Chapter IV:

The Compromise

Joyce

Joyce had desperately needed a cigarette, so she went out the front but cracked the door so she could see Steve come down the stairs. She was not expecting Steve to be in bed with a girl, let alone a boy. He had been so devastated when he and Nancy had broken up and Joyce expected it would take him a while to move on. Though once he was ready, Joyce had a small hope of Steve and Samantha eventually getting together. After what she had witnessed today, that small hope had completely vanished. She was open-minded but did not know how to process it, so she needed a smoke.

To be fair, she had tried calling Steve and then knocking before she went in. She and Hop had to go to Indianapolis and Jonathon and Nancy were taking a road trip to visit NYU, so she needed someone to look after Will, Jane, and probably the rest of the kids. Karen and Ted Wheeler were on a couple's retreat this weekend so the designated hangout had temporarily switched from the Wheeler's to Joyce's house. Steve was great with the kids, they really looked up to him, and he was usually quite happy to hang out with them.

She looked at her watch; she had to be out of town in 30 minutes to make the appointment. In her peripheral vision, Joyce could see Steve coming down the stairs. She quickly put out her cigarette and stepped back inside the house and tried to give Steve the biggest, reassuring smile that she could. He still looked very nervous in despite of her attempt of making him comfortable, so she went over and hugged him. "Sweetie, it's okay. I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have walked in like that." Steve started to cry and she hugged him tighter, "What you do on your own time… with whomever, that is your own business and yours alone. I will never, never ever tell anyone. I promise."

Steve cried a little harder, Joyce assumed they were tears of relief, and he squeezed her tight, "Thank you." She let him hold onto her for a little longer. Joyce finally held him away from her, "Steve, honey, I know it's not the best time to ask but I have to be in Indianapolis by 2 and I could really use someone to look after the kids." Steve wiped his face, "Shit, I'm sorry I completely forgot Joyce. When do you have to leave?" She quickly glanced at her watch, "To make it on time, I have about 15 minutes to get back to the house to pick up Jim." Steve nodded, "Okay, I'll be over as quick as I can. I just have to…" he looked up the stairs.

"Yeah that's okay, just don't take too long. You know how nervous Hopper gets. Thank you, I really appreciate it Steve… and again, I'm sorry," Joyce said as she walked out the door. She made it home in about 10 minutes and Hopper was waiting for her on the front porch, "Where's that shithead Steve? He promised you he'd be here." She placed her hands on his chest before kissing him. "It's fine, he just forgot. He's on his way and he will be here in a couple minutes. Don't worry," she soothed him. He let out a sigh, "He better be here or I swear I'll kill him. He knows Jane can't be by herself, not yet."

Jane appeared next to Hopper, "He knows. Everyone knows. He will be here." "Jane! Get inside! How many times do I have to tell you?" Hopper barked in a whisper. "Too many," she said deadpan before turning on her heel and heading back inside. Joyce softly chuckled as Hopper glared at her, "You think that's funny?" He said it serious the first time and then began tickling Joyce and his tone mellowed, "It's funny? Huh? Is it funny now?" She was laughing and finally he started laughing before Joyce told him to stop, "Quit it! We have to go. Steve's on his way, it's all good."

Hopper sighed again, "Okay." Joyce quickly went inside and kissed both Will and Jane goodbye. She and Hopper then both got in Hopper's truck and left. Sure enough, they passed Steve a little ways down the road. Joyce waved but Hopper stared him down with that intensity all fathers, well nearly all fathers, put on when they are worried about their kids. Of course, Lonnie was the exception. He would only give someone that look if they took away his beer. Joyce and Hopper were currently on the way to meet with their lawyer, Lonnie, and Lonnie's lawyer. Lonnie had filed for custody of Will.

Joyce knew that Lonnie was only trying to get custody in order to try to get a settlement from Hawkins Lab and the U.S. Government. Once he had heard the semi-false news stories about how Will's disappearance and Barbara's death were part of a government cover-up, Lonnie had not stopped calling. He started randomly showing up, pressing Joyce to sue. She refused every time and during his last visit, Lonnie got violent. Joyce called Hopper and he chased Lonnie down before giving him a good beating and throwing him in jail. His girlfriend had bailed him out and a few days later, Lonnie called and said that he found a lawyer and was filing for custody of Will.

The meeting today was supposed to be a mediation, hopefully coming to a compromise. Joyce could not let her baby boy live with his sorry excuse for a father. Even if it meant giving Lonnie what he wanted, Joyce would do anything to make sure that Will stayed with her. Lonnie was nearly completely in the dark about everything that had happened in the past two years. All he knew was that Will had been missing and Joyce had seen a monster in the walls, which of course he didn't believe and then attributed to the "chemical leak" from Hawkins Lab. Lonnie would never be capable of taking care of Will in the way that he needed to be cared for.

