Sorry, this took longer than expected. Most of it was done but i wasn't sure how to finish the chapter.

As a general note, this will be a slowburn for OC and Steve but they will have several moments in between.

"Long time no see." A voice said on the other side of my locker door, as I was gather books for my next few classes. I sighed and rolled my eyes as I shut my locker.

"Twice in one week… boy I am just so lucky." I said sarcasm dripping with each word. Leaning on the lockers, I finally made eye contact with him. He was clad in his typically leather jacket, boots, hair at his shoulders, and a cocky grin plastered on his lips.

"So hostile." He smiled shrugging his shoulders entertained. "You don't even know me."

"I know enough."

"Yeah, like what?"

"Enough to know I am not interest, and your really aren't either." I rolled my eyes again.

"But what if I am?" he stepped closer and the wall I put up to keep any emotions from my face faltered as I tried to step back further only to be stopped by the lockers. "You're different…"

"Because I don't fall at your feet?" I asked snidely hoping my voice didn't waiver.

"You're confident, but you also stay hidden. If I didn't know any better it's like you didn't want to be seen." He said before taking my wrist away from my books I was holding, "And then there's this hidden gem…" he said pointing out the numbers along the bottom of my palm. "Wouldn't have pegged you for a tatt girl."

"Careful, that's my body count." I pulled it away from him and stepped aside. "You could be number 8."

"Looking forward to it." He laughed. "You should give me a call sometime; I think we could have fun." He winked taking the pen from behind his ear and wrote on the top of my math books paper cover. "See you tonight?"

"Tonight?"

"Tina's party."

"You want to get to know me…. First thing you should know, parties aren't my thing." I said before turning and finally walking away. Finally, far enough away, I felt the weight on my chest lift and I was able to take a deep breath. Pulling my sleeve further down my arm to cover my wrist I slowed my pace.

"What was that about?" Steve came up beside me walking in step with me as we went to the library.

"What was what?" I asked looking over my shoulder with a scowl.

"That…" he stated motioning his arm behind him towards my locker, "with Hargrove?"

"Nothing." I shook my head sighing. "His lame attempt at a hookup." Steve just nodded seeming a bit unsure as he looked over his shoulder one more time. "Not that its 'any' of your business but Hargrove is harmless, and I have zero interest in him."

"I just don't trust the guy." He shrugged.

"Why… because he took your crown?" I laughed.

"I could care less about the hypothetical crown." He scoffed.

"Not that is any concern or any of your business but I am not nor will I ever have be anything to Billy Hargrove." I sighed outside the library. "Thing is Steve, any relationship I have is just bound to fail. No one really knows who I am, knows what they would be getting into. There is no point to try to be with anyone…"

"I don't think that's true." He tried to interrupt but I just shook my head.

"It is. People get hurt when they are around me. It doesn't matter what I feel when the reality is I could destroy someone with just being me. Its not fair to do that to anyone… it's not worth it." Standing next to the library door he just stared at me concerned. He opened his mouth like he wanted to respond couldn't come up with anything.

"Anyway, its not like I'm looking for anything right now. Honestly, I just want to get through high school without another Upside Down situation. Surviving is my goal." I cleared my throat shrugging looking through the small window of the door scowling as I caught sight of Nancy. "Speaking of relationships… your girlfriend is about to sharpen her finger if she keeps going."

Steve followed my gaze to Nancy at the pencil sharpener staring at another student. He quickly walked through the door and towards his girlfriend.

"Nancy?" he called quietly but she didn't respond. As I watched move towards her, I looked around making sure no one was staring. Finally, he got her attention and she seemed disoriented.

"Hey." I whispered catching both of their attention. I nodded my head to a storage room and they followed me through the door before I shut and locked it.

"I can't keep doing this." She said avoiding eye contact.

"Doing what?" Steve asked quietly stepping closer to her. I felt very out of place. This should be a private moment between them, I should give them space.

"Pretending like everything's okay." She answered.

"What are you talking about?"

"Barbara…" she exhaled and I cringed an image of a decomposing Barbara passing through my head. "It's like everyone forgot. It's like nobody cares…except her parents, and now they're selling their house…"

"Nance…" Steve started trying to calm her down.

