A/N: What's this? A surprise, early Arcade Dreams update? I've been dying for y'all to read this chapter. We're gonna move away from show canon a little, this is something I've been planning since I started writing this fic. This chapter has been a looong time coming, and we're gonna get some insight to Teddi's dad's identity. I hope you enjoy!

xxx

Billy and Teddi had gone out for pizza a few hours ago. Afterwards he'd been able to patch up her tires for a temporary fix until he had more time to replace them entirely. They had been on a bit of a time crunch. Neither of Teddi's parents were home, and there was no real way of knowing when her mom (who would definitely tell her dad that a boy had been over) would turn up.

Teddi had spent the rest of the night in her room. Her father didn't bother her. Out of sight, out of mind she figured. She was working on some homework when he walked into her room a few hours after he had come home from work. "Your mother and I are going out to dinner. I'm imagining you don't have any plans tonight?" he asked. Teddi thought of her popped tires. Bastard, she thought bitterly.

"No, sir. Just finishing up homework." she motioned to her books.

"Good girl. We'll be home in a few hours." and with that he left. Teddi stuck her tongue out at his retreating back. It was like nothing had happened between them. But come tomorrow, he wouldn't be able to boss her around anymore or torment her. She would be out of the house and on her own. She was practically giddy at the idea.

Eventually she gave up on her homework. She just couldn't make herself focus. This had to be how kids felt on Christmas Eve. So excited at the thought of the presents they'd get on Christmas morning that they couldn't sit still. So she plopped down on the couch with some popcorn and settled in for some channel surfing. It wasn't something she got to do very often.

Teddi had settled on the Golden Girls when the phone rang. She nearly let it ring. It wasn't like anyone was calling for her. But then if it was someone from her dad's work and she didn't take a message she knew she wouldn't hear the end of it. So she got up from the couch with a heavy sigh and shuffled over to the kitchen.

"Hello?"

"...Teddi?" it was Max. She was speaking quietly, like she was hiding from someone. It was too late for her to be calling just to chat. Teddi's gut immediately told her something was wrong.

"Max? Is everything okay?" there was a long pause on the other end and Teddi could feel her palms growing clammy.

"We can't find Billy." was all she said.

Teddi's heart was hammering in her chest. Everything had been fine earlier. What the hell could have happened between him leaving her to go back home? "Wh-what do you mean you can't find him? What happened?"

"He came home a few hours ago and he got in a huge fight with Neil. He stormed off and he hasn't come home or called or anything...it was bad, Teddi. Do you have any idea where he might be? I mean, you're his best friend. I'm starting to freak out." Teddi almost couldn't hear Max. All of the images of what Neil might have done to his son were running through her mind at a mile a minute. She almost felt sick.

"Um...I think I might have an idea," she said finally, swallowing thickly. "I'll go find him, okay? Just try and get some sleep. I'll call you tomorrow once everything's calmed down a little." they both hung up and Teddi hurried to her room to grab her boots and puffy jacket. She knew there was a good chance that her tires might pop on her way to Billy, but did she really have any other choice? She definitely couldn't walk out in the snow.

She sped through the streets, praying that her patched tires would survive the drive and that she wouldn't get pulled over by the cops. Everything in town was closed. There was only one place in Teddi's mind that Billy could be. The Lake. It was their spot. Well, technically not their spot. They just coincidentally shared it. Teddi shook her head. That part didn't matter right now.

When she spotted the Camaro parked out at the water's edge she let out a loud sigh of relief. She parked her van and hopped out, hurrying over to Billy's car. She could barely make him out in the dark. The only light coming inside was coming from the end of his lit cigarette. The door was unlocked. She slid in next to him. Neither of them said anything for awhile.

"...Max called me," she finally said. "She's really worried about you."

"I'm fine." Billy spat.

She wasn't going to let him off that easy this time. He wasn't going to scare her away. "What happened, Billy? ...Did he hurt you?" he didn't say anything. He simply blew out a cloud of smoke. "...Can I see?"

