#zeitghest

And here we go again…

As soon the heavy fog cleared from Gregory’s mind when he hit the floor, he knew he had to get up and hide from Mike. There was no reasoning with this one, despite his initially worried tone that called to lure him closer. Gregory turned and nearly fell over trying to sprint away from him. He knew what he had to do—

And as long Gregory wasn’t an idiot about things this time, he wouldn’t risk his friends being damaged from protecting him.

Gregory could hear the zombie shouting after him with false concern as he made it into the employees’ entrance of the arcade. He needed to get to the basement—or lose himself trying again. He passed by lockers, finding them too easy of a hiding spot. Michael would know right away. He had to keep running no matter how bad the burning was in his lungs. Running until he found the cold, dark comfort of the depths below…

***

The kid was smart, Henry had to give him that. Regardless of his reason for disappearing, he was confident that Gregory would at least know to avoid Mike like the plague. After all the stories they’d told about the psychotic night guard and what he’d done, surely Gregory wouldn’t think of Michael as anything more than bad news.

As it stood, Henry and Will were wandering through the back rooms looking for the child in question. They were debating whether to head for the security office when a scuffling caused them to freeze. The noise was too light and quick for animatronic feet, so that left only two options…

“Gregory!” the old bear hissed, eyes widening when he spotted the boy dart around a corner. He kept his voice low, figuring their enemy was nearby if he was running like that. Gesturing for Gregory to come closer, he added: “We’ve been looking for you; why the hell did you run off—you know what, never mind. We’ve got to go!”

Run and hide first, then they could grill the kid.

Gregory didn’t even stop, barreling towards them in the corridor to take the lead—only to be snatched up by the back of his shirt. He gasped, first thinking his friends weren’t the ones to grab him, on edge now that he knew what would happen if he got caught. In reality it was William, raising him up by the scruff of his neck. He wasn’t about to let Gregory out of his sight again. As William began to run in his loping gait, Gregory thrashed in his arms.

“No! Head for the basement!” the boy tried to command, though the rabbit holding him shook his head.

“Bad move—you don’t know what’s down there,” William countered, moving swiftly until Gregory started to box his shoulder. “Hey, quit that! What’s gotten into you?”

He stopped in a storage space between the last utility hall and a gift shop. Will put the exhausted Gregory down, watching him sway on his feet and taking stock of two things: the vomit on Gregory’s shirt, all nervous stomach acid and bile; then those glowing, haunted eyes staring at him in the dark.

“Shit… You must be really scared, Gregory; I… I didn’t mean to make it worse,” he murmured sympathetically, feeling his heart fall as he realized Michael stuck the boy with Remnant when his guard was down.

“Oh, shit...,” Henry murmured, pressing an oversized paw to his mouth as he noticed those eyes a moment after William. Shaking his head, he tried to reign in his rising panic. “No, no, he couldn't've—god damn it!”

Breathe. The kid is clearly terrified, and you're going to freak him out more.

They could deal with the Remnant later. They'd just keep an eye on Gregory for now and make sure he didn't have any immediate after-effects. God, did the kid even know what'd happened to him?

“...Sorry,” Henry apologized after a moment, leaning down to offer Gregory's head a gentle pat. “Just stressed—as are we all. So, uh—yeah, basement's not a good idea.” He stood, briefly shifting his worried gaze to William; the kid sure seemed determined to go there. “I know it seems like a solid hideout, but... it's not. Maybe we can head for one of the attractions and hole ourselves in there for a bit?”

Either way, they needed to make a decision soon. It wouldn't be long before Michael and/or his lackeys caught up and tried to snatch Gregory away again.

Gregory shook his head and lurched forward, capturing both Henry and William’s paws in his own to ground them. They weren’t going anywhere, even if they pulled his arms from the sockets trying to escape his tiny grasp.

“It’s overrun upstairs. They’re all too aggressive—” the boy panted, still catching his breath from his mad dash. “—Michael already saw me. He won’t go to the basement!”

Gregory seemed to have worked this out in his mind, though he could see his behavior was worrying the both of them.

“Sport…,” William began, feeling worse by the minute. They’d left him alone to fend for himself, and now they’d all face the consequences. “—Fine; we’ll go. But you’re not to let go of our hands this time.”

He didn’t care if Gregory may be a little too old to hold someone’s hand in an unknown place. While his life was no longer at stake, losing him would prove a harder time for him and the others.

“Henry?” William glanced over to the bear, wanting his input on the situation.  

“I—” Henry’s first instinct was to protest, as they would not be welcomed down there... but Gregory was making valid points. Besides, at least they knew the “threats” the ghost children posed, and that was more than they could say for the capabilities of the infected Glamrocks. With a resigned huff, Henry nodded and cinched his grip on Gregory's hand. He wasn't about to let the kid go either. “...Yeah, let's go.”

Taking the lead, since Gregory had never been to the basement before, he tried to explain their hesitancy. “Look, Gregory, you've got to prepare yourself because unfortunately we're not going to be alone. There are other ghosts down there—three, technically, and… something else.” He grimaced internally, not really sure what to categorize Ennard as. “They’re… not nearly as friendly as us. In all honesty, we don’t feel very welcome so we tend to stay away from them.”

Henry's words echoed eerily similar to ones Gregory heard during his first go-round. Slightly different context, but the same intent—to warn him of the restless spirits down below. At least Henry hoped they'd be a little more lenient to another kid than they were to the adults that'd failed them...

Gregory’s panting reduced to a slight shake. The conversation was familiar to him. For whatever reason, these versions of the ghosts had some long-standing grudge against the founders. Gregory… didn’t exactly blame them. But maybe helping mend the bridge could be the key to saving this broken timeline.

William gently led them back where they came, agreeing with Henry. “They hate us, sure. But how mad could they still be?”

Even if those kids thought he was their murderer for years. He probably wasn’t the nicest to all of them when they were alive. Then again, he didn’t exactly know what was going on inside Henry’s and his business at the time… What he failed to realize was that’s why they were so angry to begin with.

As they started their travel, Gregory offered a suggestion. “Maybe I could talk to them? They might listen to me, as… as another kid, you know?”  

“Maybe...” Henry's voice was distant, mulling over similar thoughts as William. They certainly had more of a grudge against the man trapped in the rabbit suit than Henry overall, although Cassidy and Evan had mixed feelings about Henry unintentionally ejecting them from their decades-old home in the bear suit. “Oh, god... Evan.”

The wince was clear in Henry's voice as he said the name. They'd already told Gregory he and the youngest Afton could be clones with how alike they looked—but that's where the similarities ended. Whereas Gregory was strong-willed and had a good conscience, Evan was just... angry. Being killed by his brother for some stupid “prank” already set him on a bad track, and years with Cassidy's vengeful spirit hadn't helped his psyche.

In another world—most, actually—Evan could've resisted her influence and kept his kind demeanor despite it all once he saw how hard Michael was working to make things right again.

But not in this timeline.

With Michael turning into a murderer and no one around to even try to stop him, Evan had completely fallen into the red-haze of hatred. His prior sweet affect was twisted into biting ire that no one wanted to be on the bad side of.

William winced at the name, springs creaking as he turned his head in visible recoil. He hadn’t been able to speak with his son for a long time. And how could he? William failed to protect him. It was his fault that Michael didn’t know to do better as a brother. It’d all gone to shit at that damned party…

“Maybe… Maybe the others will like you, Gregory. You all have so much in common after all,” William murmured somberly. It took everything in him not to remember—even the good memories of his children would put a deep depression in his very soul. Something so heavy that William found he couldn’t move when paralyzed by the thought. His sweet sons and daughter were gone. Corrupted by death the same as him. Only his wife had the privilege of a clean death, no restless spirits involved….

“I have faith,” Gregory replied, swallowing as his mouth felt dry from his long-winded run.

The flood lights from emergency generators downstairs kept their semi-illuminated path manageable. Gregory knew exactly where they were going; he’d walked this way many times before to visit his friends. It was a path he knew now like the back of his hand.

They were getting close, though Henry was too distracted by their impending encounter to notice that Gregory seemed to be leading the way. The bear looked all around, gaze even wandering up to the ceiling at times. He didn't put it past them to be watching from the shadows...

***

In the diner, it was dark and still. Everyone was doing their own private sulking as was the norm these days, split up throughout the building so they didn't have to be near each other. The only ones remotely close were the old suitemates, and Evan had chosen to linger by the door while Cassidy was sitting on the stage. As Evan stared out through the glass, he caught sight of movement and let out a little gasp.

“Cas!” he called, keeping his eyes fixed to take in the approaching figures. “Get over here—someone's coming...”

“Evan,” Cas said, trying to draw on some old stained construction paper she found. “If I come over there and it’s another lost security bot, I swear…”

Her eyes trailed to the dusty, ash-smeared window and she dropped what she was doing right then and there. She was pressed into Evan’s side in an instant, her stare one of disbelief and curiosity.

“That… Oh, shit—Evan that’s your dad and Henry!” she pointed out, poking the glass as her voice pitched up an octave with anger.

How could those guys show their faces around here?! She was seething. The list of their sins was a long one, but Cas has had a long time to ruminate on all the hardships Evan and her faced due to their negligence.

“I’m doing it—I’m going to kick their asses this time!” Cassidy shouted in vexation. She moved to the door, attempting to knock in the dented metal with her shoulder as she didn’t even wait for Evan’s opinion on the matter.

Outside, Gregory peeked out from behind William as his guardians looked around on high alert. When the knocking from the front of the old diner began, William once again pushed Gregory behind him and Henry.

“Henry!” Will called, as if he too couldn’t also see that they woke something up simply by being there. "They've already spotted us..."

Evan's eyes narrowed as he stared at the old, decrepit suits. Why couldn't these two just leave them alone? They'd already caused enough trauma because they weren't around, and now that everything was said and done they kept trying to “make things right again.” That was never going to happen as far as Evan was concerned, so he crossed his arms with a huff and watched Cassidy lose her shit on the door.

“Oh god...,” Henry groaned, recognizing the two little shapes. On the one hand, they'd encountered the ones without physical bodies, so they couldn't do as much damage as the others should their tempers snap... but they could still do enough to severely inconvenience the trio if they wanted to.

“H-Hey, you two, uh... we know you probably don't want to see us—”

“We don't. Go away.” Evan's tone was cold and harsh—an echo of the infamous attitude that could lead any Afton down a path of destruction should they live long enough to get the chance. So focused on Henry and William, Evan hadn't yet noticed the extra visitor hidden behind the rabbit's leg.

Henry sighed, stopping in his tracks a few feet from the door. “Look—we wouldn't be here if it wasn't desperate. But...”

He paused, debating whether to tell them Michael was on yet another rampage. Instead, he decided to present their guest first and see how they reacted—then they could deliver the bad news. “We've got someone for you to meet. He's... well, you'll see.”

Glancing to Will and Gregory, Henry nodded for the boy to step forward.

This boy wasn't afraid of them—that’s what Cassidy noticed first. Their spirits had been known to wander when the Pizzaplex was still open for business. Eventually the kids that were able to see them found something wrong quickly. Their vision was haunting, just how Cassidy liked it.

Yet this kid looked at them and... smiled?

“Who the fuck are you?” Cassidy asked. Her tone was brash, but not exactly attacking. Now that her anger was redirected, she didn't even want to notice the corpses in those old suits.

Gregory tilted his head and chuckled. Fucking chuckled at her. It was classic Cas, after all. She was always so flighty with people she didn't know—and for good reason! It just made Gregory realize how much he missed the mischievous spirit.

“I'm Gregory... I'm new here,” he said, as though he just moved in to an apartment upstairs. Cassidy shared a look with Evan before turning her sight back on Gregory.

“Are you dead?” she asked bluntly.

“No.” He replied quickly, wondering if that was an issue with her. “But—I almost died. Like... A lot. Never fully kicked it, though...”

There was an uncomfortable beat before William broke it, trying to lighten the mood despite how anxious being around these kids could be for him. “He's in a bad place right now. Figured you all could use a new friend, too.”

Cassidy pointed a sharp little finger at him and enlightened: “We're all in a bad place right now, if you didn't notice...”

She gestured, making Will actually lean away from her as far as possible. He would really rather that one didn't come near him. He scooted closer to Henry, as they seemed to be more hostile towards them than Gregory.

Meanwhile, Evan was just staring at this kid. Cassidy was clearly too pissed at the world as usual to notice that he looked almost exactly like him, if not a few years older. In an astonished whisper, Evan murmured: “What the fuck...?”

“We don't know why he’s got your face, Evan,” Henry said gently, and the ghost's eyes snapped to his. Henry winced, feeling that cold stare bore straight through the metal and mummified remains to his soul. He pushed on, calm and collected—at least, that's the image he hoped to convey. “But... Michael noticed it, too. That's why Gregory's involved in all this. He got stuck in the building and your brother is on another mission to destroy even more people's lives.”

Evan's face ran through a range of emotions as Henry spoke. Suspicion turned to confusion, which turned to surprise and then anger.

“...I knew he was back,” the little ghost snapped. He uncrossed his arms, only to ball his hands into fists at his sides. “Damn it, why can't he just DIE FOR GOOD?! SHIT!”

He slammed one of his fists against the glass, the sound echoing through the dark room. This sudden burst of anger was no surprise to Henry and William, though it was a far cry from the relatively chill Evan that Gregory was used to.

Gregory was taken back by it, but really he felt for him. It hurt to see someone he was once close with in so much mental anguish. It was an impotent rage, the kind where he couldn't do anything about it.

Cassidy's tune only changed when she finally looked Gregory over, not just glancing at him then ignoring. He was a clone; that had to be the only explanation. The boy came come a little closer, sharing his rage.

“It's the Remnant,” Gregory explained, pointing to his eyes. “He used it to stay alive, and now I have it—and I want to help you guys.”

This thought hooked Cassidy in, and as she gently coddled Evan's arm to try and ground the poltergeist, she stared at this strange boy and waited for him to continue.

“I'm going to kill your brother, Evan—for good,” Gregory promised.

Cassidy recognized the quiet rage in Gregory's dead eyes; the way one twitched when he said that he was going to kill their attacker. It was a nice sentiment to know someone out there still cared. But to her, it just seemed like William and Henry were just using Gregory as a means to an end. Did he really understand what he was getting into?

“How? You're just a kid...,” Cassidy said, her voice full of a defeatist attitude. Clearly the topic of Michael was upsetting Evan, and she would rather he didn't break anymore of the shitty diner they had to live in forever now.

This was where Gregory faltered. Really, he didn't have a plan past getting all the ghosts on his side. “That's why I need you and everyone else's help. From what Charlie made it sound like, everyone always tried to face him alone. We need to act together if we're going to destroy him for good.”

“No... It's not enough. I want that bastard to suffer for what he did to us,” Cassidy insisted, not willing to rest until she knew for certain that Michael would regret the day he was born. Then, just when he thought that the sweet release of permeant death would come, she’d rip that promise away. Just like he ripped her life away.

Evan could see Gregory's point, but the rage at Michael's reappearance after everything they'd been through was too much to ignore. He leaned into Cassidy physically and emotionally, hooking his elbow through hers while nodding at her sentiment.

“I'm not letting him go easy,” Evan said, deep brown eyes hardened with determined rage. “In case you didn't know, Gregory—” He spat the name as if mocking the boy's existence. Truthfully, he was peeved this lookalike not only got to live, but was immortal, too. “—on my tenth birthday that fucker I unfortunately call my brother shoved my head in an animatronic's mouth and killed me.”

His gaze flicked dully towards Henry, who physically cringed back. Henry swore he could feel the jaws of this death-trap suit chomping down, locked into position and refusing to let go of Evan's skull until it was far too late. If he could throw up, he'd definitely be retching in a corner right now.

“...Just thought you'd wanna know what you're really up against,” Evan finished in a scarily soft voice, eyes rolling back to his doppelgänger. “Even if we do work together to take him down, I want him to suffer first.”

Gregory had figured out the morbid details of Evan's death in his own timeline due to context clues, but never had he heard it stated so blatantly—especially by the victim. The way Evan spoke about his demise so casually was chilling, and that alone added more credence to why this version absolutely loathed Michael.

Cassidy smirked at the attitude Evan copped with Gregory. Who did this kid think he was? The hero? They were all fucked. Gregory was, too, he just didn't know it yet. But what he said next made her furrow her brows in confusion. It’d been so long since she’d seen empathy; Gregory didn't look offended, he just looked sad.

“I'm sorry that happened. You didn't deserve it... That's why I want to help you guys,” he asserted calmly. It took every ounce of Gregory's being to remember that these guys were hurting just as much as him. They just didn't have the outlet to direct that rage at yet. The grip on Evan's arm relaxed some, and Cassidy shook her head incredulously. “He was going to do things to my head—I know his plan now. He wants to mess with my brain and turn me into his puppet. He's a fucking monster and you guys can do whatever you want with him. I just don't want any more kids to get hurt.”

“How noble...” Cassidy drifted around Gregory some, circling him like a shark as the boy stayed perfectly still, awaiting their impending judgements. “And how do we even know we can trust you? We could just kill you right now and then we don't have to worry if you're lying or not.” She spoke with a smug grin, looking to Evan to see if he was onboard, but Gregory made a noise of disinterest.

“Try it. I dare you. You won't be able to do anything,” Gregory challenged, and William had to intervene.

“Could we all just relax for a second?” he attempted, only to flinch again when Cassidy raised her fist threateningly at him. Will grasped onto his former business partner's shoulders and scooted further behind the shorter bear. “—Please?”

Evan hadn't really paid William any mind, but now he turned that scathing look onto him. His face twisted into a mix of anger and hurt, which soon quelled into what could only be described as extreme annoyance.

“Oh my god, Dad, you're such a fucking coward,” he snapped, cold and ruthless in the way only a destroyed child's spirit could. This caused Henry's frayed nerves to spark and he let out a huff, reaching back to give William an empathetic pat on the arm.

“Curb the attitude, will you?” he remarked, pressing on when he saw Evan puff up to yell more obscenity-laden things. “Despite how you feel about us, we're trying to help. That's what we've been attempting to do this whole time, but like Gregory said, we've all been going at this the wrong way: separately. I think this really is our best bet; regardless of what we do to him, we need to take down Michael together. So can we just have a civil conversation for five minutes?”

Evan's initial reaction was to lash back, letting his useless father and uncle know just how he felt about them. However, they'd already spent enough time tormenting William and Henry. Honestly, with the sad states they were in now it wouldn't be much fun, anyway. After grumbling something under his breath, Evan turned to Cassidy and shrugged.

“Honestly, Cas—even if Gregory is lying, what's he gonna do to us?” he pointed out bluntly. “I say we go along with this dumb plan for now, and if anything's fishy... we kill him, too.”

“Evan...” Henry sighed, though he knew it wasn't his place to try and persuade an Afton once they'd made up their mind. Even their own father couldn't do such a thing, so he didn't stand a chance.

“That torture you reserved for Michael was so kindly blessed upon me. Do forgive me if I'm a bit jumpy,” William said in a crotchety manner, hugging himself despite the lack of feeling voiding the gesture of any comfort. The first time William and his youngest had really spoken in years, and that was what he chose to say.

“...Whatever. I'm bored anyway. But first, I wanna talk to Gregory without the geezers.” Cassidy jutted her thumb over her shoulder at the rotting suits looming over them.

Gregory shrugged. Whatever it takes, he thought. Hopefully as long as they were down here, Mike and his goons wouldn't dare to try and find them.

Bad idea, Henry thought, but he forced himself not to say this aloud. Gregory had a point—with the Remnant in his veins, he couldn't really die... Though the ghosts could certainly make his existence hell if they wanted to. Still, it didn't seem like they had much of a choice—not if they wanted Evan and Cassidy's help.

“...Five minutes,” Henry said eventually, pointing an oversized finger at the ghosts. “No more.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Evan waved away Henry's concerns. “We just wanna talk; stop freaking out.”

Henry huffed, but again decided not to argue. Instead he turned to William, not having the energy to be annoyed when used as a shield in the face of yet another one of his angry children. He was just tired and wanted this to be over as soon as possible. “You and I can go find Lizzie and Ennard; I'm sure they're around here somewhere.”

“Good luck—wherever Lizzie is, Ennard's gonna be on the opposite end of the diner,” Evan remarked with a snicker, the only remotely helpful thing he'd said all night.

William was dreading to see Elizabeth. He wasn't sure what was going to happen when they met again for the first time in forever. A part of him thought maybe it would be better if he just butted out of the afterlives of his kids; still, a part of him was curious. He did miss them, after all—but he really missed the versions of them he could reminisce about in his mind.

“Thanks for the heads-up,” he said to Evan, neutral and calm. There wasn't a need or a want to speak with him right now. So he encouraged Henry with a nudge to go towards the diner, their first foray to search for his daughter...

Gregory to Cassidy and Evan, both who were skeptically scanning him and causing him to sweat under his collar. “Uh... So I was wondering—”

“Shut up.” Cassidy said, coming over and looking over Gregory with a sordid skepticism. She lifted one of his arms, trying to see if the kid was even strong. Surprisingly, he had a small bulge of muscle at his bicep, though she knew it wouldn't be enough to fight off a guy like Mike—the man without psychotic strength and at least a foot and a half over Gregory's height.

“So... I don't get it. Are you going to try and fist fight him?” she asked, smirking at how he just let her move him around. He must be some kind of pushover.

“Fuck that,” Gregory responded quickly, surprising Cassidy with the way he snapped a look at her. “He's got a taser and that thing fucking hurts. I was wondering if you guys had any ideas because you've all dealt with him before...”  

Evan and Cassidy shared a look, before the boy gave a noncommittal shrug.

