45. You Are Not Alone

[A/N: Ahhhh I love you guys so much. Thank you for your sweet reviews! :') This is really keeping my momentum up and I just want to write faster for you guys! lol We'll see how much I can get done before my semester starts.

Also, fun fact: The name 'Clarksville' comes from an area near me so it's really amusing to me when I'm driving and see a sign that's like '8 miles to Clarksville' or hear a radio commercial about some event happening there XD]

. . . . . . . .

Chapter 45: You Are Not Alone (by Michael Jackson)

"I can hear your prayers, your burdens I will bear. But first I need your hand, then forever can begin..."

. . . . . . . .

The Night Before

It'd been hours since he'd seen movement in or around the house. When he'd accepted a job like this, along with a substantial bonus in pay, he'd also anticipate a little bit of action or excitement but so far, the most interesting part had been tailing the police chief's SUV without him noticing. After he'd dropped the girl off, it'd been dull from then on.

He was supposed to keep an eye on her whereabouts and give indication to the lab as to when the most subtle time to pick up the girl would be. They hadn't wanted "witnesses" which made this whole thing seem like some kind of spy operation and a lot more fun than his last summer gig loading and unloading boxes at a warehouse in downtown Indianapolis.

Freddie was probably doing paperwork or some other lame job like that. They'd been college roommates for the past semester and he was stuck with the loser for at least the remainder of the spring semester. He'd been dying to have a roommate he could actually have fun and stir shit up with but Freddie wasn't that guy, unfortunately for Jake.

When a dark car swerved its way into the driveway of the house Jake was watching, he instantly sat up straight. He wasn't expecting any other visitors coming to the house. A drunk and slovenly man got out of the car and marched up to the porch, leaving his sedan still running. Jake watched as the door opened and the man went inside. He could faintly hear yelling but there was no chance he'd hear anything audible. He'd parked the lab's black van at the edge of the property in the cover of trees and shadows which, on a dark night with a broken street lamp, made him essentially invisible.

After a few minutes of anticipation, staring at the door and the shadows shifting in front of the pulled curtains, the front door burst open again and the man Jake had seen enter the house was now dragging a young girl out. She had long hair that was maybe brown or red - he couldn't tell in the dark - and she was thrashing against his grip on her as he yelled.

Picking up the car radio, Jake attempted to contact Agent Kramer. "Agent Kramer, do you copy?"

After a moment, an older man's annoyed voice answered. "Yes, Jake. What is it now?"

"I'm at the house and a man just dragged some girl out of it," Jake said, watching through the windshield as the man whipped around and smacked the girl across the face so hard he lost his grip and she stumbled back. "It isn't you guys, right?"

"No," Agent Kramer seemed more interested at this point. "Can you identify the people you're seeing. Is it the same girl? Eleven?"

"I don't think so," Jake shook his head, fascinated by the altercation he was witnessing. "She - Holy shit!" He laughed, incredulous as Agent Kramer repeatedly asked what was happening.

"This guy!" Jake exclaimed into the radio. "One minute he's just standing there and then he just flipped in the air and landed hard as shit on the ground,"

"Do you see the girl?"

"I don't think - Oh wait, yeah, she's in the doorway. Everybody's outside now,"

"So she's not alone?"

"No, there's like, a bunch of girls and I guess the mom and dad out here,"

"Stay on the house overnight. The moment anything changes, you let me know. Otherwise I will send a few men up to assist you in retrieving her,"

"So staying overnight means I get an extra bonus right?"

Agent Kramer sighed heavily. "Do your job and you will be rewarded. Don't screw this up,"

. . . . . . . .

Present

Thirty minutes later El had still not returned from the bathroom and Gabby's rehearsal was wrapping up with the director talking about their upcoming rehearsal schedule.

"How long has she been in there?" Trish asked and Emma shrugged.

"She asked where the bathroom was a little while ago but it seems like she's been in there forever,"

Trish glanced up at the front of the room. It looked like Gabby's director would be talking to them for a while. "We should check on her and make sure she's okay,"

Emma nodded and the two girls ducked out of the room in search of their friend. The halls were empty and silent and when they got to the girls' bathroom, it looked relatively untouched. The lights were off inside and without anyone around to ask, they had no idea where El had gone.

"You wanna look and see if she's down that hall and I'll check the lobby?" Trish suggested and the two split up down the hall but every door they came across was locked and every window they could peer through showed an empty, darkened classroom.

