Hey, I'm finally updating! It's been a crazy few days... well, maybe two crazy days and the rest I was just lazy and not motivated at all. But today felt like a good time to update since I've had the chapter planned out for a while and I'm doing absolutely nothing but reading Mileven rant on Tumblr... some good and some make me wanna pull my hair out... but I won't get into that. 

Anyway, this chapter starts right where I left off in chapter two, just a heads up. I'm hoping that this chapter starts getting into the more mystery part but chapter four will for sure be like a... real opening. Chapter four is gonna be where things start to go crazy. Now, I don't have it planned out but I have an idea of what I'm gonna do. 

Oh, and just so this is cleared up and out of the way: This story will be in future Mike and El's second person point of view. I decided to do that because it might be more interesting, seeing how they handle the situation because we all have no idea what they've been through during those ten years. 

And I think toward the end/middle of the story, I accidentally changed to Mike's point of view so I apologize for that. 

Anyway:

Enjoy!

She opened her eyes, a strangled gasp escaping her throat, her breathing echoing off the nonexistent walls of the open space that went on and on for miles. It was far too dark and quiet to be her room back in Hawkins... yet it was familiar. She spun around slowly in a circle, trying to figure out where she was, her mind still a bit fuzzy from sleep. The darkness the room held was overwhelming... she felt trapped, and the water beneath her feet was the only thing keeping her grounded. Wait, black room, wet floor, trapped? She knew where she was. 

The void. 

It had been a while since she had been to the void... or brought to the void in her sleep. She had tried not to use it as much as she did as a teenager, not wanting to waste her powers on spying that wouldn't do her any good. It was unusual to be back, it felt foreign but familiar at the same time, the only difference was she didn't feel safe as she usually would. She felt as though something was watching her, watching her every move closely. 

Closing her eyes, she tried to escape but once they opened, she found herself in the same position she was in moments before. She took a step forward, then another, and another until she was full on walking, trying to figure out why she was there. It was frightening, being trapped within her own mind, not knowing how to get out. But there had to be a reason as to why she was there. 

 Why was she here? How did she get into the void in the first place? How long was she going to be trapped? She knew there was an answer somewhere, she just had to find it. But that didn't make her any less scared, knowing that it could be hours before she found out why she was there. 

Goosebumps appeared on her bare arms as a cold breeze flew past her, ruffling her curly hair, causing her heartbeat to quicken, fear coursing through her veins. That wasn't normal. There had never been any sign of wind in the void before, nor had she really been able to feel anything physically, considering how fast things tended to disappear when she touched it. Something wasn't right. 

"Why- why am I here?" She asked, her voice wavering just a bit. 

No reply. 

"Why am I here?" She asked, her voice steadying. 

Nothing. 

"Why am I here!?" She shouted then, her voice bouncing off the nonexistent walls. 

For only a few seconds, there was nothing but the sound of her beating heart and heavy breathing. She stood there, not knowing what to expect. But then, out of no where, her head started to pound, almost like it was caving in on itself. It felt somewhat like on of the migraines she had been experiencing over the past couple weeks. Maybe her brain had malfunctioned and accidentally sent her here, mistaking the migraine for her using her powers. 

But that theory was shortly lived as a voice she couldn't recognize called out to her: "Eleven." 

Breathing quickening, El spun around in hopes of seeing the face that held the mysterious deep voice... but she was met with nothing. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she walked around in a circle, coming face to face with the exact same thing: darkness. There was no one there. Was she hallucinating? It wouldn't surprise her considering how badly her head was hurting. 

"Eleven," The voice spoke once again, "We have found you, Eleven." 

Found her? 

Then her eyes widened as his (yes she's assuming it's a he since the voice was so deep) words finally registered in her brain. Who was 'we' and how did they find her? Her and Mike had been so careful over the past years, so careful with everything they did and said to make sure no one would find her. Outside of close friends and family, she had even been going under the name of Jane Wheeler, and her tattoo was covered with the hair tie she was given from her dad. So... how had they found her? Wait, who was even they? Though, she had a pretty good idea. 

"Both of you," It said again. 

... both of them? 

Oh. 

They hadn't found only her but also the younger El. But how? How had they discovered both her and the past El when she'd been there not even a full day? Pushing those thoughts aside, El focused on what really mattered: Who was the voice and how does she get out of there? It was more dangerous to stay there even longer. 

"Who are you?" She asked but received no answer. 

Well, no verbal answer, but as soon as the words left her mouth, her headache intensified. Her hands flew up to grab the sides of her head, groaning as she fell to her knees. El felt the familiar trickle of liquid flow freely out of her left nostril...and soon out of the other one. She couldn't help the scream that ripped out of her when the pain became unbearable. 

----

"NO!" She cried out into the darkness as her eyes snapped open, shooting up in bed. 

Beside her, Mike, being the light sleeper he was ever since they moved in together at the age of eighteen, shot up in bed, and turned on the lamp that sat peacefully on the beside table. He then turned toward her, his dark hair disheveled, and eyes foggy with sleep but filled with worry nonetheless as he watched her hyperventilate. Reaching out for her, his long and nimble fingers wrapped around her upper arm, squeezing gently as he asked, "El? El, what's wrong?" 

Pulling her knees up to her chest, El got her breathing under control, and wrapped one arm around her legs as the other rested on her knees, her fingers rubbing her aching forehead, and replied once her head registered that it was just a nightmare, "Nothing." She closed her eyes and swallowed thickly. "Just another migraine." El could still feel him staring at her so she dropped her hand, and sat up straighter so she could meet his gaze. 

