The drive continued in silence and she was getting a little antsy now. It felt odd to continue the drive with neither chatting - or bickering - or listening to the radio. As she came to the top of first of three hills to their destination, she could see the Energy Departments light littering the building just a mile ahead.

"So what are you doing after this?" She asked conversationally, thought it sound strained to her own ears.

"After what?" He muttered.

"School, you're graduating this year."

He didn't answer for so long she didn't think Billy had heard her. Finally he said, "keep your little detective skills focused on your irrational mission."

He was brooding, like he had never thought of what he wanted to after he graduated. She frowned. Everyone thought of what they were going to do after graduation. How had he not thought of what he was going to do after afterwards?

It was a perfectly normal question to ask.

"You've almost gotten us killed and you're chasing after something even more imaginary than someone on acid chasing after a dragon." Billy said with a surprisingly calm tone. "And I know you're not an idiot like the rest at the sorry excuse that's Hawkins High."

Maybe that's what he had been brooding about.

Her heart was only thrumming gently now. But it had still shaken her, inside. No one had ever pointed a gun at her, or at anyone she was with. Both of them had nearly been shot. Because she was so focused on solving this case.

And he was right. What was important enough that she wasn't just risking her life, but his too? What had she even really found? With a sigh she slowed down, and then pulled over to the side of the road.

Not that there was much point. The only thing out here was the energy facility and she doubted it was a popular road. Still, it was the safe thing to do. Though she snorted at her own irony she'd get herself into a situation with a deadly weapon but staying on the road felt too risky.

The engine stilled as she turned the key. Diane sat back in her seat. It felt like his eyes were going to burn through her with the relentless way he was analysing her right now. She didn't know what she was showing him without talking.

Billy took off his seatbelt and Diane mimicked him.

"Was it true? What you said about being worried about the police coming to your place?" She asked, playing with her hands in a tentative manner.

"Yeah. It is."

"And we almost got shot." She fiddled with the edge of her sleeve.

"Sure did." His words were whip sharp.

"I'm sorry. Okay, fine, you were right. I've been acting sort of, uhm, driven?" She tried to phrase it neutrality.

Diane trusted the police, but he clearly didn't. And she'd been dragging him everywhere with her. No, not dragging, he'd rejected her offer to drop him off. If she was in that much danger he could've called the police on her from a pay booth; she wasn't doing anything illegal but it'd sure get the point across to her.

Hadn't he also said he was just here for the ride and subsequent entertainment of her failure? The thought slipped away before she could hold onto it.

He narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to say something before deciding that there would be no justice in any response he could possibly have.

She couldn't believe the amalgamation of events that had lead her up to this moment: sitting in a car with Mr. California about to confess a startling revelation she had finally accepted about herself.

She was fairly sure she had stumbled into a parallel universe without realising it. Figures. With a shaky sigh she looked out the window.

"I just thought- . . . you think life is better without any parents, which is easy to say when you can come home to at least someone. The grades didn't do it, and the spotless record didn't do it, and the academic awards didn't do it. You know I used to be friends with Carol and Tommy and the like?" She breathed a laugh, "He used to have such a crush on me."

Billy sniffed. "Yeah, think he's still pining of you; waste of time, you're too good for him."

She stopped herself from rolling her eyes at his words, but she was still looking out the window, too lost in her own mind to see the serious expression on his face. "But they wanted to use my empty house for parties. My parents would still visit every now and then. By the time I was fifteen though, they barely came around.

Carol was so insistent; gave an ultimatum. Either I was their friend, or I should find new ones who liked playing stupid, nerdy games. And I just couldn't do it. If they came home one night when the whole house had turned into a rager complete with graffiti and low ply toilet paper thrown everywhere?

They would've told me they had expected better of me, to act like an adult and how irresponsible I was - how disappointed they'd be. Then they'd just pack up and never come back." Diane was playing with her hands the whole time as she stared at her lap.

"Should we put a pin in the fact that you emphasized the worst thing your parents would walk home to is low ply toilet paper?" He asked with a raised brow.

Finally she looked over at him and she couldn't believe he had tugged a small smile out of her when she felt so leaden with the stress of the conversation. Suddenly it felt like the blood in her veins had livened up again. "I stepped away from their circle after that. Never missed me, and the feeling's mutual. Guess they're more your type of people.

