It had been a long week. Although, comparatively to the last few years for Hawkins county, it was a cake walk. But Christine was still exhausted as she opened her front door, throwing her keys in the bowl on her small end table. Shutting the door she leaned on it as she let out a heavy sigh. Today was her last shift before her vacation and it was the only thing getting her through the day. Finally getting the energy to push herself off the door, Christine made her way towards her bedroom as she started unbuttoning the front of her nursing uniform. She didn't really like being a nurse, but she was good at it and it paid her bills. She lived alone, despite her older brother, Jim, offering to let her move in with him and his adopted daughter, El. She had been surprised when it had all happened, but after what they had been together she knew how much he loved El and just how much he was willing to do for her. She also loved El, immediately falling into the aunt role that she had always wanted since Sara. She silently wiped the tears that had built up in her eyes as she made her way to the bathroom, ready to take a hot bath and wash away the shift she just worked.

Finally done, ready to relax for a whole week, Christine walked into her small kitchen, opening the freezer and grabbing the nearly empty ice cream container. She stared at the sink for a beat, debating on washing one of her bowls but ultimately decided against it, grabbing a spoon out of her drawer and heading for the living room. She glanced at the clock, seeing that it was going on about eight and wondering if she should call Jim and see how dinner had gone with Joyce. She knew his feelings towards her and honestly hoped that Joyce had felt the same. Christine had always liked Joyce, the few times they crossed paths she was nothing but kind towards her. Most people tended to avoid her, being the Chief of police's little sister, especially when that Chief was Jim. That had been another reason she refused to move in with him when he had offered, wanting a life of her own. Now that everything seemed to be going back to normal, Will was back, the portal had been closed, El finally had a family and Jim finally had the family he wanted.

Christine felt like she could finally take a breath. She hadn't really been involved in anything that had happened before, at least not until after. She helped Jim as much as she could with El, having to raise a teen, much less one with telekinetic powers, was hard. She also stayed with Will from time to time, if for whatever reason neither Joyce or Jonathon weren't able to, but it was rare.

Finally, after choosing a tv station, old woody woodpecker episodes being the only thing she could decide on, she opened her ice cream and was ready to start relaxing. But suddenly, her phone rang, slicing the silence and startling her as she dropped her spoon. She huffed, her head falling back onto the couch, hoping that if she just ignored it long enough it would stop. But as she sat there it just continued to ring, pausing for a moment before ringing again. Finally she pushed herself off the couch, heading back to the kitchen where her phone was.

"Hello?" she asked, a little more aggressive than she really meant it.

"Christine?" she heard a woman ask.

"Joyce?" Christine immediately recognized her voice, wondering why she was calling her so late.

"Listen, I know this is going to sound crazy but I really need your help," Joyce told her. Even over the phone, Christine could hear the urgency in her voice.

"Where are you?" Christine asked. "What happened?"

"Can you come to Hopper's, I can explain everything here," she said.

"Okay, okay," Christine said. "Are you guys at least okay?" As soon as she asked, she heard what sounded like Jim yelling something but couldn't tell what he was saying, followed by a crash and a groan. Her eyebrows shot up, getting her answer.

"Well," Joyce started, "I think Hopper has a concussion but other than tha-"

"A what!?" Christine nearly yelled. "Why didn't you lead with that? I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Thank you," Joyce said as she let out a sigh.

As they both hung up, Christine nearly ran to her bedroom to change from her pajamas. She grabbed the first pair of pants she saw, an old pair of acid washed jeans and a random cut off shirt before grabbing her black converse, slipping them on. She ran back to the living room again, grabbing her purse off the couch and her keys out of the bowl.

…

Throwing her car in park, Christine ran inside the cabin, seeing her older brother laying on the couch.

"Joyce?" she yelled, not seeing her immediately until she poked her head around the corner.

"I'm so glad you're here," she said as she finally came into the living room. They both stood there, staring down at Jim as he mumbled nothing they could understand.

"So, what happened?" Christine asked as she stepped closer to Jim, setting her purse in his chair as she checked him over. As much as she didn't like being a nurse, times like this she was glad she was one.

"Have you noticed anything weird lately?" Joyce asked her as she came around the other side of the couch, looking down at Christine.

"Other than you and my brother always seeming to get into some kind of trouble?" she asked. Joyce only looked at her, almost like she was pleading with her to just listen. With a sigh she started, "I mean no, not really. I've been working a lot." Really too much, she thought to herself.

"I think something is happening again, something at the lab," Joyce said.

"At the lab? Like the lab they finally closed?" Christine asked. Joyce simply nodded her head before turning and heading into Jim's kitchen.

"Watch," she said. Christine stood, seemingly happy enough with Jim's condition to turn away from him for a moment. But as she watched, Joyce picked up one of Jim's fridge magnets, it clattering to the floor as she let it go. She picked up another, the same thing. "It's the magnets."

"The magnets?" Christine asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yes, something or someone has had to have done something in that lab and it messed everything up," Joyce said.

