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Home. She was finally home. She was finally back in Hawkins.

As she rode in the car through the now-destroyed Hawkins, she had two things on her mind. Amber and Robin.

"We need to go to a secure place to keep Jim and Kristen out of sight," Stinson spoke.

Currently in the car were Joyce, Hopper and Kristen. Kristen had fallen asleep from extreme exhaustion before she could see Murray and Enzo off, so she didn't know where they were.

"We can go to my cabin and hide out there," Hopper said. He then gave directions to where it was.

-

As soon as they got there, Joyce got out and ran to hug her sons. Hopper got out and immediately went into the cabin. Kristen got out carefully and didn't see Amber or Robin. Worry immediately flooded through her.

"Kristen?"

She looked at Nancy Wheeler as she had a huge shocked look on her face.

Kristen smiled at Nancy, who was a childhood friend of hers and went to go hug her.

Nancy didn't think she was real. She thought that this was a hologram of some sort. A simulation, you could say.

"How... How are you real?" Nancy asked. "You... You died. We had a funeral and everything."

"I'm alive. It's just... It's a long story that I'll explain later. Where's Amber and Robin."

"Robin is at school. She's helping with everything for the earthquake victims."

"Amber. Where's Amber?"

"She's at the hospital," Nancy said. It immediately sparked panic throughout Kristen.

Kristen walked over to Stinson in a rush.

"We need to go to the school and then we need to go to the hospital."

"No. You're not going into any public place."

"You don't understand, Stinson. My best friend and my sister are at those places and they need to know I'm alive. Please," she begged.

Stinson eventually gave in, telling the others that they would be back shortly. And off to see her family they went.

-

The first place they went to was the school. Kristen was very, very nervous. To her, it was like going on her and Robin's first date again.

They car eventually pulled into a more secluded place of the school parking lot. Stinson told Kristen to stay in the car and that she would go get Robin. So she did as told.

As Stinson walked into the school, all eyes were on her. She saw Robin Buckley talking to some other girl with short, red hair. She hoped it wasn't her new girlfriend because that would be awkward for the both of them.

"Robin Buckley?" Stinson got her attention. "I need you to come with me."

Robin had many questions and continued to ask them as she followed the older woman outside.

"Who are you?"
"Can't say."

"Where are you taking me?"
"Outside."

"To murder me?"
"No."

"Is this about the earthquake?"
"No."

"Is this about Max Mayfield?"
"No."

"Is this about Amber Wilson?"
"No," she sighed.

"Is this about... her sister?"
"Do you have a hard time saying her name?" Stinson asked as Robin lightly nodded.

They got outside and Stinson continued to walk to the car. She opened the door and Robin felt like she could cry tears of joy.

The love of her life, the person she thought was dead, was alive.

She was confused, happy, sad, angry, and just fucking confused.

"Wh...What? How... How is this possible?"

Suddenly Kristen felt tears in her eyes. She brought up a hand to cover her face and when she speaks her voice is all high-pitched and wobbly.

"I'm here," she said. She walked toward Robin. Her heart hurt as Robin stepped back.

"How is this possible? Tell... Tell me something only my Kristen would know."

"Do you not believe it's me?"

"I-- I just-- I just need to know."

"I remember the first date you and I ever went on. It was February of 1985, and we were both terrified of being seen together in public, so we decided to go to a small diner on the outskirts of town. We were so nervous that we barely spoke to each other. We just sat there, awkwardly, until the waitress came over to take our order. We both got the same thing - burgers and fries. We were both so scared that we couldn't even look at each other, let alone talk.

But then, something changed. We started talking about our lives - our hobbies, our dreams, our fears. We talked for hours, and it felt like no time had passed at all. We had so much in common, and we both realized that we had found something special in each other. After that date, we were inseparable.

I also remember how scared we were to hold hands, even though we wanted to. We knew that our families and friends would never accept us, so we had to meet in secret and keep our relationship a secret. We had to act as only best friends in public. We would go to movies, take walks, and just talk for hours. We were so happy together.

We were also very creative with our date nights. We would cook together and make our own pizzas. We would go on picnics and take long hikes in the middle of nowhere. We would sit by a lake and just talk and watch the sunset. We would also just sneak out to that same exact diner.

We eventually told a couple of our friends about our relationship, but it was a slow process. We had to be careful about what we said and who we told. I know you told Steve, but I also told Amber, so we're even. But, we knew that if we were too open about our relationship, we could get into serious trouble. But we didn't let that stop us. We kept on going and eventually, people started to accept us.

It's been over a year since that first date, but I still remember it like it was yesterday. I remember the fear, the excitement, and the joy of being able to express myself freely and openly. And I remember us, Robin, and how we were able to overcome all the obstacles that were thrown our way.

So please, Robin, believe me when I say that I am me. I remember every detail of that first date we shared, and I know that I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for our love and dedication to each other. We were able to defy all odds, and that's why I'm here today. Over the past several months, you kept me going. I'm here because of you, and I will always be thankful for that."

Robin noticed the space was almost nonexistent between the two and noticed the small features that changed since the last time they saw each other. Her eyes were now filled with tears and had a less sparkly joy to them, her lips were more cracked and definitely needed some chapstick, and scattered around her face were small bruises, definitely caused by she-knew-who.

