Thanks so much to everyone who followed this through to the end. It took more than a year (with a lot of life distractions), but here it is. I started writing it just because I liked Stranger Things (the world, the characters, the feel of the whole thing), but somewhere about half way through this story, I realized that the thing I liked most was how much the main characters love each other. Watching Season 1 on Netflix, I was so struck by how the three boys plus El were willing to go to any lengths to save Will, and I felt like they would have done the same no matter which of them had been taken by the Demogorgon. That's the element of Firebaby that I loved writing the most. At the beginning of this story, Mike was kind of distant from his childhood friends. But, when he and El got into trouble, everyone from Will Dustin to Will to Lucas to Joyce to Hopper jumped in without a second's hesitation and risked everything to help. I hope I'm a good enough person that, if one of my friends is ever pursued by government agents in black cars and psychic monsters with weird super powers, I would come running to the rescue on the spot.
I have a second story already started. If you remember, I started Firebaby back before Season 2, which is why its missing some awesome characters like Max and Billy. This new story that I'm starting will be set during Season 2, so it WILL have all those great characters. I just hope I can get at least half of it finished before Season 3 comes in and throws me off again. :)
Epilogue
"Or you could just have your fire-mage cast protection," Will suggested.
The young girl gave him a confused look. "Fire-mages can cast protection?" She asked.
Mike frowned, flipping through the pages of the Dungeon Master's Guide. "I think they're all born with the ability to cast protection," he said. "But maybe it's not in the book. You know what, you can call it a house rule." Mike handed the book back to his Middle School student, Amy. "You're the Dungeon Master. You can do whatever you want."
She looked sideways at her two friends, Danny and Lenny. "Oh, I have something in mind for these two," she said.
"Don't give her any ideas, Mr. Wheeler," Danny laughed. "She threw a pair of ice dragons against us last week."
"Doesn't sound so bad to me," Mike told them. "Ice is way less dangerous than fire."
"If you say so," Danny said.
"Well, let me know on Monday how your campaign goes," Mike told Amy. "I've got to get home. It's Allie's second birthday."
Mike's Earth and Biology students gathered up their homework, and their Dungeon Master's Guide, and headed out of the classroom. Smiling to himself, he zipped up his briefcase and followed them to the door.
Principal Clarke passed him in the hallway.
"You're still here?" He asked in surprise. "I thought you'd be home for the birthday party already."
"On my way," Mike told him. "I'm not late yet. We pushed it back half an hour cause Lucas has a long drive to get here.
"And how is Mr. Sinclair doing these days?" Mr. Clarke asked.
"He's back on his feet," Mike said.
"Good to hear," Mr. Clarke nodded. "That must have been a nasty car accident he was in."
"Yep," Mike lied, keeping his face straight. "Semi truck didn't stop at a red light a rear ended him. He's lucky he made it out alive. But Lucas is a fighter. The doctor's didn't want to believe it, but he made a full recovery."
Mr. Clarke nodded, looking impressed. "And how's the little angel?"
"Well, I don't know if you can call a two year old an angel," Mike laughed. "But she's doing great. We took her to the zoo in Bloomington last week. She didn't know what to think about the giraffes. Actually, El didn't know what to think about them, either."
Mr. Clarke laughed. "Bring me pictures of the party."
"I will," Mike promised, and went out to his car.
He tapped his fingers happily on the steering wheel as he made the drive home, listening to his Bryan Adams cassette "Into the Fire". It struck him just how pretty Hawkins was in the fall, just before it got cold. He found it strange that he could make the same drive from home every single day, but still notice new things.
His tires crunched on gravel as he pulled into his driveway. He had to park way out by the road because of the half dozen cars that were already there. He climbed the three steps to his front door, and wasn't even that surprised when it popped open just before he touched the doorknob. Even with so many people over to distract her, El could still sense when he got home.
A wave of voices flooded out of the kitchen as Mike dropped his briefcase and car keys in the living room. He could hear Dustin boisterously telling everyone that they should try the new movie Little Rascals. He could hear Joyce respond that the new cast just weren't as good as the original kids.
They all stopped in the middle of their various conversations to greet Mike as he came into the kitchen. Hopper, with a few extra wrinkles on his face this year, but otherwise looking the same as ever. Joyce. Dustin. Lucas, who wasn't even walking with a limp anymore. His mom and Dad, and 14 year old Holly. Even Nancy and Jonathan had made the drive all the way over from New York to make up for missing Allie's first birthday. El beamed at him over the top of a cake with two unlit candles. Baby Allie bounced up and down happily in her lap.
"I guess everybody's here," Nancy said, looking around the crowded kitchen. "We can get started."
"Yeah, I just..." Dustin said, his voice suddenly becoming morose. "I just wish Will could have been here."
"We all do," Joyce said, her face falling. Mike looked across the sad faces. The room had gone suddenly quiet. He felt the same. Even with all the rest of his family and friends in one place, he really felt the one piece that was missing.
His eyes slid across the somber faces, from Lucas to El to Dustin to-
Wait a minute.
His yes flicked back to El.
She cracked a smile.
"What are you-" Mike asked in bewilderment.
"Surprise!" El burst out, as if she couldn't hide it any longer. She flicked her head toward their pantry door, which flew open.
Will stood inside, a great big grin on his face.
"It took you long enough," he laughed. "Do you know how long I had to hide in there?"
"I thought you couldn't get out of your job in San Jose," Mike said in surprise.
"That's what El told you," Will laughed again. "We had this planned weeks ago."
Mike could only shake his head.
Will sat down at the kitchen table with the others. He wore long sleeves, as he had ever since Chicago, to hide the burns on his arms. Mike didn't think Will needed to bother, though. His smile and his laugh these days were infectious enough that people rarely noticed. In the middle of all the chatter that started up again once Will was out of the pantry, Mike noticed that Hopper had ducked into the living room to take a call on his cell phone. The huge, clunky thing had been Joyce's idea, and Hopper still pretended that he didn't like it. Mike met Hopper's eyes through the kitchen doorway, and the older man tensed as if he'd been caught in the act.
"Uh, Sam says hi," Hopper told him. "I'll be there in a second."
Of all the people to join the modern age, Mike had expected Hopper would be the last, but there he was. Smiling and shaking his head again, Mike turned back to face the kitchen table, where Dustin was using a box of matches to light the two little candles on Allie's cake.
"Make a wish!" Karen Wheeler told her granddaughter. Holly beamed at her favorite little niece.
El held the little girl close to the cake.
Allie blinked her eyes once, and the candles went out.