Everything is Going to be Okay.

opening up.

Hey guys sorry for my very lengthy hiatus, I had like no inspiration for my stories so just bare with me because this is still my first ever fic and it's very mediocre but thank you so much if when you got the notification I was back with another chapter after all this time and you clicked it and read❤️

She had slept good. She didn't know how but she did.
Maybe it was just the universe giving her false hope and was ready to laugh at the sight of her mission fail.
Joyce pulled herself out of bed and to the living room where Murray, Hopper, and Alexei sat with thousands of yellow papers scribbled on around them.
"Did i miss anything?" She said gesturing to the papers which were actually old Burger King wrappers.
"Sorry I figured I'd let you sleep. We um- we got some new info if you wanna take a look." Hopper said.
As she glanced at the scribbled and charts she saw one with "Planck's Constant" written on it.
She couldn't have thought of a better plan.
Joyce knew that Murray was going to get the number wrong so she remembered from that dreadful song the numbers and quickly wrote them next to the word Planck's constant and sighed with relief.
Hopper looked at her with a worried face.
"I'm fine. Just...long night." She said looking exhausted.
As she reassured him, Hopper and Murray finally pieced together the puzzle Joyce had put together a long time ago and she pretended to act surprised as they rushed to call for military back up at the Starcourt Mall.
This time around though, Hopper was the one who did the yelling over the phone and the man on the other end was very cooperative to Hoppers demands.
"Alright grab those papers, we're heading back to Hawkins." Hopper gestured to everyone to hurry.
He was doing her job. Picking up her slack. She hated it.
Joyce tiredly pulled herself from the couch as her "good sleep" wore off and they all piled in the "Todfather".
"Alright I don't know the whole situation regarding our kids but it doesn't look good so we have to find them before anyone else." Hopper said looking at Joyce as he planned the places to search for them.
"What's closest?" Hopper asked.
"The mall." Joyce said.
"The mall isn't close enough, you think they're at my house or something?" Hopper brushed her off.
"No they're at the mall trust me." Joyce said sternly.
"How would you even know?" He asked growing annoyed.
"I just do okay? Now we're going to the mall first." And it was decided. They drive straight through without stopping.
As they pulled up to the mall Joyce opened the door before Hopper parked the car.
She ran all the way to the entrance, burst through the doors and ran down the escalator not paying attention to the men yelling after her.
Once she reached the bottom she saw El with her nose covered in blood on the ground like she had just had the life sucked out of her.
"Joyce! What's- what's going on?" Hopper barely got out due to the fact he was out of breath trying to catch up to her along with Murray.
"What happened? El?" Hopper ran to her side as she cried in his arms. She was so weak.
"We need to get out them out of here. Now." Joyce said sternly grabbing everyone's attention.
"Joyce let's all just take a minute ok? We've been rushing the past few days, the kids are fine, let's just slow down." Hopper said in a little annoyed voice.
"No. Everyone listen up. Here's what's going to happen: Nancy and Jonathan, take El, Mike, Lucas, Will, and Max to Murray's house and stay there until you get a call from me saying it's safe to come back." She began.
"Joyce-" Hopper tried to interject.
"Steve and...what's your name sweetie?"
"Robin." Robin answered confused at this tiny woman giving orders to about ten people.
"Steve and Robin: take Dustin and Erica to that radio tower thing so they can tell Hopper, Murray, and I where to go. We'll sneak in, turn the keys and go through the vents and we'll all meet back here when I say so. Got it?" Everyone looked at her like she was insane. She was so tired of that look.
"Got. It?" She said with more force and they all abruptly shook their heads.
Joyce grabbed the papers with all the info and headed to a table at the food court.
Hopper stood there, amazed everyone listened to her and walked slowly to the table she was at.
"Joyce? Joyce. Look you need to tell me what the hell is going on because this isn't you. You're not like-this. I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong." He tried so hard to understand what was going through her mind but he could never. Even if she told him she was from the future trying to prevent his death it would just make him more concerned and he'd probably have her committed.
"I can't...tell you." She breathed out fidgeting with the papers until Hoppers hand covered hers.
"You can tell me whatever it is."
Tears welled up in her eyes.
"You'll think I'm crazy." Joyce whispered as a tear escaped her right eye.
"Nothing you do could make me ever think you're crazy." He said it and he meant it.
Mustering up enough confidence Joyce told him her version of the truth-the watered down truth.
"Listen i just know everything that's going to happen today and if I can't change something...you'll..you won't..make it." She said hardly believing herself.
"Won't make it? What do you...oh..okay." His eyes widened.
"See you think I'm crazy." Joyce said almost yelling.
"I believe you. Everything will be just fine, you have to trust me." Hopper said practically ignoring her statement.
"Stop it. Stop DOING THAT!" Joyce yelled in frustration.
"Doing what? You told me to believe you so I did!" He yelled back.
"You're just doing that so I don't seem crazy! You're treating me like some mentally unstable person, why can't you just say the truth and tell me you don't believe me? Stop trying to protect me and my feelings! Let me feel something!" She yelled so loud without stuttering or taking a breath.
Hopper wasn't going to yell because everything she said was true, he was trying to protect her.
"I protect you because...because."
"Why!" She yelled again.
"Because I'm in love with you. I'm in love with you okay? That's why. And I didn't want to see you get hurt again, you've been hurting and you don't deserve that." He said walking up to her.
Joyce walked a few steps to meet him and planted a kiss on his lips and he kissed back.
"You don't know how long I've wanted to say that to you..." Hopper said breathing out.
It was out there in the open now. He loved her and after all these years of protecting her. It was her turn to save his life.