Mike frowned as Max walked off with his friends in tow. He didn't like her. Didn't want her to be part of The Party. But Dustin and Lucas wanted her here, so that was that. Best not to get left behind, otherwise she might steal his friends completely.
As he lifted his foot to take a step forward he felt a presence to his left and then, before he could react, arms wrapped around him. He tried to jerk away from whoever was grabbing him, but they had locked their arms tightly around him. "Whu-" he grunted as he started to turn to face his attacker. But he was cut off by a soft voice. A voice he knew. A voice he had craved to hear for almost a year.
"I'm safe. I'm close. I'm listening. I love you. DON'T look for me, will just cause trouble. Not safe to be together. Promise you won't follow me."
By time El finished speaking Mike had turned to face her, jaw slack, staring into the most beautiful brown eyes he'd ever seen. She was in a ghost costume, but he didn't need to see the rest of her. He would know those eyes anywhere. It would be inaccurate to say his brain wasn't firing on all cylinders. A more accurate description would be that his brain was MISfiring on all cylinders for a couple seconds after she finished speaking. When Mike didn't respond, the girl repeated herself "Promise you WON'T follow me." she raised her voice slightly, her tone insistent.
Mike's brain finally caught on and even as his arms lifted to grasp El's waist he processed what she was saying. She was alive and safe. She LOVED him. But she wasn't staying. That last point lanced through his heart even as the proof that she was alive filled him with joy. He felt a desperate desire to grab her, to drag her off to his house, stuff her into his basement and keep her there forever. But her first contact with him in a year came with a request. A demand even. As much as he wanted to say no…how could he turn down the thing she needed of him?
"I-I promise." he whispered, barely audible over the collected babble of the kids out seeking their sugar rushes. El leaned in, kissed his cheek, then released her hold on him and gently extracted herself from his grasp before walking away. He had promised. But SHE had made a promise too, and so in case his honor failed him, her hand curled and a trickle of blood leaked from her nose as she held him in place, preventing him from coming after her.
Mike's mind was spinning, his ears pounded in time with his heart, and a cold sweat coated his face as El walked away from him. His mouth was dry as he tried to swallow, his hands shook violently. He tried to turn to watch her, not FOLLOW, just watch, but his legs refused to obey his commands. He didn't need to be told, he knew what was going on. The whole exchange had taken perhaps 15 seconds, probably less. He looked up as he felt the hold on his body release, he saw Will stop and look back at him, a flash of concern across his friend's face as he realized that Mike was far behind them.
Mike knew his face was flushed, he could feel the heat. His body responded to his commands now, and he lurched forward unsteadily, not due to the effects of El's intervention, but rather the lingering effects of his own shock. Will called out to the others and they stopped, looking back curiously as Mike slowly got back into a regular walking rhythm. Will met him halfway and asked "What's wrong?" to which Mike hissed "Turn it off!" gesturing to the camera. Will pressed the button and the light went off, then Mike leaned in "She was here. She spoke to me." Will took a second to react before his eyes widened and his face went white. He glanced over at the others who were closing in and then back to Mike "Right now?" he asked, Mike gave a curt nod, but Max was almost within hearing range. The redhead had a furrowed brow "Something wrong?" she asked, looking Mike up and down. He was, slowly, calming, the shaking was done, his heart was still thumping, but no longer felt like it was trying to beat out of his chest. He gave her a grim look and shook his head "No. I'm fine. Let's go, we've got ground to make up." he said, pushing through the group and taking the lead. But Will whispered into Dustin's ear, then Lucas's while Max was distracted looking at Mike. A moment later the group was off again, making up for the lost moments. Max noticed a sudden shift in the boy's energy, muted, eyes darting around when the boys weren't watching Mike's back ahead of them.
The boys understood the assignment, two of them stayed with Max, distracting her, while the third (Will first) moved in to speak to Mike alone, then they swapped places. He relayed the story to all three of them. They were incredulous, but happy to hear that El was alive. As the shock wore off Mike found himself settling into a contentment. The most important things were that she was alive, and she still liked him…loved him even. How much that word means, he shivered at the memory. He was, of course, less than pleased that El couldn't stay. But the fact that she had appeared at all was a good sign, even if it was hard to accept in the moment. She was alive. Slowly a smile grew on his face.
Max noticed the demeanor shift again, the boys all had private conversations with Mike, something had happened, something she was being excluded from. But after their talks the boys quickly regained their energy. Mike had seemed a dour and unlikeable sort at first, but now, whatever happened, he seemed to be perking up, and while he still didn't look like he LIKED her, he was at least not scowling (much) when he looked at her now. She'd have to probe later to see what she could find out. But for now, candy time.
