Chapter Text
The next morning, Mike woke slowly, his body stiff from the sofa bed. The room was quiet, the morning light filtering softly through the curtains. He blinked a few times, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep. His mind still carried fragments of last night’s conversation—the ring, their words, the raw honesty that had left them both unsettled yet closer in some unspoken way.
He shifted slightly and realized the bed across the hall was empty. A soft sound of movement drew his attention. El was already up, perched at the dining table, a mug of tea in her hands, staring out the window at the rising sun. Her hair was still damp, slightly tousled, and the way the early light fell on her face made her look both peaceful and distant.
Mike swallowed, feeling the familiar mixture of awe and nervousness. He quietly made his way to the kitchen, careful not to disturb her.
“Morning,” he said softly.
El turned her gaze toward him, a small smile tugging at her lips. “Morning. Sleep okay?”
Mike shrugged. “Sort of. I kept thinking about last night.”
“Me too,” she admitted. “It took a while, didn’t it?”
He nodded, not trusting his voice to carry more than that. They shared a quiet moment, sipping their tea in companionable silence, the weight of the previous night still lingering but somehow lighter in the soft morning.
“So,” El began, breaking the silence, “do you have any plans for today?”
Mike set his mug down. “I was planning to go to the waterfall. That’s it. No other plans.”
“Did you not go yesterday? Mike, are you seriously going to the same place your whole time here?” El asked.
Mike remained quiet, unsure of what to say.
El tilted her head, curiosity in her eyes. “Would you like to… follow me around for the day? See what my life is like here?”
Mike blinked, caught off guard. “Uh… follow you?”
“Yeah,” El said, her tone playful but gentle. “You’ve seen the waterfall, but there’s more to a day here than that. I could show you around—how I run the café, take care of the place… you know, the day-to-day.”
Mike hesitated, weighing his own fatigue, his lingering doubts, and the pull he felt to just be with her. But something in her voice, the way she offered it so casually yet sincerely, nudged him toward the answer.
“…You know what,” he said finally, a small smile forming, “why not? I’ll give it a shot.”
El’s smile widened, just enough to make him feel like maybe today wouldn’t be so difficult. Maybe, just maybe, this was a new beginning—tentative, undefined, but real.
Mike rushed through his morning routine, splashing water on his face and pulling on the first clean clothes he could find. Even without her saying anything, he could tell El was running late. The way her fingers tapped against her mug, the slight bounce of her knee—she was anxious, trying not to show it.
“I’m sorry if I held you back,” Mike said as he grabbed his jacket. “I’m not used to being up this early.”
“It’s fine,” El replied quickly, mostly to reassure him. “This climate takes a while to get used to. Once you do, it’s easy.”
Mike nodded, not entirely convinced.
They both made their way out and got settled in El’s car.
“So,” he asked, forcing some lightness into his voice, “where’s our first stop?”
“We’re heading to the farm I mentioned—Jón’s farm,” El said as she pulled onto the road. “It’s looked after by one of his old friends now. Normally, if I’m feeling extra motivated, I come earlier and help out with the farm work. But today we’re just picking up supplies and loading them onto the truck before heading into town.”
“You’re driving the truck later?” Mike asked, mildly alarmed.
“Yeah. We’ll take my car to the farm, leave it there, then use the truck. Once we’re done, we’ll come back for the car.” She glanced at him. “Don’t worry—I won’t drive us off a cliff.”
“Please don’t,” Mike said dryly. “I’m way too young to die.”
“Too young, huh?” El teased. “Didn’t Holly start calling you gran—”
She stopped herself mid-sentence.
Mike turned to her sharply. “How did—” He swallowed. “You visited me. In the Void?”
El shut her eyes for a split second, silently blaming herself for being careless. “Yes,” she admitted, guilt softening her voice.
“Did you… do it often?”
“At first, yeah,” she said quietly. “But after your close-to-death stunt, I stopped going as much. I’d still visit on my birthday. Sometimes on yours.”
“Why’d you stop?” Mike asked, even though part of him already knew the answer.
“I was afraid of what I’d find,” El said honestly. “I still get shivers thinking about that night. After your overdose, I was scared that the next time I saw you in the Void… it would be worse.”
Mike looked out the window, jaw tightening.
So she stopped visiting because she was afraid he’d be dead. That was all that mattered. She couldn’t bear to watch him die—so instead, she disappeared from his life entirely, leaving him to grieve her the same way.
He was too tired to argue. Too tired to reopen the wound.
