Right Side Up - A Stranger Things Season 4 Fanfic (incomplete)

Chapter 2

Joyce froze as she heard the words come out of El's mouth. Could it really be true? Could Hopper really be somewhere out there, alive, waiting for them to save him? Or maybe it was all part of a fantasy, perhaps one of the many games the human mind likes to play..

"S-sweetie.." Joyce quietly said, placing her trembling hand on El's cheek. "Sweetie, are you sure it wasn't just your dream?" She didn't know what to believe anymore. She had gotten many calls from Hawkins, with people saying they saw Hopper walking around the small town, or wandering around inside of a store. All those "sightings" lit up a spark of hope in her at first, and she thought she hadn't in fact lost him forever, only to come crashing down back to reality, when the witnesses admitted they were bluffing, or they had simply mistaken another man for Hopper.

But she knew El. She knew El would never lie to her, or anyone on that matter,especially if it was about her father.

"No, I know what I felt. The void didn't feel like a dream, it felt like I was using my powers again! You have to believe me, Mom!" El suddenly had the energy of a five-year old on a Saturday morning. She was trying to convince Joyce that, what she saw was real, and that her father was, in fact, alive somewhere. Joyce had to believe her. She had to.

"Honey, calm down, please. I know how you're feeling right now, but we've talked about this many times. Hopper isn't with us, and he won't be coming back anytime soon.."

A knot formed in Joyce's throat, as she struggled to get these last words out, and she could feel her eyes starting to tear up. Although she knew she had to be strong for her children, she couldn't face the facts and tell herself that her best friend, her rock, the person who had been with her through thick and thin, was really gone and would not be coming back. She knew she had to be the one who would snap everyone back to reality, but only because she couldn't snap herself. Sometimes, she would still look out the window to the sound of a car passing by, secretly hoping it was him. She was hoping that one day, he would waltz in through her front door and everything would go back to normal.

But she knew that would never happen

"But Mom, I'm telling you, It felt so real, and-"

"Stop, El. Just, stop. Please." Joyce had closed her eyes, hoping she could isolate herself from her surroundings. She couldn't stand hearing El giving out fake hopes. She knew the girl was doing it because she needed it, but she couldn't stand it. She knew that once Hop's death had sinked into El's mind, she wouldn't be able to recover from it.

El's smile slowly faded away from her face. She looked up at Joyce with a dissapointed look. "I'm sorry, Mom. I'll go back to bed. Goodnight..." With that, the girl got off the couch, and trailed off to her bedroom.

Joyce stayed on the couch, with her eyes glued shut. Only this time, tears were slowly streaming down her face. She believed El. She believed every word that came out of her mouth. But she knew that she shouldn't.

What if? The two words that were haunting her. What if El was telling her the truth? What if Hopper really was alive? What if she could see him again? What if?

She caught herself doing the same thing she couldn't stand. Giving out fake hopes. She knew it wasn't good for her. Hell, it wasn't good for anyone. She had to stay grounded. For the kids. For herself.

She couldn't hope for the impossible.

But then, the phone rang.