Steve Harrington hated to say this but he missed her. He missed the way she chuckled at the stupid things he'd do to get her attention. He missed the way she would mock her brother and his friends but if anyone else were to do it, they would be dead...
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"The girl was never there It's always the same I'm running towards nothing"
A Forest By The Cure (1980)
Valerie sat silently at the kitchen table, watching as Steve practiced swinging his bat around, grimacing every time he would almost hit himself with the sharp nails. Standing up, she looked at the light above her which began flickering erratically, Will's screams echoing to throughout the house causing all of them to flinch. Valerie hated this. She felt useless, just sitting outside as she heard the screams of a young boy. The group raced towards the window trying to catch a glimpse or hear anything apart from his screams. The screams stopped as did the flickering lights causing all of them to sigh out in relief and return to where they were before. As Valerie sat back down at the table, her eyebrows furrowed as Nancy took a seat opposite her with a somber look on her face. Valerie started nervously tapping her fingers on the table before Nancy sighed loudly.
"Hey Val, I haven't really talked to you the past few days, have I?" The two girls softly chuckled and smiled at each other. Valerie had definitely missed the girl talk that Nancy, Barb and she would have as they ate lunch in the cafeteria, Nancy and Valerie usually swooning over Steve. "We haven't talked, no. Why were you with Jonathan before? At the lab? I haven't really seen you around." Valerie asked causing Nancy to tense up a little before sighing and relaxing into her seat. "We were getting justice for Barb." Valerie didn't know what that meant and Nancy continued to further explain their plans to get taken to Hawkins lab and then go to the crazy conspiracy theorist that was hired by Barb's parents to find her. Their goal was to release the information they had and expose the lab.
"Jonathan and I also--. I like him and we kind of slept together." Valerie was close to flipping the table at that moment. Everyone knew that the two had a thing for each other but my god, Valerie did not think that she would sleep with him whilst still with Steve. Trying to keep her cool, Valerie slowly nodded and took a gulp of the water next to her. She bit the inside of her lip as she looked at her friend with a tightlipped smile. "What about Steve?" Valerie whispered, watching him swing his bat around. She looked at him and smiled as he started to show Dustin how to swing the bat, ending with him bashing the shit out of one of the walls and trying to cover it up by shoving a blanket into it.
"I don't love him. Besides, he likes you." Valerie's head snapped towards her causing a faint blush to rise up to her cheeks. She placed her elbows on the table before leaning her head in her hands to cover the red splotches on her face. "No, he loves you. I know he does-" Valerie tried to find any sort of hole in Nancy's words, but Nancy just silenced her by putting her hand on top of hers. "Valerie, if you hadn't of left when you did then I don't think Steve and I would have started dating because I know he likes you and I know you like him. He was devastated when you left the hospital and even worse when he found out you left." Valerie was about to avoid the statement made by her best friend before Joyce, Hopper, Mike, and Jonathan ran in causing the two girls to shoot up. "What happened?" Dustin asked as Hopper stormed in and sat down where Valerie was sitting moments ago. He wrote frantically before sighing and explaining himself.
"I think he's talking, just not with words." Valerie was in awe as the Chief wrote down Morse Code symbols causing Steve to become confused again. "What is that?" He asked as Valerie looked at the symbols. "Morse code." Valerie and the boys chimed in at the same time causing Steve and Max to look up at them. "H-E-R-E." The chief spelled out. "Here." They all simultaneously said causing Valerie's mouth to open slightly. Steve jokingly pushed her jaw up causing her to nod as a way to say thanks. "Will's still in there. He's talking to us." The plan was that Hopper would communicate to the kids inside by pushing his walkie as a way to make the sounds so that they could translate.
"Dash, dot, dash, dot." Dustin hummed and wrote out onto the paper causing Valerie to look at the boys impressed and Steve to look amazed."Yeah, got it." Lucas chimed out before shouting to Nancy who was in charge of writing out what Will was saying. "C." Every few minutes they'd add on another letter. "L.O.S.E. G.A.T.E." They all swarmed around Nancy to read what Will was telling them. "Close gate." They all chimed before jolting as the phone rang. Valerie's heart started beating rapidly as she looked at the phone, hoping that he wouldn't recognize it. "Shit. Shit." Dustin ran towards the phone hanging it up as they all glanced around erratically. The phone rang again causing Nancy and Dustin to rip it off the wall and throw it on the ground.
"Do you think he heard that?" Max asked causing Valerie to shrug and look at Steve who gave her a reassuring smile. "It's just a phone. It could be anywhere. Right?" Valerie slowly walked towards the window and waited until she saw Hopper and Mike run out. "They know we're here," Valerie announced as she heard the same screeching in the distance as before at the lab. They were fucked. Valerie and the rest looked at each other with panicked looks "That's not good." All of them ran towards the front window of the house and looked out of it in an attempt to see any movement.
"Hey. Hey, get away from the windows!" Hopper shouted at the kids whose faces were pressed up against it. They all rushed back as Valerie stood next to Steve eyeing the three guns in his hands. "Do you know how to use these?" He pointed to Jonathan who became flustered quickly. "What?" He asked causing Hopper to become increasingly annoyed. "Can anyone use these?" Hopper asked around causing Nancy to step forward. "I can." Nancy grabbed one before Valerie stepped forward next to her, taking the gun out of the chief's hands.
"So can I." This caused her brother and Steve to question her abilities in shooting a gun. "What?" Valerie rolled her eyes and looked up at them. "Grandpa taught me how to use guns over the past year. Come, on guys. I was in Florida." She loaded her gun and stood next to Steve who swung his bat whilst staring at her. "You look like such a badass right now," Valerie smirked at his comment before everything went silent apart from the distant screeching coming from the demo-dogs. "Where are they?" Max yelled out, no one answering her instead focusing on listening to the growling of the animals along the sides of the house. A loud growling sound coming from the direction of the shed caused them all to jump and spin that way.
"What are they doing?" Nancy asked causing Valerie to reply in a shaky voice. "Circling their prey." A thud came from in front of them before the screeching and growling changed slightly. Valerie gasped as the screeching stopped abruptly causing them all to grow silent again. Suddenly, a demo-dog burst through the window and into the corner causing them all to yell out. "Holy shit," Valerie commented as they all walked slowly towards it, a bit curious and frightened as to why it wasn't moving at all. "Is it dead?" Max asked as Hopper kicked it with his foot, no movement or reaction coming from it, whatsoever. A creak in the floorboards near the door caused them all to snap back in that direction. They all pointed their guns as both of the locks on the door slowly went open causing all of them to be on edge and amazed.
The door slowly swung open causing Valerie to lower her gun and look at the person walking through the door in front of her. And there she was. Eleven wearing badass clothing and eyeliner under her eyes had slicked back hair and sporting her usual nose bleed. Steve tapped Valerie's shoulder before pointing to the girl in front of them. "Who's that?" He asked, his bat still raised, not aware of who she was. "That, that is Eleven." Valerie breathlessly answered as everyone stood in shock at the sight of the once dead girl, standing in front of them looking like a complete badass. Mike walked up ahead of the group causing Elevens features to soften and tears well up in her eyes.
ANOTHER ONE. Dear lord, rewatching their reunion got me all choked up like they're way too cute. The start was probably a bit rushed with the whole 'Nancy sees through all your bullshit' but I have a tendency not to think of certain aspects of situations when starting fanfics so walla. Also, thank you boos who have got this story up to 15k reads and 600 VOTES like that's bloody bonkers. I love reading all your lovely and hilarious comments so keep it up!!!