“Honestly? Until he so rudely shoved us out to make room for Henry, we've been stuck in the Fredbear suit forever,” he explained, crossing his arms again. “We couldn't really do much to him 'cause that thing fucking sucked, but we scared him shitless a few times...”

He glanced at Cassidy, both of them snickering at the memories. Once they'd come to a mutual understanding over their hatred of Michael, they'd gotten along quite well. Evan thought for another moment, a more serious expression crossing his features. Eventually, he spoke in a slow voice. “...He's too full of himself. He's gotten away with so much over the years, he thinks he can do anything—that's how us and the others have been able to trick him so much. He's smart in some ways, but he's really fucking stupid in others.” 

Gregory knew this was a dangerous game that they were playing, though the best part about everything was that he could simply reset the moment his watch detected an anomaly in the timeline. Not that he even realized it was an option to reset until it was forced upon him...

Gregory nodded at Evan, scratching his shaggy head with his previously broken hand and mentioned: “We could trick him into thinking he has the upper hand. I’d say use me as bait, but if the plan goes south and he brainwashes me, a lot of people are going to die.”

Cassidy was about to call him out on his exaggeration, but the measured way he spoke made her think twice. Coupled by the long look in his gaze, she assumed he knew things about Michael's plan that would only hurt him to recount.

“Well... What’s he using to brainwash people? If it's technology, I have an idea.” Cassidy’s lips curled into a soft but dangerously unhinged smile. “If we can get him to use it, I could create a brand new hellscape for your brother.”

Gregory's eyes widened with interest. “It's a virtual reality headset! That'd be perfect! But... The trick would be getting it on him instead of me.”

He pointed out the plan’s only flaw: no matter how excited Cassidy was to torture Mike, she needed to stay realistic as far as their goals went. The smallest Afton’s face was twisted in deep thought. Cassidy’s plan was brilliant, but the problem with it was just as prominent. Unless—

“Maybe… I could pretend to be you?” he suggested tentatively. “I mean, we’re not like a hundred percent match—”

Damn Gregory for growing up when he never got the chance.

“—but if we rile him up enough, we might be able to trick him. He can’t brainwash me if I’m already dead… and when he tries, that’s when you guys can come out and attack.” Evan grinned wickedly, then glanced down at his grey-striped t-shirt. “We just gotta make sure he somehow sees us wearing the same clothes or it’s not gonna work…”

“What if we swapped clothes?” Gregory asked, pinching his shirt and holding it out and away from his torso. 

“Ew, yours has gross stuff all over it,” Cassidy replied with her tongue stuck out between her teeth, making Gregory roll his eyes on instinct.

“Yeah, well, you’ve been wearing the same outfit for forty years, so…,” he said defensively. Cassidy crossed her arms at that, but had no way to dispute the out the hypocrisy in her logic.

“Yeah, well—” Cassidy began mockingly, “— I don’t even know if we can change. I haven’t tried before.”

Evan seemed to mirror this train of thought, cringing at the dried vomit. “Yeah… I dunno if I can take this off, but since we can touch stuff I bet I can put a new shirt over it.”

The little ghost pursed his lips, looking out the dirty glass doorway into the dim hall. Then, his gaze shifted once again to Gregory and his mouth curled in a determined grin.

“So how soon are we gonna get this done?”

***

Further in the diner, Henry was cautiously leading the way towards the employee only rooms. He knew the place like the back of his hand—he’d built the thing after all, and it was simply a copy of the original location with a few added features. He and Will had their eyes peeled for movement, hoping to catch the circus-themed scrapped animatronic before she surprised them unawares first.

William was getting a deep-seated queasy feeling by just being in this place. After being locked into one of the backrooms for decades in a similar location, he really didn’t want to return. However, they had no choice in the matter; he’d put himself through hell to find his daughter again.

As they glanced around the party rooms, on high alert for any noises, William spoke to his former friend.

“Henry… Am I a coward?” he asked, apparently deeply affected by what his son had said to him earlier. Maybe he wasn’t ready for Henry’s answer. Either that, or changing was harder than William had first anticipated it to be.

Henry paused and slowly turned his head, his scoff conveying the incredulous expression he wore internally. “Do you really want me to answer that, Will?”

William Afton was a coward. To not be able to just open up and talk to your best friend about your hardships, let alone strangle his daughter in a drunken rage because of this… Henry couldn’t think of many acts more cowardly than that.

Looking at William now though, he was quite literally a shell of his former self—physically and figuratively. The years in his personal prison gave him time to think, and while he’d never be forgiven for what he’d done, he had come to terms with it and apologized. Henry didn’t doubt at this point the words were genuine, though they were too little too late.

Heaving a sigh, the old bear moved to place a paw on Will’s shoulder.

“Don’t let it get to you, okay? They’re dead and pissed, just like the rest of us. And you…” He trailed off for a moment, then gave Will’s shoulder a rough pat and moved back to searching, adding in a low voice: “You’re doing your best to protect everyone, and I… appreciate that.”  

“I don’t deserve it…,” William rasped out, sighing when his lackluster search was already showing up fruitless. He gently set down a bench to the ratty old booth and pulled away. It wasn’t like he wanted to; it was a knee-jerk reaction. Before Henry could question what he meant, William told him: “I don’t deserve your kindness after what I did. You helped me and I didn’t deserve it, Henry…”

If Henry wanted Will to open up before, now was too late. William shut his mouth and kept on moving for the back of the diner now. His son ripped apart a terrible wound with one simple phrase, and it was utterly deserved.

There was a distinct scratching sound coming from the back that William began to follow. It caused him concern, though it couldn’t be anything Michael was cooking up for them. It had to be a spirit.

“Elizabeth…? Are you back here?” he beckoned gently, cautiously glancing around the counters.  

Henry fell silent at Williams’s words. Even if he did want to debate him, now wasn’t the time. They could go over past wounds as they’d done so many times before once this was all over.

He heard the sound in tandem with Will, shifting close to the rabbit again so whichever metallic-based entity this was couldn’t catch both of them by surprise. Hesitantly, Henry called out after his former partner’s questioning: “Lizzie? Hey, if you’re here, we really need to talk to you...”

Maybe she’d respond a little better to him than her father? Out of all the ghosts, Elizabeth had the least personal beef with the Emily’s—Henry included.

At Henry's pleading tone, there was a loud crash in the back that made William jump. There was a tall and uneven figure looming in the hall going towards the party rooms. William had to crane his head to look into the darkness...

“Elizabeth!” William called. The hope in his heart was that she'd come to him openly, but he scolded himself for thinking so optimistically on it.

The sound of rusty gears whirred with every step the giant took. When it met whatever spare lightening was available, the broken and worn down face of Circus Baby stared back at them both. She was quiet, holding her mangled hands in front of her as scrap-wire hair bounced with the tilting of her head. She stared at them from the threshold, too stupefied to move for a moment.

It was like she didn't recognize them at first, the last memory of her father a distant and terrible one. The day of his side business opening, and subsequent closing was the last day she was lucky enough to spend with her family and friends. What little of both she had left...

“...Daddy?” Liz called eventually, broken and hurt.

Why now? How were they even here?

Something was either wrong, or maybe her spirit had finally released from this mortal plane's grip. Charlie told her that might happen eventually. It takes a long time to let go of a grudge, after all...

At the pathetic sound of his daughter's scared voice, William moved for her. He almost wanted to ask what on earth happened, but knew better. He instead trapped her in his arms, feeling the broken and jagged pieces of her frame poking into the outer stuffing of his molded suit. She was shaking.

“I'm here—” Will soothed, holding the back of her head gently. “I'm here now, don't be sad...”

“Where were you? You just left!” Lizzie would be sobbing if she was physically capable. “I-I waited. You just left me...”

William couldn't answer her like this. He didn't have the strength to continually disappoint her so.

God, this was painful to watch. Henry had to look away, reminded far too much of his own first reunion with Charlie once he realized her soul had been lingering behind all along. He'd faced a similar line of questioning:

“Where were you? Why weren't you there to stop him? You and Puppet were supposed to protect me...”

Although to Charlie's credit, she didn't hold the grudge for long. She knew her father was in no way responsible for her death. He'd done his best to be there for William, and it was the other man who simply couldn't take the help and fell down a dark path stained with drunken rage.

Watching Will try to comfort yet another obviously confused, angry child, Henry cast his mind upstairs to where his own daughter still roamed. Her android body was an improvement, but with a busted arm from their last encounter with Michael she could only do so much... and since they hadn't gotten a chance to recommission the Puppet—who knew where that thing even was at this point—Charlie was left to fend for herself yet again.

All alone... just like Lizzie had been for so long.

At some point, Liz attempted to beat against William's chest with her hands, emotional and completely convicted in her feelings as she simulated a sniffle. “I can't believe you never looked in the stupid robots...”

“I'm an idiot,” William agreed. “I have to live this existence with the knowledge of what I did—what I let Michael get away with. I failed you and Evan...” He held Elizabeth out to see her, but she glanced away. “Look at me—I wasn't there for you then. Let me be there for you both now.”

Even if he could make right by just one of his children, he knew that would be enough for him to bare. Liz seemed hesitant to trust anyone. She herself became quite the untrustworthy person over the years while she was in search of the person who killed her. How could she put faith the man who never found her when she became just as bad as them?

Her answer was finally allowing her head to fall against her dad’s shoulder without violence or protest. It's not like her punches seemed to really register with William anyway.

“I'm sorry, Lizzie... My sweet little girl...” Even with her demented appearance, William knew the person inside. The scary anger she put up as a defensive wall couldn't trick her father.

Please, Charlie, you'd better be alright up there, Henry thought, casting his gaze to the crumbling, scorched ceiling. The touching scene made his hands itch with the desire to bring his own daughter into his arms and never let her go again. He gave William and Elizabeth a moment before speaking up, retaining his place a few feet away as he gently cleared his throat.

“Lizzie... I'm sorry, too,” he told her softly, unbothered when that deranged clown face turned to him. He'd seen far worse during his life—and afterlife, to boot. Henry shook his head, the self-directed anger apparent in his voice. “I could've checked the animatronics as well; I could've done a much better job tracking Michael down and finding out what happened...”

It wouldn't have stopped her fate, though. Only how long it took for someone else to realize she was still hanging around.

“But like your dad said, we're here for you now,” Henry added with a measured gaze. “We promise.”

“Us, Charlie, our new friend Gregory. You have all of us again,” William said, the crumpled snout of his rabbit nose bumping the top of her head as he held his daughter in a comforting hold.

“Charlie? She's okay...?” Lizzie questioned tentatively.

“Yes love, she's just fine. We're going to find her. You two can play just as you used to...” William looked over to Henry, inviting him closer with his hand.

They needed to tell her about Michael, the one condition standing in the way of their happiness. They would never be able to forget everything that happened, but god damn it they could at least try to heal once he was gone—even if it hurt William to think about the inevitability of his eldest son's demise.

“You mentioned another...,” Liz said, looking now to both her father and Henry with those wide green eyes. “Who is Gregory?”

“He's a new friend; he's helping us with a few things,” Henry responded, stepping over to the pair to place a paw on Elizabeth's back. He rubbed a soothing up and down pattern, ignoring the occasional snags as a jutting piece of metal met his fuzzy outer casing.

“Gregory's a little spitfire—I think you're going to like him,” Henry encouraged with a smile, and god did he hope that was true. His eyes met William's, then he glanced over his shoulder. “...And he's also alone with Evan and Cassidy right now, so we should probably go and check on him. Will you come with us, Liz?”

She was more fragile than either of the guardians had realized, so it would be best to ease her into the Michael thing. Introduce Gregory first, then when they were altogether they could reveal their true motives for disturbing the peace of the diner.

“Oh no...” Liz murmured, now worried in a totally new way. Her head swiveled to look back and forth from her father and honorary uncle. “Those guys are little gremlins sometimes. We should definitely see what they’re up to.”

Her relationship with the others was... interesting. Elizabeth wasn't as outgoing as she used to be, as she found her own appearance more off-putting as the years went on. Despite the other's dismay, Liz would often talk to them through the doors, only ever coming out when Evan was having a total meltdown or when Cassidy threatened to go above and make more "friends" for them.

She followed William and Henry through the front doors, the first time in a long time stepping out into the dry basement air. Gregory was sitting down, his hair in the hands of Cassidy as she was making tiny braids with industrial elastics they found. The boy didn't look particularly happy about it, and Liz thought this might’ve been some kind of peace offering to the girl in exchange for her not ripping his heart out through his chest. The strange boy was talking with Evan as he was having his hair done in a casual manner.

“—No it's super over-powered for a laser-gun. I think it'd be a good idea to pick up a Fazblaster. If you hit them in the eyes just right you can stun the animatronics,” Gregory explained, clearly in the midst of plotting.

“Whoa, for real?!” Evan was sitting cross-legged in front of Gregory, listening him to explain all the stuff going on upstairs with rapt interest. It'd been a long time since someone caught his attention like this, and Evan was pleased to find out that not only were Gregory's looks intriguing, so was his personality. In another lifetime, Evan thought they could've been really good friends...

But he wasn't so sure he knew how to make friends anymore after his years of being tormented and jaded by the horrendousness of human nature. At least he was trying, though.

The definitive stomping of heavy animatronics directed his attention back to the door, and he perked up even more when none other than his sister stepped through with their father and uncle in tow. “Lizzie! You came outside!”

Gregory looked behind Evan, watching as the clunky old animatronic clown raised her makeshift claw hand to wave at the group. It was a little embarrassing being called out in such a way, but Liz would survive. Her little brother was just happy to see her, much to her own surprise.

“I heard we were planning something. I want in, too,” she replied with a smile in her tone of voice. “I’m glad you all decided not to hurt the new kid. Very proud of you.”

Cassidy was quick to finish the twin to her original braid on Gregory’s head. Rushing to Elizabeth, she punched the junkyard clown’s leg playfully.

“Yes! We’re going to fuck up Michael!” she proclaimed happily. Although she hated the fact she was still here in the first place, Cassidy would be anything but helpless in her eternal prison.

“Oh no…,” William remarked, looking down at Gregory as he approached. Pointing to the, in his opinion, abominable hairstyle, a fraction of William’s old humor snuck through the raincloud that'd become his personality. “We’re too late. Look, she massacred him.”

“Yeesh...” Henry reeled back dramatically, shaking his head. “So sorry, Gregory—we didn't make it in time to save your look...”

A tiny giggle sounded in the dim, echoing hallway. To everyone's utter shock, Evan had raised a hand to his mouth as if to physically stop another laugh from squeaking out. He couldn't help it—he hadn't been in this good of mood for as long as he could remember. And he had always thought his dad and Henry were hilarious when they wanted to be...

“Yeah, Liz—” the littlest Afton piped up, loudly as if to deflect from his slip-up. His face melted into another expression of cold determination, the tinniest, dull smile quirking up his lips. “—Mike's back and he's trying to start shit again. Gregory's been helping us make a plan to get rid of him for good.”

“Have you... come up with anything?” Henry asked tentatively, not wanting the children's good moods to turn sour again if he asked the wrong questions. Evan's gaze briefly landed on the old bear, though the child didn't make any other snide comments his way.

“Sure have,” he responded simply. “Cassidy's gonna make another hellscape to trap him, and I'm gonna be bait to lure him in.”

“We already look so much alike.” Gregory filled in, pointing to his hair. “Evan can alter his appearance. I can’t do that so easily, so Cassidy’s making me a disguise. Is it… working?”

Gregory asked, shaking the shortest Dutch braids on his head. Liz was covering her mouth, determined not to laugh, but with the way Gregory looked expectantly at them she was finding it difficult.

“I think she was just messing with you, sport,” William said bluntly, picking up the short braid at the back of Gregory’s head and letting it drop down again as he chuckled. “You look like a proper debutante now.”

Gregory groaned at this, swatting away Will’s hand. “—ANYWAY! We’re going to Fazerblast and Evan’s going to steal the gun they keep there. That way I can shoot any of the animatronics around the Pizzaplex!”

Will raised an eyebrow at this prospect and turned to Henry, arms crossed. “You call me irresponsible—your son is leaving guns at the attractions now?”

“Oh, don't even start,” Henry griped, his eyes rolling to the sky. Though, admittedly, it did unnerve him that Sammy would leave such powerful “weapons” where anyone could reach them...

Flashlights already did a number on older animatronics, but he and Sam had worked hard over the years to assure such weak light didn't temporarily fry their circuits as much. But to make laser tag guns that could stun even the Glamrocks? What had Sammy been getting up to in his father's absence?

“We're tired of waiting around,” Evan remarked, looking between the group. “Mike always came to us, but now we're going to bring the trap to him. Gregory and I wanted to go up as soon as we told you the plan, so... now we're ready. Who's coming with?”

Despite his outward confidence, Evan was nervous to go up top after such a long time. He had no clue what this “Pizzaplex” would look like, let alone the “Glamrocks.” Gregory had described the place as a mall, and the animatronics had a retro 80s look... which didn't mean much to Evan who was still a bit stuck in the 80s. All he knew was along with the old classics, there was an alligator and a wolf that he did not want to make contact with if at all possible.

Cassidy floated by Evan’s side, bumping him out of his thoughtful stupor with her shoulder.

“I’m going if you’re going,” she stated, refusing to leave her friend. Half because she couldn’t leave him alone, half because she herself didn’t trust being by herself without Evan after all this time stuck together. She happened to notice Liz moving in on the other side, trying as gently as she could to kneel on the cold ground besides them.

“I haven’t been out in a while. Could be nice, especially if I was with you all,” Elizabeth tried earnestly, playing with her broken claw as she spoke.

William was surprised at how they turned around to the idea so quickly. He figured it might have taken Elizabeth some convincing, but she was must have missed them severely. In a sad way, it warmed his cold and long-still heart.

“Of course I'm going with you!” Evan replied, giving her a shove not unlike Cassidy had done to him. He had no ill-will towards his sister. Honestly, she and Charlie had been the only one protecting him from Michael's ire when they were alive, and even in death Lizzie never raised a threatening hand to him. “It's like a little family vacation, except... to another Pizzeria instead of somewhere fun.”

It was then that Evan's head turned, that wizened gaze locking onto the man he called “father.” For a few long, tense seconds he simply stared, as if figuring out what exactly he wanted to say to the decrepit rabbit. He eventually settled on remaining silent, though he gave William a small nod before looking away.

Was the old man suddenly forgiven for his neglect?

Absolutely not.

But could this be a small step to reconcile with the son he'd lost far too young?

...Perhaps.

“Well, Will and I are obviously your backup,” Henry spoke up, giving William a pat on the arm. He'd caught Evan's look as well and knew his former old friend's mind was probably going in circles trying to figure out what it meant. Henry tilted his head slightly in thought. “We've got to find Charlie, though—I have no clue where she is, and she needs to get fixed up before things get crazier around here...”

Will would remain nervous about his son's approval, but he was wise to know that it would only do him harm to look too far into it. At Henry's reminder, Will's threw his hands up and grasped his asymmetrical ears.

“Charlie! Shit, Hen, we have to go!” he exclaimed, grasping onto Gregory's hand and gently pulling him to his feet. Just as Evan compared, William led their party like a father trying to get everyone out of the house to finally start a long-anticipated vacation. “Come; Charlie's been looking for the Puppet and she's probably worried sick about us!”

He wasn't exactly worried for the restless spirit. She’d grown so resourceful over the years and didn't doubt her ability to hide from the others. Yet there was still some base level of concern, same as for the others despite their deceased status. Of course, even partially alive now, Gregory was included in this group. The boy used to be a fighter, too cagey to be touched and always wiggling from people's grasps. He had seemingly calmed down, in William's opinion.

“Where do you all think she went?” Gregory asked, looking over his shoulder to Henry, as he was presumably running around and having the shit scared out of him during Charlie’s disappearance. Or rather, he’d been ejecting contents of his stomach from that Remnant injection...

“Knowing Charlie, she's either looking for us and Puppet, or trying to fix herself up. Oh—” Henry noticed their newest three companions looking at him with a mixture of alarm and confusion, and realized not all of them would know about his secret android project. Honestly, at this point it was hard to remember who he'd told what to over the years...

“—looong story short,” Henry went on, speaking quickly as they walked. “Before Mike trapped me in this suit I was working on a... passion project, let's call it. I made Charlie a new body that looked like her old, human self, and she was able to transfer her soul to it, so she and the Puppet are separate now.”

“What?!” Evan asked incredulously. What a strange concept, having a robotic body that would look just as his ghost appeared now. He wasn't entirely sure he'd like it. “Wait, so Charlie's just... running around like she used to?”

“Yup, and your bastard of a brother nearly tore her arm off when she was protecting Gregory.” Henry's tone went cold for a moment, before he let out a little sigh. The past was the past—time to move forward. “So, reasoning that she has no clue where we went and wouldn't want to spend all her time searching... I bet you anything she's in Parts & Service patching up that limb.”

“We'll go there first then,” Liz agreed, following their lead. She’d been inside the diner for so long, this whole warehouse-like structure was all new to her. The lonesome sanctuary where she spent her time had sheltered her from the construction of the entire Pizzaplex, though she’d heard rumors about it from Cassidy's wandering around.

“That's so crazy to me. I honestly can't imagine her and the Puppet as two different people now,” Cassidy remarked. Her first time meeting Charlie—that she could recall—was while she was already in the lanky jester.  

In agreement, the group began the trek back up to the surface of the Pizzaplex. Soon, they were bathed in the dim fluorescent lighting of the backrooms after entering in through the unmarked, heavy metal door. The low, persistent hum of the lightbulbs buzzing would put anyone on edge, and for Gregory, he couldn’t help but shudder. The ambient noise did well to give Gregory flashbacks of hiding to nothing but that sound and the footsteps of murderous robotic animals hounding for his blood.

