Mike sat in the back seat of the car as Steve drove them back. They had done the best that they could with what they had, but as Mike stared down at his dirt covered hands, he wondered if there was something else that needed to be done. For all they knew, El and Hopper didn't make it. The demi-dogs could have eaten them alive, El could have fallen back into the upside down, or the amount of power she used could have drained her dry.

"I think she's okay," Max's voice made Mike jump. She sat next to him in the middle seat; Lucas on the other side of her. Her red hair was frizzed out, and just like him, her body was covered in dirt. They all still wore their cloths and bandana's around their necks, but had discarded their goggles and gloves in the trunk of the car before leaving.

"What makes you so sure," Mike asked quietly. He took a glance out the window, watching houses as they passed by; houses filled with people who hand no idea what was happening in their town.

"Because it's El," Max said. Mike turned his head to look at her. "She's the mange, right? She's supposed to be incredible." Mike let a slight smile appear onto his face, Max did the same.

"You're okay Zoomer," Mike said before looking back out of the window. Max stared for a brief second in shock before turning her gaze to the front of the car.

"Okay gang," Steve announced to the car as he pulled up the Byers house. "We are not going anywhere. There will be no leaving of any kind until we get the all clear." Steve stared at Dustin in the seat next to him, then into the review mirror. No one moved to leave as he stopped the car; every one sat in their place and stared at the house. Mike looked around the outside of the car, not seeing any sign of Nancy, and no sign of Hopper.

"Do you think your brothers still in there?" Lucas said, leaning in closer to Max. She shrugged her shoulder while letting the thought strike fear into her.

"He better not be," Dustin said back. "Steve here will kick his ass this time."

"Yeah, alright," Steve said in a dry voice. "Everyone out, we need to clean ourselves up before the others get back. My ass in grass if they find out we left." Everyone moved to unbuckle their seat belts, Max followed Lucas out of the other side of the car, while Mike slowly stood out with the help of Steve.

"Do you really think she did it," Steve asked Mike in a low voice, as everyone else moved toward the house. Mike slammed the car door, looking at his reflection on the car window. He look like he had aged faster within the past two days, his hair seemed longer, and it almost seemed like he looked like a lanky teenager, and not some lanky little kid.

"Yeah, I do," he said before moving to the house. "She promised she would come back, and I'm going to hold her to that promise." Steve followed him up the front steps; the other three had left the door wide open. The place Billy laid was empty. The only sign that he was there was the destruction he left behind.

"Maybe we should clean up a little bit," Dustin said looking around the room. "I'm sure Ms. Byers would like to come home to a clean house." Lucas grabbed the broom he had been using before Billy had come. Max took the dust pan, following him around the room as they cleaned the floor of glass. Dustin put things back on shelves, straightened cushions on the couch, and making sure blood from the demi-dog was cleaned from the corner of the floor. Steve stayed in the kitchen, first rearranging things back into their rightful place; then turning on the faucet to wet a cloth so he could clean out the cuts on his face.

"Whose idea was it to stick these rainbow band aids on me?" Steve yelled from the kitchen.

"We thought they would make you feel better," Dustin yelled back. Mike walked across the room, looking down at the trophy he had been holding as the demi-dogs approached the house. He went to the shelf across the room where it had been sitting; putting it back in its place. First Place Science Fair, it read. The science fair from two years ago.

All four of them created an entire replica of the human brain, marking down every detail of ever section they knew. They had worked days to get the material right, to make it look like an actual brain. It had been Will's idea to take blood from the meat Mike's mom was making upstairs and pour it all over the plastic they had used from coke bottles. Will's mom was so proud when they had gotten the trophy.

Car head lights shined into the room, making Mike look up from his thoughts. He rushed to the door to see who it was, and even though he was grateful to see his sister, he was slightly disappointed. He watched as Johnathan helped Will out of the car, as Nancy ran up the steps on the front porch; pulling him into a hug.

"Why are you so dirty?" She asked. She pulled at the cloth around his neck, giving him concerned eyes.

"Umm," Mike said. "We might have done a few stupid things while you were gone." Nancy let out a sigh before taking him back into her arms.

"You're so stupid," she said into his hair.

"Yeah well, you are too," Mike said back with a smile. "Have you heard from Hopper?"

"The last thing that was said to them was to close the gate. It's been radio silent since." Nancy looked down at her brother, her eyes covered in moister, trying not to cry.

