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Going Back: Ch. 23

~Coauthored by @zeitghest~

Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

Description: Things are looking up for Gregory. After putting the soul of a formerly-immortal killer to rest, he and his new family can finally begin their lives anew. Sure, Gregory might have been cursed with mysterious Remnant in exchange for being involved in this mess—not to mention his caretakers consist of sentient robots and ghosts… But there’s no doubt that the bond they share is unbreakable. They love him, and he in turn.

All in all, life is finally starting to go right for once.

…Unfortunately, true peace is a hard-won battle. There are other things to contend with besides William’s decrepit soul, and Gregory will learn that his role in the lives of the Aftons and Emilys is far greater than anyone could’ve imagined.

Rating: T

Read on Ao3

It was officially reopening day at the Pizzaplex. Mike and Charlie had headed out early to help with the chaos; with no stage shows scheduled in lieu of their missing front man, Freddy and Gregory were given a pass to skip the morning rush. However, they couldn't stay cooped up in the hotel for long and headed out to join their friends at lunchtime. As usual, they went straight for Sam’s office to check in, snagging Mike and Charlie along the way who'd come to greet them at the entrance. Freddy was admittedly a bit nervous as he knocked on the CEO’s door—a feeling that he wasn’t a fan of at all. But he had his family by his side, so he knew everything would work out in the end.

“Afternoon, boss!” Michael called through the door. “Hope the day wasn’t too chaotic?”

Things were looking up for the Pizzaplex. With the large number of cars lining the parking lot, it was clear the morning shift was a success. Most of the families visiting were already at attractions and party rooms, so running into a huge crowd was unlikely. Even so, Gregory found himself scanning the halls they trailed down as if it was his first night here. Following directly behind, Charlie made sure he got to Sam's office feeling a little safer than he might have walking alone.

“Hey everyone! No—nothing too crazy yet. The day's still young, though,” Sam joked, knocking against the wood of his desk with a superstitious rap. “Sophie’s been busy. Bonnie Bowl has been pretty popular today! And Foxy's been a huge hit with the older kids, too.”

“That is wonderful to hear!” Freddy exclaimed, eyes shining with excitement. He was itching to go out and pace the floor, greeting guests every chance he got… but in his current form, he’d only come off as an over-enthusiastic employee. He’d just have to settle for the next best thing: watching over his doppelgänger in his stead.

“I’m glad things are turning out so well.” Mike clapped Sammy on the shoulder. “Any animatronics giving you trouble? Malfunctions, weird responses… being places they shouldn’t be?”

This last part was a clear dig at Ennard, who should have remained in the attendant’s little room above the stage all day. Until they got an official okay, they were only meant to observe, not interact. It was a win-win: they got to watch how humans acted, and Michael got to keep from tearing his hair out for the next few days with anxiety.

This little arrangement kept everyone happy overall. Ennard was oblivious to Michael's deep-seated hatred—or in denial; Sam really couldn't tell. Should Ennard have already broken his promise, it would be awkward for all the patrons to watch the security guard scold a grown man for trespassing on the first night of their reopening.

Sam thought for a moment, then told Mike with a sigh: “Bonnie—that bunny has ants in his pants about something. I found him smuggling a chest full of whole inflated balloons through the backrooms this morning.” The harried CEO shook his head. “Could one of you go check and make sure the party schedule in his internal calendar is working right? Just ask him what the day and time is. I don't want him filling up a room with extra party favors when there’s no birthday.”

“On it.” Michael gave a salute, then turned on his heel to search for the rabbit. The last thing they needed was an over-enthusiastic animatronic worrying Sam and spoiling Gregory’s birthday surprise…

“Is my old body ready for the personality download?” Freddy asked. Running a hand through Gregory’s hair, he looked to Sam with a soft laugh. “Have the children been asking for him? I was hoping Bonnie and Foxy would be a good distraction…”

He didn’t mean to sound conceited at all, and it was clear from his tone. It was a simple fact that Freddy was the most popular—he was still the face of Fazbear Entertainment, after all.

It was time to get to work again. Sam rolled up the sleeve, nodding to Freddy.

“Yes!” he answered, a bit frazzled and frayed due to the stress of people asking him where Freddy was. “Constantly. The kids are getting a little suspicious—either that or I’m just being paranoid."

In the animatronic stand beside the workbench and computer, Freddy’s old empty model was propped up under a canvas sheet. Sam carefully pulled the sheet away, proud of his work for polishing and fixing Freddy’s paint job. He looked as pristine as the others now; all that was left was to download him again.

Gregory had quietly slipped next to the workbench as Sam booted up the computer. Of course there was no way to replace his dad—Gregory couldn’t idolize a Freddy more than the one he called ‘father’ and went to for comfort. Still, he was excited that the whole band would be reunited soon.

“Let’s not keep them waiting, then!” Gregory exclaimed, quickly checking the cable connections before booting up the personality folder and beginning its data dump.