“Mike?” El glanced at him. “You still with me?”
“Yeah,” he replied quietly. “I’m… sorry you had to see me like that. Not my proudest moment.”
El gave a small nod, a faint smile touching her lips before she returned her focus to the road.
“Why were you planning to go back to the waterfall?” she asked. “Didn’t you see it yesterday?”
Mike almost told her the truth—that he wanted to be alone, that being beside her felt harder than standing in front of the roaring water. She was barely an arm’s length away, yet the distance between them felt impossible to cross. Too much had changed. Mostly her. And it wasn’t something he had asked for, or knew how to accept.
“I, uh… forgot to take pictures,” he said instead. “I promised Hopper I’d get some decent shots. By the time I thought of it yesterday, it started raining.”
El smiled softly. “Don’t worry. We’ve got a few days left. I’ll make sure you get that picture.”
“That’d be nice,” Mike said.
The car slowed as El turned onto a gravel road.
“Alright,” she said. “Here we are. The farm.”
Mike stepped out of the car, his boots sinking slightly into the damp ground. The farm stretched out wider than he expected, open and alive in a way that felt grounding. Animals roamed freely, sprinklers hissed in the distance, and the rich smell of wet soil filled the air.
It was… peaceful.
“Come on, I’ll show you around,” El said, already walking ahead. “Over here we’ve got dairy cows and draft cattle. The dairy cows are for milk production, obviously. The draft cattle are more of a backup—for ploughing the fields if the tractor decides to quit on us.”
Mike nodded, taking it all in. “So… you’re not going to show me how you milk a cow?”
El stopped and turned to him, amused. “Oh—bold of you to assume I’d just do free labour. What do I get in return?”
“Fair,” Mike said, pretending to think. “How about a signed copy of my trilogy once the third and final book is done? You get the first exclusive copy. Signed by yours truly.”
She blinked. “No way. Really?”
“Really.”
El laughed, shaking her head. “Okay, that is some serious motivation. Or bribery. But not today—another day, maybe. They’ve already been milked.” She pointed to several crates nearby, already filled to the brim.
“Oh,” Mike said sheepishly. “Sorry. I guess the city boy in me thought it was unlimited. Like Slurpee machines at 7-Eleven.”
El burst out laughing. “You wish, Mike!”
It was loud. Genuine. Unrestrained.
Mike froze for a moment, just watching her. He hadn’t heard that laugh in a long time. Maybe the last time was at Hopper’s cabin—back when the biggest thing on their minds was swapping spit, like Will had so delicately put it. When Mike tried—and failed—to sing Never Surrender.
God. That felt like another lifetime.
He studied her now—this version of El standing in front of him. Some parts of her were still so familiar, grounding him. Others were new, shaped by time and survival. And maybe… maybe those changes weren’t such a bad thing after all.
“Over there,” El said, pointing. “That’s the hen house. That’s where the chickens are.”
Mike followed her gaze, completely in awe as she casually explained her routine—her mornings, her responsibilities. It felt normal. And that thought hit him harder than he expected. This was something El had never really had before. A normal life.
Without warning, El reached down, grabbed a chicken, and lifted it up, holding it right in front of Mike.
Mike yelped, stumbling back. “El! Why would you do that?!”
She laughed, clearly enjoying herself, eyes gleaming mischievously.
“Oh my god,” Mike said, still startled. “It almost looks like that dinosaur I saw in a movie the other day…”
“There is a movie about dinosaur?” El frowned. “That sounds cool.”
Mike stared at her. “Oh wow. You haven’t watched it yet?”
She lifted her eyebrows, looking genuinely lost.
“I don’t really watch movies. The only time I ever do is when Kristin hosts movie nights, and that itself is a rare occasion,” El said.
“Do you… have a TV at your place?” Mike asked carefully.
“No.”
“Right,” he said, nodding. “Okay. So, there’s this movie called Jurassic Park. It’s about these dinosaurs that existed on Earth millions of years ago. They went extinct. And this mad scientist tries to bring them back.”
El listened intently, clearly trying to picture it, even if she couldn’t quite. Still, she liked hearing Mike talk. She always had.
“Hopefully one day I’ll get to watch it,” she said softly. “Now—mind giving me a hand loading these crates onto the truck?”
Mike followed her to where the truck was parked, the crates already lined up neatly beside it. El stepped onto one of the crates, then reached up to the back of the truck with ease.
Mike froze.
Something about that—about how natural she looked, how capable—hit him hard.