When Gabby came out into the hall along with the rest of her cast mates, she tracked Trish and Emma down.

"What are you guys doing?" She asked, mildly confused.

Trish shrugged. "We don't know where El is,"

"We think maybe she got lost looking for the bathroom," Emma said uncertainly. "But all these doors are locked,"

"Oh," Gabby blinked. "Okay, uh, well, the school isn't that big. Did you guys look and see if she went outside?"

Emma shook her head, "I can check,"

"Okay, and then Trish and I can split up in here," Gabby said, then turned to Trish. "I'll check the second floor and you finish this one?"

"Works for me," Trish nodded.

. . . . . . . .

The first thing she noticed was that her head hurt. A lot. She felt dizzy and nauseated even before she could fully open her eyes. She felt something wrapped around her wrists and when she moved, she could only go so far. As her vision slowly came into focus, she realized she recognized this room.

The white concrete block walls and the square ceiling tiles that she'd counted more times than she could remember when she'd been left in this room for days. A silver table lamp sat on the table to her right and she shifted against the uncomfortable twin mattress and the springs that prodded at her back.

"No…" El whimpered, realizing what must have happened. "No!"

There was no blanket over her and she could see that her wrists and ankles had been strapped down, making it impossible for her to do anything more than thrash about wildly at them. While she couldn't see it, she recognized the feel of the EKG helmet over her head and she tried to shake it off but it was more securely attached than she remembered it being before. There were electrodes taped all over her body and the wires connected to the helmet on her head and a machine next to the bed. She could hear the painfully familiar sound of it printing out readings on her brain activity. How could this be happening? This couldn't be real. It had to be a dream. A very bad dream.

The metal door to her right was closed and she glanced over her head to see the edges of a piece of paper still taped to the wall. She didn't need to see it in full to know what it was or where she was. This was her old room and that was the drawing she had made of her and 'Papa', before she'd escaped and realized there were people out there who really cared for her - not in the manipulative way that Papa did but in a genuine way that made her feel like she was on equal footing, like she was safe and secure.

El turned her focus to the straps binding her wrists. She had to get out of here. She didn't know if anyone was already looking for her or how long she had been asleep but she needed to do something. She had to get away. As soon as she began to pool her mental energy, however, a sharp shock wracked her body and the pain took her breath away. The skin under each of the places where electrodes were taped burned and tears slid out of the corners of her eyes. Three electrodes were taped to each leg, two on her stomach, three on each arm, and at least a couple more on her back - she felt trapped, like a wild animal and she desperately attempted to use her powers to free herself from this ensnarement but each time she did, she was shocked again and again. Each shock exhausted her more than the last and she cried at the dull rush of pain that continued to cramp and throb and burn and tingle.

After a minute of this, the metal door to her room opened and three orderlies entered, immediately setting her blood to boiling. More than anyone, these men in white had been the ones to torment her the most. When Papa wasn't around, and sometimes even if he was, they had pushed her, hit her, and thrown her. Her first memories involved being smacked across the face as young men in white laughed and tossed her into the isolation room like a broom being returned to a supply closet. They always laughed, they always thought it was funny, the things they did to her. She knew that out of all of the employees at the lab, they ranked the lowest and as a result, probably didn't care too much about how they handled her. Papa replaced the orderlies on a regular basis. Sometimes they left on their own, sometimes 'accidents' happened and they needed to be explained away, and sometimes they were promoted and started wearing fancy suits and shiny shoes that hurt when they kicked her.

Without saying a word to her, the orderlies came in and surrounded her bed. El thrashed more violently against her straps, glaring at the men as the two closest to her chuckled at her struggle.

"You might wanna calm down," One of them said but El wasn't having it. She didn't want this man anywhere near her and she tilted her gaze, glowering at him, but the moment she attempted to throw him back into the wall, another current surged through her body. She gasped at the pain and leaned over to cough up spittle as the man she'd directed her anger at laughed and leaned over the machine, turning a dial farther to the right.

"Keep trying that and see where it gets you," He warned with a fake smile as the orderly next to him chuckled, shaking his head. The third orderly was still standing close to the door with his arms crossed and he didn't look happy. "This thing goes up to 30,000 volts so I wouldn't press your luck,"

They were interrupted by the heavy metal door opening and El's heart sank into her stomach seeing her Papa for the first time again in months. Two men in suits followed him in but kept their distance as Papa approached El's bedside.

