Chapter Text
Tough roads can sometimes lead to amazing destinations. When you're traveling those challenging routes, being jostled around, your head hitting the ceiling of the car, it doesn't feel like anything good can come from heading down that path. But then, you crest over a hill or take a sudden turn and the landscape changes. You smile as you look around you, wondering how in the hell you managed to arrive in paradise after the strenuous journey you just traveled.
Traveling along the road is just like life. There are always things ahead of you, some that you anticipate because you planned them. Some are unknown to you, holding the potential to take your breath away or send you crashing to your knees. There are always things behind you, some that you miss and some that you want to leave back there, putting as much distance between you and it as you can. There can be things that can be challenging and scary, but things that can also be magical and beautiful. The unknown awaits you and that can be terrifying, life-changing, but also amazing. Sometimes the road is straight and easy and sometimes it takes you for twists and turns that completely send you off course.
These were the thoughts flowing through Dani's mind as she sat next to Eddie in his van. The two of them had definitely been through a strenuous journey together, from the grieving, the fighting, the hiding, the uncertainty of graduating, and the attack by the pack of rabid jocks. Yet, somehow, here they were, the two of them headed off on the adventure they'd always talked about but never really thought would happen.
They had left this morning, saying goodbye to Uncle Wayne and her mom. The two had made them promise that they would call and check in at least twice a week. The gang had all shown up, racing and breathless to catch them before they left. Dani and Eddie had been surprised because they thought they'd said their goodbyes to them the night before. Not that they weren't happy to see them one more time. But after more hugs and more assurances of phone calls, they had finally gotten on the road. Now, they were a few hours out of Hawkins.
Dani watched the world going by out the window while Prince sang about a raspberry beret. The previous song was Iron Maiden's 'The Trooper'. When Dani made these mixtapes, she tried to alternate the songs so they had the best of both worlds, anticipating that Eddie would only be able to take so much mainstream before he completely lost his shit.
"So, are you up for a little detour?" asked Eddie.
"We've been on the road for three hours and already you're going off course?" Dani laughed. "This does not bode well for the rest of the trip."
"It's not out of the way. It's a town called Alton. It's just on this side of the Mississippi before we would enter Missouri. But Gareth told me it's supposed to be the most haunted town in the country." He looked over at her, a huge grin on his face, his eyebrows rising and falling in excitement.
"Of course you would want to go to the most haunted place," Dani sighed, shaking her head. "You know how I get. You just want to make fun of me when I scream and get all freaked out."
"Nah," he insisted, his hand coming to rest on her thigh, gently running up and down. "I want to be there to comfort you and provide my body for you to cling to when you get scared."
She snorted, "So, what makes this town so haunted?"
"Apparently it has a history of death, disease, and violence," Eddie beamed, a little too excitedly.
"I don't know that death, disease, and violence should make you so happy," she laughed.
"They also have the biggest bottle of catsup," Eddie offered with a shrug. "I mean, how many people can say they've seen the biggest bottle of catsup?"
"Ghosts and oversized catsup," she mused. "Sounds like a dream destination."
"Right?" he chuckled, pulling off the highway. "So, since your mom packed us a lunch, I was thinking we could find a pretty spot by the Mississippi river to enjoy our lunch and then head into Alton. We can find the big catsup, there's a statue of, like, the tallest dude ever, and then we can scope out the creepy mansion. It will be way more fun in the dark."
"Awesome," Dani replied, a little less enthusiastically than him. She did not want to put a damper on their trip this early but she was definitely a bit on edge about creeping around supposedly haunted places in the dark.
"Oh, come on baby," Eddie teased, pulling up alongside the river and stopping the van. Turning his body, he reached out, pulling her into his side. "You know there's nothing to be scared of. Haven't you heard? You're with Satan's most trusted servant. No demon, ghoulie, or ghostie is going to get you when you're with me. They wouldn't dare."
He placed his face into her neck, nuzzling and she squealed, twisting in his arms but he held tight. He planted kisses all over her face, Dani laughing, before letting her go. They hopped out of the van and he went around the back to pull out the bag of food. Her mom had insisted on sending them with nourishment so they had turkey sandwiches, apples, chips, and homemade brownies.
"Here we go," Eddie declared, tossing a blanket down onto the grass. They settled down, Dani pulling out all of the food.
