I'm so sorry I haven't updated in like... I don't even know when! I was caught up with just updating my Mileven one shot book (I think I've got 3? 4? more chapters published), and I was away on vacation all last week with no service on any technology, and went out to my friend's lake house when I was halfway finished with this chapter. Also, this was just really difficult to figure out what I wanted to happen because I don't want this story to move on too quick, you know? I'm thinking this book will be ten chapters at most but that could change in the future. 

Besides that, it's gonna be quite the ride this chapter.

Ugh, and my writing for this story is rusty so just bear with me.

Enjoy!

Mike woke up the next morning thinking it was all a dream. 

With a small smile tugging on his lips, eyes still closed, he rolled over onto his side. His arms reached out to where his wife should be sleeping, and tried to encircle her warm body, but were met with nothing but thin air, landing back onto the bed. Mike shot up, not caring that he might have given himself whiplash, his eyes suddenly open, and the first thing he noticed was the currently vacant spot beside him where not even a body imprint remained. 

Panic seeped into his veins, Mike slid off the bed, tripping as the blankets wrapped around his ankles, and he landed against the floor with a thud. He got back up, not even phased, and floundered in the direction of the in suit bathroom. The heart within his chest pounded heavily as he threw the door open, flipping the light switch on, but was once again filled with disappointment when the bathroom appeared to be empty. 

"El?" He called out as he ran into the hallway, opening and closing every door he passed on his way toward the stairs, bounding down them, almost tripping on each and every one, but didn't care. All that mattered was that El was safe. "Eleven!?" Mike tried again, running into the living room but found nothing out of the sorts there except for the blanket and pillow on the couch, and anxious butterflies flew around his stomach as he remembered giving those to Hopper the night prior. Striding into the kitchen, Mike stopped abruptly as his eyes landed on the three figures surrounding the small circular table, and his heart momentarily stopped. 

"Kid..." Hopper, already out of his seat the moment his son-in-law came down the stairs screaming for his daughter desperately, trailed off, the words getting caught in his throat as the breath in Mike's chest hitched. 

"Is-is she really...gone?" Mike asked, a horrified look on his face, and when Hopper nodded sadly, all the strength he once had slipped away and he fell to his knees. His lip trembled, and his eyes burned as he tried to keep his tears at bay, but as the reality finally sunk in, that everything that had happened was true, the once silence filled room was exchanged for Mike's dreadful cries, full of anguish and grief. 

It was an awful sound, one that even made Hopper want to sit down and cry along with Mike as a result to being able to feel his pain through the sobs that protruded through his lips. Hopper bit down his own emotions, and surged forward, dropping to his knees in front of Mike, and pulling him into a tight hug. "You're okay. You're okay," he repeated, his large hand coming up to rub the younger boy's back. 

Mike sniffled, his tears stopping a few minutes later, and he pulled away from Hopper, muttering a "thanks" before he stood. Not sparing a look in the teenagers' direction, not being able to handle seeing her  face, Mike turned around and traveled back up the stairs and into his and El's room to get dressed, knowing he was going out to look for her regardless if Hopper let him or not. But instead of going to his dresser right away, he went to hers and leaned on his elbows against the top of it.

His eyes danced around, taking deep and even breaths as he took everything she'd left behind in. Jewelry, pictures, concert/movie tickets, and much more littered the top of her dresser and he cursed under his breath as a tear fell onto a photo of them. Picking up the photo with shaky hands, Mike bit down on his lip hard to keep it from warbling. It was their high school graduation picture. They were both dressed in green caps and gowns, holding their diplomas, large smiles on their faces because they made it. Mike was slightly bent down and El was on their tiptoes, and they both pressed their cheeks together as they smiled, arms wrapped tightly around each other. His mom had taken that one, and they'd gotten it printed out as soon as possible, and it was easily their favorite. 

Setting the picture back down, Mike turned around and went to his dresser, pulling out a clean pair of blue jeans and a white polo T-shirt. Once he exchanged his pajamas for clothes, he headed back downstairs, and was greeted with all his friends who gave him sympathetic glances which he ignored as he popped an Eggo waffle into the toaster. Around him, everyone conversed among themselves, acting for the moment as if nothing had happened the past couple days and that not one member of their Party had disappeared. Filled with temporary anger at them, Mike aggressive snatched the Eggo out of the toaster when it popped up and walked into the living room, plopping down onto the couch, biting into the plain waffle. 

"Okay, so what's the game plan here?" Hopper asked as everyone settled into the living room, his eyes trained on older Mike who still hadn't given anyone a second glance, nor looked like he cared about anything. He just looked numb. 

