Terry Ives let out a gasp as she slumped against the wall in town.
I did it, I saved Jane, we're out, Brenner can't hurt her anymore.
There were still signs of the Lab on her daughter—the tattooed 011, for instance, and the way she didn't respond to her actual name. She only replied to Eleven and that broke Terry's heart more than anything. It was close to dark now, and her four-year-old was sleepily rubbing her eyes. They needed someplace to stay, someplace safe, but Terry was a stranger in Hawkins and her car had been abandoned at the Lab and she didn't have any money with her. All she had was a gun and her baby girl. Not the best plan in the world, but she had her daughter. That was what mattered.
She picked up Jane and carried her, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible and failing. A woman about her age came out of the grocery store and blinked at the sight, making Terry shrink away from her before the woman's eyes widened and she opened her mouth.
"No, sorry. It's just… who are you?"
"I'm Terry. This is my daughter, Jane."
"Eleven," Jane corrected in a sleepy voice, burying her face in her mother's shoulder.
"I'm Karen. What are you doing out here?" Terry's throat dried and she couldn't speak. "Oh my… sorry again. You're not from here, are you?"
"No. I'm from Indianapolis but my car was stolen and I… I just need a place for the night."
Karen smiled.
"Well, we have an extra room at my house and I have a son about your daughter's age. I'm sure that you can stay with us until you find a way back home."
"Thank you. Thank you so much."
Terry followed Karen to a station wagon that already had a car-seat strapped into the back—probably for her son—and buckled the almost-asleep Jane into it before sliding into the front. As Karen pulled out of the parking lot, a Hawkins Power and Light van slid by and Terry stiffened at the sight of Dr. Martin Brenner in the front seat. But he didn't see her, instead snapping at the driver of the van to move and Terry felt her worries melting away.
"I have an eight-year-old at home, too," Karen said. "I'm sure Jane will get along with her and Michael just fine."
She pulled into the driveway of an idyllic-looking suburban house, complete with an American flag and sprinklers that were already watering the lawn for the night. Terry felt an odd sense of peace as she carried Jane out of the car and into the house after Karen unlocked the door. The whole house was quiet and Terry caught sight of family photos: an eight-year old girl with blue eyes and curly brown hair and a little boy with black hair and freckles jumped out at her. They were so close, reminding her of herself and Becky.
Oh, God, Becky. I have to call her.
"Come with me." Karen led Terry upstairs and to a guest bedroom, where Terry laid Jane on the bed (the little girl now asleep) and went back downstairs.
"Could I use your phone?"
"Of course."
Terry dialed the familiar number of her home with Becky in Indianapolis, then waited for it to ring.
"Hello?"
"Becky, it's me."
"Terry! Where are you?"
"Hawkins. I… I got her back, Becky. I got my Janey back." Terry completely forgot she was in Karen's house and was currently being overheard by the woman.
"Y-you're serious?"
"We're staying somewhere in Hawkins, but I'm fine. I'll try to find a way home."
"Terry, no. Please, don't move. I'll come pick you up."
"All right. See you tomorrow."
Click.
"What do you mean, you got her back?" Karen asked. Terry realized that she'd been listening.
"It's a long story, and it's not going to paint me in the best light, but…"
And Terry told Karen about the Lab, about MK-Ultra, about Brenner cutting her daughter out of her and faking the baby's death. Karen listened, her jaw dropping and her eyes widening at everything Terry was saying. As a mother herself, she couldn't imagine the pain Terry had gone through, trying to bring her daughter home and everyone calling her crazy for believing her daughter was alive. It made her sick to her stomach and she knew that she wasn't going to let the pair be separated again. In her mind, she thought of what she would do if somebody tried to take Mike or Nancy, and that's what sealed her determination.
Never again.
