-- I warned you long ago that this story was gonna be short; the next chapter is the last. Thanks to my reviewers, you guys make writing so much easier! I hope you enjoy this new installment...--

Amongst the living, the pleasantries between Kris and Riley had long ended. They'd gotten into the catching up process now... they'd exchanged letters for the two years Kris had lived in Springwood, but it always seemed so much more tangible to exchange them in person... although, come to think of it, they hadn't exchanged one single letter since Ginny came to town; Kris had just been too busy with her.

Now they were laughing, and an occasional sniffle was the only reminder of the rankness that had run rampant in Kris's body since the night of Ginny's death, up until the moment Riley walked through his bedroom door.

Speaking of Riley, she'd just finished telling him a story of a Halloween prank she'd pulled with two of their friends back home on the Biology teacher who had gotten them a week's detention for passing around a note about smoking weed after school. It was totally unfair... they didn't do anything in school, so how could they get in trouble with the school for it? Well, they got the bitch back...

They laughed a good long healthy time over the end result, but as their laughter died down, Riley's face took on a more serious tone. "Kris?"

"Yeah?"

"What happened?"

"Huh? When?"

"What happened here? What happened to Donovan? I heard the newspaper articles, I know about all the other kids who died, who were murdered... and I know you were involved; I can see it in my bones."

Kris hung his head at this point, all the merriment that had just passed through him passed on now, and he was in that dark place again. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you..."

She scoffed. "Please! I'm the girl who actually ran to the end of the rainbow to see if there was a pot of gold –"

"– Yeah, when you were eight –"

"– Just try me, okay?"

Kris shook his head, but continued anyway. "Alright... you know how I told you about that Elm Street house, where the child killer Freddy Krueger used to live? Well, they renovated the place and made it a home for kids that nobody would adopt... I made friends with one of them. Her name was Ginny Jenks..."

He carried on from there, telling her about how Mei died, and then how Ginny dropped the bombshell on him that Freddy was stalking her. He told her why Freddy didn't kill Ginny, because she was The One with the power to destroy him or make him invincible, and how Ginny had kept him posted on everything that passed between her and Freddy up until the day Donovan was killed... she'd figured he didn't need the pressure anymore, and left it at that... until the night he'd shown up on her porch.

He told Riley, in blood-curling detail, about the night Ginny died. He told her how he had held Ginny until she died, convulsing and choking on her own blood, her heart blown out of her damned chest!

"... My god," Riley breathed. "You were in love with her, weren't you?"
Kris turned his face away harshly, as if she had slapped him. He closed his eyes and held they shut tight. He couldn't answer that question... it was just too painful.

"I'm so sorry," Riley whispered, putting her hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off, shaking his head. "Look, Kris... she must have died for the greater good! Why would he have killed her unless she wouldn't give him the power? And besides, how long has it been since last he killed?"
"Since the night she died," Kris indulged her dryly. "Now you look, Ri, that's not enough. I know he's still out there, I can feel it! The fucker needs to pay... I'm not gonna let him get away with killing her. She was better then that!"

They sat in silence for a moment, and Riley studied his face. "... You're going to go after him, aren't you?"

"You're damn right I am!" Kris shouted, and then lowered his voice. "I can't let him get away with this... I don't care if I die trying, as long as he's dead for all of it!"

There was a long paused, where no one spoke, nothing moved accept for the steady rise and falls of their breathing. Kris's eyes were long lost and far away, and Riley's were concentrated and focusing on the very pours of his face. She chewed her bottom lip nervously.

At length, Kris whispered something, but it was too quiet to make out.

"What?"

"I said... will you help me?" he repeated, just above a whispered.

Riley paused. "This is really important to you?"

"Nothing's gonna change my mind, Riley, you know that..."

"Wow, she must have been some girl," Riley cracked a smile, trying to get him to do the same, but without results. She dropped the grin, and began to nod, slowly. "Fine... fine, I'll help you; just so you don't kill yourself in this fuss!"
He looked up at her, and – for the first time all night – his eyes were really there, really in the room with her. "You mean it?"

She nodded. "Yeah... I mean it..."

He grabbed her and pulled her to him, hugging her quickly. "Thanks, I didn't really want to go it alone... but I always knew I could count on you, Ri!"

"No problem, little bro..." he was nine months younger then her, so by all means; that gave her older sibling privileges in their friendship... and now, she was going to risk her life to protect him in his quest for revenge over a blonde she'd never known.

xXx

Satan tapped her nails on a marble pillar impatiently, glancing at a silver wrist watch encrusted in emeralds that had just appeared on her wrist as she turned it over to glance it.

"What's taking Gabriel so damn long?" she demanded of God, edgily.

"He probably stopped for his favorite cherry custard, it is lunch time," God said, eyeing a gold-rimmed clock on the wall. "The angel's a bit spoiled... but he'll be here."

As if on que, the gigantic doors of engraved sparkling gold came rumbling open. In its frame stood the archangel Gabriel, with his charge – the Jenks girl – under his wing. He rushed her along with his hand against her back, to the circular floor before the Lord's throne. He got down on one knee.

"I'm sorry for the delay, my Lord," he bowed his head, briefly. "It was, after all, lunch time... and Karen Carpenter was serving today at the streusel house"

God nodded, simply. "I see you have the girl..."

