Chapter 2

Hopper stopped his truck a few houses away from Mike's house. He didn't want Mike's parents to look out the window and see Mike climbing out of the sheriff's vehicle. That would bring too many questions. And questions were the last thing they needed.

"Alright, kid," Hopper said, turning to Mike. Eleven was fast asleep on his shoulder. "Here's your stop."

"She's coming with me," Mike replied.

"No. She's not."

"She's staying with me," Mike stated more forcefully. He was not going to take no for an answer.

"Listen, kid, it's been a long night. It's been a long week actually. Scratch that. It's been a long year. And in that year, my main goal has been to keep her safe. That hasn't changed just because the gate has closed. She could still be in danger. We need to get her somewhere safe for tonight."

"She's safe with me. She always has been."

"There's going to be government officials swarming all over this place soon. If any of them find out about her or figure out that she's here, you could be putting you and your family at risk."

"They won't find out," Mike said. "No one will find out."

Hopper sighed. The last thing he wanted to be doing was arguing with a pre-teen.

"What about your parents? What do you think they'll say when you walk in there with her?"
"I'll explain to my mom that Eleven is going to stay with us."

"Do you really think your mom is just going to take in some random teenage girl because you say so? She is not going to roll out the welcome mat for a stranger. Plus she's going to have questions and we're not going to have any answers. Eleven can't stay here, kid. You know it and I know it. The difference is, you just don't want to admit it because you're angry with me. And I get it. You're mad that I didn't tell you she's been with me the whole time."

"I didn't even know if she was dead or alive," Mike whispered. "You could have at least told me that."

"I'm sorry. I did what was best for her and for you. You can be angry, but…"

"This isn't about you!" Mike yelled. "I mean, yeah, I'm pissed at you. But this is about her. This is about where she belongs. You're not taking her away from me again."

Hopper gritted his teeth. "I'm not taking her away from you. I promise."

"Something tells me your promises don't mean much," Mike retorted. "She ran away from you, didn't she?"

"I just want to keep her safe."

"I told you. I can keep her safe."

"You're a kid," Hopper stated.

"When Dustin, Lucas, and I first found her in the woods, I kept her from you, from my parents, from everyone! You didn't even know she existed because I hid her. I kept her safe."

Eleven's eyes fluttered open. She lifted her head off Mike's shoulder and looked at Hopper.

"Mike. Home," she said.

Hopper sighed. He could continue to argue with Mike about Eleven's safety and why it was better for her to stay with him, but it didn't matter. She wanted to stay with Mike. He owed her that after all of the promises he had broken.

"Fine," Hopper relented. "Tonight only. Tomorrow we can…figure things out."

"Fine," Mike agreed. "Wait here. In ten minutes, come around the back door. I'll be there." Mike opened the car door. Eleven reached for his hand. "I'll be right back. I promise." He squeezed her hand in reassurance before jumping out of the truck and running off towards his house.

When Mike got to the front door, he turned the knob and silently said 'thank you' in his mind. The door wasn't locked. Mike pushed it open and stepped in quietly. His father was asleep in his lazy boy recliner, his mouth open, drool drying on his cheek. Mike headed for the stairs to go up to his room. He would need some supplies if Eleven was going to stay with him. As Mike's foot touched the first step, the hallway light turned on. Mike's mom appeared at the top of the stairs. She was wearing her pink robe over her pajamas and her arms were folded. Mike had seen the look on her face many times before. She was angry.

"Where have you been?" She asked.

"At Will's," Mike answered quickly. It wasn't a complete lie. At one point, he had been at the Byers' house.

"Do you know what time it is?"

"I'm sorry, mom. We got…caught up playing our game."

"Where was Mrs. Byers?"

"She…she said it was ok."

"She did, did she?" Mrs. Wheeler asked with judgment in her voice about what kind of mother Joyce Byers was. "She didn't think to call us?"

"I'm sorry, mom. I told her you'd be ok with it. I wasn't thinking."

She shook her head. "You boys and that game."

"Sorry mom," Mike apologized again. He knew that the more he apologized, the better off he'd be. His mom had always been a sucker for apologies.

"I'm just glad you're home safe."

Mike gave a fake yawn. "I'm really tired."

"Go to bed. We can talk more in the morning."

"Goodnight, mom."

"Goodnight, Mike."

Mike scampered off to his bedroom. He closed the door quietly behind him. He looked at his bed. It looked warm and inviting. Just seeing it made him tired, but he had much more important things to do. Mike grabbed a duffle bag and began filling it with the things he thought Eleven might need. He put in a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt, much like the ones he had given her the first day they met. He pulled open his desk drawer and grabbed his special stash of candy that not even the other boys knew about. He threw them in the bag, too. Mike quickly ran to the bathroom and cleaned up a little with a face cloth before changing out of his clothes and putting on his plaid pajama pants and grey shirt. He went back to his bedroom, grabbed a pillow from his bed, shoved it into the duffle, and slung the bag over his shoulder. Before he was about to leave, Mike glanced over at his bed.

"Crap," he said out loud.