"This is such a pretty view," she commented, her eyes roaming the landscape.
"I concur."
Dani looked over to find Eddie staring at her, a silly smile on his face. She chuckled, shaking her head and elbowing him in the ribs gently.
"I meant the river," she said, feeling her face flush. She should be able to take a compliment from him without turning red as a beet by now, but it hadn't happened yet.
"I meant the girl," he said, pressing his lips to hers.
"You're ridiculous," Dani sighed, "but very sweet. I can't believe how big the river is. I think of a river and I think of this little, skinny thing like the creeks by where we live but this is absolutely massive."
"Yeah, sitting here, you can't even see the other side," Eddie agreed. "We should do one of those paddle boat river cruise things. I bet they have them in St. Louis."
"Is this after we eat at the floating McDonald's?" Dani asked with a smirk.
Eddie's hand shot out, tickling her ribs, and she squealed, jerking away from him. Lunging forward, he pushed her onto her back, placing his hands on either side of her head, trapping her underneath him. His long waves draped down, tickling against her cheeks.
"Are you making fun of me Ms. Miller? That's not very nice," he warned, bringing one hand down and placing it on her ribs. She stiffened, bracing herself for more tickles.
"No!" she shrieked, shaking her head frantically. "No, Eddie, I swear. Please don't."
"A floating McDonald's is, like, the most metal thing a fast food place can be. Admit it. You want to see it too," he demanded, his fingers resting on her ribs as a threat.
"I do!" she screamed as he dug his fingers in. "It's so metal! I am not making fun! Stop!"
Eddie grinned, swooping down and pressing his lips against hers. "Mmm..." he murmured, collapsing against her, his arms crushing her to him as he deepened the kiss. Dani's hands slid under his shirt and then she repaid the favor, digging her fingers into his ribs and tickling. He yelped and leapt off her, falling onto his ass on the blanket. "Hey!"
"You started it," she stated, moving up onto her elbows. "Don't start something you can't finish Edward."
Eddie's nose scrunched up, "You know I hate when you call me Edward."
"I know," she smiled, "that's why it's so fun. Now, come on Big Mac. If you want to do all those things you talked about, we better get a move on."
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"Come on! Look at that thing!" Eddie yelled, jumping out of the van. "Can you imagine how many fries you could eat with all that catsup?"
Dani smiled, watching him. She loved how excited Eddie got about the most mundane things. It was one of her favorite things about him. He could turn the simplest thing into something magical. He was like a big kid in that way and she truly hoped he never grew out of it because it caused her to see the world in a whole new way. She was always stuck in her head, overthinking, and Eddie allowed her to let go and just enjoy the moment.
"Give me the camera!" Eddie called. "Go stand over there so I can take your picture!"
Dani obliged him, smiling wide as he snapped a photo of her with the massive catsup bottle. Wandering over to a small plaque, she read out loud.
"At 170-feet tall, the largest water tower in the world is the Brooks Catsup Bottle in Collinsville. It was built in 1949 to supply water to the catsup plant below. The water tower was refurbished by the request of the Catsup Bottle Preservation Society. Now it is a beautiful, historic attraction off Route 66 and is known worldwide."
"Damn, are we on Route 66?" Eddie asked, his hand covering his eyes as he looked around himself. "I was hoping we could hit some stops on it. I didn't know the big catsup was part of it!"
"Must be," Dani said with a shrug. "I mean, I can't wait to tell our friends. They definitely don't have a catsup bottle this big."
"Keep mocking me and you're going to get it," Eddie warned, pointing his finger at her.
Dani stuck her tongue out playfully, "Promise?"
"You are such a tease," he snorted, shaking his head at her.
"It's not teasing if you follow through."
His tongue ran across his lip before he gently bit his bottom lip. "Oh really?"
"I believe I was promised that you were going to have me at every place we stopped," Dani said, tilting her head and slowly moving toward him. "Was that all talk?"
"Absolutely not," he insisted, his hands gripping her hips and pulling her against him. "I got the back of that van all set up and ready for all our extracurricular activities. You want your promise fulfilled now or later?"
"Aren't we supposed to be finding a statue of the tallest man and then hunting ghosts?" she inquired.
