Hi, guys! Oh my gosh, I am SO sorry how long this has taken me to write, but this one's a big ol' chapter, so hopefully, that'll make up for it. I don't believe all of you are aware that I published another story at the beginning of this month, although I got some really great feedback from one of you that really made my day, so thank you for that. Anyway, but that story that I published took me about a month to write because it was dedicated to one of my best friends as a belated birthday present and then I've also been SUPER SUPER busy with school. Senior year is tough, but I'm managing the best that I can. From here on out, you can probably expect a chapter every 1-2 weeks because of how busy my schedule is. Thank you for your patience and support. Love you all as much as I loved writing this! ~Kate

REEEE, REEEE, REEEE! That was the obnoxiously shrill chirp of Mike Wheeler's alarm clock going off bright and early one Monday morning, not be mistaken with the sound played in a horror movie when a guy comes behind someone with a knife...although it sure felt like it!

Rolling over, he groaned in annoyance as he was having difficulty shutting it off. It was brand new, this being the first time that he had ever used it. He usually relied on his mom to wake him up with a flick of the light switch, a warm good morning, and a bright smile across her face, but now that he was in high school, Mrs. Wheeler thought it would be best that he start relying on himself to get up on time. As the clock continued to make a cacophony of deafening noise, he repeatedly pressed the snooze button, hitting it harder each time- News Flash: didn't work.

At some point or another, he just decided to give up and yanked the plug out of the wall. It's funny, he was determined enough to try and reach El for 353 days, not giving up on her once, even when there was no sign that she was still around or anywhere to be found, yet he didn't have enough patience in him to fool with this alarm clock for any longer than 2 minutes.

Even after he had already opened them, the cave-shaped curtains that were his eyelids slowly drooped back down and closed in around his eyeballs, enveloping them. He put his hands over his face, wanting nothing more than to fall back asleep and stay in bed all day, but instead, letting out a sigh, he reached over to his lamp and twisted it until it lit up. It was so intense and intrusive that it nearly blinded him, his eyes stinging as if he had just gone swimming without goggles, the chlorine irritating his eyes. Rubbing them, he threw the covers off of his body and headed downstairs for breakfast.

For Mike, Mondays were always a struggle. He used to love school, it used to be his favorite part of the day, but high school was different...Everything he ever thought he knew about school was raised to higher stakes. Somehow, middle school lacked this whole social hierarchy that lived among senior high, or it was much different and insignificant at least. Now, he had cliques to worry about. He had more homework than time to do it in and teachers that didn't give a damn. Above all else, he so missed Mr. Clarke. Most of his new teachers were either boring or mean. Sure, some of them were funny and nice, but where was the enthusiasm in teaching that Mr. Clarke always seemed to have?

"Good morning, Michael," said Mrs. Wheeler.

"Morning, Mom," he said, kissing the top of her head from behind.

"I made you eggs and bacon. I hope that's alright…"

"Looks great," he said, covering up the bitter taste in his mouth with a reassuring smile.

"Well, don't just stand there! Go ahead! Take as much as you'd like."

"Why are you being so chipper? It's annoying."

"Can't a mother just love her son in peace?!"

"I guess so…"

"Sleep well?" she asked just as he sat down at the table.

"Could've been better...and longer."

"Well, that explains why you're such a grumpy pants!"

*glares*

"With that attitude, next time, I'll let you make your own breakfast!" she griped.

*rolls eyes*

It was Mike's first day back since holiday break and already, there was a biology lab there waiting for him. A part of him didn't mind though, as he had always wanted to dissect a frog. But then the unthinkable happened, the worst and least ideal situation possible- Max was assigned to be his new lab partner. Before he knew it, it was too late…

Plopping in the stool beside him, she said:

"Well, this should be fun...right?! 'Cause god knows we get along SOOO well!"

"*sighs* Let's just get this over with before one of us kills each other," said Mike.

"I second that!" she said.

Halfway through the lab, Mike spaced out, daydreaming about El and the wonderful weekend they spent together.