Freddy stood with Charlie, watching the bear carefully for signs of life. The redhead’s face was pinched in concentration. There was no way this shouldn’t work, but he couldn’t help but worry.

It happened like all the others—gradual movements that worked up to full awareness. First, a subtle twitch of a finger. Next, a wiggle of an ear. Then a slow blink of those ice-blue eyes as the bear perked up and automatically scanned the room to assess the situation. There were four people present. The face of Samuel Emily, his creator and CEO of Fazbear Entertainment was recognized instantly. However, he didn’t know the others: a man with red hair and a bright, fixed gaze; a younger girl with dark brown hair standing at his side; and a little boy sitting by the computer workstation.

The man’s children, perhaps? Although the girl looked a bit like Sam, in all honesty… They were all watching intently, clearly waiting for something.

“Hello!” the bear greeted after flexing a few more limbs. He scanned the room with a wide grin on his face, mainly focusing on the unfamiliar faces. Guest protocol dictated he acknowledged new patrons first and foremost, especially if there was a child present. “It is a pleasure to meet you! My name is Freddy; what are yours?”

Charlie held her breath. The other animatronics waking up was routine—predictable. No one knew how much this Freddy knew. She hoped that the extra data wipe Sam had done to this particular model kept untoward memories at bay, especially over the past few weeks. Gregory would be the first to test this, getting up from the chair besides the computer with a confident strut. He had faith that this Freddy model would be just like the one he first met, friendly and endearing.

“Freddy? Can you hear me?” he asked curiously, wondering if his audio systems were online. Sam took a more silent approach, an amiable grin on his face as he came around to observe the interaction. The animatronic turned at the voice, his smile bright as he crouched down to be on Gregory’s level.

“Hello, superstar!” he said, that familiar voice once again undercut with robotic feedback. It was a subtle difference, but those who knew the original Freddy would be able to tell which one was talking without too much effort.

As programmed, the animatronic bear performed a cursory scan of the child in front of him. He blinked once—

Accessing guest databank…

—twice—

Performing facial recognition cross-reference…

—and then his eyes focused again and he held out a claw.

Match. Guest profile: male, 12 years old, name—

“Gregory Fitzburgh—that is a name fit for a rockstar!” the bear said cheerfully, waiting to see if the child would take his proffered shake or if Gregory was less hands-on. If so, he’d adjust his interaction accordingly.

Freddy’s shoulders sagged with relief at the confirmation that both the facial recognition software worked and Gregory was officially in the guest book under their new last name. Now, to see how his son responded to the friendly bear…

Gregory met his hand with a warm and receptive shake. All systems seemed good to go from the outset. His dad never needed to worry about how the Glamrocks were going to perform without him.

“Heck yeah! Thanks, Freddy!” Gregory exclaimed, excited that his favorite animatronic could continue bringing joy to the other kids at the Pizzaplex. Naturally, he was trusting of Fazbear—but that didn’t mean he wasn’t watching the newer version of Freddy scrupulously.

Charlie could finally let herself breathe, or rather simulate the action. Freddy was never infected with the virus—but that didn’t mean there wasn’t still a smidgen of William’s viral footprint anywhere. Everything seemed alright to her, and she allowed herself to smile. Sam, satisfied so far, came around to the newest iteration of Freddy.

“It’s good to have you back online,” he welcomed warmly. “I’ve got a few surprises for you, buddy!”

Sam would act as if Freddy was powered off for routine maintenance and upkeep. Nothing strange had happened in the past few weeks since his last update.

“Oh? I am excited to hear!” Freddy 2.0 responded, getting back to his feet. When his gaze swept around the room, Fred thought it only prudent to greet the other new faces. Performing a quick scan of the girl and the redhead by her side, he was surprised to note they were in fact new employees!

...They were also not human, but it seemed like none of them thought to point out that fact so Fred decided that was a question to ask Sam when they were alone. Or, perhaps some of the other animatronics could give him some insight later.

“How nice to make your acquaintances!” the bear said kindly, reaching out both paws for Freddy and Charlie to take. “Charlie Emily...” He paused, sparing a questioning glance at the CEO. “I did not realize you had a daughter, Samuel.”

And there was that ever-learning AI at work, giving him a hint of distinct personality. With a hum of acceptance the bear turned back to acknowledge the other man. “And... Freddy Fitzburgh.”

That tilt of the head was back, coupled with a definite question in those illuminated eyes. The android watched carefully, shaking his hand with a slow greeting. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Freddy. I am a big fan of the name, by the way.”

The bear's expression shifted at his voice. It was... weirdly similar to his, but again, he wasn't going to question it—not right now, at least. He already had much to catch up on without worrying why this man seemed so disarmingly familiar.

“As I am of yours—and the pleasure is mine,” the bear responded, and it almost seemed like the pair had started a contest of wary formality. Turning back to Sam, he acknowledged his creator with a nod. “Now, what were these surprises you wanted to show me?”