Mike dropped the duffle bag and whipped the comforter off his bed. He went over to his closet and began grabbing any clothes he could get his hands on. He threw them on the bed and shaped them just right. He pulled the comforter over the lumps and fluffed them from the outside. Mike stepped back to look at what he had done. If his mom opened the door to look for him in the morning, she would hopefully be convinced that he was still sleeping with his head tucked under the covers. It's the best Mike could do. After all, he had no intention of leaving Eleven to sleep alone in the basement.

Mike picked up the duffle bag once more and opened his bedroom door slowly. He looked both ways down the hall. His mom had obviously gone back to her room. Mike tiptoed out of his room. He went slowly down the stairs. His father was still sound asleep in his recliner. Mike opened the basement door, turned the light on, and went downstairs. He dropped the duffle bag and went to the back door. He flung it open. Hopper and Eleven were standing outside.

"Took you long enough," Hopper said, helping Eleven inside. He led her to the couch and she sat. Hopper looked around the basement. His eyes landed on the fort.

"We're fine now," Mike said, standing beside where Eleven sat on the couch.

Hopper looked at Eleven.

"You ok, kid?" He asked.

"Yes," she answered.

"Ok. I'll see you tomorrow then. Leave your radio on." He turned to Mike. "And don't try any...funny stuff." Mike glared at him. "Hey, I was a teenager once too. I know what you think about."

Mike looked down at Eleven on the couch. Did he like her? Yes. Was he attracted to her? Yes. Would he ever act inappropriate with her considering the state she was in? Never. Besides, despite the feelings Mike sometimes felt creeping up on him at unexpected times (that his dad had awkwardly explained to him were normal signs of puberty), Mike still felt mostly like a kid. And he was fine to stay that way for a little while longer. His only goal was to make sure that Eleven was safe and taken care of. There was nothing else on his mind. Well, almost nothing.

"We'll be fine," Mike replied. "She'll be fine."

Hopper nodded. He looked at Eleven who gave him a weak smile.

"Be good, kid," he said.

Hopper left the basement the same way he had come in, shutting the door behind him. When he was gone, Mike looked at Eleven.

"Thanks," she said.
"For what?" Mike asked.

"For being my friend."

"I'd do anything for you, El. You know that. Right?"

Eleven nodded. She took his hand and squeezed it. With his cheeks getting hot, Mike let go of her hand and grabbed the duffle bag he had brought downstairs. He pulled out the extra set of sheets.

"We can put them on the couch. Make up a nice bed for you."

Eleven eyed the fort made of blankets that Mike had constructed for her when she had first mysteriously arrived. She pointed at it.

"You want to sleep there?" He asked. She nodded. "Ok. I brought down some clean clothes for you. You know, if you want to change."

Mike took out the extra pair of sweatpants and T-shirt. He handed them out to Eleven. Mike half expected her to reach for the bottom of the shirt she was wearing and start taking it off like she had that first night she had stayed with him. But she was no longer that naive girl. She had learned a lot, including the meaning of privacy.

Eleven took the clothes. She stood up slowly and made her way into the bathroom. Mike noticed she left the door open just a little. Clearly she still didn't like being in small places without some easy means of escape and Mike knew why. The next thing Mike heard was the shower turning on. Mike hoped his mom wouldn't hear the water through the pipes, wondering what was going on.

Mike crawled into the fort. He wanted to sit there one last time, to remember what it had been like night after night sitting and waiting for her. He had always hoped that she was still alive and that he would reunite with her someday. But in the back of his mind, he wondered if she was gone. Gone forever. He worried constantly that he would never see her again. Her absence had changed him. His parents probably thought he was just going through a rebellious teenage phase, but being a teenager had nothing to do with it. He missed El.

As he waited for her to finish her shower, Mike leaned his head back against a pillow and suddenly felt very tired. It was as if all the sleepless nights from the entire year had caught up with him and he was exhausted. At such a young age, he felt like he had lived a thousand lifetimes. Mike closed his eyes. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

Not knowing how much time had passed, Mike awoke to the feeling of something or someone touching him. His eyes snapped open. He was lying on his side, staring straight into Eleven's eyes. She was lying down in the fort beside him, their noses practically touching. The fort was too small to allow much room.

"Eleven, what are you doing?"

"Sleeping," she replied.

Mike could see that Eleven's head was resting on the same pillow he was using. He could smell his own shampoo and soap that she had used. Eleven was in his oversized sweatshirt and sweatpants. Although still wet, her hair was beginning to curl. Gone was the grungy look that she had appeared in. Mike felt like he had his Eleven back.

"I can sleep on the couch," he said although he didn't really want to move. He liked having her that close.

"No. Safe. I feel safe here."

Mike nodded. He knew what she meant. He felt safe there too for the first time in a long time. Hopper's words echoed in Mike's head. 'Don't try any funny stuff.' Would sleeping so close together count as funny stuff? Mike ignored the man's voice and allowed himself to just be happy in the fact that Eleven was where she belonged. They both fell asleep, neither of them saying another word.

Author's Note: Thank you so much for all of the great comments from the last chapter. I hope you liked this one too! Thanks for reading!