I got this story up faster than expected, yay! As you've all probably noticed, im a bit of a dark writer, so dont be surprised that this story is a bit sad. I am basing it off a theory i read, you either know it or you dont. I incorporated some stuff from the trailer that I loved but I am NOT trying to predict S3 with this story. Also I am going to try and post one-shots that are happy pretty soon, so watch out for that if you like the lighter tones! Also just another warning that this story is a bit dark, dont like dont read! Fasten your seat belts and prepare for an emotional ride. Thank you that is all. -An Unknown Stranger.
Life in Hawkins, Indiana had been peaceful since the events of 1984. Hawkins Lab was shut down and Eleven could finally live the life she had always wanted. A life with a family. Hopper, Mike, and her friends were all that she needed.
They had all begun to relax and the thought there was an imminent danger began to fade. The dangers of the lab were no more and the gate to the upside down was closed, any other possible threat would be unknown and unexpected.
Summer, 1985.
Mike and Eleven followed the party up a grassy hill, hand-in-hand. Once they all made it to the top, they set the boxes of supplies down and began to plan out their latest project.
"Tell me again what the point of building a party structure is?" Lucas raised a brow.
"It symbolizes our friendship and since no one comes around here, it'll be here a while." Dustin argued.
"Why can't we just carve our names on a tree like normal kids?" Will asked gently.
"We aren't normal kids last time I checked. It'll be fun building this and it'll build our friendship even more!" Dustin continued to argue.
"Pretty sure fighting inter-dimensional creatures together built our friendship well." Mike smirked.
Dustin rolled his eyes. "Do you want to do this or not?" He raised a brow at the party.
They all began to nod in agreement after looking to one another. They all began taking the supplies out of the boxes and setting out the materials to their structure.
After an hour of hammering, screwing, and taping, the structure began to form. "This looks like a telephone pole." Lucas sighed as he observed it.
"It doesn't matter what it looks like. What matters is that we all worked together." Dustin smirked.
"You were away at summer camp too long." Lucas shook his head amused.
"I like it." Will smiled.
"I have to agree with Lucas on this one." Max added.
"Of course you have to agree with your boyfriend." Dustin teased.
"Shut up." Max rolled her eyes.
"Mike, El?" Dustin questioned them.
"It's a little rough...I like it though." Mike shrugged. Eleven nodded in agreement.
"It's just missing one more thing." Dustin said as he searched in the box. He rummaged around until he found a picture of them all at the snowball together. Dustin taped it to the structure and they all smiled.
As they all looked to the structure in admiration, Eleven stepped back, suddenly overcome with a wave of nausea. She pinched the bridge of her nose in pain and a ringing echoed in her ears. Mike immediately noticed and clung to her side. "Are you okay?" He asked with immense worry.
The others looked to them and observed. The pain passed and the ringing ceased allowing her to relax and compose herself. "I'm okay..." she lied.
Mike could see right through her. "I think El's had too much sun. I'm gonna take her home." Mike informed them.
"Is she okay?" Max asked with concern.
"Yeah, she just needs some water." Mike replied quickly.
"Oh, okay..." Max said with uncertainty.
Mike began helping her down the hill until they reached his bike. "I'm okay Mike, really." Eleven argued. He patted on the seat of the bike. She sighed before taking seat. "Hold on..." he said as he stepped on. She wrapped her arms around his waist and they made their way back to her house.
Once they arrived, Mike walked her inside and sat her on the couch. He walked to the kitchen and grabbed her a cup of water before returning back to the couch. "There's no need for this." Eleven continued to argue.
"Drink." He said firmly. She took it and took a couple sips. He sat down beside her and watched her worriedly.
"What happened?" He asked gently.
She shrugged as she set the water on the table. "My head just hurt really bad and then I heard a ringing in my ears." She explained.
"How bad did it hurt?" He questioned.
"I don't know...not too bad but it still hurt." She said as she leaned back.
He nodded slowly. "Hopefully it's just the heat." He relaxed.
"What else would it be?" She asked with furrowed brows.
He leaned back and pulled her into his arms. "I forget sometimes that you can be sensitive to things that any other person can." He said gently.
"Sen-sa-tive?" She sounded it out.
"It means easier to get hurt." He answered. She nodded slowly.
"You can be so powerful yet also vulnerable like anyone else." He said mainly to himself. He wanted to better understand Eleven. Sometimes he felt like he understood her more than she did herself.
She continued to listen to him. "You can't always be scared Mike. I'm not that sen-sa-tive...I wanted to stay with them." She explained.
"I know, I'm sorry. I get too protective sometimes." He sighed. She leaned back so she could make eye-contact. "It's okay..." she gave a small smile.
He smiled and kissed the top of her head. Mike turned the television on and they quietly watched, simply just enjoying each other's company. It wasn't long before Eleven fell asleep with her head rested against Mike's chest.
