Here's chapter 12, hope you enjoy! I do not own Stranger Things

Sorry that I haven't posted in so long, I've been having some writers block with this one. I know where I want to go, just didn't know how to get there.

Robin sat stunned in the smallest bedroom of the Harrington house. Odette was quietly fussing with the end of her shirt as she looked at her fearfully "I'm sorry you found out like this."

"I just...witches?"

"Yes." Odette bites her lip "I know it's a lot to take in-"

"And I am a witch?" Robin interrupts, only able to think of the wicked witch of the west at that moment. Odette nods again "I've got some books...but...but can you stay here? Just until we get Billy figured out?"

Robin froze, they'd told her in the car ride home that Billy wasn't himself...he was a witch too and because of that he'd been possessed...although she wasn't sure by what. The babble of Steve's hoard of children had all blended together. "How are you going to do that?"

"We...we have a spell to dispel astral bodies...to get this thing out of him...it's not going to be fun and it's not going to be anything you or Will are ready for." She looks at her hands "Do you hate me?"

Robin looked down at her slightly shaking hands "I...I don't hate you." She pulled at the shorts of her Scoops uniform, wincing as the bruise on her wrist smarted at the movement. Odette sighed and held her hand out to her "Can I help?"

Robin looked at her suspiciously, the girl she'd only known for her love of Stevie Nicks and Steve Harrington smiled gently at her and pressed her fingers into a small jar on a side table, her fingertips coming out covered in a soft green paste. She gently rubbed it over the bruises, speaking oh so softly, Robin almost didn't catch it. Robin closed her eyes listening to her words like a song flitting through her ears. "Guérir et être renouvelé"

"Guérir et être renouvelé?" Is that a spell?" Robin asks, opening her eyes to find Odette wiping the green gunk from her skin and revealing unblemished skin beneath. "Yes, you have a good ear for French"

"I have a musician's ear..." Robin blushes a little "I'm in band so-"

"My brother's a musician, he can't repeat french back to me like that Rob...I think it's a little of you shining through." She smiles a little "One of many talents I'm sure, but...but we can talk about that stuff when we can give it the deserved attention." She throws the now green covered tissue into the trash and takes another to wipe off her hands further "I think you'll love Madame...and the rest of the girls will be so excited to meet you too." Odette looks down at her hands "We...I know we're friends...and that I wasn't completely honest about...this." She grimaces a little "And I know that's not something I should do...but I didn't want to...to scare you off...or to be hunted down by christian bible thumpers."

Robin nodded, feeling the word vomit rise up her throat as Odette continues "With how Eddie is...and how people already think he's a satanist or some other such nonsense...it's hard for me to trust people with this...I didn't want to be a social pariah or to be looked at differently because of something I can't help." Robin feels tears spring to her eyes "I get it."

Odette looks up at her a little doubtfully "Really?"

Robin nods, trying to keep the words down but they spill from her lips before she can think twice "I'm a lesbian!" Odette straightens up a little, still looking at her although the disbelief is gone. Robin expects her to run off, to tug herself away from her in disgust...or to at least give her a fake, cheerleader-esque smile before she went to tell Steve Harrington all about how his coworker makes her uncomfortable now. But instead of all of that...Odette takes her hand again and smiles gently, her blue eyes sparkling in the soft light of the bedside lamp. "I'm sorry you've had to keep that a secret Robin...and I won't tell a soul if you don't want me to...but whenever you're ready, the coven will hear you out and accept you for who you are."

Robin's jaw dropped, she was completely speechless, she couldn't even ramble if she'd wanted to. She just stared at the brunette like she'd just proclaimed a love for Jason Carver. It was only when Odette squeezed her fingers gently that her words came crashing back. "Seriously?"

Odette nodded, that small smile still on her lips. "We're a coven Robin, we're mostly made up of women...so it's ahem" She clears her throat, a blush rising to her cheeks "It's pretty normal for us to see other women...rather than men. It makes us all feel a little more...secure." She fiddles with her fingers "So we...we don't think any less of you for that." She smiles a little shyly, that blush still creeping high on her cheeks "I'm...I'm just...I'm glad we found you when we did Robin...and I hope you can forgive me for lying."

