Hello, everyone! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Here is my special gift to you: a new chapter! I'm very excited about this, so hopefully you will be too. I love you all very much and I apologize for the length of this, as well as the cliffhanger ending...AGAIN, lol. It's a very anxiety-raising ending, but I swear, everything will be alright. You know I never like a sad ending. I like things to be resolved too and I assure you that they will all work out in your favor. Anyway, I love you all very much and this chapter is dedicated to Sam, as well as my ibfs with whom I've either met through my fanfiction or who just actively read it. (P.S. The last chapter I posted was called "Home Is Where The Heart Is," but I made it the new first one and I'm not sure if everybody saw it, especially people. In the notification, it claims "Bad News When You See That Bloody Nose" is the newest one, but it's actually not. Anyway, just wanted to clarify. Enjoy!)
"Hi. Name?" asked the lady at the front desk.
"Jane Byers," answered El, as that was her legal name with Joyce as her new guardian.
"*scrolls mouse* Bishop, Bowman…*clicks tongue, scans screen with finger* Let's see here...Ah, yes! Byers. *types some, mouse clicks rapidly* Alright, Jane, you're all set! Candace will be with you shortly, but in the meantime, would you like me to go ahead and schedule your next appointment?"
"Sure," she said.
"Okay, well, it looks like she's free Monday at 4:00, Wednesday morning at 11:00, or Thursday at 5:00."
El then turned to Joyce, reading her lips as she shrugged and mouthed "Monday?"
*El nods*
"Um, I think we'll do Monday," she shyly said.
"Monday it is!" the woman said excitedly. "Feel free to grab some refreshments in the waiting area...*points to Joyce* You too, Mom! You can take some home with you if you'd like."
"Thank you."
"My pleasure!"
"You good here by yourself?" asked Joyce.
"Yeah, I'm good."
"Alright. Well, I'll be waiting outside in the car if you need me. See you in an hour," said Joyce, kissing her head before she left.
"See you," she replied with a smile.
It was a little awkward, sitting around and waiting there with other people, people she didn't know from Adam, especially since El was one to unintentionally draw attention to herself even without meaning to, but still, she couldn't deny that the waiting area was nice and cozy with all of its couches and refreshments.
She liked that they played music too. She found it all to be very relaxing, even for a place that could make her a little anxious sometimes. And sitting down, she began looking through the piles of magazines on the coffee table. Most of them seemed to be things like People Magazine, National Geographic, Sports Illustrated, or lifestyle ones, which she wasn't very familiar with, and while Cosmo was somewhat appealing, she was in search of something better...But not just anything, her favorite and she found it- Tiger Beat.
Candace then walked down the steps with her previous patient and said:
"I'll be with you in just one second," she said, eyeing El as she walked over to the filing room.
"'Kay," said El.
[Several moments later]
"Hi, El!"
"*gives shy smile* Hey, Candace."
"You ready to head up?"
"Yes."
"Fabulous!" she said, as they made their way towards the stairs.
After entering the room, El sat down on the couch, while Candace sat in the chair across from her.
"*sighs with relaxed relief* So, El, tell me, how are you?! Doing good?" she asked calmly, though her face lighting up with enthusiasm.
"Pretty well, yeah. You?"
"Doing just fine, thanks."
"That's good," she said with a smile.
"Why don't you tell me a little bit about what's been going on with you lately. Anything new that you feel would be worth talking about?"
"Let's see, well, I've mostly just been doing schoolwork and hanging out at home while Joyce is at work..."
"Do you like spending this much time by yourself?"
"No!"
"How does it make you feel?"
"I don't know...I guess it can get kind of lonely sometimes because it's like Will's at school in the morning and afternoon and Jonathan's at college, so I have no one to hang out with and it's not like I can call Mike or Max because they both have school too!"
"Mmm. I know that must be hard for you. *ponders and nods* I wonder if maybe until your friends and family get freed up, you could use some of your free time to figure out what you like to do, what you enjoy. You know, maybe you could figure out what hobbies you find joy in and what you're good at."
"How would I do that?"
"Well, you could do all sorts of things! You could buy some art supplies from the craft store, you could rent or buy some books about teaching yourself how to do something, you could buy an instrument and maybe start taking lessons, or even join the swim team. You know, things like that. I really do think that exploring different kinds of art might be enjoyable for you. The opportunities are just endless when it comes to art and it might be a way for you to express these things that you're feeling in a really creative way."
"Yeah, I like that idea."
"Well, Valentine's Day's not all that far away...Do you and your boyfriend Mike have any special plans?"
"Yeah, we're working on it. I think he's coming here, which should be exciting...I usually go over there because that's where all of our friends are, but since it's Valentine's Day, I think he wants it to be about just us and I do too. It's just so much more personal that way, you know? I don't know…*shakes head with giddy, flattered smile* There's just something so romantic about the way he's dedicating his day to spend time with me."
"Sounds like it! From all of the things that you've told me, Mike sure sounds like a very sweet guy. I can tell that he really loves you."
"Yeah, he really does and so do I…"
"Do you know what you're going to wear yet?"
"I don't! That's part of my problem because I have no idea what he's planning or what's going on in his head. He's always surprising me…"
"You could surprise him too, you know! I'm sure he'd really like that."
"I guess I've never really thought about it much, but I might just do that...Not only would it make him happy, but it would make me happy too and maybe even give me something to do, like you were saying."
"There you go! That's the spirit!"
*El giggles*
*Candace chuckles, laughter fades*
"I wanted to check in with you...Have you had any more...anxiety attacks lately?" asked Candace.
"A few every now and then, but less than when I first started seeing you."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that they haven't been too severe lately."
"Yeah, I think the fact that I've started exercising more might have something to do with it too."
"Yes, exercise, like art, can be a really great way to channel your stress. And I'm sure that the more you're getting settled into your new house and town, you won't feel quite as out of place over time, even though those homesick feelings aren't going away anytime soon."
"Yeah, I think so too."
"Have you been sleeping well? I know that was a problem the last time that we talked."
"Not as much as I'd like to...I just can't seem to get rid of him!"
"Rid of who? Hopper?"
"Yeah, he just keeps coming to me in my dreams, every night...And I just don't know what to say or even what it means...I mean, I'm happy to have the chance to see him again, even if it is just in my dreams, but they're almost always bad dreams, dreams where he's alive somewhere and it's up to me to save him."
"When you see him in your dreams, where is he?"
"It's hard to say...It's kinda like this one, big, black room like a black hole, except with a few inches of water covering the surface of the ground," she said, knowing that it was, in fact, The Void.
"And what are some of the things that he says to you?"
"Well, usually in this place, he can't sense that I'm there. It's almost like I'm just watching or spying on him, but when he can feel my presence, he'll say something like *imitates husky voice* 'Hey, kid. I'm still here. I don't have a lot of time left. Please find me when you can.'"
"Do you feel like that puts a lot of pressure on you?"
