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   SUZIE WAS THE SAVIOR of the night—maybe even the world. Whatever bullshit song Suzie made him sing was worth it because not only did it give Steve and Brooke material to tease Dustin with, it also helped them.

Brooke cringes at the names they used when the radio is cut off, "Dusty-bun. Interesting." Paisley nods her head in agreement, "Suzie-poo?"

"What the hell was that nerd fest?" Penelope scoffs from the seat. "That is just.....Dustin," Steve sighs, a bit elated from his nerdy best friend's sing along. The small bit of happiness and confusion the group had is depleted once Brooke notices the creature turning around. "Fuck, it's turning around!" Brooke curses, face basically against the window. "What?" Jonathan shouts from the front seat.

"It's turning around!" Steve and Brooke both yell in unison. "Maybe we wore it out?" Lucas suggests. Brooke keeps her eyes on the creature until it's completely out of sight. Her hand wraps around Steve's wrist, his pulse speeding up from her touch under her fingers.

"You kidding me? I couldn't even explode the thing, there's no way it's tired," Penelope frowns, turning to look out the back shield. Brooke whips her head at Penelope, "Explode?" There's no time to answer because Jonathan spins the car around in the direction of the creature. The teens each let out a scream and grip onto anything they can until the car comes to a stop.

"Oh, Jesus Christ," Brooke's body smacks into the back of the seats.

"Brooke," Danny calls out his sister's name, turning around in his seat, "El doesn't have her powers." Even in the dim light Danny can see the fear and confusion on Brooke's face. Her grip around Steve's wrist gets tighter as she scoots closer to Danny, "Wha—H—How?" Brooke has no idea how El's powers fully work, she's not even sure El does herself but she never thought she could just lose her powers just like that.

Will turns around as well, "They just—stopped. It's like she used all her battery power on the Mind Flayer." Brooke shrinks onto the floor of the trunk and catches Paisley's concerned look. A simple tilt of the head is Paisley's way of saying Are you okay? Brooke just throws a thumbs up at her, not knowing how to fully react to the loss of El's powers, a loss neither one of the Hopper girls can comprehend.

There's a lightbulb moment within Lucas and Danny. A shared look and smirk between the two boys. Casey furrows his brows at them, "What the hell are you two thinking?" There's no answer, just a bigger smirk and a high five between them.

THE MIND FLAYER STANDS above El and roars. The lighter Brooke always keeps in her pocket lights up the firework in Lucas' hands. He smiles and tosses the firework at the monster. It gets stunned and wails, shaking the mall around them.

Brooke has a bright smile across her face as she lights up her own firework. Lucas throws another one, "Flay this, you ugly piece of shit!" It screeches as yellow and orange sparks almost hit the teens behind the railings. It falls into a pole, concrete falling to the ground. Brooke tosses her firework, "Motherfucker!" She curses and the blue firework lights up in front of Brooke's eyes. There's constant explosions around the mall.

Brooke leaves the kids side and runs over to Steve, Robin and Paisley as they all throw fireworks. The more fireworks go off the more Billy wails in pain just like the Mind Flayer.

Instead of fireworks Penelope's fingers are dancing, feeling every part of the Mind Flayer and exploding the arms once again to at least somehow stall it. She reminds herself to go back home and get her ears checked after this. There's no way there's an actual good enough doctor in the state full of corn.

Brooke leans over the railing and panics, "I can't see El!"

"What?" Steve shouts, throwing another firework. "El! I can't see El!" Brooke places the firework down and rushes away from her friends and newly deemed boyfriend. "Brooke? Brooke, stay here!" Casey spots her but Brooke ignores him. She sees the fire axe out of the corner of her eye. Big white letters read above the glass, 'IN CASE OF EMERGENCY.'

"Emergency, definitely an emergency!" Brooke says to herself and punches a hole through the glass. She grasps the axe, ignoring the blood dripping from her hand as she rushes down the stairs and towards El. She has no plan, all she knows is that she will do anything to at least stun or stall Billy and the Mind Flayer.

"What is Brooke doing?" Robin asks, nudging Steve. His heart drops watching her sprint down the stairs, "Brooke, stop!" Steve tries to yell over the fireworks and chaos. Brooke can faintly hear her name being called but Billy dragging El closer to the creature makes her block it all out.

