38. Don't Dream It's Over

[A/N: Hey guys! This chapter was difficult to write for some reason... let me know what you think, though! Things are definitely getting more intense...]

Chapter 38: Don't Dream It's Over (by Crowded House)

"There's a battle ahead, many battles are lost. But you'll never see the end of the road while you're traveling with me…"

. . . . . . . .

Rain dripped from the brim of Hopper's hat as he jogged up to the Ives' front door. He wasn't looking forward to breaking the news to El and Terry, nor was he certain as to how he would even do it. Straight and to the point had served him well in the past but he was working through his own emotions seeing Becky's lifeless body in that driver's seat. It felt surreal and for that reason, he kept that wall up that helped him carry on and do his job despite whatever was going on internally. While he and Becky hadn't exactly been close, they had shared something of a relationship considering they were jointly fostering El. Their one-night-stand only complicated matters and Hopper couldn't focus on that right now. He had a job to do and first and foremost, he had to ensure that El was taken care of.

"Anybody home?" He called out against a clap of thunder as he pounded on the front door and a flash of lightning lit up the sky. Peering through the window, the living room looked empty and he couldn't hear anyone coming to the door. After knocking again, he paused to consider his options. On a whim, he checked the door handle and was surprised to find it unlocked.

"Hello?" He called into the house as he cautiously stepped inside. Something didn't feel right. The house was eerily quiet as Hopper stealthily made his way around the first floor, checking each room and finding them all strangely empty. The lights were on and even the TV in the living room was tuned to the usual game show channel Terry liked to watch. Becky had been traveling alone, at least that's how it'd appeared at the scene, so if that was the case where were Terry and El? His hand on his gun, Hopper began to ascend the staircase to the second floor, his senses heightened and ready for whatever he may encounter. The wooden steps creaked beneath his weight and he pulled his flashlight from his belt to illumine the darkened upstairs. From what he could see and hear as he approached the landing, it didn't appear that anyone was home. The second floor was silent and while the doors to each room were open, their lights were all off.

"Chief?" A small voice behind him startled him just as he made it halfway to the landing. He drew his gun on instinct, spinning around only to find El at the bottom of the staircase looking confused.

"Jesus," Hopper muttered under his breath, returning his gun to its holster as he trotted back downstairs, his adrenaline slowly ebbing. "Hey El, where's Terry? And where were you?"

"Doctor appointment, with Becky," El replied, then pointed to herself and added. "With friends,"

Hopper sighed, switching his flashlight off and putting it back in his belt as he reached her. "Alright, come with me," He said brusquely, walking past her and out into the front yard without giving her the opportunity to protest. Not that she would have anyway; Hopper was like one of her parents and she knew she could trust him, even if she didn't know what was going on. The heavy rain had ceased and the clouds were only spitting at this point as El scurried to follow Hopper to his SUV.

. . . . . . . .

Hopper stewed in his thoughts on the way back to the hospital. How was he going to tell El about Becky? Where was she going to live? Where was Terry if she was supposed to be with Becky? Had Terry been in the accident but somehow was ejected from the car and they hadn't found her yet? That was the strangest part - Terry wasn't one to just disappear so if she was missing, there weren't many possibilities. While he couldn't prove it, a part of him wondered if the lab had found them after all. Something in his gut just didn't feel right. Maybe the lab had heard about Becky's accident and figured out El was living at the Ives'? Could Terry be dead, too? It was all Hopper could do to focus on driving as these thoughts and more bombarded him. By the time they'd arrived at the hospital less than ten minutes later, he still hadn't come up with a plan for telling El about Becky. He wouldn't worry any of them about his suspicions but for now, the safest thing to do was getting the hell out of there. Besides, El might need someone other than him to comfort her when she finally found out about her aunt.

. . . . . . . .

"Hey, what's -" Will said, pulling himself upright as Hopper and El entered the room. "Oh, hi El!"

