"Here," Hopper called to Joyce after slamming the back door of his truck cab. Joyce instinctively held her hand out without looking and felt the heavy bulk of a gun placed in her grip.

"A gun?" Joyce asked, staring down at her hand in confusion. "What the hell is this for?"

"While I'm driving," Hopper began to answer as he hopped into the front seat. "you keep it pointed at him."

Joyce joined Hopper in the passenger seat and looked back at their third companion: Dr. Brenner. He was still unconscious, thanks to a heavy dosage of sedatives. Hopper had given him a bit too much in the hopes that he would never wake up again, but unfortunately he was still breathing.

"I don't think he's going to be a problem, Hop. You dosed him pretty hard." Joyce was skeptical of Hopper's plan but she still trained the gun on Dr. Brenner's sleeping body.

Hopper pulled the truck out onto the road and began their journey for the Lab. One had wanted to come with but James had started stirring right before Hopper and Joyce were about to depart. One decided it would be better to stay with him to make sure he was okay but she gave Hopper and Joyce a very detailed description on how to find her old room. It was important to her that Brenner was imprisoned in her old cell and Hopper and Joyce were more than content to fulfill her wish.

As the snow-capped scenery passed by, Joyce felt the need to say what had been bothering her from the start. "I'm glad Sarah is okay and that she found her friend. I'm glad that we got Dr. Brenner and that we're going to lock him up once and for all. But didn't that all just seem...too easy?"

Hopper stared tight-lipped out the windshield. He didn't want to admit it, but he agreed with Joyce. With everything they had been through...they were used to putting up more of a fight. What if this was all a hoax? What if that wasn't even Brenner in his back seat?

"We'll take extra precautions," he answered.

☆ ★ ☆

Back at the cabin, the party had swarmed around a now-waking James. One sat protectively next to him on the couch while the others gathered a little too close. The only one who kept their distance was Steve, who was becoming unsure of where he fit in the picture with this new addition.

"Wh-where am I?" James asked as he slowly lifted himself from the slumped position Hopper had set him in. He looked around nervously at the swarm of strangers before him until his eyes landed on One and a weak smile filled his pale lips. "One?"

One grabbed his hand in hers and nodded in response, unable to say anything due to fears that opening her mouth would trigger the waterworks she was trying so hard to keep back. She was so relieved that he was sitting beside her, safe, whole, alive. This was a moment she never dreamed she'd experience, and a small part of her tried to insist it was all an illusion, but she pushed it away. One knew all too well that you had to capitalize on the happiness you had because it wouldn't last long. And while she didn't realize it in that moment, she was right.

Steve tried to keep a strong smile from his corner in support of James's rescue, but watching James clasp hands with One made his lips falter. What if there was more to One and James than Steve realized? What if Steve was only the placeholder and now that James was back, One didn't need him anymore? It was Nancy and Jonathan all over again! Steve tried to brush these worries away but they still clouded the back of his mind.

"Who are all of you...?" James asked slowly when he finally broke eye contact with One and realized that the small people were still there.

"Whoa, is that a British accent?" Mike asked. "Are you from London?"

"G'day mate, would you like some fish and chips?" Dustin said with a terrible British accent.

"That's Australian, you idiot," Lucas said and smacked Dustin's shoulder.

One had to quell her giggles before commencing with introductions, "These are my friends, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, Max, and...Steve." One pointed out each person in order but her finger faltered when she got to Steve. What was Steve? Was he her boyfriend? Should she tell James?

Steve tried to quiet the pangs in his heart at being introduced as just a friend with a reminder that they hadn't exactly had the "talk" yet. In his mind, One was his girlfriend, but what was going on in hers? He was almost too scared to find out.

Steve gave James a small wave and an awkward smile and James acknowledged him with a nod of his head. James' eyes seemed to linger on Steve a little longer than the rest, giving Steve a weird feeling in his gut. Was it because he recognized Steve from the time he basically possessed him? Or was it something else...?

"Hello all, my name is James," James introduced himself to the group. "It's nice to meet you."

One moved over on the couch to accommodate for her last introduction. "And this is my sister, Eleven."

"Eleven?" James' eyes immediately widened.

"She was at the Lab with us," One confirmed James' suspicions.

"What can you do?" James asked Eleven with a curiosity-laden stare.

Instead of verbally answering, Eleven decided to show him. She stood from her spot and stared at a book sitting on the kitchen table. Within moments, it began to float from its spot and then dropped with a heavy thud back onto the wooden surface. Eleven hastily wiped away the spill of blood from her nose and then turned to James with a curious smile.

"Th-that's incredible!" James stammered in awe. "Very useful!"

One subconsciously cocked her head at James' response. There was something about the way he said "useful" that felt strange, but she immediately brushed it away.

"All right everyone, I think James could use some rest," One announced to the group as she began to usher them towards the door. The party reluctantly complied to stow their unanswered questions for the time being, but there was a cacophony of mutters as they were herded out. One stopped Steve at the door before he could depart. "Um, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Y-yeah," Steve answered. He tried to sound confident but his tone wavered. He nervously swept his hand through his hair before leaning over to peck One on the cheek.

"I saw that," Dustin smiled slyly after Steve caught up with him by his car. Steve had given him a ride to Hopper's for the big take-down.

Steve elected to ignore him as he hopped in the driver's seat, started the engine, and cranked up the tunes. Dustin studied Steve quizzically as Steve lip-synced to AC/DC. He seemed like he was trying too hard to hide something underneath the surface and Dustin felt the need to uncover it.

"What's wrong?" Dustin asked.

"Nothing, man," Steve paused his lip syncing to answer.

"Oh, come on, there is too. I know that look," Dustin scoffed. Steve still refused to divulge. "It's about James, isn't it? You're worried about him and Sarah."