"Mike," said Max. "Mike! *waves hand in front of face* "Hello?! Earth to Mike! *sighs, then tries again* HEY, Frogface!"

*snaps out of it and glares in her direction*

"Geez, who peed in your cornflakes?"

"Back off, Max, I'm not in the mood...

"Aww, how come, Wheeler? Has the holiday spirit left your sorry ass already?"

"Has Lucas dumped your sorry ass already?!"

*imaginary crickets chirping*

"Sorry, I don't know where that came from. That was a little harsh…" he said.

"A little?" she repeated.

*shrugs*

"No, it's okay. I admire your courage...especially since El dumped your sorry ass!"

"THAT WAS ONE TIME AND IT WAS YOUR FAULT!"

"My fault?! You're the one who lied to her!"

"Yeah, because I had to, not because I wanted to...She never would've done it in the first place if it wasn't for you!"

"Why are you pinning this all on me?"

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO GAVE HER THE IDEA!"

"*comes up from behind and clears throat* Do I need to separate you two?" asked the teacher.

"No, no sir. Sorry…" said Mike.

"Don't make me ask again…"

*Mike gulps*

"I thought we were over that...Why were we even fighting about that in the first place?" asked Max.

"Beats me!" said Mike.

"It was still bound to happen anyway though, the breakup. You know, just because you and El are like the perfect couple or whatever doesn't mean that you're not still just like the rest of us…"

"*sighs* Just pass the scissors, will ya?" he said.

"Wait, how come you get to make the first cut?" asked Max.

"Because I'm the paladin."

"Oh, not this party politics shit again…"

"You know what? You wanna make a big deal out of it, then be my guest!"

"Gladly," she said, her face lighting up.

"Can I at least see the forceps?" he asked.

"Forceps? What the hell are forceps?" she asked, completely puzzled.

"*sighs with disappointment* The-The little tweezer things…"

"Oh! Well, why didn't you just say so?!"

Just as she started to make the first cut, something unexpected happened- the frog came alive! Slippery as lathered soap, it escaped from her hands, hopping around the classroom in a ribbiting frenzy.

"Nice going, Butterfingers! First, Dart, now this!" Mike huffed.

"Oh, would you just put a sock in it already?!"

"That's it- DETENTION! Both of you!" said the teacher.

"For what?" Mike asked.

"Screwing around instead of doing your lab and losing the frog!"

"What? That's crazy! How was I supposed to know it would come alive?" asked Max.

"Not my problem," said the teacher.

"Greaaat..." said Mike.

Later that day, in detention…

"Mr. Moore is out to get me…" said Mike.

"Oh, he is not out to get you! You think everyone's conspiring against you…"

"Because they are!"

"You're just making a big deal out of nothing! He's like this with everyone..."

"Yeah..."

"Have you ever noticed the way that vein on his forehead pops out whenever he yells?" she asked.

"*speaks through laughter* Ye-heh-hesss! I thought I was the only one! It's almost like it has a consciousness. Like there's this blue bulging worm underneath his skin."

"*laughs* Exactly!" said Max.

"God, he's evil…"

"What a prick!" Max muttered to herself.

"I'm glad we finally agree!"

"*chuckles* Yeah."

"Truce? *extends hand*" asked Mike.

"*hesitates, sighs, then shakes hand* Truce," she repeated.

And from that moment forward, or at least for a while, Mike and Max were buds. Something happened between them that day, an unlikely friendship sparked between the two that wasn't there before and it was all thanks to Mr. Moore! Who knew that bonding over the hatred of a mean teacher was an actual thing!

It wasn't all laughs and giggles though...not for El at least. She found that Mike was spending more time with Max and less with her and the same went for Max. One day, when they were in the same place again, she finally confronted him about it:

"Mike?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we talk for a sec?"

"Sure," he said, smiling and rubbing her hip with his thumb as he put his arm around her waist and walked to her room with her.

"What's up?" he asked, sitting down and putting his hand in her lap.

