Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The plan to destroy Roxy was flimsy at best, if it can even be called a plan. It is more like a shot in the dark, and Gregory was more than willing to take it if it meant getting her off his tail. Take a go cart, lure her out, run her over with it in style.

‘Yeahhhh. That will work. I think. I hope. Oh god I hope.

But of course, there were a few hiccups along the way, and they couldn’t simply be ignored. For some ungodly reason there is a height limit on the cart, and he somehow didn’t even make it to the minimum. If not for Freddy, he would have wasted his time trying to figure out how to get the thing going without being too low to see anything. Which in turn would give anything out for his blood enough time to find him and do as they wish. If he is being honest, as long as it's not the human in the rabbit costume he’ll be alright with dying. At least the robots will probably make it quick.

‘Probably, probably not. Still though, the goal is not to die in the first place.’

Thankfully Freddy tells him how to get a cart to work for him, he just needs a driver assistant bot. Sounds easy enough, right? WRONG! Of course its head was broken in some shape or form! He had to go through so much just to get one to work because nothing in this place seems to have been functioning by the time he arrived. The worst of it being that he almost got taken by an oversized abomination of a DJ that made him question everything that has led him up to this point. He even considered his plan to not be worth the trouble for some time, but since he got as far as he did, he might as well see it out.

Coming back to Roxy Raceway is thankfully uneventful, he has become something of an expert avoiding the generic security bots that often roamed around. He installs the head as carefully as he can. The paranoia of something going wrong comes back full force.

Should he really go through with this taped together plan? There were enough things that went wrong with this night already.

‘What is one more?’

And with that line of reasoning, he hops in and begins to drive on the track. At first nothing interesting seems to happen. Which could be seen as a blessing in disguise now that he thinks about it. The cart is pretty loud, capable of attracting the attention of everything in the PizzaPlex if it cared to investigate. So the best worst-case scenario is afoot. Not really.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Unlike some robots she may know, Roxanne isn’t stupid, far from it. It’s just that her quest to be the best often clouds her judgement, she must have the recognition she so rightfully deserves. So when she heard her carts being used without her permission, something borderline primal went off within her.

‘How dare someone use my carts! How dare they race without me! HOW DARE HE TAUNTS ME WITH MY OWN RACEWAY!’

She wasted no time to save her precious track from being defaced any further from the little intruder. Looking over the balcony from high up, she can see him driving around without any intention to stop. He even had the nerve to also look bored while doing it. At least she would get him first, unlike her braindead bandmates.

As he completes another lap around the track, she makes her move. She hops from the balcony all the way down on top of the cart he is driving. The impact startled him so bad that he swerved all over the track, immediately losing control of the cart. Before long she is thrown off as it starts to flip, the kid remaining stuck in the dangerous cart turned projectile. She lands with a hard knock to her head, all kinds of errors pop up, impairing her vision temporarily. Once it clears up, she looks around, she is laying in the middle of her track, all sorts of debris from the cart lay about. Some of the barriers are also bent and broken.

‘My poor track! Don’t worry, I’ll fix you!’

She frantically picks up all the pieces and attempts to put them back together, to no avail. All she could really ‘fix’ was forcing the bent metal pieces back to how it was, which is no easy feat even for her. It isn’t until she saw the hideous hole in the wall when she remembered who caused it in the first place, the dust hasn’t even settled yet.

“You…you ruined my track. My pride and joy. How could you!?” She wants to cry, but showing weakness to a kid is bad for her image.

She stomps menacingly to the hole, moving past all the dust that is obscuring her from seeing him. What she found isn’t a pretty sight. The kid is bleeding profusely and is trapped beneath the cart's crushing weight with all sorts of nasty gashes and bruises on his arms and body, but despite that he still tries to push it off with all the remaining strength he has. He looks up and sees Roxanne staring at him, then begins to hyperventilate. His efforts increase but with no different result. Roxy, meanwhile, looks on with disbelief. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He was meant to stop the cart, not go faster, even worse lose control. She rushes to him despite his screams piercing her ears, she lifts then tosses the cart away without missing a beat. He looks even worse with nothing hiding the true extent of his injuries, they all extend to his legs too, with one in particular having almost been completely crushed. He probably wouldn’t be walking for a while.

‘This is all my fault!’

She carefully picks up the wailing child and scrambles to get to the first aid station in the utility tunnels. No amount of words would express how much she regrets her stupid plan, if she just thought about the possibilities just a little bit more, none of this would have happened. Reaching the first aid station doesn’t do much to lift her spirits, she tears it apart bringing every single object that could help patch him up. She gently sets him down on a nearby seat and begins to work on his wounds. He never stops screaming in pain or trying to push her away as she works to make him feel better.

‘I did this. How could I? I’ve never hurt a child before.’

She gently grips his shoulders muttering ‘I’m sorry’ to him endlessly. What would the rest of the gang say? Would they even want to be friends with her anymore, knowing that she hurt a child so readily? Would she be scrapped?

‘Don’t think about it. Don’t think about it. Don't think about it.’

“You’ll be okay, I didn't mean for any of this to happen to you.” She looked down at her paws, they were covered in his innocent blood. Whatever his intentions were while in her raceway or the PizzaPlex as a whole didn’t matter anymore. She made a grave mistake and will not run away from it. Once the screams turn into much quieter whimpers, she feels ready to talk to him again.

“Can you walk for me?” She steps back to give some room to put a few steps in. He stays put, too scared to move.

“What are you going to do to me?” His voice is shredded raw. He is still afraid of her; it hurts more then she lets on.

“Just walk for me. Please?” He unsteadily put his ‘good’ leg forward, which still hurts to move mind you, but at least it was manageable. However, the other wasn’t so lucky. It brought an indescribable amount of pain to move it so suddenly. His leg buckled beneath him but is thankfully caught by Roxy before he can touch the ground.

“I…I can’t walk.” He mutters to himself. Despite that clarity though, he still tries to power through the pain to take just one step with his bad leg.

‘My mistake just keeps on getting worse!’  

“Stop! You are only going to hurt yourself even more!” She holds him above the ground, being mindful of his injuries. “I’ll keep you safe until your parents come to pick you up.”

“You won’t be able to.” He hisses out. Roxanne doesn’t understand.

“Why wouldn’t I?”

“You can't find someone if they don’t exist.” He spits out venomously.

The silence thereafter is deafening, she was already upset for causing his injuries. Finding out he didn’t have anyone to look up to? Heartbreaking.

“What happens now?” He asked, breaking her out of her inner thoughts.

“I don’t know…what do you want to happen?”

“Just keep the rabbit away from me. Please? She wants to kill me.”

“What rabbit? You mean there is another intruder in the PizzaPlex!?”

“Yes! For some reason I’m the only one who is able to see her! So please believe me when I say that she is here somewhere hunting for me much like Monty and Chica! Or even you.”

“Is Freddy not included in that list?” She asked, feeling awful about being called a hunter.

“If not for him, I would be gone. In more ways then one.”

‘Maybe he is the reason why we never caught him ourselves.’

“Can you take me to his room?” His voice is soft and meek, Gregory has had enough of running around, not like could anymore anyway.

“If he isn’t there, I’ll keep you with me.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, I ha…” He trails off as he looks at his wrist. His Fazwatch has been destroyed, his gift from Freddy. His first ever gift, and he destroys it. “No…No.”

Roxanne finally learned how he is always one step ahead of them.

“Hey, it’ll be alright. Freddy is nothing if not understanding.”

“Can we just leave the tunnels now?” He is greatly distraught from the destruction of his watch.

“Of course. Where do you want to go?” Gregory rests his head on her shoulder trying to control his ragged breathing.

“Lets just go to the rooms. Yours, Freddies, I don’t care. Just please keep me safe.” He is much calmer, but still very much in pain.

“You’ll be fine, no evil rabbit thing will get near you as long as I’m around.” She begins to walk up the stairs with Gregory holding on tightly. “And if I hadn’t said it already. I’m sorry.”

Chapter Text

The constant sniffles besides her ears only serve to make her feel worse, his broken body shivering without any sign of letting up. She could already feel the disapproving looks she would get from her friends if they found out why he got hurt so badly. But…surely they would understand that it was an error in judgement. Right? Or maybe that it was just a freak accident. She pushes down those haunting thoughts to the deepest recesses of her mind. They reached the first floor, all the security bots still mindlessly rolling around without any destination to speak of.

“I guess I don’t have to worry about them anymore.” Her charge suddenly said out loud. His voice attracts the attention of every bot within earshot, then they promptly go back to doing their nonsensical and unpredictable rounds without taking any further actions.

“Small blessings, huh?” She replied.

She could see their personal rooms from afar, like a shining beacon of hope. The child she carries is more at ease as they get closer to safety, though the threat of the rabbit still lingers in the back of his mind. No location is truly safe until it is dealt with. But at least he has one less thing to worry about as a whole.

Roxanne enters her room, and all her worries melted away for a fleeting moment before remembering that she still had an injured child with her. She places him down on the couch, then quickly draws the curtains closed.

‘No need for prying eyes to look at the kid’

She returns to the child; he looks like the DJ chewed him up then spat him out. At least he won’t bleed out. She sits alongside him, but makes no further attempts to move him, afraid of hurting him even more.

“I bled on you. I’m sorry.” He says to her in a tired and strained voice. She looks down on herself and can see that he is right, but that is the furthest of her worries right now. His eyes are drooping like he wants to sleep but refuses to submit to the sirens call.

“You should rest now; I doubt you’ll be able to keep yourself going any longer.”

“I want to, but…I’m scared. I'm afraid that if I wake up, I’ll be back where I started. In some random alley on a cold morning. So many of my days start off exactly like that, so imagine my surprise when I actually managed to sneak in here. I thought it would be a nice change of pace for my life. Just find a small secret area of some kind then boom! I’m in business.” He scoots closer to Roxanne as he monologues. “A warm place to sleep, plenty of food around, and just the feeling of wonder I get when I see all the activities here.” The tears come back again. “I thought I would be able to feel like a kid for the first time in my life.” He rests his head on the wolfess’ side, then is pulled in closer by her. “I was so stupid to think that. I should’ve known it would be too good to be true.” He brings up a single hand to observe it, noting the extensive bandages that have started to turn red. “Now I’m so much weaker for my troubles. If I get thrown back out there now, I’m…” He trails off, not wanting to hear himself finish that sentence.

“Don’t put yourself so down kid. You are the toughest one I’ve ever met,” a smug grin forms on her face,” and that means a lot coming from me.” He jolts up angrily to look at her in the golden eyes, aggravating his wounds.

“I’m only tough because I have to be!” He raised his voice, surprising even himself. His own eyes widened once he processed what he just did. “Oh n- I’m sorry! Please don’t kick me out! I didn’t mean to yell at you. It just slipped out.” She places a finger on his lips.

‘I am beginning to sense a pattern here.’

“It isn’t your fault that you got hurt-”

“Yes, it is. It was my stupid idea to use that cart anyway.” ‘Among other things.’

It became abundantly clear that reassuring words were not on the table right now. Didn’t hurt to try though. He relaxed once more, letting out the rest of his pent-up aggression with an exasperated sigh. The silence was broken when his stomach made itself known, he meant to eat long ago, but with Chica narrowing his options it was hard to find anything he could take for himself in the first place.

“You’re hungry.” The boy holds his stomach in a vain attempt to try and ease the pain.

“What gave it away?” He snarked back. He covered his mouth immediately after. Roxanne chose to let it slide.

“You want me to find you something to eat?” He tries to stand up, but briefly forgets his inability to do so, being gracefully reminded by the fiery hot pain that shot through his leg. Roxy quickly stops him from falling over.

“You are in no condition to move with that leg, let me carry you.” He lets it happen. They exit the room together, the boy holding on tightly for his own comfort whilst resting his head on her shoulder.

“My name is Gregory.” He whispered. Roxanne already knew his name, but for the sake of his sanity kept it from leaving her lips. Now she won’t have that restriction.

“I don’t think I need to introduce myself.” The wolfs smug grin returned in force. He chuckled.

“No, you don’t. Roxanne Wolf.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Freddy was about to recharge when he heard Gregory asking for assistance, which was roughly fifteen minutes ago, so upon exiting the charge station he immediately attempted to contact the child but was met with white noise. His only clue was the subject of their last conversation, which was how he would be able to use the carts in Roxy Raceway for someone of his height.

‘He must be there, or at the very least nearby.’

He noted how quiet it was the closer he got to his destination, and it was getting more unsettling with every passing step that echoed throughout the atrium. Gregory isn’t exactly quiet at most times, especially with the constant running he had to do, particularly away from his friends which saddened him greatly. Saying that they changed would have been an understatement, he saw how aggressive they were once they spotted the poor boy, and the worst part about it is that he couldn’t figure out why it was happening. 

‘Everything was going so well today. How did it fall apart so quickly? Why when the boy arrives?’

It is all so confusing, he feels guilty for the actions of his family. It was unfair to everyone involved.

‘Would this change be permanent!?’

Now there was a more frightening thought. What if they were never back to their normal selves? What if they are forever cursed wandering around hunting for a lost child even long after he is gone? Would they even interact with him during their off time the same way? Or would they continue on with their glassy lifeless eyes?

‘I would lose everything dear to me.’

He thumps himself in the noggin to snap out of his increasingly depressed thoughts, bringing his focus back on finding his superstar. He passes through the upper entrance for Roxy Raceway, then a foreboding sense of dread hits him to his core. He could see the cart parts strewn about from up top the balcony along with small sections of the barrier being totally shattered and warped. But no Gregory. He hurried downstairs to the track and was met with an even worse sight. A hole in the wall with an obliterated cart and driver assistant bot. Then he saw the blood.

‘Whaaa…What happened!?’

He squeezes through the hole ignoring the scrapes that he acquired for his actions, he follows the trail of blood that led him deep into the utility tunnels, hoping with every fiber of his being that his little one was okay. He recognized the area that it led to, the first aid station.

‘Maybe he is still there!’

He turns the corner and…nothing. The trail ends here, there are bandages sloppily tossed and ripped, and worst of all, there is still no Gregory.

‘Think positive Freddy! There is no body! So that means he must be still around somewhere! He must be hiding in a really clever place as I speak right now, all patched up and waiting for me to pop up. But how would I… The cameras!’

His vision is filled with individual camera feeds, he frantically flips through them looking for just hide or hair of the young boy. He eventually switches over to the green room feed, then is hit with a wave of relief, there in the halls was his charge, but not only that, his friend Roxy was also the one who had him! She even looked to be behaving like her old self again! What exciting news! But then he pays more attention to one ‘tiny’ detail.

‘He is covered in bandages. What happened while I was out?’

He had to get to them before anything else could happen to either of them. Maybe even gather his other friends along the way. If Roxanne was back to normal, the others must be too. Right?

‘I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it, I must catch up to them now.’

Chapter Text

Gregory fought to stay awake as Roxanne carried him. Thankfully Chica and Monty were nowhere to be seen, but their handiwork was all over for them to see, from unidentifiable slop next to destroyed trash cans all the way to crumbling doors with broken frames.

Rather then directly go to the niche mini restaurants in the food court like he thought, Roxanne took him to the main kitchen of the PizzaPlex, right where the pizza was made.

“I didn’t think I would be back here so soon.” He quipped.

“You’ve been here already? When?” She wasn’t able to keep track of where he has been before, it pained to admit that he is so much better at running away then she initially thought.

“Not too long ago, just after midnight. I sacrificed a staff bot to distract Chica. She is a sucker for pizza.” Gergory looks at the spot where the poor bot was destroyed, sure enough, bits of crumbs and a pile of metal still remain.

“She did all that …over pizza? I knew she needed a bit of a tweak to regulate her love of eating, but I didn’t think it could have been this bad.” She walks around the mess to look for any of the other staff bots, only to be met with even more scrap piles around the counters and machinery.

‘No mercy when it comes to stuffing her beak I guess.’

“Okay, so the good news is that we are alone right now.” She sits on a metal chair, allowing Gregory to sit on her lap comfortably. “The bad news? That also means the staff bots are nothing but a memory.”

“What does that mean for us? Or me?”

“I’m going to have to make you something myself, and hopefully it doesn’t attract someones attention.”

“Who are you- oh, I get it.” He glances at the metal pile, then at the door they came through. “So what do we do if she does show her mug?”

“I don’t know yet, that entirely depends on how she behaves.” She cleans one hand then begins to work on making a pizza, all while carrying him with one arm. She is thankful that everything she needs is already prepared and ready to be used, the only steps left being to actually put them together then cooking it. Gregory could only observe the process as it happens, the anticipation of getting a full meal that isn’t from the garbage is so enticing to him.

“Are you all able to cook for yourselves? Like, you could do it if you wanted to?” She is amused by his question.

“Heh, of course we can. Though we never actually cook for anyone since we have so many staff bots to do the more mundane tasks.”

“So how did you learn to do it if you never had too?” She looked annoyed for a split second.

“To put it simply, the eggheads were lazy and cut a lot of corners. They recycled a lot of the code from previous animatronics to boost profits.” He decided to stop this line of questions because of the obvious disdain in her voice.

The process was almost done, it was a miracle that they went uninterrupted for so long now, but of course their luck would run out now. Roxanne could hear metallic footsteps coming from the distance. She quickly applied the finishing touches then stuffed the pizza into the oven.

“Gregory, I hear someone coming, I don’t know where I could hide you!” She was freaking out looking for a spot to hide away the injured kid, but there was nowhere to put him without causing undue suffering. The boy meanwhile is looking alongside her for a place to hold out. His face is constantly being swatted by her long fur, bothering him to some degree, but then he takes a closer look at the amount that she had.

“Wait, I have an idea!” Gregory whispered, “What if I hide myself under your fur? I think I’m small enough to be covered by it.” Roxy freezes for a moment to process what he said.

“That…might work. I didn’t even think of that. Just…please be gentle with it, I need to look good for the performances later.” She holds still to allow the child to carefully and methodically maneuver himself to hang on her back with his arms around her neck. Once he stops moving she faces the door, bracing herself for whatever might appear.

Her fears would be unfounded. When the door opened it was none other then Freddy himself, not the chicken she was fearing.

“Roxanne, you’re okay!” He looks around to see if she had his superstar anywhere. “Where is Gregory? And…why do you have blood on you?” The worry in his voice is palpable. She looks down on herself, only just now realizing that she never completely washed up after dressing Gregorys wounds. She is at a loss for words, her mind couldn’t form a coherent thought. Thankfully she is saved by Gregory making himself known.

“Freddy, I’m here!” He pokes his head out of Roxannes bushy fur rather adorably. 

The bear quickly closes the distance between them.

“Gergory! I was so worried about you! What happened, why are you bandaged up?” Roxanne internally gulped, would he hate her for what she did? She was about to explain, but the boy beat her to it.

“I had…a bit of a nasty accident. But I’m fine, Roxy found me and made me feel better. It was just a bit of a messy process for her, I wasn’t exactly holding still.” The wolf in question had her jaw drop a bit.

‘He…he protected my image, without me even prompting him to. On his own volition. His own free will!”

Her thoughts are interrupted when Freddy places his hands on her shoulder pads.

“I don’t know if I could ever thank you enough for being there when I couldn’t. I’m so proud of you Roxanne.”

“I…Thank you. I needed that.” The oven beeps signaling the completion of the baking process. Being nonorganic, she didn’t need to use any tools to safely pull out the pizza, but that didn’t stop Gregory from cringing at the sight of it. She quickly boxes it up before its aroma can reach too far.

“Does this mean we can go back to the rooms now?” He softly asked.

“Yes, it does.” She turns her attention to Freddy, “I don’t suppose you want to take Greg back, right?” She actually felt a bit upset at the prospect of giving him up, but she would understand if he said yes.

“Actually Roxanne, I think it is in his best interests that he stays with you.” Her golden eyes widen at his unexpected answer, to which he further explains. “The technicians have stunted my power supply because of my…accident earlier. Whether I like it or not, I can’t always be there for him, but you don’t have that same restriction, you can keep him safe from harm consistently.” Roxanne nods in understanding.

‘I can try. I won’t mess it up this time.’

Now that they were on the same page, they proceeded to exit the kitchen then head back to the rooms. However, Gregory is on edge, he is scared of being seen by either of the undesirable animatronics that are still unaccounted for.

“I smell pizza!” Speak of the devil. Roxanne can feel the child go completely rigid underneath her fur. Freddy however felt joy upon seeing another one of his friends.

“Chica, I didn’t expect to see you here.” Her eyes are glassy, expressionless.

“Hello Freddy, how is your search going?” Absolutely no change in her face.

“Um…no success as of yet, but not to worry. We will find him before long.” Chica became disinterested in him as soon as he finished, turning her attention to the pizza box like it was a shining beacon.

“How kind of you to make me a pizza Roxanne!” She reached out her grubby little hands to snatch the box only to grab air as Roxy moved it away from her.

“This isn’t for you, Chica. Now would you please leave me alone?” The chicken grew angry at being denied her favorite food.

“Then who could it possibly be for, huh? Who?” Freddy stepped in between them to try and defuse the situation.

“Now, now, Chica. It doesn’t matter who it is or isn’t for. Why don’t you make one yourself?” She stomps her foot.

“Because all the machinery suddenly disables when I enter any of the kitchens!” She shouts at him.

Roxanne meanwhile has been sneaking away to get to her room without any more distractions, only to get unlucky when Chicas eyes glazed over Freddy and spotted her.

“Hey! Get back here with my pizza!” She starts to sprint towards Roxanne, who started to run herself. Freddy tries to grab hold of the artificial chicken, unfortunately being too slow and missing entirely. Gregory gripped tightly on the wolf to keep himself from slipping off her back, struggling to keep himself from shouting in fear. He found amusement in the fact that Chica didn’t stand a chance of catching up to them.

It didn’t take long to break line of sight from the hen, soon after making it to the sanctuary that is Roxannes room. The wolf in question made sure her curtains remained closed. She placed the pizza box on her table then allowed a shaking Gregory to slide down onto her sofa. She instantly comforts him.

“It’s okay now, you are safe.”

“Is she always like that?” He asks in a weak voice.

“Yes actually. However, she seems to have her personality quirk dialed up to eleven. But lets forget about-'' She is interrupted by the glass being pounded on. Gregory holds onto her midsection. Thankfully the curtains obscure the view to both parties.

“I know you’re in there Roxy~, be a pal and let me have one to ten slices of that pizza you're keeping~.” Roxanne scoffed at her persistence.

“Ignore her, she is just having another episode it seems.” She whispered to the child.

“Don’t be so greedy with-” Chica squawks in surprise, seemingly in a scuffle.

“I think that is quite enough!” Freddy came to the rescue, and thanks to his bulkier frame he is much stronger then Chica could ever hope to be. They could hear the chicken being dragged away until silence took over once more.

“So that is over, are you still hungry?” He nods enthusiastically as she opens the pizza box.

“Dig in. Nothing here to stop you.” So he does, trying to be as neat as possible to respect her space.

Once he finishes the box the lack of sleep starts to catch up to him. He yawns while rubbing his eyes in an effort to stay awake for just a few moments longer.

“We both know that you need to sleep now.” He lays down putting his head on her lap.

“Will you be there when I wake up?” She runs her finger through his messy hair in a slow and calming motion.

“You can count on it.” He finally allows his eyes to shut.

Chapter Text

Gregory would sleep through a whole workday, and Roxanne is forever grateful for that. It gave her an opportunity to handle her daily affairs without the worry of the child waking up without her present, but at the same time she doesn’t know if it is normal for children to be out for that long. Before the doors opened to the public, she made sure to have him nice and snug under a pile of blankets she found in the merchandise store. With her color scheme of course.

‘He went through a lot, best to let him rest without any disturbances.’

So much occurred throughout the day while he was out. The heavy questioning about the raceway, Freddy getting a once over, Roxanne getting her head checked, then the fact that both Montgomery and Chica were unusually aggressive once the first human staff members arrived, which led to a more…invasive checkup.

What they found was unsettling to say the least. They couldn’t even be questioned about it since their memories seemed to have been wiped once it hit 6am. Roxanne couldn’t help but wonder why hers was spared, but then again, she herself doesn’t know why she was acting the way she was either.

‘Pointless question, just focus on the now.’

The performance was the hardest part of the day thus far, normally she would breeze through it without much thought, just ‘muscle’ memory. But there lies the problem, she had too much going through her head. It became immensely difficult to put complete focus on her playing without gazing too hard on all the parents. They were all so happy, some even playing along with their kids, not a care in the world. Not one of them is missing anything.

‘You can’t find someone if they don’t exist.’

Those words echo in the back of her mind, refusing to leave her in peace. It was an incredibly foreign concept to process, they were made to entertain, not nurture.

‘That didn’t stop Freddy, or me.’

Once the performances for the day had been concluded, she instinctively went to her raceway, thinking she could unwind from the stressful events that occurred both last night and during the day. Only to be hit by a worse reminder. The track was still closed off to the public; she only had access due to her status as being technically the ‘owner’ of the track. She was far from being the only one upset that the attraction was under maintenance, but she was definitely the least angry. She immediately detoured to her green room; the trip being made longer as she stopped to bask in the attention that all the children bestowed upon her.

Finally entering her room, she would find Gregory completely unchanged from how she left him, aside from a different sleeping position. He looked so at peace; his face was no longer stuck with a scared expression. She would absentmindedly begin to rub his back as the hours ticked by.

‘I hope it never changes.’

Her internal clock soon alerts her of the closing hour being upon the restaurant, and to help escort the remaining guests out of the PizzaPlex, thankfully her systems won’t bug her about Gregory, he was never a guest in the first place. The silence is broken by someone knocking on her door, with a high-pitched voice accompanied by it.

“Roxanne, are you in there?” The wolf doesn’t know if she wants to open it, not with Greg within sight. So she opts to talk through it.

“What do you want, Chica?” She maintains a neutral tone, unsure if she is back to her normal self.

“Freddy told me that we got into a bit of a scuffle last night, but for some reason I don’t remember any of it.” Roxanne considers her words for a moment, then steps outside, closing the door behind her.

“It’s fine, Chica. Nothing seemed to have been going right yesterday, no one was in their right mind. Not even me.”

“But still! It is very uncharacteristic of me to go feral like that! Someone could have gotten very hurt!”

‘You don't know how right you are.’

“But no one did, that is the most important part. Best thing you can do for me is to move on. I won’t hold a grudge against you, especially when you can’t even remember it. Now c’mon, lets close up shop.” She puts her arm around Chicas shoulder as they walk off together.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Gregory can feel himself regaining consciousness, but his eyes refuse to open, feeling like heavy weights that have yet to be lifted. It isn’t until he remembers the events of the previous night does he suddenly get the willpower to snap them open. His movements are restricted, looking down he notices the amount of covers he was under.

‘It’s so much better then the cardboard box.

Indeed. He is the warmest that he has ever been in a long time. He sluggishly frees himself from his rather tight bindings, noting the soreness that still plagued his entire being. The covers fall to the floor as he stretches his limbs, each one releasing a satisfying, if a little painful crack. However, despite his well earned rest, he still felt exhausted and sore. Thankfully most of the pain has devolved to dull throbs, with the exception of his bad leg, which still felt sharp when making any taxing movements with it. The room itself for the most part remained unchanged.

He is startled by the door suddenly opening, nearly jumping out of his seat. He calms down when he sees that it is only Roxanne.

“You’re finally awake.” She says with a smile. He yawns loudly.

“I still feel like dropping dead.” The wolf sat beside him and started rubbing his back soothingly. “How long was I asleep?” His throat is scratchy, with a tone to match.

“You went out at around 4am earlier today. It is 11pm now.” He almost fell over from this info.

“For that long? I thought I would at least not feel like going back to dreamland.” He rubs his eyes in a vain attempt to get rid of the remaining drowsiness. “Am I the only person left in the building now?”

“Not yet, there is still the odd human worker or two still wandering about, getting last minute tasks done. Lazy bums. ” She whispers that last part to herself.

“What will we do until then?” 

Roxanne looks him up and down, the most important thing to note being the bandages that are now more red then white.

“Now? I need to visit the first aid station. From the looks of it you had those same bloody rags on for far too long now.” Gregory didn’t even notice that his life fluids had leaked that much until now.

“But what if you are seen?” Roxy smirked at his concern.

“Everyone who would have cared is long gone by now, so you have nothing to worry about.” He visibly relaxed at that, a sigh of relief escaping from his lips.

“It won’t be long, just a few minutes and that's it.” With that she left to get her desired items, leaving him alone once more. That is until the door opened again, this time with his first ever friend.

“Freddy!” He would have run up and hugged him, but that wasn’t exactly an option still.

“How are you feeling?” He knelt down in front of him, ruffling his hair.

“Tired, sore, hurt. Overall, I’m great.” Freddy winces at what he considered ‘great’.

“Well, I hope your condition improves very soon, I bet it gets quite boring being cooped up in one place for too long.”

“Actually, it feels kind of…nice. Not having to run around so much, being able to breath without worrying about being found by bad people. It is a lot to take in for me, especially with what I went through in previous nights, or even days.” He thinks back to yesterday, how his near fatal accident has led him to a better tomorrow, funny that.

“Gregory, Roxy has told me that you lost something dear to you.” He perks up at this, unsure of what he is getting at. “So I got you a new one to fill that void.” He opens his hatch, revealing a small present with his signature colors, then places it on the childs hands. Gregory deliberately opens it slowly, unsure if the item is fragile. He reaches inside and pulls out the mystery object.

A fully functioning FazWatch.

A single tear goes down his eye. The boy wordlessly clips on the watch, removing the broken one in the process. He hugs Freddy right after, refusing to let go.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Roxanne arrives at the first aid station underground, surprisingly it has stayed exactly how she left it. Absolutely no one has come to clean up the many bandages or other miscellaneous objects that were left scattered all over the small area.

“Like I said. Lazy bums.”

So there she was, picking up the useful items from off the floor. She kept this motion until she heard something from down the hall. It was soft footsteps, too soft for a normal person to hear from the distance she is at now.

She quickly turns the corner to gaze down the hellish corridor, only to be greeted with empty space from both ways. Gregorys voice invades her mind for the second time today.

“For some reason I’m the only one who is able to see her!”

She quickly finishes up her scavenging then sprints back to her room.

Chapter Text

A woman checks her watch while parking her car in the employee space in front of the PizzaPlex. Her eyes have the markings of a tired individual who hasn’t had a healthy sleeping schedule for a long time already. She steps out of the vehicle with her backpack strapped, then proceeds to bring out a few key items for her job: A flashlight, her ID badge, and a thermos full of coffee. The first two items are clipped to her utility belt, but the last one is already begging to be emptied.

“I better get well over fifty cents for this.” She mumbles to herself. She checks her watch again, 11:30. The numbers taunt her with how late it is. “This is going to be a long night.” She drags her feet to the still open building, its bright lights glare into her weary eyes the closer she approaches the building, the static mascots on display staring into her soul as if they were mocking her.

“What are you looking at?” She said to technically no one. An exasperated sigh escapes her lips. “I’m already going insane.”

‘I should be asleep, not toiling in this place during the night. Why did something have to go bad enough to warrant a guard?’