The two-hour car ride was mostly silent. Joyce had a lot on her mind and Hopper was mindful of her desire to not talk. "Jim?" "Yeah babe?" "Thank you for coming with me." Hopper looked over at her briefly, "You don't have to thank me Joyce and you'll probably want to take it back if I end up kicking his ass again." Joyce smiled and shook her head, "No, I'll just have to thank you again. Well, as long as you wait to kick his ass when this is all settled and done with." "Don't worry. There is no way in hell that piece of shit is getting Will." Joyce sighed, hoping Hopper was right. Being a mother was the best thing that had ever happened to Joyce. She had already experienced what it felt like to lose one her boys and she couldn't bear to ever feel that again.

Just thinking about losing Will again had her shaking, she pulled out a cigarette to try and calm her nerves. Hopper noticed her nervousness and reached for her free hand. Joyce squeezed it hard and attempted to smile at him. They continued to hold hands and keep their silence until they reached the attorney's office. It was an old crumbling building on the east side, more than likely the cheapest lawyer Lonnie could find. A positive was that they didn't need to need to pay for parking. Joyce's lawyer was meeting them here, driving down from Lafayette. "You ready?" Hopper asked Joyce. She nodded before taking a final drag on her cigarette and getting out of the car.

Joyce's attorney was already there and he walked with them into the meeting room. Lonnie and his lawyer sat on one side of the table and the three of them sat opposite. They were there for over 2 hours, with a lot of arguing disrupting the negotiations. Joyce put her final offer on the table, "If Will stays with me, I will sue Hawkins Lab. You will get half of what they give us and the other half goes into a college fund for Jonathon and Will. This is the best you will get. Understood?" Lonnie seemed like he was about to argue with her but then shut his mouth before looking to his lawyer. He nodded to the attorney and then looked at Joyce, "We have a deal."

It took another hour of getting the paperwork typed up and to sign all the documents. Once they were back in the car, Joyce let out a huge sigh of relief and began crying. She was not going to lose her boy. Hopper hugged her and told her, "It's over, not all of it, but the rest should be easy." Joyce took a deep breath and nodded in agreement. Hopper started up his truck and began to head back to Hawkins. Joyce could tell that he was starting to get very anxious. He rarely left town and never left the county. Hopper did not feel comfortable being far from Jane and it was no wonder.

After everything that had happened with the lab and with Dr. Owens' help, Hopper thought he and Jane would easily manage keeping her in secret for another year. That was before Jane told him about Brenner still being alive. Hopper knew that man would not rest until he found Jane. The government had shut down Brenner's research but Hopper was certain that would not stop him from coming after Jane. They had not heard anything. Hopper had asked Dr. Owens to keep an eye and ear out, but Hopper was still cautious. He did eventually start to let Jane out of the house, but she had to dress in disguise and hide on the floorboard of his truck.

Hopper knew that neither he nor Jane could handle her being cooped up all the time, so they risked the excursions even though it was dangerous. Joyce had advised Hopper about teenage girls and that telling them no is irrelevant. So regardless of what Hopper told her to do, Jane was going to do what she wanted. Hopper had not only already experienced Jane's typical teenage rebellious nature but also her fierce anger and rage fueled by her extraordinary abilities. Though he was stubborn and at first refused to give in, Hopper eventually concluded that letting Jane do what she wanted – with supervision – was the best option.

With still an hour drive ahead of them, Hopper unexpectedly sped up. "Jim, what are you doing?" He didn't answer and continued accelerating. "Damn it Hop! Slow down! What is it?" He was sweating, "I… something feels wrong. Something bad is happening, I can feel it. We need to get back." Hopper looked terrified and though Joyce wanted to reassure him, she began to have a bad feeling as well. "Okay hurry, but be careful," she shakily put a cigarette to her lips and lit it. As they neared Hawkins, the sense that something was wrong became overwhelming. Joyce felt like she was going to throw up, "Jim, do you feel that?" He nodded and stepped on the gas.

Steve

After Joyce had left, Steve ran back up the stairs. Billy was lying in bed but when Steve walked into the room, he threw off the covers and stood up revealing that he was naked and had an erection, "Finally, I thought she'd never leave. Come here, I want you right now." As tempted as Steve was, he had to decline, "As much as I want to, I can't. I have to go babysit." Billy was not happy, "Babysit? Aren't those kids the same age as Max? I don't think they need a babysitter." Steve sighed, "Yeah but Joyce is overprotective. I'm sorry, I promise to make it up to you."