"Brooke, you fucking idiot," Casey curses. Brooke takes a deep breath and swings at Billy. The axe nearly hits him but Billy somehow grabs the handle of the axe, stopping Brooke. "Let go!" Brooke yells, trying to fight against the grip Billy has. He doesn't though. Billy just gives her the thousand mile stare and basically throws Brooke away from them.

"Fuck!" Brooke curses, her back hitting the mall floor. Refusing to give up on herself or El, Brooke pushes herself up as fireworks crackle above her. An arm launches at her but she doesn't get to swing because the arm explodes, splattering around her and some on her.

Penelope cringes at the creature blood soaked clothes, "At least I helped," She shrugs. The arms keep launching themselves at Brooke, blocking her from getting to El and Billy. The fireworks continue to explode as Brooke fights for her life.

A loud roaring from the creature makes Brooke roll her eyes. Her chest is rapidly moving up and down and she glares at it.

For some reason, the Mind Flayer is determined to kill Brooke. Arms launch themselves again at her. She swings blindly at the monster.

Casey's hand falls into the box, expecting another firework but nothing comes into contact with his fingers, "Shit, we're out," He tells Stella. His eyes move to Brooke yelling with the axe in hand. Billy is still on top of El and there's no sign that Brooke can get out of there with just a fire axe. All the fireworks are slowly dying down because everyone else is now running out.

Casey's eyes scan the supply store behind them. The spray deodorant and the lighter in his hand make the perfect weapon for a creature that hates heat. That's all he has though. It's all he got for Brooke to make an escape. It could go very, very wrong.

Casey takes a deep breath and grabs Stella by the face, memorizing every speck of brown in her eyes, every light freckle across her nose, the motion of her parting her lips. Casey takes a deep breath and kisses her. He separates from her quickly, not having a lot of time to help Brooke. There's a weight lifted off his shoulders. The thing he's been trying to do for years only lasting a second against his lips but engraved into his memory.

Finally, the axe hits the arm but just like in the cabin it barely does anything. Another arm shoots out and towards Brooke's blindspot.

"Shit!" Casey curses, shooting the deodorant out at the same time he uses the lighter. Heat smacks them in the face. Brooke jumps back, completely taken by Casey being here and shooting fire. "Casey, go away!" Brooke let herself take a deep breath. Casey ignores her, pushing the arm away with the fire.

The fireworks come to a slow stop and Billy leaves his spot from being on top of El. Billy stares it down. The thing that made him an even bigger monster than he already was. Billy Hargrove has always hated himself but what he has done, there's no coming back from that. There's no acceptance within himself for that.

It stops shooting out its arms and Casey is able to walk away and grab Brooke, "Lets go!" Brooke glares at him and roughly moves her arm from his grip. She doesn't yell at him because she looks back at El. The arm shoots out and towards El. Brooke instinctively runs over, throwing the axe to the side.

Everything begins to slow down. There's an echoing yell from Billy. The arm never reached Brooke and El because Billy had thrown himself in front of the monster. The three teens feel frozen as they hear Billy yell and use all his strength to push back the monster. El pants and feverishly grabs at Brooke. Casey stands next to them, jaw dropped at the town asshole sacrificing himself for El.

Billy screams loudly and it only gets louder when the Mind Flayer's arm lunges itself into Billy's side. He screams in pain and more arms lunge themself into the Hargrove boy's skin. The teens can hear the separation of skin. Brooke gasps, feeling ill at the gore happening right in front of her. Brooke swallows the spit in her mouth and moves herself and El further away from the scene.

Billy is lifted into the air and the creature roars, digging its claws further into Billy. He screams right into the face of the monster as one last fuck you and then a claw digs into his chest.

"Billy!" Max's scream for her stepbrother makes Brooke's blood run cold. When Brooke turned her head back towards Billy, the arms had let go of him and dropped him into the floor. Blood soaked clothes stick to Billy's dying body. More blood leaks from his mouth.

Casey regains composure quicker than the two girls below him. The creature twitches and snarls as its arms fly crazy everywhere. Neither one of them can stop looking at Billy's body so Casey just steps in front of them, "Guys, we need to go. I'm sorry, we need to—"

With a loud crunch, an arm shoots through his chest. Brooke lets out a bloodcurdling scream that matches Stella's above her. The arm retracts before Casey mutters out random things. Blood falls from his mouth as he tries to reach for stability. El now holds Brooke tight to her chest. The scream that continues to rip from Brooke's mouth makes El bring her closer somehow.

