Dustin pulled and tugged at his tie, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't see to get it to loop. With an angry cry, he ripped off the tie and threw it away from him, his hands balled into fists. Why couldn't he even put on a tie? Was he really that useless, Dustin thought to himself.

"You having some problems, buddy?" A voice questioned from the doorway, causing Dustin's eyes to widen.

He whipped his head around immediately, a small smile tugging at his lips when he saw Steve leaning against the frame. He was glad to see the older boy was already in his suit, with an immaculate tie.

"Your back" Dustin exclaimed, looking happier than he had in weeks.

"I was never going to miss the funeral, Dustin" Steve replied, as he walked over to grab Dustin's discarded tie.

"Where have you been? After…you just vanished! It's been two weeks" Dustin scolded, as Steve came to stand in front of him.

"I needed to get away" Steve informed him, as he placed the tie over Dustin's head.

"Did it help?" Dustin inquired, as Steve slowly shook his head, continuing to sort Dustin's tie out.

"…How's your mom been?" Steve asked, patting Dustin's tie once he was finished.

"She cries a lot. Not in front of me but…I hear her sometimes. She feels guilty…" Dustin trailed off, with downcast eyes.

"We all do" Steve mumbled.

"You missed the big funeral, for all the people who died on the Fourth of July" Dustin explained, as Steve simply shrugged.

Twenty-eight people in total had died in the town, some had been flayed, some had just gotten in the way of the Mindflayer's plan. The group had decided a separate funeral would be held for Karmen, Billy and Hopper. It only seemed right. Neil and Susan had been buried with the others, as no one was comfortable with burying them with Billy. They had all gone to show Max support, but Dustin wasn't sure how much it had helped. The usual happy, bubbly girl had barely talked in the past couple of weeks. Not even Lucas or Eleven could get her to speak, she had been too traumatised. Max didn't really do much of anything anymore. Eleven tried to put on a brave face for Max, but Will had told them that he heard El crying a lot when he thought they were all asleep.

"I heard Eleven and Max have moved in with Mrs Byers" Steve announced, bringing Dustin back to the present.

"She wanted to take Eleven in. It was what Hopper wanted and El's basically become Max's bodyguard now…so I guess it just makes sense" Dustin replied.

"How've they been holding up?" Steve questioned, as Dustin couldn't help but scoff.

"You'd know if you'd been here" Dustin muttered, watching as a hurt flashed over Steve's face.

"Dustin-" Steve began, as a call came from outside the room.

"Dusty! We need to get going" Ms Henderson's voice exclaimed, as Dustin shook his head, and walked past Steve before the older boy could stop him.

Steve ran a hand through his hair, as he cursed silently under his breath. God, he wished Karmen was there.

All eyes were on Steve as he walked down the aisle of the church, while he kept his gaze firmly planted on the ground. The rest of the town had been allowed to come to the service, but only friends and family could go to the cemetery. Steve felt his blood boil as he walked down the aisle to see the faces of so many people he had never seen before. What was it about a tragedy that attracted so many people? Steve was glad to find some friendly faces on the front pews. Nancy and Jonathan hung at the back, with Murray sitting next to them. Max was sitting in the front row, with Lucas on one side of her, and El on the other. The two girls held onto each other's hands tightly, as a tear rolled down Eleven's cheek. Mike, who was on the other side of her, pressed a soft kiss to Eleven's hair, a pained expression on his face. Joyce's eyes widened as she saw Steve walking towards them, a sad smile growing as she moved to let him sit next to her. Steve looked to the row opposite to see Dustin and his mother, the latter who was holding onto her son tightly. Steve's attention was brought back to his row as he heard a silent sob nearby and saw Will rubbing at his eyes.

"Sorry" Will mumbled, wiping his face with the back of his hand.

"It's alright to cry, man. It's alright" Steve told him, as Will gave him a grateful smile, letting his mother hold him close.

Steve's head whipped around as he heard the doors to the church open, allowing a hopeful expression to grow on his face. He couldn't hide his disappointment as he saw Robin stumble through the large wooden doors, which she seemed to notice. Dustin called over to her, moving so she could sit next to him. Steve was glad that they had each other. It wasn't that he didn't want Robin there, not at all. He had missed his friend. But he had wanted someone else there more. Two people, in fact.

