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HAVEN: CHAPTER 31

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author: SEASON 5!!!! i cannot even begin to tell you guys how happy i am to be writing this book again, i've missed steve and julie so so so much 🥹 updates will be slow, but you can add yourself to the taglist to make sure you don't miss out on a chapter!

also, i do post the chapters on wattpad first, so if you'd like to read them as soon as possible, check out my wattpad (link in masterlist)

wc: 5.6k

"Nance, come on!" Mike yells, pounding on the bathroom door with increasing urgency. "Let me in or I'm gonna take a whiz on the floor right here."

The door swings open suddenly, and Mike stumbles back in surprise when Julie stands there, staring at him in disbelief.

"Sorry Jules." Mike said, his gaze dropping anywhere but her face, embarrassment creeping up his neck.

Julie only rolls her eyes as she brushes past him and moves down the hall. "Whiz away."

A moment later, Nancy steps out of her room and follows Julie down the stairs, shooting Mike a look as she passes. Leaning in just enough for him to hear, she whispers, "Wow."

Every morning in the Wheeler house was utter chaos. Nine people crammed under one roof was bound to be a disaster, especially with the Byers family temporarily moving in after the "earthquake" had reduced their own house to rubble. The two tiny bathrooms were definitely not helping, and no matter how many bathroom schedules were taped to the fridge, no one ever actually followed them. Karen woke up before the sun every day, already dressed and halfway exhausted, just to tackle the impossible task of feeding nine people before school and work swallowed them whole.

By the time everyone finally gathered around the dining table, it was more noise than meal, chairs scraping, someone arguing over the last piece of bacon, voices overlapping so badly no single conversation could survive and someone was always being yelled at to sit down and eat. Julie was pretty sure Ted Wheeler would have happily tossed them all out onto the street if he had his way, but Karen would sooner chain the doors shut than let that happen.

Eventually, the house would erupt into a final wave of slammed doors, hurried footsteps, and shouted apologies. "I'm late!" "Has anyone seen my jacket?" "Hurry up!" echoed through the halls as everyone spilled out the front door in a rush. Julie usually ended up in the car with Nancy and Jonathan, collapsing into the back seat and stealing a few precious minutes of sleep.

As they pulled onto the road, Nancy would reach over and turn on the radio, right on cue, the familiar voice of Robin Buckley filled the car as The Morning Squawk crackled to life.

"Good morning, Hawkins! This is WSQK at the Squawk!" came blaring through the speakers, followed by what was very clearly a rubber chicken squeaking.

"That's a new one," Nancy chuckled from the driver's seat.

"It's looking like a pretty regular day in Hawkins. Fifty-five degrees, pretty low chance of rain, medium chance of arrest, high chance of helicopters, but general banality aside, it's an exciting day for me, your friend, entertainer, and DJ, Robin Buckley, nice to meet you, aka Rockin' Robin! And why is it a big day for me, you ask? Well, it is my five-hundredth broadcast. Yeah, you heard that right, folks, five-double-o!"

The sound of exaggerated applause burst through the radio. Julie smiled softly, already knowing Steve was the one making it happen.

"Which means it's been even, even longer since you last heard the sultry voice of Jimmy 'Fast Hands' Lee. But while Jimmy was fleeing Hawkins even faster than he moves those hands, yours truly was watching slack-jawed as the earth split open beneath her feet and coughed up that tsunami of mysterious dandruff. And now, I'm stuck here with you, my fellow quarantine compatriots, and if I can be brutally honest, I couldn't be happier.

"Because when you really think about it, why would you wanna live anywhere else? I mean, what town on earth can match our impressive military-to-civilian ratio? And those free mandatory medical checkups? I mean, very cool. After we inhaled those springtime snowflakes, who knows what's wrong with us? Maybe we're fine, maybe we're not. No one really knows for sure. After all, this was a 'natural phenomenon never before seen by man.' A phenomenon now covered up by a giant metal Band-Aid. Quite the eyesore, but hey, great for sledding! Though seriously, kids, stop sledding on the giant steel Band-Aid. You are going to kill yourselves. Also, the men with guns? They don't like it. Not one bit.

"While we're on the subject of things not to do, please steer clear of the Military Access Control Zone, aka the MAC-Z, or as I like to call it, the Big Mac. I have no idea what's going on in there, but I have a gut feeling there's a pretty good reason they'd like you to stay away. But hey, the rest of Hawkins is still there for you to enjoy! Someday soon, they're going to let us out of here.