"Yes, yes we are," he replied, wiggling his eyebrows playfully. "Alright, adventuring first and deep dive exploration later."
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"Holy shit!" Eddie yelled, receiving some disapproving looks from an older couple. He raced across the paved path toward the statue. "Dani! Look!" He darted next to the statue, standing next to it, his head only reaching the man's waist and Eddie was not short. "I don't even reach his nipples!"
"Jesus," she muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Eddie, you can't just yell out nipples."
"Why not?" he asked, looking at her as if that was the dumbest thing he'd ever heard. "Everyone has them." He stood a little in front of the statue. "Take my picture! The guys aren't going to believe this. Who knew a person could be so damn big? It's like a giant from the Misty Moors come to life. Dustin wouldn't even reach his hip!"
Pulling out the camera, Dani shot a photo. She shook it gently until the picture began to develop, laughing at Eddie's serious face as he stood just in front of the statue. Apparently, when it came to Guinness World Records and real life giants, he took that very seriously.
"It says he suffered from an overactive pituitary gland," Eddie commented, looking at the plaque that stood to the side of the statue. "What's that?"
"Umm...if I am remembering Science class correctly, I think it's in your brain and it controls growth and metabolism," Dani answered, "but don't quote me on that. I am not a doctor or a scientist."
"Maybe not, but you do have a pretty big brain," Eddie commented, turning back to the plaque. "It says he was known as The Giant of Illinois and he was over seven feet tall when he was still a teenager! Damn. How often do you think he hit his head on shit? I mean, he had to run into doorways and stuff all the time. Would you always think to duck?"
"He only lived to twenty-two?" Dani asked, walking up next to him and looking at the plaque. "That's sad. He was almost nine feet tall and four hundred pounds and lost feeling in his feet because of his size. He couldn't feel wounds that developed on his feet, they got infected, and the infection killed him. That's awful."
"Well, shit...that makes him being so tall not quite as cool," Eddie admitted. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring the trip down to such a depressing level on day one."
"No, that's okay. You didn't. It's really interesting, just really heartbreaking." She held out the polaroid to show him his photo with the statue. "But you're right. The guys are going to be blown away by this. I mean, how many people get to say they stood next to the world's tallest man?"
"Probably as many as can say they stood next to the world's largest bottle of catsup," he answered, slinging his arm around her shoulders with one of those sweet smiles that brought out the dimples she loved.
"True. We have managed to see two of the world's largest things on our first day. I would say that's pretty impressive."
"You want to see impressive?" Eddie asked, eyebrows raising, that sweet smile turning devilish. "I can show you the world's largest..."
Dani slapped her hand over his mouth, her eyes darting around at the people enjoying the day. Couples, groups of friends, and families were all wandering around the busy street, soaking up the sunshine.
"Eddie, am I going to have to muzzle you?" she hissed with a laugh.
Snatching her hand, he pressed a kiss to her palm, wiggling his eyebrows at her, "That sounds promising. You know, I brought my handcuffs."
"Jesus Christ, what am I going to do with you?"
"Absolutely anything and everything you want," he said, his voice deep and rumbling. It rumbled right down to her center and Dani had to remind herself that they had more plans for the evening.
"Oh, I have every intention of taking full advantage of that," she promised, "when we're not surrounded by a bunch of people in full daylight. Now come on, ghostbuster, don't we have some haunted places to check out?"
"You want to grab some food first?" Eddie asked, rubbing his stomach. "I'm really hungry. Plus, if we go eat first, then it can be dark." He held his hands up, putting on his best Vincent Price voice. "Perfect for spooky adventures."
Dani just stared at his face, smiling, finding herself wondering how in the hell they had gotten here. How had he finally become hers? His eyes were her tranquility, his smile was her joy, his arms were her comfort. This man was her home. He was her whole world. She'd never expected to actually have him, completely and fully, and she often had to remind herself that this wasn't just a dream.
"What are you staring at there, princess?" Eddie asked with a grin.
"Just my favorite thing in the whole world," she replied.
"Well, what a coincidence. I'm looking at the same thing," he replied, holding his arms open.
Dani moved into him, wrapping her arms around his waist, her cheek against his chest. She heard his stomach rumble and laughed.
"Yeah, your favorite thing is pretty hungry," Eddie commented, kissing the top of her head. "Come on beautiful. Let's go find something to eat."