Older Lucas, who had sat down next to older Mike, spoke up, "We go looking for her." 

That caught older Mike's attention and the waffle paused millimetres from his lips as he turned to glance at his friend. 

"We can't just go waltzing into the lab," Hopper pointed out from his spot across the room. 

"We did just yesterday," older Max said from beside older Lucas, a copper eyebrow raised, arms crossed over her chest. "Besides, it's empty. Nothing there. Lucas and I were thinking half of us go into the lab and the rest search around, like in the woods." 

Hopper stroked his beard in thought then sighed, dropping his hand against his knee. "Okay, fine, we can go." 

Older Mike's eyes widened and he jumped off the couch shouting, "Come on! Let's go!" 

Everyone looked at each other in confusion, a bit alarmed at his sudden peppiness, but got up and followed him to the doorway nonetheless. They slipped their shoes back on, grabbed their keys that had been resting peacefully in the bowl on the table beside the door, and headed outside, and after agreeing to meet up in the same place as the day before, they all got inside their respective cars along with the younger versions of themselves. 

Bouncing his knee anxiously as Hopper drove, older Mike kept his gaze focused outside the window, watching as the trees and houses and buildings passed by in a flash, but then he had to look away as he recalled El being gone in a flash as well. 

Someone tapped his shoulder and he turned around, finding younger El leaning forward from her seat in the back, and his heart twists painfully at her familiar face, knowing he may never be able to see his El's beautiful face again. "We will get her back," she said so confidently that he couldn't help do nothing but nod before turning back to the front, swallowing thickly. 

The rest of the car ride was silent except for the other cars outside zooming passed and older Mike's numb thoughts. His mind kept flashing back to the opening of the upside down closing and his cries echoing off the walls, and the voices of his friends telling him to stop. His eyes glistened with unshed tears and he rapidly blinked them away before anyone, especially Hopper, would notice. 

Finally, the car pulled into the same clearing El had parked their car the day prior, and older Mike was out and into the warm spring air before anyone else. He took a deep breath as he saw Hawkins Lab loom over them from afar, and shouldering his backpack, he started walking toward it but a large hand curled around his small bicep, pulling him backwards. 

"We're going in as a group," Hopper told him after letting go. 

Sighing, older Mike followed his father-in-law and the younger versions of himself and El through the trees and to the back of the lab. His eyes never left the buildings as they walked, and he swallowed down the second lump that'd formed in his throat today down as he saw the last two double doors they had walked through together. 

His friends were already there, all standing in a circle with the younger versions of themselves, waiting for him to join them. So he did, standing between Lucas and Will, listening to them as they told the plan they'd all came up with while he was on his way: Lucas, Max, Dustin, the younger versions of them, and younger Mike would search the forest for any signs and openings to the upside down. Mike, Hopper, Will, younger Will, and younger El will go inside the lab and search for older El. The less in the lab, the better. 

Of course, younger Mike had to put up a fight with that, claiming he wasn't going to allow El go inside on her own, without him, and it took older Mike a good five minutes to persuade him that she'll be fine and not alone. "I'll be with her," he told him and that seemed to be good enough for younger Mike because he nodded and shut his mouth. 

Older Dustin cleared his throat. "Everyone got their flashlights and supercomms/phones?" 

"Yup," older Max confirmed for all of them as they nodded in agreement. 

"Okay, meet back here at seven sharp," older Lucas said. 

Older Mike frowned. "I'm not leaving till I find her." 

"Mike, we can't stay out all night," older Will told him, "We need rest and food." 

Pursing his lips, Mike thought about it. For as much as he wanted- needed to find his wife, make sure she's safe, and bring her home, they all really had a point. When he got overtired, he usually got super crabby and would occasionally feel sick. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to end the search party around that time, get food into their bodies and get some good rest, then start again first thing in the morning. "Okay, fine. We'll meet back here at seven then start up again first thing in the morning." 

They all agreed, much to his relief, and started to disperse their separate ways, but not before younger Mike and El exchanged a goodbye kiss, that he had to look away from before the pain of not being able to do that with his El became unbearable. Once they finished, younger El followed closely behind him, Hopper, and older Will (younger Will was trailing behind with younger El) as they pushed through the double doors.

Once they were inside, Mike felt a sudden surge of anger wash over him like a salty wave. He huffed out a breath, nostrils flared, and said, "Let's just find her and be done with it," then started opening and closing every door he came across, double checking each room to make sure he didn't miss anything, and each time becoming more and more filled with distress as he didn't find her, or any sign of her. 

