Mike ran to Elle and Elvis and wrapped them both in a tight hug.

"Are they…" Max asked.

Lucas nodded.

"I never gave up on either of you," Mike told Elle and Elvis. "I called you every night for…"

"353 days," Elle interrupted. "I heard."

"Why didn't you tell me you were there?"

"Because I wouldn't let her," Hopper explained before turning to Elle. "The hell is this, where have you been?"

"Where have YOU been?" Elle asked back.

Hopper hugged Elle. Elle still felt a bit of anger towards Hopper, but this was not the time to snap. She returned the hug.

"You've been hiding her?" Mike asked Hopper angrily. "You've been hiding her this whole time!"

Mike was about to hit Hopper, but he was faster. "Hey, let's talk, alone!"


Hopper led Mike into the next room.

"I hid her to protect her," Hopper explained. "You gotta understand, the more people know about her, the more danger she and Elvis are in. The more danger you and your family are in."

"So I should be thanking you?" asked Mike angrily.

"I'm not asking you to thank me, I'm asking you to understand!"

"I don't understand!"

"That's fine, just don't blame her! She's upset enough as it is!"

"I'm not blaming her, I'm blaming YOU!"

"That's okay, kid."

"Nothing about this is okay, you lying piece of shit!"

Mike started punching Hopper in the gut, but he was too upset and sad to do anything. He broke down crying.

"You're okay kid," Hopper assured, hugging Mike. "You're okay. I'm sorry."


In the Living Room, Elle and Elvis hugged Lucas and Dustin respectively.

"I see you've grown teeth," Elvis remarked to Dustin.

"Oh, you like these pearls?" Dustin asked, as he showed them.

Max approached Elle and Elvis. "Eleven, Twelve? Hey, I'm Max. I've heard a lot about you two."

Max brought out her hand and Elvis took it. Elle just ignored Max. She didn't forget seeing Max interact with Mike that way.

Elle approached Joyce and hugged her.

"Can I see him?" Elle asked, referring to Will.

Joyce relented and led Elle to Will's room. Will was asleep.

"He's not doing well," Joyce explained.

"I know," Elle replied. "I saw."

Elle noticed the note that read "CLOSEGATE."

"You've opened the gate before, right?" asked Joyce.

"Yes," Elle replied.

"Do you think if we got you back there, you could close it?"

Elle made a face signifying she's confident she can close the gate.


Stranger Things 2

Chapter 9

The Gate

Billy reached the Wheeler household and rang the doorbell. A pretty blonde woman answered the door.

"I didn't know Nancy had a sister," Billy remarked.

"Oh, I'm her mother," Karen corrected.

"No."

Karen knew where this was heading. This wasn't the first time a younger boy flirted with her. She wasn't gonna let that happen again. She slapped Billy hard on the face.

That knocked some sense into Billy. He got back on track.

"Sorry," he apologized. "That wasn't supposed to happen. I'm looking for my sister, Max. She's been missing all day and I'm worried sick. I thought she was at Lucas', but Mrs. Sinclair said your house is the… designated hangout, so here I am."

Karen led Billy into the house and drew him a map of the Byers'.

"The driveway is dark this time of night, so drive slowly," she advised.

"I will," Billy assured. "You're a lifesaver."

Billy left the house, got in his car, and drove to the Byers'.

At the Byers', Hopper was explaining his plan to everyone.

"It's not like before, it's grown," he explained. "That's concerning if we can get in there, that place is crawling with those dogs."

"Demo-dogs," Dustin corrected. "Demogorgon dogs, put them together, it sounds badass…"

"How's that important right now?"

"Sorry, it's not."

"I can do it," said Elle.

"You're not hearing me," said Hopper.

"I am hearing you. I can do it."

"Even if you can, there's another problem," said Mike. "If the brain dies, the body dies."

"I thought that was the point," said Max.

"It is, but if we're really right about this, if Elle closes the gate and kills the Mind Flayer's army…"

"Will's part of the army," Lucas realized. "So closing the gate will kill him too."