"And they're going to spend the rest of their lives looking for her." she continued ranting.

"I know … I know…" he soothed, hands on her arms.

"It's destroying them." Nancy whispered.

"I know. Okay? I get it, but listen there's nothing we can do about it."

"Yeah we could tell them the truth." She responded and I couldn't hide the shock I felt. I looked up at her as she looked between Steve and I hopeful.

"Well, you know that we can't do that." Steve shook his head.

"Why not? I mean we don't have to tell them everything, but I mean… What about you Roni?"

"What about me?" I scowled feeling uncomfortable.

"You were there, you were at the lab. You are proof that something was going on, we could just go and tell them about the experiments about the scientists… something so they don't get away with this."

"Nancy, I can't do that." I said my voice quiet as I looked at my feet. "It's not that I wouldn't. If I thought, it would help I would but I'm not someone people will believe. If they look me up, they will see, abandoned by drug addicted mother, no father and would conclude its for attention."

"But we could at least try." She said with a pleading tone. "Barb is dead, and no one cares."

"I care Nancy, I do but all this would do is make you a laughingstock and put me back in a padded room being stuck by needles and tested on to be used as a government experiment. At the risk of being selfish, I can't go back if there is just a chance for someone to believe us. You can't ask me to do that." I swallowed searching her eyes for understanding. Finally breaking eye contact I looked at Steve before looking at my feet again. "I'm sorry, I really am and if I could do something I would." Before either one responded I unlocked the door to left.

Nancy pleading kept repeating through my head through the rest of the day. I wanted to help, I wanted to do something… anything to give closure to Barbs parents, to help Joyce and Will, to bring back El, but I wasn't sure what I could do. When school ended, I headed to the police station as I promised Jim the day before.

"Hey Flo." I said walking through the doors of the station. The chairs were full and there was an irritated farmer waiting mutter to himself about his pumpkins.

"Head on back sweetheart." She nodded at me, and I smiled heading towards the back office. Jim was on the phone when I entered his office. He nodded to me and motioned for me to come in and sit. Dropping my backpack on the ground I dropped into the seat and played with the zipper of my jacket.

"Hey kid how was school?" he asked hanging up his phone.

"Fine." I murmured refusing to look up.

"That's all you have to say?"

"What else do you want me to say?" I shrugged.

"Look if this is about last night…" he sighed running a hand over his face and I just smiled to myself letting out a chuckle.

"I could careless about you not being around last night." I rolled my eyes. "I really don't care if you check up on me."

"Well I care…"

"Why?" I asked finally looking up at him. "Why do you care? I am honestly curious? Do you actually care or do you just feel guilty?"

"Veronica what the hell are you talking about?" he asked scowling at me.

"Five years alone, and now all of a sudden people start giving a shit?"

"Where is this coming from?"

"Is it because I am a freak or do you people think if you had done something sooner things would be different." I state sitting up a bit leaning forward.

"Now hold on, no one is calling you a freak." He shook his head standing up.

"I am." I shrugged. "Because I am, I didn't belong at the lab. Dr. Brenner all but made sure I knew it. I wasn't good enough for any of his experiments. I don't belong here. I shouldn't even be here. You shouldn't be worrying about me. You have other things more important to worry about. So why do you. Why do you care about someone who is basically nothing to anyone."

"That's enough!" he shouted, and I stared at him wide eyed. "What the hell has gotten into you?"

"I'm tired." I stood up stepping toward him. "I am tired of walking around like I don't know a damn thing, I am tired of walking around like everything is fine. I am tired of pretending I am okay with you going back to the freaking lab and bringing Will…"

"We've been over that; they are helping him."

"Is that what they are telling you or is that what you are telling yourself?" I questioned. "I wonder… how does El feel about you going back there, or have you not told her yet either?" I could see his expression falter and I smirked. I had had a hunch a few months back but hadn't been able to bring myself to ask. Part of me told myself it was better if I just let her be a secret, part of me wasn't sure what I would even say to her after everything. "She reached out to me."

His scowl deepened and I sighed keeping my eyes locked on his. "I was genetically enhanced to be connected to her, to protect her. We were trained to be in contact with each other when we weren't in the same room. It was my primary purpose when I was at the lab, do you really think I wouldn't know if she was alive after last year?"

