Chapter Text
June 1989
A young woman sat cross legged at the edge of a cliff, a roaring waterfall cascading down the bluff to the valley below. Her hands lay loosely over her knees, eyes closed. She ventured to this spot every few weeks. It was a remote area, far from the nearby village she'd decided to call home for the last year and a half. She'd never encountered anyone here. The crashing deluge of the waterfall provided the perfect white noise for her to easily tap into her abilities. Here, she would check in on the people she loved.
She'd made a choice to leave her friends and family. To force them to believe she was dead. Granted, she truly had been ready to stay behind with Kali. Finding her sister had been completely unexpected. However, this Kali was not the same person she'd originally met. The loss of her friends and being recaptured and imprisoned had broken her. She had no fight left, no hope for a better future. The person who'd been driven by vengeance before was gone.
Kali's story had forced El to confront truths she'd been unwilling to face before. She'd been so focused on defeating Henry that she hadn't really allowed herself to think about what came next. Not truly. She and Mike would talk about it from time to time. Ever the optimist, he'd paint stories of happily ever afters, and she'd allow herself to be swept up in them. They brought her comfort. He brought her comfort.
The reality was that she would never have a normal life. She'd always have to be looking over her shoulder. Her presence put everyone in danger. It always had. But she was no longer a child, and she was no longer willing to risk their lives on her behalf.
Kali informing her of Dr. Kay's plan to restart the numbers program had deeply shaken her. Worse was learning that her blood was the key to her plan. Kali had been right. They couldn't allow any other children to suffer what they had suffered. So, she'd agreed with Kali's plan. The only sure way to prevent that future from coming to pass was if she no longer existed.
Everything changed when Hopper discovered their plan. El would never forget the heartbreak and betrayal in his eyes.
"From the moment you were born, your mother was taken from you. Your childhood was taken from you. You've been attacked, manipulated, and abused by terrible people. Life has been so unfair to you, so cruel, but you never let it break you and I need you to fight, kid. Fight for the happy days on the other side of this. Fight for a world beyond Hawkins. I know that you don't believe you can have any of this, but I promise you we will find a way to make it real. You will find a way to make it real, because you deserve it."
His words shook her resolve. She wanted to believe he was right, that a better future was possible. She looked at Kali and saw something shifting in her eyes. She lowered the gun and returned her gaze. El couldn't discern what had changed in Kali's eyes. Was it…uncertainty?
Several emotions were swirling within Kali as she listened to Hopper's words. She'd had a distaste for Hopper even before having met him. She didn't trust him. He was stubborn, abrasive, and could never understand Jane the way she did. He refused to acknowledge that Jane would always have a target on her back.
Listening to him now though, she was slowly realizing that maybe she had been wrong too. She'd taken her own pain and suffering and projected it onto Jane. She'd convinced her sister that she was certain to endure the same fate. She was treating Jane as a weapon, not a person. Something to be eliminated for the greater good. Guilt came crashing down on her. Hopper was right. None of this was Jane's fault. After everything she'd been through, she absolutely deserved a chance at a happy ending.
Maybe there was a way, a way for her sister to escape and find a new future far from Dr. Kay's reach. Kali had no intention of leaving this bridge, but maybe she could offer her sister one last gift before she said goodbye to this world.
When the helicopter exploded outside of the lab and destroyed that horrible sound machine, Kali took her opportunity. The blast had sent the soldier above her backwards, arm swinging up as he pulled the trigger. He'd missed, but nobody needed to know that. Hopper came to her first, cradling her head in his hand as he looked at the wound Kali had created. Jane realized a moment later, immediately dropping to her knees next to her, hands pressing on her stomach to stem the bleeding. Hopper left to get bandages while Jane pleaded for Kali to hang on. Kali acted the part of a wounded, dying girl until she was sure Hopper was out of earshot.
"Don't cry, Jane. My story was always going to end here." She grabbed Jane's hand. "But yours doesn't have to. Dr. Kay will be waiting for you when you return to the base. They will try to capture you. We must make them believe you are dead. I can make them see you die when this place goes."
She could see Jane's face, full of worry and pain, trying to process this.
"I was wrong, Jane. You deserve a chance at a life."
"Come with me," Jane begged.
Kali shook her head, "This is what I want. But Jane, everyone must believe you are dead, do you understand?"
She saw understanding in Jane's eyes as they swam with tears. She nodded.
"When Hopper returns, he must think I'm dead. Nobody can suspect I was behind this. Let me know when you're near the gate. They're sure to have those sound machines, but I'll camouflage you while you slip out of there. Then I'll show you on the other side of the gate just before the bomb goes off. I'll hold it as long as I can."
Hopper's footsteps could be heard running towards them.
"I hope you find your waterfall," she said with a small smile then she lay still.
After defeating Vecna, El sat in the truck next to Mike, her arms wrapped around his. Mike looked over at her smiling, true happiness in his eyes. She returned his smile, trying to inject as much love into her expression as she could despite what she knew she had to do. She knew they had to be getting close to the gate. She closed her eyes and briefly scanned their location before contacting Kali.
