A/N: Here we go! A little bit of the aftermath of it all. As mentioned before, updates will be a little more sporadic because now I have to write them lol ;)
Thank you all so much for reading and for all of the reviews! I appreciate all of them and the favourites. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please let me know what you think.

Chapter 28

The days didn't get better. Robin was still avoiding me at school. Despite the fact that I had been welcomed at a few lunch tables, I sat alone. The coffee mug I kept clutched to me felt like the only thing that was holding me together.

"Hey, Kate…" Veronica sat down next to me. I glanced over at her. "What's got you so down? I haven't seen you sit by your lonesome since like grade school. Why aren't you with Robin?"

I looked across the room. Robin was sitting with her usual group of friends, her back to me. "We had a fight."

"Really?" She moved to straddle the bench seat. "'Bout what?"

"I don't know, communication problems." I couldn't exactly tell her everything, that Robin was pissed that I was keeping secrets and that everything just got exacerbated by Tammy's aunt.

"Y'know, seems like those problems aren't going to be solved by the whole not talking," she said pointedly.

"I know," I said. I sighed and leaned forward on the table. "I'm just…dealing with some stuff. I'll figure it out." Once I dealt with the idea of Bob being gone and now Hopper and Joyce knew everything. I still had to arrange to meet his kid. It just wasn't fair. Bob had been one of the best men I had ever known. He shouldn't have died...even if a part of me knew he'd disagree. The man had quoted Lord of the Rings to me. He would have taken the risk even if he knew his fate because it would have helped save Joyce.

"Okay," Veronica gave me a smile, drawing my attention back to her. "Let me talk to Robin, get the scoop. See if this bridge can be mended. I'll catch you later."

"You don't have to," I reached out to stop her.

"I want to. Come on, I can't have my totally bodacious friends be...not." She patted my arm before getting up and walking away. She didn't head straight to Robin which I was grateful for. I drank another sip of my coffee. I was almost out. I missed having Starbucks there every few blocks.

"Uh...Kate?"

I tried not to groan. How come whenever I want people to leave me alone, they never do? I looked up at Steve standing on the other side of the table.

"Can I...uh, can I sit?" he asked.

I nodded. "Might as well."

He folded himself down awkwardly across from me. "So...how have you been?" he offered. I stared at him for a moment, unsure where this was coming from. The last time I saw him, he looked like he wanted to run away.

"I'll live. Why are you here?"

"I saw Billy coming to bother you. Thought I'd cut him off and-" He blinked at me. "Do you want me to go?" He motioned with his thumb behind him.

"It's fine, thanks," I said. I really didn't have the energy to deal with Billy. Steve was a welcome sacrifice for that. "How's your face?"

"Healing. I, uh, I bought the Byers a new fridge."

I perked up at that. "Really?" I hadn't actually expected him to.

"Well, yeah," he shrugged. "You were right. I should have told Dustin no." He motioned to my coffee mug. "What's your poison?" He winced as soon as he said it. "Shit, sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Not after Carol…" he trailed off.

"I totally forgot about her," I admitted. It felt like ages ago. "Don't worry about it. It's coffee."

"You drink coffee?"

I shrugged. "It's my lifesaver. Nectar of the Gods."

"I'd kill for some coffee," he said.

I looked at him in surprise. "You drink coffee?"

"It's the only thing that gets me through these last two years. Especially when Dustin shows up to drag me into some other near death experience." I tried not to grin at that. He looked so exasperated.

"You survived," I pointed out.

"We both did." He gave me a smile that looked a little more genuine. He held up his carton of milk to cheers. I clinked my thermos against it. If you can't celebrate being alive, what could you celebrate?

"I never thought about actually taking it to school in a thermos. That's genius."

"I do have good ideas," I said as haughtily as I could.

"Trust me, I've heard a lot about you lately. You're all the school talks about. Especially after that fight."

I tried not to make a face at that. "They really need better gossip material." The bell rang at that moment and I took that as my cue to move. "I gotta get to class. Make sure no one sabotages my shop project. I'll see you around. Thanks for the rescue, Steve."

"Just returning the favour. Thanks for the coffee thermos idea."

"Always out to help fellow caffeine fiends." I stood up and started to leave before I paused, an idea coming to me. "Hey, how do you take your coffee?"

"Uh, lot of cream and sugar?"

"Look for flavoured syrup. Add that with it instead of the sugar. It'll change your life." He didn't look like he believed me but I waved before heading to class. I really did need to make sure Tommy didn't try to destroy it in revenge for his psycho girlfriend getting kicked out. It was the last thing I had of Bob.

oOo

The days continued to not improve. I wasn't sure if it was a side effect from the stress, but I felt more out of sorts than before. My arms did not feel like they belonged to me. It made me more agitated than usual. I kept clenching my hands and a part of me wished I was in my martial arts class. Maybe getting hit would bring back awareness or realness in them.

I caught sight of Robyn as I was leaving school. It looked like Veronica had cornered her. I tried not to sigh and kept walking. There was no point in stopping. I did not have the energy to see Robyn ignoring me and deal with Veronica trying to mediate. There was no explanation I could give them. Besides, I actually had plans and I had to get out of this place before Billy showed up and decided to make himself known. I hadn't seen him outside of class but he had yet to push his way near me during them. It was a small mercy I was grateful for.

