There's No Place Like Hawkins//Stranger Things. SH

SEVENTY

Dear Billy

Back in the Wheeler's basement after having bid their farewells to Robin and Nancy, Cat found herself sitting on the floor with her head resting against Steve's legs. She sat just in front of the couch, her arms hugging her knees to her chest. Nobody spoke as they silently watched Max finish writing up her letter. "I know you guys are staring at me." Max told them, looking over her shoulder at the group.

"What, sorry?" Steve replied as the four collectively began to act as if they were doing anything but cautiously watching Max. Steve began to throw an old baseball ball up in the air, catching it with his other hand.

Lucas picked up an old newspaper, pretending to read it. "You said you needed something?" He asked, looking up from the paper.

"Just hanging out." Dustin mumbled, picking a random book off the coffee table and acting as if he was properly reading it. Cat removed one of her hands from around her legs, she conjured up a few small snowflakes as she 'practised' with her powers. She wasn't sure what else to do, and decided that it was probably best for her to check she could still control her powers.

Max shook her head slightly as she turned back to the desk, picking up all of the small brown envelopes she had just finished addressing. "How you think your eyes boring into the back of my head is protecting me from Vecna, I don't know." She muttered. She collected her letters, standing up from the chair. She crossed the floor of the basement, coming to a stop just in front of the small coffee table. "You can look at me now." Max stated when the others kept their attention on their fake activities.

"Thank you. Sorry." Dustin said, putting down the book. The other three uttered a chorus of 'sorry' as they too stopped what they had been doing. Cat lowered her hand, watching as her last snowflake slowly faded away.

"For you." She said, repeating the phrase each time she handed out one of the envelopes. The teenagers slowly took them, confused looks on each of their faces as they looked between Max and the letters in their hands. "Oh, and, um, give these to Mike, El, and Will." Max added, passing three letters to Lucas. "If you can ever get a hold of them again."

"Max... what are these for?" Cat asked, toying with the envelope in her hands. She wanted to open it, to read what Max had been writing for the last few hours. But something inside her told her she shouldn't- that they weren't for now.

Behind Cat, the boys on the sofa started to open the envelopes they had been handed. "What are you doing?" Max said. "No, don't. That's not for now. Don't open it now."

"Don't... okay." Dustin replied as both he and Steve closed the envelopes back up. "I'm sorry. What is this?" He then asked after a moment.

Again, Cat asked her question, although she already had a feeling she knew the answer. "Max, what are these for?"

"It's, um... it's a fail-safe." Max answered, confirming what Cat was thinking. "For after. If things don't work out."

Cat sat up straighter, her hands falling from around her knees. Her face fell as she glanced between the letter and Max. "Oh. No, Max. Don't say that. Please, don't say that." She moved so she was sitting on her knees, her own letter resting on her lap. "It's gonna be fine. We're gonna get you through this."