Not wasting anytime, Mike lifted his hands to the sides of her face, his fingers tangling in her brown curls, his thumbs brushing her  cheeks in a comforting manner. His eyes danced across her face, taking in everything. "Baby, you're bleeding," He said so softly it was almost a whisper, his hands turning her head so he could peer down at her ears. "Even your ears." 

"It happens when I have bad migraines," She replied just as softly. Sure, El was aware she was lying and felt bad about it nonetheless, but Mike didn't need the extra worry. He was still on edge since he walked into his parents' front door the day prior to find their past selves sitting on the couch. He didn't need to know that people had found her. At least for right now.  

Mike held her gaze for a few extra seconds, doubt flashing across his eyes but as soon as it came, it was gone, and he nodded slowly, his eyelids closing as he leaned in to press a soft kiss to her forehead, his lips lingering against her warm skin a few extra seconds. "Do you want your medicine? And water?" He asked once he pulled away, his thumbs rubbing the soft skin that covered her cheek bones. "Can you take more medicine?" 

"Yeah." El tore her eyes away from him, focusing on the space in front of her, fingers picking on the small pieces of lint that made their home on top of the blue comforter. "One tablet." She sent him a smile from across the room but it flipped upside down once she could hear his footsteps becoming more faint as he headed down the stairs, and let her forehead drop down onto her knees. 

The dream didn't make sense. Why couldn't she see the person who was speaking to her? The last time she was in the void alone, with no one else there, was the summer or '85 when she was looking for the flayed... but even then she eventually found Billy. And then, there was no unrecognizable voice speaking to her. Who was it? Or who were they?

Ted Wheeler? Maybe? Ever since Mike had introduced her to his family back in winter of '85, Ted hadn't been a big fan of her; always giving her a look during meals or making a snide comment when she thought she couldn't hear when she came over for a visit. He had even asked her if they'd met before because she looked familiar but thankfully he couldn't remember from where, and soon he forgot all about it. His disliking for her became stronger when Mike announced they were moving in together, and it kept growing from the time they got engaged to the day they were married. Fortunately he put up an act on their wedding day though both her and Mike knew he cared less. 

Once comment had made her very suspicious of him though. El knew (from what Mike had told her) he was very loyal to the government whereas the rest of them... wouldn't trust them with their lives. It was last year after Thanksgiving dinner, most of the guests had left, but her and Mike decided to stay longer since Holly had begged them since she wanted to show Mike a whole book report she made for his most recent book. Unfortunately, halfway through, El had overheard Ted talking to Karen in the kitchen: "I don't like her. Something's not right about her." 

And that's when El told Mike it was time to go. 

So it's a (very unlikely) possibility that he had remembered why she looked so familiar: when the badmen had came to his house in '83, informing him about a girl in his basement... then proceeding to show him a picture. But, knowing Ted Wheeler, he'd be too lazy to get into depth about anything to figure what was "not right about her".

But if it's not him then that only means-

"Are you okay?" 

El snapped her head up, eyes squinting at the shorter figure in the doorway. It wasn't Mike... either of the Mikes so it only left younger El. "Yeah, why?" 

"Heard you scream," She replied quietly, stepping into the room and coming to sit down in front of her on the bed, not that older El minded. It was her younger self after all, how was she supposed to invite her into the room when it was sort of... her room too? 

"Oh." Older El swallowed thickly as the memories of the dream came back. 'both of you,' the deep voice replayed in her head as she met her younger self's identical caramel brown eyes. "I had a nightmare but you can't tell Mike, either of them. Understand?" Younger El nodded slowly, not looking so sure but willing to go along with it. "I was brought into the void but no ones was there. I just stood there for who knows how long but then there was this voice and-" 

"A... voice?" Younger El asked, leaning in closer, almost like she was interested. Which she probably was. "What kind of voice? Could you see the person?"

Older El shook her head. "A deep voice and no, I couldn't see, I'm assuming, him. He said they had found me... and you. They had found us," She told her, both their eyes wide at the information that was spilling out between her lips. "Then I woke up. But you can't tell anyone, okay? It stays between us, our little secret, okay?" 

"Okay." Younger El smiled. "Our secret." 

"Yes, now, you should probably go back to bed. We have a long day tomorrow." Reaching forward, older El ruffled younger El's curls, smiling when the younger girl let out a quiet giggle, then let out a small laugh herself. "Now go back to bed before your Mike wakes up." 

Without another word, younger El stood, gave another smile, and headed out into the hallway and back into the guest room right as Mike walked back into their room, looking behind his shoulder with a confused look before shrugging and bringing his gaze over to her. He gave a soft smile, walking across the room, and handed her the glass of water and the small white pill, pressing a kiss to the top of her head before walking into their bathroom. 

El watched in confusion as Mike turned on the bathroom light, opened the second drawer on the vanity to the left, and pulled out a small blue wash cloth. She plopped the white pill into her mouth and brought the glass of water up to her chapped lips, taking three large gulps before setting the half empty cup on her nightstand. She raised an eyebrow as Mike stepped out of their bathroom after shutting off the light, a damp wash cloth in his left hand. 

"For the blood," Mike clarified, noticing her confusion, as he sat down in front of her, his right hand coming down to rest on her left knee. "Are you sure you're okay?" He lifted the wash cloth and started wiping away the blood beneath her nose then cleaning the blood away from her ears, wincing when she'd jerk away from him from discomfort. "Sorry." His hand freezes next to her ear and then gives her a serious look. "You promise to tell me if anything bad or remotely weird happens?" 

Smiling, El answered, "Yeah, I'm okay. You don't need to worry." She set her hand over his that was still resting on her knee, squeezing it comfortingly before answering his question, "Promise." The guilt slammed into her like a truck and she swallowed a gasp that was bubbling up in her throat, trying for a smile instead that she's sure came out as a grimace. 

