Violet looked around the old scrapyard after they'd finished laying the trap for the creature. She stood up straight, hands on her hips as she stood on top of the hill and looked into the clearing. Dustin, Lucas and Max were all there, talking to each other and Violet let a soft smile form on her face at the sight of them. Steve had just finished rolling a barrel into place before jogging to stand next to her. It was getting dark and they had done everything they needed to do to set the trap.

"Hey," Steve said, arm slipping over her shoulders. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Violet assured him, despite the fact she felt some apprehension over what they were about to do. "I just…the last time we fought this thing we had Nancy and Jonathan with us. Christ, we even had my dad."

Steve chuckled, remembering his surprise as Donnie Mattheson launched himself in front of the creature to protect the four of them. He'd never imagined that man making such a sacrifice, but he had done. He had willingly saved them and pushed them out of the way.

"And now it's down to us to make sure nothing happens to those kids," Violet said, motioning to them with a jut of her chin. "They're still so young, Steve, and it's like they…they don't understand the danger out there. I'm scared for them."

"Hey," Steve said, squeezing her shoulders. "We've got this. Nothing will happen to them, alright?"

"We should send them home."

"Think they'd listen?"

"No."

"So we just need to keep them out the way. Besides, if this is one of those creatures and not a Komodo dragon then we need to deal with it before it hurts anyone," he said and Violet, despite the situation, laughed at his comment. She found it pretty amusing that he thought this could be a dragon. The two of them sat down on top of the hill then, letting the last embers of sunlight flicker over the horizon.

"Did you see Henderson's face when that girl approached?" Steve asked.

Violet moved an arm around his waist, the chill of the air getting to her and her hand pressed against his side. He let her nestle in closer to him, enjoying the way her face nuzzled against his neck and he moved his free arm over his body to reach for her, bringing her in tighter.

"I think that's the girl he has a crush on," Violet confirmed. "But she came with Lucas."

"How do you know who these kids are?"

"I don't. I just know that they're Will's friends. Jonathan told me as much when we were working together last year," Violet informed him. "There's Lucas, Will, Mike and Dustin. They're like the Four Musketeers or something…and then there's Eleven, but no one's seen her since the incident at the end of last year. I mean, a part of me couldn't quite believe it, but apparently she does have like…these powers or something. She knew everything about the Upside Down and I think, from what I could read between the lines, she's had a pretty shitty childhood."

"I can't even imagine," Steve agreed. "And now we're getting involved in this."

"For our sins," Violet muttered. "My dad is gonna kill me when he finds out. I told him that I'd be back tonight for practice and he's gonna wonder where I am. But I can't drag him into this mess again. He'd tell me to stay out of it, which would probably be the sensible option, but it's not as if we can do that, is it?"

"You can, but I-"

"-No, we do things together," Violet reminded him and his lips did tug upwards then. He enjoyed it whenever she said that they did things together, even if that included fighting monsters from another dimension. He just wanted to be with her and that meant he'd do whatever he had to in order to make sure she stayed safe.

They sat together in silence, listening to the kids bickering and the wind rustling around them as the sun finally started to disappear. Steve sighed and moved to his feet, offering his hand down to Violet.

"Come on, we should head in," Steve said and she grabbed hold of his hand, letting him haul her to her feet. She wiped grass from the back of her thighs and they wandered down the hill and towards the bus that they had spent the last hour turning into a fort.

"Right, everyone on," Steve demanded from the three of them.

"Do you think we've left enough meat?" Dustin wondered before he climbed the first step, Max and Lucas following behind him. "What if it doesn't work?"

"Henderson, we basically bought out the local supermarket. We've put enough down. Now get on," Steve said, swinging his arm in a circle and urging for him to climb on. The three kids walked down the bus towards the back as Violet followed them and Steve managed to block the entrance. They had flashlights, but they had insisted on turning them off to keep hidden. The sun finally disappeared and dusk hit, the temperature dropping even further and Violet tugged the cuffs of her sweatshirt over her hands in an attempt to stay warm.

"You're the tennis player, aren't you?" Lucas finally spoke as they all sat around.

Steve was sat next to Violet, his arm brushing hers and his legs stretched in front of him. Violet had her knees pushed to her chest, arms hooked around her legs and cheek resting on her kneecaps. She looked over to Lucas, picking her head up and nodding once to him.

"I mean, you can call me Violet, but yeah, I'm the tennis player," she said.

