Hey, guys! I just wanted to let you know that I will probably be posting new chapters a little less frequently from here on out because school starts back up for me in a couple of days. That being said, I really take my writing seriously, as it is a priority of mine, so I will try to post new chapters as much as possible. Love you all!

XOXO,

Kate

It was the day before Christmas Eve, the day which some people might call Christmas Eve Eve. The sky was foggy, the streets were covered in a blanket of snow, and a familiar green Ford Pinto turned into Mike's driveway. This was no surprise, of course. It was a highly anticipated visit, one that Mike had been looking forward to for weeks. This was the day that Joyce would bring Will, Jonathan, and El to Hawkins for the party's first real get-together since they moved out. Hearing the sound of Joyce locking her car with the key fob, Mike rushed over and stood by the door with a thousand thoughts racing through his head. What should I do? What should I say? What if she grew her hair out? Has she met someone else? He wanted everything to go as smoothly as possible. He wanted to make the most of his time with El because he never knew when would be the next time he would get to see her and he couldn't wait one second longer.

El shyly walked up to the big house she had come to know as her home for a short time and decided that there were no first impressions left to make. Mike knew her, inside and out and his parents were aware of her powers as well. So, she stared down the door until it creaked open, but what she didn't know was that Mike's hand was already on the door knob, ready to turn it and run out to her. And suddenly, there he was. Same round, jagged-edged, raven hair that stopped just at his cheekbones, same deep, espresso-colored eyes, same bony nose with a soft tip that pressed right against her cheek whenever they kissed, same lips that she kissed when she missed him most. Same tall, thin, stripe-wearing Mike Wheeler she had loved all of her life…all of her real life. The life that Mike had made for her.

"Mike!" she shrieked with excitement, running towards him, then coming to a sudden stop.

"*smiles, looks into eyes* Hi," she said, this time more calm and shy than before.

They hugged, long and intimate, with their hands cradling each other's backs and heads. Then, their faces left one another's shoulders and found their way back to each other, with El unexpectedly reaching a hand up to Mike's sweet face, giving him a quick peck on the lips, and stepping off of her tippy toes.

He blushed and broke eye contact for a second, looking down at the floor, then back at her. Realizing that they were holding up Ms. Byers, Jonathan, and Will, they stepped out of the doorway, with Mike's arm around her, clutching the side of her shoulder and saying:

"Sorry, *chuckles* we're kind of big fans of hellos."

"Yeah, we noticed," said Will.

Then, he let go of El and leaned in for a hug with Will.

"*pats back* How've you been, man?"

"Oh you know, can't complain."

"Glad to hear it…Well, please, come in!"

"Thanks, Mike," said Joyce. "How are you, sweetie?" she continued, leaning in for a quick hug.

"I'm great, thanks. Can I get you all anything to eat?"

"Oh, that's nice of you, but we actually just made a stop at Burger King before we got here," said Jonathan.

"Is that Jonathan Byers I hear?" asked Nancy coyly.

"You caught me!" he said jokingly.

"Hey, you! I missed you.*kisses*"

"I missed you too, Nance. *half smiles*"

They each walked in and got settled, greeting each of their friends, while Mike on the other hand, was still obsessing over the fact that the girl he loved was finally back home. He just couldn't get enough of her, so he kept her all to himself until he knew he couldn't any longer. He picked her up and spun her around in his arms.

"Whoa! Mike, what are you doi-"

"*noses touch* God, did I miss you!"

"*giggles* What was that about?"

"I told you, *lowers El so she meets his face* I missed you."

*El looks to see if anybody's around*

*kisses Mike with open mouth*

There was something about El's kiss that made Mike just melt. Though she used to barely even be verbal, she felt most comfortable when she was around Mike. She felt like she could fully be herself and didn't even worry about how stupid she might sound. She knew that Mike wouldn't care, that he would accept her and find anything she did cute anyway, but even so, she still from time to time would let her actions speak for her, like Mike taught her to do when he kissed her as he tried to explain the type of person you go to school dances with.

"El!" said Max, running over to her.

"Max!" said El, catching her in a hug.

"Oh my god, it's been way too long! We have so much to catch up on!"

"We really do!" she said, leaving Mike wondering if there was something she wasn't telling him.

Dustin, on the other hand, was also waiting by the door for a special someone and that someone was Suzie.

*doorbell rings*

*Dustin runs fingers through hair, straightens shirt*

*opens door*

"Suzie Poo?"

"Dusty Bun!" she exclaimed, running into his arms.

"Oh, Suzie Poo, I missed you so much!"

"I missed you more," she said in her bubbly little voice.

"The trip here wasn't too bad, I hope…?"

"No, it was just fine!"

"Glad to hear it. Well, please, come in! I want to introduce you to my friends and maybe show you off a little too."

"Aww, Dusty…"

*Dustin throws arm around Suzie, walks away*

"Guys, this is Suzie, Suzie, this is Mike, Lucas, Max, Will, and El," he said, pointing to each and every one.

"Hi, guys! *waves*"

"We've heard so much about you," said Max.

"Yeah, Dustin wouldn't ever shut up about you," said Will.

