Dwobbit From The Shire

Fred stopped talking when another car pulled up. Chrissy got out of the back seat of Claudia Henderson’s car, other demobats flew down from the sky, and began to hover around Chrissy for a moment before meeting their other two siblings halfway. It was hard to tell, but Nancy figured their screeches were ones of delight at the sight of their siblings. Chrissy ran into Eddie’s arm, kissing him soundly. Claudia got out of the car and screamed.

“DUSTY!”

“MOM?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!” Dustin screamed.

“One of the demogorgons attacked them in the hospital,” Nancy explained.

Dustin threw himself into his mother’s arms, hugging her tightly. He burst into tears at the same time as his mother did.

“I’m sorry I’ve been such an asshole to you, Mom,” Dustin cried.

“Oh, honey, I understand, and I understand why you couldn’t tell me,” Claudia said. “Max and Lucas explained most of it.”

The Sinclairs’ pulled up next to Claudia’s car. Lucas got out first and pulled the wheelchair out of the back. His father got out and helped Max into her chair.

“Yeah, I told her we should go to the station, but she threatened to bite me,” Lucas said.

“I thought I was the vampire,” Eddie grinned.

“Eddie?!” Lucas exclaimed.

“Hey, kid,” Eddie said.

Lucas let out a sob and threw his arms around him, hugging him tightly.

“Oh, Chrissy was right,” Lucas cried. “Eddie, man, I’m so – “

“Hey, don’t apologize. I should be the one doing that. I was an asshole about the whole basketball thing, and maybe if I had been a little supportive instead of making you feel like shit then I wouldn’t have pushed you into following Carver,” Eddie said. “You’re allowed to like both. I should have been setting a better example.”

“I’m glad you’re here,” Lucas said. “Even if you are a vampire.”

“So am I, kid,” Eddie said with a cackle.

Lucas pulled away from the hug and spotted Patrick. Lucas opened his mouth, probably to apologize, and Patrick pulled him into a hug before he could say anything. Nancy smiled and turned her attention to Max.

“It’s good to see you in person,” Nancy said.

“Well, if you want to hug me, you’re going to have to do all the work. I can’t move my arms or legs,” Max said and squinted. “My vision sucks, too. So, I can’t tell if you’re Nancy or Eddie wearing a bloody candy striper uniform.”

Nancy laughed and hugged her tightly. She cradled the back of Max’s head, making sure she could feel her touch. She could feel Max burying her face into her shoulder and then a wet spot. . .Max was crying. She stroked her hair and pulled back, tears of her own filling her eyes. Nancy smiled at her and touched her face before moving away. Vickie was there by her side, touching her shoulder.

“Don’t worry, you’ve been lying in bed for a while which has caused the muscles to atrophy, and it’s slowed down the healing process but I’m sure that you’ll get better with time. From what I’ve heard, you’re a very determined young woman who knows what she’s capable of,” Vickie said and smiled at Lucas before looking back at Max. “I don’t know if you know, but - "

“You're Vickie Dunne,” Max smiled. “I heard you while I was sleeping. I know what you’ve done for Lucas. I heard you talking to Nancy, too.”

Nancy watched Robin beam at Vickie, her eyes sick with love. Her own heart was full of affection for Vickie, and she shared a look with Robin before squeezing Vickie’s hand.

“Is Erica in there?” Sue asked Nancy.

“Yeah, we need to get the gate open. Chrissy -,” Nancy started to say.

Whatever Nancy was going to say was stopped by another car pulling up to the gate. Wayne stepped out of the driver’s seat, and Holly jumped out of the passenger’s side.

“I tried to stop her, but she slipped out of my grip at the hospital and screamed that she was going find you on her own,” Wayne said. “She’s a fast little shit. She really was going to go. I’d rather her go with me than on her own and get lost. Unfortunately, I had to steal a car. It's not my proudest moment."

“I wouldn’t have gotten lost,” Holly rolled her eyes.

Holly let out a cry when she saw Nancy and threw herself into Nancy’s stomach. Nancy hugged Holly tightly and sighed.

“We’re so talking about this later,” Nancy said with a sigh. “Chrissy, do you want to do the honors and open the gate?”

“Sure thing, boss,” Chrissy said and saluted her.

“I really hope this isn’t going to become a thing,” Nancy sighed.

Eddie cackled as Chrissy raised her hand and used her powers to open the gate. The minute the gates were opened, Sue and Charles were in the place to find their daughter. Lucas was going to wheel Max in, but Max made a noise of protest and focused on the opened gate in front of them. Her wheelchair began moving on its own, and Max wheeled herself into the Mac-Z, blood dripping from her nose.

“Metal,” Eddie breathed.

“You have wings and can fly, Eddie,” Chrissy reminded him with an affectionate laugh.

“That is pretty metal,” Steve agreed.

“Oh, Max is going to be just fine,” Vickie beamed.

Nancy followed them, her hand firmly in Holly’s. Holly was currently gaping at Robin and the sword in her hands, forgetting that she had powers of her own. She appreciated that Holly looked up to her and her girlfriends, but she’ll always think Robin is the coolest. It was such a serious moment, but she wanted to laugh at Holly’s expression. The thought of laughter was swept from her mind when she walked into the Mac-Z. Bodies of soldiers were laying on the ground. . .their limbs several feet from their bodies. Blood was streaked across the pavement, and an eyeball had touched Nancy’s foot. Holly threw up. Wayne quickly picked her up. It was tough even for Nancy, but she managed to swallow her vomit.

“JONATHAN?!” Will and Joyce screamed.

“NANCY?! HOLLY?! UNCLE – EDDIE?!” Mike screamed.

Nancy ran towards Mike and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. Mike burst into tears, and she was crying right there along with him. Wayne was joining the group with Holly in his arms, and the other two Wheelers pulled him in.

“I guess Uncle Eddie will just pop in here,” Eddie said.

“I was NOT calling you uncle,” Mike said. “I was surprised to see you AFTER I saw Uncle Wayne.”

“So, surprised that you called me uncle,” Eddie quipped.

“I was going to say glad to see you, but I think I changed my mind,” Mike said and Holly giggled. “How the hell are you still alive?”

“Technically, I’m not,” he said and Mike looked at Eddie in confusion.

“We’ll explain later,” Nancy said, pulling back and wiping her eyes.

“Hey, asshole,” Max said, and bumped her wheelchair against Mike’s leg.