"I'm a little bothered by how much time you and Max are spending together…"

"But isn't that what you wanted, for us to get along better?"

"Well, yes, but *sighs* Mike, you know how much I love you and Max and I'm thrilled that you guys are friends now, but lately, *sighs* you've been kind of distant because you've been hanging out with her more than me and I don't want to be that jealous girlfriend, but I just *sighs* I don't know, I miss you…"

"You know what, you're right...I have been spending a lot of time with her lately and I know that must be hard for you to understand because usually, we're always at each other's throats. I guess it's just that *pauses* we've been frenemies for the longest time and now that we're finally getting along and she doesn't live in another town, I'm spending more time with her without considering how it's cutting into my time with you. *leans closer to face, speaks softly while looking down* For what it's worth, I'm really sorry and if it makes any difference, even when I'm hanging out with Max, I'm thinking about you *looks into eyes, pokes chest lightly* the whole time. And I'm not just saying that either! She always catches me daydreaming...You're the reason why."

"It's okay, Mike, I understand. And I trust you, sometimes even more than I do myself. I know you'd never hurt me, not on purpose at least. I'm just sorry...I feel like I'm always coming to you with a new problem or because I'm paranoid that something's getting in the way of our relationship. I don't want it to seem like I don't trust you though because I do, I so do, I just have trust issues, even when it comes to the people I trust most."

"That's perfectly okay, El. I mean, I am too! I'm always worried that some guy's gonna come along and take you away from me, but relationships don't come without their fears and doubts. Guys, you know, we want you to tell us how you feel, we want you to spell it out for us, not just expect for us to read your mind and automatically know what you're thinking."

"I didn't know that, but I'm glad I do now. And Mike, you have nothing to worry about! I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. No guy could take me away from you. You're the only person I want to be with. You always have been," she said, clutching his hair through her fingers, leaning in, and kissing him like she meant it.

"*pulls away, sighs* Look, this was never meant to be easy, navigating a long-distance relationship. That's why communication isn't only important in a relationship in general, but especially now, both phone calls and expressing our feelings with each other," she continued.

"When did you get so wise? Sounds like you and Ms. Byers have been getting along pretty well."

"What are you talking about! I've always been this way," she joked. "And how do you mean?"

"Can't argue with that. *chuckles, sighs* I just meant that *pauses* when Hopper was getting so annoyed by how much time we were spending together and wanted to have a talk with us, Joyce was always getting on him about having a heart-to-heart with us, you know to create an environment where we-"

"All feel comfortable, trusted, and open to sharing our feelings. Right, right…" she nodded with a smile.

Mike raised his eyebrows, recognizing those very words he once read and realizing that she knew it by heart. She had read that letter over and over, memorizing it without even intending to. She knew it inside out and upside down, like the back of her hand. She still had nearly all of Hopper's stuff, but nothing made her feel closer to him than that letter. That letter was vulnerable and as genuine as you can get. That letter was him. Every sentence, every word, every letter on that page, an extension of his mind, his thoughts, his beliefs, his hopes- his feelings. His soul, his love for El- all of it lived on through that letter, clinging onto her for dear life. That letter taught her so many important life lessons that she carried with her every day since his demise. She found herself always coming back to it whenever she needed a little guidance that was beyond Joyce's help.

For anyone other than her, it had no real value, but to El, it was so personal in a way like nothing else she owned. She had let Joyce read it, knowing how much she cared for him and particularly because the first part was inspired by her discussion with him. She was very understanding about it, not wanting to put any pressure on El to let her read it and leaving it up to her to decide whether or not she got to. The way El saw it, she already knew about the letter, so what was the harm in sharing it with her. If anything it'd only bring them closer, bonding over the man that they had both gotten to know so well.

She had talked about it before with Max, as it often came up into conversation whenever they openly talked about their grief with her dad and Max's brother, but she had never actually seen it. Other than Joyce, Mike was the only other person who had ever read it, let alone laid eyes on it. Mike was El's safety, her rock. He understood her better than anyone else. He was always there for her, no matter what. He took care of her and believed in her when no one else did. He was the love of her life, the most important person to her in all of the world.