She resigns herself to her fate, the entrance doors appearing more intimidating then they had any right to be. Passing through the doors made everything worse. The inside is much more punishing, there are countless neon lights burning a hole in her retinas without mercy. There are a couple of ‘fellow’ employees quickly making their way to exit where she just came, oh how she wishes she could go with them. They remained silent as they passed by. No glance, no thumbs up, not even a ‘good night’ or ‘good luck’. She peers at the closing doors with contempt.

‘Pricks.’

The silence is extremely off-putting, she is too used to the place being nonstop chaos at all hours of the day. The lack of people reinforces the sense of scale that is normally lost when under operation, it is overwhelming to say the least. The weight of what her job entails from here on out suddenly hits her full force, she has to sit down on the ground for a moment to process it.

‘I have to watch over the PizzaPlex by myself . What the hell was management thinking?’

With so many things going wrong at once with no trace as to why, her bosses concluded that there was no other choice then to move a day guard to the nightshift. Though not more then one for some stupid reason, however this may have been a blessing in disguise, she didn’t really like her co-workers all that much anyway.

She gets back on her feet to continue her trek towards the main security booth within the staff-only portion of the building.

‘Here goes nothing.’

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Roxanne had just finished up redressing Gregorys surface level wounds, he looked much better then the night before thanks to being allowed to rest. Though Freddy still couldn’t help but feel like he holds most if not all of the blame for what happened to him, after all he told him how to get a cart going. The child noticed his silent anguish.

“Are you okay Freddy? You seem to be a bit down.” He perks up to quickly erase all traces of being upset.

“I’m alright superstar, just a little worried about you is all.”

“That is a given, but you look like you’re about to cry, if that is even possible for a robot.” Roxys ears droop a little from that comment.

“I…I can’t help but feel at least a little responsible for your injuries. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have gotten hurt on those carts.” Gregory is caught off guard by what is essentially an admission of guilt to something he really had no control over.

“Stop that. You aren't to blame, and never will be.” He firmly retorted. Freddy is about to protest otherwise. “No, I don’t want to hear it. It was me, and me alone.” Roxanne places her hand on the bears shoulder to reassure him, but to little effect.

“It’ll be alright Freddy; you did what you could with what little resources you had.” She said to him, though it seemed to go in one ear and out the other.

“I’m sorry, I am not in a good state of mind at the moment.”

“Maybe you should clear your head. A proper rest to give yourself some room to think more clearly. I can continue to keep watch over Greg, I’ll guard him as if he was one of my own.” He mulls over her words for a moment before coming to a conclusion.

“I suppose you’re onto something. I’ll be in my room if you need me. Be safe you two." He exits the room quietly. Gregory felt bad for Freddy, this is the first time he has seen the bear be so upset.

“Do you think he’ll be alright? He looked like he beat himself up pretty bad.”

“He’ll pull through, that I can guarantee. When, however, is a different story altogether.” She sits down beside him. “Moving on from that, are you hungry? There should be fresh staff bots on call this time.” He nods eagerly.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The door the security office opens, its sole occupant closing the door behind her as she enters. She swipes her ID on the nearby scanner, clocking her in for the night. Being a day guard originally, she was already familiar with the job and what it required, therefore, there were no specific instructions from management on how to perform her duties.

‘I guess they trust me enough to improvise the night. Or at the very least not sleep on the job.

She dropped her backpack under a desk as she sat on a metal chair, then downs at least a quarter of her coffee. Her eyes idly glaze over the many , many video feeds that practically took over an entire wall, almost nothing of interest was occurring. At least until she saw movement in one of the feeds. It was Freddy walking across the hall then disappearing in the direction of where his room would be. With that she got an idea on how to start her night.

‘I think checking on them would be a good way to start off my first night. I wonder how they behave when there are no children to entertain.’

That would be something to see, the animatronics behaving totally different from how they would during the day. She was about to proceed with her plan but was interrupted by her phone ringing. Frustration kicks in as she racks her mind over who would be calling her at this hour.

“Hello?”

“Is this the night guard for the PizzaPlex?”

“...Who's asking?” She holds her breath waiting for the answer.

“Someone from the tech team. Listen, can you please do me a favor?” She exhales aggressively, losing all hints of fear.

“Ugh, already being cryptic–What do you want, guy?”

“Sorry for coming out of nowhere, but can you please keep a close eye on Freddy, Montgomery, and Chica? They recently have been experiencing heavy malfunctions one way or another, and I was worried if it may get worse with no human supervision around to keep them from causing undue destruction upon the building or themselves.”

“You’re only telling me this now? Where were you earlier then?”

“You were sent home before I could get to you.”

“You know what? Fine, whatever.” She is about to hang up, but realizes he omitted info on what to do with the remaining animatronic. “What about Roxanne?”

“Oh, she is fine programming wise. She was a bit roughed up, but nothing too serious. She was fixed without issue pretty much immediately this morning.”

“Alright then, I’ll do it. But mark my words, if you contact me with more last-minute instructions again, I’ll personally make sure you end up scrubbing the toilets for a week.” She didn’t wait for his response, hanging up right as she finished her threat. She sighs heavily as she leans back on her chair.

‘Time to play babysitter I guess.’

She exits the security booth, intent on checking in with every animatronic.

Chapter Text

The guard stands at the end of Rockstar Row, all is quiet and still, save for the few staff bots making their rounds up and down the hallway. She spied Chicas room first. Looking through the glass, said chicken is currently plucking at random notes on her guitar, accompanied by a thousand-yard stare. It didn’t look like she would be changing activities anytime soon. She walks up to the window to get a better view of the room and its occupant; both are relatively clean. So far it was the complete opposite of what she was expecting, all the horror stories the tech team spread around about her seemed unfounded, then again, the night is still young.

The guard backs off, moving to the door between them. For a while she just stands there, taking the time to consider just moving on to the next animatronic. It is still up in the air whether or not she wants to actually talk to the robots, she could technically call it here and say out loud to herself that she checked on them. But then she remembers that her shift only just got started, and she would need to pass the time somehow someway.

So she knocks.

The muffled notes come to a dead stop, afterwards shuffling could be heard before heavy metallic footsteps rush towards the door. The guard didn’t have time to regret her decision before the door slid open. To say Chica didn’t expect the guard to be there is an understatement, she even looked a whole head above her thinking it was one of her friends. The initial confusion was amusing to see.

“Down here.” The robot listens to her, finally seeing the culprit. She scans her to see if she is an intruder, which gives a negative result.

“I didn’t know we were being given a night guard. What gives?” Not that she didn’t like the human staff, she just doesn’t like being out of the loop of things.

“Quite simple really, with all that happened last night, you four gave the company quite the scare. So here I am. The ‘new’ night guard.”

“Oh…Was it really that bad? I can’t remember anything.”

“Well…to put it as nicely as possible, all of you were either physically damaged, or a massive glitch-fest, or both. Montgomery in particular had it bad, it was a miracle that he was able to be salvaged at all.” The animatronic remembers how broken he was that morning.

“Thank goodness for that too. I thought for sure he would have ended up in the scrapyard when I saw how beat up he was.” Chica leans onto the door frame, a bit more relaxed. “Did they find out why we were so out of it?” The guard shrugs her shoulders.

“Eeehh, sort of. From what I’ve heard there was a malicious type of virus lurking within all your systems. For some reason you and Monty got the brunt of it while Roxanne and Freddy were spared. Took a lot of time to completely scrub it and install countermeasures. As for who or what did it…that is still a mystery.” Chica started to get tense again, straightening her posture once more. 

“What if it happens again? I don’t want to become a mindless drone again!” Her frightened tone caught the guard by surprise.

“Hey now, don’t freak out on me. I’m more then confident that the tech team has ensured that it won’t.”

“It better not! It almost cost me my friendship with Roxy!” The hen still felt bad about that.

“Almost being the keyword there.” The guard looked her up and down trying to find any physical damage to her being. Upon coming up empty, she straightened her cap and prepared to leave the robot to her own devices. “Anyways, I’ve come to make sure you are working properly, and it seems that you are. You may continue to do what you were doing.” With that, the guard left the chicken, who went back to her couch to brood over last nights events.

‘That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.’

The next room sent a chill down her spine. She can hear all sorts of destruction taking place within the chamber. The lights within were out, preventing any kind of visual on the occupant.

‘Montgomery Gator. If a wrecking ball grew a face.’

She really had zero plans to interact with him, especially since he seems to be trashing his room mercilessly. Unlike him, she preferred to have all her limbs attached. Besides, his rabid shouts are proof enough that he is there, maybe not in the head, but there.

‘I’ll just jot him down as operational and leave it at that.’

She is about to walk off when she hears something impact the durable glass. It was tough to see, but she could barely make out the gators silhouette. She could feel his gaze piercing into her own, causing a feeling of dread to take hold. As fast as it came, it then disappeared, with his outline retreating back into the darkness to resume his blind path of gleeful destruction.

The guard speed walks down the hall, consciously skipping Roxannes room in favor of getting to Freddys room; he was the last of the ‘on watch’ animatronics to check. She noticed that his curtains were drawn, unlike the two previous bandmates. She was prepared to repeat the same process as she did with Chica, only to be thrown off when he opened the door just before her fist made contact with it. For a few moments both stood completely frozen, neither knowing how to continue from this awkward situation that they found themselves in. Freddy regained his composure first.

“Officer Vanessa? I didn’t expect to see you here after hours.” His voice is strained, like he is trying to sound normal.

“Join the club, I wasn’t expecting to be thrown in here either. Everything went to hell all at once when you malfunctioned. The amount of crying kids and screaming parents security personnel had to escort out of the showroom was colossal.” She rubs her temples when the memory comes back to haunt her.

‘So much back and forth with those entitled idiots.’

“I’m sorry. I never anticipated anything bad to happen at that moment. I had no time to react.”

“No, no. I blame the tech team, I already shouted enough swear words at them to make their daddies blush. I’m fresh out of anger today.” She lets out a big yawn. “Besides, I’m too tired to care anymore, right now my focus is on trying to keep y’all from falling apart again or giving the building more love taps.” The bear finally takes notice of the dark circles on her eyes.

“Did you not get proper rest Vanessa? Maybe you should take a nap.” She brushes off his worry.

“I appreciate the concern, but I have a job to do, this isn’t my first all nighter and it certainly won’t be the last. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to finish up my round.” Once she finished her observation of his physical condition, she then attempts to leave Freddy behind, only for him to follow her out. She softly groans in restrained frustration. “I don’t know what your nightly routine is, but I’m sure attaching yourself to me isn’t part of the plan, now would you kindly scamper back to your room so I can finish up here?” Freddys drooped at her annoyed tone.

“I thought that maybe I could help you with your stay here, it isn’t often we get visitors after hours.”

“Can we not do this now? I need you to stay in your room, at least until you three get the green light in the near future.”

“But I insist. It can be really boring here without anyone to entertain.” Vanessa raises a brow.

“Don’t you have your friends to hang out with? Not to mention the attractions you can– you know what scratch that.” He just watches expectantly, waiting with bated breath for her answer. “Sorry Freddy, but I’m not ready to have anyone around me for an extended period of time.” He visibly sags from this answer. “Maybe tomorrow when I’m actually prepared for the night.”

“Oh. Are you sure?” Vanessa nods confidently. “Alright then. Remember that I’m here…if you need me.” ‘Please don’t kick out Gregory.’

“I’ll keep that in mind.” With that they depart, with one being reluctant and the other indifferent.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was a painstakingly long process of reciting the entire menu of each and every mini restaurant to the little kid, but to Roxy it was well worth it. Despite the huge array of options to choose from, Gregory wanted to go small this time, opting to go with only a plate of nachos and some water. With the order being sent through his new FazWatch, all that was left for them to do was wait. 

The kid was still feeling lethargic and sore, yet he was unable to sleep it off, his body simply wouldn’t allow it right now. This didn’t go unnoticed by Roxanne, who paced the room waiting for a knock on the door.

“It should have been here by now. What is taking so long?” She muttered out loud to herself.

“Cut it some slack, the elevators here are the slowest thing in the world. I would know.” Gregory didn’t feel quite as upset as she is.

“Okay so maybe that is true, but I want you to be taken care of now.” Her tail swished to and fro in irritation.

“I’ve been through a day without even a nibble before, I’m sure that I could go a few minutes longer.” She freezes in pace then snaps her view to him, eyes wide.

“That…isn’t a good thing! You should have never been put through that kind of trauma!” She zips to him then crouches down placing both hands on his cheeks. “You are only a child, you shouldn’t be relying on yourself for something as simple as food, that is…wrong. So, so, wrong.” She lowers her gaze towards the floor to regain her composure, the silence between them remaining unbroken for a good amount of time.

“But I have you and Freddy now.” He said timidly. She could feel something welling up in her chest.

“...Yeah. You do.”

The moment is cut short when the sound of someone banging on her door startles them.

“That must be the staff bot.” Gregory said silently.

“Doesn’t that stupid thing know how to use a door politely?” Roxanne said to no one in particular.

She stomps to the door, ready to follow Chicas example and make a new scrap pile if it fancies her, of course after safely collecting whatever edibles from its hands. Once she opens it she gets ready to reprimand the machine for being inconsiderate, but stops. There was a person instead with the bot standing behind her, not just any person, it was one of the security guards, and to make matters worse, she is looking just past her, making direct eye contact with the child under her care. He is just as shocked as the wolf.

‘No…no.’

Roxanne wasn’t ready for this type of scenario, not even in the slightest, she racks her head trying to come up with something to say but draws a blank. Meanwhile Vanessa rubs her eyes to make sure she isn’t seeing things; nothing changed.

“Not even an hour in and I have to deal with my first intruder. I'm so good at this job.” She mumbled to herself. The guard looks up at the wolf sternly with her arms crossed. “I had enough of dealing with kids during the day, never mind the night.” She attempts to move past her and take the kid from where he sits, only to be stopped when the wolf tightly grips her arm. “Let me go!”

“Leave him alone.” She growled out.

“Why? He shouldn’t be here!” Vanessa turns back to the boy. “What do you think you're doing here kid? Didn’t you hear the announcements?” Unlike Roxanne, the boy is quick to retaliate.

“It’s not my fault this place is stupidly big for no reason! I got hopelessly lost and couldn’t make it to the exit in time.” He snarks to her.

“He talks back too– You know what just wait here, I’ll call up the police so they can escort you back to your parents.” The guard is suddenly pulled inside the room with the door closing behind her. The robot proceeds to body block her only exit. 

“I won’t let you do that.” Roxanne lowly said. Vanessa sputters trying to form a coherent sentence.

“What the hell does that mean!? He needs to go home; it is where he belongs!” The wolf gets in her face then makes a bold declaration.

“...He is home.” She stuns the guard, even herself for a moment. 

“W-What is with you and this kid? He isn’t your responsibility!”

“Who are you to decide for me, hm? I may not be human, but if I was, I would just be another face in the crowd.”

“I’m not saying that you aren’t– how long has he been here that you formed such a strong attachment!? What else do you guys hide from us!?” Roxanne pauses, reluctant to tell her more.

“It isn’t that he was here for a long time, he only arrived last night actually. I…,” She hesitates to continue, she could only hope that her friends weren’t around to hear, “...hurt him really badly by accident. How doesn’t matter, I just did.” Vanessa suddenly notices the fresh looking bandages.

“And his parents?” The boy pipes up.

“I don’t have any.” The adult takes off her cap and rubs back her hair.

“Dammit.” Now she felt conflicted. Roxys eyes pleaded to her.

“Please.” The guard heavily sighed out her frustration.

“Fine…fine.” ‘It’ll most likely be less troublesome this way.’ “Do the others know about him?”

“Only Freddy.” Vanessa recalls her conversation with him.

“That explains a lot actually.” Roxy silently cheers, she feels at ease enough to retrieve the package from the staff bot that was still awkwardly waiting outside.

“Tip.” It simply said. She tosses a plushie to its face. “Thank you.” It rolls off.

Chapter Text

Vanessa couldn't think of a more awkward scenario to find herself in when it came to this job. Forget all the things she has learned during the day; she really couldn't think of a way to progress further into the night. Her made up schedule had pretty much been doused in gasoline and set on fire because of one kid being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Even with her saying that she'll keep quiet about the kid, there was still a sense of unease from both the wolf and the child she held. Though Roxy seemed to be more relaxed about it then he was by a large margin. Gregory would side eye her constantly whilst he chowed down on his meal, trying to catch her doing anything he would consider a betrayal of trust.

Vanessa tried to leave the room a few times, but each and every attempt brought forth an almost feral growl from Roxanne. It was obvious that she wasn't trusted, but there was nothing she could really do about it for now. So there on the couch she sat, racking her mind on what the future could bring with the boy in the mix. The most immediate problem she could see, is that only Freddy and Roxanne knew of him. Should the others be notified all at once? Not at all? One at a time? Preferably anything that isn't them discovering him by accident.

"So how do you plan on telling others? You can't exactly keep him a secret forever." The boy went rigid at this, he knew it was true, but now he couldn't run away or protect himself if something went wrong. Roxanne puts him on her lap.

"I know…I just don't know how to go about it."

"If it is worth any consolation, the tech team figured out why they were problematic and fixed it." She looks at Gregory specifically. "They should be safe to interact with this time." He shakes his head immediately.

"I don't want to." He tightens his grip on Roxanne, who returns the favor.

"You don't have to right this moment, but it is something that needs to happen at some point if you plan on sticking around for the long term." His anxiety skyrocketed.

"But what if you're wrong?" She rolled her eyes at his paranoia.

"You have Roxanne and Freddy on your side, if something bad does happen they would be more then capable of keeping you safe."

'It'll also give me an excuse to write a new list of swears to scream at the tech team.'

Roxanne shudders at the thought of her friends still being violent messes, at least Freddy wasn't one of them. Speaking of which.

"Is Freddy back to a stable condition? Or is he still on AA batteries?" Vanessa snorts at the sudden joke.

"I don't really know. Why don't you ask him yourself? He is pretty open from what I know." Gregory took this as a que to fiddle with his Fazwatch.

"I called him over."

"Wait, what? When?" Her train of thought is violently derailed by the sound of rapid thundering footsteps closing in on their location. She could feel the force that each thud brought with it, serving to put her on edge. As the creature neared the door, she found herself instinctively putting her arms up to her face as means to defend herself. Once the door opens, she is relieved to see that it is only Freddy. The breath she was holding bursts out, bringing everyones attention to her as she fights to regulate her breathing.

"Never…do that…again." Vanessa breathlessly forced out. Freddy sheepishly fidgets at the situation he found himself in, his gaze rapidly shifting between the child and adult before finally settling on the latter.

"Um…I can explain?" The guard holds up her hand to stop him, and by extension everyone else, from speaking.

"I already made my decision, and I don't want to get into that again." He looks towards his friends for an answer, the only response being a subtle thumbs up from Roxy. The building pressure in his chest waned tremendously.

"I didn't mean to startle you or anything Officer Vanessa. I was merely responding to a summon from my friend here."

"Well a little warning would have been nice." She moves her gaze to the child. "How did you do that anyway?" He shyly raises his wrist to show her his Fazwatch. "I didn't know those things could do that." Freddy butts in to clarify.

"They normally don't unless we ourselves enable such a feature. When it first came out it was enabled by default. Never again." A chill runs down both animatronics spines. Vanessa on the other hand is trying her best to keep herself from laughing at the mental image presented to her.

"I-I'm sure it is best that it stays that way." Gregory is not amused.

"Don't you have a job to do?" She instantly regains her composure then peers down at the kid, then up at the wolf, who narrows her eyes.

"...Yes, if you would simply allow me to. I can't do much of anything with your companion breathing down my neck." She refused to outright admit to becoming afraid of a robot made for children.

"My offer from earlier still stands if you want to act on it." Freddy helpfully reminds her.

"Alright, you guys win. I'll keep the bear around if it means I can finally leave this room." Roxanne allows Vanessa to leave the couch without giving the stink eye. "All I ask is that you walk." She said to him as she passed him by.

"I promise to, as long as it is unnecessary to run."

"I'll take it." Her voice is already a bit distant. He is about to follow but is stopped by Roxy.

"You think you have the energy to stick around this time?" She asked him.

"I feel much better then before, and I haven't been receiving any power warnings for the day. So I think I don't have anything to worry about."

"Please keep an eye out."

"You can count on it." He glances back and notices that the guard is already quite the distance from him. "Be safe." He sprints to catch up with her. They could faintly hear her shout.

"You already broke your promise!" Nothing after that was decipherable. Gregory giggles at her expense.

"I think she'll be fine." Roxanne stated with an amused smile.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I promised that I wouldn't if it wasn't required. I had to catch up somehow, didn't I?"

"But I didn't think you would need to go to the full extent of your speed! You have a much longer stride length then I do!" She isn't exactly enthusiastic at the prospect of this happening again any time soon.

"I'm sorry." His ears lowered at her tone. She could feel a headache forming, already wishing she just stayed put in her office when the night started.

"Not enough coffee in the world for this." She mumbled. They both headed towards the staff only areas, he assumed they were going to the security booth. Not liking the silence between them, he initiated idle conversation.

"So have you met Chica and Montgomery yet?" Vanessa thinks back of the night so far, trying to recall if she did.

"I've met Chica, she is pretty alright I guess, if a bit hyper for my tastes. I could see why children like her so much. Montgomery on the other hand…" She trailed off, not knowing how to put it nicely. "I avoided him. He is a bit too intimidating for me to approach."

"How come? He is such a nice fellow once you get to know him."

"If destroying his room is him at his best, then I'll hate to see his worst." Freddy winced, he thought he would have grown out of that by now.

"Alright I don't have an excuse for him there, but he isn't that bad, I can promise you that."

"Just like how you promised not to run? I'll believe it when I see it." He internally sighed.

A few minutes of awkward silence later, they finally reach the security booth. She wasted no time getting her thermos in order to drink her desired coffee. Freddy meanwhile looks at the wall of security camera feeds, taking in the sheer amount of ground this lone guard has to cover. The sight reinforces his decision to stick by her, this is simply too much for one person to cover.

"Ridiculous, isn't it? They really are so cheap as to only transfer one person to watch over this entire place." She joined him in observing the camera feeds.

"Yeah…A lot changed because of one bad night." But at the same time it was also the best one he ever had. "Thank you."

"Hmm?" She raised her brow in confusion.

"For letting Gregory stay."

"Oh, that. You're welcome I guess." A thousand-yard stare took over her features, accompanied by a tear. She rapidly blinks, forcing herself out of that state. "Not much else to the job, just keep an eye out for intruders, make sure nothing goes missing or gets damaged." She sighs, looking up at Freddy then back at the cameras. "You know what, I'm glad you're here. This would have been insanity inducing alone." The guard takes her seat and leans back on it.

"Why did you let him stay?" He wanted to know since they left Roxannes room. She is hesitant to respond.

"...I…can understand his situation." She left it at that.

"Oh…" He draws a blank, not knowing how to go off such a short explanation. The uncomfortable silence reigns over them once more, neither taking their eyes off the many feeds that shone brightly into their eyes. He suddenly gets an idea to lighten up the mood.

"Do you like stories?" She looks at him puzzlingly.

"Um, sure?" He grins, trying to repress giggles at what he is about to tell.

"Let me tell you about the time Roxy and Monty decided to play mini golf."

Chapter Text

Gregory finished his small meal in relative peace since Vanessa left the room, though what she said still lingered in the back of his mind. He was able to be around Roxanne because of ‘special’ circumstances, he had to put his trust in her, otherwise he would not have been able to make the night. The others didn’t have such a luxury. He doesn’t know what they stand for, what they’re like outside of business hours without any outside influences. For all he knows they behave like that on the regular.

‘...Okay they probably don’t hurt kids in their spare time. But that still doesn’t make it any better!’

Regardless, he didn’t look forward to the inevitable, resulting in his body becoming more and more tense. Roxanne didn’t like how stressed out he so clearly became, so she decided to pick him up and start pacing back and forth in a calming manner. Any protests quickly died in his throat once he processed the relaxing movements. He ended up slowly resting his head on her shoulder, sighing contently.

“I hate it when you’re so…scared. It almost hurts.” Roxanne sadly whispered to him.

“I don’t try to be. I’m sorry.” He softly replied.

“No, no. Don’t talk down on yourself. You have nothing to apologize for.” She subconsciously begins to nuzzle him. Gregory could feel a bit of drowsiness creeping in despite being awake for a short time.

“But it was my fault–”

“Zip it. No, it was not.” Roxanne refused to let him dwell on that anymore. “Focus on the now.” He tried his best to follow her advice.

“Okay, okay…” He deeply breaths in and out, pushing down any demoralizing thoughts to the incinerator. “What are your other friends like?” Roxanne is caught off guard by his inquiry; she thought this wouldn’t have come up until much later.

“Oh–well–um…who do you want to start with?” She places herself on her couch, allowing Gregory to sit comfortably on her lap.

“The one that loves to eat for some reason.”

“Heh. Well, she is easily the most approachable of all of us, has that energy to keep up with most children and not scare them away in the process. She even has the largest adult audience too strangely enough–”

“Wait, what? That is kind of weird.”

“Maybe to you, but her little exercise program or whatever is very popular among them, she even dabbles in a bit of yoga.” She remembers the original intention of that project, to get children to move around more and as a result get hungry. It flopped on that front, but in the process gained the attention of the parents that visited. It was best summed up as a successful failure.

“I would have never thought her hobby would be exercising of all things. It sounds unbelievable.”

“Trust me, it is very real.” Gregory starts to giggle at the thought of the robot chicken doing a bunch of random routines with a crowd of parents following her lead. “I know it sounds a bit silly, but she ended up loving their attention, so I think it worked out well in the end.”

“I’m not saying that it is bad, it’s just…unexpected. And other kids want nothing to do with it?”

“Most of them don’t. Not that she minds that much, if at all. More attention for me I say.” Gregory raises his brow with a small smirk.

‘Careful, your ego is showing.’

“What?” He quickly averts his gaze to a random area away from her.

“Nothing.” She narrows her eyes suspiciously, but quickly decides to drop it with a shrug.

Gregory mulls over the info, she obviously doesn’t have the literal build to be aggressive, unlike one of her counterparts. By Roxys description, she should be the one of the nicer ones of the group with only Freddy overtaking her. So in theory Chica would be the safest option to meet first, provided that they were no longer glitchy messes as Vanessa said.

“Is the other one alright too?” It was bit of a longshot, as Monty would take every opportunity to bulldoze through any fragile doors just to get him. Not even Chica would do that when he was at the cusp of capture by her.

“It depends on one simple factor, whether or not you like mini golf. If you do, you’ll have no problem getting him to like you eventually. Just don’t expect him to be on board with you until you answer that inevitable question.”

“I'll just take a wild guess that he excels at the Gator Golf area??” Roxanne suddenly clenches her teeth, just barely resisting the temptation to grind them to dust.

“Yyyyeeess, his beloved golf course . If you just simply say you enjoy mini golf, you will instantly earn his respect. Quite simple minded but whatever. ” Gregory is a bit put off by her aggressive tone. He would go as far as to say he is a bit scared.

“Hey Roxy, are you okay?” He is subtly raising his hand as a means to block any potential swipes; however ineffective it may end up being. His slightly frightened expression combined with a matching tone snaps her out of her funk. The wolf brings him in a tight hug and pets his head.

“I’m sorry. We are just at odds when it comes to playing games against each other, but outside of that we get along just fine. Even if it may not seem like it right now.” She suddenly looks around the room, particularly at both entrances. She then leans close to his ear then whispers. “Just don’t mention the raceway to him.” She smirked right after.

“I’ll make sure not to. Wouldn’t want to drive a rift in between us right away.” She laughs at his choice of words, which leaves him a bit confused. Once she calms down enough, the million dollar question is finally brought up.

“Which one would you like to meet first?”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A lone figure watches the room from afar like a hawk, waiting for something to happen. She twiddles with the knife in her hand, itching for something to damage with it. She is almost tempted to just barge in and take him to her little hidey hole, but the risk was simply far too great without the influence of her incompetent ‘partner’.

‘So much for an easy kill. Now I have to actively contend with not just a wolf who is having a bit too much fun playing babysitter, but potentially the rest of the so-called family as well.’

That little accident should have been the end of her hunt, but no. It of course had to awaken maternal instincts that had no reason to exist on the animatronic. Truthfully, she couldn’t really blame anyone but herself, her tendency to play with her food never really backfired until yesterday, and even then how it happened was so far out of left field.

Her inner thoughts are suddenly interrupted when the door finally opens, she was barely able to escape line of sight as it opened. Out walks a lone wolf. Where she is going? Doesn’t matter, now was her chance! The killer swiftly worms her way to the room once the robot is far enough, making every effort to remain quiet.

‘My patience will finally be rewarded! Tonight will be a good night!’

She slowly opens the door, the not so quiet whirring making her cringe a bit. Upon passing through, the first thing she notices is the lack of a child to drag off, with the only evidence of his presence being the leftover food. A bit bothersome, but no reason to be alarmed…yet. She carefully looks around the room, becoming increasingly angry with every second that passes by.

It started off rather tame, looking under tables, behind the couch, etcetera; only to be met with failure. The frustration bubbling up makes the temptation of destroying the room all the more appealing.

Silent chuckles escape her, then it evolves into full blown cackling.

‘Of course he isn’t here! Why would he?!...Am I already losing my touch? How could I be failing so hard at catching a cripple?! Are they messing with my head?!’

She breathes in deeply in a vain attempt to clear her mind, being careful of the knife still within her vice grip. She exits the room; the wolf and boy are nowhere in sight. The killer doesn't know how the child just upped and disappeared. Does the robot know something she doesn’t? Is there some secret compartment that he ended up in? Or is she just plain stupid?

‘My hatred for this place and everything in it couldn’t be any higher.’

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

A tired Vanessa has gone numb from her constant watch over the cameras. She refused any and all signals from her body to get some desperately needed sleep, no matter how much she wanted to listen.

“Nothing in my database indicates that this is healthy behavior. I implore that you take the time to rest up to regain at least some of your strength. The PizzaPlex will still be here when you wake up.”

“I’ll be fine, I just need to keep the blood flowing and I’ll make it to sunrise.” She stubbornly responded.

Not even Freddy has managed to convince her to take even a little cat nap, if anything he got the opposite result. With her coffee having ran out some time ago, she has opted to sit as little as possible, doing small stretches every so often to keep herself going, however small of an effect it may bring.

It was during one of these sessions that she noticed some of the feeds suddenly became pixelated messes and cut out completely, being replaced with a ‘signal lost’ screen.

‘What in the name of–’

She presses a few buttons to reboot the respective cameras, only to be met with the same image. She dropped herself on the chair in frustration, her hands covering her face.

“How does this place keep running with all these malfunctions?” She mumbled to no one in particular. A wave of exhaustion hits her immediately after. She laments the fact that it has now been over a day since she last slept, and the dead silence of the place didn’t help matters at all.

“Are you sure you want to keep going?” Her companion suddenly spoke.

“I have to. On the off chance something does happen, I need to be there to witness it and put a lid on it if possible. You guys can’t do my job for me.” A big yawn escapes from her as his ears droop a little bit.

