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Spring had finally settled into the quiet town of Hawkins, Indiana.
After the miserable winter they had had, the weather was finally starting to turn around.
El had been begging him for a few weeks to go on a family vacation, insisting on camping.
Of course, when she and Will pulled their puppy dogs eyes on him, he knew it was a losing game. They even got Joyce warmed up to the idea, the latter never really liking the aspect of camping.
“Don’t be like that Hop, it’ll be fun!”
“Yeah you say that now, just wait till you wake up at some ungodly hour to mosquitos feasting on your flesh.”
She rolled her eyes fondly. “That’s why I have you. To keep them away.” She came to stand on her tippy-toes, wrapping her arms around his neck. He wrapped his own around her waist.
“Besides..”
He couldn’t help but flush as her voice dropped an octave lower.
“I’m already used to being feasted on.”
He felt her mumbling the words into his lips as she pressed herself into him.
Damn.
She knew she could get him to do exactly what she wanted.
Sadly their moment was cut short by the sounds of children piling into the house.
She pulled away slightly and gave him a promising look he learned to grow very fond of.
Later.
She pecked him again before pulling away completely and going to greet their kids.
-
Later turned out to be much later seeing that they all settled on the couch after dinner to watch a movie.
He honestly didn’t mind that much, relishing in family quality time.
Never the less, he still wanted to get her alone. And no. Not just for sex. He had been trying to find the right time to talk to her about the new department he was building, and hopefully, her role in it. He just got so nervous about bringing up the subject, knowing that it meant talking about past trauma, especially when they were doing so good lately. Even El, her nightmares becoming less and less frequent.
He hoped that in the long run, she would appreciate him doing this, for her of course, but also hopefully, with her.
He saw his opportunity when she excused herself to go have a smoke on the front porch.
He stood, making sure that three of the faces were still glued to the screen, and stopped to fish the small folder from his coat pocket on his way out.
Her head didn’t even turn when the screen door opened. He sat himself next to her, and she offered him her cigarette. He couldn’t help but smile at their position.
Some things never change.
He felt the smoke fill his lungs and the anxiety bubble away slightly. He could do this. This was Joyce. She deserved this.
“Whatcha’ got there Chief?”
She abruptly cut his racing thoughts, pointing at the yellow manila folder in his hand.
He let out a breath, passing the cigarette back to her.
Now or never Jim.
“Okay, before I say anything, I need you promise me you’ll let me finish explaining first. Okay?”
He turned on the porch step to face her a little better. She seemed to sense the serious direction the conversation was headed to, her face losing it’s once playful expression. She stubbed out her cigarette on the ground beside her, nodding silently at him.
He reached over, taking her smaller hand in his.
“Do you remember when you told me about Lonnie? About everything?”
He saw her eyes drop at the mention of her ex. His heart still broke for her when he thought about what she had to go through, forever wanting to put Lonnie's head through a wall.
They were only at the beginning of their relationship then. Although one could argue that their relationship had started years before that.
They were frustrated, to say the least. With him reclaiming his old position as Chief of Police, and her working for hours on end at the store, they barley saw each other.
The aftermath of Vecna left a hole in their town and everyone was doing their best to fix it.
What started as an innocent suggestion that she could cut back her working hours, turned into a full fledged fight. Her, not used to having another person taking on the load and taking care of her, and him, only trying to help her not to work herself to the ground if she didn’t need to.
“I’m just saying Joyce, that you don’t need to be this exhausted every day when you come home. Don’t you want that?”
She was pacing in the living room now, not willing to listen to a single word out of his mouth.
“And I’m just saying that I don’t need you to tell me what I need! I’ve been doing this far too long on my own, and god knows, I got by just fine!”
Their voices were getting louder by the minute.
He knew Joyce was stubborn, in fact It was of the things he loved most about her, but in that moment he just wished she would listen. He only wanted what was best for her, why couldn’t she see it?
He took a small step towards her and raised his hand to put it on her shoulder.
“Joy, I know you did but you-“
His world stopped as the words died in his throat.
She flinched.
It was small, barley noticeable, but he always prided himself for knowing her too well.
She was scared. Of him.
His stomach dropped and he instantly backed away from her, giving her some space.
He managed a look in her eyes and was heartbroken by he saw In them.
Anger, sadness, but also fear, and shame.
He wanted to punch himself for making her eyes look like that, for making her feel like that.
“Joy, Hey, I’m sorry. You know I would never-“
“I know.”
She peered at him shyly from under her eyelashes, her face downcast.
He slowly but surely made his way back to her, hesitantly risking a palm to her cheek, relaxing when she leaned into his hand, her own hand coming to lay on top of his.
“I’m sorry I yelled. I just..”
She looked at him intently as he gathered his words.
“I love you.”
He stated simply, warming her from the outside in.
“And I want you to know that you don’t have to do this alone anymore. Any of it. We’re a team now, and that includes providing for our family.
