Chapter 1:

Mike yelped as he stubbed his toe on one of the many boxes scattered around his new apartment. It was a shabby little thing, but it was plenty for him since he was the only one going to be living there. He let out a low curse, then used his injured foot to push the box out of the middle of the hallway so he wouldn't kick it again later.

He made his way into the living room, groaning and sighing heavily as he dreaded going to work. His job wasn't awful, but Mike still hated getting out of bed for it anyways. All he did all day was answer the phone for Hopper and the rest of the PD, and it got rather dull at times, since not many things happened in Hawkins, not after all that mess seven years ago.

His heart always ached a little when he thought about it. About the girl he had gotten so close to when he was younger. After everything, he hoped his life would have gone back to normal, like it was before, but no one could really be normal, no one that knew anyways. Will was sick, haunted by the upside down and its strange connection to him. He could never escape it, and it only got worse as the years went on until he stayed home with his mom all day and night.

Dustin and Lucas moved away, to go to college together. They begged and pleaded for Mike to go with them, but something would always tether Mike to Hawkins. It was a hope that was long dead and gone, but still had a grip on the deepest parts of his heart. For a few years, he kept hoping shed come back, that Eleven would show up one night in the woods like she had before. As he got older, he realized it didn't work that way. She was gone. For good.

Mike couldn't stay around his parents, though, so he moved out. His mom tried her best to get him to be the old Mike, the happy kid who liked Dungeons and Dragons and rode bikes with his friends all day. And he tried. He really did. But it was nearly impossible for him to pretend for long that his little heart had been ripped from his chest right in front of him when Eleven took on that monster and vanished with it.

As he got older, the pain got easier, but Mike was, at his core, bitter and lonely, a shell of the person he could have become if Eleven never sacrificed herself.

The phone rang, and Mike hurried over to answer it, hoping it was his boss telling him that the other dispatcher had finally come back from Puerto Rico, and he would have the day off. But when he picked up the phone, it was Will on the other side.

"Mike, buddy?" His voice had depended with puberty, but it also became raspy over time as the Upside Down ravaged his mind and body. The poor kid had held on for seven years, and if Will could survive what he was dealing with, Mike figured he could survive the ache in his chest.

"Yeah, I'm here. How's it going, Will?" Mike asked his friend, hating how quiet and sickly Will sounded on the other end of the line. There was a cough.

"I've seen better days. And worse. I was wondering if you had plans tonight. I thought maybe we could spend the night together in Castle Byers like old times. It's been rebuilt."

"Probably too small for us, Will the Wise."

"Not anymore. Come on over. It's been awhile, and Johnathan is out of town. Mom's driving me nuts. I need a break." It almost sounded like Will was begging, which made telling him no impossible. Mike sighed.

"Alright, I'll come over after work, okay?"

"Hopper told mom you werent working."

"What? He never told me. Son of a bitch never calls me when I'm off." He rolled his eyes at the lack of communication between him and Hopper, mainly because Hopper never bothered to tell him anything. "Alright, let me get some work done here, I guess, then I'll head over."

"See you soon, Mike. Thanks for coming." He coughed, and Mike cringed a little.

"Anytime, buddy." He hung up the phone a little reluctantly, wishing there was something more he could do for Will. But he didn't know anything about the Upside Down, or how to fix Will. He shook his head, then walked back to his bedroom. Mike flopped back down on the bed, and before long, had dozed back off.

"Mike!" A familiar voice, one that was different but somehow easily recognizable startled him awake. Mike sat upright in his bed, sweat beading on his forehead. He looked around, but there was no one. His apartment was empty and quiet, and the voice felt like it had been part of a dream or a memory. But it was so loud it woke him. He shook his head, reminding himself that she was gone, that it was impossible, that it had been seven years. It sounded like her, but it was just a dream. It had to be. El was never coming back.

He glanced over at the clock, then groaned and threw the covers off of himself. He hadn't actually gotten anything accomplished at the house, but it didn't matter. Mike needed to go on and head over to Will's. After climbing out of bed, he moved to his box of clothes and threw on a white tee shirt and jeans. He pulled on a beige jacket, then snatched his keys from the dresser and headed for the door.

The drive to Will's was short, since everything seemed to be close together in Hawkins due to how small the town was and had always been. It barely grew or changed at all in seven years, and it was a little disappointing at times. All of these other towns surrounding them were growing and picking up new food chains and entertainment all the time. But Hawkins was stagnant.

When Mike pulled into the driveway, Will was already sitting on the porch. He stood up, holding a blanket around himself, when Mike got out of the car. A big grin grew on his face, but Mike couldn't mirror it. Will looked sickly, pale and shivering, eyes dark and heavy-lidded. He was thin, too, even thinner than usual. It made Mike want to kick something and cry.

