A/N: Sorry for the wait I got totally caught up reading Nellis fanfics :D Shout out to Grimmy88 on AO3 for writing one of my fave Nellis fanfics, Retread! Go read it if you're into the pair, it's honestly a great read even though it's a WIP.

They hadn't sat alone for long. Nancy and Jonathan returned very shortly, Filly waving off their apologies as they set out.

"It's okay. I was trying to hide it," she says, but she can't relinquish the apology gift.

"Just take the jerky." Jonathan gives her no time to object, shutting the driver's door of his corroded Ford Galaxie. He'd foisted it upon her, thanking her for all she'd done. He and Nancy would lead Steve back to the middle school parking lot where their young family awaited.

The jam colored four door was the same one she'd watched before. Though her first instict was danger when she saw it through the Byers' house, she now looks upon it fondly. The adolescent standing by the maroon BMW speaks, tearing her from her examination.

"I usually have a strict rule about food in the car, but just this once, I think I can make an exception." The grin pulling on his lips clues her in that he's teasing her. How long had it been since someone treated her so... normally?

Filly smiles again. She's started doing that a lot after the sudden entrance of the kids in her scrapyard. She likes the new direction her life has taken since then, monsters notwithstanding. The fight and the arrival of Steve had been harrowing, but she feels like a light is shining on her. The positive influence of the people she'd met today had given her back what excitement for life she had been close to losing.

"Can I sit in the front?" Filly feels safer in the front seat, if only because the view is different than it was that day in '77. The backseat isn't her favorite place to be.

He regards her amiably. "Sure."

Filly grasps the handle of the front seat, making sure to remove her hope from the waistband of her jeans before she sits. Steve starts up the car silently, though the engine itself grumbles under the hood. Steve is mum for a few ticks before his nervousness and curiosity gets the better of him. "Do you know anything about what happened back there? What that thing was, maybe?" He glances briefly at her disheveled profile.

"No. I just... I wanted to help." She's staring at the book in her lap, the cover all dark shades with a bit of sparkle.

Steve could say the same thing about himself. He's disappointed at the lack of insight, but he supposes it can wait just a bit longer.

"Okay. Well, you saw my debut into monster hunting... How about yourself?" Steve eases the car out of its spot once the Galaxie does the same. "How did you get tangled up in this?"

Filly has to ask. The new word intrigues her. "Day-byew?"

"Uh, debut. It's like the first time you fill a role, I think. I'm not really the best person to ask. Try Nancy." The driver follows the oxbows of the road ahead smoothly. Steve knows every road in Hawkins. He quite enjoys a nice drive around town when he has the time.

Steve is quiet for a while, trying to comprehend what he'd been told. He peeks at the girl, looking so fragile and small in his passenger's seat. He's not too surprised by the characters in her tale. Hawkins is a small town, it's not inconcievable that Mike Wheeler and his friends were the ones to find her, but a pair of superpowered sisters? Agents from Hawkin's lab?

Though he has a hard time coming to grips with it, he can't deny what he'd seen. His world had changed vastly since the morning.

"Okay, wow. That's a lot. I mean... " He stares ahead, focusing on the car ahead. Filly can see the dent in his brow illuminated by the passing streetlights. She dreads that she's said too much. "Shit, you live there?"

"In the bus?" The boy nods. "Yes. Before, I was in the woods. I've been there since the last snowy season."

Steve taps his fingers on the wheel, shifting in his seat. "Winter?"

"Yes, that's it." Filly toys with the cover of her book, waifish fingers stroking it with love. "Last Winter."

"God, no wonder you were hungry. What the hell have you been eating?"

"Anything I could find. Rodents, lizards, tadpoles, fruit, grass, flowers... birds." She's uncomfortable thinking about her kills, much less talking about them, so instead she lets pictures from the encyclopedia flash through her mind's eye. "Anything." Filly doesn't enjoy killing them, she doesn't want to hurt anything more than she must. She only does what is absolutely necessary for her survival.

"That's... I'm sorry." He's sheepish, his eyes flicking between her and the road. "I shouldn't have asked." But the test subject shakes her head, finally looking at the driver.

"Thank you for your kind words, Steve." This time, the smile comes undibben. She can't help it with the blatant graciousness of her new accquaintance. "But it's alright."