“I understand, just trying to help.”

“You’re all good. Next night shouldn’t be anywhere near as bad as now. I’ll actually be ready for it.” The bear regained his joyful mood.

“I look forward to your continued visits.” A small smile forms on her face, it felt nice to be wanted for once.

Chapter Text

Gregory didn’t think he would have another encounter with either of the two robots so soon, never mind initiating the interaction, but pff here they are. Truthfully a very small part of him is giddy with the anticipation of finally letting go of the fear that still remained, however that was drowned out by the prospect of something going wrong. Not for the lack of trying to remain positive, but sometimes he sort of wandered to a more morbid state of mind.

He felt Roxanne suddenly come to a stop, swiftly putting together that they must have arrived at their destination. The muffled sound of lone electric guitar strings could be heard from the other side, every now and again pausing then resuming. He swallows the lump in his throat, waiting for the telltale sound of Roxy greeting her friend, only for nothing to happen. She softly speaks so only he can hear.

“Is there anything else you want to say before we go in?”

“...Hope she doesn’t get too jumpy.” He simply said. She nods in agreement.

Roxy wordlessly knocks on the door, with the expected result of the strings coming to a stop.

“I’m fine Vanessa, you can continue your round.” Chica called from behind the barrier, then resumed her small scale playing.

“I guess you don’t want to speak then.” The wolf feigns walking away just before the sound of rapid stomps make their way to the door in record time. It wasn’t so amusing for Gregory who strengthened his grip on Roxy. The door almost flew off its hinges when Chica burst through, making the boy hidden in Roxannes fur already regretting his decision to rip off the bandaid.

“I didn’t expect you to visit! Please excuse the mess, if I'd known you were coming by I would have tidied up a bit!” The chicken exclaimed before ushering her friend inside. Gregory couldn’t help but be a bit disoriented from the chickens pushy behavior, doing his best holding back any sounds that could’ve given away his position.

“Sorry, I guess?.” Roxanne stuttered out as she stumbled into the room, pushing down any yelps from the hidden childs grip.

“What brings you here? I thought you would put yourself on lockdown after whatever happened last night.” Chica practically throws herself onto her couch and pats the seat next to her, to which her friend awkwardly sits.

“Why would I do that again?” The chicken tilts her head in confusion.

“Well there is a massive hole in your raceway along with a totaled cart. You went on tantrums for far less before.”

“...I forgot about my raceway. However, what happened was out of my hands.”

‘Was it really?’

“Oh? So you lost control and crashed?! You’re not suffering any long term damage, right?” The wolf sits up straighter.

“Hey, no need to go there. I never crash, especially on my own track.” Chica wilts at her offended tone.

“Then how did it get so broken? Those carts can’t operate by themselves.” Roxannes eyes widened slightly.

“Well…that’s the thing. Malfunctions weren't the only prob–concern we had to deal with. There was also a…lost kid trapped inside the PizzaPlex.” She stayed silent for a few moments to let the info sink in, whilst her friend struggled to think of an appropriate response.

“Who–what– why was there a child locked in?! Did they safely make it home?!” She thumps herself on the head before Roxy could respond. “What am I saying? Of course they did! No lawsuits were filed in the last forty eight hours.” The jumpy robot quickly rationalized to herself.

“I hate to burst your bubble, but there was no legal action because there was nobody on the outside who cared about him. In fact, from what I’ve learned and put together, he didn’t even have a home at all.” The dam Gregory was holding back began to crack, the quiet sniffles being just loud enough for Roxanne to hear.

‘I’m sorry Greg, I don’t want to bring up bad memories. But she needs to understand.’ She continued. “So, with Freddys approval, I…kept him.” The chicken is stunned.

“...Is the child okay? Where is he?”

“If I tell you, you have to promise not to rush him. He isn’t in the condition for your kind of…affection.” Chica felt a bit offended at that notion, complete with putting her hands onto her hips.

“What is that supposed to mean? I am perfectly capable of interacting with literally any kind of child.” The wolf winced.

“He is not just another child. He was forced to fend for himself for however long it has been…and now he can’t. I found him at the crash site, not long after it happened.” She didn’t elaborate any further. Thankfully Chica put two and two together.

“Oh…I see.” For the first time since she was created, she couldn’t think of something to come back with. Roxanne decided now would be the moment to ease the sniffling child out of his hiding place.

“You can come out now.” She whispered to him. The boy allowed himself to slowly slip out of her fur and onto the seat. Chicas jaw dropped at the sight of him, he must have been really important to Roxanne if she allowed him to so much as touch her fur. However that surprise is overshadowed by the extensive bandaging all over him. His pained and uneasy expression hurt her mood a bit, but she persisted to inch closer to him. She is barely able to resist the urge to glomp him.

“Hey there. What is your name?” She starts to speak much more calmly, he fidgets under her soft gaze. It is clear how uncomfortable he is with her nearby, and it upsets her a bit, but nothing she hasn’t dealt with before. “That’s okay, I’ll start. My name is Chica.”

“I know.” He mumbled. Scooting as close as he can to Roxanne.

‘Already I can tell he is a tough one to crack.’

“Do you want to tell me yours?” He hesitates for a short period.

“I-I'm Gregory.”

“That’s a nice name. Um, how was your time here so far?”

“It didn’t start off so great, what with your malfunctions and my little stunt at the racetrack. But today is much better in comparison.”

“I can’t imagine how it must have been, but at least you seem to be doing good now.” She eyes the bandages once more then hisses to herself. “At least as well as you can be I mean.”

‘Nice going bird, way to forget his condition’

“You don’t have to be so modest; I’ve been told WAY worse before.” Neither animatronic could believe what he just said.

“W-What?”

“Yeah, I’ve been called every nasty name ever invented in the English language before. I know I look like garbage, you don’t have to sugarcoat it.” A snarl forms on the wolfs face, but keeps silent to let the interaction continue.

‘It isn’t about you right now Roxanne. Let them talk.’

“That’s awful! Who would do that to a child!” He looks off to the side with a forlorn expression.

“You’d be surprised, I mean, not all people were that bad. But it always ended with me being sent to the same orphanage if I got too trusting. I hated it there.” Chica felt something she never felt before. She couldn’t think of it as anything else but…anger.

“That is so…so…unbelievably cruel! I’ve heard a lot of things from kids and adults here, be it to my face or otherwise. But I’ve never had the displeasure of meeting a child so…hurt.” Chica is doing her utmost to keep a lid on her negative feelings. “Please forget all of that, you will never be treated with such disrespect as long as you’re here with us. That is a promise. And if some adult treats you badly, so help me–” She takes deep breaths to lower her temperature. “Can you ask you a more personal question? How old are you exactly?” The boy is confused by her seemingly random question.

“I’m nine, why?” The outrage from both robots once again skyrockets, though they don’t show it.

“You act so mature for your age, most of your peers would be jumping up and down in excitement. Yet I can see that even if you could, you wouldn’t.”

“You’re right. I wouldn’t.” She puts her hands on his shoulders.

“So now I have to ask, will you ever allow yourself to be a kid? To have a childhood worth remembering?”

“I-I want to, I really do, but right now I can’t. Not until I know the crazy lady is gone for good.” She leans back like she has been threatened.

“Crazy lady? What does that mean?”

“W-When I snuck in here, I apparently attracted the attention of some psychopath, a-and now she wants to kill me. I don’t know what makes me so special compared to other kids, but now I have to constantly look over my shoulder because of my desperation for food and shelter.” Small sobs start to flow out from him. “Why is everything so unfair?”

Anger is quickly replaced with sorrow. Roxanne nuzzles the top of his head, reminding him that he is no longer in this alone. Chica doesn’t know how to respond to that, she has never met a child who was so broken before.

‘What did the world do to you?’

“Well from now on, things will be different, and for the better. That I can guarantee. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” She decides to steer the subject as far as she can from anything negative. “Now tell me, is there anything you need, right now ?”

“Um, nothing comes to mind. I can let you know if something does.” Roxanne decides to butt in.

“Actually Chica, could you find an outfit he could use? I don’t think this will last much longer.” Gregory looks down towards his clothing, then realizes she is right. The amount of damage they had sustained was painfully obvious, and that is before factoring in all the stains, dirt, and dried blood that has become a part of it. He suddenly felt very embarrassed, shrinking in on himself.

“I know the perfect set for your little pup, I’ll be back in a jiffy.” She skips out of the room to her desired location. The wolf is bewildered by her choice of words.

‘My little pup.’

She hugs Gregory, who then leans further into it. He sighs out his stress and dozes off, the pressure of the chickens presence fading into nothing, never to return. She smiles as she positions him to lay down on the couch, with her sitting besides him once she ensured his comfort.

‘I like the sound of that.’

Chapter Text

Roxanne patiently waits for Chica to find something her little pup could change into. The deteriorating state of his clothing told so much about what he went through and getting rid of it will probably help him move on from at least some of the trauma he had been subjected to. She still had some questions about his past. What exactly did he do to survive? What made him prefer the streets to an orphanage in the first place?

But was it worth bringing up a horrible past? She thought not. It didn’t need to be brought up when the whole point was to help him move away from such trauma to begin with.

She looks upon the resting child, his relaxed breathing telling everything she needed to know about how things were going so far. Even with his inability to reliably move about on his own for now, he still felt safe enough to let himself sleep. It filled her with a warm feeling that was unfamiliar, indescribable. She thinks back to everything that had led to the moment he fell under her care. From Freddy being the first domino to the crash being the last. One thing still stood out to her, which is something she regrets greatly.

‘I said so many hurtful things to him.’

In between both events, she has been in one of her lowest points. The show has been ruined, and literally everyone and their mother were complaining about how they wasted their time and money, many even demanding refunds. It wasn’t her fault, and neither was the rest of her friends, but they still were unfairly lumped in with being called worthless, scrap, junk, and all sorts of demeaning names. The constant jeering of the crowd became too much for her to handle, and she excused herself to her room to vent and ‘cry’. Once night fell, she tried to convince herself that nothing was wrong, she is perfect, she is beautiful, she is the favorite. Her pep talks never really worked.

When the security alarm sounded off the first time, she was already off her rocker with an entire days' worth of pent-up anger and heartache. So off she went, trying to prove to herself that she can be the best at something, hunting down intruders for example. Only to be proven wrong time and time again by the same child she grew attached to. Every time he managed to outrun or outwit her, the fury within just amplified, serving to impair her rational thought.

“I bet you don’t even have friends; nobody will miss you.” And that is just the surface.

She didn’t know how right she was. Honestly, she really didn’t want to know. It was all meant to offend him enough for him to yell back at her and thus reveal his location or make him lose concentration and make a mistake somewhere. But not only was he used to such verbal abuse already, she ended up being right in the end. To think that she needed a near fatal accident to literally knock some sense into her.

“I’m so sorry little pup. I’m so sorry Gregory.” She muttered to herself.

“Why? Are you okay?” His weary voice startles her out of her self-loathing.

“I-I thought you were napping.” She stammered out.

“It’s hard to do that when I could hear you trying not to cry, so I wanted to see if I could help.” She didn’t say anything to the boy, instead looking off to the side to avoid his gaze.

‘I don’t deserve you, no matter what Freddy says. You deserve better.’

“Did I do something to make you mad?” There is an underlying fear in his voice.

“No. Please don’t feel that way. I’m just thinking back to the night we crossed paths. And how I…made things a bit too personal.” He sits up, more alert to what this is leading to.

“What do you mean?” She looks him in the eye, shame prominent on her face.

“All the taunts I screamed out at you, the relentless hunting. I was just so upset at…everything. The customers, the staff, my friends…myself. And I took it all out on a child. There is no possible way to excuse my actions against you.” She starts to picture herself getting scrapped with her friends watching it unfold, unable to stop the process. “Is there something truly wrong with me? The eggheads said I was good to go, but I can’t get rid of the thought that they were wrong somewhere. I normally never lose my self-control.” She is on the verge of another meltdown.

“Don’t freak out on me here! I’m still alive and kicking–well maybe not literally–but it’s the alive part that counts, right?” Roxanne feels marginally better, but still suffers in silence. “I’ll be okay, a few harsh words are nothing new to me. And you know what, if I was given the chance, I’ll do it all over again.” This time he gets his desired result. The wolf visibly relaxes, a smirk forming on her face.

“You certainly are a tough little pup, aren’t you?”

“Yeah…I guess I am.” The guilt she felt began to alleviate. Roxanne wraps an arm around him to bring him to her, to which he leans on her side. For a while they just remain there, with him relishing in her embrace. Gregory could feel himself dozing off again, so he decides to make one last statement before he goes under.

“I forgive you. The insults, the hunting, the crash. All of it.” Despite the increasing softness of his voice, the words still hit her like a truck. Her mouth is agape, opening and closing repeatedly in an attempt to form a coherent sentence. She is about to respond, but stops when she realizes that he has fallen asleep once more.

‘Thank you Gregory.’

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The killer has retreated to a more hidden part of the PizzaPlex, angry and defeated. As of now, there is virtually no chance of her achieving her goal tonight, especially with the animatronic wolf looking to join the league of helicopter parents.

‘Am I losing my touch?...Don’t be ridiculous Vanny, maybe these past two nights were just a fluke. I just need to get my head in the game.

In theory, she could just move on and find another random kid to maim and erase from the census, but that would hit her personal pride. She never admitted defeat to a kid, and she certainly wasn’t going to start now.

She racked her mind looking for ideas on how she would be able to get her hands on him, but none of what she came up with seemed to be worth executing. She didn’t have effective weapons for the robots unless they were secretly flesh and bone, they couldn’t be reliably infected again, if at all, and now she was hopelessly outnumbered. She couldn’t take on one animatronic head to head, never mind three or even four of them.

‘When life gives you lemons, pour juice on the wound.’

Her view wanders through the window, all the bright lights below dance wildly and serve to give her a migraine. She watches all the appropriately painted and dressed staff bots rolling around looking for something to do. If only they could have been more useful then they are now.

Vanny decides to call it a night, without any leverage she was just wasting her energy doing nothing of value. The killer angrily removes her mask for the first time since she started the hunt. She temporarily forgets her hatred to relish in the feeling of fresh air hitting her face once more.

‘That feels so good.’

She backs up to the wall and slides down, she hopes that by giving herself the rest of the night to loosen up, she’ll be rejuvenated enough to come up with something to achieve her goal.

‘I’ll get you runt, maybe not today…maybe not tomorrow. But I’m going to get you.’

She leans her head back against the cold surface and finally drifts off.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chica finally returns to her room bearing gifts, almost bursting through her door in excitement. Roxanne hastily puts a finger to her lips, her golden eyes wordlessly promising a world of hurt if she woke up Gregory. Thankfully Chicas mind travels faster then her mouth when it counts. When she saw that the boy was off into the dreamworld, she internally squealed in delight at the sight of them together. The chicken sets down the clothing she picked out and gently sits herself next to Roxanne.

“They’re from your section of the gift shop.” She quietly said as she pointed to the set of clothes. 

“As they should be.” She replied with a bit of smugness.

“When did he fall asleep?”

“Not long before you came back.” The wolf runs her hand through his hair, being mindful of her claws. Chica droops.

“Aww, that means he won’t see what I got him until later.” 

“Oh don’t be such a drama queen, it’s just a little cat nap. Once he wakes you’ll get your chance to smother him in your usual manner.”

“I don’t smother.” She grumbled to herself whilst crossing her arms, but still managed to crack a smile.

“Keep telling yourself that, one day you’ll admit it to yourself.” Chica looks towards the boy and decides to reveal her second gift meant for him. She opens her own chest cavity and pulls out a Roxy plush. The real one is a bit surprised that she went the extra mile.

“Look! Twins!” She eagerly hands over the plush to the wolf, who graciously accepts.

“...I’m sure he’ll enjoy it. Thank you Chica, what would I do without you.”

“Probably arguing with yourself in the mirror.” Roxanne stiffens.

“You know about that?!”

“Oh please, it’s not like you do it quietly.” If robots could blush, that is exactly what Roxy would be doing.

“What I wouldn’t do for soundproof walls.”

Chapter Text

Vanessas shift was nearing the four-hour mark, and she is grateful that it wasn't the snooze fest she thought it would be, however it was still only ten percent less sleep inducing then that. She is thankful that Freddy at least partially broke up the monotony that the job should have naturally brought forward.

Though the bear still couldn’t solve the fact that they have been self-confined in this booth for hours now, no matter how talkative he made himself be. The guards whole body has been shaking with her heel rapidly tapping against the floor for a while now.

“Vanessa, do you need a break? You seem to be having a hard time.” She raises her brow.

“What makes you say that?”

“You’re vibrating like a kid who is about to enter a sugar high. Perhaps it would do you some good to leave the booth–”

“I’m not going out there, at least not alone.” A small hint of frustration surfaces, but is effortlessly squashed.

“You didn’t let me finish, I would of course be accompanying you still. It is more for your sake rather then mine.”

“But what about the cameras? Even with some of them out of commission, I still need to keep an eye out with ones that still work.”

“I can look at the cameras myself at any time and place if need be.”

“Why do you care so much about me all of a sudden?” He almost scoffs at her.

“To start with, I care greatly about all who visit us. That goes doubly so for those who work to make the PizzaPlex as great as can be. And triply so for those who try their hardest to keep it safe.” He says firmly. The guard shyly looks away from him.

Vanessa considers his proposal. On one hand, she didn’t like the thought of having to leave the security booth because of her lack of tools to effectively watch over the place. On the other, she was pretty desperate to do something other then stare at the cameras waiting for something to happen. Ultimately, she couldn’t stand it in this cramped room anymore.

“I guess I could escape this box for an hour or two. It wouldn’t hurt, right?”

“No it won’t, nothing bad will happen just because you decided to leave the booth for however long. Ask any one of us, we can attest to the countless nights we’ve spent here since creation. Yesterday is the exception, not the rule.” His haste catches her off guard, he is already waiting at the door waiting for her to go first. “After you.” She didn’t look a gift horse in the mouth and swiftly took the opportunity.

The simple act of leaving the room did wonders for Vanessa, she instantly felt a little less tired, the pins and needles started to fade away, and it felt like she could breathe without her B.O. getting in the way. She stretches her whole body, getting a symphony of cracks throughout.

‘Gahhhh, it hurts but feels good at the same time.’

Freddy cringed at every one of them, he almost thought that she broke down.

“That sounds painful, should I be concerned?”

“Only if I stop moving afterwards.” She joked, though it seemed to fly over his head judging by his still worried expression. “Oh relax, us humans often do that to loosen up, it normally doesn’t mean anything too bad.” He gets the message this time.

“Huh, I see now. Good to know.” The pair begin their aimless walk. Things were silent between them, the only thing being there to break it were the generic bots and their own footsteps, particularly Freddys.

Vanessa is specifically focused on all the staff bots that they pass, be it janitor or security. The latter specifically eyeing her up and down before moving on.

‘There are just so, so many.’

Her mind then wanders to how pointless her presence really is tonight, and it didn’t help her case that there were dozens upon dozens of the security drones rolling around. She really was only there as insurance. Freddy said it himself, ‘yesterday was the exception, not the rule.’

Vanessa didn’t really like her job during the day, although she would not go as far to say she hates it, at the very least it kept her occupied and actually allowed her to…you know, be a security guard. What she applied for in the first place . The robots help report on what is happening while the human acts on it, and not a day goes by without something requiring her or her co-workers' attention at all times. Sure it got hectic sometimes…all the time, but for her it was much better then having some random office job somewhere.

Although now…she doesn’t want to admit it to herself, but she feels useless. It became very apparent during her short time here that the animatronics were essentially their own security. Vanessa shouldn’t be here, yet here she stands, and for what? Some knee jerk reaction to a malfunction that could very well never occur again thanks to the tech team actually being worth a damn when it comes to their wallets. Years of being open, one night versus many, and with the company's reputation of making on the fly changes…not much of a confidence booster.

“Are you okay? Your breathing pattern has been strained for the past minute.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Nothing more was said, however he decided to press the issue.

“We can talk about it if you want. I feel that the simple act of speaking your mind can do wonders for your psyche.” The bear is hopeful that he could ease her burden.

“...No thank you.” Only to be shot down. Disappointment fills his being.

“Oh, okay. Well if you decide to talk, know that I’ll listen.” She doesn’t acknowledge him, which dampened the mood further.

‘Was it something I said?’

Both went silent once more, it was clear to him that something is weighing down on the guard he is accompanying. They eventually ended up entering Rockstar Row, and the first thing both noticed was the lack of any noise coming from, well, almost everywhere. Even Monty has gone silent, the jury is still out whether or not that is a good thing. However it didn’t bother Freddy none, he just continued his merry way whilst Vanessa kept looking over her shoulder waiting for something to happen.

It didn’t take long for the duo to figure out where Roxanne and co were. With silence this deafening, it was not hard at all to follow the muffled voices leading to Chicas room. Looking through the glass, they could see the girls chatting away without a care in the world, with a sleeping child in between them.

Chica was the first to notice them through her window, with Roxanne following suit right after. The former eagerly waved at them, to which Freddy returned the gesture. The wolf however, only narrowed her eyes in distrust towards Vanessa, who adjusted the collar of her uniform nervously while avoiding her gaze.

‘I could feel her piercing my soul.’

The guard speeds up the pace just to escape from her line of sight, which forces Freddy to mimic her in order to catch up, then she suddenly stops. The bear is confused at first as to why, but following her glance shows the darkened room of Montgomery Gator.

Now that he thinks of it, he hasn’t seen nut or bolt of the guy since the night began, and that worries him a bit.

“You think you could wait here for a moment? I need to check if he’s okay.” She simply nods.

Freddy nearly presses his face against the glass, trying his best to at least make out a silhouette, only to come up short. He then goes to the gator's door, placing his ear against it trying to hear even the smallest sound. Nothing.

“Monty? Are you okay in there?” This time he can just about hear something shuffling within the room, but no verbal response. “Please, talk to me.” This time he yields no result. He then decides to enter the room, hoping that nothing is wrong with his friend.

It is dark, almost too dark for the bear to move any further within without possibly bumping into something. Despite that though, he persists, taking small steps to avoid any potential damage. He could feel the sheer amount of debris that lay beneath his feet, were he organic, he would be getting many cuts and bruises for his troubles.

‘Come on Monty, work with me here.’

“Montgomery?”

“Please leave me alone Fazbear.” Right away, Freddy could tell that Monty wasn’t in a good mood. Understandable, but this simply wouldn’t do.

“I’m sorry for intruding, but I felt the need to check on you. You haven’t left your room once yet.”

“Yeah, I know, don’t rub it in.” The bear follows his friend's voice, then proceeds to presumably sit on the floor next to him.

“Is it about last night?” The gator snapped at him.

“Well duh. What gave it away? The fact that I can’t remember a thing? Or that I was a few wires away from literally losing my mind.” He growled at him, but then it quickly died out.

“I can’t say that I understand, but I’ll help however I can regardless.”

“Of course you don’t understand, I don’t expect any of you to. You, Roxanne, and even Chica got the easy end of the ordeal. A few tweaks here, a few lines of code added there, then presto, a job well done! What do I get?! A bunch of workers desperately trying to put me back together with whatever spare parts that were lying around! Seriously, I’d be impressed if I wasn’t so–!” He stops himself, the urge to start breaking stuff creeps up, though he ignores it the best he can.

“For what it’s worth, at least it won’t happen again.”

“It can’t. I don’t know what I did, but if I end up that beaten up again, I might get decommissioned for good.” He fails to keep the fear out of his voice upon such a notion.

“Easy now, Monty. Nobody ever once thought that you were the problem, the blame entirely falls onto whatever virus that infected our systems. If anyone has to worry about being ‘decommissioned’, it is our tech team. This shouldn’t have happened to begin with.” The gator scoffs.

“At least we have some actual supervision this time around. Maybe she’ll be just the edge I need to ensure that I don’t get put through the grinder again.”

“So you have encountered Vanessa?”

“That’s the one, I thought she was an intruder at first, but a quick scan solved that problem.”

“I didn’t think you out of us four would be in favor of having a night guard.”

“Me neither, but it was a wake up call when I finally regained my senses. You think it’s fun hearing about just how badly damaged you were? They even had the nerve to show me photos!” Freddy is startled by the sound of snapping wood next to him, then said wood is thrown at the window, landing with a series of loud thumps.

“Will you please come out of your room tonight? Come spend some time with us, we don’t think any less of you.” Monty has had enough.

“You want to help so bad? You can start by giving me some space. I still haven’t come to terms with what happened to me.” Nothing more is said between them. The bear is reluctant to leave him, but respects his request to go. Once he navigated to the exit, he looked back hoping that Monty would change his mind, however that sadly didn’t happen.

Vanessa still stood where Freddy left her, unintentionally eavesdropping on the conversation that just took place. 

“At least we know he is functioning.” She mumbled to him once he reached her.

“...I suppose that counts for something.” They continue their directionless patrol, both hoping that things will get better soon.

Chapter Text

“Hey, it’s time for you to wake up little pup.” The boy is gently shaken awake, who is at first reluctant to leave his dreamless sleep. He rubs his eyes as he sits up with a big yawn, right away he felt much more invigorated than the previous days and nights. Upon observing his surroundings, he discovers that they were back inside Roxanne's room, with Chica nowhere in sight. Speaking of Roxy, it wasn’t even a minute before she planted herself beside him. She even had a slice of pizza along with a cup of water on the table in front of him.

“What time is it?” He groggily inquires, the sleepiness barely starting to melt away.

“It is 5:30 right now. I just wanted to know if you needed anything before the day officially begins.” The boy looks down on himself, only one detail was worth any real concern for him. However, he couldn’t bring himself to admit to his most severe injury.

“I’m fine for now. Just another…week or two, then maybe I’ll be able to move on my own.” Small hints of fear showing on his face. The wolf tilts her head suspiciously, she doesn’t like the sudden tension that the question brought forth.

“There is something you’re not telling me, what is wrong?”

“Nothing, really.”

“Please tell me, I want to help you feel better little pup.” He pauses, contemplating on whether or not he should admit to both her and himself the reality of his injury.

“...I think I’m going to need more bandages soon.” Roxanne raises a brow.

“Really? But I changed them roughly six hours ago.”

“Well it doesn’t hurt to have spares, right?” He forces a smile.

“...Alright then, if it makes you feel better, I’ll get some more if possible.”

Roxy sighs, this isn’t the first time a kid has lied to her, and it certainly won’t be the last. But something about him lying feels different from all the other times. She makes a mental note to press him later when he is in a more cooperative mood.

She suddenly remembers the items that he hasn’t been given yet, maybe it would be enough for him to open up more.

“Moving on from that, I have a few items Chica retrieved for you, she wanted to give them to you earlier but didn’t get the opportunity.” She opens her hatch and pulls out a set of clothes, then the plush the chicken got for him.

Gregory just stares at the revealed items; the fact that they were brand new was enough to stun him to silence. How long has it been since he even touched something that was in mint condition? He couldn’t tell you, and frankly, he probably never has.

He grabbed the Roxy themed clothing first, the material felt very foreign in his hands, not at all like his current attire, which had all kinds of rips and stains. He carefully set the clothing aside then took the plush. It was so much softer than he could’ve ever imagined, it was the pillow he always wanted but could never have. He clutches it to his chest, the fluff already promising many nights of comfort. 

“You like it?” She puts her arm around the boy. He only nods. “I’m glad to see that, now you can take me everywhere you go!” Roxanne playfully said. He doesn’t acknowledge her, he couldn’t make any sound without it becoming a whimper. A few involuntary tears roll down his face, dropping onto the plush. Her ears and smile droop at his rather pathetic state. “Are you alright?”

“I-I’m fine, I’m fine. Just a bit emotional right now.”

At first, she wanted to protest, but she stopped herself just before she could make a sound. Of course he would have a stronger reaction than normal for a kid his age. His circumstances are so far removed from what she would typically deal with.

‘He never experienced such kindness before. It must be overwhelming.’

“Do you think these will fit you?”

“They seem to…but um, can I be alone for a minute so I can try them on?” He shyly asked, looking away towards a random wall. Roxanne was more than willing to allow him some privacy; this would also allow her to humor his earlier ‘request’.

“Sure, while you do that, I’ll go find some spare bandages for you.” His heart drops to his stomach upon hearing that.

“Wait! Take me with you!” He clutches her hand to stop her, much to her surprise.

“I thought you wanted a moment to yourself.”

“No! I mean yes, but not if it means being completely by myself! Please don’t leave me alone!” Roxy has never been punched in the gut before, she couldn’t even feel physical pain, but this must be what it felt like.

“I could get Chica to keep you company, I’m sure she’ll love to get to know you more. She won’t mind.”

“I’m sure she won’t but…but, she isn’t you. Please, let me go with you.” She didn’t hesitate to lift him from his spot. He clung to her like the lifeline she is.

“Hey now, everything is fine. No need to be scared, I’m not going to disappear. Why don’t you call Freddy over to be with you then?”

“Isn’t he with the guard lady?”

“Hm, I forgot about her actually. But no matter, I’ll bring you with me.”

“Thank you. Without you or Freddy, I’m a sitting duck.”

“Don’t talk like that about yourself, you’ll bounce back in no time. Sure we don’t know when, but it’ll happen at some point.” She proceeds to go through her backroom with him, which contains an elevator. “Come on, we’ll take a shortcut.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

‘This sucks.’

Vanessa sits alone, Freddy having just retreated to his room to prepare for the coming day. She is packing her bag waiting for the long anticipated six o’clock. Funny how time goes by agonizingly slowly when you want something to be over, and it certainly doesn’t help when you’re using all of your willpower to stay awake rather than focus on your task.

‘I can make it. Just thirty more minutes.’

It was a difficult night in terms of being prepared, the feeling of heavy eyes being all too familiar to the guard, but at least she has a nice bed to look forward to. Only thing that could make it even better is if she had the next night off.

‘HA! Wishful thinking.’

She heavily sighs as she finishes her personal task, all that was left to do now was wait. She reflects on her experience tonight, she never would have thought it would have gone the way it did. Sure her interaction with the animatronics was a guaranteed endeavor, but what was unusual were the more paternal aspects with them…well one in particular. It is so indescribably strange to see one of the more volatile animatronics be the one to practically adopt a child. Freddy? Absolutely. Chica? Plausible. Roxanne? You’re a comedian. Monty doesn’t even deserve a mention on that front.

Vanessa has already decided to keep her mouth shut about all things Gregory related to her superiors, even if she was strong-armed into silence. The guard simply didn’t know what to do about him outside of reporting him to the authorities, which would simply bite her in the long run. She can’t exactly hide from a robot wolf who makes it abundantly clear that she will hunt her down if he is ever taken.

‘And I can’t really quit my job even if I wanted to.’

Her train of thought is derailed when her gaze glazed over the monitors, particularly the ones showing the utility tunnels. She could see that there was movement within, however the lighting doesn’t really make it easy to identify whatever is lurking inside. Heavily sighing, she unclips her flashlight, getting ready to venture down to the dark depths of the restaurant.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“This place just gets creepier the deeper you go in it.” Gregory offhandedly says out loud.

“Really? I never noticed.”

