Together Again

Chapter 6 - The Letter (Part 4)

"Okay, what do you want to know?" The prisoner replied. Hopper held up a hand indicating to give him one second as he got up. He took three strides to get to the door. It creaked open and he stepped out of it. He walked briskly down the hall into his office. He thought that Joyce deserves to know the truth too. He wanted her there for the interrogation. In a way, her presence would comfort her. There sat Joyce, relaxed in his chair. In her hand was a picture frame. A smile strewn across her face as she traced her fingers over the photo. Hoppers cheeks grew hot as he realized what photo he had put in that frame.

~Early July 1985~
Hopper walked down Main Street. It was July 4th, Independence Day. Hawkins always had a firework show on the Fourth of July. He was going to take El on a picnic to watch the fireworks. This would be her first time celebrating it. He had to pick up a couple of things from Melvald's General Store. He secretly hoped that Joyce was working today, but he thought that she probably got the day off.

He walked into the store and the worlds most beautiful smile greeted him. Joyce. She was working! His eyes lit up as he raised his hand and waved. He quickly rushed through the store to find what he needed. A blanket to sit on, and Eggos, and Nutella. He was making Nutella Eggo sandwiches. They were Elevens favourite food. He found everything and then made his way to Joyce's till. He set the stuff on the counter.

She picked up the Nutella to scan it. "Looks like you'll have a happy daughter tonight!" She said cheerfully, after examining his groceries.

"That's the plan!" He replied. "What are your Fourth of July plans?"he asked.

"Well, I get off a little early, but Jonathan is taking Nancy out, so it's just me and Will." She replied.

Hopper thought it over for a minute. "Me and El were going to go for a picnic by Lake Jordan at 7:30, then watch the fireworks. You and Will would be more than welcome to join us!" Hopper invited.

"Well that sounds wonderful." Joyce accepted the invitation and handed Hopper his bag. He tipped his hat towards her after grabbing it then turned and walked out the door, with a bit of a spring in his step.

The way that Hopper tipped his hat to Joyce sent shivers down her spine. Butterflies appeared in her stomach. She felt the blood flow into her cheeks. And looked at the ground. She noticed a figure walk up and turned to help the next customer. The entire time she was thinking about Hop.

Later that night, Hopper was sure to drive out to Lake Jordan a little bit early to get set up. To their surprise there was no one else there. Lake Jordan was a small lake just south of Hawkins. You could still see the town in the distance, and it made a great place to watch the fireworks. They found a nice tree to sit by and laid out the blanket.

A few minutes later Joyce and Will Came walking up. They spotted Hopper and El and walked over to them. They greeted each other and Hopper pulled out eggo sandwiches for all of them. He also brought a variety of sodas for them. They all ate their sandwiches and then decided to go walk by the beach before the fireworks.

El and Will ran ahead. El hit the water and put her arms in. She raised her arms and splashed a big wave towards Will. His Jaw dropped and he froze as the water engulfed him. A couple seconds later he was running into the water and trying to drench El. The sounds of goggling and squealing filled the air.

Behind them walked Hopper and Joyce. "Look at them. Getting along like siblings." Joyce commented. They walked along the beach and chatted for about a half hour. Hopper decided to make his move. He moved his arm out and his hand found Joyce's. Their fingers slowly intertwined and they both blushed, not making eye contact. Suddenly a loud pop filled the air. Eleven and Will, now both drenched,  turned around towards Hopper and Joyce. They immediately dropped their hands before the kids could see.

"The fireworks!" El exclaimed, racing back to the blanket. She sat down on the grass, careful not to make the blanket wet. Her head turned up to the sky as she gazed in awe. This was the first that she had seen fireworks, they were amazing. The rest of them came and sat down too. Will reached into his bag and pulled out a camera. Jonathan had recently given him his old camera. It was one that immediately prints the pictures after you take them. He started trying to snap photos of the fireworks. He laid out the film to let it set. He then turned to El and snapped a picture. Hopper and Mike would like this one. It was of her first time seeing fireworks.

"Smile! He said turning to Joyce and Hopper. He snapped a photo of the two of them. He passed the photo to them as it developed. 

They finished off the fireworks and then packed up

That was the best Fourth of July.

The photo in Joyce's hand was the one that Will took. It sat on Hoppers desk beside a picture of El and a picture of Sarah. He forgot about when he invited Joyce into his office.

She glanced up at him. "You kept this?" She smiled sweetly.

Hopper nodded. "Yeah. That was one of the best nights I've ever had."