I stood frozen at the window until I realized we could all be in danger.

"Everyone, this is not a drill. El, you need to hide," I announced. "Nance, stay by me."

El stood up, looking frantic. Jonathan began to push the couch to reveal a hatch underneath.

Mike and Will were helping El climb into the hole when the cars stopped. Nancy and I went outside.

She had a gun on her, somehow.

But then the car doors opened and I thought I had died.

Again.

Standing up in all of his (now bald) glory was none other than Jim Hopper. With Joyce Byers.

"Jonathan, Will! Get out here now! El, you can come out. It's safe."

I walked down the steps in shock as both Hopper and Joyce walked towards us, smiling and holding hands.

"Are you kids okay?" Joyce asked me.

"We're all fine, mostly. But I'm confused on how you're alive," I said, looking up at Hopper.

Jonathan and Will walked out of the cabin and Joyce ran to her kids. They hugged and she was crying and then everyone was crying.

"I'm proud of you kids," Hopper said.

"We tried our best," I said.

Steve and Robin were walking out of the cabin now with El behind them.

The second El saw Hopper she literally shoved Steve out of the way and flew through the air.

Everyone stopped as El collided with Hopper.

"I missed you dad," She whispered, crying. "I left the door open. I never gave up."

I walked away so they could have their moment. Steve, Robin, Nancy, Eddie and I were standing to the side, watching everyone reunite.

The five of us had each other, and the people we cared about were already safe.

So seeing someone this happy gave me hope for our future.

One of the government agents with Hopper took out some duffel bags with new identity papers for El and some basic protection equipment.

The agents stood guard as we all went back into the cabin.

According to Hopper, both the Byers and Hoppers would be sharing this cabin as per the government's newly published most wanted list. Their house in Lenora was already cleaned up and their stuff was being shipped back to Hawkins.

Dr. Owens was MIA so the only funding they could get was whatever his underground government group could scrape up to keep them in hiding.

They would need to move again in a few months, but only after the military presence in Hawkins died down.

Nancy and I agreed not to tell Hopper and Joyce about our parentage until all of the government agents left.

The next few weeks were hectic. Officials had to go on TV and pronounce Eddie not guilty, claiming that the deaths were caused by "bone snapping parasites" in the water supply. Many residents began to make plans to leave Hawkins.

School resumed as normal but there were fewer students. Eddie's band friends were in the hospital still after they got beaten near an inch of death by Jason and his friends.

Graduation was happening early so people could move away. Eddie and I had become inseparable in school. Whenever someone tried to call him a murderous freak or attack him, the lights in school "mysteriously turned off" and we were able to get away unharmed.

Nancy and Robin also stayed together in school. They stayed close with the kids when Eddie and I weren't near them. Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Max went back to school looking like battle torn soldiers.

Everyone made rumors about what had happened. How Mike, Lucas Dustin tried to sacrifice Max so Eddie could erase all the memories of everyone in Hawkins. How Max was actually the ring leader and broke her bones as a crazy sacrifice. How Eddie drank their blood to hypnotize me.

Crazy things like that.

Arrangements were made for my family, and everyone else's families to be relocated free of cost if we would like to.

Dustin and his mom would be moving to Nevada, conveniently a mile bike ride from Suzie's house. Lucas and his family would be moving only a few towns away, closer to the city. Max and her mom were planning on moving back to California but then Susan Mayfield met Wayne Munson and they decided to stay in Hawkins.

As for me and my family, we're going to leave. Well, Nancy and I are going to leave. Nancy has college and I am moving out with Eddie. Steve's parents finally got divorced and his dad left him the house. Steve, Robin, Eddie and I are going to live there together.

The County Community college is looking really good for all of us, even Steve.

In other news, the Hawkin's lab building was torn down and cemented in for good measure. The Creel House was also tragically burned down by a "freak accident" of old wiring.

On graduation day, with a total of ninety seven seniors still at school, Eddie and I walked the stage. He did as he said he would, but a bit differently. He heard his name called, walked up to the stage, flipped the bird, took the diploma, raised a fist and mouthed to the crowd 'This is for Chrissy.'

When summer started, the Hawkins population dropped from over nine thousand residents to less than five thousand.

Jeff and Doug were staying in Hawkins until the end of summer when their families were moving. Gareth was the only one staying. So for the last Corroded Coffin concert, all of us crowded onto the football field for the performance.

When I say everyone was there, I mean everyone.

