The Byers came to visit Hawkins for the first time since leaving six months ago. Joyce thought enough time had passed since she and her kids, and she included El when she said that, had left behind the madness that had happened on that faithful 4th of July. It wasn't easy. Not only had she herself witnessed the death of a man she had known for most of her life, a man she had began to see a future with, she also had three children who had seen things that no child should ever have to see.

Jonathan had been having issues with his back ever since facing off against Bruce and Tom in the hospital with Nancy. Not to mention having to leave her.

Will could no longer feel the cold chill of the Mind Flayer bite at the back of his neck, but that didn't mean he didn't still have a whole kaleidoscope of memories of the horrors he was made experience for the past two years. And of course, leaving his best friends at such a crucial moment in his life was not ideal.

Then there was El. Joyce hadn't thought twice when she took in the girl; Hopper's daughter. But her lack of inhibitions meant that she hadn't fully known what taking care of this damaged little person would entail. She was with Hopper when they met her aunt and mother. They had visited the laboratory multiple times and had met Doctor Brenner. She didn't know the extent of El's cruel upbringing in the lab, but she had been able to peace together little bits from how she behaved and reacted to certain situations. Then she also had what the girl had went through last July; from the beatings she took from the Mind Flayer to losing her father to being separated from Mike.

So now was a good time to visit Hawkins again. For everyone's sake.

Joyce had met up with Murray who had managed to set up another base on the outskirts of Hawkins. Karen let Will, Jonathan and El stay at the Wheeler's with open arms, seeing how happy it made her own kids.

The initial reunion was such a happy moment for everyone. After taking time to get reacquainted, everybody went up to Weathertop. Nancy, Jonathan, Steven and Robin joined the kids on this beautiful winter evening. They had set up a makeshift table next to Cerebro using a beer crate and an old cabinet door.

"Never Have I Ever. You guys know it?"

Dustin asked as he sat down on the grass next to Steve. The teen with the amazing hair was himself setting up one of the portable heaters they had brought to combat the evening chill in the air. Max had set up the other one over beside Nancy.

"Never Have I Ever?"

Will repeated quizzically.

"Yeah, you know the drinking game?"

Steve explained, rubbing his hands together and sitting next to Dustin.

"What? You mean like drink alcohol?"

Nancy asked, concern in her tone.

Robin reached behind Steve into her bag and took out a bottle.

"Tada!"

Jonathan eyed the clear bottle and recognised the label.

"You brought vodka?"

"Aaaaand..."

It was Dustin's voice this time. He also reached around to grab a big bottle of Coke.

"You're in on this too?"

Mike aimed at Dustin.

"Relax. It's not strong if you mix 'em together. According to Steve anyway..."

Mike looked down by his side to see El's furrowed brows knitted together.

"V-Vod- ka?"

"Yeah. It's alcohol. Adults drink it to feel funny."

"Why do they want to feel... funny?"

Mike laughed. It did sound ridiculous the way he explained it.

"I don't know really."

"But we're not adults. Against the rules?"

At his girlfriend's words, Mike glanced over to his big sister, who exchanged a look with Jonathan.

"Whaddaya say, Nance?"

Steve asked, holding up the bottle. Nancy scanned all of the kids waiting faces. They were all almost sixteen, around the same age she had begun to experiment with alcohol. She sighed.

"Alright, but only one cup each. Do you hear me?"

"Yes!"

Dustin shot up and threw a sleeve of plastic cups on the grass. Lucas began handing out the cups for everyone on the table and Robin poured a little of the clear liquid into each one. Dustin then filled the remainder with Coke. El leaned down over her cup and felt the bubbles against her nose. The strong smell of the vodka went straight down her throat.

"Hey."

She glanced up at Mike's voice.

"It's okay if you don't want to play."

She smiled at him.

"I want to."

He took her hand and returned her smile.

"Alright, listen up people. The rules are simple."

Everybody paid attention to Dustin who began to explain.

"We take turns to say something that we've never done before. And if anybody HAS done it, they take a drink."

"Sounds easy enough."

Lucas commented as Max nodded beside him.

"Okay, we'll start clockwise from me. So, Will, you're up."

Dustin instructed, causing Will to shift and clear his throat.

"Oh, uh, let's see... Okay. Never have I ever had detention."

"Cheers!"

Steve immediately held up his cup before taking a drink. Max and Jonathan followed, both grimacing. El looked up at Mike who had just taken a sip himself.

"What is detention?"

He grimaced and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"Oh, right. Detention is when you get held back after school."

She blinked up at him, not really understanding. He smiled.

"Don't worry. It's just the first round."