Robin couldn't take it anymore. She closed the space between the two and pressed her lips against Kristen's, not caring who saw it anymore.

Kristen was beyond happy. She didn't want to pull away. But when she did, she saw tears stained on Robin's face. She gently wiped them off, rested her hands on her face, and touched their foreheads together. Robin held onto Kristen's hands that were resting on her own face.

"I love you," Kristen whispered.

Robin was taken aback, but she meant it too: "I love you, too."

"I need to go find my sister," Kristen sniffed as she took her hands off of her face and held Robin's hands. "Come with me."

"I can't. I shouldn't. The woman behind us just saw us kiss, I don't know--"

"She won't tell. I swear. I trust her. She saved my life."

"I'm incredibly grateful that she did that, but I need to stay here, okay?"

Kristen nodded and quickly pulled Robin into another kiss. After they pulled away, Kristen walked back to the car and got in. Robin stood in her place as she felt tears of joy stream down her face. She watched the car pull away and smiled hugely.

She was finally able to be happy again.

-

Kristen had the hood of her jacket up and went into to hospital.

"Hi, I'm really sorry, but we really don't have room for you right now," a receptionist said as the phone rang.

"I just need to know which room Amber Wilson is in," she said.

The receptionist quickly looked through the systems. "We don't have Amber Wilson in our system."

"Oh... What about Max Mayfield?"

The receptionist looked through the system again. "Room 292."
"Thank you."

Kristen went to the elevator and went to level two. Once she got there, she sighed, knowing room 292 would be in the far back. She traveled the long walk and eventually saw Lucas Sinclair sitting outside of the room.

Lucas looked up and saw Kristen, his jaw agape.

"Don't say a word, please. Nobody knows."

Lucas stood up and hugged the older teen, making her hug back.

"Go get her, please."
"Okay," he said. "Welcome home, Kristen."

"Amber," Lucas said quietly as he stood in the middle of the door frame. "There's someone... You know what? See for yourself."

Amber rubbed her eyes and lifted her head from Max's hospital bed. She quickly kissed her fingers, letting it go, saying a small, "I'll be right back."

She walked to the end of her bed and saw her.

Kristen.

She was alive. Her hair was short, to her chin. She was a little dirty with bruises, but she was alive.

She walked forward, standing in front of Amber. She opened her arms as Amber hesitantly went in for the hug.

After a year, Amber finally got to see that her sister was, in fact, alive. The sisters were crying. Happy crying. They were joyful. They were happy.

They pulled away as their faces were now tear-stained. Kristen held Amber's face in her hands, kissing her forehead.

"Oh, my God. Jesus, I thought you were dead," Amber's voice broke.

"So did I, Amber. So did I," she responded. "Is mom and dad okay? Is Callie?"

Amber went silent. She forgot she didn't know.

"Amber? Where's mom and dad and Callie? Are they home?"

It got the attention of Lucas and Erica as they looked over at the two sisters. Amber grabbed her big sister's hand and lead her to the bathroom, away from everyone else.

"Okay, Amber, just tell me where our parents are."

"They're dead!" A teary eyed Amber slightly yelled. "They're gone."

"What? Wha— No. No. Are they just home? Are they at home with Callie?"

"They aren't home, Kris. They're... They're dead."

"How do you know that? How... How did they die?"

"Do you know anything about The Mind Flayer?"

"Yeah. I was in Russia and Hopper... told me so much."

"They got flayed. They were part of the Mind Flayer last year. They're dead. Okay?"

Kristen took a deep breath and tried to recollect herself as a few tears escaped. "Callie? Where's Callie?"

"She's home."
"Where?"

"Let me explain, first," Amber said before her sister could get mad. "Because Mom and Dad are dead and you were presumed dead, the Byers, they took me in. They moved to California with Eleven and me."

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"Just listen. People took me."
"People?"

"Scientists. They took me and experimented on me. With my powers."

"Your powers?" Kristen said as her eyes practically jumped out of her skull from surprise.

"Yes. But the person who I thought was dead was there. And he had Callie."
"Who?"

"Dr. Brenner," she said as a shiver went down her spine.

"Wait, Dr. Brenner? As in, Dr. Martin Brenner?"

"Yes... How do you know?"

"Dad worked with him. At Hawkins Lab."

"What? Dad worked at Hawkins Lab?"

"Until it shut down. Dad was unemployed until... until he died, I guess."

"My God. I'm gonna be sick."
"I'm right there with you."

"Dad experimented on kids. He experimented on Eleven."

"We don't know that. Don't assume shit like that about our father."

"Guys..." Lucas said as he interrupted the sister's conversation. "We can hear you out here."

"I'm sorry," they apologized.

Amber walked forward, still a little upset about her father. She waved her hand for her little sister to come forward, and she did.

Kristen hugged her sister tight, happy that she was home.

-

Amber sat next to Max's bed as Callie sat on Kristen's lap on the other side of the bed.

"Guys..." Erica spoke after some silence.

Everyone looked at her, seeing what she was seeing. They crowded around the window, looking out.

The Upside Down was colliding with Hawkins.

Amber shakily breathed, backing away.

"Where are you going?" Kristen asked.

"Stay here, okay? Just... Stay here," she spoke, walking away from the room.

Kristen had no idea what was happening, but she knew she'd figure it out soon.

It was the end of the world as they knew it.