The lack of response I got from him told me everything I needed to know. "You know what I don't even care. I get it your protecting her from them. The thing is though… that place shouldn't even be open. It should have burned last year… nothing good has ever come out of that place."

"Now hold on." He stated. "You and Eleven came out of there and…"

"Nothing good has ever come from that place, it should have burned, it shouldn't be up and running, it should be shut down and you shouldn't be encouraging their functions." I repeated just as there was a knock on the door.

"Sorry sir, but Powell and Callahan could really use your help out here with Eugene." Flo state looking between us.

"It's fine, we're done here." I stated picking up my bag. "I did my daily proof of life."

"Veronica we are not done with this conversation." He stated following after me.

"'We may not be, but 'I' am." I said shrugging without turning back around. The moment Jim stepped out into the main room a farmer came directly up to him trying to get his attention. Hopper looked annoyed and tried to push away from him. "You have more important things to take care of." I nodded towards the farmer, before lifting my hands with a shrug, "Who knows, maybe I will go be a regular teenager tonight… it's Halloween, maybe I'll go to a party."

I could hear him yelling at me, but I was already out the door and headed towards my apartment. I hadn't actually planned to go to the party at Tina's. When I had told Billy and Steve, I wasn't going I was 100% confident… at the time… that I wouldn't be going, but after the conversation with Hopper I needed to get out, forget. Which is how I found myself walking through a house full of drunk teenagers dressed up and acting like fools.

When I finally reached the punch bowl, I stared at it unsure but eventually relented and grabbed a cup. Sipping the red liquid I cringed, whatever they put in the bowl was strong, and wasn't just one alcohol type. Outside I heard cheering and leaned on the door and watched. A boy was upside down drinking from a keg and Tommy was egging the growing crowd on.

"Billy, Billy, Billy…" they all cheered and I rolled my eyes as he came back down on his feet and raised his arms. As he turned around he caught sight of me and I turned to go back into the house.

"Veronica!" he called putting his arm around my shoulders. "Didn't think you were coming."

"Wasn't but something you said just convinced me." I said sarcastically.

"Now that you're here I can show you a good time."

"Hmm… man that's so tempting but…" I finished my drink and raised the empty cup. "I need another drink." I pulled away and dropped his arm on my shoulder and walked back to the table.

"This was a stupid idea." I stated to myself. Nancy came over the table.

"What's in this?" she asked me looking at the punch.

"Hell if I know." I shrugged as she took a cup and filled. "Whoa." I said watching her down the drink.

"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa take it easy." Steve came up next to her just as she finished her drink. He looked at me with a scowl for a second before turning his attention back to Nancy. "Nance, Nance, Nance…"

"We're just being stupid teenagers for the night. Wasn't that the deal?" she snapped at him as she got another drink and moved back into the crowd of people.

"What was that about?" I asked watching Nancy.

"I don't know. This whole thing with Barb and then it being the anniversary…" Steve sighed running a hand through his hair. "What are you doing here?"

"You convinced me." I shrugged and his eyebrow raised. "For one night, I just want to not think…"

"Everything alright?" he asked concerned.

"A lot on my mind I guess." I stated and nodded towards the crowd. "You may want to go handle that." Steve groaned and I smiled as I watched him chase down Nancy.

The party progressed and I had cut myself off after two drinks. I was looking to let loose but not forget, and definitely not make questionable decisions. Billy and Tommy were wreaking havoc through the party. I had lost sight of Steve and Nancy somewhere on the dance floor and saw Jonathan step through the front door looking about as lost as me. Eventually I found myself moving to the music.

"No… No, no" Steve I heard Steve over the music and watched as he followed Nancy to the drink table as she tried to get another glass.

"Get off." She slurred pulling her arm from his grasp.

"No, you've had enough okay." He said with no use. She continued to fill her glass.

"Screw you." She stated and started walking through the crowd. I scowled and stood up straight.

"Nancy, you okay?" I asked as she got to me. She stumbled a little as she stared at me. "Maybe you should slow down, the shit in the bowl is strong."

"I'm fine." She said pushing past me and I looked over my shoulder at Steve who looked frustrated and lost.

