Welcome back!

So glad you could join me for the final installment of Somewhere New! There have been many trials and tribulations along the way, mainly the fact that I am terrible at time management and so have not had time to sit down and write for the longest time, nor have I had sufficient motivation to finish this story until I gave myself a very definite deadline. It feels like just yesterday that I started this story, and now we're on the final chapter.

Thank you once again to iAmCC for giving me the idea to write this story at all.

There were a lot of ways this chapter could have gone. I chose to go for a slightly shorter version, mainly because the long version involved a lot of heartbreaking sadness that I don't want to be the thing you leave this story with. The purpose of Somewhere New was to be a silver lining to No More, and I feel like it's done that (aside from chapter 6). Regardless, I left a lot up to the imagination simply because that's what I want it to be. I want you to fill in what you think everything would be like, so I have a short reunion for all the relevant characters, but you can imagine so much further beyond that. All the infinite details that go beyond what can be captured in a word count are what I like most about writing: there are infinite possibilities. Unfortunately, in most circumstances, only one can make the page, so I'm leaving this partly open-ended. Imagine new adventures and experiences for everyone in Eternity, because while this is the end of Somewhere New, their stories are only just beginning.

And now, the (too) long awaited final chapter...

Ted

"Are you sure you really want to be here?" El asks for the tenth time since we got to the arrival terminal.

"It's been a long time, El," I tell her, looking down at the sign in my hands, the name Ted Wheeler written in big letters. One of the last encounters my father and I had plays through my mind again, the time he slapped me. Whether she says anything or not, I know that's what El is thinking about too. "He wasn't a great dad, he wasn't even a good one, but I can't stay mad at him forever."

"If you're sure..." She murmurs, taking one of my hands from the sign to hold.

We stand in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, until the doors to the terminal open and the familiar sound of a jingling purse comes toward us.

"Sorry we're late, Roger couldn't find his other shoe," My grandmother, on my father's side, says once she reaches us. My grandfather is a little ways behind her, silently shaking his head.

"What Joanna means to say is that she was doing her hair and lost track of time," He corrects, getting a light swat from his wife when they stop.

"Oh stop it, Roger, none of that today," She replies, brushing it off so she can start a new conversation. "How are the little ones doing?"

El and I hold back some combination of a shudder and a chuckle. Our house looks more like a zoo these past few years, with two dogs and three children running around. My grandparents on my mother's side are watching them for us while we're here, probably spoiling them worse than we do.

It had been quite an experience to adopt children in Eternity, and an incredibly sad one at that. Still, now we have three little bundles of joy running around the house, drawing on the walls, and generally causing mayhem.

The first one had been Alexa, the sweetest little baby girl who had peach fuzz blonde hair and the greenest eyes we'd ever seen. Now she's six and wants to draw on anything and everything she can get her hands on, even the dogs.

The second one was Noah, about two at the time, and painfully shy in the most adorable way. He and El had hit it off almost immediately, and it helped that Noah's hair is just as curly, and his eyes just as brown as her's. He's five, with an addiction to chocolate milk and space-related anything.

Just a few weeks ago we'd adopted our third child, a little girl named Lucy with bright red hair just like Max's, and the brightest blue eyes in the world. She's still just a tiny little baby, but she has lungs big enough for ten. It took a little while for El to get that babies can't eat eggos yet, and for us to figure out that Lucy exclusively switches between pumpkin banana and blueberry buckle baby food.

"They're doing fine," El answers while I'm lost in thought.

"That's good, they're such a lovely bunch," Joanna responds, digging through her purse for something or other. In this life or the first, she always seems to have an infinite number of things hidden in that bag.

When the doors on the other side of the terminal open, we all fall silent. There's a small crowd that come through the sliding doors, looking around curiously. It's hard to believe that it's been almost twenty years since I walked through those doors with the same expression on my face.

My eyes land on a single man, toward the back of the crowd. He's only a little over sixty years old, but dad's side of the family has been prone to blood clots for years. Grandpa Roger thought that it would probably be a blood clot that brought my dad to Eternity to join us.

The man himself gets a questioning look when he sees me holding a sign with his name on it. I can't really blame him, though, the last time he saw me was when I was when I was fourteen. Now I'm a grown man, I've filled out into my body, my hair is somewhat under control...

And I'm happy. My wife, the single most amazing person in the universe, is standing next to me. There are three little bundles of energy waiting for us back home, five if you count the dogs too. I have everything I could ever want, which is pretty much the exact opposite of when I was alive.

He ambles over to us slowly, exactly the way I remember him walking around the house. The lines in his face are much more pronounced, as are the dark circles under his eyes. His eyes light up a bit when he recognizes his own mother and father, albeit much younger than the last time they saw each other.

"Mom? Dad?" He murmurs as they step toward him. Each one gives him a short hug before stepping back.

"There's so much to tell you, Teddy, but it can wait a little bit longer," Joanna tells him, laying a gently hand on his arm. "Someone important needs to talk to you."

I ready myself for when his gaze turns to me, and to El as well. Confusion is written all over his face for a few seconds, but I can see the moment when it all turns into crystal clarity.

"Mike..." He whispers, as if he can't believe his eyes.

"Hi, dad," I respond, confirming it for him.

El squeezes my hand one last time before she leaves with my grandparents, going to find a nice cafe to wait in while we talk. I'm not even sure where to begin with this conversation, though, which makes it quickly turn into a prolonged silence.

"Mike, I'm..." He starts, the corners of his eyes starting to glisten. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

It's a little painful to watch my father start to cry, so I do the one thing I know always helps. I give him a hug.

He stiffens when my arms touch him, though I can't really blame him. He's already been blaming himself for almost twenty years.

"I'm not angry, dad," I tell him, trying not to let myself choke up. "This place, everything that came after... it's been the most amazing experience I've ever had. I might have come here a little earlier than I was supposed to, but that hasn't changed it all that much."

"But-"

"Dad, really, you've beat yourself up about this enough," I insist, hugging him a little tighter. I vaguely remember when I was little, when he would put me and Nancy on his shoulders and run around. He'd held onto us so tightly back then. "We don't hold grudges here in Eternity, we learn to accept and move past. I accepted everything a long time ago, and everything's been perfect since then. Now it's your turn."

I'm not quite sure what I'm hoping will happen after I give him the speech. It's pretty similar to what everyone had told me when I arrived here, and I'd taken it pretty well, but I'd also been more focused on seeing El again than anything else.

