authors note: this is an au chapter i completely made on my own. it takes place after the whole Gate closing thing and such.

ALSO ! this book is coming to an end soon, but worry not because im planning on doing another book based off of chapter three of st !

ten. HEARTBREAKS

THE group of kids and teenage boys awaited for the arrival of the others who left the house. They had just finished returning from the tunnels, tired and hungry. They've been up all night basically saving the world.

"Look." Max points.

They all rose to their feet when they see two cars pulling up.

"Will! El!" The younger boys calls as they ran up to their dear friends. Happy to see that Will was back to normal and El is alive.

Billy looked through the crowd of hugging people and sees Phoebe struggling to get out her father's truck. There was dried blood under her nose and she looked pale. Exhausted. Drained.

He quickly makes his way towards her. "Phoebe." He calls. The blonde raised her head up when she sees Billy launching towards her. "Billy." She whispers, tiredly. Billy pulled her in for a tight hug. Glad that she was safe and breathing. "I'm so glad you're fine." Billy mumbles into her hair, still holding onto her.

She smiles against his chest. "It's so strange seeing you like this," Phoebe confessed.

"I-you're just...you've made me a better man. I never had someone who cares about me the way you do. You changed me." He replies, loosen the hug a little, but not wanting to let her go.

"No," she shakes her head. She pulls away from the hug and looks up at him. "I just helped you become a greater version of yourself." Phoebe knows there's so much more to Billy. He can be more then what he sets himself out to be. "And I will continue to be there, every step of the way. Always." She whispers to him.

Billy smiles down at her. Using his thumbs to attempt wiping away the dry blood from under her nose. "You should head home. Clean up and get some sleep. You need it." He recommends to her.

The blonde nods. "You should go home too. I'm sure you and Max have been through a lot today. You've seen a lot of things. I'm sorry I put you through that." She apologizes, still staring into his gorgeous blue eyes.

Bully shakes his head. Not wanting to accept her apology, "just like you said; I will always be there for you too, Phoebe. No matter how crazy the situation might be or even if it's worse then this one."

Phoebe wraps her arms around her neck, standing on her tiptoes. "Goodnight, handsome." She flirts as she pressed her lips against his. His hands made his way around her waist and pulls her close. Savoring the moment.

After a few more seconds of them kissing, Billy pulls away and pressed his forehead against her. "Goodnight, princess."

She then remembered something. "Wait. Stay here." Phoebe quickly ran to Hopper's truck and searched for a pen. Once she found one, she sprinted back to Billy. Phoebe grabs his hand and holds it palm up. "Call me whenever. You know where I live and you can come over whenever you want. Okay?" She informs him as she writes down the house phone number on his hand.

Billy chuckles at her cuteness but nods. "Okay, baby." He says. She smiles at the nickname. Phoebe pressed a kiss to his cheek and went back to Hopper's truck. Hopper and Eleven were already waiting there for her. Phoebe maintained her eyes on Billy. Watching him and his sister get into his car to drive off to their house. She soon got too far from them and lost sight of the two.

       THE next day came and Phoebe was woken up to Hopper shouting her name. The blonde groans in annoyance and lifts her pillow to place it on her head. Trying to block out his loud voice. They fell asleep extremely late at night. She was exhausted.

"Leave me alone!" She shouts, tiredly.

"It's Billy!"

Just his name caused the girl to snap her eyes open. She instantly rolled out of bed and left her room. Hopper was standing by the house line dressed in his uniform for work. She was surprised he was going into work today.

Hopper handed her the phone and watched as he left the house. Phoebe lifts the phone to her ear, "Billy?"

"Hey." He greets, "I-I was wondering if, uh, I could come over? I really need too...see you." Phoebe noticed a strange tone in his voice. She couldn't really point out what it is, but he didn't sound like his normal self and she became a little worried.

"Yes, of course." Phoebe replies.

"Okay. I'll be there in fifteen minutes." Billy ends the calls without letting Phoebe say anything else. She decided to ignore it and quickly made her back into her room to make herself look presentable. She brushes her long blonde hair, changed into comfy home clothes, and slid on a pair of socks.

Just as she finished washing her teeth, she heard someone knocking on the front door. She opens the door and her excited smile faded. Billy had his head lowered in shame and distress, but she saw a cut on his lips and bruises cheek bone. She could feel an aroma of hurt and suffering coming off of him.

