Disclaimer: I do not own Nightmare on Elm Street or any of the characters involved. They belong to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema.

Summary:
(AU) 'I won't tell' …and she wouldn't tell. He would make sure of it. Katherine's life would be controlled by him. Her father. Freddy Krueger.

Genre: Suspense, Hurt/Comfort, Angst.

Author's Note: 8th Feb 2015.

I am back! After a long hiatus from this site – about 2 years or so – I have decided to come back and re-edit/change a few stories. I plan to start with this one. For any old reviewers of this story, you will hopefully see a difference to this story – adding more scenes/taking it in a different direction but keeping the premise the same! I still have the whole story on my laptop. I have removed the chapters from the site and will amend/update the chapters on my laptop whenever i can.

Any new/old reviewers are more than welcomed!

I Won't Tell

Chapter One: I Won't Tell

The sun shone brightly down upon the backyard of 1428 Elm Street. Birds chirped in the trees, the air was also filled with the laughter of a child. Little Katherine Krueger. Freddy Krueger good-naturedly chased his little five-year-old daughter around the immaculate garden. Her pink dress flowed around her small legs as she ran passed the rose beds that her mother had worked long hours on keeping in perfect condition. She giggled as her father gently touched her shoulder as they played 'tag'.

"Tag. Now you're it" he chirped and smiled down at his little princess. She turned to him, giggling. Freddy chuckled and motioned her to him, "Remember what you have to do now. You go to Daddy"

She nodded with enthusiasm and trotted over, arm stretched out to touch him. But he moved out of the way, smiling mischievously at her. She laughed again, and spun around to face him. Loretta smiled to herself. Good he was preoccupied with Katherine; this was just the perfect chance to see what was in his room. Sure he wouldn't know that she had been in, she would carefully make sure that she closed the door behind her when she was finished.

Loretta glimpsed over her shoulder at her husband and daughter as they played away in the afternoon sun, and then with a deep breath ventured into the basement. She didn't know that her grisly discovery would soon change the future for herself and her family. Her feet stopped inches from the door that was slightly ajar. He must have been in there before he made his way out to play with Katherine. It was strange of him not to lock the door as it was always locked; maybe it was her lucky day.

With one last cautious look over her shoulder Loretta firmly grasped the steel handle and eased the door open, allowing an ear splitting creak to echo in the basement. She swiftly moved into the room and immediately her whole world came crashing down around her.

Upon the walls of the small room where newspaper snippets of the missing and murdered children, in the in the centre of the room at the back was a wooden bench that had a navy scrapbook along with a glass of milk and plate of cookies. Her breathing became more laboured, her heart beating faster with utter fear as she gazed up at the various bladed gloves attached to the beams above the shelves. Some of them stained in blood of his victims. She had to be dreaming, this just wasn't happening.

The Springwood Slasher was him, was her husband.

Freddy Krueger.

Fred was the one out there stalking them poor children, taking them away to molest and slaughter them like they were nothing but lambs to be butchered. Loretta stumbled back and fell to her knees, a choked shriek leaving her lips as tears streamed down her face.

Soft giggles resounded from outside that instantly caught the stricken woman's attention. Katherine. She had to get Katherine away from him she had to protect her.

Quickly she scrambled out of the secret room not understanding how her actions would lead to her untimely demise. Once at the top of the basement steps that lead to the back yard her eyes landed upon her small daughter, as she was ready to charge into Fred's arms. Unexpectedly she screamed making both of them to turn to face her.

Fred glared at his wife with utter venom, comprehending the fact that the bitch had been snooping in that room. His room. How many times had he told her not to go anywhere near it? Too many times and now she had disobeyed him. She had to pay the consequences and it would be with her life.

Fred calmly walked from Katherine's side and met his terrified wife half way across the yard at a huge oak tree. His face held a look of rage as he stopped before her.

She sniffled pleading softly, "Please Fred. I won't tell"

He sneered in reply, "We need to talk Loretta"

A sob left her lips and with a cool smile Freddy turned his head towards Katherine and ordered, "Go inside honey"

Like a good child would Katherine merrily skipped into the basement, not knowing what horrific incident would occur to her mother.

As his child descended into the depths of the basement, Freddy fiercely clenched Loretta's shoulders hissing viciously as he shook her, "Didn't I tell you not to go in there? Isn't that right? Isn't that RIGHT?"

"Please" she cried, "I won't tell, I swear to you!"

"Do you think I'm a fool, you bitch?" he roared, slapping her face so hard that she had honestly thought her neck would snap. His left hand grabbed a fistful of her hair and trailed her across the lawn to the back of the yard.

Loretta pitifully tried to squirm out of her husband's grasp, but he bestowed her with another hard slap to the side of the face. "Please! Don't do this. Don't make Katherine grow up without a mother. She needs me!" she pleaded.

His eyes narrowed as he firmly grabbed her throat, "Needs you? Katherine will only be needing me now. I'm the only person she will ever need! " Fred tightened the grip on her throat and snarled, "You've brought this on yourself, you fucking whore!"