When his arms move to hug me back I know that he understood the important parts. The details will come with time, but he knows, he finally knows...

Everything can finally be okay again.

XxX

Hopper

"I always knew it would be those damn cigarettes that kill him," El murmurs, fingering the sign in her hands, her eyes fixed on the big black letters, surrounded by the colorful shapes and designs from our children.

"Don't count out the alcohol," I remind her with a small nudge. "Or the times he abused his meds, or the fact that he lived in almost constant stress for a long time, or that he was Chief of Police-"

"Is there a point to this list, or are you just trying to make me sad?" She interrupts, giving me a look I know very well by now.

"What I'm trying to say, despite my mouth's best efforts," I reply, stepping a little closer to put my arms around her. "Is that it took a lot to send Hopper here, and that he's probably the strongest man we could have ever known."

El's lips turn into an even more familiar smirk.

"I don't know, I think you can give him a run for his money now," She says, squeezing one of my biceps. "I don't think he has a champion's belt hanging on the wall in his bedroom."

"If you didn't insist on displaying it for the rest of forever, I wouldn't either," I retort, only to be silenced when she leans up to kiss me.

After over thirty years together, it still works just as well as the first time. I pray that it never stops working, either, or else I'll have to have myself committed.

"Ewwww," A little voice complains from behind El. The two of us smile as our kiss ends, both of us turning to look at Lucy, our nine year old little fireball. She has a stuffed bunny in one hand and a bag of cheerios in the other. "That's gross."

"That's not very nice to say, Lucy," El tells her, though she's still smiling. "Daddy and I are married, we can kiss whenever we want."

"It's still gross," Lucy responds. "I'm never going to kiss anyone."

"Is that so?" I ask, sharing a mischievous glance with my wife.

El's powers keep Lucy stuck in place so I can grab her, hoisting her up despite her trying to push me away with her stuffed bunny.

"No, daddy, stop!" She cries, trying to keep the bunny between us. It's almost convincing, until she starts giggling.

Her efforts are in vain when I break through her floppy-eared defenses, peppering her face with the biggest, most embarrassing kisses I possibly can. El doesn't come to our daughter's aid, too busy laughing her ass off.

"Dad, you're making a scene," Our other daughter hisses, coming up beside me. Alexa has never been one for the spotlight, despite our encouragement.

"Leave them be, Alexa, it's a parent's rite of passage," A newly familiar voice chimes in. We'd only met Hopper's parents and grandparents a few weeks ago, but they fit in perfectly. They'd been off with our son getting something to eat, though I don't see Noah among them.

His grandfather, the one who had just spoken, had been especially curious about how well his cabin was faring after his passing. He'd been delighted to know that it had become like home for El.

"Are you embarrassed of us now, Alexa?" I question, ending my attack.

"Have been for a long time, dad," She retorts quietly.

"She doesn't mean that dad, you guys are the best!" Noah interjects, jumping out from behind Hopper's parents to scare his sister. It works, just like every time, and Alexa screams, jumping away from him.

"Noah, you asshole!" She screams back at him, starting toward him once the shock goes away. She freezes mid step, as does Noah when he tries to back away from his sister.

"Alexa, no killing your brother," El tells them, giving each of them a pointed look. "And Noah, what did we tell you about scaring your sisters?"

"Only on Halloween..." Noah murmurs, his eyes dropping to the floor.

"And is it Halloween?" El follows up, crossing her arms over her chest.

"No..." He replies, still looking down.

"So that means you should...?" She asks, waiting for the answer she wants.

"Sorry Alexa," He sighs, but El isn't so easily appeased.

"What was that? I couldn't quite hear you," She says, cupping her hand next to her ear. Noah sighs, getting the message and looking at his sister.

"Sorry Alexa," He apologizes.

"Alexa?" El continues, giving our daughter a pointed look.

"Fine, apology accepted," She says, though she still looks like she might be plotting revenge on her brother.

They both stumble a little when El lets them go, and proceed to stand on opposite sides of our welcoming party. She and I exchange another look, and a smile.

"Daddy, can you put me down now?" Lucy asks, trying to squirm out of my hold.

"I don't know, are you gonna give me a kiss?" I respond with a smirk.

"No! Kissing is gross!" She insists, leaning as far away from me as she can.

"Here, Lucy, I'll do it for you," El tell her, planting a big kiss on my cheek. Lucy fake gags until I set her down. She looks around for a few seconds, and then her eyes light up when the outer terminal doors open again.

"Aunt Sara!" She exclaims, rushing toward the woman who just entered.

We'd met Sara a few years ago, mostly by accident. She'd been looking for us, across dozens and dozens of other districts, and she just so happened to be checking in at our town hall when we were going on our monthly visit to the reflecting pool. From there, we became almost instant friends, especially since she had kept a pretty close eye on our escapades that first year, and how El and Hopper had bonded over the second.

She comes by for dinner at least once a week now, usually more because our three little monsters demand it of her. When we got the message about Hopper's impending arrival we'd called her first, and she said she'd meet us there.

I notice something in her hands as she hugs Lucy. It's a book, and while I can't see the title, I can guess that it's Anne of Green Gables. That had been Hopper's go-to book, for Sara and for El.

Noah and Alexa get to her next, joining in on the hug and almost knocking Sara over. El and I share a glance, and stifle a laugh. We haven't done it for years now, but somehow ours kids have picked up our greeting habits.

When Sara finally extricates herself from the children's grasp she comes over to us, giving her grandparents a slew of hugs. By the time it's our turn all she can stand for is a quick embrace before she starts nervously turning the book over and over in her hands.

"It's been forty years since I last saw him," She murmurs nervously. "What if he doesn't recognize me?"

"He'll know," El assures her, taking one of the nervous woman's hands. "He had his faults, more than his fair share, but he always came through when it counted."

"Think about it this way," I add, hoping to lighten the mood. "You don't have to explain to him how you went and married his daughter without his blessing."

It's dumb, but it gets her to chuckle a little, which is good because the inner doors open just after that. She and El both tense up at the sound, their eyes fixed on the unblocked doorway.

A small crowd makes its way into the terminal, one of the dozens and dozens that sprawl through this building. Most of them are nondescript elderly men and women, some with odd fashion choices, some wearing suits...

And one wearing a Hawkins P.D t-shirt, old and faded, but unmistakable. The man wearing it is still incredibly large, and he has the same aura of authority, but his age definitely shows. We'll have to explain to him how changing your appearance works here. It's quite fascinating really, but this isn't the time to bring it up with him.