"Yes!" El said with wide eyes and a slow nod.
"Do you ever feel this kind of pressure from other people in your life...like maybe Joyce?"
"No, no. They're quite supportive of me actually, Joyce especially. I mean, most of them knew Hopper, but didn't have a super close relationship with him like she or I did, except for Mike, who had somewhat of a troubling relationship with him. He wasn't the easiest person to get along with, I'll tell you that...But no, Joyce has been nothing but sweet and understanding about it all."
"That's nice to hear."
"Yeah, although I am a little worried about her…"
"How come?"
"I don't know...I just have this sinking feeling that she might be keeping something from me…"
"What makes you think that she is?"
"Well, recently, we made a trip down to Hawkins and I think something happened to her there...When I was at Mike's, she just disappeared and no one knew where she went off to, but wherever she went and whatever it was that she did, she wasn't the same after it. It really shook her up, I could tell...and she wants us to go back too, but when I confronted her about it, about where she went off to while we were there and why she decided for us to go back so soon, she got a little nervous and started stumbling over her words, like maybe she wasn't telling the whole truth."
"What do you think she was doing?"
"*sighs* I think she was looking for Hopper. She has a tendency, you see, to stop at nothing until she finds her loved ones. I mean, technically that was only true with Will, and technically I've really only heard about it from Hopper, but what he said about it was convincing enough to make me think that she'd do it again."
"What'd she do the first time?"
"Well, it's kind of hard to explain, and I don't expect you to understand, but let's just say that she found this way of communicating with her son without him actually being there."
"So, you think that she found a way to 'communicate' with Hopper too?"
"Yes, I do."
"*glances at clock* Well, El, I'm afraid that's all of the time we have for today, but I do encourage you to try and address this situation with Joyce in some way, whether that's watching her a little more closely, talking to her about Hopper or Hawkins, or expressing how you feel like she's been a little distant from you lately. You take care now, alright?"
"Yeah, I will. Thanks."
"No problem. *stands up from chair* Well, shall we?"
*El nods*
*both walk downstairs*
Reconvening with El in the car, Joyce said:
"Hey, sweetie. How was therapy?"
"Pretty good. *pauses* I was actually telling Candace about our trip to Hawkins…"
"Oh yeah?" she said, trying to hide her nervousness.
"Yeah."
"*dodges eye contact, gulps* Well, I'm glad it was a good session."
"I am too."
And they rode home silent for the remainder of the car ride, both with it still on their minds, what had happened to each of them when they were back in Hawkins. In Joyce's case, it was the reason that she had decided that they needed to go back in the first place.
You see, after Joyce had found out the news that Hopper was still alive, she felt tempted to just stay in her old house all night, but what she really needed was to get away, to process this, to figure out exactly what to do with this information and what the next move was. And she did just that, traveling back to Illinois and pondering in her quiet bedroom, with two words running through her mind on a loop: 3 inches.
"3 inches, 3 inches," she repeated to herself, wanting for it to mean something...And then it did.
She had thought on it for quite a while until realizing that maybe paying his cabin a visit was the answer she was looking for all along. And sure enough, after traveling all the way back to Hawkins weeks later, the front door was cracked open just for her...
"3 inches, why am I not surprised. Gosh, even in a parallel universe, you're still funny," laughing until she wept, then leaning her head and palm against the doorframe as if it was his actual chest.
And then something crazy happened, something unimaginable. She heard a voice coming from the walls, and not just anyone's but his! His deep, gravelly, cigarette-strained voice calling out to her and saying:
"Joyce!"
She frantically responded, her words coming out in pure gibberish, but then she ran over to the wall.
"H-H-H-Hop?!" she asked with excitement and fear at the same time.
"*breathlessly* Peel the wallpaper."
"You su-"
"Yes, I'm sure."
"Okay," she said peeling it to reveal him.
And she saw him and cried, putting her hand to his, between the bones of the wall and the goo of the Upside Down.
"You taking care of El for me?"
"Yep, just like you asked me too if anything was to happen to you. And it did…"
"I've been through worse."
"How the hell are you still alive? You have no food, no water! I don't understand it."
"Joyce, I'm in the Upside Down! It's basically Hawkins, just in the pits of hell apparently. There's still food here, that is if I can get to it."
"You look thinner though…"
"You sound disappointed. I thought you'd prefer that."
"I meant thinner in the starved way, not the slim way."
"Hah, Slim Jim! Got so used to Hefty Hop in high school, never thought that'd be my new nickname."
"*laughs* I mean it though. I'm concerned…"
"You're always concerned! What's new?"
"Can't argue with you there," she said.
"Aww, but I love it when we banter. It's our thing."
"It is our thing."
*smiles*
"Okay, but seriously, you're not even the tiniest bit happy that I managed to shave off a couple of pounds?!"
"I don't know, I mean, I don't want you to be unhealthy and obese, but I guess a part of me liked the big guy in you. It was fitting with your big heart and protective persona."
"You're a complicated woman, Joyce Byers."
"I'll take that as a compliment," she said.
"You should...It was one."
*blushes*
"You know, I was hoping you'd get to see this room someday, but not exactly like this...More so horizontal with maybe a little less clothes."
"*chuckles* Hah, that's quite a line!"
"Well, it worked, didn't it?"
"Dinner first, then dessert," she said with a wink.
"So dessert is a possibility then? Dessert's on the table?" he asked, making a complete fool out of himself.
"Maybe after a couple of dates it will be, but let's not get ahead of ourselves now."
"No, you're right. I wouldn't want that either. I don't think that would make sense."
"Yeah, we'll see where things go, but on our own time, not Murray's...or Alexei's!"
"*exhales in a chortle* Right."
"God, I missed this! We haven't even been on our date yet and it somehow feels like we've already been on 30 of them!"
"I know, I feel it too."
"You do?"
"Yeah. I always have, Joyce. Even in high school, but that was before-"
"*sighs* Lonnie."
"Yeah."
"Well, he's out of the picture now."
"I should hope so."
"Gosh, what am I doing? I need to get you the hell out of there and instead, I'm conversing with you like there's no tomorrow."
"Maybe there's not."
"Hop, don't say that…"
"I've thought a lot about it, how things would be if I was gone, but in some ways, it seems I already am...If I came back, maybe that would mess things up. You never would've been able to move in the first place if it wasn't for my death…If I came back, then what?"
"You-You know about that?"
"Nothing gets past me, Joyce. I'm a cop for Christ's sakes…"
"If you come back, then I come back too."
"But what about Will?"
"What about Will?"
"You want him to be safe."
"I wanted you to be safe too and look how that turned out."
"*laughs* Oh, please! Danger's my middle name!"
"*laughs, laughter fades* Besides, no matter how long I stay in Illinois, it'll never feel like home…"
"No, as much of a dump and hellhole as this place is, it's our hellhole."
"Exactly."
"Hop?" she continued.