There was another long pause. Billy sniffed and angrily pushed on the light above them. Teddi's hand slowly covered her mouth in an attempt to stifle the gasp she wanted to let out. Billy's left eye was swollen shut. His eyebrow had a cut in it that was deep enough for Teddi to know it would scar. It had stopped bleeding at least, but the blood had run down over his eye and down the left side of his face. There was also a nasty split in the center of his lip. Teddi was surprised he was smoking at all. The boy in front of her was almost unrecognizable. "Billy…" she said softly.

"I was in my room," he said finally. "It was after I came back from your place. Everything was fine, you know? Susan was making dinner and Max and Neil were watching tv," he swallowed loudly, flicking his cigarette out the window. His fingers gripped tightly at the steering wheel. "All of the sudden he starts getting on Max's case about something. I don't know what. But he wouldn't stop. And she was arguing back. Sometimes she doesn't know when to quit with him. But they just kept getting louder, so I stood out in the hall just in case...he just started screaming at her. And I've never seen her scared like that. Max isn't scared of shit, y'know? But he just kept yelling and I could just feel that he was gonna hurt her if I didn't stop him," he trailed off, but Teddi didn't need for him to finish. The shape he was in told her everything she needed to know.

"I'm not fucking doing this anymore, Teddi. I can't. Sometimes I catch myself imagining something horrible happening to him. Doing something horrible. And I never feel bad, you know? He deserves it. He's the reason my mom left. He's the reason she didn't take me with her. He's not my fucking father. Sometimes I think he's barely even human."

Teddi's heart ached when she saw his eyes welling up with tears. She took one of his hands in her own, her thumb running gently over his bruising knuckles. "I think...I think you should come with me. To the apartment." she said.

Billy let out a loud sigh. "I can't. Max-"

Teddi shook her head. "Billy, we need to get out. I know that you're worried about Max. I'm worried about her too. But if we leave, if we get that apartment...it can be like a safe place for her to go. Whenever she needs it, you know? Until we can figure out how to get her out of that house," she reached up and touched his face, her fingers ghosting gently over his bruised cheek. Her heart ached again when he leaned into her touch. "You can't go back there," after what felt like forever Billy finally nodded. "Come on. I have a first aid kit in my van. We can spend the night here, I'll call Max in the morning and we'll go see about the apartment, okay?"

Billy followed her silently to her van. They climbed into the back, and Teddi pulled out the first aid kit that she kept under the driver's seat. "Sorry, usually it's just me using this so I kinda only have girly band-aids…" she mumbled, wincing and apologizing as Billy hissed at the feeling of the alcohol being dabbed at his cuts.

"A pink band-aid's the least of my worries right now, Larsson." he was trying to smile, trying to crack a joke with her. Teddi let out a soft laugh.

"You know…" she said, gently blowing on the cut on his eyebrow before applying the band-aid. "Max said that I was your best friend…" she said with a smile.

Billy shifted uncomfortably. "What am I? A twelve year old girl?" he asked.

Teddi only shrugged. "...You're my best friend." she confessed.

Billy scoffed. "Right."

"I'm serious. I mean...me and Steve are pretty good friends, but you know way more about me than he does. You know stuff about me that he probably won't ever know, you know? And like...you're the first person I want to talk to when something happens. Good or bad. I don't know...you just are." she awkwardly shrugged again.

There was another long pause as Teddi finished cleaning Billy's face. "...Are we gonna make matching bracelets?" he asked.

"I know you're being sarcastic, but don't think for a second that I wouldn't do that."

Billy let out a short laugh. "...Thanks for this, Teddi."

"Don't mention it. You'd do the same thing for me." he would. Of course he would.

Teddi pulled out her sleeping bag and unzipped it completely before kicking off her boots. "I think we both definitely need some sleep."

Billy kicked off his boots as well and slid under the sleeping bag with her. They laid next to each other, both staring up at the disco ball hanging above them. Teddi tentatively reached out, her hand finding Billy's. He linked his fingers with hers. "...You sleep in here a lot?" he asked finally.