"Welcome home, Eleven," Papa said in that voice that once made her feel comforted but now she could hear all of the deception and coldness beneath his seemingly kind words. There had been a time when she waited earnestly, even sought out, moments in which he would speak to her in such a tone. She spent so much time by herself and he was the only one who gave her any reasonable semblance of affection that she had craved it, eagerly seeking his approval in everything she did. Now it felt like a lie. All of it felt like a lie and it made her stomach hurt.

"You can go," One of the men in suits said to the orderlies and the men in white filed out of the room one by one as one of Dr. Brenner's lead researchers appeared at the doorway.

"Sir," He said, addressing Dr. Brenner and all eyes turned to him momentarily. "I'm sorry to interrupt but may I speak with you regarding… erm…" He glanced behind Dr. Brenner at El, then at the agent standing in the doorway looking at him impatiently. "We're having difficulty in the nursery lab. The… creatures are becoming more difficult to control,"

"Have any of them escaped since the last time?" Dr. Brenner inquired curiously. If he was concerned, it wasn't apparent on his face.

"No, sir," The researcher shook his head. "But we are concerned at the rapid rate at which they are growing and -"

"Has anyone been attacked or injured?"

"N-No, not yet,"

"Are they still confined appropriately?"

"For now, sir, but -"

"Then this doesn't appear to be an emergency," Dr. Brenner chuckled. "I'm sure the nursery is in good hands under your command,"

"I-"

"I will check in with you when I'm finished here," Dr. Brenner said pointedly. "For now, if there is any work to be done, I suggest you tend to it,"

The researcher opened his mouth to protest but thought it wiser not to continue and instead turned around and walked out as quickly as he had appeared. With the distraction gone, Dr. Brenner turned his focus back to El.

"It took us a long time to find you, Eleven," He said, sitting down on her bed as he had so many times before. "I understand why you may be scared but I promise you, there is nothing to be afraid of," It made El feel sick to hear her Papa use the word 'promise'. He didn't know what that meant. Promises were things you didn't break and his words were as empty as his affection and care for her. "I'm sure you're wondering what all of this is for," He gestured to the straps, wires, and electrodes adorning her thin frame. She hadn't even realized until this moment that she was in a hospital gown again. What had they done with her pretty clothes? Would she ever have pretty things again? Everything was so wrong!

"I'm afraid it's for your own good," Papa continued. "Now Eleven, listen to me. This is very important. For the time being, you are not permitted to use your powers. Do you understand?" He waited a beat but she didn't respond, instead staring angrily at the wall in front of her. "If you do," He went on, undeterred. "They will shock you and it will hurt. I know you've felt this already and I don't want that to happen, do you understand? You must stay calm and in time, we can go back to how things used to be," He looked up, smiling at the picture above her bed. "Remember?" He asked, pulling the drawing off the wall and holding it up for her to see but she refused to look. "Remember, Eleven?" He repeated but she kept her brow furrowed and her head turned in the opposite direction. "Very well…" Papa tutted. "I understand that you're upset but that world out there -" He gestured vaguely outward. "- it's not safe for someone like you and your gifts, Eleven. You're safe here," He stood up, replacing the drawing to the wall. "I forgive you for running away but now you need to rest. Be good, and the electrodes will go away,"

El watched with a conflicting combination of disdain and despondency as her Papa calmly exited the room without looking back at her once. When she heard the door close and the metal lock shift, she sank back into the bed. Every fleeting ounce of adrenaline and anger she had had was now drained and all she could think of was that she was trapped and everything she had been afraid of was coming true. She'd lost everything - her real family, her surrogate Hawkins family, her new Clarksville friends. Her safety and security, her freedom and the ability to think and feel - to be treated like a person instead of a tool or a weapon. Mike and everyone else never forced her to use her powers for their gain. They'd showed her that life could be so much more than endless concrete walls, isolation tanks, and hospital gowns day after day. Now all of that was gone and without her powers… without some way to connect with them… she was stuck.

. . . . . . . .

By the time Hopper had heard about El's disappearance, several hours had already passed. After the girls had scoured Clarksville Middle with no sign of El, they'd begun to actually get worried. When Emma's mom arrived at the school to pick them up, they'd frantically explained the situation to her and she had in turn, contacted the local police and then Hopper.