"Mike," Hopper called after him as he practically rampaged through the first floor. 

But he wasn't listening. Nothing else mattered except that he checked every inch of this lab until he knew for a fact that either El was here or she wasn't. And right now, if he so much as found a single brown hair on the floor, he'd jump for joy because that meant someone had to have been there recently, El or not. And they could send the hair somewhere and find out who it belonged to because of the DNA. That way, they'd be able to track them down and see if they have been keeping El. Okay, maybe he's getting a little bit ahead of himself. 

"Mike," Hopper tried again, sounding a little bit out of breath. 

Then again, Mike ignored him and checked yet another room, disappointment flooding his body as he didn't find any trace of her. The anger slowly started to seep out of him, becoming replaced with a sense of desperation and angst, and he leaned back against the wall at the end of the third hallway he'd searched, and slowly slid down to the floor. His knees pulled into his chest, his arms wrapping around them after he dropped the flashlight, and rested his head on top of his knees. 

"Mike, come on, don't give up now," older Will said, his voice quiet and soft, as he stood in front of the hurting, practically shaking, twenty-six year old. "We'll find her. She's around here somewhere okay? Whether that's in the Upside Down or not. She's not gone and we'll find her one way or the other, but you can't give up now." 

"It-it hurts so much," Mike whimpered, still not looking up. 

Hopper knelt down in front of Mike and grabbed his arms, giving him a little shake to gain his attention. Thankfully, Mike looked up, raising an eyebrow questionably, and he said, "Mike, what would El want you to do? Sit around and mope? Or get up and keep going?" He waited for an answer that never came. "I'll tell you what she'd want. She'd want you to stay happy and never give up. And yes, it hurts like hell, but it will go away. Especially since we don't even know if she's actually gone, okay? So get your ass up, and help us look for your wife." 

Nodding slowly, Mike took in a shaky breath, and stood, his knees wobbling and Will rushed over to steady him. "Thanks," he said once his was stable on the ground, and after sparing a painful glance in younger El's direction, Mike took a step forward, and another, then another one, until he was leading the way across the hall. 

They searched the first floor for another hour, not finding anything. No sign of El anywhere. Not a single piece of hair, a foot print, a note she may have left behind if she managed to escape the upside down, a whole lot of nothing. 

Walking up the stairs, Mike held on tightly to the railing to keep him grounded to the real world as flashes of the unfortunate events flashed through his mind again, making it harder to grasp on to reality. His breath became more rapid the closer they got to the second floor, his vision blurring from upcoming tears, and his limbs began to feel like jello. He stopped walking for a second, more than halfway up, leaning his full wait against the railing so he could catch his breath, dropping his sweaty forehead against the cool metal. 

"You okay?" Hopper asked him, already at the top of the stairs. 

Mike nodded and pushed himself off the railing, taking a second to regain his balance, and took another step up the stairs. He focused on his breathing on the way up, In and then out. In and then out. In and then out. Three seconds in between. In... one...two...three...out. Deep breath in and slowly let go. Keeping that going, Mike finally made it to the top of the stairs three minutes later, legs still feeling like jello and he felt a bit winded. 

"Check each room carefully," Hopper instructed once Mike's breathing was under control. 

Opening the first door, Mike peered inside, his eyes following the beam of light the flashlight in his right hand offered. There was a table, a chair, a closet, but nothing else. No sign of El anywhere and he bit his lip to keep it from wobbling. Hopelessness filled him as they continued to check each room, not finding anything every time, and he really started to believe they were never going to find her. That he was never going to be able to hug her again. Never kiss her again. Never say I love you to her again, or anyone that matter. Because there's no one else, and there never will be. It's Mike and Eleven. Forever and always.  

"This is the room," younger El said, looking into the fifth room of the second hallway. 

"What room?" Mike asked, coming to stand next to her. 

"Doesn't make sense," younger El muttered, stepping inside, walking over to the single rectangular table in the center of the room, placing her hand on the cold white top, her eyes fixed in a hard gaze. "Yesterday, there were boxes of supplies." 

Mike's frown deepened. "Supplies?" 

"Yeah," older Will piped up. "There were boxes of hospital gown and wired head caps for testing." 

"Brand new too," younger Will said, standing next to younger El. 

"New? Are you sure the boxes just weren't ever opened?" Mike asked. 

Older Will gave him a serious look. "They were already opened when we got there." 

"But now they're gone," younger El said, "Someone's been here." 