"I don't think they're coming, Steve" Joyce announced, as Steve turned back to her.

He wasn't surprised that she had realised what he was thinking, after all, she was a mother herself. Steve's parents hadn't exactly been supportive after Karmen's death, and after he had disappeared for two weeks, they didn't bother to hide their disappointment. An almighty row had broken out before Steve had gone to Dustin's, where he asked them to come to the funeral. Steve's father questioned why they would, as they didn't really know Karmen. Steve had desperately tried to explain that it wasn't for her…it was for him. With a pained frown, Steve realised that they had made their choice. They hadn't even bothered to look for him when he went 'missing'…they weren't going to be there for him now. Steve jumped a little as Joyce placed her hand over his, giving a comforting squeeze.

The service soon began, as a sad silence washed over the church. It wasn't exactly a conventional funeral, as there were no bodies. The government still had released them, and Steve didn't hold out much hope that they ever would. It was just another piece of closure that they would never get. It had been decided that one person would speak for each of the deceased, with Eleven wandering to the front of the church, a scared expression on her face. She had never done any public speaking before, and it was one hell of a way to start.

"Hopper was my dad. He might not have been there at the start of my life…but he was my father. And I was his daughter. He…he came into my life when I needed someone, and I think I did the same for him. I hope…I hope…" Eleven sniffled, as tears dropped onto the piece of paper she was reading off.

Joyce was on her feet in an instant, rushing forward to place her arm around the shaking girl. Eleven wiped at her cheeks and took a deep breath, a look of determination on her face.

"I hope…no. I know that wherever he is he'll be with Sara. He'll have found her again and…they'll be looking after each other" Eleven cried, looking up to the sky as she finished.

There wasn't a dry eye in the room as Joyce helped Eleven to sit back down. All eyes went to Max as people wondered whether she would say anything, or if it was just too painful. Her eyes linked with Eleven's for a moment, as Max nodded suddenly and pushed herself to her feet. She kept her eyes firmly on her feet as she stood in front of the church, her hands fidgeting.

"I…I don't have a speech. I wasn't sure…I didn't know if I could do this. But I want to to…for him. Billy wasn't a bad guy. He tried. He tried to help me, even when I didn't realise it. He saved me. He gave me my life and…that means I have to keep going, even if I don't want to…He was my brother. My family. And I didn't realise until too late…" Max trailed off, her eyes welling with tears.

"Billy Hargrove was a hero. And I hope he's finally found some peace…because he never had that in life" Max sobbed, as she rushed to sit back down, tears now rolling down her cheeks.

Steve felt his heart beat madly in his chest as he realised it was his turn to stand up. Everyone was expecting it of him. He was Karmen's boyfriend, after all, the closest thing she had to family. Taking a shaky breath, he pushed off from the pews and came to stand in front of everyone.

"Karmen changed my life the moment she stepped into it. That's what she did for everyone. She saw the best in people…and was fiercely protective of her friends. Karmen didn't have any family…but she made a family of her own. She brought us all together, she was the glue that held everything together. She…she was one of a kind. I know a lot of people say that, but she really was. She was special. I'll never meet anyone like her. I…I don't want to…" Steve stuttered, trying to stop himself from crying.

"Karmen died saving her friends…her family. She was the best person I've ever met, and I'll always love her. And I know…I know I'll see her again one day" Steve finished, choking up on the last sentence.

A little while later, the group stood by the plot for their friends, their gravestones close together. They all hoped that wherever the three were, they were together too. It was a small bit of comfort in an awful situation. He had managed to catch Robin before she could leave the service, as she pointed out she wasn't sure if she'd be welcome at the cemetery. Steve had explained that she might not have known them well, but she was his best friend. And he needed her there. Steve knelt down to place a single rose in front of Karmen's gravestone, wiping away a tear that fell down his cheek.

"I meant it, baby. Every word. I'll find a way to bring you back. I promise" Steve mumbled, kissing his fingertips, and pressing his hand against the gravestone.

"Do you want to come with us?" Joyce questioned, as Steve's head whipped up to stare at her.