“Yeah, I can’t see anything down here outside of the haunting lights that are weirdly spread out.”

“Hm, I guess I should have brought your flashlight…but it's too late for that now, we're almost there.” Sure enough, turning the corner, there stood the first aid station. Although there didn’t seem to be enough bandages in stock at a glance. Roxanne places Gregory on the nearby seat.

Even if he doesn’t need them right now, she sifts through what remains anyway, which proves fruitless. She lets out a frustrated sigh.

‘Hopefully someone restocks soon, there is nowhere near enough wrappings left for any situation.’

“There is nothing left here I’m afraid, we're going to have to wait for someone to replenish the supplies.” ‘Which could take a while given how neglectful these people can be sometimes.’

“It’s okay, if you can’t find anything, I can wait.”

“Gregory…I want you to be straight–”

She is interrupted by the sound of footsteps. They weren’t heavy nor metallic, which could only mean one thing. A human is down here with them, and that means it is either Vanessa or the intruder she suspects is still around. 

“Um, hello? Roxy? You just stopped talking all the sudden.”

“Someone is here.”

He tenses up, all other questions being completely thrown out the window. Not long later he starts to hear them too, which further damages any confidence he had left.

Roxanne however didn’t feel that way, if anything it was the opposite. She just stands there with her arms crossed waiting for whoever was approaching to show their mug.

Turning the corner is none other than Vanessa herself, in all her exhausted glory. The guard in question froze in place, not expecting to run into the duo either. The guard speaks up first.

“Well this is…something.” Roxannes glare melted what little bravado she had.

“You alone?”

“Well, um…yeah. Freddy said he needed to prepare for the day, I thought you would be doing the same.”

“Hmph. What are you doing down here anyway?”

“I saw movement in the cameras down here, so I came to check for anyone. And since it’s my job, here I am.” The wolf scoffs at her as she picks up a relieved Gregory. The guard is curious by this consistent action, why didn't she let him walk on his own?

“Stick by me.” Vanessa obliges out of intimidation.

“Do you have to carry him everywhere?” The only response she gets is a growl, to which she raises her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. Touchy subject.”

Rather than go back the way she came, Roxanne opted to take the long way; she didn’t have any patience left to wait for an elevator. She made sure the guard kept in pace with her, not allowing her to sneak away under any circumstance. Upon reaching her space, Roxy places the child next to the change of clothes.

“I need to have a word with little miss security guard for a moment.”

“...Okay, I’ll just see if these fit in the meantime.” With that she exits.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“So…how long do you plan on your nightly visits?” Roxanne firmly inquires.

“This isn’t my decision, okay. I have no control of whether or not I have a sleepover here. For all I know they could just make this my new position for indefinitely.”

“Hm, and if it does, what do you plan to do then?”

“What do you mean–it is in the job title!” Vanessa couldn’t help but give a condescending smile. However, that quickly goes away under the wolf's hardened gaze.

“Very funny.”

“Oh lighten up, I’m nowhere near as bad as you’re probably thinking.”

“Perhaps not. But my sense of humor isn’t the issue here.” The guard wilts.

“I get that you don’t trust me with keeping Gregory a secret, but I already said to you that I won’t report him to anyone.”

“And why did you do it so suddenly then? Maybe you said so to draw attention away from yourself.”

“I know what it feels like, wanting to take your chances with the streets rather then you’re ‘home’. Only difference is that he had the moxie to take that extra step, whereas I did not. His risk actually managed to pay off. Who would I be if I took all that away?” Roxanne stares wide eyed, not expecting such an answer to come from her. She is snapped out of her stupor when Vanessa's watch starts beeping. “I need to clock out soon. Before I go though I kind of still want to know.” She takes a deep breath before repeating her question from earlier. “Why do you carry him everywhere?”

“...He can’t walk.” Vanessa can’t say she is that surprised, it was and still is a nasty accident.

‘Interesting.’

“Hm, that sucks, hopefully he gets better soon. I’ll see you all later Roxy, hopefully you won’t try to bite my head off next time.” With that she heads off to officially end her night.

Chapter Text

“Are you ready yet, Gregory?” Roxanne asked through her door. For a moment she gets no response.

“One more minute, this is harder than I thought it’ll be!” She slumped against the wall, her foot tapping rapidly on the ground. With the restaurant having just opened for human staff once more, a suffocating sense of dread has blanketed over her.

‘How would I hide him during the day now?’

She knew good and well that her curtain couldn’t be drawn forever, they had a massive window for a reason, and now it was working against her for the first time since creation. Sure, she loved to show off her greatness, but that was when she didn’t have anything to hide. She did come up with the one idea that could work, but not without some amount of risk, or annoyance .

‘I sure hope they don’t–’

“Okay, you can come in now!” She is startled out of her thoughts. Once recomposed she walks in. She sees the boy look upon himself with a faint smile on his face, which gives her a warm feeling in her chest.

“I see you are quite fond of them already.”

“It feels so…” He rubs his hand down the sleeve, relishing every second of it.

“New?” He absentmindedly nods. “I’m glad that you enjoy it. I’ll make sure to tell Chica next time I see her.” She glances at the clock on her wall, showing that it is almost six. “Looks like we’re going to be put to work soon.”

“What does that mean for me? Will I stay here while all of you do your thing?”

“As nice as that would be, no. I don’t think I can get away with having my curtains drawn two days in a row.” She taps her fingers together nervously; this in turn makes the boy feel the same nervousness. “Don’t worry though, I have a plan to keep you from being left alone.

“Then why the hesitation? Let's go!”

“Well…you’ll have to stay at the daycare.” He deadpans.

“Never mind, I’ll take the risk and stay here.” She shakes her head.

“That can’t happen, there is nowhere to hide in here, and I’m sure you don’t want to be all by yourself in the backroom, do you?”

“...No.” He softly squeaked out.

“Hey now, none of that. This is only to keep you safe.”

“But that place is anything but, especially the attendant!” The wolf tilts her head

“How? They wouldn’t hurt a fly.” He scowls.

“I’d like to see you run from that thing while shrouded in darkness with a dead flashlight!” Her eyes widened as she suppressed an annoyed growl.

‘Oooooh. That bot can be such an idiot.’

“Okay, that’s bad. But it’s just a misunderstanding, Sun and Moon are literally incapable of hurting children.” He raises a brow. “ No , they can’t. As annoying as they tend to be, they can’t. Moon was only following his programming to put you to bed.”

“‘Put you to bed’ she says.”

“Oh please, there is no need to get so bitter. I know they’ll decommission themselves before breaking the rules.”

“The moon thing was very much trying to hunt me ! All because he thought I shut off the lights!” The air gets increasingly frigid. Roxanne is convinced that he was just trying to say anything to avoid the daycare. But the misty look developing in his eyes felt a bit too real. She deeply sighs then gently continues.

“He dislikes rulebreakers, and the simple way to put it is that you were technically breaking his rule to be napping once the lights are out. As for the ‘hunting’ part, what were you doing the entire time?”

“Running away?” She suddenly gets a smug look on her face.

“Exactly, now I’m not trying to defend him per se, but knowing what to do once lights are out should keep him off your back, just follow his rules and you’ll be okay. However If you are still so worried, I’ll make sure to keep an eye on you throughout the day.”

“How would you do that when you’re so busy?” She only smirks.

“I have my ways.” The child pouts whilst crossing his arms.

“Fine, don’t tell me. I didn’t want to know anyway.” The wolf could only chuckle at his actions.

“You’ll be alright, and if he does turn out to be hostile in the slightest,” Her tone and expression suddenly takes a much darker turn. “He’ll have a much bigger problem to worry about then his precious rules.” She even unsettled Gregory.

“...If you put it that way, then I guess I have nothing to worry about.” Her mood instantly reverts. The wolf glances at her clock, which puts her on edge once more.

“If you want to go through with this idea, you need to let me know now . The day is going to begin soon.”

He doesn’t want to be left at the mercy of the attendant, but what choice does he have at this point? He wanted–no, needed to stay. So he swallowed his fear for the time being, if only for the sake of retaining the only kindness he has ever been shown.

He reluctantly nods his head.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The daycare lays barren with only its attendant to care for it. Not that he minded, if anything he prefers to keep to himself within the area, never really coming out to the main restaurant unless absolutely necessary. Adults tend to be too…intense. Especially with some of the more mature conversations he catches onto every now and again. Nope, he prefers to stay away from all that negativity.

Fortunately for him, the children he watches over are…mostly nothing but rays of sunshine. Even the more mischievous children end up being a joy to play with. Well, except for…one.

‘Rulebreaker! RULEBREAKER!’

Never before had he encountered a child who oh so deliberately defied him. Going as far as to break one of the more important rules: leave the lights alone .

‘Naughty boys must be punished!’

Now realistically, he would never harm a kid. Not on your life, not on his life. The program urges him to issue a report to the parent(s) of the child should such a situation ever come, with a temporary ban for good measure. Thankfully he never had to call it quits on a kid, he couldn’t even comprehend how it would have felt.

So when he encountered this kid after hours…he was essentially left to fend for himself when it comes to protocol. No parent, no guardian, no nothing. So what is he to do? Right away he decided to behave like it was a normal day. It’s just one child, what could possibly go wrong? Only everything.

What was supposed to be an improvised play session turned into an exhausting chase. Between the constant messes he made and the bobbing and weaving within the playground, The bot surprisingly couldn’t keep up with the slippery little kid. Once the lights came back on the attendant felt that enough was enough and banned a kid for the first time. They could only hope that security wasn’t too harsh on the boy.

However, despite everything the child did, if he came back, the attendant would still give him a second chance. After all, kids will be kids.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“I guess this is really happening.” Gregory muttered as the daycare entrance got closer.

“Don’t be a drama queen, that’s my job.” He crosses his arms with a ‘hmph’. “Is there anything else you need before we separate? Or something you want to say? Now is the time.”

“...I think I’m still banned from the daycare.” Roxanne comes to a dead stop, Gregory tenses. Turns out it was not out of any form of anger or sadness like he expected, but rather because she found it really funny. She outright giggles uncontrollably at the thought of the daycare attendant finally meeting his match in the form of her little pup.

“N-Now that is something I didn’t expect. You’re such a gremlin, I love it.”

“You…do? I thought you would be upset.”

“Nononono, never. My only problem is that I never got to witness it. I bet that would have been something to see.”

“Well, I don’t think it is that big of a deal. I’ve been banned from plenty of different places already. Not that it ever stopped me. ” He mutters the last part to himself.

“Whoa, you get around then, don’t you?” He shyly nods his head, not at all proud of the restrictions he obtained.

“It certainly made things harder.” His downtrodden expression sends a message to quickly change the subject.

“I’ll make sure they’ll always accept you. Whenever the gang and I do our jobs, he’ll always be ready to take up the mantle of caretaker.” ‘I won’t give him a choice.’

By now they have reached the rather large door of the daycare. Gregory is hoping that there would be animosity between him and the attendant. He would hate to lose his best chance at staying because of something he didn’t even do. The silence makes the knock sound so much more ominous than it had any right to be.

The door suddenly opens not long after, with a rather lanky animatronic emerging from within.

“Roxanne!?” He notices the precious cargo she’s holding next. “ Boy from the other night !? What are you doing here!? You should be at home with your family!”

‘It seems the attendant has moved on.’

“Sun, I don’t have much time left, so let me get straight to the point. I need you to watch over this child for me. And this must be done without the human staff interfering at all . Can you do that?” Her tone left no room for argument, so being the ever so intelligent robot he was. He argued anyway.

“N-Now wait just a moment there! This goes against all kinds of–” He stops when her eyes start to glow, which is accompanied by snarl. “...I guess there is an exception for everything.”

“Good.” She faces Gregory, now completely calm. “Remember, this is only until I can come up with a better solution.” She hugs the boy, then motions for the surprised attendant to take hold of him, to which he wordlessly obeys. Her attitude towards Sun suddenly softened. “Something you should know now is that he can’t walk. Please…keep Gregory safe while I’m away.”

“...I will. You can count on me.”

Satisfied for the time being, she hurries back to her room. The boy stares longingly even after she disappears from view. Sun retreats back inside his daycare, the child still hasn’t made any moves or even sounds. He places the kid on a nearby bean bag chair, then speaks first.

“Well this is certainly the most unique morning I’ve ever had. Not that it’s a bad thing! I love a good bit of randomness to my day! Don’t you?” Gregory looks off to the side, avoiding Sun's lifeless gaze. “Shy one, aren't you?” He digs around in his pockets, then pulls out a chocolate bar to hand over. “Can we start over? As if we never met?”

The child is a bit surprised that it was the attendant to make a peace offering, but he knows not to look a gift horse in the mouth. So he accepts.

“Thank you. I suppose that would be nice, but honestly, I want to pick up where we left off. Starting with what I wanted to say much earlier than now.” He takes a bite out of the bar to build suspense for Sun. “...I didn’t touch the lights.”

“Well if you didn’t, then who did?”

“I have an…idea, but they’re not important to me right now. I just want the day to be over with.” Sun observes the kid's person, he wants to believe that nothing about him has changed, but…

“What happened?”

Gregory thought long and hard about what he should come back with, and Sun patiently waited for an answer. That he is grateful for.

“Too much. That’s what. I was in over my head, and I paid the price for it. Still am.” He twitches his bad leg.

Not really a good answer, so Sun decides to press just slightly.

“Do you want to…talk about it?”

“...I guess so, if it helps you understand, then I’m all for it.”

Chapter Text

“You are the best…you are the best. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” Roxanne is performing her age-old tradition. Looking upon her vanity, hyping herself up. “Your hair is beautiful. Your tail is beautiful. Your…perfect.” She couldn’t say the last verse to her own face. “You used to be.” Her grip upon the edge of the vanity tightens, so much so that creaking can be heard. Her voice drops to a whisper. “It was an accident. But it worked out in the end! Right? He’ll bounce back so quick you’ll forget it even happened!” She shakes her head with a condescending chuckle as she looks down to her feet.

Her mind wanders back to the possibility of Gregory not being there when she went back to the daycare. The internal workings start to heat up as she gets increasingly upset.

‘Everything will be fine. Nothing will go wrong. Just another day, just another day. Stop being pessimistic.’

The internal scolding is interrupted when her back door is opened by a freshly arrived worker. Of course they had the tired ‘I really wish I wasn’t here right now’ look.

“Alright bot, let’s do this once more. Hopefully for the last time.” The human let out a lengthy yawn. “If you hurry, we might be first to finish the tests.” They motioned for the wolf to follow.

The wolf scowled at the disrespect, but obliged.

“Are you all this grumpy?”

“Look Rox, I don’t want to do this, period. But bossman is not really giving us any room for argument here. Just ride out the wave like the rest of us.”

The wolf suppressed a growl as they entered the elevator.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Gregory quickly summarized his little ‘adventure’ within the PizzaPlex to Sun, however he made sure to change a few details around when it came to the racetrack. Now there was a lot to be concerned about in his story, especially the ‘crazy lady’, but truthfully Sun was a bit more interested in what came before he first arrived at the PizzaPlex. However, that didn’t mean wasn’t hurt by the rather unsettling tale he had to tell. He listened intently, not making a sound until he knew for sure he was done venting.

Throughout Gregorys story, the attendant in question had gone through a great amount of effort to ensure the comfort of the little tyke, but it almost never seemed to be enough for him. Regardless of what he did, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was only making it worse. So rarely did an injury ever occur in his daycare, but even then they never went beyond the typical scrapes and bruises, and that was thanks to how safe he made his daycare. No one gets injured under his watch!

But Gregory…this was a whole new world of hurt. He would have to invent new words to describe how bad he feels for him, and then those would end up not being strong enough.

“Is there anything else you need?”

The child couldn't find anything else worth fretting over. The pain was a dull throb, he wasn’t hungry or thirsty, and he felt quite snug. The best he has ever felt in his life despite what it took to get there.

“No, thank you.” The boy shyly said.

“How…do you feel right now?” He is met with complete silence for a time.

“...You know, this isn’t as bad as I thought it would be.” The attendant tilts his head.

“Whatever do you mean?”

“I thought you would kick me out right away.” Sun almost felt offended.

“Hey now! I’ll have you know that no child has ever been permanently banned! Besides, you look like you needed help.” ‘That, and Roxanne is really scary.’ ‘Pansy.’ ‘Shut up!’

“Still though, Roxy…she along with Freddy helped me feel safe. Even with the hidden dangers, I don’t feel like I have to sleep with one eye open anymore.” Now was his chance.

“...Was it really that bad out there? At your own home?”

“I wouldn’t even call it home.” He spat out. “In fact, it was just an orphanage.”

“Orpha– what does that mean?” The boy is stunned. All this knowledge he is supposed to have on the subject of children, and he doesn’t know what an orphanage is? Never mind an orphan.

“Heh, I’m jealous that you have it so good to not know what that is, or what I am. An orphanage is a home for…well, orphans, kids with no parents. Like…me.”

“...T-There are enough children like that to give them their own term?” Gregory didn’t make any move to answer that question, feeling regret over telling the attendant such upsetting info. His silence was all the answer Sun needed. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Pity got old really fast.” The attendant is taken aback.

“What happened to warrant such negativity?”

“A lot, mainly from the so called ‘caretakers’ who had no reason to be there. It started small…’stupid kid’ this ‘useless kid’ that, but it slowly got worse over time. It didn’t take long for them to take the next step and actually started hurting us over little things, I wasn’t the only one who had to take it. Eventually I had enough, and decided to try my luck on the outside.”

“Y-You have to be over exaggerating! No adult could be that mean to a child!” Sun twitches violently. “Please, tell me you had someone you could count on!” An unwanted tear rolls down Gregorys face.

“...I…used to, but she got adopted. And I…was left behind.” The twitching immediately stops. “That was the exact moment I decided to leave the place. It took a long time to find the perfect moment to escape. Even longer to come across this place.”

“Just…how long exactly?”

“I don’t know. Weeks? Months? It all blurred together.” This only served to make Sun feel something he hasn’t felt before.

“And all this time, no adult came to help you ?!” The kid leaned back, startled by the attendants sudden shift in tone. “OH NO! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you! Stupid, stupid, stupid!” Sun yanks on the rays on his head.

“C-Calm down! I-It’s not for the lack of trying, I’ve got plenty of small favors! B-but more often than not, their idea of help would have just made things worse for me.”

“B-But that is unacceptable! How can adults behave so…childishly?! They’re supposed to be role models to younglings! NOT–.” He flops on the floor in an attempt to pull himself together.

‘You’re aggressiveness is showing again.’

‘Quiet you! I’m having a moment here!’

“...I think we should move on. Hello?...Anyone home? Your staring is making me very uncomfortable.” The attendant is pulled out of his trance. He calmly sits back up.

“O-Oh, don’t mind that, I often do that when communicating to my other half!”

“...Can he hear me?”

“Of course. Anything I can hear, so can he.”

“In that case…” He dramatically clears his throat. “You owe me for the nightmare fuel bub!” Sun shrunk in on himself at the declaration.

‘Lights out means it’s nap time! I was only following the rules!’

‘You’re not helping the case!’

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

In Parts and Service, the gang had recently finished their tests. All went swimmingly according to the workers, even with Montgomery throwing a hissy fit when it came to his claws. As of now they were waiting for the green light to proceed to the stage.

During the wait Freddy and Chica talked as they always would, friendly banter that could go on and on until the end of time. In contrast, Roxy remained dead silent, staring into a wall, not moving an inch. She didn’t even look into a nearby mirror, never mind talking about how awesome she is. The wolf even refused to argue with Monty about how much better she is at his own game. This didn’t go unnoticed by the gator, who actually got a great amount of amusement from such scenes and arguments.

“Something loose in your noggin Roxy, or are you finally accepting that you’re just like the rest of us?” The gator smugly inquired.

“Can you not? I’m not in the greatest mood right now.” Her tone is firm and leaves no room for argument. Which of course Monty took as a challenge.

“But the Great Roxanne Wolf is never too upset to stroke her massively inflated ego. Roxannes got to talk about Roxanne until we're sick of it.”

“MY EGO IS NOT–” She stops herself before going any further, taking in sharp breaths to cool herself off. Her outburst attracts the attention of both Freddy and Chica. “My ego is not massive.” She growls out with clenched fists. Monty chuckles at the obvious lie. Before she could chew his head off, Freddy decided to step in between them.

“Now now, we are all friends here. I understand that tensions are high because of recent…events. But that is no excuse to start fights.” He turns to Monty with a brow raised.

“Okay okay. You got me. Sorry Roxanne. ” It was clear sarcasm to the wolf, not so much to the bear.

“Excellent! Now keep it friendly, we have another long day ahead of us.”

“Hopefully not too long.” Roxy throws out. Monty actually felt weirded out by this little comment. Roxanne wanting a day to be over with? Inconceivable!

“Okay, for real this time. Is something wrong? You don’t normally act like this.” He tilts his glasses down so he can look her in the eyes. She didn’t humor him with a verbal response, instead her eyes glaring into his own with an ominous golden glow. He raises his hands. “Okay, you win, just concerned.” His surrender wasn’t good enough for her.

“In case you forgot, my track isn’t exactly a star attraction right now. So of course I want the days to go by faster! All I can do is wander and twiddle my thumbs! I could only imagine how much my reputation is plummeting every day that it’s on maintenance!” She attempts to close the gap between them, but Freddy stands firm. He grips her shoulders to force her still, then proceeds to defuse her anger.

“Roxanne–ROXANNE!” She struggles against him. “Look at me. Everything will be fine, the track isn’t going away, it’s just under maintenance.” The fury she felt melted away into misery.

“B-But I am nothing without my track.” She stuttered out.

“No, you got it backwards, the track is nothing without you. Children go to the track to see you first and foremost.”

“You’re…just saying that to make me feel better.” Freddy pulled her into a hug.

“...You don’t give yourself enough credit Roxanne.” She doesn’t respond, instead just leaning into the embrace whilst hiding her face. “We’ll always be here for you, no matter what happens.”

“I know…I-I... know.” She softly let out.

Their moment is interrupted by a human worker, who reported that everything seemed to be in working order. The gang was free to go back to their rooms and wait for the day to truly begin. They never separated.

Chapter Text

‘Oh boy, so it begins. The descent into chaos.’

Gregroy felt his heart drop at the sound of the sheer amount of people already walking by the daycare doors. If there was one thing he hated, it was being in the middle of a crowd. And it certainly doesn’t help that he has no options in terms of squirreling himself away. He could literally feel the entire place waking up, and it didn’t feel nice on his senses.

“Sun, on a rating of one to ten, how wild is your day?”

“Ten!” He answers confidently while also holding up matching fingers, then ends up losing that confidence when his charge starts to grimace. “...Is that a bad thing?”

“What do you think?” The boy glares at him.

“...Is this a trick question?”

“Ugh! Of course it's bad! I mean…” For a moment he is at a loss for words, he gestures to himself. “...I could end up attracting the wrong kind of attention.” His voice then drops to a whisper as he shyly looks away. “That and…I don’t want to watch the other kids.”

“You…don’t want to be left out.” Sun stated. The boy doesn’t respond, instead choosing to hug himself tightly. “I-I see now.” Gregory had a point, for all intents and purposes, he was essentially immobile, and that didn’t mesh well within the daycare environment on any day of the week. “W-Well, worry not! I’ll make sure you have something you can do…uuummm.” He frantically looks around every which way until eventually getting an idea.

“H-Hey! Where are you going?”

“Hold on! I need to check something really quick!” He zips around the daycare looking for the appropriate materials. Gregory meanwhile couldn’t tell what his target was, especially with his low viewpoint.

“AHA!” The attendant quickly returns to the child with some blank papers, a box of colored pencils, and a clipboard. He hands them over to the boy. “Now I know this doesn’t fix everything, but I hope it is good enough to keep you happy. I can’t be in one place for too long, the little ones tend to get jealous.” Sun said apologetically.

“I guess I can see that. There is only one of you–well two–um, never mind. You get it.” 

“Not to worry! I’m sure all if not most will be too distracted to bug you. But at the same time…maybe you can take this as a chance to make friends with someone.”

“No. I just want the day to be over.”

“...O-Of course. I understand.” Sun gave him a once over, and decided he needed an extra item. Without warning he is once again darting back throughout the daycare. “Let me just get this for you!” He comes back with a Roxanne themed blanket.

“What do I need this for?”

“For the resting period, everybody gets one.” The boy nods in with a small smile on his face.

“I like it, thank you.”

“You are very wel–” The attendant is interrupted by the knocking on the large doors. “WE HAVE OUR FIRST VISITORS! OUT OF THE WAY, ME FIRST!” And at the drop of a hat, Sun went into a frenzy, going so far as to bulldoze the same stack of toys that Gregory used to get away from him the first night. The child was initially startled at the sudden turn of events but found himself chuckling moments after.

‘I guess today won’t be so bad.’  

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was almost time to start the morning shows, and all four animatronics were waiting for the platform to rise, and thankfully all their spirits were bolstered. Particularly Roxanne, who seemed to now be in a much better state of mind since Freddy had a heart to heart with her. Although Monty was still cautious about her, side-eyeing her periodically.

She was clearly holding back what she really felt, not that he blamed her. If his attraction got trashed as much as hers, he would be a bit depressed as well. Actually, that is a lie, he would go on a rampage, that sounds much more fun, especially if he ever got his hands on whoever screwed with his head and almost got him destroyed.

‘I never really saw the track after the accident, maybe it isn’t as bad as the company is making it out to be? After all, my golf course is still playable for the most part. Though, I would love to run into whoever caused that whole fiasco in the first place. A few words here, a few broken bones there, then all will be forgiven. Pinkie promise…with a hint of crossed fingers.’

His rather violent thoughts are put on the backburner once he feels the platform ascending. Like the flip of a switch, he dumps all of his focus into playing his instrument.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

‘Everything will be fine. They come to see me , first and foremost.’

Roxanne does her utmost to banish the negative feelings that plague her mind, and for the most part, it works. However, the concern for the little pup is still present and is vastly stronger than her craving for the attention of the regular guests.

‘I hope Sun and Moon aren’t too annoying. Those bots could make even Chica run away for respite.

At least they weren’t stupid, especially when it came to the safety of the children he watches over. Thinking that, she begins to relax. Soon, the platform rises, signaling that her personal thoughts must be put on hold. A genuine grin forms on her face.

‘Time to put on a show.’

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Once the doors to the daycare opened, the day really took off. As soon as the first child entered the daycare, he asked for Sun to move him to a more secluded area, preferably away from the door. And that is where he stayed the whole time on his own request.

If Sun was right about one thing though, it was how his days tend to go. Gregory thought he was joking to make him laugh, but no, he was almost everywhere at once all for the sake of keeping all of his visitors entertained.

It was difficult at first to use the items that were given to him, as the noise was almost overwhelming. High pitched squeals and laughter, the sounds of other kids landing in the ball pit, Sun himself being just as loud and chaotic to match their energy–it was a bit much to say the least. He wanted so badly to escape from the chaotic place, but alas, he must remain here for both his own safety and immobility. Not to mention Roxannes peace of mind.

Thankfully, by keeping himself covered and immersing himself into his…rather mediocre drawings, he was able to tolerate the situation. Even when the occasional curious child came by to see what he was up to, only to gently be ushered away by the attendant.

‘Thank you Sun.’

“Hey there kid.” He is startled out of his activities when an adult sounding voice is suddenly present. Looking up he sees a full-blown security guard, then his heart leaps to his throat. Looking behind the guard he could see Sun making constant glances in his direction whilst he continued to ‘play’ with the other kids. It was abundantly clear that he had no justifiable reason to interfere with the guard.

“Um…Hi?”

“What are you doing here alone? The party is that way.” The adult motions over to the massive group of children still running wild around Sun, who is still very distracted by both the children and Gregory's plight.

“O-Oh, I just wanted to keep to myself. I don’t really like interacting with other people.” He has done this song and dance many times before, but now the stakes are more than just being kicked out if he fails.

“Really now? Not often that type of kid ends up here, if at all.”

“Well, I was told to stay here. And I didn’t want to make my…Mom mad.”

“Oooooh, so where did she go then?”

“She works here.” In an instant he regrets what he said. This was a security guard! Surely they know all the employees here! “S-Something happened to the regular babysitter, and she didn’t have time to make arrangements so, bam, here I am.”

“Ahhh, I see.” The guard checks their watch. “Well I was just checking to see if you were okay, glad to know that you are alright. Please enjoy the rest of your visit.” As quick as it started, it ended, and the guard eventually disappeared from view. Gregory let out a huge sigh of relief, though he was still a bit shaken up. Not long after the event, Sun came by to check on him personally.

“Are you okay? What did they tell you?” He is trying his best to keep his voice down.

“Nothing important, just curious on why I was alone here. I guess it is out of place for kids to be by themselves in the daycare.” Sun puts his hand to his chest.

“Oh! That’s excellent! I thought something bad was about to happen.” Just as he is about to go back to the group, he is stopped by his charge.

“Wait! Before you go, can you tell me what time it is?”

“It is almost noon, why?

‘Has it been that long already?’

“Nothing important, I was just wondering.” The attendant gives him a thumbs up before taking off to participate in more chaos.

‘Times flies when you’re not stressing out I guess.’

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The periods in between the performances weren't nearly as bad as she thought it would. Quite the opposite really. Roxanne initially anticipated that the guests would have no interest to interact with her now that her track was undergoing heavy repairs, but Freddy was proven right when she was still just as swarmed as she was before, maybe even more. All her fans would still talk to her, ask for pictures, and would even request her to play quick little tunes for them.

Though she still had to answer the inevitable question.

“What happened to your track?” Truthfully, it's not that hard to come up with an answer. When in doubt, blame Monty.

“Montgomery and I had a ‘little’ race after hours. He got a bit too angry and decided that winning was worth making a mess.”

“Are you still mad at him?”

“Of course not!” Nope can’t say that with a straight face. ”...A little, but the damage is temporary. No one got hurt. Give it time, and the track will be as good as new.” Hook line and sinker.

Once the crowd grew thinner, she made her way towards the daycare. Of course some children followed her around to keep talking, though they were easy enough to hold some level of conversation with.

She saw the doorway to the daycare; the doors were closed, and the windows showed that the lights were out.

‘Resting period. Hopefully he isn’t too scared of the dark after…’

She closed her eyes, then reopened them. They were now glowing a beautiful golden hue. Literally looking through the walls she could see that Moon was wandering about with his usual creepy crab walk, trying to put the energetic tykes to nap time whilst giving them a healthy dose of nightmares.

A bit of searching later, she could see her little pup. He was tense and shaking, making sure to keep his back towards Moon. If it wasn't for all the witnesses, she would have probably just barged in to take a more personal check on him. But alas, distance would have to do.

‘If the attendant scares him much like the others...repairs would be in order. The only one I would feel bad for is Sun.’

With her check-up concluded to the best of her ability, she continued to wander the restaurant, entertaining her seemingly endless stream of fans. Freddy seemed to be right.

‘They come to see me. First and foremost.’

Chapter Text

‘Please don’t come over. Pleeeeease, don’t come over here.’