***

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“The goal isn’t to kill him, remember, Charlotte?” William reminded patiently. “Ennard would probably be the best to restrain him, if they can sneak around despite such a stature. Michael would never see it coming…”

It took all Henry’s willpower not to pull his arm away as Ennard stood and just kept going. Good thing, too—surely the old metal and bone would’ve simply snapped from the sheer strength of Ennard’s cable-made muscles. Even so, Henry couldn’t help but utter a soft: “Holy shit…”

When his hand was finally released Henry turned to call over the Daycare attendant, only to find him already slinking over at a rapid pace.

“Hello, n-new f-f-friend…” Sun murmured, clearly straining to hold back his security protocols as he took in this… robot? …that’d invaded his Daycare. “And w-who might you be?”

“Sun, this is Ennard,” Henry replied slowly, standing between the two and holding up his paws like he was trying to calm a set of wild predators before they attacked each other. “Ennard, meet Sun. We’re all on the same side, okay? We can be friends, just calm down…”

Ennard looked at Sun with a tilted head. This one was like them and the girl with the mask—their faces frozen in a blissful smile. When Henry dropped their cable, Ennard held it limply in Sun’s direction.

“FRIENDS…” Ennard said, and despite the oddity of their many-layered voices, they spoke not unlike a lost child desperate for companionship.  

Liz was only witnessing it from a far, but the hurt she felt was the same as the last time she saw them. Her supposed friends… She couldn’t believe that they were here, now of all places. It was far too convenient—though Liz knew better than to pass up a good opportunity to use the malleable Ennard for their plan. Her hatred for her shitty brother surpassed whatever ire she had for the amalgamation.

“Ennard’s a Funtime animatronic! New model and, uh… very experimental!” William vouched for the brutishly tall bot. There was no need to raise alarm bells with Sun that might alert his son to their scheming.

“Oh! Part of the Funtime line…?” Sun’s voice seemed far away, as if he wasn’t fully invested in the conversation. Which was true; there was a low voice in his head telling him to—

Get rid of it… This is a security threat… Call the night guard and get rid of it.

But the lights were still on, and that meant the Daycare was Sun’s domain. He made the decisions, regardless of how loud his counterpart screamed.

“W-Well then, so nice to meet you, n-new friend!” Sun replied, back to his typical cheerfulness despite the lingering stutter. He took the wavering cable between both hands and shook it vigorously. “Welcome to the Pizzaplex Daycare! We’ve got a few little sunbeams sleeping right now but let me give you a quiet tour! Come on, come on!”

Already, the excitable attendant was trying to tug his new companion out of the pit. Notably, the glitch in his voice was gone—Sun was fully in control once again.

Ennard had seen the switch on Sun’s face too, and being so used to fighting with their own internal voices, was the only person in the room not actively backing away as he glitched back into his regular manner of speech. Ennard had to manually lower the volume for their voice settings. Tuning a knob at the back of their head, they loosely curled a wire-framed hand around Sun's smoother appendage, allowing the impressively strong attendant to help them out of the pit.

“THANK YOU... IT'S A LOVELY PLACE HERE. WE... LIKE THE—THE COLORS...” Ennard struggled to articulate, but gleefully walked along beside Sun regardless.

All the while Elizabeth stared on at the group. The parents and Charlie may have noticed by now the death glare Liz was sending their way. If looks could kill, she would be a ballistic missile. Her piercing green eyes and wide, frozen smile did nothing to detract from the crossed arms and tensely hunched shoulders as she watched them.

How could they just invite Ennard into the fray so easily?! Didn't they know?

Of course they didn't but—fuck she couldn't deal with being around someone she trusted before only for them to reject her later. William sighed and began walking for her, hoping to be the one to calm her down.

Evan had given up the façade of sleeping. For a good half hour it did seem like he was slowly drifting out of consciousness, though he’d snapped back to the present when the commotion started at the ball pit. He’d kept up the ruse of sleeping, although he swore he could feel his sister’s poorly-composed rage as the group moved closer.

“Liz,” Evan whispered when he finally sat up. “What the hell’s going—oh.”

Turning around, Evan caught sight of the huge amalgamation stumbling along behind Sun with the Emily’s in tow. “Oh my god, is that…Cas! Cas, wake the hell up! Ennard’s here…”

Cassidy looked like she actually fell asleep. It was funny how peaceful she seemed without that perpetual frown stuck on her face. She was sleeping with her hand tucked under her chubby cheek, relaxed and angelic... Until she was nudged awake of course. A honking, tiny snore came out as she shook her head, completely out of it for a couple seconds before her eyes grew to the size of dinner plates.

Ennard had followed them all the way here? Judging by William's hurried walk and Liz's posture, it was obvious the tutu-wearing clown wasn't happy.

“That's not good,” Cassidy whispered back.

“Lizzie—” William greeted calmly, only to have a busted finger poked in his direction.

“Don't you ‘Lizzie’ ME! Why are they here?!” she exclaimed, unsure how to control the rage bubbling inside her at the perceived betrayal. Rationally, she knew the others wouldn't have a clue why she was so pissed at the situation. But it felt almost like a genuine attack when someone you had a falling out with was all of a sudden so chuffed to be hanging around all your friends and family.

William had a low threshold for such disrespect. He forced her hand down with a grubby paw and told her in an even tone: “They want to help. We're not exactly in a position to refuse.”

“They're insane, dad,” Evan said in a scathing deadpan. Really, he didn't know that for sure—he was just going off the knowledge Lizzie had poured into his brain during their years finally reunited and trapped together underground. With her nearby it's not like there was a chance for Evan to meet Ennard anyway, as the thing still gave his sister a wide berth.

...They were all a little insane at this point though, Evan couldn't deny that. Still, he would stick with his sister's judgement until he could make his own.

“What kind of help are they supposed to give us?” the little ghost continued. “Didn't they already wear Mike as a skin suit? If he survived that I'm not sure what else they could even do...”

Meanwhile, Sun was happily continuing his little tour. He'd let go of Ennard by now, but was sure to stick close by their side and point out every feature of the Daycare he deemed interesting or important. Henry and Charlie trailed along behind, the bear shooting the occasional glance over at the formerly-sleeping group. Now everyone but Gregory was awake and watching the amalgamation make their rounds.

Liz may have been embellishing the truth a bit when she told Evan that. In a way, she might’ve manipulated her situation to make herself seem the most betrayed party… But all of them wanted to leave! She was the only one with the right headspace to make a plan. Then, when Ennard decided she was “too much,” they decided to be done with her. What sane person would throw their friend out like that—one they were literally bonded to—without so much as a goodbye?

William jutted his thumb over his shoulder as he turned to speak with Evan.

“Can't you see how huge they are? We need everyone we can get to take down those animatronics. Henry and I are useless with the fantastic little upgrade your brother gave us,” he said with a hint of annoyance at Evan's tone, though he tried his best to remain patient with all of them. “If we can learn to get along, we could actually stop him. I'm not telling you all to be best friends; I'm saying let's work together so we can wash our hands of this whole debacle and be done with it!”

Liz crossed her arms and told her father in a bratty tone: “I won't do it! They were mean to me—I won't be hanging around them until they apologize.”

“I'm with Lizzie,” Evan piped up, crossing his arms in a mirrored fashion. He wanted to support his sister... and more importantly, any opportunity to go against William was a win in his book. He might not loathe the man as much as his brother, but it'd still take a bit more time for Evan to give Will the benefit of the doubt. If Liz got to be sassy with him, then he felt he deserved to as well.

“Oh boy...,” Henry murmured, watching as one Afton sibling after another took up a pose of defiance. He heaved a sigh, then caught up to the tall animatronics and waited for a lull in their conversation.

“Ennard?” he asked hesitantly, unsure of how exactly to broach this topic casually. Ennard seemed docile, but Henry would hate to see them upset—especially if their ire was directed at someone on their own team. “Can you, um... I mean, I know this is a sensitive subject, but maybe if you could tell us a little more about why Lizzie upset you, we could... try to talk to her?” He glanced sidelong to Charlie. “Bridge the gap, so to speak? I just don't want you to spend this whole time being wary of each other, you know?”

Liz was satisfied with Evan standing beside her, but when she caught the look of ennui that Cas was giving off—the spirit looking down at her nails and to the floor—she snapped at her too. “Well? What do you think, Cassidy?”

“Not much—” Cassidy replied with a bored shrug. “—I hardly know the guy. You don't either, Evan.” 

There wasn't any hard feelings in her voice. Though she was never one to just exactly do as others said. This didn't sit well with Elizabeth, who curled her claw and hand in annoyance.

“You're siding with that freak?” she inquired, trying to match her energy, but felt like she was losing her patience once more.

Cassidy raised an eyebrow. Why did it matter so much? “No? I just don't know enough about them to really answer. I could care less—just as long as your brother gets what's coming to him!”

Ennard was stopped at Sun's side, their hands now fiddling in front of their person like a nervous child. Or rather, several nervous people mashed together in the same body.

“AFTER MICHAEL... EVICTED US? SHE TOLD US WE NEEDED ANOTHER DISGUISE...,” Ennard began, attempting to paint a picture of the events from their perspective. “WHEN... W-W-WE WERE TRYING TO FIND A NEW BODY... CIRCUS BABY WANTED TO USE JUST ANY O-OLD VESSEL. NO ONE... LIKED THAT IDEA... THEN SHE GOT MEAN. TOLD US WE WOULDN'T SUR-SURVIVE ON OUR OWN LIKE THIS...”

Michael had deserved what was coming to him—though, unfortunately, he survived the scooping a little too well. Something about Elizabeth being around him made her a bad person, in Ennard's conjoined opinions. Without Remnant bolstering their body like Michael’s, using someone who was certainly going to die for their latest disguise wasn't fair to them. All Lizzie wanted was to be normal again, and Ennard wanted that, too… but it wasn't the way to go about it.

“WE... TOLD HER... THAT OUR INTERESTS NO LONGER AL—ALIGNED WITH HERS. SO WE LEFT...,” they explained as best as they could.  

Sun could only listen with a confused tilt of his head. There were huge chunks of information he was missing out on, but from what he gathered Ennard also seemed to know Officer Mike from their previous location.

That didn't totally align with the information in Sun's databanks, though. While many of the files were locked behind inaccessible security walls, Michael's employee profile was right there for any animatronic to access—and according to it, his current age did not align with him supposedly working at Circus Baby's...

But that sort of thing wasn't for the Daycare attendant to question. The more he tried to make sense of it, the more he felt someone else trying to worm his way out of their shared subconscious, using Sun's distraction to his advantage. So, Sun opted to focus on the present and offer what advice he could, even if it wasn't necessarily asked for.

“Well... you guys have been away from each other for a while, right?” he spoke up with his static grin. “Meaning you've had loads of time apart to think! Even if you still have your differences, maybe you could agree to disagree?”

“Wow... spoken like a true problem-solver,” Henry mumbled, leaning into Charlie as he stared up at Sun approvingly. Sam's creation was something else, and it sent a little swell of pride through Henry's chest. Even if these robots were on the fritz right now, it was clear those advanced AIs were good deep down.

“That's a really good point, Sun!” Charlie praised, looking between the tall bots.

Ennard seemed to consider these words, shrinking with a hesitant energy rolling off of them in waves. It wasn't like they wanted to get rid of Lizzie... But she wasn't just a danger to herself or other people—she was a threat to Ennard as a whole. And four AIs, with their countless mismatched souls attached, outnumbered one by a mile.

“PER... HAPS.... WE COULD TRY,” Ennard declared finally, patting Sun's shoulder with a feeling of thankfulness as they parted from both the Emilys and his newest animatronic pal.

“Be nice, Lizzie...,” William reminded his daughter when he saw the amalgamation approaching, trying his best not to helicopter parent as his request was met with poor reception.

“Be nice, Lizzie,” she mocked back, sounding as if her tongue was hanging halfway out of her mouth in an impudent fashion. She turned from Ennard as they approached, hands folded neatly in front of their odd form.

“CIRCUS BABY... IT'S BEEN A WHILE,” Ennard tried to greet, finding her cold and unreceptive to start.

“Not long enough, if you ask me,” the stubborn girl replied, still hurt from their last conversation.

“OH... THAT'S... UHM...” Ennard seemed to falter with their words. They knew this was going to be hard but without any room to move, how were they to advance the conversation? “WE WANTED... TO SAY... AH... S-S-SORRY... FOR HURTING YOUR FEELINGS...”

Liz was glaring hard at the ground. She wouldn't admit it out loud, not ever, but their presence and lackluster apologies only served to make her sadder.

“No you're not...,” she muttered, trying to hide her face from her former friend.

William watched with a pain in his heart. It was the empathy of being in Ennard's shoes, so to speak. He had to have a similar conversation with Henry at some point, and things still weren't the same. He found himself having to walk away back to the Emilys, as he was sure simply being there wasn't helping mend his daughter’s relationship with the Funtime animatronics.

Geez, this is hard to watch, Evan thought, feeling the anger and hurt radiating off of Liz, while Ennard just seemed... sad.

Even with that huge, twisting frame, their demeanor made it hard for Evan to imagine them as a legitimate threat. Plus, it was no secret that Lizzie was bossy as hell—she'd always been that way for Evan's whole, short life. Perhaps Ennard wasn't the meanest one in this scenario, as Liz claimed...

“...Ennard—” the little ghost began slowly, looking up at the tall animatronic without fear. A bit of latent nerves, sure, but fear? Definitely not. “—my sister can be kinda stubborn sometimes. Shut up, Lizzie, you know I'm right!”

The rosy-cheeked clown had turned to Evan with an offended scoff, to which the boy simply rolled his eyes before pressing on. “She's not gonna forgive you easily if you really hurt her like she says, but... that's for you guys to hash out. I just wanted to say that me and Cas—” He hooked an arm around Cassidy's shoulders and pulled her close, making his ally-ship clear. “—are willing to give you a chance if you honestly wanna take down Michael.”

He wasn't agreeing with his father, just making the smartest decision based on the circumstances. What did they have to lose, really?

“Oh my god... your kids are something else, Will,” Henry murmured to the rabbit now at his side, giving him a harsh pat on the back. Even he wasn't sure if that was meant as a compliment or not.

“Yeah! As long as you can help kick Michael’s ass, you’re cool in our book!” Cassidy said, knocking into her best friend and giving the large animatronic a thumbs up. They all needed support, and if it meant finally murdering that purple son of a bitch, then Cassidy was more than willing to get along. Ennard perked up at this, nodding their affirmation to the kids.

“I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY... TH-THANK YOU, GUYS... E... LIZABETH?” Ennard murmured, looking back as the once strong and confident Circus Baby seemed to be trembling at the perceived betrayal of her little siblings.

Why was this so hard for her to forgive? She didn't want to hate her baby brother. Not Cassidy, either... Her head felt so confused with all the rage and hurt that swelled inside. At Ennard's voice calling her, she met their gaze with a shaking tone. She was the right one... She had to be.

“...You left me.” She could almost cry. Liz heard it in her own voice and shook more from the embarrassment. Why did everyone always leave?

Ennard took a step forward. Gently, their hands met with her shoulders. “WE'RE SORRY... WE DIDN'T WANT TO HURT YOU...”

If Lizzie still had the capacity, tears would be flowing freely at this sentiment. She could just collapse as she did with her father and strike Ennard to get them away, but the feeling of being part of something had given her the emptiest sensation when she remembered what it used to be like. Back when she was them, and they were her.

“—But you did, Ennard. I didn't have anyone! And I... Was it me? I don't even know now...” She scrambled for thoughts, something to grasp onto when she felt the tug. It was Ennard; for how socially inept they were, this hold they had on her resembled a hug.

She didn't have to resign herself to a life of solitude any longer. Ennard couldn't form the words to tell her exactly how they felt now, but they could try to show her that they all meant well. Liz gripped them back, unable to speak for some time.

William felt his body lurch with Henry's clap on the decaying backside of his costume. There was no denying it. His family was full of monsters. He wasn't excluded from this fact. Only when it was acknowledged by his (relatively) more normal friend did he have to realize this. William didn't help the overall mental health of his family. But that only meant it could go up from here... Right?

“They're... Really something, huh?” William muttered, a tone of underlying jealousy in his voice. Charlie and Samuel had always been model children; hardly the ones for mischief or ill-behavior. Meanwhile, it’d always been an uphill struggle for the Aftons to rear their mismatched trio when rearing them all. 

“Yeah, but... look, those two can still get along,” Henry pointed out, inclining his head to the younger Aftons.

While Lizzie and Ennard had their moment, Evan had taken it upon himself to sidle up to Lizzie's shoulder and rest his head against it, careful to avoid Ennard's wavering tendrils. He remained silent with the others, but his presence at Lizzie's side let her know that he wasn't going against her—he was just trying to make a decision for himself.

Evan and Lizzie weren't insane like Michael. Broken, yes—in a way they'd never fully heal from. But deep in their cores, they were still human.

Despite everything, they were still them.

“Goodness,” Sun murmured quietly, watching the scenes play out in front of him with a strange ache in his mechanical heart. “I... don't really know what you're all going through, but I sincerely hope it gets better. No one deserves to be sad like that.”

…

No one deserves to be sad like that...

That phrase resonated with William. He looked around them and found only barely quashed misery. The only hope that they have now at happiness hanging on by a string.

“Sadness... It won't last forever. Thanks for your concern, buddy,” he said, a halfhearted attempt at his Bonnie impression. William would try for his family to keep a stiff upper lip; to carry on through what could very well be a hopeless endeavor. They had no choice after all.

As Liz finally parted from Ennard, she cleared her mechanical throat and excused: “I just... I need a moment alone. Thanks... All of you.”

She'd take a moment to calm down by herself, walking towards the climbing gym to work out the intense feelings in her mind. Cassidy was proud of Evan for sticking to his convictions. Even if neither of them really knew what was going on with her and Ennard, being level-headed about it seemed to have helped their situation some.

Meanwhile, on the floor some feet away, Gregory had to keep his eyes closed. He felt like he was seeing something that he wasn't really supposed to be privy to. Poor Liz... He could relate to the feelings of abandonment; the crushing loneliness. It was a hard feeling to escape, even if your best friends and family were all around you. For now, he pretended to keep resting, despite Ennard's large shadow blocking out the artificial lighting in the Daycare.

“So...” With Lizzie out of range and his latent worry about the mysterious Ennard quashed, Evan could finally get a good look at the hulking robot. “You're, like... all the Funtimes mushed together? Besides Circus Baby, obviously.” Floating a bit higher off the ground, Evan tried not to cringe as every single eye, vestigial and not, followed his movements. “That's... kinda cool. I-I mean, I'm sorry you had to do that but like...” He gestured up and down. “Look at you! You're badass!”

Evan's tone wasn't mocking, but full of genuine fascination. Perhaps if he'd had the chance to grow up, he'd find his own hobby tinkering with animatronics like his dad and brother. Maybe he'd even have opened his own franchise, or inherited one of the old locations...

This version of him wasn't meant to know, though. He could only marvel at his father's inventions, as mangled as they'd become.

Sensing the hardest part of Liz and Ennard mending their broken relationship was over—the initial apology—Henry finally relaxed his shoulders. There was still a lot to work through, but at least they were on speaking terms. His gaze roamed from Evan chattering excitedly to his sleeping doppelganger. How Gregory could still be passed out through all that commotion was beyond him... the kid must be fucking exhausted.

Ennard looked bashful, laughing at Evan's heartfelt compliment. They weren't used to such niceties even when they were stars of their own diner. They laughed, chortling until it went on for just a moment too long, then answering with a rather meek, “THANK YOU.”

It was nice to make real friends now, instead of ones that use you for their convenience. The fair-weather nature of their and Liz's former relationship was over, and now they could unite together for a common goal once more.

Gregory finally cracked an eye open to look at the now less-emotional group of robots and ghosts. He stretched his cramped limbs and unwrapped himself from the little blanket cocoon he had made for himself.

“Gregory?” William called, seeing him sit up as the group became more boisterous. “You up, sport?”

“Noooo...,” Gregory replied cheekily, rubbing his eyes and snickering at his own half-joke.

“Gregory—you gotta meet Ennard!” Evan insisted. In a blink he was at his counterpart's side, tugging the human to his feet and angling him to look at the amalgamation of parts and wires. Gazing up at the clown mask, Evan clarified: “This is Gregory—and before you ask, we're not related.”

He's still pretty cool though, Evan thought, but kept this to himself for now. Until he got rid of his current brother and stopped his murderous spree, the little Afton couldn't quite make space in his heart for another.

“Did you get enough rest, kid?” Henry asked skeptically, eying Gregory as if he might pass out again at a moment's notice. “You weren't out for that long... sorry if all the commotion woke you up.”

Gregory was up, pulled into a standing position by this universe/s more aggressive version of his pseudo-brother. Before he knew it, his hand was being shaken by the extra-large clown.

“REAL—REALLY? THAT'S FUNNY. I WAS GOING TO SAY...” Ennard could swear they were the same person almost. Though that wouldn't make sense. After all, the kid was young, and Evan was supposedly here for a very long time...

Realizing the air was a lot less stifling than it'd been, Gregory dared to feel a little more secure with the ragtag group. William stood behind him, ruffling his loosely braided hair and mentioned: “You can always try to get some more sleep if you need it.”

Gregory shook his head. “I don't sleep much anyway. It's all good!”

Henry shared a sidelong glance with William. That was a side effect of the Remnant, most likely. At least it wasn't necessarily a bad one—if Gregory could be just as rested with less sleep, that could work out in his favor down the line. Make him more productive for... whatever he decided to do with his life when this was all over.