"Gabrielle Jenks, as you requested!"

"Bless you, my loyal servant. You may pick up an extra custard as your reward –"

"– Reward?" Satan scoffed. "For what? Being two hours late? I would torture a demon for insolence like that..."

God shot Satan a look. "Well, sister, that is how you and I differ," he turned back to the archangel. "You are excused, Gabriel."

Gabriel glanced up. "Excused?" He rolled his eyes, but raised his hands as God opened his mouth questioningly. "Never mind, never mind..." and with that, Gabriel turned on his heels and was off, muttering something about what the point was of being archangel if you have to miss out on all the good stuff and such...

God arched his brows in confusion, but shook it off. He turned to Ginny. "Child, do not be afraid. I am the lord God, who rules over Heaven. If you glance to your left, you will see my sister, Satan, who rules over the underworld Hell... against, do not fret! We are out here to harm you! We are here to give you an epic choice..."

"Another one?" she groaned. "Last time I had to make an epic choice, I ended up getting run through by my best friend..."

God was shocked by this. For the first point, that the child referred to one of Satan's demons as her best friend, and for another that she had not at all jumped at the offer of epic choices, or been swayed at all by the presence of both God and the Devil, the two almightiest behind the afterlife... nonetheless, he cleared his throat.

"Well, child, I am afraid you'll have to make this choice," he said, gravely. He deepened his voice, and made it louder until it's booming echoed off the walls of the huge room. "Satan has come to me today with a proposition... you see, your soul was deemed fit for Heaven, to spite the things you did in your life. They were beyond your control, and you tried to fight it... your soul is still pure."

"Cut to the damn chase!" Satan moaned. "Look, kid, the deal is–"

But God silenced her with a wave of his hand, and she shot him the most deadly look. He turned back to Ginny. "You see, I owe my sister a favor after she returned one of my souls that had accidentally been sent to Hell... she claims, if you can put any stock in the word of the Devil, that you are just as liking to chose Hell as Heaven to live out your afterlife in..."

Ginny arched a brow and turned to Satan. "Are you shitting me? Of course I–"

"Freddy needs you," that shut her up. Satan smirked.

"But... he has all the power now... why... would he still want me?"

"'Cause the freak thinks you're his daughter!" Satan saw her flinch, and decided maybe this wasn't the best way to put it. She tried to be more delicate. "He's gone recluse, totally shut up inside himself... my son, Damien, assures me that the only way to get him back is to bring you back."

Ginny was silent now, all the horror of the last few weeks of her life coming back to her... Freddy wanted her again. The killing wasn't done; he'd never let her go! She belonged to him, as long as she was Gabrielle Jenks, born and raised, he'd have her...

"Please," Satan said, as gently as she was going to get. "For Freddy... he's the only one that loves you, Ginny, and you know it! If you agree to come with me back to Hell, I swear you will never be tortured by the wrath of my kingdom... you will stay with Freddy, and be aloud to live out eternity in his playground along side him."

Ginny's eyes showed her heartbreak... but, at the same time, she knew Satan was right. Satan was entirely right. How could Ginny resist Freddy, anyway? She couldn't go on without him as bad as he couldn't without her... they were each other. She began to step towards Satan, but God stopped her.

"Gabrielle, wait!" she looked back up at him. His mouth was draw, and his eyes shown bright. "I never finished my proposition... as God, I run Heaven, and I make the decisions... as well as on reincarnation. You don't have to go with either of us..."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, breathlessly.

"I will have you reborn," God said, cracking a smile. "You'll be an entirely new person, completely void of Freddy Krueger. The only thing that will be the same as your soul... you will be a new baby in a new family. You'll be real person, just like you always wanted..."

"Hey!" Satan cried out, betrayed. "This wasn't in the deal, brother!"

"Well now it is," God said threateningly, glaring at Satan. Bravely, she glared back.

"A real person..." Ginny echoed, as if she hadn't heard of word to follow.

"Ginny, no," Satan turned back to her. "Remember Freddy! He needs you! Don't turn your back on him, Ginny!"

"Don't listen to her," God said, shaking his head. "She just wants her soul. All she wants is her killer back in action; she doesn't care about you or Freddy! Come towards the light, Gabrielle, and be reborn..."

"That may be true, but at least you can think of Freddy!"

"Think of yourself, be reborn."

"Freddy!"

"Yourself!"

"Freddy!"

"Rebirth!"

"Freddy!"

"Yourself!"

"Freddy!"

"Rebirth!"

"Stop it!" Ginny cried, at last. There was silence for a crystalline moment, and then, finally, she spoke. "I thought you guys said this was my choice... so let me make it, then!"

God and Satan hung their heads in unison, and silenced their throats. Ginny exchanged glances between the two of them. Satan, best understanding man's selfish desires, knew she had already lost... but she wait, listening intently, anyway.

At last, Ginny made her decision, shocking all the courts. "... I choose Freddy." With that, she turned on her heels, without glancing back at God, who was gaping open-mouthed at the teenagers; and went to Satan's side. She grasped Satan's hand. "Take me to Hell... take me to Freddy, now; I'm ready."

Satan smiled, wide and triumphant, and sent a victorious glare right up God's alley, before enclosing Ginny's hand in both of hers, and disappearing in a puff of fire.