Dimensions Rating: Chapter 1-PG-13 for a few cuss words and to be on the safe side. It'll probably get worse as it goes along. And sorry for C1 being so long(possibly rambling sorry againS), I'm writing this on impulse and just letting it go where my muse takes me.

I don't own anything in this story pertaining to New Line Cinema or the Freddy franchise. All original characters are mine.

A/N: 8/30/04 Chapter 1 cleaned up so none of y'all get a headache while reading!SAnd CHEERS to my wonderful Hubby, who got me the NOES BOX SET for my b'day!! Go Mike, go Mike...

DIMENSIONS CHAPTER 1

He knew rage.

The burned man was bored. He was angry. He'd thought Hell would be different, that his name, his fame, his sheer evil nature would be enough. A "get out of jail free" card, if you will. But the demons who had allowed him his start, frustrated by his many failures, had abandoned him. No backing, no help, no way out. And with an eternity of boredom to fight, he'd honed his skills in his new home, carving yet a new name for himself with an intensity and glee even the Prince himself respected..and feared. The denizens of Hell all learned to fear the sight of the red and green shirt, the brown Fedora hat...and that claw. Hell's highest level henchmen learned to never look directly into the crazy hazel eyes, lest they see their own torture in the insane sparkle always present. And even Satan learned the nuances of that raspy, sardonic voice, to quake at the sound of that bottomless chuckle, to breathe easier when realizing it wasn't directed toward him. All of Hell feared, hated, yet respected the burned man..and that's just the way he liked it.

It was this fear more than anything else that prompted the Prince to show the burned man one of the few pleasures accorded to only the highest of rank: the chamber where the Prince spied on the living, seeing who was worthy of his attention. The privilaged few gathered here daily for this pleasurable torture, to peer into the scrying pools and watch the breathing beings they hated the most as they went about thier miserable lives. The evil beings schemed and dreamed and relived their glory days here, hoping to be the next the Prince would allow to be reborn into the living world, to wreak havoc again.

Tonight was no different from any other, except tonight the burned man was in the midst of the highest echelon. Those in the room skittered away uneasily as the burned man pompously selected the largest of the scrying pools for himself, uncaring of the resentful mutters directed at him. He would deal with the scum later. For now...he touched the surface of the pool, feeling its surface attune with his memories and desires, letting him see what he wanted to see. His gaze burned as he stared at the tiny town, the town that once was on the verge of meltdown due to him, the town that once thrilled with fear at the very hint of his name. That town, in the brief three years since his journey to Hell, had vanished. The dark pall surrounding the town was lifted, people going about their business with none of the fearful, suspicious glances that marked its residents. Old buildings had been torn down and new ones rested in their place, new paint, shrubbery, commerce. And it seemed the renovations had sparked a mass immigration into the town, it literally crawled with people, and even the park...park??--the burned man's mind swam with this revelation, the old park had been closed, its amusements dismantled years ago--was swarming with children, from babies bawling in their walkers to bored teenagers looking resentfully after younger siblings. His town..HIS town..was full of offerings for him, and he couldn't collect! He howled, lashing out with his clawed hand blindly and catching a too-close unfortunate in the stomach. The other man howled just as loudly, looking down in time to see his guts spilling to the rocky floor. He glared balefully at the still screaming, clawed man, as he bent to pick up his insides and get out of range. His anger didn't stem from the severity of his wounds--the dead couldn't die, of course. But they could still feel pain, and this was going to be a bitch for the few hours it took to heal, not to mention damned inconvenient. He glared at the burned man a few moments more, then turned his insolent stare to the throne where the Prince reclined. Just who was in charge here these days, anyway?

The Prince burned with his own rage. He could feel the heated stares being levelled his way, and it took a supreme amount of effort not to lower his eyes in shame. His gut clenched. He hadn't had an uprising in mellinia, but it looked like he was about to get a reminder, if the glares tossed his way more frequently were any indication. If the burned man had shown any humiliation, any respect, then things would've been delightfully different, he could've been in the highest echelon, perhaps even earned his way back to the surface. But Lucifer could never allow that, he was starting to think that maybe his position was being threatened--that the clawed, burned man was becoming too ambitious for his own good. Allowing him back on earth would rob him of even more souls, since he no longer thought the burned man would be content to stick to his own town--or even his own state. Lucifer lowered his chin to his hands and thought. He needed a way to punish the man. Nothing obvious, that would open a can of worms he wasn't yet ready to deal with. He needed something subtle, something that could bring the man down without him realizing it, chastise him and let him know where his place really was in the scheme of things. The Prince smiled as an idea came to him.