"Kali?" she called out to the void.
"I'm here."
"We're almost at the gate."
"I'm ready."
A few moments later she heard tires popping and men yelling as the truck came to a sudden halt. The kryptonite started blaring, stronger than before, as the door of the truck flew open. She tried to compose herself as quickly as she could as the soldiers yelled at her friends to get out of the truck. That's when she saw herself stand up and follow Mike out of the truck. It was time.
After everyone else had exited the truck, she scrambled to her feet and slid out. It was chaos. Her friends were being slammed against the truck, others were being lowered to their knees on the ground. She found an opening and willed herself to move her feet as quickly as she could as the kryptonite threatened to split her head in two. She managed to make it to Radio Shack and pulled the door open wide enough for her to slip through. She kept going until she found the tunnel and had safely landed at the bottom.
The kryptonite's effects were only a dull ache here. She ran the length of the tunnel a short distance until it no longer had a hold on her and stopped, closing her eyes. There was one last thing she needed to do.
The scene above ground broke her heart. All eyes were focused on the gate. Shock, disbelief, and grief were etched on each of their faces. Mike was screaming for her. He broke free of the soldiers trying to restrain him. El pulled his consciousness into her mind.
She knew this would break him and she hoped to find some way to make him understand. Saying goodbye to him was the most difficult thing she'd ever done. She pushed him out of her mind and watched the rest of the scene unfold, wanting to make sure Dr. Kay took the bait. Hopper's screams ate at her just as much as Mike's. Briefly, she wished she had stayed behind in the Upside Down. Her friends' tormented screams would haunt her.
And then it was over. The gate was gone. El opened her eyes and tried to wipe the tears from them. She needed to run. So she did.
The following weeks were spent trying to get as far from Hawkins undetected as she could. But she knew getting out of Hawkins wasn't enough. She needed to get out of the country. But where to go? It wasn't until she stopped at a gas station that she found her answer. She'd walked by a small travel section, displaying brochures of beautiful vacation spots around the world. One with a large waterfall caught her eye and she picked it up with a faint smile. Iceland. She read through the brochure. It was a remote, faraway land known for its numerous waterfalls. Maybe Mike's made-up land was real after all.
So here she was. She'd slowly pieced together a life here. She went by a new name, Ellie Rivers. With her new identity she was able to live something of a normal life. She found a job at a local café and a place to call home.
The people here were welcoming and friendly. She cared for the people she worked with and many of the regulars who came in. They'd accepted her as part of the community. While she'd developed a sort of friendship with the people she worked with, she remained reluctant to allow herself to connect with anyone in a more meaningful way. How could she when there was a very large part of her identity that she would have to forever hide from the world. There was very little about her life so far that would be considered normal, meaning she either had to fabricate a story of her past life or avoid the topic altogether. El had never been good at lying, so whenever she was asked personal questions about her past, she kept it short.
Of course, the people who had come to know her in this small town noticed, but they learned not to pry. They accepted that this girl had something painful in her past that had brought her to them and left it at that. While El was immensely grateful and oftentimes felt a sense of kinship and normalcy in this new community, there were still plenty of quiet nights where the loneliness seeped in and she ached for her Hawkins family.
This is what brought her to this remote spot next to this waterfall every few weeks. She'd last checked in to watch her friends graduate. They'd all been so happy, so excited to start their next big adventure. It brought El such joy to see them living as they should be. No more monsters on the prowl and no armed soldiers threatening their lives in search of her. They only had the trivial worries of entering adulthood. Even Mike seemed genuinely happy that day, something El had not seen since she'd left. Maybe it meant that he was finally starting to accept that she was gone.
The thought simultaneously brought her relief and broke her heart. Of course she wanted him to move on. She wanted him to be happy and that was the only way he'd get there. But that day felt like she'd lost a piece of him. It was as though she'd unknowingly been holding onto hope that they'd someday be reunited. She'd chastised herself for that silly thought. That could never happen. Not without putting Mike in danger.
El stood alone in the dark void for a moment as she shifted her focus to Hop. He appeared a moment later. He and Joyce sat side by side on a swing on the porch of the cabin, laughing.
"You wouldn't," Joyce said reproachfully.
"Oh, I absolutely would," Hopper replied, his tone teasing.
Joyce held his gaze for a moment longer before rolling her eyes and giving him a playful smack. They sat in a peaceful silence, Joyce resting her head on Hopper's shoulder.
"Are you sure you want to leave this place behind?" Joyce asked.
Hopper didn't respond right away as he looked into the window of the cabin. So many memories were held within its walls. Joyce interlaced her fingers with his.
"Do you feel like you're leaving a piece of her behind?"