And I just thought, if I showed them I could already do this before I even finished high school, they'd realise that I'm good enough to tag along their work-trips. They'd teach me how to do what they do. The Energy Department would realise I'm smart enough to do this. But I don't know if my parents are coming back."

"You say all that now, but trust me the whole coming home to your parents thing ain't that fucking thrilling." He drawled, running a hand through his curls. "And I don't do friends."

He looked bored, a little frustrated even by the way his tapping against the floor.

Her voice was quiet, "Being nice isn't going to hurt you, you know. Or at least, I won't."

The last part spilled out before she could even think it through. Diane didn't know why she said it. It wasn't like Billy Hargrove got hurt, at least not emotionally. Hell, sometimes she doubted if he even felt physical pain.

There was an intense look in his eye that she couldn't decipher, nearly like her offer got through him to a certain extent, but then was blocked somewhere inside his brain from continuing towards understanding or accepting them. With a shrug Billy made a noncommittal soound.

A heavy sigh passed through her lips and she slowly began nodding with defeated acceptance. "We'll go back. I won't even drag you on any stupid follow-ups either. And it's fine," she said more for herself, "There's other things I can do better, maybe intern at the mayors or something this summer. I'm better at paperwork anyway."

She would still go to the police herself tomorrow, though. Tell them what happened with the gun, at least. She'd just leave Billy out of the story.

He snorted and looked out the window.

"What?" She asked. He hadn't made fun of her the entire time like she thought he would. Well, okay, he had made fun of her. But he could've been mean-spirited. After what she did, she wouldn't argue that she didn't deserve some harshness thrown her way.

Billy almost seemed over it now, but Diane probably wouldn't be for a while.

"If you were this stubborn about doing the things you wanted to, instead of what your parents keep wanting, imagine how free you'd feel." He said.

"And does it make you feel free?" She asked. Diane didn't have to know his home life to know half of what he did had to be behind their backs.

A dark look clouded his eyes for a moment before they cleared up again as one thought was pushed out of his head and another sprang up.

It was one of his whiplash moods again where she knew she'd always be a few moments behind. The conversation they just had was already nothing more than something behind them on the road. With his next words she knew the exact reasoning for that growing look of mischief on his face.

Diane turned around slightly in the seat to face him better, raising up her knee to be near the gear shift.

He grinned. "Jesus' loophole? You're sick, Dobler."

Her face heated up. "I had to make up something believable."

"Well I think he bought it. Hell I almost did."

"Jesus." She grumbled, then she opened her mouth and closed it. She hadn't mean it like that. If he kept going she was sure her face could sear a steak.

"Freudian slip? Tell me, do crosses get you too?" He murmured, and his demeanour had effortlessly shifted into a territory that he wasn't only natural at, but excelled in.

She slid further down into her seat with another grumble. "You can take me up on that offer to throw me in the trunk now."

"Oh that's how it begins, is it." His eyes were sparkling with mischief at her increasing discomfort.

A certain hunger darkened his eyes and the atmosphere in the car transformed from something light into an allure that saturated the confined space. It carried with it an electric undercurrent that jolted her nerves.

A smaller smile was playing on his lips now as he leaned forwards slightly, encroaching into her space. But with his broad shoulders and muscular frame inside the narrow car that wasn't difficult to do. His presence was inescapable.

His hand was on his knee, and the heat from his calloused fingers instant instantly seeped through the long skirt.

"That might've been a lie back in the bar, but everyone has a fantasy. What's yours?" His thumb brushed the inside of her knee.

And she was in a small car with nowhere to go and his dominating energy was all around her, trapping her right there in the car with him. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach.

In the back of her mind she knew she was one of many girls he used these tricks on, but he was so good at it, and she was only human. His tongue darted out to swipe his lower lip nearly-unconsciously.

He was so close now their breaths mingled; she realised she had moved closer too suddenly, like a magnet unable to fight the current. The heady scent of his cologne surrounded her, and even the slight spiced scent that was rising through the base of the cologne send a small shiver up her spine.

"Tell me what you want, Diane." His head was tilted slightly, words nearly brushing against her lips as he murmured. Her eyes began lulling shut as her heart was thrumming in her chest.

Denim from the sleeve of his jacket brushed against her collarbone as his hand rose up to slide to the back of her head. His demeanour was nearly physical with intent and it ensnared her.

And-

No. Something was wrong. Her eyes sprang open. That was a much stronger flutter and it wasn't a nervously happy one. The anxiety spread through her like something had finally snapped inside her, and she pulled with a jerk saying, "I can't right now."

