Thanksgiving creeps up on the tiny town in a way it never has before. Even Hopper is surprised when he turns on the news first thing in the morning to hear the anchor cheerfully call out, "Be sure to get your turkeys ordered for Thanksgiving this Thursday!" It feels like it's coming so soon, but he knows deep down that it's coming around the same time as it does every year. The only thing that has changed is him.

And he knows the rational response would be to call Joyce and see what she might want to do, if she even wants to do anything at all. Thinking about the past few weeks, about Bob, about how downright unfair this whole month has been makes Hopper angry. How dare Thanksgiving come so soon after all that has happened. How dare it try to make them pretend that all is well and that their lives haven't been turned upside down.

"Work?" A voice calls from the other side of the cabin and Hopper turns, aware for the first time that his hands are clenched into tight fists. He softens at the sight of the girl, small and leaning on the doorframe.

"Yeah, gotta go to work," He says as he reaches for his coat. "How're you feeling?" Coming back after closing the gate was one of the toughest parts of the whole thing. For a week she was practically bedridden and she'd only just gotten on a regular schedule. Hopper doesn't want to leave her alone now, but he has to. She's got to lay low for a little while longer.

"Better," El shrugs, indifferent to her own recovery. She's not happy when the man leaves. "Five-one-five?"

"I promise." He walks over and gives her hair a good tussle. It's curly and getting long; it's even longer than he remembers. He'll have to ask Joyce about girl hairstyles and the like, but right now he has to head off to work. "I'll bring us home some burgers okay?"

El smiles at that. "Yes."


Work is boring.

No, that's an understatement. Work is dull, tedious, monotonous, and just downright stupid and Hopper spends all his time trying to think of a word that's worse than just plain "boring," but falls short. Whatever that word is, wherever it is out there, that is how he's feeling about work.

Then again, it's difficult to come back after fighting interdimensional monsters and not find being a simple Police Chief a little mundane. To make matters worse, there's not a single complaint or issue in the whole damn town. Not a neighbor dispute, not a domestic, not even a simple parking ticket.

So, when his phone rings suddenly, he's jostled into an upright sitting position from the relaxed feet-on-desk one he was just in. He calms his beating heart, grabs the phone, and jams his elbow onto the desk.

"Chief Hopper," he greets gruffly.

"Oh, Jim, good. Glad I caught you." The voice on the other end sounds crackly thanks to the connection, but also weary and tired, though no less happy to talk.

"Joyce?"

"Of course. Hey, I was wondering, what are your plans for Thursday?"

"Uh. Work?" What kind of game is this? "Why?"

"They're making the Police Chief work on Thanksgiving?" He can practically hear her smirk through the phone. "Or are you just that dedicated to the force?" And, as aggravated at her veiled teasing as he is, he suddenly remembers a simple fact he knew just a few hours before-Thursday is Thanksgiving.

Oh, who cares?

"Then I won't be at work," he shrugs. "Again. Why?"

"Well, Will's still recovering a little, otherwise I'd suggest going over to your place, but why don't we have Thanksgiving together? If El's up for it, that is. I've invited the other kids over for dessert later in the evening, but I can make a turkey for the five of us."

Hopper thinks on this for a minute, though he's really just stuck on one part of her plan. "Wait, the only thing keeping you from inviting your family over to my house is your son being sick? That's it?"

"Oh, Jim," she laughs, but doesn't address his question. "So? What do you say? Be at my house at noon?"

"I don't know, Joyce…"

"Come on, you both need it."

"I think we'll be alright."

"I could use the company."

Shit. Hopper sighs. Joyce is a smart woman, she knows exactly what she's doing. But, Hopper realizes, he doesn't mind so much. It might seem like a crappy way to get someone to come over, but Joyce knows him better than he'd like to admit. She's doing this because he and El really, truly, need a nice meal surrounded by friends and family.

Of course, he can't let her know how grateful he is for a friend like her.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I guess we can swing by."


El is ecstatic to get out of the house, even if only for a day. She doesn't really understand what Thanksgiving is. Mike says it's something about people on boats and eating turkey, but a day where Hopper is off and everyone is together is a good day in her book.

Jim won't admit that he's glad to spend Thanksgiving with someone. He hasn't spent that day with anyone since his daughter died and he thought he was alright with that, but things have changed. Now, he has El and friends and some weird ass little family of sorts that includes four boys, some random girl, three teenagers, and Joyce. No, he won't admit any of that, but he does buy El a simple, but pretty, maroon colored dress to wear to Thanksgiving. Dresses, he figures, are simple enough, but he might have to ask Joyce or Nancy or even Max about other kinds of clothes that aren't dresses and also aren't oversized flannel.

"What is Thanksgiving?" Eleven asks as she's slipping into her coat. Hopper is grabbing a case of beer out of the fridge, his offering to the host for the meal. He shrugs, not making eye contact, and crosses the room to grab his own heavy jacket. It's cold outside now, much colder than it has been the past week or so. Winter is absolutely upon them.

"We've been over this, kid," Hopper says, grabbing his keys off the table as he glances at the clock. 12:01. Shit, they're going to be late. "Taught you all the words and everything. What do you remember?"

"Thanksgiving," El ponders as she leans against the wall by the door, waiting for Hopper to be finally ready to go. "It's thankfulness. Which means being happy for things." She seems uncertain and looks up at the man as he hurries to the door. He throws it open and ushers her out into the cold and over to the truck.

