Emerging Powers

By: The Silverhyena

The "Timeline" of this story coincides with Lady Voorhees' The Bound Fedora. Used with permission. Hey, Blake McCormick is an "Elm Street Brat", it was really only a matter of time before she and the infamous "Urban Legend" of the area crossed paths.

Chapter 3: The Right Thing?

~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~

Blake felt herself calming down and was finally able to relax. She could no longer feel Freddy Krueger's presence. He was gone, she had banished him from her mind. Taking in a deep, relieved breath, the girl watched as the industrial hellhole Freddy had conjured up faded and tore away, unveiling a thick forest on the edge of a beautiful lake.

"This is more like it, huh?" Blake asked, looking down at her two dogs.

Kane and Hodder both yipped softly, their tails wagging as they tilted their heads up at their mistress. While Blake could still feel the powers she had somehow borrowed from the dream demon coursing through her, she used it to heal her two furry friends of their injuries, leaving them as good as new.

The three of them walked out onto the wooden dock, watching as the light of the full moon reflected and shimmered off the water's surface. Blake sat down with her legs over the edge, dipping her now bare feet in the water, one dog on either side of her. Hodder and Kane gently nuzzled against her, enjoying themselves as she stroked them.

"Looks like this little piggy had two big, bad wolves on her payroll!" Blake laughed, "Oh... that sounds like something Geoffrey Redsun would say."

While the dogs may not have been able to answer, Kane placed a large paw on Blake's lap while Hodder gave her a few doggie kisses on her cheek. Yet while Blake's German Shepherds showered her with affection, the psychic couldn't help but feel a creeping doubt plague her. She had let Freddy Krueger, a dream demon, the one who had burned down Westin Hills and murdered countless people, go because she couldn't bear the thought of having the blood of one innocent life on her hands. Yet... her hands remained stained nevertheless. Or did they?

'Did you forget about Norman?' prodded that annoying little voice in her mind, 'When you set his own dogs upon him to tear him to shreds?'

Norman Gordon, Kane's and Hodder's former master. That fiend was a different case! He was far from innocent, he was going to kill her friend if Blake didn't do what she had done. Freddy, well there was hardly an innocent soul... but Sidney, a girl she had never even met who never asked for any of this...? Should she have taken her life too if it meant stopping Freddy for good? Would it make her any different then her mother, taking an innocent life even if it was for "the greater good?"

"Boys... did I... really do the right thing?" Blake asked, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

Kane and Hodder just whined softly, unable to voice any true answer for their unsure mistress. What was done is done, there was no changing it now. A short while later, something floating on top of the water and lightly brushing against Blake's leg was enough to snap the psychic from her moral dilemma. Using her staff which was still beside her on the dock, she was able to scoop up the object with the end of it and set it down in her lap. A slight smile crossed Blake's face, realizing what it was. She gazed at the old brown fedora, smiling sadly.

"There may still be hope, even for someone like him..."

~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~ ~1428 Elm St.~

Meanwhile,

Freddy seethed with fury, mustering all his willpower not to lash out at the one person left on the mortal or any other realm that did give a damn about him. Sidney was on her hands and knees beside him, her calming touch working to soothe away the rage simmering within and the pounding ache that the link between the two of them caused. Physical contact with her was always the best cure, and as of late, he had been neglecting Sidney, trying to bury the link's pain on his own, leaving her by herself for weeks on end at times.

It was only when he truly realized that should he die, she would to, did he think of being more attentive. Sidney wasn't immortal like he was, and he wasn't too eager to find out if her mortality would pass to him should either one of them get killed, regardless of which realm they were in at the time. A twinge of guilt ripped at the demon's heart when he saw just how shaken Sidney really was. She didn't have any idea of what exactly was going on, only that Freddy was being attacked and that she was suffering for it. Sure, sometimes she'd feel annoying pinpricks and cuts while he was out hunting, (something that she hated when he left her to do!) but this was different. Freddy was unable to wake her up! Something kept Sidney locked in the Dream World with him, and this prospect terrified the dream demon.

"F-Freddy? Please... j-just tell me..." Sidney pleaded, "What happened back there?"

She had seen Freddy hunt before; he was a cold, calculating predator that tormented his prey into submission before pouncing. But Sidney had NEVER seen him cast from his own domain. Sure, he had thrown herself and others out of the realm of dreams... just what did he choose to pick a fight with? Another demon, maybe? Come to think about it, when the going got rough, why didn't he throw her out?