"Nance come on maybe…"

"This is your fault." She turned on me so fast I stumbled a few steps back. "It should have been you, you know…"

"What?" I was confused and her comment wasn't one I hadn't already thought about, however I hadn't thought someone else felt the same.

"You were there, you should have found her, you should have… have…" she was stumbling over the words, but her finger was pointed at me. "It should have been you."

"Hey Nancy, stop." Steve stepped between us and tried to reach for her glass. "You don't mean that, and you need to stop."

"You don't know what I mean. You don't know anything." she slurred stepping away from him.

"Hey, hey, hey stop. No I'm serious, put it down." Steve said trying to take the drink from her.

"No."

"Nance, put it down." He stated grabbing her drink and pulling it towards him.

"Steve stop." She struggled before the drink came back and dumped all down the front of her. Nancy stared down at her shirt shocked.

"What the hell…" she stated looking up at him before turning and running up the stairs.

"Nance." Steve called out following after her. Around us everyone was whispering and staring after them, a few were looking at me. I started to feel anxious and quickly made my way out the door.

"You okay?" Jonathan asked sitting beside me on the front step.

"Yeah, just needed some air." I shrugged.

"Look, I don't think…"

"It's fine Jonathan." I interrupted shaking my head. Before he could respond Steve came bursting out the front door. Nancy wasn't behind him and both Jonathan and I stared back into the house waiting. "Um… will you… you take care of her, I'm gonna go check on him." With a nod I stood and ran after Steve. I found him fumbling for his keys by his car. Quickly running up to him I stood in front of the driver door.

"Give me your keys." I stated with my hand out.

"Move Roni." He said, "I'm fine."

"The hell you are." I shook my head. "I am not letting you drive right now. Give me your damn keys." He stared at me for a few seconds before he slapped the keys into my palm. Turning I opened the door and got in starting the car. Steve got in slamming the passenger door shut. Pulling away from the party I drove towards his house in silence not really sure what to say. "Are you… are you okay?"

"She called it bullshit." He said clenching his fist. "She said I'm bullshit and… she doesn't love me."

"Steve, she was drunk and upset."

"It's no excuse." He stated.

"I'm sorry." I said quietly keeping my eyes on the road. I had only driven a handful of times, and only receive my license through the drivers ed program at school. We didn't say anything the rest of the trip and when I pulled into his driveway, I wasn't sure what to do. Pulling the car into park I turned it off and slowly followed him up to the front door, slowly unlocking it.

"Thanks for the ride." He said pulling his jacket off and tossing his sunglass on the table by the door.

"Sure." I smiled with a shrug holding up the keys. "If I leave the keys you promise not to go out?"

"The only thing I want to do is shower, I think you're good." He chuckled and I nodded putting the keys next to his glasses. Turning I opened the front door to leave. "Hold up, where are you going?"

"Home?" I answered in my own question confused.

"You're walking?"

"It's usually how I get around." I laughed.

"No way, I am not letting you walk home in the middle of the night…"

"Steve…"

"Just stay here tonight. It's to late to walk, and you live like ten miles from here." He scratched the back of his head and I looked between him and the open door. "My parents aren't here and we have a ton of spare rooms."

"Fine." I conceded, if only because I was exhausted and wanted to just sit down. Shutting the door, I stepped out of my shoes.

"We can find a movie or something let me just take a shower." He relaxed a little and I nodded walking slowly through the large house towards the kitchen as he went up stairs to his room.

This hadn't been the first time I had been here. After that night Steve had brought me back here when we left the hospital. Whether it was because he wasn't sure where I live, Jim asked him too, or he just didn't want to be alone, I wasn't sure, but it had set the tone for our friendship… if that's what it was.

I wasn't sure what I was doing at Steve's or why, but here I was standing in his foyer as he ushered me through his house. The last few hours felt like a dream, a very slow agonizing dream. After El disappeared, we somehow made it to the hospital where Jim and Joyce were waiting. They had found Will and despite the relief, I felt, I also felt broken, for everything we found, I had lost as well. The job… the task, that Dr. Brenner had given me from day one I had ultimately failed at.

"Um… here." Steve handed me a pile of clothes and a towel and I just stared at them. "I thought maybe you'd want to shower, after coming through that… um hole and all…bathroom is just down the hall."

