A week passed before the tweens felt safe enough to return to Will's Dungeons & Dragons lair. It was the middle of a hot afternoon with plenty of sun, even in the thick of the woods. The beams of light shining through the trees and the fullness of their summer leaves felt like protection against any spies or monsters that may have been lurking. Their collective hope was to discuss the campaign that had been put on hold for obvious reasons. And yet, as they each took their seats, with Will and Dustin in the worn yet comfortable home chairs, Lucas and Max sharing a log, and Mike on his own on a carved stump, no conversation came forth. Dustin popped off his trucker hat a few times as he tried to think of ways to break the silence, though alas, no words formed, so his cap would return to cover his curly brown head of hair. Will's hands fidgeted in his lap for the first several minutes until the thoughts of another monster attack were taken away by the gentle singing of birds accompanied by a slight yet warm breeze. At long last, it was Mike that broke the silence.

"How much do you think it will cost to replace that cooler?" he asked, his voice cracking halfway.

"That thing was old," Will sighed, almost sadly.

"Did your mom even realize you took it?" Max inquired.

"I doubt it," he replied. "She's too busy to notice much these days."

"They have newer and nicer ones," Dustin said. "Maybe some will go on sale before the Fall camping season starts."

"That's a good thought, for once," Max chided, being met with a mocking expression.

"I can probably mow a few lawns to chip in," Lucas stated. "I think it's only fair to get Will one that's nicer and tougher."

"Do you think Eleven opened it with her mind powers?" Mike blurted.

Though no one wanted to be the first to broach the subject, all felt a sense of relief to finally hear her name spoken, save for Lucas, who was still untrusting.

"What mind powers?" he asked.

"Are you serious right now?" Mike retorted.

"How else would you explain what she did with Eddie's radio?" Dustin asked, shoulders shrugged in protest.

"Or, jeez, I don't know," Mike continued, "throwing the demogorgon like it was a washed up, old Barbie doll?"

"Think we could teach her how to play DND?" Max asked calmly, despite the mounting tension.

"I don't know," Lucas admitted, though it pained him in his heart to challenge Max in any way. "She seems... off."

"You're the one that's off," Mike argued, lazily tossing a twig in Lucas' direction.

"Excuse me for not being as welcoming of a stranger who got Benny killed, and us attacked by a literal monster," Lucas replied, tossing the stick back.

"You'd trust her if she had red hair," Dustin chuckled with a cheeky grin.

Lucas reached over and swiftly pulled the curly-headed boy's hat from his head. A small tussle for the hat ensued before Lucas relinquished it back to its owner. Side conversations began, accompanied by the occasional pounding of a woodpecker or chirps from the American Robins and Black-capped Chickadees in the trees. Meanwhile, Joanna and Steve alone had been granted permission to see Eleven, as she and Vivienne were hiding out at an old, unassuming motel just on the outskirts of town. Joanna's hair blew in the wind as her sad, tired gaze stared blankly out of the open window of his cream white truck. The leather steering wheel squeaked ever so slightly as Steve nervously gripped it. Steve felt an ache for her in his chest.

"So," he began, clearing his throat, "have you talked to Eddie?"

Joanna straightened herself in her seat, tucking a lock of her chestnut brown hair behind her ear.

"I've tried to call him," she answered. "Everything has made him even more of a recluse, I think."

"Can't say I blame him," Steve admitted, brow raised with a head shrug.

Joanna offered a small smile before her gaze turned downward. Running a hand through his tall hair, Steve felt more determined to help Joanna out of her understandably traumatized state.

"I was going to go skating with the kids tonight," he said as casually as he could. "I think they could all use a mood boost."

He cleared his throat once more.

"I mean, I think we all could use a mood boost. Care to join us?"

Joanna smiled, but appeared to be unsure.

"I'll buy you a root beer or something," he offered.

"Don't most of the kids still owe you one themselves?" she chuckled.

"Oh ho," Steve laughed, "I forgot all about that. As a matter of fact, they do."

"I probably owe you one too," Joanna said in a soft tone. "You've been so helpful since... everything."

Steve simply shrugged, unsure of what to say.

"Fine."

"Fine, what?"

"I'll join you and the kids later."

Steve felt his heart accelerate as a wave of relief surged over him.

"And do you know what else?" Joanna continued, "I think we should see if they will let Eleven come too."

The relief he had felt was quickly replaced by a sense of concern. He drew in a deep breath, filling his nostrils with a blend of fresh summer air and exhaust fumes from his truck.

"That might be a hard sell," he warned.