Billy crossed his arms and pouted. Steve wanted nothing more than to stay in bed with him all day. He gave him a peck on the lips, feeling that Billy was still pouting. "Babe, I'm sorry. Please don't be mad." Billy's mouth turned up into a smile, "Babe? I like that. Okay, go, but I want to see you tonight. Okay?" Steve returned a smile and nodded, "Okay, Joyce should probably be back before 7. So stay here or come by anytime after that." Billy embraced and kissed Steve, who could feel Billy's hard cock against his leg. Steve pushed him away and sighed, "I wish I could stay here with you forever but I have to go." Steve gave Billy a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving.

Steve had passed Hopper and Joyce on the way to the Byers residence. Hopper gave him a glare that could kill and Joyce gave him a wave. God he hoped Joyce would keep her promise to keep his secret. Joyce had seemed very close with Hopper even before they started dating and Steve was worried sick that she would tell him. Jim "Chief" Hopper was grumpy but he was a good guy. However, Steve was unsure what his stance on men sleeping together would be considering that he was the chief of police. Police officers typically leaned far right, especially in Indiana, and conservative republicans despised homosexuals.

While driving, Steve thought about the notion of being gay. He wondered if it was possible to have sex with a guy and not be gay. Steve had always been attracted to girls – the exception was Billy. After considering it for a good couple of minutes, Steve concluded that he wasn't gay – at least not entirely. There was just something about Billy and they had a connection that Steve had never experienced. However, if being gay were a requirement for being with Billy, he would not deny it. Fuck, Steve told himself, I think I'm in love with Billy Hargrove.

Steve had fallen hard and fast for Nancy and it was the same with Billy. The thought that he was in love with Billy absolutely terrified Steve. When he arrived at the Byers, he had to sit out in his car for a minute before going in. He was shaking and had to get it under control before going inside. Jane couldn't exactly read your mind but she had a way of sensing things. She would be able to tell something was wrong. Steve took several deep breaths before finally feeling steady. He went in the house without knocking and found Will and Jane in the living room.

The two of them were playing a game that they had created. Will would draw something and Jane would try to guess what he was drawing. Steve guessed that she was able to figure it out by listening to the sound of Will's pencil strokes and watching the direction of his hand. Jane was probably right nine times out of ten, usually only being incorrect when it was an object she was unfamiliar with. When she lost, Jane would say "Not fair!" and occasionally she would throw stuff across the room with her mind. It was impressive but she usually made a mess.

The room still looked in order, so Steve assumed that she was on a winning streak. Will stopped drawing and waited for Jane to guess. Steve snuck a quick peak at the drawing. Jane first narrowed her eyes and then closed them in concentration, "A bear… but with long ears?" Will smiled, "Not exactly and it's small." Jane guessed again, "A rabbit?" "Nope, you only have one guess left." She crossed her arms and sighed, "I give up." Will showed her the drawing and explained, "It's a mogwai." Jane scrunched her brows together, "A… mogwai?" Steve rolled his eyes, "It's not real, it's from a movie." Jane looked furious, "Not fair!"

She put out a hand and psychokinetically tossed Will's sketchbook across the room before getting up and locking herself in Will's room. It was tame compared to how she normally reacted to losing. Jane was slowly becoming more accustomed to reigning in her powers, knowing that she needs to control her emotions. Steve sighed before catechizing Will, "Not cool, man. I'm sure you know that she hasn't seen that movie." Will shrugged, "She always wins unless I cheat a little." "So is anyone else coming over today?" Steve asked him. "Yeah, the entire party should be here soon." Steve nodded and then left the living room to check on Jane. He knocked on the door, "Jane, can I come in?" He heard the door unlock and watched it open. Jane was sitting on the bed with her arms crossed.

Steve could tell that Jane was upset so he asked as he sat down next to her, "Are you okay?" She let out an annoyed sigh before answering, "Will thinks I get mad because I lose, but he is wrong." Steve then attempted to get her to elaborate, "So why do you get mad then?" She looked at him and then looked away, "I'm mad because I don't know anything. I know some things but not the right things and not everything." "Jane, it's impossible for one person to know everything. Part of life is always learning something new. Sometimes it's fun, sometimes it can make you mad, and sometimes it's absolutely terrifying."

