Townspeople gathered to mourn will Byers, 'celebrating' his life, at Roan county cemetery. No one in the crowd knew him, all faking their 'sadness'. Except for his friends and their families. Pastor Charles, an evangelical pastor of Hawkins respected by those who know him, read a passage from his bible.

" Fear not, for I am with you, for I am your god. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will up-hold you with my righteous right hand."

Joyce, blank faced and eyes faraway in abandoned hope, turns them to the empty chair at her side reserved for Melissa.

'She isn't back. Where is she?'

Jonathan lowers his head to his mother.

" I asked Amanda, and Katherine, about Milly's whereabouts. Kat said her and hopper were seen, together, yesterday. but the last she heard of Mel was when she left a note saying she is helping chief with something." He states, showcasing he too is worried of his sister's location. Lonnie does a little shake of his head. " If she doesn't show up in the next five minutes, I am going to personally go get her. I don't care if she, and chief hopper, are havin' a little date." Joyce, complicate of his use of tone, is confused with how Lonnie spoke.

'Date? Hopper? Milly? He's saying a whole of nonsense. Goodness me.'

" it's times like these that our faith is challenged. How, if he is truly benevolent, could god take from us someone so young, so innocent? It would be easy to turn away from god. But, we must remember that nothing, not even tragedy, can separate us from his love."

Flowers of sorts were thrown on 'Wills' casket. Karen wheeler is the first to give her sorrows and condolences to Lonnie then Joyce, but she understood giving boundaries and not push Joyce to open up. " I appreciate it. Thank you so much." Ted, Mike wheelers father, shook lonnie by his hand. Amanda— well aware of who and what kind of man Lonnie Byers is— critically glanced over his hand in a once over, not hiding her indifference, giving him a cold shoulder. Guiding Lucas past the man. " Dick."

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Awakening from being incapacitated, drugged and sweating, Jim gasps. Memories of the day before rushing back, Melissa lays knocked out, on his chest, she wore hoppers fleece shirt with a blanket engulfing her figure. If it was under a different circumstance hoppers would've enjoy having Milly on him.

But he's enraged, that the sons of bitches had undressed, possibly putting her in a compromising situation where she was bare.

'I'm gonna kill those bastards.'

Breathing heavy, hopper scoped out his trailer for threats of any sort. Blue pills, crushed cans, cigarettes are littered on staged on his coffee table. 'Who ever did this is going to get the biggest ass kicking.'

Repositioning Melissa, Jim laid her on his space he 'slept' his eyebrows creasing in worry.

He made a grab for his gun. 'I don't care if you drug me. I will be god fucking damned if you think it's okay to do that shit to her.' Hopper marches out of his trailer, gun aimed in the air. Breathing raggedly Jim scouts out his house, and the surrounding lake side woods section, for any signs of a threat. Then hurriedly goes back, to the confines of his home.

Still knocked out, Milly laid on her side, her breath laboured from drugs still in her system not detoxifying. Hopper— now calming himself down to check Melissa— crunches her hair in his fist softly as he inspects and examines her neck. One single puncture wound left behind from a needle.

'I should have never bought her there in the first place. Now look at what happened to her. Shit.'

Overturning everything he owned, in his trailer in search for a listening device those bastards could have planted, starting in his bathroom to his kitchen his dishes clamouring off the oven, Jim wanted to remain quiet but fails as he flips over his table.

'It's got to be here. I just know. Sorry mills. I've gotta move you.'

Lifting Milly in his arms, hopper relocates her back to his bed. using the throw blanket keeping her covered. It wasn't long until he located the implant bug in the overhead light. 'Gotcha. You son of a bitch.'

Officer Callahan, and Powell, made a house call to check on chief hoppers status. He had missed their phone calls, wanting to know why he hadn't came to the station, deciding to check his house. A 'Woah' leaves Callahan, the state of his chiefs home through his window, it made Powell slightly suspicious.

" Hello! Chief. Hey. Hello? Woah!"

Jim stumbles out, pistol in his hand. 'Jesus. It's just them.' He peers in to Milly, his bed in light of sight to the front of his home. " What are you doing here?" He knew it was ridiculous to be guarded, apprehensive but he isn't taking risks. His paranoia strong. " We tried calling, but.." Powell explains in account of his own worry. His behaviour was unusual.

" Yeah. The phone's dead."

" Bev Mooney came in, this morning, all upset. Said that dale and Henry went hunting yesterday and they didn't come back home."

Callahan recounts the statement, he'd written, which he thought would be important to tell Jim.

" She thought they were on another Binger, but she's not so sure now."

Powell adds on to his colleagues recitation.

" I think this whole will Byers thing has every one on edge. On that topic of Byers, Joyce.. she came to us short of an hour ago tops. Said her daughter, you know that crazy girl Melissa with the pretty eyes, was with you? Is that correct?"

Callahan asks, using two fingers to his rimmed glasses, He gulps at the chiefs unsettling hardened gaze.