Joyce processed everything said and gained an idea.


She led everyone to Will's room, where he was sleeping with the window open, allowing cold air from outside to enter the room.

"'He likes it cold'," she explained as she closed the window. "That's what Will kept telling me. He likes it cold. We keep giving it what it wants."

"If this is a virus and Will's the host, then…" Nancy realized. "Then we need to make the host uninhabitable, so if he likes it cold, then we need to burn it out of him. We'll need to do it somewhere he doesn't know this time. Somewhere far away."

Hopper realized an environment Will doesn't know of. He grabbed Will's body and carried him outside, telling Joyce and Jonathan to come with him.

"Take Denfield," he said as they walked out. "Then you'll see a large oak tree. You're gonna swing right, that road is gonna dead-end, then it's about a five minute walk from there."

"Denfield, oak tree, hang a right, that's it," Jonathan repeated to make sure he got everything. "But it's Channel Ten, right?"

"It's Channel Ten. Listen. You let me know when that thing is out of him."


Elsewhere, Barb and Nancy were collecting scraps.

"You should go with Jonathan," said Barb.

"What?" Nancy reacted. "No, I can't just leave Mike."

"No one's gonna leave anybody. Besides, I may not have been the best friend this past year, but I'm a damn good babysitter."

Nancy didn't want to leave Barb behind. She just got her back and didn't want to lose her again. "Barb…"

"It's okay, Nancy," Barb assured. "It's okay."


At the front door, Elle was about to leave. Mike approached her.

"Be careful, okay?" he said. "I can't lose you again."

"You won't," Elle assured. "I promise."

Mike and Elle were about to lean in for a kiss when Hopper approached them.

"Elle, let's go," he said. "It's time."

Elle got into Hopper's car. Jonathan, Joyce, and Nancy got into Jonathan's car. They both drive away from the house.


As Hopper drove to the lab, he spoke to Elle. "So, what, we're just not gonna talk about it?"

"About what?" asked Elle.

"I don't know. Why all of a sudden you showed up with your brother looking like some MTV punks." Elle looked away. Hopper noticed the guilty expression on her face and assured, "I'm not mad, kid. I just want to know where you've been. That's all."

"To see Mama," Elle replied.

"Okay. How'd you get there?"

"A truck, a big one."

"Who's was it?"

"A nice man's."

"Okay, let me get this straight, a nice man in a big truck, he drove you to your mom's, and then what? You reunited with Elvis? Your Aunt Becky gave you both those clothes and that makeup?"

"I shouldn't have left."

"No. This isn't on you. I should have been there. I shouldn't have lied to you about your mom. A lot of things, I shouldn't have done. It's like I'm a black hole or something."

Elle didn't know what a black hole was. "Black hole?"

"It's a thing in outer space," Hopper explained. "It sucks everything towards it and destroys it. Sarah had a picture book about space and she loved it."

"Who's Sarah?"

"She's my little girl."

"Where is she?"

"She, uh, she left us."

"Gone?"

"Yeah, the black hole got her. And somehow, I've just been scared. I've been scared it will take you too. That's why I get so mad. I'm sorry for everything. I can be so…"

"Stupid?"

"Yeah, stupid."

Elle noticed Hopper's hand shaking and held it. "I was stupid too."

"I guess we both broke our rule. I don't hate it by the way, this whole look. It's kinda cool."

Elle remembered her adventure with her friends in Chicago, especially Dottie.

"Bitchin," she said, remembering that term.

Hopper liked that term. "Sure, bitchin."


At the Byers', Dustin emptied the fridge to make room for the dead demo-dog.

"Is this really necessary?" Barb asked as she held the dead dog.

"Yes," Dustin replied bluntly. "This is a scientific discovery. We can't just bury it like a common mammal, okay? It's not a dog."

"Alright, but you're explaining this to Mrs. Byers." She tried stuffing the dog in the fridge, but she had to force it in there. "Help me, please."

