Title: A Nightmare in Point Place
Disclaimer: Don't own, ain't getting paid. That 70's show and A Nightmare on Elm Street are not mine I'm just borrowing them momentarily.
Pairing: J/H, D/E
Rating: PG-13
Archive: If you want just ask – I will freely give.
Summary: Jackie is having nightmares – so are other members of the basement gang. Freddy wants them all dead. Who is next?
Credit: Wes Craven –mad props –love the universe I'm borrowing. And to KimiKimiCocoPops for the beta. She let's the grammar mistakes go (as I hope you all do) but gives me much needed help with the plot.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter 4 and didn't hate me for killing Kelso. I love Kelso. And I hope that came through despite my actions. I want this story to be realistic (or in character at least). If I stick firmly to the movie I won't have that many more chapters. (maybe even just 2) Those few who have seen the movie should be able to tell who is going to get it now. (I think). But anyway –tell me what you think –tell me what you want (I really do like the reviews that let me know what you like). It helps me write a better story.
Next day ----
The car ride to the hospital was filled with meaningful silence. Kitty Forman drove with jittery, nervous fingers and Jackie merely looked out the window with tired, unseeing eyes. She hadn't slept in six days. A quick look at Eric's Guinness Book of World Records, had informed the record was 11. So she was safe from fame for at least another school week.
Jackie found herself thinking about the previous day. After the funeral, the gang had all gone to the Hub. They had gone less for food and more as a way to get away from the prying parents. Jackie didn't know why they were still being protective. They all believed Michael to be the killer. Laughing bitterly she thought, well he can't hurt anyone now.
"So you haven't had any more dreams Donna?" Eric had asked.
Donna hadn't, not since that first week. Fez and Steven were still dream free. But Jackie and Eric seemed to be getting their share.
"Jackie honey, we are here." Kitty informed, knocking Jackie out of her thoughts.
Getting out of the car Kitty ushered Jackie into the hospital's main doors. She had explained to Jackie that they were going to be visiting a young doctor by the name of Williams. He was a psychologist who specialized in the study of dreams. Kitty had assured her that Dr. Williams wasn't a quack. She was sure Steven wouldn't agree. He trusted doctors about as much as he trusted the government. He had wanted to come with her but Red had made him go to work. As a technician subjected Jackie to a number of tests, she wished he hadn't.
Dr. Williams's office wasn't really an office. It was a hospital room with a two way mirror. After a brief conversation with her over the nature of her "problem", the doctor told her he wanted to observe her sleep pattern. Jackie had resisted but in the end gave in. A nurse placed white, round stickers with wires attached onto her head. Then the doctor told her to sleep.
Jackie didn't want to, but she did.
*
"So Doctor, what is it? What is wrong with her?" Kitty asked as soon as she and the doctor were behind the viewing window. In the room they could see Jackie clearly fighting sleep.
"Nothing, that we can tell from the EEG." Patting Kitty on her knee he assured "I'm sure it is just all the trauma she has been through. From what you told me, I would be worried if she wasn't having nightmares. Add the stress of not sleeping on top of that and it would make anyone act a little irrational."
Kitty sighed and watched as the young girl finally closed her eyes.
"Okay Mrs. Forman, you are a nurse. Let me explain to you what I am doing. This monitor" he stated pointing to a small TV screen with green numbers displayed "is tracking Jackie's heartbeat. It is little high, but that is normal for the level of stress she is under. These numbers will indicate Jackie's level of relaxation, her blood pressure, along with her brainwaves. She is at 3 now. That is good. She is asleep going into REM. At any moment she can begin dreaming."
Kitty felt herself inch closer to the edge of her chair. She didn't like this whole thing. All this talk of killers and… she shook herself out of it. "So doctor, what are dreams anyway?"
Licking his lips in excitement the doctor explained "No one knows. There are a lot of theories, but the fact remains that no one can really explain why our minds place random images together during sleep."
Kitty saw the screen number jump to 5. "Is she dreaming now?"
"Yes, she is having a nice normal dream. A nightmare at this point would be about an 8 or 9. I've seen it go up to about a 10 but that is very rare."
As the doctor began to further explain his theories, Jackie violently turned in her hospital bed. The monitor beeped louder.
"What is it doctor? Is she having a nightmare?" Kitty demanded.
Dr. Williams read the monitor. "Yes, she is at 11. She…"
Kitty checked herself as the machine continued to emit its horrible noise. The screen read 23. "I thought you said that 10 was rare. What is this - steak tartar?"
The doctor began to stutter "I… I… I don't know. I've never seen anything like this. The equipment must be broken. This is impossible."