Hot.
Yeah. That was the word.
He quickly bent down, grabbed a crate, and handed it up to her. El caught it easily and stacked it carefully in the truck, arranging everything so nothing would topple during the drive into town.
Given how heavy the crates were, Mike couldn’t help but stare.
She was strong. Stronger than he remembered.
And for the first time since arriving, he felt something unexpected bloom in his chest—not fear, not anger.
Pride.
Once all the crates were carefully loaded onto the truck, Mike and El climbed into the front. El started the engine.
“Okay, this is going to be a slow but steady ride to town. Feel free to catch up on any sleep if you want,” El said.
“No, I think I want to enjoy the view. The landscape is really beautiful.”
El nodded in agreement.
About twenty minutes in, Mike’s head rested against the side window, fast asleep.
El let out a soft laugh and pulled the truck over to the side of the road. Once the engine was off, she turned toward him.
She watched him sleep.
A small smile crept onto her face. But with it came a flood of thoughts she hadn’t invited. The last time she had seen Mike with his eyes closed and not moving was that night—when he was almost gone for good. Her chest tightened. El quickly pushed the memory away and focused on the present.
On him.
Maybe I should’ve stayed. Or taken you with me. I’m sorry, Mike.
Without fully realizing it, her hand lifted, hovering near his face. His hair was longer now, softer-looking. Different—but good. As her fingers were about to brush through it, Mike stirred.
His eyes began to open.
El pulled her hand back instantly, turning away just in time.
“Woah… how long was I asleep for? Are we here?” Mike asked, his voice raspy.
“No,” El replied quickly. “I was thirsty and realized my water bottle was at the back, so I stopped to get it.”
“El, I have one in my bag. You should’ve asked me.”
“You were sleeping peacefully. I didn’t want to wake you.”
“I’m sorry—I don’t even remember falling asleep. I was watching the view and now… I’m here.”
“It’s fine. We’re close anyway. About ten more minutes.”
“Once we unload everything, we can have breakfast at my café.”
“I still can’t believe you own a café.”
Mike smiled, genuinely excited. Earlier that morning, he hadn’t wanted her anywhere near him. But now—after seeing her at the farm, listening to her explain her routine, watching how naturally she moved through this life—his feelings had shifted.
He was curious.
Curious about the life she had built here. A life on her own terms, shaped by her own decisions. And so far, it looked like El had been making the right ones.
They reached the café after a relatively short drive from the farm. Mike stepped down from the truck as El parked. They had arrived in a small town called Selfoss. There wasn’t much activity—just a few people strolling along the street, unhurried and quiet.
Mike glanced to his right.
Jón Café, written in bold letters on a large wooden sign.
It wasn’t a big café, but it wasn’t small either—probably the perfect size for a town like this. He tried peeking through the window. It wasn’t crowded. A few older folks sat at tables, sipping their drinks and chatting softly.
“What do you think?” El asked as she closed the truck door and walked toward the back to unload the crates. “First impression?”
“Uh—yeah. It’s… nice,” Mike said. “Quiet, but peaceful. And honestly, that’s really nice.”
El smiled to herself, clearly pleased. “Do you mind giving me a hand so we can unload the crates from the back?”
“Yeah, of cou—”
“There she is! About time, Jane. We were getting worried,” a voice called out from the café entrance. “You’re usually early.”
Mike turned. It was the man from the photo frame at El’s place.
“We thought maybe the truck broke down,” another woman added as she stepped outside beside him. “Or worse—the rain yesterday was pretty bad.”
Both stood next to El now, their eyes shifting to Mike, openly curious about the unfamiliar face.
“Kristin, Gunnar—this is Mike,” El said. “Mike, these are my friends, Kristin and Gunnar.”
“It’s Michael,” Mike corrected politely. “Mike’s just short for it.”
He reached out to shake their hands, starting with Kristin.
“Michael?” Kristin paused. “You mean Michael Wheeler?”
“Yeah, uh… how did you know?”
“Jane’s told us about you,” Kristin said casually.
“She has?” Mike blinked, surprised. “Wow. I didn’t think she would. Well then, I guess you should know that El—Jane—and I are—”
“COUSINS. Second cousins,” El cut in quickly, her face turning pink.
Mike hesitated for a split second, then nodded. “Yeah. Second cousins.”
“Oh! You’re a writer too, right?” Gunnar stepped closer.
“I… guess so?” Mike said, glancing at El, clearly unsure what exactly she’d shared.