“MAX!” Mike yelled and leaned down to hug her.

Nancy smiled when Dustin did the same, hugging them both. He yanked Will and Lucas into the group hug. They were now only missing -  

“ERICA!” they heard Sue scream.

The other kids had come out of hiding, following Erica. Derek immediately moved to Mike’s side as Holly slipped out of Wayne’s arms and she looked at him in confusion.

“I’m Mike’s best friend now,” Derek said and noticed Robin. “Hi, Miss Robin!”

He waved at her, and Nancy smiled. Okay, that was kind of cute, even though he had been mean to her sister, but maybe he was turning things around. Holly was still looking at Derek in disbelief, however.

“Okay, most of us are, and I know that we’re still missing -,” Nancy started to say.

The other end of the gate burst open, and Vecna’s body went flying and landed onto the bloody pavement. Jane appeared with Hopper, Terry, and. . .Kali? They found Kali! Jane’s hair had fallen out of her bun, and her messy, curly hair was flowing down her shoulders. A scratch had been opened on her cheek as though a monster had dragged its claw or knife across it. Hopper looked worse. He had taken quite the beating from someone, and even Kali had looked like she had taken a few punches herself. Terry had a cut on her forehead, blood running from it. Jane stood above Vecna, her hair flowing behind her as a gust of wind blew through Hawkins.

“Eleven -,” Vecna started.

“Jane, my name is Jane,” she spat. “I am not a number. I am no one’s puppet.”

“After everything I have done for you...is this how you repay me? I was going to give you everything. . .so much power, and you would have been by my side. You and me, we’re the same,” Vecna said.

“Isn’t that what you told me, too?" Will asked, approaching the monster.

“You can be with me, too, William,” Vecna said. “Your power –,”

“Ew,” Will said. “No thank you.”

“We are nothing like you,” Jane said.

“You told me that you were just a kid like me when you found the Mind Flayer,” Will said. “And you made it sound like you had been controlled all this time. . .I believed you, but you manipulated me.”

“The way you did when I was a child,” Jane said.

“I thought maybe you had been manipulated, too,” Will said.

“You have always been a monster, Henry,” Jane said. “Just like Papa. Just like the Mind Flayer.”

“I chose to be with him because I was never weak like you,” Vecna spat.

“You chose to be with him because you are weak, Henry,” Kali said, stepping up to join Jane and Will.

“You hid behind the Flayer like a child hiding behind his mother’s skirts,” Chrissy said, walking up to join them as well.

“You betrayed me,” Vecna glared at her. “I invited you in, and you betrayed me.”  

“You called it power,” Eddie said.

“But you stole,” Patrick said.

“And used us to hide behind as well,” Fred said.

“You used our trauma against us, because you thought it would make us weak like you,” Max said.

“You’re the weak one, Henry,” Jane said.

“Even now, your monsters are starting to realize that your power was just an illusion,” Kali said.

“What are you going to do, Henry? Now that you’re not the one in control?” Nancy asked, stepping up beside her friends.

“It’s easy to hide behind a mask,” Steve said. “It’s harder to fight without the power you thought you had.”

“Are you going to face all of us?” Jonathan asked.

“You two don’t have powers,” Vecna growled.

“Maybe not,” Steve said.

“We don’t need them to kick your pathetic ass,” Jonathan said.

“Everything you did,” Joyce said, approaching him. “It just made us stronger. It made us a family.”

“The kind that you threw away,” Terry said.

She had stood proudly beside her daughter and took her hand in his. Holly started to approach Vecna, but Nancy grabbed her.

“Don’t,” Nancy said.

“I know what I’m doing,” Holly said. “I’m helping Alice.”

“Alice?” Nancy asked.

“We’re not the only ones who escaped,” Holly said in a whisper. “I can feel her inside of me. She wants to speak to her brother. If I can show Henry like I did with the birds. . .the image isn’t real, but she is. Please, Nancy.”

Nancy stared at her and sighed. This will help bring Henry down. She needed their collective power even if it meant using Holly to help her, and she hated that more than anything. They needed to be willing to do it, and Holly was.

“We’ll be right behind you,” Nancy said and let go of her.

Just like that, Holly turned into Alice Creel. They looked similar, almost as if they could be related. She wore the blue dress that Holly had worn in Vecna’s mind, that one that had been given to her by Alice. She realized then that the girl that Holly had met was, in fact, Alice Creel.

“Hi, Henry,” Alice said.

“You’re not real,” he scowled.

“I am real, brother, Holly saved me,” Alice said. “She set me free.”

“I was keeping you safe,” Vecna said.

“You killed me and then imprisoned me,” Alice spat. “You treated me like a puppet. Just like you treated Mama. You killed us. You killed us, and you called it protection.”

“I did what was best,” he said.

“FOR YOU!” Alice screamed. “I will never grow up. I will never find out if I want to marry or to have kids. I don’t know if I would want that. I will never find out because of you! I will never see the world or watch it change. I’ll never know what I could possibly accomplish. Would I have helped change things? Would I become successful? Would I have my first kiss? Or experience my first heartbreak? Would I ever find out what I want? I will never find out. I will never grow up, and I will never change or take another breath. I loved you, Henry. You were supposed to protect me, but you killed me! THAT WAS YOUR CHOICE! YOU CHOSE TO KILL ME! YOU KILLED ME AND NOW I’LL WATCH AS THEY KILL YOU!”

Vecna tried to move, but he found that he couldn’t move, frozen by an invisible force. Virginia Creel moved forward, much to Nancy’s surprise, but she kept her surprise hidden as Kali, wearing the face of Virginia Creel, moved forward.

“You were my son. I always thought there was something peculiar about you, but I thought it was just a phase. I thought I was imagining things. You loved me as I loved you. It was just my fears playing tricks on me. Surely, the son that I grew inside of me loved me as much as I loved him. It turns out that you didn’t love us at all. You aren’t capable of it,” Victoria said.

“You just pretended,” Alice said tearfully. “It wasn’t real. None of it was.”

“And you created a world, a play, where you were the victim, but something was missing...the humanity part of it all. You didn’t have it, and you needed it. You craved it, because you read all these books, and you knew what was missing but you couldn’t replicate it because you weren’t born with those feelings,” Virginia said. “I should have seen it. I should have seen that it was never there...all those animals, even before Hawkins. You couldn’t write it the way that all these other writers did, and so, you decided to steal it...to take it from other people. To create a play, a world, that no one will ever see, and what was the point, Henry? Was the point of this world you wanted to create?”