Brooke feels claustrophobic in El's arms. The pain won't stop as she stiffly walks over to Casey. Her movements feel doll-like. It's like she is being moved by someone else with no train of thought.

The Mind Flayer falls with a hard shake to the ground. Fire lights up around Brooke the closer she gets to Casey.

"Casey? Casey! No! No!" Brooke falls to her knees next to the dying body of Casey Windward.

He pushes himself to smile but Casey retracts it once he realizes the blood is falling from his mouth. Brooke's sobs hit Casey's light blue shirt. The tears make dark marks all over it.

"Casey, help is on the w-way, okay? You're gonna be okay," Brooke forces herself to look down at the wound in his abdomen, the gaping hole that matches Billy Hargrove not that far from her.

"Br-Brooke," Casey manages to say. Brooke doesn't even care about the blood at this point. Her head is already spinning as she clings herself to Casey. Steve was right last year, she was the reason for Casey's death.

"What? Casey, tell me?" Brooke holds his face in her hands. Casey knows he needs to smile at her at least one last time. He doesn't want to leave her with the view of his body just simply becoming lifeless. His eyes drift over Brooke's shoulder and at a sobbing Stella. Brooke notices and moves to side, "Stella, please, you don't wanna see this—"

"Brooke, move!" Stella yells between sobs. Brooke shakes her head, gripping onto Casey's shirt. Casey smiles again, "I love you," He coughs out at Stella, more blood falling down his chin. Stella falls to the ground, holding Casey's face in her hands, taking in the last glimmer of his beautiful blue eyes. Blood pools in the palm of her hand but she welcomes it, feeling like it's the last thing of Casey's she'll ever truly have.

Brooke holds his hand so tight that she feels his heart beat slowdown but she doesn't hear her own sobs the slower and slower it gets. She doesn't hear Max Mayfield sobbing, not even 10 feet next to her, both of them mourning someone.

Steve carefully approaches Brooke. His eyes flicker from Casey to Billy back to Brooke in a loop.

"Casey, please, just hold on," Brooke pleads.

Casey takes one last deep breath, his eyes falling to Brooke's next to him, "I love you," He says and then—his pulse stops under her fingertips.

The scream she lets out is made for a horror movie because that's what it feels like to Brooke, like a fucking horrible horror movie she won't be able to sleep off or leave a lamp on for comfort.

Stella stares at the lifeless body of her best friend, the love of her life. Blood stains the area around them. Between the lights and the noises of emergency help coming in, Stella nearly faints.

The EMTs trying to pull Brooke off get smacked in the face multiple times as she flails around. Steve carefully and tearfully places himself between them and Brooke. "Steve! Steve, please—"

"I can't let you, Brooke," He clenches his jaw as her body shakes in his arms. Steve turns her head away from the horrible scene in front of them. He doesn't want her to see Casey once more or Billy, mostly Max's reaction to it if she can even process it right now.

Steve nods at Stella. She's alone. The only connection to anything in this world is dead. Mauled. She runs out of the mall and past a sobbing Brooke, having no idea who to go to in the see of strangers.

Getting out of the mall isn't much better. Robin and Paisley scatter to find Brooke and Steve and the kids. The flashing lights of the helicopters and police cars give Steve and his concussed head an instant ache.

Brooke doesn't feel real. She doesn't feel like the people escorting her and Steve to an ambulance are real. She doesn't feel like the blood stained clothes that feel all too close to her body are real.

Brooke can't even hear Danny running towards her to engulf her in a hug, even then she doesn't move. "Danny...," Steve trails off trying to tell him to give her some room. Danny's grip just tightens on his sister. He watches Will find Joyce around Brooke's shoulder.

Brooke shakes her head a bit from her daze, finally realizing Danny is hugging her. She's not surprised Shawn and Kathleen haven't shown up—she's more confused as to where Hopper is. Brooke hops off the ambulance ignoring the EMTs and Steve saying not to. Danny's hand laces with Brooke's as they walk over to El.

"El, where's—where's dad?" Brooke doesn't even realize what she called Hopper as she frantically looks around. She also doesn't realize that El has pieced it together.

