Throughout the day, Rory received weird looks and glares for being seen in Eddie's clothes. She didn't mind the change from the false concern everyone held for her well-being after Billy's passing, but it seemed to make Eddie more possessive. Any time she glanced toward him, he was already looking at her with a soft smile and when she would get on to him about paying attention to the teacher, he'd grumble under his breath and have her lean forward into her desk so he could play with her fingers to the side of their row.

"Mr. Munson, I know Principal Higgins has made Ms. Ross your caretaker for the year but do take some of the stress off her shoulders and listen." One of the teachers groaned while passing out note sheets for the students. She laughed and nodded, reassuring them that she would go over the notes with Eddie again after school, so they'd loosen up with him for the remainder of the lesson.

After the day finally ended, Eddie took her home. She had been hoping to be able to get a head start on the cassettes for him, but that proved damn near impossible upon seeing her father's Cadillac in the driveway earlier than usual.

"Be quiet, Richard. Rory could be home any minute." Her mother hushed her father, sitting in the dining room watching him pace back and forth along the length of their marble kitchen. Upon hearing her name, Aurora snuck in through the living room with Eddie in tow. For a moment, she stood in the darkened room watching as her father read something aloud, but it wasn't until his second pass in front of the foyer archway that she noticed what book he was holding.

"Everything about him was different," He read, tilting his head to the side as his eyebrows knitted together in frustration. Rory waved Eddie toward the stairs, giving him the go-ahead to make his way up to her room as she stepped closer to her parents, mortified that they had been reading from her diary. "That cocky grin of his that drove chills down my spine, the way his tongue played with the cigarette between his lips made my stomach twirl, and God if that wasn't bad enough, the way his fingers ran up the inside of my thigh once he got me alone set my skin on fire. How could one man influence such a reaction from my body? What was he doing to me?" He continued to read as a searing heat shot down her spine, all the blood in her body seemingly rushing to her feet. "What I wouldn't give to have his hands on me again. He was so gentle with me. I almost want to show off the bruises his kisses and fingertips left behind like trophies and scream to the world that he was mine. My Billy Hargrove." He growls, tossing the book across the room as if it burned his fingers to hold it. Rory's chest burned with every breath she took as her father continued reciting her private entry about the special night they shared. It killed her to see the disgust in his eyes at the entry just because she wanted to commit it to memory forever now that he was gone. "God dammit Linda, he's turned our daughter into a whore! No wonder she's so fucked in the head, he-he touched my little girl!" Her father roars, throwing dishes as if the crashing sound would reclaim her innocence. It was then, as her mother moved to comfort her father's rage, that she saw Rory in the doorway with tears streaming down her face.

"Oh baby, I'm so sorry." Her mother whispers, stepping toward her. She steps back and shakes her head, wanting nothing more than to spontaneously combust to get out of that house right then.

"Is that why you're so caught up in that hood rat's passing?! I told you to stay away from him and you let him touch you?!" He snaps at her, stalking toward her.

"That's bullshit, you met him. You saw how sweet he was. He loved me, you should have been happy for me." She counters meekly, shaking as her heart races.

"Don't speak to me like that young lady. I don't care who the hell you're shacking up with to make you dress like this or who the hell makes you think you can speak to me like that, but I won't stand for it." He growls. "And I won't let my little girl be touched by some troublemaker like Billy Hargrove. Jesus Aurora Jade, is that where those unsightly bruises your mother saw on your legs and back came from?" He spat in disgust, his face twisting at the memory of the bruises that scattered her pale skin.

"We had sex, dad, just say it." She pulls away, finally snapping back as the panic of having Eddie hear this conversation swells in her chest. "It's not gonna kill you to acknowledge that I'm not a virgin anymore. I'm not a child and he loved me." She points out. Something about that statement, wondering how she felt or even sounded while those marks were being branded into her skin for far longer than he probably should have made Eddie shiver until the sound of her being slapped echoed in his ears. He shifts at the top of the stairs in a rage, just in time to see her running up toward him in tears.