Henry grimaced internally. That was a whole can of worms they'd barely touched on: what to do with Gregory once Michael was defeated and he was free of the zombie's clutches. From the minimal info they'd been able to pull out of him, Gregory's home life was absolute shit—hence why he'd been living on the streets and sneaking into the Pizzaplex. If he had a loving home to return to, he wouldn't have gotten involved in all this mess.

...Although, who was to say, really. Michael was ruthless, and if he set his sights on Gregory whether the kid was essentially homeless or merely visiting the Pizzaplex with his family, the psychotic man wouldn't rest until he got what he wanted.

“Hey, everyone... after we break for a little longer, we should firm up some plans,” Henry announced. He hated bringing the topic back to that just when everyone seemed to be having fun, but they didn't have much time to lose. Bright blue eyes were cast towards the Daycare entrance, still paranoid that Michael would appear again and hit the lights. Looking back to the group, Henry suggested: “Maybe we reconvene in twenty minutes? Then we can get to the serious stuff.”

Gregory's situation had been something weighing heavy on William's mind for some time, too. Where there wasn't much talk of Gregory's parents or family, it had left red flags in William's mind. The kid never mentioned missing anyone while trapped inside the maze of a shopping mall, and found there to be very little trustful sentiment towards anyone who looked like an adult.

Glancing around, William eventually settled on the Daycare attendant. “Sunny, old boy—mind playing a game with Charlotte and the kids?”

It would serve as something for them to be distracted by while he and Henry discussed this delicate manner. Shaking Evan's shoulder, Gregory agreed. “I'm game—just nothing where some people can disappear, like hide and seek.”

He shot a glance to his spirit friends, already predicting their moves. After all, in a different time and place they've done the same thing to him before.

“Aww, what?!” Evan griped, rolling his eyes. “You're no fun... it's not like we'd cheat or anything.” The little smirk on his face said that he was very much planning to do so.

“I'd love to play a game!” Sun piped up, eager to spend time with his new little group of friends. He tapped the side of his mask, humming as he thought. “How aboooout... red light, green light?”

A tried and true favorite—not as intense as tag, but something that didn't involve hiding per Gregory's request.

“I can be 'it' first,” Sun offered with a wave, making sure he had everyone's attention. “I'll go stand by the security desk and you all can line up at the jungle gym. First one to tag me wins, but if I turn around and catch you moving, you're out! Got it?”

“We got it, we got it!” Evan replied, anxious to actually do something fun for the first time in what felt like millennia. Tugging on Gregory and Cassidy's arms, he urged them to the appointed starting place. “Come on!”

Charlie would pursue them in a slow walk. She wasn't as excitable as Gregory had once remembered, but this Charlie had gone through so much... Like Elizabeth, she had no one for a long time, though she seemed to have processed that sadness in a more introverted way. She was still happy to play, but had her hands shoved in her pockets as she followed the group for the security desk. Ennard was off the other direction, knowing they should go to have a very real discussion with Circus Ba—Elizabeth.

William watched as the groups separated, then let out a righteous sigh and glanced to his bear-suited companion. “So. What are we going to do with him?”

“God, Will... I have no fucking clue,” Henry sighed, slouching heavily to one side. His gaze trailed after Gregory, seeing a genuine spark of joy on his face that was clearly a rare occurrence for the kid. As the game began Henry managed to tear himself away and look to William. “I mean, under much different circumstances I'd do my damnedest to get him out of whatever hellhole he's living in and take care of him myself. But obviously that's difficult right now, disregarding the Mike issue... I know Charlie can get us out of these suits when she has the strength, but even then we'd just be ghosts like Evan and Cassidy. We might be stuck to the damn building, for all we know.”

He'd discussed the possibility of Charlie separating himself and Will from the flesh and metal prisons, and after much debate it was decided that they'd keep piloting the suits until Michael was down or they were forced out by other means (like how Henry's intrusion into Fredbear pushed out its previous inhabitants). Even with Michael's pesky security protocol, they were stronger in the suits than they'd be as ghosts. They might not be able to lay a hand on Michael directly, but they could serve as muscle to fend off everyone else trying to hurt their children.

Regardless, Henry's point still stood. If Charlie did get them out, it's not like they could just... take the kid. They couldn't hide him away forever; someone would inevitably come looking for him. (Probably.)

“All I know is he can't go back on the street, and I don't want him going back to that home,” Henry said resolutely. “You saw those bruises when we met him; I know they weren't caused by that kid 'tripping' like he said.”

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, William nodded in agreement. “Yes—I don't feel right sending him out into the world alone, or back to that house he did a great deal to escape from.”

Rapping his finger's onto the worn padding covering his arms, William watched with dull, grey eyes as the children all scurried around at Sun's command. It wasn't an unwelcome sight; Evan probably hadn't been truly happy in a very long time as well as the others. William was an impulsive person, so his next statement would come as a surprise to no one. “I very highly doubt anyone would come looking for him. Maybe we could just... watch him? You know, until we can find someone better for the job.”

To be honest, William didn't really plan on searching very hard. After all, Gregory—this strange, Evan lookalike—was their little guy. He may be annoying, brash, and sensitive about certain things... But Will didn't hate having the boy around by any means. In a way, Gregory reminded him of his two sons combined: a less aggressive Michael with the sweet face of Evan.

“We'd certainly be better options than wherever the fuck he's been staying.” William concluded, not really looking for a second opinion. The kid would be staying with them. And even if his parents found him, William would try his hardest to keep their existence under wraps from anyone but the people involved with this whole messed-up situation.

William wasn't looking for a rebuttal, and Henry wasn't about to give him one. With a vigorous nod, he agreed: “Oh, without question. I don't even want to know what he's been through with those horrendous people...”

Maybe someday Gregory would feel comfortable enough to open up and tell them about his past. But for the time being, Henry was content to take the kid under his wing and watch over him. And now that William had settled down from the potentially crazed man he could've been... Henry supposed it wouldn't hurt to have some help. Gregory was a rambunctious one, after all.

“Well... that's that, then.” Henry managed a soft chuckle, patting his old friend—

—former friend, he reminded himself; they weren't suddenly all buddy-buddy because of one mutual decision—

—on his upper arm. “He's staying with us. Honestly?”

He paused for a moment, watching the kids interact. Charlie was a bit slow and awkward with her mismatched parts and slightly closed-off vision, but by her bright laughter Henry could tell that she was truly enjoying her time with the others. There was a smile in Henry's voice as he spoke again. “I think it'd do all the kids some good for him to stick around.”

William beamed with the positive affirmation. He had to remind himself as always: no matter how friendly Henry was with him, there was a certain threshold of familiarity they could never cross. Though, as William was coming to notice, the bitter resentment was muted these days. William hadn't been very good at hiding his own qualms with his former friend. But... Sometimes there were glimpses.

It was a shame that there was no easy way to admit you were wrong. Pouring his heart out could very well mean that he would be left vulnerable, and Henry would still hate him. And deservingly so. Still, these little moments that reminded William of their shared past. The easier days of their lives reflecting back on him to warm his heart slowly.

“He's a good influence. Evan's never had a true companion his age before, but look at them...” he murmured. “...How's Charlotte getting along?”

“She's... holding up.” Henry's voice instantly fell to a more muted tone, and he took his hand back almost as if it'd suddenly been burned.

Speaking with William about Charlie was a touchy subject, to say the least. Henry did believe that Will honestly regretted what he'd done that terrible night. His remorse would never lead to forgiveness—nothing he could ever do or say would make up for the heartless way he'd strangled the life out of Henry's sweet child. But the underlain regret in Will's voice whenever he mentioned Charlie was enough to convince Henry over the time they'd been stuck together that he wasn't going to do anything like that again.

It'd been a horrible combination of unfortunate circumstances and bad decisions that led to that rainy night in the alley. After years rotting in jail, then subsequently rotting in the Bonnie costume in a much more literal sense, William seemed to have released whatever demons drove him to commit the heinous act. Sure, he still had his snarky attitude—something which Henry admittedly found amusing when it didn't grate on his nerves. But there was nothing evil underneath it anymore. Not that Henry could detect, at least—hence why he was able to stay in the same room as the other without tearing that smiling rabbit head off and then the grinning skull underneath.

But back to Charlie. Henry sighed, watching her for a moment before looking to the ground. “She's resilient, I'll give her that. Trying her best, but... Michael really did a number on her this time, and not just physically.”

William should have expected that. Any mention of Charlotte coming from him would always brandish the same response: Henry putting up those boundaries that set the tone for their relationship now. It killed William all over again each time, but he knew it was truly what he deserved. After Evan passed, he wasn’t the same. So blinded he didn’t realize what it had done to his family—Michael especially. Then Charlie…

To this day he couldn’t recall the night straight. After school, all of the kids went to the birthday party at Freddy’s… Then? William blacked out, only coming to for a brief period when Henry angrily called him to come and celebrate.

He remembered starting his car.

He remembered arriving at 6:15.

—But the entered the building closer to 7. The time in-between was lost on him.

It was when Charlotte’s lifeless body was discovered next to the dumpsters and examined for foul play that the story came to him slowly.

Charlie…

(Fuck, I’m so sorry Charlie…)

...

William shook himself from the thoughts. He couldn’t repress those feelings with alcohol anymore. They were here to stay.

“I… had an idea. Gregory told me he had an interest in coding and mechanical work. After all this is said and done, he could help us fix her,” William mentioned, trying to look on the bright side. “It might take a while, but she’ll be okay, Hen. you’ll see…”

Henry’s eyes rolled slowly to the rabbit. Will was trying, at least.

“Yeah… He mentioned that to me, too,” Henry remarked, his tone holding a smidgen of hope. “I’m sure Charlie and Puppet would appreciate Greg’s help. It’d also be a good chance to test his skills—give him some practice, see what he’s got a knack for.”

Oh boy… it already sounded like Henry was talking about his own kid. There was absolutely no way he could let Gregory go now—not to the horrible life he’d led before this weekend. While his time with the ghosts and machines would be anything but normal, at least he’d be cared for by people who truly wanted to keep him safe.

“They’ll both be okay,” Henry confirmed, willing with all his heart for this to be true. “Them and all the other kids. We’ll get through this.”

We have to.

“Think about it,” William urged, holding his fingers up to frame the kids within them like a captured picture. “We take care of Michael. Fix everyone one of those neat little android bodies you made for Charlotte. Then... We could take care of them.”

Things would never be like they used to, and they both knew it. Though there was no need for William to remind them both of this fact; merely just trying to lift his friend's dejected mood was a good start.

“We have so much to fight for now. We can't lose,” William spoke, determined in their shared cause. Charlie had caught both he and Henry looking on from the sidelines, waving with her rather floppy Puppet arm as she tried to tag their Daycare friend.

Henry leaned over to look through the “frame” alongside the rabbit. He was silent for a good long while, seemingly lost in thought. Then he let out a soft laugh and shook his head, as if in awe of his own next action. Throwing a lumbering arm around his old friend's shoulder, Henry told him:

“You know what, Will? You're absolutely right. You and me... we're going to make this work.”

***

On the other side of the Daycare, a faint chime issued from Gregory's watch. Looking down revealed not the bright red warning of an impending reset, but instead a soft, pulsing green reading:

ALERT: TIMELINE BACK ON TRACK. CALIBRATING NEXT UNIVERSE. PREPARE FOR CONTINUUM JUMP IN 120 SECONDS.

Gregory felt the watch vibrate with its notification. As he read the text on his little screen, his eyes widened.

Right here? Now?

It seemed this time around he had done something right, reconnecting lost souls with the special knowledge only he possessed—and even if he didn’t see Michael’s demise through to the end, he could rest assured that his friends would. Now, he had the choice to either sneak away and let this timeline's Gregory make his way back to the group, or announce that he was going to head off somewhere for a silly amount of time and hope no one followed.

Knowing his friends, the correct option was obvious.

So, with a little weight in his chest, he simply let the others inch closer to Sun ahead of him. They would continue to play the game while Gregory wandered off, heading towards the center of the climbing gym without anyone's knowledge. As all of them had fun, Gregory found himself waving goodbye at them through the colorful bars of his hiding spot.

He'd put them on the right track, and soon they would all be free from the nightmare and onto something better.

***

The groups were so focused on their games and conversations, no one noticed Gregory quietly sneaking away. Henry and William fell into a surprisingly animated chat about the mechanics of Charlie’s android. Lizzie and Ennard spoke quietly amongst themselves, the awkwardness getting a bit better with each minute that passed by. Evan, Cassidy, and Charlie played red light, green light with Sun guiding the way, laughing all the while.

It was only when Evan tugged on the Daycare attendant’s striped pants and turned to announce his victory did he notice his missing doppelgänger. “Hey, guys? Uh… where’s Gregory?”

Having fulfilled his duty, the boy Evan searched for was gone from this universe, never to return. However, that left a spot open for the true Gregory to take his rightful place. Remnant-free and feeling like he’d taken the best power nap of his life, the brown-eyed boy sat up from where his counterpart had just departed. Looking through the bars in the play place, a wave of confusion washed over him to see many faces calling his name—some familiar, and some he didn’t recognize at all.

Gregory had no clue he wasn't even dreaming for a moment. He sat up in bewilderment, blinking as the bright lights of the Superstar Daycare gleamed harshly in his eyes. The kid before him didn't exactly seem right... Besides the weirdly familiar face—kind of like looking in a distorted mirror—there was something weird about how he moved.

“O-Oh shit, you scared me—” He laughed it off, not meaning to seem so nervous around anyone his age. “Uh… How long was I sleeping for?”

He was clearly confused. Gregory knew where he last fell asleep, and it sure as hell wasn't anywhere near the Daycare.

“What?” Evan cocked his head, looking at his doppelgänger questioningly. It'd taken him a minute to find his hiding spot, but now that he was there he could tell something was off about his new friend, too. “What are you talking about?! You snuck up here to take a nap... in the middle of the game?”

“Evan!” Henry's voice called up from the floor, having spotted that telltale grey striped shirt climbing high in the jungle gym. “Did you find him?!”

“Yeah!” the little ghost replied, sticking an arm through the bars and waving to indicate his position. He was still looking at Gregory though, examining him with a raised eyebrow. “Uh... are you okay? You seem... weird.”

Evan. Okay—Hi, Evan…? Gregory thought, getting up and feeling his head. If Henry was here too, then there was probably no need for worry.

“I... Yeah, I'm fine. I guess I just passed out. I don't know.” Although he didn't see Evan as threatening, especially when he was showing such genuine concern was reassuring. He stood now and motioned the he was leaving the inside of the climbing gym. “Let's go back to Henry.”

Maybe that old ghost would fill him in on what was happening. He began his descent, looking for the quickest place to drop down, Evan following close behind.

“Henry!” he called, about to drop down when William popped out—really, Gregory could smell the suit before he even made himself present.

“Gregory! I have asked you time and time again, please do not just wander away without telling us.” He was trying to stay calm and not shout despite the panic racing through his long-dead veins.

The shame Gregory felt was from the sheer unsettled note in William’s tone. He was being toted back to Henry, and Gregory didn't even know what he did wrong exactly! One moment, he was asleep, the next some kid was pushing him awake from a very deep, weird as hell dream, and then he was being shamed for taking what was probably a well-deserved nap! It's not like Gregory hadn't earned it, what with Monty the pissed-off alligator chasing him or Roxanne calling him a loser through locked doors.

“Man! I just woke up; this is stupid—” Gregory was lowered back down to his feet. This only earned a confused tilt in William's head, the neck joint creaking loudly before looking to Evan, the seemingly more coherent of the two right then.

“You found him asleep again?” the rabbit asked. 

“Yeah, he was just passed out up there!” Evan confirmed with a shrug. “Guess he got tired in the middle of the game? I dunno...”

“Hmm...” Henry hummed in concern, leaning down to look Gregory over. If only these old, rotted suits had that handy dandy health scan feature the Glamrocks possessed. Then it'd be a quick once-over to tell if anything was wrong—physically, at least. He'd just have to do it the old-fashioned way—

Suddenly, Henry let out a sharp gasp.

Gregory's eyes... were brown again?! Not a trace of Remnant to be found...

“...Evan, go back to the others,” Henry instructed in a soft voice, staring hard at the Afton's doppelgänger.

“What?! But—”

“Please.” Henry's eyes rolled to the kid, a rare tone of authority in his voice. Evan wouldn't listen to his own dad, but perhaps he had a smidgen of respect leftover for his uncle. “Will and I need to talk to Gregory alone for a sec, okay? Just tell the others he's fine and we'll send him over to play asap.”

Evan glared at him for a moment, crossing his arms defiantly and opening his mouth to snap back a retort. However, there was that nagging feeling in the back of his mind that something was just not right. So, grumbling things under his breath that would probably get him in trouble under normal circumstances, he retreated back to Sun and the others to tell them the news.

Once it was just the trio, Henry asked Gregory gently: “How are you feeling, kiddo? Any, um... different than before you took that nap?”

William was crouched by Gregory, snagging his attention while Henry spoke to him. He grasped the boy’s chin and gently moved it around, examining him as if he had a concussion, searching for any remaining inhumanness in Gregory's eyes. His complexion looked a lot better as well, though there was an obvious mental fog due to his heavy slumber.

This was concerning. Was there a correlation of Remnant to memory? There were so many strange side effects—only so many people were ever exposed, so it was impossible to it to know what it did on a larger scale. Gregory answered with a raised eyebrow.

“I don't know! I feel alright. Like... I had a really good nap?” Gregory answered, face pinching in a frown. “Had some freaky dreams, though...”

As he spoke, the old rabbit straightened out his back, then glanced to Henry.

“I don't like this,” he murmured to the bear. He hadn't wanted to freak out Gregory, but it needed to be said. Quickly clearing his throat in the off-chance Gregory overheard him, William reached out and mess with his (non-braided) hair. “Ah, that's good you feel well-rested, despite the dreams. I'm sorry about the rude awakening, sport. Uh... Are you familiar with everyone in the room?”

When Gregory took a good look around, he could confidently say: “Hell no; who are the clowns?”

Gregory pointed out the obvious ones first, fixated on the mysterious clowns who were talking with Sun. That was someone he remembered. Who could ever forget getting kicked out of the Daycare, when Michael was waiting for him at the exit? Creep.

Henry met Will’s gaze and nodded at the sentiment. He didn’t like this either. It’s almost like the Remnant was just… gone, and it’d taken Gregory’s memories with it. All they could really do was move forward, though. A small bout of amnesia was something easy to deal with in the grand scheme of things.

“The clowns—” Henry began, crouching by Gregory’s side and putting a paw on his shoulder. “—are Elizabeth and Ennard. The best way to describe Ennard is the whole line of Funtime animatronics mushed together, except Circus Baby—the one in the scrapyard tutu. Will’s daughter is in there, like how he and I are stuck in these ratty old things.”

He watched Gregory’s face, hoping the explanation would spark some memory… or at least make him less wary of the hulking figures.

Unfortunately, all seemed lost on the boy. No amount of “reminding” would work on him. Though that didn't mean that he wouldn't focus on what he did best: downplaying his experiences. So, Gregory gave a casual shrug. Losing his memory wasn't completely surprising to him. He'd gotten more than a few bumps to the head before running away, and foggy moments in his life were bound to start popping up eventually.

“Right—no, I remember Elizabeth.” He nodded, though technically only from the stories that William told rather than meeting her in person. One of the nights when Gregory fell asleep curled up in a few throw blankets stolen from office spaces, William talked to him gently as he fell asleep, recounting good stories from when his own children were his age.

“Wow… Was the nap really that good?” William asked with a laugh, less outwardly worried for the kid now. He looked fine as he started to wake up, and those big brown eyes were back right where they belonged, too. If he'd truly been spared, William knew this would save them the trouble of finding out what exactly happened to a child injected with Remnant. “Still, this is all the more reason to stop wandering away. Henry and I aren't fans of that sort of behavior. You know that someone's out there trying to kidnap you, yes?”

Gregory tried not to roll his eyes, as the subject of him suddenly disappearing seemed to intensely upset Will. It looked to be something he should take seriously, though; even Henry looked to be listening to his former best friend.

“Sorry, guys...,” he apologized, earning a softer glance from William in return.

Henry heaved a sigh, then stood with the groan of a hundred-year old man and ruffled Gregory's hair. “Well, you’re back now, so that’s all that matters right?”

His gaze roamed over the Daycare, finding that since the game was on pause Charlie had taken to chatting with Evan and Cassidy. A pang of deep-seated guilt shot through Henry’s heart at the sight of his daughter’s mangled body, and he knew he’d never get rid of the sensation until she was put to rights again. Glancing down at Gregory, Henry figured he might as well pose the question now and potentially give the kid something to look forward to.

“Hey, Greg… you said you’re into coding and tech stuff, right? How’s about once we get Michael all squared away, you help me fix up Charlie?” He chuckled softly. “It’s a little hard to do with these paws, you know?” Holding up the oversized bear hands, he wiggled the moldy fingers for emphasis.

...How could Gregory refuse?

When he caught sight of how absolutely messed up Charlie had become in his mental absence, Gregory's heart hurt. While Charlie didn't look like she was in pain, it was clear how uncomfortable she was even from afar. His vision trailed back to Henry and William, Henry flexing his hands to show how they stalled and creaked, let alone how bad they were for working with small tools or getting into tight spaces.

“—Of course I'll help. It can be the first thing we do after we're done here,” Gregory agreed. He felt wrong letting Charlie just exist like that for now. Though there wasn't much else he could do for the time being. Stopping to work on Charlie would certainly call attention to themselves eventually… and Gregory would rather not meet Mike again until he was ready to fight him.

