Disclaimer: I don't own Stranger Things or any of the characters in this story.


Chapter 14: I Thought I'd Seen Everything

Their hearts were beating wildly as they heard the engine stop and a car door slam. El's grip on Mike's hand tightened at the sound. She looked over at Max, and began crying quietly at the sight of Max's forlorn face. It had been quite a day for all of them, but probably more for Max than anyone else. After all, she'd lost and found her stepbrother multiple times during the day.

A sudden snap of a nearby branch made El look to the right, and she found herself shielding her eyes at the beam of a flashlight in her face.

"WHAT THE HELL?"

"Hopp," El gasped in shock. "What are you doing here?"

He lowered the flashlight. Even in the darkness, she could see the angry redness of his face. "What am I doing here? What the hell are YOU doing here? After I told you not to go anywhere. I've been looking everywhere for you."

"This isn't her fault," Mike interrupted hotly. "Our friends were in trouble and we needed to help. Will almost got kidnapped today."

"Yeah," Max continued. "And we're 100% sure who's behind all this."

Hopper raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Oh really? And who would that be?"

She looked down, the shock of the day's events clearly still evident on her face. "My brother," she replied quietly.

"That is not funny," Hopper said after a moment. "Why the hell would you joke about a thing like that?"

"I'm not joking, Hopp." Max pointed at the open casket behind them. "Look."

He followed Max's finger and his eyes widened. "Jesus fuck. What did you do?" He strode over to the open casket and continued to gape at the sight around him. "You have 30 seconds to tell me what happened here," he thundered.

The kids looked at each other for a moment, then began speaking in rapid fire succession.

"First, I saw Billy outside my house this morning. But he disappeared…"

"Then I checked on Mike's friends in the void, and I saw Billy go after Will…"

"Then El and Max totally saved our asses from Billy and some other creepy dudes outside Lucas' house…"

"Then we came here to find out if the person we'd been seeing all day was actually Billy."

Hopper blinked slowly as he processed what they'd said in the silence that followed. He looked at El this time. "Did you use your powers?"

El felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. "Yes," she whispered.

"So you used your powers in public where someone could see you," he asked, his voice deadly quiet.

El looked nervously at her friends, who exchanged equally worried glances with her. The silence was all the confirmation Hopper needed. He let out a loud sigh.

"Listen, the only reason I'm not out here totally losing my shit is because we've got a dead body laying right over there."

"But that's just it," Max interrupted earnestly. "Billy's not dead."

She grabbed Hopper's hand and pulled him over to the casket. His eyes immediately fell upon the gash in the dummy's chest.

Hopper opened his mouth to talk, but Max beat him to it.

"Cotton," she said, pointing to one of the tufts sticking out of the dummy. "It's stuffed with cotton. And Billy has his OTHER ear pierced…not that one. Plus, feel the skin."

"Excuse me," Hopper asked incredulously.

"Feel it, Hopp," she demanded.

He glared at her. "Jesus christ, fine." He gingerly reached out to touch the forehead and then quickly withdrew his hand. "What the fuck?"

"Exactly," Max replied. "Thank you. See? Fake corpse."

She began muttering and swearing under her breath, but Hopper was paying no attention. His focus had shifted towards another part of the cemetery, his eyes growing heavy with grief. El noticed, and once she saw where he was looking, she understood.

Sara.

The kids were silent as they watched Hopper slowly walk towards the other grave. They followed at a respectful distance and stood behind him, save for El who walked forward and held his hand as they stopped.

The grave had a pair of ballet shoes etched on the front, next to the words:

Sara Hopper

1971-1978

"It's not what the world holds for you. It's what you bring to it."

Hopper let out a loud sniffle. "She brought a lot to this world," he said in a gravelly voice. "So much. I don't know. Maybe it was too much, and that's why the big man needed her upstairs. Maybe they needed her to be an angel to all of us."

He squeezed El's hand and looked down at her. "I wish you could have known Sara. In some ways, you remind me of her. She was a spunky little thing, and so are you."

El smiled softly up at Hopper as he looked back at the grave stone. "Sara sweetie, I'm sorry I haven't been around as much as I should be. All these years later, it still hurts. I still miss you so much, and I don't think that will ever go away. But I'll come around more. I promise."

