucas said, voice breaking. "Max, there's got to be some kind of misunderstanding—"

"There isn't," Max snapped. "Vecna is coming for me. He's two for two, so I like his chances."

"We'll stop him!" Lucas said. "We will."

"How?!" Max said.

"I have an idea," Nancy said. "But it's too late to execute tonight. Tomorrow, bright and early, we can get started. Until then, how about we have a sleepover at my place?"

"A sleepover?" Robin said. "Is now really the time for a movie marathon or spa night?"

"Not a sleepover like that," Nancy said with a huff. "I just think we should stay together. Things are scary and uncertain right now. And if we're all together, we can keep an eye on Vecna's...activities."

"You mean the horrible nightmares?" Alice said.

"Yeah. That. Come on, let's go to mine. I'm sure my parents won't mind."

🕰 🕰 🕰 

They did mind. Or, at least, Ted Wheeler minded, quite a bit.

"Nancy," he drawled in his traditional monotone. "This isn't a boarding house."

"Dad, please," Nancy said. "Steve's house flooded, Max's mom is working late, Robin's parents are out of town, and Dustin and Alice's power is out. They all need a place to stay."

"How about they stay with the Sinclairs," Ted quipped. "Next door?"

"My parents don't let me have sleepovers anymore," Lucas said quickly. "Erica's a sleepwalker."

Ted grumbled a bit more until Karen shushed him.

"You are all welcome to stay the night," Karen said warmly.

They thanked her profusely and charged down to the basement. Before anyone could get too comfortable, Alice tapped Nancy's shoulder.

"I need to talk to you, Rob, and Steve," Alice murmured. "Get the kids out of here."

Nancy nodded before turning to Dustin, Lucas, and Max.

"Will you three head back up to collect pillows and blankets?" Nancy asked. "You can get some from my room and the linen closet."

"Why do we have to go?" Dustin said with a scrunched face.

"Because Nance asked you too," Alice said, giving him a pointed look.

Dustin, Lucas, and Max acquiesced and headed upstairs. As soon as they closed the upstairs basement door, Alice cleared her throat.

"I have a plan for Vecna," she said. "It's not a great one. But it's all I've got."

"I'm afraid to ask," Robin said, "but what is your plan, exactly?"

"Vecna wants my power, right?" Alice said. "He wants me to join him, or he'll take it by force. What if I...what if I promised to give it to him, if he agreed to leave me and Max—and all of Hawkins—alone forever?"

She studied her friend's faces as they pondered her words. All them were deep in thought, foreheads creased with unease.

After a beat, Steve stepped forward and gently held both of Alice's hands in his.

"That is such a brave and selfless thing to do," he said. "But, Alice, we can't trust Vecna. Making a deal with him would not work."

"We don't know that for sure," Alice said.

"But we can infer!" Robin said. "How do we know he wouldn't double-cross you, then take your powers, then kill you, then kill Max, and then be even more powerful to carry out whatever evil shit—"

"Let's not speculate," Nancy said, interrupting Robin before the hypotheticals could spiral even further. "But I agree. That's off the table."

"We have to do something!" Alice said, tears pooling in her eyes.

"I know you're scared—" Nancy started.

"I'm more than just scared!" Alice said, a sob escaping her. Steve wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she cried. "I'm terrified! For me and especially for Max! I don't know what to do! I don't see a way out of this! I feel so helpless!"

"I have a plan," Nancy said, trying to keep her composure, although the shake in her voice betrayed her own fear. "I'm meeting with the newspaper staff at 8:30 tomorrow to fudge some documents. If we can get into Pennhurst and talk to Victor, we can figure out how he survived Vecna!"

"That's genius, Nance," Robin said.

"It's a start," Nancy said.

"It's going to be okay, Al," Steve said. He cupped her face in his hands and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "If Vecna wants you and Max, he's going to have to go through all of us first."