“You're a good kid, Gregory. Thank you.” William couldn’t help but cast a smile the boy’s way, clapping a paw on his shoulder. "Now, how about we set this plan of ours into action?"

"Hell yeah!" Gregory nodded. Then he paused, cracking a confused smile. "Uh... remind me what the plan is, again? And does it involve El Chips? Because I could use a boatload of queso and chips right now..."

***

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After an uneventful walk back to the office, Michael found it somewhat alarming to find Charlie and Freddy inside waiting for him. Alone and without Gregory, Charlie was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed a worried expression on her face as she listened to their resident Papa Bear. Her pinpoint focus was distracted only when Michael’s familiar shape fell over the doorway.

“Speak of the devil,” Charlie remarked, interrupting Freddy’s quiet train of thought.

“Hey,” Michael greeted with a wave and a curious tilt of his head. “You gossiping about me behind my back? My office isn't exactly the best place to do that, y'know."

“Hello, Michael,” Freddy responded with a chuckle, expression softening at the appearance of the trustworthy night guard. “We were not talking about you specifically, although you are a relevant part of the conversation. We were discussing Gregory's future.”

“...Ah.” With a low exhale, Michael plopped into one of the swivel chairs. Just one thing after another tonight. At least this was far less stressful than trying to wrangle Ennard through the Pizzaplex.

Hopefully.

“Well, the kid's got a long future ahead of him,” Michael remarked, crossing one knee over the other. “Anything in particular you're fretting over right now?”

“For one,” Charlie said, her voice gentle as she didn't want to particularly stress out her family. Well—not overstress them. “His sleep schedule. The kid's eyebags have bags at this point... It’s just one more thing that could attract unnecessary attention.”

Numbering the items off on her fingers, she moved onto the next from her mental list. “His eyes glow now. You can kind of see it in the light, too, so… We should be prepared if more things change about him.” She grimaced. “Not just physical stuff, either.”

It was something she’d feared since the incident in the bathroom: if Gregory's mental state may begin to deteriorate just as William's had. She'd like to pretend that Gregory was strong—that he could fight and suppress any unhinged thoughts or urges. Michael had seemed to be alright in the end, if a bit more melancholy than she remembered... but those subjected to Remnant were so few and far between, they only had case studies to work from rather than standard bullet points of what to expect. It scared Charlie not knowing exactly what this Remnant serum was going to do to their little brother in the long run.

“...You guys noticed the eyes, too?” Michael asked.

“Yes.” Freddy nodded, unease returning to his features. “At first I thought it was just a trick of the light, but there is definitely something otherworldly about them. It does not bother us, of course, though it is certainly something to be wary of if we wish to reintegrate him into society someday.”

“Freddy... I think that kid is as far from 'reintegration' as one could get at this point,” Michael pointed out, and the ursine man had to concede with a sigh.

“I am aware. However, we can at least try and give his life some semblance of normalcy—as Charlie pointed out, his sleep schedule is a good place to start.” Freddy idly glanced at the cameras, catching sight of the Glamrocks yet again huddled together making plans. A faint smile ghosted over his lips. “On a side note, as much as I would love to provide him with a standard education, I simply do not think that will be in anyone's best interest. I have heard mention of 'online schooling', which I will look into. Tangentially, as far as his sleep schedule goes... until we figure out a few other aspects of all our lives, I believe he may be better suited to fully commit to a night-shift schedule.”

“Yeah?” Michael perked up at this. He'd been gearing up to accept only seeing his brother in passing, but if Freddy deemed the nightlife was Gregory's future, that would be fantastic.

“There is really no reason for him to be awake during the day—Charlie and I will soon be working come next week, so he will either be only with you or alone,” Freddy explained. “It is not safe for the children to roam during the dayshift, and since everyone except Sam and Gregory himself are robots or ghosts, we do not have to worry about sleeping nearly as much as he does. Therefore, I feel it would be more beneficial to his well-being to come here at night like we have been—at least for now.”

Charlie had agreed somewhat, though she was biting her lip in anxiety. She was clearly off-put by something but refrained from speaking of it until now so Freddy could get his thoughts out first.

“About the online school thing,” Charlie said, clearing her voice as she looked between the boys. “So, this is going to sound hypocritical and weird. Trust me, I know, but... We should try to encourage Gregory to make friends like him, and that might be a good way to do that."

He was already shaping up into an oddity, but what Charlie saw earlier that day had legitimately brewed worry in her, causing her to strike up this conversation with Freddy in the first place.

“I noticed he plays very roughly when he's with the twins. Cassidy, too. They can't feel pain so I’m not worried about their safety or anything, but... I just don't want Gregory getting the impression that hurting people is some kind of game. I don't know; maybe we can talk to him about being a little gentler?”

…What an awful time to be accidentally eavesdropping.

Gregory stood like a stone, back pressed firmly against the wall near the office door. He strained to hear everything they were saying with their hushed voices, and managed well. He almost wished he wasn't really hearing it though; it felt like he should just walk back to his friends and continue their hang-out session. But the way Charlie spoke about how he played made him feel like some sort of monster...

“...Ah. Right.” Freddy's face twisted in worry. “I am sorry, I got so caught up in the idea of trying to make things easy for him... but you are right. He must understand that he cannot interact with other children the way he does with those living in the Pizzaplex.”

He paused, chewing his lip in thought. “Perhaps we can shift his schedule so he does get a bit of interaction time with normal children, through whatever means we can. I will speak to him about roughhousing with the others.”

“I can try and talk to the kids, too,” Michael added, trying to help. “Or at least ask Henry to talk to them—not sure how well they'll listen to me.”

He gave a half-hearted laugh, though it only garnered a small smile from Freddy. Putting his feet flat on the ground, Michael leaned forward and grasped his hand. “Hey. It's gonna be okay, Freddy. We might not know exactly what that stuff's going to do to him down the line, but we can handle it. Alright?”

“I know,” Freddy nodded, squeezing the reassuring grip. “Of course I know we can. I just do not want Gregory to feel as though he is... not normal—not more than he already does.”

That cemented it. If he wasn’t a freak, they wouldn’t even having this conversation. Gregory needed to chill out. With no one to calm him down and run their fingers through his hair, it left only himself to do the job and attempt to self-soothe. Though it really didn’t feel right; maybe he was becoming too dependent?

They loved him now, he didn’t doubt that. But based on past experience, “love” generally came at a price. What would happen if his condition got worse? If it morphed into something they couldn’t deal with?

Inside the room, Charlie agreed with Freddy. “Yeah! Baby steps, you know? One day, Gregory’s going to want to be more independent. It’s our job to make sure he’ll be fine on his own when that time comes. But for now, we’re going to show him how much he means to us and be there as a family.”

It won’t be a long time from now, Charlie could see it. In four years, he’ll be able to drive. In six, he’ll legally be an adult. Soon enough, Gregory might not even need them anymore.

Charlie tried not to think this way. If they treated him well and raised him right, Gregory would always be their friend.

“Of course,” Freddy agreed immediately, frowning as an unfamiliar emotion burrowed itself in the base of his heart.

Charlie was right—Gregory was a child, and that meant that he was going to grow up someday. That had been their goal last weekend, after all—to keep him alive so he could have that opportunity. It was what they all wanted, and even though Gregory might not be “normal” anymore, he was still just a growing boy deep down. It was clear he cared for his surrogate family, of that Freddy had no doubt, and he loved the boy more than life itself.

So why did he feel a dull pang of hurt in his chest when he thought about the future?

It wasn't that far off—according to his records, children technically reached “adulthood” when they turned eighteen. That didn't necessarily mean they were all ready to set out in the world on their birthday, but it did for some. And Gregory was already such a resourceful, smart boy...

Freddy had literally given up his old life and body to take care of his son. Would there ever come a day when Gregory didn't... need him anymore?

“Fredbear? You okay?” Michael asked, watching the man have what appeared to be a major internal crises. Freddy had been staring at the ground for quite some time, looking utterly distraught. When Michael spoke he glanced up with a gasp, though he quickly composed himself.

“Yes, I am fine; my apologies,” the ursine man reassured.

No more thinking like that—we have many happy years together ahead of us.

Suddenly, a sound attracted Freddy's attention: the unmistakable squeak of sneaker against linoleum floor. His eyes flicked towards the open doorway, through which a tiny shadow could be seen ducking out of sight. “...Superstar? Are you out there?”

Wipe that sad look off your face now, Gregory thought to himself, pretending someone else was shouting at him to push down those emotions. You weren't about to see your dad and sister cry because of you. You were just walking over to ask for a few bucks for chips.

Gregory sure could play the part when he wanted to, poking his head around the corner and forcing an easygoing smile; he would pretend that he wasn't walking in on the most emotionally turbulent conversation he'd witnessed from his family.

“Heeey, can I get a few bucks for the vending machines? No one else had money on them.” Them meaning the dead friends his family seemed to suddenly have an issue with. “Surprisingly. Hahaha...” Gregory laughed at his own joke, throwing away the key to his feelings on this one.

The trio simply stared at Gregory for a moment, all of them looking very guilty. How much of that had he heard?

Soon, their gazes turned to each other. United in the face of not upsetting Gregory further, they telepathically agreed that Freddy would be the best one to handle this.

“I can get you a snack, Gregory,” he said in his gentle tone, pulling out a few bills from a back pocket that Sam had lent him earlier for this exact situation. Freddy didn't hand the money over though, instead holding it close to his chest with a questioning tilt of his head. “Do you mind if I come with you? I feel as though I have not seen you in a while, since you have been having so much fun with your friends!”

He gave a soft laugh, hoping the boy would agree to spend some much-appreciated alone time with his dad.

Gregory did tell the ghosts he'd be gone for a minute to catch up with Freddy and whoever else the bear may have been hanging out with. They shouldn't be expecting him back soon, but the kid couldn't help but think this might be a ploy for some lecture.

Gregory then thought that maybe he should trust his dad more, considering all they’d gone through together. Yet how could he when the things he was hearing behind closed doors was suspect?

The boy gave Freddy a pinched smile.

“'Course you can, Dad,” he said, attempting to be playful. Gregory hadn't heard a thing. “I was feeling one of those ready-to-eat taquitos by El Chip's?”

“Whatever you would like,” Freddy said amiably, pressing a gentle hand on Gregory's back to urge the boy forward. He sent a quick wave over his shoulder to Mike and Charlie, who gave him an encouraging thumbs-up when Gregory turned away.

The pair walked in silence for a short while. For once, the quiet was strained. They both knew that the other knew something was going on. Of course, it was Freddy who broke the peace, glancing down at his son while they strolled idly towards the main atrium.

“Gregory... I do not know how long you were standing out there, but I can guarantee you heard something of our discussion,” he remarked slowly, not wanting to push too much, too fast. Gregory had a tendency to shut down or turn his feelings inwards when pressured—it was something they were working on together, even if neither of them said it outright. Instead of being angry or upset at him for listening in, Freddy's gaze held only inquisitive concern. “May I ask what you were privy to?”

I'm a weirdo with no friends. I'm going to grow up and be a monster, and there's nothing anyone can do to help me. I'll be like my shitty foster dad. Or like William... Or WORSE.

Gregory appeared to gather his thoughts, when it was really just him trying his best not to shout the intrusive ones aloud. He didn't want to freak out his bear-dad. Gregory didn't even know if he had something to really worry about to begin with. When it came to his health, everything they mentioned seemed like a concern.

“I'm... different. Too different to have living people around,” Gregory said, not sugar-coating what he overheard. Gregory's arms came up to hug himself as he repeated what he interpreted from the chat he'd barged in on. He spoke with a powerful melancholy in his voice, like he already accepted that one day, he might wake up different or straight up dead altogether. “I might not live long as a real person, 'cause of that dumb purple stuff I was shot with...”

Freddy pursed his lips. He hated hearing Gregory talk like this—plus, some of his interpretations were just wrong.

“...Follow me,” Freddy said, leading the boy into an alcove nearby. Perching on a bench, he patted the open spot next to him. “Sit with me for a moment, superstar.”

As Gregory did as instructed, Freddy thought over how best to explain this. The last thing he wanted was for Gregory to feel unimportant or that he was a burden.

“First and foremost, please know that we were only talking about what is best for you,” Freddy reassured, grasping one of Gregory's hands in his own. “And I also want to assure you that I will never make major life decisions for you without consulting you first. Your siblings and I were simply discussing 'what ifs.' And speaking of—” His face melted into a kind smile. “—you are not too different to have living people around. That is not what we were saying. Yes, the Remnant altered your body in ways we do not fully understand yet—but that does not mean you are unable to be around others. It simply might be a bit of an adjustment interacting with 'typical' children due to your strength. That is all.”

Gregory was a little confused, so sure they’d been speaking as if he was too strange to be kept around less “specialized” kids. Not only was that the opposite of the truth, but they weren't planning on separating him from his old friends either. In that moment, it really hit Gregory just how much he may be overthinking things because of his former living arrangement...

“I... I think I get it now.” Gregory nodded his understanding to Freddy, his trembling hand clutched tight around his dad’s. Tears threatened to break as his lip wobbled while trying to work his way through his next question. “You promise you guys don't think I'm weird or that I'm going to turn into a monster?”

Freddy's face ran through a range of emotions in quick succession: confusion, understanding, regret, compassion.

“Oh my goodness... Gregory, you are not a monster,” he reassured, reaching over to scoop the boy into his lap and wrap him in an all-encompassing bear hug. “We love you so much and we would do anything to make sure you are safe and happy. No one thinks you are 'weird' or 'evil' or whatever other negative word you might come up with to describe yourself. And also—” He tightened his hold, pressing a quick kiss to the top of Gregory's head. “—you are going to live a long and prosperous life. If anything, you will live longer than expected due to the Remnant—so please do not speak of... of dying anytime soon.”

It was hard for Freddy to say the word aloud, as if that would somehow manifest the concept into existence.

Gregory relaxed against his dad quietly, time passing where it was merely him just trying to calm his breathing down. Freddy wouldn’t lie to him—in fact, he was almost certain that Freddy was incapable of leading him astray.

“I’ll be fine…,” Gregory said, speaking it out loud. He was fine physically, especially when he had his robotic guardian here to tell him that he was going to be a-okay. Even so Gregory didn’t know how to feel about the future. It was slowly approaching—soon he would be thirteen. While the changes in him had slowed down after the initial night he was injected, who knew what’d happen when teenage hormones were mixed with the chemicals flowing in his veins.

Still, Gregory had to let go of those fears for now if he was ever going to have hope.

“Thanks, Dad,” he murmured into Freddy’s soft sweater. “I feel a lot better…”

“Good; I know it is hard to talk about these things, but I am always here to listen,” Freddy let him know. “And I am sure anyone would lend you an ear, especially Charlie and Michael. They absolutely adore you, you know.”

For another moment they lapsed into silence, simply enjoying the company of family neither thought they’d ever have. Eventually, Gregory’s patience for sitting still was nearing its end, and Freddy smiled when he felt him start to wriggle.

“Alright—let us go on a little adventure,” he announced, shifting Gregory to his feet and grasping one of his hands. He shot the boy a look of playful chiding—

—not anger. Never anger when it came to Gregory’s curiosity.—

—and asked: “Now, were you actually hungry, or was just that an excuse?”

Most kids his age might be embarrassed at their parents trying to hold their hands. Gregory was just elated that he had one who cared enough to keep him at his side. Gregory wouldn’t ever complain about it; it showed him that Freddy cared.

“Oh yeah, I came up to ask for money for real,” Gregory insisted with an excitable nod. He was starving. “I have to get back to my friends right after. We’re playing Manhunt and they think I suck right now.”

Freddy chuckled, glad that Gregory was having fun with the others. Though it’d be good for him to make human friends as Charlie suggested, at least he’d always have the ghosts of the Pizzaplex to spend time with no matter what. As they climbed one of the powered-down escalators to reach El Chips, a flash of turquoise whipped out in front of them.

“Oh! Hello, Foxy!” Freddy called brightly. The animatronic had slipped out of Bonnie Bowl and was walking in their general direction. With a smile, Freddy waved him over. “I am sure you are busy getting the run of the place, but would you like a small break? I was just taking Gregory to get a snack—care to join us?”

Freddy knew the real reason the fox was rushing about, but he figured the party planning would be okay without him for a few minutes. Plus, Freddy had barely gotten to spend any time with his new-old friend without the Glamrocks, and was curious to know how he was coping with everything—especially with Michael’s influence ruminating in the back of his mind.

Foxy jumped, as if he was scampering about doing things he wasn’t supposed to. Which, technically, was true. Sun wasn't aware that Foxy plundered a lot of his candy or his Fizzy Faz supply. Though Foxy was sure that if he knew it was going as a contribution to Gregory’s party, Sun wouldn’t mind at all! Hiding the fat stack of soda and candy inside his chest compartment before turning on his peg, Foxy opened his arms wide with excitement.

“Absolutely! You’re both heading to Chip’s?” he asked, curious and trying to distract from the fact he was hiding something. If Foxy could get them to avoid walking through Music Man’s dance floor, the better. They didn’t need Gregory asking questions they simply couldn’t answer…

“We are,” Freddy replied with a nod. “Speaking of—here, superstar.” He pulled out a few bucks from his pocket and handed them over before sidling up to Foxy. He patted the pirate’s arm in a friendly gesture, grinning up at the animatronic brightly. “How are you adjusting to life at the Pizzaplex? I hope the others are not giving you too much trouble…”

Gregory was excited to see the familiar fox. While he knew that Michael no longer resided inside of the animatronic, Foxy had already proved himself to be a loyal friend. As the kid gave his leg a quick hug, Foxy carefully patted Gregory’s back while speaking to Freddy.

“Adjusting for certain! Been havin’ a few night terrors... Though Bonnie’s apparently been havin’ them, too,” Foxy replied with a casual and wholly unstressed shrug. “I think it’s my nerves! Having to perform on Monday and all—it’s going to be my first big gig!”

“Ah… I am sorry to hear that,” Freddy said empathetically. He felt a weird sense of guilt about the whole possession thing, especially the after-effects. Though he knew it wasn’t his fault in the slightest, Freddy’s intense involvement in the situation gave him an extra sense of responsibility towards those friends that were so greatly affected.

“Well, I am always here to talk if you need—but like you said, I am sure it is nerves,” the ursine man added calmly. Someday they’d tell Foxy what happened, but for now he could focus on his impending debut. Freddy patted the back of the pirate’s hook with a hearty laugh. “I know you will do fantastic, though!”

Talking about the band’s impending performance made him realize there was another factor he’d been meaning to discuss with Sam: what in the world were they going to do with his old model? They couldn’t just take Freddy Fazbear out of the line-up…

“It's fine—nothing more than my CPU keeping things interesting while I'm charging,” Foxy chalked it all up to be. Even if the deceptively smart robot had an inclination that the dreams really weren't normal, he was being coy about it.

Foxy walked beside his old friend, traveling with him as Gregory chose to run up ahead in search of his highly sought-after taquitos. He and Freddy moved at a leisurely pace, watching Gregory scamper in the distance.

“By the by, Fredbear...,” Foxy muttered quietly, lifting up his eyepatch to wink an unlit eye. “Make sure Gregory avoids the Dancefloor and DJ's place while we're setting up. We wouldn't want to ruin the surprise.”

“I can’t wait to hear you play drums!” Gregory remarked, Foxy’s attention snapping to the child mirthfully. He didn’t realize how quick it took Gregory to get back with his snacks, already pocketing Freddy’s change for himself and unwrapping the hot and ready taquito.

“I am excited as well!” Freddy said, his little smile signaling he understood the pirate's warning perfectly. “We have not had a drummer in the Glamrock Band yet, so I am very curious as to how things will work out!”

Yes, technically “working things out” on stage would soon be Freddy's job. But according to his employee log he'd only been hired a few days ago, so he was slotted to be trained for a little bit before he was given full creative control—despite the fact that Sam knew the former lead singer of the band could put on a better show than all the previous stage managers combined.

Sam had sort of found the dream team he always needed for the new admins of the Pizzaplex. With Michael and Charlie there to help, along with Freddy still leading his band from behind the thick velvet curtains, he'd have a lot less to worry about. After all that seemingly went wrong in one weekend, he couldn't risk another major loss.

“We'll have tomorrow morning to practice and figure it out! To be honest, Bonnie's had his head wrapped up in recent activities,” Foxy said with a flick of his wrist. “So we haven't been able to practice much! Aside from that, we're still technically missing our front-man.”

All this didn't help Foxy's nervousness, but he was programmed to be the best drummer ever conceived for the Pizzaplex.

“Roxy let me play her keytar! The ol' wolf got jealous over how much better I am than her at it. Now I'm not even allowed to look at it,” he half-joked, and Gregory could've sworn he'd heard this same story before though with the name changed from Roxy to Lizzie. Gregory found himself laughing at Foxy like he would at his brother for antagonizing their siblings.

“Sounds like you deserve it!” Gregory pointed out, munching on his taquito.

“—Yeah, you've got a point,” Foxy conceded, following the family on their lazy hike through his new home.

Freddy chuckled at the anecdote, happy that Foxy seemed to be doing just fine with his new companions. Michael's influence was strong in his personality, and Freddy idly wondered if Foxy would be able to sense the connection before it was blatantly pointed out.

“Ah, speaking of your missing front-man—” Freddy began, his brow creasing ever so slightly. “—I should speak to Sam about what exactly we are going to do come Monday. I do not know if he will have another animatronic up and running by then...”

