She remembers their wedding day.
Their first moment's as Mr and Mrs Wheeler. "I love you, Mrs Wheeler." he breathed, eyes blazing as they both gazed on their wedding rings, signifying their undying love for one another. Music exploded around them, joyous cheers and laughter filling El's ears as Mike hoisted her off the floor and spun her around. Her heart was ready to burst at any second as she remembered Mike's body tensing as he asked Hooper for his approval of their engagement a few months back. Hooper thought Mike was a good kid, maybe even good enough for his little girl. Yet, at sixteen the pair already had a love so deep that it didn't surprise him at all that they wanted to elope so young.
A giggle escaped El's lips as Hooper's voice shook over the loud music, "Sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if I could step in." He quickly cleared his throat, but it was his eye's that almost dared Mike for him to object his request. He was dressed in a simple white tux, he almost looked out of place without his sheriff's uniform on, but she didn't seem to mind one bit.
Reaching up to brush a wisp of hair that fell from her veil, "Of course." Mike added softly. "Be careful with my wife."
Hooper raised his eyebrows, struggling to hide his smile that was breaking out on his weathered face. "I'll make sure of it, son." Mike stiffened, heat rushing into his cheeks. He's always looked up to Hooper and he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride knowing he was now truly apart of El's family. So many feelings flooded through and spilled into El as she watched the two most important people in her life share a moment together. She couldn't contain her excitement any longer and threw her arms around their necks, squealing so loud in both of their ears that Hooper hissed in pain, but Mike laughed beside her, pressing a kiss against her temple.
Hooper was the first to draw back from her overly eager grip, "Alright, I think it's time for our dance." Hooper's expression changed as he watched El's face as Mike walked away from them. A few hands began clasping against his back and a chorus of congratulations interrupted everyone's conversations as she saw Mike's face lit up as he got approval off the boys.
Once her gaze landed back on Hooper's she saw a spark of sadness emerge from his eyes, she knew she would have to start the dance off first without him breaking down in front of her. After losing his first daughter, El was all he had. He almost felt like he was beginning to lose another daughter all over again, that was until he noticed El's face watching Mike as he walked over to where Dustin and they others were, she looked at peace. That was all he ever wanted for his girl, if Mike Wheeler and his geeky friends were the reason behind her happiness then he would accept them with open arms.
They were breathless as they whirled around the dancefloor, laughter wedging from their throats as they moved to the rhythm of the music. To others, El and Hooper couldn't dance to save their lives. They were uncoordinated, both had two left feet and didn't know what to do with their hands. They couldn't care at all, they were smiling so hard that when El's dress got caught in between Hooper's legs they didn't notice Mike already by their side in a matter of seconds.
The next few seconds would've been messy and chaotic if it hadn't been for her husband. As the song was beginning to die down, El could feel her body starting to get tangled with Hooper's. A screech left her lips as she was ready for the impact of the fall to collide with her, until she felt a pair of hands grabbing her from behind. The smell of fresh pine wood filled her senses and she could point out that smell from a mile away, not to mention she could feel a small piece of metal press against the spine of her back.
As El slowly pried her eyes open she was meet with a pair of worried ones. She wasn't concerned about Mike not being able to hold her, over the years he had developed quite nicely that it didn't stop El from getting protective over Mike. He was hers and hers only and she wouldn't have it any other way.
He swiftly pulled her up and to him, pressing his sweating face deeply into the crook of her neck. Ushering sweet words of reassurance before he pulled back and examined her face for any bruises or cuts. El bit back a gasp as she watched his level of concern for her rise each second that past, she knew she'd never regret marrying this man.
El realised she was finally home.
The memory began to fog from El's mind as she took in what was around her. It had been three weeks, three long weeks since she had seen Mike until today. Immediately when Mike had left the house El decided to ring up Hooper and explained everything to him. As Eleven expected, he cursed Mike ever name under the sun, but she sensed disappointment in his tone as he always thought Mike was a bright kid. He requested a lawyer for her by the name of Susan Myers. She was the best of the best, in other words she was El's one-way ticket out of Hawkins.
