HAWKINS, INDIANA — 1985.

"SUZIE, DO YOU COPY?"

Theresa and Steve frowned, looking down at the walkie-talkie in Robin's hands.

Dustin gave his sentence a few more frantic attempts, and finally, he got a response.

"This is Suzie, I copy!"

All three of their eyes widened, exchanging a look.

"She's real?" Tess remarked in disbelief.

Dustin continued to apologize to Suzie for their lack of communication, everyone growing impatient as they listened.

"Okay, so listen. Do you know Planck's constant?" he asked.

"Do you know the Earth orbits the sun?" Suzie replied.

Theresa raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, so I know it starts with two sixes, and then a... what is it?"

Suzie paused. "Okay, let me just be clear on this. I haven't heard from you in a week and now you want a mathematical equation that you should know so you can... save the world?"

"Suzie-poo, I promise, I will make it up to you as soon as possible," Dustin gushed.

Theresa stared out of the back window of the station wagon, seeing that the giant monster was still tailing them. They did not have time for this. She fought the urge to interject and say something, trying to stay patient.

"You could make it up to me now," Suzie replied.

"What?"

"I want to hear it," Suzie continued.

Tess frowned, confused. "The hell is she talking about?"

Steve and Robin shrugged.

"Not right now," Dustin tried to reason, but Suzie was clearly not having that.

"Yes, now, Dusty-bun!"

Theresa threw her head back, rolling her eyes. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," she muttered.

Dustin cut back in. "Suzie-poo, this is urgent!"

"Yes, yes, you're saving the world, I heard you the first time. But– Ged is also saving Earthsea and he's about to confront the shadow, so this is Suzie signing off–"

"Wait wait wait!" Dustin interrupted. "Okay, okay!"

They all sat there as the walkie-talkie went silent, Theresa keeping an eye on the Mind Flayer still in pursuit. If that thing caught up with them, they were literally going to die. And it would all be because of Suzie.

Just then, Dustin began singing. It was random, catching everyone in the car off guard. Tess, Robin and Steve all looked at each other, puzzled.

"What in God's name..." Steve's mouth fell open, at a loss for words.

The others in the car turned to them in the back, showing just as much confusion.

After what felt like a lifetime of Suzie and Dustin singing NeverEnding Story finally ended, Suzie gave Dustin the answer to his question.

"You just saved the world," Dustin laughed with relief.

Tess let out a huff, blinking a few times. "This was the best option we had for saving the world?"

Steve looked out of the window once more, knitting his brows.

"It's turning around."

"What?" Theresa leaned forward, peering out of the window. The Mind Flayer had stopped, turning back in the opposite direction.

She looked over her shoulder at Jonathan driving. "Turn around, now!"

He listened, swerving all the way around on the road and throwing everyone in the vehicle around. Eleven, Max and Mike were still at the mall. They had to get to them.

Jonathan sped down the road, hitting triple digits on the dash, but it still did not feel fast enough. Theresa was ready to jump out of her seat as soon as the mall was back in her sight. They all rushed out of the car and back into the mall, Theresa racking her brain.

"Lucas!" She grabbed him by the shoulders. "Fireworks. You got fireworks, right?"

He quickly nodded.

"We need all of them," Tess looked up at everyone standing circled around. "We're all going to kill this thing, alright? To protect El."

They all nodded.

She nodded back. "Alright. Everyone get ready then."

Tess walked toward the edge of the second floor, looking over the railing. Down below in the food court, she spotted Billy. He was carrying Eleven's limp body, setting her down on the floor.

She took a deep breath, not realizing how bad she wanted someone dead until now.

Theresa wanted to see Billy Hargrove suffer.

She stepped back, turning toward the group. "Spread out and be ready. When the Mind Flayer comes back, light its ass up."

With that, she led Steve and Robin away to where they would be positioned in front of Scoops Ahoy.

"You give a really good motivational speech," Steve remarked to her teasingly.

Tess rolled her eyes. "Shut up."

Robin looked between the two, smiling a little.

Theresa felt the entire mall rattle just then, raising her head to see the giant monster had returned. Just looking at it grossed her out, mostly because of her massive fear of spiders.

She turned her head to Steve and Robin, giving a nod of confirmation. They all gathered the fireworks in front of them, Steve taking a lighter and sparking one.

The Mind Flayer extended a claw from its mouth toward Eleven, who was now conscious.

From the other side of the mall, Lucas yelled to get its attention.

"Flay this you ugly piece of shit!"