Mike gave her an unbelieving look as he dropped the now red stained wash cloth into the laundry basket beside their door before walking to his side of the bed, slipping beneath the comforter, and opened his arms for her. "Come here." She wasted no time in dropping her knees, her legs no laying flat against the bed, and falling into Mike's arms, her own wrapped around his middle as her head laid against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. He only moved once to turn the light off before re wrapped his arms around her, one of his hands coming to bury in her hair, his fingers lightly rubbing the back of her head. 

"That feels nice," She sighed, her eyes drooping closed as exhaustion started to take its toll on her, and tightened his arms around his middle, and feel asleep to his fingers on the back of her head and his soft yet raspy voice muttering 'I love you's'. 

---

Saturday, May 17th, 1996

The next time she wakes up, it's not because of a nightmare or a headache, it's from the sunlight seeping through the blinds in beams, and the sound of birds softly chirping outside in the trees in the backyard. El sits up, lifting Mike's arm from around her waist and setting it back down on the bed gently, not wanting to wake him quite yet, and pulls the covers off her lap, rubbing his back, just to know that this is all real and not some dream, before standing up. 

Tying her hair up in a messy bun, El makes her way into the bathroom first to do her business, then brush her teeth before she heads down the stairs quietly, making sure the stairs don't creak in case everyone is still sleeping, and finally found herself in the kitchen. She busied herself by making herself a cup of coffee while her eggos toasted/cooked in the toaster, the two smells filling the kitchen, making her eyes feel a but heavy from the lack of sleep. 

Sipping a bit of coffee out of her light purple coffee mug she got from Max on her birthday, El glanced out the window beside the front door right on time to see the mailman drop a few envelopes in the mailbox, and she decided to go pick it up. 

Not bothering to put on shoes, El opened the door with one hand while the other held onto her cup, and stepped outside, smiling at the warm air, not too cold, and not too hot, just perfect for May weather. She stepped off the porch and walked passed her and Mike's cars until she reached the plain white mailbox, pulling it open. She caught movement out of the corner of her eyes and turned to see what it was. A couple houses down (all the houses were in a circle since they lived in a cul-de-sac. Seriously, there were so many in Hawkins) her and Mike's neighbors, the ones who give them looks, were also getting their mail. 

"Morning, Mr. and Mrs. Davis!" She called over to them, just being the friendly neighbor she is and only received a small wave from Mrs. Davis and a curt nod from her husband, both giving her a scrunched up look. El turned back toward the mailbox, rolling her eyes, and grabbed the envelope (and newspaper), shut the mailbox, and headed back inside, shutting the door behind her, staring down at the papers in her hands. "Junk mail," She muttered. 

Walking back into the kitchen, El set her mug down on the island and opened the garbage can, throwing two out of four envelopes inside before closing the lid. Leaning against the counter, she looked down at the two left over envelopes, frowning when she caught sight of her husbands name on one of them. She bit her lip, knowing that he may or not be mad if she did this, but... she did it anyway and opened the envelope, pulling out the folded paper. She unfolded it, her eyes following the words, and shrugged. It was just informing him that there was a billboard with his name on it. She glanced over at the other envelope and nearly groaned. The last thing she wanted to do was figure out taxes. 

So, pushing it aside, she turned around to check on her eggos. "Oh great," El muttered as she pulled the burnt eggos out of the toaster and immediately dropped them in the garbage can, nearly pouting as the lid closed. Such a waste of perfectly good eggos, if only she hadn't went outside to get the mail. She opened up the freezer and pulled out the Eggo box, frowning when she realized there was only half a box left, and placed two more of the waffles in the toaster, keeping a close eye on it so they didn't burn.

"Morning." 

El nearly jumped out of her skin and spun around, holding her hand to her chest, above her quick beating heart, at the sight of the younger version of herself taking a seat at the island, giving her an apologetic smile. "Morning. You almost gave me a heart attack," older El joked, placing the two toasted eggos on a plate and sliding it toward younger El. "Here, have some eggos. Do you want any syrup of butter?" 

"No, thank you," younger El said quietly, shyly accepting the plate of eggos and the fork older El had given here, giving a small smile in thanks. She cut out a small piece with her fork and plopped it into her mouth, nodding as she chewed. Once she swallowed, she said, "You make them better than Hop." 

Older El snorted as she placed two more eggos for herself in the toaster. "Considering all you have to do is toast them, he must be pretty bad at cooking in general." Of course, she already knew all of that: her dad was a terrible cook but at least it was tolerable. When he and Joyce moved in together (and El by default), Joyce took cooking lessons from Karen Wheeler since she would have to be doing more cooking from now on... thankfully she turned out to be an excellent cook. Though, El doubted no one could beat Karen Wheeler's chicken dumpling soup, it always made El feel better whenever Mike would bring her a container whenever she was sick. 

"Yeah. Joyce does most of the cooking," younger El said, letting out a soft laugh. 

"Oh, I forgot that you and... Hop moved in with... Joyce already." She grimaced at calling her parents by their names. Sure, when she was younger she had called them Hop and Joyce but over the years, as she grew closer to them, El had developed the habit of calling them Mom and Dad. When you live with Will who does the same thing with Joyce, you pick up the same habit, and El guesses Will did too since he too recently started calling Hop his own dad since Lonnie was now completely out of the picture. "How do you like it?" She asked, plopping the two eggos down on a place, not bothering with a fork, just lifting the waffle up to her mouth and taking a large bite out of it. 

