Disclaimer: I own nothing except Frankie and the original peeps in the story. I do own numerous Freddy dolls though, including the action figures of pre and post burn Freddy. I do so love me a man in stripes.

Authors Note: This chapter took a while to finish. I hope you like it, it turned out rather long. Thank you all for either reviewing or faving my story. I'm one of those annoying people who like giving characters background and plot, so I'm working my way up to what makes Freddy you know…FREDDY. But this is my version so we have to have background and character development of some kind.

Also, those who are horror movie fans I challenge you to name the two films I sneak little tributes to in this chapter. Mwahahah.

Reviews make me happy and write faster. They also make Freddy happy. And a happy Freddy is one that doesn't poke my brain quite as hard with his claw. That's a good thing, trust me.

Italics Is a flashback scene.

Chapter 2

Frankie's house wasn't on Elm Street like Glen's or the Badham preschool kids that Freddy knew. It was on what was considered the wrong side of town, which was ironic since her dad Mark was on the police force. But the fact that he was considered law enforcement material in Springwood was just more proof to Frankie how backwards the town itself was.

When she got to her house she was relieved to see her dad's beat up Buick was not parked out front. That meant he was working that night and she'd be safe to do her homework and go to bed without incident.

She went up to her small bedroom on the second floor and tossed her bag on the mattress and headed back down to the kitchen. She made herself a cup of coffee, instant and bitter that she added sugar and creamer to. It was enough to make it drinkable, which was to say a lot. She'd need it tonight to finish the essay.

Back up in her room Frankie turned on her radio and started reading more of her history book and writing out the assignment in between grimacing sips of coffee. Soon it was two hours in and she was nearly done. It was nearly 9:30 and her concentration was not sticking with the French aristocracy anymore. She looked out her window at the clear night sky and then stretched, her neck popping loudly. Frankie shut her book closed and shoved it into her backpack.

Her thoughts turned as they usually did to Freddy as the music on the radio changed to one of those old songs he liked. She liked them too, that was part of the reason they had started talking to one another those months ago. This one was by Gene Pitney and was called "Town without Pity" Very appropriate considering her thoughts on Springwood of late.

Frankie smiled as she remembered how it had started. She'd been at the park. It was a nice day and she'd gone there to avoid her dad and to just read and be outside. Mark Jones had been on a bender the night before and she wanted to avoid his hangover. Badham School had a field trip for the kids. There was really nothing educational about it, it was really just a chance for the harried teacher to get the kids out of doors. Freddy had volunteered to help her out since her assistant had caught a cold, so he had come along.

Frankie had been sitting on the grass, back against a tree trunk and reading a copy of Dracula. The effect was sort of lessened by the bright sunshine, but she was enjoying it. That was when a pale little boy ran past her, laughing loudly and carrying a brown hat. He was quickly followed by a man in a short sleeved shirt and jeans who looked out of breath. "Quentin…give…me back…my hat." He managed to say, finally doubling over. His brown hair fell over his eyes a bit as he stood there panting.

"No no no…it's mine mine mine." The little boy said from behind the tree trunk. Frankie winced at the hyperactive tone. The kid had obviously led the man on a chase and a half. She decided to help the guy out. She pretended not to be paying attention to them, while her right hand inched towards where the hat dangled from the little boy's fingers.

"Quentin come on…you know it's not nice to take things that don't belong to you." The man looked up at last and Frankie saw that he had eyes that matched the color of the sky above them. When he caught her gaze he smiled, a shy nearly boyish grin on his narrow face. She gave him a hesitant smile back and then swiped the hat from the little boys hand quickly.

"HEY! That's mine!" Quentin cried stomping his feet.

Frankie laughed, twirling the hat out of reach of the little boy as she stood up. "Nuh uh! If we go by what you were saying, then it belongs to whoever has it in their hand. And that would be me."

Quentin pouted at her. "I'm telling!"

She smiled at the boy. "What are you going to tell? That someone took something from you that didn't belong to them?"

He crossed his arms in front of his chest and huffed. "Yes!"

"Well then, now you know how it feels." With that Frankie turned to the man with the blue eyes and sweet smile. "I think this is yours." She told him and handed him his hat.

He gave her another of those grins. "Thank you Miss." He said politely. He turned to the now rather embarrassed looking child. "Quentin I won't tell on you if you tell me you've learned a lesson here."

The boy was still pouting, but he looked more ashamed than anything else. He was looking at the ground now. "Ok…" he muttered.

