Worlds Colliding (Stranger Things) Book 2

Chapter Nine: The Gate

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Same Night - Same Scene

Night - Byers House - Living Room

Everyone was still gathered.

Mike walked up to Eleven. "Eleven?"

Eleven gasped in relief. "Mike?"

They embraced each other tightly.

Max looked at the rest of the party. "Is that..."

Dustin, Hailey, Lucas and Niko nodded.

Mike and Eleven pulled away, crying emotionally.

"I never gave up on you," Mike told her. "I called you every night. Every night for--"

"353 days," Eleven finished. "I heard."

"Why didn't you tell me you were there?" Mike asked. "That you were okay?"

"Because I wouldn't let her," Hopper answered. He walked up to Eleven. "The hell is this? Where you been?"

"Where have you been?" Eleven replied.

Hopper and Eleven embraced.

Natasha looked at Hopper in realization, scoffing. "You've been hiding her. That's the secret that you were keeping for an entire year."

Mike pushed Hopper. "You've been hiding her this whole time!"

Hopper turned to face him. "Hey! Let's talk. Alone."

∰

Other Room

Mike and Hopper walked in.

Mike immediately turned his anger on Hopper. "Protecting her! Protecting her?"

"Listen," Hopper told him. "Listen to me. The more people know about her, the more danger she's in. And the more danger you and your family are in, and everyone out there."

"Oh, what, so I should be thanking you?" Mike asked incredulously.

"I'm not asking you to thank me," Hopper answered. "I'm asking you to try to understand."

"I don't!" Mike told him. "I don't understand!"

"That's fine," Hopper told him. "That's fine! Just do not blame her! All right? She's upset enough as it is."

Mike pointed to the door. "I don't blame her!" He pointed at Hopper. "I blame you. I blame you!"

Hopper nodded. "That's okay, kid. That's okay."

"No, nothing about this is okay!" Mike argued. "Nothing about this is okay!"

Mike started to punch Hopper.

"Oh, jeez," Hopper said.

Mike continued to hit him. "You're a stupid, disgusting, lying piece of shit!"

Hopper groaned in pain, holding Mike still. "Okay, all right! Stop it."

Mike still tried to hit him. "Liar! Liar! Liar!"

Hopper was just hugging Mike to calm him down. "Stop it. It's okay."

Mike started to cry, calming down in the hug. "Liar! Liar!"

Hopper sighed. "You're okay, kid. You're okay. I'm sorry, kid."

∰

Living Room

Eleven and Hailey were hugging tightly.

Hailey smiled. "Hey, El."

Eleven smiled. "Hailey."

Lucas and Dustin both hugged Eleven, as she hugged them both back too.

"We missed you," Lucas told her.

"I missed you, too," Eleven told them.

"We talked about you pretty much every day," Dustin explained.

Eleven noticed something about Dustin, touching his mouth. "Teeth."

"What?" Dustin asked.

Eleven frowned. "You have teeth."

Hailey, Niko and Lucas chuckled.

Dustin smiled. "Oh, you like these pearls?"

Dustin did his purr.

Hailey rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Don't do that."

Lucas hit Dustin on the shoulder. "Told you Hailey wouldn't like that."

Nadia walked closer. "Hey, El. Niko, Mama and I really missed you."

Eleven nodded, smiling emotionally. "I missed you, too. You and Niko helped me, Nadia. Natasha helped us all... in the Void."

"That's right," Niko agreed. "Come here, El."

Eleven, Niko and Nadia embraced tightly.

Eleven turned to embrace Natasha as well.

Natasha held her close. "Hey. Hey, sweetheart. Hey."

They pulled away, as Natasha brushed back some of Eleven's hair.

Max stepped up hesitantly. "Eleven? Hey. Um, I'm Max." She held her hand out for Eleven to shake. "I've heard a lot about you."

Ignoring Max because she was still jealous of the scene she witnessed of her and Mike, Eleven walked past her toward Joyce so they could embrace.

Joyce sighed. "Hey."

"Can I see him?" Eleven asked.

Joyce sighed, nodding.

∰

Will's Room

Eleven and Joyce walked in, looking at the unconscious Will lying in his bed.

Joyce sat down. "He's not doing well."

Eleven knelt next to Will. "I know. I saw."

"What else did you see?" Joyce asked.

Eleven looked from Joyce to Will.

∰

Kitchen

Natasha, Niko, Nadia and Eleven were standing at the table, looking at the note pad that said "Close Gate".

"You opened this gate before, right?" Niko asked.

"Yes," Eleven answered.

"Do you think if we got you back there, that you could close it?" Nadia asked.

Eleven looked at the Reeds, looking determined to close the gate.

∰

Hawkins Lab - Underground

The gate was shown in full form, which was glowing red. A Demodog was standing guard, screeching.

∰

Worlds Colliding (Stranger Things)

∰

Motel 6 - Outside

Cops were here after the fight between Ruby and Aaron, and paramedics were wheeling Aaron away.

Billy pulled up to the motel, looking confused, pulling over his car, getting out, calling out. "Ruby?"

Ruby turned to face him, sighing, still looking like she was trying to keep her anger and powers under control. "Billy."

Billy walked closer. "What the hell happened?"

"Got into another fight, and now the cops are asking me questions about how the guy I got into a fight with is suddenly stark raving mad," Ruby answered.

"Did your foster dad find you?" Billy asked.

"Yeah," Ruby answered.

"Guess the date got cancelled because both our dick dads," Billy sighed.

"What about your dad?" Ruby asked.

"He found out that Max took off, wanted me to cancel so I can find her," Billy answered. "I thought she was at Lucas's, but Mrs. Sinclair said the Wheelers house is the designated hangout, but then Mrs. Wheeler said that the kids were all at the Byers house. Driving by here on the way to the Byers', and I saw the cops, figured it had something to do with you, Jinx."

Ruby scoffed. "Of course you did."

"Well, I wasn't wrong," Billy replied.

"No, you weren't," Ruby agreed. She was clearly trying not to freak out because of the chance she could lose control, but she didn't know how to stay completely calm in this. "I try to avoid situations like this, where strong feelings come into play. Once you get attached, once you lose control, you're fucked."

Billy tried to make a joke to diffuse the tension. "Well, not yet."

Ruby scoffed a laugh at that, but was too overwhelmed to do much else. "I don't know what to do, Billy. Aaron is completely out of his head, and I..."

"You what?" Billy asked. "The guy was insane before. You couldn't have done anything about it. And after what he's done to you, why are you feeling bad?"

Ruby sighed, shaking her head. "It's a long story. Listen, you should go."

"What?" Billy asked.

"You should go, because I have no idea how long I'm gonna have to stay here, or if they're taking me in or not," Ruby told him.

Billy chuckled. "And what, you don't want me to get in trouble too? For what, talking to a suspect? They can't honestly believe that you drove a man crazy just because he came to pick a fight with you."

Ruby looked down guiltily. "You'd be surprised."

Billy reached out, hand on her arm. "Ruby..."

Ruby, worried that her powers were still acting up and that they could affect Billy, took a step back, limping on her wounded leg as she did. "Billy, please go. You already got in trouble with your dad once tonight. If going stop this from happening to you because of dick dads..."

Billy noticed the limp and the way she took a step back, thinking it was because of Aaron. "He hurt you?" Ruby looked away. Billy looked toward the paramedics as they lifted Aaron up in the back of the ambulance, as he was going nuts and they had to subdue him. "Whatever the hell happened to him, he deserved it. And whatever the hell they think you did, they can't hold you if they can't prove it, trust me."

"Then you have nothing to worry about," Ruby told him. "Please, just... go."

"You're the one in the hot seat right now, and you're worried about me getting in trouble?" Billy asked, not knowing the full story, but chuckling. "Right."

"Like you  said, they can't hold me if they don't have proof of what they say I did," Ruby told him. "You don't gotta be here or worry about me because I'm gonna be fine. And you'd be able to see me soon."

Callahan and Powell walked closer.

"Ruby Charlize?" Callahan asked. "We'd like to ask you a few questions."

Billy glared at them. "Are you arresting her or not? And for what? For defending herself because her dick of a foster dad came to fight with her? He's the one you should be arresting for child abuse and endangerment."

"We're handling him just fine, thank you very much," Powell told him. "But we need to ask Ruby a few questions, so if you don't mind..."

"It's okay, Billy," Ruby told him. "Just go."

Ruby walked away with Callahan and Powell.

Billy was frustrated, even more angry than he had been about his own father making him miss the date to send him looking for Max, like all the things building up to make him more angry, but knowing that he couldn't do anything there, reluctantly got into his car, speeding off.

Ruby was worried that her madness power could have made things worse on Billy especially since after losing control earlier and still being slightly out of control, but not able to do anything about it because of the cops wanting to question her and take her into the station for the questioning.

∰

Byers House - Living Room

The group was talking.

Natasha sighed. "It's not like it was before. It's grown. A lot. And, I mean, that's considering we can get in there. The place is crawling with those dogs."

"Demodogs," Dustin said.

"I'm sorry, what?" Natasha asked.

"He said, uh, Demodogs," Hailey answered. "Like Demogorgon and dogs."

"You put them together, it sounds pretty badass," Dustin pointed out.

"Dustin?" Hailey asked. Dustin looked at her. "Literally no one cares."

"I can do it," Eleven told them.

"You're not hearing me," Natasha told her.

Eleven nodded. "I'm hearing you. I can do it."

"Even if El can, there's still another problem," Nadia told them. "If the brain dies, the body dies."

Max frowned in confusion. "I thought that was the whole point."

"It is, but if we're really right about this..." Niko trailed off worriedly. "I mean, if El closes the gate and kills the Mind Flayer's army..."

Lucas realized where they were going with this. "Will's a part of that army."

Niko nodded. "Closing the gate will kill him."

∰

Will's Room

They all walked in to get Will.

Joyce looked at the window. "He likes it cold."

"What?" Jonathan asked.

"It's what Will kept saying to me," Joyce explained. "He likes it cold." She walked over to the window, closing it. "We keep giving it what it wants."

"If this is a virus, and Will's the host, then..." Nancy trailed off.

"Then we need to make the host uninhabitable," Jonathan finished.

"So if he likes it cold..." Nancy trailed off.

"We need to burn it out of him," Jonathan finished.

They all looked at Niko.

Niko looked between them nervously. "I can try, but I don't know if I'll hurt him or not."

"You don't have to use fire on him, Niko," Jonathan assured. "Just raise the heat enough to burn it out of him."

"We have to do it somewhere he doesn't know this time," Hailey told them.

Dustin nodded in agreement. "Yeah, somewhere far away."

Hopper knew that they could use his cabin.

∰

Outside

Jonathan, Joyce, Hopper, Natasha and Niko walked outside.

Hopper was carrying Will to the car. "Take Denfield, then you'll see a large oak tree. You're gonna swing a right. That road is gonna dead end. And it's about a five minute walk from there."

Hopper put Will into the car.

Jonathan nodded. "Okay. Denfield to oak tree. Swing a right. That's it." He held up his radio. "But it's channel ten, right?"

"It's channel ten," Natasha answered. "Listen. You let us know when that thing is out of him."

Niko nodded in agreement. "We will."

Nancy and Steve were standing by the door.

Steve looked at Nancy. "You should go with him."

"What?" Nancy asked.

"With Jonathan," Steve answered.

Nancy scoffed. "No, I'm--I'm not just gonna leave Mike."