El swept through the gap between two houses, broke into a jog and went two streets over before slowing to a stop. She would need to avoid the boys going forward, she would need to move to the far side of town and probably cut her trick or treating short. She could, of course, simply play dumb if she ran into them again. But she didn't want to. Friends don't lie. She'd rather avoid them than try to deceive them.
She leaned against a tree, then sat under it. Her heart was still pounding. It was so brief. She wanted to stay the night. Had hoped that Hopper wouldn't level any restrictions. She probably wouldn't have even gotten any candy, just stayed with him. But rules are rules. She sighed morosely and put her head in her hands. It was done though. He knew now. She got to touch him again, kiss him. Hopefully it wouldn't take another YEAR before she saw him. But if Mike could keep himself from causing trouble, maybe Hopper would start to trust him.
A voice called out to her "You OK?" Her head snapped up and her eyes narrowed as she looked to the door of the nearby house. An elderly man was leaning out, a look of concern on his face. She lifted a hand "I'm…fine." She said slowly. He raised an eyebrow and stepped onto his stoop. "You don't look fine." He replied, crossing his arms "You being bullied?" El shook her head "No. Just. Life is hard." She grumbled, getting to her feet. The man smiled and wryly said "You're too young for that sort of thing. You'll get past this, get stronger, and deal with much more difficulty later in life." El regarded him coolly and shrugged. She didn't feel like arguing, and the man would never understand what she had already faced. "Have a good night." She said in a slightly stilted manner, turning away towards the next house so she could get some candy. "You too." He said before stepping back inside.
That morning
El grumped, the ghost costume piled on the floor. She didn't even look at her breakfast. "I want to see him." she stated firmly. Hopper set the syrup down and took a breath, rubbing his forehead with his hand. "You can use the TV to see him whenever you want." he replied, though the look on his face betrayed his knowledge of what was likely to come next. El fixed him with an intense stare "Not the same." she hissed before her eyes flicked away again. "You'll get to see him soon. When it's safe." Hopper replied placidly, even though his body was tense. El's eyes flicked to Hopper again "When will it be safe?" she murmured, but before Hopper could respond she continued "Three. Hundred. Fifty. Three. Days. When?" Hopper shook his head "Like I said before I'm talking to the lab, I think I'm making progress. It'll happen soon. I promise." El's face darkened "Friends don't lie." she whispered. Hopper jerked back slightly, and El pressed forward "Day 21 'Soon.' Day 205 'Soon.' Day 325 'Soon.'" She put her hands on the table and leaned half way across it "When. Is. Soon?" Hopper decided to try going on offense and leaned in himself until their faces were almost touching. "When. It's. Safe." he replied, holding her gaze. Her eyes narrowed and she leaned back, Hopper settled back thinking he had won. "Lying!" El barked "Never safe. No progress." El picked up the ghost costume and held it up. "No safer day. Not safer yesterday! Not safer tomorrow! No one will see. No one will be looking. I WANT TO SEE HIM!" Her arm trembled, raised up, holding the sheet.
Hopper stared at her, silently, for a long moment. His anger had flared when she had pointed out, correctly, that he was lying. But as he gazed down at the girl that he had taken as his daughter, as a replacement for the dead daughter that he had so many years ago, he realized that he had, perhaps, reached the limits of her patience. He realized that, if he pushed her further, he might lose her just as surely as if she was caught by the lab. "Put that down." he said, El opened her mouth and Hopper held up a hand "Just put it down." She slowly lowered the costume to her lap and stared silently at him. "You're…right." he said, hesitantly "It's probably safer today than any other day, safer than it will be for a while." He had no intention of admitting that she was right about him lying. "It's still dangerous." she opened her mouth again and again he raised a hand "But if you're careful. It could be…safe enough." El visibly relaxed. Hopper ran his hand through his hair and frowned. "You can go out trick or treating, but you can't talk to Mike or the boys. Or anyone else you know." He stated firmly.