The basement door banged open. Alice quickly wiped her tears as Dustin, Lucas, and Max descended the steps, each with a stack of fluffy pillows, bedsheets, blankets, and sleeping bags in their arms.

The younger teens noticed Alice's bloodshot eyes.

"Everything okay?" Lucas asked, handing her a blanket and pillow.

"Peachy," Alice said.

"Make yourselves comfortable," Nancy said, helping pass around the supplies. "I know we're all on edge right now, but we should try to sleep."

Alice didn't want to sleep. She didn't know if she could without seeing Vecna. But she knew pacing all night wouldn't do any good.

She dropped her pillow and blanket near the far wall. Steve meandered over to lay by Alice—until Dustin shoved past him and settled near her instead.

"You might want to move that way," Dustin said to the older boy. "I need space. I'm a sleep-kicker."

Alice and Steve shared a look. Steve sighed and chose a spot near the back door.

Max had the couch, and Lucas chose the chair next to it. Robin had a sleeping bag by the bottom of the stairs, and Nancy curled up on Mr. Wheeler's old recliner.

After about 15 minutes of laying silently in the dark, Lucas said, "This is stupid. Is anyone actually sleeping?"

"Nope," Robin said. "I am very much awake."

"I don't think I'll ever sleep again," Max muttered.

"I was about four seconds from sleep," Dustin said. "So thanks for that, Lucas."

Dustin and Lucas bickered back and forth a few more times before Nancy shushed them.

Another 15 minutes passed. Alice felt a swift kick to her ankle.

"Dustin!" she hissed. "Move over!"

He mumbled in his sleep. Alice shoved him further away and flopped on her side.

She closed her eyes and tried to think of happy things: ice cream. Movies. Comic books. Candy. Family vacations with her mother and Dustin. That time Tommy H. split his pants in the school cafeteria, and he had to wear neon yellow parachute pants from the Lost and Found for three class periods.

Eventually, her list of nice things converged onto one subject: Steve. Dates with Steve. Hugs from Steve. Kisses from Steve. Late nights talking with Steve. Late nights doing everything but talking with Steve.

After a few more minutes, Alice's daydreams made way for real dreams, and she fell asleep. The subject of her fantasies himself tried to sleep too, but he couldn't stop ruminating.

Steve kept glancing over at Alice, checking for any hints of distress. Her chest rose and fell evenly—a good sign. But Steve couldn't help but think, was Vecna on his way into her head right now?

However helpless Alice felt in all of this, Steve felt that tenfold. It hurt watching her—and now Max—suffer and not knowing how to help.

Steve wasn't sure how long he laid awake. At some point, he couldn't take it anymore. He untangled himself from his scratchy blanket and stormed out the basement door.

He walked to where his car was parked in the Wheeler's driveway and unlocked the passenger-side door. He dug through the glove box, pushing aside the mixtapes Alice had made for him, until he found it—a box of Marlboro Reds and a lighter.

Steve had tried to quit smoking, besides the occasional joint. However, on stressful days—and what was this day if not stressful?—Steve gave into the temptation.

Steve smoked on the hood of his car, the cigarette dangling from his fingers like it was an extension of his physical form. Plumes of smoke swirled upward into the starry sky. It would've been peaceful if not for the impending doom weighing on him.

He thought back to that fateful night in 1983, the night his life changed forever. If he hadn't run into Alice that day, if he hadn't driven her home, if she hadn't motivated him by telling him he wasn't as bad a person as he thought, would he have gone to the Byers' house? Would he know about the Upside Down at all? Would Nancy, Jonathan, and Alice have survived the demogorgon attack?

In a heartbeat, Steve would go back in time and make the same choice. However, there were times Steve begged whatever higher power existed in the universe to reset time and remake Hawkins as a completely normal, boring town: the time he and Dustin were trapped in the Upside Down tunnels, a pack of angry demodogs racing toward them; the time he watched Alice and Robin get dragged away by Russian soldiers for interrogations; the time the Mind Flayer had Alice in his clutches...