His eyes flashed in suspicion but it instantly morphed into concern when he saw the deep unease in her face. Diane didn't even realised she had reached out to him and rested her hand on her arm until her eyes flickered down. "I don't feel good." The words tumbled out of her mouth. "I think it's the pills. I haven't been taking them, I need to go back home. Now."

"What pills?"

"The ones I've taken since I was little every single day since forever." She said. She had expected frustration from him, a snippy attitude, to push her. Tommy would've. Most of the boys she knew would've.

"Yeah what are they about? Because if you're going to stop breathin' while driving, well I'd rather not go bending around a tree." His words came out quickly.

She shook her head quickly. "Anxiety. I think."

"You think?" His brows flash up into his hairline as he took in the way she was now clutching his arm and had paled with a sudden spike in stress levels. "It either is or it isn't."

"My mom explained it years ago, I never really bothered to ask again." She defended. But maybe she should've. Going off the pills was giving her a sense of unease that almost felt physical in nature, like a shift in her cells.

So this is why her mom and dad had drilled into her to take them daily. And she had like clockwork every day until the process began so engrained in her morning routine she barely even thought of it anymore. Or at least she had, until about about two weeks ago.

Billy had done more than show up at Hawkins with his obnoxiously loud Camaro; he had metaphorically crashed into her life.

"You're the reason I've forgotten to take my pills." She accused.

"Some girls just go crazy when they kiss me but it's a risk I'm willing to take." He looked very insincerely remorseful. In fact that looked like the ghost of a smirk.

Another smiling was threatening to pull her lips upwards despite herself. For a moment their eyes met and they stared at each other in lazy amusement.

There was a thud on top of the car hood that rocked them forwards.

"What the fuck is that thing?!" Billy leaned all the way back in the seat as he stared upwards; he was blinking several times as his mind was forced to accept a previously unattainable logic.

It looked like a cougar and Great Dane had bred together, had its skin flayed, and then thrown into a cooler for a few too many years. The things head whipped towards them. Then it began opening its mouth like petals sliding open.

She had nearly managed to rationalise that they really had seen a rabid or diseased animal. But this was not an animal. Nothing about it was natural and a shudder rippled through her.

Rings of short, sharp teeth glistened with rows of saliva dripping downwards. A keening shriek was thrown right into their faces, barely muted by the glass barrier between them.

"Go, go, go." Billy snarled never once taking his eyes off the demon-dog. It reared back on its hind legs before throwing its full weight down; a crack shot up the middle of the windshield and the car rocked again.

A frustrated whimper made its way out of her throat as she fumbled with the keys. And then he knocked her hand aside and jammed the key in, twisting it.

"Hit it!" He ordered.

The engine roared to life and they were thrown back in their seats as Diane hit the pedal all the way to the ground. The demon-dog went rolling over the windshield, over the top of the car and was thrown behind them.

For a split second she glanced in the rearview mirror as she saw the thing tumble onto the dark ground of the road. Without seeming to take any damage at all it jumped up again, shook itself off and then stared directly at the retreating car.

Then it bounded towards them and Diane's eyes snapped back to the road as she stared hard ahead. The yellow stripes on the road were nothing but a blur.

The world came sharply into focus again as the adrenaline spiked in her system and the gated Energy Department drew nearer. This close she could see that there was only one entry checkpoint that the road lead up too. Squinting slightly she made out three guards.

One appeared to be in the booth.

"You need to slow down." Billy muttered, holding onto the side of the car as he realised the quickly diminishing distance and her incredible speed.

But Diane couldn't shake the feeling of that thing running after them was close behind and ready to tear into the car. She couldn't slow down yet. They had to get a little closer. Her heart was pounding and blood roared in her ears.

Just a little closer . . . She could make out the yellow and black warning band on the top of the divider pole. Beneath it was a speed bump. Getting inside the building was the safest option; she would get them as close as possible.

"Diane." He roared.

She slammed on the breaks and gave a small shriek as the car skidded forwards. Both grunted simultaneously as the car forcefully slammed into the speed-bump, then the front hit the metal pole as they were thrown forwards in their seats.

The airbags shot up as they were yanked forwards. The world blinked out for a moment. As she stirred the first thing that began coming was sound. There were muffled noises from outside that sounded like she was listening from the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

Then the flickering lights of the Department twinkled like large, blurry snowflakes before her vision adjusted and they returned to sharp small lights.

