Grown (Lumax) COMPLETE

Mama's A Murderer

TW// Mentions of sexual abuse

I proofread this while veryyy sleepy, I hope I didn't mess it up. 😭

My eyes are 🔥👄🔥

Goodnight

Sue showed up on Robin's doorstep and knocked lightly, not trying to sound like authority. Although when Robin didn't open up, she knocked louder. Eventually the door swung open.

"Can I help you?" Robin seemed very defensive, tired, and scared.

"Yeah, actually..." Sue immediately felt bad, after looking at Robin. "Can I come in? I promise, I'm not affiliated with the police, I'm just worried sick about Susan. I feel you might know a thing or something..."

Robin looked defeated as she held the door open. "Come in..." she couldn't keep what she knew inside for much longer.

Sue walked in, not surprised to see the house a mess. "You been doing okay?"

"No, not at all..." Robin crossed her arms and sat down on a chair. "My parents are coming home tomorrow....I don't know how I'm going to pull myself together."

"Yeah, that's rough..." Sue took a seat. She felt bad, but she was here to get answers. "You clearly know a lot more than everyone else. Sooner or later the police are going to uncover everything, why not tell me now?"

Robin wrapped her arms around herself and sighed. "I'm... terrified." Robin's voice cracked as she fought back tears. "Whatever happened, it has to be all my fault!"

"Explain..." Sue crossed her arms and leaned forward.

Robin composed herself by breathing deeply. Then she ran a hand through her dirty hair. It was time to open up, things were getting out of hand. "Susan, came to check on me... See, Barb, my ex girlfriend...she was being sexually abused by this guy..." Robin paused to let her feelings buffer. "Jonathan...His girlfriend, Nancy, bailed him out of jail. Nancy had the audacity to visit Barb in the hospital after and apologize. I was venting about the whole thing, ya know? Letting out my frustrations...Susan seemed REALLY heated about it. Said one way or another she'd keep Barb safe..."

Sue soaked the story up like a sponge, she clung to every detail. "You think Susan murdered or attempted to murder Jonathan?"

"I'm not sure what I think..." Robin admitted.

"You know, they found blood that isn't Susan's in her car..."

Robin looked startled. "OH GOD! Jonathan was a fucking creep, but Susan couldn't–" Robin covered her mouth and started crying. Susan was too sweet to kill someone so suddenly, surely.

"I'd like to think she doesn't have murder in her abilities..." Sue leaned back and thought about the information. Susan had a history of abuse, men practically ruled her life for years. Maybe Jonathan was the one to finally snap her. "I'm expecting a call from the police very soon, after they check out Nancy Wheeler's place...did Jonathan live with Nancy?"

"Mhm..."

Sue raised an eyebrow. "Then...wouldn't Nancy of either found out what happened, or...reported her boyfriend missing?"

"Not if she's a victim too..." Robin thought about it. If Susan did go after Jonathan, Nancy would of called the police by now.

"Please, lord... anything but this." Sue muttered and put her head down. She prayed for a good outcome, but knew it was probably too late.

-

Sue got back to the hospital awhile later. She was about to enter Max's room, but stopped. From the little window in the door, she could see a cop talking to Max. Not just any cop, Jim Hopper. He had the sorriest expression on his face. Max looked pale, shockingly pale like she had just seen a ghost. Charles was still in the room, holding one of Max's hands while she spoke to the police.

Sue turned and headed to her son's room instead. When she walked in, Lukas was startled. "Sorry, baby. You feeling okay?"

"Everything aches..." Lukas complained, his whole body was tense. Even his jaw felt stiff. "How's Max?"

"She's coping...dad is with her, I figured I'd come see you." Sue didn't want to mention that Max was talking to an officer.

"I want to go see Max." Lukas insisted.

"You'll see each other when you're discharged." Sue told him sternly.

"The nurse said I'm free to go when I feel ready...just ask dad." Lukas started getting out of the bed.

"Hold on!" Sue gently pushed him back on the bed, and sat beside him. "I want to have a little talk with you..."

"Okay?" Lukas agreed.

"The blood in the car wasn't Susan's...we...they think she might of attacked someone."

Lukas shook his head. "No, she wouldn't!"

"I heard the man that manipulated your friend, Barb, got bailed out of jail. Apparently Susan took it personally...your friend Robin told me Susan wanted to take matters into her own hands." Sue wanted Lukas to know now, before he saw Max again. Chances were, Hopper was confirming what Sue was telling Lukas. "We don't know for sure but, just be mentally prepared for the news."

Lukas was supposed to be mortified, and he was. A sliver of him was proud though. The world had no place for abusers. Of course, he would also feel awful if Susan did take a human life. "It...It must of been an accident! Susan wouldn't intentionally k-kill someone!"

"We just need to wait and see..." Sue leaned down and kissed Lukas on the forehead. He was still her baby, especially in times like these. "No matter what happens, me and dad will be here for you. Max too, we'll do our best to comfort her."

"I need to see Max." Lukas got up, but sat back down when their was a knock on the door.

Sue opened the door and let the officer in. "What brings you here, Hopper?"

"What do you think?" Hopper grumbled and rubbed his forehead. "I got some news, you ready to hear it or not?" Given his attitude, it was safe to say Jonathan was involved.

"Please, tell me what happened." Lukas pleaded.

Hopper yanked a chair over to the bed and sat down. He didn't have to do this, the news would become public very soon. Yet, he felt that he should deliver a softer version of the news to the teenagers first. "I'm going to try to keep this as simple as possible, spare you the details." Hopper pulled out a notebook, he had a guideline for what he wanted to say. "Susan was involved in an... altercation with Jonathan, Byers...my step son." Hopper added bitterly. "She got her hands on a gun on the property, used it to defend herself. Turns out she's got a pretty good shot, because she shot him dead. Mortified, she panicked and somehow got him aboard her car. She drove around in circles, till she eventually went back to his house, unloaded him..." Hopper squinted at his notes. He had scribbled out and rewrote a lot. "Put him in the bathtub, trying to think of the right thing to do... Nancy came home, Susan attacked her...locked her in the bathroom until today...I think that sums it up." Hopper put away his notes and stood up.

"Wait, that's impossible!" Lukas rejected the information. "Susan isn't that kind of person!"

Hopper walked to the door. "You'd be surprised what people are capable of...I'm just here to deliver the news, argue with someone else." Hopper left the room, leaving the two sitting in horrified silence for several minutes.

Once Lukas snapped out of his initial shock, he got up and rushed to his girlfriend. He didn't say anything when he entered the room, he just pulled her in for a tight embrace.

"My mom's a murderer..." Mom sniffled. She wasn't upset that Jonathan was dead. She was upset that her mom had the strength to shoot him, and hold his girlfriend hostage. If Susan was going to snap and kill a man, Max wondered why it couldn't be Neil. Susan killed a man for Barb, but not her own daughter.

"I-it was self defense, she panicked..." Lukas hid his girlfriend in his arms, trying to protect her from life's twisted games.

"Why Jonathan?" Max tried to be happy that at least her mom was alive, but she was still devastated. "If she had that spite inside of her, why Jonathan? Why did she never stand up to Neil?!"

"I don't know..." Lukas whined and held Max tighter. "We'll be okay, we'll make it out of this... We still have each other, it's okay, it's okay, we're okay." For once, Lukas was repeating that for himself.