Kitty jumped up, in the other room Jackie was thrashing in bed. "Wake her up. Wake her up."
The nurse, Kitty and doctor rushed out of the room. By the time they got to Jackie she was screaming. She was still asleep but her body had lifted almost totally off the bed.
"Jackie honey, Jackie wake up." Kitty begged.
"Aahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Jackie woke up from the worst dream yet to the frightened eyes of Mrs. Forman. Her heart was beating so fast she could feel it in her finger tips.
The dream had been so bad.
The guy, the guy Freddy, had joked about killing Michael. He had….he had held up Michael's severed head. She has almost fainted from the fright. Then he had chased her, caught her and tried to choke her to death as well. She had been sure that this time she wouldn't escape when the cold fingers of reality snatched her back. She could still feel his hand and the leather of his glove around her throat. She could still feel the grossness of his burnt skin against her arm as she struggled to grab at his eyes, his face, anything that could get him off of her. She had only managed to snag his hat as she was jarred back into consciousness. But she could still feel that too.
"Oh GOD! Her hair!" Kitty screamed.
Jackie didn't like the sound of that, but decided to let it go for the moment. Staring at her lap in disbelief she saw the ugly brown hat of her nightmares. It was clutched in her hand for the entire world to see.
*
"I don't know where she got the hat Red." Kitty stated manically from the kitchen. Bob, Red and Kitty had been holed up in there since they had gotten home an hour ago.
Jackie and Eric were in the living room, eavesdropping and talking amongst themselves.
"I got it from my dream Eric. It came off his ugly head."
Eric looked at Jackie, he seemed to be eyeing the new white stripe in her formerly perfect black mop and mulling over the new information. "Oh God, I'm never sleeping again."
From the kitchen they heard Bob scream "But that's impossible!"
Jackie jumped up and began pacing "I can't believe they are going to still act like I'm making this up. Why would I do that? My god LOOK AT MY HAIR! I look like a skunk."
Eric laughed.
"You find this funny? Cause I wouldn't if I were you skinny boy –you are soooo next." Jackie sat down again in a huff. She was too tired to keep up frantic for long.
Eric stopped laughing and patted her on the back. "Look I'm not laughing because it's funny. I'm laughing because the world is falling apart and I find your vanity comforting. It is nice to know that some things never change."
Sighing Jackie put her head in her hands and mumbled "I'm too scared to be insulted."
Eric reached out and pulled her up "Good. So come on."
Jackie pulled back "Where are we going?"
Taking a deep breath Eric pointed toward the kitchen "We are going in."
"Hey Mom, Dad, Mr. Pinciotti." Eric stated
Jackie noticed they were giving him the same look as her. Those worried you kids are going to send me to an early grave parent glances were
all she was getting these days. It was
good to know that she wasn't the only one.
Bob came around the table hat in hand –literally – and attacked. "Jackie where did you get this?"
Jackie felt her frustration rise "I told Mrs. Forman already – she was there – I got it in my dream!"
"Oh what a bunch of hooey" Red barked. "What are you kids smoking?"
"Dad! She is not making this up. Look" Eric demanded grabbing the hat from Bob "it even has his name in it – Fred Krueger."
From beside the refrigerator Kitty began to sniffle as she poured herself a tall glass of wine.
Jackie met Eric's gaze and slowly made her way over to the woman. "Mrs. Forman what is it?"
Kitty looked up from her glass and her eyes seemed to soften, reaching out she stroked Jackie's new fright induced highlight. "Oh sweetie, Oh sweetie, Fred Krueger can't hurt anyone. He is dead."
Jackie felt like someone had punched her in the gut. This guy is real. This guy is real. And Mrs. Forman knew about him.
"Mom! You knew this guy was real and you didn't tell us. But…but….Kelso?"
Red snatched the hat from Eric's shaking hands and threw it in the trash. "Krueger had nothing to do with Kelso. He is dead, like your mother said. And I will hear no more talk about him."
Bob jumped in "Yeah, I just think you kids need some sleep. It's not right, you drinking all this coffee and stressing yourselves out over nothing."
"NOTHING?" Eric shrieked.
Jackie suddenly couldn't take it anymore. Kitty's apologetic face, Red's angry scowl, Bob's ridiculous advice, she wished she was back to being parentless. Grabbing her purse, she ran from the room.
*
"Jackie wait up!" Eric yelled.
She slowed her pace. She didn't know where she was going anyway.
"Let's go to the hub, get something to eat. Help keep us awake." Eric offered.
