"Good morning, Fred," I spoke to my husband, who had just awoken in the bed beside me.

"Good morning, Loretta," he smiled, leaning closer to where I lay and giving me a peck on the lips.

Most couples addressed each other by pet names. Dear, honey, sweetheart...maybe something a little more unique to them specifically. Not Fred and I. I'm sure it seemed odd to others. Perhaps like we weren't too keen on one another. Nevertheless, I saw it quite the opposite. If lovers didn't typically rely much on first names, then how much more personal did it make it to always use them?

After a lingering grin, he rose to a seated position, throwing his legs off the side of the mattress. Rolling over in bed, I crept my head into his lap and peered upward at him. Something I adored about Fred was his habit of sleeping in his underwear. It perfectly portrayed his natural good looks and I wasn't ashamed to admit that I was incredibly physically attracted to him. I reveled in those moments I caught other women ogling him, especially the married ones. 

He had the slender, athletic form of a surfer, beautiful blond curls, captivating blue eyes, and the most infectious smile I had ever seen. Although not a particularly popular person overall, he was very charismatic. I was sure he could charm anyone he wished and yet, he didn't. Not intentionally. Not unless you counted myself, of course. 

And that made me obsess over him even more. He chose me and only me.

"Daddy!" came a small voice, accompanied by the padding of small feet down the hallway.

Well...not only me, I guess...

I quickly lifted out of my husband's lap as he sprang for the comforter to cover himself better.

"Hey, Princess," he beamed brightly at the little girl, arms wide open to allow her into his warm embrace.

It was, as evidenced by the sun shining through the drapes and the birds chirping happily, a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Katherine had let us sleep in for once, though I had also let her stay up late last night while my husband was at the factory pulling some overtime. Since he wasn't home, I figured there was no reason not to and knew that doing so would give me some extra time this morning alone with him.

My face soured as the two hugged. And yet, the time we had was still not enough. Scowling at the child who stole Fred's love from me, I decided I had no choice but to start the day.

"I think I will make pancakes for us today," I said, sitting up and kissing Fred on the cheek before hopping off the bed and skipping to the door.

"Chocolate chip?" Katherine asked excitedly.

"Chocolate chip," I chuckled in answer, knowing it was her favorite. Perhaps the treat would distract her for a while.

Fred had always wanted children and as a woman, I was expected to give them to him and to society in general. I had hated the days of the constant "when are you going to give us grandchildren?" from my parents. Everyone seemed to think that I was somehow less of a person because I hadn't brought a new life into this world. My family was especially horrible about it, given how large they were. So many kids. Maybe that's part of the reason I wanted my husband all to myself: I had never gotten enough attention.

Despite wanting them, Fred was never horrible about it. He never pressured me or made me feel subpar. He even supported me through a miscarriage, which I had hoped would mean I couldn't have children. But when we did finally become pregnant, he was over the moon. I was happy that he was happy and I really tried to put that enthusiasm into parenting, but it just didn't quite work.

Don't get me wrong, I was good at pretending and there were times when being a mother wasn't all that bad. For instance when I was alone. I was a low maintenance woman. I didn't need fancy outings or shopping sprees. I didn't really have any hobbies to speak of nor did I care to socialize much further than was necessary. On occasion, I enjoyed going out or seeing a friend. Otherwise, I had to pretend to be what everyone expected, which was tiring. Without a job, I mainly tended to our home.

But even introverts get lonely. I also couldn't deny that when people looked upon me as a good mother, I felt a sense of pride. So sometimes, despite it all, it was nice to have Katherine around. I still wasn't sure if the feeling I had for her was love or obligation. Regardless, I was never mean to her. That would disappoint Fred. Not that I was a mean person in general.

The girl had followed me to the kitchen downstairs, leaving Fred behind to dress. She was only six, so I didn't expect her to help me cook and to be honest, she'd do it wrong anyway. I resented the fact that she couldn't help because she'd be useless. It wasn't a problem now, but as she grew, she'd become a spoiled freeloader, especially with how Fred babied her.

Speaking of, he entered the room.

Katherine immediately ran up to him, hugging his leg and jumping excitedly. Fred didn't hesitate to pick her up, kiss her forehead, and place her on his hip. He then walked up to my side as I stirred the batter and kissed my cheek.

I tried not to let him hear me sigh.

I loved that man so much. He couldn't even possibly know. I would do anything for him and yet it seemed all he ever wanted to do was spend time with that little girl. When it was just the two of us, things were great. I felt like all his attention and love was focused on me...but anytime she was around or was the topic of conversation, things shifted. His displays of affection to me felt forced, like he was pretending to care for me like I pretended to with Katherine.

The last six years, the child had taken so much from me. I tried to do more and more for Fred, even being a wonderful mother for that little brat. Yet nothing ever seemed enough. I was no competition for her...and that was why I often wished she would die. I wouldn't kill her myself. It was too dangerous. I couldn't risk disappointing Fred or being sent to prison and taken away from him. 

