Hello everyone, I finally finished chapter 29. I'm sorry this one took so long, I've been busy with other stuff lately. Sorry if it seems a little bit broken, I've been working on it bits and pieces for the last two weeks, so it might have come out a little bit choppy, Bu I hope it's still good. There was a lot of stuff that I wanted to do this chapter, I wanted to make sure everything came out as well as possible. You'll see what I mean when you read it.

Hypersushi: Thank you! I hope you enjoy this chapter, too.

Luna0603: Thank you so much! I swear, you're reviews keep me writing this fic, haha. You'll see how Joyce reacts toward Mike this chapter. And I'm super happy that you enjoyed the Mileven. I love writing their scenes. I hope you like this chapter :)

"I think I must have searched every goddamn square inch of the forest," Joyce huffed in frustration when she came through the front door of the Byers home. Will and Jonathan looked up from their food at the dining table. Jonathan had whipped up an omelet for the family to share in Joyce's absence. "Oh, you didn't have to make dinner, Jonathan," Joyce said, her face thankful.

"It's fine, Will and I were getting hungry and you were out," he replied nonchalantly. "So you didn't have any luck?"

"No," she said, fiddling with jacket pockets, clearly stressed.

"Are you sure she didn't end up at Mike's?" Will asked after finishing chewing his bite.

"Well, he didn't say so when I called him," she answered. "I doubt a kid like Mike would have lied."

"Well, look at the circumstances, Mom. You know how close those two are. He'd be upset if he knew about us moving, along with El," Will pointed out.

Joyce chewed the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. Will definitely wasn't wrong; of course, they were close. But she never knew Mike to be so dishonest. But if he was, could she really blame him?

"Maybe we should just go over to his house and see," she wondered.

"Well if you do, can you save it for tomorrow? It's already really late," Jonathan recommended, glancing over at the analog clock in the kitchen.

"What if she's outside somewhere? What if she's in the woods? We can't just leave her," Joyce rambled fretfully.

"Maybe she's at Max's. Or Lucas's, or Dustin's. Or maybe Mike did lie to you because he just found that we're moving El to a town five hours away," Will snapped. "Mom, I'm telling you; wherever El is, she's inside and safe. Okay? Give her some time to cool off, for God's sake."

Joyce could feel guilt starting to seep into her mind. Her boys had a point. El had built a lot of strong connections in this town, and she was kind of cutting them off by making her move with them. But at the same time, she was still confident that this was the best decision for her and her family. Sure, it might be hard in the beginning, right now; she was positive about that. But she had faith that it would all work out in the end.

Hawkin's seemed to be a nesting ground of catastrophe, and even if her family couldn't see that like she could, it didn't matter; she was their mother, and it was her duty to protect them at all costs, even if they didn't want to be protected.

But she supposed it wouldn't hurt to give El some alone time after everything that had happened. She bit back her raging maternal instincts to run back outside and look. "Okay, fine. But first thing tomorrow morning, we're gonna go to every place that she could possibly be and we are finding her, and bringing her back here, okay?"

"Yeah, okay, Mom," Jonathan nodded, trying to mask his lack of patience at the moment. He couldn't help but think that his mom was slightly blowing things out of proportion. How did she expect El to react? "It'll be fine. She's probably at Mike's or Max's. Stop worrying."

Joyce nodded and rubbed her temples with the pads of her fingers. "Okay. You're right, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, just try to get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning. You're just stressed out right now."

"Okay, I guess you're right," she sighed. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." Will and Jonathan watched their mother walk out of the living room and down the hall toward her bedroom. When she was out of earshot, they both let out a simultaneous groan and leaned back into their seats. They shared a glance, and couldn't help but let out a small grin in spite of themselves.

"I guess you're thinking the same thing I am, huh?" Jonathan chuckled.

"Yeah," Will nodded. "Everything is just so… fucked up." He didn't often curse, but he really couldn't think of a better word.

Jonathan looked at him, his eyes reflecting his understanding. "Mm-hm," he murmured. "Do you really think that El's with Mike right now? Or were you just trying to calm Mom down?"