"Man, it's so cool that you get to play sports and be famous," he said and Violet chuckled at his comment. "Everyone talks about you round school. I think you're even more famous than Harrington now."

"Thanks, kid," Steve said dryly.

"I thought that Billy was going out with you?" Max piped up and Violet could feel Steve's arm lean in closer to hers, his posture stiffening. "He came home the other night and said that he was taking the tennis star on a date…said some other pretty crude stuff too."

"Like what?" Steve was the one to ask but Violet shot him a look. She didn't want Max to repeat it because she didn't really want to know. Besides, it wasn't something she imagined a kid should be hearing. Steve shrugged at her and mouthed a 'what' and Violet just said 'no' to him before she looked to Max.

"I think Billy might've gotten the wrong end of the stick," Violet told her. "Although he's persistent, I'll give him that."

"So…you're not going on a date with him?"

"No, she isn't," Steve said firmly and Violet wanted to smile at how possessive he was being. She truly found it adorable and, even though she didn't need him fighting her battles, she liked it when he was slightly possessive. "We're dating," Steve said, pointing between himself and Violet. "So, when this is all done, you can go home and tell Hargorve that. In fact, you can tell everyone."

Dustin shot Lucas a look and then muttered: "Told you so."

Unfortunately, he wasn't quiet enough for Steve not to hear. "What does that mean?"

"Nothing," Dustin quickly said back to him, but Steve's eyes narrowed over at him.

"He said that Harrington was obsessed with Violet," Lucas said and Dustin hit him across the arm. "Ow. What was that?"

"I told you not to say anything," Henderson complained.

"He's fine," Lucas said.

"And, for the record, I am not obsessed with Violet," Steve said, holding a hand up. "I mean, I am just the right amount of obsessed with her, but not in like a creepy way…like a stalker…in just a normal way…because she is my girlfriend and I love her."

"Told you, obsessed," Dustin said and Violet had to admit that she found it was pretty entertaining hearing Steve blabber. Violet grabbed hold of his arm and squeezed it, telling him silently that it was all fine.

"Either way, it's good that you're not going on a date with Billy. He keeps bringing girls home and it's really annoying because he makes me stay in my room," Max complained. "And then they make all these weird noises…like he makes when he's working out…why would you want to go on a date and then workout?"

Steve bit down on the inside of his cheek and Violet looked up to him as he just shook his head. He bent down and whispered into her ear. "I'm not explaining the birds and the bees to them. That wasn't part of the deal of looking after them."

"Unless you like working out, which I guess you must do because you play tennis-"

"-She's good," Steve was the one who interrupted. "If she wants to workout with anyone then I can help her."

Steve didn't entirely mean for it to come out that way. He just needed Max to stop talking about her brother because it was driving him mad. He took a moment to glance down to Violet as she looked to her lap and he noticed the red blush on her cheeks. He shook his head and moved his fingers through his hair.

"I didn't mean…you know…just that…" Steve stammered.

"How about we talk about it later?" Violet suggested. "Or not at all?"

"Yeah, that works for me," Steve promised her. "But you know I'd never…it doesn't matter to me…not that I don't want to…but just…"

"I get it," Violet promised him and he nodded, finding himself also becoming embarrassed. He didn't think he had the ability to get flustered, but when it came to Violet, he turned into an incomprehensible mess. "Let's just focus on getting through the night, alright?"

"Yeah, makes sense," Steve replied with a firm nod of his head.

They went quiet for a little while, content to listen to Dustin, Max and Lucas chatting. Violet could feel herself getting sleepy, leaning her head against Steve's shoulder and just letting her eyes close for a few moments. Steve glanced down to her, a smile forming on his lips as he saw her eyes close and he let her just rest against him. He took the lighter he had in his pocket out and kept it in his grip, knowing that they'd need it when those creatures arrived. The bat was leant against the door and he was waiting patiently to use it. Then again, patience wasn't his strongest trait.

Eventually, as darkness well and truly settled around them, the only noise coming from owls around them, did Lucas climb up the ladder out of the hatch with his binoculars to make sure the coast was clear. Steve didn't know how deep of a sleep Violet was in, but he knew from the way her weight had increased against him that she was definitely sleeping. He found it impressive that she'd even managed to doze off. Steve was flicking his lighter, making sure that it was working and wasn't going to stop when he needed it most.

"So, you really fought one of these things before?" Max suddenly asked and Steve realised she was directing her question at him. He nodded his head, not wanting to wake Violet up. "And you're like, 100% sure if wasn't just a bear."

