"Cold."

Eleven's first word to Hopper wasn't surprising, considering the only things keeping her warm were a stolen hat and jacket. He picked her up and sat her in the backseat of his truck.

"I'll get you someplace warm, kid."

"Mike."

Hopper suddenly realized he'd made a deal with those kids, with Mike. That he'd have tell them he had found Eleven. Or not. He shut the door and grabbed a blanket from the trunk. He gave it to her and she laid down on the seat.

"Thank…. You."

Amazing. She was cold, had nowhere to go, was practically mute, yet she still had the manners to fish for those 2 words.

It was a silent drive. He had no clue where she would be going. He couldn't bring her in town, the Lab workers might recognize her. He was also contemplating whether or not to tell Mike. Making up his mind about where to stay, he parked in front of his trailer, carried the sleeping kid inside and plopped her on the couch. He thought of cracking open a beer, but he didn't want the kid waking up and wanting a sip, so he decided on pulling up a chair and sleeping in it next to her.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

The snow was the only thing keeping him company right now. Dustin and Lucas had to go back home, but Mike knew nobody would be waiting for him when he got home, so he hatched his plan. It was colder than earlier today, so he kept a quick pace. He began walking towards Castle Byers, then following the odd footsteps. They were converse shoes based on the length and width the mark left. He followed them through the woods for a few dozen minutes before accidentally kicking a wooden box left in the snow. The trail had led here. He scanned the area and found big footprints. A man. Both tracks led to the road. There were tire treads going back on the road. Someone had taken whoever was at Will's into their car. He had to tell the chief.

She woke up screaming "No! Papa! No! Papa!" on repeat. Hopper lunged out of his chair towards the lamp, fumbling to turn it on. When he turned back he saw El grabbing at the wall, banging it with her fist. He grabbed her and hugged her tight until she had quieted down enough to talk. He was scared, it reminded him of Sara when she had woken up in the hospital yelling "I'm dying! Daddy help!" Those words shook him to his core and would stay with him forever. El spoke up:

"Papa."

"Yeah, what'd he do?"

"Shut door."

It seemed to Hopper she'd dreamed about Brenner locking her into a room.

"Nobody, not even Bre-.. Papa, is ever going to hurt you again... OK?"

"Promise?"

"I promise."

A few minutes passed before she started to doze in his arms. He laid her back on the couch and looked at the clock: 4:50. Crap. He had to figure out what to do with her before his shift started at 7:00 and he had to figure out what to say to Mike. "Uh, I found her, but you can't see her so yeah." No. He had to let the truth out, but how?

Mike was in Hopper's office at 7 on the dot. He had to let the truth out to Mike.

"Kid, I have some news."

"No, I have to tell you about where I think Eleven is."

Hopper knew she was in his trailer, but he let Mike proceed. He told him about the tire tracks, the box and the footprints in the snow. Hopper had to let the truth out. He now knew the only reason he hadn't found Eleven was because of him. He couldn't have said it more eloquently:

Author's Note: Now the story becomes AU

"That box was my trap, I have Eleven at my trailer as we speak."