"In the meantime, be thankful this is your home. Study for that test. Enjoy that TV dinner. And go on that date, which, by the way, is exactly what yours truly is doing tonight. That's right. Rockin' Robin has a date, ladies and gentlemen. And now, who is this lucky someone? Well, don't be so nosy, kids. They know who they are. That is, if you're listening, which I hope you are. Because this next one? It's for you, babe."

Julie chuckled as the song began to play, knowing a little too well who Robin was really playing it for.

"Oh, come on," she said, leaning forward between the front seats. "She's not even trying to be subtle anymore."

Nancy snorted softly. "She sounds... suspiciously sentimental for a milestone broadcast."

Jonathan glanced at the radio, then back at Julie through the mirror. "You look like you know something."

Julie lifted her hands in mock innocence. "I might."

Nancy met her eyes in the rearview mirror. "You're enjoying this."

"Someone has to," Julie said lightly.

Nancy was just about to quip back when the song suddenly glitched on the radio, the signal warping into sharp bursts of static before cutting in and out unevenly.

"What the hell?" Jonathan muttered, brows knitting as he reached for the radio and twisted the dials. The interference only worsened, the music dissolving into broken fragments of sound.

"Do you think the problem is down at the Squawk?" Julie asked, sitting up straighter.

"It's likely," Nancy said, already pressing harder on the gas. The engine revved as she sped up, the car veering toward the station.

"I swear to God, this stupid thing does not exist!" Robin exclaimed, slamming a drawer shut as she hurried across the station.

"Can someone try Dustin again?" Jonathan asked, scanning the shelves stacked with dusty equipment and half-labeled boxes.

"He turned off his walkie," Robin said with a frustrated sigh.

Nancy straightened from the mess scattered across the floor, "What's up with him lately?"

"Don't even get me started," Steve muttered, not looking up from the folded piece of paper he'd found.

"Yeah, please don't," Robin added dryly, already yanking open another drawer.

Julie was silent.

Everybody knew why Dustin was the way he was now.

Eddie.

Ever since Eddie's death, he just hadn't been the same. Everyone missed him, the cheery, loud, relentlessly hopeful Dustin that they had all grown to love. The boy who cracked jokes in the face of danger, who believed in heroes even when the world gave him every reason not to. Now, all that brightness had been funneled into one desperate purpose: making the world see Eddie the way he did. A hero. Not a monster. Not a headline. Just Eddie.

But who would listen to him anyway?

He spent hours every week at the cemetery, kneeling in the dirt beside Eddie's grave, scrubbing away graffiti and trash left behind by immature kids who still believed the lies. He treated the headstone like something sacred, brushing dirt from the carved letters as if Eddie might feel it somehow. Sometimes he talked to the stone. Sometimes he yelled at it. Sometimes he just sat there in silence until the sun went down.

There had been a time he talked to Julie about it, about Eddie, about the anger and the grief and the unbearable unfairness of it all. They had grown closer after his death, bonded by the same hollow ache in their chests. But lately, he hadn't been talking to her about it at all. Instead, he'd been retreating into himself, turning into this quiet, guarded version of Dustin that no one quite recognized anymore.

And honestly, Julie didn't blame him.

She hadn't been the same since Eddie's death either.

Some mornings she woke up with Eddie's name already on her mind, her first instinct to go to school and yell at him about forgetting to turn in another damn project on time, until reality crashed back in and she remembered she didn't have to do that anymore. She couldn't do that anymore. The realization always hit like a physical blow, leaving her staring at the ceiling with tears pooling in her eyes.

At night, it was worse.

Sometimes her mom would rush into her room after hearing muffled sobs, only to find Julie curled in on herself, shaking as she cried her heart out. Because every time she closed her eyes, she saw Eddie again, bloodied, broken, lifeless. The grin that used to light up a room now frozen in her memory forever.

Grief had hollowed her out in quiet ways. She laughed less. Slept worse. Smiled slower. And on the days she did feel almost normal, the guilt followed closely behind, as if forgetting the pain, even briefly, meant forgetting Eddie himself.

And maybe that was why she understood Dustin better than anyone else.

Because they were both still living in the aftershocks of losing him.

"Hey, I got it!" Nancy said suddenly, pulling out a thick binder.