He looks around the terminal as he walks, glancing down at the packet in his hands, and then back up. That's when he sees us.

I get a sense of deja vu when he drops his packet, rushing forward to finally embrace his daughters again. The two of them don't just wait for him, oh no, they all but tackle him in return. I smile, going to pick up the packet for him, and I can just make out a few of the hushed words going on in the hug.

"It's okay dad," Sara chokes out.

"It wasn't your fault," El manages to say before she starts to cry.

I go back to the welcoming party, content to wait for them to have their moment. They may have the rest of eternity, but this part is special.

"Daddy, who is that?" Lucy asks, pulling on my pant leg.

"That's your grandpa, sweetie," I tell her, leaning down to pick her up.

"But I thought Grandpa Teddy was my grandpa?" She questions.

"He is, Lucy. You have two sets of grandparents," I explain, still watching the scene unfold. "Grandpa Teddy is my dad, this is your mom's dad."

Lucy nods, and quickly sets about opening her little bag of cheerios, which I have to help her with.

"Why hasn't mom ever talked about him?" Noah inquires, coming up beside us.

"It's a tough subject, Noah, even for your mom," I answer, putting my free arm around his shoulders. "And once you turn sixteen we'll explain it to you. Until then, just try not to push them too far."

"Okay," He murmurs quietly, which is odd for him. Quiet normally means serious.

Alexa comes to join us as well after another few moments, standing on the opposite side of me as Noah. I notice her wringing her hands behind her back, something El used to do a lot at her age.

"You guys don't need to be nervous, he's going to love you," I inform them, though it assuredly falls on deaf ears.

When it does come time to be our turn, I can see the split second question in his eyes before he recognizes me. His tears start to well up all over again, and the words are written all over his face.

"You don't have to feel guilty, Hopper," I tell him, before he even opens his mouth. "I made my choices."

I get deja vu again to what Bob had told me after I'd come through those doors so many years ago now.

"But-"

"We don't do a lot of accusing here in Eternity," I continue, drawing on more of my memories. "We make our peace with what happened, it comes with the territory."

I make him look me in the eyes, and I make him see what I'm talking about.

"You've grown," He comments with a half smile. "I used to have you shaking in your sneakers, now look at us."

"Don't feel too bad, I still can't shoot the broad side of a barn," I respond.

He manages a laugh at that, before focusing on the three smaller people with us.

"And who are the little ones?" He asks, smiling at each of them. Lucy tries to hide behind her bunny, which is weird because she's normally the most outgoing.

"Dad, these are our kids," El says, recomposing herself before coming back over to us. "Alexa is our oldest, then we have Noah, and little Lucy."

It takes Hopper a second to register that, and he looks between the two of us several times, until El holds up her hand with her ring on it.

The his gaze locks on to me.

For some reason, though, I'm not the least bit scared. Nothing could be better.

XxX

Karen

"According to Hopper, she really became the new Flo after Flo retired," I explain. "She had more authority in that station than he did."

"That sounds like your mother," My dad comments, shifting the handmade sign around in his hands. "I wish I could have changed things, so I was less of an ass for our entire marriage."

"You've improved quite a bit in the last few years though," El comments. "Liam and Jessica are always so excited for you to take them to play."

"It's what I wish I did the first time around," He admits.

"I remember you being like this when we were little," I tell him. "You used to give me and Nancy piggy back rides all the time."

"You remember those?" He asks almost disbelievingly. "You were only three when I stopped doing those."

"They were good memories," I reply, turning back toward the door as El giggles at us, as if we're still kids.

This time it's just the three of us. We'd left Hopper in charge of our two five year olds, which usually goes pretty well, except when he gives them chocolate chip eggos way past dinnertime. The house just hadn't felt right without kids running around, after our first three had moved out, so naturally we'd adopted two more.

The first three still visit almost every other day to tell us how they're doing, which they could do with a simple phone call, but it's nice to see them. This time we adopted two of the same age, one boy and one girl.

"Just wait till mom finds out she has five grandchildren she didn't know about," I murmur, chuckling a little in nervous anticipation.

"She's going to love them, even more than we do," El assures me, taking my hand in hers. It's so simple, and yet it works every time.

When the door to the terminal opens again, the small crowd slowly making its way in, I can feel my heart start to race again.

As usual, there's an odd combination of outlandish fashion choices and formal wear. People walk slowly, taking in the terminal and glancing down at the packets they'd been given not long ago.

It's impossible to miss her, even in the little mess of people. The lines in her face had gotten so much deeper, but so had the smile lines. Her hair had turned gray, and originally she'd dyed it away, but after a while she let it be the way nature intended for her.

Her eyes widen a little in surprise when she spots us, mainly the sign we're holding, but then she seems to recognize the man holding it. As she starts walking over she looks at El, and then at me...

She freezes, her packet falling from her slack fingers. I can see the glint of tears starting to form in her eyes even from halfway across the terminal.

I'm not really surprised that she recognized me, she is my mother after all. It doesn't really matter if it's been five minutes or fifty years, she'll know it's me.

It's an incredible feeling to hug my mother again, the only difference now being that I'm a grown man, and I've filled into the all gangly limbs I'd been cursed with as a teenager.

And I'm happy now, unlike anything I'd ever been alive.

"Mike." She says breathlessly, squeezing me as if I'll disappear if she lets go. "Oh, Mike...I'm-"

"Stop," I cut her off before she can say it. "It's good to see you, mom."

She can't hold it back anymore, burying her head against my chest to cry. I hold her gently, just like I held El all the times she cried.

Dad and El come over to join us, and dad picks up the packet mom had dropped.

"Mom, there's someone I'd like you to meet," I tell her after another few minutes, gently nudging her back so she can see all of us. I reach out and find El's hand, a perfected habit at this point. "This is El, my wife."

"El..." She murmurs, looking the woman herself up and down in awe. "Hopper told me about you, but to actually see you..."

"It's nice to finally meet you," El responds with a smile. "And I'm sure all of your grandkids will be excited to meet you too."

My mother looks like she might faint with the intake of information, but that's okay. We have all eternity to explain it to her now.

"It's nice to see you again, Karen," Dad finally says, drawing mom's attention. Mom doesn't even seem to know what to say, and Dad doesn't seem. "I owe you a thousand apologies, and I plan to give you each one of them, so here's the first. I'm sorry, about everything."

"Oh, Ted..." She says, letting go of me to give him a hug as well. "I've wanted to apologize to you for years."

