"Are we there yet?" Mike asked for the seventh time. He rolled over and stared at his sister, accidentally knocking their empty bag of Burger King on the ground. "It's been like five hundred hours."

"It's been three hours and fifteen minutes," Nancy responded, glancing at the clock. "We're almost there."

Looking around, Mike realized that they were indeed in the town of Smarton. It wasn't much different from Hawkins, only bigger. There were more stores and buildings rather than residential area. Down the road, he caught a glimpse of a large building with the words, 'Snowy Inn' on the front.

"That's it," he said excitedly. "There it is!"

Nancy grinned. "Yeah. There it is. OK, here's the deal. If they aren't there yet, I'm going to go inside and check in. You are going to wait out on the curb and greet them when they show up. Got it?"

"Got it," Mike confirmed. He immediately sat up straighter, peering out the window for any sign of the beat up old tan car.

They pulled into the parking lot at exactly 6:23. Each was already scanning the rows of cars before they were even out the door.

"Do you see them?" Nancy asked, squinting her eyes.

"Not yet," Mike responded.

After a few more seconds of searching, Nancy turned towards the hotel. "OK. It looks like they aren't quite here yet. You know the plan. Why don't you go wait by the street so they'll see you when they pass by."

"Sounds good to me," Mike replied, already on his way towards the busy road. He nodded at Nancy, who gave him a thumbs up and walked inside.

As soon as he reached the sidewalk, a loud honking noise snapped him out of his anxious daze. He glanced up and saw the familiar looking car streaking down the street. Through the front window, he could see Jonathan, the flat of his hand on the horn, and El, waving like a maniac.

Sudden elation overtook Mike's chest as he waved back frantically. He motioned for them to go and meet him in the parking lot, then jogged back to where Nancy's car was.

"Over here," he called as their car pulled into the lot. They made their way through the rows and rows of vehicles before finally coming to a stop right in front of Mike. He smiled brightly, practically leaping at the passenger side door.

As soon as it was open, Mike was pulling El into his arms and laughing in delight. He ran his hands through her hair, taking in her looks, the sound of her voice, her smell, and everything else about her. She was dressed in a brown jacket, a soft blue t shirt and long black jeans, her hair hanging loose around her shoulders.

"Mike," she said happily, beaming up at him. "You're here."

"Yeah, I'm here," he said, his breaths quick and shallow. Seeing her there, right in front of him, was almost overwhelming.

He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, the action familiar and filled with excitement. He could feel her smile as they kissed again and again, never seeming to get enough.

"Hey, Mike?" came Jonathan's voice, cutting through the world that Mike and El had suspended themselves in. "Any clue where your sister is?"

Pulling away from El just long enough to answer, he said, "Yeah, she's checking in right now. Probably in the lobby."

"Thanks," Jonathan replied with a quick smile. He hoisted the bags that he'd just unloaded from the car and began making his way into the hotel. Mike and El watched him go for a few seconds, then turned back from each other.

"Uh...hi," Mike stammered, unsure of what he could possibly say to articulate the overwhelming joy that he felt.

El grinned wider. "Hi," she said back.

"H-how was your trip?" Mike asked. "Did you have a good ride?"

Nodding, El replied, "Yes. Jonathan is a very good driver."

"Did you eat dinner yet?" Mike questioned guiltily, suddenly remembering the empty bag of Burger King that was still in the car.

"Yes," El answered, to his relief. "We got McDonalds."

"Good, good. Maybe we can go to the hotel pool before bed. That would be fun."

"Fun."

Mike reached down and grabbed El's hands. They stared deeply into each other's eyes, neither fully convinced that they weren't dreaming.

"I can't believe we're actually here," Mike gushed. "I didn't think that Nancy would let me tag along. And I didn't know if you'd actually be here."

"Why? Of course I'd come."

"Well, yeah, I know. But maybe Joyce would have kept you home. Or Jonathan would have been so excited to see my sister that he just sped away in the car and forgot you," Mike said with a shrug. "Who knows."

"Should we go in and see the others?" El asked, glancing towards the building.

Mike smiled, a twinkle in his eye. "I think we can wait just a little bit longer."

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Awww, Mileven is super cute! I'm a Jancy girl myself, but don't worry, we'll get them in the next chapter. I'm so glad that people are actually enjoying this! If you could drop even just a one sentence review, that would be amazing.