"Shit, don't be an idiot," Dustin said. "It wasn't a bear." Steve looked between the two kids and realised that was who Dustin had a crush on. Maybe he was being a bit harsh with the advice Steve had given him. "If you don't believe us then just go home."

Max stood up then, looking at Dustin. "Yesh, someone's cranky. Is it past your bedtime?" she asked, climbing the ladder to go and find Lucas instead. Dustin didn't respond, but Steve did look at him as Dustin paced up and down. Steve felt Violet shift against him, eyes still closed but he figured she was on the verge of waking up. He moved his arm, lifting it up and letting her fall closer against him considering the top of his arm was going dead.

"That's good," Steve said to Dustin. "Show her you don't care…although maybe tone it down just a notch."

"I don't care," Dustin said and Steve just winked at him.

"Why are you winking, Steve?" he asked. Steve winked again. "Stop," Dustin urged from him and just shook his head before moving to the back of the bus. Steve felt Violet stir even more and he kissed the top of her head, whispering down to her.

"I think you might need to wake up soon, Vi," he urged from her.

"No," she grunted into his chest.

"Yes," Steve retorted.

"Just tell me it's all a dream and we're not in an abandoned school bus."

"It's a dream and we're not in an abandoned school bus," Steve said dryly and she chuckled against him, both arms going around his waist, plastering herself to his side. "If this was a dream then I'd like to think we could do better than an old school bus. Where would you rather be?"

"Hmm," she hummed, eyes still closed. "Your pool house."

"The pool house?" he checked with her.

"That night…when you let me sleep there…I think it was one of the best night's sleep I'd had, despite the circumstances, because I knew you were there and despite me pushing you away, you still cared for me…didn't abandon me."

Steve swore that he could've welled up at that. He wasn't entirely sure how to respond to her and so he just kissed the top of her head again, realising that the two of them had wasted so much time before actually admitting their feelings.

"I'm never gonna abandon you," he assured her and she finally opened her eyes and stared at the zip on Steve's jacket before glancing up to him, seeing his face soften and his lips arch, a thumb brushing the small hairs on her forehead off to the side. "I've got your back."

She quickly pecked him on the lips and was about to question if anything had happened while she'd been napping, but then they heard it. Violet wasn't sure she could explain what type of noise it was. It was like a high-pitched roar or growl, but she knew it wasn't a lizard. They jumped to their feet and pressed their faces against the window of the bus.

"You see it?" Dustin asked from the pair of them.

"No," Steve answered.

"Lucas, you see it?" Dustin called up the hatch then.

"Hold on," Lucas shouted back.

Fog had rolled in over the scrapyard and made it difficult to see anything beyond a few metres. Violet's eyes flickered around, looking for any sign of the creature as she remained crouched down. And then Lucas shouted down to them.

"I've got eyes…ten o'clock," he said.

They looked in the direction he'd pointed them and Dustin wrestled in to look out the window, standing beside Violet as they finally spotted it in the distance. Violet moved a hand down to Steve's wrist, clinging to him as her other hand went to Dustin's, making sure the kid didn't disappear on her.

"What's he doing?" Violet wondered as the creature just stood there near the trap.

"He's not taking the bait," Steve answered. "Why's he not taking the bait?"

"I don't know," Violet answered.

"Maybe he's not hungry?" Dustin suggested.

"Maybe he's sick of cattle," Steve said instead and Violet understood what that meant. He managed to prise her hand from his wrist, his fingers firmly squeezing hers before he moved away from the window. Violet and Dustin turned to watch him as he walked to the other side of the bus. Shaking her head, Violet took a step towards him.

"What are you doing?" she asked from him.

"Just get ready," Steve said, holding his lighter to her.

She took it from him and he grabbed his bat. "Are you crazy?" she demanded. "You can't go out there and take it on. You know what they're like."

"Someone has to," Steve said. "Stay here and look after the kids, okay?"

"Steve-"

"-I've got this," Steve interrupted her and he opened the door, closing it behind him and stepping off the bus. He held the bath in both hands, poised to swing at any moment. His footsteps were gentle as he tried not to make any noise that would give his game away. Violet watched him close the door and she went back to the window with Dustin, watching Steve advance across the junkyard.

"He's going to get himself killed," Violet said and she looked around the bus for something to use as a weapon.

Max came down the ladder, clearly believing that something was going on now. "What's he doing?" she demanded to know.

"Expanding the menu," Dustin answered her.

