The Life You Deserve

Chapter 43: Memory Lane

June 1993

Time flies by when you're having fun. That's what Hopper's heard, and it's true. But time goes by even faster when you love someone and watch them become the person they were always meant to be. That's how Hopper feels about El.

One minute she is a scared little girl with telekinetic powers, then she turns into a powerful teenager torn between her own anguish and her hormones, then she flourishes into a young lady adored and loved by all that meet her and now...well now she's graduating from University of California, San Francisco and has become a woman. A woman he is so incredibly proud of, a woman who he loves unconditionally and a woman who he isn't afraid to admit will always be his little girl at heart.

Watching El makes Hopper realise how much he missed out on Sara, and he misses her even more and grieves for her, because how can you ever get over losing your child? But if there is a God, he thanks them for bringing him El. She hasn't replaced his love for Sara, oh no, instead there is a section in his heart split equally between his biological daughter and his non-biological daughter. But genes aside, they are both his daughters and he loves them both always and forever. He will always be their dad.

So Hopper feels no guilt whatsoever getting to witness El graduate. He is stood in between Joyce and Mike, Becky to the tall dark-haired boy's side, holding onto her four-year-old son Danny, El's cousin. Hopper can't help but smile down at the young boy, his honey locks just like El's. Definitely comes from the Ives family then.

He then glances over at Mike Wheeler with a smirk, because the young man has dark eyes on the edge of tears and a big love-struck smile as he watches El in the large crowd of graduates. And watching Mike's obvious love for El makes Hopper love the young man like a son. Because from day one it has been so obvious that Mike and El were going to end up together. Their love is infinite and unbounded and anyone in the proximity of the couple can practically feel the endless love just pouring off them. Hopper couldn't wish for a better man for his daughter.

"Jane Eleanor Hopper." The lady stood at the podium calls out and El takes the stage, walking with a proud and happy smile on her face as she reaches the man dressed like a fool in a floppy hat and long robes and shakes his hand.

Hopper, Joyce, Mike and Becky go wild. All of them cheering, clapping and whooping whilst Danny shouts "Hi Ellie!" waving his little hand frantically.

"She did it." Mike says, exhaling proudly and turning to look at Hopper with a big grin.

The chief smiled and patted Mike on the shoulder affectionately. "You both did." Because in a week Mike will also be graduating but from Stanford and his family will be flying in for the occasion.

Hopper knows that the rest of the party would have been there for El's graduation too, but there were only limited tickets, so they have to settle for a celebration at Max's townhouse afterwards. And there is certainly a lot to celebrate, like Mike getting onto a Master's program whilst working as a Teaching Assistant and El securing a job as a Registered Nurse.

But only Hopper and apparently Max know that soon there is going to be even more to celebrate. Because over Christmas Mike had come to Hopper to let him know that he was going to buy El an engagement ring and that he would be proposing. Hopper had wanted to tease Mike, tell him that he didn't have permission to ask El. But he had seen the excitement, love and nerves mixed into Mike's expression and just felt nothing but happiness for the young couple.

"So when are you doing this thing?" Hopper whispered to Mike, nudging his shoulder slightly as he leaned in.

Mike blushed and tore his eyes from where El was sitting back down and clapping for her fellow graduates.