He almost forgets to look at the road. When he does, the school is in sight. Only a stretch of roadway lies between them. He continues to drive until he can't go any further.

Ambulances fill the school parking lot. Nancy and Jonathan are out of the Ford as soon as it stops, scampering out into the crowd of medical personnel. The only other cars to be seen are ones Filly remembers clearly. Small, black vehicles line the wall of the gym, joined by a dark Humvee, it's bed covered by tarps. Breath forces its way from her parted lips.

"Wait!"

Steve stops, letting his grip on the door handle loosen. "What's wrong?"

"I, I can't go out there. Those c-cars... they'll take me back." She's trembling "They'll hurt us again."

"What are you talking about?" Steve affixes her with his befuddled stare, eyebrows raised in question.

"Th-those black cars... they came on the day I was taken." She fixes the boy with a serious gaze, eyes glassy "The day my parents were taken. I can't be seen. I-if we're seen together, they'll kill you. We have to go." The last memory of her parents alights behind her eyes.

"Get down!"

"I love you, sweetie."

She can see the wheels in his head, turning and making sense of the situation. Filly's grip on her novel becomes tight, fearing the boy will refuse. He considers her for a handful of seconds, but in the end he acquiesces, putting his vehicle into reverse.

"Okay." A long breath is expelled through his nose, putting his arm around the back of her seat and looking out the back windshield. "Okay, but I have to come back later. I'm just dropping you off."

Steve was true to his word, not even exiting the car when they arrive at her home. She knew he was worried about the ambulances they'd seen, but the ice cold blood in her veins wouldn't let her stay. If the lab had really arrived, there's no telling how many agents walk the school with their eyes peeled for her and Eleven.

"I'll come back, okay? But I have to go check on them. Nancy's out there right now." He watches as the small teen steps out, leaving the door open to converse.

Steve felt guilty. He'd left his girlfriend to deal with the snafu by herself. He wanted to be there for her and her family, but if Filly's being truthful about the danger? He couldn't put them at risk like that.

"You don't have to. I'll be fine... but if, if you hear anything about my sister or-"

"I'll come back," he promises one last time.

"Thank you, Steve."

Shutting the door finally, Filly watches the four door pull back again, storming off in the direction of town. She hadn't liked this course of action, but she couldn't bear to witness death again. Especially when these new friends of hers had done much for her, feeding her and clothing her, making her feel welcome. It's addictive, more than any drug she could name. That's why it was so important for her to leave.

In the privacy of her home, she felt alone again. She had no energy left to hope, not after seeing those cars.

She had wanted to aid in finding their friend, but now she felt only as a complication to them. What good is it to bring undue attention to her allies? What good is it to get them killed?

No. It's best that she stays in her place and forgets about the warm feeling she'd had in her heart, best to forget how lively it had made her feel.

Better to let go of the people who made her feel like a filly again, rather than to get them killed.

Squashed into uncomfortable hospital chairs, the group of boys find solace in the fact that their friend is alive. However, they had lost another. Eleven was gone. Even Filly had disappeared. She wasn't in the car with Jonathan and Nancy, nor did she show her face at the hospital.

Mike let his friends sleep, but there were questions weighing on his mind. His sister waits on the other side of his sleeping companions, arms crossed. Lucas and Dustin slept so soundly curled up against each other that he hadn't the heart to wake them. If he could calm his brain, he'd be sleeping, too.

"Hey, Nancy?"

She raises her gaze, finding his own. "Yeah?"

"Where did Filly go?"

"I..." She looks ashamed at the name, looking away from him again. "I don't know. She rode with Steve when we left the house." Nancy instantly feels remorseful. She'd forgotten all about the girl in the haze of relief. She'd been so worried about her own family that she hadn't spared a thought about her.

Her boyfriend sits across from them, looking up at the mention of his name. "Hm?"

"Steve, do you know where Filly is? She never came back."

"Yeah. Yeah, uh, she had me take her home. She... she said she recognized the cars by the gym. She said she couldn't be there."

He neglects to mention the things she said about the risk, the fact that being seen with her could lead to death. Considering how close they'd all been to it, the afterlife isn't something children should have to worry about.

"Oh, and you didn't think you should tell us?" Mike was angry as he often was, jumping down the throat of his sister's boyfriend. "She was our friend first!"