Flo had gotten the news first. Hopper hadn't left a phone number to contact in case of emergencies so she attempted the only place she could think the Hawkins Chief of Police might be - the police station. Hopper had been halfway to Finksburg to check in with his buddy that was supposed to take El in when Flo's voice came through his radio.

"Chief, I've got some bad news," She'd said and while a part of him had been keeping himself ready for anything to go wrong with El's situation for the past couple months now, hearing the words still came as a shock. "There's a woman in Clarksville who says the kid she's watching… your niece, has gone missing?" Flo sounded rightfully confused; he'd kept her in the dark throughout all of this.

Hopper grimaced. He'd been trying to keep information about El off of all air waves and phone lines but if El was truly missing, he knew in his gut where she was so secrecy didn't matter as much anymore. If everything was actually out in the open and the lab had found El, all bets were off and he needed to get back to Hawkins right away.

. . . . . . . .

Time seemed to drag on and without any way to sense just how much had passed, El could only base her knowledge on the way her eyelids became heavier and her body wanted nothing more than to rest.

She could periodically hear the faint sounds of chatter as employees passed her door, presumably going home. From what she remembered, they all usually seemed to leave around the same time most days, including the weekends.

It was already starting to feel as though she'd never left. As though her time spent outside the lab and in the company of Mike and the others had been nothing more than a blissful dream, wishful thinking, a reprieve she'd concocted in her mind just like all the others she'd imagined growing up. She'd never thought up anything as wonderful and awe-inspiring as her life for the past several weeks though. Nothing she'd ever imagined growing up compared to shopping with Nancy, drawing with Will, jokes with Dustin, sleepovers with her girl friends, or learning about butterflies with Mike.

Unfortunately for El, every time she drifted off to sleep, her mind subconsciously sought out Mike and the resulting electric shock woke her up with a frenzied rush of pain each time. Whimpering as the cramping and tenseness subsided, she turned her head to the side, desperately wishing she could pull a pillow over her head and shut out the bright light that was still shining over her.

"This isn't right," She heard someone mumble and immediately lifted her head to see one of the orderlies from before sitting in a chair in the corner, presumably guarding her. He had strawberry blonde hair and looked young compared to some of the other men in white. His eyes were brown and soft and he looked uncomfortable as he sat with a stun gun loosely held in his hands. "Oh shit, sorry, uh…" He looked around nervously as El eyed him with suspicion.

"My name's Fred," The young orderly offered awkwardly. "Er, 'Freddie' to most people…"

El wasn't interested in chit chat and exhaled sharply, ignoring the burning sensation she felt under each of the electrode patches. She could see the skin surrounding each patch was red so she could only imagine what the area directly connecting with the electrode looked like.

"I…" Freddie hesitated, drawing some slight curiosity out of El. While she hated the men in white, she had to admit that this one seemed different. Aside from his age, he seemed much more uncertain of himself and maybe a little nicer. But looks could be deceiving. "Are you okay?"

This question caught her off-guard and she turned her head to look at him. None of the orderlies ever asked how she was doing or if she was "okay". It was strange, to say the least.

"I wish there was something… um…" Freddie continued to talk despite El's silence. "So I heard you have some pretty cool uh, talents…" He said, staring at the straps binding her ankles and the red, swollen areas surrounding the places where her electrodes were attached. "When you aren't… you know, hooked up like this,"

El rolled her eyes and turned her head away again.

Glancing at the door, then at his watch, Freddie stood up from his chair and the sound of his keys jostling and the chair legs scraping against the floor piqued El's interest once again. What was he doing? Why was he talking so much? If he was keeping watch over her, why wasn't he sleeping or reading a magazine? When they didn't have to interact with her, the orderlies usually didn't - unless she came across the really mean ones that liked to take their own frustration out on her. But most of the time, they acted as if she didn't exist. This person definitely stood out.

"This thing keeps shocking you in your sleep," Freddie said sympathetically and El watched with fascination as his gaze fell on the machine by her bed.

"Look I -" Freddie said, approaching her bedside and hesitantly walking around to the machine by her bed. "I don't think I'm supposed to be doing this but I have the overnight shift and I just…" El watched him intently as he almost studied the dials and knobs on the machine. "You need to promise you won't try anything if I turn this thing off for a little while - just so you can sleep for a few hours,"

Was he really offering what it sounded like? El weighed this in her mind. Could it be a trap? Ultimately, she wanted to escape, but more presently, she was exhausted and in pain from the almost consistent electric shocks coming from this machine. Her brain was excessively active when she slept and she was likely reaching out to loved ones in her sleep without realizing it. On the one hand, she could use this opportunity to escape - as soon as Freddie turned the shocks off, she could toss him like a wet rag and make a beeline for the exit. On the other hand, however, she didn't know how many people were still working tonight. All she knew was this little room and the fact that her body was begging for some sort of reprieve from the abuse it was currently enduring.