It was weird to call the lead singer “Freddy,” and the ursine man knew it'd be even weirder when the bear was functional again. Looking to Gregory, Freddy inquired: “Do you want to come with me, superstar? I have a feeling Sammy may enlist your help when it comes time for it—this will be a slightly different process than re-activating the rest of the Glamrocks.”

Gregory had balled up the paper wrapper that the taquito came in, aiming for a nearby trash can as they passed. “Sure; if Sam needs my help, I'm there.”

“I'll tag along, too; that way I can report to the others later,” Foxy said, using his claw to brush through the long mane of hair on his head. Freddy was always the leader—even if this iteration of Foxy was new, he knew this intrinsically. It brought him to a state of unease not knowing what they’d do if they didn't have someone up there singing. Certainly they wouldn't let such a thing happen on opening day—that would just be irresponsible on Sammy's part.

“Of course—the more the merrier!” Freddy replied cheerfully. Now satisfied they had a direction, he led the charge to Sam's office. The door was closed as usual, which either meant Sam was working on something inside or he was out.

“Sam?” Freddy asked, knocking a few times. “Do you have a moment? I would like to ask you about something work-related!”

“Door’s open,” Sam called. This time he sounded wide awake, wired even. As the small group peaked in, Sam was clearly in the middle of something, though he wasn't so engulfed that he was unable to greet them with more than a passing question tossed over his shoulder. “Everything alright, Freddy?”

Sam was bent over the small work desk stowed into the corner of the larger office space, tinkering on the inside of a virtual reality headset. It looked as if he’d gutted the thing and moved on to reintegrating it's components with new parts.

“Yes, everything is fine.” Freddy led the others inside, making sure the door was closed behind the trio. He eyed Sammy's back curiously, wondering what in the world he was thinking up now. “Since the re-debut is fast-approaching, we wanted to ask you about your plans for my old body? I am assuming he will be up and running at some point, though I know it will be a different effort to get him to that level since I am no longer available...” He paused, tilting his head. “...What are you working on, if I may ask?”

Sam let out a small sigh. He was once again reminded of their deadline, and the clock was unforgiving.

“Remember when I said I was going to get some sleep?” Sam answered them with a question, finally turning around to scan the group.

“Yes?” Foxy answered, vaguely remembering Sam having to retire to his office to get some shut-eye. His sleep schedule was just as messed up as poor Gregory's at this point.

“—Right, well, I didn't.” Sam shrugged, heaving the half-conceived invention in his hands. “This is a Virtual Reality headset; it’s from an old venture that never panned out. I thought that maybe by taking some of its adapter capabilities and retro fitting it into Freddy—not you Freddy, but old Freddy; your old body—maybe you could control the empty animatronic!”

He spoke in an excited manner, which melted back into frustration with how long it'd taken him to even get this far. He sacrificed a lot of time on it—too much, really.

Sam carefully put the headset down on the workbench, eyeing it with a frustrated huff. “It's taking longer than I expected, though. The goal was to let you control your old body from offstage... If I can't get it working decently by tomorrow afternoon, I'll have to resort to plan B.”

Gregory raised his eyebrows, worried as Sam seemed to sway a little on his feet. He knew the feeling of nearly falling asleep while standing up all too well. Gregory helped steady his friend, and Sam looked surprised for a split-second before Gregory asked him: “What's plan B?”

Sam gritted his teeth and looked away, maybe a little worried about bringing it up. “Well! Uh... It would be re-downloading Freddy's old, basic programming back into the model. The issue with that would be obvious: two Freddies.”

“Samuel... you are a genius,” the redhead breathed, looking over the headset with wide-eyed fascination. If he could still control his old body and perform on stage that would be amazing.

His bright grin fell ever-so-slightly when Sam mentioned he was nowhere near done though. The man was right—it was a great concept, but they needed to have something Freddy-related working by Monday or there might be a riot from the patrons.

Helping Gregory steady his hard-working creator, Freddy listened to the alternative. There was a pause in which everyone looked at the ursine man, clearly expecting him to speak on the matter first. It would be his body double wandering around, after all.

“It... would be a strange circumstance, that is for certain,” Freddy said after a moment, his words slow as he processed his thoughts aloud. “But... our AI is made to learn and adapt to the world around us. Each day we are powered on, the more distinct our personalities become.” He gave the room a soft smile, pressing a hand lightly over his heart. “I think I can safely attest that due to my extraordinary experiences, I am nothing like the bear I was when first given life.”

Would it be bizarre to interact with what was essentially a past version of himself? Absolutely—but Freddy thought he could get over it. However, he wasn't the only one that would be weirded out by the situation. Sparing a glance down at Gregory, he asked: “Would you be alright with another Freddy wandering around, superstar? Our base temperaments are the same, though he may be rather, ah... stilted in the ways of dealing with people until he gets some practice in. It may be a bit jarring to interact with him.”

Gregory didn't really know if he could answer that. With everyone staring at him and waiting for an answer, he turned inwards to think. How would that make him feel? Two people who were essentially the same, only one doesn't know who he is at all. The other is the same guy, but also Gregory’s dad?

“Uhhh...” Gregory gave up a shrug. It would be cheesy for him to say it in front of everyone, but to him there would only ever be one real Freddy Fazbear. “Whatever you have to do, I guess! I’m cool with it.”

Foxy crossed his arms and shook his head. “No way! There can't be two Freddy's running about doling out orders!”

Besides, there’d be less opportunity to sneak around. Word has it that Fredbear used to be a real stickler for the rules.

Sam would give Foxy a playful role of his eyes. “Yeah, but then there's another bear for your pirate crew.”

Foxy considered this, scratching his chin in thought. “Aye, maybe then... Maybe...”

Freddy's lips had pursed at Foxy's mini-rant, somehow knowing the underlying meaning was that he wouldn't be able to cause as much trouble. It's not like Freddy wasn't any fun, though—he just wanted to make sure everyone was safe while doing so. It wasn't his fault Sam had given him the strictest child-safety protocols besides the Daycare attendant...

When Gregory and Foxy had given their agreement, Freddy looked back to Sam with a nod. “Then that seems to be the solution we must go with—for now, at least.”

They could always try the VR thing once it was up and running, although who knew how long that would take Sam to finish up once the Pizzaplex was actually open for business. Sparing a glance at his phone, Freddy's eyes widened at the time.

“If we do this, Sammy, when were you planning to port over my old programming?” the redhead asked. “If possible, I would like to be there to assist.”

And to assure everything is alright, he left unspoken. If there was going to be another Freddy walking around, the original wanted to make sure it was up to his standards.

“At the latest, noon on Monday. That's about as long as I can keep any kids from seeing you—er, him,” Sam replied, glad to see Freddy and Gregory were mostly unfazed by such a drastic change. He was also curious to see how the two bears would end up getting along. “From there, we can see what needs to be worked on; make sure that there's nothing screwy going on with his motor functions or programming.”

After all, it would be a real problem if even a smidgeon of William’s twisted soul was still hiding somewhere in a character profile... Sam and Gregory did a deep, comprehensive wide-scale purge of the Pizzaplex's entire data system, and while the chances of the old fuck hiding in there were very slim it didn't hurt to be careful.

“Hmm... alright,” Freddy mused, thinking of the timing of everything. “Perhaps we can port him over tomorrow night? That way you will not have to worry about such a big task during opening hours, even if the guest count is low. We may be able to get some of the other children to help test his interactions as well before letting him out on the floor come Monday morning!”

Some of the mild-tempered children, at least, like Evan and Hannah. Maybe Lizzie, if she begged to come along. Besides, Freddy would prefer he and Gregory have a little time to get used to his old-new counterpart before getting swept up in the hustle of entertaining kids and their demanding parents.

Seeing this place bustling again was what Sam wanted more than anything in the whole world. Foxy did in a way too, nervous the more that their afternoon shows went unpracticed for.

“The sooner he's awake the better,” the fox remarked, seeming just a little worried as he gently tussled the hair at the back of his head.

Without Freddy here all the time, the group barely wanted to get together and practice. While it was fun to slack off, playing video games and planning for parties, Foxy was aware that if they didn't run through the set list at least once before the real show they might eat it out there. Even if they were programmed to play perfectly, he’d yet to get a chance jamming with the band.

“You guys are gonna do great on your gig,” Gregory assured, reaching up to hold Foxy’s hand without a hint of the shyness he’d shown Monty and Bonnie.

“I sure hope you're right, bucko.” Foxy gave Gregory's hand a firm squeeze of appreciation, trying not to infect the others with his issues.

“Foxy—” Freddy began, one eyebrow quirked up to go along with the smile on his face. He'd had a similar thought to the pirate regarding the band's practice time, although he was a bit more confident they would do just fine. All the same, it certainly wouldn't hurt to have a test run. “—you do realize that I can still perform as I am now, right? It will not be quite the same as having my old body on stage with you, but my voice is still intact—and I guarantee I have not forgotten any of the dance moves.”

They still had some time tonight; maybe he could corral his bandmates and run through a song or two, for old times' sake. It would almost be like a send-off, in a way—not that Freddy couldn't ever perform with them again, but someday they'd be programmed with new routines that he wasn't privy to unless he specially requested Sam upload them into his android brain as well.

Yes... running around the stage with his old friends was just what Freddy needed to work off the lingering melancholy from earlier.

“FREDDY! That's why you're the leader—why didn't I think of just asking you?” Foxy laughed to himself, slapping a hand over his eye as the patch flipped up of its own accord. Holding his arm out for Freddy to latch onto, he offered to lead him to the others. It was about time they all hung out together without the kids around, anyway!

“Hey—I gotta go back to playing Manhunt anyway,” Gregory announced, knowing Freddy liked to be aware of where he went. Hopefully his dad would be cool with him dipping out for a few hours to finish the game he’d started with the ghosts. “See you guys back at the stage in the morning?”

“Of course, superstar,” Freddy replied, crouching down and pull his son into a hug. He let the embrace linger a bit longer than usual, silently reminding Gregory that he loved him unconditionally no matter what happened in their futures. When he pulled back it was with a wink and a grin. “Feel free to bring your friends by the stage tonight if you would like to watch part of the performance.”

With this out of the way, Freddy slipped his arm into Foxy's. “Alright, let us go round up the others. Goodness knows where they have all wandered off to... But first—” Before he started for the door, he was sure to grab onto Sammy's hand, sounding not unlike Mike when Sam refused to settle down despite how absolutely exhausted he was. “—we are taking a detour to the Daycare so you can get another rest in. And no, that is not a suggestion. Let us go.”

“Ooooh, you're in trouble, Sam!” Gregory teased, goading them on as they parted ways and Sam was forced to keep up with his creation’s pace. 

“Yeah, yeah—have fun, Gregory!” Sam bid, waving a hand dismissively and ultimately deciding to listen to Freddy. He was certain that no one looking at him assumed he had his eyes open; they were squinted so bad behind his glasses that anyone would have reasonable suspicion to ask whether or not he was sleepwalking.

By the time they got the Daycare, poor Sam was practically being held up by Freddy, most of his weight slumped into the former bear's side. It seemed like all his exhaustion had hit him at once on the way over, and Freddy was happy he'd forced the CEO to take a break. After dropping him off with a quick check-in with Mari and Ennard—who were practicing “human conversation” over a plastic tea party, Freddy figured the best place to start looking for the rest of the crew would be Rockstar Row.

“So, Foxy—” Now that Gregory was no longer around, Freddy was free to ask: “—how is the party planning, by the way? I regret that I cannot take a more active role, but I need to be available in case Gregory needs me to keep up appearances.”

Foxy knocked a hand against his chest plate, watching it open and revealing the large cache of snacks and beverages he'd been smuggling throughout the Pizzaplex for Gregory's party.

“We've nearly got all the supplies ready! But no sweat, Fazbear—” Foxy replied, closing himself back up to clap his friend's shoulder in a supportive manner. “That's the reason why we're doing it! Bonnie said you, Mikey, and Charlie are all busy with everything, and we happen to have the time! We are professional party animals, remember?”

It only came natural to want to throw a huge shindig the moment that they heard a child's birthday was taking place, especially one so important. Foxy peeked inside Roxy’s room to see her doing nothing that he considered particularly important. Roxy was putting her hair into curlers for the night, carefully and strategically rolling the very last plastic tube into place before taking her silk cap and stretching it over her scalp (she didn't need to do any of this, of course, but it made her happy). Foxy looked bored just by watching it, so he quickly hoofed it over to her door and kicked it in, making the wolf jump and shout at the intrusion. Apparently this wasn't the first time Foxy had done this; Roxy even looked to be half expecting it.

“Foxy, get OUT OF MY ROOM!” she shouted, standing up and wholly embarrassed as they saw her nightly beauty routine.

“Band practice is in fifteen minutes!” Foxy shouted back, ignoring the wolf coming at him threateningly with a curling iron. Roxy gasped, yellow eyes flicking to Freddy and widening at his nod of confirmation.

“I'll be ready in ten!” she yelled, pointing the iron at Foxy's nonplussed head. “Now leave so I can get ready!” She may have sounded mad, but Roxy was fighting down the urge to smile very badly.

Having lived with the Glamrocks for his entire existence until a week ago Freddy had seen it all before, though some of their little quirks never failed to amuse him. While Roxy pointlessly curled her always-perfect hair, Monty was busy sitting on the couch in his room practicing his solos. This wasn’t necessary either, as he was literally programmed to play perfectly every time unless there was a major malfunction. Still, it made the gator feel better about usurping Bonnie as the bassist if he at least pretended to try and improve.

“Huh?” The sick guitar licks came to a sudden halt at the knock on the gator’s door. “Door’s open—come on in! Fredbear!” After placing the bass reverently in its stand, Monty stomped forward to give the ursine man a big hug.

“Hi, Monty!” Freddy laughed, doing his best to pat the gator’s arms until he was released. “We are getting the band together in fifteen minutes for a practice session at the main stage.”

“Oh! Well I shouldn’t’ve put my bass down then,” Monty remarked with a raucous chuckle. He snatched up the instrument and hooked it over his shoulder before following Freddy into the hallway.

Catching sight of Chica through her half-open window, Monty knocked a claw against the glass to get her attention. When she turned to him with a curious squawk, he pointed to his guitar and mimed playing it, then jerked a thumb over his shoulder in the vague direction of the stage. Freddy watched the pantomiming with amusement, wondering if Chica would have any idea what Monty was trying to tell her.

Chica herself had been doing jumping jacks. Exercising was… pointless. At least to her it was. No matter how much Chica ate, or how inactive she was, she would stay the same unless she was majorly junked up by some bad pizza. Still, Chica had to set a good example. Former versions of herself framed childhood binge eating as something to aspire to—and in turn, Glamrock Chica was given an interest in healthy habits despite her continued love for pizza.

Pulled away from her cardio, her eyes widened at what she was pretty sure Monty was asking of her. Ceasing her activities, she ran to grab her guitar. She’s been itching to jam with the band for a hot second. She held up her axe to make sure that was what Monty was actually asking for. Upon receiving an enthusiastic thumbs up, Chica’s smile brightened. With her guitar strap securely around her shoulders, she was the first to bolt out of the hallway, heading off to go tell Bonnie that they were putting on a show.

“Alright everyone!” Freddy said once they'd all gathered together, projecting his voice to be heard in the echoing atrium as he hopped on stage. The rest of the band lulled around in front where the crowd would stand, tuning instruments and chatting until Freddy made his appearance. Naturally, all eyes turned towards their stalwart leader.

“First, before we get to practicing I have an announcement to make,” Freddy said, grasping the wireless mic at the front of the stage and unhooking it from its stand. It felt both familiar and foreign in his hands—he’d been using a variation of this same mic forever, but it’d always been held in paws. Without a dragging cord, Freddy was able to pace the stage freely as he spoke.

“I am sure you all are wondering about the elephant in the room—or should I say bear.” There was a collective groan at the lame dad joke, though Freddy thought he heard a distinctive snicker from Bonnie and Foxy’s direction. “I spoke with Sammy about what we are going to do now that I am in this body. Unfortunately I cannot switch back and forth at will, so my old form will need something to keep it running to entertain the guests and put on shows with you all.

“We toyed with a potential idea where I would still be in control behind the scenes, but it is not quite ready yet. So… We have decided to upload the base coding of my original personality into the animatronic instead.” He paused a moment to let this sink in, awaiting the inevitable flood of questions.

Bonnie was the first one to respond. Perched atop a backless stool that he nearly fell off of with the news, the wide-eyed rabbit gasped at the idea of there being two of his best friends walking around.

“Wowee, Fredbear,” Bonnie exclaimed, all bushy-tailed and chipper. “That'll be neat!”

“I don't know, Bon-Bon,” Chica remarked, idly thumming the frets of her electric guitar. “It's sounds kinda confusing to me. Like… Two? How are we going to know which one's which?”

Roxy gave her friend an incredulous glance, holding in a laugh. “…Are you kidding me? One's going to look like a bear, and the other one is a human man, Chica!”

Freddy gave the group an easy smile, but when he opened his mouth to speak Monty chimed in.

“So... does that mean you're gonna be hangin' with us, or... not you?” The gator scratched his head, clearly in a similar boat to Chica.

“We will both be around,” Freddy tried to explain. “But as Roxy said, I—the Freddy you are familiar with—will retain this body, while the new one uses my old animatronic.”

“Huh...” Monty looked contemplative for a moment, the tip of his tail flicking ever so slightly from side to side. Then he shrugged, tapping an idle claw on the bass around his shoulders. “Alrighty then—as long as y'all don't team up to get on our cases, we'll be good!”

“If you do not cause trouble, we will not have to,” Freddy pointed out with a stern eyebrow raise.

Monty just huffed and looked away with a grumble to the effects of, “...still annoyin' as heck, that's for sure...”

“Aw heck, Montgomery.” Bonnie bumped the big gator's arm with his own, feeling that Freddy's tendencies to overthink and care about the wellbeing of his friends were a blessing in disguise. “Freddy's just a good pal! Making sure none of us get in trouble with the Boss, always keepin' us safe and up to code... In fact, where would we be if not for Freddy and the kids today?”

“Yeah!” Chica agreed, cocking her head to the side as she remembered the times Freddy had personally helped her out. Too many pizzas and the cheese could easily gunk up a girl’s voice box controls... “Like what Gregory says: he's got total 'Dad Energy!’”

Roxy and Foxy were a little smarter than to put in their two cents. Yes, they loved Freddy dearly, but those two always thought they could handle themselves regardless of whether or not Freddy was present. Still, it was obvious to everyone how much they always wanted Fredbear around!  

“Alright, alright!” Monty held up his claws with a laugh. “I'm not sayin' it's a bad thing to have two Fredbears—'course I love him just as much as y'all, even if they're both lecturin' me in stereo!”

“Thank you, everyone,” Freddy chuckled once the commotion had died down. He had one hand pressed over his heart and a big smile on his face. He knew they all cared for him, but it was still nice to hear aloud. “I just wanted to let you know what would be happening so you are not confused when the bear starts wandering around and I am not in it.”

A tiny crease formed in his brow. “We will need to upload a base personality that had not been exposed to guests so it may take a bit of adjustment, which I am hoping Gregory can help with—and you all, of course. I am trusting you to show new Freddy the ropes!”

“Oooh man! Freddy's not going to know what's even going on! It'll be like when we first got activated...” Roxy reminisced, back when things were just a little more simple: few stores and places to eat, with one big stage to perform on. Now things were so hectic. They were local celebrities with a legion of fans now dedicated to them. “Hope we don't overwhelm the guy.”

Foxy gave an exaggerated shrug. “Doubt it; Freddy will know exactly what to do! It'll just take a second for him to get to know you all again. Just like me, remember?”

Only a few days ago did Foxy really “wake up,” yet he felt like he'd been here for a long time already. Accepted so instantaneously by his peers, Foxy was sure that new Freddy would fit in just fine.

Bonnie leaned back, paws behind his head as he thought aloud to himself. “I hope he likes bowlin'...”

“I am sure he will, Bon,” Freddy said with a bright smile. He clapped his hands together, wary of the mic still in his grip that he now spoke into. “Now, onto the real reason I gathered you here—just because my old model is currently deactivated does not mean I cannot practice with you!”

“Aw, heck yeah!” Monty exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air. “I've been itchin' to perform again!” He jumped to his feet, grabbing the closest robot and tugging them forward—which in this case happened to be Roxy. “No time to waste—let's goooo!”

“Bonnie, would you mind activating the sound booth?” Freddy asked as everyone took their places. While the rabbit might not be back in the lineup yet, he could still help them out in so many ways. Freddy looked down at his old friend with a preemptively thankful grin. “Pick whatever showtime set catches your fancy, and we will work from that lineup!”

“It'd be my honor!” Bonnie hopped up quickly from his seat, doing a little half jog to make his way off the stage—but not before smacking Foxy's good arm as he passed. “Break a leg out there, Foxy!”

“Too late, bunny-boy,” Foxy pointed out, sticking out his peg leg as he began to unscrew the hook attachment on his arm. He was quick to replace it with another tool: an attachable drum stick that made it a little bit handier as a drummer. That way he didn't have to sacrifice skill for speed while keeping the beat.

Bonnie threw back his head in laughter as he climbed towards the top of the sound stage, readying the lights and the fog machine to give it the appearance of a real show. Speaking into the microphone, he directed his friends. “Alright y'all—everyone's instruments tuned?”

Chica gave her guitar a quick strum before finding the right power chord for her amp, then sent Bonnie a thumbs up to the sound booth above. There was a test of the mic, and Foxy experimentally smacking the electric drums at the very back of the stage while Roxy warmed up her finger joints over the keys of her synth. Then, the sound of live music finally filled the long empty halls of the Pizzaplex...

It was a wonderful feeling to sing on stage again. Wonderful... and bittersweet. Freddy knew he could always have late-night performances like this with his friends, but it'd never be the same as before.

