The Life You Deserve Missing Moments
AN: Hi all! I told you I would be back very soon, and I meant it ;-)
I would just like to thank everyone who sent me prompts for missing moments that they wished they had seen in the story.
I have tried to put them into a time line order and we'll be kicking off with Karen confronting El about her powers which was requested by Cindy and Knight11.
If you want a bit of background to this moment, it is following the events of Chapter 20: In Sickness and In Health after Karen learns the truth about El. Enjoy!
Missing Moment 1
March 1986
Karen stood in the door way to the living room for another moment, her eyes softening as she watched El gently stroking Mike's dark hair from his pale face whilst he slept like a baby, his head propped up on the teenage girl's lap.
Her mind was still reeling over everything that Hopper had explained to her that afternoon. The thought of those creatures, how El had saved Mike, more than once and how she had disappeared to another dimension. It was like something out of a sci-fi movie, not something that happened in quiet Hawkins.
Karen quietly headed to the kitchen not wanting to disturb the teenagers, and carefully put the groceries away. She was just placing a jar of sauce into one of the cabinets when she heard movement behind her.
Karen whipped around to see El walking into the kitchen, her hands laden with Mike's used soup bowl and empty glass. She tried to pretend her heart wasn't racing and that her throat wasn't drying up in a panic at being alone with El.
Whilst she accepted the girl and understood she would never hurt Mike, or anyone else, it was still daunting to be in the presence of someone who had the ability to kill with one look.
El gave Karen a warm smile and indicated to the dirty dishes in her hand. "Mike's still asleep so I thought I would clean up." She explained before walking over to the sink.
Karen blinked, coming out of her frozen daze and smiled gratefully at the pretty fifteen-year-old. "That's very good of you sweetie, but don't worry, I'll get those washed up and you can stay with Mike." She said quickly, hurrying over and taking the bowl and glass out of El's hands.
El noticed Karen's awkwardness and the way her dark amber eyes had lingered on the girl's hands, something in that expression made El's stomach twist in nerves. "I-Is everything alright Karen?"
Karen swallowed, keeping her eyes on the sink as she cleaned the bowl. "Y-Yes sweetie, why wouldn't it be?" She asked quickly, a slight sheen of sweat appearing on her brow.
El frowned, "are you ill too? I can make you a hot drink? Or maybe some soup – "
"Do you want to bake some cookies?!" Karen suddenly blurted out, turning to the confused teenage girl. She had no idea why standing in the kitchen with El for a good hour would help the awkwardness, but Karen Wheeler would be damned if baking didn't solve problems.
El slowly smiled and nodded her head in excitement, "that would be nice, thank you."
Karen sighed slightly relieved at the warm smile on El's face and quickly finished the dishes, giving the teenage girl instructions as to where she could find all the ingredients they would need.
The two women stood side by side at the island, a chocolate chip cookie dough slowly forming before their eyes. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable working in silence, but El and Karen could both sense the odd tension in the air.
Karen finally cleared her throat, keeping her eyes on the dough. "So, El…I spoke to your dad today…"
"You did?" El asked curiously, looking up at the immaculate woman as they started to break off pieces of the cookie dough and make little balls to go onto the baking tray. "Was he at the store? I knew he wasn't sticking to his diet…" El huffed.
El's innocent annoyance at the Chief of Police not eating healthily made Karen chuckle through the awkwardness of what she was about to discuss with the telekinetic girl. "No sweetie, I didn't see him at the store. I saw him at his office…"
El frowned and stopped balling up pieces of cookie dough, she turned her gaze onto Karen instead, watching her eyes closely. "Is everything okay?" she asked anxiously, swallowing the ball that was quickly filling her throat.
Karen sighed and dropped the piece of cookie dough she had been holding back into the bowl. She turned so that she was facing El, her dark amber eyes dancing over the young girl's face, taking in her pretty features that her son was so obsessed by.
"I know El." Karen exhaled in a shaky voice. "The chief, your dad…he told me everything."
There was a moment when neither of them spoke, El's breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened quickly, horror and fear filling her warm hazel orbs. Karen wanted to kick herself for putting that worry in the poor girl's eyes but as she spoke up, El spluttered at the same time.
"It's okay El – "
"I-I'm s-sorry!"
There was another pause, El's eyes brimming with tears whilst Karen was stunned by the words of the teenage girl.
She couldn't help but smile warmly, hoping that some of the reassurance in her voice would calm El. "Sorry? Why are you sorry sweetie?"
El exhaled a heavy breath and looked down at the cookie dough, "I-It's my fault that Mike was involved in all of this. A-And Nancy and e-everyone." She sobbed, her petite body quivering.