"You're staying with me for a few days." He huffs, rushing into her room behind her. At that moment, angry or not about what he had witnessed, Eddie's priority was making sure she was safe. Once she was seated on the edge of her bed before Richard had the chance to barge in, Eddie locks the door and shoves the chair from her desk up under the knob, lodging it under it and the tabletop of her desk to keep it from moving.

"Richard, give her some time." He could hear Linda hum softly from behind the door in a calming manner. Silently, Eddie slowly takes her hands away from her face and pulls her up from her bed into a hug. Hesitantly, she wraps her arms around him and hides her face in his neck. Breathing in the scent of his cologne and cigarettes slowly calmed her down as her nails dig into the rivets of the collar of his denim battle vest.

"I've got you." He whispers, rubbing her back. He shifts slowly, a leg sliding between her's to better support her, as his thumbs worm their way under the edge of his bleached Iron Maiden shirt to rub circles at the base of her spine just above the waistband of the jeans she wore.

"But you shouldn't have to." She huffs breathlessly, pulling away to wipe her eyes as her father knocks on her door once more.

"I'm sorry, Sunspot. I-I just don't want anything to happen to my little girl. Please, you must understand I just don't want some idiot hurting you." He tries his best to be remorseful for laying a hand on her. She cringed at the pet name as if it physically hurt her to hear it. Eddie only pulled her in tighter at this, hoping he could somehow take it away for her. After a moment, he starts swaying with her, humming in her ear. She couldn't help but laugh and sway along with him as her arms find their way back up around his neck.

After a few more moments of swaying, her hands fell to his sides to grip the pockets of his best to hold him close before he spoke gently into her hair, "Come on, let's get you packed for the next few days." He smiles, shifting slightly to grab the duffel bag hanging on her closet door behind him. She hesitates for a moment, looking down as their hands touch over the shoulder strap.

"I don't know how much you heard, but I need you to tell me you don't see me any differently." She bows her head, biting her lip anxiously before looking up at him with tears in her eyes. "I-I can't lose you too." He grunts dismissively, refusing to even entertain the idea that he somehow lose her, pinching her chin between his thumb and index finger and tilts it up.

"Nothing you could ever do would make me look at you as anything other than beautiful." He leans down and kisses her forehead, smoothing her hair slowly. She lets go of the bag and runs her hands up his chest, gripping his shirt as if it would anchor him to her. Or maybe it was to anchor her to him, surrendering the last bit of her sanity over to the one person who never hurt her. After another long moment of standing in each other's arms, she finally pulls away and starts packing her bag. Eddie tucks Billy's jacket under his arm, not entirely trusting Richard not to burn the thing in her absence, and makes sure to grab a few of her favorite tapes for her Walkman from her bedside table.

"I'll go first and help you down, okay?" He instructs with a nod, stepping toward her window as she zips the bag over her clothes, necessary accessories, and toiletries before pulling on Billy's jacket to make it easier to carry. She watches him climb out of her window and down the slant of the roofing over the porch as he had done millions of times over the past year and a half with ease before following his lead. She tries to step right where he had, but slips. She yelps, struggling to grip the roofing for support.

"Baby let go, I'll catch you." Eddie blurts out in a panic, his fingers brushing her calf as she struggled to feel for the tall vase her mother had resting near the pillar she hung nearby. She bites her lip, yelping his name once she lets the tile go and falls just to crash into him with a faint grunt. He chuckles to himself as he sets her up on her feet, straightening the leather jacket around her shoulders as an excuse to check her over for any unintended injuries. Once cleared, he takes her hand and runs toward his van.