She slapped the manual onto the table and rapidly flipped through its worn pages.

"Wait, wait, there it is. Remote radio head. Yeah," Steve said, leaning in to read over the edge of the table.

"And where, exactly, are we supposed to find this remote thingamajig?" Robin asked, folding her arms.

Nancy fell quiet for a moment, eyes skimming the diagram on the page. Then her expression shifted, that familiar look everyone had learned to recognize, the one that meant she'd just had an idea.

"I don't see it," Robin said, craning her neck as she stared up at the towering cell tower.

"It's up there somewhere," Nancy insisted. "It's gotta be."

"So I guess someone's gotta climb to the tippy top of this bad boy and, uh..." Robin added, twisting her fingers in the air like she was turning an invisible dial.

"Without a harness or anything, that seems kinda dangerous," Nancy said carefully.

"Aka a job for good old Steve Harrington," Steve announced, already striding toward the base of the tower.

"No third person, please!" Robin called after him as Steve waved her off.

Jonathan stepped forward and came to a stop beside Steve. "I, uh... I actually think this might be a better job for Jonathan Byers," he said, tugging his jacket off his shoulders.

"Oh dear lord, not this again," Julie muttered, covering her face with her hand as Robin and Nancy both rolled their eyes.

"I'm like one-quarter monkey, dude. I got this, Byers. Don't sweat it," Steve said, tossing his jacket toward Robin as he headed for the ladder.

"Uh, voltage! Unless you wanna fry." Robin blurted.

"Yeah, I know, I'm not an idiot," Steve replied, detouring into the control room. Moments later, the power supply clicked off. He stepped back outside just in time to see Jonathan already halfway up the ladder.

"Whoa, dude, what are you doing?" Steve shouted.

"I got this, dude. Don't sweat it," Jonathan shot back before climbing even higher.

"Son of a..." Steve muttered before sprinting for the second ladder and starting up after him.

Nancy couldn't even watch. She turned around with a sharp sigh. Robin's eyes flicked between Nancy and Julie.

"What is it about y'all's presence that brings out their inner neanderthal?"

Julie rolled her eyes but tilted her head back to follow the two figures climbing higher and higher. "They're going to kill themselves."

Just as Robin was about to reply, a deep engine rumble cut through the air. A large truck rolled to a stop at the base of the tower, kicking up dust.

"I thought grocery delivery wasn't until tomorrow," Robin said, squinting.

"Me too," Nancy replied as the three girls started toward the truck.

The driver's door swung open and Murray hopped out. "Hey, guys!"

He hurried to the back, flung the doors open, and climbed inside, dragging out a heavy sack. "Santa's brought a full sack today!"

He jumped down and placed a small device into Robin's hands. "A fresh telemetry tag. Scarcer than hen's teeth, these things."

Then he rummaged through a large cardboard box and pulled out two metal baskets, handing them to Nancy. "Enough shells and bullets for Hop to start a small war, if he so chooses."

Next, he produced a single limp head of lettuce. "Anyone order a salad?" he asked with a grin.

He tossed it back into the box and immediately pulled out a grenade. "Grenade salad? I hid the grenades under the, uh, lettuce."

Robin, Julie, and Nancy just stared at him.

Murray cleared his throat, took the hint, and continued rummaging.

"Gatorade for El's battery," he announced, holding up a small bottle.

"Did someone say Gatorade?" Steve said, suddenly appearing and snagging it for a sip.

"But I don't think it'll go too well with..." Murray continued, pulling out a candy bar. "Peanut butter."

"Boppers! God, I missed these things, thanks!" Steve said, grabbing the packet.

"Don't worry, Mr. Byers, I got you a present too!" Murray told Jonathan, digging again before producing a cassette tape. "I know you're allergic to jazz, but just give it a whirl. I think you'll find it quite engaging," he added with a wink.

Jonathan stared at him in disbelief before snatching the tape and shoving it into his pocket. Nancy and Julie exchanged confused looks, what could he possibly want with a cassette tape?

"And for the station manager," Murray said, lightly thwacking Nancy on the head with an envelope, "the reason for my premature delivery."

Nancy tore it open and began reading as the others leaned in.

"A burn? Tonight? But that's too–" Julie started.

"Too soon? I know," Murray said. "Whatever they're doing in the Upside Down requires serious resources."

Nancy flipped through the pages as everyone read along.

