THE FEW THINGS MARIELLA MAY NEVER FORGET IS, the police lights and noise. The amount of fire trucks and tears she cried. She sits in the back of an ambulance, blanket wrapped around her as her head bobbed back and fourth in shock and exhaustion.

"Mariella? Mariella? Marlie!" Charlie DeGray's stern voice bellows through the packed parking lot as he runs around in search of his daughter. His precious, Mariella. His only child. He had a late night at the firm, working on a case when he got a call from the police. Saying they needed him at the school that moment. He forgot to even call Emma, he had left so quickly.

He found her finally, her eyes tiredly drooping and body shaking underneath the blanket she wore over her clothes. He lets out a breathe he didn't realize he was holding and ran toward her, lifting her up from the ambulance and hugging her tightly. "It's okay, Marlie. You're okay," He whispered. And, Mariella chose to believe it.

♧

They sat in the hospital now. Mariella's head laid on Mike's shoulder as she closed her eyes and played with his fingers, absentmindedly. She bounced shook her leg up and down at the same time.

Lucas and Dustin had passed out in the uncomfortable waiting room chairs while they waited to hear news on Will. Mariella opened to eyes slowly before looking to Mike, her hand still playing with his.

"Do you think Will's okay? I mean, obviously he might be scared and of course there will be superficial injuries. But, do you think he's gonna be okay, okay?" She rambles looking at him tiredly. "Sorry. I'm being annoying," She adds.

"No, you're not, Mars. I'm sure he's okay, alright? Just try to relax. I need you to relax," Mike responds, gripping her hand and smiling softly at her.

She nods in response, her head falling back onto his shoulder. "Maybe El's okay," She mumbles before closing her eyes again.

"Maybe she is," Mike responds, agreeing as he looks around the packed waiting room. Everyone was either sleeping or distraught.

His eyes light up when he sees Jonathan approaching the door, opening it with his bandaged hand and everyone who was awake turning towards him. Mike and Mariella stare at him with hopeful wide eyes.

"Yeah," He nods to them, keeping the door open as he watches them both shake at Lucas and Dustin.

"Guys. Guys, he's up. Will is up. Guys, Will's up," Mike says, shaking Lucas while Mariella grabs Dustin's shoulders and shakes him as well.

"Wake up! Wake up!" She shakes him, Dustin's eyes fluttering open and Lucas already looking around at them.

Once they were up, they were all rushing out of the room excitedly and down the hospital hallways and into Will's room. Mike throwing open the door with a wide smile and Mariella bumping into his back, she was running so fast. Dustin and Lucas bumping into hers. Will's eyes light up.

"Byers!" Lucas shouts out as they all run towards him laughing, Mike and Lucas embracing him.

"Be careful. Be careful with him," Joyce frets, as any mother would do.

"Guys, guys. Go easy on him," Jonathan chuckles as he watches Dustin hug him tightly before Mariella tugs him off and tosses her arms around Will with a toothy smile.

"You won't believe what happened when you were gone, man," Lucas says, smiling at Will happily.

"It was mental!" Dustin laughs.

"You had a funeral," Lucas pipes in.

"Jennifer Hayes was crying," Dustin recalls.

"And Troye peed himself," Lucas says, Will exclaiming and laughing at the comment.

"In front of the whole school!" Dustin adds on.

"What?" Will asks in disbelief, laughing.

"Yes!" Lucas affirms before Will covets his mouth and begins coughing.

Their smiles fading lightly, Mariella tilting her head. "You okay, Will?" She asks, patting his arm.

"It got me," Will responds, seriously while looking at his friends. "The Demogorgen," He elaborates.

"We know," Mike nods in response. "It's okay. It's dead. We made a new friend," He adds. Will's interest sparking as he looks to Mike with curiosity.

"She stopped it. She saved us. But she's gone now," Mike explains.

"Her name's Eleven," Dustin smiles when he mentions the telekinetic girl who had resonated so deeply with the party.

"Like the number?" Will questions.

"Precisely," Mariella nods.

"Well, we call her "El" for short," Lucas shrugs with a sheepish grin.

"She's basically a wizard," Dustin says.

"She has superpowers," Lucas whispers to him.

"She's just a badass, like that," Mariella giggles. "Saved us so many times!".

"More like a Yoda," Mike comments.

"She flipped a van with her mind, and these agents were trying to shoot us —" Dustin starts excitedly.

"Yeah, it flipped over us," Mike laughs, twirling his fingers.

"Then she squeezed their brains out," Lucas adds.

"And she lifted Mike into the air and saved him from falling off a cliff!" Mariella explains. "She made Troye and James scared!".

"Blood was pouring from their faces, the agents," Dustin continues.

"Out of their eyes!" Mike says, Will looking between them, taking all the information in in shock and excitement.

