The Stancy Files

Chapter 2: The Question

      Chief Powell walked up to Nancy. "Your turn to answer the questions, Ms. Wheeler. And don't try to put on your charm like your boyfriend did. Ms. Cunningham, Mr. Benson, and Mr. McKinney's deaths were no accidents." Nancy eyed him suspiciously. "He's not my boyfriend, Chief Powell. You know that." The officer chuckled humorlessly. "That boy said the same exact thing. It is obvious you two are lying, miss. You wouldn't lie to the police together and try to cover it up if you weren't dating." Nancy opened her mouth to rebuttal, but no words came out. "Let's go chat, Miss Wheeler. Shall we?" Nancy followed the officer. 

When she got to the separate room she was being interrogated in, Officer Callahan was already there, a playful smirk resting on his face. "Well, well, well. Nancy Wheeler. You dare to show your face with Steve Harrington after the great charges of November of 1983. Bravo, little girl. This is so much more than you are expecting." Nancy glared at him, not saying a word. She sat down across from Chief Powell, who now sat next to Officer Callahan. Chief Powell leaned forward. "Listen, Nancy, we don't want to make this any more complicated than it needs to be. Just tell us where you were, and what you were doing. No lies. No excuses. Tell us the truth." Nancy sighed and began to tell her make-believe story. She had been at Lovers Lake with Max, Dustin, and Lucas, and decided to go home early. She got a flat tire and ran into Steve, who gave her a ride home. "I'm telling you, Officer. There's nothing more to the story. Steve gave me a ride home. That's all. I'm sure he told you the same thing." Officer Callahan sighed. "Yes, Nancy, he did. And what exactly were you doing at Lover's Lake with those troublesome little friends of yours?" Her eyes flickered from Officer Callahan's face to the wall. "We were going on a walk. You know? Just friends going on a friendly walk, okay?" Her facial expressions saddened. "It hasn't been the greatest week for any of us either. I lost my friend, Fred. And Lucas and Dustin are heartbroken over the alleged rumors of Eddie Munson. He was their friend. Max has been going through some hard stuff ever since Billy died." Chief Powell sighed. "Alright, Ms. Wheeler. That's all the questions we have for you right now. You can see yourself out." Nancy made a stubborn face, not daring to move an inch. "This is my house, Officer Powell. I believe you can see yourself out." The Hawkins Chief of Police stared down at the teenage girl. "Very well, Ms. Wheeler. Do not count yourself lucky. We are not finished here. We will come back with more questions. For as long as we have to. To get the truth out of you and your little troublesome friends. You can not hide it forever." Nancy remained calm-faced. "I'm not hiding anything. You're just not looking hard enough. Goodbye, Officer Powell." 

The two police walked out of the room and walked over to the angsty group of parents arousing in the Wheeler's living room. Steve was ushering Nancy towards the front door. She snuck by the two officers and group of her friends' parents. "What did they ask you?" He questioned. "Just where I was. What happened. Nothing else." She paused for a moment. "You're leaving?" Steve shrugged and nodded. "I mean I should probably go home before everything tomorrow. It's been a long day." Her eyes flickered to a spot on the floor. "Could- Could you maybe stay? I just mean with Vecna and all. I just don't want to be alone. Do you?" Steve nodded, a little worried. "No, yeah. Yeah, of course I will." He grabbed her wrist as they snuck past the Wheelers, the Sinclairs, and Dustin's mom. The two tip-toed up the stairs as quietly as they possibly could.

Nancy walked into her door, with Steve coming in after her moments later. She quietly creaked the door shut, sighing. She sat on the edge of her bed. "I'm sorry, I just-" Steve sat next to her. "Nance, it's okay. I get it. I wouldn't want to be alone if what happened to you happened to me either. Just try to get some sleep, okay?" Nancy looked down, nodding. "Yea." She looked back up at Steve's face. "But really, Steve, thank you for being here. It means a lot." He smiled. "Always, Nance. I'll always be here for you." She smiled. At least she knew someone would be. It almost made her sad. Jonathan had backed out for some very vague reason yet Steve was actually here for her. Present. In Hawkins. With her. For a moment she bashfully wished Steve was her boyfriend, and not Jonathan. "Okay, well I'm going to go change. I'll be back in a jiff." 

Steve watched his first love leave the room. Even after all of the time that had passed, and everything that had happened between then and now, he wished he had gotten her back. In his heart, Steve Harrington knew he would do anything to get her back. Obviously, he wasn't going to break her and Jonathan up, but he wanted to be there for her. No matter what. He wondered what Robin had said to Nancy in the woods on the way to Skull Rock earlier that day. 

After a few minutes passed, Nancy came back to her room in a little bit of an oversized Tom Cruise t-shirt and grey, comfy-looking sweatpants. Steve chuckled a bit when he saw who was on her shirt. "Don't let Robin catch you in that shirt, you'll never live it down." Nancy smiled warmly as she handed him Mike's deep blue crewneck and some sweatpants. "Yeah, I don't plan on it. These are Mike's. I didn't think you'd want to sleep in just Eddie's vest." Steve shook his head, a bright smile on his face. "Yeah. It's not as comfortable as it looks."

After Steve had gone and changed and come back, the two decided it was time to rest. Steve unintentionally asked where Nancy's guns were and was looking at them before she fell asleep on her bed. He sat at the end of the bed, on the floor, holding a pistol to protect her. 

A little less than halfway through the night, Nancy started to have sleep troubles. Steve woke her up because he was concerned. "Nance. Nancy, wake up! Are you alright?" Nancy slowly, weakly opened her eyes. "I'm okay. I'm okay. Thanks, Steve." She curled her legs up tight to her chest. He sat down beside her. "You sure you're okay, Nance?" She nodded. "Yeah. Yeah. I'm fine." She looked over him sadly. "You should get sleep, Steve. Tomorrow is going to be a lot." 

The two rested, but Nancy could not fall back asleep. "Steve," she whispered, quietly. "Yeah?" He responded back. "Do I deserve to be cheated on?" She asked desperately. He turned on his other side to face her. "What? Is Jonathan cheating on you?" Nancy looked to the side, not meeting his eyes. "I don't know. But that's not what I'm asking. Do I deserve to be cheated on? I know I'm not the greatest person sometimes." Steve sat up. "Whoa, whoa, Nance," He said, taking her hand. "You're in way over your head. You don't deserve to be cheated on. Ever."

Nancy Wheeler looked into the eyes of Steve Harrington. "But what do I do? I- I can't just end everything. Can I?" Steve frowned. "That's your call, Nance. You know that. Just stop thinking about it right now. Sleep." He said in a hushed tone. "Go to sleep, Nance. Don't think about these things now."