In a small, suspicious voice, El gave her promise. "Okay,"

Freddie paused, as though not quite trusting her about as much as she didn't quite trust him, but he still flipped a switch on the machine and El watched the little red light next to it turn off.

"For what it's worth," Freddie said in a hushed voice. "I really hate this and I'm sorry. Just… please don't make me regret turning that thing off for the night,"

El nodded, then turned her head to the side, wondering if she really would be able to get a little bit of rest.

. . . . . . . .

Night had fallen by the time Hopper got back to Hawkins and parked at Joyce's house. Jogging up to the door, he knocked sharply and waited an agonizing two minutes before Jonathan came to the door.

"Where's your mother?" Hopper asked as he stepped inside without waiting for an invitation.

"In the kitchen. What -" Jonathan replied, dumbfounded, as he shut the door and followed Hopper's urgent footsteps. "What's going on?"

"Hop?" Joyce was putting leftovers in the fridge when Hopper quickly stepped into the room. "What are you -"

"El's gone," Hopper supplied without waiting another beat. "The lab must have gotten her. I got a call from Emma's mom in Clarksville and she just vanished while they were at some rehearsal or something,"

"Oh god…" Joyce's heart sank into her stomach and her hand flew up to her mouth. "What do we do? We need to find her!"

"I will," Hopper assured. "Keep an eye on the boys. No one leaves, no one goes out looking for her,"

"Looking for who?" Will asked as he came out of his bedroom. "Wait, is El missing?"

"Will, honey," Joyce walked over to him. "We… we think the lab might have found her,"

"So we need to go find her!" Will exclaimed. "What are we waiting for?"

"'We' aren't doing anything; you are staying here where it's safe and I'm going to the lab to find her," Hopper said sternly.

"Hop, if they've got El, they have to know that we're all involved," Joyce said in a concerned tone.

"Which is exactly why the three of you aren't leaving this house until you hear from me again," Hopper said firmly. "Don't open the doors to anyone and don't go wandering out on your own,"

"Let me come with you," Jonathan pleaded. "I can help,"

"You need to stay with your mother," Hopper said, clasping Jonathan on the shoulder. "Your mother and your brother just had surgery. You stay here and keep them safe, got it?"

Jonathan's brows furrowed with concern. "Do you really think any of them are gonna come looking here?"

"Hop…"

"I mean it, Joyce," Hopper turned to her and said. "I'll let you know as soon as I have an update,"

"I've gotta tell Mike," Will said under his breath, scurrying off to his bedroom.

"Do not let him go out looking for her!" Hopper called down the hall to Will. "You make sure he knows he and the rest of you do not leave your houses unless you hear from me!" Hopper stepped back into the kitchen where Joyce was fumbling to light a cigarette.

Hopper took the lighter from Joyce's trembling hands and lit her cigarette for her. After taking a long drag, she asked, "Do you think she's okay?"

"I really don't know," Hopper admitted. "But I'm stopping at my place to pick up a couple things and then I'm heading to the lab and I'm not leaving without her,"

"You really think they have her…" Joyce breathed, processing. "Oh god, what if they hurt her?"

"Stop it, Joyce," Hopper said, grabbing her shoulders with a gentle firmness. "I'm gonna find her and I'm gonna bring her home - Here," He pointed to the floor in front of them. "This ends tonight," He turned to Jonathan. "You still have all those weapons and ammo stashed somewhere?" Jonathan reluctantly nodded and Hopper punched him on the shoulder, leaning in. "Remember what I said," He gave a pointed look in Joyce's direction and Jonathan swallowed, nodding his understanding.

. . . . . . . .

By sheer dumb luck, Mike had fallen asleep on the living room couch watching a movie. He'd barely gotten any sleep the past few nights and the toll had worn on him. Between his concern for El and the loss of her aunt and mom to the fact that he'd had to say goodbye and didn't know when or if he'd ever see her again, it'd been hard to calm his mind long enough to sleep through the night lately. He'd fought against his exhaustion throughout the school day, catching a brief surge of energy in the mid-afternoon, but after dinner he'd crashed on the sofa and even the hustle and bustle of his family around the house couldn't stir him from his slumber.