They hopped back in the van and Eddie began to drive. He was drumming his fingers against the steering wheel to 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' and Dani turned, smirking as she watched him singing along.
"Is my metalhead actually singing a song from The Breakfast Club?" she asked in amusement.
Eddie snorted, "It's catchy, okay? And I told you, I was okay with that movie. The freak actually got the popular girl. It was a pleasant surprise."
"Hey, you got the popular girl this year just like John Bender. Life imitating art and all that. It's not that outside of the realm of possibilities," Dani said, her eyes moving to look out the window.
She knew Chrissy had been using him to get her boyfriend back, but she'd never shared that with him. Eddie didn't need to know that. He already doubted himself enough. He'd actually dated the most desired girl at Hawkins High for a while. Let him believe it had all been because she saw him for what he was, an amazing catch.
Eddie's hand moved over to rest on her thigh, "I don't need the popular girl. I got the best girl."
She looked over at him, smiled, and placed her hand over top of his. Dani had been a little insecure for a while, wondering if he ever regretted ending things with the beautiful cheerleader for his ordinary best friend. She knew she couldn't compare to Chrissy in the looks department. There was nothing infinitely special or beautiful about her, but Eddie made her feel like there was. That insecurity vanished the more she was with him because he made her feel like she was the most beautiful girl in the world. At least to him, and at the end of the day, that was all that really mattered.
"Whoa!" Eddie yelled, pointing out the windshield. "I found our place!"
Dani looked to see a large brick building in front of them. In neon red letters, it said 'Fast Eddie's Bon Air' along either side of the top. The building was almost in the shape of a triangle. There was a sign in the middle showing a chef eating a burger, so that was promising. Dani was getting pretty damn hungry and a burger sounded perfect. There was a line of motorcycles parked outside and a sign by the door that declared children were not allowed. She was assuming this must be more of a bar than an actual restaurant.
"Dani, it's my bar!" Eddie exclaimed, pulling into a parking spot and hopping out. "Take my picture! I'm fast Eddie!" He ran in front of it, pointing to himself with a big smile while she snapped the photo.
"I mean, I don't know about fast," Dani teased. "You're awfully slow moving in the mornings, like a sloth and you are never ready on time. But chaotic Eddie, dramatic Eddie, hyperactive Eddie, impulsive Eddie...those all work. Unless you mean fast like you're easy. Are you easy, Eddie Munson?"
"You know it," he said, sticking his tongue out at her, "but only for you, baby."
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and they headed into the bar. It was dimly lit with lots of hanging signs and neon lights. There was a counter where you ordered your food and seating all over, at the bar and a variety of tables, low and high-top. A bar sat in the middle, coolers behind it full of a variety of bottles of beer. A band was playing on stage, doing a cover of Whitesnake's 'Here I Go Again.'
They approached the counter and an older lady with a name tag that read, Marge, smiled at them. Dani could smell the fried food cooking and her stomach reminded her how hungry it was. Behind Marge was a massive grill covered in burger patties and a large fryer with baskets of sliced potatoes submerged. The menu was small but that was fine because Dani wanted one of those burgers that smelled so damn good.
"What can I get for you two?" she asked.
"Two burgers, two fries, and two Cokes," Eddie said, pulling out his wallet and handing her the cash. Marge gave them a number and told them to listen for their number to be called. They moved to a table in the back to wait.
"You just assume you know what I wanted to eat?" Dani teased, nudging him with the toe of her shoe.
"It's not like there were a ton of options on that menu. Besides, I know my girl. You like your red meat," he laughed. "You weren't picking chicken or bratwurst over a burger."
Dani shrugged, "Okay, true. Besides, those burgers looked amazing or maybe I'm just really hungry."
They called their number and the two of them went up to grab their food. They went to a small counter that had all the condiments. Dani added ketchup and mustard to her burger. Eddie only added ketchup and then absolutely drenched his fries in the red stuff.
"I don't know how you eat that. You want a few fries with all that ketchup?"
Eddie scoffed at her. "This is the only way to enjoy fried potatoes, sweetheart."
They sat back down. Dani took a bite of her burger and let out a moan that was almost sinful. It was not just hunger. This might be the best damn burger she'd ever eaten in her life.
