The group stood silently in the basement of the Neibolt House, their eyes on the portal which still seemed to be glowing slightly from behind the closed barrier. Everything was riding on Eleven being able to open the portal and she knew that.

The pressure was enough to make her hands shake slightly as she tried to hype herself up and tell herself that she could do it. She felt something grab on to her hand and Eleven turned her head to see Wheeler standing beside her giving her a look of concern as he laced their fingers together.

"You okay?" he whispered, his head tilting slightly as he watched the girl.

Eleven nodded and squeezed her boyfriend's hand. "Yeah, I'm just a little nervous is all," she admitted.

"Hey, don't be," Wheeler immediately said. "Just think of all that you've done, El. Opening a portal should be the least of your worries. All you have to do is focus and you'll be fine. You've got this, okay?"

Eleven was silent as she stared at Wheeler for a moment before nodding her head. Wheeler gave her a small smile before leaning forward and pressing a quick kiss to her temple. Eleven squeezed his hand one last time before the boy pulled away so that Eleven could have her space.

The young girl stared at the portal before letting her eyes flicker over all of the people around her, each one of them standing there with concern written all over their face as they thought of Y/N. Eleven's eyes hesitated on Bill who gave the girl a short nod in response. Eleven nodded back before turning her attention back to the portal.

Everyone watched as she took a deep breath to calm herself before breathing out and lifting her hand up. She put all of her focus on the portal, ignoring the people around her as she focused on nothing more than opening up the wall before her.

It took a few tries but Eleven was so determined to get it open that she finally succeeded and the goo portal began to crack open. Before they knew it, the portal had opened back up, the glowing growing in intensity as the light poured out. How ironic seeing as the Upside Down was extremely dark.

Eleven let her hand drop and she felt her whole body relax once the stress was taken away. She slumped down slightly and Wheeler was quick to go to her side, taking his long sleeve and wiping away the blood from her nose as he whispered, "You did it, El. You did it!"

It was like a small weight had been lifted off of each of their shoulders now that the gate was officially open again. This time, they would make sure not to close it before everyone was out.

"So how are we going to do this?" Lucas asked. "Are we going to charge in there all at once or-?"

"We need to stick together," Bill insisted, a look of determination on his face as he gripped the crowbar in his hands, his jacket that Y/N usually wore wrapped around his frame due to her lingering scent that helped remind him what he was fighting for. "It's either all of us or none of us, so we all need to be prepared to go in there."

He let his eyes flicker over the groups and when no one objected, Bill glanced at Steve and the two boys nodded before heading towards the portal. "Come on, assholes. Let's get a move on," Steve called back over his shoulder before him and Bill began to climb through the portal.

Lucas, Max, Ben, Beverly, Mike, Dustin, and Stan were quick to follow after the two, their fear being shoved aside by their worry and determination to get Y/N back. That left Richie, Eddie, Will, Wheeler, and Eleven.

Wheeler glanced down at Eleven and gave her a small look of concern. "You okay?" he whispered, not wanting her to overdo it in case they ended up needing her.

Eleven quickly nodded. "Yeah, I'm good. Let's go get Y/N," she said, the boy nodding back in response.

The two reached for each other's hand and were about to walk through the portal when Wheeler noticed Will hesitating. Wheeler pulled back, making Eleven stop beside him in the process.

He turned to look at his friend and frowned at the sight of Will's pale face and wide eyes. Wheeler had seen that look on his face more than he would've liked, so he knew Will was freaking out, the thought of going back into the Upside Down after everything that had happened to him probably freaking him out. Wheeler sighed and made a move to go over to Will, but stopped once he saw Richie and Eddie walking over to the boy.

"Hey, you okay?" Eddie questioned, his eyes searching Will's pale face for an answer as to why Will wasn't moving.

"Uh. . .yeah. Yeah," Will muttered making the two young boys before him share a look before Richie pushed up his glasses and began to speak.