"She'll come back," He said to her, she nodded her head before moving them out of the way. Will slowly moved up the steps, black circles rimmed his eyes, and his body was still dripping with sweat. "You did it," Mike said to him, moving in front his and grabbing his hands. He helped him up the steps, slowly guiding him through the front door. "You beat the beast like we knew you would." Will gave a slight smile as Mike eased him into the couch. Max, Lucas and Dustin gathered around them, looking down at Will.

"That was the hardest game of D&D I've ever played," Will said with a tired smile. The group laughed lightly, Will moved to lay down on the couch, letting out a sigh.

"How about you boys go into the kitchen and start on some tea," Joyce said from the front door. "Give Will some space to rest." Every one gave him a slight pat or a smile before leaving, going into the dark kitchen with Steve icing his face.

"What happened to you," Nancy asked loudly. Johnathan moved by the front of the kitchen while holding Will in his arms, looking at Steve in surprise before slipping into the hallway.

"It's a long story," He said back to her, before slipping into a chair at the dinner table.

"Is you guys leaving here, and doing something stupid a long story too?" She asked him with more force. Steve let out a sigh looking down at the table.

"I didn't have much of a choice, okay Nans? I was kidnapped and taken as hostage."

"By a couple of kids?" She said back.

"Teenagers," Dustin said as he took a seat across from Steve. "By a couple of teenagers." Dustin gave a big smile to Nancy, Mike smiled slightly. They sat in silence for a couple of seconds, before hearing the sounds of tires on the gravel drive way. Mike perked up, moving quickly from his place in the kitchen to the front door.

Hopper jumped out of his Bronco, walking quickly to the other side of the car and opening the passenger door. Mike ran down the steps, reaching him in three big strides.

"Is she okay," he said in a panic. Hopper took El into his arms. Blood was drying from her nose; blood was falling from her ears. Her eyes weren't open, but he could tell that she had been crying.

"Let's get her inside kid," Hopper said. They moved forward fast, Mike going in first to keep the door open. Hopper placed her down on the couch, moving to take off her jacket. Nancy came in with a wet washcloth, kneeling beside Hopper as she started to clean her face. "She just fell asleep in the car. She was too tired to even walk out of the lab, I've never seen anything like it." He said in disbelief. Hopper moved to her feet, taking off her shoes. "The way she closed it, I thought she was going to die for a second; like she was going to drain herself of everything that she had."

"Was she able to say anything afterwards?" Mike asked, walking to the end of the couch where her head laid. "Did she say she was okay, did she says she felt okay?"

"I don't know kid," Hopper said. Hopper threw her shoes and socks onto the floor, standing to look at Mike. "She nearly passed out, she couldn't stand, but she cried for a little bit as we left everything behind."

"Maybe we should think about getting her in a bath," Nancy said. "Get her some clean clothes so she can be comfortable."

"Your right," Hop said. "I'll go start the tub, you find her some clothes." They both looked back down at her before leaving Mike alone with her. He knelled beside her head, watching as she took in deep breaths.

He didn't realize he had been crying until a tear fell onto his arm. He let out a gasped breath, trying to muffle his cries as he looked at her.

"I knew you would come back," he whispered to her.

"I promised," she mumbled back quietly.

"El?" he looked down at her, she let out a slight moan before scrunching up her face. He placed his hand on her cheek; she leaned into it. "Sleep El, you need it."

"Mike," she said slightly louder. "I wanted to say something, but I wasn't aloud."

"I know," Mike said sadly. "Let's not focus on that right now. Hoppers starting a bath for you, and Nancy is getting you some clean clothes. Everything's going to be okay. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Promise?"

"I Promise," He said back.

...

She was grateful; a word that she learned on day 191. The time she cried for her friends and Hop told her to be grateful for what she had in that moment. She could still be out in the snow, eating large rodents over a poorly lit fire. She had a bed, food, and an old teddy bear Hop told her to take care of, as he hesitantly passed it to her.

She was grateful for the warm water, because as Joyce poured it down her head, she could feel the grease and grime trickle down her body. She was still too tired to open her eyes, and moving her muscles made her body ache. Every time she tried to swallow her throat would ignite on fire, and it made her groan.

"It's okay honey," Joyce said as she scrubbed some of her arm. She could feel Nancy at her feet, scrubbing the sweat from her legs. "You're almost done, and then we can get you into a bed." A bed, the most exciting word she had heard in days. A bed that she would feel safe in, a bed that felt like home.

"Do you mind if I stay tonight?" Nancy said.

