If Joan wasn't a conspiracy theorist before, she was now.

After being a first hand witness at how easy it was for the government to cover up so many deaths and so much damage, Joan resigned her beliefs that everything she was told was untrue was actually true and vice versa. Aliens, time travel, dimensions, super powers...

What made it even worse was realizing that her dad, a physicist, worked for the government alongside her mom, a computer scientist, and now she knew why. They had insider knowledge for something bigger than life itself and they must be the ones studying it, right?

"Hey, stinky Jo." Dustin announced his entry to her room, Joan choked on her lollipop in surprise at the name more so than the entry. Dustin paused with his hand still on the door knob and an eyebrow raised. "Seriously? I thought we were over the whole getting scared because I exist thing."

"I get shocked because you show up unannounced, idiot." Joan snapped out, tossing the book she had been reading at Dustin. It barely touched his shoes. "Get out."

"Look." Dustin Ignored Joan, choosing instead to close the door behind him and climb onto the bed with Joan and looked at her uncomfortable. "I was talking with Steve today-"

"Oh my God, Dustin. If this is you trying to get us together again please-."

"-and he said that I should, uh, talk to you." His hands clapped together lightly in nervousness. "That you were struggling-" his hands went up to finger-mock quotations "-to deal with all of... This." He motioned rather wildly and near comically if it wasn't for the serious look on his face. "I am here to let you know that I am, uh, here for you if you so choose to talk about the events of that night."

Joan blinked owlishly at her little brother, one day dad, and studied him. He was nervous, more anxious than that night, judging by the way he could not sit still and she could see him wanting to go off on some kind of tangent - the Henderson curse as he would one day call it - but successfully held it back with a bite of his lip because he wanted to listen.

Her dad had a habit of talking too much - so did she - but in serious moments like this he bit his lip so that he could truly hear before he spewed his word vomit. He was so good to her, so kind compared to other dads who wouldn't buy their daughter tampons at the store or make a unicorn in their DnD campaign just for her to ride on in battle. He may have been a little pushy when it came to academics and her success, but in the end he was so very sweet.

And she missed him so very much.

"W-what did I do?!" Dustin panicked as soon as Joan started sobbing, covering her face with her hands as the desire to just be in her dad's arm hit her like train in the guy. "Shit shit shit, Steve said this would work!" The boy got off the bed in a panic, looking around the room while listened to the cries of his sister until he found what he was looking for.

Picking up the tissues, he opened the night stand drawer and grabbed a raggedy old stuffed bear, made quick steps over to the still crying Joan. "I-okay. Here, I have your bear a-and tissues." He forced the bear on Joan's lap and grabbed a tissue, throwing it into Joan's hand as she uncovered her face in confusion. "Steve mentioned chocolate, but, uh, I kind of ate that already. Sorry."

He was trying and Joan recognized that. Dustin was babbling to a point where Joan wasn't understanding what he was saying - did you know that...? - and all she could do was pathetically take another tissue to wipe her eyes and blow her nose while trying to listen to the words vomiting out at an impressive rate.

"A-and there was this one time where Will-!"

"Dustin."

"-he said-! ...yes?"

Joan swooped Dustin into a hug and squeezed him tight. "Just hug me you idiot." Dustin sighed, hugging his sister back firmly. Ever since high school hit Joan had become a recluse, hiding in her bedroom and snapping at him constantly. She once was his biggest mentor, but over time became someone he nearly dreaded because she was no longer a person he could talk to about anything.

He really enjoyed this new Joan.

"...do you want go to the arcade, grab a movie and some-?"

"Some Mike n Ickes and pour them into the popcorn?!" Dustin interrupted excited as he jumped from Joan's arms and ignored the way she wiped the remaining tears away. She forgot that that was her and her dad's favorite movie snack, now she knew why. "Uh, does a sound wave consist of alternating compressions and rarefactions, or regions of high pressure and low pressure, moving at a certain speed?"

Joan chuckled and reached a hand out, shoving Dustin's hat over his eyes. "Come on, nerd. I'll get my keys."

"Shit, Dustin you were supposed to give her the chocolate bar not eat it, you dumbass." Steve groaned out during Dustin's quick explanation of why they were at the video store. Joan had quickly headed into the back, ignoring Steve with red cheeks, and Dustin went straight to his best adult friend.

"I know, I know, but it was still a success." Dustin grinned, reaching over to grab a box of candy. Steve didn't even look when he gave a whack on the boys hand with his own. "Ow! Abuse!"

"It's not abuse, it's discipline." Steve's face snapped over to a smirking Joan who held a copy of WarGames and looking at Dustin with mischievous eyes. Before Dustin could whine in response she nodded her head behind her. "Go find a move before I change my mind dork."

"WarGames, huh?" Steve asked, picking up the movie with a raised eyebrow. Joan shrugged her shoulders, grabbing a box of Mike n Ikes and some popcorn. "Didn't know you were a nerd, Ags."

