ELEVEN AND JASPER stood next to each other, staring at one another anxiously. "We're in this together, remember?" Jasper mumbled encouragingly to El. She wasn't sure why she was so confident, considering El had actually done this and Jasper was brand new to traveling dimensions.

Eleven nodded curtly before placing the goggles on her head, Jasper doing the same. Joyce, Nancy, Jonathan, and Mike crouched on El's side of the pool while Ruby, Hopper, Dustin, and Lucas sat closer to Jasper's side. The two girls wrapped their hands around each other's before stepping into the lukewarm water.

With the calming touch of their hands, both of the girls laid down in the pool. Jasper held in a gasp as she expected to sink in the water, but never did. The power began buzzing inside Jasper, and this time she focused on concentrating and using it to get to the same place El was going.

Whatever the two were doing, it must be working. Jasper could hear the flicking of the large gym lights, though they sounded distant.

Dustin Henderson placed both his arms on the edge of the pool, his remorseful eyes glued to Jasper. He wished he could be there with her, to protect her against anything evil that she would come across. But all he could do is watch.

Jasper let out a high-pitched gasp as her eyes snapped open, revealing blackness. A dim light with no visible source focused on the two girls. Extremely shallow water seemed to stretch on further than her eyes could see. "What the actual fuck," Jasper murmured in shock. "What the fuck, what the fuck..."

"What the fuck," Jasper involuntarily murmured as she floated in the pool. This caught everyone's attention and caused them to nervously chuckle.

"El?" Jasper glanced at the girl, unable to ignore the fear spreading in her chest. "This is it?" Her voice echoed harshly.

El simply nodded before gradually walking forward, leading the two girls. Jasper glanced at her feet, flinching lightly when she met her reflection. "Jesus," she muttered.

The redhead's eyes darted restlessly around the empty void, expecting something to appear from the blackness. To her surprise, something did pop up several feet away from them, though it was unclear to see what.

"Barb?" El called out.

"Look," Jasper began approaching the unidentified object. Her hand lapsed around El's in support as she felt her knees begin to turn to jelly.

The redhead let out a petrified scream when she finally saw what it was. Barb was covered in a gooey substance, her skin turned a stone gray. A grossly dark green slug slithered out of her agape mouth.

"Gone! Gone! Gone!" El began continuously screaming, pulling away from Jasper.

The redhead collapsed on the floor, tears streaming down her face as she silently gazed at the body in horror.

"Gone," El cried to the others softly.

"Dead," Jasper murmured in the pool, crying. It was clear that the redhead was significantly more afraid than El.

Her voice was filled with so much fear it caused Hopper to reach out and hold his daughter. Ruby covered her mouth as tears burned in her eyes. Dustin just stared at his friend, not moving a muscle as his body shook with tears.

"Jasper, can you hear me? It's Dad," he whispered to her, pulling the redhead closer to him but careful not to remove her from El's hand. "I'm here. It's okay. You're okay."

The assuring words echoed faintly in Jasper's head as Barb disappeared. Shakily pushing herself back to her feet, she listened to Hopper's words.

Back in the gym, El and Jasper suddenly pulled away from each other, dismembering the connection.

"No!" Dustin shrieked.

Hopper let out shaky breaths as he allowed Jasper to cling onto him, not bothering if she was drenching his coat. Joyce held onto El as both girls curled away from each other.

"Eleven? El!" Jasper screamed as she realized she could no longer find her. She was alone. Alone in this dark and empty place filled with horror. "No!"

"No," Jasper whimpered, tightening her grip on Hopper. "Eleven..."

"It's okay, I'm here," Hopper began rocking his daughter. "Don't be afraid. I'm right here."

"Me too. Everything's okay," Ruby reached out and began running circles on Jasper's cheek.

Jasper closed her eyes, letting the words sink into her skin. "Okay," she whispered to herself. "Just find Will."

When she opened her eyes again, a ruined shelter was in front of her. A small wooden post pinned against the shelter read "Castle Byers".

"Castle Byers," Jasper informed the others. This caused Joyce and Jonathan to meet eyes.

"Fuck this! She can't do this alone," Dustin screeched, dashing over to sit in between Hopper and Joyce. He reached out and reconnected El and Jasper's hands, squeezing them together tightly.

"She can't do this alone," Dustin's small words brushed Jasper's ears from inside the scary dimension.

