Time After Time (a Stranger Things fanfiction)

Dead Man's Curve

"Dead Man's Curve"

Won't come back from Dead Man's Curve

- Jan and Dean

Joyce tilted her head to look more closely at Will's drawing. "So, Hopper is here."

"Yeah. Now we just need to find out where 'here' is," Mike said. "Right?"

"Right."

"Did he say anything? I mean, before he left?"

Joyce tried to remember. "Something about ... vines?"

They heard a car outside, and both turned to look. Hope rose in Joyce's heart—she hadn't realized until just now exactly how frightened she was that something had happened to Hopper. She ran to the windows to see him, needing to make sure he was all right.

Her heart sank when she recognized Bob's car. She immediately felt guilty about it—she should be happy to see Bob. She was happy to see Bob. But she wanted Hopper. The chill of fear had settled back on her as soon as she realized he wasn't here and safe. And explaining all this to Bob would be ... impossible. Not without telling him more than she wanted him to know, more than she thought he was able to handle.

As Bob got out of his car and went to the trunk to get something, she considered what to do. But there really wasn't much of a question. If she let Bob in and he saw all the pictures on the walls, Will as he was, he would want to know why, and sweet and somewhat naïve as Bob was, he was also very smart and he would know that Joyce wasn't telling him everything. No, she couldn't risk it.

Joyce went outside, shutting the door carefully behind her.

Bob came toward her with a pile of boxes in his hands. "Surprise! I would have called, but you said not to clog up the lines."

"You know, we're fine, we don't need anything ..."

"When I was sick as a kid—and I was sick all the time as a kid—nothing made me feel better than focusing on these brain teasers."

"Those are great," Joyce said, forcing herself to express an enthusiasm she didn't feel. If only what was wrong with Will could be solved by brain teasers.

"I can teach you how to play!" Bob looked so happy and so excited that she felt like a heel for wishing he would just go away.

"He's sleeping," she lied.

"Okay." Bob leaned forward a little, a smile starting to spread across his face. "I could wait with you."

Joyce wished she could let him; she wished she thought he could comfort her right now. "It's just not a good time." She felt terrible about all of this, so she tried to make it a little bitter. "You know what? I'll call you. Okay?" Leaning forward, she kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

Bob sighed. "You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Well, have him call me. They don't call me 'Bob the Brain' for nothing."

Joyce smiled, remembering high school. She turned to go back into the house. Then it hit her. Bob the Brain. Brain teasers. Puzzles. Bob had always been good at puzzles. He still was. And she had this massive puzzle inside her house, and Hopper out there somewhere in danger.