"So, let me get this straight. You strictly obeyed my orders and did exactly what I told you not to? And all of the rest of you encouraged it?"

"No." El said, crossing her arms from where she sat on the couch. Joyce was rebinding her leg and was uncharacteristically silent throughout the whole encounter. "They didn't encourage it, they only helped."

Mike stepped in. "But don't blame her, it was your stupid rule that made her disobey!"

"Hey! Don't you dare get involved like this, Wheeler!" Hopper said, scowling. "Would you be saying that if El had died? If this little mission had killed her?"

"But it didn't! And now we know that Steve and Robin are alive!"

"Hopper, listen, I get why you're upset." Dustin explained slowly. "But she'll be okay. It's El."

"You don't know that."

"Maybe. But maybe not. Nonetheless, now the case won't go cold. We have a chance to find them."

Hopper sighed, knowing that no matter what he said the kids wouldn't stop fighting back. "The case might still go cold, guys. This proof isn't enough for the police to keep on looking. We won't stop, especially now that we have proof of life, but it isn't going to keep the case open."

"So, what are you saying?" Max asked, anger bleeding into her tone. "That everyone is going to give up?"

"We're not. I promise you that we're not. But the police will, as will the families."

"Robin's family is already preparing for a funeral." Joyce said softly, and everyone looked at her in shock.

"What?" Dustin exclaimed, eyes wide. "Are you serious?"

"Next week."

"They're just going to give up?" Erica asked, crossing her arms. "It hasn't been that long since she vanished!"

"I know." Hopper tried to keep his voice steady, knowing that it was probably best to tell them now instead of them finding out later. "The Harrington's also threw me tons of money for Steve's funeral."

Dustin got to his feet and grasped his hat desperately, beginning to pace the room, while everyone sat in shock.

Will quickly his mom's hand, looking towards Hopper with tears in his eyes. "What…what are you going to do with it?"

"I'm not going to use it until we're sure that he's gone. But we have to let Robin's family have hers, we need to let them have closure."

"So we're just going to let them give up on her?" Mike seemed angry, angrier than Hopper had ever expected him to be for a person he barely knew.

"What else am I supposed to do, Mike? Tell them that my adoptive daughter with superpowers heard that Robin is alive through an alternate dimension? That wouldn't do anything good. We have to let this go."

"Hop's right." Joyce said, pressing a kiss to Will's forehead. "We can't let them hang on if they don't want to. They want to grieve and move on, the least we can do for them is allow them that."

Dustin sighed, stopping his pacing to glance out the window, then continuing again.

"But we're not giving up, right?" Max asked softly, and Hopper shook his head no.

"As much as I hate to say this, it's a good thing El communicated with them. We now know that there is hope, and we won't stop looking, not until we're sure that they're gone. But you guys have to listen to me, too. El got hurt, and it could've been a lot worse."

"I had to take the risk." El said, but it lacked the energy she would usually speak with. Her eyes began closing, yet she forced them open, making sure that she would still be awake for the conversation.

"I know, kid, I know."

He stood up, gripping Dustin on the shoulder as he walked past as a small way of comfort.

"I'll call Owens again, maybe he and his government friends found something. In the meantime─" He turned back to them, pointing at each of the kids in warning. "Don't do anything stupid."

"We won't." Lucas said. "I promise."

"Good."

With that he walked off into the kitchen, leaving the rest of them with Joyce, who began cleaning up the medical supplies she used for El's leg. After some encouragement from Will, El drifted off into sleep, and Joyce gently placed a blanket over her.

"Mrs. Byers? Is she going to be okay?" Mike asked, and she gave him a sad smile.

"I think so, honey. She's strong."

"I just wish things would get better." Max said, looking to the floor. "For everyone."

"It will eventually, Max, it will."

"But how can you say that?" Dustin exclaimed, lowering his voice as he saw Mike shoot him a pointed glance. "How can you say it'll be okay? El's hurt, Steve and Robin are both missing, the case is going to go cold, Robin's parents are putting on a funeral, and Steve's parents don't even care enough to put thought into a casket!"

"I can say that because I know Steve. He's brave, kind, and can endure so much. He'll make it home. And I have no doubt Robin will too, from what you've told me she seems like an amazing young woman."

"I know that they're going to make it, of course I do! But are they going to come home to people who gave up on them in their time of need?"

"Dustin. We're not giving up on Steve or Robin. We're not."

Joyce's eyes were filled with determination, a determination that showed the life she went though, the steady wealth of hope that fueled her, and Dustin could clearly see that this woman truly believed what she was saying. It did make sense, now that he thought about it. She never gave up on Will, who disappeared for a week, and never once let anyone in her family feel alone.

He didn't know why it comforted him so much. Maybe it was because he was trying to convince himself that Steve was going to come home, that he and Robin would be okay, and seeing that belief burn so strongly in someone else made something in him change. Yet, it couldn't alter the sickening feeling in his gut that these next couple of weeks would only make the hope he had burned away into nothing, if not for the people who believed around him.

