Joyce awoke to screaming. She shot out of bed, breathing heavily, and another scream cut through the silence. She rushed to the living room, not recognizing the voice but knowing that it had to be either Steve or Robin. Everyone else but the two of them and the Byers went home, and the two were sleeping in the living room once again.

But sleeping may have been a generous term, especially now.

As soon as she made her way into the room, she could see Steve thrashing on the couch, his hands reaching up into the air as fists, sweat pouring off his forehead as he fought whatever was plaguing him in his sleep. His eyes were firmly shut, and his face was twisted in an expression of anguish, of fear. Robin was kneeling by his side, whispering in his ear as she tried to wake him up, though it didn't appear to be helping.

Joyce rushed to his side, putting her hand on his cheek as he shifted in his sleep, his skin slick with sweat. He whimpered, his arm reaching up again, as if he was punching something, and Joyce held it down, interlocking her fingers with his.

"Steve? Wake up, honey, it's a dream. You're not there anymore. You're safe." She urged, and Robin ran her fingers through his hair.

"Shh…Stevie, it's okay." She muttered, and Joyce held Steve's hand firmly.

Then his eyes flew open, gasping for breath as he shot up, Robin quickly propping him up before he would fall off the couch. He was breathing heavily, tears in his eyes and sobs wracking his chest as he pulled away from her touch. Joyce, after a moment's hesitation, rested her hands on his face, wiping away the water that rushed down his cheeks, and he thankfully let her. His panicked eyes looked to her, and his lip wobbled.

At that moment, she couldn't help but see how young he was. How fragile. How broken.

She promised to help him. She would do anything to help him through this, to help both of them. They didn't deserve what happened to them. No one did.

His hands reached out to her, and she took them, her thumb running circles on the back of them.

"Mrs. Byers? Wha…did he get you too?"

"No, you're safe. You're home with me and Robin."

Steve's eyes shot to Robin, who was still holding onto him protectively, and she gave him a small smile.

"I'm here, Steve. I'm right here. We escaped. We're home, in Hawkins."

"Hawkins? Home? I'm not…I'm not drowning?"

Joyce's breath hitched in her throat, but she tried to hide it as well as she could. Drowning? Was that what he was dreaming about? Were his hands reaching up, like he was trying to break something that he was trapped in? Did Brenner drown the poor boy?

Robin shushed him again, clearly not shocked by the words.

"You're not. You're not drowning."

Steve nodded shakily, his breaths coming steadier than before but not at the rate that showed peace. He was still terrified, still probably living out the dream, most likely the memory of drowning. Joyce couldn't even imagine how that felt, being unable to breath as you came closer and closer to death. She could see why he was so scared, so terrified, so desperate to know that he was safe.

Robin wrapped him in a hug, and Steve dug his face into Robin's shoulder. Joyce let go of his hands so he could wrap them around Robin, which he did after a moment's hesitation, and she got up, letting the two have their moment. She knew that the three of them would be up for a while, so she began making hot chocolate, hoping that the warm and sweet liquid wouldn't remind him of his dream. She would offer him water, but after what she witnessed, after what she now knew, that was probably the worst thing that she could do right now.

As she began boiling the milk, she heard shuffling come up from behind her. She looked up and saw Jonathan, still dressed in his pajamas, casting a concerned look to Steve and Robin, who were both still in a tight embrace, talking in hushed whispers.

"Mom? Is everything okay?" He asked, rubbing his eyes, and she nodded.

"Steve had a nightmare, but he'll be fine."

Jonathan nodded solemnly, hiding a yawn with his hand as he looked over to the two again, clearly concerned for them. She gave him a sad smile.

"You can go back to bed, Jonathan. I promise that he's okay. I'll get you if I need to, I promise."

He nodded hesitantly. "Thanks. I hope he gets better. I hope they both do."

"So do I, but it's going to be a long road."

"Is there any way I could know? So that I could help?" Jonathan whispered, and she sighed, knowing that his need to be useful was outweighing his curiosity.

"Oh, honey…I appreciate it, but we can't tell anyone. I'm so sorry."

"No, it's…I get it. I just feel useless."

"You being here for him is more useful than you realize, I think."

He sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Have a good night, Mom."