"Stay as long as you would like," Joyce said back. "I'm sure Jonathan could use the help, he doesn't talk much so I'm sure having you here will help." Silence remained, and for a few passing moment El felt herself going back to sleep, as Joyce rubbed shampoo into her hair. The next thing she remembered was half sitting on the toilet top, and half leaning on the wall while Joyce and Nancy attempted to fit clothing over her body. She would feel embarrassed, but at this point she didn't care.

"Alright," she heard Hop say as he lifted her into his arms.

"Take her to my bed," Joyce said from behind them. She could feel the cold sheet on her feet, and she could smell the soap in her curly hair. Hope tucked the blanket in under her, giving her a small kiss on her head. An act that she had never felt before from the man, but was pleasantly surprised by how it made her feel. It wasn't like a kiss from Mike, but it gave her a different kind of comfort she wasn't used to feeling. "Sleep tight kid," He said quietly. "And you," He said a little bit loudly as he straightened away from her. "I'm trusting you with no funny business."

"Seriously," she heard Mikes voice. "I'm not going to do anything." She heard Hopper heavy footsteps move through the room, saying seriously under his breath. The door creaked, half shut, and Mike's quiet foot falls came to stand next to her. "I promise to be here when you wake up Eleven." He said at a whisper. She felt the side of her bed cave as he took a seat next to her, then everything went still.

It was a familiar place to be. In the black landscape, and the watered floor. She could never feel her wet feet, but had frozen toes when she would wake from her day dreams. An echo of someone's panicked breaths filled her ears, as she turned in circles to find the source of the noise.

"No!" the voice screamed, she walked straight forward, seeing a dot of a person in the distance. A girls voice, screaming in pain. El could see her sitting in a chair, her arms restrained by rope on the chair. The girls head was bold, like hers had been so long ago. Her features were older, but only by a few more years, and blood fell from her dark brown eyes.

"Tell me," the voice made El freeze in place. The voice of a man she had nightmares of every time she closed her eyes. "Tell me where she is," He came around from behind El, walking in front of the girl. He leaned over her taking a handkerchief from his pocket and whipping the blood from her eyes.

"I can't see anything," the girl cried. El kept her eyes of Papa, his feature darker than they were the last time she had seen him. She felt anger rise in her, realizing that he wasn't as dead as he though she was.

"You're lieing," he sneered. "I know you can find her." The girl let out another cry as he raised his hand, slapping her with force across her face. "Find her!"

El couldn't keep her breathing in check, she felt a panic rise in her. The girl closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath as a red flare built on the side of her right cheek. They sat in silence for just a minute, until the girl raised her head a little high, opening her eyes to look straight at El.

They stared at one another, El not know what she was supposed to do. There was a connection she felt between her and the girl. Warmth wrapped around her body that she had never felt before, and she could feel a tingle on her right cheek, a slap she had never reserved, but could feel.

"Where is she," Papa interrupted. The girl turned her gaze to Papa, her eyes narrowing in anger.

"No!" She screamed as loud she could. She struggle in her chair, pulling her arms in hopes to escape the pain of the rope restraints. El began to panic again, the warmth that was there leaving quickly. She looked down at the girl from where she stood, she search her arm for a number to identify her.

Her left arm was red the chaffing from the rope. A small tattoo sat on her arm reading, 001, making El take a step back. Her eyes began to bleed again. Her body was thrashing in peer panic, El slowly backed up.

Papa raised his hand again, striking down on the girl right cheek. "You're lieing to me!" The girls cry echoed around the darkness, the sound of water dripping as El took quick steps back, She wanted to wake up, she didn't want to be there anymore.

She put her hands to her ears, the sound of the girl screaming making her mind fuzzy, her ears were hurting. El turned in her place, looking away from the scene in front of her, and began to run. She ran into the darkness, not knowing where she was going, or how to wake up.

"El?" she stopped in her tracks. Looking around for the source of the echoed voice. "El," Mike's voice rang. She turned left and right, not able to find him. "El." She turned around, as he stood behind her looking down at an empty bed.

"Mike?" she said, before opening her eyes.

She had forgotten how bright the sun could be, and at this moment it was so bright that it made her eyes shoot a sharp pain into her head. She could feel Mike's arms on her shoulders as she looked around the room. Trying to remember how she got there and what was happening.

