A/N: This chapter is my take on something that has been done a lot. Enjoy.

Chapter 10: Where is El?

"Where is she?" Mike was pacing in front of the main entrance of the school, waiting for his girlfriend to show up. Dustin came running, stopped in front of the rest of the group and panted to catch his breath again.

"She's not in there, I checked." He said

"Did you check by the lockers?"

"Of course Mike, I even had a girl check the bathrooms. She's not in there, maybe she is just running late."

"We should head inside, the class starts in five and we all might be late if we don't. I'm sure she'll come." Max reasoned.

"But I am always here when she comes to school, she might be disappointed if I am not here waiting for her." Mike said, referring to how he always meets her outside.

"But she is running late, I am sure she'll understand. Come on let's go." Lucas said pulling his friend in the opposite direction, who was walking backwards still looking at the road for a sign of chief's Blazer.

The first period he was not sure whether she was late or whether she came at all, as he was in a different class from hers. But second period when he didn't find her near her locker where she always waited for him to walk together to their next class, he was disappointed. He didn't know how much her presence was necessary for his everyday sanity, unless suddenly today was the day she was absent without any prior notice. His mind came up with worst case scenarios. The empty seat next to him in chemistry was making him nauseous, every time he turned his head towards it, he prayed for it to somehow be occupied by his girlfriend, no matter how ridiculous that notion was. In English he was sure he could feel phantom fingers combing through his hair at the nape of his neck as she always did in English class when the teacher's back was turned towards the class. Every time it happened he turned around only to be disappointed by the empty chair.

During lunch he couldn't sit, he was sure if he tried eating something he'd throw up, so he didn't even try. His head running a mile per minute with the endless possibilities and somehow all ended with him losing her again.

"Maybe she just stayed home. It's not that big of a deal to skip school." Will tried to reason despite the fact that even his mind was not coming up with anything but dread. Given their history it was not a shock.

"Guys, calm down a second and let's think about this rationally." Lucas took the lead, "Who was the last person she talked to?"

"Me probably, she called me last night to ask whether we can go to the store after school today." Max replied

"What? Why?" Mike asked.

"I have no idea, she obviously wanted to buy something." Max said, trying to keep the bite from her tone, knowing exactly how worried Mike was.

"Why didn't she ask me?" Mike thought and Max scoffed at this, "Seriously Mike?"

"No I mean it's always me who takes her places that's why, not that you couldn't take or she can't ask you, don't get me wrong." He tried to explain his statement.

"Do you think she is okay guys? We all know how much she loves school, she wouldn't miss it on purpose." Dustin was just as worried.

"I am going to skip classes, and I'll go look for her. If she's not at home then I'll go to Hopper." Mike was already getting up.

"Mike you can't skip school." Lucas tried to reason.

"Says who?"

"Says us who have no idea how to cover up for you missing. El is already not here and the teachers will be calling Hopper for her missed classes. But if Hopper does not know where she is and even you are gone for the rest of the day, how will you explain it to him or to your parents for that matter? Do you really think they'll believe that you both didn't skip together?" Lucas was stating the facts which made sense to everyone but Mike.

"Do you really think I give a fuck what anyone thinks right now? I just want to know she is safe and okay and not missing. I can't handle her missing again." Mike sighed, his hands pulling the root of his hair.

"Go then, I guess we can tell the truth to our parents if they do ask. At least the watered version to your parents. I am sure Hopper will understand." Will said.

"Maybe you should fake a stomach ache or a headache, get into the infirmary and then skip school." Dustin came up with the plan.

"If I go the infirmary they'll call mom and then she'll have to come and pick me up and how does that in any way help me in looking for El?"

"Why are you saying as if she is lost? She might just be at home you know." Max said, "As a matter of fact did you try calling her home?"

"Do I really look that dumb to you? That was the first thing I did. No one picked up and even Hopper wasn't at station at that time, Flo said he was running late as usual."

"When was this?" Will asked.

"Before the second period."

"If you want to leave Mike, leave. We will come up with something later to explain the teachers and your mom. Max said, she knew he couldn't really go the rest of the remaining school hours not knowing where El was and what was going on.

Mike didn't need to be told twice, he nodded his head towards his friends and almost ran to his locker. Less than five minutes later he was on his bike peddling as fast as he could towards his girlfriend's house. He barely came to stop before he was running up the steps. He took a breath and knocked the 'secret knock', not knowing what the situation was he thought it was better to be safe than sorry.

A few seconds was all it took for the door to open and in front of him was standing Hopper, not in his uniform for a change.

"Of course you'll be here." Jim sounded annoyed.

"Is she home?" Mike was still panting hard.

"Yes, get in here."

"She didn't come to school, I was worried."

Hopper looked at his watch, "And so you decided to skip school and come here?"

"I didn't know where she was? What else was I supposed to do?"

"Wait for school to finish and then come over?" Hopper asked still annoyed with the boy.

"I couldn't, now tell me where is she? I need to see her." he said in an urgent tone, the last few hours thinking the worst had him on edge.

"In her room, and take this with you." He handed him a hot water bottle that Mike hadn't noticed until now.

"Oh." Mike said, everything clicking in place, his girlfriend was suffering yes, but in a completely different way than he had imagined. He took the hot water bottle and walked towards her room. She was lying down on her bed, on her side, clutching her stomach and he could hear her whimpering.

"Hey." Mike whispered as he reached near her.