"That sounds like a load of bullshit to me. What's wrong, Byers?" Richie asked, the small amount of concern laced in his voice making Wheeler furrow his eyebrows in confusion and shock.

Will stared at Richie blankly before looking down to his shoes. "I just. . ." he fell quiet and, to Wheeler's surprise, Richie reached out and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder while Eddie went to Will's other side.

"Is this about what happened to you?" Eddie asked, his voice soft and understanding. Will silently nodded and Eddie and Richie shared a look.

Will was shaking slightly, his eyes beginning to tear up at the thought of getting trapped in that horrendous place again after everything that had happened.

"Hey," Richie whispered as he nudged the boy, his eyes staring at Will softly once he saw the fright and tears in his eyes. "It's going to be okay. We won't let anything bad happen to you. But you got to get over this fear right now or we're not going to be able to save Y/N."

"Richie's right," Eddie nodded in agreement. "Y/N told us about you before. She cared about you so much and, when you went missing, she did everything in her power to try and get you back."

"Now she needs you," Richie continued. "Y/N needs you, Will. You can't let her down."

Will's eyes flickered over Richie and Eddie's faces before he took in a deep breath and nodded his head. "Let's go," he whispered making Richie smile and clap the boy on the shoulder.

"Thatta boy," Richie said. "Seriously though, don't worry, okay? We won't let anything happen to you. We won't let that motherfucker touch you. You're going to be just fine."

Will looked to Richie and smiled at that as he lightly nodded his head. "I believe you," Will muttered. "Thanks, Richie. Thanks, Eddie."

Both boys just gave Will a smile in return before they stayed by his side and began to direct him towards the portal.

Wheeler watched the three walk through the portal with a surprised look on his face. All he could do was just stand there as he tried to process what had just happened. Had he honestly just seen Richie Tozier being nice to someone? Comforting someone? For a second, he swore he saw a glimpse of the boy Y/N always told him about.

"Are you okay?" Eleven whispered from beside the boy.

Wheeler blinked and glanced at Eleven before nodding his head. "Yeah. . .I'm coming," he said before he reached out to take her hand once again. Eleven didn't question him and merely pulled him through the portal and to the other side where the group was waiting for them in an even more rundown version of the Neibolt House.

Stan shuddered at the sight around him while Bev took a closer step to Ben, the three having not experienced anything like this before and seeing the Upside Down for the first time.

"Where. . .where are we going first?" Stan asked. "I mean, we don't even know where Y/N is. Where do we start?"

Everyone was silent for a minute before Eleven frowned and looked to the ground. "I think. . .I think I can find her," she said making the others all look to her.

"How?" Dustin questioned.

"I'm not sure. I just. . .I have a feeling," Eleven said before she began to walk forward, her gut tugging her in one direction as if she was connected to Y/N and could sense where she was. Wheeler followed right behind seeing as he was still holding her hand and the others were quick to follow Eleven up the stairs and out of the house.

They began to walk towards the woods that were a little ways away, but as soon as they had entered the dense area, Will grew pale. "Something's not right," Will muttered and only the people nearest to him—Richie, Eddie, Max, and Dustin— frowned.

"What do you mean?" Max asked.

"Do you not think it's weird that nothing has found us yet?" Will asked, his eyes scanning over the kids' faces.

The four were silent for a second before Dustin quickly shook his head, "You're thinking about it too much, Will."

"Yeah, when Bill and Y/N were down here, they weren't found for a while," Eddie pointed out. "They might just not know we are here yet."

"But what if they do?" Will questioned. "What if they haven't found us yet because they already have and are waiting to-?"

"Byers, man, you need to calm down," Richie said as he slapped the boy's shoulder. "Pennywise is a bitch and if he knew we were down here, he would be on our ass in a second. We're fine. Quit worrying."

Will bit his lip and nodded his head before watching as Richie, Eddie, and Dustin walked ahead. However, Max stayed by his side and nudged him slightly. "We're all going to be okay. You know that, right?" Max asked.