“Power,” Vecna growled.

“You never had it, Henry,” Alice said. “That was just an illusion. You were never as powerful as everyone here because they have something that you can never have, that you can never know.”

“They are capable of love, Henry, and that’s why they’re strong,” Virginia said.

“You say you love me, would you kill me, mother?” Henry asked. "Would you let your own son die?"

“Why not? You killed me first,” Virginia said.

“You had a family, Henry,” Alice cried. “And you destroyed it because the things that we cared about, you hated. You hated it so much that you wanted to destroy it or control it. That’s all you could feel, Henry, and even that was meaningless.”

“What’s hate without love?” Virginia asked.

Jane took Virginia’s hand, Virginia took Will’s, Will took Chrissy’s, Chrissy took Patrick’s, then Patrick took Fred’s. Fred turned to Nancy and held out his hand. Nancy grabbed his hand and took Alice’s in her other one, feeling Holly underneath the illusion. She could feel the power welling up inside of her.

“NO!” Vecna screamed, and he locked eyes with Eddie. “I can bring them back! There’s another stone! You can be with your son again. You can bring back your world...I can help you do that and bring back your memories, too!”

Nancy glanced over her shoulder at Eddie, and she could see him take over...Kas. He stared at Vecna with a curious look, and slightly hopeful look in his eye.

“Kas! NO!” Nancy screamed. “He’s lying to you, and you know it!”

“He can bring my son back to me,” Kas said softly, moving closer to Henry.

“Eddie! TAKEOVER! TAKEOVER!” Chrissy screamed. "FIGHT BACK, EDDIE!"

“Don’t do this, Kas! You said you wanted to change things! You said you wanted to help save our world, and this is your chance, now, to do better! You can’t save your world or your son, but you can save us. You can save us, Kas. Please, don’t believe him!” Nancy cried.

“Why should I believe you?” Kas asked, looking at her.

Nancy’s eyes filled with tears, as the thought came to her, as she struggled to come up with anything else.

“You came to me because you wanted your story to be told because you wanted someone to learn from your mistakes,” Nancy said. “Your son, he wouldn’t want you to do this. I remind you of him, don’t I? Isn’t that why you came to me? If there’s anything left of your son...it’s in me, isn’t it? We’re all stardust. We’re all made up of the same thing. When your son died, a part of him somehow drifted away from him, and it kept traveling until it found a place to rest, to become something new. Maybe that’s why we have this connection because part of him still lives here. He’s still here, Kas, and he doesn’t want you to do this. I can feel it.”

Nancy doesn’t know if she actually believes it, but she wanted to. . .She wanted to believe for his sake and for theirs that what she was saying was true.

“I want to believe you,” Kas said, and looked at Vecna. “You can do it?”

“Yes, join me, Kas!” Vecna screamed.

Kas looked at Nancy apologetically.

“If there is another stone. . .,” Kas trailed off.

“Then it needs to be destroyed!” Nancy screamed.

Red smoke poured out of Eddie’s mouth and went charging at Vecna. Chrissy broke the circle and raised her hand, trying to push the smoke back...it worked for a moment until. . .Demobats came pouring out of the library gate and dove for Chrissy. Her children rose up to defend her, tearing at the other bats. The other bats dove for the others, and Hopper started shooting along with the remaining military. Holly screamed along with the kids.

“PROTECT THE CHILDREN!” Nancy screamed as she threw herself over her sister and brother.

A demobat came for Chrissy, and her power was now focused on keeping the creature at bay. The smoke slid past her, and the demobats came to a stop as the red smoke entered Vecna. Eddie’s body lay prone on the ground; he wasn’t moving or breathing. Vecna stood up, no longer frozen by whoever’s power was keeping him down. The smile slid off his face, and he screamed. Everyone came to a stop, including the bullets.

“NOOOOO!!!!”

Vecna exploded into a red and black mist. There was nothing remaining except for red and black spores that floated towards the gate. Like stardust, Nancy thought. Once the spores entered the Upside Down, they disintegrated. . .Kas’ one last act. There was nothing left of Henry Creel. A silence fell over the group as it sunk in for everyone.

“Did we win?” Vickie asked.

“Yeah, I think we did,” Robin said, and Chrissy let out a wail.

“EDDIE!” Chrissy shrieked and knelt beside him. “EDDIE! WAKE UP! I DON’T FUCKING LIKE THIS! PLEASE, WAKE UP! YOU HAVE TO – YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP!”

Chrissy was sobbing beside Wayne and Dustin. Nancy approached Eddie’s still body, his chest unmoving. Chrissy’s hand lay over his heart, crying. Kas had been keeping Eddie alive...had he been the only thing doing so? Nancy felt an icy chill in her heart, and tears filled her eyes as she watched a member of her family lying on the ground. He would have been a member of her family, and he would have fit right in like Uncle Wayne did. He would have loved hanging out with Robin and Vickie. . .watching Scooby-Doo with Vickie and coming up with insane theories with her about why Scooby could talk. Nancy looked up at Mike, who looked just as tearful as she did and just as scared. Eddie gasped, sitting up and covering his hand over Chrissy’s, who had screamed in relief. Wayne let out a sob.

“I’m alive,” Eddie said.

“Yeah, you are,” Chrissy said.

“No, I mean, I’m alive,” Eddie said and pressed her palm harder against his naked chest. “I’m alive...I’m not a vamp – oh, goddamnit!”

“You’re alive, boy, that’s the only thing that matters,” Wayne said and pulled him up off the ground.

“Yeah, I guess,” Eddie said with a pout but hugged Wayne anyway, pulling Chrissy into the group hug.

Suddenly, the gate to the Mac-Z opened up, and trucks started rolling in. The first truck came to a stop in front of the group of soldiers left behind. A short gray-haired woman approached the trucks. She looked angry.

“That is Kay. She was in the lab in the Upside Down,” Jane explained. “We found her experiments.”

“Her experiments?” Nancy asked.

“She’s been experimenting on pregnant women using Henry’s blood,” Terry said.

“She had been hoping to create an army,” Hopper said.

“That’s awful,” Joyce said.

“We wouldn’t have managed to save them if it hadn’t been for Cathy,” Terry replied, slipping her hand into Joyce’s.