"What should I do?"

"Get the door."

Dustin grabbed the door and helped Barb shut it.


In the Living Room, Lucas and Max were sweeping the remains of the broken window off the floor. Mike was pacing, and it tired Lucas.

"Would you stop that already?" he asked.

"You weren't in there, okay?" Mike retorted. "The lab is swarming with hundreds of those demo-dogs."

"The chief will take care of her."

"Like she even needs protection," Elvis scoffed.

"Listen, dude," said Steve. "If a coach calls a play in a game, bottom line, you execute it."

"First of all, this isn't a sport's game," Mike retorted. "And second, we're not even in the game. We're on the bench."

"Exactly, if the coach tells us to sit on the bench, we sit and wait for further instructions. There's nothing we can do."

"That's not entirely true," said Dustin. "These demo-dogs have a hive mind. When they ran away from the bus, they were called away, so if we get their attention…"

"We can draw them away from the lab," Mike finished. "And clear a path to the gate."

"Then we all die!" Steve retorted.

"That's one possibility," said Dustin.

Mike got an idea and led everyone to one of Will's drawings.

"This is where the chief dug his hole," he explained. "This is the way into the tunnels." He led them to one big central part of the drawings and continued explaining his theory. "This place is like a hub. All the tunnels feed into here. If we set this place on fire…"

"Yeah, that's a no," Barb interrupted.

None of the kids were listening though.

"The Mind Flayer would call away his army," Mike continued. "They'd all come to stop us. Then we circle back to the exit. By the time we realize we're gone, Elle will be at the gate."

Barb and Steve clapped their hands loudly to get everyone's attention.

"This is not happening," said Barb.

"But," Mike was about to say.

"But nothing," Barb interrupted. "I promised I'd keep you all safe, and that's what I'm gonna do."

"Barb's right," Steve added. "If we go out there, we're jumping head first into danger. We're staying here, on the bench, and we're waiting for the starting team to do their job. Does everyone understand?"

"This isn't a…" Mike was about to say.

"I said, do you understand?" Steve interrupted. "We need a yes."

Before anyone could say anything, they all heard the sounds of an engine revving. Max recognized the engine and ran to the window. Her fears were confirmed. Billy came for her.

"Shit," she said. "That's my brother. If he knows I'm here, then he'll kill me. He'll kill all of us."

Barb wasn't gonna let that happen. She ran out to the front door and watched as Billy got out of the car.

"Do my eyes deceive me?" Billy teased. "Is that you, Holland?"

"It is," Barb replied. "Don't cream your pants."

"What are you doing here, amigo?"

"I could ask you the same thing, amigo."

"Looking for my stepsister. Her name's Max. A little birdie told me she was here."

"Weird, I don't know her."

"Small, redhead, bitch?"

"Sorry, don't ring a bell."

"I don't know, this whole situation, Holland, is giving me the heebie-jeebies."

"Why?"

"My thirteen-year-old sister goes missing all day and I see her with you in a stranger's home, and you lie to me about it." Steve chuckled, but Billy ignored it and continued speaking. "Man, were you dropped too much as a child or what?"

"I don't know what you don't understand about what I just said," Barb replied. "She's not here."

"Then who is that?"

Turns out, Max and boys were watching through the window, and they were caught.

Barb saw this too. "Shit."

With Barb distracted, Billy tackled Barb to the ground and punched her, knocking her out.

Billy then entered the house and saw Max standing next to Lucas.

"Well, well, well," he said. "Lucas Sinclair, what a surprise." He turned to Max. "I thought I told you to stay away from him, Max."

"Billy, go away," Max muttered.

"You disobeyed me. You know what happens when you disobey me. I break things."

Before anyone could react, Billy grabbed Lucas by the throat and threw him against the wall, mimicking the same thing his dad did earlier. Before Lucas could get up, Billy kicked him in the nose, causing it to bleed.

"Since Maxine won't listen to me, maybe you will," Billy smirked. "Stay away from her. Do you hear me?"

