Everything is Going to be Okay.

redemption.

It had been 3 days since El had offered to help Joyce but surprisingly she didn't take her up on that offer.
The last 3 nights El would tell her goodnight and then ask in an admittedly sweet way but Joyce declined.
Although after seeing El so sad the past few days made Joyce reconsider. She figured, only good can come out of this right? She'd learn to control them and only use them if absolutely necessary, plus who better to help than El. Jonathan probably wasn't the greatest choice but El was a unanimously better choice.
El and Will came home from school with Jonathan in the afternoon and El went to start on her homework in the kitchen.
"Okay." Joyce said walking in.
"What?" El asked confused.
"Okay. Let's do it..I need your help and well there isn't really anyone else in this house with experience in having powers so.." Joyce stood there hoping the offer still stood.
El tried to remain serious but couldn't help but smile.
"Okay let's go!" She said with excitement in her voice. She hadn't been this happy since that night and seeing her happy made Joyce happy so so far it was a win win.
Just like the last few times they headed to the backyard.
"So what can you do exactly?" El asked her not really knowing where to start.
"This is so weird...um I think time travel?" Joyce answered.
"Ok..that's..wow that's tough." El said raising her eyebrows.
"Well what do you have the most trouble with?" El asked her. She wanted to help so badly but she didn't want to live through Joyce since she'd be lying if she said she didn't miss her powers. Sure they caused a lot of problems but they were a part of her and now they're gone.
"I'll be doing just fine I think...but then I get either too excited or so angry I'll send myself to the same memory and I just..I can't see it again. Not anymore." Joyce took a seat at the bottom porch step.
El came and sat next to her taking notice she was upset.
"Where did you go?" El asked putting her hand on Joyce's.
"It was the night..that..you're dad..left us." Joyce didn't want to say "die." It was just too harsh even for herself and especially for El.
"Every time I go it's right when it's about to happen and I have to force myself out and I just I don't want to go back there again." Joyce said staring at the ground.
"I'll make sure you don't go back. I promise." El said as she squeezed her hand tight.
Joyce smiled back and they walked to the middle of the yard.
"Just stay there and I'll come over this way and just try to come to where I'm standing." El said from the other side of the yard.
Joyce nodded and closed her eyes and pictured where she wanted to go. There was a thud and she fell over.
She had ran right into El.
"Maybe not that close.." El said laughing.
The two began laughing and Joyce tried again. This time she opened her eyes and was about a foot away from El.
"Okay good! You did it!" El said happily.
A sigh of relief later and Joyce felt a large weight off her shoulder.
"Now try jumping to different spots." El said.
Joyce zig zagged through the yard and did it just fine but on the way back she felt uneasy.
"Okay now let's try..." el's voice faded.
The porch light started flickering faster and faster.
"Hey hey it's ok..I remember when this happened to me. It's ok just relax and try to get to the other side. I'm here." El reassured her.
Joyce took a deep breath and closed her eyes to be on the other side of the yard just like she had hoped.
She was so happy and jumped back carefully not to get too excited and was right in front of El again.
"You did it!" El hugged Joyce tightly.
She had finally controlled them and wasn't afraid of herself anymore.
"Now you can do whatever you want! This is so cool!" El was so happy for her. She saw a lot of herself in Joyce, but Joyce was a faster learner than her and figured out her powers quicker which for everyone's sake was a good thing.
They cheerfully headed back inside and Joyce headed to her room to get ready for bed since it was now 8:30pm.
"I can tell the boys right?" El asked Joyce before she shut the door.
"Of course you can." She said with a smile.
After El ran to tell the boys the good news Joyce went to find some clothes to sleep in and stumbled on an old photo of her and Hopper.
Well the photo wasn't that old it was the Wheeler's Christmas party last year. The same year she had lost Bob.
Hopper had tried to check on her daily with out making her feel like she couldn't do things alone but he always comforted her when she needed it.
In the photo Joyce and Hopper were sitting on the couch in the living room. Joyce had her head rested on her hands half smiling dressed in a red and black dress that was loose and a little big along with a denim jacket. Hopper was to the left of her smiling big but he wasn't looking at the camera, he was looking at her.
She missed him so much sometimes she had to block out her whole day and just sit alone in her room crying until-
"Wait." She interrupted her own thoughts.
She widened her eyes as she laid out her plan in her head.
Joyce hadn't figured all the details but she knew if she had a second chance she could bring him home. And nothing was going to stop her.
She locked her bedroom door and prepared herself.
Joyce took a deep breath in and out.
"I can do it."
She was gone.