"I have a few times," Teddi confessed. "Back in New York."

"...What about your parents? Aren't they gonna be pissed when you don't come home?"

"Who cares? We don't have to worry about that sort of stuff anymore, right?"

It was a hard thought to wrap their minds around. This was it. No more answering to Greg or Neil. No more unfair rules or punishments. They would be out on their own. Together.

xxx

The next morning the pair drove to the apartment building in the Camaro. It was obvious that the building used to be a motel. There was a gated pool out in front, with two vending machines nearby. There was what looked to be a working ice machine that sat just outside of the front office. If the old man running the place could tell that Billy and Teddi were obviously teenagers, he didn't show it. Billy flashed a fake ID that said he was 23 and that had been enough for him.

He showed them an apartment on the second floor. There wasn't an elevator. Teddi was pretty sure it had been two adjoining rooms that they had turned into one larger apartment. There was a tiny living room with a counter that would be their kitchen. Two bedrooms sandwiched a very tiny bathroom between them. It wasn't the worst thing. The apartment had gotten a fresh coat of paint and some tacky, flowery wallpaper. And it wasn't like they were used to anything fancy.

Between their three jobs they would definitely be able to handle the rent. It was close enough to Hawkins that they'd be able to make it to school and work without a problem. And what was most important; it was theirs.

Teddi couldn't control her smile as they drove back into town. Her cheeks were starting to hurt. Her eyes were stinging from the threat of tears. "...Is this really happening?" she asked.

Billy nodded, a smile of his own spreading across his lips. "It's really happening."

They both went quiet as Billy turned onto Cherry road. The Camaro came to a stop outside of the Hargrove's house, the two of them looking up at the tiny house while holding their breaths. This was really it.

The most important thing would be getting Billy's things before Neil came home. Or at least as much as they could. Max was outside skateboarding in the street. She hugged Billy tightly when she saw him. He awkwardly patted his step sister on the back. He'd never show it or admit it, but Teddi knew he appreciated the fact that Max cared about him.

Susan was hovering awkwardly in the living room. She was asking Billy if he was alright and telling him that she had been worried about him when he never came home. Teddi believed her. Teddi believed that Susan loved Max and cared about Billy. She knew that Susan wasn't the same as her own mother. But it didn't make her like Susan any. She still sat back and let Neil rule his household with an iron fist.

Teddi and Billy went to his room, Max and Susan following close behind them. Susan was asking a million questions and Billy ignored each of them. He went for his stereo first. He yanked the power cord free from the wall, turning and handing it over to Teddi. "Billy, please. Don't you think this is an overreaction? I'm sure you and your father can work things out-" Susan pleased.

"An overreaction?" Billy let out a dry laugh. "He's your problem now, Susan. You don't have to pretend to feel sorry for me and look the other way anymore," he picked up a milk crate full of his records. "Maybe this is best for both of us, huh? You'll finally see what a goddamn monster he is when it's pointed in your direction."

That was enough to keep Susan out of their way. She sat on the couch, fidgeting anxiously as she watched Billy, Teddi and Max march back and forth between the Camaro and Billy's room. His music had been the most important thing. Once his stereo, record player, cassettes and records were all safely in the back seat Billy grabbed a few trash bags and started filling it with his clothes.

"...Where are you going?" Max finally asked. She and Teddi were both carefully taking Billy's things from his closet, folding them before putting them in the large black bags. Billy was grabbing fists full of his clothes out of his drawers, angrily shoving them in the trash bags.

"We got an apartment outside of town." he muttered.

Max looked between the both of them. "Together?" she asked. Max had never really understood why Teddi and Billy liked each other so much. She knew that they didn't really have much in common aside from her and working at the pool. Max knew that Billy liked Teddi, and she knew that Teddi liked Billy. She and El had always thought it was obvious, even if they argued all of the time. But they assumed it was just because they were dumb teenagers that found each other attractive. Now suddenly, seeing Billy finally at his breaking point, and Teddi with a bruise that covered her left eye and cheek, she realized that they had more in common than she had ever imagined.

