Archive of Our Own ^beta

Lucas, Robin and Mike were keeping guard at the radio shack as the others were retrieving the kids from the upside down. It was a long process, most of it somewhat accidental and all of it absolutely unbelievable. But nevertheless they had received a message from Hopper that the kids were found. Now Lucas and Mike were keeping guard and Robin was ready to get the kids to safety when Hop and the others would get back. It was all in all a hugely risky operation. With dozens of variables that could go wrong. 

But ever since Vecna’s carnage at the base, there was barely any military outside and the hole was now exposed. With the help of Will and Kali, Eleven was able to create as safe as possible of a pathway to the radio shack. 

And now they waited. 

First Hopper and Kali brought out two kids. One of them Holly who ran straight to Mike. After them Dustin and Steven with two more. 

“Thank god you’re alive. You’re okay.” Mike repeated over and over again while hugging his sister tightly. Nancy had done the same for few minutes in the upside down as they were saving the kids. 

“I had Holly the Heroic with me. You kept me safe.” Holly nuzzled her head against her big brothers chest. 

“Love you Holly.”

“Love you too Mike.”

Mike squeezed her even tighter before letting her sit on the bench, but not leaving her side. 

“Your friend Max was there. In the memory. She’d been there for the whole time. She saved us.” Holly explained her brother. “She misses you.”

The last one she directed to Lucas who had tears in his eyes. Mouth open in shock. He wasn’t expecting this. None of them were. 

“This whole time-” Lucas started, but his voice gave out. The world was spinning.

A silence fell over the group. Nobody knew what to say. All eyes were on Lucas. 

“She was close once. She could hear the music. She’s fighting.” Holly added. “She wanted me to say that. That she’s fighting to get to you. To not give up on her.”

It felt like the air had escaped his lungs. 

There was a ringing in his brain. 

This whole time. Eighteen months. She had been alone. She was still alone. And then it really hit him. She was alone now, at the hospital. With that thought he turned around and started running to the tunnels to get to his bike.  

“Lucas wait!” Mike shouted. “Shit he’s fast. Where are you going?” 

Dustin and Mike were running behind him in the secret tunnel.

“Where do you think? The hospital! This is why El can’t find her. She’s in his memories. Alone. And by now Vecna must know that Max was helping the kids.”

“Which means that Max is a threat.” Dustin finished his sentence. 

“Okay, but what are you going to do?” Mike asked him. 

“I’m bringing her to the Quack. Where she’s safe.”

“How? On your bike?” Mike asked and climbed outside to the alleyway where the tunnel ended.

“I’ll fucking carry her there if I have to. I’m not letting her stay there and get eaten by some demogorgons or killed by the government or some shit like that. I’m bringing her home.“

And with that he got on his bike and was riding as fast as he could towards the hospital.

“Shit. Shit shit shit!” Dustin yelled and both of them ran back inside, though the tunnels and inside the Radio Shack. The rest of the kids were now saved from the upside down. Nancy was hugging Holly. 

“Will!” Mike shouted to get his attention. “Lucas is going to get Max from the hospital. Alone.”

“Why?”

“She was in the memory. With me.” Holly explained. Rather poorly, but in this scenario the explanation was enough for them to understand why Lucas was doing what he was doing. If there was a chance that she was still there, he would do everything in his power to save her. They all knew that. 

“He thinks that demogorgons and/or Vecna might be going there.“

“I’m on it.” Will nodded. 

“Eleven, you’re coming with. We need to get my parents as well. Kali, you need to stay with the kids in case they target them.”

“Roger that.” 

Nancy dropped to the tunnels first, then El and lastly Will. 

“Will?” Robin said quietly as the others weren’t paying attention anymore. 

“Yeah?”

“Vickie is working-“

“We’ll get her too. Don’t worry.” Robin could hear the earnest in his voice. Their friendship was something she wasn’t really expecting would happen, but what turned out to be one of the best things of this year. There weren’t many people in Hawkins who would understand her. He was one of them. 

“Thank you,” Robin whispered before standing back up and watching Will walk away. 

In the tunnels Will ran to catch up with Nancy and Eleven when a vision came through. He had learned how to control them. But still had them. 

“We need to hurry. The demogorgons are on their way. And I’m not risking being able to save all of them remotely. We both need to get there.” 

Neither Nancy nor Eleven replied anything. There really wasn’t anything to say at this point. 

***

Lucas’s heart was in his throat. Thumping away. He had never ridden his bike faster. He jumped off and ran straight to her room. It wasn’t a difficult thing to do, he had done it hundreds of times during the past year and a half. 