"Lucas, your turn."

He placed his hand over his mouth as he thought. He was being strategic.

"Got it."

He turned to Max who was next to him and looked right into her eyes as he spoke.

"Never have I ever been surfing."

He grinned at her, knowing full well that she had grown up in California.

"Oh, come on. That is SO not fair!"

Max protested through a half smile, secretly admiring her boyfriend's boldness.

"No, it's 'totally tubular, dude.'"

He mocked and watched her take a drink for the second time.

"Alright. That's what we like to see. A bit of strategy."

Steve commended Lucas.

"Mad Max. Go for it."

"Never have I ever... gotten an A in a test."

Lucas immediately turned to her.

"Wait, you've never gotten an A?"

"Really? After that stunt you just pulled, Stalker?"

She reached forward and lifted up his cup to his mouth.

"Drink up, nerd."

She instructed playfully, mimicking Erica's droll. Everybody laughed before Lucas, Will, Nancy, Mike, Jonathan, Robin and Dustin each took a drink. The only ones not to were Max, Steve and El.

"Okay, El. It's your turn."

Steve said causing her to glance over to him.

She hesitated before Max turned to her.

"Just say something you've never done. Anything at all."

She bit her bottom lip as she thought. Mike glanced at Max with an unreadable expression and after a moment El looked up and spoke.

"Never have I ever had... birthday."

There was a silence and the weight behind it was immense. It was then that Mike realised just how much El never had the chance to do. He became incredibly sad and just as El began to think she had done something wrong, Steve made his voice heard.

"So not fair, El!"

"Yeah, making us all drink like this."

Robin added jokingly. They laughed as everybody of course took a drink.

"Good one, Eleven."

Dustin assured her, causing the girl to smile.

"Okay, Mike. You're up."

Mike thought. It was actually quite difficult to come up with something on the spot.

"Never have I ever broken a bone."

"Dammit Mike."

Will muttered, having broken his pinky when he was younger. Max also took a drink, having had many skateboarding accidents. Steve took a drink due to the many fights he had been in. Not to mention his time with the Russians. Robin placed a hand on his knee as he drank. And to everyone's surprise, El reached forward and took her cup, looking down into it before slowly taking a sip. She grimaced as she swallowed the strong taste.

"What? El, you broke a bone? When?"

Mike asked, completely taken aback. He sifted through his memories of the time he'd spent with her and even after everything that had been done to her at Starcourt, he couldn't recall a time she had broken anything. Maybe when Billy knocked him out...

She placed her cup back on the table and looked up at him. After a moment she lowered her gaze.

"Long time ago."

Was all she said, and he instantly knew what that meant. They all did. It happened back at the lab.

Mike wordlessly took her hand and rubbed his thumb along her knuckles. He leaned into her and kissed her cheek. She simply smiled at him.

Steve glanced over at Dustin and smiled sadly. Robin scanned to see who was sitting next to Mike.

"Alright! Wheeler numero dos. You're up."

Nancy tapped her finger against her lips as she thought.

"Hmmm..."

Jonathan took this moment to admire the smooth angles of his girlfriend's side profile.

"Alright, got it. Never have I ever stayed up for two days straight."

"Ooooh. Nancy coming in outta left field!"

Steve commentated before taking another gulp from his cup. Dustin glanced up at him. He looked back down at the kid who was waiting for an explanation.

"Finals, man. Crammed so much I forgot what sleep even was."

Steve suddenly had a thought.

"Hey, wait a minute, Nance. You're tellin' me you didn't pull a single all nighter?"

She smirked.

"Didn't need to, Harrington. Some people actually kept up a decent GPA."

"Shots fired!"

Lucas exclaimed and everybody laughed as Steve feigned being shot in the chest.

"Alright, who else? Come on you kids, fess up."

Will glanced around before apprehensively taking a sip.

"It was a long campaign."

His tone was dry as he cracked a smile. Mike caught his friend's humorous expression, but was surprised when he saw movement beside him. Again, it was El who shyly took another sip from the cup.

Her dark eyes met his from over the rim of the clear cup.

"El..."

His voice was low, the only other person to hear was Max who exchanged a sad look with Mike. El lowered the cup and blinked at him.

"Long time ago?"

He asked to which she slowly nodded.

Was it from her time alone in the woods? Was it from back at the lab? Was it from the nightmares that he was sure she was plagued with every night?

There wasn't sadness in her eyes. There was emptiness. As if she had just been dealing with these memories all this time. Mike and the Party had only known Eleven for the past two years. There were twelve years of her life that nobody other than her and the people from that lab had known of.

There was so much they actually didn't know about her.