"But my point was that that sounds like Ms. Byers talking and I could only assume that would be because you guys have been spending more time together, but honestly, I'd trust her relationship advice more than I would Hopper's any day!" said Mike.

"You'd think I'd take offense to that, since he was pretty much the closest thing I ever had to real dad and stable family, but honestly, I would do the same. *laughs*"

"Anyway, El, you and Max and I, we're going to figure this thing out. We'll find a way where we can all get time with each other, together and separately."

"Yeah, I-I'd like that," she said softly, smiling at the ground and then looking up at him, longing for another taste of those lips.

"Hey, so now that we're together, do you wanna continue looking at those Hawkins Lab files we pulled out on New Year's?" he asked.

"Sure."

"Okay, so where should we start?"

"Let's start with Mama's files."

"Okay."

Sorting through them, he said:

"So, I know you've told me this before, but can we go over what your mom showed you in The Void, just in case it'll help us connect some more dots?"

*nods*

She sat down criss-cross applesauce. She then began to recount how it all started, with her hands in her lap, touching at the fingertips, and her eyes on Wheeler, looking at him directly to make sure that she didn't leave anything important out.

"When I was first born, Papa obviously took me away. Mama came looking for me a few years after that and made it far enough where she actually see me, but then the guards found her and separated us again. And then they stripped her down and put her in a hospital gown, strapping her down to the table and *welts up a little* they-they shocked her, Mike...OVER and OVER again. *sniffles* It was torture! *catches breath* They kept raising the frequencies and eventually it just left her in this vegetable state that she is in now."

And he sat there and rubbed her back for a minute, not wanting to pepper her with too many questions at once when she was clearly still sorting through the files that were feelings, both literally and figuratively.

"I'm sorry, I know this is a sensitive topic for you, so I'm trying to be conscious of that, but when you say they 'shocked' her, do you mean like electrical shocks? Like they hooked her up to some machine or something?"

"Yes, someone put these two connectors on the sides of her head and held them there while Papa ordered the man that Kali and I hunted down to turn the dial to 450 on the machine."

"Jesus, that sounds like electroconvulsive therapy...only, it was used as a form of torture on a perfectly healthy person and not to relieve someone with a mental disorder of seizures."

"I'm just gonna pretend like I know what all of that meant."

*laughs*

"*laughter fades, face turns serious, grabs ahold of shoulder* Hey, they didn't ever do anything like that to you, did they?" he asked, concerned, looking at her fondly and with such endearment as he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"No, not exactly. I think they tazed Kali sometimes as punishment...Usually, they just made me test out my powers and locked me away in an empty cell if I disobeyed them, but sometimes much worse."

"Mmm," he said, like you do when you hear about something disturbing in the news.

"El?" he continued.

"Yeah?"

"I know you go through this every day, reliving these terrible memories and everything, and would probably rather drop it altogether than continue talking about it, but I'm just so so sorry that all of this happened to you and I feel like I don't tell you that nearly enough."

"I know you are. *holds hand* But I mean, it's not like either of us could've done anything about it."

"I guess that's true, but still I just, I love you so much and I hate that you had to go through all of that..."

"Yeah, but the way I see it, if it weren't for my past, I never would've ended up where I did and I never would've met you! That has to be worse than the suffering I've been through...I can't even imagine living in a world without knowing what a wonderful human being Mike Wheeler is! All I know is...that's not a world I would want to be apart of."

"I love you SO much…"

"I love you more…"

"Not possible."

"Yes possible."

"Agree to disagree?"

"*eyebrows dance* Halfway happy," she added, with a goofy smile.

[Moments later]

"Wait, I see something…" he said.

"What? What is it?"

"MKUltra."

"What's that?"

"It sounds like it was some study conducted by the CIA where they tested drugs' effects on people, specifically LSDs."

"What are LSDs?"

"Oh, they're like psychedelic drugs, so they create these euphoric experiences and make you see things that aren't actually there, you know like hallucinations and stuff."