They stood quietly for a few more minutes as Hopper gathered his bearings. The kids were well aware of what had happened to Sara, and they felt very sorry for it. If she'd still been alive, she would have been the same age as them. Maybe she would have even been a friend of theirs.

The group began walking back in the direction they came from, when Hopper abruptly stopped.

"Holy shit," he exclaimed loudly. "I can't believe I didn't think of it earlier."

"Um, chief…Mr. Hopper, sir," Dustin stuttered. "With all do respect, it's probably not a good idea to just stop suddenly in the middle of a cemetery. It might freak people out."

"Right now, kid, I really don't care," he shot back. "Now can it."

Dustin saluted. "Yes, sir. Sorry for interrupting, sir."

Hopper rolled his eyes. "Now as I was about to say, I had a thought." He paused. "I think Sara and Billy are somehow connected."

"What do you mean? Like she might be alive, too," Mike asked.

"No. I mean, don't you think it's weird that there's crazy shit surrounding both of them? My daughter gets poisoned and it gets covered up…Billy supposedly drowns, but that body is fake."

"What happened that day anyway? The day that you found Billy in the pool," asked Max. "I always wanted to know, but mom and Neil wouldn't give me any details."

The look that crossed Hopper's face could only be described as an 'a-ha' moment. It was as if something suddenly fell into place.

"Oh my god. Oh my FUCKING god," he erupted.

"Dad, what is it? What's wrong," El asked. She was extremely worried. A quick glance at the others showed that they looked to be the same way.

Hopper opened his mouth to speak, but he abruptly looked around, giving the area a once-over before speaking quietly.

"We need to get back home where it's safe. I don't want to say what I need to say out in the open…not when somebody could be listening. Got it?"

They all nodded in unison.

"Good. Now, I want you to clean up that gravesite and put it back to the way it was when you got here. Please try and be as quiet as possible – no dicking around and no stupid shit."

"Pretty sure he's talking to you, Dustin," Lucas cracked, which resulted in a middle finger from Dustin.

"Hey! What did I just say," Hopper asked in exasperation, "No stupid shit from any of you. Clean it up now. Then when you're done, we're all going to follow each other back to my cabin. We can talk more there."

The kids scattered quickly as they got to work. Hopper kept an eye on the cemetery gates as the four boys got the casket lid closed. It went a bit more smoothly this time with the addition of Will. Then it was El's turn. Like before, she extended both arms in front of her, lowered the casket back in the ground, and piled the dirt on top. The six kids stomped on the dirt to try and even it out, then they stepped back to appraise their work. Exhaustion was written on their faces.

Billy's gravesite didn't look great, but it wasn't bad. It would have to do for now, though.

They walked as quickly as they could toward the cemetery gates and walked through. Unfortunately, closing the gate was just as noisy as opening it. They paused after the gate made its high-pitched squeaking noise again, just to make sure they didn't attract any attention.

"Okay, guys. I'll drive in front and you follow. Ready to go, El," Hopper asked expectantly.

El frowned. "No, I want to ride with Mike."

"El, come on. Don't be difficult. Mike and the others will follow us back."

"No. I rode here with him and I'll ride back with him."

Hopper groaned and wiped his face with his hand. "Kid, I am not going to do this in a cemetery. Would you please just get in the car?"

El promptly ran and hid behind Mike, wrapping her arms around his middle. For his part, Mike looked to be a strange combination of both pleased and fearful, settling on fearful when he looked at Hopper's face.

Hopper stared him down for a few seconds. He wasn't happy, but trying to disagree with a telekinetic teenager where her boyfriend was concerned was a bad idea.

"Whatever, kid. Just be safe," he conceded with an eye roll, opening the driver's side door. "Stay close behind me, everyone, okay?"

The ride back felt a lot quicker than it had going to the cemetery. The kids partially felt safer because they had the chief of police with them, and partially because they were in a fog after their weird night. Soon enough, they found themselves back among the trees and parking their bikes outside the small cabin.

"Everyone, get in here quickly," Hopper said, ushering the kids inside. After they all got through the door, he went straight to the fridge for a beer.

The kids sat in the living room and eyed Hopper expectantly. After all, he'd left them hanging.

"So," Max asked after a moment, "What happened that day?"

Hopper sighed and popped the tab on his beer can, taking a big gulp before speaking.