My feet were moving before I could respond. I just looked down at the pile of clothes in my hands and walked in the direction he stated. The water felt amazing. As I looked down at the drain I watched the dirt, mud, blood, and whatever else had stuck to me in the 'Upside Down', as it had been deemed, swirl at my feet. I tried to push the past 48 hours from my brain as I finished the shower and stepped out. Steve had given me a pair of sweats and long sleeve shirt that both seemed to swallow me, but I was grateful for the clean and soft clothing.

Taking my damp hair, I piled it on top of my head in a messy bun and made way down the stairs into the kitchen. That bat that Steve had used earlier was leaning against the hallway wall towards the kitchen and the Demogorgon's blood still dripped from it.

"Want anything to eat?" Steve asked pulling my attention away from the weapon. He was leaning on the other side of the kitchen island watching me closely.

"No, I'm fine." I shook my head. I hadn't eaten since going through the gate, but in my current state I couldn't eat even if I wanted to. "Thanks for these…" I pointed to the clothes with a small smile, "And for tonight. You can just take me home you know."

"Honestly, purely selfish here. I don't really want to be alone." He let out a soft chuckle and I could see how tired he looked. Even with his face beaten, I could still make out the worry in his eyes.

"What about Nancy…"

"She's at the hospital with Mike and Jonathan." He stated and I could hear the edge in his voice as he spoke.

"You should really put some ice on that." I said softly pointing to his eye. It was a lousy attempt to lighten the mood, but it seemed to work as he smiled and turned to get an ice pack from the freezer.

"Can I ask you a question?" Steve's voice was quiet and unsure as he spoke. We had moved from the kitchen to the back patio. I was sitting on a lounge chair with my legs crossed, staring blankly into the glow of the pool. I sighed, not sure if I was ready for this conversation, but I nodded slowly. "I heard Mike and Henderson talking at the hospital to Will about the girl… um… Eleven, that she got her name from a number on her wrist. I didn't know what it meant then, but you have a number on yours, does that mean… I guess, are you and her…"

He was rambling, not sure what to say, but as he spoke I slowly rolled up my sleeve and looked at the black numbers that stained my skin. 007. Slowly, I let my finger run over the raised skin.

"I left the Hawkins lab five years ago." I said quietly still looking at my arm.

"So at the lab you guys got these … abilities?" he questioned.

"Something like that." I nodded. "Dr. Brenner, he would um… ask for volunteers, those volunteers would then go through testing and be given different drugs. The idea was with the drugs in their systems when they got pregnant their baby would develop the enhanced abilities."

I watched as he nodded wrapping his head around what I had said. His scowl deepened and from the corner of my eye I saw him turn quickly towards me. "Wait five years go? If you left five years ago, where do you live? Did you parents just come and get you?"

"My mom gave me to Brenner to pay for her habit without looking back, and I have no clue who my dad is. El… She was born there, raised by Brenner, me I was just dropped at the front door when I was six." I stated. "It was different with me, Brenner wasn't able to mold me to be his puppet, I had my own thoughts, made my own decisions, knew right and wrong. So, he decided to give me a purpose… that was Eleven. She was special and he wanted to make sure she was safe, so where all his other subjects were trained for mental objectives I was trained for … physical objectives."

We sat in silence as I let him process what I had said. I thought back to my time at the Lab, time with Brenner. 'Protect her.' 'She is your responsibility.' 'If you can't keep her safe, you are of no use to me.'

I let out a dry laugh as I felt the burn of tears at the back of my eyes and the lump in my throat grow. "A lot of good I did…"

"What?"

"I was supposed to protect her… it's why I was 'made' its why I was trained…" I said swallowing hard pulling the sweatshirt down over my wrist. "I was supposed to protect her, to be there for her and I left… she was supposed to come with me and when she didn't I just left, left her there. If I had stayed… I was always close but I was to chicken shit to go back and get her, to save her and now… She shouldn't have gone through any of it. If I was good at my job, what I was trained to do, none of this would happen, she wouldn't be gone."

"Hey you don't know that." Steve said quickly standing and moving to sit on the bottom of the lounge chair. "You can't guarantee that you would have been able to stop any of this. This Dr. Brenner he's the one that caused this to all to happen."