Robin opened her mouth to tell her she'd already forgiven it when the bedroom door opened without warning. They both swiveled their heads around to look in the doorway to find Eddie standing there looking out of place. He was in his usual metal gear and wild hair, looking like Mrs. Harrington's worst nightmare to be standing on her clean carpet, and beside her pristine white walls. "Hey...uh...Detta, you're needed for Witchy things?" She rolls her eyes a little "He's subtle...are you ok if I go?" She moes to stand but Robin's hand squeezes hers "Can...Can I come? Even if I can't help..." She looks at the other girl a little worriedly, thinking she'd drop the kind tone she'd bee using. Tell her she doesn't know any magic, she can't possibly help.

"Ok...I just don't want you to get too overwhelmed...if it gets to be too much will you promise to leave the space?" Robin nods and lets herself smile just a little "How else will I learn?"

Odette grins back at her, squeezing her hand. "Let's go then, you need to meet the girls and madame...but maybe formal introductions should wait until we're done." Robin nods again and lets Violet lead her down the stairs with Eddie following after them. As they descended the stairs, the smell of burning sage filled their nostrils; Suki and Penny were holding small bundles of burning sage, smudging the house as they walked through. The faint sound of speaking from the kitchen clued them in to the fact that Steve was not happy that Billy Hargrove was inside of his house.

Billy himself was sitting in the living room, the couch and easy chairs had all been moved into a far off corner, allowing him to sit, bound to a chair and glaring evilly at anyone who passed. Odette met his gaze as she passed the living room the blue eyes she couldn't get out of her head from the vision had been replaced with ones that were so black they seemed bottomless. "Hello little mouse" She froze, her hand still in Robin's as she felt her heart stop. "Peter?"

Billy's face stretches into an almost feral grin "How sweet of you to remember little mouse. Even better of you to bring me here" He looked around, letting his gaze linger over the passing forms of other coven members. "So helpful"

Robin squeezes her fingers, she let go of the other girl's fingers "Billy needed help" Odette didn't know if she should say this, but she knew that whatever Peter was planning, was nothing good. The crackling dark laughter of the possessed teen rumbled through the room, "Billy is just fine, he won't be calling out for much longer" She could have sworn that for a split second, the teen's teeth had gone yellowed and sharp. "What do you mean?"

He threw his head back and cackled almost madly "Secrets secrets mouse" She glared at the teen, stepping forward despite the protests of Robin behind her. "Just fucking say it" he let his head roll forward lazily, Billy's hair falling into his eyes "I won't need you all little mouse...so I'd watch my mouth if I were you..." Odette felt a hand land on her shoulder, making her jump. She looks down and sees the dark skinned hand of Madame who pulled her back ever so slightly. "Go get the blackthorn. It's time we rid him of this...Peter" Her deep voice had commanded the attention from the teen, he bared his teeth at Madame and finally began to pull at his bonds.

Odette grabbed a long thin bag and dumped out 8 sticks of blackthorn, each about three feet long. She gathered them up in her arms and passed a nervous looking Steve who'd cornered the younger boys into the kitchen as the witches prepared. She cast him a nervous smile but walked into the living room where the rest of the women had gathered. Robin was standing against the stairs, staring into the living room with wonder. The scent of burning sage still perfumed the house, casting a slight smoky glow throughout even when Penny and Suki had put their bundles out. Odette began to hand out the sticks of blackthorn, finding herself with two extras and Madame refusing one. "I'll have no need of one. They're for your protection mon cher"

Odette went to put them down but was quickly chastized by Rose "Bad luck!" She sighed, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling as she knew exactly who they were trying to involve. "Its n'ont eu aucune formation!" she hissed to the women at large. She was met with nervous stares from her peers but a resolute one from Madame "Tu doutes de leur force" Her voice was calm but cold

"I don't!" She'd dropped the french as she turned her gaze back to Robin. "It's too fast!" She was shaking now, Peter was chuckling to himself amongst the women that surrounded him "Oh dear Madame, let them hide! It's their only chance." He swivels his head back to Robin with a sadistic grin marring Billy's handsome features "Run little girl. Run." Odette moved to get in front of Robin but she found a stick being wrenched from her hands by the taller girl. "Prick." Was all she said as she took a place between Suki and Rose, stick held in both hands as she took deep breaths, her calm anger a facade.

"Robin you don't have to-"

"If you need the help...then I'll do my best." She puts on a brave face, glaring at the possessed teen. "Me too!" Odette whirls back around to find Will who'd managed to get past Steve "I'm a part of the coven. You said so" In that second he looked older than his 12 years, pulling a sense of pride from her without meaning to. She clutched the blackthorn harder in her hands "It's dangerous Will, it's not to exclude or-"

"I'll have all of you with me...and Steve still has his bat. I'm not scared" There was no quiver to his voice, he held out his hand for the blackthorn with a confidence that shocked his friends and Steve from behind him. "Pretty little speech, you were such a resilient thing last time." Peter's voice slithered into their ears unforgivingly "It's nice to see you again"

Will keeps his eyes on Odette "Please?"