Taking in a deep sigh, Freddy faced the girl, running his free hand through her long blonde hair, "She... I found an Elm Street brat, one of the few genuine remaining spawn. This girl had been investigating the ruins I left Westin Hills in and found a piece of my sweater left behind," he explained, "I... seriously underestimated her. Sidney... I fucked up... this girl was - is - a psychic, a powerful one."

Hearing the word "Psychic", Sidney perked up hopefully, "Freddy! Do you know what this means?"

Her smile faded as the defeated demon rose to his feet, doing his best to hide the shame written all over his face. A psychic would have been a VERY useful asset to them, especially if he or she was the real deal. Hell, Sidney had been trying to get a hold of some sort of real expert on the occult for a while now. After ignoring her for as long as he did and now this, how could he face her?

"Freddy... y-you said y-you encountered a psychic... right?" Sidney questioned, "Oh my God, what did you do?"

Without another word, Freddy couldn't bear to tell Sidney anymore. Instead, he would show her. He placed his ungloved hand on her temple, gazing right back into her worried, light blue eyes. Before Sidney could ask another question, several images began to flash through her mind. She winced from the ache it caused, an unfortunate byproduct of the link that bound her and the dream demon together. There before her inner eye was Freddy's boiler room, an all too familiar place, and a young girl wearing a blue sundress under a baggy black hoodie with mismatched eyes and silky, shoulder length brown hair. Honestly, she couldn't have been more than fifteen years old, possibly closer to thirteen. By the girl's side were the two ferocious German Shepherds.

"Like it, Blake? Your mother used one just... like... this, didn't she? She was an... interesting case, just like you."

She could hear Freddy's voice hiss, then the girl spoke, "T-that bladed glove... My Mo-I-I mean Amelia Rake had it. How... di-?"

The exchange went on for a while, and Freddy could clearly feel the disappointment resonating in the back of Sid's mind. Well deserved, mind you. It wasn't until it was too late did Freddy realize just what he had picked a fight with. A pained cry escaped from the girl's mouth, reliving the vicious, vice-like jaws of those dogs sinking into the dream demon's flesh and precise strikes Blake had used to defend herself once Freddy pounced.

It got to a point where it was nearly unbearable to watch anymore, as Sid never particularly enjoyed watching Freddy kill. A slight gasp escaped her throat, seeing the ethereal manacles locked on the demon's wrists. It was her first time actually seeing a physical representation of the link that held them captive to each other. She was nearly at a loss for words, especially when she saw what Freddy intended to do to this young girl.

"No more, don't ask me to-"

"Please, Sid... just watch..." the dream demon pleaded.

Instead of watching blood and bits of flesh spray everywhere and the light drain from Blake's eyes, the tables inexplicably turned on Freddy, leaving him both surprised and terrified. This girl, sick and on the brink of death suddenly fought back with a vengeance, eventually overpowering the demon and reversing their positions.

'Y-you're k-killing her!' Freddy had pleaded, mentally, 'Kill me... and Sidney dies too!'

Freddy... he... he had pleaded for her life. Sidney trembled once again, leaning heavily against him for support. She couldn't recall the last time he had actually been so afraid, perhaps back at Westin Hills when Kenda figured out how to make herself immune to his tricks.

"T-this... is... r-really... beginning to hurt..." she begged, the pain becoming nearly unbearable.

"Just a little more, Sid... you need to see this."

"Freddy Krueger, I will not become the creature my mother was. Therefore... I will show you the mercy you would NEVER have shown me!" Blake had stated, "Please, I ask you not to take this lightly. I spare you for Sidney's sake, NOT your own! But... if a beast like you has the capacity to care for someone other then themselves, there may be hope for you yet."

A few painful flashes later, Freddy held up his wrists, this time more clearly displaying the shackles locked around them and the seemingly endless chains attached to them. He had begged for the psychic to help him release this binding curse, for Sidney's sake, but he had pushed Blake to her limit. The girl refused him, citing that he would do well to remain in his punishment and let it teach him to consider the needs of another.

Once Freddy released Sidney, the girl had to catch her breath. She stumbled backwards with a slight whimper, nearly tripping over the bed. Freddy managed to catch her before she fell over, though it was quite obvious that he had a hard time even looking her in the eye.