El waved, smiling slightly as she hovered in Hopper's shadow.

"Change of plans, kid," Hopper said as he began packing up Will's personal belongings his brother had brought from home. "You're getting outta here tonight,"

"I am?" Will asked, dumbfounded. "What-why? How?" He looked to El for an explanation but she only shrugged.

"Tonight, tomorrow morning - it's not gonna make a difference," Hopper said briskly as he moved about the room, collecting things. "You're good to go,"

"I still don't understand -"

"You don't need to understand," Hopper said sternly, finally finding a bag with some regular clothes in it stored in a cabinet. "I've got a nurse coming in here in a second to unhook you from all this crap and then we're outta here. I'll explain the rest later. Do you understand?" He tossed a generic pair of scratchy hospital sweatpants and a Jump Rope for Heart T-shirt onto Will's lap.

"Um, yeah," Will nodded, picking up the foreign clothes. "Okay,"

. . . . . . . .

The ride back to Hawkins was quiet with neither El nor Will thinking now was an appropriate time to start questioning the chief. Something was up, though, and they could tell by the pained furrowing of his brow and the stoic silence in his demeanor. They were startled by his voice suddenly punctuating the quiet ten minutes into the ride.

"Something happened tonight," Hopper said, as though answering a question. "I'm not gonna get into it right now but the best thing, the safest thing, is for everyone to be in Hawkins. You're just gonna have to trust me on this and let me figure everything out,"

The kids wordlessly agreed and the chief sighed, plucking his radio from his belt as they sped down the highway. As they were getting closer to Hawkins, the likelihood of being able to make a connection was getting better with every mile.

"Hey Flo, it's the chief. Do you copy?"

It took a minute but the radio crackled to life and she responded, "You're lucky I'm still at the station, Hop," She chuckled good-naturedly. "What's going on?"

"I need you to call Joyce Byers and let her know I'm on my way to her place. There's been a few changes in plans and I'll explain more to her when I get there,"

"That's a little vague, don't you think?" Flo replied. "Is there anything else I can tell her?"

"No," Hopper said simply. "That's it. Thanks, Flo,"

. . . . . . . .

They'd barely noticed the rain slowing down or the way everything had started to get dark, even despite the way the thick expanse of rain clouds had already cast shadows over Hawkins. The center console between them was pretty uncomfortable but neither cared as Jonathan snaked his hand through Nancy's hair, cradling her head as they kissed. Her skin tingled at the sensation of his fingers tentatively brushing against the back of her neck. Everything else had fallen away and it was just the two of them - no distractions, no awareness of what was happening around them until a tap on the window startled them both into near- heart attacks.

Jonathan looked up at his window to see his boss, Mr. Garrett, still in his white pharmacist jacket and standing by the car. He tried to stifle his amusement but the knowing smirk on the older man's face was a clear indication he'd seen more than enough to know why Jonathan was still at work a half hour after clocking out.

Nancy bit her lip, ducking her head down in mild embarrassment as Jonathan wound the window down, his hair still a bit disheveled. "Uh, h-hi Mr. Garrett," He stammered.

The older man lifted his eyebrows. "Jonathan, I was surprised to see your car still parked outside but…" He glanced over at Nancy. "I suppose I'm not surprised anymore," He chuckled and heat rose to Jonathan's cheeks. "Anyway, I'm glad I 'caught' you," He grinned at that, more amused at his sense of humor than Jonathan was at the intrusion. "Your mom called looking for you but I'd told her you'd already left. She said something about a change in plans with your brother and wanted to know when you'd be home,"

"Will?" Jonathan asked, suddenly not feeling so embarrassed anymore as his mind shifted gears. "Is he okay?"