Hopper is dead as well.

"El?" Brooke looks down and processes a crying El. Her head is in such a daze that she doesn't understand fully until Joyce walks over to the three of them. The woman holds Brooke's face in her hands, already choking on words that haven't slipped her mouth yet.

"Honey, I'm so sorry. Hopper—Hopper didn't—," Joyce chokes on her words. She doesn't finish the sentence but Brooke knows. The confirmation sends El into a panic and Danny feels like he has no choice but to catch his sobbing friend.

Brooke Martel just lost two people in what feels like a matter of seconds.

The dizziness comes back, swirling more and more. Her skin goes pale, almost gray as more sweat beads along her skin. Her pupils are big, high on grief.

"Brooke!" Paisley says as she and Robin run over with Steve, Nancy and Jonathan. Joyce had walked away after giving the news, trying to process it herself. Paisley looks at El being held by Danny and then back at a frozen Brooke.

Everything is too much for her. Brooke's brain feels like it's shutting down. "Brooke?" Jonathan calls out but it's echoing to the girl. Steve notices her shallow breathing, "Shit, Robin, one of you, any of you. She's having a panic attack."

Nancy swallows, "No, no, Steve, it's shock."

Brooke feels—nothing. Her brain has shut down. She's numb. Steve holds her just in time as her body goes limp under his touch, looking at the face he loves so much have no color. No possible blush. Even though Steve can feel Brooke breathing, it feels like she just died in his arms.

WATER FROM THE TUB mixes with the salty tears streaming down Brooke's face. Cold water has engulfed her. Her knees are tucked to her chest and she still feels numb but the white tiled walls around her aren't familiar. The big tub that leaves her plenty of room to stretch also isn't. The lights are dim and there's the faint scent of strawberry that fills her nose. Her bones are stiff as she mechanically moves her head to find the source.

A dancing flame from a candle rests on the big granite counter not too far from her. Brooke has no idea when she got in this tub or how. The memory of Casey and the pain of Hopper surfaces again and her chest rapidly moves up and down. The water clings to her skin and suddenly everything feels too real again.

The door swings open and Steve has bandages all over his face. Bruises are all over his torso. "Steve," Brooke croaks out. The rough sound of her voice makes Steve jump and look at her with sad puppy eyes. Each movement he makes hurts more and morel but seeing the pain on Brooke's face as she recalls tonight hurts more.

"Angel," Steve softly says. He sits down on the toilet next to the tub and carefully reaches his hand out. Brooke doesn't flinch, she just takes a sharp inhale and stares up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Your face," Brooke says, trying to change the subject. Steve shoos it off, "This ol' thing? It's fine. Robin helped patch me up."

Suddenly realizing she's naked, Brooke tries to cover up. Steve catches on and throws her a towel, "Do you want me to help you?" Steve awkwardly says. The soft fabric drapes around her shoulders and she doesn't even care that the bottom of the blue towel is getting soaked.

"Who else is here?" Brooke asks. "Uh, pretty much everyone. My parents are gone again, so," Steve feels like he's walking on eggshells right now. He's not scared she'll lash out, he's scared she'll shut down again. Steve would rather Brooke yell or curse him out right now.

There's silence for a minute or so before Brooke speaks up again. "Come in," She says, desperate to be touched or hugged or something to let her know she's still alive. "The bath? Brooke, I think you need to, uh, that's not the best way—

"No, no. I just—Steve, I just need you," Brooke splashes the water. Steve needs her too. He just wants to know she's there because he felt like he lost her earlier. Carrying her into his house so dazed had to be one of the worst feelings of his life.

Steve nods, swallowing back the tears and stripping himself of his pajama bottoms. Brooke scoots up and makes room for Steve to sit behind her. The water shifts around the tub as Steve gets in. He places gentle kisses to each of her shoulders and pulls her to his chest. Steve's back hits the end of the tub, the warm water somewhat easing the pain.

They both stare up at the ceiling. There's silence again and then a sob rips through Brooke. "I know, I know. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Brooke," Steve rubs his hands up and down Brooke's arms, trying his best to soothe himself and her. Tears start to fall down Steve's face as well now but he hides it and doubts Brooke can even hear the sniffles over her own crying.