She gave him a quick hug before he headed back to his room. "Goodnight. Get some rest, okay?"

He left the room, and she returned to stirring the hot chocolate, setting out three mugs and putting a fair amount of marshmallows in it.

Robin took two with a grateful smile, handing one to Steve, who took in hesitantly.

"Thanks, Mrs. Byers."

She smiled. "Of course. Are you feeling better,Steve, honey?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, I don't think that I'll fall asleep again, though."

"That's okay, I can stay up with you." She offered, and he shook his head, his hair swaying with the force of it.

"No, please don't. I don't want you to sacrifice your sleep for me."

"I don't mind, and I don't want you to be alone."

" But I'll be up all night. You know I don't need sleep, right?"

Robin rolled her eyes, taking a small sip of the drink. "You need sleep, you can just go long without it."

Joyce's brows furrowed in confusion, and Robin rushed to explain in whispers.

"His…powers. The ability to adapt?"

Joyce couldn't help but be angry at herself for forgetting, but the kind and understanding look Steve gave her helped the feeling go away.

"You can…adapt…to make yourself not need sleep?" She asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah, sleep and eating are the two noticeable ones in my day to day life. I don't really get hungry anymore. If Robin didn't force feed me, I probably wouldn't be eating at all. I can't even feel the warmth from this, honestly." He finished, gesturing to the mug in his hand.

Joyce frowned, sadness and grief burning in her gut. He didn't feel the warmth of the drink? Did he feel a differentiation in temperatures at all?

"Steveー"

"It's fine. I'm used to it." He said softly, a small smile on his face. "I'm just happy to be alive. To be home."

Joyce tried to keep her tears inside of her body at the words.

"I am too. Very. Now, with both of you home, with El healed…it finally feels like everything's complete."

"Even with me?" Robin asked, her eyes shining with awe, and Joyce nodded.

"Of course. You're an incredible young woman, Robin, and I can't wait to learn more about you. From what I hear you're quite the genius."

"Steve wasn't kidding." Robin said with a smile. "He wouldn't stop talking about you, how sweet and kind you are. I was really looking forward to meeting you, and you completely exceeded my expectations. And you raised such good kids, too! I'm so honored that you think that of me! So thank you, Mrs. Byers. Thank you so much."

"Oh, shush! You have nothing to thank me for, and enough about me! Why don't we watch a movie, if we're all going to stay up?"

Robin nodded eagerly.

"Yes. Absolutely. It's been months since I've seen a good movie. Do you have Hidden Fortress? Or The Apartment?"

Joyce chuckled, getting up and gesturing to the movie cabinet. Robin got up with her, rushing over to see the selection of films.

"That's all we have, but I'm sure we'll find something. Steve, a preference?"

Steve shook his head no, getting more comfortable on the couch, grabbing a blanket to drape over himself.

"Nope, I'll watch anything."

Robin soon picked out a movie, sat back onto the couch, and let Joyce put the movie in. The volume was low, but loud enough to hear, and Joyce sat beside Steve, though made sure to give him some distance. She didn't want to make things strange, even though she saw him as her son. She didn't know if he was at that level with her yet. Though, based on what Robin said, she felt like he was close. Robin too, maybe, but only time would tell.

Robin stole some of Steve's blanket, much to his protest, but the two of them settled in quite easily, both watching the movie intently. Joyce tried to focus on it, but her eyes always drifted back to the teens, to the kids, that had suffered so much. It didn't take long before she could see silent tears fall down Steve's cheeks, and she reached out, rubbing his back in what she hoped was a comforting way. Steve looked at her, giving her a small smile, and turned back to the television without a word. Joyce wasn't sure what to make of it, so she continued to try and comfort the boy, because, in that moment, it was all that she could do.

The grief was drowning her. It was like a huge wave as Robin got closer to her house, a wave towering high above her head, stealing the sight of the sun and the clouds from her gaze, and collapsing down upon her with a bang. It stole her breath from her, making her struggle for air, and she knew that this what Steve must've felt, still felt in his nightmares.

She hated it, and she now understood him more than ever.

She just wanted to breathe, but she couldn't. The sadness, the anger, the acceptance…so much grief burning into her mind, sharper than a knife, and Robin couldn't make it stop.