"Honesty? Yeah, I do," Will replied. "Mike probably lied to her, just to spend some time with her. I wouldn't be surprised if she asked him to. She's probably really upset."

Jonathan clicked his tongue in agreement. "I just hope that we can still come back and visit as often as possible. I know we've been focusing on El a lot, but I really don't want to leave Nancy here, and I'm sure that you don't want to leave your friends."

Will shrugged. "Yeah, but it's not the end of the world, I guess. It's only high school. At least I've been to school before. El hasn't. That's what I'm worried about."

"Yeah, I understand you," he replied. After a few more moments of silence, he spoke again. "I guess you and I will just have to look out for her."

"We will."


Mike was lying on the pullout couch, his arms wrapped around El from behind; they had gone to bed in their favorite position to cuddle; spooning. He would lie down, and El would push herself back into his body and he would hug her tightly, and the feeling of being so close to her would often be enough to draw him to sleep in seconds.

But not tonight.

His mind was exploding, a constant flurry of thoughts and worries and doubts. It had been like that for most of the night. El seemed like she was doing… okay, considering everything, at least from what he was able to see. But there was so much stuff happening that was keeping him awake. His thoughts had been mainly preoccupied with the move and all, but he had just remembered something else just recently that was enough to make anybody stress.

Him and the rest of the Party were going to be starting high school in just over two weeks. The experience of going to a new school was bad enough when you weren't a social outcast in your middle school. He guessed that it was at least a good thing that El wouldn't be around to see him get his ass kicked by Troy and his goons.

But then again, maybe having a girlfriend would give him some actual respect in the school community… but who knew. He would never find out, anyway. In any case, he had been really excited for El to start school. Even though he knew that she probably wouldn't be enrolled until they were at least in halfway through the ninth grade (because she had so much to catch up on) the idea of being able to do stuff like eat lunch with her and hold her hand in the hallway and sneak out of class together always brought a smile to his face. But those fantasies would never come to fruition.

Perhaps it was better this way. Spending so much time apart would make their time together even more special. After all, they had been separated for a year, and neither of them ever moved on. And Mike hadn't even known if she was alive, and they still got through it.

As long as they were together, no matter how far apart, everything would be okay. Mike pulled El a little closer and planted a soft kiss on the back of her neck. Within a few moments, he was asleep.

El started to stir when she felt a bright beam of light shine against her closed eyes. She squinted on instinct and buried her face into the pillow to shield herself from the sun. But then she couldn't breathe, so she brought her face back up and came eye-to-eye with the boy who had been sleeping with her the entire night.

He was still sleeping, so she didn't want to wake him up. After snaking herself out of his grasp, she made her way to the bathroom. The time was unknown to her; it could have been noon for all she knew, and she had no idea what time they had ended up going to bed. They had stayed for a long time because they hadn't been able to stop fooling around. No new steps were taken that night, but it had been magical as always, nonetheless.

Her thoughts were interrupted when a voice called from upstairs. "Mike? Are you down there?" It was Mike's mom. She froze and kept as quiet as possible. A couple of seconds later, Mike's scratchy morning-voice came back.

"Yeah?" he yelled.

"Will and Jonathan are at the door for you, can you come up?" El's eyes went wide. They were probably here with Joyce to come and get her. Did they know she lied? Or were they just here on a hunch? Would she be in trouble?

She came out of the bathroom door and Mike was already there. "What do you want to do?" he asked. "Should I tell them you're not here?"

El thought hard. She had calmed down a lot since the night before, and maybe she could have a conversation with Joyce now. And the more she lied and ran from the problem, the worse it would be in the end. And if she was being honest, she felt bad for having Mike lie to Joyce earlier. "No," she decided. "Tell them I'm here. But make sure your mom doesn't hear."

"Are you sure? You can stay here for as long as you want and-"

"No, Mike," she interrupted confidently. "I'm sure. I need to handle this."

