Hopper couldn't sleep after that. It took a lot of comforting from Joyce, who was equally horrified by his discovery, but managed to calm him down enough so that he didn't wake up the kids. It was a miracle that no one had woken up because of Hopper's puking, and she didn't want to push their luck any further.

They sat at the dinner table until the morning, holding each other and whispering amongst themselves, unsure about how to approach the situation. Would Steve and Robin come forth about it, or would Joyce and Hopper have to bring it up? How much trauma did they have, did they have powers? Was Brenner after them right now?

Hopper shot down the last observation. He knew Steve. Steve wouldn't have put any of them at risk, so if he was home, it meant that they were relatively safe. It was still something to be cautious about, though.

It didn't make any of his worries really go away, either. Those numbers…they weren't just tattoos on skin. They represented dehumanization, humans turned to experiments, kids tainted by unimaginable tests. He had seen it in El, who barely understood simple words for the longest time, who still had nightmares and flashbacks of being dragged to her tiny room, the tests that she had endured. The panic she felt when there were bright white lights, people in medical gowns, and Hopper could never help her completely. Her recovery was long, and Hopper knew that Steve and Robin's would be, too.

He just wished that they didn't have to go through it. That none of them had to go through it.

After the sun had risen, Joyce had begun to make breakfast, agreeing with Hopper that they shouldn't mention it around the kids. They would drag Robin and Steve aside and ask them then. They didn't want the kids, or even Jonathan or Nancy, to know if Steve or Robin didn't want them to, and they needed to be in a bit more control over how everyone else found out. Hopper knew that there was going to be chaos as soon as they found out, so he and Joyce needed to know the details before that happened.

It didn't take long for people to begin filtering into the kitchen, Jonathan immediately helping his mom with breakfast, and Steve coming in not long after, wiping sleep from his eyes. Hopper noticed that the tattoo was covered up once again, and he wondered if Steve even knew that it was uncovered during the night.

"Morning, Steve." Hopper said, and Steve smiled, sitting down across from him.

"Morning."

"Do you want coffee, honey?" Joyce asked, and Steve nodded.

"Sure, black coffee is perfect. Thanks."

"Don't thank me, coffee is easy to make. Are you okay with scrambled eggs?"

"I'll eat anything you make, Mrs. Byers."

"Steve. Call me Joyce. Please."

Hopper was surprised by how level Joyce had kept her voice as she talked with him, but he was glad. He didn't want Steve to get spooked by the fact that they knew.

"How was your sleep?" Hopper asked, taking a sip out of his own mug.

Steve shrugged in response. "Pretty good, I feel like Henderson used me as a pillow the entire night, but other than that it was good."

Hopper chuckled. "He's not going to let you out of his sight for a while, you know that?"

The smile dropped from Steve's face. "Yeah…I'm sorry."

"Sorry? What are you sorry for?" Hopper exclaimed, and he could feel Joyce's eyes on them, watching the conversation with worry.

"For…not being here. Making everyone worried."

"Kid, I'm pretty sure you didn't have a say in that. Whatever happened wasn't your fault."

"I guess. I just….we shouldn't have dealt with the Russians in the first place. I should've put my foot down and told someone. Then everything would've been better."

The older man sighed. "It was…unfortunate circumstances, but it still wasn't your fault. A lot of things happened those couple of nights, and, even if you had told someone, no one could've helped. I wasn't even in town when you went into the base."

"Really?" Steve took the cup that Joyce offered him, taking a big gulp despite it being fresh out of the pot. Before Hopper could even comment on it, though, Steve continued to talk. "What happened? Why weren't you in Hawkins?"

"Russians, magnets…and the other kids were off fighting some Upside Down monster."

Steve's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"Yup. A monster made of human flesh. It was scary, but we managed to take care of it. Surprisingly. That's how El was hurt, actually."

"Other than her injury, was everything else okay?"

"Billy Hargrove died. Saved El's life."

"Wow." Steve's breath hitched, and he cupped his hands around the mug. "That's crazy. Is Max…?"