They got the kids. Holly had seen Max. She could be saved. And he wasn’t going to let her die alone. In a coma. 

At her room he grabbed the radio and her in his arms and started to run back. 

She was light. Her muscles weak at this point.

He got out of the room when suddenly the lights started to flicker. Then they all went off. 

The demogorgons were there. The pounding of his heart didn’t ease one bit. 

A red-haired nurse was walking towards them from the next room. 

“Hey, where are you going with her!” Vicky interrogated him whilst trying to hit the light switch. 

“Get down!” Lucas whispered. Quickly they both sat behind a metal table. Kate Bush was still playing — a huge risk to take as it might give away their spot. But at the same time there were sounds coming from all over the hospital. And he wasn’t stopping the music ever again. Not until Max was back. “Be quiet!”

A screech filled the room and Vickie’s eyes widened. Lucas was still hugging Max tightly. Trying to shield her behind the table. His heart was pounding. This was the second time this had happened in just few days. The gauze from the first attach still on his chest as a reminder. 

All he could hope for was that the others were coming.

Suddenly the two of them ran out of the corridor.  They’ve got somewhere else to go, he had no time to analyse the possibilities. This was his time. Quickly he turned to Vickie. 

“Those things are after us. I’m taking a break to the elevator. You need to run to the emergency exit. Get out.”

“What were those?” Vickie’s voice was panicked. 

“We don’t have time! Go!” He shouted and started to run. The music was still playing in the radio. He got to the elevator and inside of it. Then the screech filled the corridor. One demogorgon was coming from Max’s room. Thank god he had gotten here when he did.

But now it was approaching them. Fast. He pushed the button over and over again. To close the doors. But for some reason nothing was happening. The lights flickered inside. They were stuck. A looming death coming. 

***

She had managed to get the kids out of there. Just in time. But she was still inside. Inside of the nightmare. She was starting to go desperate. To wish for door one. Just to finally get away. She’d seen the light when Holly and the kids were there with her. She was prepared to save them. And now, either the party had saved them in the upside-down or they were dead. Either way, things were not looking great for her. First of all, she was alone again. Second of all, she wasn’t safe at the canyon anymore. And Vecna knew about her ploy to save the kids. She was standing back in the attic, in the nightmare. And pretty sure that Vecna wasn’t far behind. 

And then. 

Kate Bush. 

In the dark red landscape she could see the opening. But rather than being on the hospital bed, she was held in Lucas’s arms as he was running in the hospital. 

She didn’t have time to think about it. She took on running. Towards Lucas. Towards door three. Towards life. 

She had been disappointed once before. Twice if you count the time she saw how the kids disappeared in thin air. 

There were many holes in her plan. What if the music cut out. What if Lucas - and her - were killed before she could reach them. What if, what if… 

She had managed to escape once before. With Kate. She could do it again. 

A leap of faith. 

And she was in Lucas’s arms. 

She had flipped. 

The first breath she took awake startled Lucas who was holding her. So much so that he dropped the radio. 

The next breath was a breath of utter panic as the demogorgon was lunging at them as Lucas stood in the elevator. 

And then. 

It stopped. Suddenly. Rose to the ceiling. 

Eleven, she thought. She was there to save her many times. And there she was again. 

The demogorgon’s limbs snapped. And then neck. And it flopped on the floor. The way she did. A year and a half ago. 

“Will.” Lucas whispered. 

“Will?” Max whispered, asking. 

And then if finally dawned on Lucas. She was awake. His knees gave out, they fell on the floor of the elevator. 

“I never gave up.” He whispered in the middle of a sob. 

“Me neither,” she responded. “Never.”

“Shit. You’re really here.” His voice was shaky as he tightened his hold on her. 

“I’m here. I’m always here.” She whispered and nuzzled her head against his chest. He smelled like Lucas. He felt like Lucas. And finally she felt safe. Pressing his chest she noticed the white gauze. “You’re hurt!”

“Old thing, doesn’t hurt. Don’t worry about me.”

“I always worry about you.” Max’s earnest sentence sent a warmth down his spine. And tears in his eyes. 

“Max!” Will’s voice interrupted their moment. “You-“

“I’m here.” She answered the question she knew was coming. “You’ve grown. And you can-“

“Yeah, I can kill them. “ He nodded. Right then it dawned on him that it was more than two years since he moved to California — when they saw each other the last time. “But we need to get out, I’ll explain everything soon. Have you seen Vick-“

“Okay what the hell was that?” They heard a voice from behind staring at them. 