"Shit, shouldn't we talk to Wayne before I just stay with you for a few days? I mean, I could always stay with Nancy or something." She shrugs, trying to think of a backup plan just in case his uncle didn't feel like entertaining another teenager, understandably. She, unfortunately, couldn't stay with her cousin since she knew almost without a shadow of a doubt that her mother was already gossiping about what they had read in her diary to her sister-in-law and asking that they have Robin keep an eye on her for them.

"Don't worry about him, he loves you and I'm sure after he eats those leftovers you saved him, he'll be more than happy to hide you out for a bit." He chuckles, offering her his hand once the passenger side door to his van was opened. She smiles, taking it to use to steady herself despite not necessarily needing it to step up into the van, and buckled up while he makes his way around toward the driver's side.

"Are you okay? You're not in any trouble, are you?" His Uncle asks, taking hold of her chin gently to turn her head from side to side in a show of looking her over for any signs of injury once they got back to the trailer. She smiles and laughs, looking up at the wonderful older gentleman hoping to God her father's wedding ring hadn't left a mark as Neil's had on Billy.

"No no, I'm just having some issues at home and Eddie thought it'd be best if I stayed with him for a little bit. I thought it'd give us time to study if you let me stay that is." She explains, patting her bag of schoolbooks slung over her shoulder as if to demonstrate her seriousness. He chuckles and nods, rubbing the back of her head in a fatherly manner as he leads her towards the trailer.

"All I ask is that you leave the door cracked so I can check on you, but I trust you baby Buckley." He chuckles, nicknaming her after the friend he once found in her mother and Uncle, watching as her smile widens. "Oh! And thank you for the leftovers. That was very sweet of you to think of me like that."

Out of habit, Aurora's eyes scanned the front of the trailer across the gravel path from them. She had grown accustomed to checking on Max in secret, not wanting to frighten the girl she understood could very well loathe the very sight of her, but something within her wouldn't let it continue. The cheek that her father slapped moments ago burned once more as she opens the door to the trailer for Eddie who insisted on taking her bags inside for her.

"I'll be right back." She nods toward Wayne, resting on top of the picnic table under his awning. Biting the inside of her cheek, she forces herself to break her silence and knock in the trailer door. She couldn't let Max feel alone anymore. At that moment, her father was as close to having Neil Hargrove back in her life as she wanted to get, and those memories wouldn't let her continue to excuse not checking on her adoptive little sister.

"Aurora? Hi." Susan smiles groggily, rubbing her eyes as she steps aside to invite her in. "I-I'm sorry, I know this isn't what you were used to but…" She hums, rushing to clean up her makeshift bed on the couch to allow her to sit next to her.

"No please, don't apologize. I know a lot has changed for all of us. How-how are you doing?" Aurora takes the seat next to her, squeezing her hand. Susan's once bright green eyes were now dull with exhaustion despite forcing a smile.

"We're okay, sweetheart. Don't worry about us." She leans into her side, rubbing the girl's back lovingly. Aurora shifts slightly, chewing on her bottom lip anxiously before finally speaking her mind. "Can-look I know it's not my place, but can you tell me if Max hates me? I-I wouldn't blame her, but I need her to know I never stopped worrying about her. I'd still very much like to be her older sister if she'd let me." She blurts, her anxiety forcing the words out much faster than she had intended causing her to stumble over a few. Susan smiles genuinely and pulls her close, kissing her hair.

"I think she'd like that. We both would. I've missed you just as much as she has." She laughs faintly with joy, squeezing her hand once more. "I'm going to be staying with the Munsons across the way for a few days. If Wayne doesn't fight with me too much about cooking dinner for them, would it be okay if I brought you and Max over something to eat?" She says softly, leaning into the motherly figure she needed most at that moment despite knowing she should focus solely on Max. Before Susan could answer, the clatter of a skateboard falling to the hard linoleum flooring down the hall startled them both.

"Aurora? What are you doing here?" Max groans halfheartedly, crossing her arms over her chest. Aurora had expected Max to be upset when she finally saw her again but coming face-to-face with it was different. It hurt more. The regret and pain knotted in her stomach as she stood to meet Max at the hall entryway.