Younger El shrugged, looking up at her shyly. "I don't know. It's different." She set her fork down, so she could contribute to the conversation without being distracted by the delicious master piece sitting on the plate in front of her, and continued, "I like having Will and Joyce around though, they're nice company when Hop's gone at the station." She smiled. "Will's a pretty good brother to have to. He's been teaching me how to draw."

"Oh really?" Older El smirked, knowing that art is not, in any way, their thing. Art is reserved for Will, and Will only, no one else in the Party is artistically talented. "And how's that going?"

"I mean, I like doing it, but I'm not any good." Younger El laughed and older El joined in, and soon they were two girls (literally the same two girls just ten years apart) in a fit of giggled while they ate their waffles. 

They quieted down, however, when someone interrupted their giggle fest, "What are we laughing about in here?" Older Mike asked as he came into the kitchen, younger Mike following close behind, instantly grabbing a white coffee mug from the cabinet, pouring the remaining (still warm) coffee into it, opening the fridge to grab the vanilla creamer she had bought him a few days back, squeezing a bit into his coffee before placing it into the fridge. 

Older El watched with a small smile as younger Mike pressed a kiss to the top of her younger self, muttering a "good morning" before taking a seat next to her in an empty chair. She glanced at her husband through the corner of her eye to find him hiding his smile behind his coffee mug. 

Crossing her arms, older El muttered, "Why don't you do that to me?" 

Older Mike rolled his eyes playfully and leaned over, kissing the top of her head quickly, before muttering, "Good morning, beautiful." He smiled at her. "That good enough for you?"

"Mmm, for now, yes," older El replied, nudging him a bit with her shoulder. "What do you two hungry boys want for breakfast?" She asked, raising her voice slightly so younger Mike could also hear her, setting her mug down so she could open a cabinet. "We've got cereal: fruit loops, honey nut cheerios, and... cap'n crunch," She informed younger Mike. "Or I could make you eggs, or toast, or eggos, whatever you want. Just let me know." 

Pursing his lips, older Mike reopened the cabinet with the cereal and pulled out the box of fruit loops, looking down at it comically (older El almost laughed) before giving a single nod and opening it (again, El almost laughed). After grabbing a bowl from a different cabinet, he poured the fruit loops into it while older El, being the helpful wife she was, poured in the milk for him. He smiled at her. "Thanks."

"Yup." She popped the 'p' as she placed the milk back in the fridge, spinning around to look at younger Mike who was staring at younger El with a lovesick look in his eyes. Hating to interrupt the 'stare fest', older El said, "Mike, what do you want?" 

He shifted uncomfortably in his seat (gosh, he's such an awkward child) and glanced over at older Mile who had brought the mail, including the open envelope, over to the kitchen table where he had sat down, munching on his cereal happily as he read the billboard letter, his eyes lighting up the further he got. "Could I have some of the honey nut cheerios please?" Younger Mike glanced back at older El. 

"Of course." She turned around and grabbed a bowl out of the cabinet, repeating the same routine Mike just had done with his cereal: put the cereal in the bowl, pour milk over it, and grab a spoon. Handing it over to younger Mike, he took it gratefully, and she added, "Feel free to have more if you want." Her eyes drifted over to younger El. "You too, El." Then she grabbed her plate with the now lukewarm eggos and her cup of coffee, bringing it over to the table, and sitting down across from Mike. 

"You opened this?" He asked her, not meeting her eyes, but holding up the billboard letter. 

"Yeah, sorry. I saw your name and got curious." El took another bite of her Eggo, chewing slowly as he lifted his head, meeting her eyes, an eyebrow raised. She swallowed slowly and mimicked his facial expression, the two of them just staring at each other. "What?" 

Mike shook his head slowly, his hair flopping around, and the corners of his mouth tugging upwards as he continued to just stare. Then he let out a light laugh, breaking the eye contact for only a couple seconds before looking back at her. "You're just so beautiful." The corners of his eyes crinkled a bit as he let out another laugh. "Even though you still got a bit of blood on your ear." He gestured to his own ear to tell her where it was. 

"Oh, thanks." El felt her cheeks heat up, and when she was younger she would have prayed that the blush wouldn't show, but now she didn't care if she was as red as a fire truck. Mike had seen her cry, scream, laugh, there wasn't much left to hide from his anyway. "I'll wash the blood off when I go to get dressed." She bit her lip and looked over at the younger versions of themselves, cocking her head to the side as she watched. "I feel like we were louder than that." 

"Well, Eleven, it's not everyday you spend the night at the future versions of yourselves," Mike told her and she could practically hear the eye roll in his words. "Not to mention they found out they were married in the future yesterday. That's a bit of a shock that's sure to make things awkward." 

"Oh shut up." El rolled her eyes, taking another bite of her waffle, this time not chewing as slowly, still watching younger Mike and El. "You're the only one who's acting awkward out of the two, Micheal." She looked back at him to see him raising an eyebrow at him. "Thought we were using our full names?" 

"Anyway," Mike said, rolling his eyes. "We're supposed to meet the rest of the Party behind the lab in-" He looked down at his watch he's had since he was... El doesn't even know when. He's just had it for a long time and refuses to get a new one, no matter how much his mom tries to get him to. "-an hour, so I'm gonna go get dressed," He finished and stood, bringing his bowl and cup to the sink, setting them down gently, and headed back upstairs. 

El shook her head as she brought her dishes to the sink, setting them down beside the bowl and mug before turning to younger Mike and El to find that they're also done and just talking between them. She smiled as she asked, "You guys done?" They nodded. "Okay, I'll take care of the dishes then I'll go see if Mike and I have any clothes that will fit you two." 

"Okay," They both said at the same time before laughing. 