"What's the lesson Quentin?" The man prodded.

"Don't take what doesn't belong to you…" Quentin said sullenly.

"That's right. Go on now and eat your lunch…I think I see peanut butter and jelly being handed out." The man said leaning down so he was the same height as the little boy and pointing towards some picnic tables.

Quentin's eyes widened a bit and in the next instant he was running faster than Frankie thought possible. "I guess he likes PB and J." She said laughing.

The man laughed too. "Who doesn't?" He asked.

"That's true." Frankie replied.

"Uhm…thank you though again…I thought I was going to have a heart attack before I caught up with him." The man held out his hand. "My name is Fred Krueger. I'm helping out Mrs. Davis down there with the kids today."

Frankie shook his hand, finding it warm and calloused. "Frankie Jones. Are you a teacher?"

"Oh no…" Fred laughed, actually looking ashamed himself now. "I'm sort of the school's jack of all trades. I do the gardening mostly…"

"What school?" She asked him.

"Oh it's the Badham Pre- School." He was happy to see she wasn't dismissing him as just a janitor or something.

"I know that place actually." She gave him a big grin. "Hey you do good work. I noticed the flowers the last time I went by there. The new ones out front on the raised beds."

Freddy's eyes widened, and she swore she saw him blush just a bit. "Thank you…those were hard work to get done. The boards kept warping."

"You built those too?" Frankie was impressed. She'd actually flunked out of shop class. Everything she made tended to be warped or bent. Considering that's how most people described her that didn't surprise her much.

Fred found himself feeling the unfamiliar sensation of pride. "Yeah I did." He told her noticing just how pretty her hair was in the sunlight. It was brown but there were shades of red and even some blonde in there.

"That's awesome. I can barely put a nail into a wall straight without nearly bashing a hole into it or bashing my finger. "She grinned and took her seat once more by the tree.

Freddy found himself not actually wanting to leave her. Quentin had led him on quite the chase and the thought of sitting down with another grown up was really appealing at the moment. He noticed the book she was reading. "So you like scary movies?" He asked her, sitting down a respectable distance away.

Frankie laughed. "I do in fact, but it was a book first."

"Oh I know that…" He placed the hat on his head and leaned back gratefully against his own tree trunk. "Just an odd thing to see someone reading it on a bright day like this."

Frankie laughed again. She hadn't laughed in a very long time and it was a nice change to the norm. "I was thinking that too, but I was in the mood for it. So there you go. I don't think the pages are going to burn up in the sun or anything…"

Fred grinned again. "I'd hope not. Make it hard to read." He peered at her a little more closely and noticed she looked tired. There were dark circles under her eyes and she was pale. "Hey are you hungry?" He asked her suddenly.

"Actually I think I am." She realized she was telling the truth.

"Well I can at least offer you a sandwich and some lemonade for helping me get my favorite hat back." Freddy kept studying her, trying to not be so obvious about it. When she smiled at him once more he felt his breath hitch just a bit.

"It is true I'm as much of an addict for PB&J as Quentin is I think." She told him putting her book away.

"Well then, come on down and meet the kids. I think Mrs. Davis packed enough sandwiches to feed a small army." He stood and offered her a hand up which she took. Fred liked the way her hand felt in his. Then he realized as he saw the textbooks sticking out of her bag that the girl was just that…a girl.

He immediately felt ashamed. But he hid it well while she grabbed her backpack from off the ground. When she turned her pale eyes back to him she was grinning again. Fred cursed the fact he was still having the same reaction to her. "Lead on to the feasting." She joked, not realizing his dilemma.

They went down to the tables and he introduced her to Mrs. Davis. She learned the kids names and by the end of the afternoon she was friends with all of them, even Quentin. She was watching Freddy with the children and how much fun he had with them. He was a big kid himself she realized, and even though he was older than her by at least twenty years she couldn't help the fact she thought he was cute. He wasn't conventionally handsome. He was shorter than most guys and his face was sort of pointed. But there was something about him. Plus his eyes were downright beautiful.

She sat down hard on the picnic table's bench and realized just what kind of thoughts she was having for this man. It wasn't like her firstly. Second, he was twice her age and she'd just met him. Then there was the whole fact that her father would kill her…

Frankie laughed as the song on her radio changed to "Charlie Brown", breaking her out of her revere. "Why is everybody always picking on me?" She sang along with the deep voice coming from her speakers while she stood and changed into her pajamas. As she lay down, eyes staring up at the ceiling she found herself replaying even more of the events that had led up to her falling in love with Fred Krueger.