"Hi Max. I just came to check on you guys." She answers softly, picking up her skateboard for her.

"Why now? You left, remember?" Max snaps, snatching the board away from her. Aurora nods, listening to Susan sigh in defeat behind her.

"I did, you're right. I needed space away from this town after what I had lost in that fire but that wasn't right." She explains, hoping she understood her desire to keep the truth from her mother, kneeling to look at the wrist that still wore the bracelet she had made from the other half of Billy's necklace.

"I never should've left you. I was just so disgusted by all those people talking about how loved Billy was when they didn't know him. Not like we did. I…" She continues, pausing as the pain chokes off her words.

"It's not an excuse worth losing the best little sister I've ever had over, but I needed time to let him go." Max shifts, touching the charm on Aurora's wrist.

"But you didn't let him go." She says softly, not trying to hurt the girl more than she had already been. Aurora nods and straightens it with a fond smile.

"I kept his jacket too." She almost laughs. Max struggles for a moment with whether she should acknowledge the obviously wounded girl in front of her, stepping up to her.

"Are you going to leave me again?" She whispers, her voice betraying her by not committing to the false strength she had been exuding since Billy's passing. Aurora looks up from where their hands sat in her lap holding on to one another absentmindedly, tears blurring her vision as she fights to blink them away.

"I never left you, Max. Hawkins just wasn't where I needed to be to grieve. You will always be my little warrior, okay? And I understand if you don't want to trust me again right away, all I ask is that you let me try." She reassures her, resisting the urge to pull the little redhead in for a hug as she stands.

"I told your mom I'll be staying with the Munsons across the way for a few days if you need me, okay? I'll be over later with dinner." She reiterates, looking up at Susan once more as she shifts toward the door.

"That sounds lovely, dear, thank you." She smiles once more and leaves, but before she could leave their lot, Max calls for her. "Why are you staying with the Munsons?" Her eyes strayed behind her slightly as Wayne and Eddie relaxed while smoking on the picnic table.

"Just some issues with my parents." She shrugs as if it were nothing, leaning down to kiss her head.

"Are you okay?" Max asks, looking for any sign of similarities between her and Billy's abusive situations.

"I'm fine, little one. The Mind Flayer couldn't kill me so it'll take a lot more than my dad having a fit to take me out." She laughs at her dark joke.

"But you had Billy to protect you. Will Eddie?" Aurora laughs softly and nods, looking over at Eddie as he goes through her cassettes.

"I'd like to think so." She waves her goodbye for the time being and jogs back over toward Eddie where he judged her music taste. Rolling her eyes playfully, she excuses herself into the trailer to start making an early dinner in hopes that Wayne could eat before having to go back to the factory. While cooking, the Munson men not only managed to migrate back into the trailer to offer their assistance but complimented her on how heavenly her spaghetti smelled. While they ate, Rory kept her promise by taking two bowls of spaghetti over to Max and her mother before eating herself. Once everyone was finished, Wayne jokingly hints at Eddie washing the dishes on his way out the door. He groans until she hops up on the counter with a towel to dry them. They stayed in comfortable silence, humming along to the music he plays through his stereo on the counter before he tosses the damp towel in the sink to help her down.

"You doin' okay?" He asks softly, checking her cheek once more. She nods and rests her head against his shoulder, sighing.

"Max asked if you'd protect me like Billy had." She states simply, pulling away to step around him as if the distance would help clear her mind. "He died for me. I-I don't expect anyone to do something like that. I don't even fully understand why he did." She shrugs, rifling through her bag for her hairbrush to pull her hair up. He holds out his hand for the brush and gently combs through her hair before tying it up for her in a messy bun.