My parents hug each other, not quite as tight as mom had hugged me, or how El and I hug, but definitely glad to see each other again. I put my arm around El, and she leans into me. We share a glance.

Everything will be fine, just like always.

XxX

Joyce

"I still can't believe you two got married," El comments. "That Sara and I have brothers too."

"You're about forty five years late on realizing that, kid," Hopper points out.

"I kind of realized it when we watched the ceremony," El retorts, squeezing my hand with a smirk. "Seeing you wearing a tux was amazing, by the way."

"Oh shut up," He growls at us.

"No, it looked good," I tell him, fighting down the laughter that threatens to bubble out of me. "And I had no idea you could dance like that."

"Says the one who went and married my daughter without my blessing," Hopper shoots back. "Taking all of those moments away from me."

"Oh shush, Benny did just fine," El interjects. "He walked me down the aisle, gave me away, the whole deal."

"I question his judgement though," Hopper responds. "Just look who he gave you away to."

"Dad, we've been over this. Mike is my husband and you have to accept that," El stresses. "And if I hadn't been absolutely certain I wanted to spend all of forever with him, it wouldn't have mattered what Benny said. Mike was my decision."

"Yes sweetie, whatever you say," Hopper drones, rolling his eyes.

El and I look at each other out of the corners of our eyes, both of us trying not to smile. Hopper will never change, but we'll be just fine.

"Here they come," I say when I see the first sign of movement behind the sliding doors. The mix of expressions is always interesting to watch, everything from curiosity to fear, taking their first steps into a whole new world.

I can hear Hopper's breath catch just before I spot her through the little crowd. Mrs. Byers had always seemed to have stress written on her face whenever I saw her, but now she seems relaxed, like some great weight has finally been lifted.

Hopper doesn't wait for her to come to us, starting off across the terminal. It's not hard to spot him coming, and Joyce smiles when she notices him. Their embrace is soft, nothing like you would expect from Hopper's massive figure.

"Do you think we looked like that?" El questions, leaning her head on my shoulder.

"Considering we were only fourteen, it probably looked a lot more awkward," I tell her, putting my arm around her waist. "But it was perfect."

The two of them talk about something, probably how good it is to see each other again, and I can't blame them. Being apart from someone you love is hard, but finding them again is the greatest feeling ever.

When they finally decide to come back to us, Joyce has a big smile, and even Hopper's stone face cracks a bit.

"Oh, you have no idea how nice it is to know you're both okay," Joyce tells us, bring El and I in for a hug at the same time. "I know I'm not supposed to say it, but still, I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault," El assures her.

"And it's all in the past now," I add. "Let's leave it there."

"Oh, alright," Joyce says, though she still has a guilty twinge to her tone.

"Did Hopper tell you yet?" El asks, changing the subject with practiced ease.

"Tell me what?" Joyce responds, letting us go and looking at her husband, who also seems confused.

El and I look at each other, both of us trying not to give it away.

"Well, since you and Hopper got married," I start.

"And Hopper all but adopted me," El continues, her excitement threatening to spill over and just say it.

"That means that any kids we have would be..." I say, waiting for her to make the connection. It takes another few seconds for the realization to break through, but then Joyce just beams at us.

"I'm a grandmother all over again!" She exclaims, bringing us in for another hug. "How many?"

El and I both chuckle a little before answering.

"Oh, well, we have three that are adults now," I tell her.

"And two seven year olds," El finishes. "Plus the dogs."

"Well, I need to meet them then," Joyce decides. "Let's go."

With that Joyce lets us go and starts toward the door, a new purpose in her step.

"Well, she's adjusted faster than most people," I comment.

"She's good at that," Hopper informs us, starting after her before she gets lost. "You get used to it."

El and I exchange one last look before following as well. Our little family is coming back together again.

XxX

Jonathan

"Is it always this stressful to stand here?" Joyce asks for the tenth time since we arrived, wringing her hands together.

"The first few times, yeah," I tell her, understanding how she must feel.

"It gets easier the longer you're here," El informs her, putting an arm around her shoulder. It's still weird seeing my wife the same age as my mother-in-law, but I'm sure that will go away with time as well.

"Should I have brought a sign?" She questions. "Some people brought signs."

El and I share a covert smile. We'd have asked the little ones to make a sign, but they're not too great at making things legible yet.

"It'll be fine, Joyce," I assure her, still not used to using her first name. It feels weird on my tongue. "You'd probably have crumpled it up by now anyway. Take a breath and try to relax a little."

"You make that sound so much easier than it is," She says, giving me a look.

"He does that a lot, actually," El mentions, giving me a sidelong glance. "But, somehow, he knows what he's talking about most of the time. There's nothing to be worried about, everything is already taken care of."

Despite our efforts, she doesn't seem appeased, still wringing her hands. When the doors open and the small crowd of people come through, she freezes almost like a deer in the headlights. Her eyes scan over every face that comes through the door, until it finds the one.

At eighty-six years old, Jonathan still looks pretty good. There aren't too many wrinkles on his face, though he does have little creases on the corners of his mouth. His hair is short and gray, but he still has most of it. He's wearing a black suit, with an old camera around his neck. I'd learned after the first few weeks that when people die of natural causes, and then have a funeral, they come wearing whatever clothes they were buried in. There's also a boarding station for them, but I'd bypassed that entirely.

Jonathan recognizes us immediately, and by us I mean his mother, who is somehow younger than him now. His steps are slow as he walks toward us, showing his age, but a big smile breaks out on his face.

"Mom," He greets when she meets him halfway (two-thirds, but does it really matter?). "Wha...what is this place? How are we here?"

"There's a lot to talk about, Jonathan," She says, hugging him tightly. "And there are so many people who want to see you again."

It's like he was waiting for a switch to flip, and now he notices us standing there, a bit closer than before, but still a few yards away. The smile on his face gets a little smaller, a bit more strained, and I can see the grief behind his eyes that he was never fully able to move past.

El squeezes my hand, our cue to finally go say hello. She greets her stepbrother with a hug, which he gingerly returns, as if she'll vanish into smoke if he hugs too hard. I know that feeling all too well.

His mouth opens and closes several times as El and I greet him, but no words come out of it. He just can't seem to figure out what to say.

"It's good to see you, Jonathan," I tell him, giving him a hug of my own.

"Mike," He finally manages. "I...I..."

"Don't worry about, Jonathan, what's done is done," I say, forestalling his next sentence. "If you want to talk, we can do it later, but for now, there's better things for us to do."

