*Nikki's POV*
"You bastard, you killed an innocent man- a boy, still!"
Brenner's face was void of all emotions. "I warned you, Two."
"All you did was leave two newborns fatherless!" I screamed back. "I'll fight until my last breath to keep you away from my friends, because I know that even if I go with you, you'll never stop hunting for them."
"You don't know what you're saying, Two."
"It's Nikki, and yeah, I know exactly what I'm saying."
"And what is that?" He had that grin again. The grin he used right before he went after someone. And he was looking right at Dustin.
No. No more people will die tonight. I had to kill Brenner, once and for all. For El. For Sarah. For Jonathan. For me.
I summoned any and all powers I could to get Brenner taken down. I felt this incredible birds of energy surge through me, throwing everyone behind me backwards. A bright blue bubble- almost like a forcefield- burst forward, throwing Brenner off his balance. I watched as he started to crumble away, turning to dust and swirling around the forcefield. I could see the fear in his disappearing eyes: he knew he had lost. And there was no coming back now.
As he almost totally disappeared, a dissolving hand grabbed me. "Don't do this, Two. I can still help you."
I threw him off of me, watching him turn to dust as he made contact with the floor. "Fuck off."
A whoosh, and then he was gone. Totally, forever. The forcefield burst, sending me flying backwards, only to land in Steve's outstretched arms.
"Oh my God," he mumbled. "You did it."
While everyone else was excited that Brenner was finally gone, Mike, Will, and I just stood there. Before I could say anything, they pulled me into a hug.
"I'm so sorry, you guys," I sobbed, finally breaking down. "I-I should've acted sooner. This never would've happened if I-"
Will put his hand on my shoulder, a silent tear falling down his face as he pulled away from me. "You did everything you could. And now, Brenner's never gonna hurt anyone again."
"But your brother! The twins-"
"Will understand," Mike said. "One day. We'll tell them when they're old enough."
I nodded silently. "We have to do something for him. To honor his memory."
Hopper spoke up: "I can get my boat out, we can give him a burial at sea."
"What about Nancy?"
"She'll be taken care of," Lucas said. "After all, she has eight babysitters at her disposal."
"Nine," Steve corrected. "She can live with me and Nikki."
"We have the space," Will countered. "Especially now. My mom would love to have a daughter."
Once that was all figured out, everyone helped clean up the apartment. Nobody expected me or Will to do anything, so we went into the kitchen.
"I really am sorry about your brother," I said, "no matter whose fault you think it is."
Will looked at me sadly. "I'm sorry for being such an ass." When I raised an eyebrow, he continued: "Telling you I liked you, hurting you and Sarah in the process. I'll talk to her about it once everything calms down again, but I needed to apologize to you first."
"I don't think things will ever calm down for us," I admitted. "But why me first?"
"You really are my best friend, Nikki."
"Even after toni-"
"Don't even," he cut me off. "You're always going to be my best friend. And I hope I didn't screw up so badly that I'm not one of yours anymore."
I punched his arm lightly. "You screwed up, big time. But yeah, I guess I still like you."
Will smiled. "Thanks."
"You got it, Zombie Boy."
After sitting in silence for a bit, Dustin came into the kitchen, clearing his throat. "Uh, everything's cleaned up. Steve said we could stay the night, so we're all camping out in the living room. You two wanna join us?"
I got off my chair, walking back into the living room with Dustin. "Coming, Will?"
Will nodded, walking into the living room with us. Everyone was getting our blankets and pillows, while Hopper was standing by the door. "Leaving, Chief?"
"Oh, hell no. You all need to be protected tonight." Hopper smiled lightly at me. "I call dibs on the couch, though."
Laughing, I helped everyone else set up their sleeping spots, then found my own. Next to Dustin. Of course.
"You okay?"
"Other than the obvious? I'm great," I muttered.
Dustin looked at me. "Everything's over now. We're gonna be okay."
I blinked, shifting onto my back. "Whatever you say."
Turns out, Dustin was right. No more visits from ex-Lab employees, no more monsters, no more crazy escapades. We got to be normal teenagers. And me? I got the one thing I wanted more than anything in the world: a family.