Mike was rearranging the items in his backpack when Max came up and knelt beside him.

"Hey Max, what's up?" He looked around, "Where's El?"

"She's gone shopping with Suzie."

He did a double take when he saw that Max looked like she'd been crying. She said, "El wants to leave."

Just then, her radio crackled and Mike her Lucas' voice "Need to talk to you Max…"

Max got up and said, "Be right back."

Mike was caught off guard, and the lead weight in the pit of his stomach started to get heavier. El wants to leave? Mike hadn't even considered the possibility. He'd assumed that they'd be together for the rest of their lives. He felt responsible for her, for the whole group actually.

He would be alone. The thought sent him spiraling into a depression he knew would take a long time to get out of. She'd been a little moody, and quiet lately, probably afraid to tell him, and got Max to do it. If that was the case, he would probably never see her again, if she was getting ready to leave.

"I'm going to be a fifth wheel." Mike hung his head.

"You ok Mike?"

It was El. She knelt beside him where Max had been a moment ago. Mike did his second double take of the day. He looked into her eyes and said, "Wow, El, you look really pretty… did you..."

And that was it, he had to look away, the tears dropping from his eyes would have blinded him anyway.

"Mike?! What's going on?"

"...M-Max said you wanted to leave. I thought…," Mike gave a huge sigh, "I thought we'd be together forever."

"We will be Mike. I promised you wouldn't lose me."

"But…?"

"I can't stay here Mike." She looked around at the mall. "It reminds me too much of the lab. I… I can't stay here any longer."

"The lab?"

"I will tell you tonight… promise."

"Ok… we've had it good here," Mike said, "but it's going to make us soft, and that's not good. "If you're with me, I can be anywhere."

She smiled at him. "I know… but the others don't want to leave."

"A Group meeting is needed."

XXXXX

"You just want to leave because El can't stay here."

"That's right Lucas, that's exactly why I want to leave. But there is another reason."

"We're getting complacent." Suzie said.

"Have I mentioned that your girlfriend is really smart Dustin?"

"Have I mentioned that she's already taken Mike?" Dustin gave him a toothy grin.

"Suzie is right. We had no challenges other than the ice storm a few weeks ago. Bottom line for me is that El wants to leave. We'll stay at my house. I can't make the decision for everyone…"

"Why don't we just go someplace warmer?" Max said.

"Are you suggesting California?"

"Not where I used to live, there are better places than that."

"Ok, let me do some research. El and I are leaving right away. She's uncomfortable here. I'd like us all to be together. You already know that life on the road is tough. I can't ask you to do that again. During the worst of it, Max walked from California to Hawkins to find me… just sayin'." He smiled at the group.

"If Max goes where you go, I go where Max goes."

"Do you know where you were going to live when you moved here?" Mike asked Lucas.

"Somewhere on Maple Street. It's a cul-de-sac."

"Oh, good! I lived on that street. We were probably going to be neighbors."

"Suzie and I could pick a house next to one of you. I'm not tied to the house my mom and I moved into."

"Um, ok, this will give us all privacy but keep us close for radio contact. I think t we pack up and leave right now."

They all nodded. That had gone much easier than Mike thought it would.

XXXXX

Mike wiped his eyes. "I really thought you wanted to leave me. I didn't know what I was going to do."

They were walking ahead of everyone else, snow crunching under their boots, both their hands held tightly in one mitten.

"Mike…" El said gently, "I am never going to leave you. I have found someone who loves me. I had no one until my dad rescued me… after he was… gone I thought I'd be alone forever. If you and Max hadn't… accepted me…"

Mike squeezed her hand. "Remember there's no power at my house. It will be cold."

"I was never warm at the mall, only when I was in the sleeping bag with you." She smiled at him. "That isn't going to change is it?"

Mike looked at her, "No, we have be together like that for… medical reasons."

El giggled. "Yes, medical reasons."

"El… um… I thought you were really pretty already… but you look uh… prettier today…? Or am I just feeling needy right now?"

"Thank you. It's ok if you need me Mike. I need you. It feels very good to be needed… Suzie put on a little eyeliner for me. Says it brings out my eyes."

"You've always had beautiful eyes. But now I just want to look into them all the time."

"I… I took some makeup from the store… is that ok?"

"It's the world we live in now, El. Everything is free. Up to now we've only been taking stuff we need to survive. Nobody is going to complain if you take make-up from a store."

"I was scared to do it."

"It's ok El, really… here we are..."

Mike went to the basement door, let El in, closed it up, locking it behind him.

"I'm cold." Mike could see she was shivering.

"I'll get the sleeping bags ready, we can get in and snuggle. That will warm you up."

XXXXX

"You smell nice."

"It's... per-perfume."

"Very… um… sexy…"

"Oh? You think so? Hmm, I wonder if I did that on purpose?"

XXXXX

"Now I know what Max was trying to explain. That was very nice Mike. Can we do it again?"

"Um, tonight El. I need some recovery time."

"Tonight then. I need to tell you about the lab. Max already knows, but… I don't want you to… not love me anymore… "

"That won't happen El. I want to be with you forever."

"Me too."

XXXXX

El felt bad. Mike had started to cry right near the beginning of her story. She hugged him until he quieted down, and then continued. Her story was going to get worse, she started to doubt that Mike would be able to handle everything that had happened to her.

When her story got really bad, and he started crying again, El was crying with him. "It's ok Mike… I have you now."

"It's not ok, El. Nobody should have to go through that. I can't believe you… came out… ok…"

"I'm not really ok Mike. What makes it easier is having friends. What makes it… good … is having you. You love me. I watched a lot of TV, all girls wanted to have a boy that loved them. I've wanted that since then. I wanted someone who loves me for a long time. My dad loved me, and that was good, but I needed… someone like you. I was scared to tell you at first. I didn't want you to think I was a weirdo. This hair didn't help." She ran her hand over her hair. I can't believe you think I'm pretty. I'm so lucky." Mike hugged her tight, she stared to shiver. "I'm getting cold again."

"Let's get our pajamas on and get back into the sleeping bag."

They were back in the sleeping bag. Mike held El in his arms, her head on his shoulder.

"Whatever you want to do or where you want to go, Mike. As long as I'm with you, I'll be happy and feel safe."

He hugged her tighter. "Let's go to where it's warmer, we can try farming. We'll go to the library tomorrow."

"I don't know how find books in a library."

"Ah, I will teach you the Dewey Decimal system. Every time you can find a book for me, you'll get a kiss... uh, well, even if you don't"

"I will be a fast learner." El kissed his cheek and dropped off to sleep with a smile on her face.