✺

"CARLY!"

Max's cry was a broken sob as her hands trembled, clutching onto her sister's sailor uniform as she drowned in the grief of losing both siblings at once. Just as Max had gotten her sister back in her life, she had been permanently stolen from her.

"Move," Ronnie demanded. "Move!"

The teenage girl pushed Max away as her hands were on Carly's chest, pressing down to force her heart to beat again. Max's eyes were large, clutching onto El, who was there in support.

"What are you doing?" Robin questioned, frantically.

"I'm not about to lose my only friend," said Ronnie. "Steve, use something to stop the bleeding! Someone call help! Now!"

Then, with those orders, Ronnie was blowing air into Carly's lungs. Not needing to be told twice, Steve had removed his top, holding it against Carly's side to stop the bleeding. But Robin had to help him as the shard or glass was still stuck and he couldn't bring himself to hurt her.

Around them, there was a scramble of desperation, trying to find a way to call for help, but the sirens were already wailing outside.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Ronnie continued the cycle, trying to save Carly. No one breathed; though, Max was still sobbing, keeping her eyes firmly on Carly, wishing for her to open her eyes again. Steve's body trembled, but he kept his hands still, knowing Carly needed him.

And if he knocked the glass that was lodged deep inside her, he feared he'd do more damage.

"Come on!" Ronnie shouted. "You're not dying, Carly!"

But, in another place that was surrounded by a blinding white light, Carly stood alone as she walked around the open space. To start with, Carly was lost and confused, having always been in the darkness of minds or exploring memories — a white mind was something new.

"Hello?" Carly called out.

The longer she stayed, the more she believed she had to be dead. Her mind was foggy with what had happened, but she remembered the pain, as well as the taste of blood.

Touching her side, Carly looked down to see no injuries that she felt lingered.

"Max?" Carly continued shouting. "Steve?"

"Carly," Billy's voice replied in response.

Out of instinct, Carly tensed from fear for her brother. Though, this time was different: Billy's voice was calmer, the tone no longer leaving goosebumps on Carly's skin.

Taking a deep breath, Carly turned to see that Billy was standing in the white emptiness. There was an easiness to his presence now as he wore white, blending with the surroundings. His face was smoother, no longer expressionless or tense.

"I won't hurt you," Billy reassured her. "Not again."

"Where are we?" Carly questioned.

"That doesn't matter," said Billy. "You don't have a lot of time. I need you to know that I'm sorry and I don't expect you to forgive me."

Even in death, Carly couldn't bring herself to. All she could do was stay silent, keeping the distance between them as she wrapped her arms around herself, feeling uncomfortable.

"Carly, you have to understand something," Billy continued. "He has seen you and he will come for you. This is all about you now."

"Who is he?" Carly questioned, confused.

"I don't know," Billy answered. "Just be prepared."

"I don't know how to do that if I don't know who I'm facing," Carly reminded him.

"You figured out your powers by yourself without knowing anything, so you can do this," Billy told her. "You have time, Carly, just use it wisely. Can you tell Max that I'm sorry I was a shitty brother?"

Carly simply nodded, unknowing if Billy dying made it any easier to forgive him.

Billy started to fade, along with the white, as Carly kept her eyes on him, unknowing how to say goodbye to someone she hated. It felt evil, but Carly found it too easy to let him go.

And then she was gasping for air.

Ronnie was leaning over her, beaming brightly with tears in her eyes.

"Welcome back, blondie."

✺

In the storm that followed, Carly had been rushed to the hospital before she was even updated on what was going on. Max stayed with Carly, promising to never leave her side as she held her sister's hand, who was too weak to hold it back.

Carly had been rushed into surgery with internal bleeding. A few ribs were broken, as well as Carly's leg, but she had survived, so that's what had mattered. After the surgery, Carly woke to her mom, who broke down upon seeing her daughter awake again.

Max was still there, refusing to leave.

"I told you," said Carly, still tired and achy. "I'm not going anywhere."

There was a hint of a smile as Max cried.

And then Carly's dad was there.

Seeing him, Carly burst into tears as he kissed the top of his daughter's head, crying with her. Neither had expected that Carly going to Hawkins for the summer would result in her almost dying.