"There's a lot you don't know about me, Harrington." Joan smirked and Steve stuttered with cheeks aflame. "Uh, thanks by the way. For uh, talking to Dustin."

"Yeah, that? No problem, seriously." Steve shrugged it off, waving his hand a little too much to be appropriate. The back door to the store opened up and Joan watched Robin come out happily. "Jesus, longest thirty minute break I've ever seen, Buckley."

"Listen, Stevie, in Spain the entire country shuts down for, like, 2 hours for a nap time." Robin informed Steve with a shrug and leaned on the counter with the boy. "I'm just trying to fulfill my dreams of going to Europe."

Joan snorted and before anymore words could be said, Dustin nearly barreled into her with his copy of Ghostbusters all but slammed onto the counter.

"Ghostbusters?" Steve asked with a raised eyebrow and a very judging look. "Again?"

"Aren't you supposed to be nice to customers and not be a Dick?" Dustin grumbled pig grabbing a box of MMs and slamming them on the counter angrily. "Ass."

"No, no. He has a point." Joan teased and Dustin looked up at her in betrayal. "What? Don't look at me like, you rent this movie at least once a month, dude."

"One time he didn't even return it on time." Steve whisper conspiratorial to Joan who gasped in shock. Robin giggled from the side at the dramatization and Dustin groaned even louder. "Kept it a whole week past it's due day - so embarrassed he wouldn't even talk to me while he kept it."

"Dusty." Joan played their mom, hand over her heart and the other over her mouth. "You didn't."

"Yeah, yeah. You both suck." Dustin whined, flipping all of the teens off grumpily while they high-fived each other happily. "Maybe it's a good thing you broke up with Jo. I think I'd actually die if you two still liked each other..."

It went stale after that, the mood. Joan whacked Dustin on the back of the head and Steve just quietly went back to finish ringing the Henderson's up. Even Robin's eyes widened, before she whistled in an attempt to clear the awkward and fidgeted with some of the movies on the counter.

"Ow, what was that for?!"

"T-that'll be, uh, 8.43." Steve said quickly, clearing his throat and not looking up at Joan. Joan handed over the money with a quiet sigh, wishing that Dustin had kept his big mouth shut. "Look, Ags... about May..."

"It's fine Steve." Joan smiled at Steve because it was fine to her. Whatever happened between Steven and Agatha was not between her and Steve, and even if Uncle Steve was super attractive at this age, it was still way too weird. "Really Steve."

The older teen sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, but... I-I wasn't... I know with what all you were going through I didn't exactly keep you in mind, so... could we talk about it someday? Dinner or lunch or even a brunch?"

Joan bit her lip. It wasn't a date right? Nothing was a date unless you made it a date so for now she could treat it as research. Just character research to figure out what had happen to garner such attention from the locals of Hawkins.

"Sure, uh, yeah. Let's do that." Joan nodded, ignoring Dustin's stare into the back of her head. "Uh, Saturday?"

"Yeah, yeah totally. Dinner-?" Steve let out an ooof of air as he was smacked by Robin in the gut. He looked at her apologetically, clearing his throat and glanced at Joan sheepishly. "Brunch? I work that evening."

Joan's lips threatened a grin, so she just nodded in confirmation. "I'll see you at the diner, 10:30."

As soon as the door closed behind her, Dustin started rambling about her and Steve. She wouldn't even have to change her initials and how amazing of a househusband Steve would be because let's face it, the man is not a working man. He was the best stay-at-home figure for the job and Joan, Joan liked to work. They were the perfect pair to Dustin.

But Joan was looking across the parking lot in growing concern at a figure walking across the street toward her and Dustin briskly. Her throat closed up and she kept trying to swallow the lump in her throat as the fear shot up her spine in tingles. She knew that blonde hair and deadly blue eyes.

"Joan."

Kaleigh lifted her hand up just as she did all those years ago and Joan grabbed onto Dustin, running into the nearest store in a panic. She would not let the freshman harm her brother, not while she could help it.

"W-what the shit, Joan?!" Dustin nearly yelled out incredulously, staring at his near hyperventilating sister holding onto her knees and staring psychotic at the door in front of them, like Michael Meyers was just outside the glass peering in. He frowned, taking a gentle step toward Joan in growing concern. "...Jo? Are you... are you okay?"

"S-she's coming. Across the parking lot. Wizard." Joan whispered in fear. Dustin's alarms also went off at the complete terror in his sister's eyes and her nodded resolutely before heading towards the door. "What are you doing you idiot?!"

"I'm going to get Steve." Dustin shook Joan's hand off of him with a look of determination. "You stay here and I'll be right back." Dustin took off before Joan could grab him back and Joan hissed in horror. Her hands dove into her hair in a panic, unable to put any foot forward as her vision started to blur into Heather's death plus her own abduction to that time when she-

"Henderson?"

Joan froze.