"Yeah?"
"Before we get you out of there, there's something you should know…"
"Yeah?"
"El lost her powers. Now, she's regaining them, but...slowly."
"Well, shit! What are we- What are we going to do now?"
"Oh, don't you get all worked up! I'm sure they'll be back in no time. You know how invested the kids are in this, Mike especially."
"Mike. Oh, Jesus...Do I even want to know about them?"
"Don't you worry, Hop. I've got it all under control! You do trust me, don't you?"
"Sure I do!"
"Good. Anyway, I'm going to talk to El about all of this, I just don't quite know how to break it to her yet."
"She'll be fine, Joyce. Hell, I'm sure she and her little friends have been scheming my rescue for longer than you have!"
"You really think they already know?"
"Stranger things have happened."
"They have...They definitely have."
"God, Hopper, I'm-I'm so sorry...about all of this! You know I never wanted to turn those keys, I just-"
"I know you didn't. It's okay, Joyce. It's not your fault. It was an impossible situation. You had no other choice."
"Yeah," she said, sobbing again.
"Hey, hey, hey, don't cry...I'll see you on the other side, okay?"
"*sniffles* You mean the Right Side Up?"
"*chuckles* Yeah, the Right Side Up."
*wall starts closing*
"This isn't goodbye, Joyce."
She cried even harder, her knees buckling to the floor. And she sat there, trying to find the motivation to move from that spot, but after that conversation, she needed some extra time to let it soak in.
Mike and El, on the other hand, were busy making plans of their own that evening:
"So, what do you wanna do? We've got, what? A little less than an hour?"
"Yeah. Hmm...You up for a hike?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Oh, I like the way you think," he said.
"I'll take that as yes!"
"Yes," he confirmed.
And so they climbed, that same hilly field, this time without any radio equipment, though it's not like they ever carried it the first place. Instead with a picnic basket and checkered blanket. It wasn't as nice as it had been in the summer. In fact, the ground was a little frosted and the air was cold as shit. Their fingers were practically numb to the bone until hugging in a handhold. It was a pretty accurate representation of how things were going for them in general. It seemed that everything was frozen and worst of all- El's grief. There were things, things she hadn't yet faced, one of them being that maybe, just maybe, Hopper was still alive.
But amidst those consuming thoughts that kept her up at night was the positivity, the happiness, the sunset lying among her sky of life- Mike. And though the sun had set, it had not on their relationship. They could handle the darkness, they could handle it better than anyone they knew. What most of the people of Hawkins didn't seem to understand was that just because shit went on in their town didn't mean that shit happened to them. None of it hardly even touched a tiny hair on their heads, but Mike and El, they lived through it. They survived. And so, looking up at the sky, gazing at the stars, they saw the hope, the light, the beauty that was left in this rotten town.
"You see that?" he said, pointing up to the blackened sky. "That's Ursa Major."
"Oh...Cool!" she said, acting like she knew what that meant. "What's that?"
"A constellation."
*tears up a bit*
"Hey. *shakes shoulder, rubs arm* What's wrong?"
"*sniffles* Nothing. *wipes tear* It's-It's stupid…"
"No, it's not."
"It's just that *sighs* stars, galaxies, constellations- Sara used to love that stuff. Sara was Hopper's daughter, his real daughter and-"
"Hey *grabs shoulder* You were just as much Hop's daughter as Sara once was."
"Yeah, except the difference is that he lost her and I lost him."
And he pulled her closer, with her head to his chest, secretly and silently wishing her a world where she could finally be happy.
"Mike?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm-I'm sorry…"
"Sorry, what are you sorry for?"
"Well, you were just trying to do something nice. You were trying to impress me, to be romantic and I ruined it...just like everything else."
"That's not true, no way is that true!"
"It's not?"
"Hell no!"
"Tell me more. I promise I-I won't get emotional this time."
"Okay, well, you see that right there?"
"Yeah."
"That's Cassiopeia, named after the queen mentioned in Greek myths."
"It's...beautiful!"
"Well, she was a vain queen who boasted about her unrivaled beauty, although, I thought that was your thing. Not being conceited, but you know, being beautiful."
And she looked over at him, with not only love but stars in her eyes, stars for their future and everything to come.
And the next morning, she had returned to Mike's house one last time to say goodbye. With a little less than 10 minutes left, they wandered into the living room, seeing an empty La-Z-Boy before them.
*El sits down, pets the loose fabric of the chair and clutches it in her fist*
"Remember? When I first taught you how to recline this?" asked Mike, sliding right beside her.
"How could I forget!" she said with a smile.
And he smiled back, throwing his left arm around her and gazing into her eyes.
"I'm going to miss you, El Byers," he said, stroking her cheek with his knuckles as he placed a strand of hair behind her ear.
"My name sounds so much better when you it's coming from your lips..."
"Maybe that's just because I made it."
"Must be it!" she said.
"Have I ever told you how I know that I need you besides the fact that I love you?"
"No...?"
"I need you because you can't spell my name without yours…"
"*eyebrows pinch together in confusion* Yeah, you can…"
"No, not Mike. I meant Michael."
"*ponders* Whoa, you're right!"
"Yep, without you, I'm nothing. I'm not Mike or Michael, I'm just...Micha!"
She rolled her eyes and smiled at his dramatic claim, then saying:
"C'mere, Micha. Let me give you a happy *raises eyebrows* ending…"
And she threw one hand behind his shoulder, stretching her left arm across the other as she mozied her way up to his face with a certain shyness. His chin too bowed down to hers, following the fickle motion of his jaw as he kissed her back.
It was a soft kiss, a toss of lips, slow, but romantic. So delicately did they move, so gently did they clash, like the pads of feet sinking in mounts of sand. It was all about the give and take. But there was something about the way the chair springs squeaked and creaked with each kiss that made El a little nervous, fearing that it might give out, but maybe they were good nerves. And as the kiss built, what started out as a playful soon turned sultry.
Feeling so drawn to him, she slowly rose from the neighboring side of the cushion, letting him swoop her into his lap. But carefully pushing his lips off of hers, what was thought to be the end was, in fact, a brief intermission. The real show was only beginning, and as she waited, quite literally on the edge of her seat, their faces finally starting to meet, he reached his hand over to the side of the chair with a rascally, almost daring look on his face, one she hadn't seen before.
Pulling back the lever, he kicked out the footrest with a pop. And as he fell back, she fell forward, grabbing onto his shoulders for balance. She giggled as gravity took her into its own hands while pushing her into his. Whatever passion was lying in that kiss before only intensified and took off with the reclining of the chair. It was thrilling, to say the least.
"*out of breath* You scared me half to death with that stunt you pulled!" El later revealed.
"*giggles* Sorry…"
"It's okay. Actually, I kind of liked it, not gonna lie...It was kinda hot."
"Good," he said, as he looked her in the eyes with a smirk, kissed her hand, and interlaced his fingers with her own.