"Okay, but what does that have to do with how Jim got the hell beat out of him?" Christine asked.

"We went to the lab and someone attacked us," she said.

"You guys went there?" Christine asked, shocked again. "Isn't that place on lock down now?"

"That's why I took him with me," Joyce said.

"Okay, so Jim's magnets fell off his fridge," Christine said, pointing at the kitchen as she tried to get herself caught up. "And you thought it was because of something at the lab? The same lab that is now closed and locked up?"

"No, not just his. Mine at the house, the whole display at Melvald's," she explained. Christine stood there for a moment, trying to wrap her head around what was happening. But the longer she stood there and thought about it, she knew that if it was enough to get her brother on board then it must have some kind of backing.

"Okay, okay," she said as she looked from her brother to Joyce. "I believe you." She could see the relief wash over Joyce's face, "But the next course of action, we need to get Jim out of these wet clothes and keep him warm."

…

After they managed to get him out of his clothes with as much modesty as they could and got him more comfortable on the couch, Christine sat back on the recliner. It wasn't long before she had also fallen asleep but the sun had already started coming up.

However, it had barely been a couple hours when Christine woke up from hearing Jim stir. Luckily, Joyce was quick to his side as she relaxed back into the recliner again. But it was short lived when suddenly Joyce grabbed the pot that they had used for water to clean off the dried blood from Jim, giving it to him as he puked in it.

"Gross," Christine said quietly as she leaned over to him, handing him a clean washcloth for his mouth.

"Christine?" he asked, confused as he turned back to Joyce, taking some medicine from her, "How long have I been out?"

"A while," Christine said as she leaned forward, "You've been in and out."

"Okay, how did I get here?" he asked.

"Slowly," Joyce answered. He took a gulp of water, sitting up on the couch.

"So, what is the last thing that you remember," Christine asked, moving over towards him to check him out. The bruises on his body were more prominent now.

"Some thug attacked me," he said as he pushed Christine's hands away from him.

"You need to rest," Joyce said, only for Jim to also push her hand away.

"No, you're not fine, wait!" Christine said as Jim stood, not realizing he didn't have any clothes on. Joyce immediately turned her head as Christine could only shake her head. Luckily Jim was quick enough to grab the blanket around his waist before they all regretted it.

"Where are my clothes?" Jim asked as he glanced between Joyce and Christine. However, Joyce seemed too shocked to even be able to form a sentence.

"I hung them outside," Christine finally said. Jim huffed, pushing his way between the two women that were in front of him. Joyce quickly got up, following Jim outside as Christine stayed inside, cleaning up the mess they had made in the living room.

"I mean, did you recognize him?" Joyce asked as they walked back inside. Jim went straight for the kitchen, grabbing a drink.

"Who?" he asked.

"The thug," she replied.

"No, I didn't get a good look," he said.

"I mean you were busy getting your ass kicked," Christine joked as she folded the blanket she had used. She turned and looked at Jim as he glared at her, unable to hold back a small laugh.

"Well, he's gotta be in government right?" Joyce asked, pulling them back to reality.

"Yeah, but if he's the government then why is he slinking around?" Jim asked as he walked through the living room again.

"And why is he running?" Christine asked, adding in her two cents. Jim pointed at her, agreeing with what she said.

"And why didn't we find anything down there?" he said, turning to Joyce like he was trying to keep it a secret that they had gone to the lab. Christine just rolled her eyes, heading out to the truck, knowing that Joyce was going to talk Jim into whatever it was that she needed him for.

She took her purse, throwing it in the back of Jim's police truck as he and Joyce came walking out finally. They were bickering back and forth as they parted ways, Jim towards the driver side, Joyce to the passenger. Christine stood next to the door, throwing it open again as Jim reached her.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Jim asked, grabbing her arm and she was about to climb in.

"I'm going with you," she said, shrugging her shoulders, trying to pull away and climb into the truck.

"Absolutely not," he said, pulling her away from the truck.

"Excuse me? You can't tell me what to do," she argued.

"Uh, yes I can," he said, "Not only as the Chief but as your brother."

"Are you going to arrest me?" she asked, crossing her arms in deviance. But Jim just stared down at her for a moment, "Didn't think so." Christine took the stunned silence Jim gave her as her opportunity to jump in the truck. She went to the back, sitting behind Joyce's seat. Jim finally got into the truck, pulling out a cigarette and turning to face his sister.

"You do not get out of the truck," he said, pointing his finger at her. She simply gave him a smile, nodding her head in understanding.

…

The drive to town had been silent for the most part. Christine had assumed whatever they had talked about while she was getting the truck ready was where they were heading. But she was confused when she realized they were heading towards the mayor's office.

"Did you dress up for the mayor?" Christine asked, pulling at Jim's sleeve. He swatted her hand away, Joyce laughing lightly at them.

"What is wrong with this shirt?" he asked harshly.

