44. Love Will Lead You Back

[A/N: Welcome to the turning point! Not sure when I'll be able to update again because things are getting busier for me but please let me know what you think! THINGS ARE GONNA GET INTENSE.

P.S. Trigger warning: Drunk and abusive fathers.

P.P.S PLEASE go listen to this song's chapter. Ahhhhh, I have been listening to it nonstop for two days and I love it so, so much. Gets me pumped, man.]

Chapter 44: Love Will Lead You Back (by Taylor Dayne)

"Saying goodbye is never an easy thing, but you never said that you'd stay forever. So if you must go, oh, darling I set you free. But I know in time that we'll be together..."

. . . . . . . .

Mike, Dustin, and Lucas arrived at the Byers' house almost immediately after school and Jonathan and Nancy showed up a little while later. They had all wanted to make sure they had the opportunity to see El off since she wouldn't be stopping back in Hawkins again after she left Clarksville for Finksburg. They'd spent the time chatting about nothing and everything and Nancy had brought a few more hand-me-downs she found for El to take with her - a summer skirt and a beaded tank top plus a brand-new pair of slippers she'd seen on sale at the drugstore that just seemed perfect for El. They were pink and unbearably soft with a tiny bow over the toes.

Dustin had brought a copy of the same joke book he'd gotten for Christmas since she'd been so entertained by it in the hospital and Lucas gave her a D&D instruction manual so she could learn how to play whenever they did see her again.

"You're part of the party so you should know how to play," He said with a smile and a shrug.

Mike had been fervently working on recreating the plastic picture frame from tech ed that Troy had destroyed and presented the new version to El as a parting gift.

"I… wanted to put a picture of us in it," Mike said under his breath, mildly embarrassed by how obviously everyone could hear what he was saying to her. "But I didn't have one so it's just the frame,"

"That is so sweet, Mike," Joyce commented and Mike's face flushed. He bit his bottom lip and cast his gaze down. Seeing anyone else's faces at this point would make it even worse.

"I could take a picture of you guys, if you want?" Jonathan offered. "It wouldn't be ready by the time El had to go but I could give it to Hopper sometime or mail it at least,"

Mike looked to El who had brightened at the suggestion. "Okay, yeah!" He nodded. "Thanks!"

"I'll go get my camera!" Jonathan said and disappeared from the living room.

"I can't believe you're actually leaving," Lucas shook his head. "It feels like you just got here,"

"Says the guy who wanted to leave her out in the rain," Dustin quipped good-naturedly, giving Lucas a playful shove.

"Hey, I came around!" Lucas defended lightly. "It's not everyday you run into a random telekinetic Jedi girl so sue me for being suspicious!" He laughed.

"We're really glad we met you, though," Will said earnestly. "I know these guys knew you longer than I did but I think you're great and I just hope all of this works out and eventually you can come back to Hawkins again,"

"Amen to that," Dustin said.

"Okay!" Jonathan returned from his room with his camera in hand. "You guys ready? Is it gonna be a group picture or just you and Mike?"

"Can we do more than one?" Lucas asked and Jonathan nodded.

"Sure, that's fine,"

Everyone took turns taking individual pictures with El by the door as they waited for Hopper to arrive. Despite the joy and fun of being surrounded by friends, the hint of sadness lingered in the air as everyone knew it was only a matter of time before El had to leave. Jonathan got a couple group pictures as well as one of El with just the boys. When it was Mike's turn to take an individual picture with El, he felt a lot more bashful and awkward than he had anticipated. Everyone was watching and his movements felt jerky. Lucas and Dustin and Will had had no problems putting their arms around El and smiling for the camera but for Mike, it was such a big thing to do because it meant a lot more to him.

"C'mon Mike, get in there," Joyce waved him to step closer to El since he was standing several inches away with his arms like boards at his sides.

El looked at him expectantly and he swallowed, trying to ignore the way the hairs on his arms were standing on end and the butterflies in his own stomach were beating their wings out of control.

"Come on, man. Act like you like her!" Dustin teased and Mike shot him a warning glare, made much less intimidating by the way his face and ears were beet-red.

"That's an understatement," Lucas joked under his breath but it was loud enough for everyone to still hear.

"Okay, that's enough," Joyce said, suppressing a smirk. "Let's get a good picture. Jonathan's waiting,"

Mike inhaled and took a step closer to El, closing the space between them and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, unsure of what to do with his hands so he awkwardly kept his fingers out so they didn't wrap around her arm naturally. El was unfazed by Mike's rigidity and nervousness and posed for the camera by dropping her head onto Mike's shoulder and smiling up at Jonathan.

