Jim Hopper rubbed his hand over his face and tossed the files onto his table. This case was going to be what forced him into retirement. Two nights ago was the third arson in a month. But while the first two had been old farm sheds at the outskirts of town, this one was the Wayside Diner. Not an abandoned barn - a business, someone's livelihood, a spot for folks to gather and eat and chat. A place that was once long ago called Benny's Burgers. Hopper worried that another arson was just around the corner and that this time someone would get hurt. Or worse. They'd had no leads and after a morning chasing after dead ends, Hopper had retreated home to work in peace.

He still lived in the same trailer, largely unchanged over the years. He had a sizable amount of money stashed away from working with the lab back in the 80s, but felt uncomfortable spending it. It had always felt a little like blood money.

He was surprised by the knock on his door and even more when he opened it. Will Byers and Dustin Henderson, neither of whom he had spoken to in a while. He still often thought of them as the little boys they once were. Same with the Sinclair boy and...well, Mike he could only picture as the body he had pulled from the water. He'd seen too many bodies in his career and that had been one of the worst. But he didn't have time to think about that now because in between the two young men stood a little ghost. She looked up at him with the same brown eyes as before and for a moment he wondered if Sara was just behind her.

Will cleared his throat before asking if they could come in. Hopper simply nodded and opened the door wider for them to walk through, Eleven whispering "thank you" as she passed. The two young men were quick to give the chief the rundown on the past week.

Hopper sat back in his chair and studied the three on the couch. "Well, as much as I like the social call, I have a feeling you're here for more."

"Look, my mom...she said you might know stuff. That you worked with the lab." Will flicked his eyes away from the man's grizzled face, feeling too accusatory.

"I did."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Dustin asked.

"You were kids. I was protecting you. And anyway, they were paying me to keep things quiet."

"What things?"

"How you came back." Hopper gestured to Will before looking at Eleven. "How they were looking for you." He shrugged. "Other experiments."

"Like?"

"I dunno, I wasn't the one running them," Hopper growled before calming himself. He looked over at El, who had folded herself into the corner of the couch. She stared back at him, eyes looking tired but determined. "They looked for you for years, kid. Guess it makes sense now that they couldn't find you."

He chuckled, almost to himself. "I kept leaving food for you. In this box in the woods. Must have really been raccoons or something."

El didn't know what to say, how to react. Everything was her fault and she sank further into the couch. Dustin coughed and said, "Chief, we need help. We need something here. The gate's open again. And strange things are happening."

Will added, "Billy, my foster son. Something is going on with him and I think it's related."

Hopper raised an eyebrow and nodded for him to continue. Will explained about Billy's mood swings, about the odd incidents with the lights and cables.

"It might just be the gate or something else, but I really feel like it's connected to him. I'm worried."

"Do you know anything...remember anything from the lab?" Dustin asked.

"Well, they kept me on 'til about, uh, '91, I think. You know, end of the Cold War. I think they shut down a lot of the programs they were working on, took a new approach. I know they're still working out there, but I don't think it's as, well, 'robust' as it used to be."

"Please?" El asked, speaking for the first time since entering the trailer. Hopper sighed, knowing he couldn't say no to a plea like that.

"Look...I'll see if I can take a look around. I'm not promising anything though."

Having settled that, they made moves to leave, El going to the bathroom first. The chief looked down the hall as she went and quietly asked, "She know about Wheeler?"

"Yeah. We didn't really go into the details though."

"I remember she followed him like a puppy that night."

Dustin and Will kept their eyes on the floor, unsure of what to say. Hopper sighed again.

"I'll do my best."

Max wasn't having a good day. Will had taken El somewhere but wouldn't let her come with, Billy had yelled at her at the breakfast table and to top it off one of her skateboard's wheels had come loose. She just couldn't catch a break. She grumbled to herself on the porch and glared at the neighbors walking by.

She felt bad but she was a little jealous of Eleven. A girl with superpowers and a mysterious past, who seemed to be in the middle of an adventure. And Max was at home wallowing and feeling left out. She rolled her eyes and reminded herself that El was nice, she was cool. She had said they were friends. And she was probably scared. She ignored the fact that she was jealous of El taking Will's attention.

Instead she thought about Billy, who had snarled at her this morning over burnt toast. Max loved her brother but deep down she feared him. He was her blood and he'd been with her every step of the way, the only constant in her life. He was hers, he wasn't going anywhere. He'd defended her against bullies, against a particularly cruel foster dad. It was easy to brush those other thoughts aside, to keep them locked deep inside. When she thought of her brother, she felt safe and warm and home but sometimes it was hot and fear and flames. The crackling of his hands, the vision that followed her. The way his eyes took on the glint of a knife's edge and his words cut. Did she want to please him because she loved him? Or was she afraid of what would happen if she didn't? She wasn't sure. She pushed the thought away.

Hopper stood outside the fence, large wire cutter in hand. The more he thought about it, thought about the years spent searching and then the years spent wondering and then the years spent forgetting, the more he was determined to actually help them. He'd already seen what happened the last time a gate was torn open between worlds; who was to say it wouldn't be worse this time? He tried to ignore the deja vu as he cut into the fence.

Will knew what he needed to do. He and Dustin couldn't do it alone, not when Lucas was still out there. He forcefully punched each number and frowned as he heard Lucas pick up.

"Will?"

"Lucas. You need to come home." He put on his sternest voice.

"Will, I told Dustin -"

"No. You need to come home. Now."

"I can't see her - "

"She is a little girl. You are a grown man. You need to come home. We need your help."

Lucas sighed but said no more. Will clutched the phone tighter.

"Please, Lucas. Do it for me. For Dustin. We need you."

There was a pause, just long enough for Will's heart to clench, before Lucas finally replied.

"Okay."

"Yeah?"

"Okay. I'll be there."

"Lucas?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"I'll see you soon, buddy."