Hopper lasted exactly thirty-six minutes and eleven seconds before he decided he was going to spy on One and Steve's date.

"Wanna go get ice cream?" Hopper asked Eleven, who was watching TV in the living room. She eagerly nodded her head and hopped up from the couch to grab her coat.

Hopper and Eleven hummed along to ABBA in the truck as they cruised down the main road towards downtown Hawkins. Eleven watched the snow-capped buildings pass by in a blur until something occurred to her.

"Passed ice cream?" Eleven asked as she turned to look at Hopper.

"Yeah, um, I thought we'd check out the one in town," Hopper answered.

"One by Enzo's...?" Eleven asked suspiciously. 

"Oh, um, is it?" Hopper scratched his chin nervously and tried to avoid Eleven's inquisitive gaze. "I completely forgot about that."

"Family trusts each other," Eleven reminded Hopper with an arched brow and a knowing look.

"Of course I trust One--Sarah," Hopper corrected himself. It was going to take a little bit to get used to that. "Steve on the other hand..."

"But you liked Steve."

"I did until he started liking my daughter."

Eleven rolled her eyes. This attitude was all too familiar to her, having witnessed Hopper act the same way towards Mike several times.

Hopper caught the eye roll and the look of disappointment in his peripheral vision and decided to explain himself. "I'm just a little upset that she's spending our first night as a family with a boy instead of us."

"Lots of time to be family," Eleven countered.

"But I've already lost so much time with her," Hopper argued with a tremor in his voice. He looked away as he felt a tear build up in his eye.

A softness overtook Eleven's face once she realized that Hopper truly was upset. "I'm sorry," Eleven apologized as she rested a hand on his arm.

Hopper reached over and put his hand on top of hers. He squeezed it to let her know that he was all right.

"I'm thankful for you, kid," Hopper smiled at Eleven. However, his smile quickly disappeared when he realized that something was wrong with the truck. "Ah, shit!"

A sputtering sound erupted from the engine and Hopper felt the truck slowly shut down. Thankfully, Hopper was able to turn it over to the side of the road before it stalled out. Angry, Hopper hit his hands against the steering wheel which accidentally made the horn honk an equally angry response.

Hopper looked up at the fuel gauge and noticed that it was on empty. "What the hell, I just filled this yesterday."

Hopper hopped out of the truck to investigate with his flashlight. When he shined the beam down the side of the cab he immediately noticed that the fuel door was open. Upon closer observation, he also noticed that the gas cap was off. Had he just completely forgotten to put it back on or had somebody tampered with his truck?

Hopper aimed the flashlight down the road, but did not see any rainbow glares coming off the pavement that would indicate a gas leak. If his fuel line wasn't cut, did that mean somebody had siphoned his gas? Why? Where did they not want him to go?

"Stay right here and lock the doors," Hopper instructed Eleven. "I'm going to go get gas, I'll be right back."

Luckily, they were only a mile from the nearest gas station so if he maintained a good clip he wouldn't be leaving Eleven alone for more than half an hour. During this jog/speed walk he had quite a bit of time to think over the events of the last few days and his thoughts centered around the discovery that Sarah was alive.

It was no secret to anyone in town that Hopper had not grieved Sarah's "death" well. He had relied heavily on chemical companions to erase the searing pain in his heart. For him, it had been more than just the death of his daughter. It had been the death of his marriage, his career, and to some extent, him.

Hopper had thought that the return of his daughter would negate the need for his vices, but he craved a drink now more than ever. Adopting Eleven had been a good distraction from the booze and the pills, but they never really disappeared, he just hid them better. Having Sarah back in his life presented him with a terrible reality: he could lose her all over again.

Something was clearly following Sarah from her past, and Hopper had a feeling that it was more than just Dr. Brenner. He hadn't been there to protect her before, so how would he protect her now? He had no idea what he was up against.

There was also the possibility of losing Sarah in a different way. She was twenty-one. When Hopper was her age he had been out of his parents' house for years. What if her and Steve fell in love and got married and moved far away and forgot all about Hopper?

Out of the two possibilities, he didn't know which one hurt more.

When Hopper returned to the truck with the fuel can he found Eleven nearly vibrating in the front seat from the cold. He rushed to fill the truck and get it started so that her teeth would stop chattering like jackhammers.

"How are you doing, kid?" Hopper asked, shivering himself, as he hopped in the front seat.

"Cold," Eleven responded. Her answer was accompanied by the clicking of her teeth.

"I know, I'm sorry," Hopper said. "We'll get warmed up and then we'll go get ice cream."

Eleven had limited mobility since her muscles were frozen stiff from the cold, but she managed to vigorously shake her head no. The thought of more coldness made her want to cry.

"Or we'll just go home and make hot chocolate," Hopper offered instead. Eleven vigorously shook her head yes.

Hopper glanced down at the clock and noticed that it read 9:33. Shit. That meant he wouldn't be home to greet Steve and Sarah when they returned from their date. What if they were already there? Alone.

Once they were back on the road, Hopper gunned it for home. If Steve was smart, he wouldn't be there when they arrived.

☆ ★ ☆

When they turned the bend, Hopper immediately noticed Steve's car sitting in the driveway. His knuckles turned white as he clenched the steering wheel tighter. Steve was even dumber than he thought.

The closer they got to the cabin, the more Hopper forgot about Steve's car and began to focus on a new issue: loud music was pumping from inside the cabin and the structure itself was visibly shaking. Were they having a party?

Hopper pushed past the desire to nick Steve's car as he parked his truck next to it. He couldn't climb out of the car fast enough and nearly got tangled in his seat belt in the process. Eleven slowly unbuckled and followed after behind him, slightly fearful of the wrath she was sure she was about to see.

The doorknob vibrated under Hopper's grip, nearly making his hand go numb. He yanked against the door but it wouldn't budge. He grabbed his keys and struggled to line up the key with the ever-moving keyhole. After several attempts, he finally managed to plunge it in but found that he couldn't twist it. The doorknob was jammed.

"Hey! Open up in there!" Hopper yelled and hit the door with his fists. He wasn't sure that they would be able to hear him over the loud music, but he continued to yell anyways. After several curse words and no response, Hopper gave up. "Steve Harrington is a dead man," Hopper mumbled as he turned to find a window to break into.

"Here," Eleven said, stopping him mid-step. "Let me."

Hopper stepped aside and watched Eleven work her magic. Her brows furrowed as she focused on the grain of the wood, her outstretched hand shaking from the intense concentration. A few seconds and a nose bleed later, the door had popped open.

At the exact same time that Eleven opened the door, the music stopped and the cabin ceased shaking. Through the door frame Hopper could see Steve and Sarah staring back at him. Their faces construed a variety of emotions: fear, confusion, anger, relief...

"What in the hell happened here?" Hopper shouted.

Sarah and Steve shared a look before Sarah answered. "It's begun..."

★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★