"Well, I suppose so, son," Mr. Garrett replied, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his lab coat. "She didn't sound upset but she did say it was important. I think you ought to get home and see what's goin' on,"

"Yeah," Jonathan nodded, gripping the steering wheel. "Yeah, okay. Thanks, Mr. Garrett,"

"Sure thing, Jonny," Mr. Garrett said with a smile, nodding respectfully to Nancy who lifted a hand to give a small wave.

After a beat, Nancy asked with a smirk, "Jonny?"

"He's got a grandson with the same name," Jonathan shrugged, running a hand through his hair. The awareness of what had just transpired between them suddenly blatantly apparent in his mind. "It's been a thing since I started working for him. I don't mind,"

Nancy chuckled, looking down at her lap as she also became a bit more bashful than she'd been a few minutes prior. "It's kinda cute,"

"Yeah?" Jonathan looked over at her and she lifted her gaze to him.

"Yeah,"

As the tension began to rise between them again, Jonathan forced himself to shake it off. "I should get home and see what's going on,"

"Yeah," Nancy said as she exhaled.

"Did you - uh, did you want to come, too?" Jonathan stumbled over his words, not quite sure how to interact with her but letting his instincts guide him. "Or, I mean, I could drop you off at home if you want…"

"I wouldn't mind," Nancy said. "Coming over, I mean. If that's okay. Do you think your mom would mind?"

Jonathan shook his head as he turned the car on and shifted into reverse. "It's probably not a big deal if she didn't sound upset," He said, switching gears and pulling away from the store front. "Besides, you were around through everything else with Will being in the hospital. It's probably just something to do with who's picking Will up. Maybe they changed his discharge time,"

"Okay," Nancy said, reaching around to pull her seatbelt on as her heart fluttered at the thought of the uncharted territory she'd just embarked on with Jonathan.

. . . . . . . .

"What do you think we should do with her?" A young orderly mused menacingly as he looked down at the catatonic woman between them. His curly brown hair was cut short and there was a sheen of sweat over his forehead.

"Cut it out, Jake," The other orderly, another young man with strawberry blonde hair and almost invisibly light eyebrows, rolled his eyes at his coworker. "We wait for Dr. Brenner; those were our instructions,"

"Oh," Jake's eyes flashed as he looked down at Terry, her gaze never lifting from the floor, her body never flinching in response to his aggression. "C'mon Freddie, don't be such a pussy,"

"Why don't you say that to Dr. Brenner when he gets here?" Freddie shot back, narrowing his gaze as Jake traced circles on Terry's bare shoulder.

"See, this is why you need to get out more," Jake said haughtily. "Or get laid. You're too uptight," He laughed as he lifted the hem of Terry's night gown. "Here ya go, Freddie! Let her have it!" He cackled as Freddie grabbed his arm and shoved so he'd let go of Terry's night gown.

"You're fucking sick," Freddie scowled.

Jake laughed. "I'm just messin' around," He rolled his eyes, stepping away from Terry and leaning against the concrete wall. "You think I got you this gig because I think you're a cool roommate?" Freddie did his best to ignore the other orderly, even as he continued to speak. "Look, it's a win-win situation here; you get to make some cash and I get to have a roommate that isn't a complete loser. It's your first year of college, dude, lighten up. Live a little,"

"You don't see anything wrong with any of this?" Freddie spun around, hushing his voice. "I mean, who is this woman? Why do they have us watching her?"

"Who gives a shit, man?" Freddie scoffed, pushing himself off the wall and walking up behind Terry. Her head was hanging slightly down and her facial expression hadn't changed since the moment they'd brought her into this room. "She's just some retard they probably found out on the street. Maybe they'll do some crazy lobotomy type shit. You're a science major or something, aren't you? You should like that," He stuck his face mere inches away from Terry's, making strange expressions and laughing when she never moved a muscle. A faint smirk appeared at the corner of his lip as an idea came to him and with no warning, he slapped Terry hard across the face.

"What the hell are you doing!?" Freddie exclaimed, looking to the two-way mirror and hoping none of their supervisors were seeing what he was doing. No doubt, if Jake went down for something he would be dragging him along, too.