She could sense some worry, too, but it wasn't as strong as the grief was. At least she could handle the worry, but it didn't make her feel any better.

Hopper gave her a glance from the driver's seat, taking a deep breath as he had a firm grip on the steering wheel.

"It's going to be fine, Robin. They'll welcome you back."

"It's not that." She said softly, her breath hitching as they parked outside of her house. "They're in so much pain. I don't…I don't know how much of it I can handle."

Hopper sighed, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"You can feel their pain, huh?"

She swallowed. "Yeah. It's so loud. They're in so much agony. So much sadness."

Hopper nodded. "I know, but when they see you again it'll be better. They'll be overjoyed to see that you're alive. And, if it ever gets too overwhelming for you, don't be afraid to read me, okay? I don't mind, and always try to keep a level head."

She gave me a shaky smile. "Thanks."

As she stepped out, she noted that all of the curtains were drawn, making her childhood home seem sadder than ever, and she looked beside her, waiting for Steve to say something to comfort her. But, she was met with a green lawn, void of her friend, and then she remembered that he had stayed behind, much to his regret. But it made sense. This was her reunion with her parents, it would be hard, and Hopper didn't want to overwhelm her parents with two dead kids showing up at their door. He wasn't sure that Steve could handle the reunion, either. They all knew that his parents didn't even care enough for a funeral, and Joyce and Hopper didn't want to make Steve feel any worse about it. Robin promised to tell him all about it, though, and finally he agreed to stay behind, but not without giving her a hug before she left.

"Robin? Are you ready?" Hopper asked, and she nodded. "Remember the cover story?"

"Steve and I got hurt during the fire, ran to the woods and got lost. We were found a week later, but we were both too injured to remember our names. After some extensive treatment, we remembered our names and where we were from, and were shipped home immediately. We never knew how much time passed, and we still have patches in our memories about what happened during and after the fire."

There were flaws to the story, flaws that needed to be fixed, but Hopper believed that Robin's parents were going to be too happy to see their daughter again to ask questions. Robin didn't know if it was true or not, but she wasn't eager to question Hopper's judgment, especially not now.

The two walked up to the door, and Robin could feel another burst of grief drill into her skull, and she closed her eyes, if only for a second, willing it to go away.

You're doing great, Robin.

She opened her eyes at the words, and Hopper gave her a comforting smile before knocking on the door.

Surprise. Curiosity. Worry. Grief. Robin felt all of it as the seconds passed, one of her parents no doubt heading to answer the door. She held her breath as the handle of the door opened, revealing her mother, her eyes shadowed by darkness, her lips in a tight frown. But, like lightning, she was filled with shock, alight with wonder, her hands flew to her mouth, tears falling from her eyes. But they weren't tears of grief. They were tears of joy.

"Robin? Sweetie?"

Robin's chest swelled with emotion as she smiled, tears falling out of her own eyes as her mother said her name.

"Mom. I'm…I'm home. It's me."

Robin's mother seemed frozen in shock, but soon ran up to her, wrapping Robin in a bone crushing hug, her tears falling onto Robin's shirt.

"Oh, baby. Baby, you're home. This can't be real. This can't be!"

Hopper smiled. "It's real. She's alive and well."

Her mother gasped, and Robin sobbed, clutching her mother desperately, all of her worries gone.

"Mom, I missed you so much, I love you. I love you."

"I love you too, baby, I love you so much. I thought…I thought that I would never see you again. Brian!" Her mother exclaimed, "Brain, she's home! Our Robin is home!"

Robin could hear the rushed footsteps of her father, and she looked up to see the man she always looked up to standing tall over her, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Robin? Is that really you?"

"Dad!" She rushed into his arms, and he took her gratefully, kissing her on her forehead as they embraced.

"My daughter. I never thought that I would ever hold you again." Her father whispered, "I never thought that I would ever hear your voice again."

"I still can't believe it's real!" Her mother exclaimed, joining the hug. "I still can't believe it's real!"

Robin burrowed herself into her parents comfort, all grief gone from her mind, and it was replaced by beaming happiness. She let it spread around her, giving her light, and she couldn't stop crying tears of joy.

And Hopper watched with fondness from the door, unwilling to interrupt the moment, but so, so happy to witness it.