The outrage was stolen from him when he saw Jonathan in the doorway. Instantly, he stands from the stiff chair and wakes his party members. "Guys. Guys, he's up. Will is up. Guys, Will is up!" They ultimately wake at his shaking, jumping away from each other and rising to follow him.

The distance feels like far too long, but the reality is they'd ran through the corridor and reached their missing friend in moments.

"Byers!" He shouts, opening the door. Their friend lies in bed looking frail. Tubes run up his nose and needles stick from his arms, but upon his face rests a little grin at seeing his classmates. They move to the boy, Mike being the first to hug him tight.

"Be careful," Joyce remands while they pass her, lightly touching their shoulders. "Be careful with him."

Lucas is a close second, sharing the hug before they're both pulled off by Dustin. "Move." He wants a hug all to himself, it seems.

"Guys, guys." Jonathan follows behind them, strolling easily into the room with Nancy at his back. "Go easy on him."

Lucas is the first to speak to Will. "You won't believe what happened when you were gone, man."

"It was mental," Dustin adds.

"You had a funeral."

"Jennfier Hayes was crying."

"And Troy peed himself."

"In front of the whole school!"

They pause at the coughs from Will, sobering promptly. Their joy drains watching him rasp out breaths.

"You okay?" Mike nudges their bedridden friend with his hand.

"It got me. The Demogorgon."

"We know. It's okay. It's dead." Will nods at Mike's assurance. "We made some new friends. One of them stopped it. She saved us. But she's gone now and we don't know where her sister is."

Dustin picks up from where Mike stops. "Her name is Eleven."

Will's confused by the odd name. "Like the number?"

"Well, we we call her "El" for short. Her sister, Seven, she goes by "Filly."" Lucas shrugs.

"They're basically wizards."

"They have superpowers."

"El's more like a Yoda. Filly has X-ray vision like Superman."

"Yeah, she saw my missing collarbone! Her sister flipped a van with her mind, and there were these agents shooting at us-"

"She squeezed their brains out through their eyes and-"

"She's gotta be here somewhere. This is where we first met and Steve said this is where he took her."

The party had waited long enough to introduce Will to their new friend. Filly isn't on her bus and she's not in the junkyard, but according to Steve she said she would be here if they needed her. There were more blankets and pillow than last Dustin had been here, but no Filly.

Unbeknownst to the party, Filly nears the limits of the trees with her catch of the day. Two squirrels in hand, she scans the yard with her sight. She always does when she returns from a hunt, especially after the school. If the lab really was looking for her, she'd need to be very careful in the coming months, or at least until they forgot about her again.

The figures revealed to her are four young bodies. The fourth, missing his two front teeth and collarbone, is the one that calms her nerves. Of course they came to visit her, it isn't as though she had hidden it from them. She'd secretly awaited their coming, hoping to see them all again. The last few weeks, she'd been unbearably lonely.

Before she met them, she hadn't known what she was missing. But now?

She steps up onto the first stair of the stationary vehicle. "She's got to be around here! There's nowhere else for her to be!" Dustin excalims, sure of her presence. The clearing of her throat turns him around. "Filly!"

The other three turn at his call, laying eyes on their new companion. Her name choruses from the back of the bus, but someone she doesn't know is behind them.

"Dustin, Lucas, Mike!" Filly can't keep down the smile as they crowd her, embracing the thin girl with all their might. "I have missed you."

"We missed you! We heard from Steve, which by the way, why were you even hanging out with that asshole?" Mike isn't pleased by her choice in other friends, making her raise a brow.

"Steve is nice. He helped me." Her grin turns soft and fond in its sweetness. "But who is this?" She's looking at the smallest boy, the only one she doesn't recognize.

"Hi," he says, hair bouncing when he looks down shyly. "I-I'm Will. I've heard a lot about you."

"You are Will? I'm glad to meet you." Filly steps past the boys, approaching him slowly. "Would you like to be friends with me?"

"Yeah!" The smile reminds her of Dustin's, so true that it sparkles up at her. His arms outstreatch, allowing her to meet him halfway in an embrace. On release, he asks her, "You can see our bones right? They told me you saw Dustin's missing collarbone."

"Yes. I checked you out, too. You're not missing anything. Looks like you had a recent break in your arm, but it's healing well."

