Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Everything was foggy and confusing. Blood seeped down her forehead, cascading past her eye. Through all the unprocessable commotion, the head of a man became comprehensible, his facial features mixed into a mess of eyes and teeth.

"My silly little Sophie..." He sighed, lightly cupping her cheek. His voice struck a chord within her, and she knew that it was very important, but she couldn't bring herself to understand why. All she could do was cry.

Just like that, she was awake. Like a lot of her mornings lately, Sophie already felt suffocated the moment she could absorb her surroundings, and she wanted to be somewhere else. Anywhere else.

"You woke up earlier than the alarm." The familiar voice of Rosemary wafted into her ears. The woman had been dead for quite a long time, but Sophie never asked why. Did it really matter how she died, if she was still around, in a sense?

"Yeah..."

"Have you been crying?"

She reached a hand up to her face and winced. Her cheek was absolutely drenched. She sighed, before wiping the tears until they were dry with a pajama sleeve. "Apparently."

Her mother hummed. "Do have any idea why?"

"Not a clue." She never did.

Instead of dwelling on it, Rose opted to change the subject. "Don't forget to take your medicine."

"Yeah yeah, I know."

It was like this every day, barring the fact that the alarm didn't wake her up. She got out of bed, got herself dressed, snuck through the living room where Felix slept in order to get to the kitchen, took her medicine in there, then backtracked to get to the bathroom to shower and brush her teeth.

In the bathroom, she squinted at the mirror and very gently preened her hair with a wide-toothed comb. After losing most memories of her life, Sophie had struggled a lot with her hair.

According to Rosemary, she had the same hair texture as her biological father. He was inexplicably absent, though, so she only knew what her mother knew secondhand, in terms of grooming. Fortunately, that was enough for her to get it presentable, and that was all she needed.

Sophie assumed that Felix had woken up and started doing something, due to the fact that her mom wasn't hovering.

She never asked why, and she doubted there'd be an explanation, but her mom went out of her way to avoid the man. Sophie decided to believe she just didn't want to be seen, but it was probably more complicated than that.

There was a knock on the bathroom door.

"I'll be out in a minute!"

She could hear Felix shuffle on the other side of the door. "You plan on doing something, today?" 

"Only the usual."

"Oh, well if you don't mind, could you bring home some dinner?"

"Got it!" Her comb got stuck, and she grabbed it with a wince. "Agh- Anything specific in mind?" 

"Whatever you want is good."

Carefully, she maneuvered the hairs from the comb. That needs to be trimmed, tonight... "Anything'll work, as long as it's not homemade."

"Ha! Fair enough-" He was cut off by the sound of the phone ringing. "Shit. I uhh- looks like we've got that sorted out! I'll give you some space, now. Be safe."

"Uh-huh." She placed the comb down and gave herself a once-over, before exiting the bathroom. She was eager to leave the house at this point, and any goodbyes from the lost souls in the house went on deaf ears.

Her focus was mainly put off by Felix, in some corner, harshly mumbling to the person on the other end of the line, seeming frustrated and a bit perturbed.

"Dad?"

"Sophie." He responded, hardly paying attention.

"Who's on the other end?" She had a feeling she knew, but there was the occasion that he was being called by someone interesting, and any change from routine was a welcome one.

"Oh, just someone on Cyberfun Tech."

That seemed to confirm her assumption, but to make sure she asked, "Is it the guy we hate?"

"Pff- no, it's just Chris."

"Oh, alright, tell him I said hi!" She made a crude gesture.

Felix snorted. "What? No!" He exclaimed to the man on the other end. "Nonono, she was just saying hi. Being polite."

She rushed to the kitchen and fumbled around several drawers before finding the car keys sloppily stashed with sauce and seasoning packets. "Alright, I'm leaving now! Love you!" She paused, waiting for a reply, but she'd apparently started a small bout of bickering.

It didn't matter. Unbothered and without a second thought, she practically ran out the door, narrowly avoiding falling on her way to the car. Just like that, Sophie's whirlwind of a morning slowed, and a relaxing, if not slightly boring day had begun. 

With every week that passed, it seemed like Chris' paranoia waxed, which always resulted in a phone call. One a week, for the past two years. He didn't always have something interesting to say, but this time around...

"People are still fixated on Ms. Parks."

Felix sighed. Of course, it was about a dead person. It always was. "What do you expect me to do about it?"

"Felix, I don't know what's going on with this one."

"Obviously."

"People are saying she died in K-9, for one thing."

It was offputting, but he would have been more concerned if people called him or asked him about it. "Well she did, didn't she?"