While in Hawkins, Mike started to take interest in El's appointments, but not in a boundary-crossing way, but more so with genuine concern for her well-being. She was happy to see him this way, though she wasn't surprised.
However, while in back in Hawkins, she had started to have these visions and dreams about Hopper, all of which she told him about, though they didn't know what to do about them. Everything was telling her she should look for him in the Void, but every time she tried, it wouldn't work properly. Lucky for them, an opportunity presented itself on Valentine's Day, when the two first explored the town and then went into the city for some fun.
*doorbell rings*
"Oh, Mike's here!" she said, caught off guard.
"Hey!"
"Hi!" she said with a little bounce of excitement.
And they both stood there for a second, then jumped into a hug, kissing one another's cheeks.
"I missed you," he said.
"I missed you too," she said.
His hands slid down the rungs of her arms all the way to her hands which he held and then said:
"It was a pretty long car ride, do you mind if I use the bathroom real quick?"
"No, that's fine! I'll be here when you're done."
And going to the bathroom, he pulled out a little box from his pocket with a necklace inside, making sure to take a different route to get from the bathroom to the kitchen. That way, he could sneak up behind El and surprise her by hanging the necklace around her neck, which had one very special number on it- her own name.
And so, he did just that, swinging his arms over her head and clasping it in the back. Then, he wrapped his arms around her stomach and said "Happy Valentine's Day," kissing her cheek and neck. She first held the charm between her fingers, looking down at it, then held the hands which bound her and peeled them off, turning around to say the same.
"Happy Valentine's Day!" she said, pressing her hands to his cheeks and her lips to his.
"You ready for your present?" she continued.
"Oh, you really didn't have to get me any- What is it?!" he asked excitedly.
"*El giggles* You'll see!"
"*unravels* A comic book?! El, do you realize how rare this is? How did you ever manage to get this?!"
"I may have had a little help from a friend," she said, referring to Will.
And that day, they read a little Lord of the Rings together, which Mike insisted on introducing to El now that she could read fairly proficiently. She found it a little hard to follow with all of the unfamiliar, unusual names, but grew to love it the farther they read into it.
And at one point they stopped and looked at each other intensely.
"What? What is it?" asked Mike.
"Nothing, you just have the most beautiful eyes...I could stare into them all day…"
"Not as long as I could stare into yours…"
"Wanna bet?"
"Okay, *throws book* what the hell!"
"So, staring contest?"
"Sure. *palms meet to shake* May the best ma- *shakes slowly* per-son win!"
"Nice save there!" she said, laughing. "But I'm warning you, you will lose…"
"Yeah, well, we'll just see about that, won't we?"
"Staring contest in 3, 2, 1!"
And so it began, with the two gazing endlessly, but El soon came to find that Mike was ready to find any way to divert her and break her gaze. Unfortunately for him, El had a couple of tricks up her sleeve herself.
"Oh, two can play this game!"
And she looked at him, this time with wider eyes and a creepy, almost demonic little smile on her face, placing her hands on the side of his face and saying in a possessed, whispery voice:
"Precious...You're my PRECIOUS…MY precious! MINE!"
Mike tried everything he could not to break eye contact, but alas, letting out a chuckle, he couldn't control the squinting and blinking that came with his laughter.
"Hah! Gotcha!" she said. "I knew that would work!"
"Dammit! Ugh, why do you have to be so adorable all the time?! You know book references are my kryptonite…"
"Adorable? You thought that was adorable!"
"Uh, yeah, pretty much."
"Pfft, if I was actually as ugly and possessed as Gollum, you wouldn't even look at me!"
"Sure I would!"
"You're a terrible liar, Mike," she said.
"Who said I was lying?"
"You expect me to believe that you would still love me just the same if I was possessed by a ring, or better yet the Mind Flayer!"
"El, you could be the most wretched-looking creature in the world and I would still love you. I'll never stop."
"Not even if I shrunk down to two inches tall?"
"I'd carry you around in my pocket!"
"Not even if I-"
"Nothing you can say is going to change my mind."
"I love you so much…"
"I love it when you say it first," he said.
"No, I love it when you say it first!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"Ugh, fine. I love you," he said.
"No, I love you!"
"I could go all day," he said.
"I could too," she said.
"Wanna bet?" he asked.
"Only if you wanna lose again!"
*intense eye contact*
*Joyce clears throat*
*both heads turn*
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything…" said Joyce.
"Oh no, we were just- Never mind. What's up?" she said, casually and awkwardly leaning her elbow out against Mike's shoulder while stretching.
"I'm just afraid that if you two don't get going then you won't have enough time to hang out around the town before it's time for Mike to go."
"No, no, you're right. We should go. Thanks for looking out for us."
"Of course," she said with a smile.
"We'll see you later, Joyce," said El.
"Okay, be back by 9:30 please."
"Okay, we'll do. Bye!"
And the two walked around the town, with El showing him around the different places she when and things that she liked to do. Mike liked that she had planned out a whole romantic evening for them, but he certainly wasn't expecting that going over to Chicago would be a part of it...
"What do you say we sneak out of here and catch a bus to Chicago for a bit?"
"Unsupervised? In Chicago? What has gotten into you, El Byers?"
"Hey, I've done it before and I'll do it again. Now are you in or are you out?"
"Oh, I'm so in!"
"Sweet! Do you have some extra money with you?"
"Yeah, I got you."
"Okay, cool."
Chicago was big and scary, but so lively and fun at the same time. There were rougher parts that they tried their best to avoid, but apparently dangerous people of their past wasn't one of those things...
"Jane?"
"Kali?"
All three moved off to the side so they weren't in the way of anybody walking down the street.
"What are you doing here?"
"I live here now. Well, not in Chicago, but still in Illinois."
"How 'bout that! And who do we have here? Is this the Mike I've heard so much?"
"It sure is!" she said excitedly, resting her palm on his stomach.
"Hi, nice to finally meet you, Kali," he said, reaching out his hand to shake hers.
"And a gentleman apparently. The pleasure's all mine," she said, shaking his hand back.
"Are you busy? I'd love to catch up," said El.
"No, but let's grab something to eat. My treat!"
"Aww, that's awfully kind of you."
"Eh, it's nothing. Us sisters gotta look out for each other, right?" she said, pulling El in a side hug with Mike's hand still holding onto hers.
"What do you say, Mike?"
"El, I don't know about this…" he whispered inaudibly to anyone but El.
"*turns to Kali* Would you excuse us for just a sec?"
"Yeah, of course," said Kali.
"What is your problem?" asked El.
"Problem? The only problem I have is with you hanging out with your delinquent sister!"
"And yet you're also the one who was encouraging me to do it in the first place months ago…"
"Yeah, well...You were the one who was against it! Remember that?"
"That was then, but this is now and I'm not going to waste what may be my only opportunity."
"It'd be different if it was your mom or Becky, but this is Kali we're talking about...I mean, are you sure?"