Mike yawned as he woke up on his own. His mom hadn't come to get him, which meant that she was letting him sleep longer today. But he could hear her downstairs and she was talking to somebody. He slid out of bed and walked down the hall before noticing that the guest room door was slightly open. Curiosity got the better of him and he opened it more to see a little girl with blonde hair asleep in the guest bed. Her face was peaceful and pretty, like a princess in a movie, and he tiptoed in to see her closer. Almost as if she could sense him, her eyes fluttered open, big and lively and caramel brown.
"Who are you?" she mumbled.
"I'm Mike. Who are you?"
"Eleven."
"That's weird. My sister's eight—" Eleven shook her head as she sat up.
"My sister is Eight." She held out her wrist and showed him the number. "I'm Eleven. My sister's Eight."
Mike's eyes widened. He'd never seen a kid with a tattoo before, much less a kid his own age.
"Eleven's a weird name."
"Mike's a weird name." She puffed out her cheeks and he smiled.
"Maybe we can call you El."
"My mama calls me Jane."
"Mine calls me Michael."
"Oh." El slid her legs over the side of the bed and almost tumbled to the floor, not being used to so high a sleeping space. Mike caught her before she could hurt herself and a feeling of warm affection spread through his body. He wanted to hug El and keep her safe for some reason.
"My mommy's downstairs. Come on and we'll have some breakfast."
El nodded and he took her hand, leading her down the stairs and using his other hand to hold the railing so he wouldn't fall. His mom always told him to do that, but El didn't seem to know. But she mirrored him, anyway, letting go of his hand as she slipped on the carpet and grabbed the railing with that hand to steady herself. She and Mike made it into the kitchen, where their respective mothers were talking. As if on instinct, the two women looked to see their children standing there.
"Oh, Michael!" gasped Karen. "I see you've met Jane. She and her mother are going to stay with us for a few days."
"Her name's Eleven. But I call her El."
Terry felt happy that this boy seemed to see her daughter as a friend already. He wouldn't let the Lab take her again. Karen set two plates of Eggos on the table and Mike and El sat down next to each other. Mike showed her how to use a fork and pour syrup, which the little girl picked up rather quickly. Wordlessly, Karen left the room and came back with an instant camera, which she used to take a picture of the children. Mike was too busy talking to El in the way only toddlers can talk to each other to notice his mother had done it.
What was obvious was that they weren't going to be able to separate the two…
Over the next six months, Terry was pulled into her case of suing Hawkins Lab and El was asked to tell the people what had been done to her within its walls. Other children were found inside, older children who told of being kidnapped and experimented on, of being shocked and tortured, of missing their parents and wanting to go home. Brenner was thrown into federal prison for life, and the children were all sent to their families. El stayed with her mother, who used the settlement from the court case to buy the house next door to the Wheelers when it went up for sale. She and Karen were good friends now, and Mike and El were inseparable, so needless to say, they spent a lot of time together.
"You know, I bet they'll date when they're older," Karen commented to Terry as they watched the two play in the backyard.
"I have to agree with you," Terry laughed. "I'm glad Jane—I mean, El—has made such a good friend. They'll have each other when they start kindergarten, at least."
"Mama!" called El, running up with Mike following her. "Mrs. Wheeler! Can Mike and me build a fort?"
"Of course you can!" Karen said, smiling. "Build it in the basement and you two can sleep in there tonight during your sleepover!"
"Yay! Come on, Mike!"
The two disappeared into the house and Karen let out a sigh of contentment.
"Thank you, Karen." She looked at Terry. "Thank you for everything you've done for me and for El. I… I wouldn't be here without you."
"You're welcome. Now, how about we go find the kids some blankets for their fort?"
Okay, this story is kind of weird. This is a 'Terry doesn't get electro-shocked and escapes the Lab with El and ends up friends with Karen Wheeler so El and Mike are best friends from the age of four' AU.
Or just a 'Terry and El are happy' AU.
Most of these—of the few I've found—usually involve Terry living in Indianapolis and El meeting Mike much later. Me no want that; I want cute four-year-old best friends Mike and El, please.
Anyway, I want to do a lot of cute little-kid stuff for them before we move on to the older-kid romance.
So long and thanks for all the fish!