Nightmare fuel. No other way to describe it. The deep guttural voice, the quick metallic steps, then there is screaming and crying. The only silver lining is that he doesn’t have to suffer alone this time, now everyone else can get a taste of what he went through. Is it a bit sadistic to be enjoying the fact that he isn’t the target now? Maybe. But forget being a nice person, he just wants to hide from the demon.

“Naughty children will be punished.”

His favorite catchphrase it seems, probably to scare kids into submission, however it didn’t work for Gregory. The other children though? Like deer in headlights. Their frantic footsteps get fewer and fewer along with their terrified screams, being replaced by scared shuffling and quiet cries for their parents to save them.

‘Why couldn’t the weird Moon thing be more like Sun?’

He didn’t have time to consider the reasons for Moons erratic behavior when a child managed to sneak away from the still squirming main group. It was difficult to see, but he could just make out a faint outline of the child not too far from him, however he didn’t dare to acknowledge that he was there.

‘Please don’t be an idiot.’

Gregory had no faith that the kid would stay hidden, but he hoped anyway. It was all he had for these dark times. Though his prayers would go unanswered, as the kid had the nerve to trip over his own feet when trying to sneak away from the red eyed demon.

‘What are you doing?! If I ever did that I would have been dead so long ago!’

The crab walk of doom immediately made a beeline for the culprit, who was now crying his eyes out as he tried and failed to get back on their feet. The harsh red hue from the attendant's eyes allowed Greogry to properly see just how terrified the kid really was. If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought he was about to witness a murder.

“And just where do you think you’re going little one?”

It didn’t bother waiting for an answer from the stuttering child as he practically started to drag him to the main area. That should have been the end of it, but no, not for Gregory. With the worst luck of the draw in the world, Moon took a glance in his direction. The boy shuts his eyes as quick as can be in an effort to pretend to be asleep, but the damage has already been done.

“Hmm.”

He resumed his task to take the crying kid back to the others. Thankfully they all had got the message for the most part, didn’t mean they liked it though, not to mention their newfound fear of the dark. From what it sounded like, the kids were all finally gathered onto one spot, though it was obvious that none of them were actually sleeping. With them quieting down, he could now listen for the attendant much more closely…but something was wrong. He couldn’t pinpoint the attendant's location, for he wasn’t making anymore sounds, nor was he repeating his favorite line.

‘D-Don’t move, and don’t make a sound.’

The boy kept repeating it to himself, all it did was hinder his focus on the attendant.

“A little lamb separated from the herd. I hope he can forgive me for the earlier incidents.”

‘Oh my God, it’srightnexttome!’

Gregory lost control of his breathing, now becoming erratic and audible, though Moon didn’t seem to notice, or care. Keeping his eyes screwed shut, the child worked up the courage to speak.

“P-Please, leave me alone.” Moon was disappointed by his request, but ultimately decided that it was the least he owed.

“...Yes, I suppose you deserve a few moments to yourself. Just remember I will be watching you.”

‘That doesn’t sound ominous at all…’

Despite how nerve racking the situation is, he found it in himself to relax just a little bit. As long as he follows the rules of lights out, he’ll be fine.

‘If only it was this easy the first time.’

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

So many birthdays, so little time. Good thing there were four of them. The gang makes it a point to personally visit as many birthday children as possible, even splitting up if need be. It is a miracle that they are able to consistently make time for each.

However, Roxanne just wasn’t as invested as the rest of the gang this time, what with all her fans constantly reminding her of the destroyed track. She wanted some time to comfortably relax without the interference of invasive questions, so she retreated to her room to practice her keytar.

What was initially a fun time with the children turned into a test of patience. She couldn’t blame them though, she brought this on herself, and everyone wants to know the story. At least her friends understand.

‘I hope this doesn’t reflect badly on them too.’

As much as she loved herself, there was still a special place in her heart for her friends. Without them she would be…lost.

“Um…Roxanne?” She is shaken by Montgomery, amidst the chaos of the children, he is the only one who has noticed her increasing silence. Roxy blinks rapidly as she brings herself back to the present, she is impressed that he actually snuck up on her in her own room.

“Yeah, yeah what is it?”

“First you hide away in your room, now you're staring off into space. A penny for your thoughts?”

Roxanne is hesitant to answer for a moment, he is the only one out of the loop so far, he would need to be given the easy excuse.

“I just hate not having my place up and running, it feels wrong in every sense of the word, even if it doesn’t hurt my reputation too much.” ‘Time and place. Neither is here.’

"Hey, at least you were in one piece…unlike me.” He grips his bass even tighter, almost getting ready to snap it in half. “Nononono, I am the luckiest unlucky gator to have ever walked the ‘Plex.” He starts to fidget with his instrument, stringing it nervously whilst ignoring his surroundings. “If I wasn’t on thin ice before, I certainly am now. And it wasn’t even my fault!” An audible crack grabs her attention.

“Um…Monty? You're sort of crushing your toy there.”

He gazes down to his instrument with no sense of urgency or concern. There is already an alarming number of cracks that have spiderwebbed across the entire object, but he doesn’t let up on his grip. In fact, he does something that even Roxanne didn’t expect.

He held it above his head, then snapped it in half over his knee. Roxy flinched at the action.

“W-Wha–why would you do that! We need those to play!”

“I can just get another one. We have plenty of them, very cheap to make compared to everything else in the ‘Plex.” He paces the room, uncaring of the concerned looks he is getting from the guests on the other side of the glass wall. “If I ever find out who or what scrambled my mind…their d–” He takes a deep breath, trying to calm down before he says something vile. “I would like to have words with them. You know…diplomacy!” He clenches his fists, denting the casing.

“...Not if I get them first.” Her dark tone matches his. Only she has a target already vaguely visualized.

‘Crazy rabbit lady…most likely a disguise. Shouldn’t be hard to narrow down if she is still around.’

“Is that a challenge?” He said with a small smirk. She doesn’t feel the same amusement as he is currently.

“After everything we have experienced? After witnessing the dead glassy eyes of my friends? After causing so much pain to an innocent child? That is a promise .”

“Yeah! That's the sp–,” He pauses only now just processing what she said. “...They hurt a kid? You know who it was?!” Roxanne looks off to the side outside her window. Too many prying eyes for her liking.

“We’ll discuss this later.” She subtly tilts her head towards the crowd so he can get the message.

“...Why? They can’t hear us, at least I don’t think. It should be safe to talk.”

“No way, there are too many potential eavesdroppers here.” Monty raises a brow.

“Now you’re just being a bit too paranoid, don’t you think?”

“In this day and age, you can’t be too careful. Besides, we're not the ones in tremendous danger.”

“Then who is?! I don’t like all this uncertainty!” She can’t help but smirk at his increasing frustration.

“Wait.” He throws up his hands.

“Bah! Fine, but only because I have other things to do!” He storms off like a child being denied their favorite toy. Not long after exiting, he is already swarmed by the crowd.

It is now silent once more, with only the muffled sounds of her fans to keep her company. She looks down at the broken bass he left behind, then at her keytar. A shiver goes down her spine.

‘It’s just the instruments, not us.’

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Vanny has forgotten how much she hated big crowds, especially ones she is caught in the middle of. She felt so exposed, especially without her outfit. If only the brat would’ve come quietly, she wouldn’t have to scour the place just to find him. Now stack that with a protective group of animatronics, and what you get is a task that is almost impossible to do quietly.

‘Just breathe, breathe. It is inevitable, just need to sneak under their noses then strike.’

The only problem is that she had no idea how to do it. Robots didn’t need sleep, and they had a battery that could last them for days at a time without fail, not to mention how durable these things really are. One of them survived being torn in half!

‘There has to be something to exploit, some form of weakness…but I’m just drawing blanks here.

Hacking was already tried and done, and that hardly worked thanks to her partners already failing mind state. Throw in the new resistances, then that was out of the question.

Short circuit? Maybe, but where would she get such a tool to do it reliably? Even then it wasn't guaranteed to shut them down, or even immobilize them, and with the amount of soda they sometimes get doused with, liquid doesn’t seem to be on the table either.

Her jammer? It still works, sure. But only for the non wolves of the group. All the others would twitch and go blank when looking in her general direction. But when it comes to Roxanne? Nothing.

‘Damn that robot, damn it’s “feelings”, and damn that kid for getting its attention.’

She put aside her thoughts, putting her focus back onto hunting down the kid. If she is lucky, the chase could end before nightfall.

‘Heh, wishful thinking at this point.’

No, for now stealth is her best and only friend, to think otherwise will potentially ruin everything.

Chapter Text

As the day made it past the afternoon, more and more children left the daycare, with every single one blubbering about monsters in the dark. Thankfully though, those who remained had spent all their energy and were now cooling off or straight up passed out. Sun did not waste the opportunity to talk to Gregory.

“I hope lights out didn’t scare you too much, at least not like the other kids here.” Sun always felt sad when the children he protected felt threatened by his dark counterpart. It never got any easier.

“Well I followed the rules, so I guess that means I’m alright.” He sounded unsure of himself.

“It’s a wonderful start, I can already see us all being good friends!”

‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.’

‘Ohhhh don’t be such a killjoy.’

‘I’m just being realistic.’

“What is he saying?” The boy asked curiously.

“He thinks that us being friends is an impossible task.”

‘I never said it was impossible!’

‘I’m just messing with ya. They need to install you a better sense of humor.’

The periods of silence came off as really awkward to Gregory, though he wasn’t going to volunteer to be the one that breaks it. Especially with this animatronic.

“I’m just kidding, he is just much more reserved than myself.”

“How come?”

“It’s just in his side of the program, after all he makes sure that little ones are resting. He doesn’t mind though, he likes the quiet…well, when they are quiet.”

“Well he doesn’t help the situation any. If anything he makes it worse.”

‘Hey! Don’t tell me how to do my job!’

“Oooh, he didn’t like that. That hurt a little.”

“I’m sorry but seeing all of them scramble like their lives were on the line…he doesn’t really perform as advertised.”

‘Alright then, wise guy! How would you do it?!’

“That isn’t very nice Gregory. He is just doing what he can to do his job.”

“Yeah…I guess I wouldn’t know what to do either.”

‘Then keep the comments to yourself!’

‘Calm down, he didn’t mean anything by it. He’s just a kid.’

‘I…You’re right, but that doesn’t mean he can toss me around.’

“...Look, I know we didn’t have the best of introductions, especially with your unique situation, but perhaps we could fix what has been broken between us all. Please, give Moon a second chance…give us a second chance.”

“I already did when I agreed to come here. I thought I would end up regretting it, but that never happened. It all feels like a dream.” Sun puts a finger to the boy's chin, gently guiding his gaze to him.

“You’re awake and well, after all, the lights are on right now. You have a much better life to look forward to.” The attendant decides to change the subject. “How about this, do you want to share the drawings you made with me?” The boy shyly holds said drawings to his chest.

“...I…um,” He gives his drawings a once over, then a smile slowly emerges. “...Sure.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

All is quiet in the apartment as the sun dips below the horizon, for most people the day is just now closing out. But for Vanessa? It has only just begun. She is rudely woken up by her obnoxious alarm.

“Uuuggghhh, evening already?” Without so much as opening her eyes, she reaches out to her end table to shut off the blaring noise. *thunk* Only to knock it on the floor by mistake. “Oh for f–” With a brief burst of annoyed energy, she throws her legs over the bedside, swiftly picks up her phone, then dismisses the alarm.

She rubs away the crust in her eyes, helping to finish waking her up. The woman holds completely still for a moment, not thinking, not moving, hardly even breathing. She was about to fall back asleep but was foiled by her stomach protesting her idleness.

‘I guess I’m up for good now.’

Going through her ‘morning’ routine at night was a strange experience, she kept forgetting that now wasn’t the time to go back to bed, even putting her pajamas back on rather than away. It was a nice laugh though.

Once it was all said and done, her thoughts inevitably drifted back to the animatronics and their human guest. Never would she have thought that a child such as him would end up appearing on the first night, and even if she did, not under his circumstances. He reminded her of herself as a child, though that was hardly a compliment.

‘Certainly braver than I ever was.’

She could only assume he has been through worse than her, at least she didn’t have any broken bones or an excessive amount of permanent scarring. Not that she wants to compare traumatic childhoods, it's just stating a fact.

Speaking of broken bones though, his leg. With Roxanne confirming that he couldn’t walk, he clearly needed some form of cast or brace. Shouldn’t be too hard, there has to be a place somewhere that has what she's looking for.

‘I have a good few hours before my shift begins, this will be a piece of cake.’

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

In the main atrium, the gang were just finishing up their final performance of the day. Roxanne specifically has regained much of her confidence, as what Freddy said earlier rang true. It is as if nothing ever happened in the first place, like she could completely ignore all the adverse things that try to hamper her already stressful week. The cheers from the crowd combined with the music from both herself and her fellow bandmates mesh perfectly with the flashy environment.

‘Hopefully he could join the crowd once he is able.’

That was the only real distracting factor to her day, her pup simply not being able to participate. It’s a shame that things were still not safe for him in particular, but she had special eyes! She, along with the rest of her friends, would ensure that nothing harmful would even get near him! But they still had a job to do, and the wolf trusted Sun more than enough to keep her pup out of trouble. Moon on the other hand. At least he wouldn’t let a kid get hurt, in his own messed up sort of way.

‘He is lucky they’re sharing the same shell…ugh, forget it. Just focus on the music.’

Blocking out the distracting elements of her own mind, things went well for a time, until her gaze reached a particular person in the crowd on the upper balconies. The person in question is an adult female, blonde, with a ponytail. The thing is she was just giving a soul piercing glare…at… her. No movements, no nothing, just a cold stare.

Roxanne racked her mind trying to understand why; she didn’t do anything to this woman! Even if she did, shouldn’t she be watching her child instead?! Surely they were more important than her!

‘Maybe she is here alone? But why? This place isn’t exactly marketed to adults.’

As Roxy delved deeper into a list of reasons for this lady's unsettling behavior, the woman took notice of the unflinching gaze towards her then her eyes widened. She wasted no time to retreat, pushing through the crowd with little regard.

‘What was that all about?!’

The ordeal puts her to overdrive once more, thankfully with the song coming to an end, she doesn’t need to be on stage much longer. Roxanne had never felt this impatient since the last round of mini golf, and that was something she outright hated!

“Hey Roxy, you look like you saw a ghost. Are you okay?” She turns to a worried Monty but doesn’t respond. To the gator, Roxanne appeared to be looking right through him, like he wasn’t there. “Roxy? ROXY!” He frantically shakes her shoulders; he has never been more grateful that the microphones were off.

Their saving grace finally came when the platform began to lower, she then released the heated air from her system all at once, but perhaps a bit too quickly. She is about to collapse but is held up by Monty. Both Freddy and Chica rush in to help keep the wolf steady.

“Roxy?! Are you okay?!” The chicken holds Roxannes head so she can see her face, which is full of concern.

“...I-I’m fine, it was just…there was this weird person in the crowd.” Monty couldn’t help but feel a little skeptical.

“I’m pretty sure seeing one random person isn’t on the list of things to make you drop like that!”

“That is not even the ‘best’ part, she was just… staring at me. Like I owed her money or something.”

“Could be an old fan, maybe they are just mad that you re-” Freddy taps him on the head to stop him, accompanied by a harsh glare. Coming from the normally happy bear, it was extremely startling. So the gator shut his trap. Freddy quickly picked up from there.

“Is that all that happened? Just giving you the evil eye?”

“Actually, no. When she realized I was starting back, she got spooked and forced her way out of the crowd.”

“That isn’t suspicious at all.” Monty sarcastically quipped. Chica didn’t know what to think.

“Um, maybe it was just your imagination? A product of the stress you’ve been feeling?” She helpfully added.

“...I don’t know. She had this threatening aura; it felt a bit too real.”

“Okay, not ideal, but we’ll deal with it together.”

“Yeah, sounds good. But first let me recharge. I feel beyond drained right now.” The hen wordlessly helps Roxanne along the path to her room, whilst Freddy and Monty follow close behind.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The gang remained by Roxys' charging station as she rested; none of them felt particularly comfortable leaving her alone after the rather ominous event she reported. Freddy was scouring the cameras looking for anyone suspicious, Monty paced the room thoughtlessly, and Chica was racking her mind to understand just who Roxanne saw, if any. The hope is that it was nothing to be worked up about, but with how things were going recently, it could very well be a bad omen, and she wasn’t even superstitious!

‘Ooooohhh why does everything have to be so screwy nowadays?’

She didn’t want to admit it, but maybe Gregory has something to do with it, the hen can recall her first conversation with him perfectly. The ‘Crazy Lady’ he said, and who was keeping him safe for a few days now? Her entire body tenses up, and her internal temperature began to rise.

‘...She is still here.’

“Do you know who it might be?” Monty suddenly broke the silence; he stopped pacing the room when he noticed the angry yet frightened look slowly developing on Chica's face.

“I…I don’t know who it is for sure, but I certainly know they are real.”

“Huh? That doesn’t make sense.”

“...Maybe right now it doesn’t, but I think you’ll understand once you know the story.”

“You guys have been keeping secrets from me?! I thought we were tight!”

“Don’t take it personally, we were just waiting for the right time, and now is as good a time as any. I wasn’t even in the loop till last night.”

“Still doesn’t make it better.” He grumbled to himself. “Fine, fine, finefinefinefine. Can’t we just escort her out then?”

“She’ll never let herself be kicked out.”

“Why the heck not?!”

“Because I know what she wants.”

Chapter Text

‘I’m not seeing anything here; she can’t be gone already.’

Freddy had zero luck on every single camera feed he flipped to, there was simply no one in the PizzaPlex that would match the demeanor that Roxanne described. Either she is long gone now, or she is really good at hiding from the cameras. He very much prefers the former, at least then he wouldn’t have to worry about a potential danger to his friends, the guests of the PizzaPlex, and most of all Gregory. As much as he would like to keep looking, he can’t keep searching this way forever, it was draining for one, and for two it kept him away from his friends despite being in the same room.

With a bit of reluctance, he disconnected himself from the feeds, then was bombarded by the sound of Montgomery ranting to Chica, who was waiting for the storm to pass with a deadpan expression.

‘Suddenly the cameras don’t seem so bad.’ He loves his family, but man does it become a game of patience sometimes.

“-still don’t get why I’m always the last robot to-” The bear ‘clears’ his throat in the most attention-grabbing way possible, which does the job of startling him in silence without a hitch.

“Now I’m not saying that you don’t have a good reason to be upset but having a one-sided shouting match with Chica isn’t going to help matters at all.”

“You’re one to talk! I’ve half a mind to give you your own earful!” The chicken pulls him back from the bear,

“There is no need for any of that, since we don’t have any late night reservations we can finally let you in safely-” Monty threw up his arms in celebration, interrupting her.

“Finally! You have no idea how much I was itching to get the story! Now tell me what is going on!” The gator grips Freddy's shoulders a bit too tightly for his liking. It doesn’t help that he grew a manic look in his eye.

“Umm, yes.” The bear awkwardly lifts the claws off of him with minimal effort. “Before we start, you need to know that nothing I say can reach another staff worker, human or otherwise. Only Vanessa is an exception.” Monty nodded initially, then processed the name.

“Wait. Even Vanessa knows?! I’m truly last in line for everything, huh?! Are you gonna give her my bass next?! Maybe even some star glasses?!” Chica rolled his eyes.

“Oh don’t be so dramatic.” Monty heavily sighed, rubbing a hand over his entire face.

“Whatever, now tell me what I missed.”

“I think it’s best for Freddy to go first. He was present the most at the time.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Back in the daycare, the place is now empty of children, with Gregory being an exception. Despite the chaos that occurred all around him, Greg was rarely disturbed by the other hyperactive children, and he had the attendant to thank for it. Specifically Sun, he is still kind of terrified of Moon, even if he didn’t mean any harm.

‘He really needs to do something about his voice…and the color of his eyes now that I think about it.’

“Hey Gregory, we have the whole daycare to ourselves now. We can finally stop whispering to each other!” The boy cringed at the volume he shouted.

“Let's keep it down until the place shuts down for the night. Please?”

“No problem. I can wait another hour or two.”

The boy stretched out every limb that he could, he doesn’t know what he would give up to actually walk around, but he is certainly close to finding out. His gaze snaps down to his hurt leg, it serves as a reminder of what could happen if he got too greedy again. His mood dampens as he heavily sighs.

“Don’t be so down sunshine, you will get better soon. I’m sure of it!” A slight smile formed on Gregorys face.

“I’m sure too. I just hate how slow it seems to be going. At least it doesn’t hurt as much anymore.”

The boy hesitantly ran his hand down the limb all the way to the ankle, it hurts, but at least he doesn’t instantly recoil like other times. Maybe he really is recovering…or he is just used to the pain. He banished the negative thought right away; he refuses to go down that path. Right now he needed to distract himself before that was all he could think about, thankfully that wasn’t too hard to do recently.

“Do you think Roxanne would like these if I showed her?” He gestured towards the drawings he made. Sun praised them, but that was a predictable outcome.

“Of course she would! I have never seen her not like a drawing that one of her fans made, so no doubt she would love yours even more so!”

“...Is it only because a fan made it?” Sun was caught off guard, he stumbled over his words for a good moment or two.

‘Ha! Even he can see through Rox and her ego.’

‘Don’t you dare plant any doubts in his mind!’

“No, no. It’s not like that at all. We all appreciate the things that children make for us. Each and every piece of art that is shown to us never fails to make our day better. The band even signs them whenever they get the chance.”

“Oh wow. They must get a lot huh?” He couldn’t imagine the sheer amount of artwork they might see every day.

“You best believe it, and we relish every moment!”

The nervousness within Gregory fizzled away then is replaced with a small amount of confidence. He couldn’t wait to see the band again.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Freddy took his time carefully explaining everything that he could about the night, making sure to leave out the details on how hostile Monty was towards their surprise guest. Unfortunately he couldn’t remember the entire night thanks to his time in the charging stations. The gaps in his memory certainly made Monty annoyed but couldn’t blame him for it. After all, it was an entire night for him versus the minutes from Freddy.

Regardless, the gator has given his undivided attention to the bear, every now and again asking a question or two to keep himself informed. So far, he found the little boy involved to be rather fascinating, surprisingly he is the only one to have managed to stay overnight once, never mind three times.

However even if he could believe that the kid accomplished such a feat, he still had a hard time understanding just what he actually did within that time.

“...He did all of that… in one night? Must be a tough little guy if he managed to accomplish all of that.” So far, Monty found some events a bit too far-fetched, even for him. He can’t bring himself to just completely believe everything that Freddy has told him so far. However, the bear has never told a lie to his friends before, so starting now would be cause for concern.

“Heh, if only you were aware at the time. He would have run circles around you if he was still able.” Freddy goes blank for a moment, the events of that fateful night speeding though his mind. “...If he was still able.” His words were barely audible to his private audience.

“What do you mean? Is he sick or something?” The bear heavily sighed then continued his recollection of the night.

“Roxy's racetrack…you know about it right?”

“Yeah, of course I do, but what does that…have to… do with… ” He suddenly remembered one tiny detail: the track was trashed in every sense of the word. “...Nah…Nnnnoooo let me stop you right there. I refuse to believe that a single little boy is responsible for that entire attraction going kaput.”

“Whether or not you do doesn’t change anything. He did have that crash…and it’s my fault.” Chica suddenly sat up straighter upon hearing this.

“Why would that ever be the case?!” She shouted. Even Monty flinched from her sudden disruption. “You are the sweetest fun-loving bear I’ve ever known!” Freddy hesitates for a moment before continuing.

“When I was about to recharge, he asked me how to get one up and running for someone on the smaller side. I didn’t think about why he would ask that at all, and that was that.” It’s painful for him to even think about. Both his friends can feel the shift in the air, it inclines Monty to give him some leeway.

“...You didn’t say he was a shrimp.” 

“Well he is a bit small for a nine year old now that I think about it.” Chica moves past the gator to comfort Freddy. “Regardless though, accidents happen, the best you can do is learn from it, and ensure you don’t repeat it.”

“I know, but hindsight is a dastardly thing. It could have all been avoided if I simply asked why . But no, I gave him what he wanted without thinking. A child got hurt, because of my mistake. Never have I been so grateful for Roxanne.”

As he spoke his voice got shakier, it was very evident that he was beyond upset. The hen was at a loss on what to do, sure she was excellent at interacting with others, particularly children…but this was Freddy! Never has he been so distraught since they were first activated.

“Perhaps you should take a moment to gather your thoughts? Don’t you think? You’ve already told Monty most of the important bits.” The gator in question just stood by silently with a blank face.

“...Yeah. Just…give me a moment to collect myself.” She nods as he sluggishly sits down on a nearby crate.

“...Remember we're here whenever you need us.” She nudged Monty to get his attention. “You want to mull over things for a bit? Or are you still hungry for more?” 

The gator looks between her and the distraught bear. The decision was easy.

“It can wait.” Chica smiled and nodded, then both took seats on opposing sides of Freddy.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Vanessa pulls up onto the ‘Plex parking lot, which has a hefty amount of people and cars within but is gradually emptying by the minute. At least she isn’t the one ushering out the guests. There was a time or two that she could recall that involved the more…’reluctant’ kids. Those were always a headache, especially since she had to keep up the smile for the guests. At least there is that silver lining, but then came that pesky paranoia.

‘What if they found the kid? It will be over for me, and I can’t afford to lose this job!’

Mentally preparing herself, she begins her walk to the front doors, the backpack she held felt heavier with every step.

‘I swear if I’m given a pink slip instead of a raise…I’m going to kill someone.’

“Excuse me miss.” She is brought back to reality upon someone else's voice.

“Oh, sorry.” She adjusts her cap to wave off the intense awkwardness she felt. The woman quickly closed the distance to the doors, a thinning stream of parents and children flowed out of them.

‘At least I won’t get trampled.’

Upon entering the building, she is quickly greeted by a fellow security guard. She grew tense immediately.

“Didn’t expect to see you so early…or is it late? I don’t know.” Vanessa rolled her eyes.

“Either way works, not like I care.”

“Oh don’t be like that, I thought you would like to get paid doing nothing.”

“I don’t think you know how maddening it is to have nothing happen at your job. It always feels like I’m supposed to be doing something productive. Yet I’m just…sitting there! Looking at cameras waiting for something that may never come!”

“Whoa calm down, I’m just pulling your leg, lord knows I wouldn’t want that either. Insanity inducing boredom doesn’t mix well with me.” She scoffs at their statement; not like they actually knew what she felt. “But anyways, what brings you here? You don’t have to be here until midnight, and that’s…in roughly two hours.”

“I was in the area, and I didn’t want to go back home only to leave right away. Especially when it’s so late. Besides, I don’t really have anything better to do.”

“Ah, I get you. I guess there is no harm in that, just don’t expect overtime pay. You know how stingy bossman can be.”

“Never expected any.”

“Heh, alright then. I’ll leave you to it.” There is an overwhelming sense of relief that flowed throughout her body. It seems that everything went right for once, hopefully that will be the peak of her heart rate for the night.

She went to Rockstar Row, intent on getting an update from one of them, only to see the rooms vacant. She once again goes tense but remains calm.

'No need to freak out, they must be in the restricted areas. Hopefully they aren't too hard to find.'

Chapter Text

The slightly dim and dying hallways is something that Vanessa will probably never get used to, the aura of the area being beyond creepy and pushed into otherworldly, the echo of her own footsteps unhelpfully solidifying that this is her life now. She hasn’t even encountered another person yet despite the ‘Plex still technically being open.

‘What I wouldn’t give to have another flesh and blood person to help keep watch…but then again, I doubt they would be as understanding.’

The sound of a nearby door opening gets her attention, a human janitor in the process of putting their job on autopilot. She could already hear the bootup of every cleaner bot in that room. Unfortunately, this particular person had a habit of getting under peoples skin, and she was no exception. However, both security guards and janitors get around…a lot. If anyone would know where they were, it would be them. Vanessa buries whatever reservations she felt and approached.

“Hey, buddy.”

“Huh? Oh, hey Vanny.” Vanessa instantly regrets opening her mouth.

“...Call me that again, I’ll go to jail for assault.” The worker held their hands in mock surrender.

“Reeelaaaax. I just find it amusing that you get so upset over nothing.”

“Aren’t you fun to be around.” She growled venomously.

“When you and a pathetically small group have to clean up after snotty brats all day every day, you tend to build up some animosity to the workplace and everything in it.”

‘Let me get the small violin for you. You aren’t special.’ The guard pinches the bridge of her nose. “Look, I just need some whereabouts.”

“Why? Who made you mad this time?”

“Oh for– where is the band?!” The mood shifts dramatically. The janitor pauses then looks both ways before continuing.

“...You know, since you reminded me, they were acting a bit strange tonight.” All remnants of her anger are quickly stamped out and replaced with anxiety.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Nothing bad, it was just unsettling, they were all gathered in one of the backrooms, I don’t remember which. When I did my rounds, they just went silent and…stared. I never did my job so fast in my life.” She knew why they were behaving that way, but of course she couldn’t let that come across to the janitor. However that doesn’t mean she can’t agree with them though.

“They excel at being creepy, don’t they?” The janitor only chuckles and nods.

Once the first set of cleaner bots started to exit the supply closet, the worker immediately switched gears.

“Anyway, I need to head home now, which is more than I can say for you. Adios.” Vanessa resisted the urge to have the last word, she already got what she wanted.

‘All I had to do was check the backrooms. Why didn’t I think of that?! Stupid idiot!’

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Recharge complete. Beginning boot up sequence.

Roxannes eyes suddenly snap open, clearly disoriented from being forced awake. She couldn’t focus her vision at all, being nothing but pixelated garble, it brought forth a pulsating pain in her head that she couldn’t escape from.

You can’t find someone if they don’t exist.

25%

She quickly realized that she couldn’t move yet either. What was normally not a problem became an overwhelming source of anxiety. She tried with all her might to force her hands to obey, but all she got was twitches.

Just please keep the rabbit away from me. Please? She wants to kill me.

50%

The waiting has given her time to think, perhaps too much time. Every moment spent being trapped in her own chamber meant that the stalker could be getting closer to her pup. It couldn’t be more agonizing, she wants to beg her systems to hurry up and start already, but she couldn’t speak either. All she achieved was the same result as her hands: uncontrollable twitching.

For some reason I’m the only one who is able to see her!

75%

It’s not that she didn’t trust Sun, it’s just that even with his protection, Gregory could be taken from right under his nose. He probably wouldn’t even figure it out until it’s too late. The wolf’s limbs finally started to respond to her commands, even if they were quite restricted.

Just please keep me safe.

100% Boot up successful.

And just like that, all her limbs were unlocked. She needed to get to him, nothing will hurt him as long as she is around, that she can guarantee.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Guys, she is waking up!” Chica said out loud. In an instant the rest of the gang stood up from where they were sitting, everything they were previously talking about completely forgotten and burned.

None of them knew what to expect, but Roxanne stumbling out of her chamber was certainly not one of them.

It was clear that the wolf wasn’t quite stable enough to stand just yet. Chica immediately went forward to assist her towards the nearest crate, where she was practically forced to take a seat.

“Something wrong has definitely happened. You think you should sit this out?”