"Like meeting all of your nieces and nephews!" El jumps back in. "Mark, Anthony, and Rachel are all a bit young to have heard all our stories, but the rest are all grown up now."

"The...rest?" He questions, his face becoming a mask of confusion.

"Like I said, there's a lot to talk about," Joyce tells him, laying a hand on his arm. "So why don't we go get started?"

It takes another few moments for the words to process in Jonathan's mind, but then he starts to smile again.

"I'd like that," He says, taking his mother's hand.

As we leave the terminal, I can't resist one last bit before we start introducing Jonathan to the wonders of Eternity.

"So, Jonathan," I start nonchalantly. "How's my sister doing?"

XxX

Steve

I take a sip of my coffee while I wait, this time meeting our latest arrival on my own. El, Joyce, and Hopper had offered to come with me, and even my mom had offered, but this one I need to do myself. As much as I'd love to give the standard "we don't hold onto the past" speech, that's not going to work for Steve.

Him and I need to talk, that much I'm certain of. What we'll actually end up talking about is an entirely different story.

After the first time El and I checked in on everyone at the reflecting pool, I'd been thinking how this conversation would go, and every time I think about it, everything changes. We're in a different place, we start right away, we make small talk first, El is there with me, it's just Steve and I; the variations are endless.

When the doors slide open, I recognize Steve immediately. Even at eighty eight years old, his hair is still going strong, though it has turned silver. His suit is much nicer than most, though not a surprise for him. I'm surprised he wasn't buried with his mercedes too. While he's definitely not a teenager anymore, he doesn't show the normal signs of being almost ninety, the mess of wrinkles and slow gait from bad knees. His face isn't smooth by any account, but he's still definitely the Steve Harrington everyone knew and most loved.

He looks around the terminal, and despite not having seen me for sixty-nine years, he recognizes me almost instantly. When he starts toward me, I meet him halfway. We stand across from each other for a few moments, both just looking, sizing each other up after so long.

We'd never been close friends; it's a wonder I was even included on the message list for his arrival, but now here we are. Being face to face now, I'm not even sure what to say to him. Thankfully, he takes the initiative.

"So, you did end up somewhere...new," He says plainly, his face like a block of stone, with smile lines and a few creases, but then he smiles.

I give him a hug, trying not to spill the two cups of coffee I'm holding. Why did I even get them beforehand? We could just go to a cafe here in the city and get coffee when we're ready, but no I brought to-go cups with me.

"It took you a long time to come join us," I mention. "But welcome to Eternity."

"Well, I made you a promise, remember?" He says, accepting the cup that I offer to him. "I'll just assume you heard, what with all the magic you must be able to do in this place."

"I heard," I tell him, cracking a smile and turning toward the door so we can talk somewhere else. "There's a lot for us to talk about, but thank you."

"You're welcome," He responds, taking a sip. "It seemed like it was the least I could do after...everything."

"You did plenty, Steve, trust me," I assure him as we exit the terminal. He looks around in wonder at the skyscrapers around us. "The question is, where to start?"

This is one of the questions I'd mulled over with infinite answers for so many years. What was the real start of the story? Do I tell the parts of it that are about El, or do I let her tell it to him when we get home?

"How about at the beginning?" Steve suggests, as if that wasn't what I was trying to figure out, tearing his eyes away from the buildings. Real estate did end up being his calling, and he made it big. "And don't skip the details. I've waited almost seventy years for this."

"Alright grandpa, just don't expect it to be some epic story," I retort, rolling my eyes at him, though I really just need some more time to make a decision. "And a lot of it you were a part of."

Steve just takes another sip of his coffee, and I question why I even brought him any when he's just going to irritate me with it. I should have just brought some for myself, he must be pretty well rested after being on the ship over here.

Was the beginning when we found El in the woods? Or was it when Hopper called us to the principal's office to ask about Will? We could go back even further and start with El's time in the lab, but that seems like something she should tell for herself when she's ready.

What part of this complex, sad story was the beginning for me? If I'm going to tell it, I have to start at the beginning for me. Still, when was that?

I take a deep breath, and then sigh.

"It all started when we were playing D&D..."

XxX

Nancy

"So the kids didn't want to come today?" Mom asks when we arrive at the terminal, just a few minutes behind schedule because El wanted to stop and look at the dogs running around the park.

"No, grandpa promised to take them to the movies today, and they couldn't be swayed," El answers, holding back a laugh.

Really it had been Joyce that orchestrated it, but only so Hopper would have to watch the kids movie. He's been very stubborn about avoiding kids movies, but there was no chance he could say no to Mark, Anthony, and Rachel. I'm not even sure what the movie's about, but I think it has dragons in it.

It's a shame that they won't be here to greet their aunt, but I'm also a little relieved. Steve and I had a long conversation when he got here, and it hadn't all been friendly. I'm sure it's going to be worse with my sister, considering what she went through because of me.

"Are you okay?" El asks quietly, gently brushing her hand against mine.

"Yeah, just nervous," I tell her, taking her hand long enough to give it a squeeze. "I'm going to need to break the first rule."

"I don't blame you," She says, a wistful smile on her face. "Plus, aren't rules meant to be broken?"

"Just don't let the kids hear you say that," I respond, smiling and giving her a kiss.

"Woah, keep it pg you two, this is a solemn occasion," Steve interjects.

El and I both glare at him, but it doesn't even faze him. Back in the body he had in his prime, his hair is back to its full majesty. Looking at him you'd almost miss the sign in his hands with my sister's name.

"I feel like they'd know best, Steve," Jonathan retorts, looking equally young, though his hair had never been quite as famous. "They were the ones greeting us when we got here."

"Oh, stop it you two," Mom interrupts, standing on the other side of Jonathan with dad. The two of them had put their differences behind them, as is common practice in Eternity, though they hadn't gotten back together.

If I've learned one thing from being in Eternity so long, it's that people are willing to forgive a lot of things when faced with an endless expanse of time. Old problems don't seem so big anymore when a lifetime is just a blip in your new existence. Yes, some things can't, and shouldn't, be forgiven, but we've put that behind us as well, years ago now.

"Here they come," El whispers, jostling me from my thinking.

The door slides open just after her words, the small crowd of people shuffling into the terminal, all of them both curious and apprehensive at this new world they've been thrust into. In the middle of the crowd, with her silver hair falling loosely around her shoulders, is Nancy. I feel something catch in my throat when I see her, and I'm glad that she doesn't notice me right away because I'd probably start to cry if I needed to even say hello just yet.