Suddenly, El was back at her side. "El," Jasper smiled gratefully, thanking the Henderson boy in her head. He must've fixed the connection.

"Jas," El replied, matching her smile.

The two entered the small shelter together. Will was curled up in the back. His hair was drenched and his lips were chapped completely. His face was a milk white and he looked dehydrated.

"Oh my God, Will!" Jasper gasped, falling to her knees in front of the boy. "Will!"

"Will," El and Jasper cried in unison, making Joyce gasp.

"Mom is coming," Joyce's urgent voice echoed in the girls' heads.

"Joyce is coming," Jasper murmured assuringly to Will. She couldn't help but grab the feeble boy's hand, squeezing it lightly. "You're going to be rescued."

"Jas," Will muttered softly, his voice repeating on the radio. Everyone looked at each other with wide eyes. "Hurry."

"Just hold on a little longer, okay?" Jasper stammered, fighting back her tears. "They're going to get you out of here. Will. Will?"

Both of the girls let out a weak cries as the shelter around them began dissolving along with Will. Jasper let out a caterwaul as she saw Will's hand fade from hers. "No!"

"Will!" El cried.

"Will! Will!" Jasper was screaming at the top of her lungs. She desperately pulled her knees to her chest, crying in fear and agony. She couldn't do this any longer. All she could think about was how much she wanted to open her eyes and—

Jasper let out a wail as she sat up in the pool, tearing the goggles up. Beside her, El did the same, completely out of breath. "Holy shit," Jasper whimpered. She began frantically thrashing in the pool, kicking water everywhere. "No!"

"Hey, hey, hey," Hopper wrapped both his arms around Jasper, resting his head on her small shoulder. "It's okay. You're here, now. You're safe."

Jasper clutched his arm tightly, crying softly. "I never want to go there again," she begged.

"You won't have to," Ruby shook her head. "C'mon, let's get you two dry."

El and Jasper both feebly climbed out the pool. Hopper handed Jasper a towel as Joyce wrapped one around El. Jasper was shivering all over as she got out, grasping the towel tightly.

"Hey," Dustin approached her, gulping. "I'm so sorry," he apologized, pressing his lips together.

"It's okay," Jasper answered him, sending her best friend the best smile she could. "You brought El and I back together. Thank you."

Dustin hesitated, his eyes resting on jasper's hand that gripped the towel. "C'mon," he placed his hand on her back, guiding her to the bleachers. "I can't believe you did that."

"Neither can I," she let out a dry laugh, though there was nothing amusing about the situation to her. "God, you should've seen Barb. She was completely ruined. I couldn't even recognize her," Jasper cried, feeling more tears stream down her face. "And Will...God, he was so scared. I can't imagine being stuck in the Upside Down as long as he's been."

Mike and El were already sitting on the bleachers, her head rested on Mike's shoulder.

"God, that's so fucking scary," Jasper sobbed, folding more into herself.

"It's okay," Dustin mumbled, wrapping both his arms around her and bringing her into his chest. "It's long gone now. You'll never have to go there again."

Lucas came up behind Jasper, rubbing her back softly. "You did good, Jas."

Mike wanted to go over and comfort his friend too, but refused to move and disturb El. He sent the redhead a warm smile as their eyes met. "Thank you for doing that, Jasper."

"Hey, Hop!" Jasper called out to her dad as she watched him place his hat back on his head. She knew he was going after Will, and she could read the determination on his face. "Be safe."

He nodded. "I'll be back," he informed the girl, making it sound like a promise.

Dustin and Jasper watched him go, the doors shutting closed after he stormed through them. "Hey, when this all over, I really wanna just lay down and eat ice cream with you," the Henderson boy murmured to Jasper.

The redhead let out a series of giggles, looking up at the boy. His cheeks were tinged with red as they met gazes. "Me too," she told him fondly.

"I hate to admit it, but," Dustin sheepishly looked down at the wooden floor. "I kinda cried when I was watching you and El."

Jasper shook her head, smirking. "That doesn't surprise me one bit. You were always the crybaby of the group."

And that's one of the things Dustin loved about her. No matter how serious the situation was, Jasper was always able to laugh. He admired Jasper for the way she could smile at him like she didn't just see a dead body and her best friend near possible death.

"I am not the crybaby! I was just sad and worried for you," he finally admitted, not removing his arms still wrapped around her. "You're my best friend, Jas."

"And you're mine, Dusty."