Mrs. Davis was to blame really. She'd asked her if she wanted to volunteer to help out when she had time and she'd said yes. And so over the course of the next few months she and Freddy were spending more and more time together.

Frankie learned that he had no family of his own. He loved the kids at the school and never wanted them to have to deal with the sort of things he had to growing up an orphan. In fact, that was part of the reason he and the kids got along so well. He'd never had much of a childhood, and getting to goof around with them gave him a second chance at one.

He loved oldies music, which wasn't actually oldies to him so much. But so did she and they'd wind up listening to his small yet impressive record collection while eating lunch at the school in the basement where he lived. He wasn't proud of the fact he lived there, but Frankie made a point of telling him it didn't matter and he shouldn't be embarrassed by it.

It was a nice time, hanging out with Freddy and the kids. They talked about all kinds of things, and he acted like he actually cared about what she had going on in her life. She avoided talking to him about what her father did to her. She didn't want him to know…it made her feel like a pariah. She knew she didn't deserve the beatings, but the fact she was the target….or that she couldn't do anything about it…made her feel inferior. And also this was her safe haven. She didn't want to taint it with that part of her life.

Of course that illusion of keeping it from being known couldn't last forever. And one weekend her dad came home from work drunk off his ass. He'd been on a double shift at the station and he was in a foul mood. Frankie hadn't been as careful as she normally was. She'd made the mistake of saying something about how he was drinking too much. It had slipped. She knew better. It had reminded him of her mother. His fist had shot out so fast she hadn't even seen it happen. Suddenly she was on the floor her head ringing and blood leaking from the cut above her eye where his ring had sliced open her skin. For good measure since he was really pissed at her he'd kicked her in the stomach.

While she was crying and holding her middle (she hated crying when he did it, but the pain made it too hard not to) he'd left to go to the bar. Somewhere dark and angry inside her wished he'd crash his car into a tree. But he'd gotten skilled at driving while stinking drunk. She knew he'd make it back in one piece.

The next morning was a Saturday. The Badham kids were supposed to be going on another field trip, which was really visiting the Springwood Fair. It was a collection of fast food, funnel cakes, cheap thrill rides, and some craft booths. There was also a garden and flower exhibit. Frankie knew that Fred and the kids were actually excited about it. But when she'd woke up that morning there was the angry dark blue bruising on her face and the less obvious on her stomach. The cut wasn't bleeding anymore…but it looked painful, which it was of course. There would be no hiding this. There wasn't enough concealer in the world.

The old standard excuse of having slipped and fell would be her choice for the day. When she arrived at the school to hop on the bus with everyone she saw the look cross Freddy's face as soon as he saw her. His blue eyes widened and his lips parted in shock. He quickly moved to sit next to her. He'd dressed up in his nicest shirt and a pair of khaki pants. No jeans or raggedy sweater today. It made her smile a bit.

"Frankie what the heck happened?" He asked her reaching up to lightly touch her forehead. He didn't even think about it being inappropriate. Seeing her hurt made a twinge hit his insides.

His fingers were cool and felt nice against her skin. But she pulled away, not wanting him to figure out the truth of how she'd gotten the shiner. "I fell…I'm clumsy…you know that from experience."

Fred's eyes narrowed at what she said. He'd been in enough fights growing up to recognize a black eye caused by a fist. And that's exactly what she had. "How'd you fall?" He asked her, voice low. The bus had started moving and the kids were seated. None of them were paying attention to what they were talking about. They were too excited about going to the fair.

"It doesn't matter." She told him, hoping he'd let it drop.

Fred wasn't as slow as many people thought he was. In fact he was very, very smart. And this sort of confirmed what he'd been suspicious of all along. Someone was hurting his Frankie and he didn't like it. Freddy's left hand grasped her right one. With his free hand he took hold of her chin and made her look him in the eye. "Frankie, I know what a punch can do to someone." He whispered to her, his normally light blue eyes growing darker. "Who hit you?"

Frankie's lower lip trembled as she saw the mixture of concern and anger in his gaze. She'd never seen him so serious before and she'd never thought of anyone caring enough to ask her about the bruises she hid. She was not going to start crying on this bus, she refused. "Freddy please…I just fell."