"That's a lot of cargo," Robin muttered.

"I figure a supply drop this big requires two hours minimum," Murray said.

"Which gives Hopper plenty of time for a crawl," Nancy finished.

"Maybe tonight's the night we finally find that bastard and end this."

"Hey there, friends, this is Rockin' Robin. Sorry about the abrupt departure. I hope you survived without me. We had some annoying technical difficulties." Robin spoke into the radio microphone as Steve played a tape of glass shattering, followed by a baby crying.

"But to make it up to you, we have a very special treat that's sure to turn your day upside down..." she continued, slipping the vinyl of Diana Ross' Upside Down onto the turntable. To anyone else, it would sound like just another song on the radio, but to them, it meant something else entirely. This song signaled a new crawl. Another step closer to finding Vecna and putting an end to this mess.

"Now, before you start bumping, here's a few fun facts about the Boss. She was born Diane in the North End of Detroit. Berry Gordy, that's Gordy with a G, signed her to Motown in 1961. And one is the key number, because between 1964 and '67, the Supremes had ten songs hit the top of the charts. That's right, ten. Then in '78, she tried to make it big in the movies with The Wiz, which was a colossal flop-a-roonie. But, in my personal opinion, I still dig it. Michael Jackson as a scarecrow? Give it a chance. But make sure you bring your supersized popcorn, because this movie has a run time of over two hours. All right, class dismissed. I hope you were taking notes. There will be a test later. Take it away, Diane."

As the volume of the song turned up, the real message settled in. The entire monologue Robin delivered over the radio wasn't just trivia, it was a carefully planted set of clues about how the crawl was meant to happen that night.

NORTH. ZONE G1. 10P.M. 2 HOURS.

The moment Robin finished, everyone exchanged looks and nodded. Without a word, they filed out of the studio and toward the storage shelves in the back. Nancy shoved aside a cardboard box, revealing a square-shaped hole cut into the wall, a lock dangling loosely from it. She pulled a set of keys from her pocket and unlocked it.

Together, Jonathan and Nancy pushed the shelf aside, exposing a hidden staircase. Once everyone was through, Steve slid the shelf back into place, sealing the passageway, then carefully dragged the box back to cover the hole, leaving the studio looking exactly the way it had before.

They descended the staircase and entered WSQK's secret basement. Nancy dragged the projector into place and slid a map of Hawkins onto the screen, then grabbed a metal stick and stepped toward the board. Jonathan stood behind the projector while Julie, Steve, and Robin settled around the table.

"All right. So, assuming Murray's intel is correct, the supply convoy is set to reach Hawkins at 10:00 sharp. Meaning I want Hopper in the tunnels and en route to MACZ no later than 9:00," Nancy said, pointing to the map with the stick.

"Barring unusual traffic, I expect the convoy to reach MACZ at 10:15," she continued, tapping the MACZ on the map. "And now the crawl begins. Hop is now in the Upside Down, traveling at what I hope to be a gentle thirty miles an hour, which will allow Dustin and Steve to follow along in the Rightside Up. I expect the convoy to take the same route as last month. Main to Cornwallis, one turn." She traced the route with the stick. "But if you guys hit any red lights..."

"I'll blow through," Steve said.

"Only if there's no MPs around," Nancy shot back, quickly turning and pointing the stick at him. "Remember, if you guys get pulled over, we lose Hop. We're toast."

Steve raised his eyebrows and threw his hands up. "I got it."

Julie got up from her seat and took the stick from Nancy, "You're gonna travel up Cornwallis for about six miles, and as the convoy reaches this Shell station here", she pointed to a spot on the map, "we radio Hop to disembark. That'll drop him at the border of G1, where he'll have two whole hours to search for Vecna, which is ample time. He's cleared zones much faster. So, all in all, signs point to another successful crawl."

She finished and walked over to the light switch, flicking it on. Turning back to the group, she smiled.

Steve, Jonathan, and Robin exchanged uncertain looks. Jonathan cleared his throat.

"Is there a problem?" Nancy asked.

"Um..." Jonathan glanced at the others, who immediately looked away. "No. No, I mean, I think it's good," he said quietly.

"Yeah, yeah, it's good. It's really good. It's just, um..." Steve said, struggling to find the words.

"Zone G1 is not that exciting or Vecna-y," Robin deadpanned. "What does it have? A Circuit City, a couple of houses, and a Big Buy? What are the chances Vecna's shopping for Lucky Charms?"