"Ugh, I feel like a mom," older El muttered so only she could hear as she rinsed the dishes and placed them in the dish washer. But, weirdly, about feeling like a mom, she doesn't really mind. The company of having two kids or teenagers or whatever was nice, not that she doesn't like being alone with Mike because she does. Maybe it was time to start thinking about kids. "Not the time, El, not the time," She muttered to herself as she dried her hands on a dish towel and turned back to the teens at the island. "Okay, I'll go look for clothes. You guys can sit here or watch TV or whatever." 

They nodded, but didn't move, and older El just shrugged before heading up the stairs, taking two at a time because she's one of those impatient people who like getting to the top of the stairs fast. Her feet came to level ground and she walked down the small hallway, passing the guest room and the other two rooms that they hope to use for kids in the future, before coming to her and Mike's bedroom at the end of the hallway, to the left. She knocked lightly, warning Mike that she was coming in, and pushed open the door, finding him sitting at the edge of their bed, pulling socks over his large feet. 

She closed the door behind her, not taking her eyes off him because he honestly just looked so cute. He was dressed in normal jeans with a blue button up shirt tucked into them, and a light button up jacket (it was unbuttoned and it's not very heavy) over that, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. And his hair, gosh, El loved his hair. All floppy and flower and soft when it was brushed, a few strands falling in front of hi forehead as he leaned forehead. He glanced up at her then and she noticed the slight tinge of read spread across his cheeks and nose, a sunburn, most likely from the cook out his parents just had with a bunch of their friends that his mom had invited them too last Monday, which caused his freckles to stand out even more. 

"You look so cute," She blurted, "But you're wearing that to go... into the lab?" 

He lifted his shoulder in a half shrug. "I don't have much stuff other than this that fits." 

"Ah, speaking of things that fit, do you have any clothes that might fit Mike? I think I have some stuff for El but I'm not a boy," El said as she dug through her dresser, pulling out a light blue T-shirt that's too small for her, and tossed it on the bed. A couple seconds later she found a pair of black leggings she grew out of and tossed them beside the shirt. "Mike, did you hear me?" 

"Yeah, I'm looking," He said from across the room, looking through his own clothes, and pulled out a black T-shirt and a pair of jeans, looking at the sized before setting them on the bed. "That should work... I think." He shrugged as he sat back down on the bed, averting his eyes as she changed into jeans (that cuffed at the ankles and were a bit baggier but not mom jeans) with a light pink T-shirt tucked into them, and a light grey jacket (that's similar to Mike's) thrown on top of it all. "Hey, you're wearing literally the same thing." 

El laughed and pulled her hair out of its bun, letting it fall to her shoulder in soft waves, giving herself a smile in the mirror before turning around to face Mike. "What? Though we could match." She gave him a wink before pulling a pair of plain white socks onto her feet before heading to the door. "Come on, we've got things that need to be done." 

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Mike said, grabbing the clothes off the bed, handing the leggings and shirt to her before they both bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen where younger Mike and El were still sitting, laughing at something younger El had said. Older Mike cleared his throat, gaining the teenagers' attention, and said, "We have clothes. You two know where the bathrooms are right?" They nodded. "Okay, so get dressed then meet us at the front door, okay?" He handed younger Mike the jeans and shirt, and El handed younger El her clothes. 

"Thank you," younger El said softly before walking over to the bathroom, heading inside, and shutting the door behind her. 

"She's sweet," older El said, smiling.

Older Mike gave her a look. "She's... you." 

"I know." older El shrugged then turned to younger Mike. "I hope by the time we get into action later today that you'll be a bit louder. Remember what I told you yesterday. You're Micheal Wheeler, and I know that you've got a lot going on in that brain of yours and most of it- not all of it- is pretty useful. We're going to need it today." 

"Okay, and I know," younger Mike sighed and shook his head. "It's just weird and a big shock, I can't help but be awkward and quiet right now. Especially with her-" He cocked his head to the bathroom. "-and I feel bad about it, but I just can't help it." 

Smiling, older Mike reassured, "It'll pass but El is right, we're gonna need you out there today." 

"Got it," younger Mike said right as the door to the bathroom opened and younger El came back out dressed in black leggings that fit perfectly and the light blue T-shirt that ended a couple inches below her hips, but it worked nonetheless. Younger Mike smiled at her as he passed, walking into the bathroom and shut the door. 

"Come on, let's get our shoes on," older El said and walked over to the  front door, pulling on her white high top converse that she recently bought for herself since she just grew out of her old ones, and insisted she needed another pair, much to Mike's amusement at the time. She literally had a whole rant planned for it in case he had said no, as if he could say no to her, especially since it was her own money. Well, even if it wasn't he still would have bought her a new pair, he really didn't see why she had to ask for... shoes out of all things, or really anything. 

Older Mike and younger El followed suit, pulling on their own shoes: Mike with his regular tennis shoes and El with her own high top white converse. After that, they were all standing by the door in a comfortable silence that probably should have been more awkward, waiting for younger Mike to get done changing, but soon enough the bathroom door opened and out came younger Mike dressed in the jeans and shirt he was given, and met them by the door, pulling on his own tennis shoes. 

"Alright, let's go," older El said and grabbed her car keys out of the bowl that was placed on a small table beside the door, holding them tight in her fist. She must have sensed older Mike's gaze as they headed out to her car (she closed and locked the door with her mind on the way out) because she said, "Mike, you're already stressed and you tend to almost crash the car because you always want the 'perfect' radio station, so I'm driving weather you like it or not." She looked at him over the hood of the car, raising an eyebrow, silently challenging him to argue with her which he was not going to do. 

