[ this is a short one sorry :( ]

"Oh my god," Lili panted as she ripped the blindfold off her face. She was staring at the TV static playing and listening to its electronic echo. Only that was the problem, she couldn't hear anyone else. She dared to look over her shoulder, only to be met with no one.

"El?" Lili called out for her sister. "Max? Nancy?"

When no one answered, Lili got up and started to look around the room. She turned back to the TV that was still on to the static station. Her breathing became limited as she thought of a way out of there.

That's when she heard a whimper. At first, Lili jumped back and was about to run, but she realized that it didn't belong to an animal.

She walked hesitantly over to her room and leaned her ear against the door. Nothing. She walked slowly over to Hopper's room and quietly pulled the curtain back. Nothing. She closed the curtain and turned around.

A woman sat on the couch, staring right at Lili. Lili yelped and shot her hand out, but the woman didn't move.

The woman was blonde with beautiful light brown eyes. Lili moved to the right, but the woman's eyes didn't follow. Lili looked behind herself to see the TV and looked back to see if that was what the woman was looking at. Lili touched the TV and suddenly, a gasp escaped from the woman.

Lili turned around abruptly again to face the woman. The woman was standing now, staring right at the TV in fear. Lili furrowed her eyebrows as she slowly stepped towards the woman. She reached out and lightly touched the woman's arm.

The woman sucked in a breath and turned to head to look at Lili. Her eyes locked with hers and Lili could've sworn that a flash of herself was seen in her eyes.

The woman let out a trembling breath. "Mary?"

Lili tilted her head in confusion, but she heard something from Hopper's room and she whipped her head that way.

Billy emerged from the curtains to look straight at Lili. He had a dark sinister look in his eyes as he stalked forward. Lili was frozen. She was frozen in fear, confusion and sadness.

"I wouldn't touch her," Billy said in a voice that wasn't quite his own. Immediately, Lili yanked her hand away from the woman's arm.

"Billy, please..." Lili whispered.

"Billy is gone," Billy said. He took another step forward. "We are the new age."

"I don't..." Lili shook her head. "I don't understand."

"You will," Billy had tears in his eyes. "Once you realize our mission, you will gladly give yourself up."

"What?" Lili breathed. "What mission? Killing people? Ripping lives apart?"

"Those are the small but necessary steps-"

"To what?!" Lili shouted. She didn't know what came over her. The woman beside her started to fade away. "No!" Lili clawed at the air where the woman once stood.

"What happened?!" Lili asked Billy. Tears slipped down his face.

"Your past and future and undetermined," he said simply.

"What?"

"What did you see?" Billy asked her suddenly. His voice seemed to be normal, but Lili didn't want to take a chance. She scrunched her nose.

"What do you mean, what did I see?"

"I mean..." Billy growled. "What did you see?"

"Where?!" Lili demanded.

"You went somewhere!" Billy shouted at her. He was a full foot away from her now. "Where?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Lili cried as she backed into the counter.

"El," Billy said with precision. "She goes to a dark place. Where did you go?"

"I..." Lili shook her head, but then stopped when she realized what Billy was asking. She realized that he was somewhat normal.

"A white place," Lili said slowly. "I felt like I was underwater."

"What did you see?" Billy said with urgency.

"Why do you want to know?" Lili asked. "Billy, I know this is you."

"Damnit, Lili, quickly!" Billy whispered. Suddenly, a piercing screech sounded in Billy's head. He cried out, clutching his head. Lili ran to him as he fell to the floor, writhing in pain.

"Billy! Billy, what's wrong?!" Lili asked him as she held his head to her chest.

Do not disobey me, a voice said to Billy. Billy mentally agreed and the noise left him. He gasped at the release and turned back to Lili who was looking at him in worry.

"Billy, you're scaring me," Lili said quietly. "Is this you?"

"Yes," Billy sputtered. "Lili, you gotta tell me what you saw."

"A- An image," Lili said. "Of a little boy. I think his name was Raylen?"

Billy looked at her with wide eyes. They quickly flickered down to her stomach but snapped back up to her own.

" Are you-?" Billy started but was cut off when the ear-splitting noise blared in his head.

"Billy?" Lili shook him as he held his hands over his ears. "Billy!"

He suddenly stopped screaming and looked at Lili again. This time, he shot his hand out to meet her throat and grabbed it with inhuman strength. Something else flickered through his eyes.

This isn't him, Lili thought. She gasped for air as he held her up from her throat. She hit his arm, trying to get him to let go without hurting him.

