"Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

Jason Carver had a very punchable face. Especially as he looked down on the group, eyes zeroing in on Willow with an impossibly smug grin.

The silence from their group is deafening. Robin has gone slack-jawed, shock settling as her body is completely still and she stares in horror at her prediction coming true - Jason was going to be the one to initiate something. Right here, right now. Eddie and Steve, on the other hand, react totally differently from Robin, but similar to each other. Both of their jaws clench, eyes hard and narrow as they look up at the jocks. The tension in the air, radiating off of both of them, is suffocating. And not in a good way.

"Carver," Steve is the one to break their silence, gritting the name out between grinding teeth.

"Harrington!" Jason puts on a cheerful act, a hand coming down to Steve's shoulder, "It's been ages. How are you, man? Bad, I'm assuming. I mean, I'd heard the rumors that you'd lost your charm, but to be hanging out with freaks?" Jason sucks in an exaggerated breath, shaking his head slightly, "Always thought you were better than that."

"What do you want, asshole?" Eddie interrupts before Steve can defend himself, trying for Willow's sake to not let anything start.

Jason turns his gaze on Eddie like a predator stalking prey. Willow's hands begin to shake under the table, "I don't believe I was talking to you."

"And now you are," Eddie keeps a straight face, his shoulders pushed back and no sign of cowering in sight, "So, again - what do you want, asshole?"

"Actually, I just want to talk."

" Just talk? Bullshit."

"I do. And ironically enough, to you specifically. Alone ."

Willow no longer keeps quiet, realizing what Jason was trying to do, "No."

Everyone clearly sees what Jason's end goal here was; he wanted to get Eddie alone, no doubt to cause him physical harm.

" No ? Your girl makes decisions for you now, freak?" Jason doesn't look away from Eddie, a smile tugging on the corner of his lips.

Eddie turns to Willow and she knows his mind is made up. There's not a thing she can say to him right now to convince him to not go and 'talk' to Jason and his gang all alone. By the look in his eyes, she knows that he knows that there won't be much talking. But he also knows that if he doesn't comply, Jason will stay here, bothering all of them possibly all night. He doesn't want to force her to deal with that.

What he doesn't realize is that she'd take Jason Carver spitting venom at her for an eternity if it meant forever postponing another hand ever being laid on Eddie.

"I'll be right back," he murmurs, leaning over and pressing a short kiss to her cheek. She almost turns her head to capture his lips. He doesn't give her the chance before he stands and faces Jason, "Alright, shall we?"

Jason is smiling with a sick pride, his intentions painted across his face. "We shall. I'll lead the way," he turns towards the door of the diner, looking back over the two other jocks with him and tossing out a, "C'mon, boys."

The moment they disappear outside, Willow is desperately turning in her seat in the booth, peering out the large window to her side to catch sight.

So far, so good. They're just talking. Maybe he really just wants to talk.

"We can't let him just stay out there alone," she huffs despite her blind hope. Every second that ticks by is a second more than Jason has a chance to hurt Eddie.

Robin is pale and Steve looks torn when she turns to face her friends once more.

"Maybe I was wrong," Robin starts up sheepishly, clearly going down the same grossly optimistic path that Willow wanted to, "Maybe he isn't going to start anything. Maybe-"

Steve stands up suddenly. "I'm going out there. Stay here."

"Steve-" Willow begins to argue, but he's already taking long strides out the door, leaving Willow and Robin to sit in shock.

There's an awful twisting in Willow's stomach, her anxiety getting the best of her. Two against three might be a bit more fair of a fight, but they all know Steve's track record of getting his ass kicked. He might get one, maybe even two, good punches in before Jason sends him to the emergency room.

And Willow is just sitting here. Both the boys she cares for an impossible amount are outside with a school bully, defending her and her honor, and she's just sitting here.

It's easy to push down the anxiety at that thought, letting the anger and protective nature swallow her whole, "I'm going out there with them."

"That is such a bad idea."

"I don't care."

"They'll be okay, they have each othe-"

"Steve has never won a fight," Willow snaps, already standing at the end of the table, "And Eddie... he's not a fighter, Rob. I have to go out there."