" Yes, Melissa is inside. She came down with a Fever. She's sleeping. it's best not disturb her at this time. Where was this? Where did Henry and dale go hunting?" Jim insists, making up a lie, story, Incase Callahan and Powell wanted to ask more about her.

" Oh. Uh, out near kerley."

Mirkwood. An intersecting road on Corn Wallis. It all connected, going back to Hawkins laboratory. " Mirkwood. Okay. Alright, you go back to station. I'll take care of this, all right?".

" You sure?" Callahan questions, wanting to assist but knew his place to not upset the chief. " Yeah. Leave it." Jim, curtly, spoke going back in the trailer but is stopped by Phil, Callahan's real name. " Oh, hey. Uh, they found Barbara's car." Barb holland, a school girl that went missing reported by her mother, speculated to have ran out of town.

" Barbara Holland's car. Seems she ran away after all. Staties found it late last night at a bus station." Powell informs hopper, explaining details which Jim does a slow nod.

" Funny, right? They doing our job for us."

Callahan scoffs, sick of out of and in state offical's taking over duties which was not theirs to begin with. " Well. Who do we have here? Byers, your mother and dad want to know where you've been."

Disoriented, showing clear symptoms of confusion, and draped in a throw blanket Melissa peaked out of the door eyes blood shot. " what is going on? Jim?"

Jim, aware of her exposure, tightens the blanket. Powell averts his own gaze. Callahan— unashamed to stare at her nice legs— mentally checks her out. " We'll leave you to be, chief."

Calvin is the first one who talks, dragging Phil back to his cruiser. Hopper, visibly annoyed, rolls both eyes knowing Callahans assumptions about the sight of Milly in his shirt. 'He's gotta learn how to keep his mouth in check.' A shiver of displeasure racks Milly's body. 'I feel like I was ran over by a semi-truck. I'm cold. And why .. is the couch all shredded.'

" Do you remember what happened, Yesterday at the lab? Mills?" Jim queries about her memory. Milly's thoughts were clouded over but recalling exactly what she had seen came back by the second. The quarantine section, a gun to her head, but which unsettled her most in fact is the Rapture. Tears in space and time that connects to the upside down. A Gate-way.

She had felt a calling, as if a source of energy or entity was attempting to convince her to go in. " Bits are coming back but it's still all a bit hazy. I'm sorry." She apologises, hopper waves it off. " you don't need to say that. It's not your fault." He gave her a cold glass of water, then a pain relief pill for her headache. Aspirin.

" it's a force of habit to apologise." She admits, and murmurs, ashamed. Hopper dries off the sweat on her face using a wash towel. " I know. It's not intentional, but I just want you to know you don't need to say you are sorry, ever, with me. Because there is nothing you've done wrong, Melissa. Ok? Nothing. At. All." Milly is unsure. She knew hopper is sincere, he would not lie to her. Her answers embracing Jim, he is taken aback from her sudden affection, and quick at retaliating in the form of hugging her back. Hiding her face in his wide, large, chest.

" You know how to woo a woman with your words, Chief." He chuckles in her hair, letting his eyes relax and close. Not knowing if she was going to regret the action, Milly went on her toes placing a light kiss on the corner to Jim's lips. He, startled, laughs hesitantly not sure how to react and is gentle to caress her revealed shoulder. " I should get you in some new clothes. Run you a shower, so you're back to thinking straight, mills. Sweetheart."

Much he wishes that was her genuine answer, hopper knew there was a high chance she was coming out of a delirium. Not knowing Melissa is sober and feels fine, her thoughts never more clearer. The effects were long out of her system. She watches hopper enter his bathing suit, not a real bath room space it's the size of a coffin, hearing him turn the water faucet on. ' I am confused on what I am feeling, right now.'

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" You were here for the money!" Joyce shouts, a blue pamphlet of an on-site accident lawyer slammed in the chest of Lonnie. " The Money! Admit it." How stupid could she have been to ever believe Lonnie was there for his son. No, it was always going to be his plan to use her boys death as collateral for his own selfish gain and use. " you aren't here 'cause of will. You never cared about him. You never did! Or your daughter, or Jonathan." Joyce had seen the look in Lonnie's eyes when she involved both Melissa and their second eldest child.

" Jesus, Joyce, it was his funeral today. Do we have to do this right now?" Lonnie says, his voice strong and aggravated.

" I'm here to help, Joyce."

She, out of spite, smiles in disbelief.

" I can't believe i fell for this. To Help?!"

Joyce exclaims, staring daggers at her ex-husband as he puts his hand out. The piece of paper in his hold weighing him down.

" We could use that money for good."

Of course. His gambling. He is wanting this to be his big pay out.

" Oh, like maybe to pay off your debts?"

Joyce snaps; fed up with his antics.

" To pay for Jonathan to go to school! And it's not like Melissa needs a pay out. Not when she has all of that money, she's making and doesn't even spare a cent for us. We are the ones who raised her."