A new sense of hope surged through Mike and he stepped back out into the hallway, determined to finish this search and walk out of it successful. If someone was here, El had to be as well, right? Or was she still in the Upside Down? Either way, he was going to find her. "Let's just keep on looking, alright?" Mike started down the hallway, opening every door and looking inside thoroughly before moving on. 

While searching the second floor, they came across weird things, such as a room with a ginormous tank, except there was no water inside. Mike had figured it out pretty quickly that it was the sensory deprivation tank they had El go into to find things far away in the void. The place where she had accidentally opened the gate out of fear. Just one other room she was looked at like an experiment instead of a person, and Mike had to keep himself from destroying the place, and he could tell Hopper was doing the same. 

They came across control rooms, other places with machines that had most likely been involved with a majority of the tests they did on other subjects, including El at some point. There was a room they looked into that he recognized as the "time out" or "dark" room, as El would call it, that she'd told him about. The place she'd be physically thrown into if she refused to do as she was told, and she'd be kept in there for days at a time, without food or water. 

When they entered the room where both El's had entered the Upside Down, per request of whatever voice older El had been hearing, and only one had returned, Mike had literally ran to the nearest left behind garbage can, as his stomach started to twist, and threw up that waffle he had eaten earlier that morning. After that, they had decided to just move on and search through the other rooms and leave that one behind them. 

The second floor had been unsuccessful, so the group moved up to the third floor, the last and final floor before they walked back outside either with El or empty handed, and Mike prayed that it was not the latter. Just like the previous stories of the building, they checked each room, finding all of them either vacant or ones only with tables and chairs. There was a room with a few chairs lined up in front of one big mirror, and Mike could only guess that's where all the subjects got their hair shaved. 

Mike pushed open a door and stepped inside, the beam of light from his flashlights traveling around and a confused gasp bubbled out of his mouth. Piled in the room were cages of all shapes and sized, and the room smelled of carcass. Plugging his nose, he stepped further inside and took a look around. Hopper, Will, and the youngsters followed behind, each having a similar reaction to his. 

"They didn't throw out the animals?" older Will asked, disgust evident in his voice. 

"Guess not," Mike mumbled as his flashlight landed on a pile of bones in the corners. 

"Why'd they have animals?" younger Will asked once she were back in the hallway, taking deep breaths of the clean, not carcass smelling, air. 

Sparing one glance in younger El's direction, Mike answered, "El told me that to test the subject's powers, they'd usually use animals. With El, they'd have her kill that animal with her mind, although, she never did." 

Younger Will nodded but didn't say another word, probably disgusted by it all. 

They continued to check the third floor, which had the most rooms, for a couple more hours, finding most the rooms empty. There were a few rooms with weird looking machines or left behind supplies that no one seemed to have felt the need to bring to their relocation. There was a room, that Mike had recognized from what El had told him about back in '84, with a worn out rainbow sticker beside the door. The Rainbow Room. The place El had been kept until she turned six and started being majorly tested on. 

Just like the first and second floor, they found nothing on the second floor but empty rooms, machines and material, and more empty rooms. Mike traveled behind the rest of the group as they headed back down, checking every room for the second time along with Hopper, Will, and the teenagers who had been pretty silent the entire time. Well, none of them were very talkative either, just focused on finding anything that could have been a clue (they hadn't even found a single room that could spin). 

Once on the first floor again, Mike took another look around, making sure they hadn't missed anything, and he came across an elevator he was sure wasn't there moments ago. He briefly considered heading into the basement if there was one, but before he could press the button to open the doors, Hopper called over to him and he left it alone. 

Stepping outside, the first thing Mike had noticed was how fast time passed when you were determined and doing something that took all of your attention. The sun was already setting, casting an orange glow upon the Town of Hawkins, and the air had cooled down significantly, causing goosebumps to appear on his bare arms. 

The other group wasn't back from the forest yet, they had a lot more to track down, and knowing Dustin, he was probably pin pointing every little thing, even if it wasn't important to what they were doing. So Mike, Hopper, Will, and the younger kids took a seat against the outside wall of the lab, no one saying a word as their thoughts all ran wild, trying to figure the situation out. 

"There's not a single trace to El or the Upside Down in there," Mike said after sitting for some time. 

"She didn't just wipe off the face of the earth," Hopper reassured him, "She's either in the Upside Down or somewhere around Hawkins. Possibly in another city but I doubt it." 

"If she escaped the Upside Down, why didn't she just come back home?" older Will asked. 

Hopper shrugged. "Maybe she knows something we don't." 

"Or she's still in the Upside Down," younger Will said. 

