This is a wonderful story.

So far as I've seen, it's the only one where Mike is also presumed dead after Starcourt along with Hopper.

I think that El would really be hard pressed to be able to keep it together and continue functioning if she lost both Hopper AND Mike -easily the two people who mean the most to her in the world.

Personally, I think Joyce was completely wrong in moving from Hawkins. Yes, she may have wanted a fresh start after all that happened (especially after Starcourt). But, she's too good a mother to not realize that her kids' (and El now included amongst them) lives are in Hawkins. Will has the remaining Party who accept him as he is (I suspect he'd have trouble making friends elsewhere); Jonathan has Nancy; and removing El from her remaining friends is almost cruel. (In show canon, this applies as well only Mike is still there, which makes it almost worse for her.)

Interesting how you have El's powers returning. They seem to be coming back, but without her prior control of them. Personally, I'm of the opinion that her loss of powers is largely psychological following Starpoint.

As for the ending here, I think that's literally the best Christmas present El could receive in her entire life -getting Hopper and Mike back. I also liked how you showed Ted as more concerned and genuinely affected than we've ever seen him.

Now, how much do Ted and Karen know about what's really been going on? I imagine if Mike and Hopper suddenly show up together, after being missing for over seventeen months, looking the worse for wear, they'd HAVE to realize something majorly out of the ordinary has happened.

(BTW, I like how Holly is so excited to see El.)

El's reunion with them both was really good. I'd have liked to have more of a visual on how Hopper looked. I imagine him as looking really thin after everything. (Did you see David Harbour when he hosted SNL? He looked like he'd lost at least 25 pounds. I wonder if that was for Season 4.) As well, Mike looked like he'd taken a few beatings. I presume Hopper would be in the same state.

Mike and El reuniting was pretty much perfect. I honestly think Mike is holding in everything that happened, but now that he's with El again he's able to let it all out. I mean, him just watching television blankly kind of hints that he's suppressing something. I suspect both him and Hopper will be dealing with some PTSD in the coming months.

Holly sneaking down to stay with them was really sweet. (Heh. Did Hopper ask her to go down to make sure nothing happened with Mike and El? LOL. Actually, I think that after clearly having to rely on each other stay alive for so long, I think that Hopper won't care about the three inch rule any longer.)

I'd love to see a follow-up to this. Maybe start the next day as Hopper and Mike recount what happened...Perhaps they're prevailed upon to go to the hospital to be checked out, maybe have Mike's nose fixed properly, etcetera. Of course, I'd like to see how this affects the family dynamics with Joyce and El. I imagine Joyce would be moving back to Hawkins as soon as possible. (I have this image that El would remain in Hawkins, either camped out at the Wheelers, or at Max's, since there's no way she'd be leaving Mike again. )At least until Hopper fixes up the cabin or finds someplace new to live.)

Seriously, I'd love to see more of this, as Joyce and El help Hopper and Mike re-integrate back to normal life and resume their relationships.

The only quibble I can point out is that Christmas Eve in 1986 fell on a Wednesday night. "Miami Vice" aired on Friday nights. (A great Wednesday show in 1986 as the awesome "Perfect Strangers". LOL)

Great work and please consider doing a follow-up.

Words cannot express how much I loved this
My emotions are completely upheaved but that's ok - totally worth it
Is this gonna have a part two? Or is this how it ends, loose threads and all?
I'm so glad El finally got them back in the end tho -.-

I hope you bless the stranger things fandom with more stories. You are an amazing writer and this was such a good story.

Mileven forever, and mixing Holly in there made it even better!

el and mike are the best and so sweet together, i just can't even. loved her meeting them both again, it was so worth it!

Well thanks for making me cry I guess 3

very good. and i dont think you need to worry i have not seen pople write one this like so it is very fresh.

It is one of the first like this, I don't think I've read one where Mike disappears with Hopper before. It's so good! When I started I couldn't stop reading!

Oh wow, I haven't read a one shot like this on FF for a long time, so this was a special treat! What an amazing story you wrote! One of my favourites of all time already! Thank you so much for writing it, we need more content like this!

Beautiful. I think you captured El's grief excellently, and wrote so delicately and nicely everything she was feeling. This was a great length for this type of one-shot, and the story was moving and the characters felt accurate. El's pain wasn't a constant fixation on just Mike or Hopper either, it is multi-faceted. She misses Mike and Hopper and her powers, and feels alone, out of place, and not like herself. She isn't always brooding and unhappy, but she is melancholy and in pain and a state of grief. It's all very well done. The reunions with both of them are so good. Just a great story all around!

Wow this is so good! I almost wish this could have happened in the show!

Incredible story.