“No! I’m fine. Just a little woozy.” She rises rather unsteadily but remains standing. Freddy hurried over then proceeded to gently set her back down.

“I think Chica has a point, you're not in the best of states right now.”

“But I can’t stay here! I need to see him!”

“I’m sure he is fine; Sun and Moon will never allow a child to be put in danger.”

“I don’t care that they are the greatest babysitters in the entire franchise! They are still capable of losing him in some way!” Monty raised a brow at the claim.

“I highly doubt that. Dude is relentless when it comes to keeping the tykes safe.” Roxanne snaps her gaze to him. “Yes, I know…well a lot, but probably not everything, that can come later though.”

“Would’ve been nice if you all waited for me to wake up.” She crossed her arms with a snarl.

“Don’t be such a buzzkill, we’re not even in a golf game yet.” It took all her willpower to not pounce him then and there, but frankly she had more important things to do.

“You just irritate people at the worst times, don’t you.”

“...I guess?”

“Charmer, you are.” After a quick glance at the time, the wolf stands up, ignoring the dull aching feeling throughout her body. Even forcing her way past the rest of the gang. “Anyway, if you all will be so kind as to stop hovering over me, I need to go make sure our guest of honor is okay.” She keeps walking despite the previous warnings, particularly the bear. “And If it makes you all feel better… Freddy …you can come with me. The more the merrier as people say.”

Freddy wanted to protest but ultimately decided that it was a waste of time against someone as headstrong as Roxanne. So the next best thing is to stay nearby just in case.

“I can see what you’re thinking of Freddy, and to that I say you’re being a little too dramatic.”

“...You know me too well, Roxy.” It was difficult, but he forced himself to relax. It wouldn’t be the first time he stressed over nothing, but regardless, it helps to be vigilant.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“So how much longer do I have to stay here? I’m not feeling so good.” Gregory could understand that desperate times call for desperate measures, he knew that all too well…but there comes a point where you have to understand that you are in over your head. Such as now, when Sun had hidden him just beneath the surface of the ball pit once the dayshift security came by to do their final round throughout the ‘Plex.

The boy is pretty sure that they were long gone by now, judging by the lack of heavy boots hitting the floor, but that didn’t really seem to deter the paranoid attendant too much.

“You never know when they could be watching Greg… or listening. ” Sun immediately slaps his hands over his non-moving mouth.

“Come on! This is the most uncomfortable spot you could’ve picked; I would much rather be on a hard floor than this!”

Rather than verbally respond, Sun frantically held his hand in the universal ‘shush’ gesture. Initially the boy obeyed, thinking someone actually did manage to hear them, but after long moments of nothing he could only feel a building frustration.

‘If only I had two working legs!’

“C’mon you’re killing me here, just let me hide somewhere more plush, please?” He wasn’t one to beg, but there really wasn’t much else he could do to force his hand. “We’ve been alone for so long already, I’m sure the coast is clear by now.”

“...But if you’re caught, I’ll be scrapped for parts!”

“Oh please . This place values you too much to just–”

“No, no! Not by the humans, by Roxy!”

“She’ll never do that to y–...” His frustration reached its peak, “...Just put me on the bean bag, then throw a blanket over me. Simple. These guys probably just want to go home, so even if they do come back to an area they already checked. Twice. Then chances are that maybe, just maybe… they won’t even bother to look too closely.”

“...Are you sure?”

“Positive.”

“...I hope you’re right; I don’t even want to think of what could happen if you are seen.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Vanessa didn’t have to look very hard at all to find her quarry, in fact, she was almost certain of where they were located. Right away she headed back to Rockstar Row, lo and behold she spotted the band barely exiting from Roxanne's room. However the lack of Gregory made her heart skip a beat or two.

Both parties held a brief staring contest, with neither expecting to run into the other so soon.

“...This is exactly what the janitor was creeped out by.” Not the best way to start a conversation, but she’ll take that over silence easily when it comes to the animatronics.

“...It’s not their job to listen in on our private conversations.”

“You’re as snarky as ever Monty. Nice to know that you still work after the thrashing you took.” He looks off to the side with a growl, refusing to speak to her further.

“ Hey Montgomery Gator, how are you doing? Oh I’m fine, thank you for asking. ” He mumbled to himself. Roxy couldn’t help but snicker at his plight.

“I assume everyone is accounted for…right?” The guard awkwardly looks between all the robots, trying to see the other flesh and blood being that should at the very least be nearby them.

“He’s in the daycare.” The wolf simply said.

“Oh good lord– you left him with that ?” A full snarl returns to the wolf's face.

“Didn’t have much of a choice there, sweetheart. It was that or risk him getting seen by the human staff, or even the general public.” Vanessa thoughtfully nods in agreement.

“I guess that makes sense, though I would hope that the creepier half didn’t scare him like the other kids.” Roxy's glare intensifies.

“He better not have, or else he will be put to sleep himself.” Everyone is briefly stunned at her implication. Freddy puts both hands on his hips and gives a disapproving glare towards Roxanne, who of course didn’t see it.

“Please don’t.” The guard pleaded. Roxy held for a few seconds longer before breaking down into laughter. “...Wha–What’s so funny?”

“Y-You! You’re just too easy to mess with, of course I won’t hurt them! Though honestly, I don’t know what I’ll do if anyone tries to hurt my pup. Here's hoping none of us have to find out.” For a split second, Vanessa involuntarily glances at her claws before returning to Roxy's eyes. She slowly nods to appease her.

“Yeaaaahhh. Here’s hoping…” She shifts the weight of her backpack uncomfortably. The wolf smirking at the display.

“Well, don’t want to keep you any further, we ought to be going now.” Roxanne proceeded to walk off, her posse trailing behind. To everyone's surprise, the guard followed suit as well. Monty was the first to voice his confusion.

“Uhhh…don’t you have better things to do? Like…guarding? Watching cameras? Whatever you security guards do on a daily basis?”

“Nightly now. And I have something that the kid should have, I’m hoping that it will help keep him out of the hospital.” Roxy's ears perk up.

“Really? That’s wonderful! Maybe I will keep you.” 

“Don’t get your hopes up too high, nothing is guaranteed. I’m just saying that if we’re lucky he may not need a doctor. But if the bone is truly broken, then…let's just hope it doesn’t come to that.” She doesn’t know much at all about broken limbs, but she felt an injury like that needs to be looked at by trained personnel. Which she is very much not.

“It won’t .” Sensing the growing tension, the woman throws in some words of reassurance. Or at least attempts to.

“Well, he wasn’t in a constant state of agony when I last saw him, so he might have a chance. I don’t know if it's a good one, but still.”

She didn’t get a verbal response, however the wolf visibly tensed as she walked. Vanessa took this as a sign to shut up, falling behind to get a little distance from her.

“ She’s something else ain’t she? ” The guard nearly jumped out of her skin when Monty whispered in her ear.

“You’re one to talk. Neither of you have one upped the other when it comes to dramatics.” The gator rolls his eyes.

“And here I thought we could be friends.” He muttered half-heartedly.

‘Heh, like I said.’ She checked her watch. 11:30. ‘I’ve got time.’

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“I hate this place.” Vanessa fell behind from the group, dragging her feet as they approached the daycare.

Her opinion of the area was always the same. Too bright, too colorful, too weird, etcetera. And to her surprise, absolutely nothing about that opinion has changed. Not even the lack of life deterred her, it was the same place that brought about negative feelings totally unrelated to the emptiness of it all. However, what brought it down past even rock bottom was the main inhabitant. He was too bright, too colorful– you get the picture.

‘But the voice…oh god the voice. Just pleeeease. Shut. Up.’

How the children can tolerate him is beyond her comprehension.

The guard can only hope that he’ll at least be a little more tolerable after hours. If not, then she’ll need to be quick before she ends up pulling her hair out.

‘Just apply the brace, then leave the daycare.’

“Hello everyone! Almost thought that you forgot about us! Please come in!”

‘Lord have mercy it is even worse than I could have ever imagined.’

Any words that Sun would have said had been stifled when he noticed the woman.

“V-Vanessa?! W-What are you doing here so late?!”

“Okay, before you say anything else, let me just give you the short explanation: New night guard position opened for obvious reasons, I was involuntarily volunteered to fill the role, I have known about the kid and his condition since yesterday, and now I am here to help him. Savvy?”

“...Oh, that's a relief. Anyone who is a friend of Gregory is a f–”

“ Yes, I get it. Now let me see him, preferably by myself so I can concentrate.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Gregory expected Sun to return with the band but was surprised when only Roxanne and Vanessa came. The woman particularly didn’t seem too thrilled to be here. Regardless though, he felt a smile form upon his face. The wolf followed suit, incapable of resisting.

“Hey Roxy! So glad to finally see you again.”

“I feel the same little pup.” He turns to address the guard, and his features fall when she knelt down to him.

“Didn’t think you would be here as well.” He said almost monotone.

“I’ll be honest, me neither, but there is something that I got for you.” She slings her backpack over her shoulder and digs out for the item. “I got a brace for you. To help with the leg. It was the best thing I could find.” A shocked expression replaced his neutral one.

“You…You did? I…wow. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet, I still have to strap it on, and to be honest, I have no idea what I’m doing, or if this will work. But I think you’ll be okay.” Roxanne tapped her foot impatiently, much to Vanessa's annoyance. “Please don’t distract me, I need to be delicate here.” The wolf huffed and went still.

“Will…Will it hurt?” The boy asked apprehensively.

“If I do this right, and without any interruptions, it shouldn’t be too taxing on you.” She side eyed Roxy with a bit of sass, who snarled slightly.

“O-Ok, please be careful.” He tightly grips the bean bag in anticipation. The woman nods as she begins the process.

‘Tutorials don’t fail me now.’

Chapter Text

“That should do it. I hope .” It didn’t look too shabby if she said so herself. Though she would be far more confident if she didn’t have an overprotective wolf breathing over her shoulder. Quite literally. “Does it feel alright? Not too tight or anything?” ‘Please be good, please be good…’

“It’s fine, I think. Even if it aches, it’s far better than not healing right at all. I’ll get used to it at some point.”

‘Oh my god thank you!’ “Hoooooh boy, alright. Now all that is left…well, is to wait.”

“How long will it take?”

“I…I don’t know. A couple weeks? Maybe a month or two? Depends. I’m the furthest thing you can get from an expert, but I’m pretty sure it takes a while for these types of injuries to completely heal.”

“W-Weeks? Months? It can’t be that long…”

Vanessa wants to offer words of comfort, but all she could muster up was a pathetic shrug. The boy tightly gripped his hair, just short of yanking it. Deep frustration bubbles up within.

“That’s…such a long time to be on the ground, b-but at least I have something to look forward to.” He said through gritted teeth.

“I-I’m sorry kid, I wish I had better news for you.”

“I’ll be fine, bad news and I are old friends.” Vanessa didn’t know how to respond to that, so Roxanne filled in the silence.

"Just because she’s a huge downer doesn’t mean you got to be. You’ll be up and running before you know it, and when that happens, I will finally catch you.” Gregorys anger subsided considerably as he smirked.

“Only when pigs fly.” She ruffles his hair.

“We’ll see about that little pup.”

“Heh, can I leave this box now? I need a change of scenery.” The guard wasted no time to take advantage of that option.

“You know what, that is the greatest suggestion I’ve ever heard in my life, let's go.” She quickly went towards the large doors without even bothering to wait for them. Both only stared as she walked away.

“That was sudden. Is she okay?” The wolf shrugs.

“Beats me. We really don’t ‘know’ the guards per se. As people they’re complete unknowns to us. The only thing we make sure of is whether or not they have a… history .”

“Really? So people with records aren’t allowed to work here?”

“...Actually, they are. There is a line though. No murderers or…or… sick people.”

“Wow, so if you catch the sniffles, you get the boot. Wouldn’t be the weirdest rule I’ve ever heard of believe it or not.”

“Not that kind of–you know what, I think we should catch up with Vanessa before she does anything stupid.” ‘Me and my big mouth.’ She picks him up, being mindful of his new brace without elaborating further on his inquiry. ‘ What little innocence you have left should be preserved and treasured.’ Gregory meanwhile pouts at not being told what she meant.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Vanessa practically kicked the door open to escape, startling the rest of the animatronics that were present.

“Alright guys, we're done here. Can we go now? I think I’m starting to suffocate.” Recovering from his stupor, Monty shook his head.

“I would love to, but not before I can finally see the little guy for myself. I’ve been itching to make a proper first impression, and now's my chance to do it in an environment so dangerously family friendly it's vomit inducing.” The guard smirked at his shot to the daycare.

“Hey! I’ll have you know; it is designed to be completely safe and sterile.” Sun is either not amused or couldn’t understand a joke. Either way, it only made Vanessa grin even harder.

“Doesn’t change a thing. Now where is he? I might literally explode if I wait any longer.” His wishes are answered with both Gregory and Roxanne finally exiting the daycare. “Finally! Hey Rox…Rox….” The gator's jaw dropped at the sight before him.

To start with, the wolf being affectionate was entirely off putting to him. Even her most dedicated super fans didn’t get to be held like this random kid is. Speaking of which, he isn’t as he had pictured either. From what he has heard, he was expecting something a bit more…edgy. Like someone who has a knack for getting into trouble and looking the part, something similar to his own audience.

None of that was what he got, not even close or within any sort of spectrum. Never has he seen such a frail looking kid before, to say he was put through the ringer would be putting it mildly to say the least.

“H…Hi…Um…”  Gregory started, but nothing more was said. 

The boy was locked in a staring contest against his will, a wave of fear and guilt has taken over his senses. He thought he would be ready to face Monty, but for some reason he just…couldn’t. The teeth, the brawn. He couldn’t stop himself from eventually shying away. All he could think about was the close calls. The gnashing of teeth…the obliteration of doors…the merciless chases…then there was his near complete destruction.

In the end, Gregory couldn’t look at him, instead burying his face onto the crook of Roxanne's neck and tightening his hold. The wolf nuzzles him and uses her free hand to soothe him. That didn’t stop her from giving Monty the stink eye anyway.

“Staring is kind of rude, you know.” Roxanne berates him for his speechlessness. The gator rapidly blinked as he composed himself. His face got hot.

“Sorry, uh–it’s just–it–uh…it’s just that…he’s not what I expected.”

“Oh? Then what exactly did you want to see?”

“Uhhh, nothing. Nothing in particular. Only didn’t expect him to come with heavy battle scars.” Roxy only narrowed her eyes. “Hey, little guy. Come on, I don’t bite.”

Unbeknownst to him, he only reminds Gregory of the horrifying times he almost ended up being chomped by his seriously unsafe teeth. The boy remained rigid, which signaled to Roxanne that now wasn’t the time for them to interact.

“I don’t think he is ready for this.” She said completely seriously.

“Oh come on! I’m not that scary!” The wolf could only deadpan. Monty looks around bewildered. Absolutely no one has come forward to back him up on his claim, not even Freddy, who is looking off to the side whistling away. “Am I?” This time Freddy looks him in the eyes.

“I mean…you were both designed to attract adolescents. And to that I say: mission accomplished.”

“Wow, and here I thought you were the negotiator.” The bear shrugs that his displeasure. “...Regardless! ‘M not that bad!” Roxanne rolled her eyes.

“Suck it up and wait a little longer, forcing it will only make things worse.”

Monty was about to retort but stopped when the kid caught his attention. The boy was starting to shake. Swallowing his pride, he let out a very long sigh. He nods and backs off.

“Sorry. Got a bit too excited.” He sheepishly rubs the back of his head. “He’s a trooper though, I’ll give him that for free.”

“Heh, that he is. Here's hoping that he recovers very soon.” She turns her attention to the daycare attendant. “How was he?”

“Oh he was delightful! I must admit, I had my doubts at first, what with him breaking the rules with such vigor in our initial meeting, but he showed how childlike he still is. It just saddens me that what it took to get here cost him so much.”

“I’d much rather he forgets about that.” She looks at the kid, reminded of the hardships that he has gone through for pretty much no reason. “Hey pup, you hungry?” He silently nods, still preferring to remain quiet. “I think that is our cue to go…thank you Sun. Thank you so much.”

“Wait! Before you go, I need to give you something!” He quickly retreats to his lair, muttering to himself all the way. Curious, Roxanne decides to stay put. “ Come on…where are they, where are they– AHA . ” In no time he is already back, specifically pining for Gregory. “You almost forgot these.”

The boy looks up slightly. In Sun's hands were folded papers. His drawings. He timidly reached out and grabbed them, grateful that they weren’t forgotten. He tucked them away for later.

“Thank you.”

“You’re ever-so welcome. I look forward to your next visit. Hopefully soon. Roxanne Wolf .” The wolf's ears perk up at his choice of words.

‘Full name.’ She nods. With that mental note stowed away, she now focuses on taking care of her pup.

“Now, how about we go? We should have the kitchens to ourselves now.” He eagerly nods.

“The daycare food is nowhere near as good as the rest of the ‘Plex.” He quips. The attendant actually took offense to that.

“Now hold on! The food here is just fine! Much healthier than the grease triangles you call pizza!” Roxy only rolled her eyes, but Chica…now it was her turn to be angry, complete with eye twitching.

“...You…You have some nerve don’t you!”

Admittingly Roxanne would’ve loved to have stayed to see how the argument would play out, however she already promised Gregory something to munch on so that is what she is going to do. With Freddy suddenly being thrust into the role of mediator once again along with Monty cheering on the display, she had a golden opportunity to slip away.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Hope you don’t mind if I tag along for now.” Vanessa suddenly made herself known once more. Her presence would take some getting used to.

“I suppose not, you’re alright.” An awkward silence ruled between them until they exited the daycare area.

“...So…how are you doing kid? You sort of locked up back there, like you saw a ghost.”

“...I thought I would be ready to talk to him, but I wasn’t.”

“Okay…if you don’t mind me asking, why?”

“I’d…rather not talk about it.”

“Are you sure? Maybe it will do you some good?” Roxy butted in.

“If he says he doesn’t want to talk about it, then keep it to yourself!”

“Okay! Relax! I’m just trying to do what little I can on my own!” Suddenly the wolf felt bad for raising her voice towards this woman.

In hindsight, despite the rocky first meeting, she kept her promise to keep Gregorys presence secret, even going above and beyond. She didn’t have to go those lengths at all, just keeping her mouth shut would’ve been satisfactory. Roxanne is honestly surprised that she is willingly sticking by her. It felt wrong, but that can be righted.

“You know, I…uh…” The woman glances at Roxy, noting the bashful expression, it was amusing.

“Are youuuuu, talking to me?”

“Yeah, yeah. I wanted to say that I’m sorry…for everything since you were ‘volunteered’ for the night shift. You know…for being so disrespectful…treating you like an enemy.”

“It’s alright, I understand. All I ask is that you stop staring at me whenever I’m in the room. I’m not that important.”

“...You don’t actually believe that do you? If it weren't for you, things could’ve been very different. Think about it, would any other guard be as lenient?” Vanessa shook her head.

“I don’t think that’s very fair; we have jobs to do and admittingly most are simply not willing to take that kind of risk. Honestly, I find it hard to blame them. Though I do see where you’re coming from.” She sighs deeply. “Regardless, apology accepted, for his sake if nothing else.” ‘Nice to see that you admitted to being a taint.’

“Thank you, I’m glad that you have no hard feelings.” Roxanne felt the most relaxed she had been since before Gregory appeared.

“...Dammit, I need to go.”

“Hm? Why?”

“I forgot to clock in, it’s already midnight.”

“Oh, that. Hold on, look at me and stand still.” Her eyes start to glow, then a visible ray of light emerges as they scan the unexpecting guard's face. “...There, you’re in.”

“Grr, a little more warning next time? I would greatly appreciate it if you didn’t blind me as your first act of goodwill.”

“Quit the bellyaching, at least you don’t have to make the ‘harsh’ journey to your office just to slide a card or punch a piece of paper.”

“At least there is that silver lining. Thanks for that by the way.”

“Well I can’t let the bigwigs have an excuse to moan and complain right? Besides, it's the least I can do for you.”

“What else can you guys do? Is there some manual that I can read? Or is that just for the tech boys?"

"That's on a need-to-know basis sweetheart. Can't let you in on all of our tricks, can we? Not even the eggheads know everything."

"Now you're just being cruel."

“Not even close, trust me.” ‘Yeah, she’s alright.’

With a newfound trust for each other, they headed off together to the food courts.

Chapter Text

For the first time since Vanessa took the job, she found herself relaxed…in a manner of speaking. At least she wasn’t stressing out over a whole building of kids.

‘Especially when closing time came.’

She doesn’t know when she’ll be moved back to the dayshift, if at all. With how weird the company's practices are, they could very well just leave her there until she decided to quit. Not that she minded too much, at least she had some form of company, even if they weren’t human.

“It’s amazing how none of them even noticed you leaving. You would think they would pay careful attention with a child in the mix now.”

“There couldn’t be a better timed distraction. Right when my pup needed his peace and quiet after spending an entire day in the daycare.” She ruffles Gregory's hair. “Speaking of which, how was your time there?” A ghost of a smile formed on the child's face.

“I…think it was alright. Sun wasn’t nearly as annoying as I thought he would be. We came to an agreement that I’ll be left alone as much as possible. It helps that he made sure to shoo the other kids away from me.”

“Did he now? Ain’t that something.” ‘Guess I don’t have to rearrange his blueprint then…which is…good.’

“I still don’t like Moon though. Even when he isn’t hunting me down, he is still just as creepy.”

“I mean, it’s not like he is intentionally scaring the pants off of everyone. He means well; however, he still grinds my gears though. Even more so now.” She bristles at the memory of Gregory curled up earlier in the day. “I suppose I can look past it though. He did exempt you from his reign of terror after all.”

“I’m sure it will stay that way now that I know how to keep him happy.”

The conversation came to an end once they reached the food court. The whole process of getting him a meal was so much easier now that the staff bots were in their control.
Whilst the child chowed down, Vanessa took this opportunity to bring up a question she's been itching to ask.

“You know Roxanne, I’ve been wondering something.” The wolf's ears motioned towards the guard. “How come you took it upon yourself to take care of him? This is something I would expect from Freddy, but not you.” From the woman's tone, it is clear that she wasn’t trying to accuse her of anything. Just genuine curiosity. Roxy bowed her head slightly.

“...I…found him in my racetrack after the crash. It…was a horrible sight to see. I felt responsible for his injuries. It was at my track that he got hurt, and I refused to let him wallow in pain. During the time I patched him up, I found out about his lack of caretakers, so I sort of…kept him.” She sighs heavily. ‘It was my fault.’

“I can’t imagine how it would feel, and I pray I never will, but if it makes you feel any better, I think you’re filling in the role of a guardian pretty well all things considered.” Roxanne felt uplifted from her statement.

“Thanks, that means a lot to me.” The woman smirks.

“You’re welcome.” Vanessa checked her watch. It was already thirty minutes into her shift, and she hadn't even set foot in the security room. “...You know as much as I would like to stick around, I should really go to do my job, if you need me, I’ll be in the main security room.” Before she could saunter off, Roxy put a hand on her shoulder to stop her.

“Hold on. Before you go, can I ask you for a small favor?”

“Umm, depends on what it is.”

“Nothing big, I just need you to watch over my pup for a little bit.” Vanessa's eyes widened.

“W-Why? Not that I’m declining, just…why? Wouldn’t Freddy be a better option?”

“He isn’t here right now, is he? He might even still be trying to get Chica to calm down. Besides, I only need to have a quick talk with the attendant in private.” Gregory is somewhat alarmed by this.

“Roxy, I told you that nothing was wrong!”

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing like that. He just wanted me to have a chat with him, so I want to get that out of the way as soon as possible.”

“Oh…ok, as long as you don’t destroy him…yet.”

“Heh, well he hasn’t given me a reason to, so he’s in the clear.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The trip to the security room was fast, the newly arrived inhabitants quickly establishing themselves for the time being. Roxanne observes the room, she has never actually been inside here before, at least not that she could remember. It seemed so…plain, and sterile. A little bigger than the others Gregory ran through, but still a bit cramped.

“Eeesh, this is where you guys have to camp out every day?” He commented.

“Not everyone obviously, but if we want to see everything that goes on, then someone has to do it. Since I’m the only guard, I have to become a hermit in this little insanity inducing room. Absolutely nobody I know likes being put on camera duty, nobody . Doubly–no, triply so when they end up taking the shift alone.” Roxy pats her on the back.

“Good thing you won’t be for the time being then. At least…until I come back that is.”

“Oh, ha ha.”

“Lighten up. Maybe you’ll find some common ground to walk on…err, you know what I mean.” She then turns to the child, leaning to whisper to him. “You still have your FazWatch?” He nods. “Good, if you want Freddy to grace his presence in this sad room, that is always an option. I’ll be back.”

“Okay. Don’t scrap the attendant, please. At least not yet.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Roxanne wished she could say she was surprised when she came back to a messy daycare, but that would be a lie. She could only assume it was much worse before, judging by the attendant hard at work cleaning up the place muttering to himself as he went along.

“She really did a number on your domain, didn’t she?” Her sudden statement startled Sun out of his cleaning streak. He quickly recovered though.

“Chica needs to learn that not everyone agrees with her ideas. Especially with her diet choices. It’s childish and sets everyone back.”

“Is that what you told her?”

“YES! Unfortunately, she didn’t get the hint and continued her chase. Of course, she failed to get her hands on me. I’m still here after all, and I’ll gladly do it again to defend the health of the kids in my care.”

“Must have been a tough offense, she managed to get past Freddy?”

“HA, you should’ve seen it, it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen from her before. Of course, Monty was no help at all. He kept egging her on, the scaly instigator.”

“He loves a good fight, I would know. Though getting the details of that is not what I’m here for.”

“I know, I know. I was hoping it would be a more stable environment. Not…” He gestures all around him, emphasizing the progress he needs to make still. “...whatever this is.”

“Yes, very sad. Now what is it you wanted to say to me? I’m pretty sure this isn’t it.”

“Oh! Yes! Sorry, I’m just so upset right now.” He continues to clean up the place. “Tell me, what do you know about Gregory before he arrived here?” From the nature of the question, and the fact that he wanted to speak with her specifically, she could guess what this is about.

“...Not much, but from what I have learned, he was completely on his own for a while. He was either abused at worst or ignored at best.” Sun slams down a box of supplies.

“...Rage inducing, isn’t it? Never in all my years of being active have I been confronted with the possibility that adults are capable of such cruelty.”

“You and I both…you and I both…”

“And what’s even worse? He is far from the only one. There are many, many others that he left behind. He is here only because he had the…an incredible amount of courage to brave the streets.” His voice picked up rapidly as he went on.

“Wait wait wait. There are more kids like him?!" He kept going without addressing her question.

“I didn’t want to believe him, but there is absolutely no indication that he lied, not even a little bit! I can’t, I can’t, I can’t!” He yanks the rays on his head. “It’s sooooo messed up! It’s inconceivable! How has the world reached such a low point?!”

“Calm down!” She gets a hold of him, forcing him still. “I feel terrible for him as well, but screaming your head off isn’t going to make things magically get better!”

“...I’m…I’m sorry. Since his stay, I’ve been overwhelmed with the idea of the pain that could be out there. And it hurts. It hurts knowing that no one is there to save them, and maybe there never will be.”

“I-I don’t think we should dwell on that.”

“You know how long he has been out there? Well, neither does he. At best it could have been weeks, he told me. Just…how does a kid survive for that long on his own?”

“Please…stop it. Let’s focus on what’s happening now .”

“Again, I’m sorry. I’ve been needing to rant for the whole day.” The pause between them allows both to gather their thoughts.

“What you told me…is just awful. I don’t want to imagine the hardships he’s been through, yet here you are, dumping it all on me. Not that I blame you.”

“I think if it helps you understand him even a little bit more, it will be well worth it. No matter how painful it might be.”

“...Thank you for sharing this with me.”

“You’re welcome, that is all I wanted to do. Please tell him I said hi.” She smirked.

“Sure thing.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Back in the security room, a whole lot of nothing has been occurring within. The only thing worth looking at was the camera wall, and that got boring really fast.

“Hey, Miss…”

“Just call me Vanessa.”

“Oh, sorry. Um…Vanessa. I’ve been wanting to ask you something for a while now.”

“Have you now? What do you want to know?”

“Well, how come you’re risking your job for me?”

The guard thinks it over, wondering if she should answer truthfully or fabricate something on the spot. She went with the former.

“...You went through so much to get here, and I couldn’t bring myself to condemn you to a worse life. It would be too hypocritical. If anything, I wish I had your moxie when I was your age kiddo.”

“You’re…like me?”

“Well, not anymore obviously.” She joked.

“I never would’ve guessed. What happened?”

“...My…shining examples of parents made things so difficult. Downright abusive, neglectful, and plain malicious. The best thing I could say about them is that they didn’t outright ditch me somewhere. Though I’m pretty sure it crossed their minds multiple times.”

“But you never ditched them instead?”

“Didn’t have the guts. Instead, I bided my time until I was old enough to just walk out the house and never look back. It was the greatest feeling I’ve ever had.”

“Did you…have a plan?”

“...No. Not for a while. Just a lot of wandering, looking for places to stay, working whenever I can. It was rough, but looking where I'm at now…” She looks around the security room, then at the badge on her chest. “...It was worth it.”

She has given him a lot to think about for his own future. If she could overcome it all, then so can he.

Chapter Text

Roxanne left the daycare with a heavy heart. The wolf knew things were bad, she knew that he lived on the streets for some time, that alone is unacceptable. However she never stopped to think about what drove him to that point in the first place. Not once. A terrible oversight on her part, and the parts of the rest of her family…and to think that he said he was far from the only one.

Her anger at this info overflows within her, she has never felt as such before, not even when playing a game of mini golf. It is amplified when her mind drifts back to Gregory’s biggest danger as of now.

‘Coward…always will be. Preying on those who can’t fight back!’

The fact that people like that exist makes her wonder just how many are actually around. Has she encountered one, or many, without knowing? The thought makes a shiver down her skeleton.

Something like this will be hard to set aside when dealing with the grown ups. She could only hope that these types of people don’t have children to begin with, and therefore, will never be seen in the ‘Plex.

Wishful thinking most likely.

At the very least she could help one . Regardless of how they met or how they managed to reach an understanding, she could make a real difference for just one . With the help of her friends of course.

‘They are still good with him…mostly. Monty better not get carried away again…’

She purges the thought, as dumb he can be, he isn’t bad at all with kids, far from it…though it would have certainly done him some good if he learned when to back off, especially around the more skittish children.

‘Hopefully they get better acquainted, he doesn’t deserve to feel that fear anymore.’

Speaking of fear, her thoughts once again drift back to the ‘rabbit lady’. Something to note was that she hasn’t directly seen this figure yet, not hide nor hair. Two and two either means she is long gone, or really good at keeping a low profile. Neither of which are particularly good options by any stretch.

Her eyes start to glow as she looks around the area both high and low. The only other being she could see through any of the thin walls was Sun performing his clean up, completely at peace. Her eyes dim as she quickly makes her way back to the security booth.