"I don't know what you're talking about..." Steve tried to play it off like Dustin was being crazy but he was surprised at how accurate his guess had been. Dustin gave Steve a side-eye so intense that Steve could feel it without seeing it. "Fine, yeah, maybe."

"Max thinks there's something between them too," Dustin muttered.

"What?"

"N-nothing," Dustin caught himself and tried to offer Steve a reassuring smile. "I'm sure you've got nothing to worry about. She's totally into you. Or I'm going to lose some money..." Dustin whispered the last sentence but Steve's ears caught it.

"Are you placing bets on my relationship, Henderson?"

"...Yes?"

Steve looked back and forth between the road and Dustin before cracking a smile. "I'd be offended if I wasn't so damn proud."

"Honestly though, Steve. You like this girl, right?" Dustin asked, ditching the sarcasm for sincerity.

"Yeah, absolutely," Steve responded immediately and confidently.

"Just show her much you like her and you'll be golden."

"What, are you suddenly a girl expert or something?"

Dustin clicked his tongue and gave Steve a wink. "I learned from the best."

☆ ★ ☆

"You kept the red," One chuckled after the last of the party had left, nodding her head towards the faded red streaks clinging onto the tips of James' curls. She took her seat back on the couch next to him, but this time she left some space. As excited as she was to see him again, it felt weird being alone with him.

"Oh, um, yeah." James' laugh rang in the air alongside hers as his eyes shifted up to his hairline and he pulled at one of his curls. "I think it suits me."

"That it does." One smiled wide. "How are you doing?"

"Good, I think..." James answered. "Still just trying to come to terms with being here."

One nodded her head in understanding. She still hadn't completely come to terms with being back herself. "I'm glad you're okay," she said with a nostalgic smile.

"Me too." James returned the smile. "So, um, what have you been up to after all this time?"

"Where to even begin," One laughed. She paused for a moment to reflect on everything new that had happened to her since she had last seen James: survival-moding it in a cabin, escaping literal hell, nearly killing people with a monster, communicating with some lights, seeing the future..."I, um, I did it...I found my family."

"Eleven?" James asked.

"Um yeah, but like my biological family too," One explained. "My dad...and well, not my mom. Not yet."

A moment of disturbingly quiet silence passed before an ear-splitting smile erupted on James' face. "That's great!"

"What about you? What happened?" One asked awkwardly. It was hard to broach the topic of the past with James. There was still a heavy feeling weighing on her chest about her giving up on James back in the Upside Down.

"Well..." James began. "After the demogorgons took me, they dragged me about half a mile before they dumped me in a clearing and...just left."

"Wait, what? Why?" One spluttered. She was so shocked by the news that she didn't even register that James had called them "demogorgons". If he had been in the Upside Down all this time, how did he know that term?

"I don't know," James shrugged. "I went looking for you, but I guess I just must have gone the opposite way."

Something felt off about James' story but One neglected to question it. This was her best friend she was talking to! They hadn't seen each other in years, it just felt weird because their sync was off. She could trust him. She could trust him.

"Oh, okay...yeah, I mean, I probably lost you because I was following the monsters' trail instead of yours. That makes sense." Did it?

"Y-yeah, probably," James said.

Silence spoke next.

"I'm really sorry, by the way," One added after the silence lingered too long. A tear formed in the corner of her eye and she hastily wiped it away before James could see it, but more followed. "That I didn't find you."

"What? No! No, it's okay," James quickly responded. He scooted over on the couch and wrapped his arm around One, who was now actively crying. He made a series of shushing noises while he stroked her hair, feeling her wet tear drops collect on his skin. "It's okay."

"I thought you were dead," One sobbed.

"I did too," James whispered. He pressed his nose into her golden hair and absorbed the sweet smell. It brought back so many memories. His fingers found their way to her chin and he slowly lifted her face to meet his. Her blue, tear-stained eyes stared up into his brown ones and both became quickly aware of how close their lips were.

She almost wanted to. The thought of it felt so natural, so....no, she couldn't. First off, there was still this strange feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was different about James. She needed to sort it out before she could make things anymore complicated. And second...there was Steve.

"James, I-I can't," One stammered as she pulled her head away from his puckered lips. His eyelids flickered open and for a moment she almost thought she saw disappointment in his eyes.

James sighed and dropped his head in his hands before stretching back out and looking up at the ceiling. "Is it Steve?"

"Um, yeah," One answered quietly. "I'm sorry, I thought you were--"

"Yeah, I know," James cut her off before she could finish the sentence. He tried to muster a smile but One could tell that it was difficult for him. "It's okay."

Another couple moments of silence passed before James spoke again. "Do you...love him?"

One had to take a moment to think before she could answer, if she could even answer. Did she love Steve? Did she love anyone? Love was still fairly incomprehensible to her. Once upon a time she had told James that she loved him, but did she actually? She liked to think so. She liked to think she loved Steve. "I don't know."

James gave her a look that said he knew otherwise but he didn't press it. "Well, you know...I'm always here for you."

One nodded her head. "I know."

"I think maybe I should get that rest now."

One gathered some blankets and pillows for James and let him settle in her room. She shut the door behind her, making sure to leave it open a crack. When she could hear his soft snores escaping her room, she pressed one ocean blue eye to the gap and peaked inside. His back was faced to her but she still couldn't help but smile.

Even with all the strange feelings that were swirling in her gut, she couldn't deny how peaceful James looked resting there. She still wasn't sure what parts of his story she could trust, but she trusted him enough to know that there had to be a reason if he was lying or leaving things out. They had been through everything together, he wouldn't do anything to hurt her.

Right?

★ ☆ ★ ☆ ★