Grief was a strange thing. The pain of losing El had lessened with time and most days he was able to live life normally. He had Joyce and the boys, and planning his future with Joyce truly did make him happy. Yet there were still moments when the grief returned like a freight train, sudden and heavy. He felt his throat constrict and his eyes begin to burn. Joyce let him recollect himself, tracing her thumb in soothing circles on the back of his hand.
"Not a day goes by that I don't think about her," Hopper finally said.
Joyce nodded against his shoulder, her own eyes starting to blur with unshed tears. "She was a remarkable girl. So full of love and kindness despite everything. Brave and selfless."
Hopper nodded. "She was a fighter. And a stubborn punk-ass," he added with a smile.
Joyce laughed, "I can't imagine where she got that from."
"I can't keep living in the past," Hopper said after a moment, his tone somber. "She's gone and there's nothing I can do to change that." He finally looked at Joyce, "I want a fresh start, somewhere new, with you."
Joyce nodded with a smile, "Okay."
El let the images of Hopper, Joyce, and the cabin fall away, her cheeks wet with tears. She'd been so worried how Hopper would deal with losing her. He'd talked about how devastated he was after he lost Sara. He'd let his marriage fall apart and pushed everyone away. He'd sunk into a deep depression that took years for him to resurface from. A depression that El herself helped pull him from.
Hopper blamed himself for Sara's suffering because he'd known that his child would have a high risk of mortality and chosen to take the risk anyway. That was why El had been so determined to try to make sure he would not blame himself for her own death. To make him understand this was her choice. Of course, that didn't mean he wouldn't still grieve her. He'd still, once again, lost a daughter. But he didn't let himself fall into a black hole this time. He wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.
El was grateful Hopper managed to get through the worst of the grieving process and still have hope for happier days. No doubt, Joyce had a large role to play. El couldn't be happier that they were finally settling down together. She'd come to view Joyce as her mother in the time Hopper was thought dead and loved her as one. She couldn't imagine anyone better suited to be with her dad.
El cleared her mind and focused on one last person.
Mike appeared. He was standing alone, facing the Hawkins Public Library. El quickly realized he was likely not seeing this version of the library at all. She watched as he seemingly relived that night in his mind. Mike turned an slowly walked in the opposite direction. He stopped once he reached the street. His eyes roved around, seeing a swarm of soldiers and trucks that were no longer there. El watched his face closely, trying to decipher his thoughts.
Mike looked over his shoulder at the library once again, then at the buildings across the street. He stepped onto the empty street, then crossed slowly, trying to remember what he saw through the chaos that night. There had been so many soldiers at the back of the truck when the door opened. Mike remembered being grabbed as soon as his feet hit the pavement and dragged to the passenger side before being slammed against it. More soldiers had come running in from all directions.
Standing in the middle of the street, Mike turned toward the library, getting a sense of the exact distance from where the truck had been. It didn't make sense. How could El have gotten through that many soldiers and all the way to the gate without anyone having seen her? Especially when she was the one person they were after. Dr. Kay's prized possession.
Mike turned back around, looking at Radio Shack. It was closer, but El would still have had many eyes on her from the moment the truck door opened. It had to have been Kali. It was the only way El could have escaped the soldiers unseen. Ever since he had realized that El couldn't have used her powers to communicate with him with the kryptonite going, he'd been going over this repeatedly in his mind.
He continued forward toward Radio Shack and placed his hand on the door handle. A slight tug confirmed what he already knew. The shop was closed. He remembered exactly where the tunnel had been inside though. The path he was increasingly feeling confident El escaped through. What had started as almost blind hope a month ago was rapidly turning into undeniable certainty. Had this been what she meant when she said that one day he would understand? He felt giddy and frustrated with himself at the same time. Why had it taken him this long to figure out?
A sudden thought popped into his head. Had she been watching him all this time, waiting for him to finally see the truth? Could she be watching him at this very moment? He reflexively looked around, as if he'd see some sign of her there.
"El," he said softly. "Are you here?"
Shock rooted El to the spot. Could he sense she was with him now?
"You're alive, I know it," he continued, his eyes shining with excitement. "I know it."
So Mike had finally realized what she'd done. This didn't surprise El. She knew him well enough to know he'd never accept the way in which she'd died. He'd never stop until he got to the truth. A sudden urge to reveal herself to him overcame her. She wanted to reassure him, let him know that she was okay. She clamped down on that thought immediately. No. This didn't change anything. The danger was still real.
"If you can hear me, I hope you're safe. I hope you're happy." A wistful smile pulled at his lips. "I miss you. I hope you've finally found peace."
Mike began walking down the sidewalk and didn't look back.
El opened her eyes and wiped the blood from her nose. She spent several minutes taking in the breathtaking views around her as she processed what she'd seen. These visits often brought her both happiness and sorrow. They were a reminder of why she needed to stay isolated in this faraway land, and who she was protecting. She stood, stretched, and began to trek the lonely path back home. The corners of her lips pulled up to form the tiniest of smiles. Somehow, having Mike finally come to the realization that she was indeed alive made her feel just a little less lonely.