As both of them struggled to sit up, they saw the guards pouring down from the facility. Behind them, a large black car had pulled up, blocking any exit if it crossed their minds. A moment later a well-dressed man with slicked back pepper hair stepped out of the passengers seat.

A few guards had approached them now. The teens winced as powerful flashlights were shone into their faces. Their wide eyes stared back owlishly at the department employees closing in on them.

The man with the grey jacket on and a tailored suit stepped forwards. Smiling at Diane he wriggled his leather-gloved fingers at her in semblance of a wave.

"You should have called before you came. We didn't expect to see you back. Welcome," the man smiled tightly, "Ms. Dobler."

Back? What did he mean back, she had never been inside the Energy Department before. And how did a man she had never seen in her life automatically realise it was her, sitting here in the chaos of a crashed car, hair a birds nest and face large and pale after the demon-dog attack?

Diane and Billy stared at the officials gathering around them with wide eyes and nowhere else to go.

A/N: Cock-blocked by a demodog. We get it, the Mind Flayer wants Billy all to itself.

Billy's jokes about the demodogs being dipped/from the Chernobyl reactor in earlier chapters. But I need to go back and delete those jokes because they're a few years before their time. (If only I had thoroughly edited this story instead of being lazy).

These were some long replies to your reviews below. I'll do my best to keep my replies shorter so I don't falsely inflate the word count on the story too much.

GreenBanshee: Well cat's out of the bag, you got me. I know nothing about cars. But thanks for the corrections, I'll go back and fix the errors and play more with the dialogue between them when I get the time to edit.

Cosmo39: I think they just need to make an alternative ST3 ending where we see that no one died, they all just went to live on a farm together.

"Has anyone seen Hopper recently?" "Oh he went to go live on a farm."

Guest: I don't even know how that happened. Somehow her character weaselled her way into acting more naive than originally intended. Although right now I think its partially wilful ignorance mixed with desperation to get her parents approval. Unlike most of them she didn't grow up with her parents so seeing their flaws is harder (you know, excluding the fact they pretty much abandoned her). And since Billy's a relentless pusher he's been forcing her to question her identity and values like she'll be/is doing with him.

But she's about to get her world turned upside-down (heh) soon, which'll speed along her character development. Nothing like a few earth-shattering revelations to change ones mindset.

Tulipei1: I did translate it, but it's absolutely no issue! I think it's super impressive that you've taken the time to learn another language and read stories in English since it's not your native language. If you need anything clarified at any point just let me know.

I've been trying to keep this story with some lightness and humour in it for sure since the show has a good mix of humour and angst. I debated making a darker character for him, but I was afraid there'd be too much angst and felt like I'd have a funner time writing this if I tried throwing in a character who's someone he'd never hang out with if it weren't by accident.

Belovedfinch11: Feel like there should've been more Max and Billy scenes thrown in there before the ending (make it happen, ST4!), only because I wanted at least a little cuteness between them in their complex relationship, seeing as they clearly both loved each other.

Sandafairy: Diane just needs to keep getting some confidence to feel she has the right to throw quips left and right and dead-center at demogorgans.

MulishaMaiden: Ask and yee shall recieve. Thanks for the compliments, I even read them twice. We can cry together! I didn't feel particularly attached in ST3, just interested. But trust the writers and the actor who killed it this season to make another asshole character amazing by the end.

Honestly I would've loved in ST4 if he still carries part of his old personality mixed with the goodness inside of him. Like he gets pulled into their shenanagins only because, and he'd make that very clear, he loves his sister and grudgingly cares for El - but the rest are a nuisance at best. Plus watching Billy and Steve bitching at each other as they work to protect the kids together would've been hilarious.

CosmicWonder20: we're all just healing together

Ami: I read a really nice quote some more insightful human than me left on the internet a few days ago, which was something along the lines of 'he was alone his entire life and he died alone'. I especially love they didn't use his abusive upbringing to justify his behaviour (looking at you 50 Shades). Acting both Billy and the Mind Flayer at once was insane. I can't even act sober when I'm drunk and he can do 2 character simultaneously? Give him every award.

The cop distrust in the story will be fleshed out more. Also I just posted the first chapter for Billy-centric oneshots between growing up and recovering from the Mind Flayer called Grey Matter. :)

Emilym6280: He definitely will soon, they'll be forced into a situation together that becomes a huge stepping stone in the right direction for their relationship