#idea anon

His confusion swept away the fear, and he sat up with a frown. 

“Hey, Evan,” whoever it was whispered. In the dim glow of his nightlight, Evan could see the shine of tears in his eyes. He sounded like Michael, but Michael would never be soft like that or look almost happy to see him. 

“Hi…” he whispered back, anxiously twisting his flashlight in his hands. 

“I know you’re probably a little confused right now,” sorta-Michael said gently. “And I’d like to explain, maybe in the morning. But I wanted—I have to tell you I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” 

Evan fidgeted. He seemed genuine, and Michael had never really been much of an actor. Michael had also never apologized to Evan for anything ever, so it was kinda freaky that he would now. 

“For what?” he asked, making fleeting eye contact before tearing his gaze away. 

“For everything,” maybe-Michael replied, painfully earnest and so full of sorrow. “For the way I’ve treated you, for scaring you, for pushing you around. For every time I hurt you, in any way. I’d apologize for each and every thing I was ever a jerk about, but I—” he laughed like the alternative was a sob— “I couldn’t possibly remember them all.” 

“I, I don’t understand.” Evan wanted to ask if this was a joke, but he was panicking just a smidge over how close to full-on crying this weird older Michael looked to be.

“I know,” he said, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. “I know. But I swear, I mean it. And I’m going to do everything I can to make things right.” 

Michael leaned forward and reached out, hesitating before resting his hand on Evan’s head. He didn’t even flinch, the disconnect between this person and the brother he knew numbing him to it. Michael’s hand was larger than it should be, an adult’s hand. It slipped down to the side, pressing against his cheek for a moment. Michael’s eyes flickered over his face, back and forth, almost desperately, before he reluctantly pulled back. 

“I’m really glad to see you, Evan,” he whispered thickly. 

Before Evan could even begin to come up with a response to probably one of the most unbelievable sentences he’d ever heard from his brother’s mouth, the flash of his clock changing caught his eye, and panic seized his throat when he saw that it read midnight. 

He wasn’t ready. 

But Michael’s hand was suddenly on his leg, and he looked up into his probably-brother’s eyes, and for the first time in his life, he saw the protective fury of an older sibling. 

“You’re not fighting alone tonight, Evan,” he swore, and he grinned then, and suddenly, Evan just knew this was the man his brother would grow up to be. Somehow, this really was his brother. 

Behind Michael, the door opened again, this time admitting two strangers. One was a blonde woman who looked to be about this Michael’s age and one was… himself? 

He squeaked and sent Michael a wide-eyed look. 

“Vanessa and Gregory,” he introduced, then added, “No relation, I swear, it’s coincidence.” 

“Really messed him up, too,” Gregory said. 

“Nice to meet you, kid,” Vanessa said. She was, for some reason, holding a crowbar. “But I hear we’ve got some monsters to deal with.” 

On cue, a floorboard creaked outside the other door. Michael stood as Vanessa stormed across the room, something like fury burning in her eyes. 

“We’re not gonna let them touch you, Evan,” Michael said. No, Michael promised. “I’m not gonna let them touch you.” 

That was about all he had time to notice before she lunged at him with a weird choking sound. Gregory frantically spammed the Freddy-come-save-me button on his watch as he stumbled back. Her arms wrapped around him, and she nearly collapsed against him, still on her knees. 

Instead of stabbing him or trying to strangle him, Vanessa shook with unconcealed sobs, her face pressed against Gregory’s shoulder. 

“Uh,” he said. “Hi?” 

He looked around, half expecting this to be a trap of some sort. But the hallway was otherwise empty, and he couldn’t see any weapons. 

After a few long seconds of baffled stiffness, he gingerly patted her shoulder. It didn’t sound like she’d stop crying any time soon. Instead, the sobbing got worse and was suddenly interspersed with barely comprehensible babbling. 

Gregory was in the middle of trying to figure out why she kept repeating “thank you” when Freddy charged around the far corner at full speed. He slowed as he got closer, a confused head tilt speaking volumes. 

“You’re seeing this too, right?” Gregory asked. 

“Yes,” Freddy said slowly. “Gregory… what did you do to Officer Vanessa?” 

He shrugged helplessly. “Nothing?”

“You saved me,” Vanessa blubbered. “Thank you, thank you, thank you. It’s gone, he’s gone, I’m free, I’m free.” 