"Mike, what happened to you trusting me?"
"It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I don't trust her."
"Mike, listen to me. Maybe running into her like this wasn't just any coincidence...Maybe it was fate! I've been having dreams, visions of the Void. She can help me get in the state of mind to actually occupy it."
"You really think so?"
"I do."
"Okay, then that's what we'll do."
He didn't know how much he could trust her just yet, but he was willing to find out…
"Thank you for being flexible about this. *kisses cheek*" said El.
"I gotta say, this isn't exactly how I pictured Valentine's Day would go, but I guess we've got a lot of love to go around."
"We do," she said with a smile.
*both walk over to Kali*
"Welcome back!" she said.
"So...Where shall we eat?"
"Mike, do you like Chinese food?" she asked, making an effort to include him.
"Yeah, I love Chinese food. El does too," he said, pointing to her.
"Great. I know just the place."
"Then, by all means, lead the way!"
"Gladly," she said.
And they walked a couple of blocks until coming upon a restaurant signified by Mandarin characters. It was a really neat place, a restaurant like none El nor Mike had seen before. Something about this place was really lounge-like and certainly meditative. The tables were all low to the ground with cushiony, bean bag furniture and fairy lights hung all around the ceiling. There were red lanterns floating and paintings of dragons and cherry blossoms and women in kimonos with Chinese letters that followed them like captions. And best of all was the soothingly soft music and the water tank filled with goldfish.
As then opened their fortune cookies, Mike leaned over El's shoulder, asking:
"What's yours say?"
"*stretches out paper strip* 'Always be prepared for the worst so you can celebrate the best.'"
"Interesting. Mine says 'Love is like sweet medicine, good to the last drop.'"
"It does not!"
"It does so! See, look!" he said, showing it to her.
"Awww," she said, kissing his cheek and briefly rubbing his shoulders. "What does yours say, Kali?"
"It says 'It takes courage to admit fault.'"
"Mmm, it does," said El.
And as they finished up eating, she then said:
"This place is just filled with luck and color..."
"You have no idea!" said Kali.
"You come here a lot?" asked Mike.
"Yes. I own it, as a matter of fact."
"Get out!" said El.
"I speak the truth…This restaurant's my baby...and my gift to you," she said, holding El's chin.
"Your gift to me? In what way?"
"The name. Don't you get it?"
"Sunflower Noodles? What's that got to do with me?"
"I'll tell you, but not in front of him…"
"Why not? Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of Mike."
"Does he know? About us?"
"He knows everything. He was the first person I knew outside of the lab."
"Okay, well, I named it Sunflower Noodles because *sighs* Breathe. SUNFLOWER. Rainbow. 450."
"Kali, you didn't!" she said.
"I did! I named it after your mom."
*tears stream down El's face*
"*wipes tears and sniffles* That's one of the nicest things anyone's ever done for me...I don't know how to thank you!"
"Hugs work!" she said with a smile.
*both hug*
"And there's more."
"More?" she asked.
"Yes. I left the restaurant in your name too, so if you're ever looking for a summer job and want to visit your sister for old time's sake, consider yourself an employee...or an owner. Whichever you prefer."
"This is insane! *puts hands together in front of nose and mouth, shakes head* I can't thank you enough."
"The pleasure is all mine," she said.
And she grabbed Mike's hand, holding it and playing with his fingers to let him know that she hadn't forgotten about him.
"Why did you do all of this for me? I don't understand...I left you. I thought you hated me for that."
"I could never hate you, Jane! We were just on different wavelengths and in some ways, we both wanted the same thing- to be with the ones that we loved," she said, looking at Mike. "The only difference was that I craved revenge at the time-"
"At the time? You mean you don't still? You've given up the fugitive life, for good?"
"*laughs* Yes, that was a chapter of my life that needed to end, one that I'd rather not revisit. *sighs* I'm really sorry, El. I was foolish back then...and immature. It was time that I turned a new leaf. And you helped me realize that I couldn't have both. If it wasn't for you, none of this would've happened. You leaving me was the best and worst thing that ever happened to me. It really opened my eyes and helped me get back on my feet. And for that, I am eternally in your debt."
"What about the others? Mick? Axel? Dottie? Fumshine?"
"We still keep in touch...Some more so than others...*sighs* They may not be your siblings, but they're mine, so we look out for each other, help each other when we can. I do have someone here who wants to see you though, Jane."
"Really? Who?"
"Hello, Miss Jane," spoke a deep, booming voice.
"Fumshine? Oh my gosh, it's been so long!" she said, running over to him in a hug.
"It has. I take it you found your family?"
"Yep, you're looking at him," El said with a smile, pulling Mike over to where she stood. "*holds him close* This is my boyfriend, Mike."
"Nice to meet you, Mike," he said, shaking his hand.
"Likewise."
"Listen, I don't want to take away from your time with your sister, Jane, but please come find me before you leave. I want to make sure you and the boyfriend get to the bus station safely."
"We'll be sure to do that," said El.
"You've got a big heart, Fumshine," said Mike.
"So they tell me!" he joked. "Bye now."
"Well, *puts hair behind ears* that was certainly a blast from the past!"
"Mm, *sets chopsticks down* I almost forgot to ask! How is your policeman?" asked Kali.
*lip quivers, breaks out into sobs, puts head to Mike's chest*
"Aww, hey, hey...Shhh…It's okay, it's okay," he said, stroking the back of her hair while kissing the top of her head.
"Was it something I said?" she joked.
"No, no, it's not you," he said.
"Then is there something I should know?" asked Kali.
"Hopper's a sensitive topic right now because he's no longer with us."
"Oh, El, I'm sorry...I-I didn't realize!"
"*sniffles, wipes tears* Actually that's where you might be able to help us," said El, raising her head from Mike's chest.
"Oh okay. What can I do for you?"
"Well, it's a long story, but when he *airquotes* 'died', it was at our local mall, that is before they tore it down. Mike, do you mind explaining it to her?"
"Not at all. *pauses* So, Russians had infiltrated it and been using it as their own secret base, but there was also this thing called the Mind Flayer that controlled the Upside Down and a section of it broke of and bit El in the leg. She was in a lot of pain at first, but nothing too drastic happened, and then all of a sudden, when Hopper left to go turn off the machines the Russians had been building there, El's powers just vanished. She was without them for months until just recently when she started gaining them back."
"Interesting…" said Kali.
"Yeah. And now that they're coming back, she's also been having these dreams and visions about the Void, specifically of Hopper calling out to her in it, but every time she tries to see into it herself when she's awake, it doesn't work. We were hoping maybe you could help."
"I'm sorry, how did she lose her powers again?"
"Well, it's unclear...We've come up with a couple of theories. We think one factor might be the loss of blood she experienced when the thing bit her, since her powers are laced in her blood and make her nose bleed every time she uses them. But after giving it some more thought lately, I think that it might have something to do with the fact that-"
"Whoa, whoa whoa! Hold up- You're telling me that you're still obsessing over this?!" asked El.
