•Chapter Twenty•

Elena sat on one of the boxes that stood in front of her house, the house looked cold and empty. "What's wrong, baby?" Billy asked as he came up behind her, laying his hands on her shoulders. "This house holds memories of my best moments and a few of the worst. And now we're not living in it anymore." Elena sighed, leaning against his stomach, looking up at him.

"This is a new chapter for us Elena. I've never thought I'd get to leave this shit hole. But now we're leaving." Billy smiled, his hands softly caressing her cheek. "And I think Susan is pretty happy that you let her move into the house. She's finally away from Neil." Billy said as he crouched down, looking into her eyes. "I used to hate this place too you know, but now it holds so many good memories." Elena sighed. "We can make new ones, better ones. Without the past of abuse." He said, putting his hand on her thigh.

"I'm not ready to let you go." Steve said to Elena, his eyes has been bloodshot the whole time but he didn't want to admit that he was crying silently in his car when no one was looking. Elena's eyes teared up. "I'll come visit. And you can come visit!" She said, her voice slowly waving off. "But it won't be the same. Not the late night getting highs and eating at McDonald's at three am." Steve sighed, sitting down onto the grass on the front porch. "And who am I supposed to annoy now?" He sighed. "We're not going to die." Elena laughed slightly but sighed. She was gonna miss that shithole and the people, or as she liked to refer, her family.

"It's all out. The truck is ready to go." Hopper said as he sat down next to Elena on the stairs of her house. Elena nodded as she fiddled with her hands, a cigarette in her hands. Silence was between them, as they sat next to each other.

Hopper and Elena had gotten close. He almost was the fatherly figure she had lost years ago, the father she needed. And Hopper felt the same, he knew he had El but Elena was something else for him. El had his whole heart, but Elena still had some place deep inside him.

"I'm gonna miss you, kiddo." Hopper said, trying his best to keep his voice steady and his eyes dry as he looked at the group talking a few feet away. "I'm gonna miss you too." She sighed, wrapping her arms around him. He stiffed but soon relaxed, wrapping his arms around her too.

"Henderson!" Elena yelled, a big smile across her face as the curly haired boy came her way. But he looked sad as he stood in front of her. "What's up, bud?" She said softly, nudging him. "Nothing." He muttered. "You're a bad liar." She said, crossing her arms. "It's just..." He sighed "I'm really going to miss you. You're like a big sister I've never had." He muttered, his cheeks getting red and she could see a tear running down his face. "Dustin..." She only muttered wrapping her arms around him.

"Enough with the depressing shit. We're still here until tonight, Alright? We're gonna make the most of it." Elena said, everyone looking at her. Everyone had been moping around today, and honestly it made her depressed too. "What are we going to do first? Arcade? Lunch? I don't fucking know ice skating, doing cocaine, god damnit to make you all happy!" She was getting frustrated with the sad faces. She wasn't very fond of leaving too but they didn't have to make it even more difficult for her.

"Let's go grab lunch and then we all can go to the arcade." Joyce said as she looked at the group, who seemed to agree. "Then what are we waiting for?" Billy said smiling, clasping his hands together.

Steve, Elena and Billy were all in one car, laughing as it filled up with the smoke and the joint got passed around. "This is the last time." Steve sighed in the backseat, a big grin across his face. "The last time of us getting high together and actually enjoy something." "We ain't gonna die! You can come visit us all." Billy said, putting one of his arms behind him so he could reach the boy in the back, nudging him.

"Seriously? When you're around a cop?" Hopper said, but he couldn't contain his smile as he saw how the smoke left the car when they got out, all of them laughing at each other. "I don't know what you're talking about Hop-Hop." Elena grinned, grabbing his arm as she pulled him inside the diner, the kids, her fiancé, her best friends behind her.

"I'm starving." Elena sighed as they waited for their food. "Babe! Baaabee!" Billy said, shaking her shoulder as he looked at her with wide bloodshot eyes. "What?" She said, looking at him. "It's diner!" He said with a grin and when Elena looked around she grinned. "Let's Dance baby." Elena grinned as she pulled the boy to the feet, both of them laughing as they made their way over to the jukebox.

Once again, the song they had danced to the first time, ringed through the diner, as they danced slowly in synch, their hands intertwined as Elena laid her head onto his chest.

It'd probably be the last time that they'd dance here. And she wanted to enjoy it. And she wasn't even aware of the smiles that were sent their way, from Hopper and Joyce, even from the kids. They adored the two and Max was happy that her brother finally had someone who made him happy, for a long time she had thought he'd end up dead in a ditch. But with Elena by his side, she knew that he was in good hands. And Emilija smiled too. Because she had thought that her sister would never get over the death of her brother, her mother and her father. Emilija thought for a long time that Elena would always be in here semi-depressed state but now she was happy.

"You guys are the cutest!" Nancy awed as they sat back down, grinning like crazy and finally starting to eat their food. The first and the last time they'd eat together.