He threw a firework, his impeccable aim hitting it directly in its mouth. The rest of them began following suit, throwing fireworks and causing cacophonous explosions that damaged the Mind Flayer. Theresa glanced down, watching Billy. He seemed to be in pain from the creature getting hit, but he grabbed Eleven by her ankle and dragged her closer to it.

Tess glanced down, seeing that there was only one firework left. They were running out of time.

Billy hovered over El, pinning her down.

Theresa reached for the walkie-talkie on the ground beside her.

"Dustin, tell them to close it!"

She watched, wide-eyed, reaching down for the last firework. Steve lit it for her, and she chunked it as hard as she could.

Billy stood up, coming face to face with the Mind Flayer. Everyone watched, having no idea what he was doing. Tess tilted her head with confusion, watching the creature extend its claw again.

Billy's arms shot out in front of him. He tried to push it back, to force the Mind Flayer away. It brought its numerous other tentacles around, piercing into his body as everyone looked on with horror.

Theresa's eyes widened as the monster growled, one last claw shooting out directly into Billy's chest.

There was a scream from below. Max's scream. Tess heard it, snapping her back to reality after what she had just witnessed.

The Mind Flayer shrieked, shrinking back and suddenly collapsing to the ground. It did not budge, the entire room going completely silent.

Theresa dropped her head, looking down for Max.

"Max," she took a step back, sprinting around to the escalator and descending the steps as fast as her feet would take her.

"Tess–"

Steve watched her go, almost following after her. He stayed back, deciding against it. She probably wanted to handle this on her own.

Max was kneeling over Billy's lifeless figure, shaking him. Mike held onto Eleven tightly, looking up as Tess ran down.

She should not have cared so much; Theresa did not have the smallest ounce of sympathy for Billy Hargrove. But Max was sobbing, and she was so painfully lost. She raised her head as Tess approached her, kneeling beside her.

"Hey, hey," Tess put an arm around the girl as Max let out a broken sob, falling into Theresa.

She wrapped her arms around her, looking over Max's shoulder at Billy's dead body. Tess kept a hand over Max's head, wanting to shield her from what she had already seen.

"It's okay," she whispered while Max continued to let out sobs that broke her heart into a million little pieces.

Theresa stared into Billy's glazed over eyes, closing her own and drawing in a shaky breath as she continued to try and comfort Max.

"It's okay."

But she knew things were far from okay.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

"THERESA SINCLAIR, I AM GOING TO murder you."

Tess turned, raising her eyebrows in surprise as she saw Steve standing in the doorway of her bedroom. She had been packing her things up over the past few weeks, preparing for the move into her new apartment for college.

"Steve? What are you doing here–"

"Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?" he approached her, placing his hands on his hips.

She glanced down, then back up with an amused smile on her face.

"I-I thought you knew," Theresa defended, shrugging defensively. "You know everything else about me, so..."

"Don't try to blame this on me," he placed a finger against his own chest. "You know who told me it was your birthday? Your brother. I had to find out from your brother that August eighteenth is your birthday."

She smiled innocently, raising her hands. "...Surprise?"

Steve rolled his eyes, dismissing her. "Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I got you a present. It was kind of last minute, but I think you'll like it."

He held out a hand, Theresa slowly taking it with a suspicion about her.

"What kind of present, exactly?"

"Just come on," he pulled her out of her room, dragging her down the hallway as Tess huffed.

Steve stopped in her living room, dropping her hand.

"Close your eyes."

She gave him a look. "What–"

"Just do it!"

Theresa sighed, reluctantly closing her eyes. She stood there, waiting with impatience.

"Okay, you can open them."

She did so, her eyes going big as she saw Steve standing in front of her with a tiny black ball of fur in his arms. It was a kitten.

Her mouth fell open, gasping. "Oh my God!"

Steve grinned as Theresa took the cat, a wide smile on her face as she tried to get over her shock.

"I remembered you telling me how you always wanted a cat," he said, beaming at Tess. "Erica helped me pick her out. What do you think?"

Theresa looked up, happier than he had ever seen her before. She grinned uncontrollably, giving a small shake of her head.

"Oh, I hate it."

He halfway rolled his eyes, smiling again. Tess raised the little grey kitten to eye level, making a scrutinizing face at the furball.

"What should I name her, though?"

Steve placed an arm around Theresa, tapping his chin in thought as he looked down at the tiny kitten. It meowed softly, Tess petting its little head lovingly.

"Sergeant Tibbs," Steve replied at once. "You know, the cat from 101 Dalmatians."