"I'm not obsessing, I just- I wanna get this right because, I mean, it's you."
"Continue," she said with a flattered smile and interested tone of voice.
"Stop me if I'm wrong, but you were pretty opposed to the idea of Hopper going off to close the gate, right?"
"Yes, I was worried sick! I tried to tell him that I thought it was a really bad idea, but he wouldn't listen to me. What does that have to do with it though?"
"Well, I'm thinking, in addition to the part of the Mind Flayer that sucked the powers out of your blood, emotions were running high that night and maybe yours were clouding your ability to perform."
"Learning of his *airquotes* 'death' only made that more true…"
"Yeah, I think that you were just too emotionally distraught to access or try to regain them again, but that moving to Illinois was kind of like a reboot for you, a breath of fresh air."
"Sure didn't feel that way…" she said.
"I know," he said, rubbing her back.
"Well, I'd say that's a fair assessment. *raises eyebrows* Well done!" said Kali, looking at Mike.
"Do you know what the next step would be?"
"Well, I don't know a lot about the Void, that's not one of the abilities I was born with, but I do have a fairly deep understanding of how to control them."
"Oh, well, what are your powers?"
"I can make people see or not see whatever I want," she said, earning a smile from El.
"Why don't you show him a little something? He'd get a load out of that!" said El.
"Okay, but not here. Let's move to the back, in my office."
"Okay."
Once in the back:
"What should I show him?" she asked El.
*El whispers*
"Gotcha," she said.
And pressing a button, a blue strobe light emerged from the base as El swung an imaginary lightsaber in her hands, which in Mike's mind, "zoomed" with noise like one normally would.
"Bitchin'," he said with a nodding smile. "Can I make one request?"
"What do I look like? A DJ?" asked Kali.
"Oh no, I was just-"
"Relax, Mike! I'm kidding. What did you have in mind?"
And he leaned over to whisper something that somehow, even El hadn't yet thought of.
"Are you sure? I mean, I don't even know what he looks like..." said Kali.
"Oh, I gotcha covered," he said, pulling out a newspaper clipping of Hopper from his pocket and handing it to her. "She usually needs a picture or item of the person she's searching for in the Void, so I always keep it in my pocket in case something changes."
*Kali nods, starts to close eyes*
*Mike leans over and begins whispering again*
*Kali comes out of focus, glares at Mike*
"*nervously chuckles* Sorry…*whispers* Just *pauses* have him say 'Hey kid'. He always used to call her that," he added.
*Kali winks*
"What-What is it?" asked El.
"You trust me, right?" he asked.
"More than anyone. You know that," she said.
"Good, then look at the door."
And from the 3 inch crack appeared an exhausted Hopper, who walked over to El just as she rose from her seat.
"Dad?" she asked, calling him that for the first time in a long time.
"Hey, kid," he said.
And she sobbed, covering her mouth, muffling a wail as tears rolled off of her eyelashes and onto her cheeks.
"How did you-" she started to ask.
*Mike waves photograph in air*
"*turns back to Hopper, looks at ground, then at him* I know it's not really you, but I don't care!" she said, running over and hugging him tighter than she ever had before.
"*pets hair* I miss you, kid."
"*sniffles, pulls away, holds onto arms* I miss you too…*shakes head* more than you'll ever know."
"I wish I could really be here, and not just by the means of Kali's manipulation."
"I do too…and I know that you're not actually here to hear this from me, but I'm gonna say it anyway. *sniffles, pulls out letter from pocket* When you died, or at least when I thought you died, my therapist advised me to write you a letter myself, a letter in response to the one that you left me with. So, here's my heart-to-heart to you. *takes deep breath* Dad, I am stricken with grief. Mourning your life is the hardest thing I've ever had to do because there's still so much about your life that I don't know and am still finding out for myself. But one thing I know for sure, is that you were the best dad I could've asked for. I know I didn't always play by the rules, I didn't always do as you asked, but you tried your best and I don't think I would still be here if it wasn't for you and your rules. You protected me, you fed me, you clothed me, you taught me, you loved me- *breaks into sobs, sniffles* I know that Mike and I didn't make things easy for you, but you put up with us anyway and I so appreciate that you tried to make an effort to open up to us about how you felt, even though maybe lying about Mike's nana being sick might have not been the right answer. *laughs* That deep, dark cave you talked about, I've known it too. In my first year of living with you, I thought that you were sheltering me in that cave but now I know you were just looking out for me. The lab was my real cave and you and your cabin were far from that. I felt the distance between us too and now more than ever...but I miss the time we've spent together and you're right, I am getting older. I am growing, but change...It's inevitable, dad. Everything's changed since you left us...I know you're probably wondering what I'm up to. Well, Joyce is looking after me now. I'm living with her and the boys, but not in Hawkins...It was a hard transition and I may not be able to change that change, but I will do everything I can to try and turn back the clock, I can promise you that. Because I'm not convinced that you're gone. I know you're still out there somewhere, I can feel it. And I will do everything in my power to find you, but if I can't, if you did actually die, just know that I love you and will never forget you. Anyway, there's so much more I have left to say to you, but you know I'm not one with the words, so this is my humble attempt. I hope that wherever you are, you're at least halfway happy. I know someday I will be too…"
She didn't even have to look at Mike to know that he was crying too.
"I love you, kid. You know that?" said Hopper, surrounding her in a hug.
And she nodded and kissed his cheek, letting go, and tearfully saying:
"Goodbye…"
She then turned to Kali, who raised her eyebrows once given the signal to work her magic. And as she watched him fade away, Mike gently placed a hand on her shoulder. Immediately, she turned around and looked at him and held his body so close, she could hardly breathe.
"I'll give you two a minute," said Kali.
"Thanks," said El.
*Kali nods, walks off*
"Why did you do that for me?" she asked him.
"Because you're my girlfriend and even if we can't find him, you'll always have this last goodbye to hold onto."
"You're the sweetest guy I've ever known."
"I am what you make me…" he said.
*blushes*
*walks over to Kali*
"Thank you, Kali. I needed that. I owe you...big time!" she said, hugging her too.
"Eh, it's nothing. I just did what he told me to do."
"Well, that may be, but it wasn't nothing…"
"I'm assuming you won't want to begin the search tonight after all of that."
"That was a lot, but I'm only more motivated to find him now."
"Maybe not right this second though…" said Mike.
"Why not?" she asked.
"Well, I'm just afraid that you won't be as mentally prepared after all that just happened. And also, it's already past curfew and Ms. Byers is going to kill us."
"Oh shit! What time is it?"
"You don't wanna know…" he said.
"It's seriously that late?"
"Yeah…" he said.
"But this may be our only chance! Even if I left now, there's no way Joyce is going to let me see Kali again anytime soon...She'll ground me."