Finally, Violet found a steel pipe that was long enough to hit something with. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and tied it with the bobble she kept around her wrist. She tossed the lighter to Dustin who grabbed hold of it.

"What're you doing?" Dustin asked from her.

"Trying to protect my boyfriend," Violet answered.

"They're both insane," Max said as Violet opened the door to the bus and stalked outside behind Steve.

"They're awesome," Dustin replied.

Violet soon caught up with Steve, the creature so close to them that Violet could make it out with squinting into the fog. Steve took one quick glance behind him and saw her stood there before he gave his attention back to the creature. His jaw tensed and annoyance flared up inside of him.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"You're not allowed to do this alone, Harrington, got it?" she replied. "We're a team, remember?"

Steve didn't get a chance to snap back at her as Lucas shouted that there was another creature behind them. Violet whirled around and saw that it had jumped on top of a scrap car. She kept the pipe raised in her hands, holding it the same way she would her racket. "There's more than one of them," she told him.

"Yeah, I'm picking up on that," he gulped.

"Steve! Violet! Abort!" Dustin roared at them from the bus and Violet wondered if the kid had a point. The creature facing him started to run, its pace quicker than he had expected it to be.

"Get back to the bus now!" Steve demanded from Violet, but the creature she was watching leapt from the car to the ground, advancing at her and she side-stepped to the side, hitting at it with the pipe and hearing it yowl. Steve hit the creature trying to attack him and jumped out of the way, rolling over the bonnet of a trunk. Violet shrieked loudly as the creature she'd hit turned to face her again, but Steve was already grabbing her by the arm and dragging her to run behind him.

He pushed her ahead of him and her pace was quicker than his. She jumped back onto the bus, Steve close behind her. He shut the door and she tried to grab some metal sheets to put in front of it. Steve pressed against the metal on the door with his feet, but the creatures were still attacking and the bus started shaking, sending them toppling to the ground.

"Get to the back!" Violet demanded from the three kids as she tried to help Steve keep the door shut. "Now!"

They tried their best to keep the creatures out, but they were struggling. Violet pushed as hard as she could and Steve reached for the bat that he'd dropped. The creatures were going to get in and Violet knew it. She kept on pushing with as much strength as she had, but this wasn't going to work.

"Vi, I've got it," Steve promised her.

"I can keep holding-"

"-No," he interrupted. "I've got it. Let go, Vi."

Violet jumped away from the door and stood behind Steve as quickly as she could. He started to hit at the creatures that were trying to get in through the door, but they didn't entirely fit. Violet looked over to the kids as she saw Max scream loudly, looking up the ladder. Violet rushed to her and nudged her out of the way.

"Get back!" she shouted at her.

Violet hit at the creature with the metal pipe, grunting loudly as she kept on hitting at it, but it didn't seem to move away. She felt Steve push her out of the way as he took over and Dustin tried to radio for help. "You want some?!" Steve hollered, but before he even had a chance to lift his bat, the roar from the creature erupted and it pulled back, moving over the roof and then jumping down. The creatures continued roaring, but the bus stopped shaking and the creatures seemed to be leaving, the noises of their howls getting quieter. The five of them stood still, like no one dared to move. Violet inhaled a shaky breath and glanced over to Steve who had his lips tightly pursed. He just nodded his head once at her and tentatively headed over to the door.

Moving the metal grate out of the way, he opened the door and looked around. The creatures were nowhere to be seen. Violet followed, close on his heel, and she reached for his forearm. He climbed out and she followed. He took her hand from his arm, clasping her fingers instead of his instead.

"Have they gone?" Lucas questioned.

"No," Steve said. "They're going somewhere."

"Why would you say that?" Dustin asked, bundling past Max and Lucas to get off the bus.

"Why would they leave us alive? Something called them away," Steve said convincingly and Violet shuddered at the idea. Steve looked to the kids and motioned for them to get off the bus. "Come on, we need to get out of here."

Violet wasn't going to disagree with him on that. She made sure the kids were in front of them as they headed back to Steve's car, all of them nearly running and wanting to get away from the scrapyard. Violet kept hold of Steve's hand, her grip tight, almost like she was afraid one of the creatures might come away and drag him from her. Max and Dustin held flashlights in their hands that he'd fished out of his backpack.

They came to the railway track and started following it back, pace slowing as the kids struggled to talk and walk fast at the same time.

"You're positive that was Dart?" Lucas asked from Dustin as Steve and Violet looked at each other.

"Who's Dart?" Steve muttered.

"I think it's Dustin's lizard," Violet responded.