"No one's leaving anyone," Steve told her. "I may be a pretty shitty boyfriend, but... turns out I'm actually a pretty damn good babysitter."

Nancy chuckled, looking at him sadly. "Steve..."

"It's okay, Nance," Steve assured. "It's okay."

"I..." Nancy trailed off.

Steve walked away.

Nadia walked outside. "Bye, Nancy."

Nancy walked toward her. "Nadia, wait." Nadia turned to face her. "I know you're gonna have to go with Eleven, Hopper and Natasha so that you and Natasha could hold off the Demodogs while El is closing the gate, and you're risking your life again, since you and Natasha are still pretty burned out, but recharging and..."

"And what?" Nadia asked.

Nancy sighed, shaking her head. "I already lost Barb. I don't wanna lose you, too."

Nadia managed a small smile. "You're not." Nancy and Nadia shared a hug. "I'll be okay."

They pulled away.

Nadia walked away toward Steve.

"Yeah, you better be," Steve told her.

Nadia smirked. "Steve Harrington showing some caring for me?"

"Well, let's just say you and me taking care of the kids and all the missions together can do that, Nadia Reed," Steve replied.

Nadia chuckled. "I'll be fine. So will El, Mama, Hopper, Niko, Joyce, Jonathan, Nancy and Will. Just make sure that Hailey, Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Max are too."

Steve nodded in agreement. "Copy that."

They managed small smiles.

Hailey walked outside. "Hey, Nadia, Steve?" Nadia and Steve looked at her. "After I got the house phone fixed again, Ruby called. I'm pretty sure she needs a little bit of help at the police station."

Nadia and Steve frowned in confusion.

Mike was talking with Eleven. "Just be careful, okay? I can't lose you again."

Eleven shook her head. "You won't lose me."

"Do you promise?" Mike asked.

"Promise," Eleven answered.

They almost kissed.

Hopper stood at his chief truck. "El, come on. Let's go. It's time. You, me, Natasha and Nadia need to hit the station before going to the lab because of that Ruby girl."

Natasha sighed. "Okay. Let's go."

Natasha, Nadia, Hopper and Eleven got into Hopper's car. Joyce, Niko, Jonathan and Nancy got into Jonathan's car with Will. Both cars drove away. Lucas, Max, Mike, Steve, Hailey and Dustin watched them go.

∰

Police Station - Outside

Hopper pulled up his truck, parking. Hopper, Natasha and Nadia got out of the car.

Natasha looked at Eleven in the truck. "Stay here for a moment, okay? We'll be right back."

Eleven nodded in understanding, but frowned in confusion. "Who's Ruby?"

"She's one of us," Nadia answered. "A psychic/psionic."

Eleven nodded.

∰

Inside

Hopper, Natasha and Nadia walked in.

"Hey, Chief," Callahan told him. "Natasha."

"Where's Ruby?" Natasha asked.

"Uh, interrogation room," Powell answered. "Handcuffed. She's a suspect."

"She's an innocent and coming with us," Natasha told them.

"What?" Powell asked. "Natasha, Chief--"

"You heard the lady," Hopper told them. "Let Natasha and Nadia talk to Ruby. We're letting her go."

∰

Interrogation Room

Ruby was sitting at the table, handcuffed, pulling at the cuffs in annoyance. She looked like she was trying to not feel guilty. "Why the hell are you feeling guilty? Dick deserved it. Shouldn't want to see how he's doing. Do I... Stop talking to yourself. You're trying to be less crazy."

Ruby closed her eyes, sighing, focusing in annoyance. Her focus was so intent, acting like she was trying to figure out something. She was confused when she could see something that she shouldn't have been seeing, and hearing things that she shouldn't have been hearing. She could see and hear things from the cell block where Aaron was, confused. As Aaron was losing his mind and looking around in a daze, Ruby could see a sign on the wall that said Cell Block A.

Natasha and Nadia walked in, breaking her concentration, and making Ruby snap back to herself.

Ruby looked up. "Nadia." She noticed her mother. "I'm guessing that's Natasha, and that Hailey got you my message."

"Yeah," Nadia answered. "Care to explain what the hell happened?"

"Sure," Ruby answered with honest sarcasm. "Foster dad Aaron found me at my motel. He was trying to blackmail me to going back to living with him so he could get the foster checks for taking care of me, despite he's an abusive piece of shit, tried to bribe me with my motorcycle keys. Which I got back, by the way, so I just need my motorcycle back from the trailer park. When I kept telling him to fuck off, he got physical, threw a glass bottle at me, tried to hit me. Lost control, burned his arm pretty bad... and pretty much drove him insane on accident."

Nadia and Natasha took in all of this, sighing heavily.

"Ruby..." Nadia trailed off.

"I know, Nadia," Ruby told her. "I didn't mean to. I just lost control."

"You're lucky that you didn't kill him," Natasha told her.

Ruby sighed. "Yeah. Can I just get out of here now? What's going on?"

Nadia sighed. "A lot. But first, before you do anything, you have to undo what you did to your foster father."

"I don't even know how," Ruby told them. "I mean, I only did it once with Nadia, and I didn't know what I was doing then."

"Well, looks like you're gonna learn tonight," Natasha told her. 

"How am I supposed to do that when Aaron's in cell block A, locked up and going out of his mind?" Ruby asked.

Natasha and Nadia looked at her in surprise.

"How do you know that?" Nadia asked.

Ruby sighed. "I don't know. I guess I was trying to find a way to figure out what he was doing, where he was, how he was after I drove him out of his mind, and then suddenly it was like I could see through his eyes and hear through his ears, and it was like I was right there seeing and hearing everything he was, and let me tell you, he's crazy enough right now that they needed to put a straitjacket on him and that they're about to transfer him tonight." Nadia and Natasha exchanged a look. Ruby looked at them in confusion. "What?"

"Do you remember what I told you about my tracking power?" Nadia asked. "I can track anything or anyone over long or short distances, but I never really know where I'm going, except to that thing. And how I told you about Niko being able to track people with a map, more accurately if he has one? Or El being able to astral project into a Void to see where people are and what they are doing."

"Yeah," Ruby answered in confusion.

"Well, from what you just told us, it sounds like you found your own unique tracking power," Natasha told her. "Being able to put yourself in the position of the person or thing you're trying to find and seeing and hearing and experiencing everything they are like it's you that's there. Like you're hitch hiking other beings' senses and experiencing what they are as if you are them. I heard about this power in Russia. It's called sensory scrying. The ability to taste, feel, smell, see and hear from other beings' senses when you're looking for them. Allowing you to experience the world as your target would."

Ruby looked at her in surprise, smirking. "Wait, seriously? That's awesome. How do you know all this, Natasha? I mean, how did you hear about this in Russia?

"There was someone in Russia with that power," Natasha answered. "I knew them. Their body was helpless while using that power to scry for someone. And unless you have some ability to control the being you are using, you have no control over where they go or what they do. And since some beings have so many different sensory abilities, some are hard to understand. And the user of this power would be able to experience everything their target does, including taking damage that they target does. Maybe not gaining actual wounds, but your body would be able to feel any wound your target did while you were scrying them, and your body would think that the pain is your pain and that pain would last a long while."

Ruby processed this all, nodding. "Okay, not so awesome."

"Well, whatever," Nadia told her. "We'll figure it out later. Aaron doesn't have to be transferred to the psyche ward, but he will stay locked up after what he did to you, trust me. You won't have to deal with him ever again, but you can change his mind back. I believe that you can do this. You should, too. And once you learn how to return Aaron sane, you can do the same for you and Billy. Don't forget that. And you can reverse the madness in both of you and make both your lives better. You can do this, Ruby."

Ruby looked at them nervously, sighing, nodding.

∰

Cell Block

Nadia and Natasha were leading Ruby into the room, where Aaron was locked up and acting completely crazy, and especially when he saw Ruby, hitting against the bars in fury.

Ruby turned to leave. "Yeah, nope, the dick can stay like that."

Natasha grabbed her arm to stop her. "Ruby."

Ruby turned back, sighing. "Fine." She slowly made her way up to Aaron, who was in a straitjacket so he couldn't hurt himself or others. "Hey, trainwreck. This isn't your station. Actually, it is, but at least I'm making sure you don't go to a worse station."

Ruby didn't really know what to do at first, but knowing that the madness/sanity power worked whenever she touched someone, reaching through the bars to put a finger to Aaron's head, closing her eyes to focus, breathing uneasily but calmly for the most part, trying to undo the damage she did like she had done with Nadia before. It started to work, and Aaron was slowly calming down, no longer a maniac, and looking very out of it as Ruby healed his mind. Once she was done, Aaron fell unconscious to the floor, and Ruby backed away, stumbling lightly, her nose bleeding.

Nadia helped steady Ruby. "Hey, it's okay. You did it. Now after you get recharged, you get to do that for you and for Billy and everything can be better."

Ruby nodded tiredly, sighing heavily.

∰

Outside

Eleven and Hopper were outside in the car, waiting.

"What are Nadia, Natasha and Ruby doing?" Eleven asked.

"Nadia and Natasha are trying to get Ruby to reverse the damage she did to her foster father on accident," Hopper answered. "Ruby can control madness and sanity, and because her foster father came at her, she accidentally made him go completely insane, but Nadia and Natasha are teaching her to turn him sane again."

"Natasha mad at you?" Eleven asked.

"Yeah, Nat's mad," Hopper answered. "For the secret of you. Speaking of... Are we just not gonna talk about it, huh?"

"About what?" Eleven asked.

"Oh, I don't know," Hopper told her sarcastically. "I'm just curious, you know, why all of a sudden, you look like some kind of MTV punk." Eleven looked away. "I'm not mad, kid. I just want to know where you've been. That's all."

"To see Mama," Eleven answered.

Hopper was stunned. "Okay. How'd you get there?"

"A truck," Eleven answered.

"A truck?" Hopper repeated.

Eleven looked at Hopper. "A big truck."

"A big truck?" Hopper repeated. "Whose truck was it?"

"A man's," Eleven answered.

"A man's?" Hopper repeated.

Eleven looked away. "A nice man."

Hopper tried to think of what to say for a moment. "Okay. So let me just get this straight in my head. So a nice man in a big truck, he drove you to your mama's, and then what? Your Aunt Becky gave you those clothes and that makeup?"

"I..." Eleven trailed off. "I shouldn't have left."

Hopper sighed, shaking his head. "No, this isn't on you, kid. I should've been there. I should never have lied to you about your mom. Or about when you could leave. A lot of things I shouldn't have done. Sometimes I feel like I'm... like I'm just some kind of black hole or something."

"A black hole?" Eleven repeated.

Hopper nodded. "Yeah, it's a... you know, it's this thing in outer space. It's like... it sucks everything towards it and destroys it. Sarah had a picture book about outer space. She loved it."

"Who's Sarah?" Eleven asked.

"Sarah?" Hopper repeated. "She's my girl. She's my little girl."

"Where is she?" Eleven asked.

Hopper looked away. "Well, that's kind of the thing, kid. She, uh... she left us."

Eleven knew what that meant, looking sad for him. "Gone."

"Yeah," Hopper answered. "The black hole. It got her. And somehow, I've just been scared, you know? I've just been scared that it would take you, too. Natasha, Niko and Nadia. Even Hailey. I think that's why I get... so mad. I'm so sorry. For everything." Eleven and Hopper were both extremely emotional. "I could be so... so..."