I just feel like I waited all of my life to be with you, and now that we’re finally here, And i feel like I barely see you.”
He pulled her closer and pressed his forehead against hers, breathing her in.
“Missing you has definitely made me grumpy, if you can’t tell.”
He smiled raising a chuckle out of her.
“You don’t say.”
Pulling back to a now smiling Joyce, he went on.
“If you really don’t want to cut back, we’ll try working something out-“
“I want to.”
Taking a deep breath, she gathered her courage that night to tell him about her ex-husband.
About the fighting, and screaming, and never feeling like anything she does will ever be good enough. She spills it all. All the fights that left her scarred, more than just on the inside. ER trips that had to be kept a secret, stitches that had to be removed. All the times she couldn’t make ends meet because Lonnie had yet another debt to pay.
They eventually maneuvered themselves to the coach, and he held her when her words turned into quiet sobs as she relived some of her worst memories. He stroked her hair and mumbled sweet nothings in her ear as she slowly calmed down.
They promised to settle their previous conversation calmly in the morning.
Climbing into bed, he curled himself around her back and listened to her breathing slow.
He promised himself that night she would never have to through that pain again, no one would.
Back in the present, he watched as she nodded solemnly, urging him to tell her more.
Gaining a little more courage, he pushed on.
“That night I promised myself that I will always keep you safe."
His words made her heart melt in her chest. She squeezed his hand in gratitude.
“I also promised myself that no one would go through that again. Not if I can help it.”
As her brows frowned in confusion, he let go of her hand to open the small folder. Extracting one page, he handed it to her.
His anxiety came chipping back in as he watched her eyes roam across the paper, soaking in the information.
She felt her heart soften impossibly more as she realized what she was reading.
Hawkins, Indiana Police Department,
Family and Domestic Abuse Branch
Permission Granted.
Feeling every emotion come at her all at once. A lone tear snuck it’s way down her cheek.
He felt like a dumb ass.
“Hey, I’m sorry Joy.”
He reached to caress her face, his hand chasing away her falling tears.
Dropping his hand, he turned his gaze to the ground, unable to look at her saddened eyes.
“I didn’t mean to bring back all those feelings. And i- I’m sorry if I overstepped I just-“
“Hopper.”
He looked up at the sound of her voice.
She was smiling.
Placing the piece of paper carefully on the ground between them, she took his hand in hers again.
“I saw that document before.”
She admitted shyly; he was clearly taken aback by her confession.
Before he could ask anything, she spoke again timidly.
“One day I came by your office to bring you your lunch, and you weren’t there, so I went to put it on your desk and the papers were there. I swear I just caught a glimpse.”
She smiles, remembering how she felt herself fall in love with him all over again.
She placed the brown paper bag on his mess of a desk when she spotted it sitting on top of a stack of papers in front of his chair.
She didn’t mean to snoop, and she didn’t, not really.
Slowly peering down, she read the words she had read again just now, only back than it made her feel lightheaded.
She never had someone do this for her. And although she knew it wasn’t just for her, but for the safety of others, she melts at the idea that he had thought about something like that. So that others like her would get the help that she never did.
She had also decided that day that she was going to ask him to marry her.
Looking into his blue eyes, all of her emotions from that day came rushing back.
“I never thought I would get here. With you by my side, always keeping me safe.”
She sniffed quietly, placing their adjoined hands on her chest, above her heart.
“And knowing that you found place in your soul to care not only for me, but of others like me, it-“
Her voice cracked, words failing her for a moment, as she tried to slow her mind, tried to convey to him how much this means to her. How much he means to her.
“You are my everything, Jim Hopper.”
Her glistening doe eyes met his.
“You never cease to amaze me. A part me will always regret all of our wasted time, but a bigger part of me is just so happy. Because of you. And I’m so lucky to have you.”
She pulled him to her gently, sealing their lips in a firm kiss.
He still couldn’t believe that he got to do this.
Touch her, hug her, kiss her.
To be at the receiving end of her love and all of her heartfelt confessions.
Sure he was a little bummed that she sneaked a peek, but the thought paled in comparison to how happy it made her.
And at least she didn’t find out the best part.
One, two, three pecks later, she finally pulled back, whispering a small thank you against his lips.
He felt his heart swell as she beamed at him, clearly approving of this endeavor.
“First of all,”
He cleared his throat. He had one more secret to spill.
“You’re my everything too Joy.”
He kissed each of her knuckles, needing her to feel the warmth she had made him feel.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for you. Literally and figuratively.”
She gave him her best smile and he stumbled over his words for a moment, his mind suddenly empty.
“You make me want to be a better man, every day, and you make me happy in ways I didn’t believe were possibly anymore.”
Not being able to stop herself, she leaned in to peck his lips once more. He changed the angle, deepening the kiss, licking into her mouth, the promise of later now sweltering between them, tethering them together. His mind eventually cleared from it’s Joyce-induced-fog, remembering he wanted to tell her something more.