"Whoa... t-that was... intense." Sidney gasped, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I told her nothing of you, the link, yet she knew about it! She was the reason I couldn't wake you. And... you are the reason we're both still here. If... Blake... if she didn't know about you, we'd be..." Freddy cut himself off.

"Dead..." Sidney finished, "Freddy... where is she? Maybe I can talk to her. She knows about the link! Perhaps if this-this Blake actually sees me, here or in the Dream World, I can convince her to-"

Before she could complete her suggestion, Freddy's gaze shot up, a look of absolute terror on his face. His gloved hand twitched and he shook his head.

"No! Did you not see what she did? That little girl... she was able to borrow my dream world powers and use them against me! Before she did that... she was able to protect her two mutts from my control. Her mutts didn't fear me. If she's able to control an animal like that, imagine what she'd be able to do with a human! With you!" Freddy pointed out, "I only showed you this... so that you would know what she looks like, so you can avoid her. Sid... that child is a danger to us, and if either one of us hound her... believe me when I tell you that she's quite capable of killing."

Sidney considered arguing this matter further, but she knew Freddy was right. It would more than likely end far more violently then the current wild goose chase they were on. And Freddy... he was furious. Not only that he lost the fight, but the fact that he started it in the first place, too damn blinded by a grudge from the past to think about what he was doing. He had cost them a chance, cost them dearly. Now they were back to square one.

"I... I can forgive you," Sidney whispered, rubbing her hand on the dream demon's shoulder, "I'm willing... to forgive you... for everything."

Freddy responded with a slight grunt, "Hmph. I never asked you to. Sid... I fucked up big time."

Sidney smiled weakly, leaning in the give Freddy a kiss on the cheek, "And you were brave enough to tell me the truth. It's a start. We've just got to keep looking. We'll find what we need to break this curse, one way or another. Until then... we will just have to make the best of the time we have together."

With that, the girl placed a much firmer and demanding kiss right on Freddy's lips, causing him to smirk a little. Did he really deserve to have such a fantastic woman by his side? In all honesty, not hardly. Yet the lucky bastard had her, quite literally stuck with him. She saw past his countless flaws, offering him what few ever had. Love and loyalty. Sidney was too good for him, and Freddy knew this.

Carefully, he traced the flat of his blade from Sidney's cheek, down her neck to the thin spaghetti straps of her red tank top, leaving not a single scratch on her skin. The girl didn't even flinch as he flicked his claw, effectivly cutting the strap right off her shoulder. He grinned mischievously as the girl scooted closer, wrapping both of her arms around his neck. Perhaps he had been spending too much of his time dwelling on the past. Westin Hills was gone, and the ghost from his past? She was long dead!

"You know something, Sid?" Freddy sighed, gazing right back into the girl's eyes, "I think you're right."

In a swift move, the dream demon crushed her lips to his own. The scent of Sidney's hair and soft, supple skin nearly drove him into madness. She was the one woman on this world that would tolerate him, love him, give herself to him... and he'd have been a damn fool to throw that away!

"Freddy...?" Sid panted, with a slight moan.

"What is it, Sid? I'm... a little busy here." the demon groaned, lightly nipping Sidney's neck in between his words before removing the rest of her top completely.

"Where did your hat go?"

At Sidney's inquiry, Freddy paused mid-kiss, eyes going wide for a moment. Then one word, just one, came to mind,

'Shit...'

::The End...? Maybe?::

Author's Notes: And the final chapter of this particular story, wrapping up. Freddy learned a valuable lesson to never underestimate his opponent and Blake ponders if she made the right choice. (After all, she has killed once before... only once.)

It was pretty fun trying my hand writing Sidney and her interesting relationship with Freddy. Part of what I love about Bound Fedora is that it puts Freddy in the unique and awkward position of being forced to actually be nice to someone. Sid looks past his numerous flaws and has been trying to pull the man out of the demon. As stated before, give Lady Voorhees some love and attention and tell me what you think.

Also, there WILL be more of Blake in the future. I've already got ideas for a Texas Chainsaw Massacre plot involving Blake as an adult. Would anyone be interested in that? Let me know. Encouragement and kind words may get me to write it faster!

Disclaimer: I do NOT claim any ownership of Nightmare on Elm Street or Freddy Krueger. Freddy Krueger belongs to Wes Craven and Sidney belongs to Lady Voorhees.