"Kali, why don't you come with us?" asked Mike.
"Mike, what are you doing?"
"It's like you said, Ms. Byers is going to ground you anyway, but if she knew why we were out so late in the first place, then maybe she wouldn't be so mad. Maybe she would understand if it meant bringing Hopper back."
"Ooh, I like the way you think!" she said.
"So, what do you say, Kali?" he asked.
"I say, the police search is on!"
"Yes!" said El, bringing in her arm.
"I gotta do one thing real quick though. Hold on," she said.
"Okay," said El.
*walks over to Fumshine*
"Change of plans: I'm going back home with Jane. I'll be back tomorrow, don't worry. Would you mind locking up for me?" asked Kali.
"Of course, Miss Kali," said Fumshine.
"I knew I could count on you," she said with a smile. "See you soon."
"*turns to El* Good luck, Miss Jane! I hope you find your policeman."
"Father. He was my father first, but thank you- *hugs abruptly* I hope so too…" she said, grabbing onto the fabric of his shoulder before pulling away.
And with that, they made their way to the bus station and eventually...home.
*El opens door with key*
"Just let me talk to her first, but stay close. Got it?" she said.
*both Mike and Kali nod*
"Okay. *exhales in a whistle* Here goes nothing!"
The moment she got inside, she went to the kitchen, where she found Joyce, both frantic and frustrated.
"El! *gasps* Oh my god! *pulls in for hug* We agreed on 9:30...Where the hell have you been?!"
"Long story..."
"Guess you should start talking then!"
"Well, I wanted to do something romantic for Mike since he's always doing romantic things for me, so I thought, what better than going to Chicago for a night on the town…" she said with an awkward smile and hesitant shrug.
"CHICAGO?!"
"*sighs* Yes. I'm sorry...I knew it was wrong, I just-"
"You went to Chicago, by yourself, because you-you thought it'd be...ROMANTIC?!"
"Yeah…"
"Unbelievable!" she said.
"I mean, I've done it before, and besides, I wasn't completely alone..."
"I know you've done it before, I just never actually thought you'd do it again."
"I don't know, I guess it's tradition to break in the new guardian," she said with a slight laugh, trying to appeal to her with humor.
*furious silence*
"Not helping?"
"What do you think?" she replied.
"Okay, I can see that you're mad, but-"
"Oh, you can? Really? You can see that?"
"Yeah, but listen, you don't the whole story. There's more to it."
"Enlighten me then!" she said sarcastically.
"Well, when Mike and I were in Chicago, we-"
"Wait- Where is Mike?"
"Right here, Ms. Byers!" he said, holding up a hand to identify himself.
*calls Mrs. Wheeler, explains*
"Uh huh, uh huh. Alright, we'll be there as soon as we can. Again, so sorry! *pauses for response, then continues* Thanks! Uh huh. You too, babye."
*hangs up phone*
"C'mon, Mike. Let's get you home, sweetie."
"Now? But you didn't even let us finish!" said El.
"I'm sure he can tell me all about it on the car ride there."
"So what? Am I just not allowed to go with you?"
"That's right. You're grounded."
"For how long?"
"I haven't decided yet, but I'm sure it'll come to me with all of the night driving I have to do!"
"Joyce, I'm sorry," she said, crying a little.
"*sighs* Just go to bed, El. We'll discuss this in the morning."
"Ms. Byers, wait! With all due respect, I really think you'll wanna hear what El has to say. It might...change things…"
"Fine. You have both 2 minutes to tell me what the hell's going on. *stares at watch, briefly waits for minute hand to hit 12* Go!"
"When we were walking on the sidewalk, we ran into Kali and she invited us to dinner, so we couldn't exactly turn her down. And besides, I wanted to catch up with her," El blurted out.
"This is your sister we're talking about? The one who made you apart of her gang of criminals the last time you were in Chicago?!"
"Mike, help me out here!" she said nervously.
"Ms. Byers, El's been having dreams and visions lately...about Hopper and the Void. With her powers coming back now and everything, she's been trying to test out her remote viewing abilities, but so far, it hasn't worked. We thought Kali might be able to help us."
"E-E-El, is this true?"
*nods*
"El, this is important information, you do realize that, right?"
"Yeah, I know...I'm sorry, I just didn't know how to tell you because I knew that if I did, you would drop everything you were doing and get cracking, and I had no way of knowing if they were really just what they were- dreams..."
"It's okay. If I'm being perfectly honest, I've been keeping something from you too...I'm not proud of it because I value honesty in a relationship a lot more than Hop ever did, but *sighs* I've been seeing signs, signs that he's...alive."
"Signs?"
"Yeah. When we were in Hawkins, I made a trip over to our old house and the lights started flickering. I asked him questions like I did with Will and he even said '3 inches' on the alphabet wall."
"And you didn't think to tell me that?"
"No, I did, but I just didn't want you to think that I was crazy."
"It's a little late for that, Joyce, don't ya think?" she said with a smile.
*Joyce chuckles*
"Anyway, but the real reason we went back to Hawkins recently was because I realized that '3 inches' might be a clue as to where I could find him-"
"You think you're special and then you realize that you're not...You're just a pit stop on a road trip!" Mike mumbled near El's ear.
"You are special, Mike. You may have not been Joyce's destination, but you'll always be mine."
*Mike smiles*
"*Joyce continues* So, I went to his house and noticed that the front door was open 3 inches. And once I opened the door, I heard his voice coming through the wall and I talked to him like I did with Will."
"*El wails and covers mouth with hand* Did-Did he seem okay?"
"As good as one could be under those circumstances. He's a tough cookie though, ya know?"
"Yeah, *giggles, sniffles* he is," she said.
"And apparently he's slimmer now too!"
"I'm sorry, did you just say slimmer?"
"Yep."
"We are talking about Hopper here, right?" she asked with a slight giggle.
"Yes," Joyce laughed with a nod.
*both break out into laughter*
"Gosh, I only wish I had told you about my visions sooner…" said El.
"I think we've both established where we went wrong, but more importantly, was Kali able to help you access the Void?"
"Why don't you ask her yourself," said Mike, bringing Kali in.
"I hope I'm not interrupting," said Kali.
"No, *laughs* not at all…"
*Kali nods*
*awkward silence*
"I mean, hi! Sorry! I'm Joyce. *shakes hand* It's so nice to finally meet El's sister. I've heard so much about you!"
"*laughs* Good things I hope!"
"Well, I have my suspicions, but we're just glad to know that she has you. You've been so helpful in helping El put a handle on her powers, even if I don't agree with how you helped her do that."
"Thanks...I think."
"*laughs* Yeah, I know...kind of a backhanded compliment, huh?"
"*chuckles* Yeah, a little bit."
"Well, I know it was a long bus ride here. You must be tired! You're welcome to stay in our guest room."
"Thank you, but I don't think that'll be necessary," she said.
