DISCLAIMER

NOES belongs to Wes Craven and New Line Cinema. Remember, this is basically the rest of the movie, only with Rod. Some dialogue will be changed to match with what I'm doing. One slight curse. Not even really a curse, just a description of what Nancy's been goin' through.

The next day, Nancy, her parents, and Rod were sitting at the kitchen table in her house. Nancy hadn't been able to convince Glen to come over. He was so stressed that all he wanted to was be close to his parents.

"What's the matter, baby?" Lt. Thompson asked.

"The killer's still loose you know," Nancy told him.

"You saying somebody else killed Tina?" Lt. Thompson queried. "Who?" he prompted when Nancy didn't answer.

"We don't know who he is. But he's burned," Nancy replied.

"And he wears a weird hat," Rod chimed in. Lt. Thompson's face became grave in recognition. There was only one person in Elm Street who had ever worn a strange hat.

"And a red-and-green sweater, really dirty," Nancy continued. Mrs. Thompson's face became pained and her chest heaved in fright. No. It couldn't be! He was dead.

"And he uses these knives---like giant fingernails," Rod finished.

"Maybe we should send them out of town for a few days. Just until they get over the shock of all this," Lt. Thompson suggested to Marge.

"I've got a better idea. I'm gonna get them some help," Marge responded.

"What kind of help?" Rod demanded.

"We're not crazy!" Nancy objected at the same time.

"Come on. Just do this for us," Marge requested. Nancy and Rod stared at each other, sending silent messages to each other with their eyes.

"Let's just humor 'em," the boy finally stated.

"Okay," Nancy sighed. With that, the two teens stood up and followed Mrs. Thompson out to her car. Then, they got in and the woman drove off. Minutes later, they were at the Katja Institute for the study of Sleep Disorders, where Nancy was strapped to a sitting table.

"Does your family have a history of any medical problems or mental disease?" the doctor asked.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Rod muttered.

"No," Mrs. Thompson answered, ignoring him.

"I don't see why you couldn't just give me a pill to keep me from dreaming," Nancy stated.

"Everyone's got to dream, young lady. If you don't dream, you go," the doctor responded.

"Better way to go than gettin' slashed," Rod murmured.

"Okay. All set?" the nurse asked. Nancy blew out a breath.

"No," she said, looking at her mother.

"Please, Nancy. Trust us," Marge implored.

"It's not you I don't trust. It's just…" Nancy's voice trailed off.

"Hey. I'll be right here. I won't let anything happen to you," Rod promised, gently squeezing her shoulder. She sighed again.

"Okay. Let's do it," the girl agreed in resignation. Marge kissed her daughter on the forehead and Nancy was hooked up to the machine. Marge, Rod, and the doctor sat in chairs and watched as Nancy lay on the bed. It took her awhile, but she eventually fell asleep.

"How long has this been going on?" the doctor questioned.

"Since the murders. She was fine before then. Now she thinks her dreams are real," Marge answered.

"They are," Rod murmured dourly.

"Well, there's no sign of pathology in her E.G. I guess what we have is just a normal girl who's happened to go through two days of hell," the doctor commented, choosing to ignore the teen's comment. Rod let out a scoff. You'd be wrecked too if one of your friends was murdered in their sleep, he thought to himself. The machine made a small noise. "Okay. She's asleep now," the doctor said.

"Thank God," Marge whispered. She sighed and picked up her purse. "What the heck are dreams anyway?" she asked, taking out a cigarette.

"Mysteries. Incredible body hocus-pocus. The truth is, we still don't know what they are, or where they come from," the doctor replied. "Okay, she's going into deep sleep now," he continued about a minute later. "Heart rate's a little high, but that's just due to anxiety. Otherwise, she's nice and relaxed. All signs are normal. She could dream at anytime now," he stated. Yeah, that's what we're afraid of, Rod thought. However, he didn't voice this. He didn't want to be the next one hooked up to that dang machine. The doctor pressed some buttons. "Beta-waves are slowing. She's into REM's now. She's definitely dreaming now," he continued. Rod felt his stomach clench. If she was asleep, that meant that freak could get to her. "It's a good one too. Typical dream parameter. A nightmare now would be a plus or minus five or six. She's about a three," the doctor told them. The machine made high-pitched noises. On the table, Nancy moaned. She heard a screeing sound and water dripping. She began gasping and struggling. Rod tensed. No! He was after her!

"Doctor, what's she doing now?" Marge asked. The doctor stammered as the machine's noises continued. "Is she asleep or awake?" the woman pressed.

"Something's wrong. It never gets this high," the doctor said. Nancy cried out.

"Nancy!" Rod exclaimed.

"What's she doing?" Marge asked.

"I---I don't know," the doctor admitted, checking the scanners.

"Is she dreaming?" Marge asked with a hint of panic. Nancy made a choking sound and her body flopped on the bed. Hearing the panicked cry, Rod leapt from his seat and burst through the door, the others on his heels. Nancy let out a strangled cry and lifted an arm in defense. Rod quickly disconnected Nancy from the machine.

"Nancy! Nancy!" he shouted, trying to steady her. Marge and a nurse pushed Rod out of the way.

"Nancy! Nancy, it's Mom!" she cried, as she and a nurse repeated Rod's actions as the doctor prepared a syringe. "Nancy! Nancy! It's Mom! It's Mom!" Marge cried again. The shriek died down. "Nancy, it's Mom," she assured her. She panted and looked around.

"Rod?" she asked.

"It's okay. I'm right here," he assured, coming to stand in between the nurse and her mother. "You're safe," he told her, kneeling down. It was then that he noticed something different.

"What?" he asked.

"Her hair," Marge noted, fingering the strand that had now turned white.

"How the heck?" Rod wondered.

"Excuse me," the doctor said, coming in between them..

"This will help you sleep," the nurse stated, as she started to administer the shot.

"NO!" Rod and Nancy shouted together, the girl pushing the doctor away.

"Oh, my gosh! Her arm!" Marge cried, seeing the angry slashes.

"Get something!" Rod added.

"What happened, baby? What happened?" Marge wondered. The doctor began to tear some bandages and Nancy noticed something by her side.

"I brought something out from my dream," she announced. The adults stared in surprise and Rod recoiled slightly when he saw the brown fedora.

"Where did you get that?" Marge wondered, taking it. Nancy looked at her.

"I grabbed it off his head," she answered.