For Always.

Eight.

"Eleven?"

"Toni." She smiled, and Toni quickly embraced her. El buried her face into her chest, and Toni couldn't feel how shakey she was under her hold.

"I missed you." She breathed, leaning back and El brought a hand to her face.

"Are you okay?" She asked under her breath, feeling the damp skin of her cheek.

"I'm okay."

"Friends don't lie." Toni smiled, shrugging.

"I'm better now that you're here, El." Eleven smiled, nodding. "Where've you been? Why didn't you come back to us?"

"Because I wouldn't let her." Hopper spoke, and Toni turned her head.

"Excuse me?"

"How about we talk about this in the other room, huh?"

"No, no, let's talk about it now!"

"Look, I did what I thought was right, okay!" He said in his own defence as she had approached him. "I kept her warm, and safe and fed and I-- I gave her eggos and a home an-" He was stopped abruptly, when Toni wrapped her arms around him. Not a hour ago she felt she'd be better if he wasn't here, so he wasn't entirely sure if this was a trap.

"Thank you."

"For, uh... for what?"

"For not leaving her out in the cold."

"It's okay, kid. I just did what I had to do."

-----

Confident that she could close the gate, Hopper was taking Eleven to Hawkins Labouratory. Nancy, Johnathan and Joyce had taken Will to Hopper cabin to attempt to get the mind flayer out of him in fear that if they closed the gate before hand, Will would die. Toni told them she would stay with the kids, and of course, Steve wouldn't leave her side. However, they'd been bickering on whether or not to go and set a fire to draw the demodogs away from the lab. Of course, Toni was all for it, but Steve was attempting to convince her it was a stupid idea.

"If we walk into those tunnels, we're gonna die." Steve told her.

"Not if we're in and out quick enough." She argued.

"Come on, you guys!" Dustin groaned. "You're supposed to be on the same page!"

"I think it's worth the shot."

"No, Toni, nobody is going anywhere!" She shrugged, turning to the kids.

"Sorry, guys. Daddy said no."

"Hey!" Steve spoke. "I told you not to call me that in front of people."

"Steve!" She laughed. "The children don't need to hear that."

"You two are fucking gross."

"Dustin, curse at me one more time, and I'm gonna burn your cap."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Try me." A screech of car tyres cut off their conversation prematurely, and they almost simultaneously peered out of the window only to find Billy had just pulled up. "Not this guy again."

"You know him?" Max asked.

"He's just some asshole that's been relentlessly hitting on me and I kinda wish he'd crash that fuckin car." She hissed.

"He's my step-brother." Max then said, and Toni gasped slightly.

"Oh... my god, I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"Don't worry about it, I know he's an asshole." She shrugged.

"I should probably get rid of him." She said.