Mike's attention turned from the tv to the front door as the door handle jiggled. Hopper opened the door and stepped inside with a displeased expression on his face. "Thought I would get some time to myself but I guess not." He sighed as he walked in the kitchen.
"Sorry...El just wasn't feeling well so I thought I'd take her home." Mike informed. Hopper grabbed a beer from the fridge and furrowed his brows. "Is she alright now?" He asked as he took a seat on his recliner.
"I think so...I think she just got overheated. Her head was hurting." Mike explained.
Hopper nodded slowly. "Thank you for looking out for her." He said gently.
"Always..." Mike gave a small smile as he looked to Eleven. Hopper's eyes wandered to the tv.
"Hey, Hop..." Mike said cautiously.
"Yup." Hopper replied, not taking his eyes from the tv.
"We all wanted to go to Lovers Lake on Friday. Would it be alright if El went?" Mike asked. Hopper turned to Mike unamused.
"Lovers Lake is at least 12 miles away. How do you all plan on getting there?" Hopper asked.
"Jonathan and Nancy. They said they would go." Mike replied.
Hopper contemplated. "You'll keep your eyes on her at all times?" He raised a brow.
"Yes, sir." Mike said firmly.
Hopper sighed. "I guess that will be fine...just remember she can't swim well. If anything happens to her-"
"Nothing with happen to her. I promise." Mike said sternly.
Hopper took a sip of his beer. "Okay." He gave a nod. Mike smiled.
"No, funny business either. I'm not stupid, I know why it's called Lovers Lake." Hopper frowned.
"I promise we are just there to swim." Mike laughed. Hopper smirked.
"I should probably go home..." Mike sighed. He nudged Eleven gently causing her to stir. "Hey...I have to head on home." He said softly.
She gave a nod but didn't move as she kept her eyes shut. Mike laughed. "El, I need you to move off of me."
She sat up slightly to allow him to get up. She then rested her head on the pillow and continued sleeping. "I'll see you guys later." Mike waved. Hopper gave a wave while Eleven didn't move an inch. He left without another word and biked back to his house.
When he arrived at his house, he saw the parties bikes all scattered out front. He opened his basement door and found them sat at the couch talking amongst one another. "Hey...I didn't know you guys were coming over." Mike said as he closed the door.
"Can she go?" Dustin asked. Everyone made eye-contact with him.
"He said she can." Mike smiled as he sat with them.
"Did he give you a whole lecture again?" Lucas laughed.
"Of course." Mike sighed.
"Is she okay?" Max asked worriedly.
"Yeah, she just got too hot. She'll be fine." Mike informed them.
"It wasn't that hot outside." Will argued.
Mike shrugged. "She's sensitive but she told me she's fine."
"It freaks me out that she can open dimensions, flip vans, and shit but then gets dehydrated." Dustin said.
"I mean she's still human." Mike replied.
"Dustin still has this theory that she's actually an alien." Max informed him.
Mike furrowed his brows. "She has a human mom." He argued.
"We don't know who her dad is." Dustin replied skeptically.
"She's not an alien." Mike rolled his eyes.
"How do you know?" Dustin raised a brow.
"I am not having this conversation." He shook his head.
"Fine, think about it though." Dustin lifted his hands in surrender.
"Oh I won't." Mike smirked.
"Micheal, dinners ready!" Karen called.
"You can all leave the way you came." Mike said as he stood.
They all stood with him and made their way to the basement door. "See ya, man." Lucas waved. They all waved goodbye despite the fact that they would probably see each other tomorrow.
Mike took a seat at the dinner table with his parents and Holly. "Where's Nance?" Mike asked.
"With Jonathan." Karen answered as she dished Holly up. Mike nodded slowly. "How is Jane?" Karen asked with a smile.
"She's good. She wasn't feeling well today so I took her home. I think she just needed to sleep it off." Mike shrugged as he continued to eat.
"Awe, she's such a sweet girl. She's lucky to have my boy." Karen said as she ate.
Karen looked to Ted. "Aren't you going to say something to him." She gestured to Mike.
"Just make sure you always use protection son." Ted said as he kept his eyes on the television in the other room. Mike choked on the milk he was drinking.
Karen rolled her eyes. "Nancy told me that you are all going to Lovers Lake on Friday." She informed. Mike nodded.
"Hopper said that El-Jane can go." Mike found himself always almost slipping up with Eleven's name to his parents.
"Just be careful, I'm sure it's going to be busy down there." Karen warned. "Hopefully Jane is better by Friday, that's only two days away." Karen added.
"Oh, she just got overheated today." Mike explained.
"She seems to get sick a lot. Wherever she came from must've given her a bad immunity." Karen wondered aloud.
Mike shrugged. "She always gets better though."
Karen smiled at her sons optimism.
"We know where she came from. Russia." Ted replied firmly.
Karen and Mike rolled their eyes.
The next day would perhaps be a better one for them all, or the beginning of an imminent danger.