"Mike, man, you made it," Will beamed, despite his physical limitations, he trotted down the steps and met Mike halfway to the door, leaving the blanket he had around himself on the chair on the porch. Mike grabbed Will and pulled him into a hug, resting his chin on Will's shoulder.

"Wouldn't have missed it for the world, Will," he told his friend, trying not to squeeze too hard.

"Mike, I need to tell you something," Will said, pulling away from him. Mike raised an eyebrow. "There's something I think you should see. Something weird." Mike shook his head, more than confused, so Will just took him by the arm. "Just come with me."

Will led Mike out to the woods behind his house, out to where Johnathan had rebuilt Castle Byers for Will a year ago. He hadn't used it much, but the nostalgia made him go out there a few nights ago, and he was more than surprised to find out that it wasn't entirely empty.

There was a single light, a small blue plastic lantern, in the little fort, battery powered and bright. It was sitting on the ground in the center, and Will quickly climbed in to sit along the back of it. Mike bent down and crawled in behind him, sitting to the side. He looked down at the light, then up at Will.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"Hey, you still there?" Will called out. He turned off the light and looked at Mike. "Give it a second."

"You messin' with ghosts, Will? That's not very wise of you."

"Shut up, I'm being serious," Will frowned. "It's not a ghost. It's a person." He turned his attention back to the turned off lantern sitting on the ground. The light flickered, then blinked, briefly lighting up the little fort. Mike's eyebrows furrowed. "Mike's here," Will said out loud, and suddenly the light burned even brighter, holding for a moment before turning off again. Will looked over at Mike and smiled. "I think it's her."

"It can't be."

"Mike, it has to be. Who else in the Upside Down has a weird obsession with you? No one. It's got to be your girl."

"Shut up," Mike said again, staring down at the light, that familiar aching in his chest returning after so long of being gone. He wanted to scream out for her, but he didn't even know if it was her.

"Blink once for yes, twice for no," Will said down at the light. "Can you do that?" It blinked once. He grinned. "You're her, aren't you? Eleven." It blinked, and Mike wanted to cry all of a sudden. His eyes welled with tears. "Are you close?" Blink. "Are you okay?" Blink. Blink. Will's smile faded. "Can you find your way back?" Blink.

"Then come back!" Mike shouted, sitting up quickly. "Come back, El, what're you doing?! Come back, please!" Tears fell down his cheeks, making Will frown even more. Blink, blink. "No? What do you mean no? El, just come home! It's been so long!" The light went out, and it stayed out. "El?" Darkness, nothing, no response at all. The air felt colder, the woods quieter. "No, no, no." Mike flew out of the fort, rushing into the woods. "El, get back here! Don't leave me again, Eleven!" He shouted and he ran through the woods. "EL! ELEVEN! COME BACK!"

A rustle in the bushes caught his attention, making him turn around. "El?"

"Mike," a soft voice came from behind him. He whipped around, whole body going rigid as he looked at the girl in front of him. Dirty, faded pink fabric was tied around her chest and waist, leaving her stomach, arms, and legs bare. She had shoulder-length, wavy brown hair, but that innocence in her eyes was unmistakable. "Not safe."

"El? Is it really you?" He asked, stepped closer. She had changed, gotten older, but then again so had he. He still had shaggy black hair and big, bright eyes, but his features were more defined, and he was taller, more toned. Still thin, but reasonably so. He stepped closer again, and she took a step back.

"Not safe," she said again, frowning at him. "Mike."

"Not safe? For me or for you?" He asked her, trying to step closer. Eleven took another step back, eyes watering and pleading. "El, please."

"Please," she repeated, shaking her head. "Not safe, Mike." She pointed at herself, then at Mike. "Not safe." There was a low, guttural growl in the distance, and Mike's stomach knotted up instantly. "Monster," she said after a minute. "Comes for me."

"For you? El, what's going on?"

"Upside Down," she told him. "I stay. It stays. I come. It comes."

"I don't care, El, don't go back there!" He shouted, and she flinched. She looked like hell. Her hair that had grown was tangled and messy, her face was dirtied with blood and black stuff, and the fabric covering her intimate parts was frayed and faded. "Please, come home. We can fight that thing together."

"Not safe, Mike. Please."

"El!" He snapped, desperate and panicking, not wanting to lose sight of her again. "Seven years, El. You can't leave me for seven years, show up, then try to leave again. I can't let you go. Not again. Please El, don't leave me," he begged her. Eleven looked around, then her eyes widened when she heard another growl.

"Come." She rushed to Mike, grabbing his hand in hers. "Come, Mike." She took off running, back towards Will and his house, holding onto Mike as she did. A thousand and one thoughts ran through his mind, but all of them wanted her to stay, whatever trouble it meant for them. Seven years. And she was finally home.