He pulled back, not missing the little disappointed sound that escaped her.
Before he got too lost in her well-kissed lips, he reached behind him and pulled the rest of the papers from the folder.
Drawing in a deep breath, he went on.
“And there's more actually.”
She looked at him curiously, making his heart beat just a little faster In his chest.
Here we go.
“I’m starting this branch at the department, yes, but, I’ll need someone to handle all the cases, and see over the detectives, and take point and step in when the going gets tough.”
He peered at her, hoping she’ll see where he’s headed.
She didn’t.
He took her small hand back in his again, she looked back at him, brows frowned, shifting her attention to him completely.
Bracing himself, he finally let on the most important part of his project.
“Joyce, I want you to run in.”
To say she was surprised was an understatement.
She looked at him, her big brown eyes wide and shining. Realization morphing into self doubt.
They fell silent as she processed his words, the papers lying on the ground between them. She remembered an offer from a life time ago, followed by a sarcastic comment about seeing his face every day.
Ironically, now that was the least of her concerns.
Does he really believe in her that much?
She knew that how he viewed her was different from how the rest of the world viewed her.
She often feared that he put her on a pedestal, and she was terrified of letting him down. He made sure to always shower her with loving words and compliments, making sure she knew that is just wasn’t possible. He managed to fill the little dark spots in her heart, one by one. But this. This was too much.
She saw in his eyes how much this meant to him.
How could she agree to this? How could she dive headfirst into something she knew nothing about? Something this important?
What if she makes a mistake and people get hurt? The kind of hurt she knew first hand, she couldn’t let that happen.
He saw the gears in her head spinning, heard her breath starting to come out a little faster.
He gave her hand a firm squeeze, grounding her.
“Hey Hey, it’s just a suggestion, an idea, nothing’s set in stone yet.”
That seemed to have calmed her, her breathing slowing down
He gave her a moment, saw her collect her thoughts.
“Hop I- you have no idea how much this means to me. Really. And I’m honored and touched that you thought of me. But this feels like it’s a little too big for me. It’s too important.”
He watched helplessly as she spoke, self doubt clouding her words.
“You’re doing this amazing thing, and you need a professional detective to lead it. Not a supermarket cashier.”
Someone who doesn’t have damn near panic attack every time they see a string of Christmas lights.
“You’re not just a supermarket cashier Joyce.”
He locked his eyes with hers, begging her to understand why he chose her for this.
“You’re the strongest person I know. You’ve been through so much, and you still manage to get up each morning, and fight every fight, and do anything for the people that you love.”
Her eyes bore back at him, glistening with tears.
He cradled her face gently in his hands.
“I know you’ll be good at this job. I know you’ll inspire other people because you in inspire me every day. You deserve to fight this battle. You deserve to tell your story, and make it mean something.”
A sniff.
“Do you really think I can do this?”
She asked in a small voice, her tears falling freely.
He caught her stray tears with his thumbs.
He didn’t even have to think about it.
“Yes.”
The look of determination and honesty in his eyes made her cry harder.
He brought her head to his chest and held her, placing a small kiss on the crown of her head.
Was she really going to do it?
This is crazy.
But not as crazy as going to another dimension to find your son.
Or flying to Russia to save the man you love from soviet prison.
No. She knows crazy, like the back of her hand.
The idea of helping people in need with your husband by your side?
Not so crazy.
Doubt was still looming at the back of her mind, but the way he just looked at her, like she hung the moon, gave her strength. A spark of confidence flared within her.
She could do this.
Wiping her tears, she pulled back from his chest, but stayed close to him.
“Wait, wouldn’t I have to have some training at least? Or to take a test? I don’t want people to think you just gave your wife the job.”
He beamed at her.
“Does this mean you saying yes?”
Her pointed look told him he better answer her first.
“I’m not giving you the job ‘cause you’re my wife.”
He still couldn’t believe he gets to call her his wife.
“I’m offering you the job, because I’ve seen the way you fight for the things that you believe in. I’ve seen how brave you’ve been, and I really think that no one is more qualified for the job.”
The small smile pulling at her lips told him that was the right answer.
“And as for training, we’ll train you, but something tells me that finding and destroying a secret Russian lab, fighting inter-dimensional monsters, and crashing a USSR prison, is plenty of training.”
He smirked as she laughed, drying tear tracks on her cheeks.
“Well, In that case.”
She flashed him with her bright grin, looping her arms around his neck.
He leaned down, looking at her lips.
“Wait-“
His eyes flew back to hers in alarm.
“Wouldn’t that be too confusing? Chief Hopper and Detective Hopper.”
He swore her words made sparks fly somewhere in the back of his mind.
He snorted, shaking his head.
“We’ll figure something out.
Detective Hopper.”
Her laughter was muffled by the firm press of his lips.
It did have a nice ring to it.