"Well here's the thing, I didn't find Billy that morning. The station got a call from the manager of the pool, saying she'd found the body. Flo radioed me to get down there, then a few minutes later, she radioed me again to tell me there was no need."

Max frowned in confusion. "Why would she tell you that?"

"State police had heard her radio me, and there happened to be a police cruiser closer to the pool than I was. They went ahead and took care of everything – the investigation, the autopsy…everything. They insisted this was a closed case, and there was no need to follow up." Hopper closed his eyes and rested his forehead in his palm. "I can't believe I just let it go. You should always double check. But I trusted them. You're supposed to trust them."

"Wait a second," Mike began, trying to make sense of everything, "You said you thought Billy and Sara were connected somehow. I didn't think the state police had anything to do with Sara's death."

"They didn't, but they're connected to the lab. The lab is – as we know – oh so wonderful at covering things up," Hopper explained bitterly.

"So…you think the police – well, the lab – covered up Billy's death, too," Will asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah, kid. I really do."

"Well, I don't know how they would have had anything to do with Billy's death, but we need to stop them," Max said matter-of-factly. "We need to stop them so they never do anything like that again."

"How do we do that, though," Lucas asked in confusion. "We're talking about some serious shit here. This is the government. If we were to take down the lab, where would we start? Would we sneak in and try to find evidence?"

"And how would we even know WHERE to get in," Dustin added.

They kids were silent, but one by one, they turned and looked at El. She glanced around nervously and shook her head.

"No, I don't want to go there. It's not safe."

"I agree," Hopper interrupted firmly. "El ran away from there for good reason and I will not have her put into harm's way like that."

"But what about Billy," Mike asked.

"What ABOUT Billy," Hopper countered.

"He's still out there. He's still alive. But why is he kidnapping people? Why does he look different? And how is he getting other people to follow his lead?"

Hopper held his hands out in front of himself. "Jesus kid, one thing at a time. On all counts, I have no idea. But I can tell you that we're not going to figure all that out at," he paused to look at his watch, "Holy shit, 10:30. I think it's probably time for bed. We can talk more in the morning."

"Okay. Should we reconvene then," Dustin asked. "I can probably get here around 10."

"Yeah, chief. Just say the word and we'll be here," Lucas added.

Hopper looked at their faces and just knew that he couldn't in good conscience leave them to bike home alone late at night. Even if someone wasn't out terrorizing Hawkins, he wouldn't feel right about it.

"Listen, guys," he began with a sigh, "I think it would probably be best if you all stayed here tonight. It's late, and I would hate it if something happened to you."

El's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Really," she asked. Her and Mike shared an excited glance.

Hopper raised his eyebrows at them. "Yes, really. HOWEVER, there will be some ground rules. No loud noises late into the night, clothes will stay on the entire time, and of course," he said, looking pointedly at El and Mike, "No boys in El's room. Max will stay in there, and you 4 will stay in the living room. I've got pillows and blankets for you."

He paused for a moment, then continued. "Oh, and you might want to give your parents a call and let them know you're okay and staying at a friend's house tonight. The news has started to get out that I've adopted someone. I did let Mike and Max's parents know they were here earlier helping me get my new daughter settled. Just…please be careful what you say."

As he went to his room to get the extra pillows and blankets, Mike wandered over to El and wrapped his arms around her, his face in a pout.

"I wish we could sleep together." However, at the sound of their friends' snickering, he realized his wording. "Shit, I meant JUST sleep. I just want to sleep, that's all."

El was confused. She didn't know what else Mike could have meant.

"I know," she said, frowning. "I wish that, too."

As the boys lined up to call their parents, Max hung back with El on the sofa. It had a been a long and stressful day, as evidenced by El resting her head on Max's shoulder. But it wasn't over by a longshot, not if Max went ahead with the plan that was forming in her head.

She smiled slyly. El was going to be a very happy girl.

After several minutes, it was Max's turn to make her phone call. Mike wandered over to take the spot next to El precisely as Hopper emerged from his room with pillows and blankets, shooting the couple an annoyed glance.

Hopper may have gotten between them for the night, but that didn't mean he was going to intimidate Mike away from El's side before bed.

A tired El put her head down on his shoulder. Mike wrapped his arm around her and gave her a light kiss on her head, savoring the time he had with her. He tried to justify with himself that sleeping apart but in the same house was better than sleeping at separate houses.

