A Pixie Full of Secrets

She had not been expecting a standing ovation for her acapella version of Make War Not War. She was humbled. Something she didn't think she would ever be.

She decided to take two risks in a row. She was going to sing her apology to Mike with him on the stage. Her voice was clear and strong. She didn't falter through the whole thing at least until the end.

El couldn't help it, when she sang Not So Pretty. She was apologizing to Mike all over again. Just like the first time she sang it in the recording studio she broke down crying, falling to her knees. She couldn't help it.

On stage.

In front of close to 70,000 people.

But this time, Mike was near her and came over, helped her stand, and hugged her tight. The crowd ate it up, but that was not her intention. She heard cheering for Mike, and a lot of crying for her. She had a new found respect for fans of their music. They cared about them as people, it wasn't just about getting another encore.

She ran back behind the speaker cabinets for a quick costume change. She had one more surprise for both the audience and the rest of the band.

She had another act of defiance. She knew she'd be sticking it to Brenner. She was going to do it in front of this entire audience, Max, Dustin, and most of all Mike. This concert was being filmed for a possible documentary. It was the record company trying to cash in on 11's popularity, obviously influenced the the new Woodstock movie that had been released.

She knew she was putting herself on the line.

More importantly she was putting her relationship with Mike on the line. She was going to have to tell him after this.

She had practiced this particular use of her ability for a long time, she could do it without the nose bleeds. She wasn't reckless though, she made sure super thin wires could be visible dangling, even though they were only attached to the rigging up above . The were lose, but gave her an indication of where to stop when she raised herself to where she wanted to be.

Any close inspection of the film or people in the front row looking closely, or even her friends on stage would think it was wire work.

What she did not expect was the silent awe from the audience. She had instructed 11's lighting engineer to bring up the stadium's lights while she was still hanging in the air. The handing wires would be a little more visible covering her tracks, but not completely, the effect was still the same.

El believed she had taken 11 and her friends, onto a new musical landscape.

XXXXX

"Um, Mike that wasn't a special effect at the end."

Mike snorted, "are you trying to tell me you can fly?"

El said nothing. "You're serious!" Mike said.

"Sort of, I have a very long story to tell you."

There was a knock on the door, "hold on" Mike said.

He let Max and Lucas in. They were holding dozens of sheets of paper.

"What are those?" Mike asked leading them to the second double bed in Mike's hotel room.

"These," Max held up, "are the proof that El has the respect of music journalists. They wanted our approval before they printed them."

"That never happens," Lucas said, "they are going to be talking about that concert for years."

"You don't need to read them El, Lucas and I thought they were all good. You can read this one though." She handed El a sheet of paper giving her a big smile.

XXXXX

CWM Mike Wheeler can you say anything about your relationship with your band member, El Hopper?

MW: Sure. I'm gonna say this once and once only, so print it far and wide, let other magazines quote you: I love my Pixie. And for some reason she loves me too. End quote."

- Celebrity Watch Magazine

XXXXX

"Ok, Max. You might want to leave for this. It makes me warm and fuzzy when Mike says my name. But I just found out that when he calls me Pixie, it makes me warmer and fuzzier"

Mike smiled and Max rolled her eyes, "You're right, I want to leave. Come on Lucas. Let's go make out."

They left hand in hand and Mike locked the door behind them.

"Ok Pixie, tell me your story"

El smiled briefly and began.

Mike listened intently.

He listened to her while she told him her mother had been involved in nefarious CIA experiments. Unknowingly given psychotropic drugs.

He listened to her while she told him that she'd been kidnapped seconds after birth, taken to the Hawkins Lab, and they had experimented on her.

He listened to her when she said that her failure to impress or even perform the tasks they gave her resulted in a night crying in a cold dark room. She had eventually started singing to herself to ease or her fears and loneliness.

Mike hung his head when he heard that. El could see the heavy ears dropping straight from his eyes on to his hands. She took his hands and kissed them away.

"Mike, I escaped. I had to hurt people, and live in the woods for a bit until my dad found me."

"That's messed up El."

"It is. But you know what's helping me forget all that? Meeting you. Being with you. Ok, we had a rocky start. My ego was so big I couldn't believe a guy your age didn't know who I was. It was an eye opener."

"But El, I saw the wires."

"That was intentional. Watch."

El was sitting cross legged on the bed, and she lifted of the bed about a foot.

"Ok. My Pixie can float. This is something out of an X-Men comic, but I'm seeing it right before my eyes. My girlfriend is a magic Pixie."

El laughed.

"Oh I get it. You were flaunting your escape but having that fake 011 tattoo on the cover of the band's first album."

"Not only that Mike, but the photo used on that album, was right from my lab medical records. No way Brenner is not going to know that one."