"Got it," Steve mumbled.

"Yes. He had the same exact yellow pattern on his butt," Dustin said and Violet frowned.

"He was tiny two days ago," Max piped up.

"Well, he's malted three times already, "Dustin answered. "He's shed his skin to make room for growth like hornworms."

Violet whispered to Steve: "Do you think he could help me with biology?" she wondered and Steve chuckled despite the seriousness of the situation. The three kids looked at him, wondering just what was so amusing. He coughed into his fist and shook his head as Violet smirked at the ground.

"Sorry," Steve said.

"Well, when is he going to shed again?" Max wondered.

"It's got to be soon. When he does, he'll be fully grown, or close to it," Dustin answered her. "And so will his friends."

"Yeah and when he is then he's going to eat a lot more than just cats," Steve said to Dustin and Lucas rushed to stand in front of Dustin, stopping him from walking any further.

"Wait? Cat? Dart ate a cat?"

"No, what? No," Dustin said, but his voice betrayed with him with a slight waver and if that hadn't given him away then Steve's next comment definitely did.

"What are you talking about? He ate Mews."

"Mews? Who's Mews?" Max asked.

"Dustin's cat," Steve said exasperatedly.

"Steve!" Dustin snapped at him.

"I knew it. I know you kept him," Lucas shoved him in the shoulder.

"No!" Dustin shouted but no looked convinced at that and finally he relented. "He missed me. He wanted to come home."

"Bullshit!" Lucas snapped.

"I didn't know he was a Demogorgon, okay?" Dustin defended himself and Violet listened to the two of them argue about breaking the law that they had. Lucas yelled at Dustin because he had kept the creature whereas Dustin was angry because Lucas had told Max who, in his words, was a stranger.

Violet exhaled a deep breath and let go of Steve's hand. "Snap out of it!" she yelled at the three kids. "This isn't helping anyone!" They went quiet then and looked at Violet almost sheepishly. She stood with her hands on her hips, face angry and eyes flickering between the three of them. "We have bigger things to worry about right now, okay? The fact is that Dustin kept the creature and Max knows so she is involved in this. Plus, it's rude to talk about her like that, Dustin," Violet warned him.

"Guys," Steve called out.

"Just a minute, I'm not done yelling at them," Violet snapped back.

"I think that might have to wait, Vi," Steve said back and she turned her head over her shoulder as they heard the creature's yells again. They were far off in the distance, but they were definitely not a million miles away. "Wait here," Steve demanded from them and he took off in the direction of their screams. Dustin and Lance didn't listen to him and ran after him, abandoning the rail track they were following.

"So we just run towards the noise?" Max checked.

"That tends to be what happens," Violet said. "Come on."

She urged for Max to follow her and they ran off into the woods, flashlights shining ahead as they realised that the creatures were heading towards the old lab. Violet kept behind, making sure that Dustin, Lucas and Max were all safe as Steve took the lead. As the clearing approached, they heard murmured voices and Steve held a hand up, urging for them to slow down so that he could check who it was.

"Hello? Who's there?" a voice shouted at the five of them and Violet swore that it sounded familiar. They kept on walking, Steve taking his bat from his backpack and holding it by his side in case he needed to use it. Dustin shone a light onto where the voice had come from and Violet felt her stomach begin to churn as she saw the two figures.

"Steve?" Nancy almost shouted his name in disbelief before she spotted Violet behind the group. "Vi?"

"Nancy…Jonathan…what are you doing here?" Steve asked from them, finally lowering his bat as the others lowered their flashlights and Violet felt her heartbeat speed up. The last time she'd spoken to Nancy, things hadn't exactly gone well. Violet knew they had bigger things to worry about, but she was still anxious about her friend hating her. She kept back from Steve, standing on the other side of the kids.

"We're looking for Will and Mike," Nancy answered.

"They're not in there, are they?" Dustin wondered, glancing over to the lab.

It was only then when Violet realised they were at the perimeter of it, a barbed wire fence keeping them out and the security box abandoned. The whole placed looked entirely deserted, no lights coming from it or people keeping check on it. Violet remembered how she'd only been there once, to sign something saying she'd never speak of what had happened at the Byers' house. Her dad had gone with her and they'd listened as they'd been told what would happen if they did speak.

"We're not sure," Nancy answered.

"Why?" Jonathan asked.