He took a deep breath, remaining as calm as he could. "Okay. What's the plan now?"

Joyce shared a look with Jonathan, who sat further away from the group, grasping his hands together tightly. Nancy couldn't come, but Dustin had no doubt that she would be right beside him if she were.

Jonathan didn't say anything, looking away from his mother's gaze and swiping a stray tear from his eyes.

"I think we should wait and see if Owens has discovered anything, and keep on looking for any signs of them in the news." Joyce said.

"I'll check Cerebro again." Dustin offered, and Lucas and Max got to their feet.

"We'll come with you."

Mike ran his fingers through El's hair, standing up once he was happy with how she looked as she slept. "I'll go see how Nancy's doing."

Jonthan made no move to join him, and as the room emptied, Will got up and made his way to his brother, taking his hand and taking him out of Hopper's cabin and into the fresh air.

"Where are we going, Will?"

Will sat Jonathan down on a large log, sitting down across from him.

"Are you okay?"

Jonathan huffed. "Am I okay? I think you're asking the wrong person that."

"Don't do that, Jon. Don't act like this isn't bothering you."

"Okay, fine, maybe I'm not doing so well."

Will shifted in his makeshift seat. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"I wouldn't understand how you feel guilty?"

Jonathan winced at the words, knowing that he couldn't play dumb with Will, his little brother was much to observant for that.

"I…I just think that we're not going to find them, and I won't be able to apologize for everything I did. He was a bit mean in high school, but I was a jerk too. And we never…we never really talked about it, or what happened with Nancy. And now he might die. If it weren't for me, he wouldn't be any of this mess, either. He came back to our house to talk to me, and then he ended up fighting a demogorgon. How is that not my fault?" He sighed, pressing his hands into his face, trying to stop the tears that threatened to fall. "It's all my fault. All of this."

Will walked over and sat beside him, his silent present comforting.

"Jon, it's not your fault. I don't want to speak for him, but I think Steve changed after he fought these things. He started being…nicer. He just wanted to protect you and Nancy. And he will come back. You will be able to talk to him about everything."

"You sound exactly like Mom."

He gave a sad smile. "She didn't give up on me, and neither did you once you realized Mom knew what she was talking about. I know Steve and Robin aren't our family, but Steve has always been there to help us, and Robin made all of us have a better summer. She was a huge help with the Russians, saving Dustin and Erica from whatever happened to them. They're not officially part of our group, but we won't leave them behind."

Jonathan wished he could have that sort of confidence, but after weeks and weeks of no sign of them he couldn't find it in himself.

"We just have to keep looking." Will finished, and Jon nodded hesitantly.

"Yeah. We will."

Will looked torn between sitting with his older brother or going inside, so Jonathan gestured towards the door.

"Why don't you go help Mom and Hopper?"

"Okay. Remember what I said, please?"

"I will. Thanks."

With the assurance that he would head in soon, Will left him alone. Jonathan looked up to the sky, wishing that he could've changed his and Steve's horrible history, and hoping that they would actually find them. Steve had changed, he deserved so much more than what was happening to him, and Jonathan had a lot of things to make right. Even if Will didn't think so, Jon was horrible to him, and hoped that he would be able to right his wrongs.

But first he had to find Steve, and with him Robin. And he knew that that would be the hardest part.

"So, as far as we know you can adapt to any scenario." Robin said, chewing on a pencil. There was a notebook in her lap, messy notes written down, as she sat on the couch. Steve sat on the floor, folding the most recent load of laundry Tom had done. "But how long can you adapt to something? What are your limits?"

Steve shrugged, his nimble fingers neatly folding a pair of pants. "I don't know. I think Brenner said that I was breathing underwater for about five hours, but I did drown a bit before I could."

"Yikes. Was it scary?"

"Yeah, I thought that I was going to die. I never want to do that again."

She nodded, knowing that Papa, er, Brenner, put Steve through many dangerous tests. No wonder why Steve seemed so hurt.

"So, maybe it takes some time for your powers to kick in? Like, they have to experience the danger and then determine if it should adapt or not?" Robin offered up, thinking. "Your powers, or body, or whateverー could tell that you were drowning, so you adapted to be able to avoid it."

"But that doesn't explain why you can't read my mind. You weren't hurting me." He reached over and took a sip of coffee, returning quickly to the task at hand. She didn't really know why Steve insisted on helping with the laundry, maybe he wanted something normal? It didn't matter, though, it wasn't like they were doing much anyways.

They had been living with Tom for about a week now, Robin was using most of her time to rest and get some much-needed sleep while Steve did small chores from sunrise to sunset. They still hadn't decided what to do. Robin wanted to go home badly, but she knew that Brenner was probably still looking for them. Steve said it was too risky to do anything at this point, and she agreed with him. Tom did too, saying the same thing in his limited-word way.

"Is it possible that your mind doesn't want to be bothered by outside forces? It may have seen me as a threat."

