Chapter 1: Prologue
Chapter Text
It had been nearly seventeen months since Hawkins experienced its deadliest “earthquake”.
Seventeen months since Vecna was defeated—since Nancy, Steve, Dustin, Lucas, Erica, and Robin survived what should have killed them.
Since Eddie Munson died.
Since Max Mayfield slipped into a coma.
Since the Byers—and Eleven—returned to Hawkins.
And since Hopper came home from Russia.
Eleven became a missing teenager once again.
The military claimed it was searching for her safety. In truth, they wanted her back—wanted her to restart Dr Brenner’s inhumane psychic experiments. Only this time, the project was no longer led by a scientist playing god but by someone far worse: a ruthless, military-minded woman named Dr Kay.
Hopper kept Eleven hidden in the old cabin, the same place that had once protected her before—safe, for now, from Kay’s reach.
Meanwhile, the party—along with Steve, Nancy, Jonathan, Joyce, Robin, and Hopper—went on thirty-seven separate searches, chasing rumours and dead ends in their hunt for Henry Creel.
And still, nothing felt finished. Mike Wheeler was barely holding on.
The party’s Zoomer—the one who never let any of them spiral, who always told the truth even when it hurt—lay trapped in a coma.
The knight waited for her every day. He sat beside the Zoomer's hospital bed, armour long gone but loyalty intact, refusing to leave in case she woke up and needed him.
The bard was drowning in grief after Eddie Munson’s death, pushing away everyone who tried to reach him—even Steve.
And the wizard was still being pulled into Vecna’s mind long after the battle was supposed to be over.
He met his mage whenever he could...preferably when Hopper was out on the crawls with the gang. He just didn't understand their need to be held close, to breathe the same air as the other one.
It was one such night...Eleven was sick with worry ....she had recently been very scared that hopper might one day decide that he needed to sacrifice himself to protect her .the cabin was quiet in a way that didn’t feel peaceful—more like the world was holding its breath.
Hawkins slept uneasily outside, fractured and waiting, but inside el's room the lights were low and everything felt strangely still. Eleven sat on the bed, hands folded in her lap, staring at the floor like she was trying to memorize it.
Mike hovered nearby, restless, pacing once before finally stopping in front of her.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep,” she admitted.
He shook his head. “Me neither.”
He sat beside her, close but not touching. Not yet. They’d learned how fragile everything was—how easily it could all disappear. Outside, something creaked. The sound made Eleven flinch.
Mike noticed immediately.
He reached for her hand.
That was all it took.
Eleven’s fingers curled around his, grounding herself in the warmth of him. She leaned into his shoulder, and Mike instinctively wrapped an arm around her, holding her like the world might try to take her again at any second.
“I’m scared,” she said quietly.
“I know,” he replied, pressing his forehead gently against hers. “Me too.”
They stayed like that, breathing the same air, sharing the same fear. No speeches. No promises. Just the certainty that this—this closeness—was real.
They came closer than they were meant to.Lines got blurred and the only thing mattered was the the rhythm of their bond
Hours later when they lay down together, it was slow and careful. Eleven rested her head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, steady and alive. Mike’s arm stayed wrapped around her, protective without thinking about it.
If tomorrow was the end, they wanted this moment to exist.
Not because they were reckless.
But because they loved each other.
And because sometimes, in the face of monsters and a forever fear of death , all you can do is hold on to the person who makes you feel human.
Somewhere between fear and hope, between night and dawn, a future quietly began—unnoticed, unnamed, and already worth protecting.
Chapter 2: The Mage Finds Her Reason
Chapter Text
Today was the fifth of November. Only one day remained until the final battle… until it would all be over.
The plan was set: enter the abyss, rescue the children, kill Vecna, and destroy the Upside Down once and for all.
Eleven Hopper was ready to kill her brother and arch-nemesis and end the town’s suffering for good.
Suddenly, the Squawk Station began to spin around her, and before she could grasp what was happening, her surroundings went black.
She collapsed to the floor with a loud thump, startling the entire gang.
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**IN THE VOID:**
Darkness didn’t feel like her usual voids.
It felt familiar… like the voids she could conjure when she was still a child… oblivious to Papa's brutality.
Eleven drifted—not falling, not standing—just there. The quiet wrapped around her like the void used to, but softer this time. Warmer. It hummed faintly, like something waiting to be found.
“Hello?” she whispered.
A sound answered her. Not words. A laugh—small, breathy, and real.
She turned.
A child stood a few feet away. Eleven’s eyes widened before she even understood what she was seeing. A small figure, about five years old, stood there with dark brown wavy curls tumbling past her shoulders, a pale, heart-shaped face, and eyes that somehow held both warmth and determination. She wore a soft rainbow sweater, a simple blue skirt, and bright red sneakers. On her wrist, a tiny woven bracelet—the kind Hopper had given Eleven long ago—spoke silently of family, love, and home.
No blood. No fear. No cracks in the world behind her. Just a little girl looking at Eleven like she’d been waiting all along. Her presence was calm but alive, every movement precise yet effortless, as if she already knew Eleven in a way the world had yet to explain. In that instant, the world narrowed down to one quiet certainty: this girl belonged to her.
Eleven’s breath caught.
“Who are you?” she asked.
The girl tilted her head and smiled.
And Eleven knew. Not with her mind. With something deeper. An instinct foreign to her. Her chest ached—not with pain, but with a sudden, overwhelming need to protect.
The girl’s eyes met hers. Brown. Warm. Steady. Mike’s eyes.
“You found me,” the girl said softly, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Eleven’s knees gave out as she sank down in front of her. “Do I… know you?”
The question seemed to confuse the child. “Of course you do,” she said gently. “You’re my mama.”
The word didn’t explode. It settled. Right. That was all Eleven could think.
The girl stepped forward without hesitation, small arms wrapping around Eleven’s neck as if she’d done it a hundred times before. Eleven held her instinctively, pressing her close. The moment they touched, warmth flooded through her—stronger than any power she had ever known. Steady. Alive.
A heartbeat echoed in the quiet. Not Vecna’s. Not hers alone.
“You were scared,” the girl said matter-of-factly, pulling back just enough to look at her. “But you don’t have to be.”
Eleven’s voice shook. “I don’t understand.”
The girl leaned forward, resting her forehead against Eleven’s. The way Mike always did. “You will,” she said. “You always do.”
A second heartbeat echoed again. Strong. Steady. Alive.
“You can’t go yet,” the girl added softly. “I need you.”
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**BACK IN THE SQUAWK ROOM:**
“El! El! El!” Mike called frantically, rushing to her side. Everyone had gathered around her. Max wheeled closer. Hopper looked sick with worry, shooting daggers at Kali with his eyes. Mike looked like he was ready to end the world.
“Everyone! Move! She needs fresh air and space to come back to consciousness!” Vickie boomed. Nobody had heard her speak that loud before, including Robin. She sprinkled some water on El’s face to wake her up.
For Eleven, the darkness rushed away. She woke with a sharp breath, air burning her lungs, the world snapping back into place. Her hand moved instinctively to her stomach. Mike and Hopper rushed to hug her, knocking the air out of her.
For Eleven Hopper, for the first time, the future didn’t feel abstract.
It felt personal.
And she knew—without doubt—
She couldn’t die tomorrow. She had to live, if not for her, then for her daughter.