Well, this is a bit of a long shot. Just what happened to Nancy between NOES 1 and NOES 3? *AU*

A bit far fetched? Yes, but stay with me...

The 'Dr Parker' at the beginning of the story is the same Dr Parker from 'Birth and Re-birth'. I have indicated he is Kristen Parker's (from NOES 3) Great-Grandfather. This is not in any of the films, completely made up by myself. Also I do not know if Marge Thompson's maiden name was actually Harper, it just sounded good :))

I do put out a lot of short stories as I don't trust myself to type a longer, more indepth fanfic without waffling :/ Though hey, it could happen... ;))

Enjoy!

***DISCLAIMER: ALL CHARACTERS/RECOGNISABLE SETTINGS BELONG TO WES CRAVEN/NEWLINE CINEMA. I JUST BEND THEM TO MY EVIL WILL, MWAH HA HAA!***CRYSTAL LAKE IS FROM FRIDAY THE 13th***

Between a Rock and a Scarred Place

Westin Hills, 1985

Doctors Report:

Patient: Thompson, Nancy

Patient No.: FK84

The patient has shown vast improvement since commencing treatment with the experimental drug, Hypnocil. Her delusional states have decreased and she is now able to accept the true nature of the passing of people close to her.

Miss Thompson has now stopped mentioning her 'dream demon', the man known as Fred Krueger.

It is my conclusion that, somehow, Miss Thompson found out about Mr Kruegers henious crimes from the 1960's and during the traumatic aftermath of the murder of her friend, Tina Grey, she began to imagine it was the work of the long dead child killer. Miss Thompson would then go on to link this man with the further suicides of her friends and her Mother, Mrs Marge Thompson (nee. Harper).

I recommend the patient to be set for release in the next six months if improvement continues to be made.

CONTINUE HYPNOCIL INDEFINATELY

XXX

A swirling scrawl at the bottom indicated the signiture of the attending Psychiatrist, Dr Parker. The man was now well into his eighties and had long refused to retire from his post at Westin Hills. It was his job that had kept him going, though unknown to him it would be the appearence of his own great grand-daughter, Kristen, which would prompt him to retire, and quickly at that.

He looked down at the typed report in his hand and sighed, "Krueger."

That name had followed him for most of his career. He had been part of the cover up with the Convant to keep the pregnancy of young Sister Mary Helena, also known as Amanda Krueger, underwraps. She had gone on to give birth to the biggest serial killer Springwood had ever seen. Her son had caused mayhem and destruction in their tiny town. That is until he mysteriously disappeared after his disasterous court case in 1969. Disasterous for the Parents, as the bastard had been set free. They must have been relieved when he disappeared, probably skipped town before they could get a hold of his sorry ass, he thought to himself.

After the trial Krueger's mother had thrown herself from the abandoned Tower. He felt sorry for the woman, what chance did she have? Her mind surely must have shattered after the torture she endured, then to hear her son had been the one terrorising Springwood? It had, both literally and figuritively, pushed her over the edge.

And now this Miss Thompson, traumatised by the death of so many loved ones in such a short period of time, had brought that bastards name up. Strange. Though in his job at Westin Hills, strange was the daily routine.

Hopefully her subsequent release would ensure the name 'Krueger' would never be uttered within these walls again.

Little did he know.

XXX

January 1986, six months later

Nancy Thompson was released as an in-patient from Westin Hills.

With the help of her allocated support worker she had moved from the town of Springwood to the nearby town of Crystal Lake. Her support worker, a shy young man named James, had also helped her to find both a flat and a part time job at the Gardening Centre in the centre of the town. There was even a small wooded area with a campsite where Nancy could get some much needed r'n'r if she so wished.

After James had finished showing Nancy round her new place, he stopped by the front door and turned, "Need anything else, Nance?"

"No thanks Jim, I'll be fine. It'll just be nice to finally relax in my own place y'know? Good to chill without Parker following my every move."

James chuckled, "Yeah, he's a hardass, but he does care Nance, we all do. You've been through so much shit, we just wanna see you settled down."

Nancy smiled a half smile, "Thanks Jim, I'll call if I need anything."

Taking the hint, James lifted his hand to wave before making his way out towards his chevy.

For the first time in well over a year, Nancy was alone. She relaxed.

Just a little.

XXX

Nancy was pleased with her small apartment. After her time spent at Westin Hills it felt like a sprawling mansion, or some kind of stately home. There were two doors in the hallway. One led to a cosy living/kitchen area and the other to a bedroom with an adjoining bathroom. The walls had been painted in different pastle colours, a far cry from the all white of the institution.

Perfect.

Walking over to the sofa, she sat beside her larger suitcase and unzipped the zipper, allowing the case to flop open and reveal the contents packed inside.

On top of the neatly folder clothes there was a small blue photo album. Nancy lifted it from the case and, taking a deep, shaky breath, she opened the front cover to peer at the photos within.

Snapshots frozen in time, smiling faces in 6x4. Nancy growing up through the years, joined by her Mother and Father, her old friends and long forgotten pets. Bad hair styles and dodgy outfits, sleepovers, birthday parties and long summer days in her old backyard.

As a longing began to build in her chest, she tucked the album away and zipped the case closed.