"Stupid?" Eleven finished.

Hopper smiled, chuckling. "Yeah. Stupid." Eleven chuckled, a few tears falling. "Just really stupid."

Eleven reached over to take Hopper's hand to hold. "I've been stupid, too."

"I guess we broke our rule," Hopper pointed out. Eleven smiled a bit. "I don't hate it, by the way." Hopper gestured over her. "This whole... look. It's kinda cool."

Eleven smirked. "Bitching."

Hopper smiled. "Okay. Sure. Bitching." Eleven chuckled, sniffling, wiping away her tear. Nadia, Natasha and Ruby walked outside. Hopper sighed. "Hey. We good to go?"

"Yeah," Natasha answered, clearly annoyed with Hopper because of the lies, causing Hopper to sigh. "Ruby's gonna get her motorcycle from the trailer park, and she's gonna go meet up with Steve and the kids at the Byers house. With her busted leg, she can't fight Demodogs right now because of the blood drawing more creatures, and she just used her power, which was already burned out before, to reverse the damage she did on Aaron."

Ruby sighed. "Yeah. Just gotta get my bike first before heading to the Byers. I think Billy said that something about the house, and if he finds Max there with Lucas, if I'm right about the fact that my power did something to him before tonight and tonight, then all hell's gonna break loose."

"All hell would break loose even if he wasn't effected by your power," Nadia replied.

"Whatever," Ruby said. "I'm going."

Eleven looked at her curiously. "Ruby?"

Ruby looked at her, nodding. "Yeah. Guessing you're Eleven. El."

Eleven nodded. "Yeah."

Ruby looked between them. "Well? We ready to go? The trailer park's on the way to the lab, just drop me off, I'll get my bike and I'll double back for the Byers. Let's get it done."

∰

Byers House - Kitchen

Dustin was clearing out the fridge. "All right. It should fit now."

Steve was holding a dead Demodog wrapped in a blanket. "Is this really necessary?"

"Yes, it is, okay?" Dustin asked. "This is a ground breaking scientific discovery. We can't just bury it like some common mammal, okay? It's not a dog."

Hailey was leaning against the counter. "Uh, technically, it is, but not common. You heard Dustin, Steve."

Steve sighed, carrying the dead Demodog to the fridge. "All right, all right, all right. But you two are explaining this to Mrs. Byers, all right?" He tried to put the Demodog's body into the fridge but it wouldn't fit. "Jesus Christ. Help me out."

"What are we supposed to do?" Hailey asked.

Dustin helped Steve push the body into the freezer.

"Get the door, Hailey," Steve told her.

Hailey walked over to close the door. "All right, I got the door." She looked at the slime covering Dustin and Steve from when they pushed the dog into the freezer. "Ew. Jesus. God."

Steve ruffled Hailey's hair, but Hailey swatted his hand away.

∰

Living Room

Lucas was sweeping up broken glass, looking up to see Mike pacing. "Mike, would you stop already?"

"You weren't in there, okay, Lucas?" Mike asked. "That lab is swarming with hundreds of those dogs."

Dustin corrected him from the kitchen. "Demodogs!"

Lucas looked at Mike. "Hopper will take care of them."

Max chuckled. "Like they need protection."

Steve, Dustin and Hailey walked into the room.

Steve looked at Mike. "Listen, dude, a coach calls a play in a game, bottom line, you execute it, all right?"

Hailey gave Steve a look. "Okay, first of all, this isn't some stupid sports game. And second, we're not even in the game. We're on the bench."

Steve stammered. "So my point is..." The kids looked at him expectantly, but Steve realized that Hailey was right. "Right, yeah, we're on the bench, so, uh, there's nothing we can do."

Steve put a towel over his shoulder.

"That's not entirely true," Dustin told them. "I mean, these Demodogs, they have a hive mind. When they ran away from the bus, they were called away."

"So if we get their attention..." Lucas trailed off.

"Maybe we can draw them away from the lab," Max finished.

"And clear a path to the gate," Mike agreed.

"Buying Natasha and Nadia enough time to recharge so that they can make sure no Demodogs can interrupt El from closing the gate, while Niko is burning the Mind Flayer out of Will," Hailey finished.

"Yeah, and then we all die," Steve told them.

"That's one point of view," Dustin told him.

"No, that's not a point of view, man," Steve told him. "That's a fact."

"Not if Ruby makes it here in time for us to go," Hailey pointed out. "Ruby's recharging, and Nadia just called to say that she reversed the damage on Aaron, so once she gets here, we can drive out and make a plan, and Ruby can help us."

"Are you forgetting about Ruby's busted leg?" Max asked. "I thought that you guys said the Demodogs were drawn by blood, and she can't really fight with that leg, Hailey."

"She won't have to fight," Lucas assured. "We just need Ruby's power."

"But Hailey said that Ruby told Nadia, who told Hailey that my brother is looking for me, so we need to get out of here anyway before he gets here, in case Ruby's right about Billy being affected by her madness power," Max told them.

Hailey walked toward the drawing maps. "I got it. This is where Hopper and Natasha dug their hole, right? This is our way into the tunnel, so..." She walked toward a gathering of the drawings on the floor. "Here, right here. This is like a hub. So you got all the tunnels feeding in here. Maybe if Ruby used her psychic beam to bring enough heat..."

Steve turned to give Hailey a look, pointing at her. "Oh, yeah? That's a no."

Dustin ignored Steve, agreeing with Hailey, knowing where she was going with this. "The Mind Flayer would call away his army."

Lucas nodded in agreement. "They'd all come to stop us. Or well, stop Ruby."

"Then we circle back to the exit," Mike told them.

"Hey, guys," Steve said.

"By the time they realize we're gone..." Hailey trailed off.

"El, Natasha and Nadia would be at the gate," Max finished. "Buying Natasha and Nadia enough time to recharge, so that they can hold off the army while El is closing the gate. We just need Ruby to get here."

Steve clapped his hands loudly to get their attention. "Hey. Hey, hey! This is not happening."

"But--" Max and Lucas started.

Steve put his hands on his hips. "No, no, no, no, no. No buts. I promised I'd keep you shitheads safe, and that's exactly what I plan on doing. Hailey, you're my little sister, so this is a definite no." Hailey rolled her eyes, tilting her head back. "We're staying here, on the bench, and we're waiting for the starting team to do their job. Does everybody understand?"

"This isn't a stupid sports game, Steve," Hailey told him. "And just because I'm your little sister does not mean I have to listen to you."

Steve took the towel off his shoulder, pointing at Hailey, looking at everyone. "I said, does everybody understand that? I need a yes."

"And I just need to say this," Hailey told him. "The towel on the shoulder, hands on hips, the pointing. You're acting more like a mother than a father, and the way that Nadia honked the horn in the car when Dustin and I were fighting and threatened to pull over and leave us out of the fight if we didn't stop, she was acting more like a father than a mother. So, I'm gonna start calling you 'Mom' and Nadia 'Dad' of us."

Steve scoffed, giving Hailey a look, while Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Max smiled in agreement.

"Niko would totally say that, too," Lucas agreed.

They heard the revving of an engine from outside.

"Is that Ruby?" Mike asked.

"No," Dustin answered. "Nadia said that Ruby would be bringing her motorcycle now that she has the keys again."

"And it's too soon for Ruby to get here since they just left the station," Max agreed.

"Well, if it's not Ruby, then who is it?" Lucas asked.

Max recognized the sound of the engine and she remembered what Ruby warned them about Billy, running to check through the window. "It's my brother." Lucas ran toward Max, standing next to her. "He can't know I'm here. He'll kill me. He'll kill us."

Steve looked toward the door, looking determined to keep the kids safe no matter what happened to him.

∰

Outside

Billy got out of the car, smoking a cigarette, seeing Steve in front of the house. "Am I dreaming, or is that you, Harrington?"

Steve had his hands on his hips. "Yeah, it's me. Don't cream your pants." 

Billy took off his jacket, closing his car door, as the two walked toward each other. "What are you doing here, amigo?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Steve replied. "Amigo."

"Looking for my stepsister," Billy answered. "A little birdie told me she was here."

Steve nodded. "Huh, that's weird. I don't know her."

"Small," Billy described. "Redhead. Bit of a bitch."

"Doesn't ring a bell," Steve told him. "Sorry, buddy."

Billy nodded sarcastically, looking down, taking the cigarette out of his mouth, sighing. "You know, I don't know, this... this whole situation, Harrington, I don't know." He clicked his tongue, looking up. "It's giving me the heebie-jeebies."

"Oh, yeah?" Steve asked. "Why's that?"

Billy glanced around. "My 13 year old sister goes missing all day. And then I find her with you in a stranger's house. And you lie to me about it."

Steve chuckled. "Man, were you dropped too much as a child, or what?" Billy smiled sarcastically, running his tongue over his teeth. "I don't know what you don't understand about what I just said. She's not here."

Billy looked toward the house, pointing his cigarette at the window. "Then who is that?"

Steve followed his gaze to see the kids watching through the window.

When the kids saw them looking, they ducked.

"Oh, shit!" Hailey said. "I told you guys to stay away from the window."

"Sorry," Dustin said. "Did he see us?"

Even though Steve didn't hear Hailey from inside, he echoed his sister's words. "Oh, shit." He looked at Billy. "Listen..."

Billy pushed Steve to the ground. "I told you to plant your feet."

Billy gave him a kick in the side.

∰

Inside - Living Room

Lucas, Max, Mike, Dustin and Hailey were standing away from the door.

Billy burst in through the front door. "Well, well, well." He slammed the door behind him. "Lucas Sinclair. What a surprise." He walked closer to the kids. "I thought I told you to stay away from him, Max."

"Billy, go away," Max told him.

"You disobeyed me," Billy told her. "And you know what happens when you disobey me."

"Billy..." Max trailed off nervously.

"I break things," Billy finished, turning to push Lucas against the wall.

Hailey, Mike and Dustin started yelling. "Lucas! Billy!"

"Billy!" Max told him. "Stop! Billy, stop!"

Lucas tried to push Billy off. "Get off of me, you--"

"Since Maxine won't listen to me, maybe you will," Billy told him. "You stay away from her. Stay away from her! You hear me?"

Lucas kicked Billy in the crotch, pushing him back. "I said get off of me!"

"You are so dead, Sinclair!" Billy told him. "You're dead."

Hailey rolled her eyes. "No. You are."

Hailey kicked Billy in the leg, making him kneel down to her level, punching him in the face, making him jerk back.

Steve walked in. 

"Hailey..." Max trailed off.

Lucas ran to his friends.

Billy laughed like a maniac, his nose bleeding from when Hailey punched him. "Looks like what Tommy H. says about little sister Hailey is true after all, huh, Steve? She's got some fire in her. Tommy said that she's the Harrington to be able to handle her own, but not you. And I've been waiting to meet this King Steve everybody's been telling me so much about."

Steve stood in front of Hailey. "Stay out of this, Hailey." He sighed, pushing Billy back a bit. "Get out."

Billy swung a punch at Steve, but Steve ducked, punching him in the face, causing him to fall against the table.

"Steve!" Max said.

"Yes!" Dustin cheered. "Kick his ass, Steve! Murder the son of a bitch!"

"Get him!" Mike agreed. "Get that shithead!"

Steve punched Billy again as he laughed, making him fall back against a counter. Billy found a dish, smashing it over Steve's head, making him fall.

