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Rated: T

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Chapter 10

Even though dinner was scarce because Mike really hadn't done too much research when he'd planned to take her to New York, but Les Miserables was worth every penny.

"I'm so hungry," Eleven told Mike as they walked back to their hotel.

"I'm sorry," Mike answered. "It was supposed to be a good place to get something to eat."

"Their servings wouldn't feed dolls, Mike!" Elven said, tugging on his coat sleeve. "How about we stop and get pizza? Or hot dogs?"

"I'm feeling pizza," Mike replied, smiling at her as they stopped in front of a pizza parlor.

"Because it's right here?" Eleven teased.

"Maybe," Mike answered, he looked down at her velvet, ankle strap heels. "Do you really want to trek around New York looking for hot dogs in those shoes? It'll kill your feet and we still have to do all the tourist-y things tomorrow. And dinner and dancing too."

"You don't want to do the Time Square thing?"

"Are you kidding?" Mike asked. "There would be so many people. . . I wouldn't want you to get anxious because of the crowds. . . oh, you were joking."

Eleven giggled and nodded as she pulled on him. "Let's get something to eat. I'm so hungry right now! You know how much I need to eat to be happy."

Mike laughed as he led her into the warm pizza parlor. "Yes. I know this better than anyone else."

They got a slice of pizza each with Cokes, Eleven tried to steal a bite of his because he'd gotten one with toppings as opposed to her plain cheese piece. After a playful tussle, he finally let her have a taste of it.

"Remind me why do you like pineapple on your pizza so much?" Eleven asked, making a face as she swallowed it and tried

"Remind me why you try and taste it even though you don't like Hawaiian pizza." Mike answered.

"Because maybe I'm trying to like it," Eleven replied, nudging him in the ribs. "Or maybe I just like sharing."

"Oh yeah? Fair is fair. Let me try yours!" Mikes said, making a grab for it.

Eleven shielded it from him. "No! It's mine!"

"Oh come on! I let you try mine!" Mike teased. "One tiny bite is all I want, we can share."

Eleven shook her head. "No! It's too important to me!"

Mike gently grabbed her wrist and bit the tip off, smirking at her as he did. "That was too easy. You weren't even trying hard enough!"

Eleven glared at him. "Michael Wheeler, do you want to buy another piece of pizza for me."

"I'll order room service when we get back to the hotel," Mike promised. "Okay?"

"There better be French fries!"

"If they don't have them, I'll make them go out and get some for you," Mike said. "How's that sound?"

"I knew I married you for a reason!" Eleven replied, beaming at him.

They walked back to the hotel arm-in-arm.

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Eleven woke him up at the crack of dawn the next day.

"Happy Anniversary, Mr. Wheeler," she whispered. "I do have something for you but since we left Indiana in a hurry, I'm afraid it's still hidden under my sweaters."

"You mean my sweaters," Mike teased.

She punched him playfully. "So, what did you get me?"

"You're kidding, right? "

Eleven laughed. "Yes, yes I am. Are you ready for breakfast?"

Mike's eyes widened. "You want to eat some more?"

They had gotten back to the hotel and watched MTV and gorged themselves on junk food, falling asleep in the wee small hours of the morning.

"Yes!" Eleven answered. "Let's go and find a real New York City breakfast."

"Or we could just stay in bed a little longer," Mike suggested. "It's nice and warm under the covers. And the company's nice."

Eleven giggled and leaned over him to get the phone. "I guess we'll just order more room service then!"

Mike groaned. "They're going to hate us!"

"It's their job!" Eleven reminded him. "Hello, this is room 300, we were wondering if you could bring us some breakfast. Lots of coffee and bagels. Yeah, we'll take cream cheese. Okay. Thank you!"

"That's not exactly a filling breakfast," Mike pointed out.

"I'd thank you to mind your business, Michael!" Eleven replied, putting the phone back on the receiver and lying back down. She snuggled under the covers and looked at him. "Tell me the story about how we met."

"You know the story," Mike said.

"Yeah but you tell it every year," Eleven reminded him. "Come on, Mike. Please!"

Mike sighed, not exactly sure how the other him told the story. He decided to wing it. "November 6th, 1983. A boy named Will Byers went missing after playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends. It was the start of very strange. . . what's wrong?" he trailed off. "What's wrong? You don't look happy."

"Skip to the part where we met," Eleven said, grinning at him. "Please."

Mike rolled on his back. "It was raining the night we met and you were not the person I was expecting to find in the woods," he said.

"Because you were looking for Will," Eleven answered. "Did you love me the first moment you saw me?"

Mike paused, had he loved her from the first moment he had seen her? He hadn't ever thought about it before. There had been other things on his mind in those first hours and days they had met. But at the same time, he didn't know a time when he hadn't loved her either.

"Yes," he answered with confidence. "I loved you the first time I saw you."

"Me too," Eleven replied. "Except it took me a little longer to realize it because I didn't know what love was. Not the right kind of love anyways."

"I want to know what love is. I want you to show me. . ." Mike sang jokingly, earning him another playful punch in the shoulder.

"Shut up," Eleven said, giggling a little bit, before being interrupted by a knock on the door. "That would be breakfast! Hold on, I'll be right back."

They ate breakfast by the window and then took turns in the bathroom getting ready for their day.

They were out their hotel door and on the streets of New York by 9am. Mike was awestruck by how Eleven could still have a look of wonder even though she was a grown woman. He found it very endearing.

Around noon, she started to yawn. She smiled at him. "Do you mind if we go back to the hotel and take a nap before we go out? I don't want to fall asleep before midnight!"

"Sure," Mike answered, taking her hand and hailing a cab.

She dozed off almost as soon as they crawled into bed. He wasn't as lucky, so he watched her sleep instead. He realized he was just as fascinated by her now as he had been when they were younger.

All those years ago when she asked you to take her with you what were you thinking when you said no!? He berated himself mentally.

But he hadn't been thinking.

Eleven shifted closer and rested her head against his shoulder, sighing in contentment. Mike closed his eyes and pretended things could stay the way they were right then forever.

"I have an idea," Eleven said later when she woke up later afternoon, sitting up and wiping traces of mascara away from underneath her eyes. "Why don't we not go out tonight? We could stay here and have supper in the hotel bar then come back here and ring in the New Year by ourselves. It'll still be special with just the two of us. Unless you were looking forward to going out, that is. Were you?"

Mike shook his head. "Staying in sounds good. Just the two of us sounds good," he answered.

TBC. . .

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Author's Note:

Happy Christmas Eve, everybody! I hope you're all having a great day with your family or your friends, if you're with them. I am thinking of you all fondly tonight. If you have the time, I hope you'll leave me a review.

One more chapter and then we'll be done with this journey together. I hope you'll stick around!

Until Tomorrow!

Love,

Holly, 12/24/2016