"Awwwwwwwww!" Lucas and Dustin goaded in unison and it was all Mike could do to maintain his smile long enough for the camera to flash.

"Perfect," Jonathan said after taking the shot. "I think that's everyone,"

"Keep your camera out for when Hopper gets here," Joyce said as Jonathan ducked his head and freed himself from his camera strap. "I'm sure he'll want a picture with El, too,"

"Aww, I think they like each other," Dustin quipped to Lucas, ignoring Mike's embarrassed glare. "What do you think, Lucas?"

"Well, I think we're certainly seeing some proof, Dustin," Lucas replied, imitating a sports commentator. "It'll be hard to deny that one,"

"Shut up," Mike grumbled.

"Cut it out, guys," Will laughed as a knock on the door disrupted the jovial nature of their little gathering and a somber quiet fell over them as Joyce opened the door.

Despite knowing he was on his way, it still made everyone's hearts sink a little to see Hopper arrive ready to take El away.

"I guess this is it," Dustin said.

"Hop, did you want a picture with El?" Joyce asked, gesturing to Jonathan behind her.

Hopper removed his hat from his head, his gruff facial expression softening. "Yeah, let's get one for the road,"

Jonathan took a photo of El and Hopper who crouched down to almost the same height as the young girl. "Got it," He said, gently putting his camera down on the table behind him.

"Okay," Hopper exhaled. "You ready?" He looked down at El who glanced around the room at everyone before giving a small reluctant nod.

"Here's her stuff," Joyce said, pulling a duffel bag out from the floor by the couch. "I double-checked and everything should be in here,"

"You got the sketchbook I gave her this morning, right?" Will asked and Joyce patted the side of the bag where the outline of the book could be seen.

"Right here," Joyce nodded, handing the duffel bag to Hopper who slipped his arm through the strap and threw it over his shoulder.

"I guess it's time," Lucas said, stepping up and giving El a hug good-bye. "See you around, El,"

"Don't forget about us," Dustin said as he hugged her and El fervently shook her head.

"Never," She said quietly with a sad smile.

"Take care of yourself," Nancy said, pulling El in for a tight hug. "If you need me, I guess just let Mike know and he'll tell me,"

El glanced back at Mike who was looking down at the floor dejectedly but at the mention of his name, he looked up and offered a small smile. "For sure," He nodded.

Once everyone had said their goodbyes and it was down to Mike, Joyce took a cue from Mike's nervous expression and started to engage Hopper, Jonathan, and Nancy in a conversation about the photos Jonathan took.

Mike wished desperately that his friends would follow in similar fashion but Dustin and Lucas were standing by, watching with great interest. It took a great deal of willpower to ignore Dustin's raised eyebrows and toothy grin or the knowing smirk on Lucas' face. Will at least had the presence of mind to pretend he was looking for something under the coffee table.

El grabbed Mike's attention, however, when she stepped forward and stared at him with a slight smile. It was so easy to forget about everything else when she looked at him like that.

"I-I -" Mike stammered, then cleared his throat and spoke under his breath. "I'm gonna miss you, El,"

El nodded, her eyes glistening. "Me too," Without hesitation, she came forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, her head on his shoulder as she lingered long enough for Mike's brain to stop misfiring and allow him to put his arms around her, too. "I crush you," She said quietly.

Mike swallowed, his heart racing and his palms sweating. "M-Me too," Pulling away and trying to regain his composure, Mike forced a normal voice. "Don't forget to call us on the supercom. I mean, don't overuse your powers or anything but I mean, if you get the chance and you want to. Um, just… and be careful you don't use your powers in front of strangers or anything like that. But, uh…"

"She gets it," Dustin said, clapping Mike on the back. "Stay in touch, right, El?"

El nodded and smiled despite the sadness in her heart. "I will,"

. . . . . . . .

The drive up to Clarksville was quiet and reminiscent of the first time El had come up here to live with her aunt and mom. Sitting silently in the front seat with the occasional tear breaking free and sliding down her face, El leaned against the window watching the now familiar trees and signs pass. It would be nice to see her other friends again but even that made her sad. How would she talk to them without supercoms or radios to connect? They didn't even know about her powers so would that even have been a possibility even if they did own radios of some sort? El felt like she was losing everything she'd gained in such a short period of time. She'd had nothing but the deceptive and manipulative love of her Papa for the majority of her life and now with Mike and Hopper and Joyce and everyone she had gained so much more. Now it felt like she was losing everything even though Hopper insisted this would only be temporary. He promised he would find a way to stop the lab and protect her but after all her running, she was beginning to think that maybe that was a promise that couldn't be kept.