Robin softens, seeing the fear seeping out from Willow's overconfident persona. It flashes clearly in her eyes. The set of her jaw, her clenching fists at her side, the deep breaths she forces in through her nose and out through her mouth - she's terrified, but she isn't backing down. Not when it comes to Eddie, and not when it comes to Steve.

"'Low, if you go out there, you could get hurt," she tries one last attempt at talking the girl down.

But Willow can't be stopped now that she's decided, "And if I don't go out there, they're going to get hurt."

The argument dies on their tongues as a sudden smacking sound echoes from outside - it's unmistakingly skin on skin contact followed by a few rough shouts.

Willow spins on her heels and nearly sprints out the door, Robin struggling as she fumbles out of the booth and follows her. When they burst into the cool October night the scene before them makes Willow's heart drop. Eddie is stumbling off to the side, clutching his jaw with his eyes screwed shut as Steve is suddenly standing in front of him, glaring at Jason.

"Go home, Carver," Steve uses a voice that Willow hasn't heard since he graduated. It's stern, authoritative. It's his King Steve voice he used to use to intimidate others.

"This isn't your fight, Harrington. Fuck off."

One of the jocks standing behind Jason takes a few steps forward as the other moves silently around the entire scene, towards Eddie. Willow doesn't hesitate, at an advantage as none of the boys noticed the two girls joining them outside - she blocks the jock's path and sharply grabs his shoulder, yanking him back and sending him off-balance.

"Don't you dare ," she hisses, feeling heat rise to her cheeks with her anger, "Lay another finger on these boys."

It distracts Jason. He turns, looking at Willow, ready to cockily laugh at her, but it gives Steve a perfect opportunity that he doesn't waste.

When Steve's fist collides with Jason's cheek, a loud crack can be heard throughout the parking lot. Everything goes deathly silent for a moment.

And then the chaos breaks.

Willow doesn't have a chance to defend either of her boys as Jason's two guard dogs spring into action, throwing punches and tossing Steve and Eddie around roughly. Robin has her arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back as she watches Eddie get kneed in the stomach and Steve receive a painful blow to his temple.

"Let me go!" she screams, trying to tear off her friend's arms without hurting her, "Stop it! Stop hurting them!"

Jason, the jocks, Steve. None of them hear her, or particularly care about her pleas. As far as they're concerned, it's white noise as they continue to send punches back and forth.

Eddie hears her, though.

His big, brown eyes are shining as he catches her wild stare. His lip is busted, and it takes her back to the day at school when she'd interrupted his fight with Jason against the lockers. When they'd gone to the girls bathroom alone. When she'd had a panic attack. When he'd taken care of her.

When he'd told her that no one else had ever taken care of him the way she did.

The memory is enough to finally give her a burst of strength to rip out of Robin's grip, rushing forward towards the jock who was trying to land another punch on Eddie.

"Hey!" she shouts, angry tears burning her corneas, " Asshole ."

She grabs the boy's letterman jacket, ripping it as she yanks him away from Eddie, furious enough to be seeing red. She doesn't hear Robin calling out for her to stop or to come back inside.

The boy looks stunned when he turns to face her slowly, glancing between the now ruined sleeve of his jacket and her before his face curls up into a sneer.

"What do you want, slut ?"

She doesn't have a plan, so she slaps him. At the insult, it's all she can think to do. Her palm is stinging after it connects with his cheeks, enough momentum to make his face slam to the side with her force. A pink imprint in the shape of her hand forms.

It looks just like the handprint that Jason had left on her. It fills her with a sense of pride she'd come to regret later on.

When the jock turns his face back towards her, he's laughing. Manic chuckles leave his lips as he shakes his head at Willow, eyes wide and crazed when his glare settles back on her. "You bitch."

Eddie is quick to interject himself between them, standing in front of her and forcing her behind him with rough hands. "Don't even think about it. Your fight's not with her, don't touch her."

Willow is about to struggle against Eddie's firm grip on her bicep holding her behind him when she hears it. Someone falls to the ground with a loud grunt.

Before she turns, she lets herself hope it's Jason. Or maybe the other goon.

It's not. It's Steve.