"Well, what does that have to do with Mama?"

"I-I think she was in it. Here, see for yourself. There's a newspaper article about it. *hands article*"

As she examined it carefully, he turned to her and said:

"You see who was leading the study?"

"Papa…*smacks lips in discontent* I should've known," she said. "What was the purpose of the study anyway?"

"Well, it sounds like the project was active up until the '70s, but it started 20 years prior, so if the CIA was involved, I can only assume that it would have something to do with the Cold War."

"The Cold War?"

"Yeah, you know this fight we've been having with the Commies and stuff?"

"You mean like how the Russians built that base in our mall and everything?"

"Yeah, that's part of it. Our government made it a priority to have the upper hand in this war, and we've been trying to make these scientific advancements to guarantee us an advantage. Some of them we made just for the purpose of making them, but a lot of that technology was designed for the purpose of fighting, so weapons and other forms of ammunition and defense. There's bound to be a document to back it up somewhere around here...We just have to find it."

"Would this help confirm anything?" asked El.

"*mumbles while skimming through* Let's see, 'with the goal of developing'...'used against ENEMIES DURING THE COLD WAR'. That's it! I was right! I knew those Commie bastards were connected to all of this somehow," he said, the excitement becoming more apparent in his voice as he found the answers he was looking for.

"These-These drugs, if the scientists involved were trying to develop weapons to use against enemies during the Cold War, then what were they testing drugs out for exactly?"

"Well, according to what I just read, it sounds like they were trying to develop mind-control techniques to spy on the Commies and have influence over them."

"Wait, Mike, is it cold in Russia?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I just realized something…"

"What is it?"

"Back in the lab, there was this one time when Papa showed me this picture of a man and asked me to find him in The Void and now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure he was Russian."

"What makes you think that?"

"When I found him, he was standing, wearing a thick, green, fur coat and this almost square-shaped fur hat on the top of his head. His arms were crossed and he started mumbling, but I didn't understand a word he said because he wasn't speaking any English. All I know is, if Papa's behind all of this, then-"

"It can't be a coincidence," he finished.

"It sure doesn't seem like it."

"They have to be connected somehow, the two studies."

"But how?"

"Well, let's see…About how old do you think your mom is?"

"Gosh, I don't know...Probably in her 30's at least."

"So, *pauses to think* she was probably still in college around the time she participated in the study."

"*does the math herself* Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Well, according to this medical record, it says your mom had a miscarriage and there aren't any copies of your birth certificate in here or even your own file at the lab!"

"So, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that I think your mom was pregnant with you while she was still in the study. I'm saying, I think that they covered up your birth altogether to make all of your mom's claims about Papa kidnapping you appear to be false."

"I think you're onto something...I mean, how else would he have known about me and my powers in the first place?"

"Exactly."

"Okay, but Mike, all we've done today is figure out what happened to Mama. We're still not any step closer to figuring out how my powers came to be."

"Unless…"

"Oh, what is it now?" she said, slightly annoyed by his never-ending theories.

*thinks to self, but no answer*

"Unless what?"

"That's just it!" he said.

"Mike, seriously! What the hell are you talking about?"

"When a woman's pregnant with a child, there are all kinds of things she's supposed to avoid and behaviors she's told not to engage in because there are so many factors that can impede a baby's development. For instance, they're advised not to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, or in this case DO DRUGS...Are you picking up what I'm putting down?"

"Yeah!" she said confidently. "No...Sorry, still not getting it."

*chuckles*

"Why are you laughing?" she asked.

"*chortles* You're just so cute…" he said, with smiling eyes.

"*speaks through laughter* Shut uh-huh-hup!" she said, in a cute, pouty way.

"*smiles* Well, anyway, I was just implying that-"

"Wait, wait! I wanna get this right…*clears throat* Were you suggesting that her having used LSDs during all of the nine months she was pregnant with me explain how I was born with special abilities?" she asked, completely catching him off guard.

