Mike stood at the top of the basement stairs, his ear pressed against the door that led up to his living room. Will was sat at his feet just a couple of steps below, Lucas was standing at the bottom with his arms folded and Dustin was tucking in to a pudding cup.

"Well, what'd you hear?" Dustin shouted up to Mike, an innocent look on his face as he wiped the chocolate from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.

"Will you shut UP!" Mike whispered loudly as he glared at all three of them. Taking a deep breath, he leaned back against the door.

It was 2am when they had all been woken by the doorbell. Just as Mike had reached the top of the stairs, he had heard Hopper's familiar voice echoing through the house. Why was he here?

"Maybe she's back." Mike knew that as soon as the words left his lips, he was psyching himself up for a fall.

"It's been months, Mike. You think she'd just show up now in one piece after the way she fought off the Demagorgon?" Lucas was saying what they were all thinking, but Mike couldn't lose hope. He sat himself down next to Will, his eyes falling on his right wrist where his digital watch sat, the same one he had gave to Eleven all those months ago. He twisted the strap round and round, his eyebrows knitted together.

"Well, I don't know. MAYBE she found another gate - another way through… she just took a while to find it. Or maybe it took her out somewhere other than Hawkins? Or maybe she's been in a hospital this whole time and nobody knew who she was so - " Mike looked up and was met by three sympathetic gazes. He knew it himself, the likelihood was slim. Very slim.

But he refused to believe she was dead. He just… he never felt it. In his heart, he had a strong belief that she was just lost.

It was almost as if he could feel her willing him to find her.

" - She's round at Joyce's place." That's all that Mike had to hear. He shot up to his feet, throwing himself through the door that he had just been trying to listen through moments ago. Hopper and his mother's heads snapped up and their eyes met his.

"El?" Mike directed at Hopper, who was stood leaning against the doorway. Mike's left leg began bouncing uncontrollably, desperate for some sort of confirmation from the two faces that were staring blankly at him. Hopper took a big sigh as he crossed his arms, looking behind Mike as the other boys crowded around him.

"Yeah, it's her -" Mike couldn't control himself. He felt his mouth curve up in to a large grin as his eyes glazed over. No matter how many times he had dreamed about this moment… nothing could beat this feeling. The relief crashed over him as Dustin's hand came down on his shoulder, pulling him in to a bear hug.

"Slow down guys. It ain't so straight forward. She -" Mike was barely listening to what Hopper had been saying. He grabbed his jacket from the nearest chair and dawned it on top of his pjs, slipping on his trainers. The other boys had already followed suite. They weren't letting Mike go alone. This was too big to handle alone. The all lined up on front of Hopper and raised their eyebrows, waiting for some sort of instruction.

Hopper threw his head back as he shut his eyes, knowing he had already lost the argument that hadn't even started. He opened the door and gestured out to his truck and so the boys headed out, climbing in quickly. They didn't exchange any words, just a few glances. No one really knew what to expect.

Mike burst through the door as Nancy came in to the hallway, grabbing him by the shoulders. She smiled down at him as he looked up at her. She was really here, just one wall away. Nancy nodded at him, though there was a sad glint to her expression. She slid her arm around Mike's shoulder as they rounded the end of the hallway and entered in to the living room where piles of christmas lights still sat around the floor.

And then there she was, still in the same ratty pink dress… wearing Mike's old jacket that he had lent to her during that first week together. Silence fell across the room as everyone looked between them. El's eyes looked from the window next to her to meet Mike's. She audibly gasped, visibly swallowing as her mouth twitched up slightly.

It only took Mike a few big strides to reach her, pulling her up from her seat and in to his arms. He squeezed her tightly as he lay his head on her shoulder, tears finally escaping his eyes along with a weird choking noise from his throat. He felt her arms slowly snake round his waist, her hands clasping together behind them. They stood like that for what felt like ten minutes, just soaking up each other's presence.

Honestly, Mike was terrified to let go. The last time he had held her, he had released her… and then she had been gone. He had replayed that moment again and again in his head, torturing himself over the endless possible ways that the situation could have ended instead.

It was El that ended their embrace, gently pushing Mike back by his shoulders. His hands slid so that they rested on either side of her shoulders, squeezing them gently… making sure she was real. Her eyes were glassed over like his, as they stared at one another.

"I knew you were alive." Were the only words Mike could get out. El offered him a small nod as her lip began to quiver. His heart ached to hear her say his name again. He waited patiently, nodding slightly to encourage her... but nothing came.

Instead, she began looking between everyone, a panicked look masking her face. She took a few steps past Mike and stopped when she was face to face with Will. She was now hysterically crying, her whole body shaking from the tears that wouldn't stop running down her face. Will looked at Mike with a worried expression as he froze in his place, unsure what to do.

And then she said her first word since she returned, directed at Will.

"Sorry."