"Yeah," he confirms, remembering she offered an answer to his question. "Close enough." El still has a lot of questions. Why do we celebrate Thanksgiving? What are people usually thankful for? Why do we eat turkey? But she's shoved into the car and before she knows it, Hopper is peeling out of the driveway.

El crosses her arm and leans back into the passenger's seat. "Are you thankful?" she asks, glancing over at him. Hopper shrugs. He shrugs a lot, she notices. She wonders if it's because he doesn't know things or if it's a total reflex at this point.

"Yeah. Yeah, kid I am," he says as he pulls up to a stop sign.

"Why?"

This kid has more questions than a two-year-old, Hopper thinks to himself with another shrug as he makes a left turn. "I just am. You can just be thankful for things in general, you know? Glad to be alive. Glad to have a job." He steals a glance at her, but not for too long because he needs to keep his eyes on the road. "Glad you're here."

"Me? Why?"

"Well, kid, you scared me quite a bit with the whole, closing an interdimensional portal thing a few weeks ago. I thought…" He pauses, his words catching up to his emotions and he suddenly feels an overwhelming sense of dread. "I thought I was gonna lose you," he finishes in a quieter voice.

El looks out the window, not liking the uncomfortable feeling that is bubbling in her stomach. It feels like a mix of anxiety and guilt. Anxiety for what could have happened, guilt for making Hopper feel that same sense of dread. "No," she says. "I'm here. I'm staying." Her jaw is set, she's determined. Hopper steals another glance at her as he approaches a traffic light and he smiles.

"Yeah? Good."

They make it to Joyce's house fifteen minutes later and she nags them about being late and then laughs when she finds out it was Hopper who took the extra time getting ready. El rats him out real quick.

"You look so pretty," Joyce says kindly as she returns to the kitchen to check on the food. El smiles. Pretty. She knows that word and she likes it very much.

"Thank you," she says as Will comes out of his room, a wide smile on his face.

"El!" he says and the girl turns over to him. There is the boy that she not once but twice has saved from the Upside Down. He looks a little pale, but he's recovering well and she's happy to see him up and moving. She wonders about him, what he's really like, who he really is. She's saved him twice but barely knows him.

"Hi, Will," she says shyly. The adults watch on with smiles on their faces as the kids get acquainted.

"Hey, mom bought me some new colored pencils. Wanna help me draw some pictures?" Will asks and El brightens.

"Sure!"

They scamper off and Hopper hangs around in the kitchen. "Uh, thanks for inviting us," he says awkwardly after a few minutes. Joyce, who's bustling around the kitchen, turns and flashes him a smile.

"Not a problem. I figured you wouldn't have any plans so soon after, well, everything. So, I wanted to make sure you had someone to spend Thanksgiving with." Hopper just nods and cracks open a beer just as the oven goes off. "Oh, good it's done! Alright, let's get everything set up and ready!"

They call the kids who all come and set the table. Will and El happily help out and so does Jonathan, who has begun to take a much more active role in the family. Plus, he's pretty excited to see Nancy later that evening.

They enjoy their Thanksgiving meal, and Hopper finds himself glad that he took Joyce up on her offer. El seems elated, happier than she's been in… in… well, ever, really. She and Will are chatting up a storm, even with her limited vocabulary. Jonathan actively talks to both the kids and the adults, and Hopper is glad to discuss what it takes to be on the police force since Jonathan is trying to figure out his life and is curious about different paths. After learning about it, he figures he'll just stick to photography.

The food is eaten, the pie is in the oven, and around five that evening more people start to roll in. First is Nancy who brings Mike, and Mike is extremely happy to see that Eleven is there. The three run off to Will's room and Jonathan takes Nancy to his room while keeping the door open, Joyce reminds them with a wink.

Lucas appears next with Max. They'd taken Lucas's bike after Lucas helped Max ditch her family's party. And then, last but not least, Dustin shows up with Steve in tow, having used the older kid for a ride.

And then they all sit back at the table, eating pie and cookies and sharing what had happened to them in the weeks since the closing of The Gate. El is fuller than she thinks she's ever been in her entire life, both by means of food and by the love in her heart for all the people gathered there that day.

Of course, as these things tend to, it all ends far too soon. Nancy takes Mike back, and Lucas needs to get Max to her house, and Steve figured it's about time to head out with Dustin as well. The sun has set and the dishes are clean, so Hopper figures it's about time to leave too.

El is silent on the ride home, but a smile lingers on her face. Hopper glances at her as he stops at a light, noting how the streetlight shines on her face. "Hey, kid?" he asks.

"Yeah?" she asks sleepily.

"What're you thankful for?" She looks at him in confusion. "You know, Thanks-giving and all."

She connects the words in her tired, food-filled mind and smiles. "Oh." She pauses. "I'm thankful for… For friends. Joyce. You."

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. You a bunch."

Hopper smiles. "What are you thankful for?" she asks him.

"You, kid. I'm thankful for you."


Happy almost Thanksgiving! As always, thanks so much for all the love of my stories! It means SO much to me! I also take requests, so let me know if there's anything you'd like me to write. To the reader who requested the "boyfriend talk" for Mike, I'm in the process of editing that, and will be the next thing uploaded unless a muse bites me and I pop something else out faster!