"Yes, but why hasn't anyone connected to her publicly said anything on the matter?" There was a frustrated edge to Chris' voice. "You'd think they would at least get missing posters made, right? Nothing has happened for two years."

"Now that you mention it..."

"It's weird, isn't it?"

It twisted Felix's stomach into uneasy knots. Did nobody see that anything was off or did nobody care? He didn't know which idea was more disquieting. "Yeah. Yeah, it is. Has anyone tried calling CF Tech about it?"

"Two people, but after one call each, they stopped."

"Hmm..."

"Felix?"

The gears in his brain were turning, and he went into survival mode. "She has no family confirming or denying anything, right? Just two curious employees with no idea what happened?"

There was a pause on the other end. "Yes sir...?"

"Alright, that's easy then. Just confirm the rumor that she's dead, and claim she was privately buried."

"Oh, I looove where this is going..." Chris responded. "Where am I supposed to say she died, exactly?"

"In K-9. In the backdoors. Via... Heart attack, or something. It doesn't really matter." He surprised himself with how easy it was to come up with. He waved his hand, dismissing the brief touch of guilt.

This time, there wasn't response at all. Felix could hear the sound of breathing and maybe a slight movement, but that aside... Nothing.

"What is it?"

"Nothing, nothing at all, I just... I never thought I'd hear any of this from you. I thought this'd be another reason to end the relocate project, you know? That's usually how things go when things start going wrong."

Felix scoffed slightly at this. Of all the times to start caring about things like that... "You made it crystal clear to me that wasn't an option anymore. I've accepted it. All I can do is make sure things go as smoothly as possible and hope nobody dies, right?"

"... Yeah. Right."

With that, the call between the two ended, and Felix was left alone in his house as always. Sophie had somewhere to go every day, and Chris was always a man of brevity, probably because they couldn't stand each other.

In reality, though, it wasn't like Felix was ever really alone. That'd be too good for him, and men like him didn't get a reprieve. He could feel someone standing behind him, looking over his shoulder.

"Just when I think you've finally hit rock bottom," a familiar, low voice rumbled in his ear. "You just have to bring out the shovel."

Chapter Text

Sophie usually did what most hooligans did in the television shows of her time: loitered around at the mall. She was unemployed so she didn't get much shopping done if any, and even when she did shop, she mainly stuck to the food court.

Today, in particular, she hadn't brought any money, so she was just walking around aimlessly, enjoying the ambiance of squeaking sneakers, and the voices of people blending together. It was relaxing in a way, blending seamlessly into the crowd. One of the few times she could just pretend she was truly alone.

That was until someone rammed into her at full speed. She'd been tackled to the floor, too stunned to respond.

"Oh shhhit!" The person on top of her tried to suppress a laugh as she got up. "Sorry about that, I was in a bit of a rush! You alright?"

She blinked, bewildered, as a hand stretched out to her. She grabbed it and pulled herself up. "Uhhh... It's fine, I guess? I mean, I'm not hurt or anything..." She trailed off as she looked directly at the person who'd run into her.

Sophie found herself staring at a pale face with freckles blooming wildly around her cheeks, framed by wild, fiery red hair. Good lord. "You sure about that? I think your jaw might be broken."

She snapped her mouth shut, and she swore that she became feverish within seconds. "Yeah- hahah- uhm- yes! I was just a bit surprised, you know? I didn't really expect to be hit by a human freight train." She paused. "Was that too rude?"

The woman laughed. "No, not at all! You're a riot. What's your name?"

"Sophie. Sophie Walten."

"Oooh~ First names and last names? Well, if we're being formal, I'm Jenny Letterson. It's nice to meet you."

"Yep!" How was she supposed to respond?  "Sooo... What were you in a rush for?"

"I was actually on my way to lunch. I'm eating with some friends." She paused, then one could swear they heard a bell ring as an idea came to her. "Actually... If you're not busy, why don't you come with me, eh?"

Seriously? Just like that? "I... I guess I can do that." Sophie grinned awkwardly. "Not like I have anything better to do. Aside from wandering around... But that's not better! Heh."

---

"Well, here it is!" Jenny exclaimed as they made it to the food court. There was a table around the corner, distinctly away from most people, where three others sat. Sophie's eyes widened, as her new friend obliviously introduced her to the others.

"Sophie, this is Hillary, Hillary this is Sophie..."

"Hey." Hillary gave a polite wave.

"And this is-"

"Hold on." The next person was someone Sophie could swear she recognized. Friend of a friend...?