THREE MONTHS LATER

THE EMPTY BYERS LIVINGROOM wraps around Brooke like her childhood blanket. The Byers home was and always will be her home as well. No matter who moves in—that is her and Danny's home. Boxes surround her as she walks around the house.

Every room is empty. Stripped of the items that hold the memories. Now only the walls hold the memories. They'll never move. The memories will stay within the walls and in those who were there to make them. Clean spots on the wallpaper indicate where no one has touched in years.

Paisley and Brooke meet at the end of the hall, in the doorway of Jonathan's room. Nancy gives them a soft smile. "Seventeen years of my life.......packed up in one day," Jonathan says, tone full of nostalgia. The four teens look over the room. No more bed that Brooke would nap in after school. No more easy access to Jonathan's hoodies and flannels for Paisley. He is no longer a simple knock on the door away.

The three girls gather around Jonathan. "Promise you won't stop calling?" Brooke holds out a pinkie. Jonathan chuckles and links his pinkie around Brooke's, "No, never." Brooke wipes the tears from her eyes and pulls Jonathan in for a tight hug.

Paisley lets out a cry and joins in on the hug, "Take me with you."

"Cory would kill me," Jonathan laughs, rubbing Paisley's back. The girls separate from Jonathan, sniffling and trying to laugh off the emotional outbursts. Brooke and Paisley take one last look around the room and leave it to Nancy and Jonathan to take in the walls.

"I'll figure out a way to see you," Danny tells Will. The shorter boy smiles brightly, "I could get my license and convince my mom to let me drive here during Christmas break!" Will gets all too excited about the idea of driving while Danny internally freaks out over the idea.

"Yeah, sure, Will. I don't think Joyce would let you though," Danny laughs and gives him a nervous smile. The boys stare at each other. One is more scared than the other. Actually, the other thinks they're more scared than the other. A second later Will rushes into Danny, hugging him tight. Danny's brain shuts down for a second but he hugs back.

"What happens if you just......don't leave?" Danny asks. Will sighs into the striped shirt around Danny's body, "I could sneak you into the UHaul." Both boys realize how long the hug has been happening and both suddenly pull away from each other with a nervous chuckle. "Joyce would notice. Joyce notices everything!" Danny shouts, dramatically waving his hands.

"Not everything," Will says. Danny raises an eyebrow in confusion but doesn't badger the odd statement, he just picks up another box and leaves the house.

Brooke walks around the house slowly and finds herself in El's temporary room. The younger girl is laying on the floor, a paper in hand and soft tears stream down her face as she lets out a light chuckle and then the sob gets louder.

"El? What's that?" Brooke says, crouching down next to El. She looks up at her older sister with a bright red nose that reminds Brooke of Rudolph. Brooke glances down and recognizes the handwriting. "It's, uh, it's Hopper's Heart To Heart," El says between sniffles. "Heart To Heart?" Brooke questions and lays on her stomach next to El.

There's a paper behind the first letter that El slides towards Brooke. In a blue pen at the top of the paper it reads FOR BROOKE, JUST INCASE. She frowns, her eyes scanning over the letter but deciding now is not the time.

"I miss him," El sniffles. Brooke sighs and rests a kiss on El's temple, "So do I, El-Bear. So much," Brooke lets a tear roll down her cheek and helps El up from the floor.

They meet everyone outside. The UHaul is packed and one of the cars is attached to the back of it. Hugs are given out and tears are shed. Hearts break more and more the further the Byers family leaves Indiana. The kids left behind stare until the vehicles are no longer there to look at.

Brooke's thumb slides across the paper in her hands. It comforts her. The boys leave Paisley and Brooke alone. Danny gets to the end of the driveway, glancing at Brooke who has her eyes on their own house next door and through the trees.

Home will never be that house through the trees. Home was the cabin before she had to take everything out. Now, it's just a shell of a small family. An abandoned, destroyed cabin that Brooke has no idea where to start on the repairs. Home was the house in front of her. Home is Paisley Slora and Steve Harrington.

Paisley runs her hands over her face and swings an arm around Brooke's shoulders, pulling her closer.

"You know you have a home in my house," Paisley tells her, still facing the Byers old home. Brooke glances at Paisley, "Always?"

"Of course, Brooke."

The two girls turn on their heel and go down the dirt driveway one last time.

————

TADUUHHHHHH

end of act 3!!!! rip the homies 💔💯💔