Younger El frowned. "She promised she'd make it out." 

Mike let out a humorless laugh. "And she also told you to tell me that it's okay to fall in love again. That definitely tells me she's confident she'll get out of it." 

"That was just in case," younger El told him. 

Not saying another word, Mike took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself before he lashed out at anyone irrationally and then caused a whole other problem. That was the last thing anyone needed right now. His eyes flickered to the forest and spotted seven figures walking out of the clearing, seven familiar figures that is, and Mike stood faster than lightning and ran over to them, ignoring the shocked expressions on all their faces. 

"Did you find anything?" He asked frantically. 

"Um, no," older Lucas answered, sympathy in his eyes. "We're sorry." 

Mike huffed. "We didn't find anything either." 

"Seems like whoever is causing this stuff is good at covering it up," older Max stated. 

"Now what?" Mike asked, looking at Hopper who came to stand next to him. 

"We go back to your house, get food, discuss what we're gonna do tomorrow because we will find my daughter, dead or alive," Hopper said, "then we'll all go to our own homes and get some good sleep. Sound good?"

Keeping his mouth closed, because he knows the moment he opens it, something irrational is going to come out like suggesting they go back and recheck their steps one last time before calling it a day, but Mike just settled for a nod then headed in the direction of Hopper's car, not waiting for anyone to follow. 

On the way back to his house, Mike leaned back in his seat, eyes closed, and just tried to forget about everything for just a few seconds. He tried to imagine that none of this happened, that he and El were safe at home, watching Star Wars reruns, throwing popcorn at each other then having to clean it all up before they passed out at four in the morning. He tried to picture El without remembering the way the wall had closed her off, and he had gotten one final small glance of her, a sliver of her hair whipping around her angelic face, before it fully closed. 

When Hopper pulled into the driveway, turning the car off and unlocking the doors, Mike opened his eyes and unbuckled his seat belt only then realizing that his cheeks felt damp. Lifting his hand, he placed his fingertips against his skin to feel the drying tears. He wiped away any remaining ones with the back of his hand before following his friends and their past selves up the driveway and into the house. 

"I'm gonna head up and change real quick," Mike told them before heading up the stairs, calling out behind him, "just order take out or something. I don't care." 

The last thing he heard before his bedroom door blocked out all the noise from the outside were his friends' laughter, and he couldn't understand what was so funny. 

----------

She shot upwards, awakened by a monstrous headache, and gasped as her eyes immediately squinted due to the brightness of the white lights shining down upon her. Ringing in her ears, she examined her foreign surroundings, although there was a sense of familiarity to it. With her brain still foggy from sleep, she could barely comprehend that she was temporarily trapped within a room of pure white. The walls and floor, furniture, and door were all painted a snowy white, making her eyes sting all the more. 

Closing her eyes, fighting off the nausea, and tried, even through the pounding of her head, to remember how she had gotten into this bright room where nothing, except the sound of footsteps outside the door, seemed familiar. But the last thing she could recall was passing out from hitting her head on something hard after being thrown backwards from the force of the opening to the Upside Down slamming shut. 

Sliding her legs to the side, she stood from the bed which she sat on moments before, goosebumps appearing on her arms and legs as a gust of frigid air escaped the vents. Her toes curled unpleasantly against the cool tiled floor as she glanced down at herself, noticing she was in nothing but a white hospital gown. A dreadful realization dawned on her, and she found herself stumbling backwards, the back of her knees making contact with the mattress, and she fell down from impact onto the bed, chest heaving with every breath she took. 

After taking a few deep breaths and forcing herself to stay calm, she stood once again, and slowly strode closer to the door, her footsteps echoing off the walls, replacing the ringing inside her ears. She paused in front of the door, swallowing thickly as it seemed to loom over her, and not wanting to waste her powers, she placed her hand on the silver doorknob and turned. Of course it had to be locked. 

She turned, looking around the room for anything that could possibly unlock or help break down the door without her powers being involved. Checking underneath the bed, she found nothing but dust bunnies. She looked beneath all the sheets on the bed, glanced between crevices of the walls and floor, and came out empty handed each time. Heart hammering within her chest, she inspecting the room once  again from her spot on the floor beside the bed. 

As she was about to except defeat, something from the corner of her eyes lulled her in. Standing back up, she walked toward the table and spotted three objects sitting on the surface; a half filled glass of water, a folded up piece of white paper, and a black blindfold. Masking her confusion about the blindfold, she reached forward with a shaky hand and picked up the paper, slowly unfolding it. 