Mike nodded slowly. "Okay." He trudged upstairs, his eyes still thick with sleep. Showers were usually what he relied on to wake himself up in the morning, so he was feeling quite bedraggled. After turning the corner, he saw the apprehensive Byers brothers, hands in pockets, standing in his doorway. "What's up, guys?" he greeted with a yawn.

"Are you, uh, free for a minute, Mike?" Jonathan asked. Karen took the hint and made her way back to the kitchen. Mike glanced over his shoulder to make sure his mom was out of sight and then moved closer to them.

"What's going on?" he asked in a more hushed tone.

"Mike, we're going to cut straight the chase here, alright?" Jonathan said abruptly. "Are you hiding… is El with you right now?"

Mike sighed. "Yeah, she is…"

"I told you," Will said to Jonathan. He glanced back at Mike. "Our mom's been freaking out, you know."

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry, I just-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jonathan cut him off. "We're not mad or anything, we're just saying."

"Believe us, me and Jonathan are just as mad about this whole thing as you are," Will assured his friend. Mike returned his remark with a skeptical look. He immediately felt stupid. This was the girl he loved more than anything that they were talking about. "Okay, maybe not as much, but we're still pissed off, okay?"

"Alright," Mike relented. "But what do you guys want?"

"Mom wants us to bring El home," Will replied regretfully. "She wants to talk with her."

Mike turned over his shoulder and looked toward the stairs. "I'm not sure if El wants to talk."

"Talk about what?" The voice coming from behind suddenly made them all jump slightly. It was El's voice. Mike turned his head once again and saw her walking into the room from where she had come up the stairs.

Will offered El a shy wave. "El," he began. "Are you… are you okay?"

She shrugged. "Better than yesterday," she admitted. "What does Joyce want to talk about?"

"Uh, I don't really know," Will answered. "She's probably gonna try to make you understand why moving is a good idea."

"Do you guys think it's a good idea?"

Will hesitated. Of course, he wasn't happy about the whole situation. But he had been doing a lot of thinking, and he supposed that he at least saw some sense in the decision. He'd be lying if he said Hawkins hadn't been a source of absolute hell for him and his friends. And he couldn't even begin to imagine what if it had been like for his Mom to lose Bob; he had seen how hard it had been for her. he was still upset over the fact that he would have to say good-bye to all his friends soon. But he didn't want to get El worked up, so he was honest with her.

"I don't know yet," he said. "But I think you should come back with us and talk it out with Mom."

El felt conflicted. Would Joyce be mad at her? She had overheard what Will had said, about Joyce being stressed. She felt guilty about running away the way she had, but at that moment, she never felt like she had another choice. "Is Joyce mad at me?" she asked.

"No," Jonathan replied quickly. "I promise El, she's definitely not mad at you. I think she's more mad at herself, if I'm honest."

El brightened up at that. If she knew she was not going to get yelled at or something if she came home, then perhaps it was a good idea. She couldn't stay in Mike's basement forever, after all.

"Okay, whatever we decide, can we do it now? My mom is still in the kitchen, and El is right there, guys," he stage-whispered across the room.

"Let's just go," El decided within the second. "We'll meet you by the basement door." She grabbed Mike's hand and pulled him down the stairs, now in fear of being seen by his mom. Mike followed, and she heard the front door closing to signify Jonathan and Will heading to the back door.

Once they were downstairs, El looked at Mike. "Can you come with me?"

Mike nodded. "I was going to go whether you wanted me or not," he chuckled. El smiled and kissed his lips quickly.

"Thank you."


Fifteen minutes later, Jonathan was driving up his driveway with Will in the shotgun seat and Mike and El in the backseat. He had noticed in the mirror that they had been holding hands the whole time. He felt another pang at this, knowing how close they were and that both of them now knew that they were being forced apart by something outside of their control.

"Okay, guys," he sighed loudly when he turned off the car. "Let's get inside."

The group stepped out of the rickety vehicle and headed toward the house. The front door opened before they had even made it halfway, and an emotional Joyce came to greet them.