"She's been having a hard time, especially with you gone. She looks up to you, they all do. They are all going to be doing so much better now that you're back."

"That's crazy. It's absolutely crazy that I missed all of that. That I couldn't help."

Hopper sighed, getting to his feet and putting a strong hand on Steve's shoulder.

"Don't feel bad, kid, you couldn't help it. I know that if you could've been there you would've been."

Steve nodded hesitantly, and turned back to the coffee. Hopper decided that this conversation was over, Steve clearly needed some time to think about it and was struggling with everything that Hopper had said.

Maybe he shouldn't have mentioned the events of that night, but it had just slipped out. Hopper really wasn't good at this.

Joyce came over, setting down a plate of food in front of Steve, and gave Hopper a quick hug. Jonathan silently made his way to the table with his own plate, sitting beside Steve in uncomfortable silence.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that night, Steve." Joyce said, "It's over and done, and that thing isn't going to come back."

Steve managed a smile. "Thanks, I appreciate it."

One by one the others began to wake up, Dustin rushing over immediately to Steve when he woke up. Robin managed to snag a seat beside Steve and made small conversation with Nancy, who sat far away from Steve. Hopper didn't really know what to think of it, but he knew that everyone was going to react differently to what happened, and their return.

"Hey, Hopper? Can I ask you something?" Robin asked after a minute, and Hopper glanced at her, not expecting for her to ask her a question but happy to answer it.

"Sure."

"When…" She looked down to her lap, fiddling with a napkin. "When should I go see my parents?"

"I…I don't know. First we have to figure out what happened, and then go from there." He replied, and he couldn't help but feel guilty as she frowned.

"Okay. I completely get it, Chief, I was just wondering about it, you know, how they had a funeral for me and everything."

"It's fine, it's okay to have questions. You've been gone for a while, and I'll do everything in my power to get you back on your feet. I promise."

She smiled in response, and looked to Steve, who gave her a nod. Hopper couldn't tell what the nod meant, but it clearly made Robin more comfortable. The secret communication that they had brought a smile to his face, although he didn't know if they had been together the whole time they were with Brenner, at least they had each other for a little while, long enough to become close.

"Speaking of which," He said, not wanting to ruin the moment but knowing that something had to be done, "We need to chat. You, Harrigton, Joyce, and I."

Dustin frowned, immediately getting to his feet, despite Steve's protests.

"No! I know exactly what you're doing, and I won't allow it! You are not going to find out what happened without me! I demand to be there!"

"Henderson, please just sit down." Steve said, reaching his hand for Dustin's shoulder, who dodged out of the way.

"No, Steve! I want to know what happened! I have a right to know!"

"You might have that right, and you will find out, just not now, okay? We need to take things slow. I need to take things slow. So please just let me, Dustin, please!" Steve yelled, and the whole room went silent.

Dustin froze at Steve's words, his mouth partially open as they set in. His eyes were wide, and he struggled to find anything to say to that. Steve immediately sighed, getting to his feet and wrapping the kid in a hug.

"I'm sorry." Steve said, his voice soft. "I'm so sorry, I just…I didn't mean to yell. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Dustin replied. "I just really want to know."

"And you will, but not yet. I promise."

Dustin nodded against Steve's chest, and the two pulled away, Steve messing up Dustin's hair fondly. Hopper then gently grabbed Steve's shoulder, leading him to Joyce's room, ignoring the kid's outburst.

Steve had a right to be angry, to be upset, so he didn't want to comment on it. But Hopper would have to keep an eye on it, for the future.

"Robin, you can follow us, okay? And the rest of you, either stay here or go home."

"We're staying." Max said sternly, and Nancy nodded.

"Jonathan一" Joyce said, turning to her son. "Could you make sure no one listens in? We'll need privacy."

He nodded. "Of course."

She smiled, and Robin followed the older woman. As they made their way towards the room, Hopper quickly pulled El aside.