"Oh, geez, I get the title of the second album now. Hide In Plain Sight. Wow El, you really are taking a risk. And that stunt last night? "

"I can just point to the wires, only Brenner will know, and if his people can get through my bodyguards, he'll have to deal with me. I can take care of myself Mike. You've only seen me lift myself. I'm much more powerful than that."

Mike believed her.

"You know, nobody is going to believe that we're just sleeping."

"I don't care. I really don't Mike. In two years we can do it legally anyway. I will tell you right now that I'm not waiting two years Mike. I'll give you a hint, you know what you can give me for my sixteenth birthday."

Mike's face turned a shade of crimson.

"Did your Pixie just make you blush."

"She did... ok Pixie, get in your jammies, I'm beat."

XXXXX

Mike was spooning El. She loved waking up with him doing that. It made her feel safe and secure. She felt Mike's breath on her neck. It didn't sound quite normal. In a moment she realized why, she felt his hot tears hit her cheek and felt them sliding towards her mouth, she could taste his sorrow.

"Are you ok Mike?"

She turned around to face him.

"If you feel like I do, I know what's bothering you. It feels inadequate to say 'I love you' because it feels like more than that. It's undying love, Mike, and I feel it too. I'm starting to think we are old souls, and have found each other again. We are soulmates. I believe that with all my heart."

"That's exactly how I feel El. Telling you I love doesn't seem to be enough."

El smiled at him. "No it doesn't, but being together does… and I want to be with you all the time. I don't care if people talk. I don't."

Mike smiled nodded, "Inadequate or not, I'm still going to tell you I love you every day.

"Me too, I'm going to order room service now. We can eat and then we have to go to our sound check."

XXXXX

"Check 1-2-3" Lucas said over the PA system on stage.

El nodded, Mike was playing a little riff on his guitar. Dustin was tweaking his drum skins a bit. Max was adjusting the Leslie speaker cabinet speed.

A man in jeans and an 11 t-shirt came up to Mike while was down in front of the stage adjusting a speaker monitor.

"Um, excuse me, Mr. Wheeler." Mike looked up, El looked over at the two of them.

"Can I help you sir?"

"Um, my daughter is a big fan, and I brought her to the show last night for her eleventh birthday. She's really shy and was afraid to ask."

Mike smiled, "She wants the band's autograph."

"If you don't mind. I'll pay for it."

Mike said, "No you won't. We wouldn't let you."

El, Max, and Dustin, came up to the edge of the stage… Lucas was making his way down to the aisle to make some adjustment to the PA cabinets on stage.

"Here comes the fifth Beatle," Dustin said.

Mike squatted down, the little girl came up to Mike with new album, and Mike signed, careful not to make up too much room when signing the back of the album cover.

He gave the girl a hug, and said "Happy birthday…" He looked, up her father who whispered, "Holly"

"...Holly… you know, my little sister's name name his Holly." The little girl hugged him back. Her dad wiped his eyes and mouthed a "thank you".

"Would you like to take a picture with us?" El said noticing her dad had a pocket Kodak Instamatic.

The little girl's father lifted her up on to the stage. El got down on a knee, and hugged the little girl. "Happy birthday sweetie." She signed her name just below Miike's a stylized '11'

Max and Dustin signed their's also, and El made sure Lucas signed his. He was as much a part of the band as any of them.

They all posed with the girl while her dad took a few pictures.

Once he shook all their hands and thanked them profusely.

El came up to Mike after the father left with his daughter. She hugged Mike "That's how you be famous. You are pretty on the inside Mike. That little girl will never forget this day, I don't think her dad will either… and neither will I."

XXXXX

"It's hard to believe that there hasn't been an 11 fan club up till now, but [garbled] Rock FM has just found out that a local eleven year old girl has started one. Word spread pretty quick and the fan club already has over a thousand members. We'll give you the address at the end of the show. We are providing the funds for postage, and we expect this fan club is going to be a going concern for a long time. The name of the fan club is 'Eleventeen' "

- Heard on mix tape [source unknown]

XXXXX

During Max's organ solo the second night, El came over to Mike on stage in the shadows. "You doing ok Mike? You look even paler than usual."

"I'm wiped El, I'll finish off the show, but I'm really not feeling all that good."

"If you need to leave Mike, Max can cover your solos, and I'll try… I'll try not to worry about you…"

"I'll stick it out, Pixie."

El smiled at him. "Ok Paladin." She kissed him on the cheek, but not so that the audience could see. She didn't want any attention taken away from Max's solo.

Mike felt a little out of it, but he knew the show had gone over just as well as the first night had.

Later in the hotel room, El was taking his temperature. "Oh, Mike, you have a fever."

"Should I take two Pixie's and call you in the morning?" He smile even though he didn't think he had any smiles left in him for the rest of the day.

"Aspirin will have to do… and I'm not staying here tonight. It's probably too late already, but I can't catch a cold, I'll sound terrible singing through a stuffy nose."

Mike nodded, disappointed, but he understood.

"Goodnight Pixie."

"'Night Paladin."