"Let's go to the arcade!" Elena grinned as she ran over to the car. "Calm down." Billy laughed as he sat down into the drivers seat. "No, let's have fun!" Elena smiled as she intertwined their hands while they drove.

"I suck at this!" "No wonder, you're as high as a kite!" Billy laughed as he stood behind Elena who tried to get the basketball into the hoop, which obviously didn't go as planned. "You suck Elena." Mike grinned who stood beside her, racing against her with the basketball throwing. "You gonna suck my-" "Elena, look!" Max grinned as she had won a stuffed animal. "That's great!" Elena grinned, coming over to the redhead. "That's for you. So you have something to remember me." Max smiled, making Elena aw and hug the girl.

"This is it." Elena sighed, the weed had worn off and it was now 10pm, and Billy and Elena had to leave to arrive on time in Los Angeles. Everyone was sad but also happy that the young couple got to leave Hawkins. "But, I've got something for all of you!" Elena smiled as she popped open the trunk of Billy's car.

The first one was Emilija, who gasped at the dangling keys in her hand. "You're giving me your 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS?" She gasped at the keys and Elena nodded, a smile spread on her face. "I know it's your dream car." She had to blink her tears away when Emilija wrapped her arms around her, thanking her. The next one was Steve, he had to laugh as she gave him a necklace, with a one dollar ring that Steve got out of a machine one night when they were drunk and swore 'if billy was gonna hurt her, he'd marry her'. "You still have that thing?" Steve laughed as he let her put the necklace with the cheap ring around his neck. Even though it was nothing 'expensive', it had emotional value for both of them. After that it was Dustin's turn, god she adored the kid. "I hope you and the guys will be happy with them." She grinned as the boy's face lit up as he looked at the box with the newest Walkie-Talkies. "How'd you get them?" He asked in awe. "Hopper owed me." She grinned and had to laugh as the whole group of teenage boys hugged her.She sighed as she held a red, beautiful dress in her hand. It was from her mother. And it was passed down to her. And after that it should've been passed to Emilija, but after their mom's death she refused to keep the tradition going. "Okay, listen Max. This is a dress my mom gave to me when I turned 16. It was something like a family heirloom. It's been passed down for 3 generations now. And I know it seems old fashioned-" "I love it." Max interrupted her, teary eyes. Max was overwhelmed she didn't know why Elena would give her something with such a emotional value. "I really do love it." Max sobbed, as she hugged the girl and Elena teared up, still a smile on her face. "This is pretty." El smiled as she held the 'members only' jacket in her hand, and Hopper smiled thankfully because he had heard the girl whine about the jacket for a long time. "Thank you." She smiled as she hugged Elena."So for you and you!" Elena smiled at Nancy and Jonathan. "This is so heavy." Elena laughed as she lifted a box out of the car, filled with vinyls. "You need some good music, Nancy." She laughed as she gave the girl her vinyls. "You're Right. And thank you." Elena sighed quietly as she hugged her best friend. "And this is for you, Mr. Byers." Elena smiled as she gave the boy a brand new camera, making him gape. "Where'd you get that from?" He asked shocked. "I bought it but I thought it might be better with you. You could send me over some pictures." She smiled as he hugged her with a big smile on his face.Now it was Hoppers and Joyce's turn. Now she teared up, when she put her hands around her own neck, pulling off the necklace. It had been around her neck for a long time. And it was final thank you, to the both of them, for treating her like a daughter, after her father had died. That they showed him what parents were supposed to do. That Hopper had taken care of her when she was in a fight with Billy or when Joyce had helped her when she was depressed because she had missed her mother.

She looked at the heart that was in her hands. You could clasp it open, what she did.

And then she broke it in half, making everyone gasp. "What-" Emilija asked, confused why'd she break the heart that her mother had given her when she was born.

She got out a second necklace, pulling the other half on the other necklace. She put one half of the heart around Joyce's neck and the other one around Hopper's. When they both turned around, they saw the tears running down Elena's face. "This was the Heart my mother gave to me when I was born. It was a promise that she'd always be by my side. And she broke that promise. And my father did too. But you guys showed me what parents were supposed to be. You Joyce, god you'd go through hell for your boys, and you Hopper you'd do anything for El. And I wanted to thank you, for treating me like one of your children. When I was crying or sad or happy one of you were by side. And this is why I'm giving you this. Each of you a half, representing me. You both raised me more in the last year than my own family was able to and loved me more than my family ever could've. Thank you."

And the tears were flowing on all of the three faces as Joyce and Hopper embraces her into a hug. And even Billy had to wipe his eyes as he leaned against his car.

After they had gone around the group once again, giving everyone a hug they sat down into the car. "We'll write you! And you can always come down to Los Angeles, we always have space Alright?" Elena smiled out of the window as she held Emilija's hand, all of them nodding. "I love you. Goodbye." Elena smiled as she let go of Emilija's hand as she heard the engine roar loudly.

The group was waving and Elena watched them smiling in the rear view mirror until they were gone in the horizon. Elena's eyes were filled with tears as she intertwined her hand with Billy's, who let his thumb run over her backhand, smiling at her. She smiled back.