Once again, Mike was on his way to the police station. But this time, for a different reason. He was going to ask Hopper's permission to date his daughter. Yet again, he had ditched his body guards. He had been getting texts from Steve, his manager/agent, all morning about how he had sto stop, it wasn't good, blah blah blah. Bit would he stop? Nah.

Hopper was just getting to the station when Mike walked up. "You're here.. again. You ditched your body guards?"

"Yessir."

"How many more times will you be doing that?" Hopper chuckled. "I guess I'm gonna have to send a squad car to patrol you until you take 'em with you."

Mike laughed nervously. His pulled on one of his curls, a nervous habit that he had picked up sometime in the past few years. Hopper noticed. "What's got you nervous, kid?"

"Um, well, sir.." Mike slowly raised his eyes to Hopper's face. "It's about El."

The Cheif glared at him.

Mike shrunk away. "I care about her!" He winced, his voice had come out squeakier than normal. "A lot. I do, and I wanted to ask your permission...to ask her to be.. my girlfriend?"

If possible, Hopper's glare became colder and harder.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Yet Mike was determined to ask El out. "But I mean it. I care about her, a lot. And if she said yes, I'd be the luckiest guy in the world." Mike had no idea where this newfound confidence had come from. "I know.. I know that you guys have gone through so much together, and I know that I don't deserve El. She deserves the whole world!"

But the point is, I really like her. I wouldn't do anything to hurt her." Mike scratched his head. "And I know how hard you guys work to stay under the radar. I would never do anything to put her in the spotlight, not unless you were both okay with it."

Hopper began to smile. Was that good? Mike was questioning his choice of words.

"Damn, I own Maxine some money," Hopper smiled. "You should see the way you and El look at each other. But kid," Hopper leaned down so He was closer to Mikes face. "If you do anything, anything, that could our her in danger, or hurt her, you will never be allowed to see my daughter again. Do you understand?"

Mike squeaked, "Yessir!"

Hopper laughed and then patted Mike on the back. "That's more like it, now go get your girl!"

Mike left with a smile on his face. The smile dissapesred when the texts he was getting from Steve turned into a phone call. "Steve?"

"Took you long enough to answer. Listen Wheeler, security is getting tighter as soon as you get back to LA, you hear?" Mike could hear the annoyance in Steve's voice. Though, Mike wasn't fazed by it. Steve was more of a big brother to the band then a manager, and he knew that Steve loved them... though he could be a douche.

"Yep. Fine."

"That's not the only thing I wanted to tell you about." Steve sounded excited. "The fans are going to be itching for some drama as soon as you get back from this break. So I've planned a few staged paparazzi photos with Cami Torres. They'll be leaked—"

Mike interjected, "No! No staged photos with me."

"What? Why?"

Mike didn't want anything to get in the way of him and El. "Uh.. because."

There was a pause.

"It's because of this El girl, isn't it."

"I- uh- what?"

"Oh yeah." Steve chuckled. "Dustin has told me allabout her. And Max."

Screw Dustin's close relationship with Steve! Mike groaned. "Of course he told you. But seriously, Steve, I was planning to ask her out today. And I didn't tell you because it's not something her family wants in the press right away, okay? So we should keep this on the DL, until they're ready."

"I get it. I guess I'll just have to get Will to do the photos."

Mike laughed, "Good luck with that!"

"Bye Wheeler. Have fun with your girlfrienddd!" Steve taunted, then hung up the phone.

Today was going to be a good day.

—————————

Max has come over as soon as El was awake. They had spent the morning talking about Lucas and Mike. But mainly Mike, as Max wanted to hear all about El's first kiss!

Max hadn't seen El this happy in a long time. It made Max feel happy too. "So... can you tell me again?"

El giggled, "Max! This would be the seventh time!

"Okay, okay," Max sighed happily. "But your dad owes me money."

El sat up. "You bet on this?"

Max looked away sheepishly. "Maybe?"

El laughed and threw a pillow at Max.

"You really like him?"

An idiotic grin grew on El's face. Her cheeks turned pink, and she exhaled, "I do. I really do."

Seeing her best friend like this made her miss Lucas. Which brought a thought to mind- "What are we going to do when they go back to LA? And then on tour?" She voiced it shakily.

"God, I don't even want to think about that Max." El levitated some pillows, spinning them in a circle.

The two girls were silent as they stared at the floating pillows.

Max's cell phone interrupted them. It's Lucas! She answered it hastily. "Lucas?"

"Hey, are you with El now?"

"Yeah I am." Though Lucas couldn't see it, Max smiled at the sound of his voice. "What's up?"

"Okay, you CANNOT tell El this. You promise?" His voice was low, as if he was whispering.

"I promise? What's this about?"

She heard Lucas inhale. "Mike is gonna ask her out."

Max squeaked. "What? You're kidding?"

"Nope!"

"Oh my god, that's amazing! Tell him I'm so proud of him."

"But you can't tell El, okay?" Lucas went back to whispering. "I'm not even supposed to be telling you, but you're my girlfriend."

El looked up at Max quizzically. Max giggled.

"Babeee, please don't tell her!"

Max's stomach fluttered at what he called her. "My lips are sealed. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, of course." Then they hung up.

"What was that all about?" El sat up. She was still levitating the pillows.

Max pressed her lips together. El grounded and then threw all the pillows at Max.

"Hey!" Max exclaimed. She threw them back. "My lips are sealed, missy. This is a good secret, okay? Something good will come out of it. I promise."

"Promise?"

"Yep." Max smiled brightly.

"I have an idea!"

"Do tell, I would love to know, "Max mused.

"Can I try to levitate you?"

Max's jaw dropped. "Really? You can do that?"

El shrugged, "I can try. Just sit on the bed, that way if you fall it'll be a soft landing." The girls switched spots, so El was sitting on the floor and Max on the bed. El raised her arms and pointed them at Max.

Max offered a soft smile and said, "If it ends up outside your limits, it's okay." But inside, she knew she would be a little sad if it didn't work.

El got a little crease in her brow when she was concentrating hard. Some blood trickled out of her nose. But before she knew it, Max was slowly floating off the bed.

"El!" Max gasped, "You're doing it! Oh my god!" Max floated up high enough to stretch her arms out and touch the ceiling. Both girls laughed.

But the moment of joy was cut short. El was startled by her phone ringing, and she dropped Max onto the bed. El rushed over to her phone.

Max groaned. "A little more careful next time?"

"It's Mike."

"Well answer it!"

El smiled and out the phone up to her ear. "Hey Mike. The quarry at 3:15? Yeah sure. And we're all going to the arcade after? Sounds great, I'm sure Max will be up for it. Okay," El giggled at something Mike said. "Yes, see you then!"

Max sat up. "What's going on?"

"Mike wants to meet me at three-one-five at the quarry!" In her excitement, she resumed her old speaking patterns. "And then afterwards , we're all going to go to the arcade."

Max wiggled her eyebrows at El. "The quarry, huh. Alone."

El was wiping blood off her face, and she threw the dirty tissues at Max. "Shut up!"

"Ewww, I don't want your bloody tissues."

Max saw a weird look pass across El's face. "Wait, Max, I kissed Mike."

"Yes? We've been over this, you liked kissing Mike." Max threw the dirty tissues in the bin.

"But he's my other best friend. What if things get really awkward? Because we kissed?"

Well, it could't have been that awkward. After all, he was going to ask El out. "Trust me El, it sounds like he liked it."

"What should I wear?" El threw open the closet with her mind.

"This is gonna be fun!"