Beneath the surface Billy and Teddi were two very lonely people. And now they had finally found someone to pull each other out of that loneliness.

Teddi nodded, smiling a little. "Together. And Max, you're allowed to come over whenever you want, okay? It's small, but there's a pullout couch with your name on it. You can even have sleepovers with El. Whatever you want. Just promise me that he ever makes you feel unsafe again you call me and I'll come and get you, alright?"

Max looked over at Billy. He nodded, so slightly that Max almost wasn't sure she'd seen it. "...I promise."

"I'll pick you up from school tomorrow and show you the place, alright? C'mon, Ted. We gotta go. I'll come back for the rest," Teddi noticed Billy pulling a small wooden box out of his top drawer. It was about the size of his hand. It was a sandy color with something etched into the lid. He quickly shoved it into the pocket inside his jacket, like Teddi and Max weren't supposed to see it. "...You gonna be okay, Max?" he asked.

"I'm fine. Mom says I'm allowed to sleep over at El's since Neil's being an asshole….I'm sorry, Billy. That he went off on you like that. It was my fault. He wanted me to change the channel and I kept arguing with him…"

Billy placed a hand on his step sister's shoulder, leaning down to meet her eyes. "Don't ever apologize for him, got it? If it wasn't that it would've been something else. You remember what I told you back home? At Captain Spauldings?" Max's shoulders straightened a little as she nodded. Teddi couldn't help but wonder what their secret was. "You call us if you need us, okay? We'll be there." Billy awkwardly ruffled the top of Max's head before heading back to the Camaro. He didn't bother to look in Susan's direction as he passed.

He and Teddi finished loading his things into the trunk and got in. Max was on the porch, waving as they drove off. Teddi let out a shaky breath. She looked over at Billy, who was drumming his fingers against the steering wheel even though the radio was off. He looked...calm. This wasn't a Billy she saw very often. There was a hint of a smile on his lips. He looked like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

This all felt like a dream. To be in Billy's Camaro, the two of them finally about to escape the nightmare that was their home lives. It all felt almost too good to be true. Like at any second something horrible would happen, or she would wake up and realize that none of this was even real. Billy bumped his elbow against Teddi's, bringing her back to the real world. "Hey," he said lowly. "You okay?"

He fished his pack of cigarettes out of his jacket and held it out to Teddi. She eyed them for a moment before taking a smoke, clamping it between her lips. "I'm just nervous," she muttered as Billy lit the cigarette for her. Teddi took a long drag, her eyes falling shut and her head falling back against her seat. "My dad'll be home soon…"

"Don't worry about him. You just worry about getting your stuff." they both knew that that would be easier said than done. Billy would be somewhat of a safety net for her. Her dad probably wouldn't do or say much of anything if there was someone around to see him in action. He had too much to lose. But he had been a little unpredictable lately, and Teddi was worried that Billy might have to take the brunt of what was about to come.

While Billy had been to Teddi's once before, this was the first time he had ever seen Teddi's mother. Teddi looked a lot like her. He didn't understand how Bonnie could look at her daughter, who was the spitting image of her, and feel absolutely nothing for her. Billy hated her. She was sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels on TV when they walked in. When Teddi and Billy walked into her field of vision, she finally looked over at them with a bored expression.

"And who's this?" Bonnie asked, looking Billy up and down. If she felt any sort of way about him, she didn't show it. It was like she wasn't a real person. Like she was one of those mind control victims in those sci fi movies Max liked to watch. Billy briefly wondered if at one point Bonnie had been more like Teddi. Energetic and friendly. Maybe Greg had succeeded in beating her into submission, like Neil had tried with Billy's mom. Now he had the perfect stepford wife that was loyal only to him. Even at the expense of his own daughter.