She tugged Billy inside, "what happened? Who did this to you?" Phoebe questions. She placed her hands on his face for him to look at her but he refused to make eye contact. Billy didn't speak, he just stood there, quiet. Phoebe released a sigh. She didn't want to force it out of him. By his obvious silence, she knew something personal and traumatic must have happened. "How about we clean you up?" She suggests with a kind smile. Phoebe gently pulled him to the couch for him to sit on while she searched for the first aid kit. Once she found it, she returned back to the couch where Billy was quietly sitting at.

Phoebe started to clean his wounds carefully. After she finished, she places a single bandage on the huge cut that was on his cheek bone.

When she finished with everything, she sat there. Silently, pleading for Billy to say something. Anything. She was on the verge of tears. She wanted to know what happened to him and who is causing this much pain to him. Phoebe scoots closer and draped her legs on top of his. She enclosed her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her. The moment he buried his face into her neck, he started to cry quietly. It destroyed her.

"What's happened, Billy?" She quizzes, her voice breaking and a few tears escaping from her eyes. Phoebe wish she could to take this hurt away from him. It pained her to see him like this. She would never think to see him so fragile and small. Breaking down in front of her.

"When Max and I came home yesterday, " he starts. Billy pulls away from the hug and looks at Phoebe. He released a soft, shaky breath before continuing. "My father was really upset with how late we returned home. He's been doing this to me for many, many years. Ever since we lived in California. Since he and my birth mother got together. My mother used to fight him off, but now that I'm not with her anymore, no one defends me and I'm too afraid to do so myself." He explained, stuttering and little cries escaping his mouth. Phoebe already knew where this was going. She could put the pieces together. By the bruises and the wounds on his face. His father abuses him. Maybe that was the reason why he acts the way he does. She's not justifying his behaviors or his actions, but she doesn't know what's going on in Billy's mind. She's not a victim of abuse. So Phoebe refuses to judge Billy. She is not living the life he's living. She could never understand, but she did begin to feel a bit guilty. He had mention that he got it yesterday when returned home and she couldn't help but blame herself for him coming home so late yesterday. She was the one who dragged him into the mess.

"It's okay, Billy. You don't have to continue to explain." Phoebe finally speaks. She runs her hand through his hair and wipes his tears away. Trying to think of something she could say to him. Anything. Nothing was coming to mind. She has never come to a situation like this.

"You don't understand how bad it gets." He admits, lowering his head in sadness as a few more tears fell.

She closed her eyes and felt him lay his head on her chest while wrapping his arms around her. She caressed his face and gently continued to run her hands through his hair. Billy sunk into her touch. He honestly didn't want her to say anything. He just wanted her comfort. He needed someone to talk too. He wanted to feel her touch and he chose to come and express his feelings to her. Phoebe's soft hand movements compelled him to relax a bit. The tears soon stopped and his breathing was coming to ease.

"I'm so sorry that this is happening to you, Billy. You don't deserve this pain." She says to him. Oh, how he admires the sound of her voice. Everything about Phoebe he adored. She was such a gentle and caring soul. Who wouldn't find themselves captivated to her? "I want to help you, Billy. So bad. It breaks my heart to know you have to go back to that house with him there." She continued.

"There isn't anything you can do." He tells her.

She shook her head, "I-I could tell Hopper and maybe-"

Billy pulled away from her. "No," he cuts her off. "That will just make things worse." He feared. He did not want to involve anyone in this mess of his life. Billy also feared that if Niel knew he was telling people about the things he does, it'll make him angry. Angrier then usually gets and it'll just get worse from there.

"Why?" The blonde questions, looking into Billy's blue eyes.

He leaned forward and caressed her cheek, "I'll be okay. Don't worry about me." He reassures, "as long as I have you, I'll be more than okay."

Phoebe smiled and turned her face over to press a kiss against Billy's hand that rested on her cheek. Phoebe still worried for him and she will continue too, but she has to respect his choices.

She then sat up straight and held her small pinky out, "promise you'll call or even come by if this happens again."

Billy chuckles at her actions. Everything about had was so pure and affectionate. He adored that so much. She was perfect and he will never understand what he did do deserve her.

Billy wrapped his large pink around her soft and small one. "I promise, gorgeous."

She brought her hand to her mouth and kissed it to seal the promise. Billy sat there and watched her do so. She looked so adorable to him.

"Do it back. To seal the promise." She ordered him. He released another laugh and does as she says. Phoebe was changing Billy so much. Making him into a better version of himself. He would have never thought he would be making a silly pinky promise, but he knew it meant a lot to her. So he did and he is vowing not to break this promise.