"It's okay," Mike said. "It was just a dream." He took a seat next to her, letting her sit up a little more. She felt a slight dizziness take over her as her stomach made a mean growl. "Ms. Byers is making some food right now. I'm not sure if its breakfast or lunch, we all kind of slept in late.

El took a moment to just look at him, at how he had more pronounced features than the last time she saw him. How his hair was getting longer and messier, and how his chin was slightly more aligned with his face. Mike grabbed her hand as they stared at one another.

"I missed you," she said quietly. Her voice came out scratchy, hurting her.

"I missed you so much," Mike said. "I knew you were there, but sometimes, I don't know, it felt like I had really lost you. Like you died and wouldn't come back."

"I wanted to come back," she said sadly. "I was alone." Mike squeezed her hand, frowning at her words. She could feel a tear fall from her eyes. "I couldn't leave, I couldn't open windows or doors, and all I had was the T.V." she let in a staggered breath letting the tears fall from her eyes. She looked up into Mikes face; an anger sat inside him that she hadn't really seen before.

"I really want to be mad," Mike Said. "I just, know he did it out of caring, and that without Hop you could have been found. He was trying to protect you." Mike lowered his head slightly. "I only knew you for a week, but once you were gone, it was like I lost half of myself. How is that possible?" El looked at him in confusion. "You don't have to answer that question," he said. "Sometimes talking out load helps me."

"Like talking to yourself?" Mike raised his head at her, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Yeah," he said. "Sometimes when you think out loud, it helps you better understand certain situations. Like, when I don't get something in science, I just talk out loud about it and then I start to understand. It's all about how you brain works."

"Brain?" she asked.

"Yeah," Mike said back. "Your brain in right here," Mike brought his finger up to her head. "It's an organ in your body; it's what keeps you alive." El took her hand to her head. "It's where you store all your thoughts, and it tells your body all these different things; like when you're hungry, or when something hurts." Mike put his hand to her right cheek. "Where you hit?" he asked inspecting her face.

She could almost feel the hand print of a slap, and she could feel her heart race a little fast as she thought of her dream. Before she could open her mouth to explain, Hopper came into the room; Mike quickly took his hand off of her.

"What did I say before," He said angrily looking at Mike. El looked at Hopper with a mix emotion of confusion and anger. She didn't understand the force he used toward Mike, but knew she shouldn't like it.

"Sorry," Mike said lowly, standing from his place on the bed and walking towards the windows.

"Are you good to stand kid," He asked walking to her side of the bed. She nodded her head slowly, moving the blanket from her body and looking down at her pajama bottoms. "Don't worry, Joyce and Nancy changed you last night, no one else saw. Lets go," he bought his hands in front of her. She took them, slowly standing and wincing at the stinging pain in her muscles. Mike watched from a distance placing his arms across his chest.

"Breakfast," she asked.

"I know breakfast if your favorite kind of food, but for now you are going to have to settle for some lunch." She let out a sigh, letting her warm toes get used to the cold wood on the floor. "It won't be that bad, no T.V. dinners if that's what you're thinking." He turned and pointed Mike out the door, who doesn't move until he sees El take a few steps. She followed behind him, listening to everyone in the front room talking amongst one another.

She couldn't make it through the hall way and into the front room. The strong smell of warm food made her gravitate to the kitchen, Where Joyce and Steve placed different plates filled with food onto the table. Miss matched chairs filled the room, one for every person, and El took her place in front of the mashed potatoes.

"Let me help you with that," Joyce said as she grabbed her plate and started placing meats, veggies, and the potatoes onto the plate. Mike sat down next to her, he looked her way and smiled, but all she could think about with filling her stomach as much as she could.

"This looks great," Dustin said loudly taking the seat next to her. "I could eat a cow," he rubbed his hands together with a smile.

"Cow?" she asked, slightly discussed.

"You know," Dustin said, taking his own plate and putting food onto it. "Like the thing people say when their really hunger. I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!" Joyce put the plate down in front of her; El stared at everything she had been given. She looked at the meat; it looked like the meat that came in her T.V. dinners, but better.

"Horse?" she said pointing to her meat.

"No, that's chicken," Mike said, as he started to grab his own food. "Trust me you'll like it."

Lucas came to sit next to Dustin, rubbing his hands in excitement and Max took the seat next to him. They both took food at the same time, while the others found their places. Hopper sat across from her, and as she looked around she couldn't find Will.

"You should be eating food," Hopper said from across the table pointing his fork at her plate. She looked down at her food, and then at everyone else eating. She grabbed her fork and ate as fast as she could. "And we should be using those table manners I told you about," El looked at her food, and heard Mike sniff with a smile. She looked over at him while he took a big bight of potato's smiling.