"Well, that about does it," Hopper announced. He fluffed the last pillow and tossed it over to where Mike and El sat on the sofa. "Time for bed, kids."

"Aw, man," Dustin whined. "But it's so early. It's summer, chief. Live a little."

"Thanks, kid. I'll try," Hopper responded sarcastically. "But until we figure out what the hell is going on, I've got to get to work early tomorrow. And you've all had a long day, too."

The kids didn't fight it. Much as they'd try to insist otherwise, they were exhausted. They exchanged hugs and well wishes for a good night's sleep. Mike and El took as much time as they could to make the most of their goodnights, with Mike even walking El to her bedroom door.

"I hope you sleep good…girlfriend," Mike said with a sweet smile, nudging El's shoulder with his own.

She grinned widely. "You too…boyfriend. I'm so tired."

Mike nodded in understanding. "It was a crazy day. But I'm happy we were at least together for it."

El agreed. She couldn't imagine spending any time apart from him.

He reached down and pulled her into a tight hug. "'Night, El."

"'Night, Mike," she replied, burying her face in his chest. As she slowly pulled away, El could tell Hopper was watching them from his bedroom doorway. Not caring that he was just ten feet away, El leaned back in and gave Mike a quick kiss on the lips, grinning at the dopey smile that appeared on his face.

"Goodnight," she whispered again, swiftly turning and opening her bedroom door. Max followed her into the room, and the door shut behind them.

Mike was left in a contented yet exhausted daze, only snapping out of it when Will clapped him on the shoulder.

"You want to grab a pillow and a blanket?"

"Yeah, I guess," he replied, letting out a long breath.

Unfortunately, it looked like Dustin had claimed the sofa, as evidenced by the fact that he was attempting to take up every single inch of it. Mike shot him a glare and a middle finger, which Dustin answered by childishly sticking his tongue out at him. And as he settled on the floor with his blanket and pillow, Mike couldn't help but wish he had a much more comfortable place to sleep.


Meanwhile in El's room, Max breathlessly sat on the bed. "Holy shit, what a day," she said. El flopped down face-first next to her and groaned in response.

Max chuckled. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Nothing. Just tired."

"Me too. But, um, I have an idea," Max said quietly, scooting closer to El. "We need to wait until Hopper falls asleep. It'll be totally easy to tell because that man sounds like a chainsaw."

"Why do we need to wait for him to fall asleep?"

Max cocked an eyebrow at El. "To sneak Mike in here. I'm sure you'd rather have him in your bed for the night than me."

El spluttered, gaping a little like a fish. "But you're my best friend," she finally settled on.

"Oh, come on," Max laughed. "It's no use pretending. You want him in here, right?"

"Yeah," El replied sheepishly.

"Okay, then. So we wait until Hopper falls asleep, then I go out there and trade places with Mike. Of course, he and I will have to switch again before Hopper wakes up. But pretty simple, right?"

It did sound pretty simple to El, and she nodded eagerly in agreement.

Max smirked. "Alright. Well until then, let's get comfy, shall we?" She scooted next to El and picked up a stray magazine. They thumbed through it lazily, occasionally pointing out a cool article or a cute celebrity. But they didn't have to wait long. About ten minutes later, they heard it.

"What's that I hear," Max asked, cupping her hand to the wall. "El Hopper, I do believe that's a chainsaw."

El giggled, her heart rate picking up as she knew it was almost time. Max tiptoed to the bedroom door and opened it quietly, putting her pointer finger up to her mouth to shush El.

As she disappeared through the bedroom door, El stood up from the bed, too jittery to stay seated. She heard voices talking quietly in the living room. This went on for a couple of minutes, and she thought maybe something had gone wrong – that Mike didn't want to come in. But suddenly, she saw the doorknob turn.

And there he was.


Happy 4th of July to my readers in the USA! Happy one-year anniversary of ST3 to my readers around the world! It makes me miss these characters so much. But, good news. I've heard that production on season 4 is supposed to tentatively start in September. Let's hope it goes without a hitch.

I hope you're liking the story. Obviously next chapter is what happens after the bedroom door opens. It was such a stressful day for these cuties, and I thought I'd give them a little alone time together! Anyway, hopefully you're all doing well. Please leave a review.