"Why not? You don't seriously mean you're going back after all of the trouble you went through to get here, do you?"
"No, no, nothing like that…"
"Then what?"
"Well, we haven't gotten the chance to have El test out her remote viewing abilities again, but El and I have talked and we both think that her connection might be stronger if we go back to Hawkins, where they're not only both from and where she came to know him, but also where he actually is and where she could make sense of his location."
"Again?!" she said.
"Yes."
"When?" asked Joyce.
"As soon as possible. Will you be able to make that work?"
"I mean, yeah...Yeah, sure I can, this is Hopper we're talking about, but gosh...I am so getting fired!" she said with a slight laugh. "Gotta do whatcha gotta do I guess!"
"You're right about that," she said.
"Well, I guess I should gather some of his things then, you know, to help her find him."
"That won't be necessary," said Kali.
"What? What are you talking about?" asked Mike.
"Mike, earlier you said there's nothing more powerful than memory, especially when it's a memory of something you love, right?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, that's exactly what we're going to do. We're going to use the memory of Hopper to lead us to him."
"Alright. *brief pause* I'm in," he said.
"Yay!" said El.
"But I'm still bringing the stuff just in case," he said.
*El groans jokingly*
"What's going on?" asked a groggy Will, rubbing his eyes.
"Oh, um, sweetie," said Joyce, putting her hands on his shoulders. "We're going back to Hawkins."
"Now?!"
"Yes."
"Again?"
"Yes."
"But it's midnight…"
"So what? You stay up late all the time!"
"You-You know about that?" he asked.
"Sweetie, I'm your mother! I know everything...unlike some parents…"
"Hey! That's not a slam on my mother, is it? Because she's doing the best that she can!"
"No, of course not! You know I love Karen."
"Good!"
"So, we're going to Hawkins? Like actually?"
"Like actually," said Joyce.
"We need a mission name though…" said Mike.
*El sighs*
"What?! It's important!"
"How about...Mission Grasshopper!" said Will.
"Yeahaahah!" said Mike eagerly.
"He would hate that!" said El.
"I know, that's what makes it great!" he said with a wink.
*rolls eyes, smiles*
"Well, are we all set then?" asked Joyce.
"*shakes head* Yeah. Let me just get changed real quick and I'll be back," said Will.
"Sounds good," said Joyce.
And so they waited, as Will took nearly 10 minutes to find an outfit that matched. And while they did this, Joyce called Karen back to say it would be a while before they could get there.
And so, they all traveled over to Hawkins, in the dead of the night, setting all other things aside because that's what you do when it comes to the people that you love.
Once at Hopper's cabin, they walked inside, to the now empty house that it was and all sat down in a circle in the middle of those wooden floors, as if conducting a séance and in some ways, they were, except for one very important difference- Hopper was very much alive.
They set it up just like one too, with candles surrounding them and pictures of him nearby and they even started out by using things he owned, but El didn't seem to need them, as his memory had enough horsepower to fill her with emotion in all of the right ways, but even more so when Kali worked her magic so that Hopper sat right beside her and held her hand as it was happening.
"El, listen to me. I want you to imagine your father. I want you to imagine how much you enjoyed your time together. Think about the hobbies and moments you shared."
"Okay, I am."
"Now I want you to imagine that all of those were taken away. That your father has gone, vanished! And it's up to you to get him back. Take back what's yours."
Kali then leaning her head against El's head to read her mind, a power neither of them knew they had, created a projection of El's memory, one that all could see but only El could feel, specifically as his big man hand wrapped around hers.
"*sniffles* I'm coming, Dad," she said, grasping his avatar's hand so tightly.
And with her one free hand, she grabbed Kali's shirt and pulled her close, saying:
"Oh-Oh my god- KALI! I think it's working!"
And there he was, sitting down, thinking of El, and Joyce, and all of the people he had left behind...even Mike!
"D-Dad? Can you hear me?"
"Is that you, kid?"
"*sniffles* Yes! Yes, it's me!"
"El!"
"Hop!"
"It's really you," he cried.
"It's really me?! *laughs* More like it's really YOU! Are you okay? Are you safe? H-How can we get to you?"
"I'm alright, but I'm not sure...I think you're going to have to make a portal of some sort. All of the other caverns leading to it have been closed or filled. You're going to have to get creative, but I know you can."
"You do?"
"Yeah, kid. I've seen you in action. You can do this!"
"Where should I make it?"
"I suggest somewhere around the property out here."
"But it's not ours anymore...What will the neighbors say?"
"Neighbors? Last time I checked, we didn't have any neighbors. Kid, it's fine, just try your best and stay safe."
"Okay, Dad, I will."
"I'll see you, kid," he said.
"See you," she said emotionally.
*snaps out of focus*
"Well?" asked Mike.
"Looks like we're going to have to open a portal to the Upside Down!"
"Yeah, but how do we do that exactly?"
"He thinks we can form one in the ground of the property."
"And you know what you're doing, right?" he asked.
*Kali raises eyebrows*
"What? I'm genuinely just curious!"
"Yeah, I know what I'm doing," she said with a laugh. "Do you know what you're doing?"
"Honestly, no, no I don't," he said.
"*laughs* That's okay because I do and we're going to get him the hell out of there. That's what we're going to do. So just stay put and be your handsome self," she said, patting his cheek and then kissing it.
"Okay, but let's at least get some traps and weapons and protection of some sort!"
"Suit yourself!"
"Haha, good one," he said.
"I don't get it…" she said.
"I'll explain later, but I gotta gather everything real fast."
"Okay."
*scurries off*
[5 minutes later]
*comes back*
"Alright, let's do this thing," he said.
"Joyce, are you coming too?" she asked.
"Hell yeah, I'm coming too! Who do you think you're talking to here?!"
"Alright then!" she said with a slight giggle. "And Kali? Will? How 'bout you?"
"Yeah, we'll both go. I think you could use our help down there...Isn't that right, little brother?" asked Kali, throwing her arm around Will.
"Y-Yeah," said Will, laughing nervously.
"Alright, well, gear up then, guys," said Mike, throwing them scarves and goggles and weapons. Yes, weapons!
"Man, *sighs* I bet the others wished they were here to see this right now!" said Mike.
And then El tore through the ground, yelling, with the force extending past her fingers and to the surface. Spores flew out like bubbles and suddenly started spinning like a tornado. She didn't know what it meant, but she knew it wasn't good. Luckily, however, they were able to find-
"Hopper!" Joyce cried.
"Joyce…"
And they ran to each other, with a gasp escaping each of their lips as their foreheads came in contact with each other, holding onto one another's cheeks. They looked at each other as if to kiss, but then, something frightening happened!
You see, while down there, El was sprayed many times with goo and had to use her powers so much to cut through vines that, by the time they had made it to where Hopper was, she grew light-headed and collapsed with exhaustion.
"El! Are you okay? El!" Mike exclaimed.
*no answer, silence falls*