A few days later, Carly felt up for visitors. Already, there were numerous flowers around her from those that had almost died with Carly.

When Ronnie came, Carly had a bright smile on her face.

"You're stuck in hospital, but still smiling," Ronnie said. "Please tell me what can possibly be worth smiling about in this shithole."

"Maybe you visiting," Carly told her. "Ronnie, you saved my life. Thank you. I don't know how I can ever make that up to you."

"Just don't do that again and we'll call it even, okay?" Ronnie suggested, shoving her hands in her pockets as she stood awkwardly at the side of the bed. "You really scared me, Carly."

Carly's face softened, feeling guilty. Of course, Carly now knew about Ronnie's feelings (though, her friend hadn't confessed them), but it wasn't right to bring them up.

"I'm sorry," Carly apologised. "I'll try not to do it again."

"People have a habit of leaving me, so I never let anyone close enough," Ronnie confessed, still not looking at Carly. "But, you... I don't know how you did it, Carly, but I hope you stay."

"Even if we're states apart, we'll still be friends," Carly reassured her.

That earned a smile from her friend as Carly's hand reached out for Ronnie, encouraging the brunette to take her hand as she held onto it gently. Staring down, Ronnie's eyes lingered on the gesture, starting to relax.

James Sullivan then entered the room with a coffee in hand as he spotted the two teenagers. There was a smile on his face as he recognised who Ronnie was.

"You must be Ronnie," her father said, putting his coffee down on the bedside table before he's hugging the surprised teenager. "Thank you. Seriously. You saved my daughter's life, so you're family now. Understand? Whatever you need, Ronnie, then just call me."

"I can see where you get your hugs from, Carly," Ronnie said, taking a step back from Carly's dad. "Uh, thanks..."

"James," her father told her.

"James..." Ronnie looked towards Carly, who was simply smiling. "I don't need anything, not now that Carly's back with us."

Ronnie stayed for a bit longer, but Carly knew that they were smothering her new friend, so she tried to keep her dad calm. Like Carly, he tended to be a little more sunshine than Ronnie was used to, but Ronnie was starting to get used to the perkiness.

"How's Max?" Carly asked when Ronnie left.

"She's doing okay," James reassured her. "I checked in on your mom and Max before coming back here. Max is with her friend — the one who lost her dad — but she'll come by later."

Jim Hopper had died as the gates had closed. No one could know the truth to what really happened, but everyone knew Carly and Ronnie had been there. So, the story was that Starcourt Mall had been a huge tragedy of a fire, where all the Mind Flayer's victims had been caught in it. Carly and Ronnie were the only survivors, but the story had been provided by the army, so neither were questioned.

"Dad, do you think Billy dying is my fault?" Carly questioned.

"Not at all," said James. "When you called him to pick you up, you didn't expect him to come early or for the place to catch on fire."

"Maybe I still could have saved him," said Carly, feeling guilty. "I feel like I should be sadder about his death, but... I don't know what to feel."

"Just because he died, it doesn't erase what he's done," James told her. "You're allowed to feel however you feel, sweetheart, but just know that you're not alone."

Carly tried to smile, wanting to find a positive, but there was nothing right now. Even with the powers Carly had, she couldn't even save herself.

Later that day Max returned with their mom, bringing a few more belongings for Carly. Already, Susan was fussing, keeping herself busy as she cleaned up Carly's area of the room, as well as chasing her doctors for updates.

"Is mom okay?" Carly asked.

"I don't know," said Max. "Things are hard at home."

Carly reached over, taking Max's hand. "How's Neil?"

"Angry, of course," Max explained. "He doesn't want you coming home."

"Neil blames me," Carly realised.

"He blames everyone," Max told her. "This wasn't your fault, Carly."

"I know," Carly said. "At some point, you're gonna have to tell me the truth about Hawkins."

"I will," Max promised. "But you need to tell me everything too. No more secrets."

"No more secrets," Carly agreed. "I will tell you everything, but I saw Billy, Max. When I thought I was gone, Billy was there."

"You did?" Max questioned.

"He warned me that there's a he," said Carly. "That whoever it is won't stop until they have me now. I don't think this is the end."

"But who is he?" Max asked. "The Mind Flayer?"