"Steve…" I said softly looking up tears in my eyes and he met mine with a scowl, "Brenner was ready to get rid of me because I wasn't good enough. My mom ditched me because I wasn't enough for her. The least I could have done was be enough for El. This… it should have been me, not her."

'It should have been you.' The same words I had said to Steve a year ago Nancy had just said aloud tonight. It's not like I hadn't been thinking it, I had, I had told Steve it should have been me, but to hear Nancy say it, it hurt more than I thought it would. The worst part was, she was right, part of me actually believed that still. Jim, Joyce, Jonathan even Steve had done their best to push the thought from my head, trying to give me positive affirmation, but with one drunken statement it all faded.

"Aren't you cold?" Steve's voice behind me made me jump a little as I turned. His hair was damp and he had changed from his costume into sweats and t-shirt. He looked more relaxed and calmer then he had looked earlier. I didn't respond just gave me a small smile and turned back towards the pool. This felt just like when we sat together a year ago. Nothing changed…except a lot had. "Hey you okay?"

"You just had a fight with your girlfriend and you're asking if I'm okay?" I laughed shaking my head.

"What she said to you…"

"It's fine." I shook my head quickly interrupting him.

"She didn't mean it." He continued sitting in the seat beside me. He sat facing me while I lounged in the chair trying to ignore his inquisitive eyes.

"You tend to be more honest when you drink," I sighed before looking from the threads of my tattered sweatshirt to the pool in front of me.

"Its not true…"

"You know I was here." I interrupted quickly still staring at the glow on the water. Finally, I turned to look at him and he looked confused. Laughing to myself I continued, "In the Upside Down, I came back here."

"You never said anything." He shook his head scowl firmly in place.

"When the gate closed after I pushed Nancy through I had two options, stay put and wait for the Demogorgon or trying and find Will and Barb." I shrugged. "Thant brought me here and… and I found her."

"What… really?"

"Yeah. She was gone, I couldn't have saved her even if I had been faster. My assumption was that she passed away around the same time she crossed over, but…" I hesitated as images of Barbs distorted figure face popped up in my head. When I had found her, I had been terrified and disgusted. The Demogorgon had done a number on her, she was covered in vines and a clear slime. Her eyes were empty, and mouth hung open. If I hadn't actually been looking for her, I don't think I would have recognized her right away. The thought brough tears to my eyes, which I quickly wiped away turning away from the pool and Steve. "She shouldn't have died like that. The gate shouldn't have let the Demogorgon through, I should have…"

"Hey," Steve interrupted, "We've been over this. None of this was your fault. Dr. Brenner, this is on him. Barb's death is on him."

"Nancy was right though. They shouldn't get away with it and … maybe it should have been me." I shrugged standing up.

"No." he stated firmly standing up as well walking towards me. He placed his hand on my shoulders and bent down a little, so his face was level with mine. "That night. If you hadn't been there, I don't think we would have made it out of the Byers house. You saved us… you did. If you hadn't been there…Look I don't care what Nancy said tonight, but none of it is on you, and it shouldn't have been you instead."

He was close, his eyes sincere and honest. My heartbeat quickened as I stared back at him. Something was changing between Steve and I. I was feeling things that I shouldn't… he had a girl friend and he deserved so much more then someone who is a walking timebomb. Plus, he was head overheels for Nancy, winning her back after last year proving he was better than the King Harrington everyone thought they knew.

He continued to stare at me, and I tried to think of something to say, but all my thoughts, all the words left and all that was left was just him and I. He must have felt something too, because he quickly let go of my shoulders and dropped his hands, one running through his hair as he looked away.

"We should probably go in." I cleared my throat hugging myself. "It's kinda cold out"

"Isnt that what I said a few minutes ago?" he questioned, and I just gave him a small smile. "Still want to watch a movie?"

"Sure." I nodded following him into the house and towards the living room. Once inside we both curled up onto the couch, careful to keep a distance between u, Steve started Top Gun. I wasn't really paying attention; my mind was thinking back to the party, then to Nancy and then to Steve and our conversation outside. Regardless of how he felt I needed to push any feelings for him aside. It was too complicated to get into any kind of relationship, let alone one that would be one sided. There was no way Steve felt the same way.