Okay so I'm hoping none of you noticed I updated with the wrong file. And we're not gonna talk about it lol. Always, I hope you enjoy.

Steve and Hopper quickly moved to untie Charlie from the chair while Joyce pulled out a first aid kit she'd brought in her purse. He carried her over to the mattress pushed against the wall and set her down as carefully as possible, doing his best not to look at the burns on her hip. But his eyes seemed to have a different plan. Since he was so close to her he could faintly smell her burn flesh, a smell that made his stomach churn dangerously. If that wasn't graphic enough the burns were gruesome. Her burns skin was a deep red color with black charred edges and Steve could tell it was deep.

He knelt on the floor next to the mattress and ran his fingers through her hair while Joyce and Nancy got to work on her burns. Eleven appeared in the corner of his eye, her nose and eyes bright red as she tried her best not to cry, with Mike close behind her. She knelt down on the ground beside Steve and watched Charlie's sleeping form, seemingly too scared to touch her.

"She's gonna be okay." Steve told her, holding back tears of his own. "She wouldn't have volunteered if it would put her in danger, right?"

Eleven nodded, but she didn't seem to be too convinced. "Right."

Though he knew it wasn't a good idea Steve spared a glance at her burns. A small amount of puss was starting to surface that Nancy was carefully wiping away with a cloth so they could put anti bacterial ointment on her wounds before bandaging them. Steve felt as if the walls and ceiling were closing in on him at a rapid speed. As much as he didn't want to leave Charlie's side for a second he also knew that he couldn't keep his composure for much longer. He told Eleven that he'd be right back before pushing himself to his feet and walking the short distance to the bathroom.

Steve shut the door behind him and leaned his back against the cool wood, staring up at the ceiling as he attempted to take deep breaths. Try as he might to clear his mind the images of her burns and the screams that came out of her were persistent. Now that he was alone his stomach lurched dangerously. He collapsed on the floor in front of the toilet bowl just in time. His stomach emptied as he retched into the toilet, hoping that afterwards he'd be able to keep his composer. He vomited three times before his body to be finished and he wiped his mouth off with some paper before leaned back against the tub.

He should have tried harder to talk her out of the plan. He should have used any means necessary to keep her safe. But Steve believe her that she could take care of herself. When it came to surviving without any shelter or income she absolutely could. But was she, a teenage girl, capable of taking on such a powerful force such as the Mind Flayer all on her own? Steve seriously doubted it. And though no one else wanted to admit it he knew they all doubted it too.

All he wanted was for her to be safe so she could have a chance at a normal life. But at the same time Steve knew that she and Eleven still had to worry about finding Dr. Brenner, the reason why they were dealing with the Mind Flayer in the first place. Though he didn't want to admit it there was a chance that she wouldn't be able to have a truly normal life until the Hawkins Lab was totally and completely eliminated as a threat.

The sound of screaming interrupted his thoughts and he immediately jumped to his feet. He burst out of the bathroom and hurried back out to the living room as Charlie's screams turned into pained whimpers. When he came back into the room he spotted Charlie laying on her side, her hands tightly clasped around Eleven's. Tears were streaming down both their faces and Eleven managed to keep her cries to choked sobs.

Charlie's face lit up when her eyes landed on him standing just a few feet away, a weak smile breaking out. One of her hands let go of Eleven's and reached out to him. He quickly snapped out of his daze and hurried to her side, sitting on the edge of the mattress and holding onto her hand.

"Hey." She said weakly, her voice coming out horse.

"Hey. You did it."

Her smile grew and she closed her eyes for a moment. "Told you."

As hard as she could in her weakened state she pulled his hand towards her. He took her silent hint and leaned down, wrapping his arms underneath her waist and hiding hid face in her neck. Steve felt one of her hands land on his back, her thumb gently rubbing back and forth. As if he was the one that needed comfort.

Since he was so close to her he could faintly smell the burnt flesh on her hip that made his stomach churn once more. He squeezed his eyes shut and hid his face more in her neck. Steve was very aware of the fact that everyone in the room was likely watching them but he found himself not caring. In fact, he found himself not caring about anything other than the fact that Charlie was okay. What more could he ask for?

"I'm sorry." He said, his voice muffed against her jacket.

Steve felt her fingers take a fist full of his shirt. "Don't be." She told him, her voice quiet so no one else could hear. "I wanted you to do it."

He struggled to keep himself from letting out a sob, feeing the eyes of everyone in the room on his back. He was determined not to lose it until he had a moment of privacy again.

Steve felt Charlie turn his head in the direction of Eleven, who was still close by and trying her best not to cry. One of her hands disappeared from his back and reached out to the younger girl. Eleven grabbed on tightly, her bottom lip beginning to quiver. "I promised I wasn't going anywhere until we found him, right?"

Eleven nodded, some of her curls falling in her eyes. "Right."