"He loved you. Isn't that what girls want? Someone to be willing to die for them?" He chuckles awkwardly at the situation. She didn't really know how to answer that. She understood fairly quickly when dating Billy that she wasn't like most of the girls who wanted all these expensive acts of proclamation and knightly heroics as if Hawkins was some fairytale kingdom and she was the Princess to be doted on and fought over. Toying with the end of the shirt she wore she shrugs to herself. "I-I would've been happy recovering in the hospital as long as I woke up to him." She shifts awkwardly as the tears force a shiver through her, causing her to squeak faintly.

"No no, I know." He hums, rubbing her arms to try to ease her anxiety while cursing himself for unknowingly triggering her sorrow. She shakes her head and forces a smile, finally looking up at him.

"No, it's okay. I-um I just remember how easy Billy had said I was to be around. I didn't need a grand gesture, I just wanted to be loved." She shakes her head harder as if it'd erase the ridiculously sad statement. It was then that Eddie understood this wasn't so much about Billy as it was a combination of things. Her father made her second guess her self-worth even in his eyes, losing Billy and thus Max's trust just months ago and no doubt reliving the harsh trauma of her past failed relationships left her shaken more than she wanted to admit. He bites his lip for a moment, unsure of how to help, before ultimately hugging her tight as he had in her room. Everything was finally settling in and her poor overworked brain wasn't letting her cope the way she would've liked. It crushed him to watch her lose her grip on her control. It was even worse when her worst fear slipped from her lips in a faint whimper.

"Why am I so hard to love?" She sobs, her mind finally having enough before snapping the last strand of sanity she possessed as she clung to him.

"You're not, Sunspot. Don't let little Dicky Ross take a happy memory from you." He huffs, smiling slowly as she laughs through the pain at the use of her nickname. Or was it the fact that he mocked her father's name? Either way, the sound, no matter how faint, brought a smile to his face. He was trying to reclaim that for her from her father, having heard her grandfather call her that while she was visiting in Georgia. She steps closer, kissing his jaw as a silent token of appreciation, and nuzzles into his neck.

"What do you say to a movie night? We can have a long weekend. I think you deserve tomorrow off and then you can come with me to Hellfire Saturday night. What do ya say? Be my good luck charm again." He teases, rubbing her back. She nods silently, wrapping her arms around him tighter as if being closer to him would make every dark thought disappear from her mind. He could only hope it worked that way for her. After losing himself in the floral scent of her shampoo, he shifted slightly to pick up her bag.

"Here, go get changed sweetheart. You deserve to be comfortable. I'll get the fort ready." He hums, kissing her hair as he pulls away.

Later that night, after fighting through a rewatch of Star Wars, Aurora fell asleep to the heavenly mix of Eddie's voice as he read The Lord of the Rings aloud to her and the low rumble of the vibrating box fan at the foot of their fort. His voice normally was very calming to her. She had once thought that it could chase away any nightmare her imagination could muster, but she couldn't have been more wrong. Once again, Billy's name tore through her throat like broken glass. Her body moved without much thought as if she were the one possessed, throwing herself at the man she had been dating for the past year. Sickly enough, despite the fear etched into El's eyes, and even Max's over his shoulder, Billy's hand felt almost like home to her as it wrapped around her throat. For a moment, his fingers linger on the curve of her jaw as they had when he wanted her attention. His eyes, those beautifully tranquil hazel-aquamarine pools that made her melt, seemed to flicker as if a match sat behind them struggling to ignite.

"Please, Billy, please." She cried softly, gripping his wrist as his fingers tightened around her throat uncomfortably. He slowly edged her toward the massive beast of molten flesh in the center of the Starcourt lobby; his penance for the weakness he showed in the sauna days earlier. She reached for him, hoping deep down this thing would free him if he only recognized her love and kindness once more, her fingers grazing the thin chain that laid around his neck. Wrapping her fingers around the edge, she used what she believed to be her last moments of consciousness to memorize his features. Despite the dark shadow they stood in, only periodically lit by the colorful flares of the fireworks being used to keep the monstrosity at bay, she could still make out those dreamy sun-bleached curls that clung to his sharp jaw in sweat. As the darkness in her vision closes in around the image of him, she tried to focus on the tears in his eyes. As twisted as it was, they gave her hope that the real Billy was still fighting inside.