She relents, releasing the second stick from her grip and taking her place beside Suki and Penny. Will stepped between Penny and Harmony glaring at the back of Billy's head. "Alright...form the circle" Madame's voice commanded through the room, slowly the women and Will held their blackthorn aloft, end to end with the one next to them, connecting into a circle around Madame and Peter/Billy. "Now Edward" She signals to Eddie who'd been standing against the wall on the other side of the room, blending into the darkness. He walked around the group, pouring salt thickly onto the ground in a circle around the women's circle, only stopped to give Odette's shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

Madame stretches her arms out in front of her, holding a small dark blue vial of liquid before her. "Be gone from this place" Her words rang out in English, almost shocking the women there. "Be gone from this place" The circle repeated, shaking off the nerves as Billy's head shot straight up. "You've no power over me"

Madame continued as though she hadn't heard his words, uncorking the vial with a soft pop. "Back into the unknown" The coven repeated, more confidently now. Madame began to pace around Peter with the open vial head perfectly above his head. "Bring back our brother"

As the coven repeated Peter let out a roar of what seemed like pain, he writhed in the kitchen chair he was tied to, veins popping up on his forehead and neck as he did. "Be gone from this place!" Madame's words were now more forceful than before and so were the covens'. The sticks of Blackthorn were beginning to grow hot beneath their fingertips but no one paid it any mind. "Back into the unknown!" Madame took the vial and began to turn it as the coven repeated her words "Bring back our brother!" and as the words began to be repeated by the coven she dumped the contents of the vial onto Billy's head. The liquid was jet black and thick like molasses as it slipped from the lip of the vial. But the second it made contact with Billy's head it thinned out rapidly, covering Billy's golden curls in it's black film. "Out!" Madame's voice cracked through the room like a whip, light bulbs beginning to shatter around them.

"Out!" Her voice filled the heads of all in the room, they were plunged into darkness as the final bulb in the living room went out. The panting of Billy could be heard over the soft chanting Penny and Charlotte had begun "Quitte cet endroit quitte cet endroit quitte cet endroit."

The black ooze slipped farther down Billy's face, his eyes that had been screwed shut in pain had snapped open, there were no whites left to his eyes, they were simply black. The sound that escaped him sounded as though he were ripping the world apart. Blood dribbled down from his nose as the black ooze overtook his face. Madame stood over him, joining the chanting of "Quitte cet endroit" placing a hand onto the top of his head, the ooze enveloping her own hand. She gasped out but continued to chant, albeit with more strain to her normally powerful voice. The popping sound of more light bulbs bursting filled their ears, far off, almost in another land Steve and Eddie could be heard cursing and trying to get the three young boys out of the house. The blackthorn throbbed hotly in their hands, almost burning their skin as they continued to chant. Billy continuing to writhe in the chair beneath Madame's grasp. Madame closed her amber eyes, her back stiffening, her lips stopped moving. She became a statue standing over the thundering teen before them. But the black ooze had begun to pull back...sliding up Billy's face...pulling at his skin harshly as it did. "Fuck!" The shout no longer sounded deep and cruel as it had all night...instead it had sounded like a boy...a boy who'd been kicked.

"Keep going" Madame choked, doubling over with her hand still on Billy's head "NO" a roar slammed through Billy in that horrible voice once again. The coven raised their voices, Will starting to sound hoarse with the effort to keep chanting. The ooze continued to rip it's way up the skin of Billy's face back to his hair. It clung hard to the curls there but as the chanting heightened still further it crawled its way into Madame's palm and all was quiet. Madame pulled her hand back, stumbling as she did. Blood dripped from her nose and eyes, not unlike Odette had earlier. She took the handful of ooze and croaked "Penny" Penny dropped her stick of Blackthorn and shoved her hand into her back pocket. She pulled out a small box, painted black with white runes scrawled all over it. She held it out to madame who grunted with the effort of scraping the ooze from her hand. With it came some of the flesh of her palm, her blood landing with the lump of black into the box. Penny snapped it shut, whispering incantations as she set the small lock.

There they all sat staring at one another in the dark, blinking blearily and listening almost idly as Billy groaned in the chair...finally free of Peter.

