Steve didn't know why Officer Powell brought them to the Wheeler's house, but as he thought about it, it only seemed fitting. It had been the place that they had called safe over the past few days, and now that sanctuary was going to be an interrogation room.
As they pulled up to the driveway, Steve could see two more vehicles than usual sitting there, the Henderson's and the Sinclair's, and he had no doubt in his mind that the parents were called. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.
As soon as Powell opened the door to the car, Steve could hear all of the kids, yelling and talking over one another, no doubt trying to explain the situation and avoid confronting their parents. Will and Max were looking around, probably looking for their own mothers, and Steve was conflicted by the lack of their presence, too. On one hand, not having Joyce here was a blessing, if anyone found out that she was involved, they would be in even more trouble. If she got arrested, who would Hopper call if he finally managed to get back to them? But Max's mom…Steve had no doubt that Max wanted to see her, especially after what she had been through.
"Alright, Harrington, watch your head."
Steve ducked out of the vehicle and let Powell check to make sure the handcuffs were still on, and led him up the stairs to the house, taking them two at a time. Dustin followed behind immediately, and Steve was thankful for it. In the handcuffs Steve really did feel like a prisoner. Having Dustin there reminded him that he wasn't, at least not yet.
"Dustin? Where have you been!" Mrs. Henderson explained as soon as they stepped through the doorway. She wrapped Dustin in a big hug, before turning to Steve, a huge frown forming on her face when her eyes fell on the cuffs.
"Calvin, are the restraints necessary? Steve is such a sweet boy! He wouldn't kill anyone! He babysits my Dusty all of the time!"
"Ma'am, as much as I would like to, we have to do what we have to do. He's a suspect in a murder case, we have to make sure he's restrained at all times."
Steve wasn't sure if that was the real rule, he would have to ask Hopper when he saw him next, but Steve put on a brave smile for Mrs. Henderson.
"I'll be fine, Mrs. H, but thank you."
She gave him a small, sad nod, and the rest of the policemen herded the kids inside, parents and kids talking loudly during the reunion. Officer Callahan pulled Will and Max aside quickly before letting them sit on the couch with the others. There were only a few seats in the living room, so Will and Max had to sit on the floor in front of the couch that Lucas, Mike, and Dustin had already sat on, all of them nervous. Powell gently pushed Steve to the wall across from them, letting him slide down to the floor. The officer knelt down to his level, swiftly removed the handcuffs from behind Steve's back, pulled Steve's wrists in front of him, and put the cuffs back on so his hands sat in his lap. Steve didn't say anything, yet could feel all of the stares that he was given during and after the process.
Steve Harrington, the prisoner. Who would've thought?
Eventually the room went silent, and Powell clapped his hands, standing in front of the group of kids with an air of authority. Steve could see Erica watching them from the side, confusion in her eyes, and he wished that he could explain everything. He didn't want her involved, but knowing her, not knowing was killing her.
"Okay. Who wants to tell me why you were out at the lake, alone, with a known fugitive?
The kids stayed silent, Dustin turning to Steve, as if looking for guidance, and Steve spoke up.
"For starters, when did I become a fugitive?"
Officer Callahan raised his hand, and Powell gave him a look.
"We've been looking for you since this morning. We announced it on the news and everything."
Steve managed a laugh, hoping that it sounded genuine, and put on the biggest smile he could.
"This morning? I was not watching television this morning, none of us were. No one told me I was wanted by the police! If I knew, then I would've turned myself in right away."
'
The lies burned on his tongue, but Steve knew that he had to say them. He had to make sure he got out of this without going behind bars.
Mr. Wheeler grumbled under his breath at Steve's response, and Powell sighed.
"Okay, then why were you and these kids at Lover's Lake? Surely you knew that there was a murder there?"
"The kids were really spooked out by everything," Steve began, lying once more through his teeth and hoping that the others would understand what they had to do, "I thought that a walk could ease their minds. We didn't know someone had died there until we saw the cops swarming around. We could only assume someone was killed there by this murderer."
"Exactly!" Max said, jumping in. "That's why I said that I saw the murderer, I just wanted to mess with you guys! It was a joke!"
Erica looked about ready to say something, and Steve caught her gaze, shaking his head gently. She closed her mouth tightly, and Steve was thankful for it.
Dustin and Mike nodded along, avoiding their parents' gaze, while Will managed to begin crying silently. Steve really hoped that they were fake tears.
"We didn't want any trouble." Will said quietly, his voice shaking. "Everything has been so scary and all Steve wanted to do was help."
Mrs. Wheeler looked about ready to wrap Will in her arms, but Powell raised his hand to stop her.
"Harrington, please be quiet, now. Kids, is this true? You guys had no clue Steve was a wanted murderer, all you guys were doing was going for a walk at nine at night? And you just wanted to, and I quote 'mess' with us police? Do I have this right?"
They all nodded eagerly, Lucas speaking up.
"That's true, officers. And we were with Steve the entire time. He didn't kill anyone."
