One's eyelid twitched open as a beam of sunshine cut through the curtain and warmed her face. With a stretch that started from her head and shimmied all the way down to her toes, One was awake and sitting upright. She gave herself a small heart attack when her eyes were met with an unfamiliar space, but then she remembered what had happened in the last 24 hours.

After arriving in the Diagonal, or Helia, Diane had showed One to a luxurious room in the golden skyscraper that she called her home and allowed her to get some much-needed rest. One had hit the crimson comforter that puffed up beneath her like a cloud and immediately crashed. She wasn't sure if the bed was just that comfy, or if she was just that tired, but she had slept for seventeen hours. Fighting off a giant monster and destroying an entire dimension could do that to a girl.

One pushed her legs over the edge of the bed and let her toes dangle above the floor. She glanced around the room once before pushing herself to her feet and found herself in awe. She had been too tired to really notice the room when her mother had brought her to it the day before, but now that she was wide awake, she was stunned.

She felt like a princess in a palace. The room was nearly the size of Hopper's entire cabin, with crimson walls that matched the color of the comforter she was sitting on top of. When One squinted her eyes, she could make out purple vines with leaves and flowers striping the walls. Gorgeous painted landscapes of fairytale places hung scattered across the room in golden frames that ranged from the size of a book to the size of a door.

A large wardrobe faced her on the opposite side of the room, and a mirror that nearly took up the entire wall sat beside it. One pushed herself off the four-poster bed that was draped in golden curtains and walked across the tiled flooring that splattered across the room in intricate floral patterns.

One stood before the mirror and took in the mess that was her reflection. Her blonde hair was matted with patches of dried blood, making it look like she had dyed her whole head to match her red tips. Her clothes were slashed to shatters, exposing her bruised skin beneath. One immediately shrugged off James' leather jacket the second she realized that she was still wearing it and threw it across the room.

When she turned back to face her reflection, a determined scowl met her. It was time for a change.

One peeled her clothes off and let them fall to the floor as she strode towards the bathroom connected to her bedroom. She started the shower, which rained down from the ceiling, and stepped inside. One reveled in the warm water that ran down her body, and she could feel her hair growing softer as the caked blood melted away down the drain. As she lathered herself with lavender-scented soap, her hands unconsciously traced every cut and scrape they found. She'd showered tons of times before, but this time felt different. It felt like she was washing away her old self and making way for something new.

The dripping of water accompanied One's footfalls as she exited the shower, wrapped herself in a towel, and walked back to the mirror. She found a pair of tiny, silver scissors in one of the drawers of the ornate desk that sat next to the mirror and held them up to her hair. Snip by snip, she went around her whole head and cut off all the red she could find until she was left with a shaggy, chin-length bob.

Next, One picked James' leather jacket up off the floor and brought it over to the large, brick fireplace in the corner of the room. With a spark of her hands, the logs lit up in a blue flame, and One chucked the jacket onto it. She watched with a smile on her face as James' leather jacket turned to ash. Now, there was truly nothing left of him.

After One was finished watching James' jacket melt away, she turned back towards the giant wardrobe and threw the doors open. Her eyes were met with an assortment of strange, but beautiful, clothing and she found herself struggling to decide on an outfit.

After flicking through every hanger ten times, One finally settled for a sheer ankle-length skirt that revealed a black mini skirt beneath, and an emerald green quarter-sleeve top that exposed her shoulders and hugged her torso. For shoes, she had found a pair of black gladiator sandals that climbed up her calves. One was busy admiring herself in the mirror when a knock rung on the door.

One gave herself a confident smile in the mirror before turning to answer the door, where she found a woman in a navy pantsuit waiting on the other side.

"Read to go, miss?" the woman asked with a warm smile. "Your mother is waiting for you."

"Please," One answered, returning the smile. "call me Sarah."

Hopper let the shotgun drop to the floor as he closed the gap between himself and Sarah. He threw his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace. Sarah was momentarily caught off guard, but within seconds she was returning the hug. She buried her face into his shoulder and finally let the tears that she had been holding for the last ten years seep through his sleeve. She could feel her own shoulder growing damp as well, and realized that Hopper was crying too.

After minutes of clinging onto each other, Sarah attempted to pull away, but she found that Hopper's grip was too strong. She gave him a few more seconds before trying again, but was met with the same problem.

"Dad," Sarah laughed. "You can let go now."

"No," Hopper responded. His tone was serious but his voice shook. "I can't let go. If I let go, I could lose you again."