Her eyes skimmed the note carefully, taking in each and every word: 

Dear Eleven, 

I am so pleased you are home. We all have truly missed you since the day you made the fateful decision to run away from us fourteen years ago, and we are exhilarated that you have come back to join us once again. Upon your arrival, I had some men prepare a special, suitable room just for you. We have exchanged your clothes for a lovely gown, so do not worry about that, they are being handled in the washroom. Now that that's been taken care of, we would love to begin the testing once you are awake. Please press the button beneath the light switch beside the door and I will send some men to escort you to the first room. 

Sincerely, 

your Papa

Her gaze lingered on the last two words, her breath hitching in her throat as she read them over, and over, and over again. She dropped the note, the paper fluttering to the floor, landing without a sound, and she grabbed onto the table before she could fall backwards. Breathing heavily, El asked herself how she could possibly be in the lab. It was abandoned from what she knew, and the only thing "active" about it was the fresh supplies and equipment she and her friends had ran into yesterday. 

Speaking of her friends, was anyone looking for her?

She glanced at the blindfold, debating whether this was a good idea or not, but curiosity took her over, and her fingers curled around the fabric. Once she was sat safely down on the uncomfortable hospital bed, El tied it around her head and listened in on the air traveling through the vents, and she slowly felt herself slipping away. 

Opening her eyes, darkness surrounded her, water rippling beneath her feet as she walked around, looking for a certain someone. Static sounded from behind her and she spun around so fast she wouldn't be surprised if she had gotten whiplash. Swallowing a gasp, El walked closer to the scene until she was standing at the edge of the bed, looking straight at her husband who was turning the nobs of his supercomm on his lap. 

Her heart clenched as his breath rattled in his chest, adams apple bobbing, as he lifted the walkie talkie up to his lips, pressing the button down, and spoke quietly, his voice wavering with emotion, "El? It's day one. I never thought I'd have to do this again, but here I am." He laughed humorlessly and a fist squeezed her heart painfully at the negative sound. "It's a bit stupid, I know, but I don't know what else to do. It's the only way I've been able to grieve after losing you, and after today- we looked for you. You were nowhere. And there's not opening to the Upside Down anywhere." He blinked, a tear escaping and rolling down his cheek, and El fought back the urge to wipe it away. "Where are you? Wherever you are, if you're even out there, please, just give me a sign. Anything. I miss you." 

Right as his finger left the button, he started to evaporate, so she called out, "Mike! The lab!" 

His eyes widened. "El!?" 

Then he was gone. 

She ripped the blindfold off, and let out a sob as she leaned forward, elbows pressing into her legs as she held her face in her hands. Her shoulders shook as she silently cried, the image of Mike's disheartened face never leaving her mind, his voice never leaving her ears. 

'I miss you'

A wave a determination washed over her. El rose to her feet and sauntered back over to the door, but this time, she outstretched her hand and darkened her gaze. She focused all her attention on the door, and with a small grunt, it ripped out of its hinges and flew across the hallway, smashing into the wall, and falling to the ground with a loud thud. 

Letting out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding, El let her shoulders relax. But then the sound of shouting voices made her tense up again, and she bounced on the balls of her feet for a few seconds before taking off out the door. Her head whipped from left to right, deciding which way to go, and decided on left since that's where the nearest door was. She ran so fast, her feet slapping against the hard ground so many times they felt numb, and she could have sworn she was floating. 

Halfway there, two large hands wrapped around both her arms, and she cried out as she was restrained. "NO!" She screamed and tried to rip her arms out of their grasps, but they were much stronger than her, so she just thrashed. "Let me go! Let me go!" El screamed her throat raw, legs kicking out as she was lifted off the ground, flashbacks of fourteen years ago swimming back to the surface, and her voice was drowned out by the screams in her head. 

At some point, she stopped fighting all together, the familiar screeching sound filling her head, making her headache worse than it already was, and making it impossible for her powers to work. She fell limp in the guards' arms, and allowed them to drag her down the hallway, vision blurred from the noise, tears, and bright lights. They entered a room down the hallway, two other guards shutting and locking the door behind them, and they threw her into a chair behind a table. 

The noise stopped and she reached up to wipe her bloody nose on the back of her hand, swiping that across the hem of the gown that dressed her body. Once her head was fully released from the temporary trance, El stood but was immediately pushed back down from the same guards that had carried her in, and she gave them a not-so-kind hand gesture, not realizing all the men (and woman) surrounding the room with guns. 

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." 

