A/N: jrae1948: You're quite welcome, your reviews make my day ^_^ this one's pretty fun to write so I'll keep it going for ya :)

Hopper had a nice shiner in the morning light. He winced when Joyce touched the side of his face, fussing over the swelling. "You shouldn't have socked me in the face, then." He teased, a half smile across his face. He flexed his fingers over the hem of the comforter, working out some of the soreness that had settled in his knuckles during the night. His lips were bruised, purple in the morning light.

"Hop..." Her thumb grazed over the split in his lip, concerned welling up in her eyes.

"It looks worse than it is. Really." He sat up and leaned across the bed, pressing his lips to hers for a good morning kiss.

"You've gotta learn to talk other than with your fists, Hop." He chuckled, swinging his legs from under the covers.

"Sometimes there's no other option."

.

The tv talked from the living room as she cooked breakfast. She caught snatches of a conversation about a government official being assaulted by an unknown assailant. Curious, she stepped around the corner to look at the tv. A portly man in a ill fitting suit stood at a podium, both his eyes blackened. The man described his attacker to the crowd around him. A vague description of a tall man wearing a hat. He'd been attacked in the dark.

"Whatcha watching, baby?" Jim asked as he rounded the corner, pinning his badge to his shirt.

"I don't know. Nothing important." She remarked as she switched the tv off and headed back to the kitchen. Will and Jonathan shot him odd looks as they took their places at the table.

"Work." He commented, hoping that would be enough of an explanation. Will went back to drawing, his mouth set into a determined line like an expression that Joyce would make. Jonathan watched Hopper with a determined eye.

"Did you win at least?"

"Of course!" Jim commented.

Joyce twisted a clean dishtowel around a handful of ice cubes and pressed them to his eye before he reached up and took hold of the makeshift ice pack on his own. She ruffled Will's hair as she walked past. Jonathan turned his attention to the schoolbook in front of him again, his finger tracing the line he was reading.

"Got a test today?" Jim asked, genuinely curious.

"Biology."

"I never was any good at biology." Jim confessed. "At least not book biology."

Joyce shot him a dirty look over the kitchen counter and he grinned broadly, immediately paying for it with a wince when a jolt of pain shot across his bottom lip. He licked it absentmindedly.

"You'll do great. I've seen you studying a lot."

.

Both boys bid the adults goodbye after breakfast, each hefting heavy backpacks to the door in a hurry to get to school. Joyce shook her head at Jim, her chin braced in her hand and her elbow on the table, a cigarette perched between her index and middle finger.

"What?" He asked and she smiled, pausing to take a draw.

"Please be safer at work today?" She cupped his cheek and he nodded against it, turning his lips to press a kiss into her palm.

"Have a good day at work." He mumbled against it.

"Just like every other day." They sat in silence for a beat, smoking their cigarettes before he cleared his throat.

"I was thinking about stopping at my trailer and picking up a few things. If you're still sure about this."

"I still want you here every night, Hopper."

"Jim." He corrected her. "You don't have to be so formal anymore, Byers." He teased, leaning forward in his chair to capture her lips with his again.

.

"Damn Chief!" The boys exclaimed at work.

"Bar fight." He exclaimed, pulling his hat lower over his eyebrows.

He kicked back at his desk, his feet propped up and a doughnut in his mouth. A mug of coffee sat steaming on his desk, untouched as of yet.

"Jim." Flo stood in the doorway, an ice pack in her hands.

"I'm a lucky guy to have so many women fussing over me today." He mumbled before he swallowed his first bite of the pastry. She knew about Joyce. Hell, she knew they'd end up together before Joyce and Jim even did. "She's already had the ice pack to my face this morning."

She offered the pack to him anyway. "Wouldn't hurt to ice it again." Flo had babysat him as a youngster and she never let him forget it. All these years later, as her boss no less, and she was still looking out for him. He took the pack from her gently and obediently held it to his eye.

"Thank you, Flo."

Patsy Cline sang about 'Three Cigarettes' over the radio in the corner of the room and he absentmindedly lit another one, letting the smoke curl around his bruised face.

.

After work he took a ride home. Former home. Never was home. He packed up what clothes he deemed decent enough to bother with moving. His extra uniforms, the few shirts, underwear, and jeans he owned. Socks. A couple of beat up pairs of shoes. He packed with them, with much care, the crayon drawing from beside the door. From there, he didn't care about much. A few toiletry items. Standing in the bathroom he took one last blue pill before tipping bottle and spilling it's contents into the toilet. With a flush he vowed to never be dependent on them again. He packed his radio and the few records he'd kept over the years. He loaded what was left of a few bottles of whiskey and the few cans of beer left in his fridge into a bag with half a carton of cigs. He folded the afghan blanket his mother had made him and tossed it on top of the box. One box. And one bag of vices. His whole life as a single man in one box. The thought rubbed him the wrong way as he loaded the box and the bag in his backseat.

