when you know, you know ; steve harrington

two ─ girls day out

As the daughter of a cop, life had never been simple for the Sterlings. Constantly on the move, losing their mother young—used as a pawn in a case gone wrong—Teddy and her brother Damon had grown up in a world that didn't allow room for stability, let alone peace. Loyal friendships had always slipped through their fingers, and normalcy remained a concept they only ever saw in movies.

After Theresa Sterling's tragic death, Teddy found solace in just two people outside of her family: her ex-boyfriend, and Jim Hopper—her father's trusted colleague and her childhood safe space.

"How do you even remember the way to his house, Teddy?" Damon asked from the passenger seat, arms folded as they pulled up to an old, familiar cabin.

"There are few things that I'd never forget, Damon," she muttered, almost to herself.

Damon scoffed, but his tone was light. Teddy's heart thudded as she stepped out. It had been years since she'd seen Hopper. Would he even remember them? After all, they'd been just kids when they left. The last she remembered was playing tag in the yard with Sarah Hopper—before everything shattered. That same year, Hawkins became a memory, and California became their reality.

She knocked gently on the door. Moments passed. Then it creaked open—not to Hopper, but to a brunette girl, short-haired and uncertain.

"Hi?" the girl greeted, almost confused.

"Hi?" Teddy echoed, eyebrows raising slightly.

"Is— is he here?" Damon cut in.

"Who?" the girl asked, still unsure.

"Hop—"

"El! What are you doing out the—?" came Hopper's familiar voice, warm and commanding. Teddy's eyes lit up instantly.

"Dorothy? Damon?" he asked, stunned. And before anyone could speak, the Sterling siblings threw themselves into his arms, laughing and crushing him with the kind of hug that had been stored up for half a decade.

"Who are they, Hop?" the girl asked, bewildered as the three pulled away.

"El, this is Dorothea and Damon," Hopper explained, ushering them inside. "And kids, this is Eleven—my daughter."

Teddy blinked. Damon practically choked.

"Your daughter?"

"Adopted," Eleven clarified with a soft, polite smile.

"Eleven? As in number?" Damon asked, earning a nudge from Teddy.

"Her real name's Jane Hopper. Eleven's just a nickname," Teddy said, catching on quickly.

There was a comfortable warmth to the cabin. Hopper handed out tacos while Eleven followed with orange juice, the kind of hosting that felt strangely...like home.

"How are you kids? I got a fax from the Department about your dad's transfer. Didn't think you'd be here this soon," Hopper said, settling down beside them.

"Here we are!" Damon announced with mock enthusiasm. Hopper chuckled.

"How's Hawkins?"

Silence fell. The kind that says too much without words. Teddy felt it. So did Hopper. But instead of answering, he changed the subject.

"Did you meet your guy?"

"Oh, she did," Damon teased with a smug grin.

"Damon!" Teddy snapped, smacking his arm as Hopper and Eleven chuckled.

"They bumped into each other," Damon continued with dramatic flair. "And I swear, Hoppy, it was like a soap opera!"

"It wasn't like that," Teddy muttered, cheeks growing warm. "We didn't really talk."