This... Is a long-ish chapter. You are Welcome.

I love you guys but you will most likely hate me. :D

Wednesday, June 20, 1992

Richie was sure that he's never gone this long without cracking a joke or smiling. He didn't know why he felt so... empty. These people never treated him right, he didn't know why he was so upset over it. He'd asked Sharon about it but she said that it was normal, and that her father was definitely not the best but it still hurt her when he died. It's the fact that they raised him, albeit not doing a very good job at it.

He hadn't gone back in the house since he came back. He's talked to the bank about when he'd do next, with the house and his parents bank account, and Went's dental practice, and all he gathered from it all was that he'd end up with a lot of money in the coming months. He probably slept eight hours in the three days he's been in Derry, at his apartment, and has only eaten thanks to Sharon and the meals she brought him.

An hour before the funeral, there was a knock on the door. He had an old suit on, the jacket on the couch, one shoe on, and his tie untied around his neck when he opened.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"You look like shit." Malcolm stated, pushing past him and walking in.

"Yeah, when your abusive adopted parents died it kinda happens." Ayla pulled him in for a hug and he hugged her back.

"Abusive?" Jack asked, confused, as he sat on the couch with Malcolm.

"Adopted?" Ayla raised an eyebrow and pulled away. He sighed and nodded.

"Sit and I'll explain." She did so and he sat in an arm chair and pulled on his other shoe, tying it as he began to explain how abusive the Toziers had been. Then he explained the adoption deal. "Basically, I have a twin brother, an older sister, and a little sister." He said, looking at them. "Bev, you've heard the rest of us talk about her, lives in Hawkins, Indiana, where we were born and where I was put up for adoption. His name is Mike, Nancy is the oldest, and Holly is the youngest. Mike and I were an accident, especially the fact that our mom was having twins, so our dad wanted tog ive one up for adoption and that was me. They still live in Hawkins, and all this came up when me and the others arrived. This actually brings me back to what I was gonna talk to you guys about when I came back at the end of the summer." He let the three process everything for a moment and continued,

"I plan to move to Hawkins." He said. "At the end of the summer, when we all come back and everyone goes back to college for their last year, I want to pack up and move to where my family is. I'll have a lot of money by then and I'll be able to. I love you guys and I love the band, and I don't want to leave you guys but if I have to-"

"We'll come with you." Jack said. The other two looked at him and then nodded in agreement. Richie stared at them for a moment.

"What?" He squeaked.

"Yeah, Derry is a shit show, man. Hawkins might not be any bigger or better but it sure sounds better than Derry. This place is insane."

Psh, if only you guys knew.

"I don't know what to say." Richie said, finally. "Um, thats awesome. You'll get to meet them." He gave them a smile and they smiled back. They talked more about it until they had to leave for the funeral.

There were more people than Richie expected that showed up. The first hour was the wake and the second was the funeral, and during the wake a good bit of people came up to him and hugged him, telling him that if he needed anything to let them know. He didn't go anywhere near the caskets. He knew he'd probably regret it one day but he couldn't look at Denbroughs had taken care of the entire funeral, except for it's expenses, which Richie took care of. The flower arrangements were just red roses, and Richie held one in each hand, watching as the two caskets were lowered into the ground. The priest had said a prayer, there was some sad song played, another prayer, and now he was standing in the space between them, staring ahead.

He let out a slow breath, held his hands out over them, and let the roses fall.

Another kid's gone missing, and yes, everyone knew what got them, but Mike and Hopper still had to look for the child instead of just putting it to the side and ignoring the situation, so, they're out searching Mirkwood with another team out in the woods. Apparently, Troy had started causing some shit at the mall and got arrested and ended up getting community service, and this is what Hopper decided he would do. Trudge through muddy water and ditches, looking for a child they knew they wouldn't find. And Mike knew, deep down, that he would regret agreeing with Hopper and letting Troy tag along with him. Everything was going fine, Hopper was a couple yards away from them, and the two were walking a few feet apart from each other. It started going downhill when Troy asked,

"Do you remember when I made you jump off that cliff?" Mike glanced at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Uh, yeah?"

"Oh, okay." He didn't say anything for a few seconds. "What about that time I pushed your little girlfriend and you beat me up?" Mike froze when he heard the click of a gun. He took a deep breath and turned around slowly, a hand on his own gun. "Put your hands up, now." Troy growled.

"Look, Troy, that was four years ago."

"It was, wasn't it? That doesn't change anything, Mike." The way he said it, his voice didn't sound… human. Mike's heart skipped a beat when he saw the white gloved hands slowly move over Troy's shoulders.