"It doesn't matter," Nancy said firmly. "We stick to the plan. We break into the Upside Down the only way we can, through the MACZ gate, under the cover of a burn. Once inside, we search one zone at a time, methodically, until we figure out where he's been hiding."

"Unless..." Steve said. "He's already dead. Again, your plan is great. It's just... this is crawl what? Are we in the thirties now? And not a single baddie in sight? El can't find him in her bath, and Will hasn't had his goosies since the shake 'n' quake."

"Goosies?" Julie asked, frowning at him. Steve just smiled.

"And last we saw Vecna," Steve continued, "he was roasting like a turkey and pumped full of lead. That was before he fell three stories. So you ever think we're scouring a battlefield that we already, like, won?"

"Have you forgotten what he showed Julie?" Jonathan said. "Hawkins on fire. Mum, Will, everyone dead."

"Yeah, man," Steve replied. "He also showed Max her brother walking around with a hole in his chest. That's what he does. He gets in your head and tries to scare you."

"Yeah, but he did a good job, because I am scared," Julie said. "And you should be scared too. Because if he's still out there, he's planning to end our world."

Nancy sighed. "So we don't stop looking. No matter how many more crawls it takes."

Julie nodded, looking around the room. "Everyone in?"

They looked at one another, then nodded.

"We're in."

"I feel like I haven't been able to hang out with you all day."

Steve said it from behind her, arms slipping around Julie's waist as she stood at the counter, carefully tuning the radio dial. Afternoon sunlight poured through the windows, casting long shadows across the station.

"That's because we haven't," she said, turning in his grasp. "First the radio starts freaking out, then the world-ending meeting."

Steve nodded. "Yeah. I miss when 'wonky signals' just meant someone spilled coffee on the equipment."

"You spilled coffee on the equipment," Julie said.

"Once."

She gave him a look.

"Okay, twice," he admitted. "But still."

She smiled and nudged his knee with hers. "At least we figured it out. Sort of."

"Sort of," Steve echoed. "Which is never comforting."

He leaned back, hands laced behind his head. "We went from 'why does the radio sound possessed' to 'let's send Hopper into another dimension' in, like, record time."

Julie laughed quietly. "That's Hawkins efficiency."

There was a comfortable pause. Somewhere down the hall, a record hummed softly.

They ended up on the couch a few minutes later, Julie curled into his side, her legs draped over his. Steve absentmindedly played with the ends of her hair while they listened to the soft hiss of the radio.

"Do you remember the time Robin convinced us the power was haunted?" Julie said.

Steve snorted. "She had me apologizing to the breaker box."

"You bowed."

"I was being respectful."

From the other side of the room, Robin called, "For the record, that breaker box deserved respect."

Julie laughed. "You also told Dustin it was a Russian listening device."

"And he believed me," Steve said proudly.

"Because you said it with confidence."

"That's my thing."

The laughter faded into something quieter. Steve's hand slowed in her hair.

"Hey," he said softly. "When this is over... we should do something stupidly normal."

Julie tilted her head to look at him. "Define stupidly normal."

"Drive somewhere. Eat bad food. Argue about music. No maps. No clocks."

She smiled, warm and real. "I'd like that."

He leaned down, resting his forehead against hers. "Just... wanted to say it out loud."

She kissed him slowly, not rushed, not desperate, just grounding.

"Hey," Robin said suddenly. "If you two start making long-term plans, I'm going to need a warning."

Steve didn't open his eyes. "Get used to it."

Jonathan walked into the studio just in time to see Steve stretched out on the couch, Julie curled comfortably against his side, her legs tucked over his.

He stopped short.

"...Ew," Jonathan said flatly. "Get off my sister, dude."

Steve didn't move. He barely even looked at him. "We are fully clothed and emotionally bonded," he replied. "Relax."

Julie sighed but shifted anyway, untangling herself and standing up. "What's up?"

Jonathan pointed toward the far corner of the studio. "I need to talk to you. Alone."

Steve's jaw tightened, but he didn't argue. Julie gave his hand a quick squeeze before following Jonathan away, past the soundboard and into the dimmer corner near the record shelves.

Jonathan reached into his jacket and pulled out a cassette tape.

Julie frowned. "That's the tape Murray gave you earlier today."

Jonathan nodded. "Yeah. But it's not just a cassette."