Jake laughed heartily, crossing his arms and staring down at Terry in amusement as a red mark slowly appeared across her face. "I think she's brain-dead, dude," He quipped and before Freddie could respond, the door opened and Agents Kramer and Carlson entered, followed by Dr. Brenner. The two young orderlies immediately quieted in the presence of their superiors, somewhat respectful, somewhat fearful.

"Well, now," Dr. Brenner's smile didn't reach his eyes and he completely ignored the two orderlies' presence. "It has been quite some time, Terry,"

"The two of you can clock out," Agent Kramer said to the young men, nodding to the door behind them. "You're done for the night,"

"Yes sir," They replied in unison before exiting.

Once they were gone, Agent Carlson spoke, "I've got several of our men out looking for the girl. I expect they'll find her before night's end,"

"Make certain that you do," Dr. Brenner replied briskly, still scanning Terry with his eyes, the red mark on her face even more apparent now. "Then again, this may be just what we need to draw her here,"

"Sir?"

"She knows who Terry is now," Dr. Brenner explained. "Perhaps that knowledge will work in our favor and draw her out of hiding,"

"So, you're keeping her alive?" Agent Kramer clarified and Dr. Brenner nodded.

"She's more useful to us alive, for now. Even despite her… incapacitation," He said thoughtfully. "And it's apparent she isn't going anywhere,"

"Dr. Brenner, when we returned from the Ives' house, one of the technicians told me there is some video surveillance footage you may be interested in seeing," Agent Kramer said. "I haven't seen it myself yet but -"

"Carlson, ensure that Ms. Ives has the proper accommodations for her stay with us," Dr. Brenner said briskly, cutting off Agent Kramer as he moved to leave the room, then turned to Kramer. "Let's see what your technician found,"

. . . . . . . .

Everyone had just gotten to the Byers house and settled down when Jonathan arrived with Nancy in tow. Joyce had fussed over Will, insisting he settle down on the couch and continue to rest despite his hospital discharge. Hopper was still trying to figure out how he was going to tell El about her aunt while also running through all of the things he needed to take care of in his head. He needed to go back up to Clarksville and check in with the coroner up there. He needed to somehow figure out what the lab knew, if they knew anything, and to what degree he needed to be cautious with El's location and his own involvement. He needed to figure out a new plan for El's living arrangements and somehow determine a more long-term plan for her. But where could she even go and actually be safe? And amidst all of that, he needed to tell El that her aunt was dead and who knows what kind of response he would get from that.

"Joyce, can I see you in the kitchen for a second?" Hopper said, his eyebrows furrowed with thought as Joyce draped a blanket over Will on the couch.

"Sure," She replied, ruffling her youngest son's hair. "You and El hang out in here, okay?"

"Do you know what's going on?" Will asked once his mom left the room but El shook her head as she sat on the opposite end of the couch. "They're being kind of weird…" He observed, propping his elbow up on a couch pillow, then sighed. "I guess if it was important, they'd tell us, right?" El shrugged and the two sat quietly for a minute until Will sat up again, looking around. "Where's - there it is!" He pointed to a bag nestled on the floor by the coffee table. "Do you wanna see some of the drawings I did in the hospital?" Will asked and El's gaze followed the direction he was pointing.

"Okay," She said quietly.

"Hand me that bag, please," Will said. "I think my sketchbook is in there,"

Meanwhile, Joyce met Hopper in the kitchen. She was getting around better on her own but trying not to overdo it. She wrapped her robe tighter around her body as she crossed her arms. "Alright, Hop," She said in a hushed voice to ensure the kids couldn't hear. "What the hell is going on?"

"We've got a problem," He said in an equally quiet tone. "Potentially a few, actually,"

Joyce stared at him dubiously. "Well, are you gonna tell me?"