*Dustin hits Will*

*Will mouths 'Ow'*

"Well, I could say the same about all of you!" she said with a smile.

"So, you sing, huh?" asked Lucas.

*Dustin hits again*

*Lucas also mouths 'Ow'*

"Yes, in fact, I've been in show choir and a bunch of musicals at my school."

"That's cool! Who's your favorite actress, Phoebe Cates?"

*Dustin hits Mike*

*Mike too mouths 'Ow'*

"What's going on?" asked Suzie.

"Will you three cut it out? I don't behave this way around your girlfriends," said Dustin.

"Yeah, well, that's because our girlfriends are your friends," said Mike.

"Well, Suzie could be yours too if you gave her a chance."

"He's right," said Lucas.

"Sorry, we were just playing around. It's really nice to meet you Suzie, truly," said Mike.

Suzie was different from the other girls. She was much more like the boys, with her curiosity and hunger for knowledge, while Max and El, on the other hand, were fierce, but just as girly. Max tried her best to make sure Suzie felt included, knowing how it felt to be the new girl, despite how annoying she sometimes found Suzie to be.

Now, one might think that Joyce was feeling pretty lonely that day with Bob and Hopper no longer in her life and no real close, adult friends of her own, but since Mrs. Wheeler found out about all that had happened to Hopper after having seen them together at the fair, she was really feeling for Joyce and was really there for her at the funeral. In fact, she made it a priority to get to know her better and include her whenever she could. She found that while on paper, she and Joyce were very different people, that they actually had a lot more in common than either of them ever thought they would.

"Joyce! *finishes sipping from wine glass, sets down* Oh my gosh, it's so good to see you!"

"Hi, Karen, how are you?"

"I'm great, thanks! Can I get you something to eat or drink?"

"I think I'm fine for now, but maybe later, thanks."

"Alright. Well, tell me, how's the new house?! I couldn't really get the sense of how you felt about it over the phone."

"Well, we're still taking some time to adjust, but I'm liking it so far. It still feels like something's missing though…I mean, I feel like I left my whole life behind here."

"That's totally understandable that you feel that way. *rubs shoulder*"

"Yeah. It's just different, in all regards, but I feel comfort in knowing that we're finally safe and not living in constant fear and distress."

"*grasps top of her hand* I'm glad too. *removes hand* You've had a rough few years, that's for sure."

"Yeah, tell me about it!" she said.

*both laugh*

Meanwhile, as Mike hung out with Will and El with Max, El started to look a little uncomfortable and anxious. Max soon realized it had something to do with either Mike or Will, as she was staring intensely in their direction. Perhaps it had to do with the both of them...And that's when El finally told Max the truth, the truth about Will and who he really liked.

"El? Seriously?! I mean, you know I believe you, but Will, likes you? I mean, c'mon, let's be real here!"

"What do you mean be real? I'm totally serious!"

"You do realize he's gay, right?"

"No…I didn't. Are you sure?"

"I mean, not 100%, but Lucas has told me some stuff. I'm pretty sure he is."

"Well, I don't know anything about that. All I know is that when he kissed me last night-"

"Whoa, hold the phone! He kissed you?!"

"Keep your voice down! Yes, he tucked me in for bed and then he just kissed me."

"That's just wrong…on like so many levels!"

"I know! What am I gonna tell Mike?"

"Are you kidding?! Nothing! You can't tell him anything! Don't get him involved at all! This will lead to no good, El, trust me!"

"But, friends don't lie…"

"It's not lying if you're withholding information…After all, ignorance is bliss!"

"Ignorance?"

"Never mind, not important."

"But Max, we tell each other everything. We're completely open and honest with each other!"

"Oh yeah, because he was totally telling the truth when he said he was with his Nana!"

"That was one time…and besides, it was my dad who encouraged him to do that…*suddenly gets sad*"

Max noticed this and then said:

"You know what? Forget what I said. You're probably right anyway! If you wanna tell him, just tell him."

"Thanks, Max. I will."

El walked over to the sea of people before her, all of whom were her friends, all except for one. One very special person…and that person was Mike. He was much more to her than a friend. He was the love of her life and she was his. She walked over to him and asked if they could talk…alone, as if they hadn't had a minute all to themselves in ages. He agreed and they walked off together, holding hands like nothing had changed. They walked to the little bathroom in the basement, an odd place for most, but to them it was the place where they almost kissed, the place where they could get a moment away from everyone if they needed to talk…that is as long as Dustin didn't interrupt them for the 40 millionth time.

Once inside, Mike leaned against the sink, his hands pushing off of it with his back turned away from the mirror. El faced him, having trouble getting the words out that she needed to say.

"So, what's up? What'd you wanna talk to me about?"

"Listen, Mike, there's no real easy way to say this because I know that you and Will are really close, but-"

"*crosses ankles, shifts position* Wait, this is about Will?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, *eases up* I thought this was about us."

"Well, it is…but-"

"But what?"

"Jesus, Mike! Will you let me talk?"

"Sorry, yeah, *shakes head* yeah, go ahead," he said.

"*blurts out* W-Will kissed me!"

"I'm sorry…What?"