"I love you." She fights to form the words, cementing that she did not blame Billy for his actions. As if her declaration angered the beast within, he sneered and tightened his grip, lifting her up off the floor as if he planned to feed her straight to the monster himself.

"I'm sorry." She choked out, apologizing both to the man within the shell holding her for not being able to love and free him and to Max for not being the older sister she promised she'd be. She deserved to be kept from this freak show. Just as her body gave in to the bleakness behind her eyes, El struggled to stand behind him. She pressed her fingers to either side of his head and in an instant, Aurora was free. She fell to the hard marble floor roughly, groaning in between gasps for air. Once again, those gemstone eyes of his clouded in tears, not giving her much time to adjust to the situation as he stepped over her to hold back the elongated tentacle that shot toward her from the monster that once possessed him.

"No!" She cried out, pulling herself together enough to slash at the tendril with a shard of glass. It roars, more so in irritation rather than pain as she had hoped. Reaching for it again, she stepped in front of Billy in hopes of taking any further danger away from him. He growled at her, flinching at the sound of her own screams as a separate tentacle bit into her left shoulder and yanked her back toward it as if using her would give it control over its host again. Mustering everything he could to push the creature away from her as El struggled to pull her free, sounds of his agonizing wails reverberate deep in her bones as it shifts to make the final blow into the center of Billy's chest.

"Billy!" Max and Aurora called out in unison, pain erupting from them just as El had successfully severed the tentacle attached to her shoulder. It wasn't until she reached for him that she realized his chain must've broken as it dangled in her fist.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, looking from Max to Aurora as he lay covered in a mixture of the beast's black fluid and blood on the marble tiles, tears streaming down his face.

Sitting up in the makeshift bed, the familiar sting of the monster's teeth throbs through her scars again, the sensation of her blood flowing down her back once more forcing her to shiver violently through choked-off sobs. Without a second thought, she climbs out of the fort and lets herself wonder. Even as the cold night air draws goosebumps over her clammy skin, she doesn't stop until she reaches the small playground area within the trailer park and climbs into the hanging tire swing. She lies back from her position in the center to look up at the stars as it sways, her hands wrapped tight around two of the four sets of chains that held her up.

"It can't get you now, it's over. You're safe." She repeatedly whispers to herself, closing her eyes while trying to focus on her breathing. She jumps, shifting to sit up at the sound of footsteps in the mulch.

"There you are. You okay?" Eddie grumbles, wobbling in his half-awakened state. He pushes the swing upwards as he leans into it, forcing her forward into him. Despite her effort in hiding, he could see the tears in her eyes. He reaches up slowly to brush the hair from her face, mesmerized by the way her eyes flutter shut and her head slightly tilted into his touch. Just as he was that morning, he rubs the sleep from his beautifully dark eyes with his free hand, wearing his low-rise sweats and a Hellfire shirt he obviously pulled on as he walked out the door. His hair was in the same bun she put it in before he sat back to read to her, and it almost made her jealous how he became even more beautiful now that it was sloppy and slept in. She could only hope to look half that good when she woke up.

"I'm sorry, I-I just needed some air." She apologizes, noticing the way his heavily lidded eyes took in every inch of her. She hated how much she made him worry about her and wanted nothing more than to tell him the truth behind what happened, but she couldn't endanger him.

"Come back to bed." He says softly, his ringed fingers playing with hers as he playfully tugs at the tire cradling her. She could tell he was tired, but knew he'd fight sleep like a toddler if it meant keeping an eye on her. She smiles at the thought and climbs out of the swing, laughing faintly to herself as he wiggles his heavily decorated fingers back in her direction as he leads the way back to the trailer. She jogs to his side just to take his hand once more, smiling wider when he pulls her hand up to his lips and kisses it lovingly.