Tess gave him a sideways glance, snorting with laughter.

"Of all the cats you could think of, that's the first one that comes to mind?"

He shrugged. "Tibbs is a cute name for a cat."

Theresa cradled the kitten in her arms, thinking for a moment. Then she looked up suddenly, getting the perfect idea for a name.

"Oh, I know! I want to name her Dinah."

Steve tilted his head. "I like it. Where'd you think of that?"

"Alice's kitten from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It's my favorite book."

He nodded, looking down at the cat with a soft smile. "Dinah it is, then."

Tess turned her head, meeting his eyes with a genuine smile.

"Thank you," she said softly. "I love her. And I love you."

Steve returned her look with a smile that could make anyone see how in love he was, keeping his arm around her.

"I love you too."

She placed a hand on his face, leaning in to press her lips to Steve's.

"Ew!"

They pulled away, turning to see Erica standing there with a look of disgust. She crinkled her nose, looking them up and down.

"I like my gift," Theresa mentioned, holding up the cat in her arms.

Erica nodded. "Yeah, I know. Don't let Steve fool you. I did all the work."

She walked away at that, Tess and Steve simultaneously shaking their heads with a laugh.

"So," Steve inhaled sharply, clasping his hands together. "Be ready by six. We're going out to dinner."

Theresa arched an eyebrow, masking her amusement.

"Oh, are we?"

Steve nodded curtly. "Yeah. I'm still mad at you, by the way."

She rolled her eyes, waving a hand dismissively.

"You can't stay mad, though."

Steve pulled his car keys out of his pocket with a sigh. "You're right, I can't," he muttered, pursing his lips. He leaned in to kiss her again, then headed toward the front door.

"Six o'clock!" he called. "Be ready!"

Theresa watched him with a grin.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

     IT WAS MOVING DAY.

Theresa was excited more than anything, but she was also extremely stressed from trying to get all of her things from one place to another. Thankfully, she had the help of her family and Steve, but she would only allow them to do so much because she felt the need to do it all herself.

"The mirror isn't crooked," Steve sighed, watching Tess adjust a mirror on the wall in her new bedroom for the millionth time.

She ignored him, pursing her lips. "It is," she retorted, finally taking a step away.

"There," Theresa turned to him with a quipped smile, clasping her hands together as she walked toward him. Dinah darted around her legs playfully, Tess bending down to scoop her up and pet her.

"So, when are you and Robin gonna go look for a new job?" she asked.

Steve followed her out of the bedroom and into the living room, raising his shoulders. "I don't know. I think she mentioned something about the Family Video store, but I don't really care about movies that much."

Tess eyed him, setting Dinah down and placing her hands on her hips. "What's more important– being happy, or making money?"

He gave an eye roll at her sarcastic question, the door opening just then as Lucas and Erica burst in. They were both carrying boxes, bickering about something while they set the boxes down.

"What are you arguing about now?" Theresa questioned flatly, crossing her arms.

Lucas gestured at Erica. "Erica says I don't have what it takes to be on the basketball team!"

"Because you don't, nerd!" she shot back without a moment's hesitation.

Tess halfway rolled her eyes, glancing at Steve. "They're gonna kill each other when I'm gone."

He smiled warmly, grabbing her hands and facing her while Erica and Lucas continued to argue in the background.

"Don't worry, I'll keep them in check for you," Steve reassured, placing his hands on either side of her face.

Theresa closed her eyes for a moment with a sigh, putting her hands over his. She opened her eyes again, meeting Steve's. 

"On a serious note, if anything weird starts happening again while I'm gone, you better call me. Understand?"

"Tess," Steve never broke eye contact. "Everything in Hawkins is gonna be fine. You don't have to worry about us. You just focus on being the genius that you are and becoming a lawyer and arguing with people. It's what you're best at."

She laughed a little, Steve taking his hands away. Tess pushed her hair back, looking around the living room that was starting to appear a little less vacant. She was thrilled to have her own place, quite honestly, because she could decorate it however she wanted.

Later that day, Theresa made one last drive back to Hawkins to get the last of her things. And, since she was there, she decided that she was going to help Steve and Robin get a job too.

"I feel like you and Robin planned this out," Steve said as Tess pulled up to the Family Video store, a smirk on her face.

Robin leaned forward from the backseat, smiling as well. "We did."

Steve reluctantly got out of the car, holding the door open for the two girls as they walked inside. At the counter stood Keith, whom Tess had no idea existed, but he seemed to think the exact opposite about her.

