New arrivals weren't unheard of, even now with Interitus having taken control of the city. But the old way of tracking them down by waypoint arrival and bringing them to the DOA was long gone. Now they were lucky if their patrols picked up a new arrival before enemy forces found them. Hopper didn't realize how lucky yet, but he would soon.
He moved through the forest quietly, shotgun ready and ears peeled. There was a small team nearby and they had portable radios for emergencies. The forest shifted a lot but there were ways to keep track of where they were and where their safe houses were. Those ways weren't foolproof unfortunately. Hopper realized he was off track for his patrol just in time to hear scuttling in the bushes nearby.
Wildlife was rare to spot these days. It made him wish he was carrying a rifle to hunt properly. Still, he crouched and moved slowly through the underbrush until he parted two bushes to peek through to the other side.
Nothing that had happened in the last fifteen minutes was making any sense to Joyce. One minute she’d been in Hawkins. Ash had been falling from the sky. Fire and smoke billowing up into the air as part of the flowery hill had turned gray. They had thought they’d won, but it seemed Vecna or at least the Upside Down wasn’t finished with them yet. Then suddenly she’d been in the middle of a forest.
It wasn’t the one in Hawkins. Maybe she didn’t know that one like the back of her hand, but it still wasn’t this one. The trees were too tall but the scent of fire still hung in the air.
She cupped her hands around her mouth and called out for any of them. “Will! Jonathan!” They had been right next to her seconds before, but she hadn’t found a trace of them or anyone yet.
Hopper startled at the sound of Joyce's voice. It couldn't actually be her. They were at war and there had to be plenty of magical ways to make people hear what they wanted to hear. He tightened his grip on his gun and inched through the underbrush, all the while trying to temper his rapidly beating heart.
He saw the back of her head first and the familiar slope of her shoulders, and all practical thoughts about magical warfare went out the window. He nearly dropped his gun, only barely catching it at the last second so it didn't tumble right out of his hands.
"Joyce?" His brain shouted that it couldn't be her, but his heart made him rush forward a few stumbling steps. "Joyce, goddamn it, is it really you?"
She whirled around at the voice, her brain taking a second to recognize his voice and her name coming off his lips twice. Joyce had hoped she’d find one of them while simultaneously hoping she wouldn’t locate anyone. Everything about the forest set her teeth on edge and the idea of any of them being in it left her feeling cold.
“Hop.” His name came out as she sighed, shoulders sagging with relief. She caught sight of the gun as she headed toward him. She didn’t recognize his clothes, furthering the war happening in her mind. Was this a trick? She’d know, wouldn’t she? After going to Russia and back for him she was certain she’d know.
“What the hell is going on? Where are the kids? Where are we?”
If this was a trick, it was too good of one for Hopper to resist. With a few long strides, he crashed into her and wrapped her in a bear hug, pressing his cheek to the top of her head. Christ, he’d even missed how damn tiny she was. She felt real though. She even smelled right. If this was fake, then he supposed there were worse ways to go.
“I don’t even know where to start,” he laughed. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d laughed. It shocked him out of his stupor, and he pulled back to glance around into the trees for danger. “Quick points – we’re not in Indiana. There are monsters. Different ones than you’re used to. Your boys aren’t here, but from what we know, they should be right there at home with you. It’s like we’re in both places at once.” He realized he this was going to be a lot to throw at her at once. He also realized there was a reason he’d never offered up his services to the DOA. He made a frustrated face, but it quickly turned back into a smile as he looked down at her. “God, it’s good to see you. It’s been years.”
He felt real to her even if his words had thrown her mind into a mindfield. She’d dealt with a lot the last few years, gone through more than she’d ever thought possible and some incidents still didn’t seem entirely real, but Joyce knew that each of them had been. Her youngest had been pulled into an alternate dimension, she’d watched as Bob was mauled to death by creatures that shouldn’t exist, and had gone to Russia of all places to retrieve Hopper when everyone thought he was dead.
We’re not in Indiana. It felt surreal and registered with everything that felt off all at once. But her boys were alright. She could hold onto that even if existing in two places was mindboggling.
Joyce reciprocated the smile. How could she not? But then his words caught up with her brain again. “What do you mean it's been years?” She glanced around, on more alert as she remembered that there were monsters out there. “How long have you been here?”
Hopper did the math and then grimaced. "Almost five and a half years now. El's been here longer. Some of the other kids are here too. Well…they're not really kids anymore."
There was a noise in the nearby bushes and Hopper tensed, gun raised in that direction. A sorry excuse for a bunny hopped out and then away. Hopper took a breath, nerves still rattled. He had to think fast and stop getting distracted by her presence.
"Listen, there's more. A lot more. And I don't know how much to throw at you at once." He reached out and squeezed her arm, then shifted his hand to hold hers. It felt childish to need the touch so badly, but here he was. Five years was a long damn time. "We should get you to our safe house. El will want to see you."
Every time he answered a question Joyce had a million more popping up in her head. If what he was saying was true--and she had no reason to doubt him--they were better off having this conversation out of the woods. She reciprocated the squeeze with his hand, holding on tightly as she glanced around the area.
“I want to see her.” Five years. She could only imagine how much El must have grown in that time. “This place makes the forest in Hawkins seem almost cheery so let’s go to the safe house. Throw it all at me.” A couple years ago she might have needed it done in a slower pace, but ever since everything with Will, well, it was better to know all she could.
She was as strong as ever and Hopper couldn't even pretend to be surprised. He smirked and lifted their joined hands to kiss her knuckles. Then he mumbled a curse under his breath and grabbed her by the face to kiss her mouth instead. This wasn't the place for it and he knew it, but she could be blipped back in a heartbeat with how terrible everything tended to be around here.
"I missed you," he murmured feelingly, as he pulled away. "We missed you. Obviously. Oh, here let me…" He pulled back to take off his back, crouching down to dig through between glances around them for any surprises. He pulled out a handgun and held it out to her. "It's not much but it's all I have on me. We'll get you something more substantial as soon as we can."
As much of a whirlwind as everything was, that kiss had helped center her. For at least a few moments. The way he continued to glance around though and the gun she now held in her hand forced back every reminder that they were in a hostile situation. It’d be better once they were somewhere safe.
She hadn’t had time to miss him. He’d been right there beside her, holding her hand, before she’d ended up wherever they were. But Joyce understood the sentiment. She’d missed him all those months they’d thought he was dead, with an ache that only amplified after getting confirmation he was alive. Joyce checked the gun before reaching for his hand again, giving it another squeeze. “We’ve got this, Hop, but let’s get out of this creepy ass forest and then you can fill me in on everything.”
Hopper stood and eagerly accepted her hand again. He'd have to let go to use the shotgun but he wouldn't use it until he had to anyway. Ammo was a limited resource. And he had a lot of touch to catch up on anyway.
"This way. There's a team on patrol nearby. We'll be safer regrouping." He ducked his head under a tree branch and pulled her along towards where he knew his people had been headed. "Just don't be surprised if you get a few more guns pointed at you. We're all on edge."
That was probably an understatement, but it was the best he could. There was no describing the resistance accurately. Joyce would see for herself soon enough.