"Never thought I would be jealous of a dead cow," Eddie commented, raising his eyebrows at her.
"This burger is delicious," Dani groaned, taking another bite.
Eddie bit into his and groaned right along with her, "Goddamn, you're right. That's good." He took another bite and then set his burger down, taking a long drink of his Coke. "So, what are your desires in St. Louis? What are your absolute must sees?"
"Obviously, I want to see the arch," Dani replied, munching on a fry. "I mean, it's iconic. I actually really liked your idea of going on one of those riverboat cruises. It would be nice to see the Mississippi river on a boat. We'll be like Mark Twain or something."
He laughed, "Mark Twain? Just who I have always aspired to be."
"Oh shut it," Dani snapped, tossing a fry at him. "Honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing the zoo but I don't know if we'll have enough time."
"Not have enough time?" Eddie asked, opening his arms out wide. "Dani, we have all the time in the world. We're not on a schedule. That's what this whole trip is about, just rolling with whatever comes along. We can take extra time if we want. If my girl wants to see the zoo, then we stay an extra day and see the zoo."
"We really don't have to," Dani said, shaking her head. "I mean, there are zoos everywhere."
"No, I know how much you love the zoo," he insisted. "You used to convince dad to take us there at least once a summer when we were younger. You would sit and watch the big cats and the gorillas for hours. You would look so content, so happy, to just be near them."
"The zoo is my happy place," she shrugged. "My Dad and I used to go on Tuesdays in the summers when I was even younger. He would always have Tuesdays off and it was half price admission. We would look at all the animals and he knew so much about all of them. Then we would stop for ice cream on the way home. I guess the zoo just reminds me of him, of happier times."
"Then we go to the zoo," Eddie stated. The band began playing a cover of Journey's 'Faithfully' as they finished their food. He stood from the table and reached his hand out to her. "Dance with me, princess."
Dani took his hand, allowing him to lead her out to the small dance floor just in front of the band. He kept hold of her hand, bringing it up between them, his other hand resting on the small of her back. Dani placed her hand on his arm, looking up into those beautiful brown eyes.
"I can't believe we're actually doing this," he said softly, swaying them gently side to side.
"Doing what?"
"This road trip," he replied. "I mean, I know we talked about it, but I never thought we'd actually do it. It was just two kids dreaming big about doing something grand like two characters they read about in a book."
"Yeah, well we don't have the very survival of the world on our shoulders," Dani laughed. "We're not carrying some evil ring that needs to be destroyed up to Mount Doom or fighting off orcs. We're just trekking around, checking out cool stuff and sleeping in a van."
Eddie raised one shoulder, "Maybe not, but we're still having this amazing adventure together. I've never been out of Indiana. This is only day one and I am already having the most amazing time. Of course, that could be the company."
"Probably," Dani agreed with a grin. "I am a bundle of fun."
Eddie kissed her nose, "You are. Now, are you ready for the spooky after dark fun? McPike Mansion awaits."
Dani's stomach clenched slightly, "I am telling you, if a ghost kills me, I am coming back to haunt your ass. I mean, full on, chains rattling, popping out of walls, not allowing you to sleep, haunting."
"No worries princess. I got you," he assured.
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Chapter One! I can't believe I am doing this. So, this book is taking me a bit longer to write because of all the research and plotting out I am doing for the places they visit. And I will be honest, writing has become a bit stressful for me with trying to keep up with three chapters a week. Plus, I will never write two books at the same time again. Trying to keep up with this and the Buffy one on top of real life was just too much. 😂😂😂 I love writing and I want to keep loving it. I don't want it to become something stressful in my life. So, I am going to adjust the schedule to two chapters a week. Please don't hate me. I would rather give you really good, well-written chapters than something quickly thrown together. So, I know I shared this today but I will normally post on Mondays and Thursdays. If I get ahead of myself, I may throw in a bonus chapter here and there. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I really hope you love this book. I'm not used to writing something without any real angst or drama in it so this is new for me. I hope I don't disappoint. They will hit some bumps in the road, as any good road trip would, but I promised you fluff and that is what you're going to get. Thanks so much to all of you who are choosing to continue to follow Eddie and Dani's journey with me. ❤️❤️❤️
Next chapter: 03/02