Time After Time (a Stranger Things fanfiction)

Ain't Even Done with the Night

"Ain't Even Done with the Night"

Well I'm tellin' ya that I don't know if I know what to do

You say that's all right, hold tight

Well I don't even know if I'm doing this right

- John Mellencamp

It seemed to take an eternity for Hopper to go to the junkyard and collect the kids and get back. Joyce and Jonathan and Nancy tried to make small talk, but they ran out about the time Joyce asked Nancy how her mom was. Nancy gave her a look, Jonathan gave her a look, and they all subsided into sitting and watching the window and fidgeting.

When the lights of the car finally appeared in front of the house, they all jumped up immediately and ran for the door. It felt better to Joyce to have the boys here. While Will and his friends didn't spend a ton of time in her house, it was enough that she knew them all, and Will felt closer with them present.

Nancy ran past her and hugged Mike, who clearly wasn't expecting that at all, and didn't like it much, standing there stiffly while she held him. "I was so worried about you!"

It was obvious to Joyce that Mike hadn't given a thought to his sister—and why would he? Presumably he didn't know about Barb or the monster or any of what had happened. "Yeah, uh ... Me, too?" he said dutifully.

Looking past him at the unfamiliar figure with the shorn hair, wearing a fairly incongruous pink dress, Nancy frowned. "Is that my dress?"

No one answered that, the boys and the child looking around awkwardly.

They brought the kids inside. "Anyone hungry?" Joyce asked, not surprised when the answer was an all-around yes.

She started to get things out for sandwiches, but Jonathan pushed her gently aside. "I've got it, Mom."

"But—"

"No. You and Nancy go fill them in. I'll take care of this."

Joyce squeezed his arm in gratitude. "Thank you." She went back into the living room, walking straight to the little girl. "Are you all right?"

A slow, silent nod.

"My name's Mrs. Byers. Joyce. My son is missing. Did Mike tell you?"

"Will," the girl whispered.

"Yes, Will! Have you—" She caught herself. The girl already seemed overwhelmed enough. Joyce didn't want to add to that by drowning her with questions. "I'm sorry, I don't know your name."

"Eleven."

"Eleven?" There wasn't much to say to that. Poor thing, raised in a lab without even a real name. "Welcome, Eleven. This is Chief Hopper, whose bark is worse than his bite, and this is Nancy, and in the kitchen is Jonathan, Will's brother. We're going to help you."

"Eleven can help, too," Mike put in. "She's strong and smart and ... she knows things."

The girl gave him a grateful glance. Yes, no question, Mike had been protecting her. Joyce wondered if Karen Wheeler knew this strange girl had been in her house for, what, days at least.

Dustin was staring at Nancy. Some things never changed—Dustin always stared at Nancy. But this time it was with curiosity rather than fascination. "Why are you here?"