Will let his eyes flicker over to his friend before he nodded. "Yeah, of course," he said, although his tone of voice told them both that he didn't believe it. Max sighed and just patted the boy's arm before jogging over to Lucas, leaving Will alone to think by himself.

The group continued to follow Eleven through the woods and Steve couldn't help but keep an eye on Bill who looked like he might pass out from fear. He knew Bill was only afraid of losing Y/N.

Hell, Steve knew exactly what the boy was feeling. But a seventeen year old boy shouldn't have to worry about whether the girl he had a crush on was alive or not. And the matter of the fact made Steve feel sorry for the boy.

As if sensing his stare, Bill glanced over at the boy before looking to the ground and frowning. "I'm f-f-fine, you know. I don't n-n-need you watching over m-m-me like some mother h-h-hen," Bill muttered a little angrily, though Steve knew it was only out of frustration.

"I didn't say anything," Steve defended.

"But you w-w-were thinking it," Bill retorted.

Steve chuckled softly and looked down at the bat in his hands as he swung it slightly. "She's going to be okay, Bill. We're going to get her back," Steve assured him, the words making Bill visibly relax some.

Bill bit his lip and tightened his grip on the crowbar in his hands. "I-I-I just. . .I can't l-l-lose her, Steve. I j-j-just can't," Bill whispered, his voice so soft and heartbroken that it made Steve's heart ache.

Steve stared at Bill in silence for a moment before reaching out and squeezing his shoulder. "I know, kid. I know," he whispered before the two of the most important people in Y/N's life exchanged a look and a small sympathetic smile. Steve shoved Bill playfully and the boy cracked a small smile before Steve winked at him, the two then continuing on their journey through the woods side by side.

It was only when Eleven stopped suddenly that the group stopped walking for the first time in what felt like hours. But that was also the moment that they noticed Eleven's horrified face and watched as the blood literally drained from her face leaving it as white as a sheet of paper.

Bill almost didn't want to look at what Eleven was looking at, but he managed to force himself to turn his head and the sight was enough to make his breath catch in his throat.

There was Y/N, floating above them in the air with blood dripping from her body and onto the ground below. Her eyes were a solid white as they stared at nothing, her mouth opened wide as she hung limply like she was attached to a string that was holding her up.

The sight was enough to make Bill stumble back into Steve slightly who was quick to put a hand on the boy's shoulder and steady him, his own eyes not leaving the young girl floating above them.

Eleven had her hands over her mouth now and Wheeler had an arm around her while the others all stared up at their friend. "What's wrong with her?" Max asked quietly, afraid of what the answer might be.

To everyone's surprise, Stan was the one to speak up, his voice dark and angry while his face showed no other emotion than how pissed off he was. "Pennywise," Stan spat out, his teeth gritted together as he stared up at his friend.

"Stan's right."

The sudden voice that seemed to be coming from no where made the groups all jump in surprise before they turned their backs to one another and backed up into a small circle. They all began to look around, their weapons gripped in their hands so tight that their knuckles were white, but the clown was no where to be seen.

"But Y/N wanted this," It said, his voice echoing through the air and making the hair on the back of their necks stand on end. "She wanted to float like the others."

There was a pause of silence before It said, "You can join her. You can float too."

"I think the fuck not," Richie responded as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his glare more threatening than any of the ones that had ever dawned his face.

"For once, I agree with Richie," Wheeler growled.

"Oh, but it will be so much fun," It said, but his voice came out sounding like Y/N's, a small detail that made all of them falter slightly. "Don't you want to join me, guys? We can all be friends. Don't you want that?"

"Not like this," Will replied, shaking his head.

A small growl came from what seemed like no where before It began to chant, "You can float too. You can float too. You can float you! You can float too!"

Then his voice stopped all together and it got so quiet that they could all hear ringing in their ears. The group all held their weapons even tighter than before, determined looks on their faces while Y/N floated in the air above them.

"Boo."