“Well, it’s nice to finally meet you,” Gunnar said, extending his hand.
The air grew awkward.
“Guys,” El interrupted, “we still have supplies in the truck. Let’s unload first and talk later, yeah?”
They all nodded in agreement.
Mike tried to help, but he felt out of place. For El, Kristina, and Gunnar, this was routine—everyone knew exactly what to do. Who grabbed the crates, who carried them inside, who organized them in the kitchen, who returned the empty ones to the truck. Mike only managed to slow things down.
Eventually, once everything was settled in the kitchen, they all sat at a table. The café was still quiet, so no one stayed behind the counter. El chose a seat where she could keep an eye on the entire place, ready to help if a customer needed anything.
“So,” Gunnar began, “what brings you here, Michael? Jane’s mentioned you now and then. You were almost like a fictional character to us.”
“Yeah,” Kristin added, “like the ones from your books.”
“You read my books?” Mike asked, genuinely surprised.
“She made us,” Kristin said. “At first, we thought she was just abusing her owner privileges. But honestly? We fell in love with them. The Dark Reflection—that dimension was terrifying, but so cool.”
“And that misty spider creature?” Gunnar added. “Absolutely terrifying. Loved it.”
“Well… thank you,” Mike said. “I’m glad you enjoyed them.”
“We never knew Jane had a cousin who was such a great writer,” Gunnar said.
“And handsome too, apparently,” Kristin added with a grin.
Mike choked on his coffee. El almost did too.
Mike shot El a desperate look—HELP, WHAT DO I SAY?
“Well,” El jumped in quickly, “Mike lives in Canada. Like I said, we’re second cousins, so we were never that close. We only really met when we were kids. We lost touch. When I saw his book, I was just as surprised as you two. I didn’t even know he was this good.”
She glanced at Mike, silently telling him to stick to the story.
“He came here for tourism—sightseeing—and to get inspiration for the final book in his trilogy. He was at the waterfall yesterday. I didn’t recognize him at first, but the more I looked, the surer I became. So, I approached him. And… yeah. That’s how we finally reconnected.”
“Uh—yeah,” Mike said, forcing a nervous laugh. “Total coincidence. Small world, huh?”
“Small world,” Kristin agreed.
“So, Michael—can I call you Mike?” Kristin asked. Her tone reminded him a little too much of Robin.
“Yeah, go for it.”
“Right,” she said eagerly. “You mentioned you’re finishing the third instalment. Any chance we get early access?”
“Kristin—what are you doing?” El warned.
“Come on, Jane! You know how much I adore The Paladin and The Mage. I just want to know if they get a happy ending!”
Mike and El froze, staring at each other.
That was all they’d ever wanted, wasn’t it? A happy ending.
“Well,” Mike cleared his throat, “firstly, I haven’t gotten to that part yet. And secondly, I’m not spoiling my own book.”
“Nice try,” Gunnar said, smacking Kristin lightly on the arm.
Mike couldn’t help but notice how familiar they felt—Gunnar and Kristin had the same chaotic, affectionate energy as Steve and Robin.
“My favourite character was the Bard,” Gunnar added. “Sounds like an awesome dude.” Mike smiled to himself. Of course the guy who’s basically Steve would like the Bard, he thought. Very on brand.
“So,” Kristin said, leaning back in her chair, “how long are you here for, Mike? And where are you staying?”
“Well, I was staying at a hotel in the city initially, but n—”
“Now he’s staying at my place,” El cut in.
Kristin and Gunnar exchanged a look.
“Well… after my parents passed, I never really had a family anymore,” El said. “And Mike is family after all. So, I thought he could stay with me while he’s here. He saves money, and I get to catch up with a long-distant family member.”
Mike simply nodded. “Yeah.”
“Alright then,” Gunnar said, clapping his hands together. “Makes sense.”
El stood up. “Okay, guys. Breakfast was great, and I know you’re excited to finally meet Mike. But we still have to sell the remaining stock to the other local stores. So, Mike and I are heading out. You probably won’t see much of me for the next few days—I’ve apparently taken on the role of tour guide.”
“Hey, as long as we’re not working for free, we don’t mind picking up extra shifts,” Kristin said with a grin.
“Sure,” El replied, narrowing her eyes playfully.
“It was nice meeting you, Mike,” Kristin said sincerely.
“Likewise,” Mike replied. “I’m glad I got to meet you both. Hopefully we can hang out again.”
“Definitely,” Gunnar added.