-8-

"It's all my fault, Aunt Becky," Eleven finished her tale.

Becky Ives's mind was awash with fresh information after Jane had shown her everything she had just remembered from her time in the Lab (just seeing her in that smock, unless during specific training moments pissed her off) from the way Creel befriended her, encouraged her, helped her, goaded her the right way until she decided to tear out the chip in his neck Brenner had put there to stop him using his powers, before that final showdown in the Rainbow Room; just seeing those corpses made her sick, and seeing what Creel would become and the people he would violently violate, torture, and murder to power up his own escape made her sick.

"No, it's not," Becky instantly wrapped her arms around Janes's torso and drew her towards her. "From what I saw, you were tricked. You were taken advantage of. Creel offered you something that you wanted desperately, a chance to get out," Becky went on, "anybody else in your position would have done the same. I don't doubt in my mind that if he hadn't found you, he would have picked the only other kid he could…and the results could have been nastier."

Eleven shook her head against Becky's chest. "But it's all my fault this is happening; why can't you understand? Max, Chrissy Cunningham, and all the others. All of those attacks from the Upside Down. They're all because of my mistake."

"Maybe they are. You're right, yes. You did throw him into another dimension where he became that monster, but you didn't know. You used so much of your powers, that you forgot about it. Jane," Becky bit her lip as she struggled to find the right words for this one, "I think you've made up for that mistake. You have been fighting these monsters ever since you escaped from the Lab. You saved that Byers' boy. You stopped the Mind Flayer twice. You saved that little girl only just today. Stop dwelling on your mistakes, there is nothing that you can do but move on," she chuckled without any humour, "I've been paying for my mistake in phoning the Lab, to get you help…and I've regretted it ever since. I didn't know how to look after you, and I thought if I made a deal with the Lab, I could keep you and they could help. I was stupid." Becky looked down.

Eleven knew her aunt was telling the truth. Not only could she feel and sense it in the void, but she'd picked up so much from her time out of the Lab to tell the difference. "I forgave you for that, Aunt Becky," she said softly.

"But I haven't; I was scared, terrified…I had lost your mother, I didn't want to lose you. I knew if they found out I had you, they'd come in and I couldn't stop them, and you could have been hurt," Becky went on, and suddenly she snorted and shook her head with a smile.

"What is it?" Eleven blinked in surprise when she saw the smile on her aunt's face, she hadn't expected that reaction.

"Look at us, reminiscing over our mistakes and going round and round in circles. I never thought you were a monster, Jane. Not once. When I first met you, realised that a piece of Terry was alive, that my sister was right and she had a baby girl…I wanted to keep you, keep you safe, and it made me make the worst mistake yet. I'm just thankful you forgave me. And I think your friends and loved ones will forgive you as well when they find out what you went through at the Lab with Vecna," Becky said.

"Why do you say that?"

"Because of how far you were prepared to go to fight him. You stopped him from killing a child simply because he could, and you stopped your friend from dying. From where I'm standing, you're more of a hero than most comic book characters. But your greatest strength is you know how dangerous these things are if they're left to live," Becky replied.

"I didn't realise or know you liked comic book characters," Eleven commented.

"I don't. I always saw them as unrealistic," Becky confessed, "I never liked the capes, cowls, tights…playing hero is kid's stuff. I think you're a hero because you don't wear a costume, but you are with it. You also accept you made mistakes, and you want to pay for them."

But Eleven looked down and didn't look too convinced. Becky shook her head.

"You're worried about your friends, aren't you? You're scared they'll hate you when they find out, but they already know, right?" Becky pressed.

Eleven sighed. She didn't understand how her aunt could even know that, for a moment she wondered if all of her family had some kind of ability like telepathy.

"Mike, Jonathan, Argyle, and Will know about what I did in the Lab," she said.

"And do they hate you?"

"Well, no."

"And they won't," Becky said with certainty.

"But what if they do?"

And just like that the certainty was torn away.

"What if they don't want me around anymore?" Eleven asked desperately.

Becky personally thought that was garbage, and she didn't have any hesitation in saying as much. "I doubt that would happen, Jane," she said, "and even if they did, so be it. Leave them and find the girl you were trying to find and come to me occasionally. It gets lonely even with your mother. You can't force them to love you, and if they don't, then give up on them…just keep it friendly. Stop worrying so much, Jane." Becky bit her lip and thought up something else, "I didn't know you could create fire," she commented.

"Neither did I."

Becky was intrigued. "You mean you decided to try it?" Jane, that's incredible. Listen you told me that your friends are into comics, movies, games…why don't you see what else you can do? Grow more as a person, and while you're at it you need to stop that army bastard who wants you dead."