"Mike, you came." She looked up at him as he bent down next to her bed, sitting on his knees.

"Of course I came. Now where does it hurt? Where do you want me to keep the hot pack?" he lifted the hot bottle that he brought.

"Everywhere, it hurts everywhere." She said with a sob and reached to hold his hand.

Mike was not pleased, if only he could take her pain away. He noticed one of her hand was clutching her stomach and the other rubbing her right hip up, and down the thigh.

"Should I keep it here?" He pointed to her right hip which she was still rubbing.

"No, at the stomach, or maybe the back."

He reached behind her and placed the hot pack at her lower back.

"Is it really bad?" he asked with a wince, not wanting to bring up her pain but needing an idea.

She nodded her head, "My knee is numb." Her voice was not above a whisper.

"Numb? Is that normal?" Mike was alarmed.

"It has happened before a few times, I don't know whether it's normal or not. Joyce says everyone get different types of cramps." He nodded, not really understanding how a numb knee can be nothing out of ordinary.

"Did you eat anything?" He asked. She shook her head in answer.

"Can't, it hurts a lot. Don't want to get up."

"You should eat something, if you keep an empty stomach it will not help with the pain."

As if on cue, Hopper came in with a bowl of soup and handed it to Mike, "Make sure she eats it."

"How are you feeling now Honey?" he asked his daughter, he had to take the day off when his daughter woke him up crying, saying she was in so much pain that her insides must be broken.

She looked at him with her big eyes filled with tears, "Ok, that's it. I will take you to the hospital next if you do not take some painkillers."

"Dad, I don't want to go to the hospital. And I cannot move." She said as a tear spilled out of her right eye.

"Then you'll take the painkiller." He said in a stern voice, trying his best not to let her crying face affect him.

"No." Hopper pinched his nose bridge in frustration.

"Chief, let her eat first she might feel better." Mike interrupted, and with a nod Jim left the kids alone.

"Come on, finish this bowl."

It only took her a few minutes, and she was asking for a second helping, she had not realized how hungry she was over her pain. After finishing the second bowl she slid down to lie again this time with the hot pack on her stomach.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes." She said wincing.

"Don't lie to me. I won't make you go to the hospital, just tell me the truth."

"No."

"Do you want me rub your back?"

"No don't touch me." She said, not intending to hurt his feeling s at all just telling him what she felt like.

"Okay."

Another half an hour and she still was whimpering every now and then, clutching her stomach sometimes, and sometimes rubbing her thighs and hip.

"Okay that's it, you need to take a painkiller." Mike stood from beside her bed.

"Mike no." El panicked.

"Why? It will help you with the pain."

"It will hurt me, I have had pain medicines before, they hurt." She said in a small voice.

"El, painkillers are used to kill pain not to make you hurt more, what are you talking about?"

"They used to give me painkillers before experiments, they said it will not hurt me when I use my powers, but it always hurt. And then they forced me to use more powers because they told me they had given me medicines that will make the hurt go away. It never worked." El was sobbing now and Mike was close to crying.

"El.." he held both her hands in his, "El they probably lied to you, maybe they were not painkillers, or maybe they were painkillers and they never worked when you used your powers. But I promise the painkillers I will give you, Hopper will give, will not hurt you."

"Mike I don't know, how can you be sure?" she looked at him wanting an explanation.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Then trust me when I say I will never let anything hurt you, specially not pain killers." He smiled softly at her. "And if you are really scared, I will take one with you. How about that?"

"Why?"

"For support, I don't want you to be scared of anything and if you are going to be scared of something then we'll face it together." Mike knew he sounded sappy, but he wanted her to know how much he meant those words.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Soon she had taken some painmeds for her cramps, and spared Mike from taking any, she thought it was a waste of painkiller if he wasn't in pain. Mike was still on his knees next to her bed, he was not sure he'd be able to walk straight, but he was glad nonetheless to not hear her whimpering in pain anymore.

"You have no idea how scared I was today when you didn't show up for school." He whispered.

"I am sorry, I thought I had a few more days until my periods came. I was going to go to the store after school with Max to get the supplies, you know; but it came early and dad had to go and get me things."

"Oh so that is what you called Max for yesterday."

"Yes, and the phone rang when dad was gone, I had a feeling it was you, but I really couldn't get up."

"That was me, but it's okay. I am glad you are safe."

"Hmm."

"El, what did you mean by experiments hurting you? Does it hurt every time you use your power?"

"No, only the times they gave me those medicines, or when they asked me to do more than I could handle. I soon realized it was the pills hurting me, not my power. That is why I hate taking them."

"Does anything hurt right now? Is the painmed working?"

"Yes. I only feel a little pain in my back."

"That will go away soon too." He convinced her.

Soon after that the door bell rang and the voice of all their friends could be heard. Mike smiled at his sleeping girlfriend, kissed her cheek as he got up and got ready to explain his friends everything and get out of Chief's hair before he got any more irritated than he already was.

A/N: People let me know what you thought of this chapter. So please review.

(Not so) Funfact: That numb knee comes from personal experience.

Thanks to all those who reviewed,

HeyitsKate: I will def try.

oldlistener: PDA? Really?

: Nope it was not hard at all imagining the scene. ;D

oxRosiebabyxo: I want to write them together too, and it will come. But I still don't have a situation yet.

Weirdodood116: Thank you.

Guest: Thank you, and yes there will be more stolen moments.

unicornkeeper: You know it ;)

Cyber XO