“Vickie?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m Robin’s friend. Will. You should come with us. She’ll explain everything. But it’s not safe here,” Will said to her, but her feet stayed firmly on the ground. 

“I promise.” Will added. 

“Okay I have a lot of questions.”

“And we’ll answer them. But we need to go, quickly.”

With that Lucas stood up, Max still tightly in his arms. 

“I can walk now you know,” Max chuckled a little. 

“Not a chance in hell, I’m not letting you go ever again. You’ll stay right here.” Lucas said firmly. Tears still falling down on his face. 

Max didn’t protest. She merely wiped the tears and rested her head on his chest. 

The three walked outside where the others were waiting. Then Eleven spotted them. And whispered, “Max”.

When they all turned around and saw Max’s face alive, smiling, looking at them, the time stood still. Nobody knew what to do. 

“You can let me down now.” Max said looking straight at Lucas. “This is weird.”

“No.” 

His breath hitched again as he looked into her eyes. That weren’t white anymore. But full of life. 

“You can breath now. I’m fine, I’m here. I came back to you.” 

Neither of them registered that the others had walked up to them and were impatiently waiting for a hug. Will first as his patience were running thin. I mean come on — he saved them — where was his thanks. 

“Fine…” Lucas muttered and lowered Max’s feet to the ground. “You okay?”

She was unstable, that’s for sure. But her legs carried. She nodded at Lucas and gave him a tight hug. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

She turned around looking at the others. “Well are you just going to gawk at me or…?”

Will and Eleven were the first to crush her in a tight hug. 

Then Nancy whose parents turned to her, bruised, but otherwise alert. 

“We can never thank you enough for saving Holly,” Ted said as Karen teared up. She wasn’t still able to speak, but Max knew what she was thinking.

“She saved herself. And me,” Max said and hugged them. She wasn’t a fan of affection, but after year and a half, her mind had shifted a little. 

“Alright let’s go.”

“I have my car here,” Vickie said quietly. Not really sure how to proceed in this group. 

“I’ll go with her, we’ll follow you guys to Quack,” Will said nodding at Nancy. 

“Perfect.”

“Hold up,” Lucas said to Max as she was getting in the car. “Take this. You’re shivering.”

Quickly he took of his college and handed it to Max. She didn’t miss the wince on his face as he lifted his arms. 

“You’re going to freeze Lucas, I’m fine.”

“Don’t even try,” Lucas smirked and helped Max get the college on her. Any lingering worry on wether this was the right thing to do melted as soon as he saw Max smell the college and a smile spread on her face. 

“Does it hurt?” She was eyeing his chest carefully. 

“Nah, it’s fine.”

Slowly she lifted her hand to the gauze and looked in his eyes. Mainly to keep herself from gawking at his abs.

“Alright as much as I would like to give time for you two to stare at each other, we really need to go,” Nancy interrupted them.

***

Finally at the WSQK, they were met with every single one of their friends. Standing outside. Ready to help Karen and Ted inside.

Eleven got out of the passenger’s seat and ran around the car to open the trunk and help Max out. She quickly noticed that she wasn’t really needed as Lucas wasn’t letting go of his girl.

At the same time Vickie ran to Robin who hugged her tighter than ever before. “Thank god you’re okay.”

“I have a lot of questions.”

“I’ll answer them, I promise. Right now I’m just glad that you’re okay. And I’m sorry, about Enzo’s.”

“Don’t worry about it. From what I can gather, you’ve been busy.” Vickie chuckled a little. 

Outside Steve spotted Will smiling at Robin and Vickie. Robin had been more and more insistent that he was clueless when it came to people’s romantic feelings. This wasn’t one of those times. Robin hadn’t said anything, of course. But he could see it. See why the pair had become so tight this last week. He glanced at Jonathan who had a similar smile on his face looking at his brother as he helped Ted out of the car. 

“Mom! Dad!” Holly shouted and let go of  Joyce’s hand, running to the car and hugging the both of them tightly. 

And then the lot noticed that Max was in fact standing on her own. Outside. Wearing Lucas’s college and a hospital-gown. 

“Max!” Dustin yelled and ran straight to her. “How?”

Max didn’t answer, she just tightened the hug. Noticing this Mike ran to join them. Then Eleven and Will. During this group hug Lucas held his hand firmly on Max’s upper back, still swallowing the remaining tears. 

“You’re awake!” They then heard Holly shout as she ran towards Max. 

“And you’re safe! I was so worried kiddo,” Max enveloped the little girl in her arms. 

“Where’s your jacket Lucas?” Joyce scolded him as she went to hug Max. 

“And shirt?” Steve added. “I mean seriously, nobody wants to see all that.”