Steve nodded. "It makes sense. Still sucks, though."

She sighed. "Tell me about it. I don't want to read your mind, not at all, but I really wish that you had some control over it. Imagine all of the internal conversations we could've had! We could've even been spies! Steve and Robin: the best spies in all of the FBI!"

He laughed. "Very funny, Robs. We all know that that is a horrible idea."

She threw a pillow at him. "Be quiet Dingus, you just don't want to admit that I'm right."

"Or do you just not want to admit that you're wrong?"

"Steve!"

"Are you two sure you're not long lost siblings?" Tom asked, walking into the room with piles of groceries in his hands. Steve rushed to his feet to help him set it on the counter, while Robin picked the pillow up from the floor.

"I'm sure, but that would be pretty cool." Steve said with a smile, and Tom nodded.

"That it would be. Anyways, I was thinking that we could chat later? After supper, of course."

Robin's brows furrowed in confusion, his thoughts coming clear as he glanced her way.

Brenner. He was in the town looking for them. She inhaled sharply, and Tom could see that she read his mind.

"Yeah, it's bad. We need to discuss a game plan for you two."

"What?" Steve's attention flipped between the two of them, lost. "What's going on?"

"We'll talk later, kid. Try not to worry about it."

Steve frowned, his expression mirroring one of a kicked puppy, but he still continued to help with the groceries.

Robin was thankful that Tom was getting used to having them around. After he had admitted to helping Eighteen, Steve and Robin had been open about their experiences with him, telling him about how they got there, how they escaped, and what they could do. Unlike anything Robin was expecting, Tom said that she could read his mind whenever, and she soon found out that it was because he wanted them to feel safe. She appreciated it, but tried to stop all of his thoughts from flowing into her mind. He deserved his privacy.

Steve was still a bit hesitant, and fumbled his way through explaining his abilities, but Tom was patient, telling Steve to take his time. The older man understood that it was confusing and scary, and tried to help where he could.

It was Robin's idea to take notes and try to piece together the puzzle of Steve's abilities. It was pretty slow going, but they were learning.

They had only been here for a little while, but Robin could already tell the effect that it was having on them, both physically and mentally. Both of them had gained weight that they lost, and their hair was now looking a lot better than it did. By no means was it the same length it was before, but they actually looked more normal. Steve looked a lot better than she did, as she never thought she looked good with short hair, but it was nice to see more hair on their heads. She could already tell that Steve would be back to having his perfect hair in no time, while she would be a step behind him.

She rubbed her head on instinct, feeling the shorter hairs, frowning, and Tom watched her.

"Oh, Robin?" Tom said, gesturing for her to follow her into the spare room that had been cleaned out for her. It consisted of a bed surrounded by boxes, but it was nice to have her own space. She followed him in, resting against the door frame as he looked through one of the boxes.

"This was Eighteen's old room." He said, and she smiled as sparks of happiness traveled from his mind and into her, happiness and fondness over who used to sleep in this room. "She couldn't bring all of her stuff to her new home, so there was a lot left behind."

Robin nodded. "So this is where you got all of the clothes that fit me?"

He chuckled. "Yup. I figured you didn't want to wear old man clothes during your stay."

She laughed. "It wasn't so bad, but her clothes are a bit nicer."

"She always has a good sense of style."

Robin glanced down at her outfit for the day, a soft blue shirt and ripped jeans. It wasn't what she would usually wear, but it felt more familiar than a medical gown.

"Now," Tom continued, pulling out a black bag. "She also was self conscious of her hair."

"Oh, no." Robin said, shaking her head. "I'm not, I'm fine looking like this."

"Maybe so, but if you ever want to borrow one you can." Tom handed the bag over to her, and she looked into it, seeing a multitude of wigs in many different colors and styles.

"With Brenner searching the town for you two, you may not want to go there for a while, but when you do you may want to wear one."

She smiled, clutching the bag close to her chest. She didn't know why this felt so special to her, but it did.

"Thank you, Tom. I appreciate it. What…what's her name?"

"Who? Eighteen's?"

She nodded, a blush creeping on her cheeks. Maybe there was a reason that he wasn't telling them. Did she overstep? Surely not, he said that she could read his mind whenever, right?

"Yes, but if you don't want to answer I completely understand. I totally don't want to make you uncomfortable or whatever."

"Relax, it's fine. Her name's Claire, but she goes by Clara."

"Clara." The name fit on her tongue nicely, and she was glad to have a name for the face that she could constantly see.

They could both hear Steve bustling around in the kitchen, no doubt preparing to help with supper, and Tom patted Robin on the back as he made his way out of the room. She smiled, letting herself sit on the bed and set the bag down.

She knew that they were still in danger, but she couldn't remember feeling this safe in months. It was the best feeling in the world. She didn't know how long it would last, so she knew that she would savor every moment of it, no matter how big or small. Moments where she could forget about the danger behind them or ahead of them, and just live in the present, finding comfort in the noises of the kitchen and the clothes on her body.

It felt amazing.