"Steve!" Hailey said, the same time Max said, "Billy!"

"Holy shit," Lucas said. Billy walked toward Steve to punch him. "Shit!"

Billy grabbed Steve by the jacket. "No one tells me what to do." He headbutted Steve in the face, making him fall and slid back over the floor over the drawings. "Whoo! Get up!"

The kids were yelling as Billy walked to stand over Steve, and started to punch him in the face repeatedly, in a crazy rage, knocking Steve out.

Hailey grabbed Billy from behind, pulling him away from Steve, spinning to kick him in the stomach, sliding between his legs to punch him in the crotch, making him groan in pain and hold his crotch as he started to fall, spinning to stand up behind him, spinning to face him to punch him in the head, while the boys were cheering Hailey on.

Max found a sedative needle, picking it up, pushing her way through Lucas and Mike, standing right behind Billy, stabbing the needle into his neck, sedating him.

Billy groaned, standing, turning to face Hailey and Max as they stood side by side, trying to look at the needle in his neck, taking it out. "The hell is this?" His vision started to blur. "You little shit, what did you do?"

Billy fell to the floor.

"Shit," Lucas whispered.

Laying on the floor, Billy started to laugh, still sounding crazier and more manic than usual.

Max picked up the nail bat, holding it up threateningly. "From here on out, you leave me and my friends alone. Do you understand?"

Billy had his eyes closed. "Screw you."

Max swung the nail bat down between Billy's legs, just barely missing his crotch. Billy raised his head to look.

Max pulled the nail bat back up. "Say you understand! Say it. Say it!"

Billy sighed, closing his eyes again. "I understand."

"What?" Max asked.

"I understand," Billy repeated, before passing out due to the sedative.

Max dropped the bat.

They heard Ruby's motorcycle outside pull out.

Lucas sighed. "Ruby. Thank God."

Ruby parked outside, having trouble walking on her leg a little bit, but able to power through the pain enough to walk mostly normal, walking up to the house, opening the door, seeing Billy and Steve knocked out on the floor. "What the hell happened?"

"Oh, nothing much," Dustin told her sarcastically. "Billy went on a psycho rampage and Steve and Hailey fought him."

"Before Max drugged Billy and made him promise to leave us alone," Lucas added.

Ruby nodded. "So that answers my question about my power. I can reverse the madness inside his head."

"You can do that later," Dustin told her. "He's fine right now, when he's passed out. We need you to have full strength for our plan."

"What plan?" Ruby asked.

"We'll explain when we get there, we just need you to follow us," Max told her, taking Billy's keys from him, holding the keys up. "Let's get out of here."

∰

Hopper's Cabin

Jonathan pulled his car up to the cabin, pulling over. When he got out, he carried Will toward the cabin. Niko, Joyce and Nancy followed him.

∰

Inside

Walking inside, Nancy looked around the cabin. "It's actually kinda nice."

Joyce knelt down. "We'll do it here."

Nancy and Joyce moved furniture around according to what could work, moving most furniture away so that they wouldn't catch fire.

Jonathan laid Will down on a bed, tying him down. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Niko nodded. "This thing has had Will long enough. Let's kill the son of a bitch."

Niko held out his hands, which started to glow with orange heat, almost fire, as he started to rise the temperature in the cabin, also shooting fire into the fireplace to make it hotter.

∰

Hawkins Lab - Outside

Hopper pulled his truck up outside the lab.  Natasha, Nadia, Hopper and Eleven got out of the car. Hopper walked around the truck to get his machine gun from the back, as Natasha, Nadia and Eleven looked at the lab building. They could hear the monsters growling from inside.

Eleven was overwhelmed to be back here, flashing back to all her traumatic memories from being trapped in the lab for so long.

Natasha took her hand. "El." Eleven looked at her. "It's okay. We can do this, together."

"You're not locked away anymore," Nadia assured.

Eleven nodded in understanding.

Hopper walked toward them with his gun. "All right. You let me do the heavy lifting up front, all right? You save your strength till we're below."

Natasha sighed. "Normally I'd make a smart ass remark about how you can't tell me what to do, Hopper, but you're right this time, the only time, so I'll have to agree."

Hopper sighed. "All right, Natasha, I know you're still mad, but we can talk after this, all right?"

Natasha walked toward the lab. "Yep."

Nadia managed a smirk, before looking at Eleven. "You okay?"

Instead of answering, Eleven followed Natasha to the lab. Nadia followed.  Hopper sighed before following.

∰

On the Road

Billy's car was leading the way, as Ruby was following on her motorcycle.

∰

Billy's Car

Max was the one driving, kinda sloppy. Mike was in the passenger seat, and Lucas sat between them in the front on the bench seat.

Hailey, Steve and Dustin were in the backseat. Hailey was holding an ice pack to Steve's head, waiting for him to wake up.

Steve's face was bloody as he started to come to. He saw his sister holding the ice pack to his head. "Hailey?"

Steve reached up to his face.

"No, don't touch it," Hailey told him. "Hey, Steve. Shh."

"It's okay," Dustin told him. "You put up a good fight. He kicked your ass, but you put up a good fight."

"You're okay," Hailey told him.

Lucas was giving directions to Max. "Okay, you're gonna keep straight for a half a mile, then make a left on Mount Sinai."

Steve looked around. "What's going on?" He realized that Max was driving them in a car. "Oh, my God!"

"Steve, just relax," Dustin told him. "She's driven before."

"Yeah, in a parking lot," Mike told them.

"That counts," Lucas pointed out.

Hailey looked at Steve. "They were gonna leave you behind, but I wasn't gonna leave you to wake up with a still kinda insane Billy. And I promised that you'd be cool, okay? And Ruby's on her motorcycle following us, so we're gonna be okay."

Anything but cool, Steve started to freak out. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What's going on?" Max drove faster. "Oh, my God. No! Whoa! Stop the car. Slow down."

"Hailey, I told you he'd freak out," Mike told her.

"You thought I would just leave him back there?" Hailey asked sarcastically.

"Everybody shut up!" Max told them. "I'm trying to focus!"

Lucas pointed to the road. "Oh, wait, that's Mount Sinai. Make a left."

"What?" Max asked.

"Make a left," Lucas answered.

Max made the left, very sloppy and running over something in the process, making everyone in the car scream slightly. Ruby turned her motorcycle to follow, nearly crashing but getting a handle on it, following.

∰

Hopper's Cabin

Niko was still using his fire/heat power to make everything so much hotter. He, Will, Jonathan, Nancy and Joyce were all pouring sweat.

Will woke up, struggling. "What's happening? It hurts." He started to groan and scream because of the heat. "It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!" Jonathan stood, hating to see his brother like this. Nancy took his hand to comfort him. "Let me go! Let me go! It hurts! It hurts! Let me go! Let me go! It hurts!"

Joyce, flashing back to her dance with Bob, became more determined to get the Mind Flayer out of Will to save him and so they could kill the monster. "Niko, higher. Hotter."

Niko nodded in agreement. "Okay. Yeah."

Niko turned up the heat even more, his hands flickering with fire from how much of his power he was using at a constant rate, his nose bleeding.

Jonathan was concerned about him using too much more. "Niko..."

"I'm fine, Jonathan," Niko told him. "It's gonna save him."

Will screamed and thrashed in pain. Jonathan had to turn away from the sight of that. Nancy embraced him. Niko had to lose his eyes.

∰

Pumpkin Patch

Billy's car was still leading the way as Ruby followed on her bike, until they reached the pumpkin patch, pulling over nearby the hole in the ground that Natasha and Hopper had dug up.

Ruby pulled off her helmet, getting off her bike. "Well, hello."

"Whoa!" Dustin said.

"Incredible," Mike said.

Max smirked. "I told you. Zoomer."

The kids and Steve got out of the car, walking toward Ruby.

The kids went through the trunk of the car, pulling out goggles and cloths to protect them from the toxicity of the Upside Down's air, putting them on, handing goggles and cloths to Ruby and Steve as well. Hailey picked up the nail bat. Lucas grabbed his wrist rocket/slingshot. Mike, Dustin and Max grabbed lighters or matches.

Ruby sighed. "Oh, great, guys."

The kids walked toward the hole.

"Where do you think you're going?" Steve asked, standing in their way to stop them. "What are you, deaf? Hello? We are not going down there right now. I made myself clear. Hey, there's no chance we're going to that hole, all right? This ends right now!"

"Steve, you're upset, I get it," Hailey told him. 

"But the bottom line is, party members requires assistance, and it is our duty to provide that assistance," Dustin told him. "Now, I know you promised Nancy and Nadia that you would keep us safe."

Hailey handed a bag, the cloth and goggles to Steve. "So keep us safe."

Ruby put on her goggles and cloth. "Whatever the case, I'm going down there. If I can't help Billy right now, I'm sure as hell gonna do something to help."

"Well, you're certainly sounding like a less insane Ruby Charlize already," Lucas told her.

Ruby nodded. "When I used the sanity part of my power on Aaron, it helped me with my own mind, too. Go figure. Screw insanity. That's what I say. I'm going. Mama Steve can try and fail to stop you from following me."

Steve sighed, giving in, grabbing the things Hailey handed him.

∰

Upside Down 

Underground Tunnels

There was a rope that let them all climb down.

Ruby slid down the rope and landed carefully down below so that she didn't hurt her leg more, looking around in shock as she took in the view of the Upside Down tunnels. "Holy shit."

Mike was looking at a map. "Uh, yeah, I'm pretty sure it's this way."

"You're pretty sure, or you're certain?" Dustin asked.

"Shouldn't we be asking Ruby?" Lucas asked.

"Why Ruby?" Max asked.

"Yeah, why me, Lucas?" Ruby asked.

"Because El, Nadia and Niko all have a power that can track someone down, even if they're all different powers," Lucas answered. "Shouldn't you have one, too? Like a power to find someone, or something?"

"Uh, yeah, I do," Ruby answered. "Figured that out in the station. Natasha called it 'sensory scrying'."

"What the hell does that mean?" Dustin asked.

Ruby looked at the kids. "I have neither the time nor the crayons to explain this to you." The kids scoffed and Steve smirked. "But basically, I can tap into other beings' senses to tell where things are. Earlier, I was trying to find out what happened with Aaron when I drove him out of his mind, and I ended up seeing and hearing everything he was, like I was the one seeing and hearing them. Like I was there."

"Do you think you can do that now to find the place we need to do this?" Max asked.

Ruby nodded. "I think so. Maybe."

"She can tap into the vines, or tendrils," Mike suggested. "They're alive, aren't they? Ruby can see and hear what they are and lead us to where we need to be."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound dangerous at all," Hailey told them sarcastically.

Ruby chuckled. "It's okay, Hailey. Mike's right. I got this." She closed her eyes, sighing, focusing enough to be able to use her sensory scrying again, able to see and hear what she needed. "To the left. Someone's gonna have to guide me. While I'm scrying, I can only see and hear through the target."

Max took Ruby's arm. "I'll guide you. Lead the way."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Steve told them. "Hey, hey, hey, hey, I don't think so." He walked in front of Max and Ruby. "Any of you little shits die down here, me and Ruby are getting the blame. Got it, dipshits? From here on out, I'm leading the way. Come on, let's go." Steve led the way, and Max guided Ruby down the tunnel while she was using her scrying power, and the others followed. "Come on. Hey, a little hustle."