Steve could feel his voice quavering on the last word. Pretty much everything he had learned the past couple of years had been terrifying. Though the discovery of the Upside Down and its inhabitants had been horrifying, nothing compared to Steve's recent unearthing of his feelings towards Billy. Jane was quiet, which was a common occurrence, but Steve could tell she was analyzing him. "Steve, learning new things can make you sad too?" It was a rhetorical question; Jane had sensed the pain in Steve's voice. He took a deep intake of breath through his nose.

Jane continued, "Scared, sad, and… happy?" Of course she was able to detect the emotions that Steve was experiencing in regards to Billy. He sighed and looked at Jane, whose features were scrunched up in concentration. "I was scared, sad, and happy at the Snow Ball. How can all these… feelings happen at once?" This time the question was not rhetorical but Steve did not know how to answer. He opened his mouth to make an attempt but before he could get a word out, Mike burst into the room.

He ran up to Jane and hugged her, though they had just seen each other last week. Steve stood up and started to leave the room but told them, "Keep the door open and keep it PG." They both simultaneously gave him a dirty look. Steve laughed as he exited the room and went to say hello to Lucas. He was sitting on the couch talking to Will, "Lucas, how's it going?" "Oh, hey Steve. I was just about to tell Will the latest on the Dustin and Robin saga." Steve waited for a moment but Lucas remained silent, "Well? Let's hear it."

Robin was a girl a year or two older than the kids who had started working at the movie theater. Dustin had developed a crush on her and was trying to work up to asking her out. He did manage to introduce himself and ask her name, though it was on her nametag, and he also made a pun that elicited a smile from Robin. Lucas took a deep breath, "So when we went to see Back to the Future, Dustin left his hat at the theater. He went back yesterday to get it and Robin was there. She took him to the lost and found and I guess they started talking. Dustin asked her if she wanted to hang out today and she said yes!"

Steve smiled, "Way to go Dustin!" Lucas continued, "Yeah they should both be here any minute." "Wait, what? He invited her here? To hang out with everyone?" Lucas scrunched his brows together in confusion and nodded. Steve shook his head, "He should have asked her out on a date." The door opened and in walked Dustin, "Guys, I am officially freaking out! I'm not ready, I can't do this! Shit. It's too late. Shit!" He was in obvious distress and Steve tried to calm him down, "Dustin it will be okay. You've got nothing to worry about. Just be cool." Dustin took some deep breaths and then there was a timid knock at the door.

Dustin eyes widened and Steve whispered, "Be. Cool," as he went to answer the door. He had never met Robin so she was not exactly what he was expecting. She was tall and thin with pin straight blonde hair parted down the middle. Her bright blue eyes were darkly lined with makeup. Right away, Steve could tell she was not one of the popular girls yet she didn't seem to be a nerd either. She looked him over before asking with uncertainty, "Umm, is Dustin here?" He nodded and stepped aside so that she could come in. Robin was still studying Steve as she entered the house.

Dustin greeted her, "Hey, you made it!" Her scrutinizing gaze finally broke from Steve and she smiled at Dustin. "Yeah, though this place wasn't easy to find." "So I know you've seen nearly everyone here but this is Lucas and Will," he gestured towards the couch, "El-Jane and Mike are in the back and this is Steve, the babysitter." Robin looked at Steve before raising an eyebrow and before she could say anything, Dustin continued, "I know what you are thinking, 'Aren't you a little old to have a babysitter?' The answer is yes, but Will and Jane have… overprotective parents, and for good reason. So Steve hangs out with us sometimes, don't worry though he's cool."

Robin looked absolutely amused, "I… I just find it sort of hilarious that the famous Steve Harrington is your 'babysitter'." Dustin frowned, "Oh, so you do know Steve?" Steve examined Robin's face, trying to recall if he'd ever seen her before but he could not remember ever noticing her. She looked away in embarrassment before awkwardly answering Dustin, "No, not exactly. I mean, I've seen him at school and have heard about him." She rapidly tried to get out of the conversation, "Dustin, where is the bathroom?"

After she had shut the bathroom door, Dustin turned to Steve. "What the hell?" Steve shrugged and tried to defend himself, "What? I swear I've never seen her before. It's not my fault that I am popular." Dustin crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, "Okay, who's the asshole I have to blame then?" Steve was just about to respond to the sarcasm when Jane and Mike entered the living room. Mike whispered to Dustin, "Is she here?" A huge grin spread across Dustin's face and he whispered back, "She's in the bathroom."