"Come with us, okay? You need to be there."

She nodded, and silently went with them, leaning on Hopper as she went. Hopper could hear Nancy and Jonathan assemble everyone in the living room, and he could tell that they were setting up some sort of game. Good. They needed them to be distracted.

As he walked into the room, Steve and Robin were already sitting on the bed, sitting shoulder to shoulder, and Jocye was on a small armchair in the corner of the room. Hopper watched as El sat beside Steve, and he pulled up a stray chair beside Joyce.

"So. Should you start or should I?" He said, and Steve shrugged.

"You can, I guess."

Hopper sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before letting his arm fall to his side.

"You know, don't you?" Robin asked, and his brow furrowed.

"What?"

Her eyes widened. "Sorry, I just…continue."

He took a deep breath. "Steve…I saw the tattoo. Last night."

Steve's eyes widened, and Robin reached over and took his hand, firmly grounding him. El looked between Hopper and Steve, no doubt trying to figure out what he meant, and then watched as Steve pushed up his sleeve, revealing the 019 sitting there as explanation. She gasped, and Joyce covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stop her worry and anger from escaping.

"Papa….he…he took you?" El asked softly, and Robin nodded, revealing the 020 on her wrist, too.

"Yeah. Both of us."

El wrapped Steve in a hug, and Steve returned it, gently pushing Robin into the side hug, too. It was then that Hopper knew the true connection that the three of them would now have. They all most likely had the same experiences, the same trauma, identical tattoos on their wrists. He hoped that they would be there for each other, but he had no doubt about it. Steve was a selfless protector, Robin, a genius who was willing to go the extra mile, and El, who constantly threw all of her strength into helping those that she cared about. They would be there to help one another, he knew it.

Now they were bonded, and Hopper would go as far as to call them siblings. Yet, as much as he didn't want to ruin the moment, they had to keep on going. It wasn't long until the rest of the kids would barge in, so they had to move on with the conversation.

"How long were you there?" He asked, and they all turned their attention back to him. "How bad was it?"

Steve sighed. "Umm…probably three months. It…it was hard."

Robin nodded. "Tests, our heads were shaved, it sucked."

"Do you two have powers now?" Joyce asked hesitantly, and Steve nodded.

"Yeah. They're different from El's, but there are some connections. Like we can all go into the Void, for one."

"I could hear you." El said, and Robin nodded.

"We could feel you, at least. It was strange."

"A couple of days ago?" El asked.

"Yeah, why? Could you feel us?"

"Yes. Peace, and the pain went away."

Steve and Robin shared a smile.

"Well, I guess it worked then." Steve said, "We tried to comfort you, we could feel that you were struggling, and we tried to help."

"You did. Thank you."

"You went into the Void again? Really?" Hopper asked with a sigh, but El shot him a look.

"Yes. And I don't regret it."

Hopper knew that he couldn't do anything about it now. "Okay. But, how are you guys doing? Brenner is definitely a concern, and I would love to know everything that happened so I can help."

"The Russians sold us to him." Robin began. "He had us do tests and experiments for a few months, but then we escaped."

"Escaped? Escaped how?"

"It was all Steve. He ran by my room, broke me out, and then we were free."

Steve chuckled. "Well, you helped, too, I was just the first one to make a run for it."

"But, how?" El asked softly, and Steve took a deep breath.

"Well, Brenner gifted me with abilities that make me immune to bullets. All of their weapons were useless, they couldn't stop me from leaving."

Joyce and Hopper's eyes widened in shock.

"What? You're immune to bullets?" Joyces voice was filled with confusion and awe, feelings that Hopper himself felt, but he didn't say another word.

Steve. Immune to bullets. What a crazy thought.

"Yup. It's weird, but definitely useful. And, so, we escaped, and stayed with a man who had a…past, with Brenner. He helped us take him down and the operation. Now Brenner's in jail, and all of the files about the lab and his operation helped with that. I don't know how long he's in for, but it'll be for a while. That's when we decided to come home." Steve finished, changing the subject quickly. Hopper decided to remember that for later.