However, every time she got sick, I hoped it was something fatal. Every time she went outside to play, I hoped she would wander into the street and get slammed by a car. Sometimes I even let go of her hand or purposely looked away from her when we were at the store in the hopes that someone would abduct her. Now with the Springwood Slasher on the loose, that last avenue was growing more and more likely.

As I served up the pancakes to the two seated at the bar, I did my best not to get offended by Katherine's giggling at the funny faces Fred was making for her. Instead, I internally complimented his character for being such a tirelessly good father. It never mattered how much he worked, there were always smiles for his daughter. 

During breakfast, I attempted to engage him in conversation. He spoke to me politely, but not any more than was necessary. He remained focused on that girl. Cutting her food up for her, applauding her for drinking her milk, even coddling her when she spoke over me and turning his efforts to appeasing her. It took all my strength not to berate him for not disciplining her bad behavior. No matter what he did or didn't do, I had to be perfect. I had to be everything. I would give him absolutely zero excuse to dislike or abandon me.

And still, thus far, the focus was always on Katherine.

I was forgotten.

After everyone was finished eating, I neglected to go outside with them. Katherine wanted to play, but I couldn't handle any more neglect at the moment. So while they picked up a game of tag, I finally gave up trying to garner my husband's affection and instead began cleaning up the mess in the kitchen.

From the window, washing the dishes, it was difficult not to see them running around happily in the backyard. As my eyes caught on them for the twentieth time, the ceramic plate in my hand cracked.

"Fuck!" I cursed to myself, instantly afraid Fred would hear and think me crass.

But no, he was still chasing his daughter around outside, completely oblivious to my suffering.

With a sigh, I headed into the basement. We had some spare china stored somewhere in there. It would take me a little while to locate since I rarely went down there. It was mostly utilized by Fred for working on household projects. Not that I really asked what he was doing. Mostly because I didn't want to come off in any way as a nagging wife. Another thing to ensure that he had no reason to be against me.

Although it would be a lie to say I also didn't want to hear the possibility that he used it to get away from me. I knew a lot of husbands had a 'man cave' to catch a break from their wives. I refused to believe he needed that. I couldn't. I wanted every waking hour with him. It would destroy me to think he didn't want the same.

As I shifted boxes this way and that, I noticed there was a slight opening in the wall that I'd never seen before. The house had been Fred's before we got together, so I was certain there were still oddities about it that I hadn't picked up on. Especially down here where I never spent any time. By nature, I wasn't very curious so I wasn't really sure why I decided to investigate. Perhaps my my mind still wasn't sorted and latched onto the excuse to forget my problems while I continued to cool down.

Walking over to the vertical gap, I discovered an entire panel that could be moved out of the way to create a small entry. Carefully sliding it to the side revealed a little room. It was better lit, yet somehow danker than the rest of the basement. It could fit two, maybe three people if they cramped together. Squeezing myself inside, nothing could have prepared me for what I saw...

On the walls were a collection of newspaper clippings about The Springwood Slasher and missing children. Shelves were occupied by random toys, none of which I recognized as Katherine's. And there, in the middle of it all displayed almost like an altar was what looked to be a mechanical claw. I walked up to it in awe. 

Without placing a finger on it, saw that there was just the smallest bit of dried blood on one of the blades. It looked like there had been more, but it had been cleaned off...or licked...

Fred was the slasher?

It didn't bother me as it should have. In fact, it explained a lot. The long hours, all the adoration given to Katherine, the fact she had remained safe just like he had promised to keep her...

So much thrown on me at once, I ran back into the main part of the basement, grabbing my head and repeating the word 'why' over and over under my breath. Not why as in how could he be a killer or how could he hurt all those kids or how had I not known... No. My 'why' was...why did he hate me?

Because he must hate me. If he had kidnapped and presumably killed all those others...why not Katherine? What made that girl so fucking special? I had done everything, given him everything. Mind, body, and soul. My every waking hour, my every breath. I even birthed and took care of that little brat he so desperately wanted!

How could he hate me so much? He didn't love me. All he loved was that goddamn little girl! My mind started to recall rumors that this killer was a pedophile. The thought of him touching Katherine disgusted me. Not because I cared she was mistreated, but because that was attention he should have been giving me. I was his wife! I should be his everything!

As I stumbled into the backyard from the basement doors, I let loose a pained scream.

Once the sound ended and my sight was no longer tunneled from rage and shock, I could see Fred and that fucking brat in the yard just a bit away. They had stopped playing and were both staring at me. I tore my vision from her to the man that I loved...and I realized...I did still love him...even if he didn't love me.

I still wanted the chance to hold him at night, to gaze upon his handsome face and sexy body. I wanted to hear that smooth voice and feel his touch, however fleeting. I couldn't lose him. I wanted to strangle that little bitch. I wanted to convince him to do away with her so it could just be us. Neither she nor anybody else would ever accept him for who he was...but I would. I didn't care. I just wanted him. I just wanted to be his wife.

So I opened my mouth to explain.

"I won't tell."

Author's Note: Fun fact! Robert Englund, the actor who played the original (and best) Freddy Krueger, was actually a surfer when he was young.