Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Stranger Things
A/N: Here's another little update, I hope you all like it J
Chapter 2: A Leap of Faith
"So, what exactly do you want us to do? Mom's going to be home from work soon, and she will freak if she sees you doing this El." Will paced in panic, at the thought of his mother's wrath.
"I just need you here, I think it works better when there are more people around me."
"Just let her do it Will, if it's going to give her piece of mind. It's worth it." Jonathon chipped in, wrapping his arm around his younger brother's shoulders, attempting to comfort his anxiety.
It had been three months since the battle of stargate, El and Will had kept in decent contact with the rest of the group back in Hawkins. Only Jonathon had gone back occasionally, hoping to keep his relationship with Nancy Wheeler at bay. After Mike had dumped El, she really couldn't think of any reason to go back, too many painful memories were there. Mike's reason for dumping her, you might be wondering? --He had met another girl once school had started and he had decided that it was best that they both moved on and tried to get on with their new lives. It had hurt her but like always, she remained introverted and quiet, not interested in speaking to anyone about it. Mike had always been the person she wanted to talk to, she felt he understood her. Well as best as anyone could.
Dad would be happy. No more closed door.
She had accepted that no one would every truly understand her, at least no one from her circle of friends. Mike had tried to understand her, but he had always lived his sheltered life and he didn't really know what it was like to be alone and be totally and utterly abused.
Billy knew.
she had never really been the same since her last encounter with the mind flayer.
-Since her last moments with Billy, oh boy, had she seen into him.
He was the same as her, he had seen and been through things that she thought that only her and the other test subjects at the lab had endured. That was until she saw his memories and felt the pain in his heart.
So much pain, so alone.
"Need to help, Billy and dad."
Since she had not had any successful attempts at contacting Hopper, and Billy had still not awakened from his coma, she had become increasing anxious to get her powers back.
She was convinced that Hopper was still stuck in the upside down and the longer she took to find him the least likely he would be alive when she found him.
And Billy.
He would without a doubt be stuck inside his own head, she'd seen into it before, the circus, the hell... He'd almost be better off stuck in the upside down with Hop.
To top off the loss of her powers, she was plagued every night by vivid nightmares, sometimes they were so real that she thought she was in her void. They were a mixed bag of dreaming of Hop being stuck in the upside down with no way out he would always be calling for her to help him. He was always Hiding and afraid, it was always that point in the dream that she could work out that it wasn't real. That just wasn't hopper, he was far too brave to cower and far too selfless to ask her to risk herself for him.
When she wasn't dreaming of Hopper, she was dreaming of Billy.
Those dreams were harder to tell if they were reality or not, they were always unpredictable and they always ended the same way, with Billy being taken over by the mind flayer and El helpless to stop him.
And of course when she felt powerless, it took her back to being in the lab; back then her powers were only just developing. When she had opened the gate and escaped, she had met Mike and the gang which at first was liberating and cautiously perfect, but overtime she began to feel like in a sense she had swapped her old cage, for a new one.
Mike and Hop were always so protective and controlling of her, constantly telling her that everything just wasn't safe.
Not safe.
And while she knew it came from a good place, it became tiresome. When Billy had looked at her during their final shared moments at stargate, he looked at her with need and adoration. Not the way Hop looked at her as being a little girl who needed to be cradled; And not the way Mike looked at her as being as being a perfect superhero/girlfriend.
Then there was always everyone else in between, the worst interpretation
- a freak.
No not Billy. When Billy had looked at her the way he did, he had granted her a freedom that no one had ever been able to give her. And for that she was in his debt.
"Alright so we will just sit here and shut up and you do what you need to do." Will folded his arms, looking to her for clarification.
El nodded in agreeance and slowly placed her blindfold over her eyes, she then sat with her legs folded and placed her hands in her lap as if she were going to mediate.
"Turn the radio on please."
Jonathan obliged her and both himself and his brother turned to watch her, their eyes wide with curiosity. Moments later, El's face was as serious as ever, not moving her body even an inch, at the fear that she may lose her focus.
And then it happened.
"I see him." She whispered, barely able to be heard.
"See who?"
"Billy."
"He's far away, so far. I need to get closer."
"El be careful!" Jonathan warned.
"Shhh." She motioned, with a finger to her lips.
She was in her void now, she could see her target in the distance, but as she approached closer, she could see that Billy was not his normal Macho self.
He was only a boy.
The same small boy that she had seen in all his memories, he looked afraid, huddled in the corner with his knees pulled up into his chest, El bent down to place her hand on his knee.
"Billy?" She whispered as she grazed his knee ever so slightly.
Young Billy's pale blue eyes looked up to meet her dark ones, at first with fear but that quickly changed to anger, "YOU!? GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HEAD."
A much more grown Billy had morphed mid lecture, he was suddenly in her face now, towering over her small form, attempting to intimidate her into retreating.
She was taken aback by his lack of clothes, he wore only a pair of hospital pants, EL blushed instinctively at the sight of him, he was so close to her, but other than his devilishly handsome looks she was not frightened by him.
Oh, no shirt. Oh.
Her focus was brought back by his obvious anger, a compromise was needed and quickly, "I'll leave, but you need to leave too." She looked him directly in the eyes with as much kindness as she could collect.
Billy considered what she said, his face was still angry, but his curiosity took over, "where?"
"Out of your head. Back home." She gestured towards the abyss.
"I'm not going back there. Fuck that place. Fuck all of you. Why did you come here, can't get enough of the freak show in my head?!." He spat, pulling her into his form angrily.
"You can't stay here. Not safe." She struggled to release herself from his grip.
"I can do whatever I want. Now get out of here! Go back and be perfect with Max. Before I lose my temper."
"I'm not scared of you, you know." She came in so close her nose nearly touched his chin.
Her words caught his attention and his face softened at remembering how much he had hurt her, with the guilt sneaking up on him, he distanced himself from her, releasing her to show her his back.
"Max needs you. We all need you."
He just stared at her for what seemed like hours but in reality, it had just been seconds. He wasn't sure why he cared about what this girl thought, or why he wanted please her, but for whatever reason he decided to had to oblige her.
El thought she could see him breaking down and that was not an opportunity that should ever be missed. With that knowledge in mind, she reached her hand out for him to take, the disdain on his face melted at the gesture.
"Come on!" she coaxed with a firm expression.
"Why do you want to help me anyways?"
She shrugged gently at his comment almost taken a back, "maybe we are more a like then you think."
"Now come on."
Billy kept his displeased frown on his face, he thought of the repercussions that placing his faith into someone might have on him.
He then thought of the recovery tactics, he could always deny it, he could always be overcompensatingly cruel to her to ensure she didn't see any weakness in him.
But he couldn't... she had seen him.
Really seen him.
And as much as he wanted to continue to be angry and stubborn, there was a very large, very loud part of him that wanted to go with her. So, for once he decided to listen to the guidance of that nagging voice. He couldn't deny any longer that it was pulling him into an undeniably good direction.
Ah Fuck it.
He took El's much smaller hand into his and let her lead him away.