Before Billy could continue beating up Lucas, Steve snuck up behind Billy, grabbed his head, and shoved it against the wall three times in a row.

"No, you listen to me, Bitchy!" he shouted. "Stay away from these kids!"

Billy chuckled. "Looks like you got some fire in you. I've been waiting to meet this 'King Steve' everyone's been telling me about."

"Get out."

Billy did not take kindly to that. He tried to punch Steve, but he dodged the attack. Steve started punching Billy and shoved him against the stove. Billy accidentally turned a knob, turning on the stove and igniting the flames. The flames touched Billy and burned him. He screamed in pain but managed to turn the knob back. Before Billy could react, Steve continued punching Billy until he was against the kitchen countertop.

Unfortunately for Steve, Billy was able to grab a glass plate and hit Steve's head with it. This disoriented Steve, allowing Billy to get the upper hand. He punched Steve to the floor but didn't stop there. He continued punching Steve until he was out cold. Billy still didn't stop. He continued punching Steve, intending to kill him.

Max wasn't gonna let that happen. She saw Barb's bat lying on the ground and approached Billy. She hit Billy hard on the head with the bat, knocking him down.

"From here on out, you leave me and my friends alone," Max demanded. "Do you understand?"

"Screw you," Billy replied.

Max hit Billy's head a second time. "ANSWER ME, BITCH!"

"I understand."

"What?"

"I understand."

With that Billy fell unconscious. Max went into Billy's pocket and stole his car keys.

"Let's get out of here," she told the boys.


Out in the woods, Joyce, Jonathan, and Nancy made it to Hopper's cabin.

"It's actually kinda nice," Nancy admitted.

"We'll do it here," said Joyce.

The group made room for a bed to tie Will up. Then they set up some heaters to burn the Mind Flayer out of him.

"Are you sure this will work?" asked Jonathan.

"This thing hurt my boy long enough," Joyce replied. "Let's kill that son of a bitch."

Nancy struck a match and lit a fire in the fireplace while Jonathan turned on the heaters.


Meanwhile, Hopper and Elle made it to the lab.

Elle looked at the building and remembered all her traumatic experiences there. The experimentation, the use, the abuse, all of it.

"You let me do the heavy lifting, all right?" asked Hopper. "Save your strength until we're below." He saw the scared look on Elle's face. "You okay?"

Elle didn't answer. She mustered up the courage and headed for the lab entrance.


Elsewhere, Max was driving Barb and the boys to the area where Hopper dug into the tunnels. Steve and Barb were unconscious at first but were slowly waking up.

"Nancy?" they muttered to Mike.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Dustin called them down as he held ice over their heads. "He beat you up good, but we got him."

They noticed Max driving and panicked.

"Calm down you two," Dustin assured. "She's driven before."

Max sped up.

"Oh, stop the car, please," the teens begged in unison.

"I told you they'd freak out," said Elvis.

"EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" Max screamed. "I'M TRYING TO FOCUS!"

"There's Mount Sinai," said Lucas. "Make a left!"

Max barely noticed it and took a hard left, almost causing the car to tip over. Thankfully it didn't.

Will woke up sweating in a hot cabin.

"What's happening?" he said. "It hurts, it hurts, it hurts! Let me go. LET ME GO!"

Joyce turned up the heaters. Will screamed and twitched even more.

Max made it to the pumpkin patch, just barely avoiding a crash.

"Told you," Max said to all the shocked passengers. "Zoomer."

The kids went to get their stuff from the trunk. After they got their stuff, they were about to go down into the tunnels. By then, Steve and Barb fully came to and realized what was going on.

"Hey, what are you doing?" said Steve. "We are not going down there! This ends right now!"

"Steve, Barb, I get you're both upset," said Dustin, unfazed. "But the bottom line is, a party member requires assistance, and it is our duty to provide that assistance. I know you both promised Nancy that you would keep us safe, so keep us safe."