Unbeknownst to the two of them, however, was an unmarked black van that had been tailing them since they left Hawkins. The windows were tinted and it had kept an exceptionable distance from the police chief's SUV, making it completely inconspicuous on the long drive up to Clarksville.

. . . . . . . .

As far as Emma's family was concerned, this was just a regular weekend sleepover with all the girls so El's presence didn't take much explaining on Hopper's part. Following a brief and scripted goodbye with Hopper, El was back in the company of her girl friends.

"Where have you been?" Trish asked almost as soon as El was in the door. "It's like you disappeared off the face of the earth,"

"You missed a lot while you were gone," Gabby added, biting off the end of a cherry-flavored Airhead..

"Yeah, like all the times Josh made eyes at Emma at school this week," Trish teased and Emma flushed.

"Did you go back to Hawkins?" Emma asked, trying to change the subject.

El nodded and Emma's mom interrupted, "Girls, let's let El get in the door before we start all the chit-chatting, okay?" Emma's mom was pretty and blonde, just like her daughter, with shoulder-length hair that she feathered back perfectly into place. She ushered the girls out of the foyer and toward the hall. Emma lived in a one-level three-bedroom rancher that despite its modest height, made up for what it lacked with spacious rooms and a well-decorated interior.

"Why don't you put El's bag with everyone else's in your room and I can order you girls a pizza?" Emma's mom suggested, handing her daughter El's duffel bag.

"Okay," Emma took the bag obediently and waved for El to follow. "My room's right down this hall. I'll show you around,"

El followed behind her friends with Gabby and Trish chatting animatedly behind as usual. She was trying to have a good time but all she could think about was how this could be the last weekend she sees these friends in a long time and how she'd just said goodbye to some of her closest friends back in Hawkins.

"Okay, I'll leave your bag here," Emma said, dropping El's duffel bag in the corner of her room where a few other travel bags were open with their contents already spread out around them.

Emma's room was light purple with glow in the dark stars on the ceiling and a white desk with notebooks and her school bag on top. There were shelves with dolls and keepsakes that decorated three of the four walls and a window with a sheer white curtain pulled closed. The bed was a decent size, able to fit two of them comfortably and three of them if they squeezed in but the two rolled-up sleeping bags on the floor indicated that wouldn't be an issue.

"Okay, so what happened?" Trish asked, tossing herself onto Emma's bed. "You just kind of disappeared and it was really weird,"

El contemplated telling them everything that had happened the past few days, remembering the details Hopper had told her to include and leave out. "M-My aunt… had an accident," She said, forcing her voice to remain as even as possible.

"Oh damn," Trish's playful expression became more solemn. "I'm sorry… uh, is she… okay?"

El shook her head, blinking away tears. She was getting so sick of crying at this point. It took so much out of her and made her want to sleep all the time.

"I'm really sorry, El," Gabby said, patting her shoulder as Emma sympathetically rubbed her back. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to?"

El looked up at Gabby with relief and that was all the cue needed to move on to the next subject.

"Okay, so, you remember I'm in that musical, right? 'Funny Girl'?" Gabby said, taking on a more upbeat tone. "We have a rehearsal tomorrow even though it's Saturday but ahhhh it's been so much fun, I don't even care!" She smiled brightly and El smiled back. She knew Gabby was looking forward to this.

Gabby proceeded to fill El in on all the details of the musical and how rehearsals had been going thus far, much to Emma and Trish's chagrin as they had heard all of these details over and over again just about every day. They spent the next hour chatting and goofing off and devouring the pizza once it arrived. As the night carried on, they were just getting settled in the living room watching 'Valley Girl' when they heard car tires screech in the driveway outside and a few minutes later, pounding on the front door that made them jump.

"What the hell is that?" Trish exclaimed in a hushed voice as Emma's mom came in from the study down the hall.

"Coming!" She called out as the pounding continued. "Mr. Kagler," Emma's mom blinked in surprise at the sight of Gabby's dad at the door - his face sweaty and red, his brow set in a scowl, and the stale stench of cigarettes and alcohol on his breath as he leaned against the doorframe. "What are you do -"

"Where's my daughter?" He demanded, his speech slurring as he brushed past the petite woman and into the house.

Gabby froze in her place on the floor and El noticed the terrified look in her eyes. She wasn't sure if she would need to intervene or not but her fists clenched and her brow furrowed in anger nonetheless.

"You," He bellowed and pointed at Gabby on the floor, his voice dripping with disdain as he nearly tripped over the couch leg walking over to them. "Get your ass out to the car,"

"Andy!" Emma's mom called out, helpless, and her husband appeared not even a minute later.