El squeezes my hand while Jonathan and Steve start toward Nancy. My parents follow just behind them, but I hesitate taking the first step.

"It's been seventy-two years, Mike," El whispers. "She's waited that long to see you again, to hear you speak, and move, and be there...don't make her wait too much longer."

I hate that she always knows what to say to me.

Everyone is excitedly welcoming Nancy to Eternity when we reach them. We wait at the back of the group for them to reunite; it's only fair since they were around longer. Nancy is a bit more reserved when she greets our dad, but she doesn't seem as hostile toward him as she did after...you know.

When she finally seems to notice El and I standing there, confusion spreads across her wrinkled face, and then she freezes. She looks like she's seen a ghost, which I guess technically, she has.

"M...Mike?" She murmurs, as if saying it too loud would turn everything around her into a mirage.

"Nancy..." I try to start, but the words catch in my throat again.

Steve wisely takes a step to the side, because Nancy and I rush to hug each other. She hugs me so tightly that I'm afraid she'll dislocate something. We'll have to inform her about appearing different ages once we leave.

"I'm so sorry, Mike," She whispers, her voice quivering with emotion.

"No, I'm sorry," I counter, trying not to choke again. "You did everything you knew how to, it wasn't your fault."

"But-"

"No," I insist, firmer this time. I make my voice stay steady when I speak. "It wasn't your fault Nancy." My voice threatens to break again. "I only lasted that long because of you."

The last part is barely loud enough for her to hear. I'd been so afraid to tell her that out loud for so long, it feels like I'm standing on hollow glass legs now.

Nancy starts to cry in earnest, hugging me a little tighter than before, our friends and family surrounding us for support. It feels good to finally be able to say it, though, like I've been carrying a weight for seventy-two years that I could finally let go of. It's taken a blissfully long time, but I can finally make sure she knows.

XxX

Lucas

Even after doing this so many other times, it's still a little surreal to come to the terminal after getting an arrival message. It's especially surreal when the person you got the message about is the same age as you.

"He was one of your best friends, of course it's going to feel weird," El says, reading my mind despite that not being one of her powers.

"I just never considered that I'd be meeting them here," I tell her. "It was always something that was going to happen in the future, so I never needed to think about it in the present."

"I'm sure he'll be happy to see you," She replies confidently. "There's a lot to catch up on, after all."

"What's a lot to catch up on?" A new voice asks.

We turn around, smiles on our faces, to greet Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair. We'd given them a call to let them know we'd be coming, and they'd said to meet at the terminal. We made better time getting here, ease of practice and all.

"Life stories," I answer, which makes them both laugh.

"Well, so long as he has time to give mom and dad a hug hello after so long," Mr. Sinclair responds with a chuckle. "I'm sure the two of you have more to talk about than we do."

"We do have all eternity to hear about the last twenty or thirty years," Mrs. Sinclair comments. "Our boy made it to eighty-eight."

"He had good genes," Mr. Sinclair declares, his laughter just becoming infectious.

"And he had a nice girl to keep his head on his shoulders," Mrs. Sinclair adds. "Lord knows what trouble he'd have gotten into otherwise, with that company of his."

We'd probably have gone on for a while longer, but we're interrupted by some nervous chatter going around the room. Movement is spotted on the other side of the glass doors, and then they slide open, the small crowd coming in.

Lucas had aged well, not too many wrinkles, and still with most of his hair, though it had grayed. His suit is incredibly nice, the sign that he'd done really well for himself, or that he just had a really good tailor.

We hadn't brought a sign, but Lucas easily recognizes his parents from across the room, and how they're now younger than him. We follow a few steps behind so they can greet their son, and as always, it's a very touching scene to watch.

"Well, if you guys are here, that would mean that you two," Lucas says, moving his attention to us. "Must be Mike and Eleven."

"I see you're still just as observant in your old age," I comment, but I can't help the grin that breaks out on my face.

"I ran one of the biggest tech firms in the country for fifty years, I have to be observant," Lucas retorts, pulling me into a hug. "Doubly observant because I had to keep an eye on Dustin the whole time."

"I'm surprised he didn't go into making pudding," I reply, drinking in my old friend's presence after so long.

"He was considering it, but I convinced him otherwise," Lucas explains as we pull back from each other. "And El, don't think you get away without a hug. I might be old, but I'm not senile."

El laughs at his bad joke as they hug. Seeing them now, you'd never believe that Lucas had some kind of vendetta against her when we were younger.

"Since you shared so much about your company, it's only fair that we share something with you," El says.

Lucas raises an eyebrow, at least until El and I hold up the rings on our fingers.

His jaw drops.

XxX

Dustin

"I hope they had plenty of snacks on Dusty's boat," Mrs. Henderson fusses, looking through her bag for the plastic spoon she brought, pushing aside more than one cup of pudding for her son.

"I don't think that food is going to be an issue, Mrs. Henderson," I assure her, trying not to laugh. "The boats never run out of food."

"But what if there's a really long line?" She questions. "Or if he gets lost trying to find the exit terminal?"

"He'll be fine," El joins in. "There's plenty of people there to guide him, and he only needs to make it here before we can show him where to go."

Mrs. Henderson opens her mouth to raise another possible reason why Dustin might need the emergency pudding, but it gets cut off by the sound of the doors to the terminal sliding open.

We wait patiently and expectantly for Dustin to walk through the doors, older and grayer than we remember, but still unmistakably Dustin. He's not at the front of the crowd, or in the middle of the crowd, and by the time the back of the crowd makes it in we all come to a realization.

Dustin managed to get lost.

That thought doesn't last very long either, as the doors slide open once again to reveal a man who is impossible to mistake as anyone but Dustin Henderson. He even has his old hat on his head, though it doesn't go particularly well with the suit. I'm sure he asked to be buried in it.

He was just late.

Dustin has a lot more spring in his step than would be expected for an eighty-nine year old man, but he practically bounces his way over to us.

"Hi mom, I finally made it," He says, giving his mother a great big hug.

I can't even say that I'm surprised by this turn of events. This is probably just another one of his curiosity voyages, and we happen to be along for the ride.

Mrs. Henderson almost starts to cry, the emergency pudding forgotten as she embraces her son for the first time in years. Dustin has his signature smile on his face, and just seems to exude charisma. El and I can't help but smile at each other.

"And that means that you guys must be...Mike and...Eleven?" He guesses, turning to us once his mother relents and lets go.