He flipped it open.

Julie leaned closer and froze.

Nestled inside the hollowed plastic was a small, unmistakable glint.

A ring.

An engagement ring.

Her breath hitched. "Oh my god."

Jonathan swallowed. "I'm... I'm going to propose to Nancy."

Julie's initial shock softened into something else, concern. Jonathan wasn't smiling. He wasn't even steady. His fingers hovered over the tape like he wasn't sure he should be holding it at all.

"You don't sound very sure," she said quietly.

"I am," he said quickly. Too quickly. "I mean, I am sure. I love her. I want to be with her for the rest of my life."

Julie crossed her arms. "Jonathan."

He looked away.

She stepped closer. "You're my brother. You don't get to lie to me. Not like that."

Jonathan exhaled slowly, shoulders slumping. "There's just...more."

She waited.

"I feel like everything's slipping," he admitted. "Nancy, Hawkins, us. We've been through so much together, and now she's talking about leaving, about her future, and I don't fit in it the way I used to." His voice cracked slightly. "I don't want to lose her."

Julie's heart twisted. "So you think proposing will fix it?"

"I think it'll make her stay," he said. "I think it'll remind her that what we have matters. That it's real."

"It is real," Julie said gently. "But that's exactly why this is dangerous."

Jonathan frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you don't propose because you're scared," she said. "You don't ask someone to marry you because the world's falling apart and you're trying to hold it together with a ring."

He bristled. "You don't get it."

"I do," she shot back. "I get it more than anyone. We've lived the same nightmares, Jonathan. But you can't trap her in Hawkins with trauma and hope it turns into a future."

"I'm not trapping her," he snapped.

"You kind of are," Julie said. "What happens if she says yes and realizes later it was pressure? Or guilt? Or fear? What happens to both of you then?"

Jonathan's jaw clenched. "So what, you think I should just let her go?"

"I think you should talk to her," Julie said. "Really talk to her. Not make a move this big because you're terrified of being left behind."

Silence stretched between them.

Finally, Jonathan closed the cassette and shoved it back into his jacket.

Julie sighed. "I'm just trying to protect you."

He stepped away, already turning back toward the door. "I'll see you at the crawl, Jules."

And then he was gone.

Julie stood there for a moment, exhaling shakily, before forcing herself to walk back into the studio. Jonathan brushed past her on his way out, shoulders tight, eyes forward.

Steve and Robin both looked up instantly.

"...What was that about?" Robin asked.

Julie stopped near the couch, rubbing her arms like she was cold.

She shook her head once. "Nothing I can fix."

Steve studied her, concern flickering across his face, but didn't push.

Later that night, Hopper and Joyce loaded the guns while the rest of them crowded around the table. The kids, Nancy, and Julie worked quickly, laying everything out in careful piles, weapons, food, first-aid supplies, spare batteries. Everything Hopper might need. Everything they could think of.

Jonathan finished setting up the telemetry tracker and handed it to Hopper.

"Here. Good luck," Jonathan said.

Hopper nodded, clipping the device into place. "Tag's active."

"Copy," Robin said into the radio. "Harrington, you getting any signal? Tag is active."

"Yeah, just give me a second," Steve's voice crackled through from the van parked outside. "Hey, anybody know how Henderson's wheelie thing works?"

Robin frowned at the radio. "Uh... any ideas?"

"There's a safety lock," Will said quietly. "Look for a small switch under the wheel."

Robin relayed it. "There should be a safety lock under the wheel."

"Safety lock. Real necessary," Steve muttered. A pause. "Okay. Okay, getting a signal. It's pretty quiet, though." The wheel hummed faintly in the background. "Signal's holding at a steady 90dB. But how am I supposed to monitor this and drive without Henderson?"

"Uh, hear anything from Inspector Gadget?" Hopper asked.

Mike shook his head. "Nothing."

"No. You're staying here," Joyce said sharply.

"Mom," Will protested. "I helped Dustin set up the antenna. I know how to work it."

"Out of the question," Joyce said, voice tight. "It- it's just a wheel."

"It's not just a wheel," Will said, frustration creeping in.

Joyce ignored him, already turning. "Jonathan, you... you can work it, right?"

Jonathan sighed. "Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I think so."

"You better not think. You better know," Hopper said. "You lose me out there, I'm not coming home."

"Take Julie with you," Joyce added.