"This is Kevin. And this is-"

That's the friend in question! "Brian, right?" Sophie asked, unintentionally cutting Jenny off.

"You know each other?"

"Well know each other is a bit strong." Brian clarified to her. "More like we hung out for one day after school, and I literally never saw her again." He turned to Sophie at that. "Actually what happened there, anyway?"

"Oh! That... Uhh... Sounds like that time I was mauled by a bear, I think. So probably that."

Everyone else at the table had been half-listening, eating, or doing their own thing. At the mention of a bear mauling though, Hillary turned from the table to do a spit-take. "Excuse me, you were mauled by a fucking bear?"

"Yeah... I'm fine, now though!"

Jenny grinned at that. "I'm glad you are! Y'know, you've gotta be tough as nails for that sort of thing, Sophie." She put an arm around her, eliciting a small jump of surprise. "We need tough people like you, actually. Wanna help us with a little project?"

"Depends on what it is. I suck at schoolwork."

At that, Brian laughed. "Oh trust me, schoolwork would be easy in comparison. We're actually trying to figure out the 'Bunny Smiles Conspiracy'. If it actually exists anyway."

"It exists." Kevin cut into the conversation, though it didn't look like he was interested in participating beyond that.

Sophie felt a little unnerved at that. "The Bunny Smiles Conspiracy? "

"Yeah." Jenny leaned toward her. "It's crazy. Tell 'er, Hillary."

Hillary sighed, using her straw to stir the drink she'd half-wasted. "BSI has a lot of employees- and even non-employees- connected to it, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances. Some people think it's something BSI's hiding. Some people think it's sweatshops, or a serial killer, or AI technology that made them disappear. Kevin and I worked with someone- her name was Ashley- who was one of the people who disappeared. At first, BSI wouldn't answer us about what happened, the next thing we knew, everyone was saying she had a heart attack and was privately buried. It's hella suspicious."

"Luckily for us," Brian continued, "I've got a man on the inside, and he'll vouch for me. Hopefully, I'll be going to the K9 facility soon-"

"Is your 'man on the inside' Chris?"

"Yeah, actually! He's a friend of mine."

"Seriously?" Sophie's nose wrinkled. "He's probably in his thirties. How did you even become friends?"

"Oh come on, that's mean!" Brian laughed. "Chris is only five years older than us!"

"What."

"Did you not know that? Sophie. He looks old for his age, but he does not look above thirty."

"Well he worked for my dad as long as I knew him, while I was in school, so it's not like I should have known."

"Worked for your-... Do you mean the guy who blew his top over seeing a widdle ciggy? That guy?"

"Uhhh-"

"Felix Kranken?" Kevin seemed to have regained interest in the conversation. "The most suspicious person we know of, with this whole mess?"

"Suspicious? Pffpfpf-" Sophie blew a raspberry. "Puh-lease. I love my dad and all, but he's a bit of a pansy. I don't think he could be a conspirator even if he had a great reason to be. He's probably as in the dark as everyone else. Hell, I KNOW he is because one of the people that disappeared was someone he'd never hurt; His best friend!"

"I don't know..." Jenny trailed. "Judging by what Bri said, it sounds like he's got a short fuse."

"He doesn't! That one time, he was just really sensitive because cigarettes can be addictive!" At that thought, Sophie blanched. How long had she been with these people? "Uhh... Speaking of my dad, I might have to go soon."

"What? Why?"

"I've gotta check on him and make sure everything's alright. I might've been gone longer than expected."

"What's he gonna do if you stay a little longer?" Hillary asked.

"Nothing! Freak out to himself, maybe? Worry about me?" Drink himself into a coma? "I just don't want him to start... Crying or something. Y'know? I feel like it's fair for him to worry about me disappearing."

"Sophie, he's a grown man. I think he can handle his kid having a nice day out." Jenny tried to reassure.

"I know, but it's more for me than for him. I can talk to y'all some other time, alright? Just write down your numbers or something, and I'll add them to my phone book?"

The table hesitantly agreed, passing around their receipt before handing it to Sophie. "Thanks, guys! It was nice talking to you!"

---

When Sophie got home, the house was silent, aside from the familiar snore of her dad coming from the living room, rather than his own bedroom. She walked up to him as quietly as she could manage, before putting a finger to his neck.

To her relief, he hadn't died while she was gone, so she removed her finger, and went to the kitchen to start making dinner.

Chapter Text

She heard voices in the distance, always so close, but at the same time out of reach. It was like she had her head under water, constantly unaware, only coming to the surface every several years as if she had to wait for something important. 

