THE FIGHTER AND THE SAVIOR !

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JOYCE SPENT THE NEXT TWO HOURS TAKING CARE OF WILL IN WHATEVER WAY SHE COULD AND PRAYING THAT ALEX WOULD WAKE UP— BUT STILL UNABLE TO. She felt that all she could do was watch, wait and worry— none that she had wanted to do. Soon loud knocking on the door had pulled her out of her silence. Shooting up from the couch, she had hoped that Hopper had made it back with any sort of information.

"Hello! Will! Mrs. Byers?" Mike's voice was muffled through the door. Joyce had hid her disappointment well as she cracked the door open, not allowing Mike an opening to dip inside.

"Now is not really a good time, Mike. Will... he's just not feeling real well." Attempting a smile, she had made her way outside, quietly shutting the door behind her so that Mike had no visual of Alex on the couch. "He's laying down, so I'll tell him you stopped by, okay?"

"It's about the shadow monster, isn't it?" he asked. Joyce hand had dropped from the handle as she felt her heart drop just the same. She knew deep down she needed Mike here if he knew what was going on. At this point, it felt impossible to turn him away.

She ushered him in, watching as he scanned the room around him, taking it all in until his eyes fell on Alex just sitting there. He made his way towards her curiously, narrowing his eyes at her as she had sat motionless before them. "Is she okay?"

"I don't know. She won't move or open her eyes..." Joyce rubbed her arms nervously while they watched over her.

"What happened?"

"Will started drawing and she just... she left us but she did all of this." Joyce motioned to the drawings that littered her house, biting her lip in the process. "She knows about this, um, shadow monster or thing in the sky. She sees it too."

Mike looked over the girl once more, placing his hand on her shoulder, thinking the touch would get her to at least move. He could practically feel the cold radiating off of Alex and decided best to grab a blanket and keep her warm.

Instantly, Joyce's hand shot out to put him to a stop. "Don't do that!"

"She's freezing," Mike interjected.

"I tried it and she screamed. Very loud. She can't handle the heat."

"Just like Will," Mike whispered to himself, leaving the blanket placed on his lap. He looked up at Joyce as his thoughts had raced through his mind, "They're connected right? They communicate to the Shadow Monster and they both react to the heat the same way. It makes sense, right?"

"Yes, but Will is this way because he was in the Upside Down and the demogorgon did something to him. We don't know if Alex has ever..." Joyce's voice began to trail off as she wrapped her arms around herself. The cold had been getting to her, only making her feel more uneasy with the situation they had seemed to be stuck in. "Has she told you anything?"

Shaking his head, his eyes traveled back over to Alex. "Maybe something happened. That has to be the reason she's like this." Mike felt himself looking down to his lap as ideas and questions had raced through his head. There was too many unanswered and time slipping through his fingers that he felt he couldn't piece it together for them. Beginning to play with his fingers, he had tried to think back to where it had all began. "Will would visit the Upside Down sometimes in his now memories. What if Alex is there somehow?"

"When Will sees the Upside Down... he moves here the same time he moves there. Alex doesn't move."

"That's the thing though," Mike started snapping his fingers rapidly like he couldn't get his thoughts out fast enough, "Alex and Will might be going through the same thing but they don't ever see it the same. He has now memories. She talks to it. Who says she has to move because he can?"

Joyce nodded her head along as she had tried to follow along with his words. Nothing had made sense but it felt that it was the only way to get somewhere was by starting to come up with anything at this point. "Will has never been stuck in the Upside Down that long though."

Mike looked at Alex for a while until a thought struck him, "What if she doesn't think she can leave? Alex could really believe she's there right now if the Shadow Monster is talking to her. Maybe if we..." Mike's words were cut off.

"Mike," Alex's whisper was almost so quiet that if Mike kept talking, they would've never heard her.

"Did she just—?" Joyce started to ask in surprise Mike's heart felt like it was going to leap out of his chest and his stomach felt like it had just sunk to the floor, knowing she had said his name after all this time of not speaking. A sad smile came to his face as he scooted closer to her.

"Alex! Yes! It's me, Mike! Can you hear me?" he questioned. His excitement had felt short lived when he was left waiting for her to talk once more but getting no reply. "Can you tell us where you are, Alex? Where are you?"

"Upside Down," she softly.

"Upside Down," he repeated to himself. "Okay, Alex, if you can hear me we need you to remember where you really are." He paused, watching Alex carefully for any reaction and when she had given him nothing, he hesitantly extended his hand out. Nervously placing his hand down on top of hers, he scrunched up his face to block out the sadness. Her hands were so cold it had almost felt lifeless. "Do we just wait for something to happen?" He asked Joyce in a whisper.

"Who knows how long that'll be though... if it even works," she said, biting her fingernails anxiously. "I've been waiting here for hours now. Maybe we should keep talking to her, that seemed to help." Taking her own suggestion, Joyce had made her way over towards the two, slowly getting onto her knees before Alex. "Alex, it's me, Joyce. Can you hear me? I'm right here."

Mike's eyes had lingered over towards Joyce, seeing the desperation on her face. All she had wanted was one win. Will had been sleeping in his room and he was just as far from okay. He felt that it was on him to put on a brave face for her too despite being absolutely terrified.

"Help me," Alex's voice had grown quieter, but that did not hide away her pleads for the two. The two had exchanged glances with one another, unsure if there was anything they could do besides talk her through it. And even then, that had felt as if they were only going to give her empty promises and false hope.

"We're trying, Alex. Are you alone?" Joyce had tried to remain calm as she had spoken, but her voice had wavered.

"No," she whispered, her voice growing shaky. Joyce inhaled sharply, her heart pounding. She placed her hand over her mouth to prevent herself from crying with worry and got up from her knees to give herself some space. Mike knew he had to stay strong for Joyce. Sure, she was older but she had already been through hell and back and the least he could do was be there for her now.

"Alex, do you know where you are right now? Where are you in the Upside Down?" he asked.

"Tunnels."

"Listen to me, Alex. Dungeons and Dragons. Dustin would always do anything to save himself no matter how ridiculous. I know it sounds stupid but I need you to be as stupid as your brother. Imagine you're out of the Upside Down. You're in the Byers house with me, Will, and Mrs. Byers. Can you do that?"

"I can't," she whispered lightly. Hearing Mikes voice talk to her, no matter how far he sounded to her, was comforting. It always pushed back the Shadow Monster just a little bit further.

"I know it's hard but you need to do it. I know you can do it. You have to do it. Do it for me. I know I don't tell you but you're the only friend of Nancys that I actually like. We're family now. Me, you and that idiot of a brother you have. Neither of us can do it without you. You're our fighter and our party needs its fighter." The words Mike spoke to her were loud in her head, reminding her of the reality she was really in. The world where her friends and family were.

It had been a mindless struggle as she had fought with the reality of Mike's words and the demands of the voice speaking through her mind. But just as he had many times before, the shadow monster never had the hold he had desperately searched for and she began to slip away the more Mike had spoke. With a loud intake of breath and her eyes shooting open, Alex was back where she belonged.

Her eyes had darted around the room, taking in the Byer's house. Out the window, the sky had been a light blue and it was comforting enough to have her turn over to Mike. Yanking him into her arms, she had gripped onto him tight as she squeezed her eyes shut to hold in her emotions. Mike Wheeler had been there for her and right now, she did not want to let him go.