Sorry for the wait! I still run the forum, and am writing a book, and I find it hard to divvy up my time properly every time XD But I hope you guys are holding out for me, because I'm not quitting on this story. Enjoy the chapter! It may be a little shorter than usual because here is where the build up begins for the end lol I'll try to update sooner next time :) Leave a little review if ya don't mind. I love getting them!

Chapter 34:

Mike couldn't sleep. He knew that when Eleven came back from where she was going, she was going to need his love and affection. It worried him to think that she may have woken up alone, frightened and crying. He couldn't fall asleep with that thought in the back of his mind, so he sat up in his bed, looking over the words of a book without really absorbing any of it. His mind was elsewhere, worried only about Eleven. He hated that she had to go there for Cathy of all people, but Mike couldn't let an innocent girl die without trying to help at least. At the same time, he wasn't willing to risk Eleven either.

Finally, after what felt like hours and hours, Eleven jolted to life, panting heavily with tears streaming down her cheeks. She looked over at Mike, then jumped towards him, landing in his lap. She clung to him, clung to his neck, while she laid her head on his chest. He didn't question her at first; he just held her to let her know that it was all alright, that she was safe with him again.

"I'm here, El," he said softly, running his hand down over her shoulder. "What did you see, El? Was there a girl there?" He hated having to ask so soon, but he knew that Cathy and Steve were probably awake, too, waiting on a call. It was hard to rest when a loved one was in danger. Mike knew that all too well. "Eleven, did you see Sarah anywhere?"

"Yes," Eleven inhaled deeply, trying to settle herself. She hated being so afraid and shaken up all of the time, but it seemed like she just couldn't get away from the monster and the Upside Down. It saw her again. It stalked up to her and hissed loudly in her face, showing all its teeth. When it smelled her and realized who she was, it backed down, creeping away back into the dark. It could have been worse, she knew, but it was still a terrifying experience. "She's gone."

"Gone?"

"Dead," she said a little more bluntly, not wanting to conjure up the memory of the slimy, fungus covered corpse she saw in the monster's hideout. It was a young girl, and that made it all the more heartbreaking. "I'm sorry." Mike stared at her for a moment, not wanting to believe that words that came out of her mouth, but he knew she wouldn't lie about something so serious. He shook his head.

"Don't be sorry. You did what you could. We knew that it was possible that she..." He trailed off, not really fond of the words that he planned to use. Mike took a deep breath and sat back, holding her in his lap as close to his body as he could. "It's not your fault, El. I should call them and let them know." He reached over to the house phone sitting on the nightstand. He hesitated for a moment, dreading the conversation he had to have with Steve. Mike had never been very good at delivering bad news to people, but he had gotten better while working at the police station.

He dialed the number after a few moments, and Steve quickly picked up the phone. Eleven watched as Mike stumbled through the words a little sloppily, stuttering and pausing a lot as he spoke. She felt bad. Maybe if they had been able to go looking for her sooner, then Sarah would have made it through like Will did. Then again, Eleven knew that some people were more determined to fight and survive than others.

Once Mike was done delivering the bad news, he set the phone back down on the nightstand. He looked down at Eleven, then bent down to place a soft kiss on her forehead. She gave him an empathetic look, then sat up and hugged him tighter, laying on top of him and holding him as close as she could. Neither of them were happy about the discovery, but she knew that Mike had known the dead girl. Eleven had no reason to mourn her.

"Mike?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?" She asked him softly, letting her hand slide down to his shoulder and gripping it tightly. She wanted to reassure him somehow, to make it easier and lighten his load. But she knew deep down that she really wasn't capable of comforting him the way he needed to be.

"It's sad," he admitted with a heavy sigh. "I wish that it had been different, but... I did what I could. You did what you could. We should... I don't know what we should do."

"Kill it," Eleven said suddenly. "We kill it." His eyes widened a little.

"El, last time you went up against that thing, I lost you for seven years!"

"No," she shook her head, sitting up and looking at him. "I won't leave. We can kill it. A different way." Mike pondered on that thought, wondering how they would ever manage to take something like that thing down without losing her in the process.

"You want to hunt it?"

"Them," she corrected him. "There's more." She wasn't crazy about her own idea, but she knew that there weren't many options for them. Those things couldn't be left alone to run amok in the town, snatching people away to kill and devour them. No. Someone had to do something, and El knew that they were at least afraid of her. If anyone could help get rid of them, it was her, but this time, she wouldn't sacrifice herself in the process. There had to be another way, she figured, some way to kill them without sending herself back to the Upside Down.

Mike didn't want Eleven doing anything that would put her at risk, but he also knew that something had to be done. They would have the support of Hopper, and with the whole gang back in town, he figured they could come up with something. Dustin would be glad to help, and Lucas could be talked into it. Johnathan and Nancy and Steve had tried to kill one before, and they had wounded it. It had to be possible, with a whole lot of planning and firepower, to kill one of those things. They were older now, and they had access to more than they did before. He nodded.

"Okay. I'm with you."

"Tomorrow," she said, "we call Dustin and Lucas."

"Johnathan and Nancy could help, too," he told her. "They've done this before, and they knew Sarah as well. They'll help us. I just... Eleven, I don't want to lose you ever again. I couldn't stand it... life without you. I'd be devastated. Please. Let's do this our way. Leave your powers and everything out of it. We're not entirely incapable. Trust me. Okay?"

She nodded, "Okay."

"Rest now," he told her, sliding back down onto his pillow, pulling her with him. "If we're really going to do this, we have to get some sleep and start fresh tomorrow. I'm sorry about making you go back there, El. I won't ever do it again, I promise. You can stay here with me, every night. Alright?"

"Yes," she smiled a little, her head still planted firmly on his chest. She closed her eyes, but she couldn't really go to sleep. Mike couldn't either, so they just laid there together, in each others arms, thinking about the rocky road that lay ahead of them. It may have been stupid to choose to be the saviors of Hawkins, to try and kill the things that were taking residents and slaughtering them one by one. They both knew that it couldn't go on forever. Eventually, those monsters would run out of prey, and they would spread far outside of Hawkins in search of more.

Being a hero was never really something that Eleven wanted. She fought for her survival most of the time, until Mike and the others came along. She finally had other people to fight for, to defend, and she nearly gave up her life to do so. Now, after finally getting him back, with more than they ever had before, she wasn't so sure she would sacrifice herself for strangers. For Mike, of course, but not for anyone else. It was a selfish thought that she quickly pushed away. She knew that people were dying, and she knew that Mike was going to stop it no matter what. She could either be there by his side, helping him protect the good people of Hawkins, or she could sit back and let him do it alone. The latter wasn't an option.

"I love you," she said after a long while of complete silence. Mike run his fingers through her short mass of curls, pulling out a few tangles along the way before doing it again. A tiny smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, but he found it hard to be happy at the moment, even with hearing something he was always delighted to hear. He let out a long breath.

"I love you, too."

"Forever?"

"Forever."