He phrases it as a question, but he already knows. We simultaneously roll our eyes at him and pull him into a group hug. He laughs, which makes us laugh.

"It's good to see you guys again," He says, holding each of us at arm's length to look us over. "Oh, rings, you guys got married?"

Between him and Lucas, it's a wonder I didn't try to kill either of them with the nail bat, they're both infuriating. At least Lucas was surprised when he found out, if only because he thought I'd never have the balls to ask.

"Mike, there's something I need to say," Dustin continues, his grin turning into a much more serious face, though the permanent smile lines on his face don't particularly help. "I should have said it all those years ago, but I couldn't, and that was one of my biggest regrets. Thank you, for that day in the quarry."

"What day in the quarry?" Mrs. Henderson asks apprehensively. It's going to be a time trying to explain that one to her.

"You don't have to thank me," I tell him, almost reflexively. It was my choice, he didn't even ask me to do it. "I'd do it again if I had to."

"Yes, I know, you're an idiot," He retorts, and then pulls me into another hug. "But seriously, thank you. You have no idea how much that meant to me."

"I can imagine," I counter, thinking back to what I'd seen in the reflecting pool.

We both stay silent for a few moments, the unspoken understanding passing between us.

"Let's walk and talk, I'm sure there's more to see than this airport terminal," Dustin continues, letting go of me and starting toward the door. "And let me tell about the scholarships I set up in your name. My pride and joy!"

He starts to ramble on about his part in the company that he and Lucas had started. At first it's just the big picture, but Dustin skips around to the good parts. They'd brought Will on as a silent partner near the beginning to help them with their marketing and publicity, but he hadn't been too involved later on.

When he gets to the part about the scholarships, I start to tear up again. It had been Dustin's idea, but Lucas and Will had been overjoyed by the thought. There were four altogether; one for students going into engineering, one for students going into computer science, one for students going into a mental health profession, and one for those going into biology, chemistry, or physics.

All the things that I'd loved or needed. The guys knew I wanted to be an engineer someday, I just never figured out what kind. They knew I loved computers, it's the reason they made me AV club president. Our science fair projects were always my favorite things to do, and we tried to pick a different theme each year.

And I'd really needed that therapy. No matter how much I'd hated it when I went, it actually helped a lot. Maybe if I'd gone to therapy the first time, things might have turned out differently...

No, this isn't the time or place. Right now I need to listen to Dustin talk about how he made pudding a constant staple in the corporate cafeteria. I've had a good life here, with El, and I wouldn't give that up.

Now it's time to catch up, and to let Dustin meet all of his new nieces and nephews.

XxX

Max

"Dude, you're shaking," I comment to Lucas, who can't seem to stand still with the glittery sign in his hands. The kids had put extra effort into it, and a small puff of glitter falls from it every time Lucas moves, so it's essentially raining glitter around his feet.

"She's my wife, Mike," He snaps back.

"Then you should relax," El tells him. "Being all high strung while you're here isn't going to be a good welcome to Eternity."

"I'm trying," Lucas retorts, putting no visible effort in at all.

"Everything will be fine, Lucas," Ms. Mayfield says from his other side. "You should have heard the way she talked about you when she was getting ready for the wedding, she'll be so much more than happy to see you."

Lucas' next attempt to reject our help is lost at the sound of the doors sliding open. His eyes dart around, trying to find her through the crowd before anyone else can. He finally locks onto one person, a faint reddish tinge to her silver hair, walking slowly at the back of the group.

He doesn't wait to see if we've found her, he just takes off across the terminal, a cloud of glitter falling in his wake. She notices him when he's halfway over, a grin breaking out on her face, and once they're close enough to hug, Lucas drops the glittery sign altogether.

"You think he forgot about us?" I inquire, trying not laugh. Really, the scene is very touching, it's just Lucas that makes me crack up.

"Dustin's gonna be mad that he isn't here," El comments.

"Yeah, well, he shouldn't have promised to take the kids to the zoo today," I respond, starting over to our friends. "He knows that there's no getting out of doing something with them once he says 'promise'."

"We taught them so well," El murmurs with a smile, taking my hand as we walk.

Lucas and Max have had their tearful reunion by the time we get to them, and by the look on Max's face, he told her who else came to greet her.

"Welcome to Eternity, sweetheart," Her mother says, giving Max a gentle hug.

El steps forward next, before I can even open my mouth to speak.

"This didn't go so well the first time, so why don't we try again?" She says. "I'm El, it's nice to finally meet you. I've heard lots of great things."

El extends her hand, and for a few moments Max just stares at it. I start to worry that Max somehow still has some kind of animosity toward El.

That thought disappears when Max shakes the offered hand, like a massive knot unraveling in my stomach. The both of them smile, and then hug. Once Max knows how to be any age she wants, the two of them are going to be a force to be reckoned with.

"And Mike..." She starts, turning to me once she lets go of my wife. "There's so much I need to say, so many things I need to thank you for."

"Don't worry about it too much," I tell her, extending a hand as well. "We have all eternity, after all...Zoomer."

Max takes a second to process that, and then skips the handshake entirely, pulling me into a tight hug.

"Thank you, for everything," She murmurs, her voice wavering a little with emotion. "For everything you did for me back then...I don't know what I would have done without you."

"You'd have been fine, in your own time," I respond, trying to bring out whatever sage-like knowledge I've gathered over the years. "I just gave you a push."

"Yeah..." She whispers. "Sorry about the supercom, I know how much it meant to you before...you know."

"Before I died?" I reply, feeling her tense up a little. "I'm not mad, I was never mad. The supercom was just plastic and metal, but letting you know I didn't hate you, that's what it was supposed to be."

She nods against my shoulder, probably trying not to start crying again.

"Hey, I think you've hugged my wife for long enough," Lucas says, tapping me on the shoulder. I take the cue from his grin, stepping back so he can be the one to comfort his wife.

El and I join hands once again, glad to have another of our friends back with us.

XxX

Will

Of all the reunions that I knew were coming, I've been most nervous about this one. Nancy had been a close second, but I'd known how to apologize to her. I'd known how I hurt her, and I could understand it. I can't say the same about Will.

I always knew Will was different, but the good kind of different. That's why we'd been best friend since kindergarten; that's why I've spent so much time at the reflecting pool watching over him. I'd just been so wrong thinking that Will would be able to keep going as easily as everyone else, and then I'd seen what Will wrote about me, about us.