His eyes narrowed and his lips thinned into a grimace. "It was your dad wasn't it?" His voice was nearly a growl, something else she'd never experienced with him.

He saw her eyes glance away and he knew he was right. Right then Mrs. Davis decided to call from the front of the bus for Freddy to help her with choosing which part of the fair to hit first. He told her he'd be there in a second then he turned back to Frankie. "We're talking about this later." His voice was different, the sort you wouldn't refuse because it carried weight behind it.

Frankie sat there, watching him walk away and talk to Mrs. Davis while the pre-schooler's bantered about how they couldn't wait for cotton candy. It was so normal, and yet here she was…so very not. She stared out the window of the bus watching the suburban houses pass by. Every so often she'd glance towards the front of the bus and catch Freddy looking at her, that same serious expression on his face while Mrs. Davis prattled on about something. She turned away, feeling ashamed again.

Nancy Thompson's round cheeked face peeked over the seat in front of her. "What happened to your head?" the little girl asked innocently.

Frankie sighed. "I fell." She told her, sitting back heavily in the stiff seat.

"I'm sorry." Nancy told her pouting. "It's a pretty blue though."

Frankie couldn't help but laugh at that. Nancy was the artist of the group. Leave it to her find the shade of a bruise pretty. "I'm glad you like it." She told her, which garnered a smile from the pretty five year old who sat back down and started talking to her friend Jesse about the rides they would ride.

Mrs. Davis kept Freddy occupied the whole bus ride, for which Frankie was grateful. She didn't want to talk to him about this. She'd come to the realization that she was doing exactly what she had not wanted to do. She was tainting this haven of both Freddy and the kids. This was the last thing she'd be involved with she'd decided.

She'd miss the kids a lot but she'd miss Freddy most of all. He'd become her best friend and that was part of the reason she couldn't let her own personal demons ruin this place for him. It would hurt to pry him out of her life like that, a lot more than Frankie cared to admit. But she had to do it, for his sake and the kids as well. Her dad hadn't said anything yet about her volunteering at the school. But it would only be a matter of time before he ruined it completely. Now would be the time to stop it.

When they had arrived at the fair Mrs. Davis had split them into three groups, one with each chaperone. Freddy hadn't looked happy about that, but it worked better that way. Frankie had Quentin, Jesse, Jenny, David, and Sarah. It was a pretty easy group to handle except for when Quentin and Jesse had started fighting over who got to ride in the front of the small roller coaster. Frankie had made it easy for them and had let David and Sarah do it because they hadn't resorted to screaming.

After an hour of running around the rides it was time to grab some lunch. The group met back up at the food area. The smell of greasy sweets was like a drug to the kids who had to be firmly told only one sugary food was allowed. Freddy joined her in line at a stand. "How's your gang?" He asked her with a smile.

"Only one fight so far, so I can't complain." She ordered her chili cheese fries and a frozen lemonade.

Before she could pay for it Freddy had given the man at the counter enough money to cover his order and hers. "Hey! That's not allowed." She protested.

"It's too late now, so just grab seats before they are all gone." He waved her off and with a glare she found an empty spot close enough to the kids where they could still see them.

Freddy came over a minute later with a tray covered in cholesterol. Besides her large order of chili cheese fries he'd bought a massive funnel cake and a hamburger with his own side of cheese fries. He'd opted for a cherry slushee instead of the lemonade.

"We're going to stroke out after eating this." Frankie commented forking a mouthful of dripping fries.

"We need the energy to keep up with the kids." He told her.

They ate in silence for a while, and Frankie decided now would be the best time to tell him what she'd decided. "Fred, I'm not going to come back to the school anymore."

He paused in chewing, his brows knitting over his eyes. He swallowed and it took a bit of effort to do so. If felt like someone had just punched him in the gut. "Why?" He asked her.

Frankie was once again having trouble meeting his eyes. "There are a lot of reasons. But I just think it would be for the best."

"The best for who?" Freddy had an idea of what was motivating this. And he felt the stirrings of anger in his chest for her father. He had no doubt that what was said on the bus was to blame for this. "Frankie the kids love you. I…I'd miss you being here…" His voice was soft and pleading. His world was wrapped up in the pre-school and she'd become a very important part of that world. He didn't want to lose her. His hand that lay against his side balled up in a fist, his nails biting into his palm. Fred wasn't going to allow her father to ruin this for her or himself.

She shook her head. "Fred I'll miss you too. You just don't understand." She sighed, glancing up at him and seeing the hurt filled expression on his face. It made her want to cry.

