A few days had passed since then. The weekend had come and gone like all those before it. It wasn't unusual for the girl to vanish into her imaginary world, spending her days listening to music and drawing anything she could to forget, keep her mind busy. Keep her thoughts simple and distorted. She'd slept through the night before, no dreams of strange men or claws on her legs. No tearful showers or spiteful orgasms. Just, darkness, a calm and empty ocean lulling her through the night.

It was around seven when she decided to take her break. Finishing up a table and orders for a family before she scurried off to the parking lot. Smoking, drinking her regular four cups of coffee, another cigarette. A few little sketches and a plate of eggs. A sad man's dinner.

When she came back in, something felt off. The atmosphere of the diner was different from before. Like on her last shift, on Friday. Her eyes scanned nervously over the room as she walked over to the counter, grabbing a clean, wet rag and a tray to clean up the table where the family had been. Just as she stepped into the booth, she felt a puff of hot air on the back of her neck.

Nancy turned her head slowly, breath trembling as she stared into the empty room. No one was there. She was alone. All alone. There was no sound. No movement. Just the soft fluttering of the curtains by an open window.

She gave a soft sigh of relief before she picked up the empty plates and put everything on the tray. Wiping the table clean before walking back into the kitchen with the dishes. The cook would probably be the one washing them tonight, as it wasn't busy. It was never busy. Always quiet. No one came here. At least not if any other place was open. So they mostly got evening traffic, bikers and truckers. The odd family on a road trip. It'd be nice if Nancy wasn't so terrified of everyone and everything.

A soft chime of the bell rang through the building. Indicating to the girl that a customer had walked in. Taking a deep breath before dusting her hands into the sink, the girl left the kitchen to greet the newcomer. A man. Short. Blue suit. Dark brown hair. Friendly smile. The same man from Friday.

The man from her dream.

Nancy forced on the friendliest smile she could muster at that moment. Hands jittery from the caffeine load and nicotine. "Good evening sir, please have a seat. I'll get you some water and a menu."

The man just smiled, nodding as he headed to the same booth he'd sat in the week before. Same seat. Taking a moment to remove his jacket and fold it on the inner part of the bench. As Nancy walked back, she noticed a thin scar on his throat, uneven, slanted. Like he'd been in an accident. Or… an attack?

She shook her head mentally, placing the glass on the table along with the menu. "Would you like a cup of coffee while you wait? Black, right?" the man nodded in response, flashing her an eerie smile. Uneasy. She felt uneasy as she looked at his teeth. She'd seen them before. In her dream. In her nightmares.

Again, she shook her head as she went to pour him a cup, handing it over while he stated his order. Same as before, a number 10. But this time, he asked for something a little odd. He wanted his steak bloody.

She didn't question it, just put the note on the pin and rang the bell for the cook.

Her mind wandered as she cleared off some tables, swept the floors while the man's meal was being prepared. When the bell rang again she hurried over to deliver the meal to the strange, eerie man. He received it with a smile, handing her the menu again, fingers brushing over her hand again, sending chills down her body just as before. She offered another smile before going to get him more water, placing the menu on the counter again, then went over with the water.

As he ate, she went back behind the building to smoke. The stress of being around him was almost overwhelming. She needed to get some of the anxiety off her shoulders.

When she came back he was gone. Meal half finished, money and tip on the table as before along with a small written note. Dream of me again. I like it when you do that little dove~

Her heart sank. It was him. She knew it. It had to be him. HOW WAS HE HERE?! The scar. It was obvious. The one she'd given him back at Badham. When she'd slit his throat. But the burns were gone. He looked human. HOW?! Why?

It was after midnight when she crawled through the door of her apartment. Throwing her work clothes into the corner before slipping into her pajamas and going on the balcony for her last smoke of the day. Clutching a thick blanket around her as she sat on the chair she'd had outside. Her mind was still racing from the shift. It was chaos. All of it. The fact that Krueger was still alive. That he was there in the real world and also in her dreams. It was disturbing to no end. She hated him. For everything he'd done. For killing Kris. Dean, even Jesse. And especially her mother. She'd never forgive him. And she knew she'd kill him again. She'd have to. It was either kill him for good or live every day in fear of his haunting stare.

One am crawled around when she'd finished showering and getting ready for bed. She laid down and clutched the covers tightly in her hands as she tried her best to get some rest. The dreams would come, she knew that, she could feel it. But tonight she wasn't afraid. She had to confront him. Scream at him. Shout all the things she wanted to.

He hadn't killed her on Friday. He wanted to see her again. Talk to her. Or… something more sinister. Nancy didn't dwell on it. Allowing herself to drift off into the dizzying tunnel of falling asleep. The mish mash of dark shapes and empty colors, the way it felt like soft fur brushing against her feet as she walked through the dark. Soft, pleasant. Comforting almost.

It wasn't long before a familiar face appeared at the end of the tunnel, smiling as it offered a pale hand to her. The hat wasn't there, the sweater was light green and pale yellow, claws gone and skin unburned. She took a deep breath as she stepped forward, staring him down as bravely as she could. Glaring.

"What do you want, Krueger?" she hissed. Bloodshot eyes boring holes into his skull, that poison sweet smile peeling apart, revealing soft, clean teeth. Pale eyes scanning over her body. Lingering on the thin fabric covering her body, taking in the shape of her body, the scars, the moles, the way her skin was different than before. Still soft. But adult. Grown, toughened by years of life.

"Oh dear sweet little Nancy~" he started, stepping closer only to watch her shudder, flinch away from his presence. Nose twitching in disgust.

"I just want to talk, don't you want that too? Talk like we used to~"