"Alright, so we have a few things to discuss," Hopper began.
Everyone was standing in the Byers' living room - with the exceptions of El and Will, who were occupying both of the couches. Both Will and El were conscious but still too weak to sit up or stand. The broken glass and weapons from a few hours previously were still scattered on the floor. Everyone's gaze was fixated on Hopper as he began to speak.
"First of all, this goes without saying: anything that has been said - or will be said - in this house tonight, stays in this house. Just because the gate is now closed does not mean that we're automatically in the clear. We still need to be careful."
Everyone nodded their heads in agreement except for Mike, who looked to his left to find El looking at him, too, with disappointment in her eyes. They were both thinking the same thing.
"What about El?" Mike asked, tearing his eyes away from her. "Surely you're not gonna hide her away again for another year?"
Hopper looked down at his boots, unable to look the kid in the eyes. "I don't know yet…"
"BULLSHIT," Mike yelled.
"Mike," Nancy warned, casting a disapproving glare at her brother, which he ignored.
"No," Mike cut across, "he can't do this, he can't- I haven't seen her in over a year, and now you're taking her away again? It's complete bullshit! She deserves a normal life with her friends! She's been through enough as it is, she's miserable, can't you tell?" It took everything in Mike's power for him to not go over and start punching Hopper again.
Hopper finally looked up at Mike as his last words sunk in. He would never admit it, but they did sting a little. "Look kid, I'm not intentionally trying to make her miserable, I'm trying to keep her safe. Isn't that more important?"
Silence ensued for a few moments as Mike considered his response. "Yes," he sighed reluctantly. "But that doesn't mean that she should be banished from society either. Or her friends."
Hopper pinched the bridge of his nose. Christ, this kid is nothing but persistent, he thought. "Okay. How about we set up a little arrangement. Frequent supervised visits. Once a week, at least."
Mike's eyes lit up. "Seriously?"
"Yes," Hopper nodded, exhaustion beginning to settle into his eyes. "But they will be supervised, and only held at the cabin - for now, at least. And only you five are allowed to visit. No strangers," he added, nodding to Dustin, Lucas and Max as well, who were standing at the foot of Will's couch.
"That won't be a problem, Chief, we're a pretty exclusive Party," Dustin joked with a smirk, which resulted in Lucas, Will and Max rolling their eyes.
"That's alright, absolutely," Mike rushed, ignoring Dustin's comment, already afraid that Hopper would suddenly change his mind. "Thanks, Hopper."
Hopper smiled a little. "You're welcome." His eyes then moved to the couch in front of him, to where El was lying. "How does that sound, kid?" he said, already knowing the answer.
El replied with a weak smile, glancing at her friends. "Perfect."
Hopper smiled back. "Good. We'll set one up for next week."
Both El and Mike's smiles dampened a little. "Why not tomorrow?" Mike protested.
Hopper laughed slightly. "Have a little patience, kid. I know you're all eager to hang out together properly, but El needs to recover for a few days before she can have visitors."
El opened her mouth to object, but Hopper cut her off. "Plus, the cabin isn't in the best state right now, so we need to sort that out too. We'll talk about that later, El," he added, giving her a knowing glare, which made El look down in shame at the blanket covering her. That was a conversation that she definitely didn't want to have.
"Alright, next thing," Hopper continued. "So - what the hell happened to him?"
Hopper's finger pointed at Steve - particularly Steve's busted-up face - as he stood beside Joyce.
"And why do you have a rainbow band aid on your forehead?" Nancy said with a slight smirk.
"That was Dustin," Lucas said, shaking his head at the boy standing beside him. "He didn't realise that band aids aren't the same thing as stitches."
"Hey, it's the thought that counts!" Dustin retorted, shoving Lucas, which started a squabble between the pair.
"Alright, ALRIGHT!" Hopper intervened, clapping his hands loudly. Lucas and Dustin immediately stopped and separated themselves by a few inches. "Now," Hopper sighed, "you still haven't answered my question."
"It was my brother," Max piped up. The redhead had been quiet throughout this whole conversation, feeling a little irrelevant as she barely knew Will and El clearly didn't want anything to do with her. "Billy Hargrove. He found out that I was here and tried to kill Lucas, but Steve stepped in and… that happened," she concluded, referencing Steve's bloodied face.
"He tried to kill you?" Will said, staring at Lucas with wide eyes.
"Jesus, Steve, what were you thinking?" Nancy exclaimed, looking over at her ex-boyfriend. "That guy is crazy - no offence, Max-"
"None taken, believe me," Max assured.
"-and I've heard countless rumours about what he's done in the past. I mean, he could've killed you!" Nancy finished.
"But he didn't!" Steve sighed, already done with the conversation. "Look, if I hadn't have stepped in, then it would be Lucas that would have these injuries right now instead of me. These dumbasses-" he said, pointing at the kids, "-were put in my care, and I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I let something happen to them. All I'm asking for is a little perspective, alright?"
The room fell silent for a few moments. "Alright," Nancy said quietly.
"I think we should get you checked out, though," Joyce piped up, her motherly instincts kicking in. She examined Steve's face. "I'm no nurse, but I'm pretty sure your nose is broken."
Steve shrugged. "That can wait till tomorrow. It's late anyways."
"Exactly," Hopper cut in, "which is why we need to keep going with this. Now, Max," he turned to face the redhead, "did Billy see anything suspicious when he was here?"
"No," Max replied.
"Okay, good," Hopper said. "We're gonna keep it that way. We need to keep suspicion as low as possible. Now, do any of your parents know that you're here?"
The kids shifted their feet awkwardly and remained silent.
"I'm gonna take that as a no," Hopper said. "Right, well, you all look exhausted, so I suggest that we all stay here for the night- if you don't mind, Joyce," he added.
"No, not at all," Joyce said quickly. She didn't say it, but she was grateful that Hopper was giving her a distraction from thinking about Bob.
"Alright. The girls can sleep in here, and the boys can take Will's room. No objections," he added, as Mike and El looked disheartened.
He looked to the eldest Wheeler in the room. "Nancy, would you mind helping El clean up?"
"Not a problem," Nancy said, instantly moving to help El off the couch.
Hopper clapped his hands. "Alright, chop chop. I want lights out in an hour."
Everyone quickly dispersed to either help Joyce set up the extra beds or to clean themselves up. Hopper slowly looked around the now-empty living room at the mess that they had managed to make in just a couple of hours.
It was going to be a long night.