Steve practically carried Billy into his house. It felt kind of like the night Billy had to keep catching him and dragged him up the stairs. But this time, Steve wasn't letting Billy sleep on the couch. Steve laid Billy down on his bed, wanting him to be comfortable. He really hoped he wouldn't puke on anything, but he had more important things to think about at the moment. He had work to do.

Steve radioed Max that he was on his way and asked her to pack up anything of Billy's that she thought he'd need. Depending on Susan, Billy could go later to get the rest, but for now the essentials were more important. Steve would buy whatever Billy needed to make up the difference.

It felt weird being back at the former Hargrove home. Steve wondered if any of the neighbors knew what had gone on that night. Or if they'd known what was happening all along and decided to ignore it. Steve couldn't wrap his head around the idea of that. He knew that all the problems of the world couldn't be solved by a random person, but you had to do what you could to try to make things better. Steve was going to keep doing his part.

He knocked on the door, waiting patiently this time. It felt sort of weird to, as if he'd surpassed that level of guest. When you bled in someone's house, that should earn you access. Especially when you bled to spare another person. But if Billy wasn't welcome anymore, he might not be either.

"Steve, what are you- oh!" Susan said in surprise as she opened the door and got a look at him. Her face seemed to blanch a little as she covered her mouth in shock. He'd gotten so used to the sight of his battered face that it was pretty much old news to him, but he did look kind of bad. There was no swelling left, but his skin was still bruised. And the stitches in his lip were not very pleasing to the eyes.

"Hey Mrs. Har- um, hey," Steve replied, tripping over his words a bit. He wasn't sure what to call her now. There were a couple things he'd like to call her, but he held his tongue. "I came to get some of Billy's things."

"Right," Susan mumbled, stepping back to let him into the house. Everything was like it had always been, without a trace of the violence that had tainted it before. Was it easy for Susan to put everything back in its place? To pretend like nothing happened and move on with her life? Steve was starting to feel anger bubble up at the thought. Of course he didn't want Susan to have to deal with an abusive husband, but to throw Billy away because he didn't fit into her idea of a good life going forward wasn't right.

"I just wanted to get a few things that Billy needed, then I'll be out of your way. Won't bother you for much longer," Steve muttered, not even trying to keep the disgust out of his voice.

"Steve, I-"

"I really don't think you want to hear what I have to say," Steve warned, clenching his jaw.

"You don't understand."

"Fine. Explain it to me then," Steve scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. There wasn't anything she could say to make him agree with her decisions.

"Steve, you're still a kid. You have no idea what it takes to raise a family," Susan argued.

"Apparently we have that in common."

"That's not fair!"

"A lot of things aren't fair."

"Not everyone has money and options. I have to take care of my daughter," Susan insisted.

"And who takes care of Billy?"

"He can't be my responsibility anymore."

"Because he's too expensive or because he scares you?" Steve asked, shifting his tone to mocking at the end of his question. "Why wasn't your husband abusing his son scary enough for you? Why did you have to wait until it was turned toward you before you gave a damn?"

"Steve-"

"You say that I'm a kid and don't know what I'm talking about, but a kid has been drawing the negative attention to himself this whole time to protect you and Max. Was that okay?"

"Do you want me to admit that I was too scared to do anything? That I was afraid to draw Neil's anger toward me and Maxine? That I made a bad decision in marrying him and moving to a new state where I knew no one and had no options?" Susan snapped.

"Why didn't you ask for help?" Steve asked sadly. He thought he'd done enough to show he wasn't going anywhere, for all of them. Steve didn't understand why it never seemed to be good enough. "I've been here everyday since I found out what was going on. I would've done anything I could."

"Steve, you're a kid."

"You keep saying that, but I was enough of a man to take this beating," Steve sighed, waving a hand at his face. "So was Billy. And what did that get him?"

"You may not agree with my decisions, but they've been made. I'm doing what I have to to protect Maxine and I won't apologize for that. You'll understand if you become a parent." Steve had almost died a few times over for kids he barely knew, including her daughter, but he couldn't say that. What would be the point? Susan wasn't going to change her mind.

"And what about Billy?"

"I won't keep him away from Maxine, but he can't stay here. I have to cut all ties with Neil and unfortunately, that includes Billy. It's not personal, but it's what's best," Susan said firmly.

"Best for Billy?" Susan dropped his gaze and looked away. Where was Susan's grit and determination when Billy needed it? It was easy to be brave when the danger had been dealt with by someone else.

"I have Billy's stuff," Max said quietly from behind him. Steve winced as he turned to face her, hoping she hadn't heard everything that was said. Susan was her mother after all, so Max wouldn't be happy to hear her being lectured. But Steve had spent enough time with Max to know that she was frustrated by her mom's relationship with Neil. He was still going to be there for Max for whatever she needed, but her relationship with Susan was her own to figure out.

"Thank you," Steve said, accepting the box from Max. "I'll have Billy call you later, okay? I don't think he'll be the best company today."

"Okay," Max agreed reluctantly. Steve wasn't sure what mood Billy would be in when he woke up, but he wanted to give him a chance to let out anything he needed. If Max was around, he was more likely to pretend everything was okay. Steve was a safer sounding board.

He turned back toward Susan, seeing her watching them with a blank look on her face. Steve could honestly say he didn't like her, but if she asked him for help, he would work tirelessly to do whatever he could. Maybe that was just him being a naive, privileged kid, but if he could use it for good, he would. And maybe one day Susan would be strong enough to do it too.

"I'll take care of Billy. You don't have to worry about him anymore," Steve said, before walking out of the house. There wasn't anything else to say. He stuck the box in the trunk, then climbed into the driver's seat. Steve was about to put the keys into the ignition, until he realized his hands were shaking. He dropped the keys into his lap, needing a second to breathe.

This was going to be fine. Billy wasn't going to have to worry anymore about being hurt and Susan and Max could move forward as a family. It was a better outcome than it could've been, if Steve had never found out what was happening. Not the best, but not the worst. Everything was going to be okay.

"Dammit," Steve whispered, wringing his hands around the steering wheel as his eyes filled with tears. He wasn't typically a crier, but these days he was so drained emotionally that it was hard to hold back sometimes. He never let himself let go in front of anyone, besides in the hospital with Hopper. And crying in front of Billy about Billy's own plight seemed incredibly selfish. So he would give himself this moment, then wipe his face and get back to what he needed to do. And maybe soon they would have more reasons to smile instead.