Chapter Text
El was back, and at first, it was all about celebrating her remarkable return and getting her comfortable. In the meantime, everyone knew it was in her best interests after her mysterious, traumatic time away to be situated in the only place she could rightfully have ever called a loving home. For El to feel comfortable, that meant being near the first person she sought and the first person she would speak to upon that fateful day she came back. That person, of course, was Mike. She wouldn't have had it any other way.
And so, at least for the time being, El was back in the Wheeler home. This time was a little different from the last; she didn't have to live in hiding and could now get to know the rest of the family. Hopefully, this would give the girl a chance at a happy, normal life for once.
This initial arrangement could only go so far without the paperwork to back it up. There was a larger community in play, and at some point word of mouth about this strange, undocumented young girl coming out of nowhere would raise questions that those in El's inner circle would have to answer to. And so something had to be addressed sooner or later: Where was the girl who never had a home going to live permanently?
Fortunately, the girl was not short on vested parties. Chief Jim Hopper, Joyce Byers, and Karen Wheeler (with a hefty dose of influence from Mike) had now all had experiences with El, becoming the de facto decision-makers on this unusual case. In their discussions, they arrived at five legitimate options to consider for El's future. Nothing seemed totally ideal, they soon discovered. Fitting, since when had this girl's life, or anything of late in the town of Hawkins, ever been ideal?