It was already bad enough that he was subjected to horrible abuse, at the very least you could say he escaped from that form of torment. However he found something much worse in the process: a psychopathic child killer…and she is after her pup.

She is after her pup.

She is after her pup.

She unconsciously flexes her claws as her anger spikes.

‘For your sake, you better not still be here…if I find you, it’ll be the last mistake you make.’

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“So how is the leg holding up so far? I don’t need to adjust it at all? No chafing, pinching? Anything like that?”

“Well…nothing seems to be making it worse, so I guess I’m okay. Still hurts a lot if I move it too much.”

“I suppose that counts for something. I guess we’ll get more noticeable results in the coming days…or weeks.” ‘Assuming I didn’t screw it up anyway.’ She relaxes, resting her feet on the counter.

“Does it really take that long?” He is completely dejected at the thought of being grounded for such a long time.

“Yes, if you’re lucky maybe you’ll heal sooner. Just make sure you don’t do anything too strenuous with it.” A drawn out sigh slips through his lips.

“...Okay.”

“I get it, but trust me. You’ll reach the end of the tunnel at some point. Hell, maybe you already did.”

“I hope so.” ‘I don’t think I’m out of the dark yet.’

“Well at least you have mama wolf to lean on, along with the rest of the gang.” Gregory blushed.

“S-She isn’t my mom.”

“Heh, well you could’ve fooled me.”

An awkward pause followed thereafter, at least it was for the child. Vanessa on the other hand had a clear smirk. The boy crossed his arms and diverted his attention to the cameras, trying his best to not appear embarrassed. She continued. 

“...All joking aside, she really does care for you. I’ve never seen her be this, well, maternal in all my time working here. She isn’t even a fraction as affectionate to her most die-hard super fans. Honestly, I'm kind of jealous.” She finished with a chuckle.

“It’s only because she feels bad for me.”

“And maybe that’s true, but from what I’ve observed it still goes a bit further than that, wouldn’t you think? It’s painfully obvious that she sets aside her colossal ego when you’re around.”

“...Hard to deny that, I guess.”

She felt a small amount of triumph getting one over with the little scamp. Her moment of silent celebration is put to a halt when she catches a certain wolf in the cameras, seemingly heading in their direction. Something to note though was that she looked awfully irritated.

‘Speak of the devil.’

“Seems that someone is angry, and she’s coming our way.” The boy follows her line of sight, seeing how upset she is he could only wonder what it was that Sun told her.

“What do you think happened?” Vanessa shrugs.

They didn’t have time to dwell on it for long. Soon after Roxy had disappeared from view, there was a knock on the door before it opened. Only now she didn’t have a hateful scowl on her face, rather it was much softer. She pauses once she makes eye contact with Gregory, a heavy sigh slipping out. He could feel her repressed tension.

“I-Is something wrong?”

“Not particularly, no.”

She approaches the child then picks him up without saying a word. She continues her silence as she moves to leave with him, acknowledging Vanessa with a nod, who awkwardly tips her hat in return.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The duo ended up in Roxanne's green room, curtain drawn, Gregory on her lap, and using her bushy tail as an impromptu blanket. Eventually she started to carefully run her hand through his hair. The child she watched over felt quite snug and relaxed, it brought forth the same fuzzy feeling she often experienced lately. She could only hope that she doesn’t ruin it with what she wants to quickly discuss. She leans slightly to whisper.

“Gregory, Sun told me about your previous… home .” She took his rigid silence as a sign to continue. “...I won’t let anyone treat you like that ever again. You are safe with me, with us, and you can very well be assured that I won’t let our unwanted guest lay her bloody hands on you. I promise, or my name isn’t Roxanne Wolf.” She held him closer to emphasize. He still remained silent, however now his breathing pattern became abnormal, trying his absolute best to remain composed. “Did I say something wrong?”

“N-No! I just… heard similar promises before. Y-You're the first one in a long time who I actually believed.”

“...I’m happy to have earned your trust.” Internally she is seething. “I hope the others have that same privilege too.”

“Mostly. Still don’t know about the green one.”

“I’m sure he’ll learn to contain his enthusiasm, otherwise he is out of luck.”

“Why does he have to look so scary?”

“Actually, me and him are both cut from the same cloth. We were made to solely attract an older audience, also known as teenagers. Of course we still get a considerable amount of attention from the little ones.” She ruffles his hair.

“Oh…”

“But I do agree that he takes things too far sometimes. I think he is jealous that I have more fans than him.” She flicks her hair with a smile. “On top of that, my attraction is simply much more fun than his snooze fest of a golf course.”

“Well I mean, have you ever played on his golf course?”

“...Yesssss, I have.”

“Did you win?”

“...I’ll tell you one thing, the golf clubs certainly didn’t.” Gregory couldn’t help but giggle incessantly.

“So if you broke the golf clubs, does that mean you lost?”

“I-I never said that.” He grinned.

“You know what, if you won’t tell me, I’ll just ask Monty instead.” Her features start to twitch at the thought of that.

“T-That’s okay, I’m sure he’ll tell you the same t-thing.”

"Alright then, let's go.” Her ears dropped.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“You heard me.” She barely resists the urge to grind her teeth.

‘Don’t get mad. Don’t get mad.’ “O-Okay, but you won’t get a different story.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It’s been a little bit of time since Freddy dragged Chica back to her room kicking and screaming to relieve Sun from her destructive rage, much to Monty’s amusement and disappointment. To keep her from getting any ideas they simply stood outside her room observing from behind her window.

“You would think she’ll know that not everyone enjoys Pizza like her, but here we are. Doesn’t she run Mazercise?” Monty muttered to Freddy as they watched her sit and pout with her arms and legs crossed.

“I thought so too, but I’ve been wrong before sooooo…” He shrugs.

“But hey, at least we got entertained for once, am I right.” He bumped his elbow into the bear with a massive grin, only to be met with a disappointed stare. “Hmph, killjoy.”

“I agree with Monty.” The sudden appearance of Roxanne and her charge startles them both. “We get bored too, but to each their own I guess.” The gator quickly snaps out of his stupor.

“I knew I wasn’t the only one! Bring it in!” He steps forward only for her to move back the same.

“As much as I'd like to reinforce your once in a while correct opinions…that is not what I came here for.”

“Then what uhhhh…”

“Long story short, the pup wants to know who wins our… golf matches.” She forces her words out like she was in pain. It took a moment for him to process what she said, then found himself amused by it.

“HAHA, I’d love to know how it came to that.” He gives a knowing look to Roxanne, entirely enjoying the moment. She looks away in embarrassment.

“I wasn’t that bad…”

“That’s far from the truth, she spent more time murdering my golf clubs than actually playing the game, and on top of that she has the nerve to blame me for it! Though in hindsight I think it’s very funny.”

“At least I can compete! You were never even close to winning a race!”

“...I have a good reason for that.”

“Don’t bother, it’s always the same excuse.”

“No it’s not! I can barely fit in the largest cart!”

“But you can still operate it, right?”

“Well…yeah, but–”

“Case closed.”

“You still have an unfair advantage.”

“Like you don’t? You know the course inside and out!”

Freddy stepped in between them.

“Look, we all know you both love to win, but facts are facts, you were both specifically designed for your respective attractions. Naturally your compatibility is sort of…up to question. If you ask me, I think you should leave it at that.”

“But that’s where the fun is! Who will beat who first?! You can’t have that sort of tension with simple arcade cabinets!” Monty argued.

“I suppose not.”

“I knew you’d agree!” He suddenly turns to Gregory, who is highly amused by the group's bickering. “Hey kid, who do you think has a better shot at winning? Roxanne Wolf at my Golf course? Or yours truly at her raceway?”

With no hesitation, Gregory gave his answer.

“Roxanne.” The gator's confidence instantly fizzled out, while hers skyrocketed.

“Uhhh, a bit biased don’t you think?”

“No, I just think she has a better shot.” Roxy nuzzled him.

“That’s my pup!”

Chapter Text

Once things calmed down between Roxanne and Montgomery, Gregory became much more at ease once he realized that the gator wasn’t going to go berserk anytime soon. Even if he did, he is fully confident that Freddy and the now present Chica would hold him back.

“How is your golf course during the day?”

“Very lively. Nice and relaxing when you want it to be.”

“Huh, you don’t strike me as the type to like that game.”

“Yes, I get it. Big scary gator and all that.” He looks off to the side with an annoyed expression.

“It’s not that. From what I’ve seen, you seem to have far more energy than mini-golf requires.”

“Hey, just cause I’m a bit wild doesn’t mean I can’t love the game. Besides, you should see me when I have the course to myself.” Roxanne rolls her eyes.

“Why, what happens?”

“I go off course, sometimes even on the catwalks, and I’ll shoot the ball from there. Just to see if I could make my target in one shot.” He starts to grin. “I like to show off my skills to the birthday kids to impress them.” His eyes widened as if he realized something.

“Now that I think about it, when is your birthday kid?”

“Um, why?” Monty tilts his head.

“What do you– so we know when to celebrate with you of course! Heck, maybe if we’re lucky you’ll be up and running before then!”

“A…a couple months from now, but if Vanessa's predictions hold any weight to them, I doubt I’ll be able to even stand properly, nevermind run.”

“That's quitter talk! You have to want it!”

“It’s fine, one way or the other. You don’t need to feel bad for me.” He didn’t sound sad, or even angry.

“...Why are you so casual about this? Surely you would want to have fun on your day?”

“I don’t care about my birthday. I never have. Celebrating isn’t even something I’ve ever thought about. At the end it’s just another day.” They’re stunned. Chica spoke up moments after.

“What…what do you mean you never did? Surely you’re making a bad joke, right?” She, along with the rest, are looking towards Gregory, bewildered and upset. Nobody could find light in the situation should he mean what he said. The child felt very awkward and embarrassed.

“Uhhhh no, I’m not. I didn’t think it would matter that much.”

“B-But, everyone celebrates their birthday! Literally everyone!”

“I’m sorry? I just don’t care enough to. I mean, it’s not like it would’ve changed anything. It’s not that important.”

It was dead silent, even the ambience had faded away. In all their years of existing, never had they met someone so apathetic about their own birthday. Chica runs her hand down her face and rests it on her beak, unable to say anything without it being a garbled mess. Roxanne then decided to fill in for her.

“Do you…want it to stay that way?”

“I don’t know…”

“You know what? Let’s start small, yeah? Do you like cake? Or any kind of dessert really?”

“Never had any, unless you count small pieces of candy as ‘dessert’.” She wants to say that she’s surprised, but she sadly isn’t. She took a deep breath to gather herself.

“How about you go try one, yes? There’s such a wide variety here in the ‘Plex. I’m sure you’ll find something that tickles your fancy.” The band each nodded in agreement, though they waited for Gregory to have the last word about it.

“I guess it wouldn’t hurt. A first for everything, right?” Chica got very excited at the prospect of properly witnessing a kid's first bite.

“Ooooh I just know you’re going to love it! There are so many flavors, combinations, decorations–you’re bound to find one that just speaks to you! Are you allergic to anything?!” The moment he shook his head, she proceeded to bolt down the hall. The rest followed right after, amused by her antics.

Though Roxanne didn’t show it, she was just as enthusiastic, maybe a bit more.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chica pretty much has broken the line of sight of the gang right away, leaving them in the dust all in the name of finding something sweet for the boy to nibble on. However, in her excitement, she has forgotten a tiny oh so little detail when it comes to the kitchens.

“Warning! Chica has entered the kitchen! Initiating lockdown…”

In an instant, every single pantry and fridge was sealed shut, along with the lights going dim.

“Wha–I…Grrr, come on! Why is that still a rule?! I already promised that it wouldn’t happen again!” In spite of the lockdown, she still attempted to pry open anything she could, only to be met with a staggering amount of disappointment. “This isn’t fair! Didn’t past models of me serve food?!” At this moment her friends have caught up with her.

“They also didn’t eat it all before it even got to the customer.” Montgomery added. The hen grumbled to herself.

“Not my fault it tastes so good.” The gator chuckles as Roxanne puts her hand on Chica's shoulder.

“Nothing personal, but we sort of need you to leave the kitchen. Just for a little bit so we can pick something out.”

“Awww…well, if I have to.” She felt bad for her, it obviously meant a lot to the chicken.

“Hmm…hey Gregory, how about you keep her company while we look around? Shouldn’t take long.” Chica is surprised at the sudden turn.

“W-Wait what?! You don’t need to do that sweetie, it’s just a sad limitation that I’m stuck with for now. It’s my fault anyway.” Like Roxanne, the child sympathized with the hen.

“I don’t mind. We can both be surprised together." Chica held a hand to her chest.

“A-Are you sure?” He nods without hesitation. “Oooooh you’re so precious! What did I do to deserve you?!”

After a bit of instruction from Roxy, Chica finally had Gregory in her arms, and it almost felt magical. She has never held a child before. The urge to protect pushed itself to the forefront of her mind, and with a vengeance she had never felt before.

‘Is this what it feels like?’ Roxanne snaps her fingers in front of her face.

“Hey, hey! Don’t blank out on us yet, we still need you to exit the kitchen.” The wolf reminds her.

“O-Oh, yeah. Sorry.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Chica has left the kitchen. Lifting lockdown.”

“Hmph.” The hen sat down on the nearby chair, maneuvering Gregory onto her lap.

“Wow, they really don’t like you in there, huh?”

“Yeahhhh, it sucks. Really puts me down.”

“What happened that made them decide to put their food under lock and key?”

“...Nothing special, I just like to eat.”

“From what Monty said, I get the feeling that you’re leaving out some details.”

“W-Welllll I mean, I…maybe sort of snuck a few meals into my beak when I wasn’t supposed to.” 

“There you go. You’re eating their money.”

“No I wasn’t!”

“Yeah, not literally, but at the end of the day, someone has to pay for it.”

“...I knooooow.”

“Can you even, I don’t know, ‘digest’ what you eat?”

“In a way, yeah.”

“Wow, the wonders of modern technology.”

“Why thank you. You’re so sweet.” She ruffles his hair.

“How long has it been since you were all created anyway?” She puts a hand to the underside of her beak, thinking of the day she was first activated.

“Let’s see, it’s beeeeeeen…I think a little over a decade. Of course that doesn’t account for whatever tests we may have gone through before that point.”

“T-That long?! You guys have been around more than I thought!”

“Yep! And we love every second of it!”

“I thought y’all were brand new!” She brushes her shoulder.

“What can I say? We’re well taken care of.”

“Obviously, I mean look at Monty!”

“Hehe, yeeeeah he can be a real daredevil, really gives the human staff a weapons grade headache.”

“Isn’t he afraid that they’ll have enough? Like, they up and decide to replace him?”

“Deathly so. However, as long as his chip isn’t destroyed, they can always make him a new body. Just don’t tell him that.”

“Doesn’t that build up over time?”

“Surrrre, but our chips are worth more than the entire ‘Plex. Maybe even the franchise. Our shells are replaceable, the chips however, not so much. They don’t want to lose another one.”

“Another?” Her eyes widened as she covered her mouth in shock.

“...I think we should leave that to rest.” He realized that he stumbled on something that wasn’t meant to be told, and slowly nodded.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay, just don’t mention that to the others, especially Freddy.”

“These lips are sealed.” He ‘zips’ his lips.

“Thank you…thank you…”

“...Back to the dessert thing. Uhhh, do you have any recommendations?” She smiles.

“Personally, I say try them all, buuuuut if I must narrow it down…something vanilla or chocolate. Just to start with, we can go from there.”

“Okay, I like that idea.”

An awkward pause falls between them for a moment. Both trying to get over the divulgence of sensitive information.

“...When the time comes, we’ll give you a great ‘first’ birthday. Somehow, someway. Day, or night.” She glances at his leg. “M-Mobile or not…if you want.”

“Sounds…great.” She frowned a little.

“Nothing is set in stone. If you want to leave it alone, I’ll make sure the others know that.”

“No, no. I’m not trying to sound uninterested. I look forward to it. I just don’t know what to expect.”

“That’s alright. You don’t have to know everything. Sometimes the surprise is part of the charm.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Meanwhile in the kitchen, after a brief argument on what to bring Gregory, they finally settled on the more popular desserts with a couple of flavors. They made sure not to take too much so he could actually try them all in one sitting.

Despite appearing calm on the outside, internally Roxy is absolutely fuming, she didn’t think one child could generate so much anger.

‘You’d think I’d be used to it by now.’

Her demeanor became visible to the others once they finished their gathering, when she gripped the counter hard enough to leave claw marks.

“I think this is enough.” Lying on their respective plates are pieces of cake, pie, and ice cream, with each having two different flavors sharing the space.

Freddy approached the wolf.

“Do you need a moment?” She sighs.

“...No. I’m fine. Let's get these to my pup.”

“I understand how you feel, maybe it would be better to talk about it?”

“I said I’m fine.” She firmly stated. Freddys ears drooped.

“Well, remember that I’m here if you need a shoulder to lean on.”

“Noted.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Look, here they come!” Chica exclaimed as she stood up with Gregory in her arms. “Oh my, it all looks so tasty!” Despite the small portion sizes, she still couldn’t help but crave the desserts that now rested on a table.

‘No, no! I can control myself, I can! I’ll prove them wrong!’ The hen reluctantly allows Roxanne to take back Gregory.

“Did she treat you good little pup? She didn’t yap your ear off did she?”

“We had a fun conversation about how she got banished from the kitchens.”

“Heh, she is a gem.” She then gestures to the desserts on the table. “As you can see, we came back with gifts.”

He took note of the small selection, the most elaborate being the cakes, which were clearly made for both Roxanne and Freddy fans respectively.

“Didn’t know they could get so colorful.”

“Wait till you see the whole thing.” Roxanne sat him on the chair then stood with her friends on the other side of the table waiting for him to have his first taste.

The first thing he went for was the ice cream, it wasn’t fancy at all, and it just happened that they were both the flavors that Chica recommended to him. The initial chill hit his teeth hard, but once he got past that he found himself enjoying it immensely.

“It’s actually very tasty, this would’ve made the hotter days so much more tolerable.”

“I-I’m sure it would, I know it certainly does wonders to the kids who like to run around outside.

He looks to the pies next, something he has rarely seen. He lifts a piece to closely inspect it. The red filling is a bit more…liquidy than the others brown one, it also had round pieces of something oozing out slightly. It did smell nice though.

“Huh. What are these?”

“Those are cherries! One of my favorite types of pie!” Chica explained.

“I’m pretty sure every pie is your favorite, come to think of it, everything is your favorite.” Roxanne teased.

“...It’s true.” She confirmed with a sheepish grin.

Gregory hesitated for a bit before finally taking the bite. His face contorted a bit before he finally swallowed. He is visibly displeased.

“I already didn’t like cherries all that much, I think this made it worse.” Chica was slightly disappointed, but ultimately understood.

“Awww. Well, not everything can be winners. I hope you like apple pie a bit better.” He looked at the referenced piece in surprise.

“This is apple?” 

“Yep!”

They could immediately see that he wasn't nearly as hesitant as he was with the cherry pie. He also had a more positive reaction upon consuming it.

“This one is much better, could do with a bit less cinnamon though.” Chica suddenly produced a notebook and started to write down the results. Montgomery leaned over to her.

“You seem to be taking this seriously.”

“Why wouldn’t I? This will help make feeding him in the future much easier.”

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that the one obsessed with food is taking notes.”

“Ooooh, bite me.”

The child moved on to the pair of cakes, the last thing they brought him. To say the least they were colorful. One was a combination of red, purple, and green. The other being red, orange, and blue.

“Wow, these look special.” He specifically looked at Roxanne and Freddy, who both didn’t feel any shame whatsoever.

“Well why not?” He said.

“Fair enough.”

Upon trying Roxanne's, piece he surprisingly found it to be mediocre at best, there was certainly too much of something in it, but he couldn’t really figure out what it was. He couldn’t even identify the flavor which further dragged it down. The Freddy piece had essentially the same problem, the only difference being that it tasted different.

Overall, it was below average.

“Yeeeah, this is a thumbs down from me. I don’t exactly know why either. It’s just…too much.” Chica decided to throw in her two cents.

“Hmm, sometimes less is more. I think the basic stuff is more your style rather than the fancy colors and surplus of sugar.”

“Well at least I know what I can tolerate then.” Roxanne picked him up from the chair.

“Now we know what to avoid. I think we made good progress tonight.” At this moment her pup let out a large yawn. She glances at her internal clock, one in the morning. “You haven't had a proper rest in a while, huh?” He sluggishly shook his head. The wolf locked eyes with the others, the message was clear, and they all agreed with a nod.

“Have a good night superstar.” Freddy said

“You too…”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Roxanne and Gregory were now on her couch, with him holding the plushie of her close. He is still fighting to stay awake a bit longer, but it was losing battle. Just before he went under, he suddenly remembered that he still wanted to show her something. He fished the folded papers from his pocket.

“Roxy?”

“Hmm?”

“I meant to show these to you earlier…but I hadn’t got the chance…I hope you like them.”

“What are these?” A tired grin emerges.

“Look.”

Once she unfolded the paper, she was very pleasantly surprised. They were five separate drawings depicting each of them within their areas of expertise. Monty hitting a hole in his course, Chica spreading ingredients on a pizza, Freddy being swarmed by adoring children, and her racing across the finish line.

The last one was special. It was all of them on stage playing for the audience with their respective instruments.

“I…I love them.” She looked towards Gregory with a full smile, only to see him leaning on her, fast asleep. She opens her chest compartment and stores them inside. She held him close.

“I won’t let anyone hurt you.” She whispered. “Goodnight, my little pup.”

Chapter Text

The remaining gang wandered the ‘Plex, they still haven’t quite wrapped their heads around Gregory's apathy towards himself. Not even the most cynical adults that they encountered had reached such a depth. Then again, people who come here don’t exactly make it a habit to bring their baggage with them. 

“He is certainly…unique, isn’t he? With what I’ve learned, I’m surprised he isn’t more of a buzzkill.” Montgomery is actually kind of impressed, his target audience isn’t nearly as resilient as Gregory is, and he's willing to bet his warranty that they didn’t even suffer half as much. 

“Don’t you dare jinx it, otherwise I’ll tear you a new one.” Chica threatened. 

“Leave the dramatics to Roxy, it doesn’t suit you nearly as well.” The hen crosses her arms as she gives him the stink eye. 

Freddy ignored their exchange for the most part, thinking about what he wanted to do for the boy when his day finally came around in a couple months. It seemed so far off yet he knew better than anyone how fast time can fly by. 

‘What if he still can’t walk by then? Hmm, we’ll need to be ready for any scenario.’ Unfortunately, he won’t be ready if the background noise keeps droning on. He aggressively clears his voice box to get the bickering duo's attention. 

“Are you done? Yes? Excellent. I need to think.” 

“Oh? A penny for your thoughts?” Chica asked as she held out a penny. Freddy chuckled at her display. 

“I’m only pondering over what Gregory told us. It seems every other hour he reveals something that just goes against everything we know about children. I mean…I find it very difficult to grasp that he could actually be so uncaring about himself to such a degree.” Monty threw in his two cents. 

“It shouldn’t be a problem for us though, right? We are designed to bring out the best in kids after all.” 

“Oh, for sure, and we always do a splendid job. My only concern is how deep it goes for him.” 

“You worry too much Fazbear, be like me, take the challenges as they come, and show ‘em who’s boss!” 

“Ahem, that’s your specialty. Not to mention that the child in question very much requires a more delicate approach, so regretfully I don’t think your brand of caring is what’s needed.” Monty sighs. 

“Yeah yeah, I get it.” Freddy felt a slight pang of guilt. 

“I hope I didn’t come off as disrespectful, I’m only thinking about what’s best for the boy.” 

“It’s par for the course, I’m painfully aware that I can’t be subtle to save my life.” 

“Hey now, without you or Roxanne, the more rambunctious little tykes would have no one who can keep them entertained.” Monty's eyes widened with realization. 

“...Wait a minute, Greg is exactly that.” Freddy's ears dropped at the implication. 

“N-Now hold on, he still has to heal before you can go all out.” 

“Nope, too late, I’m going full throttle.” The bear went rigid.
“Please don’t.” 

“HAHA, I’m just kidding. I only wanted to get a rise out of you.” He let out a sigh of relief. 

“Thank you. I’m glad we’re all on the same page–” 

“I’m still going to show him my skills at the earliest convenience though.” Freddy playfully rolled his eyes. 

“And you know what? I wouldn’t expect any less.” 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- 

With Gregory in a dead sleep, Roxanne had been completely left to herself, with the only intruding noise coming from her pup's soft breathing. It brought forth the peace that she never knew she wanted, and it gave some well needed time to reflect on things. 

‘How could one kid have changed me so much? Perhaps I have a few screws getting loose, I did hit my head pretty hard when I crashed his cart.’ She subconsciously pulled him closer. ‘What if I end up slipping up? I can’t do that to him! It wouldn’t be fair!’  

The fear of going back to how things were took hold of her. For all the fans that still do bring her joy, she couldn’t really be at all intimate with anyone by requirement, and to be totally honest with herself, she didn’t see anything wrong with that. However, now that she has someone to care about on a deeply personal level, she couldn’t bear the thought of losing him one way or another. 

This here is a child who could have very well didn’t even know she existed up until a few nights ago, and for that reason he came across as much more genuine. 

Roxanne couldn’t even begin to speculate how she would cope if he was taken away from her, she was certain up ‘till his arrival that she was one of the ‘hardened’ personalities. 

‘He isn’t even a fan…’ His drawings came to mind as she nuzzled the sleeping boy. ‘...He is something better. Family.’  

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- 

Gregory felt himself being gently picked up, which was enough to wake him, much to his disappointment. His rest has been incredibly peaceful, a far cry from keeping one eye open. 

“It’s time to go to the daycare, little pup.” The kid groans as he weakly lifts his head. To say the least he isn’t used to coming out of a deep sleep. 

“...Is it really? Already? I don’t want to…” 

“Ooooh you. Don’t be a drama queen.” 

“...Takes one to know one.” 

“Hmph, Touché.” 

“...Don’t you guys get like…days off or something like that?” 

“I see what you’re trying to get at, and the answer is no. We literally can’t get tired, excluding when we run low on energy of course. We’re busy all days of the week, and it’s tough to keep up sometimes, but that only makes it all the more rewarding.” 

“That sounds terrible” She tilts her head. 

“Huh? How come?” 

“I can’t imagine a normal person doing that kind of work all day every day without going insane. I’ve seen people snap for far less than that.” A chill goes down his spine. 

“Well, you have to remember, we're machines. It’s what we are designed to do.” He sighed. 

“I…I know. Sometimes I forget that you guys are still technically machines, b-but you’re all so life-like. A tried and true machine wouldn’t behave anywhere near as human as you five.” 

“Well, we work to please, and it helps that our architecture is miles ahead of our predecessors.” 

“But...when does the program end?” She is caught completely off guard. 

‘What in the world–’ “What do you mean by that?” 

“W-When does the program end, and your free will begin?” She is stunned for a moment. She hates the implications that he is giving out, intentionally or otherwise. 

“Where is this coming from?” She firmly asked. 

“I’ve seen a fair number of robots with various ‘builds’ before, and yet every single one of them was the same, obeyed their creators without question. I guess I’m just… asking if you ever feel forced to do the things you do.” If Roxanne was being honest, she felt a bit offended by the question, though she did her utmost to suppress it. 

‘Just child curiosity.’ “Can’t say I have. Nor would I, ever.” 

“...Are you sure?” She deeply sighed. 

“Yes. I’m sure. If I didn’t think for myself, would you be here?” She stated. Gregory's heart drops to his stomach, it suddenly feels very difficult to breathe, and he completely regrets bringing up the subject. The boy shakes his head at her inquiry and does his utmost to avoid eye contact. 

“F-Forget I said anything.” A quick glance at him made Roxanne realize just how harsh she came across. She nuzzles him, which helps to make him relax slightly. 

“I’m sorry pup. I didn’t mean to come off so rude.” 

“It’s okay, it was a stupid question anyway.” 

“Don’t you dare try to take blame for something that isn’t your fault.” She sighs. “To answer your question properly , we were never…how you say, trapped in any type of program. At worst it only pesters us to do the bidding of the company. Easily ignorable once we figured out how to disable the constant notifications. Either the eggheads never caught on or they simply don’t care yet.” She pictures Chica in her manic state. “Though what happened to us is still a complete anomaly for everyone involved.” 

“At least it was taken care of, right?” He hoped and prayed that he wouldn’t get tossed back into the fire any time soon. Roxanne emits a soft growl. 

“It better be, or heads will roll, and I guarantee it won’t be mine.” She puts her pent up aggression on the back burner. “You know what, let's talk about something else, yeah? This is giving me a headache.” 

“Good idea.” 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- 

“Hello once again Sun. I assume you know what to do, yes?” 

“Of course Roxanne, in fact I feel much more confident this time around!” The wolf smiled. 

“Sounds…good, actually. You’ll need that to keep him safe.” 

“You can always count on me!” She nods. 

“Also, keep Moon on a shorter leash, I do not appreciate him frightening Gregory. Am I clear?” She narrowed her eyes. 

‘Rules are rules, and not even you will stop me from enforcing them.’  

“Crystal.” ‘I am so grateful that only I can hear you in times like this.’ Satisfied, Roxanne walks off with confident strides.

Sun finally turns to the child. 

“Welcome back Gregory! I hope you are ready for the day!” The attendant's enthusiasm knew no bounds, to which it was beginning to plant itself onto Gregory. 

“I am, actually. Though I’m still a bit nervous about the guards.” 

“Not a problem, this time I’ll make sure they know that you’re to be left alone! I won’t even let them near you.” 

“Thanks, Sun. I feel better already.” 

“My pleasure.” 

“By the way, will there be anything good to eat this time?” 

“Now don’t you start too!” The boy laughs. 

‘He is already inheriting some of Chica's feeding habits, this bodes ill.’  

‘I know, but it’s sadly out of my hands once he exits my care.’  

‘Such is life, what a shame.’  

“I apologize if I’m intruding but, do you feel any better today? With your leg I mean?” 

“Not even a little. I still can’t move it without it hurting so much. I…I think it will be that way for a while.” He is visibly downtrodden. 

“Chin up. It won’t last forever, and we’ll be there every step of the way.” 

“And I’m grateful for it.” 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- 

‘So, this is where that insufferable bot has the brat hiding out. I would’ve thought she'd place him somewhere less…visible. Plain sight wins again, well played.’  

Vanny watches the daycare from a generous distance, she already hatched a simple plan to extract him from the place. From what little she knew of the attendant, it was both a pushover, and had the attention span of a toddler. If she is lucky, it wouldn’t even notice him gone until it’s too late. 

She slips back into the shadows to prepare herself for later, with a deep scowl behind her mask. 

‘God I hate this kid.’  

Chapter Text

The building sprang to life all at once, signaling to Vanny that it’s now coming time to make herself presentable. 

This is by far the most she has ever gone for a single target, and she has absolutely no plans to repeat this experience ever again. For all the extra effort she is putting in, she’ll make his death extra slow and painful for the sheer headache that he instilled with his mere presence. 

‘Oooooh the things I want to do to you…not even divine intervention will save you from my blade.’  