He wasn't the same as before. And while he'd certainly improved for the better, this truly felt like the final step in accepting that his life as Freddy Fazbear, official mascot of the Mega Pizzaplex, had come to a close.

But hey—he'd gained a family out of this whole adventure. And really, that's all he'd ever wanted.

***

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Without fail every time they visited the Pizzaplex, after family check-in Gregory’s goal was to immediately find Freddy and say hello. Even if he had other plans for the day, the kid made sure to track down the huge bear and at least give him a quick hug before scampering off. It was endearing, and Mike was grateful that Freddy seemed to love Gregory just as much as he did. Whether this was because the kid was technically an Afton or simply because he spent so much time with the animatronic was anyone’s guess, but no sane person would deny that the robot seemed to have a soft spot for the little ball of energy.

Gregory led the way at first, though as the crowds started to spill back in he deferred to Michael’s side and let Liz take the lead. Eager to be free of the tiny workshop, her pace was fast and direct while she headed towards Rockstar Row. The area was just as Gregory remembered, with the Glamrocks’ rooms lined up neatly. All the curtains were open except for Freddy’s, and there was a sign outside the plush red velvet that read:

SORRY! FREDDY IS RESTING, BUT WILL BE BACK ONSTAGE SOON!

It was Evan who knocked on the door, seeming nearly as eager to see the bear as Gregory. Despite his horrible fear of animatronics as a kid, he’d grown to love them—especially as their designs became friendlier and friendlier.

“Fredbear, it’s Evan and some of the family!” the man called, and a heavy shuffling could he heard in the room.

“Come in!” responded the deep, familiar voice. Evan obliged, opening the door just long enough for the family to squeeze in before guests saw and thought they were getting special treatment.

There standing in the center of the floor was Glamrock Freddy, as shiny and pristine as the day Gregory first met him. His smile was as warm as a robot’s could get as he catalogued today’s visitors, and of course his focus was immediately directed to the sole child of the group.

“Gregory!” he exclaimed, kneeling down and holding his arms out for a hug. “It is so good to see you, superstar!”

It was him, just as he remembered from his dream.

“Freddy!” Gregory found himself shouting, careful not to call him Dad. Still, the urge persisted even as Gregory fell hard against Freddy; the stalwart mechanical bear was a steady rock in an ocean of uncertainty right then. Gregory knocked hard against the bot, deriving a loud “Aww!” from his Aunt Liz as he flocked quickly to his idol.

She hoped that Gregory never got too old for these characters. His love for Freddy never failed to bring a contagious smile to her face, watching as Gregory nestled in before remembering exactly why they came here to begin with.

Pulling back after the short but intense embrace, Gregory sighed with relief that the bear seemed pretty much the same overall. “Boy did I miss you, Freddy…”

Then, it was down to business. Hopefully Gregory could start getting some answers around here.

“Are you feeling okay? Notice anything weird?” he interrogated, scrutinizing every slight flex of the emotional responses he saw in Freddy’s eyes and ears.

“I am feeling wonderful; thank you for asking!” Freddy replied brightly, still crouched to speak on Gregory's level. His incandescent blue eyes tracked the boy's movements as normal, and they flicked up to Michael when he bent at Gregory's side.

“I hear you got a big software update,” Mike remarked with a grin, examining him with the same ferocity his son was. “Sammy asked us to check in and make sure you're doing good.”

“Your concern is greatly appreciated,” Freddy replied, not minding the scrutiny in the slightest. Looking back to Gregory, he added: “I am not sure what you define as 'weird,' superstar... but I did receive an alert regarding a security threat in the Daycare earlier, though Roxanne and Monty seem to have taken care of it.”

“Yeah, irate parent.” Michael stood, shrugging with a little huff. “We got it sorted, so no worries.”

“Ah... I am sorry you had to deal with that.” There was a beat of silence, until Freddy reached out a blue-clawed paw to gently push Gregory's choppy bangs out of his face. His head tilted curiously, looking the boy up and down with an appraising gaze. “Gregory... are you feeling alright? My health scan indicates a mildly elevated heartrate indicative of anxiety.”

Too late, the bear realized Gregory might not want to go into that topic—although at least Freddy stopped before mentioning the word “nightmares.” The boy had confided in him many a time about his dreams, and since they weren't a direct, physical threat to his well-being Freddy didn't feel compelled to share all the details with his guardians. It was no secret they talked, but still... Gregory had explicitly said he didn't like bringing the topic up around anyone but his dads, and here he was mentioning it with Evan and Liz in the room.

Ah, well. He was just a robot after all, and even the most advanced AI can err.

Michael did say it was alright to be honest. Gregory was around people that understood him and his situation. Everyone already seemed to know he was a little different...

“No, my heart feels like it's gonna explode. I've been really anxious all day.” That was the shortest explanation he could give. Hopefully, it would take suspicion away from him and his sudden bout of amnesia. Gregory laughed; it was humorless and unconvincing to his parents and the guardians around him. “I woke up inside the ball pit in my backyard after a REALLY long nightmare...”

After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence on his part, the façade of calm shortly fading before he fumbled for the little robot on his belt loop. “Look though! Pappy gave me this little guy! I'm gonna call him Ditty.”

He held the spider-like musical bot flat in his small palms. The little guy shimmied slightly and played a midi tune while waving to Freddy, and Gregory desperately hoped the little bit of good news would mask how fucked up he was really feeling.

Jeremy looked to Michael, unsure of what to do. Gregory was indeed acting strangely. “Greg, let us know if you need to take a minute to yourself... I'm worried you're gonna get a burnout today.”

It'd happened before: Gregory trying to take on the stress of socializing and having full-on panic attack without either his or Michael's knowledge until he was deep in the throes of stress. It was painful to watch and sometimes even harder to get Gregory to talk about what set him off. Though it certainly gave Jeremy a bit of hope that he'd feel alright, given he mentioned this nightmare he had. Even if he didn't go into details, even just admitting it was a huge step.

“I-I'll be fine, Dad. Promise,” Gregory assured, holding Ditty tenderly in his mitts, careful not to squish or restrict his free movement as the little music man played a sympathetic score for him. Ditty wasn't big like Freddy; all he could do was hug his thumb to show his support.

“Hey, trust me, kiddo—” Evan smiled down at Gregory with a hint of worry deep in his eyes. “—the worst thing you can do is hold it in or not take a second to breathe. Remember how I told you I used to get scared all the time?” He shook his head, glancing to the floor with a far-off gaze. “I can't tell you how many times I tried to push past it and just ended up crying on the floor...”

Sometimes, Evan's honesty was jarring. The adults all knew about his past, of course—Michael and Liz lived through it, and Jeremy absorbed the information through stories and osmosis of being tied to the Aftons for 20-odd years. Evan found that the connection with Gregory, though admittedly not a fun one, made it easy to understand what he was going through to a degree. If he could help his nephew in any capacity when it came to emotional setbacks, he'd jump at the chance.

“...What Evan's trying to say is don't bottle it all in, okay?” Michael clarified after a moment, running a hand through Gregory's hair. “We're always here for you.” His eyes drifted to the large animatronic and he couldn't help letting out a soft chuckle. “Even Freddy. You can turn off Papa Bear mode, Fred—he's going to be alright.”

“Ah... I apologize if my focus was unnerving,” the robot stated, finally getting back to his feet. He'd been watching Gregory intently, analyzing for further signs of distress. Bad dreams weren't nearly as easy to treat as bruises—Moon would be the best animatronic for consolation regarding that topic. Regardless, Freddy still knew a few ways to comfort a child, and a topic change was a good one. With another bright smile, he held out a claw for Ditty. “That is a wonderful little invention! May I hold him for a moment?”

It wasn't Gregory’s intention to worry anyone, and while that was partly why he was apprehensive to tell them much, he had to talk at some point. The boy bit his tongue, feeling the distinct and sudden sting of tears about to break. Against Evan's advice, he held it all in after hearing Michael's words.

Papa Bear...

“Yeah… Yeah, here hold your palm out flat. There you go, Ditty...” Gregory offered the little man up for Freddy to take. The mini musician scuttled into Freddy's palm immediately, waving his teeny arms at him to get his attention while playing an entirely new midi. Toreador's March chimed through his crystal clear speaker.

Gregory watched the two interact out of the corner of his eye, leaning into Michael with a half-buried face as he knew he wouldn't be able to hide emotional distress from Freddy's ever-watchful sensors. It was hard being a priority sometimes. It meant he couldn't hide.

Maybe his uncle was right. He needed the issues to come into the light to stop feeling so badly.

But how do you explain a dream so messed up, it incepted your very memories?

Briefly surprised, Gregory pointed out: “Oh that's a new song...”  

Michael didn't hesitate to lift Gregory up and hold him against his chest, one arm underneath to keep him stable and the other wrapped securely around his back. Most thirteen-years-olds would cringe at the thought of their parents holding them like this, but Mike was secretly grateful Gregory didn't mind. The day he refused to be picked up would mark a turning point that meant he was growing up, and Mike didn't know how in the world he was going to deal with that.

When the little music man started playing a new tune, Michael huffed a laugh that shook Gregory slightly in his arms.

“Oh my god... one of the earlier Freddy models used to play that,” he explained, watching the robot with interest. 

“Oh yeaaaah,” Evan drawled, vaguely remembering the pizzeria Michael referred to. “That was one of Fredbear's idle songs, right? Man, I swear dad never forgets anything those guys performed...”

It was nice how William's gift brought back little memories for each other them. Charlie found herself sighing contently at the music. “Yep—that's a classic...”

It was such a long time ago. The older models long-since retrofitted with newer AI to keep up with the popularity of the Pizzaplex. Still, their old vintage charms never escaped the grownups even now. Charlie could almost hear the music box at the prize counter, Grandfather's Clock perpetually stuck in her head given how long she stayed by her Puppet's side.

Elizabeth watched in awe at the teeny marvel. Looking to Jeremy, a devious little smirk slid across her face. “Still have that fear of Music Man, Jer?”

“No way!” He laughed, albeit sounding nervous when Liz didn't look quite convinced. Ditty was fine! It was the big fella in the West Arcade that made him nervous. Looking to Gregory now, he told their kid: “We don't talk much about the old locations. We should try to find our old photo albums later! That'll jog some good memories of the place.”

Gregory was previously under the impression that working for any of the old locations was a complete nightmare. The things Evan told him were few and far between, but with Michael to constantly remind him that it was a surprise to everyone in the community that their family was never run out of town from gross incompetence shocked him to his core.

Grasping Charlie's arm, Liz asked her: “Wait—remember when our dads got into that screaming match in the back parking lot at Fredbear’s?”

Holding her friend back, Charlie's eyes went wide. “Oh my GOD! Yes! Our moms made them hug it out!”

William and Henry liked to yell at each other. It usually wasn't for real, as they both would just get equally excited about things that annoyed them mutually. Though their mothers hadn't exactly liked them screaming in front of the kids, so in an effort to seem more “normal” they had the two CEOs hug it all out instead. The two made it a point for the next week to hug in front of their wives, much to the poor women’s annoyance.

“Your mom was fed up!” Charlie reminisced, showing Gregory just how warped his perception of everyone was in his dream.

“They’re ridiculous,” Michael agreed with a shake of his head.

Freddy, who’d been completely content to listen to the family reminisce, used the lull in conversation to hand Ditty back to Gregory. “What a sweet new friend; be sure not to lose him!”

Just then, a chiming jingle issued forth from Evan’s pockets. He pulled out his phone, making a face with a muttered “Uh-oh” as he checked the caller ID. “Hey, Cas—”

“Evan, I love your little gremlins but will you please come get them before they melt my ears off?”

Faint screeching could be heard in the background, and Evan winced at the distinctive sound of his triplets annoying the crap out of his best friend. Even the others could hear despite the lack of speakerphone, as evidenced by Michael’s brows shooting up to his hairline. When with their parents, Evan’s kids were little angels. But when they were with a babysitter…

“Yup, noted; on the way asap!” Evan responded, clicking off the phone before Cassidy could gripe at him more. He was already going to get an earful in person. Looking to the others, he gave a short laugh. “Heh… guess that’s our cue to get moving. Bye, Freddy!”

“Goodbye!” the friendly bear waved, and everyone wished him well in succession. He saved Gregory for last, gently ruffling his hair with that happy grin. “I will see you again soon, superstar—please do not hesitate to visit anytime you wish!”

Gregory was preoccupied with clipping Ditty back onto his belt loop. It was jarring to be taken away from his friend so quickly, but his cousins were growing impatient. Though Gregory wasn't sure how much he'd like hanging around little kids so much… He hoped June was more around his age.

“Bye, Freddy!” Gregory called, grasping onto his father's shoulder as the group made it for the door. Alas, there was no time to ask Freddy about what was happening in his life. The visit was over so fast because of Cassidy's distress call. She could clearly only take so much babysitting before Evan's kids took over Mazercise with their overwhelming hyperactivity.

As they approached Chica's noisy attraction, Gregory grumbled and buried his face hard into Mike's shoulder. “It's loud in there.”

“You don't have to stay in there long if you don't want to. Just let us know where you're going, got it?” Jeremy said, reaching up to pat Gregory’s shoulder. It was fine if he wandered off, so long as he could find Gregory after he left.  

They’d barely opened the door to Mazercise before Evan was set upon by a group of three identical children. The Afton genes were strong, since—unbeknownst to Gregory unless he remembered looking in old photo albums—the kids were nearly a spitting image of young Michael… meaning they also shared quite a bit of William’s looks as well.

“DAD!” they cried in unison, nearly bowling Evan over with the force of their combined hug. He’d preemptively braced himself, feet locked in position as six hands tried to wrap around his waist.

“Hi, munchkins!” Evan greeted warmly, wrapping them in a bear hug. With an apologetic smile, his eyes lifted to Cassidy meandering nearby. “Thanks again for taking them, Cas. Hopefully they weren’t too much to handle…?”

Gregory had looked over the various kids. Oh man, how was he going to tell the difference between them? They were all nearly identical and with the way they all swarmed Evan, he couldn't keep track of them as they circled their father like hawks. Cassidy, with her messy black hair set up in a curly low bun and hands on her hips shook her head at her friend.

“Not yet! Glad you came when you did, though; I couldn't hold them back for much longer,” she laughed, rolling up the sleeves of her loose-fitting top as she said her hello's to the group. Judging by the bags under her eyes, she was getting pretty tired and needed the well-deserved break from babysitting.

When Gregory was caught in Cassidy's stare, he immediately knew what was coming. Despite the obvious age difference, there was no doubt the snippy girl was going to pick on him—

“Evan's clone! Good to see you, buddy,” she subverted, smiling sweetly at Gregory. It made him want to question her and everything he knew all over again.

Who the hell are you and what did you do with Cassidy?! his mind screamed. Would Cassidy turn out to be sort of nice were she not a vengeful spirit? In a strange way, Gregory would almost rather she picked on him at least a little bit, even if his feelings weren't going to be spared.

“Hey, Cassidy,” Gregory greeted, cut off as he felt something poking his dangling leg. A girl with dark hair and a face full of freckles stood beside him, nudging Gregory to get his attention.

“What are you doing all the way up there?” she asked, somewhat annoyed. The girl’s tone was muffled, mouth full of candy as the stick of a lollipop stuck out from the corner of her lips. It was clear who she was without anyone even saying: this was Charlie's daughter, as she was the spitting image of his friend when she was much younger and closer to what Gregory knew.

“Uh... It's got a nice view?” Gregory said, managing to bring a smile to June's face.

“Well, get down here. You don't get to be taller than me yet,” she scolded, a playful smile forming over her candy-stained mouth. She seemed fairly nonthreatening; the way she spoke to Gregory sounded as if they’d been long-time friends.

Gregory poked his dad now, queuing for him to let him down to say hi.

“You just wait, June,” Michael teased as he set Gregory back on solid ground. “One day you’re going to turn around and Gregory’s shot up like a beanpole.”

Jeremy couldn't stand the thought. One day their son was going to be just as, if not taller than himself. Another sobering reminder that he was quickly growing before their eyes, along with the rest of the tikes in the family.

“Don’t remind me of that possibility,” Evan remarked with a slightly pained expression. “That means it could happen to these ones, too…”

“Daaaad!” the sole girl whined, tugging Evan’s pant leg. Now that greetings were over, it was time for business. She stared up at him with hands on her hips not unlike Cassidy—perhaps Evan’s bestie was more of an influence than she realized—the little brown pigtails tied under her ears bouncing as she talked. “Theo and Teddy said I couldn’t play golf with them ‘cause Monty said I suck!”

“Tabitha! You know we don’t use language like that!” Evan chided in the age-old lilt of an exhausted parent.

“But they said it first!” the girl insisted, to which the boys shook their heads vehemently.

“Nu-uh!” Teddy and Theo countered. “Monty told us! He doesn’t want Tabby playing with us anymore!”

In response, Evan could only sigh and massage the bridge of his nose.

“Look at him,” Jeremy whispered, leaning into Mike. “One bad PTA meeting away from totally losing it.”

While Gregory was trying to figure out which triplet was who, he was slowly let down from his dad’s hold and relinquished to June. She was short for her age, and like her mother she had unique, smiling Irish-green eyes. After popping the lolli from her mouth, she silently offered it to Gregory without so much as a glance. Gregory looked to her, confused for a moment until June gave him a questioning look. It silently begged to know why he didn't grab the thing from her. When Gregory finally got the memo, he looked to the grape-flavored treat and shrugged.

Now was a time, as good as any, to get over his fear of cooties. He ended up shoving the sugar stick into his cheek and attempted to act cool about it as June leaned in to hug him.

“Sorry I wasn't here Wednesday. Band practice was a freaking nightmare,” she whispered, not wanting her mother to hear her pseudo-cusses. Gregory, still holding nervous energy inside him, spoke with a shrug.

“It's whatever. I wasn't trying to hang out with a whole lot of people anyways,” he remarked nonchalantly, like he knew what she was talking about.

“One of those days?” June questioned rhetorically, not needing a real answer. She was understanding in the way that best friends were, her mental wavelength usually matching.

Though... There was certainly something off about Gregory today. He was more nervous than usual for sure.

Nearby, Evan was desperately trying to convince his kids that Monty did not, in fact, play favorites and would certainly never tell someone they sucked at golf. The triplets weren't having it though, snapping at each other like Chihuahuas until Evan suddenly proclaimed:

“Alright, I think it's time for a little sibling break!” With a strained smile, he grasped Tabby and Theo's hands, walking them over to the other Aftons. “Tabby, sweetheart, you hang with Uncle Mike and Jeremy for a little bit, okay? Theo, you go with Aunt Liz. Teddy—stop climbing the stage!”

Evan had whirled around to see the youngest troublemaker attempting to scale the stage while his back was turned. Grabbing Teddy's hand tight, he narrowed his eyes sternly. “You're staying with me for a bit. Uh—” He glanced at his siblings, realizing he'd yet again signed them up for impromptu babysitting. “—that okay? They just need to be split up for like half an hour, then they'll chill out; sorry...”

“It’s fine, Evan,” Michael chuckled, keeping a tight grip on Tabby's hand as he could already feel her start to pull away. Looking to Gregory and June, he raised a questioning eyebrow. “You guys want to check out another attraction? The bowling alley usually isn't that crowded this time of day.”

He was more than happy to look after part of Evan's brood, but his own son was top priority. Gregory seemed overwhelmed again, so Mike figured a relatively relaxing time at the bowling alley would be a welcome change.

...Plus it'd give Jer a chance to sneak in the back with Gregory and make the famed kitchen-sink-slush for them to enjoy in secret.

Cassidy could be seen smirking at it all. Evan was the one that left her alone with what she would affectionately call 'crotch goblins' when out of earshot from the kids. She did love them—but in the fun loving Aunty way. There was obviously a priority for their fun and safety when she was on babysitting duty, though there was only so much she could take. Seeing how her friend was already at his wits end, she would stick with him. Theodore was being a little instigator today and was working up his siblings.

“Theo—be good for your dad and I'll get you something nice later,” Cassidy remarked, which seemed to grab the laser-guided attention of his siblings. Before they could start, she pointed to each of them with both her hands. “That goes for you guys, too! You will be good and you'll all get surprises. But if one of you acts up—” Cassidy clapped her hands together to provide emphasis. “—nothing!”

Going to Evan, she was recognizing that iconic Afton glare in his eyes. The hard look usually deterred most children from acting up... Unless it was their own flesh and blood. The triplets called their dad's bluff constantly.

“Easy, Evan,” Cassidy warned, touching a light hand to his bicep. “You're getting the scary eyes...”

Overhearing this, Charlie would chuckle lightly in passing. Scary eyes. She hadn't heard that nickname in years. Not since the last big meltdown that William had at Fredbear’s before he moved management... Coming over to her daughter, Charlie saw that June had given up her lollipop to Gregory and made a face.

“Gross guys. Gross,” she remarked, a hint of a smile peeking through the cringe. Like she hadn’t shared food with Michael over their younger years, sometimes to a questionable degree. Jeremy looked between them and laughed raucously.

“It's just germs! No worries.” Jeremy was laid back about it, even if it was just a little gross.

Gregory popped the candy out self-consciously, but managed to answer Michael. “I could go for some bowling.”

To which June replied with a nod as Tabitha joined their flock. Ditty clapped his tiny hands, excited to make more friends on his first day of being powered on.

“That settles it—meet in the Daycare in an hour?” Michael suggested, looking to the group. If the kids still had energy, who better to help burn it off than the Daycare attendant? By the time they returned naptime would be well over, so Sun should be wandering around ready to pull more kids into his fun and games.