Dustin handed both teens their respective bats. Barb and Steve were hesitant, but they knew they could not get the kids to change their minds, so they took the bats.


After putting on goggles and face masks, everyone climbed down into the tunnels. Mike looked at a map he drew and was about to lead the way, but Steve stopped him.

"Hey, stop," he said. "If any of you dipshits die here, then Barb and I will get blamed. From here on out, we're in charge."

The two teens led the kids down the tunnel.


Hopper led Elle through the lab to where the gate was. As they walked down a stairway, Hopper heard someone. He told Elle to stay put as he kept going. He saw Owens badly injured.

Since Hopper was gone for too long, Elle got worried and went down the stairs. She saw Hopper with the injured scientist.

"Oh, yeah, I've been meaning to tell you," said Hopper. "Eleven, Doc Owens. Doc Owens, Eleven. She's been staying with me for about a year, and she's about to save our asses. Maybe after this is over, you can help her and her brother too. Maybe you could help them lead normal lives. One where she's not poked and prodded and… treated like lab rats, you know? I don't know, just a thought. Just think about it."

Hopper quickly tended Owens' wounds before continuing onward.


In the tunnels, the group continued walking to their destination.

Dustin saw something that intrigued him. It was a flower, but it was breathing. It sprayed this stuff at Dustin, causing him to panic for a bit, but thankfully his goggles and mask protected him. He ran to catch up with the others.

They made it to an area of the tunnels where there were multiple routes to go.

"Well, Wheeler, I think we found your hub," said Steve.

"Let's drench it," said Mike.

Everyone split up and started pouring gasoline all around it.


In the cabin, Will continued screaming and crying in agony.

"Mom, this isn't working!" said Jonathan.

"Just wait!" Joyce yelled.

"How much longer? I mean look at him!"

"Jonathan just wait!"

Jonathan was about to turn off the heater, but Joyce grabbed him. Nancy noticed something about Will.

"Guys, look at his neck!" she shouted.

Everyone looked at Will's neck and saw these black veins forming around it. He broke out of his restraints and started roaring. Joyce tried to force Will down, but he grabbed her throat.


In the lab, Hopper and Elle continued heading for the room where the gate was. They saw the lights flickering, signifying something was near. Hopper told Elle to stay put as he went ahead.

He cautiously continued forward and hid behind a door. He used a knife as a mirror to see if there were any demo-dogs in the area. There were a bunch of demo-dogs roaming around and barking. Hopper knew he didn't stand a chance against any of them.


In the tunnels, the kids just finished covering the hub in gasoline.

"You guys ready?" Barb asked.

"Ready," the kids replied in unison.

"Alright," said Steve. "Let's light her up."

Steve grabbed his lighter and turned it on.


In the cabin, Will was still suffocating Joyce. Nancy got an idea. She grabbed a metal rod and put it in the fire. Once the edge was hot enough, he hit Will's rib with the hot rod. This hurt Will and forced him to let go of Joyce. With Joyce free, she grabbed Will and held him down.

"GET THE HELL OUT OF MY SON!" she screamed at the Mind Flayer.


In the tunnels, Steve threw his lighter onto all the gasoline, setting it on fire. The vines writhed in agony. The kids made a run for it before the fire could get them too.


The Mind Flayer felt the heat as well. It couldn't take it. Using Will's body, it destroyed the heaters in the room, but it was still burning thanks to the fire in the tunnels.

The soul in Will's eyes returned.

"Let me go," he said to the Mind Flayer. "Let, me, GO!"

Black smoke emerged from Will's mouth and flew out the window.

Will passed out as his nose started bleeding. Jonathan and Joyce approached him and hugged him.

After a while, Will woke up. "Mom?"

Joyce and Jonathan hugged Will, happy he was okay.


The demo-dogs ran away from the lab. Hopper and Elle watched.

"Chief, do you copy?" Jonathan's voice came from the chief's walkie.

Hopper picked up the walkie. "I copy."

"Close it," said Jonathan.