"Sure"
15 minutes later, they were seated at one of their usual tables. She was drinking a chocolate milkshake but getting no enjoyment from it. Eric was picking at his fries. He really did look as bad as her. He had filled her in on his dreams. They were pretty tame compared to hers but still enough to keep anyone up at night.
"So, I was reading this book about this culture that had this thing they called "dream skills"…Eric started.
Jackie interrupted "Was this a Star Wars book?"
Eric rolled his eyes, waited a beat, and then shrugged. "Okay yes – but it was still a book –and they based this on a real culture. Now listen."
Jackie closed the book she had been thumbing though and focused on her friend, after all he was the only one who knew what she was going through.
"Anyway - when they came across a demon, or monster in their dreams –they would turn their back on it. Take away its energy and it loses its power over you."
"But isn't that the same as telling yourself it's a dream?" Jackie looked skeptical. "I tried that when Steven told me to. It didn't work."
"No, see all that does is deny its power. It is like you are saying something YOU created doesn't exist. Of course that isn't going to work. You know it does. But this is admitting it is real –but refusing to let it control you."
"Is this how Luke fought the Dark Side?"
"Well it's the same conce-" Eric began but stopped when he realized Jackie wasn't taking him seriously. "Fine Jackie, so what is your big plan?"
Jackie held up her book.
"A Girl's Guide to Booby Traps?" Eric mocked. "Where the hell did you get that? The cheerleader store?"
"Laugh all you want Eric." Picking up her things to go she added "You do it your way and I'll do it mine. And we will see who makes it to the final credits."
*
Arriving back at her temporary home, Jackie was horrified to see the normal house transformed. Bars flanked every available window. She was sure that if she checked, the doors would be dead bolted. Bob had gone overboard.
"Sick" she muttered and changed course, hoping Steven would be in the basement.
Opening the door she was shocked to find Mrs. Forman there instead. Sitting on the couch in her bathrobe she looked to be completely inebriated.
"Oh honey I'm glad you are here." The woman slurred "I thought you might come over to see Steven."
"Where is he?" Jackie warily asked.
Mrs. Forman got up hooking her arm around Jackie's and leading her to the back of the basement "I sent him on some errands. Now come I want to show you something."
Jackie followed the drunken woman towards a little seen part of the basement. They were past Steven's room and sort of behind the stairs. Jackie found herself still a little mad at Mrs. Forman and she didn't want to be there. She was about to make an excuse to leave when she noticed the woman open a small cast iron furnace (Jackie couldn't tell if it was still functional) and pull out a small wrapped bundle.
The look on Kitty's face was deadly serious and all of a sudden a lot more sober. "Fred Krueger was a dirty child murderer who killed about 20 kids in the neighborhood back when you bunch were babies."
Jackie was speechless. She crouched down beside the kneeling woman and listened with growing dread.
"It was horrible when we didn't know. But once they caught him it was worse."
"Did…did they lock him away?" Jackie asked finding her voice.
"Well he was behind bars alright. For about as long as it took some fancy lawyer to realize that somebody didn't sign the search warrant in the right place. You've seen Point Place's finest at work. One mistake! One slip up and that killer was free. Free to hurt my babies."
Jackie was beginning to get an awful feeling in the pit of her stomach. "What did you do?"
Kitty seemed to drift into a hazy memory recounting "Well a bunch of us parents got together. We got the address of his house, a run down one story on the outskirts of town from the police records. Your father got them for us. Then we waited until he was released. We …we surrounded the place with gasoline and watched it burn."
I'm going to be sick, Jackie thought. This can't be real. Sweet Mrs. Forman didn't just tell me that she –no THEY –had killed someone. The same someone that was now trying to kill her and her friends. "Who else?"
"What?" the woman asked coming out of the flashback.
"Who else helped? My dad. You and Red. Who else? Bob?"
Kitty nodded.
"The Kelso's?"
Again a nod.
"Pam Macy's parents?" Jackie asked even though she was sure she knew the answer.
Kitty reached out to touch Jackie's knee. "Rick Macy lit the match."
Jackie skittered away from the woman's touch.
"But you see honey. It is okay. Fred Krueger is dead. He can't hurt you. Look – look" opening the brown rag in her lap "I even took his knives"
Jackie stared in shock at the real life glove of a madman. She had seen it enough in hazy focus along steamy boiler room pipes. Here in the basement, it seemed otherworldly. The blades were rusty and dull from disuse, but the image was enough to make Jackie's pulse quicken. Closing her eyes, as a new wave of fear washed over her, she knew that this time it wasn't a dream.