"El!" she gasped, and nearly ran to her with her arms outstretched. El let Joyce embrace her, mostly because she now understood that she had obviously been very anxious about this whole situation, and El felt a little bad. But it wasn't subtracting from the very mixed feelings she had.

"Sorry for making you worry," she said awkwardly, not knowing what else to say.

"It's okay sweetie, I understand," she said, still hugging her. "I understand how you feel, I'd be upset too." The hug broke apart, and Joyce noticed her kids and Mike for the first time. She was taken aback a little bit by Mike's presence, but she couldn't really say that she was surprised.

"Let's go inside," she suggested, and headed back into the cool indoors. The rest of them followed. Joyce looked flustered. "Do you want anything, Mike? Anything to eat?"

"No, thank you," he politely declined. He was finding the idea of putting food in his mouth sickening. He just wanted to see if this moving thing was true; he still felt like he was in some kind of denial.

"Okay, then…" she trailed off, looking around the house as if she were lost. "I guess I have some explaining to do," she said.

Mike and El nodded together. Joyce gestured for them to sit down, and they did. Will and Jonathan joined them in the living room. The four teens looked at her expectantly. "I'm really sorry, El, for springing this all on you so abruptly," she began. "But before you bring it up, changing my mind is not a possibility. The house has already been sold, and the decision is final."

Mike felt like someone had punched him in the stomach, but he hid his feelings through a neutral expression. His eyes met El's, and for a brief moment, both of them understood the emotions the other was feeling. "Are you sure?" Mike asked.

Joyce nodded resolutely. "Yes, I'm sure." Mike looked at the floor, hopeless. He tried not to appear too upset, though; he didn't want Joyce being a "mom" to him. He wanted to look strong for El, and not like some weak baby.

"Why is this happening?" El asked.

Joyce exhaled. "A lot of reasons," she began. "The last couple years have been really

hard for all of us. Especially now, I feel like everywhere I look, all I can think of is how badly this town has treated us since then."

Everyone in the room could see how she was right about that; there was no arguing that things had not gone the best for any of them since the winter of 1983. Mike piped up, however. "Not all of it has been bad," he pointed out. "El was freed from the lab and given a home, and the fact that she's in my life is nothing but a good thing."

El felt her heart swell a little bit after hearing that. She smiled inwardly, not wanting to appear too dopey and in love around the rest of them. "Yes, but look at everything else that's happened," she countered. "All of the stuff Will was put through, Barbara and Benny's death in '83, Bob last year, and then… and then Hopper."

The tide seemed to shift after that point. El felt her insides knot up. "All that stuff happened in this town. And whenever I go outside, it's all I can think about." There was silence after that, and Joyce allowed her words to sink in with everyone else. When no one offered a response, she continued.

"I'm worried about my job. I have no doubt in my mind that someone will offer to buy the mall and it will get rebuilt. The place I work at has been losing business for a while, and I don't want to get stuck in a situation where I don't have work. I've already found a lot of offerings in the new town that I'd like to take advantage of."

Again, there was no rebuttal. El and the Byers brothers could definitely understand the gravity of that debacle; they knew with a new addition to the family, things were certainly going to become more expensive, and the family was already struggling financially. Jonathan and Will had already had this discussion, so they didn't feel any need to question their Mom.

"I know that Will is going to be starting high school soon, and El, after a few more months, I think you'll be ready, too," she continued. "And I know that's something that you probably wanted to do with Mike, but I still feel very strongly that with the help of Jonathan and Will, you'll still do great in school."

El put her tongue in her cheek. She hadn't put much thought into school yet, but she knew it was something that was important. And she also knew that it was probably going to be a stressful experience. She was looking forward to going to school with Mike, but she figured that she'd probably have to come to terms with the fact that that wouldn't be possible. There was nothing bad about going to school with Will and Jonathan. They were exponentially closer to her then they were a few months ago, and she felt very comfortable with them. It might not be that bad.

Mike was also lost in thought. He felt selfish about it, but he was devastated that he wouldn't be able to go to school with El and teach her about everything; teaching her new things was one of his favorite things in the whole world; seeing her curious eyes light up at when she understood something new was an amazing thing. He wanted to see that. He didn't want Will to be the one to help her through this.

