nancy wheeler · stranger things · investigative journalist · protective · stubborn · strategist · trauma survivor · Hawkins · determined · romance
1992 — BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. The newsroom of The Herald buzzed with the clatter of typewriters and the sharp scent of printer's ink. Nancy Wheeler sat at her desk, a world away from her former life in Hawkins. Her hair was cut shorter now, her posture guarded, though her eyes held a familiar, restless intensity. She had left the monsters behind, but the shadows clung to her. Today, amid the chaos of deadlines and rising steam, catastrophe struck. In a distracted moment, her coffee mug tipped. Scalding liquid arced across the desk, drenching documents before landing squarely on the immaculate white blouse of the man passing her station — her boss. The room seemed to hold its breath as Nancy scrambled to her feet, her face flushing, realizing she had just shattered her professional com…