“I didn’t even see you slip away, Terry,” Joyce frowned. “I didn’t what happened to you – I thought - ,”

“I’m sorry, I needed to get to Jane, I didn’t think I just left,” Terry said.

“It’s fine, I understand,” Joyce said and then muttered, “Next time, leave a note or something.”

“Who’s Cathy?” Steve asked.

“Widow of Sam Owens,” Terry replied.

Nancy didn’t know what to think of Sam Owens. She never liked him, but then again, all she saw was the lab at the time. She knew from Jane that he generally tried to do the right thing, and it wasn’t always possible because of other assholes. He could have been better, but he did die trying to save the world, so maybe Nancy could focus on that. As well as the fact that a woman lost her husband.

“That’s Cathy,” Jane pointed out.

A woman with long brown hair hopped out. She looked like she was in her 60s with sharp but soft features. Her hair was up and away from her face. Nancy could see the deep sadness and the anger in her face.

“Dr. Kay,” Cathy greeted.

“Mrs. Owens, you don’t have authorization to be here,” Dr. Kay said.

“Neither do you,” Cathy said and handed her a piece of paper.

“You realize that anyone could have -,” Dr. Kay was cut off by a man getting out of the vehicle.

The man was of average height, and it was difficult to see the rest of his face with sunglasses that size. Dr. Kay knew him very well, it seemed. Her face froze before she looked furious again.

“As I’ve said,” Cathy said. “Not only have you been shut down, but you and your men are going to be arrested. There will be a full investigation into this.”

“You don’t understand the work -,” Dr. Kay started to say.

“–is over,” Cathy finished for her. “Take her.”

Dr. Kay wasn’t going to go down without a fight. She pulled out a gun and turned to her soldiers. They looked at her for a moment before pulling out their guns as well.

“I won’t let you, those kids, they could be useful in fight against the Russians, if you just let me -,” Dr. Kay said.

“You’re just making this harder for yourself, Miranda,” the man said.

Dr. Kay screamed and pointed a gun at the group. Sue and Charles reacted along with Claudia, jumping to shield their children. The gun went off in Nancy’s direction. Jane and Will reacted quickly, standing in front of her with their hands raised. Vickie and Robin wrapped their arms around Nancy. While using their powers, Will and Jane directed the bullet to hit the spot above Dr. Kay’s head instead. Nancy smirked. The man in the sunglasses raised his gun at her.

“Put the gun down now, Kay, or I’ll put you down,” he said.

“I will never -,” Kay started to say.

They were interrupted by a loud rumbling beneath their feet, and then suddenly – AURORA came bursting out of the gate! She spread her wings and swooped down on Kay’s men. She scooped them up in her mouth and swallowed them whole. Kay stared dumbly at the dragon for a moment before raising her gun. Aurora snorted and tossed Kay up in the air with her nose. The dragon tilted her head back and let her mouth fall open, catching Kay in her giant maw. Aurora swallowed.

“HOLY SHIT!” Mike and Lucas exclaimed.

Cathy’s soldiers raised their guns as well, but Nancy held up her hands as Aurora landed in front of the library. Nancy stood in front of her with Vickie and Robin hurrying after her.

“She’s a friend!” Nancy yelled. “She’s on our side!”

The soldiers looked skeptical, but they lowered their guns but kept them in their hands. Really, though, what were those weapons going to do against a DRAGON?! Nancy approached Aurora and pressed her hand to her chin, scratching it. Aurora made a please clicking sound.

“What the fuck, Nance?!” Robin squeaked as she followed.

“Robin, meet Aurora. She’s the part of Barb that survived,” Nancy said sadly.

Robin stared at Nancy, tears in her blue eyes. She knew that Robin and Barb used to be friends, but did Robin know what Barb dreamed about? Robin looked at Nancy sadly before glancing back at Aurora. Robin reached up carefully and touched Aurora’s nose.

“She used to dream about being a dragon, and now she is one,” Robin laughed, and then she cried. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Aurora nuzzled Robin’s hand, and Robin’s smile grew. Vicke approached as well before placing a hand on Aurora’s scaly cheek.

“She’s beautiful,” Vickie said.

“Well,” the man in sunglasses said. “I guess that saves us on paperwork...or does it?”

Cathy approached the group, looking around at the chaos. She looked at Jane with guilt and sympathy.

“We’ll laying all the blame for this on Kay, since most of it is her and Dr. Brenner’s fault,” Cathy frowned. “But no one will be looking for you anymore, Jane. You’re free, and so are you, Kali. Your friends are waiting for you on the other side of quarantine."

“They’re alive?” Kali asked.

“Yes, shaken up, but otherwise, they’re fine,” Cathy said. “None of you will be in trouble for what has happened here. If anything, you guys deserve. . .so much for what you did. You saved the world; you fixed what these. . .assholes have broken. My Sam died trying to do the same.”

“I feel like there’s still so much left,” Nancy said. “I mean, do you know where our powers come from?”

“I do,” Cathy said with a smile. “And there have been people fighting to protect that secret as well as the secret of the stone for many years.”

“We destroyed it,” Nancy said.

“That’s something that they also sought to do,” Cathy said. “Unfortunately, they never found it, and they never found a way to the other side.”

“This world, and the Upside Down, it still needs to be kept safe,” Nancy said.

“It will be, don’t you worry about that,” Cathy said.

Aurora let out a roar, and Cathy looked at the dragon with fright. The dragon nudged Nancy’s hand.

“What is it?” she asked, and Aurora nodded at the gate. “Do you have to?”

She could feel it without Aurora having to say any words. She caressed her friend sadly, letting her fingers run over her scales. She couldn’t stay in this world. . .not anymore. There was no room for a dragon, and the air...it just wasn’t right. Nancy could tell the creature was struggling to breathe along with the demobats.

“What’s wrong?” Chrissy asked the demobat in her hands.

The gates would be closing soon, and any connection would soon be gone. It wouldn’t be a place that they’d be able to live. They could tolerate their world, but they couldn’t live in theirs. It didn’t seem fair.

“The gates will be closing soon,” Nancy told Chrissy. “They can’t stay here.”

“But they’re our babies!” Chrissy exclaimed.

“They protected us!” Eddie exclaimed.

“They’ll die here,” Nancy said. “So will Aurora. Maybe one day, we’ll find a way for us all to be together, but I don’t think that’s today.”

Chrissy and Eddie sobbed as they gathered their bats around them.