∰

Hawkins Lab - Hallway

Hopper was leading the way down the hallway, flashlight and gun in hand, ready to fire. Eleven, Natasha and Nadia walked with him, ready to use their powers if they had to, but like Hopper said, they were saving most of their energy for down below.

∰

Stairwell

Hopper, Natasha, Nadia and Eleven walked downstairs, stopping when they saw blood on the railing.

Hopper looked at Eleven and Nadia. "Stay here." Hopper and Natasha cautiously walked downstairs, seeing who was there. "Oh, shit." Owens was injured, leaning weakly against the wall, almost dead. "Hey, Doc. That suckers got you pretty good, huh?"

Owens nodded.

"It's okay, don't talk," Natasha told him. "Don't talk. I got you, I got you, I got you."

Natasha took a belt, fastening it around Owens's leg to make a tourniquet.

Eleven and Nadia walked downstairs.

"Oh, yeah, we've been meaning to tell you," Hopper told him. "You know Nadia, of course. This is Eleven. Eleven, Doc Owens. Doc Owens, Eleven. She's been staying with me for about a year, and El, Nadia and Natasha are about to save our asses, while Niko's about to save Will's ass, and Ruby Charlize is going to help save the asses of Steve and Hailey Harrington, Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, Lucas Sinclair, and Max Mayfield."

"Maybe when this is all said and done, maybe you could help us out, you know?" Natasha asked. "Again. Still keeping me, Niko and Nadia a secret. And helping Eleven so that she doesn't have to be in hiding anymore. And making sure that Ruby Charlize stays a secret, too. Making sure that no one comes after Hailey Harrington to turn her into one of us, like they did to me when I was her age."

"Maybe you could help them lead, like, a normal life," Hopper told him. "One where they're not poked and prodded and... treated like some kind of lab rats, you know? I don't know, just a thought. But, uh, think about it."

Owens nodded in agreement, breathing heavily.

Nadia handed a radio to Owens. "Don't go anywhere."

Hopper, Natasha, Nadia and Eleven continued down the stairs.

∰

Upside Down

Underground Tunnels

Steve was leading the way. Max was guiding Ruby along since she was using her sensory scrying power and couldn't focus on her own senses for her own surroundings. Hailey, Mike, Dustin and Lucas were right behind them, following.

Lucas looked around. "God."

"What is this place?" Max asked.

"Further up," Ruby told them. "Keep moving."

They continued on.

Dustin paused when he saw the growth on the ceiling of the tunnel. "What the hell?" The growth sprayed Dustin with spores. Dustin screamed, falling down. "Shit!" He continued to scream and squirm. "Help, help, help!"

Hailey ran back to him to hep. "Dustin!"

Lucas, Mike and Max ran back as well. "Dustin!"

Ruby was snapped out of her scrying because of the screaming, turning back.

Steve ran to check on the kids. "What happened?"

Dustin whimpered, on his knees. "It's in my mouth! Some got in my mouth! Shit!" He continued to cough for a moment before looking up calmly. "I'm okay."

They gave him a look.

"You serious?" Hailey asked.

"Very funny, man," Mike told him sarcastically.

"Nice," Steve said. "Very nice."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Jesus, what an idiot."

Max walked back over to Ruby, taking her arm to guide her as Ruby went back into the trance to use her sensory scrying.

Dustin stood, following the others. "Hang on. Wait, wait."

"How much farther, Ruby?" Lucas asked.

"Just around the corner," Ruby answered, no longer in the trance as she pulled herself out.

They walked around the corner into the graveyard, as Natasha and Hopper called it, where they had been, and where the soldiers had been killed.

"All right, Hailey," Steve told her. "Think we found your hub."

"Yep," Hailey agreed, sighing.

"All you, Ruby," Mike told her. "Light it up."

Ruby nodded, sighing, walking into the center of the graveyard, looking around.

∰

Hopper's Cabin

Niko was still using heat and fire to completely heat up the cabin, causing Will to scream, all sweating, and looking like he hated himself for causing this much pain to Will, but knowing that he was doing it to save him. "I'm so sorry, Will."

Jonathan was breathing heavily. "It's not working. It's not working. Mom, Niko, are you listening to me?"

"Just wait," Niko told them.

"How much longer?" Jonathan asked. "Mom, look at him."

"Jonathan, wait!" Joyce told him.

"You're killing him!" Jonathan told them.

"Just wait!" Joyce repeated. "Jonathan, please."

"You're killing him!" Jonathan repeated, trying to stop Niko.

Joyce stopped Jonathan. "Leave him!"

Nancy was watching Will. "Wait, Jonathan. Jonathan! His neck, his neck!"

They all looked at his neck as black veins were spreading, as if it was working finally. Will was shaking, and the lights were flickering, as Niko struggled to keep the fire and the heat going, his nose bleeding pretty badly by now for using it in a constant stream. Will nearly broke free.

"No, no, no," Niko said.

Joyce tried to get Will's arm tied back up, but Will gripped her throat.

"Mom!" Jonathan said worriedly.

Determined now more than ever to get the Mind Flayer to release Will, Niko turned up the heat even more.

∰

Hawkins Lab - Hallway

Hopper, Natasha, Nadia and Eleven were making their way toward the doors at the end of the hallway that led to the elevator that could take them to the underground chamber, but they stopped when they heard a Demodog growling from the other side.

Hopper raised his gun. "Stay here."

Hopper walked to the other side, hearing the chittering of a Demodog, pressing his back to the wall, breathing heavily, turning his head to look back toward Eleven, Natasha and Nadia.

∰

Upside Down

Underground Chamber

Ruby stood in the middle of the graveyard/hub. "All right, you guys get behind the wall, and stay down. I don't know how strong this is gonna be."

Steve and the kids did as told, taking cover and staying low.

"All right, you guys ready?" Steve asked.

"Yeah," Mike answered.

Lucas, Max and Dustin answered, "Ready."

Hailey sighed. "All right, Ruby. Light her up."

Steve shook his head. "I am in such deep shit."

Ruby held out her arms on either side of her, starting to turn around, using enough anger to make her hands glow with the golden light.

∰

Hopper's Cabin

Will was still trying to get free, and Joyce and Jonathan were holding him down, but Will was choking them with enhanced strength from the Mind Flayer's army.

Niko couldn't do anything since he was still using fire to bring the heat, and knowing that if he tried to stop Will, he could have killed him, or Joyce or Jonathan. "Nancy, do something!"

Nancy looked around, finding a fireplace iron poker, putting it into the fire in the fireplace, sticking it into Will's side to burn him, making him scream and release Joyce and Jonathan.

∰

Hawkins Lab - Hallway

Hopper stepped out from behind the wall, turning to aim his gun at the Demodog, firing.

∰

Hopper's Cabin

Joyce was still holding Will down. "Get the hell out of my son!"

∰

Upside Down

Underground Chamber

Ruby kept turning around, shooting her golden light psychic beams out of both of her hands at the walls and the vines and tendrils on the wall on all sides of the cave, causing the vines and tendrils to scream, screech and flail at the sunlight-like beams that burned them and ate away at them.

∰

Hopper's Cabin

Will could feel the pain, screaming.

∰

Hawkins Lab - Hallway

The Demodog in front of Hopper, along with all the others in the lab, could feel the pain, screeching and roaring in pain.

∰

Upside Down

Underground Chamber

Ruby was still shooting the light at the vines, her nose bleeding, using most of the energy she had left, and she had used so much of her power that night already, becoming even weaker as her nose bled heavily, and she screamed to release even more light that burst out of her and burned the vines and tendrils in the cave even more, incinerating them.

Knowing that Demodogs would be on their way, Hailey stood. "Let's go!"

"Go, go, go!" Steve told them.

They all started to run.

Max stayed back for Ruby. "Come on, Ruby!"

Ruby stopped finally, and Max took her hand to help her run down the tunnels because of her leg.

"Let's go, let's go!" Lucas told them.

"Oh, my God, oh, my God," Dustin said.

They continued to run down the tunnel.

∰

Hawkins Lab

All the Demodogs were running out of the lab to go to the tunnels.

∰

Hopper's Cabin

Will was screaming in absolute pain.

Niko, feeling faint from using so much of his power for so long, with blood flowing from his nose down his mouth, held up his hands to provide more fire and heat, screaming to make the heat just a little bit higher, enough to finally do what needed to be done, and due to the heat in the room provided by Niko, and the heat of Ruby's light in the tunnels that Will could feel because of the hive mind, the shadow that had infected Will had to finally come out in a large swirl, and take off out the door and into the night. Nancy, Jonathan, Joyce and Niko watched the shadow disappear into the sky in shock.

Niko could finally stop using his powers, letting all the heat and the fire fade, and fell weakly to his knees from using so much power.

Nancy ran to check on him, kneeling next to him, keeping him upright. "Niko?"

Joyce was checking on her son, crying. "Will, baby."

Jonathan tried to wake him up. "Will, Will. Please, Will. Will, come on, buddy."

Joyce sobbed. "Please, can you hear me?"

"Come on," Niko begged.

"Come on, Will," Jonathan told him.

Niko wiped the blood from his nose and mouth. "Please, Will."

Will opened his eyes, causing them all to gasp in relief. "Mom? Jonathan? Niko?"

They all laughed weakly in relief.

Joyce embraced Will. "Oh, honey. Oh, God."

Jonathan embraced Will and Joyce. "Oh, God."

Niko laughed weakly in relief, nearly on the verge of passing out, as Nancy comforted him.

Nancy smiled. "You did it."

Niko chuckled. "Yeah. We did it."

∰

Hawkins Lab - Underground Chamber

Eleven, Natasha, Hopper and Nadia were standing behind the broken glass that used to separate them from the gate and the hole that led them further underground toward the growth of the gate.

They heard Niko through the radio. "Mama, Hopper, do you copy? Do you hear me?"

"Yeah, we copy," Hopper answered.

In the cabin, Niko was breathing heavily from using so much power, sitting back weakly, using a rag to clean the blood from his nose and face. "Close it."

Eleven, Natasha, Hopper and Nadia exchanged a look, looking at the gate. Stepping onto the platform elevator, they lowered themselves down to the center of the growth of the gate underground.

∰

Upside Down

Underground Tunnels

Ruby, Steve and the kids were still running, while Ruby was limping slightly because of her leg, trying to get to the exit quickly.

"Hey, this way!" Hailey told them.

Mike tripped, and his leg started to get trapped by a tendril, so he started to scream. "Help! Help! Help! Help!"

Hailey turned back, raising the nail bat, slamming it down on the tendril repeatedly to kill it, making it let go of Mike.

Lucas and Dustin pulled Mike up to his feet.

"You good?" Lucas asked.

"You okay?" Dustin asked.

"Guys, we gotta go," Ruby told them. "We gotta go now!"

∰

Hawkins Lab - Underground

Hopper, Natasha, Nadia and Eleven stopped right in front of the gate, in the platform elevator.

Eleven looked at them nervously, raising her hand toward the gate, starting to use her power to try and close it. Her nose started to bleed.

∰

Upside Down

Underground Tunnels

The group was still trying to get out quickly.

Dart arrived in front of them, growling.

Dustin recognized his former Demodog friend. "Dart." He stepped closer to Dart, and everyone behind him said something to stop him, but he shushed them. "Shh. Stop."

"Dustin, get back," Hailey told him.

