Chapter 11

Six months later.

"So…" said Callahan slyly, leaning over Hopper's desk. "You and the new Polish woman, huh?"

He gestured over to the new Police Receptionist.

"Val-en-tina," he said slowly, miming kisses in the air.

"She's East-German," said Hopper impatiently. "And what in the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, Powell told me you invited her around to your place for Christmas," Callahan burst out gleefully, waggling his eyebrows.

"Okay, first," said Hopper sternly. "She said she had to think about it, and second she has a kid so I don't know what you expect we're going to do, and third it's only because she's new here. She doesn't have any family in the country and I just thought it might be nice for her to have some company."

"Hey, if she really said she has to think about it, it's a date," sniggered Callahan.

Powell leaned over eagerly.

"Yeah, and maybe by next Christmas you might have a little family of your own."

"A three-month-old baby together," Callahan guffawed.

"Shut up!" said Hopper, though he was smiling. "That's my business. Besides, she already has a kid."

He felt the need to repeat this.

"The little spindly one?" asked Powell. "Yeah, I've seen her around."

"Well," said Callahan. "Good on you man."

He clapped Hopper on the shoulder.

"Just make sure she doesn't turn into a monster," he said with a wink.

Hopper smiled.

"Oh, I will."

Things had gone well for Tina. After a long…and rather painful…discussion (during which time it was very fortunate that Tina could heal) it had been agreed that El could pose as Tina's daughter and use the excuse of homeschooling owing to language barrier as the reason why El didn't yet attend the middle school.

Tina's compromise was taking on an appearance more like El's so she now had brown hair and a snub nose in a rather unremarkable face. She only showed any of her real self when it was just her and Hopper alone, when she'd let her natural blue eyes replace the brown ones.

She wore the blue quite frequently actually.

Because, despite all, spending time with Tina made Hopper really happy.

"Guten Morgen," said Hopper, handing Tina a cup of coffee at the breakfast table in the cabin.

She was one of the more…enthusiastic of people at seven thirty in the morning.

"Guten Morgen," she replied much more convincingly since she had actually grown up in Germany.

She smiled at Hopper, giving him the encouragement he needed.

"So Tina," he said, awkwardly. "I was wondering if you wanted to go see a movie tonight, you could bring El."

"If you're sure she wants to," said Tina fugitively.

"It's time she got out and about," said Hopper. "Besides, nobody from the lab will be expecting to see El with a mother."

"It's too risky!" hissed Tina, the realist. "I would have recognised her!"

Hopper looked down, maybe she was right.

"Well…in that case I'll rent a movie," he suggested hopefully. "Sound good?"

Tina nodded with a smile.

"Remember to buy popcorn," she said. "Or Elise will go nuts."

Hopper felt a smile stretch across his face as their eyes locked. It was time.

"Hey, Tina…" he began slowly. "I've…I've been wanting to tell you for a while that-"

"HOPPER!"

The spell was efficiently broken as Joyce rushed, unannounced into the cabin.

"Hopper! Hopper!" she called frantically.

"In here Joyce!" called Hopper, reluctantly breaking his eye-contact.

Joyce sprinted into the kitchen.

She stopped dead when she saw Tina.

"What is she doing here?" asked Joyce, eyes widening in…whatever emotion Joyce was feeling (it was often hard to exactly pinpoint).

"I live here," said Tina calmly, though with an edge of contempt.

Both women had rather a hard time with each other.

"Well," said Joyce loftily, though shaking slightly. "That's…that's true. Hopper, c-can...can we have a talk?"

"Sure," said Hopper in his characteristically calm manner seeing that this clearly wasn't an emergency.

"Ou-outside if you wouldn't mind," she said, flicking her eyes suggestively towards Tina.

"Whatever you want to say you can say in front of Tina," he said, slightly defensively.

"F-fine!" snapped Joyce. "I've seen two of the Hawkins lab vans drive past the store this morning and I want you to keep Tina home today so she doesn't rat us out."

She folded her arms.

"Joyce," began Tina in her new accent. "That would not be a particularly smart thing for me to do. Besides, I don't want any harm to come to Hopper and El."

"Huh!" said Joyce, starting to argue as El appeared characteristically silently around the doorway. "Really?"

"Joyce," said Hopper hollowly. "If you heard the things that Tina has told me I…"

Hopper shook his head and looked away. He felt strangely tearful.

"Oh, yeah," burst Joyce with her face screwed up, waving her arms wildly. "Because that's all bound to be true. Christ, Hopper, she's manipulating you!"

"Well, founded or not I trust her," said Hopper firmly. "And I don't think that-"

"Just because you want to sleep with her!" screamed Joyce.

Eleven looked puzzled.

"Sleep with?" she replied with a furrowed brow.

"Don't worry about that honey," said Hopper darkly slowly bringing an accusing gaze to Joyce. "Joyce was just being inappropriate."

Hopper glared at her.

"Joyce," he said, gesturing for her to follow him outside as Eleven stared. "A word?"

He led her into the living room.

"Look Joyce," Hopper hissed. "We had our shot, okay? We had our shot at age seventeen but it didn't work out. Now, you're happy with Bob so I don't see why I shouldn't be allowed to be happy too."

"But with…with a murderer?" pleaded Joyce. "Hopper!"

"I know! Joyce! Please!" said Hopper, teeth gritted in frustration.

"But that doesn't matter?" flapped Joyce. "Because she can shift into a monster. And that's cute?"

"Joyce, she's sick," said Hopper defensively. "She's sick in her head because she grew up in a lab. But, if anyone can help our kids, it's her."

"And if anyone can help her it's you?" asked Joyce scathingly.

"Yeah!" said Hopper boldly. "Maybe I can."