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CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO ; THE BITCH IS BACK
also known as;
( the gate; part two )

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"JUST BE CAREFUL, ALRIGHT? I CAN'T LOSE YOU AGAIN," MIKE STARED DOWN AT ELEVEN AS IF SHE WERE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN EXISTENCE. Stella stood a few steps behind them with her arm around Lucas' shoulders. Everyone was utterly exhausted, none having gotten an ounce of sleep in the last twenty-four hours, but that didn't mean their determination had drained.

El and Hopper were about to leave for the Hawkins Laboratory where the 'gate' resided, while Joyce, Jonathan and Nancy were going to take Will out into the woods to burn the Mind Flayer out of him. The responsibility of containing the other thirteen year-olds was up to Steve and Stella, who weren't that surprised, as they had been babysitting them a majority of the night anyway. 

"You won't lose me," Eleven assured Mike, her voice a lot stronger and better put together than it had been last year. Stella still couldn't wrap her head around the fact she hadn't been gone all this time, and had instead become the police chief's unofficial daughter. 

"Do you promise?" Mike responded, his voice wavering slightly as he feared events would repeat once more and they would be separated. 

"Promise."

  Before the two kids to properly say goodbye, Hopper broke them apart by opening his truck door. "El, come on. Let's go...it's time."

The watery eyed girl parted from Mike, trailing down the steps and walking to the car, preparing herself for the events to come. There was nothing she could do as she stood, hunched on the porch with her friends surrounding her, parting as if they sending the others off to war. They didn't wave as the vehicles pulled out the driveway, they didn't want to say goodbye. 

"Okay everyone, let's get inside," Stella began ushering the kids back into the house, trying to maintain a somewhat positive attitude. She made brief eye contact with Steve as Dustin, Max and Lucas disappeared through the entrance, before glancing back to where Mike stood. Steve smiled encouragingly and rested his hand on her shoulder for a second, hinting that she hung back for a second. 

"She'll be okay, right?" Mike asked softly once Stella stepped up beside him. She nodded, wrapping her arm around his shoulder and pulling him close. Neither felt the cold night air whipping around them, they were far too concerned with the wellbeing of those who had just parted with them. 

"Of course she will," Stella assured him without hesitance. Something of a smile appeared on Mike's lips as she continued. "She's tough, it'll take a lot more than a few demo dogs to stop her. C'mon kid, there isn't much more we can do."

Mike hesitated before nodding, following the teenage girl back inside, where Steve and Dustin were trying to fit the dead demodog into Joyce's refrigerator. Steve was fumbling with the slimy animal, his face contorted in disgust. "Ew, Jesus--"

The fridge shook as the boys slammed the door shut, and Stella cleared her throat, causing them both to spin back to look at her sheepishly. Steve quickly pointed the blame at Dustin, whose mouth opened in surprise and he stumbled to find words. "It's...for scientific purposes."

"Uh huh," Stella crossed her arms, raising her eyebrows. "And how're you gonna explain that to poor Ms Byers?"

Before Dustin could reply, Mike's voice came flooding through the walls. "You weren't in there, okay Lucas? That lab is swarming with hundreds of those dogs..."

"Demodogs!" Dustin corrected, walking through the doorway. Stella sighed and Steve chuckled softly as he wiped his hand on a tea towel, both of them following the curly haired boy into the main room. Lucas and Max were cleaning up the glass from the broken window and Mike was standing stiffly, clearly still stressed about the outcome of Eleven's mission.

"Listen, dude," Steve said, trying to connect with the kids. "A coach calls a play in the game and you execute it, alright?"

"Okay, first of all, this isn't some stupid sports game," Mike snapped, causing Steve to frown a little. "And second, we're not even in the game, we're on the bench."

"Right," Steve began, trailing off a little. "So, my point is..."

Everyone stared at him for a moment, even Stella, who was standing beside him needing to pee. 

"Right, yeah, we're on the bench," Steve nodded, throwing his tea towel over his shoulder. "So, uh, there's nothing we can do."

"That's not entirely true," Dustin piped up, drawing the attention to himself. "I mean, these Demodogs, they have a hive-mind. When they ran away from the bus, they were called away."

"So if we get their attention," Stella continued, crossing her legs where she stood. 

"Maybe we can draw their attention from the lab," Max added, and Stella nodded quickly in agreement. Steve cleared his throat, clearly disagreeing.

"Clear a path to the gate," Mike finished, his eyes widening. 

"Yeah, and then we all die!" Steve exclaimed, his brows furrowing together as he failed to understand why no one was seeing the clear outcome. 

"Well that's one point of view," Dustin chimed, and Steve turned back to look at him in disbelief. 

"No, that's not a point of view, man, that's a fact," the older boy said irritably.