James had left her a house-warming gift on the coffee table, a small CD player, second hand of course, but apparently it played well. There was a CD already inside and, as Nancy pressed play, a song started up with a high pitched, minnie mouse voice assuring her that 'Girls just wanna have fun'.

Humming along to the bobby tune, she went into the kitchen and opened the refridgerator. Taking a note, she listed everything she would need to get her through the week. The list was simple. If Westin Hills had done anything, it was to reduce her tastes to the much smaller things in life.

Like creamed corn and bland ham.

The one thing she would definately be having was rocky road ice cream, and lots of it. This had been her 'treat day' item, and now she was 'free' and not a fucking child, she could have it whenever she pleased. Boring? Probably, but a small victory none the less. She popped a Xanax before she left her apartment. Just incase.

Snatching her bag off the counter, she turned the player off and made her way down the stairwell and out onto the street. It was her first official unsupervised public outing in over a year. She almost expected an orderly to grab her forearm and drag her to the quiet room.

Thankfully, they didn't.

XXX

The harsh florescent lights in the gaudy grocery store hurt her eyes. She felt panic rise she was jostled to and fro by other shoppers in a hurry. Blurring shapes and jangled voices shocked her senses.

What was that shit she learned in therapy? Breath, count, breath... Calm. The. Fuck. Down!

She felt more at ease by the time she left the vegetable aisle. After throwing an extra large tub of rocky road in her basket she went up to the counter and piled her groceries onto the belt. The young woman behind the counter kept glancing at Nancy inbetween scanning her items, it was starting to make Nancy uncomfortable. After a particularly long glance, Nancy bristled, "Do I know you?"

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out. You just look real familiar, any chance you from Springwood?"

Nancy was instantly on the defensive, "Yes, I am." Christ Nancy, why didn't you just lie, her inner voice screamed at her.

"I knew it! Ohio right? You were Glen's girl? Lived on Elm Street? I was in the class below you guys at Springwood High."

This didn't register at all with Nancy. She looked blankly at the young woman who was now practically bouncing in her seat.

"Christ, I couldn't believe it when all that shit went down on Elm Street, where did you run off to? Everyone thought you totally lost it, ended up in the cuckoo tower... Hey? Hey, can you hear me?"

That was it, she wasn't ready for this, not now and not ever. She mumbled her apologies before rushing out of the store, leaving her groceries with the gawping checkout girl.

Nancy ran out into the night, the sky darkening to a darker shade of violet. She made her way across the street to her apartment, unaware that a bar fight had broke out in the only bar on her route home.

She heard the mayhem before she turned the corner, the shattering glass and drunken shouting putting all her senses on high alert. Finally turning the corner she got to see the fight in full flow.

There were two men brawling outside the 'Fedora' bar, a taller man with a crop of dark hair and a shorter, blonde man who seemed to be at the losing end of the fight.

Nancy hated bars, infact she hated anything to do with alcohol. She had spent most of her life watching her Mother getting friendly with a bottle of Vodka and, even though her Father tried to lose himself in work, it didn't mean he was less of a lush than his ex-wife out of working hours. Hell, even during work hours. Nancy wouldn't be surprised if her estranged Father was in a bar similar to this one right now. He had quit his job after Marge passed away and had been drowning his sorrows ever since.

Another drunk in some shady bar lamenting about better days gone by, the wife who had passed and the daughter he had lost.

Guilt, thought Nancy, pure guilt.

Smashed glass was strewn over the sidewalk, the shouting and screaming flooding out from the broken windows. A blonde woman ran drunkenly out and, stumbling a little, she jumped onto the back of the heavily bleeding man, "You stabbed my boyfriend, bastard!"

"Get the fuck offa me you stupid bitch!" slurred the taller man, jerking his back and sending the woman onto the concrete and onto the glass there. The brawl escalated, three persons involved now as the blonde woman jumped up, clearly having unfinished business with the dark haired man.

A deep voice with an Irish lilt came through the din, "Rob, Jack! Wit the hella ya fighten' fer?"

The blood poured from the small blonde man, his pants turning a dark crimson shade.

The wail of sirens filled the air as most of the bar cleared out. Nancy clutched her hand to her chest as she ran the last of the way to her new home.

XXX

"No milk, good going Nancy", she mentally berated herself as she climbed the flights of stairs.

Slightly out of breath, Nancy finally climbed the steps to her third floor apartment. She jerked in surprise when she saw James standing at her front door, tapping the wooden frame in an impatient motion.

"Jim! Is something wrong?"

He said nothing, his eyes darting slyly to his hand twitching above his head. Nancy's blood ran cold when she saw what James had been tapping the doorframe with. Four steel claws attached to a brown leather glove on his right hand.

"Trouble, little Nancy?" He asked in a voice much deeper and hoarse than it should have been.

A scream rose in Nancy's throat and burst free, echoing off the walls and all round the stair well.

XXX

So what's going to become ooh, so what's happening? Sorry if the first chapter was a little, well, bland. It's all in the set up, y'know... Nancy is free of Westin Hills, or is she? Read on, Freddy Fans, read on.

PS, Robert and Jackie ended the fight, though all agreed that Robert was the winner...geddit? Heh heh :))

As always, thanks for reading! Feel free to review...