“Do you think Aurora - ?” Chrissy asked Nancy, and Aurora snorted, causing Nancy to giggle.

“Of course, she’ll make sure they’re okay,” Nancy said. "Barb was the world's best babysitter."

Chrissy crouched down with Eddie, kneeling on the ground in front of them. They were both crying now.

“Okay, Ozzie, I know Jamie can be a bit aggressive, but she’s already proven that she can lead you guys pretty well,” Chrissy said.

“So, she’s in charge while Mummy and Daddy are gone,” Eddie sniffed. “She’s hard on you, but she loves you, and she just wants what is best for you.”

“Gracie, I know you think you’re big, but you’re actually pretty small. . .smaller than the rest. Don’t be afraid to let the others help you,” Chrissy said.

“Don’t pick on Gracie either, Winnie, just because she’s small,” Eddie said. “She’s kicked your ass before, and she’ll do it again.”

“Lizzie, don’t be afraid to be speak your mind,” Chrissy said. “You’ve got a lot to say.”

Lizzie whimpered softly and snuggled up to Chrissy, indicating that she was clearly a mommy’s girl. Chrissy let out a sob, scratching her tummy.

“Be good for Auntie Aurora,” Eddie said to Ozzie. “You’re in charge, but she’s there for you, too.”

The ground was starting to shake again, but Nancy knew that it was time for Aurora and the others to go. The gates were closing. . .on their own. Aurora let out a weird shriek towards the bats and started walking towards the gate. The bats followed, but every so often, they’d look behind them at Chrissy and Eddie. Aurora looked at Nancy one last time, and Nancy couldn’t help but cry, too.

“Goodbye, Barb,” Nancy whispered, holding Vickie and Robin’s hands tightly.

She watched Aurora walk into the library gate...this was where Barb’s body had been found, Nancy realized, as the gate closed behind them. Chrissy collapsed into Eddie’s arms, wailing.

“We were too young to be parents anyway,” Chrissy cried.

“Especially to interdimensional bats,” Eddie said, stroking her hair, and she couldn’t help but laugh.

Nancy stared at the closed gate, an overwhelming feeling of closure taking over her. She could let Barb go. . .because Barb was gone, and the part of her that still remained wouldn’t be alone. There was a strong feeling of grief and sadness that slammed against her heart like the crashing of a wave against the rock. The feeling fell away, the water rushing back down into the ocean, and the water was calm, with only tiny ripples dancing across the surface. She felt Vickie’s and Robin’s arms wrap around her, making her realize that she had been crying heavily.

“We won,” Nancy whispered.

When the gate closed all the way, Hopper collapsed. Jane rushed to his side along with Joyce.

“Hop, what’s wrong?” Joyce asked. “Hop?”

Jane touched Hopper’s side, and her hand came away with blood. She gasped.

“You got shot! They shot you! The soldiers - ,” Jane cried.

“Back at the lab,” Hopper coughed, blood pooling around his mouth.

“No, you said that you were not hurt that badly. You said that they only grazed you,” Jane said, her lip trembling. “You lied.”

“I had to,” Hopper said. “To protect you.”

“No, no,” Jane sobbed. “You can’t die. I will not let you.”

“There’s not much you can do, kid,” Hopper said. “Even if you could restart my heart again. . .Too much blood.”

“Please,” Jane sobbed.

Terry sat down next to Jane and wrapped her arm around her, tears in her own eyes. Nancy stilled, watching the scene unfold before them. She had a lot of problems with Hopper, particularly with the way he handled the Hollands after Barb died, but like Owens, he tried to do the right thing. He fought beside them, fought to protect them all. At the end of the day, isn’t that what matters? Even with Murray, he fought with them, too. Jane was losing her father, who really did fight like hell to keep her safe all these years even when he didn’t always get it right.

“You kept her safe,” Terry whispered to Hopper. “Thank you.”

“Hop,” Joyce sobbed. “Don’t - ,”

“Don’t worry, Joyce, I’m thinking about Mexico,” Hopper said, and touched her face. “You and me on the beach...”

“We never went,” Joyce said.

“In my dreams, we did,” Hopper said. “Every night, I dream. . .and I'm dreaming. . .I'm dreaming of Mexico. . .of Sara. I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Joyce said.

“You’re safe, kid,” Hopper said and touched Jane’s face. “You’re free. You can be anything. . .you’re free. Safe.”

“You don’t have to protect me anymore. You can rest,” Jane sobbed. “You can rest now. Tell Sara I said hi, and that – that I would have loved being her sister.”

Jane’s body shook as Hopper smiled. The light in his eyes started to go out, and his arm dropped.

“Jane,” he whispered, and he stopped breathing.

“It doesn’t give him the right to go behind your back and threaten your boyfriend,” Max sighed. “Mike was an asshole, but I totally understand why he did what he did. Mike isn’t the one who controls you, Hopper is. He doesn’t get to tell you who to date. That’s not his decision. . .it’s not mine either. If you want to date Mike, that’s up to you. If it bothered Hopper how much time you spent with him, he should have just said that. We’re kids, we can be petty and immature, but Hopper’s an adult. What’s his excuse?”

“He was wrong,” El said.

“Oh, yeah, absolutely,” Max said and she looked at El with a tilt of her head. “Did it hurt knowing that Hopper did that?”

“He does not trust me,” El’s frown deepening. “He never has.”

“You aren’t a baby, El,” Max said. “You know what you’re doing and what you’re capable of. It’s almost funny that he thinks Mike Wheeler is a threat. Has he seen Mike?”

“Mike is cute,” El said, looking offended. “He is brave and funny.”

“Our tastes in guys are just different, I guess,” Max smiled and El giggled. “You’re not going to let anyone change your mind about Mike, are you?”

“There are a lot of things that I do not know. I know who I am, I know what I like now, and I know that Mike is something I like,” El said. “I will not change my mind.”

“I respect that,” Max said. “I give Mike a lot of grief about being a clueless asshole but I’m not much different. I forget how old I am sometimes.”

“Me too,” El said and paused. “Lucas is not so different than Mike.”

“Take that back!” Max exclaimed.

“No!” El giggled.

Max threw a pillow at her, and El responded by launching a pillow at her with her powers.

“NO POWERS, EL, THAT’S CHEATING!” Max screamed and El laughed harder.