"I got it!" Mike said quickly, pushing past Steve and Dustin and trailing into the kitchen. Stella, Max and Lucas instantly followed, soon accompanied by the other two. Mike slapped his hands against the fridge, where part of Will's mind tunnels was. "This is where the Chief dug his hole. This is our way into the tunnel, so...here! Right here. This is is like a hub. So you got all the tunnels feeding in here. Maybe if we set this on fire--"

"Yeah, that's a no," Steve interrupted, and Stella scratched the back of her head, not really sure what to make of all of this. She, like the kids, wanted to help in any way she could, but at the same time, she didn't want to put them in any danger. 

"The mind flayer would call away his army," Dustin added on, clearly understanding where his friend was coming from. 

"They'd all come to stop us!" Lucas piped up, getting slightly hyped for a plan that might not even work. 

"Hey," Stella tried to intervene, but the kids were far too busy planning their deaths. She looked up at Steve for help, and he pursed his lips, nodding once.

"Then we circle back to the exit," Mike continued, and Steve cleared his throat in attempt to gain their attention. "By the time they realise we're gone..."

"El would be at the gate," Max finished, an excited smile on her face. 

"Hey, hey, hey!" Steve yelled, clapping his hands with an annoyed expression. The kids turned to him and Stella, the latter rocking back and forth, because she really had to pee. "This is not happening."

"But-" Mike tried to insist, but Steve was too quick.

"No, no, no buts," Steve shook his head, placing his hands on his hips. He nodded his head to the side in Stella's direction, whose eyes widened a fraction once she realised she was being gestured to. "We promised to keep you shitheads safe, and that's exactly what we plan on doing. We're staying here. On the bench. And we're waiting for their starting team to do their job. Does everybody understand?"

"This isn't a stupid sports game," Mike snapped his claim from earlier, though Steve refused to tolerate it this time.

"I said does everybody understand that?" He repeated, using his tea towel to wave around like a mother would. Stella smirked a little, though it fell when the kids looked in her direction hopefully. 

Holding her good hand up, she shrugged helplessly. "Sorry guys, but the Chief wants us safe, and it's our job to listen to him. I'm not letting you get hurt, not if I can help it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go to the toilet."

Before anyone could respond, she strode off with her cradled arm and an apologetic expression upon her face. 

A sigh left her lips as she closed the bathroom door behind her, locking it as she did so. She collapsed against the woodwork and she tried to even out her breathing. She trailed over to the toilet and relieved herself, which was something fictional characters don't do too often. Her ears perked up once she heard the sound of tires screeching, and she froze while drying her wet hand on the towel. Her broken wrist was still throbbing and had plenty of her attention, but had no idea who could be visiting the house at such a time. 

Suddenly she heard the sound of a slamming door, and her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. She reached for her own door handle and twisted it so that she could leave the bathroom. Sticking her head out, her eyes widened once she say Billy Hargrove in the living room of the Byers house. 

"You know what happens when you disobey me," the greasy bully snarled just as Stella began advancing down the hallway. "I break things."

As soon as Stella appeared, everyone gasped, because Billy had grabbed Lucas by the collar and was dragging him into the kitchen, pushing him up against Joyce's china cabinet. Porcelain shattered to the ground and the teen girl inhaled sharply, before pushing past the kids. "Billy! Get off of him!"

"Stay away from her!" Billy snapped, holding the boy tight. Lucas struggled in Billy's grip, before lifting his knee and hitting the older boy in the crotch. 

Billy groaned and backed off, so Stella jumped in and grabbed Lucas by the wrist, pulling him behind her and making sure the kids were all out of the way. She backed away slowly from Billy, who spun around and set his eyes on her. "You."

"Me," she responded sourly, though she held her head up high. Billy scowled and pointed to Lucas, whose head poked out from behind her shoulder. 

"You're dead Sinclair," he barked, before his finger trailed to Stella. "You too, Collins. Clearly the arm wasn't enough. You're dead, bitch."

"No, you are."

All of a sudden, a hand grabbed Billy by the shoulder and spun him around. It was Steve. He threw his fist without hesitation, punching the bully square in the face. Stella and the kids cheered as Billy fell back, though they weren't expecting him to laugh in glee. With blooding streaming out of his nose, it was almost taunting to see the grin on his swollen lips. "Looks like you got some fire in you after all, huh? I've been waiting to meet this King Steve everybody's been telling me so much about."

Steve's expression was hard as he held his ground, unafraid of Billy. "Get out."

Billy hung around for a moment, the atmosphere incredibly tense. Stella was waiting for him to swing his fist, and clearly Steve was to, as when it happened, he easily ducked and hit him again, causing Billy to collapse onto the table for a brief second. 

"Yes! Kick his ass, Steve!" Dustin cheered along with the other kids, but Stella remained wide-eyed and terrified. She knew first hand how ruthless Billy could be, and she didn't want Steve to get hurt.

Steve got in a few more licks, having the upper hand for a good few minutes, but no one was expecting for Billy to grab a plate from the kitchen bench and hit the Harrington boy over the head. Mike cursed under his breath from over Stella's arm. 

