The Stancy Files

Chapter 28: The Fight

Steve and Nancy had been to hell and back with all of the problems they'd encountered... Vecna, Jonathan, Melissa, Nancy's parents, the Hawkins police, etc. But Steve had grown tired of it. He wanted to get away from Hawkins for a bit and take Nancy with him. She was tired of it as well, but she felt too connected with the bad things that had been happening in Hawkins.

As they sat together on the edge of Nancy's bed, Steve decided to bring up the topic. "Nance, I know everything's been chaos, but we have to do something. Like get out of Hawkins." His friend gave a nervous laugh. "I want to too, Steve, but we can't right now. Vecna--" He cut her off. "Yeah, yeah, I know. He's coming to take us away and kill us and all that shit. But he came back and we haven't lost a single fight. And I'm sure Joyce and Hopper can take care of the kids. Why can't we just get away?" He whined. Nancy gave a small, sad smile. "But we can't just leave now. My family... might die. I can't take any chances right now, no matter how badly I want to." Steve huffed out a sad sigh. Nancy turned to completely face him, trying to cheer him up. "Hey, I'll make it up to you. I graduated. That means we can officially go on a date again. I was wrong about Vecna not having a clue and my parents don't care if I date now. Let's go to a nice restaurant. I'll pay." He shook his head. "No, no, no, no. If we're going to a nice restaurant, I'm paying. You're not paying after all the shit Jonathan's put you through the past few weeks." Nancy shook her head with a smile. "You're insane." He gave her a serious look. "And you are too, Nance. That's why we make a great couple."

. . . . . . . .

The Byers, Hoppers, Sinclairs, Max, Dustin, and Robin had split up from the Wheeler's, so Steve was now the only non-relative at the house.

That night at the family dinner, Nancy and Steve decided to break the news to the family. "Mom, Dad, I have something to say," Nancy said firmly. Karen eyed her older daughter suspiciously. Ted rolled his eyes. "Well spit it out already." Nancy glanced over at Steve with a small smile. "Steve and I are officially together. Dating." He smiled over at his girlfriend.

The family, on the other hand, was not so excited for the two. Karen's face exploded with anger. "No, you are not! No dating until you move out of this house! No boys under this roof unless it is Jonathan Byers!" Steve looked down at his food, embarrassed. Holly flinched, taken aback by her mother's surge of rage. Nancy's anger spiraled out of control. "No. We're dating, whether you like it or not. You said graduation and it's damn well past that." Karen became vicious, standing up at her seat to make herself taller than her daughter. "Nancy, you do not use that tone with me. You can date Jonathan. No one else. Understood?" Nancy stared at her mother with more hatred than ever. "You don't get to keep me from the people that I love. You don't get to force me with a boy that never gave a fuck about me," she told her mother, taking Steve's hand. "And I'm going to date and probably marry Steve Harrington, so you better get used to it." Ted stood up and violently grabbed Nancy's arm. "Listen to your mother." Mike whacked his father's hand away from his sister's arm. "Leave her alone!"

Ted chuckled at his son. "Hold your horses, son. There are more serious matters to attend to here." Mike rolled his eyes. "Like you've ever been around for anything to do with any of us anyways. Don't touch Nancy. Or Holly." Ted's lips turned into a deep frown. "I have always been here, Mike. You just never came to me. And my daughters obey me and my wife! As do you! Remember your place, boy, before you get hurt." Nancy's anger had never been this high. She pulled Steve away from her cruel family. "Let's go." She whispered. He held on tightly to her hand, wanting to comfort her in any way he could. Karen wasn't going to let her daughter and her daughter's boyfriend off the hook like that. This wasn't going to happen. "Nancy Carolyn Wheeler, stop right there! You aren't going anywhere!" She turned around to face her family with an angry face. "Watch me." The married couple charged at their daughter and forced her away from Steve, marching her up to her room. This was going to be really bad.

Steve ran out of the Wheeler's front door as fast as he could, but he wasn't going anywhere. He was going to get back to Nancy.

. . . . . . .

Thirty minutes after being imprisoned in her bedroom, Nancy heard a knock on the window. She ran to it as fast as her feet could move and flung it open. "Steve, thank god!" She said, more grateful than she'd ever been.

Nancy sat on the bed as Steve paced around her room frantically, trying to figure out what to do. "We could go face them again." He said, wanting to create peace for once with her parents. Nancy didn't like that idea. "They're not going to give in, Steve. I hate it, but it's how it is." He frowned. "I can't just leave you here, Nance. As long as you're here, I'll never see you again." The girl nodded. "I know. And that's not going to work out because I have so many things to do. If I'm stuck here, that means Mike is too. We won't be able to help out with defeating Vecna." Steve sat next to her, and they brainstormed in silence. After a few minutes, Nancy came up with the only plausible solution to the problem at hand. "I have to leave. I have to get out of here...There's no other choice," she said, trying to meet his eyes. He finally looked up at her. "I hate to agree with you, Nance, but you're right. There's no other way. Even if that means breaking your relationship with them." She nodded. "I guess that's it then. I'm going to have to find someone I can stay with, but I'm sure it'll be better than this," she told her boyfriend, motioning to the room around her. He gave the world's saddest, forced smile. "You can just stay with me. My parents won't care." Nancy smiled. "If you're okay with it, I'd love to." He nodded.

One thing was official: Nancy Wheeler was leaving her home.

She didn't know where she was going, or where this road would take her, but she was leaving. And as far as she was concerned, her plans were to never go back.