Morning

Steve sighed tiredly as he downed his third cup of coffee. He'd gotten next to no sleep that night. Too much had happened in the night. Every light in the house had gone out with a bang, glass had been everywhere. Even after Odette had summoned the glass there had been more issues. Firstly she hadn't thought before she'd summoned, so glass had gone flying through the air and directly into her hand. She'd apologized over and over as he'd dragged her to the bathroom, using twezers to pull the glass from her hand. "It's fine Odette"

He'd put her healing paste, although now it seemed to be running low, and wrapped up her hand. He could hear the others in the house fumbling around, bumping into things in the dark as they tried to find replacement bulbs or candles to light. He'd only had four bulbs in the house so most of the rooms were still dark but with the glass picked up and the night no longer young, most of the people went to bed. Madame had gratefully taken his parent's bedroom almost immediately after they'd freed Billy from his bindings. Robin had decided to bunk with some of the girls from the coven in a guest bedroom. Steve had insisted on the boys all taking his own bedroom, and on Odette sharing the last guest room with her brother. Steve had told everyone he would be sleeping on the easy chair across from Billy who'd been lain on the couch. Odette had tried to protest but her exaustion had won out. She'd made him his charmed tea and kissed him goodnight before going up the stairs.

"Didn't sleep last night?" Eddie's voice had jarred him out of his tired reverie. He turned to the tatted up teen and nodded mutely. "I figured, I could hear the pacing." Eddie pulled the half empty pot over to himself along with a mug. "At least they're all focused on Hargrove right?"

"I guess...I don't like having him in the house...even when he's not possessed" Steve grumbled, finishing his coffee off and reaching for the pot. Eddie pulled it out of his reach with a smirk "Don't over caffeinate dude, bad for your health."

"Come on...not this early-"

"It's noon Harrington, you've just been up forever" Eddie runs his hand down his own tired face "I don't...I'm not comfortable with him around either." He looks back in the direction of the living room where Billy's loud voice had given way to a hushed conversation with Madame. When he'd woken up, the first person who he'd seen had been Steve, he'd then woken the entire house up with his screaming at the other teen, interrogating him on just why he'd woken up in his house.

Madame had rushed down, calming the hothead and speaking lowly to him, asking what he'd remembered.

The answer had been too much. He could remember the night he'd been possessed...he could remember the feel of the other world on his skin...the voice of Peter speaking through the Mindflayer (as the boys had taken to calling it)...but he'd also remembered the sight as his body had been purged of Peter's influence. He'd still been bound by vines in the other world, whispers of the mindflayer slowly driving him mad when he'd heard Madame's voice break through. The vines had loosened...but something else shook the world around him. The air crackled with energy as a gaping maw from this dimension to his own began to rip open ever so slowly. The malevolence of the Upside Down starting to bleed into the other. He'd detangled himself...moving slowly for the rip...as he did, the voices of the coven had grown soft. When he reached the rip, he considered jumping through it when he'd heard the voices. He couldn't see through the rift but he could hear through it, the muffled sound of voices met his ears. At first he thought it was just too far away to make out clear words...but the voices had started to remind him of that bozo Drago from Rocky IV and he'd stepped back. As he did he could hear the chanting again, feeling the pull of it in his gut, following it as it grew louder and louder around him. When it reached a height that he could no longer stand, the noise defining him, the red toned realm began to slip away to blackness. Then there was nothing.

Madame had sat the older boy down, whispering softly to him about his situation...his power. Steve had thought for sure he'd scoff at the woman

"Billy isn't it?"

"What's it to you?!" His tone had been harsh but Madame hardly blinked at it, simply sitting in a chair across from him and gesturing fo him to sit back on the couch.

"It's quite important to me; now...tell me...would you call yourself suave?"

Billy had stopped almost completely, Steve standing forgotten at the other side of the room. "What?"

"Would you say...that you get what you want? From others?" Madame was stroking her chin thoughtfully with her caramel eyes fixed on Billy's blue ones. When he nodded she allowed herself a small smirk. "An uncommon gift for a man."

"What the fuck-"

Her smirk dropped and left a thin lipped line in its wake "Watch your tongue. I'll inform you Billy...now sit." She waited expectantly and when he finally collapsed back onto the couch she smiled again "Now...you're well aware that things outside of the realm of normality have happened recently. Correct?"

"Yeah" He glared at her but waited for her to continue. "You were...you were targeted for your abilities dear. Not just your magics"

Billy moved to get up, rolling his eyes at the older woman "Fucking-" With a flick of her fingers Billy's jaw clicked shut "I want to finish first, then if you must...you may storm off." She looked at him with the slightest smile on her red lips "Now, you may not have known it...but you are a witch. Or a warlock if you'd prefer" She waves her hand dismissively "But that's beside the point...it would seem that you're a charm speaker, do you know what that is?"