"There was an accident tonight, in Clarksville," Hopper glanced back at the living room and could faintly hear Will talking to El. "Becky's dead, Joyce,"

Joyce's eyes widened and she stepped back unsteadily, at which point Hopper quickly grabbed her and stabilized her. "A-Are you sure?"

"Yes," Hopper nodded solemnly. "I knew she drank but I just… I just didn't expect…" He found himself trailing off and exhaled sharply to right himself. "It looks like she was drunk, ran off the road, hit a tree…"

"Oh god…" Joyce covered her mouth with her hand, glancing back in the direction of the living room. "Does El know?"

Hopper shook his head. "I haven't told her yet. God damnit, I don't know how I'm gonna do this, Joyce,"

"It's okay, it's okay," Joyce shook her head. "We'll tell her together but… oh my god…" She paused. "What about Terry?"

"That's the other thing," Hopper said pointedly. "She's gone. No trace of her in the house, at the scene, and El was apparently with friends when all this happened,"

Realization dawning on her face, Joyce's eyes widened again. "You don't think -"

"That's what I wanna figure out," Hopper replied, knowing the line of thought she was having. "And I figured it was better to get Will out of that area for the time being until we know exactly what happened up there tonight,"

"Yeah," Joyce nodded forcefully. "Yeah, you're right. Thank-thank you, Hop,"

She ran a hand through her hair and reached for her pack of cigarettes on the kitchen table just as the front door opened. Hopper instinctively reached for his gun but relaxed when he saw Jonathan step through.

"Hey, what's - whoa, Will!" He said as he stepped into the living room to see Will pleasantly showing El his drawings. "You're home?"

"Yeah," Will shrugged, then noticed the person behind him. "What's Nancy doing here?"

"Hi Nancy," El smiled and the older teen waved.

"Hi El," She smiled back and even despite the momentary pause, Jonathan faltered in explaining, leaving Nancy to jump in, "We were just… hanging out," She looked at him and forced herself to keep from blushing.

Jonathan spoke up at that point. "We heard there was a change in plans… I guess this is it?" He chuckled, pleasantly surprised to see his brother finally home. "Everything's okay?"

"As far as we know," Will shrugged as El followed the conversation with her quiet stare.

"Hey Jonathan," Joyce said as she walked to the doorway of the living room with Hopper just behind her. She smiled knowingly at Nancy. "Hi Nancy,"

"Hi Mrs. Byers," Nancy replied politely, still standing by the door with Jonathan.

Joyce turned to the couch. "El, sweetie, can we talk to you for a second?" El looked to Will with confused wariness but Joyce reassured her. "You aren't in trouble, sweetheart. We just need to talk to you about something," El obediently stood up from the couch and followed the two adults into the kitchen as Jonathan and Nancy finally took their coats off.

"So uh," Jonathan said, unsure what to do at this point. He and Nancy hadn't even had the chance to discuss what was going on between them and he certainly wasn't going to have that conversation in front of his family. "How are you feelin', buddy?" He asked his brother, taking a seat on the couch as Nancy sat next to him in the armchair.

"Have a seat, El," Joyce said, sitting down at the kitchen table and encouraging El to follow suit. She took a final drag of her half-finished cigarette and butted it out in the ashtray in front of her, waving the smoke away from El's face. "Okay, so…" She looked up at Hopper who, seemingly reading her mind, took a seat beside her. "There's something we need to tell you sweetie, and it's gonna be hard to hear but I just want you to know that we're here for you and everything's gonna be okay,"

El looked warily between the two of them, not saying a word.

Joyce sighed and looked at Hopper who chimed in, "There was an accident tonight, El," He started, then pursed his lips, hesitating. Joyce watched him for a second, exhaled, and continued for him.