"Trust me, please," Dustin told them. He pulled the cloth over his mouth down to speak to Dart. Hey, it's me. It's me, it's just your friend. It's Dustin." He pulled up his goggles, kneeling down. "It's Dustin, all right? You remember me? Will you let us pass?" Dart opened up his face and snarled. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I'm sorry about the storm cellar. That was a pretty douche-y thing to do. You hungry? Yeah?"

Dustin reached into his pocket.

"He's insane," Lucas whispered.

"Don't," Mike whispered.

"Shut up," Max whispered.

Dustin pulled out a 3 Musketeers candy bar from his pocket. "I've got our favorite. See? Nougat." He opened the candy bar, ripping it up, tossing some to Dart. "Look at that. Yummy. Here, all right?" Dart started to eat it. "Eat up, buddy. Come on, come on." Dustin waved for the others to go around Dart, which they did, quietly and smoothly. "There's plenty. I've got more." Dustin stood, walking past Dart, pulling down his goggles over his eyes. "Goodbye, buddy."

Dustin pulled his cloth up over his mouth.

"Let's go, let's go," Ruby whispered.

They all continued down the tunnel.

∰

Hawkins Lab - Underground

Hopper, Natasha, Nadia and Eleven were right in front of the gate, in the platform elevator.

Eleven was still trying to close the gate, and some of the shadow tried to leave the gate to stop her, but Eleven was holding it back. She closed her eyes, remembering what Kali had told her in The Lost Sister.

"I want you to find something from your past, something that angers you. Now channel it."

Eleven flashed back to when the men were dragging her down the hallway to lock her away, and she was screaming for "Papa"/Brenner.

More empowered, Eleven opened her eyes, and the wall around the gate started to seal it away.

∰

Upside Down

Underground Tunnels

Steve, Ruby and the kids were running toward the exit.

"Let's go, let's go," Ruby told them. The tunnel shook around them, making them lose balance and making most of them fall, and making Ruby hurt her leg more so. "Jesus!"

"What was that?" Max asked.

They heard the Demodogs in the distance.

"They're coming," Mike told them. "Run! Run!"

They continued to run.

"Let's go, let's go!" Hailey urged.

Ruby was having trouble keeping up because of her leg.

"Come on, Ruby!" Max told her.

"Move, Ruby!" Lucas told her.

"Max, Lucas, grab Ruby," Mike told them.

They took Ruby arms, pulling her along as fast as they could.

Lucas saw the exit ahead of them. "There, there!"

"Come on, let's go!" Mike told them.

"Go, go, go, let's go!" Steve ordered. "Come on, come on!"

Steve and Ruby helped Max up first.

"Come on, hurry up," Ruby told them. "Come on!"

Max crawled up to above ground, reaching down. "Lucas, come on. Reach for my hand."

When Lucas reached up, Max helped Lucas pull himself out of the Upside Down.

Lucas turned to pull Dustin up. "Come on, pull him, pull him." Max and Lucas helped pull Dustin out of the Upside Down. "All right, now Mike."

Lucas, Max and Dustin pulled Mike up from the Upside Down.

Dustin called down. "Come on, Hailey!"

Hailey was still down with Steve and Ruby, when they heard the Demodogs getting closer. "Shit."

Hailey held up the nail bat, ready to use. Ruby glared in the direction of the growls, raising her hands.

Lucas, Max, Mike and Dustin were shouting for Hailey, Steve and Ruby from up above.

The Demodogs ran into the tunnel where Steve, Hailey and Ruby were.

Ruby summoned enough anger to shoot psychic energy golden light out at the Demodogs, burning them enough to send them running the other way. "No!"

While Ruby was burning the Demodogs, Hailey was using the nail bat to hit some of them, buying them enough time to get closer to the exit. Ruby couldn't kill all of them, but she killed some, and the Demodogs ran away through the tunnel, leaving Steve, Hailey and Ruby unharmed.

Hailey realized where they were going, why they left them unharmed, other than Ruby burning most of them. "Eleven. Nadia and Natasha."

Ruby, with her nose bleeding and the blood dripping over her lips, fell to her knees in exhaustion from using so much power. Hailey and Steve helped Ruby up to her feet so that they could climb out of the tunnels.

∰

Hawkins Lab - Underground

Hopper, Natasha, Nadia and Eleven were right in front of the gate, in the platform elevator.

Eleven was getting closer to closing the gate.

Demodogs started to arrive to attack.

One Demodog landed on top of the elevator, trying to attack from next to Hopper and Natasha. Natasha raised her arms, conjuring her psychic shield to stop it from ripping into Hopper. Hopper turned to shoot his machine gun at the Demodog, making it fall off the elevator down below.

Nadia switches places with Eleven so she was on the edge, able to fight more. A Demodog lunged at Nadia from the side. Nadia conjured her purple glowing psychic energy sword, plunging it through the Demodog, making it screech in agony, taking the sword out, letting the Demodog fall meters down below.

Hopper looked around to see many more Demodogs coming. "Oh, shit."

Natasha looked around, sighing, nodding. "I got this."

Natasha held up her arms on either side of her, pointing either way, putting up a shield around them entirely to keep them safe.

"Can I shoot through this without the bullets ricocheting?" Hopper asked.

"And can I put the psychic energy through?" Nadia asked.

"Yeah," Natasha answered. "Fire away."

Nadia tilted her head. "With pleasure."

Hopper was firing at the Demodogs repeatedly with the machine gun until the gun clicked.

As a Demodog leaped toward them, Nadia flung her glowing purple psychic energy whip around his throat, turning around to throw him against the cavern wall into a group of Demodogs, making them all fall off the walls down below.

Natasha pushed her hands outward, using the shield around them to throw Demodogs away from them as they leaped at them, making them fall down below.

Eleven was bleeding heavily from the nose, over her lips, as she struggled to finish closing the gate, breathing heavily.

She remembered seeing Brenner through Kali's power of illusion. "You have a wound, Eleven. A terrible wound. And it's festering. And it will grow. Spread. And eventually, it will kill you."

Eleven remembered opening the gate, and explaining to the party on the cliffs. "The gate. I opened it. I'm the monster."

Part of the shadow monster/Mind Flayer started to reach out through the closing gate, trying to stop Eleven from closing the gate, and trying to stop Nadia, Natasha and Hopper from killing his army of Demodogs, but Natasha kept her shield in front of them and behind them to protect them from both the Mind Flayer and the Demodogs coming for them on either side, expending most of her energy doing so, her nose bleeding heavily, dripping over her lips, as she had to release a scream to empower herself to keep the creatures away from them with all of her strength.

Nadia lashed out at the Demodogs with her whips, screaming as she ripped them apart with enough strength and her sword, nose bleeding heavily and dripping over her lips.

Eleven started to scream, and levitated over the platform.

∰

Pumpkin Patch

Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Max helped pull Hailey, Steve and Ruby out of the Upside Down. They saw the headlights of Billy's car growing brighter, looking at the car behind them, all confused.

∰

Hopper's Cabin

Joyce, Jonathan and Niko were sitting with Will, comforting him, while Nancy sat in front of them. They saw the light of a lamp nearby growing brighter, looking at the lamp. All of the lights around them started to get brighter.

∰

Hawkins Lab - Underground

Hopper, Natasha, Nadia and Eleven were right in front of the gate, in the platform elevator. Natasha still held up her shield to protect them from the Mind Flayer and the Demodogs, while Nadia was still using her psychic energy to tear them apart or sending them falling down below. Eleven was still levitating, trying to close the gate.

Natasha used all of her strength from the shield to push the Mind Flayer shadow back through the gate, screaming to do so, so that when Eleven was finally able to close the gate, the Mind Flayer was still stuck in the Upside Down. As soon as the gate was closed, Eleven fell to the platform again, and Hopper steadied her. The Demodogs all around started to fall dead. Natasha and Nadia were able to let their powers fade, both falling to their knees in exhaustion, kneeling by Hopper and Eleven as they all supported each other.

∰

Pumpkin Patch

The bright headlights from Billy's car faded, much to the shock of Ruby, Hailey, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Max and Steve.

∰

Hopper's Cabin

Nancy, Jonathan, Will, Niko and Joyce looked around as the bright lights in the cabin faded.

∰

Hawkins Lab - Underground

Hopper, Natasha, Nadia and Eleven were right in front of the gate, in the platform elevator, all sitting down, supporting each other, as Natasha, Nadia and Eleven were so weakened they could barely stay up on their own.

Hopper looked at them in shock and concern. "You did good, girls. You did so good."

Hopper and Eleven embraced, while Nadia and Natasha embraced. Eleven was also holding Nadia and Natasha's hands as Hopper nodded to them in shock and approval, worried about the state they were all in, but proud. Natasha managed a small smile, looking between Eleven and Nadia in pride.

∰

One Month Later

Day - Hawkins Lab - Outside

(Song:) Rare Bird - Tangerine Dream

Hawkins Lab was being shut down, and everything was being moved out.

Reporter: (voice over) "Since the release of the incendiary tape, the once quiet town of Hawkins, Indiana, has spent time in a place it never expected. The national spotlight."

Murray was watching the clearing out of Hawkins Lab, sitting down, smiling, laughing smugly, waving.

Reporter: (voice over) "Under mounting pressure, several high ranking members from the US Department of Energy..."

∰

Cemetery

The Reeds, the Wheelers, the Byers, Hailey, Steve, Lucas and the parents of Barb were at Barb's funeral, while Nadia and Nancy stood together sadly as they watched the casket for their friend get buried.

Reporter: (voice over) "Have admitted involvement in the death and cover up of Hawkins resident Barbara Holland who died due to exposure to an experimental chemical asphyxiant, which had leaked from the grounds of the lab."

(Song Ends)

∰

Bar

A different reporter was on the TV. "We sent our own April Kline to Hawkins to speak to the residents, residents who told us they thought they lived in a safe town. The kind of town where, they say, nothing ever happens."

Hopper and Natasha were sitting at a table, sharing a drink.

"Didn't think it would take you a month to start speaking to me again," Hopper told her.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Natasha told him sarcastically. "You only lied to me about El for almost a year."

Hopper sighed. "I know, and I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do, okay? I thought that to keep her safe, I had to hide El and make sure that no one could ever find her. And I told you before, repeatedly, that that is what I thought that you, Nadia and Niko should have done after you three were found out last year, and Hailey was almost turned into one of you because of what she could do without powers."

"Yeah, but those guys who did those things to El, who found out about me, Niko and Nadia, and wanted to do the same to Hailey, they were killed, and no one knew the wiser about us," Natasha pointed out. "Hopper, you have no idea what it's like to be in hiding for that long, trapped in one small space, never being able to do anything. It can drive you insane. That's why I changed my identity, why I changed Nikolai and Nadia's identities. So that we could still live out normal lives, and no one knew better while we were here, because people were looking for Rostovs, not Reeds."

Hopper sighed, nodding. "All right, I get it. I screwed up. But I was only ever trying to protect El. And she was in more danger here, because unlike you, Niko and Nadia, she was created here, and people from here could have been looking for her. You three were safe here because no one from Russia was looking for you."

"And El could have been just as safe as us, to live a normal life like us, if you had just talked to me," Natasha told him. "We would've found another way."

Hopper exhaled deeply. "I'm sorry, Natasha. How long are you gonna be mad at me?"

Natasha shrugged sarcastically, taking a drink. "Since you lied for a year, I'll say I can be mad for a year."