Jason and the other jock are taking turns landing kicks into his stomach, each one making Steve groan out huffs of air, unable to defend himself.

Eddie's hair swings, nearly hitting Willow in the face as he takes in the scene at the same moment as she does. He's about to move to Steve's aid, but the jock that Willow slapped is quick to grab him. It makes his grip on her bicep slip, and she doesn't waste any time in all but running to where Steve is. She's ready to throw her first real punch in her entire life right into Jason Carver's left cheek that currently isn't bruised like his right, when a commotion sounds from the doors of the diners.

"Break it up! Break it up!" One of the cooks comes outside, towering over all of them, deep voice stopping the entire gaggle of prideful idiots at once. Not even a second passes before Jason whistles, and both of the jocks return to his side, slowly backing away without breaking eye contact with the cook.

Willow catches Jason's glare. His dispiteous eyes meet her bellicose ones. Both hold a warning, a dare to try anything more. Willow can tell her message gets across - that if Jason and his goons continue their assault, it's not the cook or the cops they'll have to worry about - when the three boys suddenly turn and retreat to their car.

"Get out of here!" the cook yells after them, turning with fury towards Eddie and Robin as Willow collapses onto the ground next to Steve, running worried hands over his face to make sure he's still conscious, "You four, too! Out of here, now , before I call the police."

Willow doesn't see Eddie throw a twenty dollar bill to the ground next to the cook's feet for their meal, her focus entirely on Steve.

"Hey, hey," she whispers, her hands gentle as she cradles Steve's face that's littered with blood and bruises, "Look at me, Harrington."

His eyes are fluttering, struggling to stay open from how swollen they are, "Hey there, Jenkins."

"You idiot," her thumb swipes some of the blood leaking out of his nose, making him wince. She almost couldn't handle it - the sight of Steve Harrington losing a fight was something she'd only had described to her in the past, but witnessing it was something entirely different. A different kind of heartbreak, a different kind of anger for the boy.

"I'm an idiot," he croaks out, agreeing with her. He goes to sit up, but a pain clearly shoots through his ribs as he groans and clutches his torso.

"Here," Eddie is suddenly on the ground next to Willow, "Help me get him up and to the van."

Willow isn't sure how they manage it, but between herself and Eddie, they get Steve standing with minimal pain. Eddie doesn't hesitate to all but carry Steve to the van, letting the boy lean entirely into his side as he drags him along quickly. Robin walks up behind Willow, still frozen and staring after the two boys.

Her touch on Willow's back is soft, "C'mon, 'Low. We've gotta go."

Eddie settles Steve down into the van's backseat carefully, Robin slipping in and putting his head in her lap without hesitation. She simply nods at Willow, encouraging her to take her place in the passenger seat, when Willow looks to Eddie instead.

He's taken damage. Not as much as Steve, but the bruise that covers his jaw and the way his right eye is squinting doesn't go unnoticed.

"You can't drive," she insists suddenly, holding a hand out.

"I'm fine," he argues, making no move to hand over the van's keys.

"Eddie, give me the keys," she isn't backing down, stepping closer to him and keeping her empty palm out towards him expectantly, "You can't drive. You have a black eye."

"It's not that bad, I can still-"

Willow cuts him off, reaching forward and prying the keys from his fist without another word. He's stunned - the last thing he expected was her to be so forceful. "Get in the passenger seat, Munson. Now."

If Robin is confused by Willow being the one to heave herself into the driver's seat, she doesn't let it slip.

Eddie is tense as he slides into the seat that Willow normally occupies. His eyes keep diverting to her as she turns the keys in the ignition, taking a few deep breaths before she shifts the gears of the van.

"Buckle up," she orders, not glancing at him as she clicks her own seatbelt into place.

She doesn't have to ask him twice. Once she hears the secure click of his seatbelt, she's carefully backing them out of the parking space.

There's a frenzy in her chest. An impossible, drowning feeling of panic and emotions as she shifts the van from reverse and into drive. She tries to grip the wheel to hide the shaking of her hands, keeping her eyes glued to the road as she presses onto the gas gradually, jerking the van forward and out of the parking lot.

She hasn't driven since the night with Parker.