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Steve cursed and whipped his head around. Max stood a few feet away, arms crossed.

"Jesus, Mayfield," Steve said. He clutched his chest, hoping to calm his rapid heartbeat. "You scared me."

"Welcome to the club. 'Scared' is pretty much my default these days. Can I smoke with you?"

Steve barked out a laugh.

"Yeah, that's not happening," Steve said. "Cigarettes are horrible for you."

"Why do you smoke, then?"

"I shouldn't. But it's hard to stop. Don't tell Alice."

"I won't...if you let me smoke with you."

"I have a better idea," Steve said. He slid off the hood and dove back into the messy glovebox. He procured a pack of Bubble Yum and offered a piece to Max.

"Chewing gum?" Max said with disdain.

"It's raspberry flavored."

Max rolled her eyes but took a piece. Steve resumed his position on the hood, and Max took the seat beside him. For a while, the only sounds were the smacking of bubblegum and quiet exhales of smoke.

"Can't sleep either, huh?" Steve said.

"I'm afraid to see him," Max said quietly. "I know I should've said something earlier, about my headaches, nosebleeds, and nightmares. Maybe if I had, he wouldn't—"

"Don't," Steve said gently. "Don't blame yourself."

Max responded by blowing a pink bubble. Once it got to the size of her head, she popped it and continued to chew.

"Impressive," Steve said.

"Let's see if you can do better," Max said. She plucked the cigarette out of his hands and, despite his protests, dropped it onto the asphalt, stamping it out.

Steve huffed and reached for the Marlboro box. Max snatched it away and slapped the Bubble Yum box into his palm instead. 

"Like you said," she said, "cigarettes are horrible for you. Just because I'm going to die in less than 24 hours, and nothing I do matters, doesn't mean you should rush toward your own untimely death."

Max's words sent a painful twinge across Steve's heart.

"Max," Steve said. "You aren't going to die."

"Don't bullshit me, Steve," Max said, a hardened edge to her voice. "We have no idea how to stop Vecna, and unless we figure it out fast, I'm a goner. So, please, just play along."

Her eyes looked tired. They'd seen a lot of horrible things, things no 15-year-old should have to see. Steve wondered if his eyes looked the same.

He popped a piece of gum into his mouth.

"On the count of three," he said, "we blow bubbles. Biggest bubble wins. Ready?"

"Ready." 

"One, two, three,—go!"

Max, somehow an expert, blew another head-sized bubble. Steve's barely made it to his eyeline before it pitifully popped.

"I win!" Max said with a grin—the first smile Steve had seen from her in a long, long time. "Best two out of three?"

They spent a half hour blowing bubbles and trying to outdo each other. Max won consistently every time.

"Mayfield, you're the champion," Steve said. "My gum pretty much tastes like cement now. Should we head back in?" 

Max nodded. They hopped off the hood and walked back to the basement door.

Max put her hand on the doorknob and paused, before turning to Steve.

"Hey, thanks," she said.

"For the gum? Anytime."

"For the gum, and the company," she said. She cleared her throat and added, "I see why Dustin's so weirdly obsessed with hanging out with you."

It felt a bit like a backhanded compliment, but it still lifted Steve's spirits much higher than they'd been before.

🍬🍬🍬 

At 7 in the morning, Alice awoke with a gasp and shot to a sitting position. She tasted copper. Hyperventilating, her eyes scanned the dim basement.

All her friends were there, sleeping soundly. She tried to relax, to breathe normally, but panic clung to her insides.

"Alice?" Dustin said, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. "What's wrong?" 

"Vecna," she choked out. "N-nightmare."

Dustin sat up beside her, worry clouding his features. 

"Your nosebleed," he said. "It isn't stopping."

Alice touched her upper lip and felt blood seeping from both nostrils.

"What happened in your nightmare?" Dustin asked.

"I," Alice mumbled. "I don't—I don't—"

"Do you remember what happened?" Dustin said, emphasizing every word.