Suddenly, she jolted into that state of awareness, and one of the many passing voices became clear as day as it said a name she swore was the last thing she’d heard before she died;

”Sophie.”

It wasn’t her own name, but that didn’t matter. Someone was looking for her, right? Or maybe not, considering how long it had been since Ashley was last aware of her surroundings. What year was it now?

Questions swirled around, as she confusedly started to wander around the bunker, desperate for even an ounce of clarity. She only knew a few things; The last word she heard, the fact that she died, and the last thing she saw: a rabbit.

She froze at that, hearing murmurs. Not vague words of people she was supposed to know, but actual words coming from the very bunker she was walking around.

”Hello?!” She called.

The murmurs stopped for a moment, then continued slightly louder.

Ashley tried following them, dread like a weight on her chest as she passed through too-familiar corridors. She knew this place, but she fought through every instinct she had to escape it. It wasn’t like it was dangerous anymore.

She stopped at a room, and her shoulders dropped slightly. The source of the murmuring was none other than a gray rabbit. Not the one she had really been thinking about.

“Hello?” She repeated, her tone hushed this time.

The gray rabbit’s eyes sluggishly turned toward her, and all the sounds emanating from it had stopped. There was no response.

She went to say something else, but was cut off by the sound of big, clunky footsteps.

Jack tolerated a lot the past six years. He let Felix take care of Sophie without raising Hell, which was a feat considering all the death surrounding the man. It was fine for a while. Anytime Felix screwed up, Jack was there, and that was enough for him to dial it back.

"Drinking again, are we?"

Felix had started digging through the fridge at some point. "You know me." he almost joked.

Jack sighed. "You're pathetic."

"Yeah, well... You're dead." He took a beer out of the fridge and opened it, not even making eye contact with the specter. Like everything else Felix did, it seemed almost tailored to infuriate him.

"You should really start respecting the dead."

He looked at the newly opened can. "What're you gonna do about it, big guy, torment me some more? Please." He started chugging the stuff, but stopped for a second to add; "You're wasting your time."

"I don't have any time. I wonder who's fault that is...?" Jack trailed off expectantly.

"Yours." Felix replied flatly. His gaze hardened, but it didn't meet Jack's. "What happened to you wasn't my fault, I-... I didn't have any other options... Look, I'm not having this discussion with you Jack, it never goes anywh-"

"What about Edd and Molly? Hm? Was that also not your fault?"

Felix didn't reply at first. He just downed the rest of his drink and immediately retreated back to the fridge for another. Once he got another out, he stared at it for a few seconds, before eventually saying something. "It doesn't matter. It's in the past. There's nothing I can do, so you're not gonna make me feel bad about it."

This elicited a disgusted snort. "Do you ever think about us, while you watch TV with my daughter, or do we only cross your mind when you're trying to cover up another murder?"

"Not talking to you, anymore." Felix breezed past him.

"Does any of it even matter to you? Hm?"

He stuck to his word and had stopped responding. Had it ever mattered to him, to begin with?

Jack deflated slightly, opting to leave him alone for the time being.

If Felix wanted to be drunk and miserable, he didn't need any help on that front. He had Sophie in his life, and he still chose to be like this. Sophie called this man her father. She had no inkling who he really was.

The only person she had who could physically do anything for her was the man who killed her family, and she didn't even know.

Maybe that was why Jack took it upon himself to torment Felix. Sure, a part of it was a vain attempt to prevent him from screwing up further by making him regret any time he did, but another more emotional part of him just did it out of bitterness. His family's killer had the gall to replace him.

This half-witted, drunk, conspiratorial killer acted as the sole founder of their passion project. He continued no matter how many people it hurt, and all the while he acted like some nervous, sweet guy. The worst part of all was that people believed him.

Fury bubbled within Jack, hot and painful, but he did nothing about it. There was nothing he could do without hurting Sophie in some way, and he wouldn't do that. Things had to be this way. If they didn't, he would have changed it in a millisecond.

He just wished she had someone else taking care of her. Anyone else, and he would have moved on years ago.

As if she could hear his thoughts, Sophie came home right as they passed, mouth open and ready to call for Felix before she noticed him on the couch. At some point, he'd fallen asleep without anyone noticing. Sophie snuck over to him and held a hand to his wrist with a light squint. Was she... Checking his pulse?

Was she always that scared of him dying every time she left, or was this new?

The possibility made his nonexistent blood boil further, but he only exhaled slightly, before turning to leave. The last thing he heard as he left was Sophie mumbling a half-hearted "Good night."