Her head buzzes as she enters the main street, taking deep yet unsteady breaths to focus. She wishes the memories would stop nudging at the edges of her subconscious, stop screaming to be seen and begging to be felt. She doesn't want to compare the situation to that night. She doesn't want to think about how in her life, it seems the only time she ever ends up behind the wheel of a vehicle, it's when someone important to her is in the car and wounded. She can't spare Eddie a single glance because she's scared if she does, all she'll see is Parker. Her eyes avoid the rearview mirror that has a clear view of Steve for the same reason.

Steve is too out of it to recognize her internal meltdown, and Robin is too busy tending to Steve in any way she can to be of any help. But Eddie sees it. From the passenger seat, he can see the unraveling behind her eyes, the tears she furiously blinks back and the shake in her shoulders with each uneven breath. He still doesn't have the right words to say when she's like this, when she's forced to remember her brother and her trauma, so he does the only thing he thinks can help - he reaches out a gentle hand, and places it delicately on her knee.

The moment he does, she almost has to pull over.

But she doesn't. She doesn't indulge herself in the sob stuck in her throat or the panic bouncing between her ribs. She keeps driving and she ignores the overwhelming comfort that a simple touch from Eddie Munson can bring.

She doesn't realize that she's driven them back to Family Video until they pull into the familiar parking lot. Steve's BMW still sits in front of the store.

The van idles for a second before she pushes it into park, finally gasping, "I'm sorry guys, I- I didn't know where we could go. I just... I don't-"

"It's fine," Robin interrupts, carefully leaning forward and placing a comforting hand on Willow's shoulder, "It works."

And work it does. It's a blur - Eddie once again carries Steve, Robin standing off to his side and anxiously offering her support if he needs it as Willow unlocks the door and ushers them all into the dark store. She's quick to run to the back, flickering on all of the overhead lights before returning back out to where her three friends stand.

She's still shaken from driving.

"Uh-" Eddie grunts, readjusting his grip on Steve, "Where should we take him?"

Robin and Willow share a look, before Willow answers, "Bring him to the back room. We have a first aid kit."

Willow is quick to find the first aid kit as Eddie finally settles Steve down onto one of the chairs. She hears mumbling, and realizes they've gotten him back awake by the time she's setting out what she needs on the table beside him.

"'M fine, it's... I'm good," Steve grumbles, trying to swat a worried Robin's hand away.

"Harrington, you got your ass handed to you," Eddie huffs, "You're not fine. Let them patch you up."

" Them ? Us ? Oh, no, Willow gets to play nurse," Robin panics, looking at her red-haired friend. She was staring a second too long at a bottle of rubbing alcohol before Robin's words register.

"Huh?" she snaps her eyes in their direction, Eddie looking a bit worried behind his wounded face and Robin expectantly stepping back, giving Willow space to crouch in front of Steve. She takes a second before she does just that, "Oh, yeah. Robin, get some of the ice packs from the fridge."

"What can I do?" Eddie blurts out as Robin races to the mini-fridge.

Willow turns to him, a sad smile, moving an assuring hand to his calf as it's the only thing she can reach at the moment, " You need to go sit down. You're my next patient."

"I want to help."

"You can help by taking care of yourself, Eddie."

"That's not-"

She isn't letting him argue with her, not tonight, not when her nerves are fried and every glance at his bruising face is breaking her heart. She still can't even look fully at Steve's face yet, " Please. I just... I don't even care if you go and disorganize the entire store. Wreck every shelf. Just... I've got Steve," her eyes flicker to the broken skin of his knuckles, and she visibly winces, "Maybe, if you want to help, go wash up those hands. I don't want them getting infected before I can patch you up."

Robin drops the ice packs on the table within Willow's reach. Eddie sighs, accepting defeat.

"Okay. Fine. Yeah, I'm going to go clean up a little bit."

As he retreats towards the bathroom for employees, Willow faces Robin, who is looking extremely pale.

"Are you going to pass out on me, Buckley?"

"No, I just- Shit, he took a lot of hits. Almost as bad as that time with the Russians."

"No way," Steve suddenly scoffs from where he's slouched, shocking both girls, "This isn't even half as bad. Stop exaggerating, Robs."