Alice nodded. She felt something warm trickle down the side of her left cheek.

Dustin sucked in a breath.

"Uh, hey guys?" he said. "We have a situation!"

The sleeping figures in the basement stirred groggily.

Before anyone else could wake up and grill her about the nightmare, Alice stumbled to her feet and locked herself in the basement bathroom.

"Wait!" Dustin said, knocking on the bathroom door. "What happened with Vecna?"

"Nothing!" Alice said. "Go back to sleep."

"Bullshit!" Dustin said. "Come on, tell me!"

Alice ignored him. She frowned at her reflection: eyes glassy, lip and cheek bloody, face so pale her freckles looked translucent.

She used a towel to scrub the blood off her face. She heard the others outside asking Dustin what was going on.

"She won't tell me what happened in her Vecna dream!" Dustin hissed. "But her nose and ears are bleeding."

"Like what happens when El overuses her powers?" Max said.

"Exactly."

"Out of her ears?" Lucas said. "That's nasty."

"I CAN HEAR YOU!" Alice snapped.

"Oh, shit, sorry," Lucas called through the door. "It's not nasty! It's...super cool and normal that your ears are bleeding right now."

Alice let out a strangled cry. Although she wasn't actively using her powers, her nosebleed just would not stop.

"Hey," she heard Nancy say. "Maybe we should give Alice a minute alone to—"

"We don't have a minute!" Dustin said, panic in his voice. "Vecna did something, and we need to know what!"

Dustin pounded on the bathroom door, rattling it on its hinges. "ALICE!" he screamed. "LET US IN OR I'LL HAVE LUCAS KICK DOWN THE DOOR!"

"Hey, dipshit!" Steve snapped. "Cut that out!"

"I'd like to see him try," Alice shot back. "I'll give Lucas $500 if he kicks the door in."

"Seriously?" Lucas said. "Dustin, stand back—"

"Not happening!" Robin said. "I don't think the Wheelers would appreciate the vandalism. Children, with me! Let's get breakfast."

Alice heard some grumbling and protests, but eventually her brother's (annoyingly loud) voice faded as he was dragged away by Robin.

"Hey, Al?" Steve said softly. He knocked on the door once, twice, three times. "It's just me out here now. Don't worry about Dustin. He's wigging out a bit, but once he gets some food, he'll calm down...Do you want to talk about what you saw?"

Alice let out a shuddery exhale. She unlocked the door and opened it, and then turned back to the mirror. Steve leaned against the doorframe, looking on with concern as she cleaned more blood off her face. 

"The Russians showed up at my house," Alice muttered. "They got Dustin, and Mom, and even her stupid boyfriend Lance. It felt so real. Especially when they shot me, again."

She rubbed her left shoulder and winced. "Phantom pains. I guess that's why my powers are being weird right now."

She gestured to her nose and left ear, which were still bleeding profusely, before tipping her head back.

"No, no," Steve said, stepping next to her. "You've got to tilt forward."

"What?"

"To stop a nosebleed," Steve explained, "you tilt your head forward. If you tilt back, you'll swallow the blood. Here, sit up on the counter."

Alice obliged and tilted her head slightly forward.

"You need to pinch right here," Steve said, demonstrating. "Hold for 10 minutes. The direct pressure helps."

"Where did you learn this?" Alice said, voice nasally as she pinched her nose.

"I've seen many unlucky teammates take a basketball to the face," Steve said. He turned the faucet on full blast to warm up the water.

"Andy?"

"No, he was never that unlucky."

"Wishful thinking, I guess."

Steve snorted. He then wet the towel and said, "Hold still, okay?"

He cleaned the fresh blood running down her cheek. Alice stared at the grimy tile floor still pinching her nose. After a minute, she cleared her throat and confessed something she'd been worrying about for a while.

"Sometimes," Alice said, "I think you're out of my league."

"What?" Steve said with a scoff. "No way. If anyone in this relationship is punching above their weight, it's me."