When he got back to Joyce's, back home, the whole house was quiet save for music playing in the back room. He realized it was coming from Jonathan's room and he sighed. Things between him and the young man had been a bit awkward, to say the least. He wondered what he'd say to him one on one. He shoved his box and bag into a corner of Joyce's room, save for the drawing that he placed on the dresser under his hat. He changed into a pair of jeans and a henley and within minutes he was sound asleep, spread eagle on his stomach in Joyce's bed. Their bed. He dreamed of faceless monsters and that one brave little girl with the shaved head. In his sleep he reached out for her but couldn't quite grasp her hand.

Joyce woke him when she kissed his temple and he squinted at her in the darkness.

"Dinner's ready."

He nodded and grasped her hand, squeezing it before letting it go.

"I unpacked your things." She mentioned. "Second drawer is yours." He nodded and sat up, holding his head in his hands. He glanced at the whiskey bottles on the dresser and on the big mirror above it was taped the crayon drawing of Sarah's. He moved to thank Joyce but she had already stepped out of the room.

He took his seat at the table. Lonnie's old seat. A fact he'd learned from Will in passing. He thought briefly of Lonnie and how much the poor bastard was missing out on, just to be with some teenager. When Joyce sat his plate in front of him he grabbed her gently by the wrists, pulling her close for a kiss.

"What was that for?" She asked and he grinned at her.

"Just because I can."

When the boys joined them he cleared his throat. "Do you guys like Indiana Jones?" Will nodded his head vigorously. Jonathan nodded too. "Temple of Doom comes out tonight. Wanna go after dinner?" He asked, mostly to Joyce but to the boys as well. The boys both replied with excitement and Joyce nodded.

.

An hour later Jim glanced in his review mirror at the boys as they discussed with each other what happened in the first Indiana Jones movie. In the back of his mind he thought of just how close they'd come to loosing Will and it pulled at his heartstrings briefly. Joyce reached across the seat for his hand, squeezing it tightly.

"Good idea. The boys have been dying to see this movie."

"Me too." He replied, thinking of watching the first one. In the city. Alone. The day his divorce became final. Afterwards he'd returned to his hotel room and drank himself into a stupor, making plans to move back to Hawkins. Funny what a difference a few years could make. He wondered briefly if Lonnie had bothered taking the boys to see the first one in the theater. He stole glances at Joyce across the cab.

"What?" She asked, catching him once.

"You look nice, babe." He complimented and a light blush spread across her face. He wondered how many opportunities Lonnie missed on telling her so.

In the ticket line Dustin, Mike, and Lucas found them. Will had radioed them before he left home, it seems.

"Just like the Brady Bunch." Jim whispered to Joyce as they looked over the group of boys. Friends and neighbors talked to the couple as they waited in the long line and the boys talked amongst themselves. Something about a dungeon campaign and monsters. Jim figured he'd be the talk of the town again tomorrow between his bruised face and his first very public date with Joyce and the family. His new family. The thought made him pull her closer.

In the theater Jim took her by the hand, leading her to the corner of the back row. The boys opted to sit together a few seats ahead of them. The boys shared a few bags of candy between them and slurped on their drinks, Jonathan sat with his feet propped up on the empty seat in front of him.

"You know you look a little like Indy, with that hat." Joyce joked and Jim nodded, pulling his hat down lower over his eyebrows.

"I thought so, too." He teased and she smiled, curling against his side under his arm and stealing popcorn from the bucket he held.

"Are you sure you don't want some?" She asked, offering him her bag of M&Ms. He pressed a kiss to her temple.

"Nah, you're all the sweets I need."

"Aren't you the flirt tonight?" She smiled.

"This is sorta kinda our first official date." He observed. "And besides, it's my job to make you smile."

Will had another of his coughing spells, doubled over in his seat momentarily. Joyce sprung to life, headed towards Will's seat. Jim frowned, wondering for the hundredth time if it had anything to do with his time in that...other place. Jim reached for her hand, keeping her back.

"Joyce, he's okay." Hopper assured her, taking her fretting hands into his. Will was okay when the previews started and the theater began filling up with people. "He's just a kid. They bounce back. It just takes a bit of time." She nods and buries herself back into his side and he wraps his arm around her.

.

Jim tossed a piece of popcorn into the air, catching it in his mouth.