And then the creatures screamed at just the right time from the lab. They'd been going back there the whole time. There was a lot of talk then about who had seen Will and Mike last, but none of the kids could remember when they had actually last seen them, figuring that it was possible that they were in the lab. Suddenly, however, the power came back on and lights emitted from the lab, but still the gate wouldn't open. Violet remained quiet, stood at the back with her arms wrapped over her chest. Steve went towards her, hand extending to her arm, but she shrugged him off, shooting him a sympathetic expression.

"Vi-"

"-Not yet," she interrupted and he knew what she was doing. She was keeping her distance from him in an attempt to protect Nancy.

All of a sudden, the gates began opening and they all watched it slide across. "We'll go and try and find them," Jonathan said determinedly. "You all stay here in case anything comes, alright?"

"You sure about this?" Steve wondered.

"Yeah. If they're in there then we get them in the car and we get out," Jonathan said and Nancy went to the passenger side and climbed in without another word. As Jonathan walked to the driver's side, he passed by Violet who was stood and leaning against the security booth. He offered her a slim smile. "It'll all be okay," he said to her and Violet wasn't entirely convinced, but she didn't argue with him.

The two of them drove off down the track to the lab, leaving Dustin, Lucas and Max with Steve and Violet. The three kids started talking again as Steve went over to where Violet was stood, placing the bat down and resting it by the door of the security hut. Leaning back, he folded his arms over his chest.

"I know that you want to keep things…civil…around Nancy," Steve told her. "But I don't know if I can do that, Vi. I don't know if I can act like that…and then have you not even look at me…shrugging me off of you…"

"I'm sorry," Violet said. And she was sorry. She didn't want to be like that with him. "There's just still a lot that needs to be said, but now isn't the right time and if it makes you feel any better, I hate it too."

Steve knew that being angry with her wouldn't help. He knew why she'd done it and it was nothing to do with her not wanting him. And so Violet just looked at him and he saw her eyes were glazed over. Steve's annoyance was put to one side then and he stood in front of her, hands going to her upper arms. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked her. "Come on, Vi."

"It's just…seeing you fighting those things…I guess I've only just realised that this…I don't want to lose you, okay?"

Steve sighed and he knew that this was a lot to take in. He knew that there was more to Violet than met the eye. She was snarky and sassy. She put on a front that nothing bothered her. But that wasn't true. She was bothered by so much and Steve could see that. He wrapped his arms around her and he felt her slip hers around his waist, hands gripping the jacket at his back.

"I'm going to do everything I can to keep us both safe," Steve promised her. "Even those snotty brats."

Violet snorted at that and nodded her head against his shoulder. Steve brushed a hand down her hair in the ponytail. "We just admitted how we felt to each other and I don't want you to get hurt because I…I love you, Steve. And I hate how much time I've wasted denying it and I just don't want to waste anymore."

"We're not going to," Steve promised her. "And even though you claim that high school relationships don't last, I think we can break that mould. I think we might be different."

"I hope so," Violet agreed with him and he kissed the top of her head.

"I love you, Violet Mattheson, and I am not going to let anything happen to you," he assured her and gave her a final squeeze before he pulled back, curling a finger beneath her chin and tilting her head up so that he could quickly kiss her.

"I told you!" Dustin exclaimed and Steve looked over Violet's shoulder, arm still tight around her waist to stop her from moving. She tossed her own head round so that she could look at the kids. "The two of them are incapable of not making out with each other when they're left alone. Why would she be going on a date with Billy?"

"That's just what Billy said, doofus," Max retorted. "I never said she was."

"Okay, we're not doing this again," Steve said with a shake of his head and a wag of his finger. "You three mind your own business."

"I think you're gonna have to put her down, Steve," Dustin said as the engine of a car roared towards them, beeping its horn. It was Jonathan and Nancy, but Violet couldn't tell who was in the backseat because it sped past them, dirt flying up behind it.

Another car came to a screeching halt and a figure leaned across to shout at them. "Get in."

Steve let go of Violet and opened the back door to the truck, ushering the kids in first before Violet climbed in afterwards, Steve grabbing his bat for good measure. Shutting the door, he collapsed onto the middle seat as the car drove off without him sitting down first. Violet grabbed his arm to steady him and Steve looked at the driver.

"Didn't think I'd ever be so happy to see the Chief of Police," he commented.

"Yeah, not busting your ass for underage drinking today, Harrington, got bigger things to worry about," Hopper called back to him and Violet knew that they were having to see this through to the end. There was no turning around and hiding now.

...

Hi! So I am not sure if anyone is reading this - but if you are then I'd love to know what you think!