"Agents just started grabbing us and stuff!" Lucas starts, Mike budding in.

"Lucas shot the Demogorgen with the Wrist Rocket! And Mariella did too, with a pistol! They didn't miss any shots!" Mike goes on, nudging them both, prideful of his friends aim.

"It blasted backwards and it was crazy!" Dustin laughs.

"You shot the Demogorgen?" Will asks, eyes wide while he looks between Lucas and Mariella.

"At the same time!" Lucas responds. "Ella was crazy! She just kept on shooting and every one landed on it! She's like... She was like a Stormtrooper!" He adds, smiling at Mariella who brushed it off.

"Lucas didn't miss either! That Wrist Rocket saved us! We just kept shooting at it then it went flying!" Mariella explains.

And finally, the party was complete. The original five was all together once again. Yet, none of the four could shake off the small feeling of emptiness Eleven's disappearance had had on the party.

♧

All was well on Christmas Eve, snow falling from the sky and onto the dead grass and houses lit up by Christmas lights. The party had decided to waste no time, jumping right into a campaign.

Sitting around the table in the basement which they knew so well. "Something is coming. Something angry. Hungry for your blood. It is almost here," Mike says, staring at Lucas, Dustin, and Will who watched him intently.

Mariella, nothing changing from before, head down on the side of the table, acting as if she was asleep. But really, she listened, she listened with a light smile on her face. Happy that her boys were happy.

"What is it?" Will asks, leaning back into his chair.

"It's the thessalhydra, I'm telling you," Dustin responds.

"It's not the thessalhydra," Lucas scoffs, shaking his head.

"I'm telling you, it's the thessalhydra!" Dustin argues, Mike rolling his eyes and slamming the piece onto the table.

"The thessalhydra!" He says, voice deep.

The boys groan, shaking their heads. "Damn it," Dustin sighs.

"It roars in anger! Will, your action!" Mike asks.

"What should I do? I—" Will leans back in defeat as Mariella peeks up and giggles at their seriousness.

"Fireball him!" Lucas yells, pointing at the plastic figure, the room going silent as they all begin to think. Dustin smiling.

"Fireball the son of the bitch," He agrees with a smirk.

Will nods with a smile, picking up the dice and shaking them in his hands before dropping them. They both have a seven. "Fourteen!" They shout out, smiles on their faces as they celebrate.

"Direct hit! Will the Wise's fireball hits the thessalhydra. It makes a painful..." Mike shouts out and stands up before imitating a pained squeal. "And then... it crumbles to the ground," He says, falling to the ground. "It's clawed hand reaches for you one last time, and, and, and... And!" Mike falls limp onto the ground and plays dead.

The boys standing, cheering and hugging, celebrating their victory as Mariella continues to sit. Staring at their excitement and smiling contently to herself. If she could watch this scene for hours, she would. She loved when they were happy.

They run around the table exclaiming in excitement. "Lucas cuts off its seven heads and Dustin places them into his bag is holding. You carry the heads out of the dungeon, victorious, and you present them to King Tristan," Mike explains as Lucas and Will sit, Dustin carrying his backpack over his head in pride. "He thanks you for your bravery and service," Mike finishes.

"Whoa. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, that's not it is it?" Dustin asks.

"No, there's a medal ceremony—" Mike starts.

"Oh, a medal ceremony? What are you talking about?" Dustin exclaims, in shock.

"And—" Mike begins. Mariella rolling her eyes, getting up from the table and collecting her things from around the basement as she listens in.

"The campaign was way too short!" Lucas complains.

"Yeah!" Will agrees.

"It was ten hours!" Mike shouts out.

"But it doesn't make any sense!" Dustin responds.

"It makes sense!" Mike defends, scrunching up his nose.

"Uh, no, What about the lost knight?" Dustin retorts.

"And the proud princess?" Lucas adds on.

"And those weird flowers in the cave?" Will comments.

"I don't know, it's—" Mike shrugs.

"Sometimes things are better left unanswered, dumbheads," Mariella cuts in, her backpack on her shoulders as she sits back down next to Mike before the basement door opens and they all stare up as footsteps approach them.

"Jeez, what's that smell? Have you guys been playing games all day, or just farting?" Jonathan laughs, looking down at the boys while Mariella laughs along with him.

"Oh, that's Dustin. He farted," Lucas explains with a wide smile. Dustin glaring at him. "Dustin farted!" He adds in a singsong voice, blowing a raspberry. He repeats it again.

"Okay. Very mature, Lucas," Dustin shakes his head.

"Will, Will," Jonathan calls, smiling at his brother and signalling it's time to go home. Will gets up, smiling at us friends as he says goodbye.

And, all was well. That is, until it wasn't.