Lifting her eyes from the table in front of her, El held in a gasp, masking her fear with a hard glare, as they spotted the thin frame of Dr. Brenner. He stepped out of the shadows and came to stand on the opposite end of the table as her. The first thing she noticed was his white hair was even thinner, and his wrinkle lines were deeper, a sign of even older age. The second thing was his hand in his pocket, and she tensed when he lifted it, expecting there to be a gun, but all that was cupped in his nimble fingers was a small, squared container. He set it directly in front of her. 

A bit hesitantly, El grabbed it and pulled the lid off it, peering inside. 

Her rings. 

She took them out and slid them back onto her left ring finger, then pushed the container back over to him, not even muttering a thanks, because why should she? This man stole everything from her. Her mother, her childhood, and now her whole entire life. Giving her rings back couldn't possibly make up for everything he's ever done to her, or the people she's ever loved. 

"I assume you've gotten my letter?" He asked, pulling a chair out and sitting down. 

El glared. "What do you want?" 

"Now, now, that's not how you talk to your papa," he said, frowning. 

"You're not my father," El replied, letting out a humorless laugh. 

Dr. Brenner hummed. "The policeman, that's right. The one who sold you out in the first place." 

She decided not to ask him about that. "How are you even alive?" 

Leaning forward, Dr. Brenner folded his hands in front of him and, with his voice low, explained how he had survived. Apparently, the demogorgan had attacked him. However, a few of his men were able to distract it before it truck Brenner and he was able to escape, though the men were killed by the inter dimensional monster. Once realizing El was also gone, they made a run for it, finding a new location. "...and we have been waiting for the right moment to get you back in our hands since then," he finished, a cruel smile tugging at his lips. 

"And what do you want from me?" El asked, eyebrows raised. 

"You can do magnificent things with that mind of yours, Eleven," he said, his voice taking a more serious turn. "You're very powerful, and quite useful. You can be a great help in our upcoming project but first we need to take care of a couple things." 

"What do you mean?"

He doesn't answer, outstretching his arm to the left and one of the guards stepped forward, placing a large photo in his hands. Dr. Brenner muttered a quick thank you before turning back to El and sliding the picture in front of her, and asked, "What can you tell me about him?" Leaning back in his seat, he folds his arms across his chest and waits for an answer that never comes. 

Eyebrows furrowed, El flips it over, her eyes dancing across the picture of a tall, lanky teenage boy, with dark hair and eyes, and a bright smile. He was dressed in a green cap and gown, holding a rolled up piece of paper, tied up with a black string,  in his hands. Next to him, was another figure turned away from the camera, half the body cut off, but she had shoulder length curly brown hair, wearing the same cap and gown as the boy. The boy was also looking at something behind her, laughing. 

Her and Mike's high school graduation picture. 

"I don't know who that is," El lied. 

Sharp blue eyes darkening, Dr. Brenner sits back up and accepts another picture from the same guard and examines it. "But I believe you know him very well," he said before handing the picture over, watching her carefully as she looked at it. 

It was the same picture, just from a different angle, and showed her face staring up at Mike with a wide grin, excitement evident in her eyes. "Why do you want to know?" 

"We already know he's... special to you," he said, his gaze flickering to her left hand and she quickly tucked it underneath the table, away from his line of vision. "So, what can you tell me about him?"

She stayed quiet again, not daring to tell him anything about Mike for his safety, even if it meant giving up her own life. Anything for Mike to be safe. But, she does ask how he knows about him, or them she should say, and her heart drops to her stomach as he explains they'd been monitoring them ever since she'd been allowed fully into public when Junior year of high school rolled around. They'd had people in disguise attend Hawkins High as substitutes, they'd followed her and Mike to Ohio State University and substituted there, they'd had people move into the same neighborhood as them back in Hawkins. They'd been everywhere. 

"So... you've been stalking us?" El asked, her heart hammering. 

"Only to keep you safe," Dr. Brenner said, readjusting his tie. 

El scoffed, rolling her caramel brown eyes. 

"I'm serious," he said, and he sounded so sincere and persuasive it took all of her will power not to believe him. She raised an eyebrow and he continued, "He's a very dangerous individual and we only wanted to make sure you were kept safe." 

"Mike? Dangerous?" El's eyes widened in amusement, her lips tugging upwards. "Please explain. Enlighten me. Tell me how this boy-" she pointed at the picture. "-is dangerous. Because I've met people much more dangerous than him, and one of them is sitting right in front of me." 

Dr. Brenner cupped his chin, trying to hide his amused smile behind his hand, but his eyes held a different emotion other than amusement. They were cold and dark, bitter and angry. Just looking into them made her skin crawl, made her want to crawl into a corner and try to hide herself, and she swallowed down all her fear, not wanting to seem to vulnerable around him, already knowing he'd take full advantage of it. 