She turned to Steve, gesturing with her head passive aggressively.

"Go," Tess said quietly through a clenched smile, Steve following Robin up to the counter.

Theresa browsed the movies while Robin and Steve talked to Keith, finally looking up and noticing Steve approaching her.

"I can't do this," he huffed. "That dude's a total douchebag. He said he won't hire me!"

She raised an eyebrow, glancing over at Keith. An idea formed in her mind, Tess slowly beginning to smile.

"I can help you with that," she ruffled Steve's hair with a wink, bouncing up to the counter where Robin and Keith stood.

Robin glanced at her, Theresa giving her a knowing look.

"You mind giving me and..." she paused, looking at Keith's name tag, "Keith, a moment?"

At once, Robin nodded and stepped away, trying to hide her smirk. Tess turned face to face with Keith, leaning against the counter.

"Hi Keith."

"H-Hi– um. Hi. A-Are you here f-for a job too?"

Theresa poked out her bottom lip, shaking her head. "No, I wish I was. But look, can I let you in on a little secret?"

Keith ogled at her with his mouth agape, nodding.

She smiled. "Steve and Robin... they're really close friends of mine. Do you know what that means, Keith?"

He shook his head, following her every movement.

Tess leaned closer. "That means... that I'll come in here all the time to see them. And not only them, but you too, Keith. I'll get to see you every other day. Isn't that great?"

Keith nodded dumbly, unable to form a coherent sentence.

"Wonderful!" She clapped her hands together. "So you'll hire both of them, right?"

"Y-Yeah, totally," Keith replied.

Theresa laughed. "I knew I could count on you."

She turned, seeing Steve and Robin watching her as she walked toward the exit. Steve followed behind her, having many questions.

"Did you just flirt your way into getting me a job?"

Tess opened her car door, giving a small shrug.

"What can I say? I'm a genius."

She had one more stop before making her drive back to Notre Dame. It was not only just moving day for her, but the Byers family as well. Theresa could not say she blamed them for it, not after everything their family had been plagued by over the past two years. Tess wanted to stop by before they left, to talk to Jonathan and the others.

Pulling up to the Byers' residence, she saw the moving truck already there. Everyone was standing outside, saying their goodbyes it seemed. Theresa felt a heavy weight on her chest, almost getting a bit emotional as she got out of her car and walked up to them.

"Did you guys really think you were gonna get to say goodbye without me?" she questioned, catching Jonathan by surprise.

He turned around, breaking into a grin as Tess went forward to embrace him tightly.

"Don't do anything stupid in California, alright?"

Jonathan chuckled softly, nodding. "I'll try my best."

She pulled away at once, inhaling sharply. "I'll write to you. Keep you updated on college life."

He nodded once more with a smile. "I'm gonna miss you, Tess."

Theresa had to turn away before Jonathan could see her tearing up.

Next, she went to El. The girl met Theresa's eyes, not hesitating to throw her arms around her and hug Tess tightly.

"I will be fearless," Eleven muttered, giving Tess a recollection of one of the very first conversations the two girls ever had. "Just like you."

Theresa let an involuntary tear slip down her cheek, giving a nod.

"I know you will," she replied.

She was unsure of how El was doing, since Hopper was gone. The news hit Theresa on the night that it happened, and Tess supposed she still had yet to really grasp the fact that Jim was dead. It did not seem real at all.

The Byers were all packed up and done saying their goodbyes, so it was time for them to go. It was bittersweet, watching them all load up and pull out of the driveway one last time. Tess noticed Lucas and Max standing closely, smiling to herself. It burdened her, though, knowing that Max was really struggling. And knowing that there was nothing she could do to take that pain from her.

Deep down, she knew this was only the beginning.

notes.
with this, i am closing out season three <3

i know it's hella late for me to be updating, but i got a sudden burst of inspiration and decided to go ahead and push through to get this chapter out, so i can FINALLY start season 4 YASSSSS!!!

so excited for it, also terrified for it, so many mixed emotions for what theresa is going to be put through. lol!!

steve and tess still reign supreme as my favorite couple ever, i'd give my whole life for them actually <3 comfort couple fr

btw, i didn't give robin a coming out scene but by season 4 tess and steve will know that she is a lesbian! i tried to find a way to fit it in but really wasn't sure how, but i didn't want to ignore her coming out like some fics do

any predictions for theresa and eddie?

excuse any grammar mistakes btw, i'm halfway asleep as i'm typing this