"None of your business," there was a confidence behind Teddi's voice that Billy was a little surprised to hear. This wasn't the same Teddi that had been fidgeting nervously in the Camaro just minutes before. "I'm leaving." she announced before heading down the hall. He wasn't surprised that Bonnie didn't follow after them like Susan had.

Billy followed Teddi to her room. He'd never seen it before. It was smaller than his room. There was only a tiny desk, a nightstand and Teddi's bed packed tightly inside. Teddi opened her closet door, reaching in and pulling out a stack of flattened cardboard boxes. He wondered how many times she had pulled them out before, trying to work up the courage to pack before changing her mind.

They were silent as they started to pack up her things. Teddi made quick work of emptying out her closet before standing up on her bed to peel the little glow in the dark stars off of her ceiling. Billy went over to her desk. There was a Carrie poster taped to the wall next to a tiny bulletin board. There were about a dozen different movie ticket stubs tacked to it. A grainy polaroid of the statue of liberty next to a photo of Teddi standing on a lake dock. She was in a bright blue bikini with white, star shaped sunglasses and she had her arm around a girl with a head of pink, unruly curls. Teddi looked happy. Genuinely happy. It was a gross contrast from the Teddi that was in front of him now. He carefully picked each of the things she had tacked up to the board and tucked them into a box along with the other things on her desk.

"Your mother tells me you're leaving." Billy jumped a little at the sound of Greg Larsson's voice. Teddi's dad was a big guy. Easily about 6'4. He took up the entire doorway. His hair was shaved close on the sides and longer on top. Like at one point he'd been a jarhead and hadn't been able to let it go. He looked like the poster boy for some sort of weird super soldier experiment gone wrong. Billy's hands clenched into fists. It wasn't like him and Neil. Neil was the same size as Billy. If Billy wanted to fight back he could. Greg was almost three times Teddi's size. What kind of pathetic asshole picked on someone that was so helpless to defend themselves? You about two months ago? He reminded himself. His fists clenched tighter.

Teddi turned to look at her father with a look of disgust before returning to her packing. "What do you care?"

"Theodora...is this about the disagreement we had the other day?" he asked, crossing his arms tightly across his chest.

Teddi laughed. "Disagreement? You mean when you called me a whore and almost fractured my skull?" she asked, pointing to the large bruise on her cheek. Billy knew that if he hadn't been there she probably wouldn't have said that to her father. He didn't mind that him being there was an extra boost of courage. He was proud of her. "What do you even care if I leave? You don't care about me. You and mom have never cared about me. So let me go and you can just pretend that I never existed like you've always wanted." her voice cracked a little as she spoke, but she didn't cry.

Billy wondered what might have happened if he hadn't been there. If he hadn't inched his way over between Teddi and Greg in case he decided to do something bold. He was thinking about it. Billy knew that he was. His sharp jaw clenched and unclenched. His hand was twitching as if he was trying to keep himself for lashing out at her. Greg watched his daughter with a cold expression. Like if he could kill her right then and there with a look, he would.

"...If you leave, you are no longer welcome in this home. You're not going to come crying to me when he gets tired of you and moves on to the next girl. You're no longer my daughter."

Billy didn't see that as much of a threat. Greg wasn't Teddi's father. He'd explained it to Max back in California when she had finally seen Neil for what he really was. Billy and Teddi could call Neil and Greg their fathers all they wanted. But men, and Billy used that term lightly, like Neil and Greg couldn't be fathers to anyone. They were monsters. Monsters that were keeping Billy and Teddi hostage for their own sick enjoyment.

Teddi laughed again. Her eyes were shiny with the threat of tears. She picked up the box that sat at her feet, walking up to Greg with her head held high. "Good."

xxx

Billy and Teddi were both sitting on their new couch in their new apartment. They were both silent, staring at their reflection in the blank TV screen in front of them. Teddi had cried in the car after they left her parents' house. She cried the entire drive to the apartment. Billy had reached over, putting his arm around her and pulling her towards him. Teddi cried into his shoulder, her tears soaking into his denim jacket. Neither of them said anything until Billy pulled into the parking lot of their apartment building.