Hopper and Elle looked at each other before getting on the lift. They lowered deeper and deeper towards the mother gate.

Elle stared at the gate and held out her hand, concentrating. A shadowy figure appeared on the other side. It stared at Elle and Hopper menacingly.


In the tunnels, the gang were running for the exit when a vine grabbed Mike by the ankle.

"Help! HELP!" he screamed.

The kids grabbed Mike and tried to pull him free, but he wouldn't budge.

"Everybody back!" Steve yelled as he and Barb ran towards the vine. They whacked it with their bats, forcing it to let go of Mike.

They were about to continue when they heard a growl. They turned to see a demo-dog right in front of them.

"Dart," said Dustin, recognizing his former pet. Dustin advanced, ignoring everyone's protests. "Trust me, please," he told everyone before turning back to Dart. "Hey, it's me. It's just your friend, Dustin. Do you remember me? Will you let us pass?" The dog growled, signifying it will not let them pass. Dusitn wasn't giving up though. "Okay, I'm sorry about the storm cellar. That was a dicky thing to do. Are you hungry? I've got our favorite, nougat." He brought out a three musketeer's bar and removed the wrapper. He offered it to Dart and it gladly ate it up. Everyone walked past while Dart was busy eating. They were about to leave when Dustin turned back to Dart. Dart made one last bark to Dustin before going back to his snack. "Goodbye Dart," Dustin cried before walking away with the rest.


Back at the lab, Elle kept her hand out, glaring at the monster with anger. She remembered what Kali said.

"I want you to find something from your past, something that angers you. Now channel it."

Elle focused on her trauma and the gate started to close.


Steve, Barb, and the kids continued running for the exit. They heard growling coming from behind, signifying other demo-dogs were following them. However, the kids were fast. They made it to the exit. One by one, they climbed the rope to safety.

Once Lucas, Max, Dustin, and Mike were up, they heard the growling getting louder. The demo-dogs were close, too close. Barb and Steve readied their bats while Elvis floated up. The demo-dogs ran…

Right past the kids. It was like the kids were invisible to them. The demo-dogs just kept running.

"Jane," Elvis realized.


At the lab, Elle continued closing the gate. Demo-dogs surrounded her and Hopper and tried to stop them. Hopper was fast, though. He shot each demo-dog until they fell off the lift.

The Mind Flayer's arm reached out to Elle.

Elle let out a blood curdling scream as she continued closing the gate. She forced the Mind Flayer's tentacle back into the gate and the gate shut completely.

All the demo-dogs fell to the floor and died.

Elle passed out and Hopper helped her up.

"You did good, kid," he assured. "You did so good."


One Month Later…

Since the release of the incendiary tape, the once quiet town of Hawkins, Indiana had spent time in a place it never expected. The national spotlight. Under mounting pressure, several high-ranking members from the U.S. Department of Energy had admitted involvement in the disappearances and cover-up of Hawkins residents Barbara Holland and William Byers.

Hopper went to a small diner and met up with Owens.

"Chief-o," Owens greeted.

"How's the leg?" asked Hopper.

"Better. Pretty sure my football career is over. Hey, I got a little something for you."

Owens handed Hopper a couple of slips. They were birth certificates for Elle and Elvis. Their legal names were changed to Jane and John Hopper.

"I thought…" Hopper was about to say.

"Sometimes I even impress myself," Owens interrupted. "Still, I'd let things cool off for a while if I were you."

"How long is a while?"

"To be safe, I'd give it a year."

"How about one night out? How risky will that be?"

"What night are we talking here?"


Play "Jingle Bell Rock"

Jingle Bell

Jingle Bell

Jingle Bell Rock

Jingle Bell Swing

And Jingle Bells Ring

Mr. Clarke was hanging decorations for the Snow Ball.


Snowing and Blowing and bustles of fun

Now the jingle hop has begun

Jingle Bell

Jingle Bell

Jingle Bell Rock

Jingle Bells Chime

In Jingle Bell Time

At the Byers', Joyce was teaching Will how to dance. Jonathan recorded.