"Yes!" he said in a slightly surprised tone.

"But using drugs while pregnant doesn't usually cause powers to form, does it? I've never heard of that happening to anyone else. I mean, everybody wants them, but they're considered extremely rare and impossible even, so how would that be possible?"

"No, typically, drug use would just lead to mental disorders, deformities, and other types of disabilities and birth defects, but LSDs are really strong drugs...There's no telling what it could do to a pregnancy, but my instincts tell me that your powers were the result of a mutation caused by them."

"A mutation?"

"Yeah, it's like when something changes the structure of a gene. It could be anything from the elimination, addition, or rearrangement of larger sections of genes or chromosomes."

"So, you're thinking that the drugs they had her use somehow altered my genetic code?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."

"You're a genius…"

"I'm the genius?! We never would've figured this out if it wasn't for you!"

"What the hell are you talking about? I barely did anything."

"That's not true, El. You provided all of the information, I just made some sense of it. We don't even know if I'm right! It's just a theory."

"Oh, but it will be! It's a damn good one, Wheeler. You should be proud of yourself!" she said, kissing his cheek.

"Thanks," he said, all blushy.

"You know, we could always call Aunt Becky to confirm our suspicions…"

"See what I mean! I'm sitting here like an idiot, trying to come up with this elaborate conspiracy theory to explain everything, meanwhile, here you are, realizing that there was a much simpler solution right in front of me the whole time. I'm no more of a genius than you are, El Byers."
She shook her head with a smile that rested just between her rosy cheeks, showing him just how much his words affected her.

"Just pass me the phone book, Wheeler."

"Right...Sorry!" he said, rummaging for it in the kitchen drawers.

*dials number*

"*picks up* Hello?" she responded.

"Hey, Aunt Becky, Jane here."

"Hey…" she said awkwardly, not expecting her call.

"Look, I know we haven't really talked much after everything that happened, but I want that to change because I really do care about you and I think about you all the time. You're probably still pretty angry with me for taking cash from you and running away, so I understand if you don't want to talk to me, but I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry. It's just- when I overheard you on the phone with social services, I got scared that the bad men were secretly behind all of it and that they might take me away again. Anyway, I know I probably don't deserve a second chance, but if you could find it in your heart to forgive me, I would really love it if we could talk more regularly and get to know each other better. I'd love to come visit you every now and then too because you're some of the only real family I have left..."

"Jane, I'm not mad. I understand that your situation has never been easy and frankly, I probably would've done the same thing if I was in your shoes. Even though we only met once, I really enjoyed our time together. I could use your company. It gets pretty lonely around here sometimes because, well, you know. You've seen her...but yeah, I'd really like that. I've missed you…"

"*cracks a smile* I've missed you too!"

*brief silence*

"Hey, I uh, heard about your old man...I'm awfully sorry," Becky said.

"It-It's okay. I actually moved and now I'm living with Joyce, you know, the woman who went with Hop to see you and Mama a few years back?"

"So I hear!" she said. "How is that going?"

"It's going really well! Joyce is a really great mom to me...She genuinely cares about my well-being and will stop at nothing to make sure that I'm safe. She reminds me a lot of Hop in that way...and Mama too if I'm being honest, like how she fought for me in court and tried to rescue me from the lab."

"Yeah, she seemed really nurturing in that way. A little squirrelly though too-"

"*laughs* Well, that's Joyce for you!" said El.

"But she always had good intentions, and I could tell that even though she had mainly looked into this with Hopper in hopes of finding her son, that a part of her really cared about you too and was really feeling for you and all you had been through," she continued.

"Yeah. I'm really so lucky to have her, but speaking of mothers, I had a couple of questions that I wanted to ask you about Mama. That's actually why I called, but I've been meaning to for a while now anyway."

"Alright, what do you wanna know?"

"Okay, so here's the deal: I recently somehow lost my powers and we're not sure why that is, but now they're slowly coming back. My boyfriend, Mike and I have been trying to figure out how I and all of the other patients in Hawkins Lab gained our powers in the first place, so we've been sorting through all of these files from the lab and about Mama, trying to make sense of it all and we've come up with a theory, but you probably know more about it than we do, so we wanted to fact check it."