El had sworn after that to talk to Hopper and to Mike, but finding Hopper was difficult when Will told them that he felt that something was wrong in Hawkins. Once again, they were fighting monsters, and Hopper was, for some reason, in Illinois. El had gone there once, when she had gone to Chicago to find her sister, Kali. Was Hopper trying to find Kali? She didn’t think Kali was in Chicago anymore, but she couldn’t be sure. Now, they were at the community pool, trying to find something to trap Flayed Billy with. El was alone with Mike, which meant that they could talk.

“You should have told me about Hopper,” El said.

“He’s your dad,” Mike said.

“You are my boyfriend. That’s not his choice. It’s my choice. Our choice,” El said. “He does not get a choice. If I do not want to see you, then I decide. If he wanted time with me, he should have told ME. He did not. He should not have done that to you. You should not have lied. I understand why. You were still wrong.”

“I’m sorry, El, I guess I just panicked,” Mike said.

“You are a kid. We are kids,” El said. “I forget that. Hopper is an adult. He should know better.”

“I never wanted to lie to you,” Mike said.

“I know,” El said, and she kissed him. “We should not have spied on you.”

“You only did that because I lied to you. I understand,” Mike said, and El smiled at him.

El didn’t get a chance to talk to Hopper until they fought their way to the mall to regroup with the rest of the party. That’s where Hopper, Joyce, and their friend Murray found them. El was in Mike and Max’s arms, her leg open and bleeding from the gift that the Mind Flayer’s fleshy monster left behind. El had used her powers to get it out after Jonathan tried to help, and Hopper had squashed the monster with his boot. Now, Joyce was holding her while Hopper bandaged her leg.

“You threatened Mike,” El said.

“Do we have to talk about this right now?” Hopper asked.

“Yes,” El said. “Why?”

“I only did that because you were spending too much time together,” Hopper said.

“Why did you not say that to me?” El asked, and he paused.

“I tried,” he said.

“Not enough,” she said. “You did not think I would understand.”

“That’s not it,” Hopper sighed.

“You threatened Mike, you told him to lie to me, and you said that if he did, you would allow him to date me,” El said. “I saw you. Mike lied to me, and you were happy. I was hurt. Confused. You were happy. You sang.”

“You told me you talked to them! You said that feelings were shared, Hopper,” Joyce said.

“You lied to Joyce,” El scowled.

“I didn’t mean to hurt anyone,” Hopper said.

“You did,” El said, her bottom lip trembling. “You didn’t trust me. You never did. I am not a baby. I am not stupid.”

“I know that,” Hopper said sighed and didn’t look her in the eye.

“Summer was the first time that we got to spend together, after watching for a year, Mike calling and hoping I was alive. He never gave up on me. Not once,” El said with tears in her eyes. “I wanted to enjoy our time together. For once. Without monsters, without school. We did not know if we would have time together again. We were scared. If you had said that you wanted to spend time with me, I would have sent Mike home. We would have learned.”

“I told you it was just a phase,” Joyce muttered.

El squeezed Joyce’s hand, and Joyce hugged her tightly, kissing the top of her head. Hopper looked ashamed, and El was glad. He should be.

“I have trouble talking sometimes, but I am not stupid. I can understand,” El said. “I am just clueless. I am a kid. You are the adult, and you should have taught me.”

“Well, adults don’t always get it right, kid,” Hopper said.

“I know,” El said. “But Joyce told you, and you didn’t listen. You knew what to do.”

“Well, maybe if you and Mike hadn’t been disrespectful,” Hopper scowled. “I was sitting there trying to talk to you and you –,”

“We are kids. What is your excuse?” El asked, echoing Max's words. “You knew better, but you still hurt me. You should have made us listen, but you wanted to do it your way. Your way hurt.”

“You’re right. That wasn’t very grown up of me,” Hopper said. “I should have tried harder. I just – I lost one kid, and I was scared of losing another. Rationally, I knew that Mike wouldn’t hurt you, but the irrational part of my brain was telling me to protect you from him, too. I saw enemies everywhere, and I became this paranoid bastard. The stupid fucking black hole, that’s what I am. I just suck everyone in, and I keep hurting them. I kept telling myself that you didn’t know any better because you were locked away and in doing that, I completely missed how smart you, how capable you are. . .You’re a teenager now, and part of that. . .part of being a teenager is discovering romantic relationships. Hell, I was a teenager boy once and maybe that’s why it was driving me crazy because I remembered what I was like when I was that age and I only wanted one thing. Mike isn’t me, and I know that’s the furthest thing from your mind right now. All you want to do is be together after everything you kids went through, and I should have factored that in. As grown up as I am, I’m also the stupidest and the most stubborn. I can’t admit when I’m wrong and I hate that. It was childish of me to react like that. I never meant to hurt you and I’m sorry, kid. I’m so sorry.”

“I have escaped the lab, fought monsters and mouth breathers. I have saved people; I have found family and survived on my own. I was alone for a long time. I do not want to be alone again,” El said. “Benny was the first person to be kind to me, Mike was the first person to show me that I am a person and not a weapon. He was kind to me, too. He understands me, and I understand him. I love him. I know what love is and what it is not. He showed me what home means and what friendship means. He is not Brenner. He is a puppy. He does not want to use me like Brenner did. He is puppy."

“I understand,” Hopper said.

“If Mike does something stupid, I will handle him. I can handle him,” El insisted. “He is not what you need to protect me from. We do not always kiss. He teaches me what he was taught from school, and he tells me what I miss. We listen to the radio and read what he calls “trashy” magazines. We play board games, and I laugh when I beat him. He does not let me win. We are friends who kiss. Please, trust me.”

“I will,” Hopper said softly. “I promise.”

“You promise, and you always break them,” El said sadly.

“Oh, kid, I’m really fucking sorry,” Hopper said, his blue eyes filled with tears. “You have no idea how sorry I am.”

“You owe Joyce an apology, too,” El said.

“Oh, he’s going to make it up to me later,” Joyce said. “Don’t you worry about me, sweetie.”

“When we get out of here, I’ll make it up to both of you,” Hopper said and hugged El.

“Do not promise,” El whispered. "I hate it when you promise."

