Hawkins
"This is going to be hard to do. I missed so much El. Growing up with my friends, seeing my baby sister grow up… I missed so much. They are going to be pissed at me. I don't know how anybody is ever going to forgive me."
"Mike, you are alive and you love them. That is all they will care about."
"You don't know that El."
"I do Mike, because that all I care about."
El figured they were only half a mile into Hawkins before she saw lights flashing behind them.
"Shit. We are being pulled over. Do what they say Mike."
"Oh, great, my first 30 seconds back in Hawkins and I'm going to spend the night in jail."
El pulled over and the patrol car stopped a few car lengths behind them. She couldn't see who got out because the headlights blinded her.
She rolled down her window along with the passenger side window.
"Turn off the ignition and step out of the car," the officer said to her, and his partner must have asked Mike the same thing, because he was already opening the door.
"Was I speeding officer?"
Lucas leaned his head down, "Please El, step out, it will make all this much easier."
"Shit, Lucas." El took off her seat belt, she was starting to fume, and she could see the headlights in the patrol car flicker a bit.
She stood up and defiantly shoved her face forward towards Lucas. "Get it over with Lucas," she air quoted, "make all this much easier."
Lucas came forward and El expected him to spin her around and put her in handcuffs.
Instead he put his arms around her, and gave her a tight hug. "Thanks for bringing my best friend home." He whispered into her ear.
"Officer Sinclair," the female police officer frisking Mike said, "the only ID this one has says 'President of Hawkins A.V Club.'"
"I'll vouch for him," El said, "or my dad will."
"El?" Maxed looked up to her friend. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming?
"It was a last minute thing."
"Seriously, Mike? That's the only ID you kept?" Lucas said across to him.
"It's the only one I have, Lucas. It's the only one my friends would need."
El watched Lucas walk around the front of the car and hugged his best friend. For a long time.
She smiled. "He's mine Lucas, you can't have him, besides, you're married."
She saw that Mike was a little overwhelmed. His head was lowered and he'd started wiping his eyes regularly.
She gave Lucas a nod, "we'll catch up later, I need to get Mike to his mom's"
"Right… watch the intersection at Maple St. they were working on the water main there."
El guided Mike back to the passenger seat.
A few minutes later she pulled into Mike's parents driveway, shut the car off and turned to him. "I'll be by your side through everything."
They met at the front of the car and joined hands. She saw him take a deep breath. "I love you El."
"I know Mike. I love you, I'm with you forever."
They walked up to the front door and she could feel his hand shaking. "It will be ok."
El knocked and the door was opened. Karen stepped back and let them both in.
El watched Mike looking at his mom, and his older sister Nancy beside her.
"I'm sorry mom, Nancy… I just couldn't do it without El… I just couldn't."
"We know Michael, at the time, we didn't think you loved El as much as you did. You don't think of your little boy being capable of that kind of emotion. You must love her very much."
El hung her head, and started to cry, When she could no longer stand it she turned to Mike and put her arms around his neck and cried on his shoulder. From behind her she could hear Nancy say, "thanks El, for bringing him home, we knew you would do it one day."
"Mike?" A new voice. El knew who it was.
She stepped away from Mike, but kept her head low.
"Mike!" A young blonde woman ran into Mike's arms.
Holly.
Mike cried on her shoulder. El heard Holly say, "I love you big brother. I'm glad your home. I missed you so much. " Mike started with loud sobbing, and had to turn to El.
She took him into her arms rocking him back and forth, "It's ok Mike, we are all here for you."
She felt him nod. Karen, Nancy, and Holly and backed away to the kitchen to give them the space they needed.
El led him downstairs to the basement and towards the sofa. It was the exact same sofa she'd sat on the night Mike, Lucas, and Dustin had found her.
"I don't want to be alone tonight, El."
"You won't be Mike. But we both won't fit in your bed. But I want us to be together. A few years ago I made some adjustments to the blanket fort." She gestured towards it.
He looked over and saw that it as longer than it used to be. Enough for two adults to sleep comfortably in it. "Are those clothes, in there?"
"Two sets of t-shirts and track pants. Both yours, but I'm borrowing a set. So in a way I'm still getting into your pants, but it's not what you think."
He laughed, "yeah, not really in the mood… but if you wanted to El, I would."
"I feel the same. We have plenty of time for that Mike . I will wear you out before long. No worries there." She gave him her best mischievous smile.
"I will make it up to you El. For all those missing years."
"Mike, you made it up by trying to find me. You never gave up on me. For almost eighteen years. How many girls can say that about the guy they love? I would have waited for you forever Mike. I was prepared to be a wrinkly old spinster. Let's get changed and I'll make us some tea."
"Ok, you can go first."
"We go in there together Mike. No secrets from either of us. Promise?"
"I promise El, no secrets. Just you promise to keep your hands off my ass while I'm changing."
"I'm not promising that," She gave him her best pout.
El was glad she hadn't promised, because she wasn't able to keep it anyway. And one thing led to another, completely accidentally on purpose.
Later, Mike was spooning her in the blanket fort. He seemed at peace, his arm around her waist. His soft breathing against her neck.
"You doing ok Mike?" She asked him. He was being very quiet.
"I couldn't have done this without you El." He whispered, "I can't believe I'm in the blanket fort with the girl I lost and loved for almost twenty years. You saved my life twice back then. You saved it again last night."
"I wanted you with me that first night, I was scared of the storm, and you were so nice to me. Nobody had ever been that nice to me. I knew I loved you that night. I didn't know what the feeling was then, but it's the exact same thing I feel right now."
For the first night in a long time she didn't dream about Mike. The few times she woke up, she could feel his breath on her neck, his arm securely around her waist.
"I love you Mike Wheeler." She felt his arm tighten a little.
"I love you too Eleven."