"You can see that?" He laughs, then notices something on her hip. "What's that?"

Filly looks down. The two squirrels she'd grabbed were tied with some length of cord that ran through one of her belt loops. "Dinner."

"Ew! You're going to cook them, right?"

"No. It's fine as long as I eat it right away." She lifts one to her mouth, planning to show the boys how safe it is.

"No, no, no! That's gross!"

Will just couldn't stay away. Filly had helped to find him, helped his brother and Nancy fight the Demogorgon. Though Eleven was gone, her sister was the last link to her that he had. And even though the campaign was short, he knew it was time to go when Jonathan had come to fetch him.

Saying goodbye to Mrs. Wheeler, they head to the front door. On their way out, they're stopped by Nancy who offers a gift to Jonathan.

"Merry Christmas," she says, handing over the wrapped box.

"Thanks, um, I... I didn't get you anything." Jonathan shakes his head slightly. "I... I feel bad."

"No. No, it's, uh, it's not really a present. It's, um... Well, you'll see." She leans forward hesitantly, leaving a chaste peck upon his cheek.

"Merry Christmas." Stepping back, he looks to his younger brother. "Ready to go see Filly?"

"Yeah." The plate looks far too large in his small hands, but he had been adamant on bringing her a meal. In his mind, no one should spend Christmas alone. The sweet boy was the best brother that Jonathan could ask for.

The ride had been nice, watching the snow fall out the window and being able to open Nancy's gift. The camera was nice, one that Jonathan would use daily, he's sure. The other box was in the backseat under Will's watchful eye.

He's sure she'll love it. Will thinks she must be lonely out there, but she'd refused every offer they'd made. The story they'd told her about the school had nearly broken her, but it had steeled her even more to not leave the junkyard. If Eleven had really fought agents from the lab and had passed, she would not put the boys in danger by going with them. She stood strongly against it, no matter how they begged.

So instead, Will and his friends had found a way to keep in touch with her. And he decided that he would not let her eat raw squirrel on Christmas of all days.

"Filly! Are you here?" Will shouts from outside the bus. The door opens swiftly, the gaunt teen stepping out onto the ground.

"Will. It's very good to see you." Each time he's seen the girl, her verbal skills had gotten better. It's like she's relearning how to ride a bike.

"Filly!" He's on her momentarily, encircling her with his small arms around her waist. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well. How are the two of you?" She looks at the boy and at Jonathan who stands back a few steps.

"We're great, Filly. Having a good Christmas so far?" he asks.

"Today is Christmas?" The shock shows in her face. "I didn't know."

"Yeah, today's Christmas!" the small jumps back into the conversation, running to the back seat of the rusted Galaxie. "We got you something!"

The questioning look she send to the older brother makes it clear she wasn't expecting anything from them or anyone else. That's the thing he'd noticed early on about her, she simply does what's needed. No asking for help, no seeking a hand. She just tries to tackle it head-on.

"Will said no one should be all alone on Christmas, so we brought you food and a gift. The present was all them, but I did put together your plate." Jonathan grins at her, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He had wondered how she kept warm before, but he can see the orange light of flames filtering from the bus windows. Will returns with the plate in his hands and a box under his arm.

Handing them off, they watch as Filly sits on the steps to investigate the offerings. Lifting the aluminum foil, she gratefully smiles at the food under it before placing at her side. The box, however, gives her some trouble.

"Uh, it's a very nice box?" She clearly doesn't want to offend them, so Will approaches her to assist. "No! You're supposed to pull off the wrapping to see what's in the box!"

"Oh." Filly cautiously grips it, pulling slightly at the festive paper. It falls away, revealing a Supercomm to match Will and the boys'. "This ois your... what is it again? A phone?"

"A radio. It's a Supercomm! It's so we can reach you." Will sits next to her on the step, an affectionate smile on his face. Jonathan had brought him to see Filly a few times and they always brought food. He didn't want a repeat of the Demogorgon fight. "See, me and Dustin live the closest, so you can talk to us if you need something. The signal is too weak to reach out to Lucas and Mike. You can always chat with me, though. I don't mind. Can I show you how to use it?"

"Please, do."

A/N: Thank you so, so much to Itachisgirl88, MagicBrownie, Underwater Daydreamer, shaymm, and bloody-black-lion for the favorites and follows! You guys rock!