He did not make it out of Starcourt with them. That night, El thought she lost her father forever. For one moment, she thought that maybe she had been too angry with him, too hard on him, but she realized later when she looked into Mike’s dark brown puppylike eyes of his, that she had been right to be angry. Mike was flawed like every one of them, but he had their backs when they needed them the most, and she wanted to be with him. She wanted him to be her boyfriend, and she wanted to learn how to have a relationship, but every time, it seemed like they were getting anywhere, something happened, and they got torn apart again. That made El angry, and it made Mike retreat inside of himself. Neither one of them knew how to handle the separation. She wanted to blame Hopper for that missing year. If they had more time, then maybe they had a shot. . .but they never seemed to get the time they deserved, and no one seemed to understand that. She could always feel Mike’s love, even without her powers, and she felt it when Mike stepped off that plane. He had her favorite flowers from Hawkins, with her favorite colors, and he carried them all this way. She didn’t have to ask; she had written it down in her letter, and he brought them to her. She had forgotten for a moment that she had been angry that he never said he loved her in his letters.

“You showed me,” El said to Mike in the cabin she once lived in with Hopper.

“What?” Mike asked.

“You showed me you loved me,” El said. “With the flowers, and all the other. . .gestures. You showed me and I was so angry that I missed it.”

“I shouldn’t have said what I said. . .I should have said what I felt,” Mike said.

“I did not know how to handle the separation either. I doubted you. I should have told you the truth about the bullying. I shouldn’t have said that you did not understand because I know that you do. . .I saw you jump into the quarry. I know you know,” El said. “I make mistakes, you do, too. One day, I hope we get time to learn.”

“We never seem to do,” Mike said.

“We will, I believe,” El said.

El took his hand in hers, holding it tightly. Some people did not understand them, but it didn’t matter as long as they did. It was the only thing that mattered. People and monsters could try to tear them apart, but the only thing that mattered was how they both knew how they felt about each other. She could feel it in her chest, the same way she knew that Mike felt it in his.

“I read your letters a thousand times over, and I kept every single one of them,” Mike said. “There was a part of me that hoped you somehow knew even without your powers.”

“I know now,” El said and kissed him.

She hoped for the time they wanted, and with that time, they could learn how to not be afraid to let go of each other just a little bit, and that they could learn how to be a stupidly normal teenage couple. Right now, though, she wanted to hold onto Mike and never let him go. She could feel it. . .that their time was almost up. She was just as scared as Mike.

Later, she knelt in her old room, picking up a coke bottle that she once spun around with Max. The redhead had respected her choices and fought to have them respected as well. She had her back as much as Mike did, to the point where they had both butted heads over her choices. She wasn’t all that different from Mike, and maybe that was why they had fought so much. That’s when she heard his voice for the first time in months. She turned around and saw Hopper standing in the doorway. For months, she had tried to pretend like she hadn’t been so angry at his absence. She felt the anger rise up, and all she wanted to do was yell at him, but the relief at the sight of him washed it away.

“I kept the door open three inches,” El sobbed and threw herself into his arms.

“Still angry with me?” Hopper asked.

“Yes,” El said. “Please, don’t die again.”

“I can’t make that promise, kid,” Hopper said.          

He really couldn’t, and he refused to make that promise. At first, it was all going well, with Hopper encouraging her and protecting her. However, as more time passed without any sign of Vecna, it became harder for Hopper not to get worried. As his worry grew, he became more protective, especially with the military trying to hunt down El. The distance grew between Mike and El, too. Mike didn’t know how to help, didn’t know what he could do. He lost his confidence in himself. He was trying to find it again, but once more, they were separated, and they were only able to see each other whenever there was a crawl. It was too dangerous for them to be together, and Hopper had shown his guilt for how he acted in the past, for trying to tear them apart. Maybe that’s what led him to do it, to once more take away El’s choice and sacrifice himself in her place with the promise from the military that they would never hunt her again. It was over, and the world had been saved. . .but at what cost?

1989

Jane sat down in front of the memorial, feeling the grief inside of her as she stared at it. She remembered Hopper calling her Jane right before he died, standing at the entrance and telling her that she deserved to live. . .not as a number or a weapon, but as a person who had the opportunity to make a thousand more choices for herself. Did he realize, she thought, that he had taken the choice to sacrifice herself away from her? Once again, she was angry.

“Jane,” Mike said.

Jane smoothed down her blue flowered dress and looked up at Mike as he sat down next to her. She had broken up with Mike after Hopper died, and they had been broken up for several months now while Jane focused on school like Hopper had wanted her to. Even after all that hard work, Jane was still graduating next year instead of with the rest of their friends. She hadn’t intended to make Mike feel guilty. . .she knew that it wasn’t his fault that Hopper had died. Sure, he had made the bomb but, it was still Hopper’s choice to sacrifice himself for the world. . .for Jane. It was the same thing that her mother had done, and it was why she went by Jane, because her mother had fought so hard for her to live the life she deserved in the same way Hopper had. Plus, “Eleven” was officially dead. It was the only way for the military to stop hunting her. Jane stared at the scar on her arm. . .where she had quickly covered it up with a knife during the battle.

“Mike,” Jane smiled sadly. “You should be at graduation.”

“I didn’t want to graduate without you there,” Mike said.

“You are holding up graduation because of me?” Jane asked.

“Yeah,” he smiled.

“I am not even graduating yet,” she said.

“I still want you there,” Mike replied.

“Go,” she said.

“He wanted you to live your own life,” Mike said. "He wouldn't want you to do this."

“He took away my choice,” Jane said, clenching her jaw. “It was my choice. Mine!”

“A choice that you didn’t have to make, and you shouldn’t have had to,” Mike said. “He knew you deserved to have a life, to experience things, and he knew more than anyone how wrong it was to take the chance of having a life away from you. . .did you really want to die?”

“No! I just wanted people to stop dying because of me,” Jane cried.

“It was his choice, too. He chose to save you, and because of that, you get to live,” Mike said. “You have a mother and two brothers who love you. . .you have a family. You have friends, and soon you’ll get to decide where you go to college, if you want to go to college. . .he wanted that for you. That was his choice to give. I think he knew, too, how much it would have killed me if I had been the one to kill you. You know it, too. You saw how much it killed me, knowing that Hopper died because of my bomb, and I didn’t care about him as much as I did you. You are everything to me, Jane. If you ever wanted to give us another chance, he gave that to you, too. . .but it's not about me or Hopper. . .what do you want? Instead of thinking about the choice that he took from you, why not think about all the choices he gave you when he gave his life for yours?”

“I can’t,” Jane sobbed. “He should be here. He should be here, he promised. . .it was supposed to be me, Mike.”

