Emma || Steve Harrington/Billy Hargrove

011. Eleven, El for Short

*Emma's POV*

I stayed for a little while longer working on my paper with Nancy, but since we were getting it done so quickly, we decided that it'd be okay for me to leave before dinner and just go back to finish it another day. The kids never ended up telling me why they were so curious about Jane, well not as a group at least. Mike approached me as I was leaving.

"Wait, Emma," he called out after me. I turned back to look at him. "You're babysitting a girl, right? Short brown hair?" I nodded. "I need to see her," he said, "Can you help me?"

"Mike, she's your age. Doesn't she go to school with you?" I asked. He shook his head no.

"El doesn't go to school, but she's our friend," he said.

"El? Who the hell is El?" I asked.

"Eleven," he said, "We call her El for short." I shook my head and gave him a confused look.

"The girl I babysit isn't named El or Eleven," I told him, "Her name is Jane. Look, buddy. I think you might have the wrong person."

"No, it's her," he insisted, "I'm sure of it. She's quiet. She likes waffles. It's her, Emma. If you'll please just help me see her, I promise I can prove it's her."

"I don't know, Mike," I sighed, "I'll have to ask her dad about it."

"No!" he exclaimed, "He can't know. Just trust me on this one, please." Something about the desperation in his voice made me agree against my better judgment.

"Fine, meet me outside the high school Monday. 2:30 on the dot, don't be late," I told him, "And no one ever hears about this, got it?" He broke out into a wide smile and nodded eagerly. He unexpectedly pulled me into a hug and thanked me over and over again. I couldn't help but smile a little bit and hugging him back. "Okay, get inside, it's cold out here," he let go of me and started walking back toward his house. "No one hears about this," I yelled again to make sure he understood.

-Monday-

"So you mean to tell me that you're going to sneak Mike Wheeler into Hopper's house and you need me to help you?" Steve asked after I tried explaining the situation at hand to him.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," I told him, "The kid seems desperate to see Jane, and I don't see any harm."

"God, why do I have such a bad feeling about this?" he asked. I turned to him and did a puppy face, and he groaned. "Don't do that," he said, "You know I can't say no to that." I smiled to myself before going back to the puppy face. "I hate you so much," he laughed, "Little shit better be here soon or I'm changing my mind," he said. Just as he was saying that, Mike came barreling towards us.

The three of us got in the car and made our way towards Hopper's house. I made Mike crouch on the floor of the back seat to avoid being seen by the chief. Hopper was a little confused when he saw Steve's red car pull up instead of my mom's, but you could see him visibly relax when he saw me step out. We'd agreed that Steve would wait until I went inside, and then pull away until we were sure that Hopper was gone and He'd circle back around.

"Hi chief," I smiled as I got out.

"Emma," he smiled, "Different ride?" He looked over at Steve who offered a small wave in our direction.

"Yup," I answered, "Mom couldn't come today, so Steve offered to bring me." He nodded in understanding.

"Okay, I guess I'll see you later then?" I smiled and nodded before going inside. Jane was waiting in the living room. "Hey kiddo," I said as I sat down next to her, setting my backpack on the ground next to me.

"Hi Emma," She said, "How was school?"

"It was good," I smiled, "I have a surprise for you." She gave me a confused look, and I took her hand and pulled her outside.

She gasped and just took a deep breath. I stared at her for a second. It was almost like she didn't leave her house or go outside very often. I jumped slightly when I heard a car door slam. I looked over and smiled as Mike and Steve started walking toward us. Jane gave me a surprised look. She looked at me, almost asking for permission to go to them. I gave her a small nod and she ran to mike and pulled him into a tight hug. The four of us walked inside soon after.

"Okay, Jane, I'll give you guys half an hour before Steve has to take Mike home, yeah?" She nodded and led him to her room, leaving the door open. "I'm in such deep shit if Hopper ever finds out," I told Steve.

"Can't argue with you there," he said, "but it's really nice what you're doing for them. Those two have some weird connection, and from what I hear Eleven doesn't get to leave this place very often."

"Why does everyone call her that?" I asked, "I was under the impression her name was Jane."

"That's what I said," Steve backtracked. I rolled my eyes and tried to ignore that. They all knew something I didn't, and it was starting to bug me that they wouldn't tell me. Steve and I sat in the living room for a the remainder of his and Mike's time there. Mike didn't want to leave, but he and Jane made me promise that I'd bring him back at some point soon. Jane seemed overly happy for a little while before she looked really really upset. "Everything okay, sweetie?" I asked.

"Emma, you are bringing him back, right?" she asked. I nodded.

"As soon as I can figure out another date to bring him for you again, I will," I told her, "I promise, it just might take a little while." She took a deep breath and nodded. "Jane, why do Steve and Mike call you Eleven?" I asked.

She froze and looked at me with wide eyes. She didn't answer, she just got up and locked herself in her room. I didn't know what I did wrong, but I knew I'd said something wrong or just struck a nerve. She didn't come out of her room until I called her out for dinner. This time wasn't like most other nights where she'd interact and talk to me. She was quiet and reserved. Even more so than the first day I'd met her. She got up right after she finished eating and went back to her room. I sighed in defeat as I got up to wash the dishes. I turned and jumped when I saw Jane standing behind me.

"Emma, we are friends, right?" she asked.

"Of course we are," I told her, "I'm so sorry if I said something that upset you, kiddo. I really am." She smiled and nodded.

"I have to tell you something," she said, "But you can't tell anyone." I nodded. "Promise?"

"Promise," I smiled. She took a hold of my wrist and pulled me over to her little room. She pulled me to the bed and sat me down. "Hopper is not my dad," she said, "not my real dad." She told me a while story that I found a little hard to believe. I was thinking she was just a really creative kid. She told me about another dimension and monsters wreaking havoc on Hawkins, all of it stemming with her and some lab. She told me about it all and how Mike and Steve and all her friends had been involved in it. I didn't know how to respond. I just stared at her in shock for a moment.

"So you are telekinetic?" I asked. She nodded, "This is all insane. This isn't real, it can't be."

"It is," she said, "Look. I can prove it." She stared at one of her stuffed animals and sure enough, it started levitating. I could feel my eyes going wide as the teddy bear started floating toward me and landed in my lap. I looked up with her, shocked. "It's real. You can't tell anyone," she said as she wiped her nose.