"Billy doesn't know," Carly explained, squeezing her sister's hand, where Carly tried to ignore the swirl of emotions that Max was feeling. "He also told me to tell you that he's sorry for being a shitty brother."

Max pulled her hand away at those words, falling silent. Even just watching, Carly could read Max's emotions: the uncertainty of what to feel, but also the guilt and devastation mixed together. Like Carly, Max wasn't sure how to feel about Billy dying.

There was a knock on the door as the two looked over to see Steve Harrington. His uniform was gone, replaced with a t-shirt and jeans, but Carly's focus was on the soft smile that he wore, irises lightning with relief as his eyes fell on Carly.

In his hands, he held a bouquet of sunflowers.

"Sorry," said Steve, voice hitching slightly. "I didn't mean to intrude. The nurse showed me where to go and... well, here I am."

Max had a teasing smile as she rolled her eyes. "I'll go find mom."

"You don't have to go," Carly reassured her.

"I know," said Max. "But I'm not ready to get used to Harrington dating my sister."

"What's wrong with that?" Steve asked.

However, as his eyes followed Max, Carly's little sister never answered as she left the room with Steve wondering. As the door closed, Steve's eyes finally fell on Carly again as she smiled.

"Steve, you don't have to stay by the door," Carly told him.

"Right, right," said Steve, walking over as he placed the bouquet of sunflowers on the table before sitting down on the edge of Carly's bed. "You really scared me, Carly. I thought..."

Steve's voice broke, irises widening with the reminder.

"Hey," Carly took his hand, making sure not to tap into his emotions or his mind. "I know, but I'm gonna be okay. Everything'll heal."

Steve leaned forward to place a tender kiss on Carly's forehead. The gesture caused her heart to swell, relieved that there was still a possability of them after everything.

"Your face is starting to heal," Carly noticed.

Steve smiled. "Back to my handsome self."

"Just in time for our date hopefully," Carly said, meeting his stare as her cheeks heated.

"I guess we did survive," said Steve.

"I hope you don't think me almost dying was me trying to get out," Carly said with a smile.

"It didn't cross my mind at the time," Steve laughed at that. "So, how about dancing?"

Carly's smile widened with amusement, shaking her head at him. Knowing why, Steve's eyes fell on her leg which was in a cast.

"I guess we'll save that for a future date," Steve suggested.

"That depends on how the first one goes, Steve," Carly reminded him.

But there was a permanent smile on her face already, where Carly knew she was truly crazy for him.

✺

A month later and so much had changed: Carly had been discharged from hospital with the strict orders of rest, but now her broken bones were just mending; then, Neil had left Carly's mom, resulting in the family moving into a small place in a trailer park (opposite Ronnie's, so Carly was ecstatic); thirdly, Carly had made the decision to move to Hawkins (though her dad was not happy about it after everything); and finally, Carly had a boyfriend.

While Carly was stuck on her crutches, Steve and Robin were helping her carry boxes into her new bedroom. Carly's dog Peach had also moved to Hawkins, who now happily followed Steve around with her tail constantly wagging, demanding attention.

"Carly, how much pink do you have?" Robin questioned.

"Not enough," Carly decided. "It's my birthday soon, don't forget."

"Your gift from me is unlimited free films," Robin said, where both Steve and Robin had gotten part-time jobs at Family Video.

"Oh, does that mean I can have Grease?" Carly said. "Steve, we can watch that!"

Steve sighed. "Again?"

"Aw, Steve," Robin teased. "You'll have so much fun."

"Robin, you can join us too," Carly offered.

Robin frowned as Steve laughed. "You're gonna love it, Robin."

"And we'll invite Ronnie!" Carly suggested.

That caused the two to look at her with frowns; one had a crush on Ronnie, so wasn't sure how to act around Carly's friend; the other didn't like the romantic feelings Ronnie felt towards Carly, but was still thankful for her, so was trying.

The two returned to Carly's dad's car for more boxes as Carly sat on her bed, starting to go through her belongings. Max knocked on the door, looking around Carly's bedroom as if she was still adjusting to the permanent decision.

"You know you don't have to stay, right?" Max told her.