Sarah had to take a few moments to collect herself before speaking, because more tears had begun to accumulate. "You're not going to lose me again," Sarah whispered with a powerful determination. "I promise."

Hopper relaxed his grip and Sarah was able to pull away at last. She looked into his face, which had nearly remained the same, save some more wrinkles and gray hairs in his moustache, and smiled the biggest smile she had smiled in years.

"My god, you're so grown up," Hopper smiled back. He cupped her face in his hands and studied her features. He traced her bright blue eyes, her perfectly round nose, and her glowing smile with his eyes. "You look just like your mother."

At the mention of her mother, Sarah unconsciously took a step back. She was unsure whether she should tell Hopper that she had been with Diane for the last ten years. She wasn't sure how he'd respond. So instead, she settled with the following reply, "Maybe we should go inside? It's a little chilly." She accompanied her response with a shiver.

"Yeah, yeah, of course," Hopper said as he turned back to the cabin and welcomed Sarah inside.

The cabin looked just as she remembered it, albeit dustier and more barren. Most of the furniture had been removed, except for the couch and table. Sarah was about to ask about what had happened to everything when Hopper beat her to the punch.

"So where have you been all this time? Why didn't you call?" He tried to conceal any anger he felt about his daughter not reaching out to tell him that she was alive, but some of it leaked through and Sarah was able to pick up on it right away.

"I'm so sorry," Sarah apologized before she broke down again. Hopper rushed over to help her down onto the couch, and she covered her face and sobbed into her hands for a few minutes before speaking again. "I tried to get back to you guys, over and over I tried, but my portals wouldn't work."

"Shh, shh. It's okay, it's okay," Hopper said. He wrapped his arm around Sarah and pulled her against his shoulder. His face flushed in shame about the tone he had taken.

"I was somewhere...else," Sarah attempted to answer between tears.

"The Upside Down?" Hopper asked. He could feel Sarah shake her head no against his shoulder.

"It's a long story that'll have to wait for later. I'm too tired to tell it now," Sarah said as she pushed herself back to an upright sitting position and wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. She suddenly glanced around the cabin when she felt a missing presence. "Where's El?"

"El? El moved out to Oregon for college a couple years ago," Hopper answered somberly. "She's currently working as a park ranger at Crater Lake."

"Oh," Sarah said quietly. She tried to hide her disappointment but she failed miserably.

"I'll call her though," Hopper said in an attempt to try to cheer her up. "She'll come home in a heartbeat once she hears you're back. Okay?"

Sarah offered Hopper a small smile as she nodded her head. She glanced over her shoulder at the door that contained her old room. The door was shut, but she could still envision the small space that she had only occupied for a short time. "Do you mind if I crash in my old room for the time being?"

"Actually..." Hopper began to say as he slowly pushed himself to his feet. "I don't live here anymore."

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked as she stood to meet him with a look of confusion on her face.

"I held onto this place to have somewhere to get away to every now and then," Hopper explained. He took a moment to contemplate how to proceed. "But I live at the Byers' house now..."

"The Byers' house?" Sarah felt even more confused.

"Yeah..." Hopper scratched the back of his neck and looked away uncomfortably. "Joyce and I...got married..."

"What?" Sarah nearly yelled as a large smile plastered itself across her face. She attacked him with another hug before pulling back to smack him on the shoulder. "I knew there was something between you two!"

"So you're not mad?" Hopper asked in surprise.

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" Sarah scoffed. "I love Joyce and I'm happy for you two!"

"Well, I don't know, I just thought with your mother and all..."

Sarah took another unconscious step backwards. Back to Diane. Time to change the subject again.

"How's Joyce, Will, and Jonathan?" Sarah asked after clearing her throat.

Hopper noticed that she switched the topic again, but he didn't mention it. "Why don't we head on over so you can ask them yourselves?" Hopper offered with a smile and Sarah shook her head enthusiastically.

"You've actually got good timing," Hopper continued. "Will is home to visit for a couple weeks from New York, and Jonathan and Nancy are coming down from Indianapolis tonight. They'll be excited to see you."

"I'm excited to see them too," Sarah said with a large grin. She followed Hopper out to his truck and hopped inside, but on the whole ride over her stomach was full of butterflies. So many things had changed, and she wasn't sure if they'd all be good or bad. She tried to convince herself that nothing could be bad so long as she was reunited with her friends and family, but something still ate away at her on the inside.

Little did she know, an unknown danger was waiting for her.

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