Mike hurriedly told Jane, "El, just remember what we've talked about. Try to…" He was interrupted by the return of Robin. She was looking at Jane, "Hi, I don't think we've met?" Jane was about to respond but Mike spoke for her, "No, she's not from Hawkins. She's my – my second cousin from Sweden." Robin lit up, "Oh cool! Sweden is on my list of places I want to visit someday. What's it like?" Before Jane could get a word out, Mike answered, "She hates it." "She doesn't like to talk about it. At all," Lucas tried to help shut down the topic. Robin frowned, "Oh, okay."

They stood around in silence for a minute or two. "So do you guys normally spend all of your time standing around not talking or…?" Robin's question was met with more silence until Steve spoke, "Well this is funny because most of the time they never shut up. Well except for Jane. Dustin, what's the plan?" He was trying to help Dustin become the center of attention. "Uh, well I thought that we could go down to the creek first and then go to the arcade later. Robin said that she's never been and wanted to go." "I didn't bring a swimsuit," Robin mentioned. Dustin smiled, "That's okay, we normally don't go swimming at the creek. We look for animals, we are trying to find a new species." Robin nodded in understanding, "Oh okay, that's good because I hate swimming."

Dustin brightened, "Me too! So is everybody going? Jane?" She was about to speak but Mike, yet again, started to answer for her, "She…" "Mike! I can talk for myself! I am going." Hopper had strictly forbid her from going outside unless he was with her. However, Jane had a mind of her own and would occasionally go outside – with Joyce or Steve's supervision. Steve figured that she sometimes left the house on her own anyway. Steve put his hands together, "Alright, well that's settled. Let's g- oh wait, we are missing someone. Where's Max?"

Lucas piped up, "Billy hasn't been home for two days. So unless he shows up she can't come over." Max didn't have a bike and couldn't ride her skateboard all the way to the Byers' house. Her mother and stepfather were always working, even on the weekends so she had to rely on Billy to get around. Curious and slightly worried, Steve questioned Lucas as they started walking towards the creek, "Is Max's stepdad pissed about Billy?" Lucas scoffed, "He's always pissed but Max said she wouldn't be surprised if Neil kills Billy this time." Steve could feel his heart begin to race; he really hoped Max was wrong. "Neil is a psychopath." "So is Billy."

Steve had to stop himself from immediately jumping to Billy's defense, "Yeah, I mean what do you expect with someone like Neil as his dad? Isn't he being nicer to Max though?" Lucas nodded, "He's trying but he still gets angry and it scares Max. She said that he doesn't take it out on her anymore but he still yells and punches things." Steve pressed him for more information, "What does he get mad about?" Lucas shrugged, "She doesn't really say but I think it has something to do with me." Steve nodded and was quiet the rest of the way to the creek.

He waded in the creek, mostly thinking to himself, while the others were off looking for signs of wildlife. Steve wondered if part of the reason why Billy had so much rage was because he had to hide who he was. Billy had briefly mentioned that his father would have killed him if he knew the true reason behind the fight that got him expelled back in California. Steve also wondered if Max had any idea of the secret Billy was keeping. He thought that if she knew, she would be able to trust Billy more.

Steve continued thinking to himself and messing around in the creek, looking up every so often to check on the kids. He noticed that Dustin was doing a pretty good job of talking to Robin and keeping her entertained. It made Steve happy to see him doing well. Nancy had told him what had happened at the Snow Ball, how Dustin had been rejected. Later on, Steve had talked to Dustin about it and asked why he didn't tell him. Dustin said that he was embarrassed and didn't think Steve would understand. Steve reminded him about how it ended with Nancy, reassuring Dustin that rejection and heartbreak happens to everyone.

Steve wasn't sure how long they had exploring the creek, but it seemed like a couple of hours had passed. He figured it was a good time to start heading back to the house, especially if they wanted to go to the arcade. "Hey guys, we should probably get back to the house. We've been out here long enough." There were a couple of groans but they complied and began to make their way back. As they neared the house, Steve inquired, "So who's all going to the arcade?" Jane couldn't go and her disappointment was always obvious. Mike answered him first, "I'm going to stay with Will and El-I mean Jane." His answer elicited a smile from Jane.

Lucas spoke next, "Yeah, I'm going to stay too, in case Max shows. She'd be mad if I went without her." Steve had to stop himself from grinning; Mike and Lucas were being excellent wingmen. "Well I have to stay with Will and Jane but I can drop you two off if you want." Dustin asked Robin, "You rode your bike over here right? We could just ride our bikes there." She quickly shot a glance towards Steve before nodding, "Yeah, we can bike to the arcade." She and Dustin left before the rest of them made it to the front door. Will was about to open the door when Jane grabbed him and whispered, "Wait." Steve was about to ask what was wrong but she beat him to it, "Someone is inside."