He trusted me so implicitly, and I betrayed him. I all but destroyed him. That's not something you can just apologize for.

"He loved you so much," Joyce says, interrupting my thoughts. "No matter what, no matter how bad things were for him, you made him happy. He kept that picture from the science fair with him all the time."

That just drives the knife deeper into my chest.

"So I know what you must be thinking," She continues. "That you can't face him now, after what happened, but you can. There's nothing he ever wanted more than to see you again, so don't keep that from him."

"Yeah, or we might get mad," Jonathan adds, which makes El and Hopper laugh, until Joyce glares at them.

"Bet you two weeks of babysitting that Will notices Mike first," Hopper whispers to his daughter. I'm sure I wasn't meant to hear that, but I sigh nonetheless.

"Bet you four that he just hugs Mike as soon as they see each other without acknowledging us," El counters, equally poor at whispering.

"You're on," He agrees quietly.

My own wife is taking bets about me and my closest friend, just perfect.

I almost jump out of my skin when the doors slide open, getting another giggle out of everyone but Joyce. The small crowd starts to shuffle in, almost entirely elderly people this time, which I guess is a good thing.

Something just draws me to one of them, a slightly shorter than average man with a head of gray and white hair. He has glasses at the end of his nose, and a slight stoop from hunching over art projects all the time.

Will and I lock eyes from across the room, before any of the others manage to find him in the crowd. We both start walking toward each other at the same time.

When we hug, no words pass between us, just a feeling. For too long, we've both been missing something important, a piece of ourselves, but now we have it back.

Now we're whole.

The fact that El just won the bet that she and Hopper had made never even crosses my mind as Will and I reunite, though it will when El and I want to finally go out together in the future. Four weeks of babysitting.

Now though, my friend is back. My best friend, no, more than that. We'd always been more than just friends, but brothers doesn't quite work here. Then it clicks, from Will's own words...

Soulmates

XxX

Holly

"You should have seen her wearing your hoodie around the house," Nancy tells me. "It was long enough to be a dress, and her arms only went halfway down the sleeves. Whenever she had to hold something it was adorable."

"I'm glad she found some use for it," I respond wistfully. "I just hope she remembers who I am. I've been gone almost her entire life."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that," Mom assures me. "She never forgot her big brother, who taught her to ride a bike, and how to do math, and took her to the carnival, and got her the monkey hat-"

"Who brought her home from school everyday on his bike," Nancy picks up. "Or who told the best bedtime stories in the world."

"You were her hero," Mom continues. "I remember when she was supposed to write about someone she looked up to in first grade, and she picked you. She kept that assignment hanging on her wall until the day she moved out."

"She took it with her," Nancy adds, as if I couldn't make the connection there. I glance over at El, but just seems bemused.

"Look at it this way, Mike," Dad says. "If she's going to be unhappy to see anyone, it's going to be me. Remember when she took those classes on Russian just so she could annoy me with it?"

"How could we forget?" Nancy mutters. "All she spoke for two months was Russian, we couldn't understand a single thing she said."

"And, as it turns out, she's not the first in the family to speak Russian," I mention, remembering the receiving line after the wedding.

"Don't remind me," Dad complains to himself.

It's nice to have our family together without all the same stress and tension we had before. Once we have our final member, we can really start to be a family again; maybe not a perfect one, not after everything, but still a family.

When the door opens, all of our attention goes over there. El squeezes my hand, just as nervous as I am for this reunion, or in her case, first meeting.

Mom grips the sign in her hands a little tighter. Our three new bundles of joy had so much fun putting it together, we never had the heart to correct their spelling of Holly. There are two L's in it, not one, but Amber, Katherine, and Henry don't need to know that for a few more years.

Luckily for us, she can fill in the context clues. It might also help that she's seen three of the five people waiting for her look the ages they appear now. Albeit, if I hadn't been keeping an eye on her all this time at the reflecting pool, I wouldn't be able to recognize her either.

She's much taller now, her hair is long and white, and she has the story of a full life on her body. However, the twinkle in her eyes is still the same as the last time we were face to face, there's no mistaking it.

"Mom, Nancy, dad..." She murmurs, not believing the sight before her eyes. When she gets to me and El, I can see the same mix of confusion and curiosity that she had every time I showed her something from my science textbook. "Mike...?"

She says it as if she's afraid to know the answer.

"It's good to see you, Holly," I respond, unable to stop the smile that creeps onto my face. She did remember me.

For her age, she's surprisingly spry, almost flooring me with the force of her embrace. I can see the glint of tears on her cheeks, but I'm sure I have a matching set on my own.

"I knew I'd see you again," She says, her voice half muffled by my shirt. "I knew."

"And there's someone else you should meet," I tell her after a few wonderful moments. Holly lifts her head, and then reluctantly lets go. I gesture to El, who smiles. "This is El, my wife."

Holly considers her for a second, looking her up and down, and then laughs.

"I'm just kidding," She chuckles. "Welcome to the family."

She doesn't hesitate in giving El a hug of her own, to which El seems quite taken aback. Most new people she's met haven't gone straight to the hugging stage.

"Well, for better or worse, we're all back together again," Nancy observes once Holly lets go of El. "The Wheeler family, new members and all."

"Oh, not yet," I correct. "You're forgetting Jonathan, which means we're forgetting Will and Joyce."

"Plus all eleven of our children," El adds, stepping closer and taking my hand. "And Lucas, Max, and Dustin."

"And Benny, Barb, and Bob," I continue with a smile. "And every single one of our ancestors, and our friends' ancestors."

"Family isn't just blood," El sums up. "Family is whoever cares about you."

I don't see one single bit of disagreement from my immediate family. If anything, the idea is exciting.

"We're gonna need a bigger table," Mom comments, laughter erupting around our circle. This is what family is supposed to be like.

And now, that's what our family really is.

Thus ends Somewhere New...

I really hope you enjoyed everyone reuniting in Eternity, and the little interactions between them. Some of it may have been a bit rushed to meet my deadline, but I don't think anything turned out truly awful (I didn't send this to my beta reader, so it hasn't been as fully proofread as normal). If you have any thoughts on what everyone gets up to in Eternity that you want to share, drop in the the reviews or PM me and I'll take a look. I hope all of you have enjoyed reading Somewhere New as much as I enjoyed planning and writing it, and if you like my writing style, I hope that you'll give my other stories a chance.

As for the sudden deadline, today (January 25th, 2019) is one year and eleven days since I first posted Somewhere New (January 14th, 2018).

Until we meet again!