Tucking her back into the blankets, he brushes his knuckles down her cheek. "Do you want to talk about it?" He offers, lying beside her before scooting as close as possible. She shrugs, wrapping the blanket tight around her shoulders just to gather the excess into her chest like a makeshift teddy bear.

"I guess my brain had enough today." She explains vaguely. He nods and lies on his back, patting his chest once he's settled into place.

"Come here." He smiles faintly, biting his bottom lip as she shifts to drape the blanket over both of them, her head lying on his chest.

"I'll do anything I can to keep you safe. From you and anyone else, okay?" He reassured her, kissing her head. She nods, squeezing him closer as she snuggles into his side. "I don't know what I'd do without you, my little rockstar." She says softly, smiling wider at the sound of his laughter.

Just as she promised, she gave Eddie back his good luck charm for his newest campaign. She hadn't learned how to play confidently enough yet to be able to join them, but Eddie seemed to enjoy her presence, nonetheless. She had been worried when Gareth offered to find her another chair after the others were claimed around the table, but Eddie simply shifted in his throne, spread his legs, and patted his thigh.

"Your luck rubs off on me better if you're close, pretty girl." He smirks, trying to uphold his reputation around his bandmates. She smiles through the rosy tint to her cheeks as she steps up to his black-stained chair.

"Who am I to deny the Dungeon Master what he needs to help his party succeed?" She says smoothly, her voice dropping low into more of a siren's song, laughing faintly at the deep blush that washes over him causing him to stiffen even as she sits between his legs to lean back against the pillow he propped up over the right armrest and throw her legs over the left. She could smell what had become the favored cologne combination of patchouli, lavender, and sandalwood that he often used to cover up the scent of his weed now faded over the hours between the few hits he took and the session at hand. He drums his fingers on her knees to the beat of a song she realized only played in his head as she draws in her notebook. Each time his need to jump forward or move out of excitement became too much for him to contain, he wraps an arm around her midsection to keep her from falling and pulls her into him as if she was the teddy bear a child would squeeze while happily dancing around the living room floor on Christmas morning. Biting the inside of her cheek, she told herself the thick object rutting into her hip with every move he made was the pack of smokes and the lighter he crammed into his jeans instead of just having her put them in her bag as she suggested. But the way his eyes sparkled under the harsh golden glow of the dim fluorescents of the theater room made her wish she had her Polaroid camera. She would've given anything to give him that joy every day and the thought of keeping evidence of those beautiful golden caramel eyes made her heart race. She knew even if she used the picture as a bookmark, she'd have to be careful because if he found it she'd never be free of his torment.

Unfortunately, eventually, Sunday night came around and Rory had to go home. Her stomach churned as Eddie's can came to a halt outside her house. He reaches over and squeezes her hand, bringing her fingers to his lips before speaking. "We can always swap stuff out. You're the best roommate I've ever had, and Wayne thinks you're a good influence on me so we have no problem with you coming back home with me." He pauses, kissing her hand, watching her struggle to work up the courage to open her door. He tilts his head slightly to look at her, studying the way the warm glow from the streetlights blankets her features angelically. Her green eyes were now a stormy grey as she wiggles her fingers in between his.

"I have to go in. I know they're leaving this week, but I don't think I can handle another lecture, Eddie. I-I can't bear to hear him tear me down about this anymore." She sighs, groaning at herself as her bottom lip trembles in betrayal. She hated feeling hopeless or like a failure and her father seemed to be the key to her worst fears. He shifts out of his seat to kneel next to her, kissing her hand repeatedly as if each one would give her even more confidence, courage, and strength than the last. She smiles faintly and leans into him, laughing softly as he squirms in his place to wrap his arms around her waist.