Billy stormed towards Stella and Dustin, and she gasped, pulling the boy out of the way and quickly crouched down so that his clenched hand hit the bookcase behind her. Mike jumped forward and grabbed the girl, pulling her back to the group as Steve stumbled into the living room, followed by the demonic Hargrove boy. 

Billy grabbed Steve by the jacket and heaved him up, both bloodied boys swaying back and forth. "Nobody tells me what to do."

Stella couldn't help but yelp in fright when Billy slammed his head against Steve's, sending him flying to the ground.

"Whoo! Get up!" Billy called, and Stella pushed herself up, storming towards him despite her hammering heart. 

"Billy, cut it out!" She yelled, fumbling to grab his arm as he hovered over Steve's hunched body, punching him repeatedly. "You're gonna kill him!"

Blood sprayed out of Steve's mouth and Stella cried out, trying to push Billy off of him, but he was far too strong and she was far too weak in that moment. The bully paused for a moment  and swung his fist in Stella's direction, striking her in the nose and then in the stomach. She gasped out at the wind was knocked out of her. Even as she began to swoon, falling in and out of consciousness as exhaustion overtook her, she still got up and tried to help Steve.  

The raven-haired girl slowly got to her feet, feeling rather dizzy, and before she could lunge at Billy again, she was overtaken by Max, who held something in her hand. Stella watched through squinted eyes as the small redhead jumped forward and impaled her step-brother with what appeared to be one of the needles Joyce had swiped to knock Will out. 

Billy instantly stopped attacking Steve and shakily got to his feet, his breathing growing heavy as he stared down at Max. Stella hung back behind her, her eyes flickering between the two siblings in shock. Billy reached up to his neck and pulled the needle from his skin, which made Stella's stomach churn in disgust. A metallic taste appeared in her mouth from her bloody nostrils. "The hell is this? You little shit, what did you do? What did you do?"

The once powerful boy then dropped to the ground, barely conscious. The boys behind Stella and Max jumped out of their skin at the loud sound it caused, but all Stella wanted to do in that moment was throw up. A menacing laugh escaped Billy's lips and Stella watched with wide eyes as Max stepped away and returned with Steve's baseball bat in her hands. 

"From here on out, you leave me and my friends alone," she demanded, a new strength in her voice that made Stella proud. "Do you understand?"

"Screw you," Billy groaned out, slurring his words slightly.

Max threw the bat between his open legs, the nails burying themselves in the hardwood floor. Billy lifted his head, a strangely scared expression on his face. Max pulled the bat out and held it above her head again, more confident and threatening. "Say you understand! Say it! Say it!"

Billy licked his lips and lowered his head back onto the ground, before hesitantly responding. "I understand." 

"What?" Max pushed him further, wanting to hear him say it like he meant it.

"I understand," Billy mumbled slightly louder, before sighing and falling completely unconscious.

Stella turned on her heel and ran off back in the direction of the bathroom, where she hurled all the food she had consumed that day into the toilet bowl. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she vomited, the sight of Steve being beaten, paired with the hollow pain in her stomach, head and wrist; as well as the fact that Max had just stuck a needle into Billy's neck; it was all a little too much for her. 

"Star, are you okay?" Mike rushed in, his eyes wide as he ran over to his hunched friend, reaching over to rub her back. "Oh my god, Star."

"I'm okay," Stella breathed in sharply, lifting her hand up to flush the toilet. She then grabbed a handful of toilet paper and wiped her mouth, forcing herself to stand up. Her head was spinning, and she leaned on Mike for support. "Shit. Does Joyce have any spare toothbrushes?"

"Yeah, probably somewhere," Mike nodded, helping her rest against the vanity as he looked in the cupboard for a new toothbrush. The boy made an 'aha!' sound as he found one, unwrapping it and plastering it in Jonathan's toothpaste, handing it to the girl, who thanked him softly. 

"Have you checked on Steve?" Stella asked him quietly as she brushed her teeth, feeling absolutely disgusting. Every part of her body was aching, but she knew the night was far from over. Mike nodded, scratching the back of his head. "Is he okay?"

"Dustin's trying to fix him up," he explained. "Max has Billy's car keys, we're gonna go through with our plan."

Stella wanted to object, knowing that it was far too dangerous, but she also knew that there wasn't much of a choice. They did have the power to save Eleven and Hopper, as well as the Byers and Nancy, so it was in her hands to decide. She rested her head against the large mirror and sighed, closing her eyes for a minute. 

"Fine. But we're bringing Steve."

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HAHAHAHA THIS IS BULLSHIT

HOPE YOU ENJOYED FELLAS, TELL ME WHAT YOU THOUGHT!!

dedicated to danygalindob and TheFanfictionGirl06 !! 

tell me if you'd like a dedication! 

alright fellas, i'll catch you guys later -- also sorry for not updating recently i've been going through lots of shit and i've been lacking inspiration lol