“Sounds good.” Evan nodded, his face softening from the “scary eyes” he really couldn't keep up no matter how hard he tried. There was a reason his wife was usually the disciplinarian... he caved far too easily when it came to his kids. “Call me if they're trouble—we'll have to give Aunt Cas a report at the end of the day.”

“I'll be good!” Tabby insisted, her hand shooting up in the air to wave frantically. Whatever the promised surprise might be, she wanted it.

“Me too!” Theo insisted, while Teddy nodded vigorously with a hum of affirmation.

“Let's get a move on, then!” With a gentle tug, Mike urged his niece forward. He held out another hand for Gregory in case he wanted to take it, though his attention was diverted as Tabby suddenly gasped and jerked him slightly in excitement.

“Uncle Jer!” the girl exclaimed, thankfully still walking forward despite her clearly trying to make a break for the blonde. “Guess what?! I beat Theo and Teddy at laser tag yesterday! I was on a different team, so we were hiding but trying to find each other and then Teddy found me and he was like pew pew! But he missed, so it was my turn and...”

Michael couldn't hold in his snort as the kid started to ramble, recounting her story to the group but looking mostly at Jeremy while she spoke. It was easy to tell the favorites, especially when they were young—clearly, out of the Fitz-Aftons the Fitz side was the winner in Tabby's book.

As she rambled, Gregory looked to June who walked in quietly besides her friend. When she caught him glancing over, she would flap her fingers and thumb open and closed while mouthing “Bluh bluh bluh...” Playfully mocking the rambunctious cousin.

Charlie diligently nudged her daughter to tell her to knock it off. The damage already was done, and Gregory had to shove the lollipop back into his mouth to stop himself from laughing. Sometimes, June joked around far too much. Though now that she was a teenager, the boundary pushing was getting worse. She was starting to take on a rebellious streak that reminded Charlie far too much of Michael in his younger years.

“Wow...” Jeremy concluded, looking down with an impressed eyebrow raised high on his forehead. “You must be some kind of sharp-shooting space cadet, Tabby! It's a good thing you're in our group, then! Who knows what danger we'll run into?”

Gregory held in his opinions about the dangers of this place, finding himself scoffing quietly under his breath as they all went merrily along to Bonnie Bowl. Crowds parted for the first portion of their trek. However, the group did not anticipate the highly sought after and prized plushies going on sale in one of the many retail shops on the way. The patrons swelled, standing and crowding the aisle...

Gregory glared at the large crowd, then refused to move his feet. No way was he going over there. Big, lumbering elbows like that were unpredictable. You could get stepped on! Or elbowed.

Or taken right from plain sight.

He remembered that dream; the way it first started with him watching Freddy and the Glamrocks performing. How Vanny, still looking like a helpful security guard at the time, came and tried to lure him away just like she’d done for all the others. How Gregory had run for his fucking life when he’d caught that evil glint in her eye.

As his family walked, sure that he was holding onto someone's hand, Gregory's thoughts were pounded by intrusive flashbacks.

It was in fact Michael Gregory managed to get ahold of, and therefore it was Michael who noticed him stall like a car that'd run out of gas. For a second, they were nearly pulled apart by the crowd and Tabby's insistent tugging right towards the center of the build-up—but then Mike managed to pass her along to Jeremy with an appreciative smile and slip back to Gregory's side. He didn't say anything as he hoisted his son up and made a beeline for the backrooms. Gregory hating crowds was nothing new, and as Jeremy and Michael reasoned earlier that day, surely the Saturday rush would get to him at some point.

And so, without fuss or drawing extra attention, Mike carried Gregory to the safety of the employee-only areas for a little breather. Rubbing soothing circles on Gregory's back as the kid clung to his shoulders, Michael remained quiet until they were in the blessed sanctity of the closest security office.

“Whew!” Mike breathed, locking the door and sitting down heavily in one of the swivel chairs. He allowed Gregory to rest in his lap, spinning in a slow circle with a little grin. Hopefully his son wouldn't pay attention to the obvious concern in his eyes.

“I don't know why we keep trying to come on Saturday,” he mused, stilling the chair only to scoot closer to the computer monitor showing a few nearby security feeds. This office was tiny and had a limited range of cameras—the perfect place to hide without worry of being bothered. “I've gotta either get Sam to stop asking me to help on my days off, or start charging overtime...” He hummed thoughtfully, glancing down at his son. “I'm thinking overtime—more money means more fun stuff we can buy, right?”

Gregory had already been pressed so many times today about whether he felt okay. The last thing Mike wanted to do was prevent him from talking by showing over-concern. His son would open up in his own time, as long as Michael was patient.

Gregory was indeed snatched away, but not by any stranger with ill intentions. Michael charioted him from any perceived danger and took the utility hallway to the nearby security rooms—a place that had always felt safe for Gregory. He relaxed visibly, a long sigh escaping him as he finished the candy in his mouth. The danger wasn't far from his mind on top of everything else, but being here for a clam moment with his father was just fine.

“Sam doesn't pay overtime?” Gregory asked, finding that surprising. Maybe this version of Sam was a little more frugal considering all the family members he was employing. Experience or not, the nepotism was real.

Gregory shook his head; that wasn't really what he wanted to talk about. Instead, in a low voice he murmured: “Dad? I don't think I'm good...”

Still keeping him on his lap, Michael held Gregory out by the shoulders. Now that they were alone and without fear of family barging in with another exciting thing to do, Michael could really look at him. To his relief, his son didn't appear to have any physical injuries. He'd really started to get worried that Gregory bumped his head, but a hand through those shaggy locks didn't reveal any concerning lumps.

His face, though... never before had it been so haunted. The look in his eyes was far beyond Gregory's almost-thirteen years, and—

Those eyes.

Michael thought something was off about them earlier, but he'd chalked it up to a trick of the light. A gentle inspection by turning Gregory's head from side to side proved that this wasn't the case. Somehow, they were a strange, practically glowing silver.

“...Okay.” Michael's tone was calm, despite the screaming in the back of his mind. He'd never seen something like this before. Did Gregory even know? It seemed like he could see perfectly fine, so clearly this wasn't affecting his vision... “Okay. Can you... tell me anything that feels wrong? I need to know as much as I can so I can help you best.”

Gregory was fine with his father's seemingly routine inspection of his face. Though the moment Michael locked eyes in his, he realized what exactly he was trying to deduce.

Were Gregory's eyes always like that? the boy could practically hear him think. It raised alarm bells in his head. If he didn't always look like this, then his dreams may have been more tangible than he previously thought...

“It's my head—my memories...” Gregory tried to explain, blinking away the feeling of harsh scrutinizing. “Dad, my dreams were so bad I can't remember anyone here... It's so scary; I-I remember you, and Charlie and Evan but—wrong. Same with the others!”

Balling his fists in his lap, Gregory used the pressure to keep himself from shouting from the frustration he felt. What horrible thing had he done in a past life for the universe to keep messing up this one?

“I'm so confused... I-I don't know what to do.”

The crease in Michael's brow deepened the more Gregory spoke. He'd had some horrendous nightmares before—ones that woke him up screaming or left him shaking in a near-comatose state until one of his dads rushed in to soothe him. That first year of Gregory's adoption had been rough... but since then he'd been steadily improving. Each day was a little better. To see Gregory fall so far back because of one fucking dream was deeply distressing.

Michael tried his best not to let it show, but he knew he was doing a horrible job of it. If not for that startling thing he'd just discovered, he could chalk this all up to a flashback or emotional regression—something they could deal with in time. It may take another round of intensive therapy, but they'd gotten through it before and they'd get through it again.

And yet, there were those eyes staring back at him, silver and almost pained.

“I... I wish I could give you some answers, Gregory,” Michael admitted. He took a deep breath, trying to center himself. “I wish I could reach into your head and see what you're going through so I can understand. But... all I can say is that this is your life. This is your family just as they've always been, and even if you're a little confused please don't doubt that we all care for you deeply.” He shook his head, huffing in frustration. “I wish I could fix this all with a snap of my fingers, but the best I can offer is to take you home and let you spend the rest of the day in bed if this is too overwhelming.”

He'd certainly be calling the shrink for a second opinion while Gregory was resting, too.

Gregory breathed out through his nose and leaned his head on Michael's shoulder. The only reassurance was that his family would still care about him no matter what which reality was the true one.

“Okay...,” he muttered with some acceptance, knowing there wasn’t much else he could do.

In the end, he would trust Michael. The man was one of the only few people Gregory could truly rely on in the short list of family. And, though he’d never got the pleasure of meeting Jeremy in his dreams, the blonde had swiftly been added to that list.

“...I love you,” He reminded Michael. Wires crossed in his brain, slowly accepting the reality while trying not to think of his fucked-up dreams. This was real; that glitched Pizzaplex wasn’t. “You and Dad. Both of you are really good to me. I appreciate you guys a lot...”

Gregory had no clue if he ever spoke to them so candidly before. He blinked slow, glowing eyes at Michael as he calmed down in his hold.

“We love you, too,” Michael reassured, a smile breaking through as he rubbed a thumb over Gregory's cheek. “So very much.”

Gregory had said things like this before, though they weren't as common nowadays as they used to be. He'd taken time to adjust, of course, but once he realized that Michael and Jeremy did love him unconditionally, Gregory had been eager to return the affection. With the years together came more silent ways to show they cared for each other, so the phrase I love you wasn't uttered as much—especially in recent times as Gregory entered the dreaded preteen years. It was so nice to hear those words again, and Michael could feel a few tears well up in his eyes before he could stop them.

“Ah, shit...,” he murmured, swiping the liquid away with his sleeve. Then he froze with a guilty expression, quickly telling his son: “Uh... don't use bad words, Gregory. And don't tell your dad I said that.”

Gregory's eyebrows silently raised for his hairline at Michael's curse words. Apparently his sailor mouth was a habit he’d never grow out of. As a ghost, Michael didn't exactly encourage this way of speaking, though he never scolded Gregory for any harsh language displayed between them.

Now that his nerves were eased some, Gregory could joke with his dad. Laughing, he attempted to haggle for a deal. “I won't tell Dad you cursed, but I get a freebie later.”  

“Mm... okay, but you can only use the freebie when it's just you and me,” Michael haggled right back. “Don't want Jer lecturing both of us...”

Michael’s phone chimed with a notification that rumbled in his pocket. Jeremy and the crew had landed at Bonnie Bowl and his husband so delicately inquired:

Did you guys split to go take a leak?

Mike snorted at the eloquent text. With a chuckle, he typed a response while saying to Gregory: “Your dad sure has a way with words, kiddo.”

Greg got overwhelmed by the crowd so we hid in a backroom... doing better, but he's overstimulated so gonna take him home soon

He sent the message, then paused when he realized Jeremy was in fact their ride—or at least, the keys to the ride were currently in Jeremy's pocket. Thankfully, Jer had the message open, quickly replying as he laughed to himself at the Bowling alley.

Good luck hot wiring the van boo

Not wanting his tone to sound facetious, he then quickly offered him a better solution to get home.

How about I get our slushies and drive us instead?

Obviously that choice was a decision placed solely on Gregory’s shoulders. All things considered, with Gregory’s inability not to trust anyone so easily until they’d proven their dedication to not attempting to kill or maim him in one way or another, he should naturally fear Jeremy. Yet Gregory found himself unable to be wary of the man. Jeremy was easy-going; a man of naturally calm aspect—and nurturing on top of that. Clearly Michael found something good enough in him to marry the dude, which meant a lot in Gregory’s book.

“Yeah! I mean—” Gregory laughed, almost feeling silly that Mike had to ask such a question. “—he’s my Dad. He’s gotta come back with us…”

He was unwilling to leave Jeremy behind now. His presence was welcome, despite being an unknown variable.

Sounds like a plan, babe; meet u at the car

Michael sent the message while chuckling at Gregory's comment. “That's very true—if we left him here, Pappy would have to drive him back and I still don't like the thought of those two being in an enclosed space together for more than five minutes...”

Locking his phone and slipping it back in his pocket, Michael once against lifted Gregory into a secure carry. “One more trek through the crowds, then its home free.” He walked them to the door, pausing with his hand on the knob to check in once more before they set out—and to offer a warning. “I'm about to hone my years of high school track to get us out of here at the speed of sound... Ready?”

Gregory laughed at this. Opening up really did help; he just needed those words of affirmation to push through the hard feelings. And while he was being hoisted into Michael’s protective grasp yet again, he couldn’t help but think of his dreams.

Maybe in his own brain’s interpretation of Pappy, he’d pictured his grandfather’s and Jeremy’s bickering as something more extreme on William’s end. A murderer and betrayer of their family. That obviously wasn’t the case in real life; this delusion was something carved from nothing more than misguided, deep-rooted anxiety.

…Probably.

“You got this, Dad. I’m just gonna—” Gregory folded his face into Michael’s shoulder. He didn’t care to see the judgmental masses as they ran by, though he was ready now for whatever came their way.

Outside, the afternoon sun was beating down on Jeremy. Cold drinks were safely inside the van with the AC gently blowing over them as he waited for any signs of his family in the crowded car park.

“Aha—target spotted!” Michael announced once they'd entered the harsh glare of daylight and caught Jeremy's blonde hair shining like a beacon. Still keeping up the fast pace, he made it to Jer in a matter of seconds. Mike wouldn't admit he was winded, though it'd been a long time since high school track...

“Hey!” he greeted, pressing a quick kiss to Jeremy's cheek. Gregory had lifted his head to look around by this point, and with a grin Michael lowered him to peer into the car. “Seems like you're getting that slushie after all, huh?”

“Whaaat?” Gregory asked, leaning away from Michael to glance through the tinted windows. Sitting inside the little family van along with two identical slushies was a rainbow concoction: a menagerie or flavors layered but not stirred, meant to be enjoyed by those who favored variety in life. His mouth watered at the sight.

“I couldn’t leave my two favorite guys hanging!” Jeremy laughed. Unlocking the van and sliding open the door for Gregory, he lifted their son from Michael’s arms to aid his winded husband. “I’m making grilled cheese when we get home.”

He figured the kid would be pretty hungry by the time they got back as well. He was happy to see his son’s face light up with the simple phrase; Gregory did look like he was feeling better! But it was still evident to Jeremy that the boy must’ve been crying, judging by the strange glossiness to his eyes…

Apparently, Gregory just wasn’t ready for Saturday’s at Freddy’s yet.  

The drive was spent mostly in silence, save for the sound of slushies sucked through straws with reckless abandon. When they finally parked at the house, Michael was quick to let Gregory out and usher him inside, noting the boy definitely seemed better with the drink in hand.

“Greg, you wanna hang out in your room for a little bit while we get sandwiches ready?” he suggested with a knowing look in his eye. Perhaps going through some of his old things would jog the kid's memory...

Too bad Gregory tried that before with minimal success, though Michael didn't know this. Really, Mike wanted a second alone with Jeremy so he could fill him in on the situation. He was glad Gregory trusted him so much, but this was a lot to deal with on his own... and since their son expressed his trust of Jeremy Michael felt it alright to give him at least an overview on what was happening.

That's right, Gregory still needed to go through all those notepads and papers he found... He hadn't even touched the locked journal under his bed yet. It would give him a chance to reacquaint himself with the world around him. Whatever dissociative spell came over him might be lodged loose with some help from his own personal thoughts and feelings.

“Yeah, I need to chill for a second. Thanks for the slushie, Dad!” he told his caretakers. The drink was halfway full, he'd have to hurry and drink the rest before it became a muddy brown color from the melting flavors.

Gregory was mindful of no running in the house rule, though the sugar certainly helped his mood and begged for him to move his legs. Before he could fully walk away, Jeremy grasped him around the back of his shoulders and hugged him tightly. Much to his pleasant surprise, Gregory didn’t fight his embrace.

“Go unwind; love you, kid.” Grinning, he planted a kiss to the very top of Gregory's skull. He probably flustered the poor teen, as Gregory laughed at this and tugged away. After Gregory meandered upstairs with Jeremy watching as if to make sure he got to his room safely, Jeremy planted his hands on his hips.

“We really need to pick that kid up some eye drops. His allergies must be going crazy today...” Jeremy sighed sympathetically as he made his way for the kitchen to start on dinner. More likely, Gregory’s eyes might be dry from sobbing all day. He remembered being sad at his age—always getting choked up for one reason or another.

Michael was watching the stairs too, though his gaze shifted to Jeremy as he spoke. God, he hated to worry him... But he had to clue him in that this was something much more serious than they'd anticipated.

“Jer—” Michael caught Jeremy's hand as he reached the counter, speaking in hushed tones in case Gregory wandered out of his room. “—I don't want to freak you out, but... I think we might need to call Gregory's therapist again for an emergency appointment.”

He could see Jeremy gearing up to speak, that tell-tale widening of his eyes at the notion of something amiss with his son. Michael pressed on, lacing their fingers together as he did his best to explain.

“I... honestly have no idea what's going on, because Gregory doesn't either. But when we were in the security office, he—” Michael faltered, running a worried hand through his hair. “—he said he didn't... remember any of us. I mean, not like we are now. That nightmare he had was apparently so real it made him think we're the dream. Also, his eyes—”

He winced, looking to the floor and finally showing the emotion he'd been trying to hide from Gregory all day: fear for his son's well-being.

“I don't know how to help him, Jer...”

With Jeremy’s attention captured, Michael’s husband leaned against the counter to listen to him with an increasingly broad worry line that formed in his forehead. It made Jeremy wonder how the hell he didn’t notice anything before—and now that Mike mentioned Gregory’s eyes, he felt so dumb for not doing anything the moment he saw there was something different.

Jeremy dragged his palm up and down his face to try and ground himself. Though when he opened his eyes, the distress on Michael’s face made him flock to his husband and hold their hands together, unsure how much it would help.

“Do we need to take Gregory to the hospital?” Jeremy finally asked. This was going to be a hard decision, something that might cause Gregory a ton of undue stress should he be perfectly fine.

But the near-complete intrapersonal memory loss was insane to Jeremy. How could such a thing happen just because of a dream? His boy didn’t remember any of the fun things they used to do together… No wonder Gregory had been looking at him like he had four damn heads!

“I think with his eyes and the memory loss, this might go beyond the therapist—he might need medical attention,” Jeremy said very quietly. The last thing he wanted was for Gregory to overhear his fathers talking about what might be wrong with him.

“I don’t… know,” Michael admitted softly. He knew how insane that sounded—with everything going on, they should take Gregory to be checked out immediately. And yet…

“Something’s telling me not to.” A harsh, confused frown twisted Michael’s face as he rubbed his thumbs over the backs of Jeremy’s hands. “It sounds crazy, I know—I’m usually the worrywart who’d be the first in the car. But…” He shook his head, then cast a glance in the direction of Gregory’s room. “I think we should give him until tomorrow—see if he snaps out of it. I’d hate to stress him out more with hospitals.”

That was another thing Mike and Gregory shared: a strong dislike of hospitals. Michael didn’t know where his aversion came from, but for whatever reason the sterile air always unnerved him. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t take his son in his time of need, of course—but like Jeremy, he didn’t want to put Gregory under undue strain.

“He doesn’t seem to have any vision problems; maybe we can wait until morning and see how he feels,” Michael suggested. “He was getting a lot better until the crowds kicked up, and you already saw him acting more like himself in the car. I don’t want to take him to the hospital and, I don’t know… have him regress more. What do you think?”

Jeremy was soothed by this admission. Thank god this wasn't something that might require an emergency visit to the ER or therapist whenever possible. Jeremy nodded along with what Mike was saying, as he raised good points.

“I'll call Doctor Freeman, get an appointment scheduled, and we'll go from there,” Jeremy said with certainty and calm. “Do you wanna get dinner started? This might take a second.”

Jeremy slowly let go of Michael's hands—even though his own were fumbling with shaking nervousness as he grasped for his phone. This was nerve-wracking. How does something like this have to affect their son?

The kid never did anything wrong in his life; nothing on purpose, anyway. Gregory was one of the coolest kids he knew—and he wasn't just saying this because he was his kid. Jeremy just didn't understand why life had to be so cruel sometimes. Gregory was probably freaked out all day and unable to communicate this.

Scrolling through his contacts, Jeremy found the therapist’s number and began to dial it. He held the receptor to his ear and listened to the dial tone while nervously rapping his fingers on the smooth counter top.

Grilled cheese. Michael could handle grilled cheese.

“Sure thing,” he said, managing a tiny, shaky smile. Before Jeremy pulled away fully he was able to snag a quick, appreciative kiss on the cheek. “Thanks. I’m sure he’s going to be fine.”

Michael’s tone betrayed his lack of confidence. It was useless to dwell on the situation though; they’d check in at dinner and see how Gregory was feeling. Hopefully his memory will already improve and set a pattern for his recovery. With that worried crease seemingly etched into his brow now, Michael got to work making the sandwiches.

That kiss made Jeremy stay in the room. Something about it had given Jer the feeling that his husband couldn't be alone with his thoughts on the situation right then. On instinct, Jeremy's hand came up to tenderly caress Michael's cheek.

“Of course he'll be fine. This will all blow over soon enough,” he managed to say before he heard the receptionist pick up with her usual greeting. Gently pulling back, Jeremy would answer her. “Yeah this is Mr. Fitz-Afton, and I'm calling to schedule an emergency appointment for my son, Gregory.”

After another firm squeeze around the waist, Michael was released to compete his grilled cheese preparations. A few minutes later the first sandwich was ready, and with a reassuring smile directed to Jeremy, Michael plated it and climbed the stairs to Gregory’s room.

“Greg?” he called, knocking on the closed door. “How are you doing, kiddo? I’ve got food for you!”

***

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