Karen's mother instincts took over her shock and she carefully placed the palms of her hands against El's dainty shoulders. She shook her head resolutely, "this isn't your fault El. Hopper told me about your momma and how you were stolen from her. You didn't choose this sweetie." She smiled softly, "of course Nancy was involved because of Barb, I understand that now. And as for my son," Karen chuckled. "I think we both know he would do anything for you El."
El sniffled and wiped at her tears. "I would do anything for him too…" She whispered, her soft voice quivering.
Karen smiled, "I know you would sweetie. I already know that you saved his life on more than one occasion, Nancy's too. And for that, I will always be in your debt sweetie. You're safe here, I promise."
El slowly looked up at Karen, her eyes turning from cautious and unsure to surprised and overwhelmed. "T-Thank you." She gasped, as warm tears fell down her soft cheeks.
Karen grinned, not sure why she had been so scared of this caring, vulnerable and beautiful girl. "Come here honey," She said warmly, opening her arms for El who immediately sunk into Karen's chest, clinging to her like a child would with their mother. Karen blinked back her own tears, holding El close and trying not to think about how much this poor sweet girl had been through. As a mother, it was too painful to think about.
After a while Karen slowly moved her hands away from El's back and chuckled softly, wiping at the pretty girl's tear tracks. "I don't know about you, but I think we best get back to these cookies before my dying son wakes up."
El laughed, a soft and warm sound as they both thought about melodramatic flu ridden Mike. The women got back to work, matching smiles on their faces as they balled up more cookie dough pieces and put them on the baking tray.
Karen had put them in the oven and before she could get to the dishes, El looked at her fleetingly and smiled slightly. "Can I show you something?" she whispered nervously.
Karen eyebrows raised in surprise, but she nodded, "of course sweetie."
El looked at the dishes and her gaze hardened as she focused. Karen jumped as the faucet turned on and the scrubbing brush got to work on the dishes. She gaped between the plates being cleaned and the incredible telekinetic girl who was making this possible.
"Okay, I'm going to begrudge doing the dishes by hand every time now." Karen chuckled, her eyes full of amazement whilst El smiled and kept her focus on the dishes, not stopping until they were done and soaking on the draining board.
Mike finally awoke from his slumber to find his mom and girlfriend sat at the island, both of them with a glass of milk in their hand whilst they munched on warm chocolate chip cookies.
"Where's mine?" Mike croaked in a whining voice as he trudged over to the women bare foot.
"Sorry young man but it's just soup and water for you at the moment." Karen said pointing a cookie at him.
Mike huffed and sidled up to El, giving her a grin, which Karen didn't understand could be so cute to his girlfriend right now considering his runny red nose and tired eyes. But El stared at him with complete adoration, like he was her sun.
After Mike pouted at his girlfriend, giving her his best Bambi eyes, she relented and gave him a cookie. He had a coughing fit, crumbs going everywhere, and Karen ushered him back to couch, tucking him up in his blankets to Mike's humiliation as El watched on with an amused smirk.
Once Nancy was back that night and El had gone home, Karen ushered her daughter into the living room where she sat down next to her sick brother. She felt thankful that Ted was at his golfing weekend and Holly was at a sleepover. It gave her time to speak to her two oldest children about the revelations of the day.
They watched their mother pacing nervously in front of them, before she carefully sat down on the coffee table in front of them, her eyes soft but sad as she explained that she knew the truth about what had happened to the two of them in 1943.
Mike had immediately panicked thinking of El, but Karen was quick to assure him that she would never tell anyone about his girlfriend's powers and that she had already spoken with the teenage girl.
Mike calmed down enough to sit back and listen to his mom whilst she sighed, reiterating to her children that there would be no more secrets. They could be honest with her about anything, she had heard the most crazy and unbelievable story and had accepted it as the truth.
That night, just as Karen was about to fall asleep, her door creaked open and Nancy snuck in. Neither women said a word as Nancy pulled back the sheets and tucked herself in next to her mom.
Karen stared at her, smiling sadly at her oldest baby. She waited patiently until Nancy cried, telling her mom about everything that had happened to Barb, how she had held it in all of this time and how guilty she felt.
She held her daughter, easing her tears and rocking her gently to sleep. Feeling closer to her children than she had in years and swearing that she would protect them all, including Eleven.
AN: Let me know what you thought! These will obviously be shorter than the real chapters, but the next missing moment is dedicated to Will and Jen (Mileven and Lumax will feature) and will probably be a lot longer!
I have made a Stranger Things fan page this week on Instagram, so if you do want to follow me, my username is fangirlingstrangerthings011