melancholia. [ ALTERNATE SPIN-OFF ] [ BILLY HARGROVE ]

xxxii. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

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warning: mature language, not sure

     "Okay, you're looking great so far, Mary. We'll have the test results back in about ten minutes if you don't mind waiting. Is he the supposed father?" the nurse asked. Mary and Steve looked at each other, then both of them quickly shook their heads. 

     "Uh, father is currently... on a business trip," Mary said, almost wincing at her own words. "He's just a friend." 

     "Hm, that's how it always starts," the nurse chuckled. The two looked at her confused, the nurse's face heating up from embarrassment. "I'll go test this and get back to you." She walked out quickly, Mary leaning back and holding her face in her hands. 

     "Steve, I don't think I can... I can't do this," Mary told him, eyes watering as she thought about the next nine months. "What if we can't fix Billy? What if I have to raise this kid on my own while Billy just hates me?" Mary breathed out, trying not to cry as Steve slung his arm over her shoulder. 

     "You can't get too stressed out, okay? It's Billy, and it's you. If I've learned anything while you two were together, it's that nothing can tear you apart," Steve reassured her, rubbing her shoulder lightly. "If it makes you feel better, we're going to be closing in tomorrow on the facility. Marley and Oliver are getting us in, Dustin and I are going to get Billy, while Gold distracts Jackson." 

     "W-Without me?" Mary asked, eyes wide. 

     "Mary, it's not safe. If the two doctors are telling the truth, he could wig out when he see's you and expose the whole plan," Steve told her, lowering his voice as if someone was listening to them. Mary stared at him for a moment, then nodded in acceptance as she had no other choice. The door opened again, the two looking to see the nurse was back with papers in her hand and a smile on her face. 

     "Well, your test came back positive, Mary," she said. "Congratulations, you're pregnant." Mary leaned back on the chair, Steve looking to her to see her reaction. "You're free to go. Just make sure you follow the diet plan we gave you, and no alcohol." The nurse left the room, and Mary sat still in the chair. Steve just took her hand to comfort her, Mary looking to him. She looked ahead again, her eyes watering then. This just changed everything. 

~The Next Day~

     Marley and Oliver climbed into their car, Steve and Dustin getting in the back. They knew Gold was distracting Jackson at the moment, so it was the perfect time for them to get in and out of the compound. 

     "Are you sure he's not at the compound?" Steve asked, stomach churning at the thought of getting caught. 

     "I'm positive. He won't be there," Marley said, nodding slightly. "It's in and out, easy." 

     "Okay, we're trusting you. If you don't get us home, Mary will kill you both and make the other watch," Dustin told them, making Oliver nod slightly. 

     "Thanks for the reassurance, doesn't scare me at all," he said, glancing to the boy. He started the car, driving away from the cabin. They were arriving at the compound ten minutes later, Steve and Dustin staying under the blanket in the backseat. The guards didn't even check the back seat, and Oliver kept driving through. Once he was parked, he pulled the blanket off the two boys. "Okay, let's go. We have to make it quick." 

     They all got out and walked inside, Steve and Dustin looking around as they felt uneasy. They could hear clanging, and see other science projects going down. But they were told not to look too much or they'd look suspicious. Eventually, Marley opened one of the steel doors, Steve and Dustin walking in slowly to see it was what seemed to be a control pad and a window. They both walked forward slowly, looking through the window to see Billy sitting in a chair with his head hanging. 

     "Billy?" Steve mumbled, eyes wide as the boy looked a lot worse than he expected him to. 

     "Let us in," Dustin said, going to the door. 

     "It's open," Marley said. The two boys went into the room quickly, nearly flinching as they heard a growl. The both looked behind Billy to see a demo-dog in a cage, and to it's left was an actual demogorgon. 

     "Uh, what are we going to do about that?" Dustin asked, pointing to them. 

     "We'll come back to that, but for now we need to get Billy and go," Steve said. He went to his friend, crouching down and lightly hitting his face. "Hey, Hargrove. Wake up. We need to go." Billy stirred a bit, confused when he opened his eyes. He flinched away at first, Steve holding up his arms in surrender. "It's okay, it's just Steve!" Billy took a minute to process who it was. 

     "Harrington?" he asked. "What the hell are you doing here?" 

     "I'm here to break you out, man," Steve said, a smile growing across his face. "Dustin, grab those keys right there." Dustin tossed the keys to him, Steve unlocking the chains quickly. Once they were off, Billy fell forward. Steve caught him and put one of his arms over his shoulder. They walked out of the room, Oliver going on Billy's other side to support him. 

     "I'll go start the car. Make sure no one see's you. If they do, here's this," Marley said, handing a taser to Dustin. "Do you know how to use it?" 

     "Do I know how to use a taser?" Dustin asked, raising an eyebrow at her. "Honey, I've beat Russians. Of course I can operate a taser." They all ran out of the room, Marley taking lead as she rushed down quicker than the rest. 

     "How'd you know I was here?" Billy asked, barely using his legs as he hadn't moved them in two months. 

     "Uh, just a hunch," Steve lied. "You can ask questions later." They rushed down the hall, a guard rounding the corner as they were almost to the door. 

     "Hey, what are you doing?" he asked. Dustin rushed forward and jabbed the taser into his neck. The guard fell to the ground unconscious, all of the men looking at him. 

     "Good, let's go," Oliver said. Dustin opened the door to see that Marley was out front already. They all piled into the car, Dustin cramming into the side as Steve and Billy stayed on the floor. Dustin crouched down as they approached the gate again, Marley taking with the guard briefly. 

     "What's in the backseat?" the guard asked. 

     "Oh, that was there when we came in, just my groceries. You know, got to keep the frozen stuff frozen," she said, lying to the guard effortlessly. He glanced to the back seat again, then nodded slightly. 

     "See you later, doctor," he said. Marley rolled up her window, driving away from the compound quickly. Once they were far enough away, Oliver pulled the blanket up again. 

     "They're gone," he told the three. "You can get up now." The three boys got up off the ground, each sitting in their seats. "You're lucky the guard has a thing for my wife or we'd all be dead right now." 

     "Where are we going?" Billy asked, leaning forward slightly. "And can we stop for a burger?" 

     "We'll put that on the list," Oliver responded. 

     "Just sit tight, Billy. We're almost there," Marley told him. He looked at her confused, not knowing what she meant by 'almost there'. 

     "Where are we going?" he asked. 

     "In a way, home," Steve answered. Billy looked at him, then nodded slightly. He looked out the window, shutting his eyes as one thing was on his mind. No, not Mary. He finally knew he was free.