“Congratulations,” Freddy said with the air of someone with many questions.

“You’re welcome?” Gregory said at the same time. 

Vanessa didn’t appear to hear either of them, or if she did, she didn’t care to respond. She just slumped further down as she cried, nearly knocking Gregory over. 

Freddy, seeing him stagger beneath her weight, circled around behind Gregory and, almost gracefully, bore all three of them fully to the floor. 

“Okay,” Gregory said, squished between an animatronic and a sobbing security guard. “Cool. This is fine. This is… the weirdest thing that’s happened to me tonight.” 

Which was saying something, all things considered. Maybe he shouldn’t be surprised, considering he’d started the night by hiding in a robot’s stomach. 

“You were hit by a car last night. You’re lucky, though. The driver hit the brakes fast enough that you’re not in too bad of shape.” The woman checked one of the monitors next to Vanessa’s bed. “I’ll get the doctor in a minute, and she’ll go over your injuries with you. Mind telling me your name? You didn’t have any ID on you.” 

“Hn. Vanessa.” 

“Nice to meet you, Vanessa. I’m Nancy.” Nancy patted her arm. “You up to having some visitors?” 

Frowning, Vanessa hummed in question. If they didn’t know who she was, how could someone be there to see her?

Nancy chuckled. “The driver and his family. They came back this morning to see how you’re doing. We can’t tell them much without your permission, but they’d like to check on you themselves if you’re okay with that.” 

A little bewildered but willing enough, she nodded. “Sure.” She hoped the guy wasn’t feeling too guilty about hitting her. However the hell she’d managed to end up, apparently, in the middle of a road was her fault, not his. 

Maybe you deserved it, too, said the nasty little voice in the back of her head. It’s a shame you survived. He’d have been doing the world a favor, getting rid of you. 

Vanessa gripped a handful of the sheets, trying to remain outwardly calm and normal as Nancy asked her a few questions and the doctor popped by to talk about how her injuries had been treated and what she was looking at as far as recovery went. She was left alone afterwards for only a minute or two before Nancy returned with a gentle smile, leading an unfamiliar man behind her. 

“Here she is,” Nancy said, nodding at Vanessa. “If any of you need anything, you can hit the call button or come down to the desk, okay?” 

Nancy left, and the man stepped closer to the bed, revealing a shorter woman behind him. Like the man, Vanessa had never seen her before. 

But the kid holding the woman’s hand. 

She probably had the drugs and the floatiness to thank as the only reason she didn’t blurt out Gregory’s name. But it was definitely Gregory tucked against the woman’s side—hell, the woman bore a pretty strong resemblance to the kid, even now when he was… he was… 

Oh. Oh. 

This Gregory, who looked at her without a shred of recognition, was most definitely not eleven years old. He was a little bit shorter, had more of a baby face, and lacked a haunted sharpness in his eyes that she’d never been fully conscious of before now, seeing him without it. 

Was this real? A dream? She was left stuck between reeling with shock and frantically trying to learn more about this cozy, loving, tragedy-less family. If the introductions and conversation that followed seemed silted or awkward or fumbling on her part, they were kind enough not to mention it.

She was barely able to keep herself from staring at them. These were Gregory’s parents. His good, beloved parents who he’d lost when he was nine. And they were here, alive, with him. This was Gregory, the most important person in her life. The kid who saved her. She’d thought he was young before, he was practically a baby now. 

They were as kind as he’d claimed they were. He was as bright and carefree as she had imagined he used to be.

They were kind to her, all three of them to Vanessa, who definitely didn’t deserve it, not after what she’d done. Not after what she tried to do to their son. Not after the burden she’d been.

She started crying then, but to her shock, instead of leaving or growing uncomfortable, Gregory’s parents sought to comfort her. Confused and frightened and guilty, she blurted out a half-truth that she was alone, that her parents were gone, and she didn’t know where she was or how she got there.

And for the first time in years, Vanessa received hugs and reassurance from adults. From parents, even though they weren’t her own. 

They stayed with her that day, and they came back the next, and the day after that. And when she was released from the hospital, they opened their home to her, winking that Gregory would be happy to have an older sister of sorts. 

Despite herself, she went with them, a fluttering wisp of hope in her heart that maybe things would be different. Better, even. Maybe things could be changed.

(Maybe they already had.)