Natasha smirked. Hopper knew she was teasing, smirking. They clinked their glasses together, drinking, chuckling.

"You think the kids are gonna be okay?" Hopper asked.

"Yeah," Natasha answered. "Nadia, Niko, El and Ruby are all recovering from using so much of their power, and so am I. We're all doing a lot better now. And it's weird to think that Ruby lighting up the vines in the tunnels during her mission with Hailey, Steve, Mike, Dustin, Lucas and Max, actually helped Nikolai expel the Mind Flayer out of Will because they were doing it at the same time and it helped depossess him." Hopper nodded in agreement. "All the kids have Steve and Nadia to look out for them. Hailey calls them the parents of the kid group."

Hopper chuckled. "Sounds about right."

Natasha smirked. "Mm-hmm."

"You think this Ruby girl is getting better, mentally wise anyway?" Hopper asked.

"Yeah," Natasha answered. "Ruby's been using her sanity power to make her madness easier to handle, though it's a long process. She's been helping Max's stepbrother Billy with it too, so they're both getting better, little by little."

"Let's hope that everyone stays better," Hopper told her.

Natasha nodded in agreement. "Let's."

They smiled slightly.

Owens walked over, limping a little. "Natasha. Hopper."

"Hey, Owens," Natasha told him.

"How's the leg?" Hopper asked.

Owens nodded, sitting down. "Better. That Ruby Charlize girl, hers any better?"

"Yeah," Natasha answered.

Owens reached into his bag. "Hey, got a little something for you."

Owens handed an envelope to Hopper.

Hopper took it out, revealing that it was a certificate of birth, saying the name "Jane Hopper", revealing he adopted Eleven.

Natasha smiled. "Congratulations, Pops."

"I thought..." Hopper trailed off.

Owens shrugged. "Sometimes I impress even myself. Still, I'd let things cool off for a while, if I were you." He glanced at Natasha. "For all of you. Not just Eleven, but for you, Nadia, Niko and Ruby, too. And Hailey, to keep her off the radar of people that would want to turn her like all of you."

Hopper scoffed. "Trust me, you don't wanna start that fight with Natasha. She'll win."

Natasha smirked smugly, tilting her head at Owens. "How long is a while?"

"Want to be safe?" Owens asked. "I give it a year."

Natasha scoffed. "A year? Not gonna happen."

"What about one night out?" Hopper asked.

"One night?" Owens repeated.

"Yeah," Hopper answered. "How risky would that be?"

"What's so important about one night?" Owens asked.

Hopper and Natasha exchanged a look, smirking.

∰

Hawkins Middle School - Gym

(Song:) Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms

The school was setting up for the annual middle school dance, the Snow Ball.

∰

Byers House - Will's Room

Joyce was helping Will get ready. "Yeah, you got it. See?"

"Mom," Will complained.

Joyce laughed. "Wow!"

As Jonathan was filming them, Joyce was teaching Will some easy dance steps.

Will looked at Jonathan. "Do you always have to be filming everything?"

Jonathan chuckled. "No, no. Just the good stuff."

"Are you sure people still dance like this?" Will asked.

"Yeah," Joyce answered. "It's just what's happening."

Will turned back to Jonathan. "Is it what's happening?"

Jonathan nodded. "Yeah, yeah, it's what's happening."

Will spun Joyce around. He stopped dancing, becoming a little serious.

"What's wrong?" Joyce asked.

"I can't go to the dance, not yet," Will explained.

"Why?" Jonathan asked.

"Jonathan, I need you to take me to Niko, Nadia and Natasha's house," Will told him.

"Why?" Joyce asked.

"There's something I have to do," Will answered.

Joyce and Jonathan exchanged a look, smiling.

"Well, let's go, then," Jonathan told him.

Will smiled.

∰

Wheeler House - Living Room

Karen was taking pictures of Mike before he left for the dance. "Oh, wait."

Mike was bored. "All right, that's enough."

Karen held up the Polaroid camera. "One more, okay? Just one more."

"Why?" Mike asked.

Karen smiled. "You look so handsome."

"Mom!" Mike complained.

Karen took another picture. "Mike."

∰

Sinclair House - Lucas's Room

Lucas was ready, looking into his mirror, practicing. "Hey, wanna dance? No. We should, you know, get out there, like, do our thing. Stop. I love this song. You?"

Erica popped up in the doorway to mock her brother. "Yeah, I love it. But not as much as I love you, Lukey."

Lucas walked toward the door. "Get out of my room!"

Lucas slammed the door.

∰

Reed House - Niko's Room

Nadia's dress:

Niko was ready for the dance but looking like he was having second thoughts.

Nadia walked in, dressed for the dance.

Niko was surprised to see Nadia like that. "Whoa. Who the hell are you and what have you done with my sister?"

Nadia smirked. "Ha ha. Steve, Nancy, Jonathan and I all promised you kids that we would chaperone tonight, and that's what we're doing. You look great, Niko."

"And for once, you don't look like scary spy Nadia," Niko told her.

"Is that your way of saying that I look great, too?" Nadia asked.

Niko nodded. "Pretty much. And of course you, Nancy, Jonathan and Steve all are chaperoning tonight, since me, Mike, Will and Hailey are your younger siblings. Not to mention that Hailey started calling Steve the Mom of the kids, and started calling you the Dad of the kids, which me, Mike, Dustin, Will, Lucas and Max started to go with."

Nadia rolled her eyes in amusement. "Ha ha." She walked closer to Niko, sitting next to him. "You having cold feet about going?"

"Why would I be having cold feet?" Niko asked sarcastically.

Nadia gave him a look, nodding sarcastically. "No reason. But you told everybody that you're going."

"I know," Niko said, sighing.

"What's wrong?" Nadia asked.

"Nothing," Niko lied.

Nadia tilted her head at him. "Niko."

"I don't know," Niko admitted. "I mean, Dustin finally asked Hailey out, Lucas asked out Max, and Mike's going with El, and they all get to have normal dances and normal moments in the dance out in the open for everyone to see, but I can't. Not with Will, and that... I like him, and I can't dance with him. I wanted to ask him to come with me as my date, and I can't even do that."

Nadia looked at him sadly, smiling a sad, sympathetic smile. "I didn't know that."

"Yeah, well, neither does Will," Niko told her. "So might as well make a club."

Nadia stood, walking to the door. "Well, I wouldn't be too sure about that."

"What are you talking about?" Niko asked.

Nadia opened the door, revealing Will with some flowers and looking sheepishly. "Hi, Will."

Niko turned to face her rapidly, falling a little, standing up to fix himself in one move, looking embarrassed. "What?"

Nadia shook her head in amusement. "Dork."

Will walked in. "Hi."

"Hi," Niko greeted.

"Bye," Nadia replied. "Please have your heart to heart and then come fast. We gotta leave soon."

Nadia walked out, closing the door behind her.

Will smiled awkwardly. "Hey."

Niko gestured to the flowers. "Who are those for?"

Will sighed nervously. "You, I guess. I mean, I know. I mean, I brought them for you, because I would really like if you came to the Snow Ball with me, as a date."

Niko choked a little on air. "You do?"

Will nodded. "Can I sit?"

"Yeah, of course," Niko answered, sitting down on the bed.

Will walked closer, putting the flowers on the bedside table. "Remember when I told you about my Halloween episode?"

"You said a lot of things," Niko pointed out.

Will chuckled. "Right, well, the part where I said you confused me."

"Oh," Niko said.

"Yeah, well, forget that," Will told him. "I'm not confused anymore, especially after what happened. After you and Ruby saved me. Thank you for that, by the way. Nikolai Rostov, I like like you. A lot. I feel weird, but I think that's okay."

Niko looked stunned, like he couldn't be more happy, smiling, taking Will's hand, intertwining their fingers. "I like like you a lot, William Byers. And we are weird, but we can be weird together."

Will smiled. "Weird together."

"That okay?" Niko asked.

"Yeah," Will answered.

"Yeah," Niko repeated. They realized how close they were, looking each other in the eye, starting to lean in, kissing sweetly but passionately, pulling away after a long moment, still with their eyes closed. "That was..."

Niko slowly opened his eyes.

Will slowly opened his eyes. "Yeah."

"Are you seeing fireworks, too?" Niko asked.

Will chuckled. "This is real, right?"

"Oh, I hope so," Niko told him.

Will smiled. "So the Snow Ball..."

"Oh, yeah," Niko remembered. "We're going."

"Even if we can't dance?" Will asked.

"Oh, I hate dancing," Niko admitted. "I'm fine as long as we're together."

"But what if I wanna dance with you and you hate dancing?" Will asked.

"If you wanna dance, then I love dancing, William," Niko answered.

Will shook his head, smiling. "You are impossible, Nikolai."

They looked at each other, smiling, laughing a little, still holding hands, beyond happy about being finally together, with each other in a new way, walking out together.

∰

Harrington Mansion - Living Room

Hailey's Dress:

Hailey walked downstairs, dressed for the dance, walking toward where Steve was waiting. "Sucks that our parents are still out of town and meaning Mom couldn't help me get ready for the dance, but hey, at least I had my other mom to help, right, Mama Steve?"

Steve smirked, giving Hailey a little push. "Shut up." Hailey smiled. "And hey, when I was hanging out with Dustin, he told me that you heard me threaten him, so I'll give it to you straight. If he hurts you, you let me know."

"I can take care of myself, Steve," Hailey told him.

Steve nodded sarcastically. "Oh, I am very well of that, Hailey, thank you. It's just that, you don't talk to anyone in your school but the boys and Max."

"Yeah, because everyone else are all juvenile dipshi--" Hailey started.

"Hailey," Steve said.

Hailey looked down, grumbling to herself. "It's true."

"You might want to actually get to know some of them before going around calling them dipshits," Steve told her. "I mean, some of them are, but still."

"Well, if you love hanging out with Dustin so much, marry him," Hailey told him sarcastically.

Steve scoffed. "No, I'm just saying if he hurts you, you'll be the least of his problems."

"Funny you say that, since you couldn't take Jonathan or Billy, and I had to save your ass from Billy," Hailey told him. "Like I said. I can take care of it. Can we just go to the dance? Where you, Mama Steve, and Papa Nadia are gonna be chaperoning with the help of Jonathan and Nancy."

Steve pushed Hailey lightly again. "Ha ha. Let's go."

Hailey smiled, laughing lightly.

∰

Billy and Max's House - Max's Room

Susan was helping Max get ready, as they stood in front of the mirror, while Susan was helping Max with her hair.

"Ow, ow," Max said. "That hurts."

"It's gonna be worth it, promise," Susan assured. Billy walked by, standing in the doorway, pausing, clearly better after Ruby was helping him for the last month with her sanity part of the power, looking guilty for the past, conflicted, but respecting that Max had defended herself and the party and Steve, while also looking somewhat apologetic. Max saw him, giving a slight glare, but knowing that he was getting better because of Ruby, and things were clearly not as tense between Max and Billy as they used to be because of it. Billy walked away. "See? Pretty."

∰

Henderson House - Living Room

Claudia was sitting down, holding a new cat.

Dustin was looking around. "Son of a bitch! Son of a bitch!"

"Where did you see it last?" Claudia asked.

"Right here, where I put it," Dustin answered.

"What's in there that's so important, anyway?" Claudia asked. "You look fabulous, baby."

Dustin found the brown paper bag that he was looking for, smiling. "Got it."