One by one people started to leave. Will, who was very obviously shaken up, was taken home by Johnathan shortly after it was clear everything would be okay. After that Nancy brought Dustin, Lucas, and Max home after making Steve promise to call her if anything happened later on. The last to go home was Mike, who assured Eleven we would call her later or even come over if she needed him to, before he got in Joyce's car. Before she left she gave Steve specific instructions on how to deal with Charlie's burns once he brought her home. It wasn't like he could take her to the hospital.

"You have really good friends." Charlie said once he returned to her side again. "For once."

Didn't he know it. Though they were an odd group it was the best one he could ask for, made even better by the addition of Charlie. "They're your friends now too."

A small smile spread across her face, probably the biggest one she could manage with the pain she was in. "I've never had friends before."

His stomach lurched with pity at the life that had been forced onto her. Charlie was such a special person. She deserved all the friends in the world. Steve wasn't sure if she and Eleven would ever be able to go into the void again to look for Brenner but he hoped they would. He deserved to pay for everything he'd done to them.

"Can we go home?" she asked, her voice weak and quiet.

Steve felt himself blush. Something about Charlie calling his house home made him feel warm. "You sure you're okay to move already?" he asked her. "I don't mind waiting."

She nodded. "I'm sure." Charlie assured him. "Stop worrying."

Charlie wrapped her arms around his neck and he carried her bridal style since she was too weak to walk. Eleven insisted on being let outside the cabin so she could go in the car with them. She kept in step with Steve as he carried Charlie out to the car and made sure she didn't hit her head when Steve got in the back seat still holding her. Eleven sat in the passenger's seat but faced the two in the back the whole time.

As they drove to Steve's house Charlie stayed curled up in his lap. Every time they went over a bump or pothole she let out a small whimper that broke Steve's heart. He wasn't used to seeing Charlie so weak and vulnerable. Though she'd intimidated him at first he missed the strong front she put up. He hated to see her hurting.

When they pulled up to his house Charlie reached for Eleven's hand. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" she told her. "But you need to stop worrying. It's just a little burn, I'll be fine."

"It's not little." Eleven said, "It's bad."

"We've both been through worse." Charlie reminded her. "I can handle pain. And I promise if something happens you'll be the first to know."

Eleven didn't look too satisfied with the answer but nodded her head anyway. "Okay. I'm coming over tomorrow, too."

"You are?" Hopper asked.

"She is." Charlie confirmed.

With Hopper's help Steve managed to get Charlie out of the car successfully. They waited to drive away until Steve got the door open and closed behind him. He practically carried her up the stairs and into his bedroom. She groaned in pain as he helped to lower her down onto his bed and let out a long sigh once she was flat on her back. Steve sat on the edge of his bed, wrapping his hands around hers. He hated not only seeing her in pain but feeling like he was totally and completely helpless.

"Do you want to take something for the pain?" he asked her.

"No."

"Why?"

"I don't want you to leave?"

Steve pulled her hands towards him and pressed a kiss on her knuckle. "I'm coming right back, but you need to take something. I don't like seeing you like this."

She closed her eyes and groaned again. "Okay. Fine."

He stood up and hurried down the hall and staircase until he reached the kitchen. Steve poured a glass of water for her and grabbed the bottle of Advil sitting on the counter, opting to bring the whole bottle rather than a few pills. The images of Charlie's burns kept forcing themselves into his mind and he rushed to get back to her, hoping seeing her would help him distract himself.

When he got back to his room he helped her sit up as much as possible and gave her the painkillers before she collapsed flat on her back again.

"Stop looking at me like that." She groaned.

"Like what?"

"Pitiful." Charlie turned her head to look at him. "I've gotten burns before. I used to cook meals and keep warm with a fire in a garbage can."

Steve didn't want to picture it but, once again, his mind forced him to. "Why are you so convinced that I can just stop caring about you and chose not you?"

She shrugged. "I guess I'm just not used to it." She admitted. "And I guess I'm… scared."

"Of what?"

Charlie closed her eyes. "That you are gonna stop, except too late. And I'm going to care about you too much and get myself hurt." She winced. "I'm being too honest."

"So what you're saying is you think I'm a heartbreaker?"

She smirked. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Well I promise I'm not. Anymore." He squeezed her hand gently. "You are way too important to me for that to happen. You're stuck with me for as long as you can handle me."

Charlie pulled his hands toward her, a silent signal for him to lay down next to her. "I have a confession to make."

"What's that?"

"I didn't think I was going to be okay." She admitted. "But I didn't want anyone else to do it."

"You shouldn't have done it."

"Well it all worked out fine, didn't it?"

Steve didn't want to say yes so he didn't say anything at all.

"I think… I think I'm gonna stay in Hawkins." Charlie told him, breaking the short silence.

Steve perked up, a hopeful smile spreading onto his face. "Wait what? Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Tomorrow I'm gonna ask Eleven and Hopper if I can stay with them once your parents come home, since I obviously can't stay here after that."

"What made you change your mind?"

"You." She said, "And Eleven. I can't just leave and pretend like this never happened like I do everywhere else."

"How long do you think you'll stay?" Steve asked.

"As long as you want me to."

"Looks like you'll be here a while."

"Good."