He shakes his head incredulously, his jaw still shut tight by her magic. "Of course not...it's an ability that some come across naturally, you're able to fan the flames of other's feelings or desires with only a few words...give a speech and you'll have whoever you like at your beck and call...I'm sure that you've used it to entice...and to enrage." She looked back at Steve pointedly before returning to Billy "You were targeted to gather strength for this...Peter." Her voice curls into a sneer as she utters the name she'd grown to dislike over the past few days. "I do believe he would try again if given the chance...so you'll give him none. We are stronger when we have the coven."

He glares at her, she sighs and snaps her fingers, his jaw creaks loose once again. "This is-"

"Crazy?" She flicks her fingers again, the radio in the corner clicking on, playing Bon Jovi. "Isn't it a wonder?" She crosses one of her legs over the other, leaning back into the chair she sat in. "Billy...they're not a burden...they're a blessing." She held out one hand to the teen "The world is cold...I think you know it more than others...more than most of my girls..."

"You don't know anything about me old-"

"I am old dear...old enough to still feel the loss of Tituba. But that is off topic." She lets her hand fall back into her lap "But I make it my business to know what goes on in my coven, including getting to know new witches." She raises one manicured eyebrow "I understand that this is a lot to take. And you're of course...welcome to reject the coven if you feel you're better off...I just ask that you think about it first hmm?" She picks a stray hair from her skirt thoughtfully "My girls would love to have the challenge of training you up, and I'm sure Will would enjoy not being our only boy." She smirked slightly "Will you think about it?" Her words sounded like velvet in Steve's ears, he was leaning against the wall, mirroring Billy who'd sagged into the couch. "Yes"

Madame stood from her chair "Wonderful, now...I'll ask that you refrain from harming an ally to the coven, such as Mr. Harrington. He's been such a blessing to us while helping you." She turned on her pointed heels and left the room, leaving Steve and Billy to stare at one another dazedly.

Odette

Odette sat on the back porch, fumbling mindlessly with her seeing stones as she stared into the woods behind Steve's house. The soft clatter of the stones hitting each other was the only noise in her ears. Madame had gone to take Billy home...the girls were currently welcoming Robin into the fold, albeit tiredly...although Suki seemed less enthusiastic over their newest witch.

"You ok?" Dustin's voice rang through the silence that had gathered around the brunette, she froze, her stones clattering into her hand one final time before falling still. She turned to the boy and smiled gently at him, "I'm alright Dustin...just thinking."

"About?"

"Peter." She slipped her seeing stones back into their leather pouch with a final clattering "I...I don't think he's done" She pulled the leather string to close the bag, securing it with a black bead. "This isn't the first time he's harmed a witch." She let her eyes fall back on the distant woods "Is it?"

Dustin shook his head "I guess not?" He took a seat next to her, she could almost hear the gears turning inside of his curly haired head. "So...you and Steve?"

"Yep...is that ok with you?" Her question caught Dustin off guard, looking at her closely before answering "Yeah. I think Steve needs someone...I hope you're his Suzie"

"His Suzie?" She grinned at the look of elation that ook over his slightly chubby features "My girlfriend. She's perfect." He rests his chin on his fist "Just perfect"

She nods a little, dropping the bag to the ground between them "I don't know if we're quite perfect..." She pulls her knees to her chest and rests her chin there before going on, her head bobbing slightly as she spoke "We didn't really start out truthful" She snuck a look at him, he was keeping his eyes on the pool in front of them. "Not that I can blame him...who tells their new girlfriend that they're regularly fighting monsters from another dimension?"

"Or their new boyfriend that they're a witch?" Dustin chuckles slightly "I don't think Steve's going to dump you over that...not when it's so cool" She blushes slightly at Dustin's words "How long have you been dating him?" Dustin asks, a little more soberly

"About a month?...Obviously we're not that serious...I don't think" She shrugs and lays her head down with her cheek pressed to her knees and her eyes facing the younger boy. "How about you and Suzie?"

"About the same" He grins "But...she's something special...I can just tell." She feels her heart swell for the younger boy, his confidence was a little infectious. "Tell me about her?" She smiled contentedly as Dustin launched into a gushing speech about the scientifically minded beauty with dark hair and glasses. She felt her nerves be away as he spoke, no longer really worrying over her and Steve...surely if it was meant to be...it would work out.