"Your Aunt Becky was in an accident tonight," Joyce said, her tone honest but warm. "She got hurt very badly and…" Watching El's face and the understanding wash over her was enough to choke Joyce up. She took a breath to steady herself. "...she didn't make it," Tears welled in El's eyes and it was all Joyce could do to keep herself from crying, too. She didn't have any particularly strong feelings toward Becky but knowing the impact this was having on El was enough to break her heart. Hopper, meanwhile, sat stoically at the table, feeling completely inept at this but thankful to have Joyce there.

"Dead?" El asked, her voice small and wavering.

Joyce pursed her lips, "Yes, honey. Aunt Becky died tonight," She reached across the table and grabbed El's hands in hers. "I am so sorry," She punctuated her words with gentle squeezes of the girl's hands as the El's face quietly crumpled and tears dripped onto the table.

"Do you have any idea where Terry - your mom could be?" Hopper asked but El shook her head vigorously.

"Is she... ?"

"We don't know, sweetie," Joyce answered before El had to articulate what she was wondering. "All we know right now is she's missing but the chief is gonna try to find her, okay?"

El felt like her chest was going to implode. There was a pressure building inside her that felt like it would consume her whole. It'd only been a couple months but she'd really grown attached to her new family, her real family as everyone had been calling them. She hadn't been sure what to think of them at first but Becky had done so much for her. She did her hair and helped her feel better when she was sick. She took her in and made sure they always had Eggos. She hugged her and talked to her and made her feel safe and comfortable even though she knew Becky had been just as nervous at first, too. They were family. She finally had a family and now they were… gone? And Terry… her mom… she wasn't dead but… they didn't know where she was? What if she was dead? Could she connect with her? That would tell her, wouldn't it?

El closed her eyes, forcing her breathing to slow down so she could try to focus but all she saw when she closed her eyes was Becky's face, her mom's face, and nothing happened. She couldn't get to the blackness, she couldn't make a connection to Terry, so did that mean her mom was dead, too? She was too emotionally drained already to make a clear connection and the despair and frustration suddenly exploded from her like a geyser.

"No!" El screamed, banging her fists on the table in anguish as every drawer, cabinet door, and shelf came flying open and an array of objects went soaring across the kitchen. Tupperware and dishes crashed to the linoleum and silverware flew across the room, ricocheting off the walls.

"Shit!" Hopper said, jumping up to cover the two of them from flying debris but as quickly as the outburst had happened, El's energy deflated like a balloon and she began to sob heartily.

"What's going on in there?!" Jonathan exclaimed from the other room, having stood up at the sound of the commotion to see the cabinets emptied and a slew of broken glass and random kitchen items all over the floor. "Are you guys okay?" Jonathan asked as Nancy stood behind him, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and surprise at the sight before them.

"It's fine," Hopper replied gruffly, settling back into his chair now that the danger seemed to be over.

"Oh sweetheart," Joyce scooted around the side of the table and closer to El, pulling her into her so she could cry on her shoulder. "I know," She said soothingly, running her hand up and down El's back. "I know, it's gonna be okay. But I know it hurts,"

"What happened?" Will asked from the couch, starting to get up. "What's going on?"

"Don't get up, Will. Just hold on a sec," Jonathan said, stepping into the kitchen, carefully avoiding the Tupperware lids and broken glass at his feet. Nancy began to follow but he stopped her. "Stay back, there's glass everywhere,"

"I'm fine, Jonathan," She said pointedly, stubbornly following behind him. "El, what's wrong?" She said gently, gingerly touching the girl's shoulder as she blubbered into the crook of Joyce's neck.

"El's aunt was in an accident tonight," Hopper explained to the teens. "She didn't make it,"

"Oh man…" Jonathan breathed and Nancy crouched down next to El and Joyce, reaching for the girl's free hand and holding it tightly. She knew better than most how in these moments of grief, sometimes there really isn't anything that can be said.

. . . . . . . .

"Hey now, hey now... Don't dream it's over. Hey now, hey now... When the world comes in, they come, they come to build a wall between us... We know they won't win…"