"What do you mean?" Steve frowned, standing up.

"I haven't told the others yet but…we're leaving. We…I can't stay in Hawkins anymore. I get the feeling you might feel the same?" Joyce guessed as Steve let out a long sigh.

"Thank you but…I can't. I…I need to be on my own right now" Steve replied, as Joyce gave him a sad look.

"Are you sure about that, Steve? You can't just leave-" Joyce began, as a voice suddenly cut her off.

"You're leaving?" Dustin's hurt voice cried from behind Steve.

"I only came back for the funeral" Steve admitted, turning around as Joyce decided to leave the two alone.

"But you can't! I need you here, Steve. I…I can't do this alone" Dustin begged.

"You've got your mom-" Steve started, but Dustin cut him off quickly.

"I need my brother too!" Dustin exclaimed, angry tears welling in his eyes.

"I'll be back…I will. I just can't be here right now" Steve informed him, reaching out to Dustin, who flinched away.

"Why not?! She would have wanted you here! Why are you running away?" Dustin shouted.

"Because I can't bear to look at any of you!" Steve admitted, his eyes widening when he realised what he had said.

Dustin was taken aback at this confession, hurt flashing across his face. Steve was leaving because of him?

"…Every time I look at you, I see her. Every time I walk down the sidewalk of this town, I see her. It's…it's killing me, Dustin. I can literally feel my heart break. I can't even describe how much it hurts…" Steve trailed off.

"…I'll miss you" Dustin confessed, as Steve gave him a sad smile.

"And I'll miss you too. I love you, Dustin. You're my family. And I promise…I'll be back. Once I find what I'm looking for" Steve explained, as a frown grew on Dustin's face.

"What's that?" Dustin questioned.

"Hope" Steve answered, as Dustin gave him an odd look.

Dustin opened his mouth to push further when he spotted someone laying flowers down on Karmen's grave, which Steve also spotted. The older boy looked furious as he stormed over to the woman, his hands balled into fists.

"This is for friends and family only" Steve announced, as the woman pushed herself to her feet.

"I know" The woman mumbled, sadly.

Steve let out an angry scoff as the woman still didn't seem to get the message. He grabbed onto her arm, about to physically drag her away when their eyes connected. Steve let out a shaky breath as he looked into the woman's blue eyes, finding a haunting familiarity there. He took a closer look at the woman who had to be around forty, her brunette hair that blew in the wind, her pale skin and…English accent.

"Who are you?" Steve inquired, as Dustin came to stand beside him.

"Karmen is…she was my daughter" The woman replied, a look of despair on her face, as the world came crashing down around Steve.

To be Continued with Season 4...

Author's Notes: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! So that's it for a while I'm afraid, it looks like it will be a long hiatus but I'm really excited about the future of this story. I gave you guys a big bombshell at the end there, Karmen's mother has turned up. What does this mean? And is she there for a good reason? Please do come back once Season 4 airs, as I expect I'll get back to writing this pretty quickly. I do have another Stranger Things fanfiction which you can read if you miss this story, it's called the Bad Boy and the Freak, you can check it out by clicking on my profile! I'd also just like to say thank you so much to everyone who has supported this story over the years. 100,000 words and over 170 reviews, is something for us all to be proud of. Until next time, stay safe everyone!

NicoleR85: Thanks for all the support! Season 4 will be mind-blowing I can promise you that, haha.

tazsgirl6969: Thank you for review:)

Min234: Aw, thank you so much, that really means a lot to me! I'm glad I was able to immerse you so much in this story, and hope you come back once it starts again:)

RoseAmeliaSarahNoblePond: Oops, sorry about that, haha. Karmen and Billy had a good way of pulling on your heartstrings, didn't they? Thank you! I hope you come back to see what the future holds in store for them after the new season airs:)

Guest: Don't worry, this won't be the last we see of Karmen and Steve, he won't stop until he gets her back!

Angryfanfic: You and me both, I can't believe we've already been waiting a year for the new season. I've got lots of exciting ideas to add to whatever storyline they do for Season 4, so be sure to come back:)

Nameless One: Sorry about that, this chapter was probably just as depressing, haha. Thanks for the review:)