"Do you always have to film everything?" asked Will.

"No, just the good stuff," Jonathan replied.


Dancin and Prancin in Jingle Bell Square

In the Frosty Air

"Are you sure people have to dance like this?" Will asked Joyce.

"Yeah, it's just what's happening," Joyce replied.


What a bright time

It's the right time

To rock the night away

Jingle Bell time

Is a swell time

To go riding in a one horse sleigh

At the Wheeler's, Karen kept taking pictures of Mike because she loved how handsome he looked. Mike was annoyed by this.


Giddyap, Jingle Horse, pick up your feet

Jingle around the clock

Mix and mingle your jingling feet

That's the jingle bell rock

At the Sinclair's, Lucas was practicing asking Max out in the mirror.

"Hey, wanna dance?" he said. "No. We should get out there and, you know, do our… no that's not gonna work. I love this song. You?"


Jingle Bell

Jingle Bell

Jingle Bell Rock

Jingle Bells Chime

In Jingle Bell Time

Dancin and Prancin in Jingle Bell Square

In the Frosty Air

"Yeah, I love it," Erica teased from behind. "But not as much as I love you, Lukey."

"Get out of my room!" Lucas demanded as he slammed the door.


What a bright time

It's the right time

To rock the night away

Jingle Bell time

Is a swell time

To go riding in a one horse sleigh

Susan was combing Max's hair, helping her get ready for the ball. Billy walked by, stared at Max, and walked away. He hasn't even spoken to Max since she put him in his place.


Giddyap, Jingle Horse, pick up your feet

Jingle around the clock

Mix and mingle your jingling feet

That's the jingle bell

That's the jingle bell

That's the jingle bell rock

At the Henderson's, Barb came over and did Dustin's hair. It was painful, but it was worth it.

End "Jingle Bell Rock"


That night, Steve drove Nancy and Jonathan to the Middle School dance. Nancy would be running concessions there while Jonathan would be taking photos of the kids. Steve shared quick kisses with Nancy and Jon before they got out of the car.

Nancy and Jonathan entered the school. Nancy walked to the concession stand. She started serving punch to the kids. She turned to her second boyfriend and smiled as he took photos of the kids.

Play "Time After Time" by Cyndi Lauper

Dustin met up with his friends. They all looked at his hair and were impressed.

Lying in my bed, I hear the clock tick and I think of you

Caught up in circles, confusion is nothing new

Flashback, warm nights almost left behind

Suitcase of memories

Time after time

Lucas turned to Max and said, "Hey, Max, it's nice right? You want to like, you know, just you and me?"

"Are you trying to ask me to dance, stalker?" asked Max.

"No, of course not. Unless you want to."

"So smooth. Come on."

Max took Lucas' hand and they started to dance.

Sometimes you picture me, I'm walking too far ahead

You're calling me, I can't hear what you said

Then you say "Go slow" and I fall behind

The second hand unwinds

"Hey, Zombie Boy," a voice called out to Will. "Wanna dance?"

"No, I don't want to," Will replied bluntly.

The girl walked away in sadness.

If you're lost, you can look and you will find me

Time after time

If you fall, I will catch you, I'll be waiting

Time after time

If you're lost, you can look and you will find me

Time after time

If you fall, I will catch you, I'll be waiting

Time after time

Dustin looked at some nearby girls and exhaled.

"Wish me luck, guys," he told Mike and Will.

Dustin approached a girl named Stacy and offered his hand to dance. Stacey coldly rejected Dustin and walked away with her friends.

Nancy saw how Dustin was the only one without a partner to dance with. She didn't like that. She approached Dustin.

"Hey," she said. "Wanna dance? Come on, let's go."

Nancy took Dustin's hand and led him to the dance floor.

Stacey saw Dustin with a dance partner and was shocked.