"And was Nancy with you all?" Mrs. Wheeler asked, and Dustin and Max both spoke up.
"Yes!"
"No!"
Steve resisted a groan, and put his hands to his face, the chains on the cuffs jingling as he did so.
"She was with us at the start, but then she and my friend Robin decided to go shopping. I don't know where they are now." Steve said, interrupting the kid's rapid explanations.
Powell then turned to him, a frown on his face. Steve was sure, after this experience, the older man wouldn't remember how to smile.
Steve couldn't really blame him, though.
"Who's this Robin?"
"Robin Buckly. She's a senior at the high school."
Powell nodded to one of the officers. "Go call her house. I want to speak to her parents. I want to know where she and Nancy Wheeler are."
Steve let out a sigh, wondering if mentioning Robin was really a good idea.
"Meanwhile," Officer Callahan said, pointing to the kids surrounding the couch, "Where's Eddie Munson? I'm only going to ask this once."
"What, that…psycho?" Dustin said, a tight smile on his lips. "I haven't seen him in forever!"
"Nope, you're lying, kid, I can tell, I'm a trained cop! Anyone want to tell me where he is, where he actually is?"
The room was silent.
Callahan sighed, grumbling under his breath before speaking up again. "We're going to talk to each of you one at a time. Surely one of you will squeal and actually tell us the truth. Carrot-top, you're first."
Steve snarled at the nickname, and Max didn't seem to like it either, yet she obediently got up and followed Callahan to the basement, where Steve assumed the interrogations were taking place. Powell gestured for Steve to get to his feet, so he did, leaning heavily against the wall to do so, as his cuffed hands made the task more difficult than it should've been.
"Harrington, you're with me. We're going to have a long talk. The rest of you, stay here."
Steve gave the others a quick, and hopefully, comforting smile, before following the officer to the kitchen, once welcoming as ever but now the complete opposite. Cold and full of tension.
Steve sat down before Powell could tell him to, and put his cuffed wrists on the table, watching the officer intently.
"So," Powell said, sitting across from him. "Do you need anything? Water? Coffee?"
"Stop being the stereotypical cop and get to the point. Surely you don't think I'm killing these people, right? I may have been a bit of a troublemaker, but I've never hurt anyone before." Steve replied, fisting his hands, and Officer Powel raised his eyebrows.
"Really? You haven't hurt anyone before? Let me list a few names. Jonathan Byers, Billy Hargrove, and now Jason Carver and his friends. Mind trying that again?"
Steve sighed, frustration building in his gut, but he pushed it down. He couldn't get frustrated. Not now. He needed to avoid going to jail, not promote it.
"I was defending Lucas from Billy. Of course I had to throw a few punches." He replied, keeping his words and tone even. "Carver threatened Dustin. That's why I hurt Carver. He was hurting Dustin. And Jonathan…okay, I have no excuse for that."
Powell sat forward in his seat, seemingly intrigued. "Carver threatened Dustin? How? Does his mother know about this?"
"He met us when we were going to meet up with Max. Before the walk. He wanted to know where Eddie was, Dustin and I didn't know, so one of his friends put a knife to Dustin's throat. And no, his mom doesn't know. It's been a busy few days. Especially for you, I would bet."
Powell nodded, sitting back in his seat. "Yes, it has…if Hopper was here he would know what to do. It's too bad his cousin fell ill."
Steve nodded along, knowing that that must've been the excuse that Hopper gave them.
"I'll speak to Carver about this incident, and Mrs. Henderson. This isn't something that you should've kept in the dark."
"It must be hard, not having Hopper here." Steve said, hoping to change the conversation away from Carver, away from himself, "How are you managing?"
"I'm doing the best I can, Harrington. I've contacted people that needed to be contacted, and we're taking this one step at a time, alright?" Powell straightened up again, meeting Steve's eyes. "Look, Steve, you've changed. Anyone could see that. But, as much as I would like to believe that you have no connection to these murders, there are other things that we have to consider."
"Like what?"
"You're amnesia."
Steve frowned. Wasn't that the cover story that they came up with once they escaped from Brenner? What did that have to do with anything?
"Sorry? Sure, I lost my memories, but my brain's doing good now. No memory issues or anything! Why is that something that you're concerned about?"
Powell ignored him. "I've been talking to your psychologist, Martin Brenner? He says that it's possible that you're being violent without remembering it."
Steve's mouth dropped open in shock, horror flooding his veins. Brenner? He was involved? He was convincing the police that Steve was crazy? That he was violent without knowing it?
He forced himself to stay calm. He could get out of this. He could.
But, as he continued to think, escape became less and less believable. If Brenner had a hand in this, things would go bad. Steve just knew it.
And, the story that Powell told him was believable enough. A twenty year old kid with a history of fights gets amnesia, his psychologist, who's not even a psychologist, believes that he's crazy, that he's violent and that he's not remembering doing violent acts? It was a solution that seemed like a last resort, but Steve knew that the cops were desperate. This solution was the best one that they probably had.
The thought made him sick. Did they really think he was killing people and forgetting that he did? Did they really think that he was that insane?