"Oh, nothing, nothing," she said as she leaned between the seats, her head popping up between Joyce and Jim. But Jim seemed to take it personally as he suddenly slammed on the brakes, throwing Christine into the dash.

"Hopper!" Joyce yelled as she tried to help the younger woman out of the floorboard.

"We're here," he said with a sarcastic smile. "Stay. In. The. Truck."

"Okay, fine," Christine said as she finally sat back up.

"Thank you," he said with a snarky attitude before getting out and slamming his door shut. Joyce gave Christine a quick glance before she also got out, following behind Jim.

…

It had been a while Christine sat in the truck alone. She had moved up into the front, sitting in the driver seat, listening to the radio. She drummed on the steering wheel, listening to the song play out, thinking about how her life had led up to this point. It was just her and Jim now. They had never been super close, being nearly ten years younger than him. But she knew he would do anything for her, all she had to do was ask. But she was also bull headed, not wanting to lean on anyone else but herself to get through life. She was in her early thirties, owned her own home, a car, had a nice career. Most people told her she just needed to focus on getting a husband and starting a family. But that wasn't something she wanted to focus on. If it happened, great, if not, she wasn't going to be heart broken. She had Sara for a while, now El to fill the "void" of not having any children yet. People always seemed a little too quick to tell her about that. If she was being honest with herself she didn't think she could find something like that here in Hawkins. Most men she went on a date with ended up never calling her back once they realized who her big brother was. And it had been a long while since she had gone on a date.

But those thoughts were short lived when suddenly she heard Jim yelling for her to start the truck.

"Oh my god, Jim," Christine yelled as she turned and saw him walking out with a bloodied mayor. "What have you done?"

"Just drive," he said as he shoved the mayor into the back of the truck, following behind him. She could just look at Joyce, hoping she would give her an answer but she just shrugged her shoulders, unable to.

"Where am I driving to?" Christine asked, turning to look at her brother as he patted the mayor on the shoulder, so hard that it caused him to cough.

"To the mayor's house."

…

After a rough drive to the mayor's house, Christine finally brought the truck to a sudden stop. She was quick to jump out this time, everyone else following behind her.

"Didn't I say stay in the truck?" Jim asked her as she dragged the mayor out.

"Too late, you have already involved me in kidnapping. I'm a part of this now," she said as she shut the door and followed Joyce up the sidewalk towards the house. She could hear Jim huff behind her but she honestly didn't care at this point. As she looked around, if it was different circumstances she would have been impressed with the mayor's house. It looked like something that belonged on an old plantation down in the South.

As they got closer to the front, Jim let go of the mayor and let him unlock the door. Once the door was open, Jim whistled, making a comment about the house. Christine knew he was being sarcastic. But she was actually impressed as her brother smacked a chandelier that hung above them.

"Love the place, Lar," Jim said as they all headed towards the stairs.

"Lar?" Christine asked, her face scrunched as she turned to Joyce. She once again could only shrug her shoulders, unable to give her an answer.

As they made it to the next level of the house, Jim was quick to follow the mayor into his bedroom, Joyce not far behind. But Christine stayed back, looking at a map that was hung on the wall. She could hear them talking about land deeds, the new Starcourt mall and how apparently these guys they were looking for were bad news. As she stood there, looking at the map, Joyce joined her again with an arm full of papers.

"Hess farm, Henry's place, Bullocks," Joyce started, pointing at the map, "They are all here."

"They are all in Southeast Hawkins?" Christine asked as she moved out of the way of the map so Joyce could look closer.

"Yes, near Jordan Lake," she said. Christine nodded her head, walking closer to the window, looking out the curtains. "You know what else is near Jordan Lake?"

"The power plant," Christine and Jim said at the same time.

"Yes," Joyce said as she snapped her fingers, "Four nights ago, there was a huge power outage and the next day-"

"The magnets fell," Jim said as he took the papers from Joyce.

"I mean, Scott says-" Joyce started but it caught Christine's attention.

"Who is Scott?" she asked, turning to the others but was only met with a glare from her brother, causing Joyce to sigh.

"He said it would take a massive amount of power to run," she explained, both Hopper siblings nodding their heads. "So what if what we have been talking about really does exist and the reason we didn't find it at the lab is because it isn't at the lab."

"It's at one of these properties?" Christine asked. Joyce nodded her head as Jim stood off the banister he was leaning on and walked closer to her. Not wanting to impede on their moment Christine looked away, feeling awkward as she looked into the mayor's bedroom.

"Uh, Jim," she said, grabbing his attention and pointing into the room. Jim turned the corner to see the mayor trying to escape through his bedroom window.

"Larry!" Jim yelled as he rushed in, shoving the papers he had into Christine's arms. "Where do you think you're going pal?"

Christine could only watch as Jim tossed the mayor clear across the room. Handcuffing him to the side of the head board.

"When this is all over, we are going to get arrested," Christine said to Joy as they stood and watched Jim. "So much for my vacation."