Two of a Kind

The Hunt

Everything had started to fall in place since the night where Joyce and Hopper found that jacket. They were able to find some DNA on it when it was tested, and a match was found. Someone in the system named Paul Newman, convicted of armed robbery and other petty crimes, had a strand of hair in the right pocket of Will's coat. Upon hearing that news, Jim wasn't excited. That could've been someone in the numerous search parties, he thought. A record like that doesn't mean you're completely evil. Quite a jump from stealing money from a bank to kidnapping a kid, right? It's not like Joyce was rich. No ransom had been asked for Will. However, after further investigation by Jim and his colleagues, they discovered that Newman had fled town around the time of Will's disappearance. He left his job at the factory only a day after. No one had seen the guy since. That was when it was decided that all police units in the surrounding area would be on the hunt for this man. It had been a few weeks, and it was still an emotional roller coaster for Joyce and Hopper, but they were getting closer to some answers. They had a suspect, and Hop wouldn't stop until they found him, nor would Joyce. She allowed herself to hold on to that last sliver of hope she almost lost in the forest that night, and it was enough to keep her going. She had to be there when Will came back. He HAD to come back.

Jim hadn't taken a single day off since the discovery of the DNA and fleeing of the suspect. He worked as if life didn't exist outside of his job. He was determined to bring Will back to Joyce himself, just the way Joyce imagined in her head that day at work weeks ago. This case had taken the entire town of Hawkins and flipped it upside down, and it felt like an eternity and just yesterday at the same time since the day of the disappearance.

On this cold December morning, Jim was headed to Weston, four towns over, to investigate a lead on where Newman might have been spotted. Of course, Joyce was in the passenger seat beside him. They had been working together since that day to find this guy and Will, partially because of that unspoken agreement to stick together in the forest that night, and partially because Hopper knew there was no telling her no.

Joyce was happier today. As happy as she could be given the circumstances. She was filled with adrenaline, prepared to rip this guy to shreds as soon as she saw him, demanding her son back. She felt Will— felt that he was alive. And felt he was okay. She tried to explain that feeling to Hop, and he hoped it was true, but he didn't believe in that supernatural type of stuff. He smiled on anyway for her, and they drove off to find her son.

"Hey, Hop?" Joyce asked, looking up timidly to the big, muscular cop beside her.

"Yeah?" he replied. He couldn't help but grin a little. He loved hearing her say his name.

"I've been thinking about the night you found Will's jacket. And how we've been getting closer to finding him. I say, if, no... WHEN we do, maybe we could go out for dinner to celebrate afterwards. With Will and Jonathan, of course," she quickly added as to not make it seem like she was asking him out on a date. He glanced over at her and saw that she was blushing. He couldn't help but smile and let out a small chuckle.

"Absolutely. On me. Wherever Will wants to go. He deserves it."

Hopper let his mind wander the rest of the 45 minute drive. He knew she wasn't asking him on a date, but he pictured it anyway. He imagined her in that tight black dress with her red heels that she wore to the Hawkins High reunion last year. He pictured her soft, delicate lips painted a deep red to match and her dark brown hair flowing down just above her small, perky breasts. He still knew she would never go for a guy like him. He was just a goliath with nothing going for him. A loser, a drunk, and a failure. She could do so much better. But it was fun to fantasize anyway. He would never let her know how crazy he was about the sweet strawberry scent of her hair or the way she bites her lip after she asks a question. God, had she only gotten more breath-taking with age. If only he had been granted those same genetics. She was the only woman he knew who looked more youthful and vibrant now than she did in high school. He knew that if his daughter were still alive, he would be stuck in his marriage to Diane, and only staying with her for Sarah's sake. He cringed at the thought. He missed his daughter every second of every day, but when he was with Joyce, he was grateful to have a reason to smile. He was grateful that despite the awful circumstances that may have brought them into each others' lives again, at least he could spend time with her on most days. He felt so lucky just to hear her voice again. He hated himself for acting like a teenaged boy again, but Joyce did that to him. She made him forget his age and forget how much he despised himself. She made him laugh, and it often startled him to hear that sound roaring up from his own chest. Somehow their shared trauma allowed them to build their friendship back up as if they had never grown apart. He wouldn't let himself have her, of course. Not that he could. He loved her too much to suck her into his miserable existence. Maybe in another life, he thought, as the smile fell from his face. He switched his focus to getting to the mall where Newman was sighted. Joyce looked up at Hop, wondering what he was thinking in that moment.