Everything is Going to be Okay.

"see you soon."

All the kids had left to go do their part in their plan to close the gate and it was now Joyce, Hopper, and Murray standing in the elevator going over the plan for hundredth time.
"Alright I think we got it by now, Jesus." Hopper said annoyed.
Murray went over the plan the entire ride down the elevator, now the doors were opening.
There were about five Russian guards standing in the entrance all with guns pointed at the three of them.
Murray tried to handle the situation with a genuinely believable story that they were sent in by a lieutenant but they wouldn't buy it.
Before things escalated and they all ended up dead, Hopper blew them down with his machine gun and Joyce covered her ears while Murray stood there with his mouth agape.
Joyce's memory served correctly and the men started to argue wether or not Hoppers course of action was the best but he didn't care and began stripping the Russians for disguises.
Murray and Hopper had to find somewhere with a bit of privacy since they couldn't just slip the uniform over their clothes like Joyce with her small stature.
When the men came back in there new clothes Hopper saw Joyce struggling to get her hair in the small hat.
"Can you..?" Joyce said pointing to her head.
"Yeah, yeah." Hopper said. He was surprisingly good when it came to hair.
"What's your secret?" Joyce said pointing out his hair skills.
"I have a daughter." Hopper laughed.
They all piled in the small red cart and prayed they'd make it through security.
Erica wasn't kidding, the ride was so long if they timed it, it was probably ten minutes.
Ten minutes going straight- that's it.
Joyce sat in the back of the cart when she felt they had stopped moving.
Security check.
Turns out Murray wasn't just a total jackass because his almost-fluent Russian speaking skills got them the ticket in.
After slowly pulling into the spot where the vents where Hopper opened the back to let Joyce out once the coast was clear.
The three walked to the opening of the vents where Erica and Dustin had previously escaped and tested the radio and it worked. Everything was going just fine so far.
"Remember if anyone says anything-" Murray started.
"Just smile and nod." Joyce finished.
Murray began his journey to the wiring of the machine while Joyce and Hopper sat and waited.
"Jim?" Joyce asked breaking the silence.
"Hm?" Was all he got out.
"If we don't...you know.." Joyce said staring at the floor.
"That's not gonna happen." He stopped her.
"I know but 'if'...there's something I want to say to you." Hopper was looking at her now all ears.
"Thank you for being there for me through...everything. The day Will went missing, when we walked through that..place, helping me connect the insane amount of drawings all over my house, when I was alone outside the dance last year, and everything else. Even when Chrissy Carpenter called me a "mentally unstable basket case" in 11th grade and you got kicked out of school for two days for calling her a "rickety sex train"." She laughed a little at that insult.
"Not exactly my proudest moment." Hopper said smiling shaking his head.
"She was just mad because you wanted to stop seeing her."
"Because i was scared I was gonna catch something."
They both laughed.
"Thank you. Really, I- I mean it." She said looking at him with wide eyes.
"I wouldn't do any of those things for anyone else."
They were now mere inches apart leaning in.
Closer.
"Get ready lovebirds you're almost up to bat!" Murray yelled interrupting the tension through the super com.
Within a matter of seconds the alarm started blaring and that was their cue to retrieve the keys from the vault.
They ran holding hands tightly and hid behind a wall until it was cleared out.
"Alright let's go." Hopper whispered as they passed through the now empty hall to the vault.
"Alright give me the code."
"6.62607004" Joyce said remembering where she wrote it down.
Along with a sigh of relief, the vault opened.
Once they got to the observation room it was crowded with Russians operating the machine that was now malfunctioning thanks to Murray.
Hopper thought quick and shot the gun in the air scaring them to all leave.
After they all exited Joyce took off her belt and tied it around the door handles to try and stop the man that had been following them this whole time.
"Okay. On three."
1
2-
There was a bang at the door and Joyce knew who it was.
"What the hell?" Hopper said heading to the door.
"NO!" Joyce yelled.
"What? It'll get rid of him quick." Hopper said.
"Let's just do this first. Trust me." She said with desperation.
He agreed and they counted, turning the keys.
The machine began to explode blinding them while Joyce and Hopper embraced.
He covered her eyes from the light as she held on tight determined not to lose him a second time.
As the smoke cleared, so did the doorway with a loud bang.
He had made it through.
"No no no no." Joyce whispered as he reached for Hopper.
"JOYCE RUN!" Hopper yelled as the men began to fight each other.
She didn't move. How could this happen? After all this time? It wasn't fair.
The constant blows Hopper took began to be too much and he fell as the Russian reached for his gun.
It was now pointed at Hoppers head, loaded.
The anger became too much for her and she tried to hold back since her powers went along with her emotions but she was done hiding them from everyone.
Joyce screamed so loud, the room moved shaking and knocking things over.
All she saw was the man she loved about to die and she wasn't going to let that happen-not again.
Using both hands she threw the Russian through the glass into the gate that closed as soon as he fell through.
The power was too much for her and she grew exhausted, falling to the ground barely conscious, bleeding from both sides of her nose.
Hopper had gotten up after he caught his breath and began to process what the hell just happened.
He rushed to her side and laid her in his lap as she struggled to speak.
"Joyce? Joyce. Can you hear me? Wake up please.." He said holding her head in his hands.
"Is...is.." She tried to speak.
"Is what?" Hopper asked worried.
"Is it...over?" She said with a tear escaping her right eye as she went in and out of consciousness.
"Yeah..it's over. You did it." He said holding back tears as he stroked her hair.
Joyce barely smiled. "Good."
Hopper scooped Joyce in his arms bridal style and carried her to the vents where he lowered her in meeting Murray at the bottom.
He hopped in with them and they made their journey back to the previous room.
It wasn't easy to navigate through vents with Murray let alone a barely-conscious Joyce but somehow they managed to do so.
Standing at the top of the vent they climbed out of, hundreds of American troops rushed in guns blazing as Murray yelled they were Americans also despite their attire.
After close inspection all three of them, they were lead out of the mall by firefighters as the mall had caught fire.
Everything was a blur, the kids were crowded by EMTs giving them ice packs, bandages, and blankets.
From afar El spotted Hopper and ran to his side hugging him being careful since he was still holding Joyce.
That's when Will and Jonathan finally saw Hopper.
They ran so fast asking the same question while gesturing for help.
Jonathan held his mother and carried her to a nearby ambulance and soon an EMT arrived by their side.
"Will she be ok?" El asked Hopper.
"Yeah..yeah." He assured her.
"What happened?" She asked in that same voice where she acted like she wasn't sure she was saying the words correctly.
"She saved us..all of us." He replied.

The Next Day
Joyce was home from the hospital finally and was back home and found Hopper standing there along with her boys and El.
"Hi." She said as they all formed a group hug.
She really did it. She saved him.
Now it was time to go home. Her real home, in the present.
"Oh I have to run to the store real quick." Joyce said giving herself an excuse.
"What you just got home, I'll go." Jonathan said insisting.
"No because last time I told you to get Whole milk not 2% and you'll forget again." Joyce said back.
"Alright fine."
"I'll see you later."  Hopper said giving her a kiss on the cheek.
She waved and closed the door.
"I'll see you soon."