“I think Max does,” Mike snickered as he stood next to Lucas and got a sharp elbow to his stomach as a response from the other boy. 

“Shut it Wheeler or I’m cutting a mohawk on you,” Max shouted from the hug. Holly laughed, this bright, lively laugh that her family had missed so much.

“Alright, she’s freezing, we need to get inside, now.” Lucas’s voice was tight. Max had never seen him this firm. This was something new, that had happened after her coma. And quite honestly, it wasn’t entirely unappealing to hear him give orders and put his foot down.

Nobody protested, and in a second Lucas took her back in his arms. 

Before she could argue back, he said plainly. “I told you, I’m not letting you get hurt. That includes your feet, it’s wet and you don’t have shoes on. I’m carrying you inside. Don’t argue with me.”

Max chuckled a little, but the seriousness of his words and the tone of his voice made her wonder. For all that time when she was trying to find her way back to him — what had he seen. It made sense, that he’d want to hold her tight. After seeing her die. Then come back to life. Then watch her being in a come for all this time, never knowing if that would be the day she’s either die or wake up. She understood it. She didn’t protest. Just held him tight as to reassure him. 

***

“I have a change of clothes here. And you can change in there,” Robin nodded towards the bathroom. “We’ll explain everything after.”

“Thanks.” Max said gratefully. And took off Lucas’s jersey giving it back to him. “Thanks for this.” 

“Do you need help?” Lucas asked, still holding his hand in the small of her back. 

“I think I can manage,” Max answered with a smirk. “Stalker.”

“I can help,” Eleven said, mostly to Lucas, trying to reassure him that she wouldn’t let anything happen to Max. 

A small smile crept on Lucas’s face and for the first time, he let her go. 

As Max closed the door, Lucas slumped on the couch. Exhausted from the ordeal, putting his face in his hands, he finally let go and without even noticing it himself, the tears flooded from his eyes, body shaking as the stress and shock was finally wearing off. 

“Luke,” Will whispered and enveloped the boy in a hug. “She’s fine. She’s here. You saved her.”

“Yeah. You’re a hero.” Mike agreed, joining the hug with Dustin. 

“The party is whole again.” Dustin added. 

In a few minutes, they broke the hug. Lucas was cried out. He wiped his cheeks and whispered a thank you to his friends who all nodded. The others had already disappeared downstairs.

“Go on, I’ll wait for her.”

Right then, Max and Eleven emerged from the bathroom and Max walked to Lucas. Eleven joined the others and walked downstairs. 

“So,” Max started. 

“So, I can’t believe you’re here.” Lucas breathed out and hugged her again. Lifting her feet from the ground and spinning her around. 

“I can’t believe you never gave up,” Max whispered as he stopped spinning and lowered Max’s feet on the ground. 

“I love you Mad-Max, I will never give up on you.”

Hearing those words Max turned her head to look at him. His hand was smoothing her hair.

“You-“

“Of course. Not a hour has gone by where I haven’t thought about you. About how to save you. How to get to you.”

“Me neither. I love you Lucas.” Max said, looking firmly at him. And finally reaching up to meat his lips in a kiss. 

Slowly the kiss deepened. It was all both of them had wished for, for well over two years. Max knew she was the one to end their relationship. Not because she didn’t love him with all that she had. But because she didn’t have anything to love herself with. Finally she could feel the love. For him and for herself. 

After, what felt like years and at the same time not long enough, they broke the kiss, looking at each other. Forehead to forehead. Lucas breathing out the stress of always leaving her behind. Now she was here. With him. 

“Whoopsie, didn’t mean to interrupt a tender moment between lovers!” They heard Murray’s voice from the doorway. “Don’t mind me, I’ll just sneak past here. Carry on, carry on! Oh and Max, good to see you again!”

The couple chuckled a little before breaking the hug. Without saying a word, Lucas lead Max towards the hidden doorway. Hand, firmly at her back. 

“So, are you ready for a recap?” Hopper asked from the table. 

“Yeah, we left you a seat there,” Dustin said, nodding towards the armchair. 

“Assuming Max will sit in Lucas’s lap.”

“Haa-haa,” Lucas rolled his eyes, but walked to the seat and Max simply sat on his lap. 

“One little coma and she’s suddenly fine with PDA.” Mike chuckled. 

“Do you like ever close your mouth?” Max countered and got a chuckle from El.

“One long eighteen month coma you mean. So if you dip-shits don’t mind, I’m not letting go of my girlfriend ever again. So let’s make a plan on how to end this that includes me being glued to her side. Forever.”