"Hey Jerry," The mild-mannered man with wire-frame glasses entered and tried to calm the drunken man. "What's going on? It's late,"

"I'm taking my daughter home," Gabby's dad said thickly, his button-down shirt loose at the collar as sweat dripped down his neck. "She has chores,"

"Okay, alright," Emma's dad said, motioning with his hands for Jerry to relax. "That's fine. How much have you had to drink?"

Gabby watched in horror at the scene unfolding before them as Emma and Trish held her securely by the arms in an attempt to serve as some sort of barrier of protection and reassurance. El, however, was motionless and watching Jerry's every move.

Jerry stepped up to Andy, entirely too close for comfort, and exhaled sharply. "I don't see how that's any of your business," He seethed, then turned back to the girls sitting on the floor. "Gabby, get your ass out to the car!"

Andy put his hands on Jerry's shoulders, attempting to calm and distract him but the belligerent man yanked himself away from Andy's grasp. "Jerry, I don't think you should be driving -"

"Back the hell off, Andrew," Gabby's dad spat in Andy's face and when Gabby hesitated to move, he grabbed her by her casted wrist, yanking her to her feet. Gabby nearly tripped standing up as she yelped in pain and her friends protested.

"Leave her alone!" Trish yelled angrily but he was already dragging her out the door faster than anyone could react.

As El watched, she had flashbacks of the lab - orderlies grabbing her roughly, yanking her out of seats and down hallways, ignoring her protests and hurting her or throwing her into the isolation room. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears and she spaced out for a moment as her friend's cries seemed to become distant to her ears.

"No! Dad, stop, please!" Gabby cried as she tried to pry his hand off of her arm. He had shifted his grip off of the cast on her wrist but was now holding onto her upper arm just above her elbow.

"Andy, call the police," Emma's mom said firmly, still wracked with adrenaline as her husband jogged over to the phone. She and the girls had run up to the door, watching in frozen panic as the freckled young girl struggled against her father's hold.

"You're hurting me!" Gabby cried, trying to wrench herself away from her father, her shoes grinding against the gravel driveway.

"Shut your mouth," He slurred, stumbling to the car with her arm still in his hand like a vice. "I told you to have your room cleaned, the trash taken out, all of your chores done but nobody in this goddamn family listens to a damn thing I say," He mumbled loudly to himself. "Useless, just like your fucking mother -"

"Don't talk about her like that!" Gabby cried out defensively and he whirled around and back-handed her across the face. The action made it easier for Gabby to slip out of his grip and she backed away, tears streaming down her face.

"Who the hell do you think you're talkin' to, little lady?" He growled, furious. "Get back over here, now!"

Gabby shook her head vehemently. "No!"

"So help me god, if you don't get your ass over to this car, Gabrielle…" Her dad's eyes flashed and he started to charge after her until he was suddenly frozen in place, unable to move. Gabby watched in confused shock as her father stood mid-step, looking just as confused as the rest of them. Not even a second later, his feet were over his head and he came crashing down to the ground but not before banging his head on the side mirror of his car. He landed hard on the gravel, his leg bent in an unfathomable way under the weight of his body as his shoulders hit the ground with a thud.

Emma's mom rushed over to Gabby who had fallen to her knees in the grass and was crying hysterically. Trish and Emma followed suit, kneeling in the ground and hugging Gabby closely as Emma's dad stood in the doorway, still on the phone with 911. El, however, stood on the porch step, glaring menacingly at the drunken heap in the driveway as he moaned in pain. She only wished she could have done more to hurt him without drawing unwanted attention to her powers as she discreetly wiped a stream of blood from her nose.

. . . . . . . .

It had taken some convincing and encouragement to get Gabby interested in going to her rehearsal the following day. Thankfully, her father hadn't done any additional damage to her wrist and while it had hurt to have it grabbed and pulled, her cast had protected her broken wrist from being re-broken. The bruise across her cheek was another story.

The police had arrived shortly after Emma's dad got off the phone and Jerry was arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct as well as assault on his daughter. They'd needed to call an ambulance for his severely broken leg but to everyone's relief, he had left in handcuffs. Emma's parents called Gabby's mom to let her know what happened and reassured Gabby she could stay and they were there for her no matter what. No one had really known about the abuse outside of Trish, Emma, and El, so to have some adult support was a relief.

Still, Gabby wasn't entirely convinced that her nightmare was over and the red and purple bruise across her face made it difficult to think of anything else.