The group all let out screams as Pennywise jumped up from the middle of their circle, each of the kids jumping away or even tripping over their feet and falling to the ground.

"Fuck!" Dustin yelled as he tripped and fell right in front of the clown. Pennywise turned to the boy with a grin and Dustin watched in horror as the clown's mouth began to open up, its face splitting open much like the creatures Dustin was used to fighting. However, before Pennywise could grab him, a metal pipe was connecting with the clown's face and Pennywise was thrown back.

Dustin looked over at Stan with wide eyes while the boy let the metal pipe fall back down to his side and went to help the boy up. Dustin was shaking as he stood up and looked at Stan with wide eyes before yelling, "Holy shit! That clown's face just opened up like a fucking demogorgon!"

No one had time to respond because Pennywise was jumping back onto his feet, his eyes glaring at the teens while drool fell from his mouth.

"Gross," Max muttered as she grimaced, but all It did was smile.

Will was the first to sense them, his whole body tending as he looked to Beverly who stood beside him. "They're coming," he whispered, his connection with the Upside Down still there even after all these years.

Beverly gave the boy a horrified look, but didn't have time to question him before the sound of leaves rustling and branches snapping filled the air. The two groups told beside each other, fear still evident in their eyes despite the fact that they were trying so hard to be brave.

Then, from the woods, came four demogorgons, all of which came rushing pass Pennywise and towards the teens. "Shit!" Richie yelled as he took the axe he had stolen from Y/N's garage and swung at a demogorgon with all his might.

Eleven was quick to take that demogorgon and toss him to the side before another one came lunging at her. However, Mike was quick and began to shoot at the creature with the gun he had brought from his farm. He only had a certain number of bullets, so he knew he had to be careful with how many he used.

It decided to lunge at the group at that moment too and before they knew it, the group had split into two as Richie, Wheeler, Stan, Eleven, Mike, Will, and Ben fought the demogorgons and Max, Dustin, Beverly, Eddie, Lucas, Bill, Steve fought Pennywise.

Richie let out what seemed to be a battle cry as he ran towards a demogorgon and hit it with the axe. The demogorgon hissed and its mouth opened up and it lunged at the boy who tried to whack it again only to trip back. The demogorgon landed right on top of Richie and opened its mouth, the sound it made making the boy shudder beneath it.

The demogorgon went in for the kill, but all Richie felt was its warm breath against his face before it was suddenly being thrown off of him by a golf club that was being swung by none other than Wheeler. The demogorgon went flying back and hit a tree before slumping to the ground.

Richie looked up at Wheeler in surprise while Wheeler, breathing heavily, let the golf club drop to his side and his eyes flicker over to the boy on the ground. It was in that moment that the hatred the two had for each other seemed to disappear and after Wheeler had helped Richie up, the two shared a look and a nod that seemed to signify that all the bad blood between them was now gone.

Richie picked his axe up and the two turned to the demogorgon which had crawled back up and was growling at the two. Richie and Wheeler just smirked before letting out identical battle cries and swinging at the demogorgon, bringing it to the ground and killing it with one final blow from Richie's axe.

With that demogorgon dead, the two joined in with the others in defeating and killing off the three other demogorgons. Eleven would use her powers to toss them aside and keep them away from the others while the other swung and shot at the demogorgons, killing them one by one.

While they worked on defeating the demogorgons, the other half of the group worked on fighting the deranged clown which kept popping up in different places and trying to change into their worst fears.

Steve had just hit It in the head with his bat when the creature began to shake and turn into one of their fears. They had already been fighting It when he had taken the form of a spider, a demogorgon, Georgie Denbrough, and Beverly's father, but none of them were prepared when It suddenly turned around to reveal the face of Y/N L/N.

The group froze, their faces falling as they stared at the girl whose face was all scratched up and had eyes full of fear and tears. "Guys, stop. I just want to go home," Y/N cried, the sound of her voice making the whole thing more believable even though they knew the person before them was really It.