Steve, Robin, Nancy, Mike, my mom and sister (dad was sleeping), Max, Dustin, Lucas, Erica and all her friends, Wayne and Susan, Keith from the Video Store, those two police officers that I swear are secretly a couple, and even the Byers (and Argyle, for some reason) and El and Hopper came, but they had to wear military grade disguises.

Other people I didn't know personally came to watch the show and

Eddie raised money with ticket sales to help fix the town hall and the damaged roads and buildings.

At the end of the night, Eddie gave me a surprise shoutout.

"I want to say thank you all for coming out here tonight for our last concert. I know it's been rough but we still have each other. I want to thank my friends and family for showing support to the band. But I also want to thank my beautiful future wife, and love of my life, Charlie Wheeler. She's the reason we're all here today. So this last song is for her," Eddie announced.

Everyone cheered and he began to play a new, never before heard song.

Immediately I knew it was about me. Why else would he mention hiding away in a boat house?

I was dancing to the song and Steve was dancing next to me. It was like a crazy fever dream hearing your boyfriend sing a song about you in a crowd with all your friends and family.

I'd never felt more in love.

After the concert, it was pretty late so mom took Holly, Mike, Lucas, Erica and Dustin home. She trusted the rest of us and told us to get home safely.

Nancy was staying with all of us at Steve's house for the time being.

I ran up on the makeshift stage and hugged Eddie, he spun me around and I was laughing.

Eddie invited the band back to the house with Steve's permission for a late night pool party.

Nancy and Robin were going to stay in the house and watch a movie together.

When I was getting changed in mine and Eddie's room, I heard Steve's voice coming from the kitchen talking to someone.

Eddie was already in the pool so I finished getting changed and snuck downstairs to see who he was talking to.

Steve and Gareth were talking with each other, Gareth was sitting on the counter and it looked like they were flirting.

"If you're free at all, maybe we could, you know, go to a concert. I hear there's a music festival in the city next week," Steve offered.

Gareths face turned reddish. "Only if you promise to get me a cool t shirt."

"Sure, I'll be happy to buy you whatever you want. It's a date then."

I smiled and snuck out the back door towards the pool.

I skipped onto the patio to the pool.

"Hey doll, where's Steve? He said he would teach the guys how to shotgun," Eddie asked, floating in the water.

" I think he's a bit busy right now," I smirked and slid into the cooled pool water.

"How could he possibly be busy?" Jeff asked.

"Him and Gareth are getting to know each other," I said in a sing song voice.

The five of us swam in the pool for a bit before Gareth and Steve finally walked out the back door and towards the pool. They were holding hands and you can tell that Steve was flustered. Jeff and Greg immediately understood what I meant about my comment from before.

I smiled myself because I knew that the pair would have a lasting relationship. Steve was staying in Hawkins for as long as he could, and Gareth was going to be working at the local automotive repair shop with his dad. He ended up graduating early and he turned eighteen a few weeks ago, which helped Steve open his eyes to Gareth after we had a birthday party for him at the house.

Steve was still nineteen but he acted a lot older. Maybe it was the sudden responsibility of being given a house needing to pay house bills, or maybe it was just everything we all been through together. But I guess if that is what Gareth was into then I was happy for them.

"Hey guys. Sorry about the wait," Gareth said shyly.

"You don't have to apologize. We were just talking about how beautiful the weather is tonight," Gregg replied.

"Oh yeah," I added. "Beautiful night for falling in love, don't you think?"

Steve choked on his beer and nearly fell into the pool. Eddie started chuckling next to me.

"You love starting trouble, don't you?" Eddie whispered in my ear.

"I only start trouble because I know I'll win the argument," I grinned. "Oh! And, Harrington? I think you owe me some money."

I motioned between him and Gareth, and he sat on the edge of the pool with his beer blushing.

Gareth went off swimming with Eddie and the guys and I sat next to Steve.

"I never thought I would find someone who compliments me. Then Gareth is in my kitchen and suddenly everything clicks together. I just never thought I would find someone who just likes me for me," Steve said, watching Gareth swim with a small smile on his face.

" I think we deserve a bit of happiness now ,don't you?"

" You're right. I deserve to feel however I wanna feel. Because these last few years I've learned that not every day is given to you. Every day you wake up, it's a mystery and you don't know what you're gonna face. You don't know if it's going to be, having to mow the lawn in extremely hot weather or if you're gonna have to deal with interdimensional monsters," Steve gave me a knowing look "I'm all right now. All of us are all right now. Hell, we're better than all right. We are flourishing. and will continue to conquer every obstacle. And no one will give a shit for what we've been through. And we will no longer judge the unusual. Because at the end of the day, we've survived worse."

I smiled and held his hand.

"We deserve it."