∰

Dustin's Room

Dustin pulled the hairspray that Steve suggested to him out of the brown paper bag, turning to the mirror, spraying it in his hair.

(Song Ends)

∰

Night -  Pool

(Song:) Love Is a Battlefield - Pat Benatar

Going for a swim in a two piece, Ruby was looking at her scars that were thick, ones that she couldn't stand.

Billy was walking along. "I must be dreaming if I'm seeing Ruby Charlize in a bathing suit. Hey, Jinx."

Ruby sunk further down into the water to hide her sides. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm getting a job here as a lifeguard," Billy answered. "What are you doing here at night?"

"The only time I can swim when I'm comfortable," Ruby answered, getting out of the water, wrapping a towel around herself, limping slightly on her leg, which was mostly healed with a fading scar.

"Leg doing better?" Billy asked.

"A little," Ruby answered. "Still hurts like a bitch though. Pretty sure my football career is over."

Billy chuckled at her joke, showing her his flask. "Hey, want some of this?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nah, I'm cutting back."

Billy shrugged, taking a drink. "Well, you're a better person than me."

"You know, I might be crazy, but you're a psycho," Ruby told him.

Billy nodded in acknowledgement. "Yeah, but I've been working on that."

Ruby couldn't help a small smirk, knowing, since she was the one helping with that. "Since when?"

Billy chuckled. "A little while. And I don't know why, but it seems like you're a reason why it's getting better." Ruby shrugged. "Come on. What do you have to lose?"

"A lot, actually," Ruby answered, starting to walk past him. Billy caught the edge of Ruby's towel, which started to unravel a bit, revealing her scars. Ruby turned to face him, pulling the towel out of his hand, which unintentionally pulled the towel the rest of the way off of her. "Billy!"

Billy brushed a hand along one of her scars, looking up at her. "See why you only swim at night when no one else is around."

Ruby looked away, not liking the fact someone was seeing a part of her where she was uncomfortable. "Yeah. Only time I can feel free."

Billy considered that for a moment, sighing. "I bet you hide those as much as you can 'cause you think that they're ugly, right? That you have to hide them because you're ashamed."

"What the hell do you care?" Ruby asked.

"I don't care about the reason why you're hiding them, because it's bullshit," Billy answered. "They don't look ugly to me. They make you look like you're an even bigger badass than everyone already thinks you are."

Ruby was surprised by what he said, considering that for a moment, unable to help a small smirk. "You think so?"

"Hell yeah," Billy answered. "You survived something that would have killed most people. Something that should have paralyzed you but didn't. And survived a lot more after. Why hide that?"

Ruby smirked, starting to smile that she tried to hide. "You're good. You're a hell of a pain in the ass, but you're good." Billy smiled a bit. "If I could afford a one piece, I would. But I can't. I should go."

Billy nodded. "Yeah. See you, Ruby."

Ruby pressed her lips together, licking them, chuckling, turning to walk away and leave. Billy watched her go. Ruby glanced back as she left the pool, both chuckling and smirking slightly.

(Song Ends)

∰

Hawkins Middle School - Outside

Steve drove his car up to the school, parking outside, as he and Hailey got out. "All right, Hailey, here we are."

Dustin walked closer, his hair styled with the hairspray, and very nervous. "Hey, Hailey."

Hailey smiled, a bit nervous too. "Hey, Dustin." She noticed his hair, frowning, amused but confused. "What did you do to your hair?"

Dustin smiled. "Oh, you like?"

Dustin purred.

Hailey shook her head. "Yeah, that part I don't like."

Dustin smiled.

Steve gave Dustin a look, patting him on the shoulder. "Hey, remember, if you--"

"Hurt Hailey, you'll kill me," Dustin finished. "Ass would be grass. I would be dead."

Steve nodded in agreement. "There you go. You're learning, my friend. You're learning."

Hailey gave him a look. "I told you that I can handle it, Steve." She turned to Dustin. "Let's go before he decides to kill you now."

Dustin smiled. "Okay."

Dustin offered Hailey an arm. Hailey smiled, taking it, as the two walked inside.

Steve sighed, shaking his head. "Kids."

Steve walked inside.

∰

Inside -Hallway

Dustin and Hailey walked in, stopping at the table where Clarke was sitting.

Clarke looked up. "Looking very snazzy tonight, you two."

Dustin did a little head bow. "Thank you, my lord."

They got the tickets to walk into the dance.

∰

Gym

(Song:) Twist of Fate - Olivia Newton-John

Dustin and Hailey walked into the gym, passing underneath a blue balloon arch, looking around, smiling at the cool sight of the snow ball and all the decorations.

Steve walked in with a sticky name tag on his suit jacket saying that he was a chaperone. He looked toward where Nadia was standing by the side of the room as a chaperone, walking closer. "Hey, Nadia."

"Hey," Nadia replied.

Nancy was at the punch bowl to give out drinks.

A boy walked up to Nancy. "What's in this?"

Nancy poured him a drink. "Pure fuel."

Nancy looked toward where Jonathan was taking pictures of the middle schoolers for the dance. Jonathan turned to look at Nancy, and they both smiled.

Dustin and Hailey walked over to where Lucas, Max, Niko, Will and Mike were sitting at a table. Dustin did a little spin. The rest of the party, minus Eleven since she was not there yet, all stood.

"Holy shit," Mike said. "What happened to you, Dustin?"

"What do you mean, what happened?" Dustin asked.

"What?" Will asked.

"Dude," Lucas said.

Max pointed at him. "Your hair."

Niko poked at his hair. "Is there a bird nesting in there?"

Hailey laughed. "I told you."

"What do you mean?" Dustin asked. "What's wrong with my hair." He swatted Niko's hand away. "There's no bird resting in here, asshole. Okay? I worked hard."

(Song Ends)

(Song:) Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper

When the slow song started, the party looked around, seeing that most of the students were now slow dancing, while some of them who weren't were looking for partners or sitting on the bleachers.

Lucas turned to Max. "Max... Hey. Um, it's nice, right? You want to, um... you want to, like... you know? Like, just you and me?"

"Are you trying to ask me to dance, stalker?" Max asked.

Lucas lost his nerve. "No, of course not. Unless you want to."

Max chuckled, shaking her head. "So smooth." She took Lucas by the hand. "Come on."

Max and Lucas went out to dance together.

Dustin watched the dancing couples for a moment, taking a deep breath, fixing his jacket. "Hailey..."

Hailey turned her head to look at him. "Yeah?"

Dustin cleared his throat, holding out his hand. "Shall we?"

Hailey considered, smirking. "One condition. Stop taking Steve's dating advice from the train tracks. Just be yourself. I don't like the acting like you don't care thing."

Dustin nodded in agreement. "No problem. I hate doing that."

Hailey chuckled, smiling, taking Dustin's hand. "Come on. Let's go." Dustin and Hailey as they went out to the dance floor to dance. Mike, Will and Niko cheered them on. "Hey, Dustin? Why did you assume we were going to the dance if we're not officially together?"

"I don't know," Dustin admitted. "We admitted that we liked each other, and why would we make a big deal about it if we're not officially together?"

Hailey shrugged. "Guess we'll figure that out."

(Song Ends)

∰

Outside

Natasha walked up to Joyce outside. "Hey."

Joyce was still grieving, but managed a small smile. "Hey."

"Thought I might find you out here," Natasha told her.

"Will wanted me to give him some space, so..." Joyce trailed off. "I'm giving him a few feet."

Natasha chuckled. "Yeah." She leaned against the car next to her friend. "How you holding up?"

Joyce sighed. "You know."

Natasha nodded sadly in understanding. "Yeah. That feeling never goes away. It is true what they say, you know. Every day, it does get a little easier."

∰

Inside - Gym

(Song:) Every Breath You Take - The Police

Steve made his way back over to Nadia, watching Dustin and Hailey dance.

Nadia smirked. "Steve, if looks could kill."

Steve sighed. "Don't worry. I'll behave. As long as he does."

Nadia chuckled. "You can't stop Hailey from growing up, Steve. And you can't stop her from actually liking Dustin and wanting to have her first boyfriend."

"Yeah," Steve agreed.

"Dustin and Hailey aren't even officially together, and they don't know what they are right now," Nadia pointed out. "But maybe, once they are, Dustin may be not just a first boyfriend for Hailey."

"What makes you say that?" Steve asked. "How do you even know all that?"

"I can see what others don't," Nadia answered. "I've always been someone who looks too deep into something or someone. That's because I realized from a young age that there's always more than what meets the eye."

Steve looked at Nadia, chuckling a bit in amusement. "A lot like you." Nadia smiled. "I kinda paid the DJ to play this song."

"You did?" Nadia asked.

"Yeah," Steve answered. "Was thinking about what you said, about wanting to be alone and hating to be lonely."

Nadia shook her head. "I don't know why I told you that."

"Well, I'm glad you did," Steve told her. "Lets me get to know little details about Nadia Reed/Rostova. You realize now that you're not lonely anymore, right? You have the party, you have Nancy and Jonathan and Ruby... and now even me."

"Now even you," Nadia agreed.

"So you realize you don't have to be alone anymore," Steve pointed out.

Nadia managed a small smile. "Guess not."

Steve offered a hand. "So, would you like to dance?"

Nadia chuckled, considering for a second, nodding, taking his hand. "Sure."

Steve and Nadia smiled, starting to dance.

Mike was sitting down in a chair, looking up to see Eleven walk in, standing. From across the room, they looked at each other, walking toward each other to meet halfway, smiling.

"You look beautiful," Mike told her. "Do you wanna dance?"

Eleven looked around nervously. "I don't know how."

"I don't either," Mike admitted. "Do you want to figure it out?" Eleven nodded, as Mike took her hand and they went to dance. "Like this. Yeah, like that."

Will and Niko were sitting together at a table, watching their friends dance, smiling, knowing that they couldn't really dance in public in this day and age, but having fun together nonetheless, looking at each other, smiling, clinking their cups of punch to drink, and holding hands underneath the table, watching their friends and siblings dance, happy for them.

Jonathan and Nancy went out to dance with the rest of the couples, smiling. Nancy saw that Steve and Nadia were dancing, smiling, nodding to let them know that it was okay.

Steve and Nadia danced, smiling a bit.

Dustin and Hailey were dancing, smiling.

As Lucas and Max were dancing, Max surprised Lucas with a sweet kiss.

Mike and Eleven smiled nervously at each other as they danced, sharing a kiss.

(Song Ends)

(Song:) Rollercoaster - Bleachers

When the song changed into something more upbeat, something to show something more childish and fun, the couples all split up, and Hailey, Dustin, Mike, Eleven, Lucas and Max all smiled, waving for Will and Niko to get up and join them. Will and Niko smiled, running over to dance with their friends. Jonathan, Nancy, Nadia and Steve smiled, watching the kids have fun, backing away off the dance floor to give them room. The party all jumped and danced to the beat, bouncing and having fun in the big group of friends. Hailey held Eleven and Max's hands, raising their arms above their heads as the three girls danced together, and they danced alongside Dustin, Mike, Lucas, Niko and Will all in a big circle, while the boys while dancing were playing around, the party having so much fun.

The camera pulled away from the dance to show everyone having fun at the Snow Ball.

(Song Ends)

∰

Outside

The school was shown from outside, slowly turning upside down to shift the scene into the Upside Down showing that the Mind Flayer was still alive, surviving the assault of the gate, looming over the school, with the red thunder storm in the background.