"Krueger!" he yelled, instantly recoiling as the steely gaze snapped round and leveled on him. He schooled his features into a properly pleasant(for him)expression and started toward the scarred man, dropping his voice. "Freddy," he mock purred, advancing slowly as the plan played itself out in his mind. "My friend!".

Freddy continued to stare at him, tapping one of his claws thoughtfully against his lower lip. Something was up, he could almost smell it on his "host". Was it something that could be used against him, or...? He smiled deviously to himself as he met his "Prince" halfway. "You rang? "Freddy stopped and fanned out his blades in a show of boredom.

Lucifer held his expression, though his eyes blazed. Patience...he had to play this properly. "Come with me a moment? I have something to show you...something very few get to see". He watched as Freddy's eyes shifted between confused, suspicious, and vaguely intruiged.

"Very few? You mean something even these pissants," his eyes scornfully swept the room where every occupant was intently regarding the exchange, "haven't seen? And it's not even my birthday!"Lucifer chuckled dutifully and walked off, knowing Freddy would follow. As they left Lucifer turned his head so Freddy couldn't see, looking back at the assemblage, knowing their looks of outrage and near mutiny. He smiled at them all before turning away. Trust me that smile said. I'm still in charge, and I'm going to take care of everything

Lucifer reached a door and opened it, going in first to assure the other man there were no traps. Inside, the room looked almost exactly like the room they'd just left, causing Krueger to screw his face up in confusion. "Mind telling me what the suprise is? The cable was fine in the other room, so what's up? HBO, Pay-Per-View? Playboy?" His chuckle said he wasn't pleased and some answers better come up fast or things were going to get unpleasant.

Upstart bastard, Lucifer thought, though his expression never changed. Things are definately going to change around here. "This," he explained, touching a scrying pool, "is our link to...well, to use your theme, the Premium channels". He touched the pool again and it came to life, showing a magnificant scene of Heaven. Angels flew and sang and talked, and in the center of a large group of relaxing angels stood one of the most beautiful "men" Freddy had ever seen. His wings were brushed with gold and seemed alive. His handsome face was lit with the glow of peace, love, and security, and the sight almost moved even Krueger's evil heart. Something nagged at him though....

"Who is that angel? The one in the middle of that group? He seems familiar".

"He should," Lucifer responded, "because that's me--or would've been had I not fallen from Grace." Several things clicked in Freddy's mind. "You mean these pools show you what could've been? I still wanna know what the hell this has got to do with me".

"Yes Freddy, some of these pools do show what could be. But some," here he touched yet another of the pools, watching as it came to life, "Are what already is happening. In other worlds, other times."

Freddy stepped closer, watching the young man hurry to some unknown destination. He was well dressed and only the facial features gave any hint that this could've been the Prince of Darkness standing next to him. Lucifer watched him watch the pool and smiled, knowing the paths Freddy's mind was taking. For all his ambition, he was just as predictable as any other "evil" being, and that's what made Lucifer's job frequently enjoyable. He waved grandly at the scores of pools. "Have at it then. There's an eternity of Springwoods to wreak havoc in, and I'm sure you and I can reach an agreement beneficial to us both in all of them". Lucifer touched one more pool. "If you need anything, this pool will summon someone. Take as long as you want". He stepped out of the room, smothering an evil laugh as he left the former dream demon to himself.

Freddy stared at the pools for the longest time, chewing his lip in thought. So many Springwoods! He'd told someone once, "Every town as an Elm Street," now it seemed every dimension had a Springwood. It never crossed his demented mind that not all his alternate selves might be evil. All he knew was that his children awaited him, and he wanted to see how well he was doing in each dimension. He touched the first pool eagerly and sat down to enjoy the show....