Laughing, older Mike held up his arms in surrender but dropped them once she unlocked the doors, and pulled it open, slipping into the passenger seat while the teenagers settled down in the back, all of them buckling up for the ten minute drive to Hawkins Lab. Older El placed the key in the ignition, turning the car on, and turned around so she could back out of the drive way without hitting any cars or anybody. 

Older Mike bounced his right leg nervously while his fingers (his left hand) tapped anxiously against the console, his teeth gnawing on his bottom lip, all nervous habits of his. He'd never really been diagnosed with Anxiety (but he had with depression when he was seventeen after his Nana passed away but that's a story for another time), but he had been to the doctor a couple times for it in his late teen years because his mother is a paranoid freak, but right now, older Mike was sure he would puke because of the anxiety bubbling up inside his stomach as his wife drove, switching the radio stations with her mind until she found a good one. 

The tapping of his fingers must have became annoying because El lifted her right hand off the steering wheel, setting it over his left hand, her fingers curling around his to stop them from tapping so much. Her thumb lightly brushed over his knuckles which calmed his nerves only the slightest bit but did something nonetheless. His leg still bounced and he still bit his lip but at least his fingers weren't performing their awful tap dance anymore. 

No words were said, the silence only being broken once when El had asked why they didn't park in the garage which got a laugh out of the two adults, and answered with a 'during the summer, it's the party garage' which was true. If they weren't busy, almost every Friday night, they'd have the party over and share a couple drinks with music playing in the background, and once in a while they'd whip out the karaoke machine, or they'd play some drinking games, but it only consisted around the Party (and once in a while Dustin's most recent girlfriend. (Who knew the guy would be such a chick magnet?). The party's were fun, and rarely ever got out of hand, and they made sure to keep quiet when it got passed 11 because their neighbors (Mr. and Mrs. Davis) had threatened to call the police one time even though they were all over twenty-one, but they didn't want to take the chances. 

The laughter quieted down, the silence returning, and to calm older Mike's nerves, he focused on the feel of his wife's hand in his, her thumb caressing his knuckled lightly, or the way she'd squeeze his hand every once in a while. Ever since they were teenagers, when he'd start to get fidgety or start to worry, El always grabbed his hand and by some way, it calmed him.  Over the years it had almost become a routine: Mike worries, El grabs his hand. Mike fidgety, El grabs his hand, and it keeps on repeating, never ending. There probably isn't a day where Mike doesn't get nervous or anxious about anything, and he's honestly surprised he'd never been diagnosed, especially after everything had happened in his teen years. 

Older Mike was brought out of his thoughts when older El took a turn down a familiar road that he and his friends had biked down so many times, so many years ago, and his breath caught in his throat when his eyes caught the side of Hawkins Lab, the large black building looming over them, as if it was laughing at how stupid they were, and Mike had to agree. The Lab was finally shut down, the badmen were finally gone, they, well, El was finally safe, and they were just going to head back inside? It seemed dangerous and unreasonable to him. He had to fight the urge to tell his wife to turn around and they'd figure out a way. But, that was also unreasonable. 

Older El, not being able to get into he parking lot since it was blocked off by the same tall fence it was so many years ago, she drove further down the road to a secluded spot, behind the trees, and parked the car there, but not before she looked around, making sure no one had seen them. Grabbing his backpack that was sitting on his feet, older Mike opened his door and stepped out into the warm May air, and took a deep breath, looking passed the trees and at the lab. 

"You guys ready?" older El asked, shouldering her own backpack she had placed in the trunk in case of an emergency. He and El had this thing a few years back, when things were still dangerous, to always keep two backpacks (one for El and one for him) filled with essentials in case they needed to go on the run, and not having time to do anything but just go. She met his eyes and tried for a soft smile, and mouthed: It's going to be okay. He just returned the smile and nodded, and the teens did the same, shouldering their own backpacks. "Alright, lets go meet everyone else at the back." 

Taking another deep breath, older Mike followed his wife, who had already started walking down the road toward the lab, and quickened his pace so he could eventually catch up to her, grabbing her hand and slipping his fingers through hers. He knew he wasn't the only one who was nervous about what was about to go down, no one really knew. Who knows, it could be a simple button in that room they had to push that will send the teens back, or it could be something much more dangerous. Older Mike pushed the latter away, there hadn't been a sign of any badmen, other subjects, or anything that had to do with the upside down in years. 

It's probably nothing, he told himself, and it helped settle his nerves only a little bit because in the back of his head, he knew this wasn't just a button they had to press. There were the headaches, the bleeding, the spinning room, the screeching noise... and none of that lead to just a bottom, but it didn't lead to badmen or the upside down either which was good. 

There hadn't been signs of badmen in years, he reassured himself once again, or other dangerous subjects, they have all been taken care of. 

Older El squeezed his hand, noticing he was distracted, and when he looked down at her she smiled up at him. "Hey," She almost whispered, glancing behind her shoulder at the teenagers who were also holding hands, before turning back to him. "It's going to be okay. We're going to go in there, find that room, and hopefully send them back. Then, tomorrow, we'll go out to dinner and dancing, and I'll wear that nice red dress I didn't get to wear, okay?" 

"Okay, that sounds good," older Mike replied, and squeezed his hand in return, but he had a small feeling that they weren't going to get these teenagers sent back tonight, that it was going to take much longer to figure everything out, but he pushed those thoughts away, telling himself that it was just his anxious thoughts taking over his head. "That sounds really good." 

"Good." Older El smiled, but it vanished as they neared the lab, walking around the fence to the back where Lucas, Max, and Will (and their younger selves) were waiting for them and the Dustins who had apparently slept in too later. "Hey, where's the two Dustins?" She asked, letting go of Mike's hand so she could go and hug her brother, knowing that he was just as nervous as her and Mike about this, having suffered the most from things like these (beside her). 

