.

The wedding was almost coming to an end and El glanced at the church door one more time. There still wasn't any sign of Mike. She knew that there was a possibility that he wouldn't be there because he had been at writer's camp all week. And even though Mr. Wheeler had gone to get him the day before, they'd blown a tire on their way home. She was disappointed but she knew he wasn't there for a good reason.

Hopper and Joyce were pronounced husband and wife and they walked up the aisle together while El pasted on her best fake smile and let Will take her arm.

"I'm sure Mike's just as disappointed as you that he can't be here," Will told her in a low voice because he always tried to play peacemaker between them even if he didn't have to.

El sighed. "I know. I was just really hoping he'd be here."

"I know," Will said.

"There's going to be other weddings," El said wistfully as they exited the church. "But knowing that doesn't help right now."

"Well at least he's always there all the other times," Will replied as Jonathan's photographer friend stopped them to snap a few pictures.

El knew that Will was right, Mike was there all the times it counted. He was there even when it didn't count and she would rather he and Mr. Wheeler were safe rather than he be there at all… but that didn't stop her from feeling dejected.

She had been looking forward to Mike complimenting her dress and asking her to dance. When she had found out that he might not be able to make it to the wedding, she had allowed her mind to wander to the scene in Sixteen Candles, where Jake Ryan had shown up at Samantha's sister's wedding. But he was still nowhere to be seen and she knew she should have known better.

She faked smiles for Hopper and Joyce's sake before being whisked off into Steve's car to go to the reception. She fidgeted the whole drive there and tried to stop obsessing over whether or not Mike would show up by some miracle.

Tonight was about her parents anyway, not about her and Mike.

But it didn't stop her from darting over to Nancy as soon as she spotted her standing near the dessert table. "Is Mike okay?" she blurted out in way of greeting.

"I assume so," Nancy answered. "The last we heard, the tire had been changed and he was on his way home. I don't know if he's home yet, I had to leave to get the wedding cake."

El sighed. "Thanks", she said with a sudden hatred for camp and car tires.

Nancy smiled at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry El."

"It's fine," El mumbled as she toyed with the ribbon around her bouquet of flowers. "It was out of his control."

"It's okay to be upset," Nancy told her. "It won't ruin anyone's day if you're a little disappointed. I know how much his being here meant to you."

"There's going to be other weddings," El repeated. what she had said earlier. "Other opportunities to… anyway, he's not here and that's okay. It's not like he didn't tell me that he might not be here."

She knew that she was saying the same thing over and over again to everyone and she was frustrated with her inability to just be okay with his not being there.

She wished she could just enjoy herself despite his absence. After all, this was one of the happiest days of her life, of Joyce and Hopper's lives. They were finally a real family. They had been for a while now but there was something more permanent about marriage and she was happy.

But…

She knew that it was something she wanted to share with Mike just like she shared everything else with him. But she didn't have time to dwell on it for much longer, Will came to retrieve her because Hopper and Joyce were having their first dance together as husband and wife.

Nancy came with them and El leaned into her until it was her turn to take a spin around the dance floor with her new brothers. Then she took turns dancing with Dustin, Lucas, and Steve and she hardly had time to notice that Mike wasn't there anymore.

She had paused to get a drink when she looked at the door and saw Mike coming in looking a little flushed and rumpled in a suit. Her heart skipped a beat and for a second, she thought she was imagining him. But then their eyes met and he hurried over to meet him.

"Sorry I'm late," he said. "I would have been here sooner but my dad said I couldn't come to a wedding without showering or changing into something more appropriate than shorts and a t-shirt that I'd been wearing for over 24 hours."

El shook her head, suddenly feeling like she was floating as she reached out and straightened his tie. "It's alright. I'm just glad you're here. I didn't think you would be here at all."

"I didn't either," Mike replied. "I think I drove my father crazy today because all I did was check the clock."

"I think I missed most of the ceremony because I kept watching the door waiting for you to show up," El admitted.

"Of course I was going to come," Mike told her as he took her hand. "I couldn't miss the chance to dance with the prettiest girl at the wedding, no matter how late it got."

El broke out into the biggest smile she had smiled all night. "Well then, dance with me," she said.

"As you wish," Mike said as he took her hand and led her back to the dance floor.

She settled into his arms and they swayed together to the music. She didn't take her eyes off of him the whole time because she couldn't believe he was actually there. She slid her arms further up his back and held onto him more securely, even though she knew for the time being he wasn't going anywhere.

"I'd ask you about the wedding but I guess you already said that you didn't really pay attention to it," Mike said.

"I'm happy we're a family," El answered. "I mean I guess we've always been a family but now it's more real…" she trailed off and got a far away look in her eyes even though she never broke his gaze for even a second.

"I was thinking the same thing all day today," Mike told her, almost like he could read her mind. "That one day it's going to be the two of us… someday."

The word someday had never sounded sweeter than it did tonight, on the night of her adopted parents' wedding. She felt like she was going to float away on a day dream.

"Someday," she repeated aloud, her smile growing even bigger.

She didn't want to rush the time. She was happy where they all were right now. But at the same time, she couldn't wait for someday to get there.

Until then, she would keep dancing with Mike.

.

Fin

I don't even know what this is. It started out as a really strong story in my head and snowballed into something I don't think I agreed to in my head but at the same time, these days I'm going to write when and whatever I am able to. Tell me what you think and if I should finish writing this story from Mike's POV, which is how it originally started.

Until Next Time!