Little Katherine stood in the doorway of her daddy's private room mesmerised and confused at what she was seeing. Bladed and spiked gloves were suspended to the wooden beams of the room while pictures of children were plastered about the walls. Why were some of their faces so familiar to her? And why would daddy make such weird and dangerous gloves like these?

She gasped softly as the faint sound of grunts and moans of agony filtered down from the garden. She backed out of the room, curiosity getting the better of her and soon she found herself walking towards the stairs that lead out to the garden.

At the top step she felt tears brimming in her eyes as the scene before her was horrendous. Her loving father was strangling her mother, killing her right in front of her.

"MOMMY!" the child screamed and scurried forward a few feet. But she froze as her father threw the limp body of her mother to the ground as though she was nothing but a piece of unwanted waste.

Freddy spun around to face Katherine. This was all he needed. He wiped the sweat from his face as he sauntered over to her regaining his composure and tried to reassure her, "Don't worry baby. Daddy was just giving mommy her medicine for snooping in daddy's special work. But you won't tell, will you?"

Katherine quickly shook her head, sobbing, "I won't tell"

Her father grinned and slowly wiped away the tears from her shaking face, "You go inside. I'll be in soon"

Katherine gulped harshly, as her gaze fell upon her mother's motionless body. She wanted her to move to get to her feet. She wanted her mother alive and with her. To tell her that it was all a big misunderstanding, that her father didn't mean it.

That everything was going to be okay.

But nothing was ever going to be okay ever again.

She jumped as she felt two firm hands land on her small shoulders as her father ordered again, his voice dripping with authority, "Katherine. I said go inside. Now"

Sniffling Katherine nodded in reply and trotted away towards the back door and quickly was out of view. Freddy sighed, annoyed at how things were turning out. It wasn't meant to be like this.

Damn that bitch, why did she have to go prying where she didn't belong? He scowled and turned towards the dead cadaver of his wife.

People would soon be asking questions on her whereabouts and as for Katherine. Well, that needed to be dealt with quickly and efficiently. He had to make certain that she didn't breathe a word of this afternoon. If she did, then he would be screwed.

But first he needed to dispose of the body.

A short time later in the living room little Katherine sat on the sofa shivering and crying quietly as the image of her father choking her mother to death flashed through her fragile mind over and over.

She had to do something.

She had to tell.

But she said she wouldn't, however what he did was wrong. If she did decide to reveal his dirty secret then she would be taken away from him and deep down she didn't want to be separated from him.

She loved him, truly she did.

And whenever he asked her to keep a secret she always would.

Her gaze lifted up from the carpet as Freddy entered the room, after finally concealing his wife's body in his secret room. For there it would remain until the time was convenient for him to get rid of it, of her.

The sooner, the better.

He rubbed his chin in thought studying his daughter as she gazed at him, eyes full with trepidation. Would he do the same thing that he did to her mother to her as well? Kill her?

Freddy took a deep breath and sat at her side in silence for a few seconds, thinking of how to start this conversation. He glanced at her and gently took her in his arms, setting her on his lap. "Now Katherine," he began, "Daddy wants to talk to you about what happened today"

Katherine gave a small nod and started to ask, "Why…?" but before she could even finish her question she snapped her mouth shut.

"You want to know why daddy did what he did?" muttered Freddy, concluding her enquiry for her.

She nodded and looked up at him as he answered, "Well, as you know that I have a special room that nobody is allowed into except for me. But your mother was naughty. She disobeyed me and sneaked into my room. That made me angry and I had to punish her, so she had to be given her medicine for being a bad girl"

Katherine nodded slowly, acknowledging his answer and continued to listen as he started off again, "But it's going to be our secret. And you know what happens when people make a secret?"

"They never tell anyone it," she whispered.

Freddy smirked, nodding, "Yes princess, that's right. So, you're going to keep daddy's little secret, aren't you? Forever?"

Her big brown eyes stared up at him, "Yes"

"Good" he murmured and kissed her forehead lightly, "And if you do tell, they'll take you away from me and they won't treat you as good as I do. They'll be bad to you. But I know that you don't want to leave daddy, do you?"

"No. I don't want to leave you," her eyes began to well with tears at this statement. She had lost her mother today, there was no way she could cope with losing her father too. With a little sob her tiny hands grabbed his shirt as she snuggled into him. He tenderly caressed her hair, whispering in her ear, "Good girl. You only need me now, Katherine. Only me and no one else"

He heaved a deep sigh and leaned back into the sofa, cradling Katherine in his grasp. Rocking her back and forth until her sobbing had subsided.

Fred knew that even though she had promised him she wouldn't tell on him, he would keep her off kindergarten for a while. He couldn't risk it for her going back so soon after today's events. He wouldn't let her out of his sight.

There was too much at stake.

Also it would give him the perfect opportunity to twist her little mind. He didn't control that bitch Loretta as well as he would have liked. But as for Katherine that would be completely different.

He certainly had a way with children, they were so gullible. So easy to gain their trust.

As for Katherine he would have to gain her trust all over again, but this time he had to manipulate her.

Fred smiled to himself knowing all too well how easy this was going to be.

x x x

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