"Just follow my lead," she said confidently, "I think we can get them to budge."

The motel was in a remote location, frequented mostly by truck drivers or travelers who wanted to save money. They climbed a loud flight of metal stairs, walked across the concrete walkway, and arrived at room 54 as they had been instructed. Vivienne greeted them, and to their surprise, Dr. Serizawa was also present.

"Is everything okay?" Joanna asked him.

"That is to be decided," Serizawa replied, though he did not seem overly concerned. "Is everything going well for you two?"

Steve and Joanna offered their respective nods in response.

"I am sorry, Joanna," Serizawa said somberly, "that you had to miss the funeral and burial of your employer and friend."

Steve's brow leapt. His lips parted slightly as he turned toward Joanna, who now appeared as sad as ever, though he could tell she was trying to keep it down. She caught Steve's stunned look.

"For my safety," she said quietly, "I was advised not to go, in case his killers were there."

Steve felt a ping of pain in the pit of his stomach.

"But, graves are forever I guess," Joanna sighed half-heartedly. "I can visit him whenever."

"That's..." Steve drawled, "morbid... as... hell."

Joanna's dark eyes scanned the room. It was small, with two single beds separated by a faded nightstand. The walls were bare and painted a pale dark green, matching the woodsy setting the motel sat in. The air was musty and smelled of aged cigarette smoke, though one could go nose blind to it quickly. Serizawa watched Joanna's eyes and assumed her intent to see Eleven. Without a word, he stepped over to a door that was all-but shut, and the lights behind it were off. He reached for the light switch, only to be stopped by a quiet yet serious, "Don't," from inside the small bathroom.

"My apologies," Serizawa conceded, retrieving his hand from the light switch.

He nudged the door open further, which allowed some light in. Inside, Eleven sat in the bathtub with her knees hugged against her chest. Steve and Joanna were relieved to see her dawning real clothes; a gray t-shirt with red trimming along the collar and the ends of the short sleeves, along with a casual pair of jeans, though one of her knees was exposed through a hole. Color had returned to her face, hopefully after getting much-needed rest. She opened her eyes and glanced their way briefly, only to shut them again, turning her head straight.

"What'cha doin'?" Steve asked a bit too goofily, earning a poke in his side from Joanna.

"Vivienne called me," Serizawa answered for her, "because she has been doing this all day. We have yet to determine why."

"As long as she's safe and healthy," Joanna said quietly.

She stepped back into the bedroom and stood near Vivienne, who sat on the bed nearest the door.

"Is it possible that she's... sad? Depressed, even?" Joanna suggested.

Steve stifled a small smirk, knowing Joanna had a good point, but also an ulterior motive.

"I've wondered that myself," Vivienne conceded. "It's difficult to say, as she won't, or perhaps can't, say much."

"She probably needs some normalcy," Joanna said, "I know normalcy has helped me, and I've been through the exact same week or so that she has."

She paused.

"Though I can only imagine what she had been through up until we met."

Dr. Serizawa's brow furrowed as he picked up on Joanna's implication. He crossed his arms over his chest, rubbing his chin in thought.

"I sense you have a proposal of some kind," he said gently.

"Steve and I were going to take the kids, the ones she knows, skating later," Joanna replied.

Steve's brow raised once more, both impressed and mildly offended that she was taking credit for his outing idea, though he let it slide.

"Maybe she could go with them?" Joanna asked. "You know, be a kid for a little while."

Serizawa and Vivienne exchanged glances, as did Joanna and Steve, though Joanna offered a subtle wink of her right eye, which Steve nodded in response to.

"You or Vivienne can join for extra security," Steve added. "Vivienne, you look like you'd tear up a skating rink."

Joanna rolled her eyes before mouthing "too much" to Steve who was already grimacing at himself. He straightened up and crossed his arms over his chest as well, almost mimicking Serizawa.

"Besides, most people are going to be out seeing Superman Three this weekend, so it will be easy to keep an eye on her."

They were all stopped by the sound of a gentle step being taken from the bathroom. Eleven had emerged and appeared interested in the discussion. The beginnings of a smile almost made their way onto her features, and her eyes showed signs of what appeared to be hope. She met the gazes of Steve, then Joanna, before lastly looking to Vivienne and Dr. Serizawa.

The local skating rink was always overly air-conditioned, keeping the young and old patrons comfortable as they listened to their favorite new hits at full-blast under the disco ball lights. The rink smelled like a mixture of wheel rubber and wood polish, with the occasional hint of fresh popcorn or hot dogs. They arranged for Mike and Will's mothers to chauffeur the gaggle of teens to the rink, with Steve and Joanna agreeing to usher them home. Mike, Will, Dustin Lucas, and Max were stringing on their skates at a circular bench when Max looked up, her blue eyes growing wide at the sight of Steve and Joanna walking in with two unexpected guests.