Jonathan looked to his sister. Julie nodded without hesitation, and after a beat, Jonathan nodded too.

"We can handle it," he said.

Joyce and Hopper exchanged a look, then headed up the staircase and out of the basement, the door closing softly behind them.

Julie lingered, her gaze drifting to Will. He stood off to the side, shoulders hunched, eyes fixed on the floor. Julie understood her mother's protectiveness. God, she did. After everything Will had been through, after everything they all had been through, how could their mom not be terrified of letting him out of her sight?

Still, watching him now, Julie felt a dull ache in her chest. Will wasn't fragile glass, no matter how much Joyce treated him like he was. He needed room to breathe, to feel useful, to feel trusted. Being protected all the time didn't feel like safety, it felt like a cage.

Julie stepped closer and rested a hand lightly on his shoulder. He glanced up at her, eyes glossy but steady.

"It's okay," she said softly. "We've got this."

Will nodded, though the disappointment didn't fully leave his face.

Julie and Jonathan exchanged a quiet sigh before heading up from the basement and out into the cool night air, climbing into the WSQK van. Jonathan swung open the back doors. Julie climbed in first, settling beside the equipment, followed closely by Jonathan.

Steve's face lit up the moment he saw Julie.

"Hey," he said, soft and automatic.

Then his eyes flicked to Jonathan, and the smile vanished just as quickly.

They took their seats in the back, Julie leaning forward to watch the readings while Jonathan reached for the headphones. The hum of the equipment filled the small space.

"You comfortable back there, Byers," Steve called over his shoulder, "or you want me to get you a pillow?"

Julie frowned. Jonathan shot Steve an irritated look as he slipped the headphones on.

"Just focus on driving," Jonathan said flatly.

Steve didn't reply, but his grip tightened on the steering wheel as he pulled the van onto the road.

For a while, the only sounds were the engine and the soft beeping of the telemetry tracker. Julie kept her eyes on the readings, steady for now. She glanced at her brother, his shoulders were rigid, jaw tight. Then she looked to Steve in the rearview mirror, his expression unreadable, jaw clenched like he was biting back something he didn't want to say.

She hated it.

Whatever was going on between them had been simmering for months. Before Jonathan left for California, things had been... fine. Not perfect, but manageable. Since he'd come back, though, every shared room felt charged, every comment a spark waiting to catch. Neither of them would admit it, and Julie was stuck right in the middle, wishing they'd stop pretending nothing was wrong.

They reached the designated location and parked, the van idling as they waited. The minutes stretched.

Steve reached into the console and pulled out a peanut butter Bopper, snapping it cleanly in half. He passed one piece back to Julie and ate the other.

She gave him a small, grateful smile.

"Jonathan, signal?" Joyce's voice crackled over the radio.

Julie looked at Jonathan. He nodded once. She reached for the wheel and slowly turned it. Static hissed through the speakers.

"Snagged it," she said into the radio.

"Should I move?" Steve asked.

"No. Hold. Hold. Hold," Jonathan said, watching the numbers climb as the beeping quickened. "Hold... go!"

Steve nodded, immediately shifting into gear and pulling back onto the road, following the planned route as the signal locked in.

After a few more minutes of driving, Julie's eyes widened as she stared at the telemetry screen.

The numbers were dropping.

"We're losing him!" she exclaimed.

"Wait, what?" Steve asked, glancing between the road and the mirror.

"Wait! Stop! Stop!" Jonathan yelled.

Steve slammed on the brakes, the van lurching to a halt.

Julie and Jonathan leaned in as the wheel spun wildly, the beeping growing louder as the frequency spiked. Julie adjusted the dial with careful hands, holding her breath.

"We got him," she said, relief flooding her voice.

Jonathan let out a shaky breath, and Steve slumped back in his seat with a panting laugh. For a brief moment, all three of them just looked at each other, sharing the same exhausted relief.

Then everything went wrong.

The beeping erupted again, too fast, too loud. The lights flickered. Electricity crackled through the equipment, the signal stuttering violently.

"No, no, no," Julie muttered, fingers flying as she twisted dials and slammed buttons.

Jonathan did the same, pulling at wires, adjusting knobs. Nothing responded.

"The hell's happening, man?" Steve shouted, twisting around in his seat.

"I don't know!" Jonathan yelled back, panic creeping into his voice as the van filled with noise.

The signal screamed.

And Hopper was still out there.