El's eyes widened in shock as her gaze landed on Mike's from across the table, his once luscious curls looked matted and dull. His skin looked so pale under the harsh bright light's in the lawyer's office that he looked barely alive and it was all because of her. He had always been skinny, but underneath his clothes he had grown into a new man with defined muscles that it made El's heart swell with love and her body turn into liquid. Yet now, he was simply a bag of bones.
She held back a gasp, the boy in front of her wasn't her husband at all, but a shell of him.
"My client, Mrs Wheeler has decided that all properties including their small cabin in Hawkins, their house, as well as any other items they bought in their marriage go to her husband." Miss Myers paused as she watched Mike's shoulders drop in defeat but that didn't stop him from leaving his chair and walking out that door. It teared him from the inside and out being here, he became desperate and needy, he needed to be wherever Eleven was. Even if it meant proceeding with their divorce.
"But, she has requested to keep her last name," Susan's voice dropped a bit, she felt a sense of pain for the man in front of her client. He looked terrible that she couldn't even imagine how he felt on the inside. She was shocked when Mrs Wheeler had stumbled upon her office three weeks ago, it was foreign for her to see such a young woman already heading down the road of separation. Eleven had mentioned they were both nineteen and decided to get married at sixteen due to how much love they had for each other back then, that was until things started to change and she hadn't noticed within the three years. What broke Susan's heart further was the fact that after she had told this heartbreaking affair, she rooted for that boy to admit to El what an absolute twat he was but that she would always be his girl. His first love.
Eleven's heart started to pound. She met his dull eyes with her own. "Why are you doing this to us?" Mike choked out.
She wanted to be honest with him, even though he didn't deserve anything off her. "I'll let you keep everything else, I just want my name." she whispered.
"You mean my name." he began, leaning over the desk, "The name I gave you when you decided to become my wife. Why would you want my name when you don't want me? When you obviously don't want us anymore." Mike looked at her, narrowing his eyes as if he dared her to question him, and for a second she almost did.
"Stop it!" Eleven clapped her hands over her ears, then lowered them slowly. "Just stop." She whispered this time. Defeat swept inside El's mind that she scooted her chair closer To Miss Myers and away from Mike's leering form that was still hovering over her.
Susan continued, "My client doesn't want any of the assets as well as household items. She's requested for this to be done in a very short amount of time, Mr Wheeler with all due respect she's giving you everything. What's she's asking for isn't much at all."
Please fight for her, fight for this relationship. Don't let her walk out those doors because once she's gone she certainly won't come back.
Susan couldn't help but root for the deluded couple to get back together as she watched Mr Wheeler become even more battered and heartbroken as he looked like he was fighting an internal battle within himself. She didn't truly understand why she was getting herself emotionally involved, but after hearing from many at Hawkins about how obsessed these two were for each other and even at such an early age when they were younger, she couldn't help but wish things would work out.
Mike laughed humourlessly as he slammed a fist down on the table, "I don't want the house, I don't want any of it I can't have you. I want my wife back, I want my life back."
Yes! Don't back down. Show her that your willing to fight. Susan cheered mentally but watched El's lips purse in anger as she watched him not back down.
There was a beat of silence after his voice stopped echoing around the room, yet no one dared to make a sound. Not even El.
He stood up, his chair screeching as he moved towards El's seat. His eyes were trained on her as he dropped to his knees of were she sat. Mike noticed El was discreetly playing with her wedding band, a habit she used to do whenever she was nervous. A habit she only did because of him.
"I'm sorry for not being a good husband, I'm sorry for not showing you everyday how much I loved you. But, I'm not done fighting for you, for this, for us. I love you El Wheeler and it may be too late. But I'll never stop loving you and this is exactly what I'm doing. I'm loving you, because if I didn't I would've walked away a long time ago." His hands lay flat on either side of him, his arms at his sides. He was barely breathing at this point as it took everything in his body to not reach over and grasp Eleven in his arms.
He loved El. It was time he started to show her.
"Goddammit El, let me fight for you. Let me love you all over again."
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Ugh
I really liked this chapter and how it turned out, let me know if you guys did as well! Next chapter will be BIG AHHHH. Can I have 10 reviews? (Is that too much I have no clue hahaha) Have an awesome Mike and Eleven filled day my beautifuls!
El xo