"No... way..." Max drawled, a smile forming on her lips.

The rest of the gang looked up, all in shock to see Vivienne and Eleven in tow with Steve and Joanna. Eleven's wide gaze danced around the room, understandably overwhelmed by the rink at first, yet a glad smirk appeared on her features as her eyes met those of her friends. She looked up to Vivienne who gave her a gentle nod of approval before her thin legs carried her past her chaperones and to the others at a quickened pace. A smile graced Vivienne's lips as well, though the older woman was usually very serious. She looked to Steve and Joanna.

"I will be keeping watch outside," she said gladly yet sternly, "if you see anything suspicious..."

She gestured to a black walkie talkie at her hip, concealed underneath a long cardigan. Steve nodded, having one tucked away in his fanny pack.

"Do you know how to skate?" Mike asked excitedly.

Eleven stared at him blankly for a moment, before offering a small smirk and shaking her head.

"You'll get the hang of it, no doubt," Max said.

They eagerly helped her get into a pair of skates. Upon standing, Eleven immediately lost her balance, instinctively grabbing hold of Mike to keep herself from falling. And yet, as the momentary startle subsided, she let out a small laugh. Mike, Will, and Max started her out as slowly as possible on the rink while Lucas and Dustin went at a faster pace.

"Bet you wish Max would pay as much attention to you as she is to Eleven, huh?" Dustin chided with a cheesy grin.

Lucas shot him a glare that turned his blood cold.

"Okay, okay... sorry."

Though Steve and Joanna were happy to be out and about with the tweens, neither felt up to skating, so they perched themselves at a table with a good view of the rink. Steve had walked off, but shortly after returned with two dark auburn bottles of ice cold root beer.

"Did one of them pay for yours?" she asked, twisting off her cap.

"Of course not, those jerks," he said jokingly, despite looking quite serious.

"So, I have a question," Joanna began.

Steve had just taken a quick swig of his own drink. He raised his brow and set the bottle down, showing he was ready.

"In school, it always seemed like you were the king of the place, you know, popular and whatnot."

"Go on..." Steve drawled curiously.

"How is it that now I only see you hanging out with this group of kids?"

She responded to her own question with a bit of laughter.

"I'm sorry," she chuckled, "that sounded way nicer in my head."

Steve joined her in her laughter, bowing and nodding his head.

"No, it's a valid question," he smiled.

He sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his mid-chest, pulling a speck of lint from his dark gray baseball tee as he went.

"I didn't make the best decisions later on in high school," he admitted with a sigh, eyes fixed on the bottle of soda. "Hung out with the wrong people, you know?"

Joanna offered a small nod of understanding.

"After one incident in particular, I decided to make a change," he said, his hazel eyes meeting hers. "I decided I wanted to focus my energy into being a good role model, because I've never really had one myself."

He rubbed his nose.

"How I ended up with these dweebs in particular, I don't know," he chuckled, looking out into the rink. "I think I was too cool for other kids, but not for them."

"Well, they're very fortunate to have you," Joanna said warmly. "You obviously care for them very much."

Their conversation continued under the bright and colorful lights of the rink while the tweens carried on with their skating. All seemed well and normal. Steve occasionally scanned for anyone suspicious, though with a relatively small crowd of mostly minors, no one stuck out or appeared to be up to anything nefarious. As Eleven started to get the hang of skating, the gap separating Mike, Will, Max, and Eleven from Lucas and Dustin grew shorter. Lucas would later blame it on Dustin, but suddenly, he lost his footing. After a few attempts to stay upright failed, the boy, arms flailing, fell backwards, body, skates, and all, airborne. Steve and Joanna just happened to be watching, and both braced for the young lad to take a nasty fall.

Alas, before he hit the hard wooden floor, he simply stopped. He hovered a mere two inches from the cold hard floor for a few seconds, before dropping the rest of the way, much less harshly than anticipated, yet still with an audible thud. Joanna's eyes widened and the rest of her grew stiff, unsure if what she saw was real. Meanwhile, Steve rose to his feet, confirming to her that she had, in fact, witnessed something supernatural.

"What the hell?" Steve uttered.

Lucas, catching his breath, rolled onto his stomach, facing his peers who had come to a halt in anticipation of his fall. His frightened eyes immediately met Eleven's, as a small drop of blood trickled down from her nose.