Jude winced as Mike tightened the cloth wrap around his wound where the bullet grazed him. Mike glanced up. "That hurt?"

"No." Jude lied, checking out his wrapped wound. "Think it'll leave a scar?"

"Uh, yeah." Mike gave a look of disbelief but had to laugh. "Definitely. Most definitely."

Jude glanced over toward a ranting Jonathan, Corey and Will standing with him while El stared at the sign. "Think Max is gonna be okay?"

"Probably." Mike shrugged, leaning against the van while Jude sat inside. "How's Corey?"

"I think he's good. Just feeling guilty." he shrugged slightly. "Unless he was just blown away by my good looks, he was a little shaken up."

"Oh, it was definitely the good looks." Mike joked with a cheeky grin, making Jude give him one back. "What do you think Winkle is doing?"

"Hopefully with my Dad at the diner since he's working nights." he shook his head. "I miss her."

"We'll be home soon." Mike shook his head, touching his hand.

"I don't believe we will." Corey exhaled as he looked at the pair. "Jonathan keeps yelling at the lady on the other side of the phone and she keeps saying no."

"Earliest is tomorrow." Jonathan huffed as he threw the phone back on the line.

"That's way too late." Mike spoke in annoyance as Will cursed.

"Let me talk to her, I bet I can do some convincing." Jude got out of the van and rolled his shirt sleeve down gentle.

"Or beat them with a baseball bat." Corey pointed out.

"That would be plan B." the Mackenzie boy gave a point of his finger.

"Hey, dudes?" Argyle walked their way. "Ask 'em if we can ride in the baggage compartment."

"The baggage compartment?" Jonathan turned to him in disbelief.

"We'd suffocate." Mike looked in disappointment.

"Dogs ride in there all the time, man." Argyle pointed out with a shake of his head.

"Oh my god." Jude's jaw fell slightly. "Seriously?"

"They just let the dogs suffocate?" Corey's eyes doubled in size.

"Jesus Christ." Jonathan pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Holy shit." Mike exhaled.

"I have a way." El walked over with curious eyes.

"A what?" Corey questioned. "Away from who?"

"No, a way to protect Max." El corrected. "From here."

Jude stared at his cousin, raising an eyebrow. "Operation mama?"

"What the heck is operation mama?" Mike gave him an insane look.

"What El did to her mama." he explained. "Duh."

"Yes." El walked toward the fogged up window and drew a stick figure. "This is Max. When One attacks, he'll be in her mind. But I can do that too. I went in Mama's mind, into Billys. I can go into Max's. She can carry me to Vecna. I can piggyback. I can protect her. From One. Fight him from here."

"So, you kill him, and he has an aneurysm." Jude nodded confidently. "It's a great plan."

"An-aneurysm?" El gave him a questionable look.

"Yeah, an aneurysm. My old baseball coach had one." he shook his head with a small shrug. "It was very sad."

"What is an aneurysm?" Corey looked to Will.

"You actually think this can work?" Mike cut in before he could change the subject.

"A bathtub would help." El looked to Jude. "Remember when you held me in the pool? Back in Hawkins?"

"Sure." he nodded. "To help ground you."

"Need you to do it again." she said in return. "In the bathtub."

"Yeah. Gotta be clean to enter the mind." Argyle nodded his head. "But...with your cousin? What goes on in Hawkins, brochacho?"

"No." Jude squeezed his eyes shut. "Not to be clean, it's about the scenery."

"It helps calm down and focus on her powers." Mike agreed, nodding toward Jude. "Sometimes she needs something to ground her. Jude was there before."

"That is so sweet." Corey agreed.

"Wait, we-we just passed a motel." Will looked over.

"Yeah, but they won't have enough salt." the Wheeler boy sighed slightly.

"Well, how much salt are we talking here, my dudes?" Argyle placed his hands on his hips.

"Well, it depends on the size of the tub, but a lot." Jonathan shook his head slightly.

"Like, burning your skin type of a lot." Jude agreed, leaning against Mike when his wound made him tired.

"Does 600 pounds suffice?" Argyle gave a curious look.

"You know a place that has 600 pounds of salt?" Mike looked his way, not believing it. His arm went around Jude's shoulders to keep him up right.

"Let's see." Argyle began to measure El out with his hands. "Yup. Mhm."

"Excuse me, sir?" Corey cleared his throat. "What is it you are doing?"

"It'll work." Argyle beamed ear to ear.

"What will work?" El blinked in confusion.

"I know of a magical place that has all you need, my brave, little super powered friend." Argyle smile down at El with a shake of his head. "That mind fight and cousin bath is on."

"Oh my god." Mike sighed.

"Jude?" Mike looked over at him. He was filling up the pizza dough freezer while Jude was suppose to be turning up the faucet. "Jude?"

He blinked suddenly. "Yeah?"

"You okay?" he gave a slightly worried look. "I've said your name like five times."

"Yeah." he cleared his throat. "Just super tired."

"Yeah, definitely." Mike agreed as Jude walked over and leaned on the side of the freezer. "At least we will be able to sleep on the drive home."

"Still wish I had my silk sleeping mask and skin care though." he shook his head slightly. "And Wink. And my bedsheets. And Little Woman."

"I bet Dustin has Little Woman again." Mike laughed. "Remember when you chunked your water bottle at my head because you thought I had it?"

"No, I chunked my water bottle at your head because-" Jude began, stopped as he looked down at the water and saw Bobs bloody reflecting starting we him. Jude flung himself backwards, falling into the oven as he knocked over pots and spoons.

"Jude." Mike gave a panicked looks dropping the hose and walking over. "What happened?"

"I saw-" he began, stopping as he looked down in the water.

Nothing.

"Saw what?" Mike held his shoulders and scanned his face in worry. "What did you see?"

Jude inhaled deeply, letting his heart rate slowly decrease. "Nothing. It-I thought there was a spider."

It wasn't long before the freezer filled up and El got in. Jude leaned over the side, his arms locked under hers to keep her afloat in the water. Her body was floating on its own, but he did plenty of work while also letting her feel where she was the entire time.

"Hey, El. What's going on?" Mike asked from the other side of Jude.

"It's not working." she said in return.

"What?" Will gapped. "What's not working?"

"Max's plan." El answered in return.

"Why not?" Mike leaned in worry, gripping the side of the freezer.

A drop of blood hit the top of the water, right above El's head.

"Jude.." Corey trialed off as he looked at him.

Mike glanced up to stare, his heart rate fell as he saw the fear in his boyfriends eyes. "Jude?"

"Mike." his voice was weak, low in panic as a few more drops of blood fell into the water. El sunk under the water when Jude let her go suddenly, his body going limb and eyes glossing over in white.

Max's plan hadn't been working because Vecna wasn't going after her, he was going after Elevens weakest spot, who happened to have the trauma he wanted.

•

kylie speaks

sorry this took so long, babies.
y'all know i've got an emotional
attachment to my boy jude so
it was hard for me to accept that
we were in the final episode