If Max was being honest with herself, she knew that deep down she expected Billy to turn back into the man he once was at any given second. She expected to wake up one day and to have her brother back letting his rage consume him, filling him up with hatred for everyone and everything. Max was terrified that one day Neil was going to show up again and send them both back into a never ending spiral.

They had worked so hard to sort out their differences. They had been trying to reconcile and let the past go... After all, Max suspected that in another life the entire Starcourt Mall fiasco could have gone an entirely different way. They had to at least try to work together and become civil. Max may have loathed the guy for months but she knew she wouldn't feel right without him. They had spent ages hashing it out, finally coming to the realisation that both of them hated eachother for the same reason.

They both felt the other was the reason they had to leave California.

Once they realised this, their differences seemed to melt away like butter in a pan. No more were they constantly at odds, but rather working together to get themselves out of Hawkins. Both of them had been through so much that it would be impossible for them to ignore it. And Max saw the improvements Billy was making every day but she knew at some point, something would happen to snap him back to the way he was.

This thought, these never ending poisonous worries, kept her up at night every day. It was always the same. Finding herself like she was now, lying with her small side lamp on and headphones on, was so common she couldn't rememeber a time when she didn't do this just to try and get an hours rest. She constantly felt plagued by worry and stress. Staying awake and being ready to help Billy should he have another night terror was something she did willingly. At least this way she wouldn't have to face her own demons.

She never played music. She only ever used the headphones at night as a sort of barrier, protecting her from the harsh world around her. Normally she would keep them firmly planted on her ears, not letting anything break her out of her anxious meditation. But tonight was different. Tonight she couldn't keep them on her ears and pretend the world didn't exist.

A pair of headlights filled the room, light bouncing through her curtains and snapping her attention to it. She slowly removed one of her headphones, glancing at the clock as she listened intently to the noises outside of the home.

Whoever was there had driven up in a hurry, quickly shutting off their headlights as soon as they appeared. Max didn't dare look out of the window, learning her lesson from the night she had hid from Billy. She felt cold dread, fearing that Neil had come back and that this would be it. She prayed that whatever was outside wasn't for them, that they had just gotten confused and parked at the wrong home.

But she wasn't lucky enough. Because the person outside was for them. And they wouldn't stop hitting the door, making their presence known. Max got up, fear and trepidation making her footsteps louder than she would have wanted. She was scared to open the bedroom door, scared that once she did she would be face to face with the man she desperately never wanted to see again. But, she had to protect Billy. She had to be the one to find out who it was trying desperately to wake them up.

So, she unclicked her door open and stood in the doorframe for a moment, listening to each pound on the door. She was only able to take one step out of her bedroom before her brother came flying out of his room, hair disheveled as he was quickly throwing a worn t shirt on.

"Stay back. Go back into your room." He didn't give her a second glance as he continued forward towards the door. She took a step forward, the wood creaking under her foot alerting him to the fact that she wasn't backing down. "I swear to god Max. Go back to your room. Now."

"Billy -"

"Damn it Max!" He hissed, finally reaching the door and putting one hand on the door handle as he looked at her. "Do as I say."

She didn't move. Didn't dare move an inch as her brother stared her down. A few years ago it would have been enough to get her to move back, to slink away back into her room and pretend nothing was going on. But since then, she had faced monsters and certain death so one look from her brother wasn't going to be enough to make her change her mind. She wasn't a scared, timid little girl anymore and Billy had no power over her anymore. She didn't back down, only staring right back at him as he clearly got the hint.

His finger raised, pointing at her. "Stay right there. Don't move. If anything happens you run. Got it?"

She nodded, tucking a fallen lock of her red hair behind her ears. She watched as her brother took a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever lay on the other side of the door. He swung it open, immediately stepping in the way of the door so that whoever was on the other side had to go through him.

"What do you want?" He had already said, speaking before the door was even fully open. His tone was hard, hostility filling each word with venom. His shoulders were up, body tense.

Max hated that she couldn't see who it was. She hated that she had no idea who had managed to get her tense brother to immediately lower is guard, his shoulders sliding down as he took a slight step to the side.

"What happened?" His voice wasn't as hard this time, still guarded but with a layer of care forced into it.

Max strained to hear the other person, but quickly realised that either they were speaking incredibly quietly or they hadn't said a word. She felt relief, it clearly wasn't Neil. The man never led with his words, generally preferring to swing first and not question it later.

It was odd, watching her brother reach out silently and bring whoever was out there into his reach. He had never been a person who would go out of their way to reach out, never liking unnecessary contact with anyone. He had always stayed on his own. Especially after the mall incident.

Max had no idea who she was expecting to be shuffled into the house, but it certainly wasn't a woman she had never seen before who was crying hysterically covered in blood. Max couldn't help staring at the woman, watching as Billy gently led her over to the sofa. He placed her down with such care that Max had to blink, fearing she was imaging the whole thing. Her brother was acting like an entirely different person, sitting by the woman's side silently as she continued to cry. What made the whole thing more shocking was when he reached out and began gently rubbing his hand across her back, giving her the space to cry without judgement.

Billy looked up at Max, their eyes communicating silently as to not disturb the woman. It was clear the pair had no idea what was going on but Max knew one thing...

Seeing her brother now? She had no reason to fear he would ever be how he was again. He was a different man entirely and she loved him for it.