As he slept, he found himself in a familiar hallway with a familiar room. White walls and sterile steel doors that sent a chill down his spine. There was no mistaking the girl sitting on the bed in front of him. Clad in a hospital gown and covered in wires, he didn't want to see her like this.

"El," Mike said, worry encroaching on his voice, making it brittle and soft. "Wh-What are you doing here? Why are you dressed like that?" He hoped she was only showing him a memory.

Her eyes glistened and he felt a sinking in the pit of his chest that made him feel like the floor was dropping out beneath him. "The lab," She said in a small, broken voice. "They found me,"

"No," Mike shook his head, refusing to believe it at first. "No, they couldn't - how did they find you?!"

El shook her head and her eyes brimmed with tears. "Don't know," She whimpered. "They hurt me," She pointed to her arms and legs where red burn patches were scattered up and down each limb in conjunction with the placement of those wires. Seeing the burns and hearing the way her voice wavered overwhelmed Mike with intense anger and an empathetic understanding deeper than he'd ever felt for anyone. It physically hurt him to see her in pain, even in this strange dream world she met him in.

"We'll get you out," Mike said, shaking his head of doubts. "We'll find you and bring you back home, just like before,"

"It's not safe," El's voice was hushed and Mike could hear the voices of men outside the metal door.

"People are watching you?" He inferred and El nodded.

"All night," She said quietly. "When I… when I use…" She trailed off, looking distantly at the floor between them.

"Your powers?" Mike guessed and she nodded, blinking away tears that then slid down her face. He hated seeing her cry.

"They hurt me," She pointed to the places where the electrodes were attached and her skin was raw from the shocks. "So bad," Her voice faltered and Mike sat down on the bed next to her. Up close he could see how her skin around the electrodes had swollen and was an unrecognizable shade of pink and red. When she lifted the stickers holding the electrodes in place, he could see the blisters that had begun to form and her exposed flesh, the sight of which made him feel sick. Not only due to its gruesome nature, but because this was happening to someone he cared so deeply for.

"It'll be okay, El," Mike said, trying to maintain his own composure and keep his voice steady for her sake. "We'll find you and get you out of there and you will never see any of those bad men again,"

El shook her head. "Not safe," Her lip quivered and she looked up at him with beads of tear drops hanging from her eyelashes.

"I don't care!" Mike protested vehemently. "We did it before and we can do it again,"

"Stuck," El said sadly, her shoulders hanging as her gaze fell to her lap. "They… They want to kill you…"

That knocked the wind out of Mike. "Wh-What? Me?"

El nodded, another stream of tears running down her cheeks. "Everyone," She looked at him and the pleading look in her eyes was simultaneously heartbreaking and terrifying. "'Eliminate witnesses'," She repeated the word she had heard earlier that night from outside her door. "'Connected to Eleven'," Her face crumpled at that and she leaned over, burying her head in Mike's shoulder as she cried. "Not safe!" She gripped his shirt tightly and looked up at him again. "Not. Safe."

Mike swallowed. "We can't leave you in there," He said, his voice wavering. "We have to get you away from them!"

El didn't respond and instead buried her face in his shirt again. "You can't,"

"No, El," Mike said, pulling her up to look at him. "We're coming. Do you understand? We are coming to get you and you will never see the bad men again,"

She looked down dejectedly and he could tell she was losing hope. She looked exhausted, both physically and emotionally, and the thought of her giving up made him feel even more frantic.

"Listen to me, El!" Mike said, grabbing her attention once again. "You will get out of this, okay? I… I won't let anything else bad happen to you. I just… I need to get everyone together and we'll be there. We'll figure something out just - just don't give up, okay?" Her gaze fell again and he shook her shoulders lightly. "Promise me, El," He said, making eye contact and holding it purposefully. "Promise me,"

El pursed her lips, blinking away tears from her eyelashes. After a brief pause, she gave a slight nod and whispered almost inaudibly, "Promise,"

. . . . . . . .

"You are not alone, and I am here with you. Though we're far apart, you're always in my heart, for you are not alone..."

. . . . . . . .

[A/N: Is it completely obvious we're heading into the climax? XD Predictions?!]