"I was trying to go to sleep the other night, but you know how I usually have trouble getting to sleep at first?"

"Yeah…?"

"Well, Will normally stays with me until I dose off, just in case I have a night terror or something."

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a second…*pulls El closer to body by the wrists, holds her waist* You didn't tell me you were having nightmares again...Why?"

"*looks in eyes and puts hand on cheek* I don't know, I guess I just didn't want you to have to worry about me."

"*holds hands, moves them with his while speaking* I want to worry about you…because I love you and I don't want anything bad to happen to you ever again for as long as I can help it."

"Oh, Mike! *smiles, slides hand behind ear, kisses*"

Several minutes later, they walked out of the bathroom together, with Mike more confused than before they even talked. They got so distracted by each other that El didn't even get to finish telling him what happened. So, he decided to take matters into his own hands. He decided to have a moment with Will of his own.

"Hey, Will, can I talk to you for a sec?"

"Yeah, su-su-sure."

"SHIT! Shit, this is bad…this is bad!" El said to Max.

"Yep…Mike's totally gonna kick his ass," said Max.

"MA-AX!"

"What?!"

"Not helping!"

"Sorry, I just really wanna see Wheeler win an argument for once…I think it would be entertaining!"

*El imitates her own murderous stare without actually using powers*

"Okay, okay, I'll shut up now!"

"I didn't even get to tell him how it happened…We kinda started kissing."

"Of course you did! *rolls eyes, pauses* Wait, how did it happen though?"

"Well, he was staying with me until I fell asleep and then, he kissed my head when he thought I was sleeping."

"El, you could've specified where he kissed you!"

"I didn't know that it made a difference…"

"Oh, it makes a difference…a huge difference!"

Meanwhile, Mike and Will were having a chat of their own.

"Will, El has brought something to my attention that uh…*shakes head* just doesn't quite make sense."

"Okay…?"

"She uh...*chuckles* she said that you um…kissed her. Is that true?"

"What? No! Of course not!"

"I want to believe you, but I know that El wouldn't lie to me…but then I also know that you had feelings for me, so that only makes this more confusing."

"Well, wait…I think I might've kissed her head one time, right after she dosed off.

"And it didn't occur to you how confusing that could possibly be for her?! Even if parents do kiss their child's head, siblings don't and especially not guys our age, unless you liked her."

"I'm sorry I don't know what I was thinking then, but I don't like her…I mean, I do like her, as a person, as a friend, but nothing more than that, I swear."

*Mike pauses to process*

"Will…"

"Yeah?"

"It's okay."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's fine. I know you didn't mean it to come off that way. You couldn't have known that she would blow it out of proportion like this."

"Thanks for understanding," said Will.

"Of course *pats and rubs back*," he said.

As soon as they were done talking, Mike looked around for El, but she was nowhere to be found. There was only one place left to look…the fort. And sure enough, there she was.

"*lifts curtain* Hey. Thought I might find you here. Have you been hiding from me?"

"Maybe…" she said.

"*crawls inside, pulls curtain down* Scoot over," he said.

"*anxiously fiddles with and picks at fingernails* I'm sorry about all of this…I probably ruined everything."

"It's okay, El, really, I-I'm not mad at either of you, not anymore at least."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but El?"

"*looks up from nails* Yeah?"

"I'm concerned about you…"

"Why?"

"Because when you had powers, you used to beat bad guys up sometimes, but ever since your powers have stopped working, the only person you've been beating up is yourself and I hate it. I just want you to love yourself like I love you."

"I can't help it…I just. I don't know. All of you guys live so far away now and that's hard enough as it is, but I also don't feel like I really have a purpose without my powers. Like how can I protect you *holds chin* and everyone else? *looks down at nails* I just feel…"

"What?"

"I just feel…empty and lonely, like all the time. And I just don't know what to do about it sometimes."

"I'll tell you what to do about it, you call me. You call me and you talk to me about it. I'm only one call away, El, and literally all I want is for you to be happy. I've been through stuff too, but we can get through this together. You don't have to do it alone. You're never alone as long as we're together."

"I know because I have you," she said, smiling and rubbing his leg.

"And besides, we don't even know for sure if they're completely gone. Don't give up just yet, El."

"Have I ever told you how much I loved you?"

"You mentioned it once or twice."

*playfully punches his shoulder*

"C'mere, you," he said, pulling her in for a one lingering kiss before they both went back to reality and spent time with the rest of the party.

Suddenly, El felt herself start to levitate a little bit off of the ground. This startled her, but she immediately readjusted herself and held onto Mike for dear life so she wouldn't float. Though just a slight movement, El knew it meant more. No, this was something different. It was small enough not to make her nose bleed, but significant enough for her to know that she was somewhat in touch with her powers again and what a comforting feeling that was. In that moment, Mike sensed that El was nervous or that something was distracting her and he pulled away, saying:

"Hey, is everything alright? You seem a little jittery."

"Ye-Yeah, I'm fine. I'm-I'm great actually."

"That's what I like to hear."

As they kissed, with their arms wrapped around and cradling each other, she could feel his heartbeat against her chest, and that's how she knew that she was okay. That she was happy. That she was home.