Freddy didn't get a chance to respond because right then Mrs. Davis walked over. The harried pre-school teacher was too distracted by her charges to notice the tension between the two people seated at the table.

"Frankie would you mind terribly taking some of the kids through the funhouse?" She asked breathlessly. "Some of them are too scared of it, so I was going to take the others to the bouncing castle. Hopefully they'll burn off some of this sugar." She ran shaking fingers through her graying hair.

Frankie was thankful for the interruption. She didn't want to have to explain anymore. She knew she was being a coward but she couldn't take the way his eyes kept staring into her. "Sure Mrs. D. I'll take them right now." She stood and after dumping her tray, headed off with the six kids that were nearly jumping up and down with excitement.

Freddy watched her walk away holding little Nancy's hand. He couldn't let this happen. The more he thought about it the more he realized what an integral part Frankie had become in his life. Not just the school needed her, but him as well. It scared him more than a little. But he couldn't let her go. "Mrs. Davis, I think I'm going to go help Frankie with the funhouse if you don't mind. Somewhere like that it's probably better to have two sets of eyes."

The teacher agreed saying that she could handle the smaller group she had left by herself with no problems.

It was ten minutes later and Frankie was walking through the darkened, glow in the dark painted hallway of the funhouse. She'd told the men at the doors to make sure and not let any of the kids wander off if they decided to try and got out the exit early. It was a good thing too since the funhouse was far bigger than she'd anticipated inside.

She heard Quentin laughing up ahead and was about to move towards the sound when she realized she'd made a wrong turn and found herself in a mirrored room. It was disconcerting, seeing the multiple images of herself all over the place. Frankie forgot for a moment she was supposed to be watching the kids when she saw her bruised face staring back at her over and over again. The pale girl with the wounded face raised a trembling hand to the cut above her eye.

"It's deep enough it'll scar." A voice said from behind her, causing her to jump. Freddy stood there, holding his fedora, his blue eyes staring intently at her. He reached up with his free hand and touched the still tender mark. "It will heal though." He continued his tone gentler. "Frankie you can't let him do this to you."

"Fred please just don't, okay? It's not your concern." She turned from him but it didn't matter. He was in the mirrors and she saw the flicker of anger reflected in his eyes over and over again.

"Not my concern? I'm not supposed to be worried about you?" He tossed his hat on the floor. "Really? You think that's going to work? And what happens when he does it again and that time you wind up in the ER or worse? Even if you don't come back those kids are attached to you now. They'll hear about it from someone. What happens then?"

He wasn't yelling at her, but hearing him like this was probably worse. Grave and serious and roiling beneath it the fact he was hurt and pissed off. But then came the worst part. "And what about me Frankie? You don't think I care? You think that you just deciding to drop out of the picture would be okay with me? Because its not. I'm not going to let you do that."

She felt the tears on her cheeks before she could stop them. She turned to him and sucked in a breath of air. "I'm not dragging you into this, you or the kids. I'm not going to ruin anything else…"

"You haven't ruined anything!" He told her, shocked at her reasoning. Didn't she see what she'd done? "Frankie you…you don't get it…" God he didn't know what to do, because it was right then when Fred Krueger realized he was in love with Frankie Jones, a seventeen year old girl. The situation was beyond difficult, it was downright impossible. But he didn't care…he only wanted her not to leave.

"No Fred you don't get it." She wiped at her cheek. "I don't want you hurt because of me." She knew that would be the outcome. If he out of some sense of protectiveness decided to do something her father would destroy him. And Frankie knew she cared far too much for him to let that happen.

Fred moved forward and touched her cheek, grateful she didn't turn away from him. "Then don't leave." He said simply. He wasn't sure what to do next. She was so young…and he was, well him. He wanted to hide her away and keep her safe. He knew that much. He wanted to kiss her but that he knew he couldn't do.

But apparently Frankie didn't know that. When she felt his fingers on her cheek and saw that look in his grey blue eyes she couldn't stop herself. It was wrong, it was a bad idea…and maybe she was just delusional. But Frankie moved too quickly for him to stop her. She kissed him for the first time, hesitant and very chaste, her lips against his for only a few seconds.

When she pulled away she was blushing furiously and wondered if he was going to laugh or chastise her, or both. But instead he stood there, his expression haunted. Then he pulled her towards him and kissed her again, this time less chaste and for a lot longer than a few seconds.