Teddi pulled away from him, wiping her eyes roughly. Her bottom lip trembled, like she could start crying at any given second. She looked over at him, her cheeks still slick with tears. "...Thank you." she finally said.

He didn't really know what she was thanking him for. Leaving with her. Helping her get her things. Letting her cry on his shoulder. It didn't really matter to him. The corner of his mouth twitched up into a grin. "What are friends for, right?"

Teddi let out a soft laugh. She bit down on her bottom lip as the two looked at each other. Billy could feel his heart beating harshly in his chest. Teddi looked beautiful. Otherworldly in the red light that was shining down onto the Camaro from the building's neon sign. She sniffed softly, shifting nervously in her seat before her hand gently ghosted his bruised cheek, just like she had the night before. Billy didn't move as she bit her lip again, leaning forward and kissing him so softly he was almost scared he had imagined it. She pulled away from him, watching him and waiting to see if what she had done was okay.

Billy wrapped his arms around Teddi's waist, pulling her back to him. He kissed her. Teddi let out a surprised sound, her hands gripping onto his shoulders. Teddi had wondered what this moment would be like. What it might be like to kiss Billy. None of it really matched up to the actual thing. Everything about him was...strong. His arms wrapped around her, the feel of his chest as her hands slid under his jacket. His lips. Everything about Billy Hargrove made Teddi feel safe. She never wanted this to end. She would be content staying there in Billy's Camaro, kissing him and letting him hold her until the world ended.

"If that's how you say thank you I should've started being nicer a long time ago." Billy smirked. His arms were still wrapped around her middle, and Teddi was gripping onto his shirt beneath his jacket.

Teddi laughed a little and rolled her eyes. "Funny," her hand reached up, her thumb stroking his jaw gently. "...We should probably get inside." she sighed.

They brought the things they'd packed up the stairs and inside their new home. Now they were on the couch, their hands just barely touching. "...We should skip school tomorrow. Celebrate our new freedom." he finally said.

"Celebrate our new freedom by being irresponsible?" she asked with a smile.

"It's one day, Larsson. Come on. Let's do something fun."

Teddi eyed him carefully, trying to hide a smile as her cheeks blushed. "...You better be real careful with whatever you're about to suggest, Hargrove." she warned.

Billy smirked. "Relax. I meant like going to the movies or something. What about that Terminator movie? Freddy said it was pretty badass."

Teddi made a face. "I don't know...I'm not super crazy about that Schwarzenegger guy. He's always reminded me too much of my dad. What about Starman?"

Billy blinked. "...What's that?"

"It's the one with Jeff Bridges who's an alien pretending to be a human and he and he takes Marion from Indiana Jones with him to try and get back to space?" she explained, as if he were crazy for not knowing. Billy only stared at her. "It's John Carpenter!"

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

"Halloween? The Thing? Escape From New York? He's like the best director ever."

Billy rolled his eyes and held his hands up. "...Whatever, Larsson. We'll go see Spaceman."

"Starman."

"Whatever." there was a different energy as they got back in the Camaro. They were both smiling, almost giddy. Teddi flipped through the collection of tapes Billy kept in the glove compartment. She settled on Journey, popping the tape into the deck. Billy's fingers drummed against the steering wheel along to the beat.

Their eyes met, the two of them sharing a smile. Billy propped his elbow up on the center console, holding out his middle finger to her. Teddi laughed, raising an eyebrow. "What is this, a Billy Hargrove pinky promise? What are we, five?"

Billy smirked over at her. "Says the girl that wanted to make friendship bracelets," he joked. Teddi let out a chuckle and linked her finger with his. His ring was cold against her skin. "It's you and me now, Larsson. We're in this together. You ready?"

She was. Of course she was. They were quite the pair. Two misfits that felt like they didn't belong anywhere. Battered and bruised. But they had finally found a home. With each other. Teddi smiled as Billy brought her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to her bruised knuckles. "As ready as I'll ever be."