She had never tasted something so filling and great. The amount of warm food in her stomach made her feel happy, but also tired.

"I think now would be the time to discuss with you guys what is going to happen." Everyone stopped to look at Hopper. "I took the liberty to call every single one of your parents; they think you have been her to support Will. Most of you already told them that you were here, but Max," Max stopped eating, looking down at her plate. "Your mom was freaking out, so I don't know if me telling her anything was going to calm her down." El looked over at her, wondering what she must be like. "Once we are done eating, everyone is to go home, and act like nothing happened. You," he said pointing to El, "Are going to come back with me to the cabin." El slammed her fork down, the entire room went still.

"I'm not going back," she said. "I will not go back." She could feel anger rising in her. She had just gotten them back; she wasn't going to be taken away again.

"You and I have a lot of cleaning up to do," He said sticking more food into his mouth. "I don't know if you remember this, but you left when you shouldn't have. You went out into the world, went to places I don't even know yet, and talk to strangers in their big trucks. We have to do damage control." El slammed her firsts into the table and every one jumped. She stood from her seat, letting the chair fall behind her. Mike dropped his fort, putting his hand on her arm.

"I will not go back," she said through tears. Hopper looked angrily down as his food and huffed. He picked at his potatoes with his fork, looking back up to her.

"We need to talk about where you have been. Where you went after you saw your mother, who you talked to. Do you not remember there are people looking for you?"

"Papa," she said quietly.

"Yes, people like your papa," El took her chair and placed in back in her spot, sitting down and looking at her food.

"Chicago," she said.

"What?" Hopper said back.

"Chicago, that's where I went; to meet my sister." she looked around the room, Joyce held an expression of confusion, while Mike turned his whole body to face her.

"Okay," Hopper said slowly. "And did you find her?"

"There were dirty people, with no homes. She lived in a big building with picture on the walls, and was with friends with funny hair and dark cloths."

"You hung out with homeless people in Chicago?" Dustin said in disbelief. Mike reached over El and slapped him on the arm. "Ow" he said, giving Mike a dirty look.

"What else happened," Mike asked eagerly.

"She was like me, with a tattoo on her arm, a number 8. They were using guns to kill the bad men, and they wanted my help to find them."

"They wanted you to help them murder?" Mike asked.

"Murder?" she asked in confusion.

"Like taking a life in cold blood, "Lucas said. "Like pointing a gun at someone and killing them. Did you kill someone?"

"No, I couldn't." El looked down at her hands in her lap. "He had kids," she said quietly. She heard Joyce take in a breath, and Hopper grumble quietly. "I almost did it, but I couldn't, and I couldn't let her."

"So," Hopper said. "You went all the way to Chicago, met someone who is like you, and almost killed one of the bad men, but didn't. Now he knows that you are out there, he has seen your face and knows you were at least in Chicago." Hopper put his hands to his face, while Joyce rubbed circles on his back.

"It's like you tried to hit all the check marks on the things you shouldn't be doing," Steve said from across the room.

"Steve," Nancy said in annoyance.

"What? She literally went to one of them and showed them that she's alive. That's like one of the worst things she could do right now."

"We have to go back," Hopper said looking at her. "Until I can figure out what's going on with the lab you have to go back into hiding kid. I don't know what else to tell you." They looked at one another with sadness in both of their eyes.

"Please," Mike said beside her. "This is torture, you can't do this. You can't just leave her alone all the time, it's not fair."

"Then what's your plan," Hopper said. "Hide her in your basement and hope your parents don't find out? There is no other place for her to go."

"You can't just leave her there Hop," Joyce said.

"I don't just leave her there, it's not like I let her live on her own. I live with her too."

"She needs more interaction than a cranky man coming home late from work every day." Joyce said back.

"You have to let us see her," Mike continued. "She has to have her friends, or she'll go stir crazy."

"Okay!" Hopper said loudly. "Just, let us get our feet back under us. Let us clean up the cabin, get some new windows in, and then figure out if having guest over is something that we can get away with." Hopper sighed looking back at El. "Remember, I don't want to be a black whole anymore. I'm just trying to do my best at protecting you." El looked back down at her hands, trying not to let herself cry in front of everyone. She nodded her head in understand, while Mike took her hand in his.

"It's going to be okay," he said quietly. "Something will work out, I know it will."