"Troy, this isn't you man. Don't let IT take over you." He saw a red balloon float away, but not in the air. Mike's stare followed the balloon and it popped, and his father was there, walking towards them.

"Mike!" Ted yelled, suddenly terrified for his sons life.

"Dad, leave. Don't come any closer." Mike was basically begging him not to.

"Yeah, dad, don't come any closer." It wasn't Troy's voice. It was the clowns. In a split second, Mike felt his heart skip a beat for the second time in five minutes. Troy pointed the gun towards Ted and pulled the trigger.

"NO!" Mike screamed. He ran towards his dad, not even bothering to look back at Troy, as IT left him and he fell in a heap on the ground. Mike knelt next to his dad, a pool of blood already formed underneath him. Mike put his hands on his stomach to try and stop the bleeding.

"I need an ambulance out here now!" Mike heard Hopper yell.

"No, no, dad, stay with me." Mike looked at his dad.

"Mike…" Ted croaked. "I-I'm sorry."

"Don't talk, dad, you're gonna be fine." Mike didn't notice the tears falling down his face. Ted put a bloody hand on Mike's arm.

"Y-you're not a disappointment." He whispered. "I didn't mean it."

"I-I know dad."

"Tell...tell your mom and… and sisters I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being a terrible husband and fa-father. T-Tell Richard I'm sorry for l-letting h-him go."

"No, no dad, you're not terrible. You're going to be fine."

"I'm proud of you M-Mike. Always r-remember that… I l-l-love you."

"I love you too dad, you-Dad?" Ted's eyes closed and his chest stopped moving. "No." Mike whispered. "No! No, dad, please!" He grabbed his wrist and checked for a pulse. Nothing. He moved his hands to his chest and began doing CPR. Hopper finally ran over to them, after trying, and failing, to resuscitate Troy.

"Oh God." Mike ignored him. He ignored everything, he just continued pumping his chest, even after the paramedics arrived. Hopper had to grab Mike and pull him away from his dad while the paramedics did their job. They tried to revive him for an hour and Mike couldn't handle it when someone said the time of death.

"NO!" He screamed, fresh tears pouring down his face. "NO! NO! Let me go! Let me go!" He yelled at Hopper, who just held onto him tighter. Mike started hitting him as hard as he could, but Hopper stood his ground and held onto him as tight as he could until he started sobbing into his shoulder.

"You're okay kid, you're okay. It's gonna be alright." And Hopper knew it wouldn't. He had to tell Karen, Nancy, Richie and Holly that their husband and father was dead.

"What the hell is going on, dad?" El asked, rushing into the police station. She gasped when she saw Mike sitting in a chair, a blanket wrapped around him, covered in blood. She rushed over to him and knelt in front of him. She put her hands on his cheeks and made him look at her. His eyes were red and puffy.

"El, come here for a minute." Hopper told her softly. She looked at Mike, who looked back down at the floor.

"I'll be back." She told him. He didn't respond as she stood up and followed Hopper into his office. "What the hell? Is that his blood?" Hopper shook his head.

"It's Ted's." He replied, quietly. Her eyes widened.

"W-what?"

"We were on Mirkwood, just walking around, looking in ditches and through the fields. I was a couple yards ahead of Mike, and Troy was with him. I'm not sure what happened exactly, all I know is I heard a gunshot, Mike screamed and Ted was on the ground, Troy was dead, and Mike was with his dad." He ran a hand over his face, sighing deeply, "I didn't even know Ted was there until I saw him, I thought it was Mike. He-he died in Mike's arms. Mike did CPR but it wasn't working, then the paramedics tried to revive him but…" He trailed off. El covered her mouth with her hand.

"Why did he do that?" She whispered, tearing up.

"I don't know but if it wasn't for Ted showing up when he did, I think Troy would've shot Mike instead."

"I-I need to-" She looked towards the door.

"Go ahead." He interrupted, and she all but ran back out to where Mike was. She knelt in front of him again and pulled him into a hug, not caring if her shirt got covered in blood too.

"I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so sorry." He didn't shed another tear. He just hugged her tight.

Hopper called Karen, who immediately came to the station with Holly and Nancy. He explained to them what happened, and all three of them basically smothered Mike, crying hysterically and hugging him tightly. Hopper put an arm around El and she cried into his shoulder.

No, Ted Wheeler wasn't the greatest husband or father, but that didn't make it hurt any less.

"I'm sorry." Mike whispered, hugging them back.

"Oh my God, Mike, it's not your fault." Nancy told him through her tears.

"I..." He couldn't continue, he just continued to bite back the tears. He thought about Richie and how he had to tell him when he came back.

If he came back.