"I do, Max," Carly said. "I should never have left you last time, but I'm here now."

Max offered a tiny smile, nodding her head in acceptance.

Of course, returning to California was the easiest option, but Carly refused to run again. Not only did Hawkins have a connection to Carly's powers that she wanted to figure out, but her mom and Max needed her. Their family had fallen apart, but Carly was determined to put it back together again.

Steve came in with the last box.

"You have so much stuff," Steve decided.

"It's mostly clothes," Carly told him. "Where's Robin?"

"Helping your mom with boxes," Steve said, moving further into the room as he sat down on the bed next to Carly, staring at the endless boxes. "You still happy moving here?"

"Despite everything that's happened, yeah, I am," Carly said.

"California will miss their sun," Steve said.

Carly smiled at that. "It seems Hawkins needs it more."

"I know I do," Steve confessed.

Carly turned her head, looking at her boyfriend. While it was new between them, Carly felt like she had been with him for ages already, though she couldn't wait for them to be able to do things without Carly struggling as much.

"You're not scared of what's to come?" Carly questioned.

"I guess I'm pretty used to it by now," Steve said. "Crazy shit happens here all the time, but I'm scared about you being caught up in it all now."

"I'm scared too," Carly admitted, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I've always been scared as I've always been clueless about what I can do. No one knows what it's like to be afraid to touch something or someone just because I might slip up and use my power. I'm scared now that you'll still freak out."

"If you touch me, can you feel my emotions?" Steve questioned.

Carly nodded. "If I choose to, but sometimes I slip up and accidentally do it."

"Then read my emotions, Carly," Steve told her.

Carly rose her hand as her heart pounded, where her fingers brushed against his cheek. Feeling the surge of her powers, Carly felt the emotions trickle through. The only negative emotion was fear; everything else was positive, where Carly could feel how much Steve felt about her — the pure joy of love was there that the two were falling into.

"See," Steve told her. "I don't care that you have powers, Carly."

"I know," Carly said, quietly. "I'm scared that whoever is after me is the monster in my nightmares. They're all coming true, so what if it's all my fault? What if I'm the monster behind it all?"

"You couldn't ever be a monster," Steve promised her. "You're staying, so we can figure this out. You're not alone with this anymore, Carly. We can help you."

Carly found a soft smile as she nodded her head. "I know."

"Right now, though, you need to finish healing," said Steve, leaning closer to Carly as he whisper. "Lucky for you, I think that windows easy for me to slip through."

Carly giggled at that. "My dad's still here and so is my mom, Steve."

"Just to sleep," Steve told her, but Carly's head turned, triggering Steve to offer her a wink as she blushed. "If nightmares are a problem, then you don't have to be alone to face them."

That eased Carly as she had been struggling more than normal. While the nightmares of the Upside Down had eased, Carly was still traumatised by that night, so she was relieved at the thought of not being alone.

Now, Steve's lips brushed against her cheek, reminder Carly that despite all the darkness, there was that glimmer of happiness bursting between them. Carly's head turned, capturing his lips with a kiss that caused Steve's fingers to be gentle as he held her, knowing she was still delicate.

"Oh, gross," Robin complained.

Carly pulled away, spotting their friend as she giggled.

"What's gross?" James questioned, finding the two. "If you two were kissing, then I don't wanna know."

"Dad," Carly groaned.

"So you were kissing," James noticed, eyebrows raising at Steve. "It's all good as long as you remember your promise to me, Steve."

"Yes, Sir," Steve replied. "I'll do my best to look after your daughter."

"And Max too," James encouraged.

"Max too," Steve promised. "Nothing will happen to them, Sir."

"That's music to my ears," James said. "Now, come on. We're all going out for dinner on me. Carly, you better call Ronnie to come join us and tell her I'm not taking no for an answer."

"You're just like your dad," Robin told Carly as he left. "I'm yet to see that man without a smile."

Carly found herself smiling at that, but she had seen her father without a smile with his face pale from fright, having thought that he had lost his daughter. But, right now, Carly was focusing on the positives, trying to stay optimistic.

But, in Hawkins, the town was cursed.

And so was Carly.

END OF PART ONE.

✺

Steve and Carly are adorable! Any predictions for season 4??