El's eyes widened and a range of emotions crossed over her face. That was…not what she wanted. She wanted to go out, yes, she wanted to get candy, yes, but she MOST wanted to let Mike know that she was alive. That she was listening to him. That she loved him. But to be out there. To see him, and not speak to him…
Her silence, and the rapid flickering of her eyes spoke volumes without Hopper needing to hear a word. "If he knows you're alive he'll look for you. He might say something. He'll get himself in trouble, and maybe get you caught. We can't allow that." El's eyes moved back to lock onto Hopper's "I'll tell him not to." she murmured, her brow furrowed and voice low. She had won a major concession, she didn't want to anger Hopper now. Jim frowned "He's been calling you for almost a year. You really think he'll give up because you tell him to?" El's chin went up and she stated "Yes." without hesitation. She believed it. Hopper wasn't sure she was wrong. But he was sure they shouldn't find out. He shook his head. "No. It's too risky. You'll get to see him, you'll get to get your candy, but I can't let you take the risk of revealing yourself to him." he crossed his arms and looked own at her "You'll have to promise not to speak to him." He knew that his own promises meant very little, but he also knew that El took hers seriously.
The teen pursed her lips and considered for a moment, then her face scrunched a little as a new thought wove it's way into her head. Was it true? She rolled the thought in her head for a bit. Yes. She thought it was true. Would it make him mad? She locked eyes with Hopper briefly again and concluded that while it might not WORK, it shouldn't make him mad. She straightened, swallowed, and proceeded.
"You owe him." she said softly.
Hopper bridled, then blinked, then frowned and screwed his face up a bit. "What?" he asked. El leaned in "You. Owe. Him." she repeated, slower. Hopper tilted his head slightly as he tried to process her statement. "Who?" he asked after a few seconds. El gave an exasperated huff "Mike. You owe Mike." Hopper blinked and his mouth worked soundlessly for a second. "What?" he finally asked.
El leaned back against her seat "You like having a daughter. Without Mike you don't have me. Mike gave food. Mike gave clothes. Mike took risks. STUPID risks. For me." she crossed her arms. "You owe him one stupid risk."
Hopper was silent for nearly a minute. His mind worked this statement over. Her facts were correct. Mike HAD taken care of her, against the will of half of his (then present) friend group, and at great personal risk. El had told Hopper that she had warned Mike that his life was at risk, and he had barely skipped a beat before affirming his interest in protecting her. Without that willingness to take the risks it WAS likely that Hopper wouldn't have a daughter right now. But did that mean that Hopper owed him this? He finally looked into El's eyes again and saw the steady defiance lingering just behind her gaze.
He scowled a little "Compromise." he stated. El blinked and muttered "Com-pro-mise?" her face betraying her ignorance. "I've already given you a lot of what you want, by letting you go out. You give me what I want now. A compromise is when both sides get part of what they want. I want you to be safe. You can't spend a lot of time with the boys, people know that you were with them, and they can count. So here's my offer. You get to go out and trick or treat. You can TALK TO Mike, but you have to leave once you're done talking. OK?" El's eyes widened. She wanted to be with him, but…this was…it would work. And she was lucky to have gotten this much out of him. She nodded and murmured "OK."
They spent the next few minutes hashing out exactly what El HAD to say, what she COULDN'T say, and what else she wanted to say. Hopper held on tight to the limits, insisting that he had already compromised a lot, and though El wouldn't get nearly what she wanted…it might be enough to calm her heart.
After going over a few more rules and instructions Hopper ruffled her hair and said "Be careful. For both our sakes." and then left to head to work, late. El dug into her cold breakfast with gusto. She would need the energy for later.
That night
Hopper arrived late and rushed to the house. He knew that El hadn't been called in, but that didn't mean she hadn't been spotted. When he reached the door he knocked…and got no response. He knocked again, then tried the handle, it was unlocked. He stepped inside and looked around, no sign of struggle or forced entry…the TV. It was in her room, and on. He could see the lights flashing. He went to her door and knocked lightly, waited a second, then opened it. "Are you OK?" he asked as he opened it, looking in. She was there, blindfold on, his relief was palpable, but she wasn't arranged neatly in front of the TV like normal, she was slumped against the wall, her chest was moving though.
"El?" he asked, raising his voice. She jerked and perked up, her head turning towards him. She didn't remove the blindfold "Yes?" she asked, sitting upright and adjusting her blindfold. "Are you watching him?" Hopper asked. She nodded "He's been talking for 3 hours." she murmured. Hopper tilted his head "About what?" El opened her mouth, hesitated, then shrugged "Everything?" Hopper tried to keep his lips from curling into a little smile, but then gave up because she couldn't see him. It was a dangerous move, they would have to see if it paid off, but it seems like the conversation had been a success. "You should go to sleep soon." he said. She nodded "His battery is fading." she replied, arranging herself in front of the TV once more. Hopper closed the door and got himself ready for bed. That crisis had been averted, he just hoped that it would not turn out to have been a bad idea.