Older Max, sporting the same expression as her younger self, rolled her eyes. "Who knows. I don't think they were kidding when they said they were going to re-watch all the Star Wars movies last night." She shook her head, her long red hair displayed in a bun at the top of her head, and ran a hand over her face. "They're just dumb because it's their fault we're waiting here when we could already be inside, trying to send them back." She pointed at the teenagers that were all standing in a circle, talking very seriously. 

"Oh, Max," older El started, clicking her tongue, "Calm down. They're only a few minutes late." 

"Well I'm sorry that I want to get them back where they came from because you and I-" She waved her finger between her and El. "-have got a trip to California that I've been trying to arrange for the past few days. Does the second week of June work for you? Because my dad said we can stay with him for that week." 

Older El raised an eyebrow. "I think I can make that work." She glanced at Mike who nodded, staring at the two of them like he had no idea what they were talking about. "Yeah, that works." 

Older Mike shook his head slowly, trying to clear his thoughts, Okay, so first they're going to the lab, the lab, to figure out how to get their past selves back to the past, and then all of a sudden his wife and Lucas' girlfriend (Oh, Mike knows how annoying it is watching his best friend talk himself in and out of asking Max to marry him, even though he had the ring for the past two years!) are talking about taking a trip to California? And staying with her dad she hadn't seen since she was thirteen? Okay, that makes Mike a bit confused. He'd rather go stand with the teenagers who looked like they were getting a gain plan ready then sit here and listen to the annoying red head and beautiful brunette talk about the beach and taking surfing classes while going to on beach bars. It honestly sounded fun and he was a bit jealous he couldn't go. Hm, maybe he and Lucas could go somewhere, he's an author, he's got money, just chooses not to spend it. 

"We have arrived!" A familiar voice exclaimed from the left of him. 

"Dude," older Mike deadpanned, "You were supposed to be here a half an hour ago." 

"Hey," older Dustin said, holding his hands up in defense. "Younger me and I had to get our full eight hours of sleep... that we didn't get anyway because we fell asleep around four in the morning because Star Wars is addicting." 

Older Lucas just stared at him. "If you would have came ten minutes earlier, you could've saved Mike, Will, and me from the girls' vacation talk," He said, running a hand over his face, trying to relieve some of the tension. 

"Oooo!" Older Dustin exclaimed and threw his arms over Max and El's shoulders, pulling them into him for like a huddle. "Where are we going girls!?" He asked, sounding excited so it was hard to tell if he was joking or not, and older Mike literally face palmed, earning a giggle from older El who had...obviously watched him do it. Seriously, she thought he was hilarious. They'd just be sitting in their living room, watching a movie, or playing uno, or whatever, and she'd just glance up at him and burst into laughter, literal laughter, tears and all, and she'd be totally sober. Like, Mike doesn't understand why she finds him so funny. Sometimes she claims it's because he apparently makes the best facial expressions but he just brushes it off. 

"You're not going anyway," older Max grunted as she pushed away from his arm, giving him a look that clearly red: stay away from me, I bite. And older Mike held in a snort because he can't remember how many times he had received that look from her. The red head was a feisty one, that's for sure, but she was also like a sister to him... even though he hated her. "But, El and I are going to California for a week, just us, no one else." 

"Well, that's a bummer." Older Dustin crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, causing the girls to let out a forced laugh, and older Mike had to hold one in, and by the looks of older Lucas and Will, they were having a hard time not laughing or making a not-so-nice comment. "Leaving your old pal out of all the fun, that's juts rude." He gave El a look. "I thought you were better than this, Ellie." 

Older El bit her lip, keeping her eyes locked on Dustin, and older Mike could tell she was starting to feel bad about making plans with only Max and not everyone else, which she really shouldn't be. But he knew El had always been like that, always felt bad for making plans behind everyone's with backs, always asking if they should invite someone else. Older Mike knew that El felt guilty very easily, and he knew that when her and Max come back, all he's going to here from her for a full week are apologies. So naturally, he had to step in:

"Oh, Dustin, lay off her. She can do whatever she wants without you guilt tripping her so how about you just shut your mouth and we get started on why we came here in the first place," older Mike said, giving his friend a non-impressed look, but not missing the grateful smile he earned from El who had came to stand beside him during his small rant. He continued, "We came here to get these guys home, and that's what we're going to do." 

Looking shell shocked, older Dustin nodded, lifted two fingers up to his forehead, and saluted him, saying, "Sir, yes, sir!" He let his arm drop and readjusted his backpack before walking over to the teenagers, shouting, "We're heading in! Let's go!" 

Older Mike rolled his eyes and started to walk toward the back door, but he was stopped when a small hand grabbed his forearm, pulling him back, and he turned around to find older El staring at the forest with wide, fearful eyes. His heart rate sped up at the look, and asked, "What's wrong?" He followed her gaze but saw nothing, and looked back at her to find her looking at him. It freaked him out a bit, how she seemed to be in a trance. "El?" 

"Sorry." She swallowed thickly. "I'm just...scared." 

"Scared?" His gaze softened, and lifted his hands up so he could cup her face in them, his fingers digging into her hair, his thumbs brushing the skin above her cheekbones. Leaning closer, Mike pressed his forehead against hers. "El, I'll be right next to you the whole time. There's nobody in there, it's abandoned, besides, no one has been looking for you, nor found you in years. You're safe. I promise." 