"We'll put some make-up on it and no one will even know," Trish suggested reassuringly. "You're not that swollen so a little cover-up here and there and it'll be like it never happened,"

Gabby sat quietly on the bed, her legs criss-crossed, and El sat close by, watching her. She empathized with Gabby more than she had the words to describe. Seeing her father in action last night only solidified that. She saw herself in Gabby - abused and neglected and hurt by someone who was supposed to take care of her. She recognized every emotion in Gabby's face as one of her own - fear, shame, helplessness, anger, loneliness - everything she had felt before she escaped the lab.

"You love all this acting and singing stuff," Trish continued. "It'll make you feel better,"

"And we'll go with you," Emma offered to which Trish unequivocally agreed.

"Absolutely," She nodded. "We'll all be there and you'll strut your stuff and be awesome and then we'll come back and do whatever but don't let that asshole get in the way of that,"

Gabby inhaled, shuddering as she exhaled. "O-Okay… I'll try,"

"You'll be fine," Emma rubbed her back. "You always say how much fun you have at these rehearsals,"

"We'll just hang out in the audience cheering you on," Trish winked and Gabby couldn't help a small smile.

"It's not going to be exciting or fun for you guys," Gabby chuckled lightly.

"Eh," Trish waved her off. "Don't worry about us. You just do your thing and forget about last night,"

"Okay," Gabby nodded and when Trish and Emma scurried off to the bathroom to find Emma's mom's makeup bag, El scooted closer to the red-headed girl.

"Gabby," She said quietly and her friend turned to look at her. "I… I understand," El looked up at Gabby, hoping she understood what she was trying to convey. Hurt and broken and betrayed… she didn't know how to say it all but she hoped Gabby could feel it. "I'm sorry,"

Gabby's lips stretched into a tight smile. "Thanks El," She said, dropping her head onto El's shoulder and sighing.

. . . . . . . .

The theater room at Clarksville Middle was huge with a big black stage and two doors on either side leading to the back areas where performers got changed and waited for their scenes. Dozens of chairs and music stands were scattered about across the linoleum floor and a covered piano sat on one side of the room next to a chalkboard.

A few dozen kids El didn't know were up on and around the stage with Gabby as the theater director and music teacher gave instructions for each person and group scene by scene. Trish and Emma were lounged in the chairs, watching the budding young actors take direction and making comments about the people they knew and didn't know. Despite her earlier reservations, Gabby seemed to come alive in this place and with the help of a couple layers of makeup, she looked like her usual self. El watched with interest as talented girls and boys sang songs she didn't know and spoke words she didn't always understand but found fascinating. It was good to see Gabby happy after what had happened the night before. She only hoped Gabby's dad would never come back.After nearly an hour had passed, El needed to use the restroom. Emma was leaning forward against the back of the chair in front of her, watching the actors on stage, and El tapped her shoulder to get her attention.

"Bathroom?" She whispered and Emma sat back.

"It's just down the hall we came in from," She pointed out the main doors of the room. "Go back out there and turn left and it's down like, close to the middle of the hallway on the right, by the water fountain,"

"Okay," El nodded and got up, quietly exiting the theater room.

With it being a Saturday, the school was otherwise empty sans everyone who came for rehearsal and a secretary in the main office. The lights in this particular hallway were a little dim but El could still see where she was going without any trouble. Halfway down the hall, she found the girls and boys bathrooms and as she remembered from countless life lessons with her friends and surrogate family, she was supposed to use the one that said 'Girls'.

She pushed the blue-painted door open and found a pitch-black room. El pawed at the wall for a lightswitch and the room brightened in stages with each set of lights slowly flickering on. The concrete walls almost reminded her of the lab and she purposefully avoided looking at them as she went to the bathroom and came out of the stall to wash her hands. Looking in the mirror as she rinsed, she imagined what it would be like to go to school here, or anywhere, really. To be a normal girl that used bathrooms like this on a regular basis between classes. She'd hoped she could start school in a real school come fall but now with everything so up in the air, she wasn't sure what would happen. Would she still continue her lessons with this new person she'd be living with next week? How long would she be there? Would she have to go somewhere else? Would she ever be able to come back to Hawkins? El sighed, grabbing a paper towel and drying her hands before forcing herself to leave her angst behind for Gabby's sake. She wanted to support her friend.

As she pulled the bathroom door open and switched the lights back off, it was only seconds before she was hit over the head and felt a sharp pin-prick stab her in the neck. Before she could register what was happening, everything went black and she fell to the floor.

. . . . . . . .

"I'm sure, sure as stars are shining, one day you will find me again; it won't be long..."