Fred knew this was wrong on many levels, but he was beyond caring at this point. It was wrong for a man to beat his daughter, but her father the policeman was doing just that. So in the scheme of things, kissing a girl who was less than a year away from being a legal adult didn't seem so bad, especially when he loved her.

Frankie on the other hand wasn't thinking beyond the fact he tasted like cherry slushie and was actually not laughing at her. His long fingers were in her hair and he smelled like after shave and funnel cake and it was making her giddy.

The sound of voices coming near to them made them both freeze and Freddy pulled away from her knowing that if someone caught them it would not go well. They were both breathing heavier than normal and Frankie didn't know what to say or do.

"There she is! I told you she was in here!" Nancy said to Quentin as they came around the corner.

"Hey Freddy!" Quentin said loudly when he saw he was there too. "You have to come see! I found a monster!"

Fred managed to collect himself before he spoke, taking a gulp of air to clear his head. "A monster? Really?"

"Yeah! A monster! A big one!" The little boy grabbed Freddy's hand and practically dragged him out of the room. He managed to glance back at Frankie before the little boy led him around the corner.

Nancy had stuck around though. The little girl gave her a big, blue raspberry stained smile. "Wanna see the monster?" She asked.

Frankie nodded, not quite able to speak yet. What had just happened? Oh lord…she'd kissed him and he'd kissed her back. And there was no way she could stop this now. She looked at her reflection once more. "You're an idiot." She muttered to herself. She looked down at Nancy. "Sure, let's go see the monster."

The monster as it turned out was a guy in a Frankenstein costume. He didn't talk at all, and was in fact pretty intimidating. Frankie always had a soft spot for the big, bolt necked creature due to her name. So she gave him a little wave on the way out of the fun house. He seemed to contemplate her a minute then gave the barest wave back.

Mrs. Davis was waiting at the exit when they all piled out. Freddy was still quiet, but she felt his eyes watching her as they all headed back to the bus. It was nearly dark out now as fall had settled in. The kids were starting to crash due to a combination of sugar and exertion. Once they were all on the bus Frankie took her requisite place in the last seat in the back. Not surprisingly, after making sure everyone was settled, Freddy came to sit next to her once the bus was moving. She hadn't been looking forward to this. She shouldn't have done what she'd done. "I'm…sorry I shouldn't have…" She whispered not looking at him, but he cut her off.

"I love you." He told her softly.

That made her turn around. "What?"

"I said I love you Frankie." Fred's expression was determined. "I want you to stay around because I love you." He took a breath, glanced around to make sure no one else was listening, and then he turned his grey blue gaze back to her, taking hold of her hand. "So are you going to stay?"

"Freddy…" She hesitated, letting it all sink in. If they did this they'd have to be so careful. Not one slip up. She knew what her father was capable of, she didn't think Freddy did. "I'm eighteen in 3 months."

"I know that." He told her, one corner of his mouth quirking up.

She actually smiled back at him. He looked like a naughty little boy when he did that half grin. "I love you too you know."

His grin became a full blown smile. "So you'll stick around?" She still hadn't answered him.

Frankie took a breath and let it out slowly. "Fred we…we've got to be really careful. I mean…"

"I know your dad is a cop. And I'm old enough to be your dad…well nearly." He actually looked at the floor at that. He really had no business even trying for a young girl like her. "I've got nothing to offer you except I'd do anything for you..."

She squeezed his hand and he glanced up at her. "But I'm not lying when I say I love you. And I'll do whatever it takes to get you away from him." The determination was back in his eyes.

"You're the best man I know Freddy." Frankie said softly. She'd do anything for him too she realized as she sat there next to him. "So yes, I'll stick around."

He wanted so badly to hold her, but he knew that would just not be possible, not where they were. He also knew he would wait until she was of age for anything beyond a kiss or a hug to take place. It was the right thing to do, and he already felt lecherous enough. So instead he quickly brought her hand to his lips and lightly kissed her knuckles.

Frankie stifled a giggle at the gesture then grew serious. "We have to be careful Fred…" she said softly, glancing around.

He nodded. "I know Frankie. And we will be, I promise. I also promise you this…the day you turn eighteen we're out of Springwood. It's the only way." He told her gravely.

She knew he was right. Her father would never leave them alone, legal adult or not. It would besmirch whatever reputation he thought he had for his only daughter to be with a man Freddy's age who was nothing more than the handy man at a pre-school. The thought of being free of him made her heart pound wildly. She almost was afraid to believe it could really happen.