"Look, guys," Joyce said, rubbing her hands on her thighs. "I could talk for a while about this, but here's what it comes down to; this family needs a new home. The house is falling apart, I need a new job, and we all need some new scenery. I hope you guys understand."

El was still upset about the whole situation, but at least she could see it now from the second perspective. She could understand why Joyce wanted to move out so badly, and she was finding it hard to stay mad at her. However, she was still finding it hard to put what she was feeling into words.

"Joyce," she started, unsure of what to say, but kept talking anyway. "I think I understand why you want to do this, now." Joyce nodded. "But are you sure there isn't anything else we can do?"

"I don't think so, El," she replied honestly. "I'm sorry."

El felt her throat tighten. She could help herself being mad at Joyce about it; she now understood that the factors in her choice were out of her control. It was clear that what was happening couldn't just be blamed on her, because she was right.

But she couldn't control the tears that were now seeping through her eyes. She felt Mike's arms envelop her and she leaned to the side, allowing herself to let her weight fall entirely into his body. Being hugged by him always made her feel better, no matter what.

"I'm sorry, El," Joyce went forward to comfort her. She rubbed on her shoulder up and down and looked into her eyes. "Are you still mad?"

El shook her head no. "No, I… I'm not mad anymore. I understand why you want to move. I'm just still sad."

Joyce pursed her lips. She could understand that. "I know, sweetie, I'm sorry. But I promise everything will be fine. I'll always be there to help, and so will the boys. And we can come back here once in a while and visit, okay?"

El sniffed. "O-okay," she said. "Compromise," she whispered, too quiet for Joyce to hear. The word that Hopper taught her all that time ago. It was her favorite word.

Mike allowed El to calm down while still holding her, and Joyce waited patiently for her to ease up as well, staying by her side the whole time. Will and Jonathan didn't want El to feel too crowded, so they left the room to her some space.

"Can Mike stay here for a bit?" El asked, looking up from where her head had been tucked into Mike's body. His eyes left the floor for the first time since the conversation began, reflecting a shadow of happiness. He had seemed really distracted the whole conversation; El had been sort of expecting him to speak up at some point during the whole thing, but he had been silent and that made her worried. Plus, she just wanted to be with him longer.

"Of course, Mike can stay. Are you able to?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'd love to stay," he agreed. His expression changed. "And, uh… I'm sorry for lying to you on the phone about El," he added sheepishly.

"Oh, don't worry about sweetie," Joyce dismissed his apology hurriedly. "You did the same thing I would have done," she reasoned. "Go spend some time together now, I'll get started on dinner. You're welcome to stay to have some food, Mike." Before waiting for a reply, she was already scurrying to the kitchen.

"Come on," El said, and led Mike to her bedroom by his wrist. She closed the door when they got in and turned to look at him. "Mike, what's wrong?"

Mike breathed deeply. "I'm sorry, El, I just… I'm still not happy with any of this. I guess I kind of understand why Joyce wants to do all this, but I've been looking forward to going to school with you since November."

El's eyes met Mike's. He looked sort of embarrassed. "I don't know why I'm the one who's so upset about this, I just… I don't want to see you go."

El verified that the door was closed, and closed the gap between them. She slid her hand into Mike's and squeezed it tightly. "Mike, I understand," she whispered. "I feel the same way, I know. But… it will be okay. Will and Jonathan will help me. And we can visit one another… we'll be fine, I promise."

"I know, I know, I just… I don't know." He leaned in and hugged her tightly, tangling one of his hands into her hair. "I don't want to lose you again," he said in a hushed tone, his voice nearly breaking.

"You won't lose me," she whispered back, right in his hear.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Alright, this chapter is done. For the future, this fan fic might be less of a priority from here coming out. I feel like I'm really only writing for two people, and I have a lot of stuff happening in my life. I'll never abandon this story, but new chapters might be a little less frequent from now on. Feel free to leave reviews as always, and take it easy! Thanks for reading, guys :)