Finding the cabin made me miss GPS. Whoever invented it was a god. Trying to find a place by following a person's directions was the worst. Especially Hopper's. The man seemed to forget that I didn't grow up here. His directions were personalized and vague in the way that it would only make sense to those who grew up in the area.

The cottage was small. Hopper's truck wasn't there. I hoped he warned the kid that I was coming. Stranger danger was a thing in the eighties, right?

I turned off the car and headed for the door. I knocked a couple times and waited.

"Who are you?" a voice called out from the other door.

"My name's Kate. Your, uh, dad asked me to stop by. Hopper? Did he tell you I was coming? I can wait in my car while you call him."

The door opened a crack. The punk kid from the other night was peering up at me. I was struck suddenly by the memory of the last time I saw her. Right before I found out about Bob. I wished he was still here. I missed his optimism. "You're Kate?" she asked.

"The one and only," I said, trying to ignore the grief that felt like it was climbing back up my throat.

She stared at me for a moment. "Are you...what are you?"

I blinked at her, taken back by the question. "What? What do you mean?"

The kid scowls at me. "You're different."

"I'm a teenager," I replied. I wasn't sure what this kid had going on, considering she also had the government on her ass, but there were enough people in on my secret. Bob had died with it. I couldn't trust a kid I didn't know, even if she was Hopper's. "Look, kid. We're just meeting now. You really think if I have something going on, it's a good idea for either of us to tell each other all of our secrets?"

She stared at me for another moment. "So I don't have to tell you anything?"

"Not if you don't want to," I shrugged. "I mean, as long as no one's going to get hurt from you not telling me something but even then there are others who are way more qualified for stuff like that. Like Hopper."

Something I said must have triggered her interest because she opened the door fully. "Why did he send you? Because he doesn't trust me?"

"I don't think it's about that. I think he just wants you to have some more exposure to others. Though, why he thinks I'm a good role model is questionable."

"Why?" She tilted her head.

"Well, he's seen me get into a few fights with authority figures. I'm not the best with…"

"With what?"

I can't help but smile. The kid was smart. "Not starting fights or putting up with any...stupidity," I edited myself quickly. "Do you prefer talking inside or outside?"

"I'm not supposed to leave the cabin."

"Oh god, you're kidding."

She shakes her head. "I have to stay hidden."

"Alright, well considering how secluded this place is, I think we'll be okay if we sit on the porch. Can't stay inside all the time. That can't be good."

"He'll get mad."

"Won't be the first time, kid, or the last. Come on, fresh air and sunlight are good for you."

She exited the house slowly as if expecting someone to jump out of the trees. I couldn't exactly blame her. I didn't know what the kid had gone through but if she needed to be this hidden, it couldn't be good.

"I'm Kate," I introduced myself again. "You?"

"El."

"Cool name."

oOo

El was a cool kid. Totally sheltered and missing some huge social cues, but cool. She also watched a hell of a lot of Dynasty. That could not be good for her social development. It was no wonder Hopper wanted some other companionship for her.

Since we were both very clearly not talking about things that connected us, I tried to entertain her by telling her random stories, both of when I was a kid, and the few disney movies I remembered. El had an interesting perspective, especially about Cinderella and Ariel.

"It's not about the prince," I told her. "I mean, sure he's there at the end of it all, but it's about freedom. I mean, think about it, Ariel's main goal was to get to the surface and be able to explore. To try all the things she had read or heard about, or what she saw. The prince was a side bonus and it was the sea witch who gave her the ultimatum. I bet if she didn't have to get him to kiss her, she would have been running around the world trying new things and having her own adventures. For Cinderella, it was about being free to make her own choices. She didn't go to the ball to meet a prince, she went to just have a good time."

El's nose scrunched up. "So the prince is a bad thing?"

"No, it's just not the only thing. A girl shouldn't waste her life hoping for a boy to save her or be the only thing in her life that makes it worthwhile. That's not healthy. We, as women, are completely able to make our own decisions, find things to do that we like, even if no one else does, and have fun with or without men."

I paused for a moment. "If you could choose to do anything, what would you do?"

"Anything?"

"Anything you can think of."

"I don't know," El answered. "Maybe...go to the dance."

"The dance?" I asked, curiosity piqued. "What dance?"

"Mike, he said...he said there was a dance at his school. I've never been to a dance before." She said it so hesitantly. It was cute.

"So...are you going to this dance?"

"I don't think I'll be allowed," she said softly.

"Because of Hopper?" I prompted. She nodded. "I'll see if I can help convince him. There has to be a way for you to go. It's just a dance. Not like a bunch of jack-booted thugs are going to be wandering around there."

"Jack-booted?"

"It's just a term," I said. I wasn't entirely sure how to explain the history or meaning of that word.

"Do you really think you can convince him?"

"I can try," I said with a shrug. "If anything, I'll offer to come with you. Be a chaperone," I winked at her. The kid could use a break. We all could. This would at least give me something to distract me from the grief.

She grinned widely. "Really?"

"Sure. Why not?"

[tbc]