"I…I think I would know if I was killing people."
"I know, Steve. That's what your brain is telling you. Doctor Brenner believes that your case is critical, and, frankly, I believe it. Who in their right mind would take teenagers outside when there's a murderer going around?"
Steve didn't have a logical response to that, and Powell continued on.
"Doctor Brenner knows what he's doing, kid, and if he thinks you're dangerous I would believe him. He wants to help you, and I'm going to take you to him so that he can."
Breathing seemed to be getting more difficult, the air becoming thick around him, yet he tried to keep his breath steady. And it was working.
But nothing could stop the rage and fear that built up in his chest.
"Look, I promise you, I'm not crazy!" Steve replied, his voice raising, " I lost my memory for six months and I haven't had a problem since. You can't make me go with him! I'm a legal adult!"
"I can and I will. Legally you're a prisoner and a suspect in a murder case, we can take you to Doctor Brenner or put you in a cell with the rest of the criminals in this town. And, I personally think that Doctor Brenner is the best option for you at this time. We all want what's best for you, we want you to get the help that you need."
Steve couldn't understand how Officer Powel could be so calm about this. Steve certainly wasn't calm.
He slammed his hands to the table, getting up in his seat, his limbs shaking with emotions he couldn't place.
"I'm not the killer! You have to trust me! I'll go to jail, I'll stay with the drunks and crazies until all of this is over! But don't take me to him! He's wrong! I'm not crazy!"
Powell held up his hand in surrender, his other hand disappearing below the table, and Steve forced himself to rein in the emotions, rein in the need to run, somehow knowing that Powell had reached for his gun.
Steve's voice was soft when he spoke, as he accepted his fate, as he told himself that there was nothing that he could do now. Nothing he could say that would get him out of this. Officer Powell thought that he was crazy. No one believed the words of a crazy man.
"Please. You have to believe me."
"I'm sorry, Harrington, but Doctor Brenner is already waiting at the station. Hopefully he'll be able to help you, kid, you're one of the good ones. I'm sorry that it's come to this. But, hey if it's true and you're not the murderer, we'll know right away. And I'm sure that Doctor Brenner will let you go home as soon as he determines that you're sane. I hope that you understand that we just have to take precautions. If you really are hurting people and just not remembering…wouldn't you want to get help?"
Steve didn't respond. He closed his eyes, willing the anger and the fear to go away, ignoring the tight feeling in his chest at the thought of going back to Brenner, back into the flames as if he hadn't escaped them. He distantly wondered if he would lose his hair again.
Then his thoughts fell to the girl who had been there every step of the way, who walked across the desert with him, who made him remember memories that weren't his own, who held him through nightmares, who made sure that he didn't feel alone.
Robin. Robin was going to panic when she found out.
And Steve was sure that he wouldn't make it without her.
No. No, he would make it. For her. For Dustin. For the rest of the Party. He had to survive Brenner again. He had to. For them.
Sometime in his pleading Steve had fallen back to his chair, defeated. Powell silently pulled him to his feet, and Steve let him, feeling disconnected to the world as he was pulled into the living room, where he distantly heard his name being screamed. He blinked, and Dustin's blurry figure was beside him, frantically grabbing Steve's hands, trying to pull him away from the officer, Mrs. Henderson trying to get Dustin away from him.
It was at that moment that Steve realized that he had tears in his eyes once more.
"Let him go, he didn't do anything wrong!" Steve suddenly heard, and Dustin's pleading, panicked eyes brought Steve back to the present.
"Dustin, I promise that he's going to get the help he needs."
"He doesn't need help!"
"Dustin." Steve said softly, and the younger boy looked at him, tears falling down his cheeks. Steve met his eyes, and quickly turned to Officer Powell. "Could I say goodbye? Please?
Powell nodded, and Dustin ran forward, wrapping Steve in a bone crushing hug. Steve knelt down so he could tuck his own head near Dustin's ear, knowing that the kid would be heartbroken at Steve's words, but knowing that he had to talk to him, tell him that they had to continue forward without him.
No matter what Steve went through, he had to know that the kids would be okay. He needed to help them, even if it was as they parted ways.
"Don't respond, okay?" He whispered, and Dustin nodded, shaking with suppressed sobs. "He's taking me to Brenner. But I'll be okay. I promise. You guys just have to keep on going. Contact the others. Talk with Robin. Find One and stop him. You can do it, Dustin. I know you can. Don't you dare doubt yourself, okay? You can do it without me."
"But, I…" Dustin whispered, clutching Steve harder. "I can't do this without you, Steve, I can't."
"Didn't I promise not to lie to you? I'm not lying now, Dustin. You'll be okay."
Steve felt someone pull on his shoulder, and the hug, the bubble of safety, was gone, and Powell pulled Steve away.
"Come on, Harrington, we have to go."
Steve gave Dustin a nod, and Dustin responded back accordingly, his face red from all of the crying. Steve then looked around at the other kids, gave them a smile, and let Officer Powell pull him away.