Frankie nodded her agreement without hesitation. "Deal." She told him.

That had been over two months ago. They had been meeting at the factory every other day, sneaking in time together. He'd joke about the day he could finally take her on a proper date. But Frankie didn't mind. She was happy just being with him, even if it was only for a few stolen hours here and there.

She rolled over curling the blankets around her and winced as she pulled her sore ribs. That part wasn't getting any easier to deal with, and Freddy was getting more and more insistent about doing something about it. Every time she told him she could hold on for those few more days he seemed to get angrier. It was getting harder for her to convince him not to leave and confront her father.

Frankie sighed and tried to get comfortable. She closed her eyes and tried to will herself good dreams. Sadly it didn't work. Instead she got a replay of a scenario that was becoming the norm during her sleeping hours. She'd been plagued by bad dreams for the past few nights, but Frankie would never remember what they'd been about. The only thing remaining would be the sick sensation in the pit of her stomach, and the tears streaking her face. Sometimes she'd wake up screaming.

This time everyone was dressed in clothes from the 19th century. She recognized the parents of the Badham Pre-School kids. Quentin's father seemed to be the default leader of the mob, for that was surely what they were. Frankie was clothed like the rest of them, her period garb a dress that came down to her ankles with lots of ruffles. They were all carrying torches except for her. That would be hard to do considering her hands were tied in front of her.

They were leading her to a town square of some kind, at the center of which was a large wooden stake with kindling spread out along its bottom. "You're going to pay girl." Alan, Quentin's father snarled as he shoved her hard towards the ominous pile of wood. "But you're not going to go first…you get to watch and see what's waiting for you."

Frankie didn't know what the man was talking about or what she'd done to deserve this either. And then she heard the voice that made her insides turn to ice.

"Bring the devil forward so that we might send him back to hell." Her father's harsh words were loud and grating as always. Frankie looked to see him dressed in stern black, some sort of uniform of authority. His thinning hair was the same pitiful comb over, and his eyes were glossy with anger and borderline insanity.

She watched horrified as the two men he commanded pulled from the shadows Fred Kruger, also dressed all in black and in clothes from another time. His face was a mask of rage and defiance and his eyes were like steel as they glared at her father.

"You are going to pay for your sins right now, here in front of all these good people whose lives you've corrupted with your very presence. And your whore is going to watch it happen so she can see what her fate is to be." Her father's lips twisted into a sick grin as he spoke.

She saw Fred's eyes narrow and then he started struggling, not to get away but to try and attack the man taunting him. "You'll not touch her again you fucking bastard." She heard him curse at her father, his voice that growling tone she'd only heard once or twice before. But this time it was deeper, deadlier. The men holding him where actually having a hard time keeping him in control. Her father laughed at him and gestured towards the pyre.

Frankie watched unable to move from the vice like grip of the man holding her as Freddy was tied to the post. He'd stopped struggling and his gaze never left that of her father. "You'll regret this." He told the man who was now holding a torch in his hand.

"No I won't." Her father smiled that sickly smile once more then tossed the torch into the wood pile at his feet.

Frankie started crying, screaming, and struggling herself. But Alan was far stronger than she was. The flames started licking at his legs and she saw him stiffen, but he didn't cry out. Instead his eyes kept glaring daggers into those of her father…who it appeared was disappointed that the man who was standing in the middle of a small inferno wasn't begging him for mercy.

The fire spread quickly and Frankie could feel the heat of it from where she stood. And it was then she could hear him start to scream. She tried to look away but her father was suddenly next to her, turning her head roughly and forcing her to watch as the man she loved died horribly in front of her. She could hear the townspeople laughing and cheering. And Frankie suddenly wished she could just die with him and be free of them.

She could only barely discern the shape of his body in the middle of the fire. It was huge and terrifyingly bright. She'd never seen a fire like it before. And then suddenly she saw his face in the middle of the flames, his blue eyes staring right into her. His skin was burned, raw and red and he reached out one burned hand towards where she stood. "Burn with me…." His rough voice called to her.

Frankie sat up gasping. She was covered in sweat and there were tears on her cheeks. She glanced around her dark room with wide eyes. Once again she couldn't remember what she'd been dreaming about, she only knew it had been a bad one, maybe the worst she'd ever had. As she tried to catch her breath she thought she smelled smoke on the air.