27. Chapter 27

Jane is sitting on the porch when they pull up to the Chief’s house, wearing a blue dress patterned in daisies and a pair of heavy boots that look a little bit too big on her. When she sees Steve’s car, she hops to her feet, an uncertain smile on her face.

“Sister,” she says as Kali pushes herself out of the car.

Billy decides he doesn’t want to intrude, so he goes and helps Axel out of the car.

“You need a fucking bath,” he mutters as he shoves his shoulder under the taller boy’s armpit. “You stink.”

Axel grumbles at him, but doesn’t say anything, eyes intent on Jane.

“Didn’t think we’d see her again,” he says, words a little distant. “Figured we’d be dead, or she’d be dead. Or both.”

Billy doesn’t really know what to say to that, so he doesn’t say anything, just hauls Axel up the steps of the small porch and deposits him on the couch as gently as he can manage.

Steve steps in just behind him, dropping Axel and Kali’s bags onto the floor by the door.

“I figure we can give them a minute,” he says, shrugging awkwardly.

Billy agrees.

“When do you think the Chief’s comin’ home?” he asks.

“Well, I mean, it’s almost five-thirty, so soon, I guess?” Steve checks his watch. “Yeah, right about now. Why?”

Billy crosses his arms.

“I’d rather not see him, if it’s all the same to you,” he says. “Considering.”

Steve’s eyes widen slightly with realization.

“Ah, yeah, right,” he says. “Um… I also don’t wanna leave El alone?”

Which is also a point. Billy knows what violence looks like, and it’s there in Kali’s eyes, and in Axel’s. If Jane does something to piss one of them off…

Billy grits his teeth and looks away. It’s too far to walk home on his own through the woods— it’d be dark before he got to Joyce’s, and he really doesn’t want to have that conversation once he gets there.

“If you want, you can wait in the car?” Steve offers weakly. “I mean…”

Billy nods once.

“Fine,” he says, and he strolls off, back outside.

“Billy.”

Billy stops, because that’s Jane saying his name, not anyone else. He turns to look at her.

“What’s up, Jane?”

She reaches out, so he does to, letting her take his hand.

“Thanks,” she says. “For helping.”

Billy softens.

“No problem, kid,” he says, squeezing her hand lightly.

“Don’t wanna see Jim,” Jane says, and it takes a second for him to remember that, oh yeah, that’s the Chief’s actual name. “I understand.”

And she does, doesn’t she, because not two feet away there’s a girl with big black eyes that are more than a little watery and Jane calls her sister.

“If I see him,” Billy says carefully. “I’ll hit him again. And Steve’s not strong enough on his own to hold me back. I’ll try and kill him.”

Jane nods.

“Fair,” she says. “He’s bad at helping, sometimes. Mike hit him, too, last time he tried to help.”

“... How did he think he was helping, exactly? Helping me, I mean.”

She shrugs.

“If you knew, you would have taken Max and run,” she says. “And then, you’d be a kidnapper, and kidnappers don’t get custody.”

Billy… Billy thinks she’s probably right. But that doesn’t make him any less angry, any less scared.

Jane, of course, notices, and consequently hugs him.

“I’m sorry,” she says. “Max’ll be home soon, though.”

“You sure about that?” he asks, and maybe he feels a little bit numb.

Jane nods into his chest, then lets go.

“Sit in the car,” she says. “Kali will hide you.”

Kali nods a little uncertainly from over Jane’s shoulder, and wow, Billy didn’t think about the perks of knowing a Vegas magician.

“Thanks,” he says, nodding to Jane, then Kali. “Tell Axel to take a fucking shower.”

Kali wrinkles her nose.

“I don’t want to fight that battle,” she says. “He’ll just worry about his hair.”

Billy grins because of course that asshole fucking would. Mohawks don’t just do that.

He settles himself into the passenger seat of Steve’s car just as the rumble of the Chief’s truck reaches their ears. Lighting a cigarette, he watches as the car pull into the driveway beside Steve’s car, listening to the engine cut off and the Chief climb out, slamming the door shut behind him.

“Jane,” Hopper says.

“Jim,” Jane says, smiling. “This is Kali. My sister.”

Billy can’t see Hopper’s face, but he can imagine the look he gives the girl, a cross between cautious and friendly.

“Hi, Kali,” he greets. “Jane’s told me a little bit about you. I’m Jim Hopper. You can call me Jim. Or Hop. Most people call me Hop.”

God, he’s an awkward motherfucker, isn’t he?

“You’re Jane’s policeman,” Kali says. “You… have worked out a deal, for her?”

Hopper’s shoulders stiffen with surprise.

“Sort of,” he says. “I have… an arrangement, I guess, with the man who took over the labs after… after the other guy.”

“Papa,” Jane explains, and Kali’s eyes flash with fury.

“I can’t find him,” Kali says, and suddenly, she looks bigger than Billy knows she is. “I’ve been trying since you left, and I still can’t find him.”

“... He’ll turn up,” Hopper says, and whoa, Billy’s never heard someone sound so terrifying. “Don’t you worry about that, Kali. Men like him always do.”

Billy thinks back to the warehouse, back to the pictures he’d seen pinned to the corkboard. He gets the feeling that Kali meant to kill whoever this ‘Papa’ is, and that the Chief is aware of this and doesn’t care.

What the fuck?

“Kali’s friend is here, too,” Jane tells him. “Axel. He’s hurt.”

“Hurt?” Immediately, Hopper’s face changes. “A friend? How bad?”

“Billy says he’ll be alright,” Jane says. “He helped him.”

Hopper goes quiet.

“Did you see him?” he asks. “Billy?”

Jane stares at him, and Hopper sighs.

“Yeah, I know,” he says. “I messed up. Again. I just know what I was like, when I was his age. I know what I would’ve done.”

Jane nods, but doesn’t answer. Hopper sighs again.

“Steve’s here, then?” he says, glancing at the BMW.

“Yes,” Jane says. “Inside, with Axel. Didn’t want to leave us alone.”

“That kid is an honest to God mother hen and I love him for it,” Hopper says. “Alright, inside. We’ll make dinner.”

Jane grins and takes Kali by the hand, bouncing up the steps and into the house. Hopper gives Steve’s car another look, brow furrowed uncertainly, before turning and following them inside.

Ten minutes later, Steve comes out.

“Hop’s got no idea what to do with Axel,” he says conversationally as he starts the car. “Apparently he wasn’t expecting a twenty-year-old dick with a mohawk to be crashing on his couch, even if Jane was nice enough to tell him about Kali coming.”

Billy snorts. Good. He deserves it.

“Take me home, Stevie,” he says, waving an imperious hand at the dashboard. “I’m ready for bed.”

“Tell me about it,” Steve says, already backing up. “After all that driving and Kali putting a knife to your throat— which reminds me.” He reaches over and smacks Billy on the shoulder.

“Ow!” Billy pulls away and turns to glare, but Steve meets his eyes, unafraid.

“Don’t you ever pull that kind of bullshit again,” he says. “She had a knife, and you decided to get smart with her? I was ready to fucking strangle you myself.”

Billy frowns, bewildered, as Steve turns the car around and starts heading for the Byers’ without another word, though it’s clear he’s still very, very annoyed with Billy.

Apparently, the Chief was right. Steve is the biggest mom he’s ever met, and he’s living with Joyce.