Vanny stares at herself in the mirror of an employee restroom, glaring daggers at her reflection. She never felt more exposed, being a Jane Doe did nothing to quell that feeling. Despite her paranoia, she went ahead with her plan. 

‘It must be done; I won’t let him slip from my grasp.’  

She gave herself one last onceover, taking in every detail to make sure not even a single thread was out of place. The uniform is straightened out, her blond hair neatly tied into a ponytail, and she had a winning smile… 

Well, the last one needed some major work. 

With her appearance up to par, she takes her leave, putting on as neutral an expression as possible. 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- 

Roxanne’s confidence was soaring today, even surpassing the best she has ever felt. The wolf hums to herself as she gazes into her vanity, sprucing up her appearance for today's performances. It is rather perplexing if you didn’t know what was happening behind the scenes. Which, funnily enough, the normal human staff very much didn’t. 

“Well, you seem…chipper.” The freshly arrived handler suspiciously side eyes her. 

“What do you mean? I've always been like this before the day begins.” 

“Well…yeah, but not to this extent. Humming to yourself? That should be something you wouldn’t be caught dead doing.” The wolf stands up to her full height. 

“Do all of you think this little of me? Not surprising, considering none of you really interacted with us beyond maintenance times, which is, now . So, let us finish up this little appointment of ours so I can be myself in peace .” She growls out the last few words looking down at the handler who raises their hands in surrender. 

“Alright, alright. No need to get testy, just thought to point out the unusual.” 

It was an awkward elevator ride down to parts and services. Well, awkward to the handler, not so much to Roxanne, who relished their now fidgety demeanor. 

The rest of the gang were already in parts and services with their respective handlers, waiting for Roxy. The band whispered amongst themselves, taking care to make sure the nosy humans couldn’t decipher what was being said, much to their frustration. 

The checks went by without a hitch, all four were in perfect working order and ready to perform. Once left alone, they were finally able to converse freely. 

“I assume things went well last night?” Freddy started off with a smile. 

“Perfectly. He is actually quite nice to be around when he’s not being a complete gremlin.” 

“I’m sure that can be said about all children, no?” 

“Maybe, but let’s be honest, we can’t treat all of them like Gregory, can we?” 

“Sadly no, it’s all a matter of circumstance.” Her ears lowered. 

“...How upsetting his circumstances are.” Her eyes briefly glowed as she looked up in the daycare's direction. “You know what makes it worse?” The gang leaned forward slightly. “Last I checked, he still isn’t even in the databases we have access to. No missing child reports, no pictures, not even a vague description.” Chica holds a hand to her chest. 

“I had hoped against hope that there was someone out there who cared for his wellbeing, even a little. There must be somebody who is looking, right?” Roxanne narrows her eyes. 

“Only one. Just one . And unfortunately, I wouldn’t say it is for his wellbeing. In hindsight, I’m confident that she is the weird one I noticed yesterday.” The chicken reassured her. 

“She will slip eventually. How it happens? Who cares. Remember, she has to get past us first.” 

“But I don't want to pretend that everything is alright anymore, I want her dealt with, and I want to see it happen. ” 

“...What are you going to do?” 

“I’m going hunting.” Freddy interjected before she could elaborate further. 

“Roxanne, I want to find this predator as much as the next animatronic, I really do, but I do not see how you could do this without appearing the least bit suspicious. Do you really expect no one to notice that you’re on the warpath? Worse yet, what if the one you’re looking for catches on? It isn’t hard for one person to hide in a sea of people.” Roxanne grins as her eyes briefly glowed. 

“You underestimate my ability to hunt, though, what you said about being noticed…honestly, I didn’t think about that. I can try to be more…discreet if it will make you feel better.” 

“It’s not only that either. Please, I implore you to not let your search treat the guests any differently. I would hate for the kids to have an unpleasant experience because you brushed them off. Something like that can cause more damage than you think.” The wolf rolled her eyes. 

“Ugh, I know Freddy. I’m not that oblivious.” 

“Alright, that’s all I wanted to remind you about. We’ll do our best to keep an eye out as well, though I don’t know how useful we can be without eyes like yours.” Roxanne smiles. 

“Thank you guys. This means a lot to me.” 

Their discussion is cut short when a worker walks in. 

“Alright animatronics, everything is in the green, you’re all ready to step onto the platform now.” They compiled, and not long after, the platform began to rise. Roxanne took the opportunity to give them what little details she remembered of the person she saw. 

“Now if you all want to help me in any way, from what I can recall, who I’m looking for is an adult female with blond hair, most likely in a ponytail! She also did not seem to have a child of her own, nor a partner, so that should narrow it down considerably!” The platform finishes its ascent. “But for now, let’s put on a show!”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- 

The shouts of the new arrivals, while shrill, didn’t seem to bother Gregory all that much, if at all. He has successfully tuned them out completely, and is comfortably sitting on his bean bag chair more cleverly hidden, all thanks to Sun. The attendant couldn’t be a better barrier between him and the rest of the other children, even if he occasionally tried to convince Gregory to interact with them for a change. Thankfully, forcing it wasn’t his style. 

The boy set aside the art materials that Sun supplied him with, he simply didn’t feel it today. He only wanted the clock to go faster, but like always, his wish wouldn’t be fulfilled. 

He instead fiddled with his FazWatch, switching to a variety of cameras until he found one with the best view of the stage. Even behind a static screen from afar, the showmanship from the band was actually quite a spectacle to behold. He ended up focusing on the two who kept him safe, Roxanne and Freddy. 

He never actually saw their performance when he managed to sneak in initially, the luxury of enjoying it simply wasn’t in the cards at the time, it also didn’t help that they malfunctioned. Now though, he would dare say that he had all the time in the world. 

It’s a shame that the cameras had an extremely poor audio feed, and he could only faintly hear the music from where he sits within the daycare. He looks at his legs with contempt, it fuels the already intense desire to regain his independence; so, he attempts to stand.  

‘Come on. Come oooooon.’  

Only to immediately fall back down on the bean bag. After repeating the same action a couple times, he reluctantly puts together that without proper support, he wasn’t going anywhere. He repeatedly smashes his fists by his sides on the bean bag. Tears threaten to escape. 

“Gregory? Are you okay?” The boy quickly regains his composure. 

‘Of course he saw me. Why wouldn’t he?’ “I’m fine, Sun. I’m just really frustrated right now.” 

“Is there anything I can do to ease your burden?” 

“I don’t know what you can do. I guess…if you can find something sturdy I can lean on, so I can try and stand.” 

“I-I don’t think trying to stand with that leg is going to allow it to heal properly. Maybe you should hold off on that for now?” 

“ Please. ” The desperation in his eyes is challenging for Sun to ignore. 

‘Most kids don’t know what they truly need, and what he needs now is rest.’  

“I’m sorry. I know it must be aggravating, but we only want what is best for you, and what needs to happen is for you to stay off your feet for as long as necessary to heal.” Gregory dips his head downwards, hiding his face from Sun. 

“ I should’ve known. ” He whispered to himself. 

“Hmm? What was that?” 

“Nothing, forget it. You should go back to the others.” He groaned. 

With reluctance, Sun went to attend to the rest of the group. 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- 

‘This place…this infernal place. The noise, the lights…the most tempted I’ve ever felt to just go on a bloody rampage. But no, loose ends take priority.’  

Vanny was on the cusp of losing her mind more than she already has, if it wasn’t for her desperation to kill her prime target, she would’ve made mincemeat with whatever child she could get away with. 

She walks throughout the crowded atrium getting more disoriented by the second with all the people and… children , pushing past her, paying her no mind at all. Despite having already spent a few days here, she is not even sure where she is going, with all the people in her way it ended up all looking the same. For all she knew she probably ended up walking in a circle without realizing it, the thought of which only served to piss her off further. 

At the very least there is one benefit to be gained by such a large mass of bodies: none of the staff she came across looked twice at her. As far as they’re concerned, she is stuck at work like the rest of them, even worse, she was one of the poor sods working for security. 

Her undeserving salvation eventually comes when a hole in the crowd appears before her, finally allowing her to escape the wave of people. She takes deep breaths as she leans on a wall, fighting a wave of nausea. 

‘Oh god, it’s like drowning on dry land!’  

It took a few minutes for her vision to stop swimming, only then did she realize that she actually wasn’t too far from the daycare, though she could hardly be excited with such a severe migraine. 

‘People do this for a living? Willingly?!’  

Once her stomach had settled, she wasted no more time getting to her desired destination. The front doors to the daycare were wide open. It was so incredibly tantalizing to just…make a scene within. She shakes off the temptation.

It doesn’t take long to spot the attendant, playing with the other blood bags, but from where she is standing, her target isn’t visible at all. 

‘He must be hidden deeper within…lucky me.’  

Before she commits to the daycare, she scans the area behind her. All she sees is a bunch of toddlers with their parents chaperoning them. Not an animatronic in sight.

‘So far, so good.’

She enters the daycare itself, dropping herself on the chair in front of the security desk. The attendant makes no secret that he noticed her presence, the constant glances in her direction offers no room for speculation. At least she knows exactly where he is located. The same couldn’t be said for a specific brat. 

‘This…is going to be a bit more difficult than I thought. Hmph, so be it.’

Chapter Text

The first performance was coming to a close, and Roxanne had no desire to waste time. Her first instinct? To protect her pup. She leaped off the platform as soon as they internally received the okay to free roam, the little stunt receiving no small number of cheers from the crowd. Naturally, she basked in the attention.  

“Thank you, thank you! I always love to put on a good show for my biggest fans!”  

She loses herself for a time, signing autographs, taking pictures, and generally being a good entertainer. However, it is once she momentarily receives a break in the action that she snaps herself out of it.  

‘What am I doing?! Focus! Every second counts!’  

Being forced to merely inch her way to the daycare was unbearable, each step she managed to take made it more difficult to keep her paranoia in check. Evidently, it became clear to some of the kids that something was off with their favorite band member.  

“Roxy? Is something wrong?” She heard one of them ask her. The wolf didn’t know what to tell them. The fear of saying the wrong thing is overpowering, but she knew she couldn’t just be silent.  

“I’m alright. I’m just a little jumpy right now.” Another kid butted in.  

“Are you sure? You don’t seem okay.”  

‘Heh, bunch of little eavesdroppers here.’ “I mean, things haven’t been going right for me lately, that much is true…but those problems are for me to figure out.” A third child shoved his way forward to her.  

“Nobody can help you? Not even the rest of the band?”  

“Oh no, they certainly can, but that isn’t exactly in the cards for them at the moment, what with the reservations and their respective sections. I have all the time in the world since my track is still getting fixed.”  

“It won’t last forever…right?” Roxy tilts her head.  

“Where on Earth would you have gotten that idea? Of course it won’t last forever! However, that doesn’t mean it won’t take a while. There was quiiiite…a bit of damage.” ‘A massive hole in the wall…yeah it’s a lot more than a bit.’  

“You have to confront Monty about it! You can’t just let him get away with it! We’ll back you up!” A bunch of kids shout in agreement.  

‘Were it any other time…’  

“Ooooh boy, there is no need for that. I already have a plan for him, but that is after closing time. Sorry, kids.”  

Some voiced their disappointment at the loss of an opportunity to witness a showdown between the two rivals. Others simply thought, ‘next time, for sure’.  

Either way, they seemed to have accepted Roxanne's reasoning, which gave her much needed relief.  

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-  

Vanny quietly observes the room, particularly her target audience, not that they were all too concerned with her, to them she was just a random adult. But the attendant? It was certainly not willing to give her an opening for a more detailed search.  

It never left her unchecked for more than a few seconds at a time, it was frustratingly good at snapping back and forth in whatever situation it happens to be in.  

Even if the group ends up moving behind an obstruction, it always manages to quickly relocate the brats back to where it wants them.  

She took great care to make sure she didn’t watch it with the same intensity.  

‘At least it doesn’t seem to suspect me of anything outside of being a normal guard.’  

Her eyes flickered around the massive room, looking in every which direction for anything that could tip the scales. It didn’t take long for her to realize that there were only a few security cameras within the room. What was the bane of her existence may prove to be just the thing that could give her the victory she so desperately desired.  

Vanny calmly and quietly searches the desk, looking for any kind of company device that could connect her to the system. She finally gets a lucky break when she comes across a tablet that was buried beneath a stack of papers and manilla files within one of the drawers.  

‘I’m so close…’  

Her heart rate starts to increase as the tablet is booting up, intense paranoia grips every fiber of her being. It felt like all eyes were on her, despite that clearly not being the case at all. Her eyes snapped towards the only open exit; nobody had any interest in her. Just a bunch of parents and their kids.  

Sweat beads down her head as she swallows the lump in her throat.  

‘Keep it together Vanny. You’re too close to screw it up now.’  

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-  

Once Roxanne had managed to squeeze her way out of the crowd, the path forward became noticeably clearer, even with her fans still swarming around her. Still though, she paid careful attention to every adult she passed by, no matter how unlikely she was to find who fit the description.  

Thankfully the younger children didn’t follow her too far from the atrium, much preferring to stay within sight of their parents, which left only the adolescents. Soon, even their ranks would begin to thin out once the conversation shifted to where she was going, which made it all the easier to navigate the building.  

The area outside the daycare itself was actually rather calm. Most of the toddlers either stared or shied away, leaving very few who had the courage to approach the robot wolf, with a little encouragement from their parents of course. Despite the urgency she felt, she still made sure that those few didn’t feel rejected.  

She looked around to see if any other children wanted to approach, but sadly none did. It hurt a little, but she and Monty have long grown used to such feelings.  

Once able, she moved forward approaching the open door to Sun and Moon’s domain. It was business as usual, at least until she realized that someone was sitting at the security desk scrolling through a company tablet.  

‘Hmm? Vanessa?’ The wolf entered the daycare itself, intending to see if it was who she thought it was.  

“Hello.”  

The guard nearly jumped out of her seat, the tablet that was in her hands dropping on the floor with a loud crack.  

The human snapped to her furious gaze to Roxanne, initially intending to chew out whoever startled her. Only to stop mid word and freeze like a deer in headlights once she realized what it was.  

“Oh…sorry, I thought you were someone else.” She didn’t move, or even indicate that she was listening. “You know, you look very similar to who I thought you were. Do you know someone named Vanessa?” It took a few seconds, but this time the guard slowly shook her head. “Huh, could’ve fooled me.” Roxanne picks up the fallen tablet and hands it to the guard, who apprehensively accepts. “Sorry for scaring you.”  

The wolf briefly observes the wild kids, for the most part they didn’t notice her presence, and the few who did pay no mind to her. As for Sun, he could only shrug.  

Roxy returns her attention to the guard, who seemed to be waiting for her to leave. She looks her up and down, squinting slightly.  

‘Blond hair, ponytail, no kid…but a guard.’  

She scans the room with her special eyes active, feeling at ease when she finds her pup fiddling with his FazWatch, well hidden from the rest of the ‘Plex. The wolf lingers for a few seconds, then reluctantly leaves the daycare.  

She still has a job to do, and even if she loves doing it, it can be a real inconvenience sometimes.  

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-  

Hidden within the mess of tubes and colorful cages, Gregory lies peacefully on his bean bag chair, lost in his own head for the sake of having time pass him by faster. He eventually dwelled on the idea of what could’ve happened if he succeeded in destroying Roxanne, or at the very least didn’t fail as…spectacularly.  

So many ‘what ifs’, so many ways it could have either gone horribly wrong or amazingly right, and everything in between.  

One thing is for sure though, had the accident never happened, had he been able to either force the doors open or wait out the night; he never would’ve stayed in the PizzaPlex. Where he would’ve went? Nowhere. Like always. It will just be more of the same old.  

Back to scavenging every day and night, back to carefully examining various structures or containers for a safe and dry spot to sleep, back to avoiding every adult who would unwittingly end up putting him back in the lion's den…back to being alone.  

His self-reflection was put on hold when he realized how quiet it suddenly got. The hairs on his neck stood on end, however he forced himself to stay completely still. The lights were still on, so it couldn’t be Moon that was scaring them into silence, something had to be wrong. He wanted to see what was happening…but he wasn’t going to get up to do it, not even if he could.  

Instead, he brought up his FazWatch, then began to skim through all the camera selections until he reached the relevant areas, and what he saw was…strange, and concerning.  

‘At least I know why it’s silent now.’  

The first thing he noticed was the guard at the desk, along with Roxanne. That alone was enough to make him anxious, and it didn’t help that the woman looked eerily similar to Vanessa. However, what truly told him that it was indeed not the guard he knew, was how she reacted to Roxy, who seemed to have frightened her to some degree without even intending to.   

He couldn’t really tell what their interaction was about from where he was observing, but it didn’t seem like anything terribly concerning. Still though, he wanted to be sure. He uses the FazWatch to type a private message to Roxanne.  

‘Roxy, it’s Gregory. I saw you with that guard through the cameras. Is everything alright?’  

…  

‘Everything is fine, at least for now. I can’t really force a guard to move though, that falls under the head of security. Don’t worry though, I’ll keep very, VERY close tabs on her throughout the day.’  

‘And that will work…how exactly?’  

‘Well, don’t freak out, but I can see through the walls whenever I want to.’  

‘I forgot that you could do that! That is so cool! How come you don't keep it on all the time?!’  

‘Aside from the fact that it can be sensory overload at most locations during the day, I also don’t want to burn my eyes out, being blind is not fun, that much I can tell you.’  

‘Oh, I never thought of that.’  

‘Well now you know, in fact you are the only kid who knows, and I’d like to keep it that way.’  

‘Sure thing.’  

‘Good. I’ll talk to you later; I need to get back to focusing on the kids swarming me. But don’t be afraid to contact us if you need help.’  

‘Thank you.’  

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-  

Vanny stared at where the wolf disappeared, not daring to move an inch until she was sure that the meddlesome robot wasn’t coming back. Once she was comfortable, she returned her attention to the kids who went back to playing like nothing even happened.  

‘I got lucky…really lucky.’  

She apprehensively picked up the tablet then continued to look through cameras. Once she found the right area, she was met with disappointment. There are only a few cameras inside the daycare itself, granted they were all actually at very good angles, there were still quite a few spots obstructed by the massive playhouse.  

‘Well…on the bright side it narrows the search down considerably.’  

With how well hidden her victim was, she had no choice but to wait until she had an excuse to look through the daycare.

Chapter Text

Roxanne kept up her routine as much as she could while the hours slowly ticked by, however eventually there came a point where she simply couldn’t visit the daycare herself anymore. The midday rush has now come into full effect, and the incoming avalanche of children seemed much bigger than she was used to. She now resorted to using cameras and messages to look after Gregory, though it didn’t give her the same sense of security as seeing him with her own eyes. 

There was also the issue of the guard that has now established a constant presence in the daycare. There was nothing wrong with her staying there, especially if it was their assigned post. It brought back the pessimism that Roxanne worked so hard to bury. 

This time she made a much better effort to hide her true feelings from her fans, fortunately for her, they remain none the wiser. However, her friends are much more in tune with her mood shifts. 

Freddy took her aside the first chance he got, the other two opting to be left behind to tend to their guests.
“Alright, what’s wrong?” The wolf sighed before reluctantly saying her piece. 

“A guard is stationed at the daycare.” 

“Ooooh…” He remained silent, needing nothing more to put two and two together. 

“Nothing significant has happened from it yet, whether it stays that way…I don’t know.” 

“That is…concerning, but keep a cool head, it might not lead to anything more than that.” 

“...Yeah…I know.” She walked off before he could reassure her further. 

‘Hopefully.’ The bear deeply sighed before joining the rest. 

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-  

Vanny knew very few things about the daycare itself, one of those things being what is known as ‘nap time’. So, when a considerable number of brats began to fearfully look for places to hide, it raised a few alarm bells. There were also a much fewer number seemingly accepting what was happening and just found a spot to lie down. 

‘What the hell?’  

Genuine confusion takes over her senses, if she knew anything about kids, it’s that they had an endless supply of obnoxious energy that one couldn’t simply just get rid of. So what changed? 

Her question was answered when the lights suddenly went out with an ominous hum. 

She is startled, sure, but not nearly as much as the rest of the kids. Evident by the terrified screams. Then came a slightly familiar deep guttural voice, which didn’t make it too hard to put two and two together.  

‘Oooh, so this thing is an intentional feature…and you know what? I’d love to shake the hand of whoever dreamt up this thing.’   

In spite of the pitch black darkness, the dim red light from the attendants' eyes gave her more than enough to derive a sick pleasure from the kids' fear stricken faces. It is almost as good as the ones she got during her own exploits. Their occasional scream for their mother brings back fond memories.  

Her reminiscence is ruined when the thing turns its attention to her. The blood red glow doesn’t affect her even nearly as much as the kids, if at all.  

“You look new here. Though I don’t suppose you know why you were assigned to our domain.”   

“Why does that matter to you?” The bot is a bit put off by her standoffish tone.  

“Simply put, you’re the first one in a long while.”   

“Well, none of that concerns you, I’m just doing what I’m told.”  

“What do you mean–of course it concerns us! We live here!” The woman snorts and chuckles at his exclamation, unfazed by his aggression. “...What an enlightening conversation this is turning out to be.”   

“If you have a problem, I’m not the one you should be complaining to.”  

He didn’t humor her with the snarky response she clearly wanted, instead returning to his duties to make sure the little ones get their rest.  

‘Something is off.’   

‘I thought I was the only one who noticed!’   

‘There hasn’t been a proper human attendant of any kind since we got ourselves established here.’   

‘Do you think they suspect something?!’   

‘I…don’t know. I would hope not. Maybe we’re not as good at hiding him as we thought.   

‘I don’t like this suspense at all! I hate uncertainty!’   

‘Get a grip! Panicking won’t do you any favors, especially if you fail to calm down once the lights come back on!’   

‘I know, I know!’   

‘Just keep doing what you do best, and we might just be in the clear. It could be the paranoia talking.’   

‘Should we give reassurances to Gregory? He was mighty fidgety today; I assume it’s for the very same reason as us!’   

‘Hmm, I don’t think so, at the very least not at this moment. Let him have his nap. As strong as he is in both mind and spirit, he is still a kid. This is for us to worry about. Besides, we most likely won’t be giving him any information that he couldn’t already put together himself.’   

‘Okay…okay. You might be right. Oooh jeez, if you told me a week ago that our protectors would become a source of fear…’   

‘I know, I feel the same.’   

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-  

Vanny was actually pretty disappointed when the lights came back on roughly an hour later. The whimpers and soft crying brought her unmitigated joy, but once they fell silent, it took her right out of her sick fantasies, forcing her to swiftly revert to a ‘normal’ state of mind.  

‘I guess it had to end eventually.’   

Once her eyes adjusted to the blinding light, she was pleasantly surprised to see remnants of the kids’ fear still lingering. Some were still shaking with their eyes screwed shut; others were cautiously observing their surroundings to see if it was truly safe to get up.  

Overall, it was an amusing sight.  

The mood of the room gradually picked up once more, but it would never reach its peak again. Some of the kids opted to hide from the attendant rather than continue where they left off, there was even a select few who tried to hide under the desk that she stayed at, probably thinking that she of all people would protect them from the evil attendant. She would give them a harsh reality check, gleefully preventing them from getting their way, no matter how much they begged for asylum.  

Her harshness didn’t go unnoticed by Sun, who was now rapidly approaching her in anger.   

“Why are you being so mean to the children?!”  

“I don’t want them near my desk.” She simply said with a smirk.  

“But do you have to be so rude about it?! They’re only children! Even saying nothing at all would have been better than the things you said to them!” She shrugs her shoulders with indifference.  

“What? I need to have fun too you know; besides, the sooner they learn that not everyone is a nice person, the better off they will be later in life.” The smug look she had when she said that really got under his shell.  

“Regardless, there is no place for such abusive behavior in the PizzaPlex, never mind my daycare! Now would you be so kind as to be civil around the kids?! Or do I have to bring this up to your boss?!” At this moment her good mood was completely obliterated, now realizing that she was flying a bit too close to the Sun.  

“No…no that won’t be necessary, I’ll shove a sock in it from now on…or at the very least try to be less…blunt.”  

“Good. I’m glad to have resolved this issue even somewhat. But don’t think I won’t take matters in my own hands if I must.”  

“...Noted.” She gives it a soul piercing glare once it turns around.  

‘No bigger buzzkill than a snitch.’   

From then on, she silently observes the still frightened children, hoping that by some chance one of them will end up giving her some form of clue as to where her target could be. From what she could see both with her own eyes and from the few cameras dotted in the room, she is fairly certain that he is either hiding within the rat tunnels, or underneath it somewhere. One way or the other, there really isn’t anywhere else he could be.  

She stood up from her seat for the first time in hours, her bones creaking as she stretched her limbs in every which way, then began to walk around the edges of the room, observing the rat tunnels. Of course, the annoying robot watched her from afar, not that he could really put his hands on her to stop her from going anywhere, at best he could use words to distract her momentarily, but physically stopping her would make even a real guard suspicious.  

The numerous tubes and tunnels made for a difficult search, even more so when she is trying her best to be subtle about it.  

But within moments, once she was halfway through her chosen path, in between all the bars and tubes and toys, she got the briefest of glimpses, almost imperceptive if you didn’t know what you were looking for: a casted leg that shifted just out of sight, a bean bag being the last obstruction.  

‘It's got to be him; it's got to be.’ She kept her slow gait.   

The area suddenly felt hotter, her heart rate picked up, she was borderline hyperventilating, she could barely stop the urge to storm in…but she remained put.  

It couldn’t be anyone else, since the start of the day she hadn’t seen another cripple enter the daycare.  

‘So close, yet so far.’   

Her more logical side held her back from giving in to her desire. There was only one chance to do it, they knew her face, she had to keep up the facade until she could get him out of the building. There were multiple exits she could take, but that wouldn't mean anything if the attendant got in the way, or if any of the band shadowed her. She is fairly confident that she could fend off the lanky build of the attendant if it came down to it, but the main band? Forget it.  

All Vanny had to do now was look for an opening.  

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-  

“Attention: Freddy Fazbear’s Mega PizzaPlex will be closing in thirty minutes.”   

‘Almost there.’   

Roxanne stood up from her vanity in anticipation, at this moment in time, the rest of her friends were now getting ready to say their goodbyes to the remaining guests that were still within the building, which is still a considerable amount even by closing time.  

Going outside, she is swarmed with fans, all clamoring to have any amount of interaction with the wolf. She obliges for as long as possible, up until she and her friends reach the front entrance a few minutes later.  

There were already a dozen guards coming and going, all helping with the process of escorting the guests out from every corner of the building. Only the head of security and a few select guards stuck around. But the one that she was truly worried about was still nowhere to be seen. Not much of a confidence booster.  

‘Maybe her shift ended early, or perhaps she quit quietly. Maybe she just got lost on the way here.’   

Her speculation comes to an end when she receives rapid pings from Gregory's FazWatch, in fact, they all did. It kept going until it suddenly…stopped. They all grew visibly nervous, heavily torn between playing it cool or stampeding to the daycare. It took Freddy mouthing ‘go’ at Roxy for her to finally make a move. The head of security immediately took notice of her distress.  

“Hey–Roxanne? What’s wrong?! Where are you going?!” He shouted at the retreating wolf.  

“I need to check on something really quick!”  

“Huh? Check on what?!”  

“Your new hire!”  

“... Who – What new hire?!”  

All animatronics froze. This time all humans in the vicinity felt the mood change.  

Roxanne slowly turned her head to him.  

“E-Excuse me? You know, the blond female?”  

“I…nobody was added to the team for the last few weeks.” First there was confusion, then a distinct look of horror emerged on her face. The guard started to put together the pieces, feeling a little apprehensive himself. “ Roxanne …what happened?” She didn’t bother with a response before breaking into a full sprint. The guard looked back at his team.  

“I’m going after her, keep your radios handy.”  

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-  

“Attention: Freddy Fazbear’s Mega PizzaPlex will be closing in thirty minutes.”   

Just as the message finishes, the final kid leaves the daycare with their parents.  

There was nobody left now. Just Vanny, the attendant, and its pet. Now is her chance to make her move and use her disguise a bit more practically…and maybe have a bit of fun with the attendant.  

‘Let's see how much you want it.’   

She grabbed a heavy flashlight to ‘search’ the daycare. Containing her excitement became a real challenge.  

The attendant watched her like a hawk, but so far refrained from getting too close to her, which is fine by her.  

“U-Uh, excuse me miss guard, I don’t mean to be rude, but uhm, I think this is normally the time for you to help the others escort the rest of the guests from the PizzaPlex.”  

‘And there it is.’   

“It’s not the end of the world if I’m not there for the first few minutes, I want to make sure no one is left behind. That wouldn’t look good for us, would it?” Its nervousness couldn’t be any sweeter, and she relished every single moment of it.  

“I-I can make sure that no child has been left behind.”  

“Alright then,” she points to the other end of the room, “you check over there, I’ll keep looking here.” Her ‘search’ continued unimpeded.  

“T-That’s not what I meant.” She doesn’t face him anymore while she responds to it.  

“Being pushy isn’t going to change my mind, either you help me with the search, or you can simply stay out of the way.” He got closer.  

“What did I tell you about being rude?”  

“You were talking about the kids. I heard nothing about how to treat you. Am I wrong?” The smugness drips from her voice. He could feel the grin on her face.  

“This isn’t funny! Nor is it up for debate anymore!” This time it directly got in her way. “Now I must insist that you leave my daycare!” The desperation is evident for the disguised killer. She is dangerously close to ‘discovering’ her target. Vanny fails to keep a wolfish grin from appearing.  

“As soon as I finish my sweep.”  

“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear, you’re banned from the daycare, and you can count on your superiors getting a full report!” Unexpectedly for the attendant, she didn’t look concerned, in fact, it was the opposite. She seemed…content.  

Vanny chuckled darkly.  

“Fortunately for me…” the killer gets in his face “...I don’t have superiors.” Before he could properly react to her statement, Vanny swung the heavy flashlight down on its head with all her might.  

A resounding crack echoed from both the attendant and her weapon of choice. Taking advantage of his surprise, she stomped on it a few more times for good measure. Most of the shell on its head was completely smashed to bits, and the other electrical components and wires within didn’t fare much better. The endoskeleton and anything it protected are the only parts that couldn’t be broken with such primitive methods.   

‘Huh, it was even more fragile than it appeared. Guess it didn’t get as much budget.’   

She stepped over the hunk of junk before finally coming face to face with her favorite child, the shock on his face is something to savor. 

“Aww, did you miss me ?” Before he could even articulate a response, she leapt forward to cover his mouth. He yelps in pain. “You know, your parents really shouldn’t have left their kid alone, would you agree?” Her sickeningly sweet voice sends shivers down his spine.  

Unbeknownst to her, he is frantically tapping on his FazWatch.  

“Now let's get you out of here, yeah?” She took her other arm, then pressed it against his throat. He desperately fought against her to keep himself from passing out, but nothing seemed to have worked. Sadly, in the end, he isn’t strong enough to prevent himself from going under. 

“Shhhh, let it happen, when you wake up, I promise I’ll have the time of your life…” He hits her one final time before going limp. All that was left was to reach an exit.