"I'm just a call away, sweetheart. Hell, tomorrow I'll get us walkies like the kids so you can call me any time. How's that sound?" He suggests, bouncing happily at the idea. She nods, forcing a smile as she gathers her things. He bites his lip anxiously, watching her, before getting out to open her door for her.

"Could-" She begins just as the door opens for her, his wide eyes searching her for any reason not to let her go. "My parents leave for Chicago Friday. Do you think you'd be able to stay with me when they leave? I won't wanna stay here alone and I know you must be getting tired of us always ending up back at your trailer." She shrugs, taking hold of his right hand and playing with the band on his ring finger with an onyx center.

"You expect me to go a week without you? Are you crazy?" He teases. "Can't I just sneak in like I used to or come over for dinner again? Your mom loved having me over last time." He laughs at the memory of watching her father damn near stroke out at the sight of both his girls politely doting over yet another hoodlum that she's managed to attract.

"Why don't you sneak over tomorrow for another movie night, Wednesday you can use the front door and I'll cook dinner, and Friday I'll call you once they've left. Does that fill your schedule with enough me, Munson?" She laughs, shaking her head slightly in disbelief. He chuckles and shrugs. "It'll do for now. But don't forget, if you need me just come over. I won't let you go through this alone, okay?" She nods, bowing her head to look down at their hands in her lap. He steps closer, gently lifting her chin to look up at him.

"Do you need me to stay? You still have one of my Hellfire shirts right? I can wear that tomorrow." She smiles at the invitation but shakes her head, not wanting him to be any more exposed to the shitstorm that she knew was awaiting her inside. Instead, she takes hold of the flimsy chain holding the guitar pick around his neck and leads him slowly in between her legs where she hooks her legs around his lazily.

"Where would I be without you?" She smiles, biting back the urge to laugh at the slight alarm and nervousness that widened his eyes despite him playing it off and gripping the cushion on either side of her hips. "Seriously though, I think they may be the one thing that'd send you running for the hills and I can't…" She pauses, shaking her head, but he notices as her smile fades and her eyes brighten in a seriousness that wrenches his heart as she traces over the bats on his forearm. "I can't lose you too so at least until I can get things stable between us, I need you to go home." She finishes, praying to everything holy that his anxiety wouldn't think she meant she was embarrassed of him or didn't want him around. She just didn't want her parents' anger to be shifted onto him unfairly or for him to be thrusted further into her personal love life with Billy. Just as she thought, knowing he could read her just as well as Billy could, he pulls her into him and kisses her forehead.

"Whatever you need me to do, I'll do Aurora. Just please promise me if anything goes sideways and you need me, you'll at least pick up the phone." He nods his conviction and holds her face in his hands to ensure he has her undivided attention. She bites the inside of her cheek at the mention of her full name. It was a silly thing for someone's stomach to do flips over, but the way it spilt from his lips and was only ever used in times of crisis stirred something in her that screamed just how much he truly cared for her. "Better yet, at any minor inconvenience, I'll leave my window unlocked. Don't hesitate to break in. I won't press charges on such a pretty smile." He smirks, nudging her with his hip to get her to smile as he pulls her from her seat. She hugs him tight and kisses his collarbone as she pulls away.

"Of course. I'll see you tomorrow. Be safe." She says softly before jogging up to her door knowing full well if she didn't leave then she wouldn't leave at all.

Once inside, she wasted no time heading to her room. She throws her bag onto the bed and peeks her head out the window to wave to Eddie in his van below to let him know she was safely inside so he could leave. She could just barely see him wave in acknowledgment before his music vibrated the van back to life, pulling off the curb down the road. Her stomach sank at the empty, lonely feeling that settled in around her deafeningly quiet room. She does her best to take deep breaths while she unpacks her bag and get into the shower, hoping her parents would be in their office by the time she went down for dinner but regardless she knew one way or another she had to face this pressure building on top of her shoulders. She just hoped she could make it through this week with no issues.