"You're just saying that."

"I don't 'just say' things," Steve said. "I mean it. Your ear's looking better. Keep pinching that nose, you still have 7 minutes."

"Thanks, Nurse Steve," Alice teased.

Steve cleared his throat, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"Hey, listen," he said. "You don't have to tell me, but...did Vecna say stuff about me?" Off Alice's blanched expression, Steve continued: "Sorry, I shouldn't have asked, you don't have to talk about what he said—"

"No, no," Alice said. "It's okay. He did say something..."

Alice couldn't look Steve in the eye while she had her head tilted forward, and she was grateful for that—she wouldn't want to see his expression while admitting this anyway.

"He's appeared as Barb the past two nights," Alice continued, "and said you'll go back to Nancy when you get tired of me. Well, his specific words were when you get tired of fucking me, which was hurtful."

Before Steve could respond, she spoke in one big rush: "I know that's stupid, and it's just Vecna trying to get in my head, and that you don't love Nancy anymore. But I can't help but think about how being my boyfriend is probably such a burden, and how it would be so much easier for you if I didn't have powers or baggage or trauma."

No response from Steve, at first. Alice lifted her head to peek at him, his brows furrowed and mouth in a thin line.

"You still have 5 minutes," he said. "Tilt." 

Alice sighed but did so.

"Alice," Steve said, after taking a moment to collect his thoughts. "I wish this wasn't happening to you, because I hate seeing you in pain. But being your boyfriend is not a burden."

"Okay, but—"

"I have baggage too," Steve interrupted. "I've got parents who are never around, who pretty much stopped caring about me when I turned 12. It makes me insecure, and kind of clingy. But I know you love me despite that, even when it's not easy!"

Steve, suddenly hyper-focused on a chip on the countertop, scratched at it while he built up the nerve to add, "I feel the same about you. I love you, all of you, on good days and bad days. I don't think I'll ever get tired of you—or doing anything with you—because I honestly think you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

The vibes of the Wheeler's basement bathroom clashed with Steve's meaningful, wonderful words. Alice wished this conversation was happening literally anywhere else.

"Can I stop pinching and kiss you?" Alice said, hopping off the counter to stand once more.

"You have 3 more minutes."

"I don't care," Alice said. She looked up at him and un-pinched her nose. "Steve Harrington, you're the best thing that's happened to me too."

She closed the space between them, resting her hands on his chest and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. He kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close.

Perhaps it was the looming threat of Vecna that sparked the kiss to deepen. It felt a bit hungry, a bit frantic. Alice knew there were more important things to be doing right now—they had to study up on Victor Creel, for instance—but all she wanted was to stay in this moment, Steve's lips on hers, running her fingers through his hair, his hands fidgeting under the hem of her shirt.

"Wait," Steve said, pulling away, breathless. "We should probably stop."

"Yeah," Alice said, a bit disappointed. "Probably."

"There's so much going on right now."

"So much. Too much."

"We don't have time for this," Steve said. "Unfortunately."

"No, no time," Alice said with a sigh. "Rain check?"

"Rain check. Absolutely."

With that, they reluctantly headed upstairs to join the others for breakfast.

{Posted July 23rd, 2022; Republished March 24th, 2025}

A/N [from 2022] This is unedited so, to quote Bob Newby, I hope it doesn't suck!!! I just couldn't wait to post the next chapter. I LOVE STEVE AND MAX SIBLING VIBES.

QOTD: You knew this was coming. Vecna's got you in his clutches. The only thing that will save you is the power of music! What song or songs would save you from his dreadful curse?

A: I made a Spotify playlist for this bc the automatic one Spotify made didn't fit all that well. My fave songs on that playlist are:

SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW by Keane

I WANNA GET BETTER by Bleachers

LARGER THAN LIFE by the Backstreet Boys

GOOD LOVE by Aly & AJ

and

CHANGE by Djo (stream Joe Keery's music for clear skin)