Joyce, appalled Lonnie would go that low with how he spoke about his daughter, points an accusing finger. " Don't ever do that. I am the one who raised these kids, I'm the parent who made those sacrifices a parent makes for their children. Melissa doesn't owe you, or me, any of her hard earned money! That is hers!" She declares, bellowing her words in a shout. " I have one question. Huh? Where does he want to go? Where does Jonathan want to go for his college?" She spat out putting him on the spot.

" We get that money, anywhere he damn well pleases!" Lonnie argues grinding his teeth out of anger.

" NYU! Lonnie! NYU! Where MY daughter went. Where he wants to go and follow her in her footsteps! because dammit that boy loves her, so much, he wants to be like her! Not you or me, her! Since he was six years old!"

Joyce had enough of Lonnie punishing her little girl, for simply being born and an adult with thoughts. Enough was enough.

" Get out. I said GET OUT!"

He smirks, abysmally: near mocking. " You need me here, Joyce."

" oh, brother, I have not needed you for a long time!"

He scornfully laughs.

" Look where it got you, huh. Look at this place. All your Christmas lights. What the hell am I supposed to think? You're such a great mom? You're a mess."

Lonnie says, matter of factly.

Joyce feels her anger tipping, to the brink of losing her cool. This is exactly the reaction she knew he wish to see. " Oh, don't you DARE. At least I was here! While you were degrading MY girl, I was here when she came home crying to me saying how her daddy broke her heart! She just wanted you to love her, Lonnie! And so what if I am a mess. Maybe I'm crazy! I'm Out of my mind! But, god help me, I will keep these lights up until the day I die if I think there is a chance wills still out there! Now get. Out!" She threw and disregards Lonnie's yellow duffle-bag. Eyes full of determination and despite.

" Go! Don't ever, and I mean, ever come back."

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Hopper, showing initial hesitation, dials the number to the one woman he hasn't spoken to since he broke off his marriage to. Diane. Her voice, which once seemingly made his heart swell, didn't have the correlative effect it did.

" Hello?" Diane, answering, says.

" Hey." Jim said in the speaker.

" Jim?" She sounded shock hearing her ex-husband, believing he's drunk. " Yeah." Sighing knowingly, Diane spoke softly.

" Why are you calling me here? I told you not to call me." Her remarrying had first made Jim feel betrayed. How could she move on from her relationship. Jim felt a selfish rage growing in the pit of his heart. For months he was angry at himself, for not being the husband she needed.

" I know, I know. I just wanted to.. to.. I just wanted to hear your voice."

He listen to Melissa's gentle snores, her body facing away as she rests on his couch.

" and uh.. just want to say that.. even after everything that happened, I don't.. I don't regret any of .. of it."

Diane listens close to his words. Staying silent on the other end. " Those seven years, they were .. everything to me. And I just wanted to say I'm sorry." There was a double standard on how he said it, staring at Milly's back. I'm sorry for pushing you away. He wanted to say after.

" Have you been drinking?" Diane asks, rhetorically.

" No. no.." he said, distantly, just as baby cries came from the speaker. Her new born.

" Shh. Honey, hey.. hey it's okay.. it's okay." Drowning out the baby's cries, hopper does a sigh as Milly moves her in sleep.

" you know what, actually, I have been drinking. I'm sorry."

Jim knew diane would be frowning.

" Jim. I don't.."

" Just take care of yourself, okay? Say hi to bill for me. Goodbye." As symbolic as it was, hanging up the phone and saying his last good bye's to Diane, felt like letting go of a weight he struggled to be free of. Knowing now which is the exact thing he wanted, and struggled to get through his thick skull. Melissa Byers. He was clear on what he wants. He just needed to wait for her to be sure, certain of what she wants.

Getting off the floor, Jim places his phone back and clears off his coffee table. He takes off the piles of newspaper, he had sprawled, cramping them in his hands. " Should write a note real quick. I don't want her to wake up and see I'm not here. Or to freak out." He finds a blank old parchment, using a worn down pen, and writes a rough note leaving a magnet to hold it.

Before leaving, hopper does a final look to her, and closes the door.

JASMINE SPEAKS;

Hopper has finally come to realise his feelings for Melissa! I felt sad for hopper in the early seasons and onwards. His trauma wasn't as talked about than it should have. Losing Sarah, losing Diane. And not to mention all of the ST characters having their own personal tragic back stories. All of them having experienced it.

What are your thoughts on Lonnie saying all of what he did about Melissa? Joyce defending her girl? I will admit I did have a hard time with writing all of what he did say because I have had something similar done to me.

It's not easy dealing with a parent like Lonnie, I'd know.

I have my own Lonnie but he's way out of my life now, for a decade and continuing. I am more than okay now, actually. I've done so much better without my Lonnie in my life.

Tell me what your thoughts are below.

®️ Written by jasmine. 2024