“Yeah, and I think Hopper is at peace somewhere knowing that it wasn’t you,” Mike said.

“I don’t know how to stop being so angry, Mike,” Jane said with a sob. "I hide it, but I'm angry all the time."

“You don’t have to figure it out alone,” Mike said. "We can help you, Jane, whatever you need. You don't have to figure it all out now, either. You have time, now. You can take your time."

Jane stared at him and tucked her head into his shoulder. They sat there for a while, staring at the memorial, wiping her face with a tissue she pulled out of her purse, pushing past the recent postcard from Kali to get to the tissues. She handed the purse to Mike.

“Fix my makeup?” she asked.

“Sure,” Mike said, and started pulling out the makeup.

“You know, Max does not want to admit it, but she’s jealous that you can do it better than her,” El giggled.

“Then maybe she should let me teach her,” Mike scoffed.

“Then she’d have to admit that she’s wrong,” Jane laughed again.

“Stubborn,” he muttered, and she grinned.

After that was done, Jane put her makeup back in her purse and stood up with Mike. She grabbed his arm, squeezing it gently.

“Thank you, Mike,” she said.

“You’re welcome,” he said. “I’m happy to do it whenever you like.”

“I don’t mean about the makeup,” she said. “Thank you for giving me space when I asked for it.”

“I’d give you all the time in the world if I could,” Mike said. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” she said, cupping his face and kissing him.

She took his arm, and together, they started walking towards the ceremony, where it was being held outside of the high school. Jane could feel it, and she knew that Mike could, too. It would be better this time, and they’d find their footing. They’d find it together. Jane made a happy noise as she pressed her cheek to Mike's shoulder as they walked.

"What?" Mike asked.

"I have a lot of choices to make," she said. "I could steal from the rich and give to the poor if I wanted to."

"You've been reading Robin Hood again," Mike said in amusement.

"Yes," Jane said. "I will not apologize for it. I think I would look good with a bow. . .not the one in my hair."

Her thick curly hair was braided down her back, a giant bow at the end of it. She shook her head and let the braid swing from side to side. Mike laughed.

"I could join your Merry Men," Mike said. "I could be your Maid Marian."

"You would make an excellent Maid Marian," Jane laughed.

"It would make an excellent adventure," Mike said.

"It's a choice," Jane smiled. "Even if I don't do that, I think I will take up archery."

"It's a great idea," Mike said. "I'd probably end up shooting myself in the ass somehow."

Jane laughed again, feeling lighter than she had before, but she still felt troubled. Mike was right. She didn't have to figure it out all at once. It would take more time than she had given herself, and she knew her father would want her to continue to live. It's what he died for. She knew he'd want her to live for herself, too. Jane slid her hand into Mike's and interlaced their fingers together. When they approached the bleachers, it was filled with family members, including their own. Joyce, Karen, and Jonathan were waiting for them. Mike hugged his mother, and Jane hugged him before nudging him to go on without her. He kissed her cheek before walking away with his mother, leaving Jane with her own family.

"Are you alright?" Joyce asked.

"I'm fine, Mama," Jane said and hugged her. "I will be fine. I just need some time to myself, that's all."

"I see you're back together with Mike," Jonathan said.

"My choice," she smiled. "I did not want to wait anymore."

"I'm happy for you," Jonathan said with a smile, and Joyce smiled at her as well but frowned shortly after. "Mom's starting to worry. Have you seen Will?"

"He's missing?" Jane asked.

Suddenly, Dustin and Will came running up, out of breath. They were shrugging on their robes.

"I told you we wouldn't miss it, Will!" Dustin exclaimed. "It was only five minutes!"

"Will, where were you?" Joyce asked.

"Mom!" Will exclaimed, looking surprised to see her. "We were just - "

" - uh, experimenting in the woods!" Dustin exclaimed.

"Dustin!" Will scolded.

"A science experiment, Will," Dustin said, looking at him. "That's what we were doing. What else could they possibly think?"

"Will, what's that on your neck?" Joyce asked and frowned at Dustin. "What experiment caused my son to get hurt like that?"

"Mom, come on," Jonathan groaned.

Will raised a questioning eyebrow at Dustin, who sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"It's a hickey, Mrs. Clarke, I gave your son a hickey," Dustin said.

"It's still Mrs. Byers, Scott, and I aren't married yet," Joyce blushed. "I think this is great, but there's a time and place for that, boys."

"He looked so cute in his robes," Dustin smiled and then scowled. "Maybe if your son wasn't so cute, we wouldn't be late!"

"Will," Joyce scolded jokingly, and Jonathan laughed.

"Love is in the air," Jane beamed. "I am happy for you both. I just got back together with Mike."

"Finally," Will and Dustin said with a smile.

Joyce scolded both of them before pushing them towards the stage. Jane walked with Jonathan, who looked at her.

"You're not surprised," Jonathan said.

"Neither are you," Jane said.

"You're a lot more observant than I am," Jonathan said. "You figured out Mom and Scott before I did. I always thought you had a great eye. It would be good for photography."

Jane stared at him for a moment and then laughed in realization before planting a kiss on her older brother's cheek.

"Do you think you could teach me?" she asked. "Do you have time before you go back to New York?"

"Jane, it was just a suggestion, you don't - ," Jonathan said.

"I think it sounds exactly like the thing that would interest me. What better way to capture moments in time forever?" Jane asked. "I think I would like to do that."

"Well, if you're serious, I wouldn't mind introducing you to the craft," Jonathan said.

"I am excited," Jane beamed.

She hugged Jonathan and climbed up the bleachers to sit down next to Scott while Jonathan moved over to Bob's video camera. Scott nudged her shoulder.

"Disappointed it's not you up there?" Scott asked.

"No, I'm happy for them, and I look forward to next year," Jane said.

She really was. She had already made some friends that she would be following into next year, so it's not like she'll be totally alone, and Scott had already moved up to the high school as their new science teacher. It would be weird without the party there, but Jane felt confident that she could make it. She didn't have her powers anymore, but she didn't need them. . .she never needed them. Her true power was her ability to understand people, and as long as she had that, she'd be more than alright. Jane watched Mike lean over to Lucas and Max. She could see Mike uttering her name, a twinkle in his brown eyes. Max turned around, locked eyes with Jane, and promptly stuck out her tongue. Jane laughed before promptly sticking her tongue back out at her.

"You could do worse," Max mouthed to her.

"So could you," she mouthed back.