"This boy, whom you say you... love and know very well, is actually threatening to you and your safety. He'd taken you away from your home, the only place that had kept you safe," Dr. Brenner explicated, his hand dropping back down to the table, reaching across it to grab the photo but El got to it first, not letting him take the last thing of Mike she may ever get. His hand froze for a second, his eyes flickering to shock before returning back to normal, and he pulled his hand away. "Because of him, you had to go into hiding and be locked away from the world. He's the reason you went through all that frustration. He's the reason for every negative emotion you've ever felt. He had put you in danger since the day he found you, don't you realize that, Eleven?" 

Her nostrils flared, steam practically spilling out of her ears, and all she could see was red. El was angry, no, she was more than angry. She was raging. Shooting out of her seat so fast, the chair went flying backwards into the guard behind her and he fell to the ground, unconscious. The other men and women directed their gun barrels in her direction but at the moment, she didn't care. All she cared about was that this man, that was the real reason for every negative emotion she'd felt toward the lab, was blaming it on Mike. 

"You're wrong!" She practically screamed, pointing an accusing finger at him. "Mike is the least dangerous person I've ever met! He's sweet, compassionate, and far to kind for his own good! He wouldn't harm a hair on anyone's head unless someone he loves is being threatened, then all hell breaks loose! You're dense to even think I'd believe you!" 

Throughout her whole speech, Dr. Brenner hadn't even done so much as blink. He hadn't flinched, spoken, or tried to stop her. He just sat there and watched, his face expressionless, letting her get it all out, and it made her all the more angrier. 

Taking a deep breath, she continued, "It's your fault!" She jabbed her finger in his direction, yet he didn't move a muscle, just crossed his arms over his chest and gave the guard to his right a look that she couldn't figure out. Ignoring it, she shouted, "You leave Mike out of this because you took everything away from me! It's your fault I went into hiding! Your fault I couldn't start school! You fault I was even in this damn lab to begin with!" 

"Eleven," he spoke calmly, "I did it for your safety and-" 

She cut him off with a furious yell and surged forward, arm outstretched, ready to cause this guy, who had lied to her face her whole life, saying he was her father, some damage. But before she could so much as trip him, the same guards that carried her in, grabbed her arms again, and she thrashed, screaming her throat raw for them to let her go but they didn't loosen their grip. El still fixed her gaze on Dr. Brenner, but before she could do anything, that awful screeching noise filled her head, though no one else seemed to hear it, and she fell limp as the pain over took her. 

Her vision turning blurrier until harder to see at all, and her hearing becoming muffled, everything seemingly to going in slow motion, she just barely missed the guard Dr. Brenner looked at reach up and wipe red liquid off his upper lip with the back of his hand. However, before she could think more of it, something sharp- a needle- was injected into her neck, her mind going blank as the serum flowed through her veins, causing her body to go cold. 

Then everything went dark once again. 

-------

"Mike! The lab!" 

"El!?" Mike shouted, shooting up from his spot, bringing the supercomm back up this lips. "Is that you? Are you there?" He released the button, filled with disappointment when his ears were met with static only. She was most definitely there, he knew that. It was her voice, no doubt, it would be bad if he didn't know his own wife's voice. 

Turning the walkie talkie off, Mike set it back on the bedside table, and practically bolted out of the room and down the stairs where everyone was crowded eating dinner (pizza, again). He stood in the doorway, leaning against the wall, breathing heavily, because that's like the most he's ran since high school. He must have looked pretty craze because Hopper was the first one to notice him and he stood right away, immediately asking what was wrong 

"El," Mike replied, "I got hold of her." 

"How?" Hopper asked. 

Mike explained, talking into his old supercomm (his friends rolled their eyes when he mentioned starting the 353 days thing up again, but at the moment, he couldn't have cared less) and he told them about how she had spoke right before he turned it off. 

"Well?" Older Max asked. "Where is she?" 

"The lab," Mike answered. 

Well, there you go guys! Another chapter! I'm sorry if it's a bit shorter than the other ones but I worked through my writers block on this one and put a lot of thought into it. I hope you guys liked it! 

Just a heads up, I've got no idea when the next chapter will be published cause I've got no idea what's gonna go down. I know how I want it to end, but I don't know how to get there. Gosh, I really hate plot holes with a passion. 

Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading it!

(please feel free to privately message me if you have something you want to happen in upcoming chapters.)