"How old did you say you were again?" she asked jokingly.

"*laughs* C'mon, help a niece out here!"

"Alright, give it to me," she said.

"It's a little complicated, so I'm gonna let Mike explain it to you if that's alright."

"Yeah, sure, whatever's fine."

"Okay, here he is," she said, putting the phone to the edge of his cheek.

"Hi, Aunt Becky! It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," she said.

"Okay, so tell me if I'm getting this right: Terry was an active participant in Project MKUltra, correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

"And about how old was she then?"

"20."

"Okay, and what about when she was pregnant with El? *pauses, then blurts out* Sorry, I mean Jane!"

"Same age."

"Thanks!"

"Well," she said.

"Well what?" he asked.

"Aren't you going to tell me the theory?"

"Oh, yeah, right...Well, I was thinking, if Terry was pregnant with El while she was still being experimented on, then that could only mean that the LSDs must've done something to the fetus, hence, the reason El has powers."

"Who's this El you talk about?"

"Oh shit, I did it again! Sorry, excuse my language, but El and Jane are the same people. El's just a nickname I gave her and she's started going by that. It's short for Eleven."

"Oh, I see."

"It was her number back in the lab," he added.

"No need to explain it, kid, I got it."

"*speaks through nervous laughter* S-Sorry!"

"*laughs* No worries. *pauses* So, back to your theory, I don't know as much about that as I do about what they did to Terry, but it's my understanding that that's what happened. It's the only thing that makes the least bit of sense anyway…"

"I thought so too. Well, thanks! You've been such a big help."

"Ah, it's nothing," she said.

"Well, I'm gonna let El take over, but it was nice talking to you and I hope I'll get to actually meet you at some point."

"Right back atcha," she said.

Handing the phone back to El, she and Aunt Becky gabbed some more before finally hanging up. Toward the end of their conversation, El asked:

"How did you know all of that...what you said earlier, about Hop and Joyce and all?"

"Well, back when Joyce first visited me, I gave her my number so she could call me in case she and Jim ended up finding you. So when your father died, she called me almost immediately after it happened since I was your nearest relative. She asked me if I felt comfortable with becoming your guardian and raising you, but offered to do it herself if I said no. I ended up deciding against it, but I want you to know that it's not because I don't love you, Jane, because I do. I just was afraid that I wouldn't be good enough for you. I was never cut out to be a parent and I knew that you would be better off with her than me. Besides, I had your mother to take care of and I don't think I would've been able to support the both of you financially. So, anyway, that's how I knew about your dad and Joyce."

Face turning red, her lip quivered a little bit as she shed a tear. She wasn't mad at Aunt Becky, not in the slightest! She just couldn't help but imagine what could've been and just the thought of how much her aunt must sacrifice to take care of her mom was just so endearing and hard for her to believe.

Seeing this, Mike mouthed to her:

"*turns her by the shoulder* What's wrong? Are you okay?"

She swatted away at him in the air with her hand, shushing him, and then mouthing:

"Yes, I'm fine. I'll explain later."

"I hope I didn't hurt your feelings...I told you I wasn't good at this stuff," said Aunt Becky.

"*sniffles* No, no, it's not you, Aunt Becky. I completely understand. I mean, would I have loved to live with you and Mama? Absolutely, but it was probably for the best. I think living with my mother when she can't be my mother anymore would've been too painful anyway...It would almost be like I was taking care of her instead of her of me. But as far as the family stuff goes, you're much better at it than you know."

"Thanks, sweetie. I appreciate that."

"What about the move though?"

"The move?"

"Yeah, you knew that I had moved away, but it was 3 months before Joyce decided to do that..."

"Ever since she told me about your dad, I started to realize how absent I had been in your life, so I call her every now and then to check-in and make sure you're doing okay and that's how she told me. I would've called you, but I just didn't want you to feel like I was getting in your business."