"I know about the soldier. But I didn't know this. Why, what's he done?"

"He set up a press conference, deriding you and making you sound like a deranged monster," Becky flinched at once when she saw the look on her niece's face. "Sorry, wrong thing to say. But listen, you have to know many people will be gunning for you now, and you're all I have left besides Terry. I don't want to let you go."

Eleven was horrified by the press conference. It put her in mind of everything she had seen during her battle with the Demogorgons and with Vecna. She had seen dozens of people looking like they wanted to kill her and were scared of her.

But Becky was not finished. "Jane, what happened with that girl and the roller skate?"

"She and her friends humiliated me at a skating rink," Jane said, "I lied to my friends from Hawkins, saying I had friends in Lenora."

"But you didn't?"

"No," Eleven said simply. "I was being bullied instead, but I didn't want Mike and the others to worry. At the skating rink, they pretended to be friends, but they turned on me, and they circled me while a nasty song was playing, calling me names like freak, loser. Take your pick. Next, one of them chucked a milkshake over me and my dress, making me fall to the ground, crying."

Becky listened with fury. "Go on," she ground out.

"I hid away, wishing I had my powers. I confronted Angela, but she kept insulting me. Finally, I decided I'd had enough, so I picked up a skate, and smashed it into her face," Eleven finished shamefacedly, but Becky could see something.

While she was sorry about what she had done, there was not a shred of doubt at all Jane wouldn't not do it again.

She smirked, "It looks like you've inherited it."

"Inherited what?"

"Women in our family have terrible and violent tempers when we're given the right provocation," Becky explained. "It's nothing to be ashamed of; I once punched a couple of girls when they bullied me."

"Yeah, but were you arrested for it?"

"-"

"-"

"Good point," Becky conceded. "Anyway, what are you planning to do about your friend Max?"

Eleven had told her about her theory about Max's mind being in Vecna's. "I don't know, but if she is in there, along with his other victims… I have got to break them out. It will be risky as many of them don't have bodies, and I don't know what happened to them."

"But they've been imprisoned. Locked up. They deserve to be free," Becky pointed out, "You know that. You of all people know what it's like to be locked up. Even if you can't return their minds to their bodies, they deserve to be free. God alone knows what is happening to their minds now."

She hated doing this, but she could see the look of uncertainty shift to one of resolve on Jane's young face.

Good.

"I wish this wasn't happening," Jane's young face was tortured. "I wish I'd been raised by you and Mama."

Becky's heart broke again. "So do I, sweetie. Believe me. I just wish I'd been there when Terry held you; I could have done something-."

"NO! If you had been there, Brenner would have killed you both. I would never have known you. No matter what, you and Mama are the only living biological relatives I've got. If anything happened to you because of me, I'd never forgive myself," Jane said, hugging her tightly, and Becky returned the embrace, hurt that her niece was in so much pain. She felt a hot swoop of loathing and rage directed towards Brenner for destroying their lives and continuing to be a shadow now.

"Try and be careful. Focus on those you love and stop Creel, and please…when this is over, even if you're on the run," Becky pulled back and cupped Jane's face with her hands, her own eyes filling, "Come and visit. I miss you."

Jane nodded. "I miss you, too. I miss your snark," she added with a smirk.

Becky laughed. "I do my best. Do you want me to move with Terry, somewhere else so Vecna doesn't try to track us down?" She asked more soberly.

Eleven bit her lip in thought. She was left wondering if that would work. "If you think it will keep you safe, then do it, but be careful; he raped my mind, he might come after you."

Becky's insides chilled. If Vecna had the same powers her niece did, then it might be hopeless. But at the same time, it might just work.

"I'll see about what I can do," she said without giving away any promises while wondering if there was a deep, dark hole she could hide in, "You'd better send us back, and thanks for calling me and Terry."

Eleven did her best to smile and she hugged her aunt, "I miss you too, Auntie Becky," she whispered.

After gently hugging her mother, peering deeply into her eyes, and biting her lip again in sadness of what Brenner had done, how far he had gone to silence her, Eleven waved at her aunt and sent her away, praying desperately this was not the last time they met, and that they came out of this safely.

When they were gone, Eleven closed her eyes and wondered if she should just leave the void, but she decided not to.

She had a task to complete.

Focusing on his mind, Eleven walked around the void before she found him. She wanted to get this unpleasant task out of the way before she spoke to Kali.

"Hello, Dr Owens," Eleven said neutrally, making the old man swing around in shock.

She wasn't bothered.