She smiled, lifted onto her tip toes, and pressed her lips to his softly, her free hand coming up to cup the back of his head, her fingers tangling into his dark hair. Her lips were warm and soft, the exact opposite of what they looked like: chapped and dry. Mike leaned into her, taking his right hand out of her hair and placing it on her hip, pulling her closer to him. They pulled away a couple seconds later, a bit breathless. "I love you," She whispered. 

"I love you too." Mike pulled away from her and moved to stand beside her, grabbing her hand, smiling when she slipped her fingers between his and asked, "Are you ready now? Because, El, I promise, I will not let anything happen to you for as long as I'm alive, okay?" 

El looked up at him, fear flashing through her eyes but as soon as it was there, it was gone, and she smiled, squeezing his hand. "And the same is for you, we've got each other's backs." She tore her eyes away from him and toward their friends who had already made their way through the fence and were standing by the already open door, flashlights out, and waiting for them. 

"You ready?" Mike repeated himself, grabbing his own flashlight out of the water bottle pocket on his backpack, turning it on and off in hopes of it working. Fortunately, it worked. El didn't say anything, grabbing her own flashlight and making sure it worked (it did), and squeezed his hand tighter as they walked over to everyone else before heading inside. 

The feeling he got as he stepped inside Hawkins Lab that haunted him for so many years, was explainable. It was almost like a gush of wind that pushed him forward, sending shivers up and down his spine, and goosebumps to appear on his skin. The sense of dread and fear filled him and he had to keep from turning around and running away. Something deep down told him to get him and El, and everyone, out of there as fast as he could, but he kept moving forward, not letting fear control him. 

And by the way El was holding onto his hand in a death grip, he could tell she was feeling the same way, maybe even worse by the look on her face. He knew how scared she was, not having stepped foot into the place she once called home in ten or less years, then having to go inside all of a sudden. He rubbed his thumb over hers, trying to give her all the comfort he had since he was also scared to death. What were they walking into? What kind of danger were he, his wife, friends, and their past selves getting themselves into? What were they going to face?

Whatever it was, Mike knew it wasn't anything good. If nothing was going to happen, he wouldn't be feeling like he was being watched or that he needed to run for the hills and never look back. But, seriously, about being watched, every step he took, every move he made, Mike felt like there were eyes everywhere, watching him... watching them. Almost like they weren't alone, which was weird, because as of what he could see, there were no cameras that were working, or no sounds or signs of anyone else in the lab. 

"Does anyone else feel that?" Older Max asked, keeping her voice low, from a few feet in front of them, her flashlight beam travelling around the hallway, making sure they were truly alone and no one was following them. "Like we're being watched?"

Maybe it was just Mike's mind but he could have sworn younger El, from where she was walking between younger Mike and Max, looked behind her shoulder at the older version of herself with a knowing look in her eyes before turning back around. Was there something they knew that no one else did? No, that can't be, she promised him she would tell him if anything remotely bad or weird happened. 

"I think we should split up," older El suddenly spoke up as they came to the end of the hallway, pausing at the bottom of a stairwell, her eyes practically glued to the staircase. "We'll cover more ground."

"Okay, but who goes with who?" older Mike asked, tightening his grip on her hand. 

She glanced at him nervous before looking back at the group who had all turned around to look at her, and took a deep breath before announcing the groups. "Will and Max, and the younger versions, are with me." She didn't meet Mike's eyes. "Dustin and Lucas, and the younger versions, are with Mike."

"El-" Older Mike started but she cut him off. 

"Mike, Dustin, and Lucas will stay down here while Will, Max, and me will head to the second floor," She announced, letting go of his hand to stand with her group. "If anyone sees anything weird, whether it has to do with the upside down or not, we'll signal each other, either with a text message or with out old walkies if you have them. We can't chance anyone listening in to phone calls, got it?" Everyone nodded. "Good, let's go." She turned around to leave but Mike caught her by the arm. "Mike-"

"No," He interrupted, shaking his head. "What happened to we have each other's back? What happened to me being with you all the way?" He paused waiting for her answer but she didn't speak up, wouldn't even meet her eyes. "El, I should go with you." She looked at him that, biting her lip as her caramel eyes met his chocolate ones. 

El squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath before opening them again, and spoke in a calm voice, "Mike, I need you to go with Dustin and Lucas." He opened his mouth to say something but she beat him to it, "I need you to trust me." 

Oh how he was a sucker for those words. He nodded, squeezing her arm. "Just be careful." 

"I will. Promise." She smiled. "I'll call if I find anything." 

"Okay." Mike couldn't help as he leaned foreword and captured her lips in a sweet kiss, pulling away a couple seconds later. "I'm serious, be careful, and call me if anything happens." 

"I promise," El repeated then moved away from him, giving him one last smile before she bolted up the stairs, Max, Will, and their teenage selves, following closely behind. 

Mike took a deep breath and turned around. "Okay, we've got to check the first floor so lets go." He didn't wait for a response until he was walking down the hallway, checking every room, more specifically, a room that looked like it could spin. 

Oh, how he wished he knew what they were getting into.

And that's that for today. 

I'm hoping to have the next chapter out sometime tomorrow but I'm making no promises. And just so everyone is aware, I plan out each chapter individually so I have no idea where I'm going with this and that scares me, hopefully everything works out because I kind of have an idea, but I hope it works. The next chapter I think will kind of have something to do with the cover, just pretend the future Party is there with them as well. 

Okay, honestly, I know where I want the next chapter to go, I juts don't know how to do it.

So that's a problem I need to work on, haha.

Anyway, hold on to your hats, because if the next chapter goes how I want it to, it's going to be a bumpy ride. A very emotional ride but I ain't saying what emotions, could be good or bad, or both, but I'm not saying anything.