"I would've understood, but *sniffles, wipes tears* that's so sweet of you! You literally have no idea how much that means to me…"

"Well, it's the least I could do for my one and only niece."

"I love you, Aunt Becky."

"I love you too...El."

"*cracks a smile* We'll talk soon?" El asked.

"I'm counting on it," said Becky.

"Alright, bye for now."

"Bye. Good luck getting your powers back!"

"Thanks."

*hangs up*

Mike was more than thrilled to see El reconnecting with her family, but being as bored out of his mind as he was, it was no secret that he was slightly annoyed by and envious of how long she had been spending on the phone and not with him. So, he let out a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, Finally! Even so, he still never got tired of the way El's face would light up throughout the entire phone conversation.

"Well, what do you know! You were right all along, Mr. Know-It-All!" she teased in a complementary way.

"What did you just call me?"

"You heard me!"

"I am not a know-it-all…"

"Mmm...Yeah, you are!" she said in an animated, ascending tone.

"Mmm...No I'm not!" he said in a similar, but mocking tone.

"Are too!"

"*giggles through his speech* Shut uh-up!"

"Make me!" she said in an alluring manner that could steer him away from any moment of weakness, and yet somehow, make him weak in the knees at the same time.

The on-going tension between the two filled the room with unpredictability, but Mike silenced it all at lips' touch. It was the kind of kiss that felt a bit rushed, a little impulsive even, but found its purpose in her company. He was quick to start but not to finish, lingering over the moment just as his thumb did with a stroke of her cheek. It was inflamed with passion, leaving El with a hankering for affection all-the-more.

As his face drew away from hers, she opened her eyes, looking a bit disoriented with her hands remaining in the air as if his face was still among them. She found her way again in his eyes, but halted at his lips. Letting out a yearning sigh, she sprung forward, smothering him in a kiss.

Melting at the hands of her touch, he slunk down, his feet swimming around in the soles of his shoes as his toes uncurled in comfort. With his nose nuzzled next to hers, you could hear it audibly, his breathing in and against her skin.

Physical contact was the one thing a phone conversation was never able to bring them, so they always cherished any alone time they could get. Now, with every moment they spent together, they found themselves falling back into that old honeymoon phase that they so terribly missed. Sure, the number of dates they went on these days was limited, but when it came to kissing, one thing was for sure- time was of the essence and the more they sunk into it, the more they lost themselves in it.

"Well, that was uh- *scratches head*"

"Amazing?" she asked.

"Yeah, you could say that again."

"Amazing," she repeated for effect.

He looked at her ridiculously at first. And then he broke out into an eye-closed smile, giving her shoulder a playful nudge.

"Well, I say we call it a day! We have a long way to go, we still have to figure out how you lost your powers, but that can wait," he said.

"Yeah, we've made a lot of progress today...But did we seriously just spend over 3 hours sorting through these files and drawing conclusions about how I got my powers, only to find that Aunt Becky basically knew the answer all along?"

"I'm afraid so," he said with a funny look on his face.

And they both broke out in laughter, losing their balance, and rolling on top of all of the documents that were spread out on the floor.

"*turns to her* But you know what?" he continued.

"What?"

"It was totally worth it because it gave us one very good reason to spend time together..."

"Oh, I can think of another..." she said, alluringly, her face close to his.

"El, my lips are going to fall off if we keep going down this road!" he joked.

"*giggles* Sorry, can't help it! You're just too kissable…" she said, covering his face in loving little pecks.

"*blushes, smiles, gasps* Oh shit! I think when we rolled around, we mixed up a bunch of the files! Now they're scattered everywhere…" said Mike.

"Shit, shit, shit! Hold that thought," she said putting a finger to his lips.

"Here, let me help. It'll make things go faster."

And after finally reorganizing it all, they said their goodbyes, which were always the hardest part about their relationship. They then parted, as they usually did. However, separated by miles, they were ever so pleased with their ability to continue this relationship, despite the distance.