"So, you're safe?" Joyce asked hesitantly, and Robin nodded.

"As long as he's in jail, we should be good."

"Good. Good." Hopper said, "It's a lot better that way."

"Papa always comes back." El said softly. "Always."

"But he won't this time. I promise." Steve told her sternly.

The five of them fell into an uncomfortable silence, no one knowing what to say. They could hear everyone outside talking loudly, playing some sort of game, and Steve shifted from where he sat, facing El.

"El. I also…I can also heal people."

"You…you can?"

"Yeah. I…I want to try to help you, if you'll let me."

Her wide eyes turned from Steve to Hopper, as if waiting for permission, and Hopper spoke up.

"You can heal people? Really?"

Steve nodded. "Yup. I've healed myself, Robin, and that man who helped us. All of us got shot at one time or another, that was before I was immune, and the only downside is that sometimes scars remain. But it works."

"And you're sure that you can do this?" Joyce asked, and Steve nodded.

"Absolutely."

"Do it." El said. "I trust you."

"Hopper?"

Hopper agreed hesitantly, and Steve took a deep breath, placing his hands on her leg gently.

"El? It might tingle a bit." Robin added helpfully.

"Okay. Do it."

Steve closed his eyes, and Hopper could see the struggle on his face only a couple seconds after he had begun the process. He frowned, and repositioned his hands on her leg.

"Steve?" Robin asked, and he shook his head.

"Somethings not right. The monster gave this to her, right?"

Hopper confirmed the statement.

"This is a lot harder than a bullet. Something's stopping me, but I'll push through."

Joyce frowned, shifting in her seat. "Don't do it if you'll hurt yourself."

"No, I'll be fine, it's just resisting me a bit. Give me another minute."

He refocused his attention on her leg, and pushed all of his power and strength into the wound, willing it to heal. He didn't let up this time, kept on pushing without ceasing, and he could feel El tense up beside him.

"Doing okay?" He asked, and she gulped.

"Yes. It's tingling."

He could tell that he was nearly done, and he could feel that everyone was watching him.

"One more second."

Steve could feel blood drip down from his nose, but he was so close. So close and then El wouldn't be hurting anymore. He could do this. He could do this.

Finally, he could tell that it was done, and he opened his eyes, letting go of her leg and taking in greedy gasps of air, Robin handing him a tissue from the bedside table.

"Man, something was off with that. It stopped me from using my powers as strongly as I usually could." He said softly, wiping the blood from his nose.

"It did the same for me, too." El explained. "I could barely go into the Void, and I couldn't find you."

Steve nodded, letting Robin rub his back soothingly.

"It should be good now, though." Steve continued. "You can check, and if not, I'll try again later."

Hopper got up and carefully unwarped El's bandage, and Joyce got to her feet. Robin let Steve rest his head into her shoulder, and they all watched as the bandage was removed.

As soon as they were off, El broke into a huge smile, the only thing remaining from the wound being a scar. It was completely healed.

"Wow. That actually worked." Hopper breathed, and El quickly gave Steve a hug.

"Thank you. Thank you."

He hugged her back. "Of course, El, it's the least that I could do."

"Friends don't lie."

Steve smiled. "Okay. Well, I'm always happy to help, and that's never going to change. And it was the least that I could do after everything you've done for me."

"Good. Because I like helping people too. And, I promise to help you and Robin. We're siblings now, and I want to help."

Robin smiled at El's comment. "We would appreciate it a lot. We already do. And, I'm very happy to be your sister, I'm really looking forward to getting to know you a bit better."

"Me, too."

Hopper and Joyce shared a look of fondness, both of them finding comfort in the words being spoken. Yet, there was still the underlying fact that there was still a lot that needed fixing. But, at least Steve and Robin had support, not only from adults, but from their new sister, who was going to do anything to help, and from all of the people waiting outside of the closed door. Hopper found comfort in that fact, and clung onto it desperately.