"Hey, out of all my brother's friends, you're my favorite," Nancy admitted. "You always have been my favorite. Girls this age are dumb, but give them a few years and they'll wise up. You're gonna drive them nuts."

After my picture fades and darkness turns to gray

Watching through the windows, I wonder if I'm okay

Secrets stolen from deep inside

The drum beats out of time

If you're lost, you can look and you will find me

Time after time

If you fall, I will catch you, I'll be waiting

Time after time

End "Time After Time"


Joyce sat outside and was approached by Hopper.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?" he asked.

"Will wanted space, so…" Joyce replied. "I'm giving him a few feet."

"What do you say? I'm sure Mr. Cooper retired in the 70s so we might be okay."

Hopper offered Joyce his cigarette, and she took it.

"How are you holding up?" asked Hopper.

"You know," Joyce replied.

"Yeah, that feeling never goes away. It is true what they say. Every day it gets easier."

Hopper wrapped his arm around Joyce and comforted her.


Play "Every Breath You Take" by the Police

Every breath you take

Every move you make

Every bond you break

Every step you take

I'll be watching you

Elle and Elvis walked into the school wearing very nice clothing.

Every single day

Every word you say

Every game you play

Every night you stay

I'll be watching you

"You look beautiful," Mike told Elle, causing her to smile. "Wanna dance?"

"I don't know how," Elle replied.

"I don't either. Wanna figure it out?" Mike turned to see Will without a partner. He turned to Elvis. "Hey, Elvis. Wanna dance with Will?"

Elvis was a bit hesitant, but after a bit of thinking, he said. "Okay."

Elvis approached Will and offered his hand to dance. Will was a bit nervous. He turned to Mike. Mike smiled and gave a thumbs-up. Will took Elvis' hand and the two boys got on the dance floor. Mike and Elle followed.

Mike and Elle started dancing together, and so did Will and Elvis.

Can't you see

You belong to me

How my poor heart aches

With every step you take

Every move you make

And every vow you break

Every smile you fake

Every claim you stake

I'll be watching you

Mike and Elle, Lucas and Max, Dustin and Nancy, and Will and Elvis all danced together like there would be no tomorrow.

In the heat of the moment, Max pulled Lucas in for a kiss. Both were equally shocked, but were happy nonetheless.

Mike leaned towards Elle.

"I'm coming in," he whispered to her.

Elle didn't have time to process what Mike said, because he went in for a kiss right after saying that.

And they all danced happily ever after.

Since you've gone, I've been lost without a trace

I dream at night, I can only see your face

I look around, but it's you I can't replace

I feel so cold, and I long for your embrace

I keep crying, baby, baby please

End "Every Step You Take"

Stranger Things 2


A.N.

And that concludes Part 2.

You know, why is the fandom so forgiving of Billy? I know he's been abused, but it's no excuse for the way he acted. He tried to kill Lucas and Steve. Needless to say, He deserved getting hit in the head by Max.

On that topic, I changed the interaction with Billy and Karen so that instead of them flirting with each other, Billy tries to flirt and is just slapped for it. The flirting was very stupid, especially with the context of Karen being in her late 30s while Billy's a late teen. Especially in Season 3, when Karen considered cheating on her husband to make out with a High Schooler. Thankfully, she didn't do it, but even considering dating a teenager will make her a pedophile.

I couldn't decide if it should be Barb or Steve who stays to protect the kids. On one hand, I made Barb the sister figure in this universe, but on the other hand, Steve's fight with Billy was awesome to see, and replacing Steve with someone else just doesn't work the same.

Another thing worth mentioning is that in this universe, the burning only helped free Will from the Mind Flayer. In the end, Will had to force the Mind Flayer out on his own. I just think it works better.

My favorite change was easily replacing that random girl who dances with Will with Elvis. That was fun to write as it's the first scene we get of Will and Elvis interacting with each other.

Anyway, as I said before, I'm going on vacation, so I'm not going straight to Part 3. I'll get to that once I get back from vacation.

Thanks for reading. Please favorite, follow, and review.