"B-Billy..." she sputtered. "This isn't you. Please..."

"You and El shouldn't have looked for me..." Billy whispered. Lili hit him in the chest.

Billy didn't bat an eye. Lili's face went red from all of the blood rushing to her head and she felt dizzy from the lack of oxygen.

"It's me!" She choked. "Lili, your girlfriend."

"We can all see you. We took time, and pain. All of it was for you," Billy said slowly. "You may not have closed the gate, but you fought it."

Lili didn't understand. Fought what? Being Flayed? Fighting Billy?

"We've been building it for you. We are going to end you, and once we've done that, we'll end your sister, your friends and your world."

"No!" Lili's throat burned as Billy's face contorted into anger.

"I may not be able to hurt that girl now, but I can hurt you," Billy seethed. Lili kicked, trying to hit him in the groin. She ended up hitting his chest again.

He still didn't snap out of his trance. If anything, his eyes became darker and he slowly began to decay into a different monster.

"Billy..!" Lili gasped as her vision began to fuzz and shift. There might be only one possible way for him to return to normal. Maybe shock him out of it. "I'm pregnant..."

She barely got the words out, but Billy heard them. Buried deep down inside of the monster, Billy was fighting. He was fighting for his life and for Lili's. He fought to gain control back and he fought for the monster to go away.

The words were enough for Billy to snap back to reality for a second. Hi grip loosened and let a little bit of air back into Lili's lungs. His eyes returned to a blue-grey. Not fully blue. His lips parted and his eyebrows softened.

"What?" He breathed, but Lili blacked out.

She woke up and fell backwards. Three pairs of hands immediately shot out under her back to keep her from hitting the ground. Lili looked around. Nancy, Max and El were next to her. The TV was still on and all of the kids were in the same position when Lili last saw them. Except for Mike who was right next to El.

Lili's eyes flickered down to El's hand. In it was the blindfold for Lili. El yanked her back out. "No..." Lili said quietly. She was so close to getting Billy back. She needed more time.

"No!" Lili stood up quickly and turned to the kitchen. Billy wasn't there. She stepped over Mike and rushed over to Hopper's room. She pulled the curtain back harshly and swept over the room with her eyes, searching for her boyfriend.

"No, no, no!" Lili cried.

"Lili! What's wrong?" Nancy was right next to her, looking at her in concern.

"Billy..." Lili breathed. Her eyes stung with tears and when she swallowed, she felt a bruising sensation. "I saw him. I snapped him out! And you pulled me out! I could've saved him!"

"You snapped him out?" Nancy grabbed Lili's shoulders. The girl's body shook as she sobbed uncontrollably. "How?"

It took Lili fighting for a couple of breaths, but she eventually blubbered out, "I told him."

Nancy's grip on Lili's shoulders softened. Her eyes showed understanding and she breathed, letting out a soft sigh.

"Told him what?" Jonathan asked from the far side of the room.

"About their first kiss-" Nancy quickly covered for Lili. The blonde waved Nancy away.

"It's okay, Nance," Lili shook her head. "It's okay."

Lili straightened her back, remembering Ama and how she and Sue had a laugh after that. She wondered what Sue was doing right now. Lili snapped out of that thought.

"That I'm pregnant," Lili said simply. The whole room fell quiet. That was, until Mike spoke.

"What?!" He stared at Lili with his jaw to the floor. "You're impregnated with Satan's spawn?!"

"Hey!" Lili snapped. "He's not Satan! Besides, this was before he was Flayed."

"He was Satan then too!" Mike argued.

"Shut up, Mike!" Lili shouted. "I'm sick and tired of your disrespect! If you have something to say about this, I'd rather you not say it!"

Everyone was quiet, even Mike. Max slowly stood up. "So you're carrying Billy's baby?"

Lili nodded. "Yeah."

"If we live through this," Max chuckled, "make me the godmother."

"Noted," Lili nodded, opening her arms for Max to hug her. El walked over and hugged her sister as well, the trio staying in the embrace for a long time.

"Guys," Nancy spoke up. "Sorry for interrupting, but where was Billy when you spoke to him?"

"Here," Lili said. El nodded. "Wait you saw him too?"

"Everyone was gone. I called for you and Mike but no one was here," El said.

"That happened to me too," Lili murmured.

"Guys!" Nancy grabbed their attention again. "If he saw you guys here, then there's no doubt that the Mind Flayer is coming here now."

"Well shit," Lili sighed. "I can never get a break, can I?"

[UNEDITED]

sorry for the delay, schools starting again
:(