"Never seen anyone do that on the first try." She observed and he grinned broadly. He tossed another piece and it ended up bouncing off of his chin. She made an amused noise and he tossed a piece at her. It bounced off her nose and they both laughed. He stole a swig of the giant rootbeer he'd bought for them to share and offered her some. The movie finally started and they both settled down while Joyce stole a handful of popcorn. Jim noticed movement over her head and he glanced past her momentarily to see something he wish he hadn't. Lonnie and his newest blonde bimbo took seats on their row, several seats down. When he sighed Joyce turned her gaze to him.

"What?"

"Nothin, sweetheart." He replied, placing a kiss on top of her head. Lonnie noticed them about that time and Jim shot the smaller man an evil look and pulled Joyce closer to him.

As Jim watched the movie he kept noticing in the the corner of his eye that the shithead kept glancing over at Joyce. His Joyce. So Jim decided to give him something to look at. His mouth sought hers in the dark and she moaned against him.

"Jim..."

"First date remember?" He whispered to her with a grin, capturing her lips again with his own. Her hands found her way to his shoulders as he deepened the kiss, moving in his seat so he was facing her, and in Lonnie's direction.

During a particularly quiet part of the movie he nibbled on her earlobe, making her giggle and immediately cover her mouth in embarrassment. A blush covered her cheeks and he moved her hands from her face, spending his time kissing the redness away, his lips skimming across her cheeks.

"You're so damn cute." He whispered to her in the darkness. With her thumb she rubbed across the healing split in his lip. She kissed him sweetly, holding his stubbled cheek in her hand.

He moved their drink from between them to the cupholder behind him, raising the arm of the chair between them and pulling her closer.

"Jim!" She protested in a whisper.

"No one's paying any attention to us." He lied with a smug grin across his face as he moved to kiss her again.

They missed about half of the movie but Joyce's lips were kiss darkened and Jim was damn proud of himself. Occasionally he'd look up and straight into Lonnie's eyes and grin between kisses. Joyce was damn good at this and his mind flashed back to when they'd make out under the bleachers during their high school football games.

.

When the credits began to roll the pair sat upright in their seats, moving to straighten clothes and appearances. Jim shifted uncomfortably in his seat, trying his hardest to think of math equations and any snatch of history he learned back in school. Any of the rules and regulations he'd learned in academy. Anything but how he could see in her eyes just how eager she was to get home too. His fingers lingered at the hem of her skirt, at the warm flesh of her thighs.

"We'll pick this up back at home." He whispered and she grinned, reaching up to steal one last kiss from him. He glanced over her and noticed that Lonnie and his date had already left.

The boys spilled out of the theater before them, all trying to out talk each other about what their favorite part was and who amongst them was Indy.

"I'm Indy, obviously." Hopper joked to them. "I have the hat."

The smaller boys decided they should all spend the night at Dustin's and when Will turned to Joyce she nodded before he could even ask. It was friday night after all.

.

"Hopper!" Came an angry voice from behind them in the parking lot.

He barely missed the swing and he let go of Joyce's hand, stepping away from the group.

Lonnie swung at him again and Hopper caught him by the shoulder, forcing the smaller man down on the hood of his Blazer.

"Don't get to comfy Hopper! Those are my kids." He mumbled against the hood.

The group stood in a semi circle around the scene. Jonathan stood with his arm around his mother's shoulders.

"Joyce still loves me."

She scoffed from where she stood, her hands on her hips.

"Look-" Jim growled, his mouth mere inches from Lonnie's face. "You may have traded her in for two twenty somethings, but she's upgraded. She's mine."

"You're no better than me, Hopper!" He grumbled, trying to move.

"I'm trying. I may be just a big of a mess as you, Lonnie Byers, but I'm trying. That counts for something." He replied, shoving Lonnie's face further into the paint. "And those boys never were yours. You don't give two shits about them until you feel threatened. Now I suggest you calm down. Don't make me kick your ass in front of my family."

When he let go Lonnie lunged for him and he connected with a right hook, dropping the younger man in an instant. "Carry your ass home." He scoffed as he rounded the truck, opening the door for Joyce. "Before I arrest you for assaulting a police officer."

Jonathan glared at his father as he rounded the truck too, taking his seat in the back.

"Show's over folks. Go home." Hopper commented to the onlookers that had gathered around.

"You kids be safe going home." He told the smaller boys as Will climbed on the back of Dustin's bicycle.

"Yes Sir." They sounded in unison.

"Hey Chief-" Will called to him. "You are Indy." Jim grinned as he climbed into the driver's seat and tipped his hat to him.

Lonnie found his feet, glaring at Jim as he rubbed his jaw. His date grabbed him by the hand and lead him away before he caused any more trouble.

Joyce leaned across the seat and gave Hopper a kiss. "Thank you." She'd never know he'd riled Lonnie up to start with. "You're a good man, Jim."