Blink (Billy Hargrove x OC)

#21 Reunion

▶️ If You See Her Say Hello by Bob Dylan

When we blink, we're in a beachy area. I crumble to the ground, feeling sick.

"Babe." Billy crouches next to me.

"Give me a second." I grit my teeth through the nausea, I mutter my mantra and calm my breathing. I stand up, I look around to make sure no one saw us, and we're good.

"Better?" Billy asks.

I nod.

There's something familiar about this beach.

"Baby, look around." I whisper.

Billy does so and recognition sets in for him.

It's our beach, the one we came to the other day. Billy and I exchange a glance. He's nervous, I can tell. To the others, it probably wasn't a big deal that he's back. They're scared shitless of him, and they probably would've been happier in the reality where I didn't blink back to save him. But we're living in this reality so they'll just have to deal with it.

"There." Says Billy. We see the two girls looking slightly lost. Maxine has a map, she doesn't look too good. As well as the cut on her leg from her falling off the skateboard, there's also hints of a black eye peeking out from her cherry red sunglasses and purple spots on her jawline. The other girl, El, is wearing a bright colored shirt and shorts, with shoulder length, mousy brown hair, that cascades from her head in gentle waves.

"What do I say to her?" Billy asks me.

"Just whatever you want. I don't think she'll care too much, she'll just be happy to see you." I squeeze his hand. With my other hand, I touch the Saint Christopher medallion.

Billy shifts his weight from foot to foot nervously, and then starts walking towards the girls. They're transfixed by the map, chattering.

"This is it, this is the beach." Says Max.

"But what if they're not on beach?" Asks El slowly.

Max sighs. "Then we'll check every house until we find them."

"Or until they find you." Billy says once we get close. Both girls practically jump out of their skin, El covers her mouth in complete and utter shock and Max screams "BILLY!"

Max starts crying and runs over to him, he holds out his arms and sweeps her up, spinning her around, all with an emotional smile on his face. She wraps her arms around his neck and she cries into his shoulder. He holds her the way he holds me sometimes, his powerful arms supporting her, his powerful body steadying her.

"I've got you Max." He says gently to her. "It's going to be okay."

"I knew you were alive, I knew it I knew it. And no one believed me but I knew it, oh Billy." Max speaks through her tears.

I smile, happy for the reunion we've been waiting for and look at the other girl. She looks happy for Max, but kind of scared at the same time.

"Hi sweetheart." I approach El and she takes a step back.

"Stranger...Danger..." she says slowly.

"I'm not a stranger, look." I flip my arm over and show El my tattoo. She looks at the tattoo, then to me, then the tattoo again. She comes close and gets a better look, then softly and sweetly asks "seven?"

"Yeah." Now it's my turn to tear up. "It's me."

Eleven looks shocked, and I open my arms for her and she hugs me. It takes me by surprise, she starts crying, and I just hold her, like I'd do.