If I Should Stay
More housekeeping! I was wrong about the date last time. My hiatus isn’t starting on the 15th; it’s starting on the 13th, possibly a bit earlier. But I’ll see y’all a little less than a month after that!
Part 1 | . . . | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40
“Vecna’s got my sister,” Steve whispers into the line, and Robin knows immediately that this time, this next fight with Vecna, is going to be very different.
She’s not going to let two of his atoms touch after what he’s done.
“Okay,” she answers, mind going a million miles an hour. “We know how to fix this, Steve, but you need to focus. Can you focus?”
He takes a deep breath. “Yeah,” he murmurs. “Yeah, I can focus.”
“Okay. We need her favorite song.”
“I don’t know her favorite song.”
“Then you need to find someone who does.”
The line is silent for a minute, then Steve gasps. “Cassidy! She’d know.”
“Okay, that’s perfect. Call Cassidy, ask her what Allison’s favorite song is. I’m going to pick up El and we’ll be there as soon as we can, okay?”
“Okay,” Steve says. “Hurry?”
“As fast as I can,” she promises. “Call Cassidy.”
They hang up, and Robin eyes Wayne, who’s already waiting by the door with his truck keys. “I’m gathering this is an emergency.”
“If it wouldn’t be entirely weird, I would kiss you,” Robin informs him, because she barely has a filter at the best of times, and this is definitely not the best of times.
Thankfully, Wayne just laughs. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” he says. “Toss your bike in the back and get in. I’ll need directions.”
Robin worries her lip. “Y’know the Wheelers’ place?”
“Karen?”
“Yeah. There first, please.”
Wayne offers her a teasing salute as he puts the car into drive, and Robin suddenly thinks this all might just work out.
The drive to the Wheelers’ is uneventful, and she hops out of the truck and pounds on the door. Karen opens it, and Robin grits her teeth. “Hi, Mrs. Wheeler,” she says politely. “Is Nancy home?”
“Oh, yes, of course, come in,” she says, ushering her inside before calling for Nancy.
Robin watches as Nancy makes it halfway downstairs before she sees who’s here. She watches as she goes through all the possibilities. “Hey, Robin, you’re here for the project, right?”
“Yup,” Robin nods. “For, uh. School.”
Nancy blinks. “Right,” she says, casting a glance at her mom, who doesn’t notice. “C’mon up.”
Robin hesitates. “Think we could use the basement?”
Nancy’s eyes flash. “Sure,” she says, and they’re halfway down before she speaks again. “What’s going on?”
“Vecna has Allison. We need El.”
Nancy bites back a curse.
They finally make it down, and El is standing in the middle of the room, waiting for them. “It is time.”
“It is,” Robin nods. “Are you ready?”
Eleven shrugs. “Is anyone?”
Robin gives half a laugh. “I guess not.” She turns to Nancy. “Is there an exit that doesn’t go through the house?”
Nancy nods and leads them out. “I’ll get everyone else,” she says. “Meet you back there as soon as we can. Be safe.”
“You too,” Robin says, grabbing El’s hand and running for Wayne’s truck.
“Where to?” Wayne asks.
“The Harrington place. Will you come inside?”
“All due respect, Robin, but my boy’s in there. There ain’t no way in hell I’m leavin’ him alone.” There’s a slight pause before he says, rather uncomfortably, “Not because I don’t trust you, of course-”
“No, of course not,” Robin waves him off.
“And, uh.” He winks at El. “You’ll have to pardon my French, little lady.”
She giggles at him. “But you weren’t speaking any French!”
Wayne chuckles. “No I wasn’t, and a smart one you are for knowin’ that. No, pardon my French just means excuse my potty mouth.”
El turns to Robin, who says, deadpan, “He means ‘cause he said hell.”
“Oh,” El says, as Wayne splutters but ultimately stays quiet.
Soon enough they’re at the Harrington place, and Wayne barely parks the truck before they’re all running in.
Robin stops him just before they get inside. “Did Eddie explain any of this to you?”
Wayne blinks at her. “No.”
“Shit,” she whispers. “Okay, look, long story short, which I’m kinda really terrible at, like worst person ever, like I can’t tell a short story to save my life-”
“Robin.”
“Right, short story, right. Um, we’ll explain more later, but basically me and Steve are time traveling here from four years in the future because there’s a wizard guy- well he’s not a wizard, actually, it’s Henry Creel, but anyways things happen and he’s got powers and he’s like a wizard and he’s trying to get control of peoples’ heads and kill them. And he’s trying it with Steve’s sister, Allison, right now. So… that’s what we’re about to walk into.”
Wayne sighs. “Is there anythin’ for me to shoot at?”
Robin blinks. “Well, no. Not right now, at least. But later there could be. If you want to be involved.”
“I ain’t lettin’ y’all do this while I sit by and do nothin’. That ain’t how I was raised.”
Robin stares at him for a beat, nods, and together they run inside.
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