Gold Dust Woman - Steve Harrington*

chapter ten.

the mind flayer

november 3rd 1984.

"I don't care if it was cute, Dustin, the damn thing tried to eat us!"

"You keep Mac around."

"Because she's a dog, you-" She groans, getting too frustrated to argue back any longer.

"Steve?"

"Nancy?" Steve, Dallas doesn't stop in time, still  arguing with her little brother making her go right into the back of Steve.

"Jesus, Harrington."

"Dallas?"

"Jonathan?"

"What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" He echos.

Dallas clears her throat as she walks beside him looking awkwardly back and between the couple- ex-couple and Jonathan.

"We're looking for Mike and Will."

"They're not in there are they?"

"We're not sure." Nancy says.

"Why?" Jonathan adds on.

To answer his question a screech is heard, "Oh, look, Dustin's Hizard."

Dustin slowly turns his head to look at her, shining the light in her face, she squints leaning back, "Are we really going to have this conversation again? Really, right now? It's the time, alright?"

"I don't know, seems like a perfect time to discuss how you almost got us killed with your stupid lizard thing."

Steve hits the torch down to stop it from shining in Dallas' face and Dusitn rolls his eyes as he steps between them, "Now's not the time, alright?"

As everyone starts talking over each other, the Henderson-Hopper siblings arguing once more, Nancy walks between them, "The powers back."

Jonathan runs over to the security booth, clicking the button but nothing happens, "Let me try."

Jonathan tries to protest but Dusitn shoves his way in, "Let me try, Jonathan!"

"Yeah, great work, Dustin, keep clicking it." Dallas comments sarcastically as she leans against the outside of the booth.

"You know what," He leans out of the booth to look at her, still clicking the button, "Why don't you go over to Steve there and ask him to help you take the ginormous stick out of your ass, 'cause it's been up there a few days now."

Dallas laughs sarcastically, "Maybe I will, then I'll have something to beat you with."

He keeps clicking the button making her roll her eyes and uncross her arms, she shoves her way in, ignoring Jonathan's protest as he's shoved further inside, "Out of my way."

"You just saw me do that, it's not going to work."

"I'll make it work."

She keeps clicking it, repeatedly until suddenly the gates open and she looks back at them with a smug look, "There, was that so hard?"

Jonathan shoves his way out, him and Nancy heading for the car, "Wait here."

They wait all for two minutes, pacing back and forth, before beeping makes them look up.

"This is stupid."

They watch as the lights of the car fade away until it can longer be seen.

Steve kneels beside Mac, rubbing behind her ears as they both watch Dallas pace in front of them. Mac whines looking up at Steve and he sighs looking down at her, "I know, girl, I know."

She's still trying to wrap her head around the whole thing, Jim knew, Dustin knew, the kids knew, Joyce, Jonathan, Nancy, even Steve Harrington.

And no one trusted her enough to tell her. To tell her of the dangers lurking beneath Hawkins, to why her brother was truly at the middle school that night, or what really happened to Will.

No one trusted her.

The lights appear again, two cars rounding the corner, Steve stands demanding Mac stay away from the road as he calls for Dallas' attention.

"Get back."

Steve grips Dallas' wrist pulling her back as Jonathan drives past, Jim stopping in front of them in his sheriff's jeep.

"Let's go."

"Uncle Jim?"

They squeeze in, the three kids and Mac jump in the back of the truck, Steve shoving them in one by one, "Hopper, come on."

Steve doesn't give her time to make her usual protests or comments as he pulls her into the front slamming the door as Jim drives off, with his arms wrapped around her waist as she twists herself to lean back  against the door.

"El has superpowers?"

"Now isn't the time for questions." Jim replies without looking at her.

"Not only did you keep that from me, you kept= everything from me-"

"Dallas."

"What happened to no lies, Jim?"

He doesn't reply, only keeps driving and she looks away staring out of the window, her hand unconsciously grabbing ahold of Steve's.

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Dallas leans against the wall as she listens to her uncle on the phone with someone, arguing back and forth, she sighs, leaning her head back as she closes her eyes.

She sighs kicking off the wall and takes a seat at the kitchen table with the kids, rubbing her hands down her face.

"I will be here!"

He slams the phone back down and shakes his head, "They didn't believe you, did they?"

"We'll see."

"We'll see? We can't just sit here while those things are loose."

"Things? Oh, you mean Dustin's pet."

"Are we gonna have this argument again?"

Dallas shrugs, tensing slightly when Steve leans on her chair, one hand rubbing her shoulder, she leans back relaxing against the back of the chair as her head falls into her hands, "This-This is crazy! I can't believe it, I just- You all lied to me, to my face for a year."

"Dally-"

She stands, making Steve move back, "Don't 'Dally' me, I- you promised no lies anymore, Jim."

She shakes her head, ignoring the voice crack as she walks through the house opening the front door and slamming it behind her, Mac right behind her.

She drops down on the front steps of the porch, shaking her head with a sigh as she drops her head into her hands, she feels Mac nudge her arm and she opens it up for her to sit at her side, the dog resting her head on her shoulder with Dallas' arm wrapped around her.

"What have we gotten into, Mac?"

She sighs as the dog whines, both of them turning to the door. She doesn't want to be alone but she's not brave enough to ask for help. She'll look stupid, she needs to prove she can do this. She needs to be prove that she can handle this whole thing and she should've

She expects (wants) Jim to pop through the door, apologise, explain everything but he doesn't, no one does.

She turns back to stare out at the trees around the Byers' household, jaw clenching and unclenching as she sighs tapping her foot against the floor, missing the figure checking up on her through the window every few seconds.