For a brief moment of unease, Gregory swallowed thickly as he watched them interact. Only when his dad complimented his bear counterpart did his shoulders relax, a soft sigh exhaling through his nose. There was nothing to fear here; two of the friendliest guys ever manufactured were standing in the same room. There would be no hard feelings between people so warmhearted and good of nature.

Catching their bear friend up to speed on things might take more than a night, given his special circumstances. Sam would take it slow, knowing the more he lied the harder it was going to be to tell Freddy the truth... If it ever needed to come to that.

“Oh—how rude of me. Yes, this is Charlie! She should be uploaded into your employee file. Right along with her sister, Mari.” Sam placed a hand on her shoulder as Charlie extended her arm with a wide grin. Sam cleared his throat, moving on from the subject of family and why everyone was here to watch Freddy wake up. “The surprises! Yes—” He moved for his desk and dug through his coat pocket for the security tablet he kept. “—you're going to love this. It's something you were asking a lot about...”

Soon, a security feed was presented to Freddy 2.0, showing the front of Bonnie Bowl where an official-looking guard was chatting with his good friend, Bonnie Bunny.

“Mari... ah, yes, I see now,” the bear responded, staring into space for a moment as he accessed the employee database. There were a surprising number of new recruits, and it led him to wonder what in the world happened while he was out... However, this train of thought was soon derailed as Sam pulled up the camera feed. Freddy 2.0 gasped, eyes growing wide as he looked upon the familiar rabbit and one of the new employees he'd just read about.

“Is that... Bonnie?!” he asked in awe, glancing up to Sam in disbelief.

According to the last data point in his memory banks, Bonnie had been out of commission for a few months. It'd been a sudden replacement, his removal and transfer of bass-playing status to Monty, but to Fred it was just a sad but inevitable fact of being an animatronic performer.

“May I see him?” he asked eagerly. “I know there are still some tests we must run before I can be released onto the floor, but... is there time in Bonnie's schedule for a quick hello?”

Sam couldn't say no to that face. He supposed that was his fault for creating, in his own opinion, the sweetest iteration of Freddy Fazbear. “Of course you can! Feel free to free roam today; I freed up your schedule for you to better acclimate.”

Sam figured it would be a nice treat for the kids, too—if Freddy wasn't tied down to a party, anyone that might've missed him could get a free moment with their favorite cartoon bear. It wouldn't hurt Freddy either to get as much socializing in as possible.

“I bet you won't even guess the next surprise...” Sam laughed quietly to himself, switching the camera feeds over to Pirate's Cove. A few clicks and he was there, turning the tablet back around to show who else had joined their Glamrock crew.

Foxy stood tall with his peg leg perched on the very point of the bow, watching over a few of the older kids as they ran about the play area. A few parents took pictures, flashes from their cameras temporarily causing Foxy to appear woozy. Sam scrunched his eyebrows together at the sight.

“Ugh. Poor Foxy...,” Sam muttered under his breath, knowing he'd have to find those people later and ask them to stop flash-bombing his robots.

“Oh dear...” the Freddy's murmured in unison, then quickly shot a glance at each other.

“Come on, then—no time to waste!” the original soul laughed brightly, hooking his arm through the bear's. “We will accompany you to help control the crowds. You have been sorely missed!”

If there was anyone who knew how to handle the inevitable mob that was about to surround Freddy, it was the old bear himself. Looking to Gregory, he asked: “Superstar, are you going to stay with us for a bit, or would you like to find your friends?”

The animatronic glanced side-eyed at the redhead clinging to him. That was his term of endearment for children... although he supposed anyone could use the phrase. It's not like it was a branded trademark of Fazbear Entertainment.

The look that Freddy 2.0 gave his dad did not go unnoticed by the teen, and Gregory had to suppress a laugh. Gregory didn't want to wade through a crowd of kids that would probably tear his head off to get to see Freddy Fazbear, live and in the mechanical flesh. With a mock salute, he told his dad: “I'm gonna go find Evan and see what he's up to. Later Freddy! It was nice meeting you!”

When he turned to leave, Charlie stopped him with a grasp to his shoulder.

“Before you go—take some cash. Get a water before and try to lay off the sodas; they're bad for your teeth, kid,” she reminded, cramming a few bills into Gregory’s hand.

“And I can also get cake with this…?” he asked with raised eyebrows, trying to persuade one of his caretakers into letting him indulge in one snack.

“You can totally have cake later. But eat some actual food first,” Charlie said before opening the door for the rest of their little group. She was confident that Gregory could navigate the Pizzaplex by himself now. With friends at every turn, he would be a-okay. As Gregory passed through the door, she found herself checking his wrist and making certain he still had Mari's bracelet secured.

“Bye, Gregory!” the bear called after the excitable kid. He'd barely talked to him for ten minutes, but he liked him already. Turning to Sam, he gave him an appreciative little bow. “And thank you for the repair, Sam—I will be sure to check in later tonight.”

With Freddy and Charlie also bidding Sammy adieu, they took a collective deep breath and led the bear out into the Pizzaplex. As expected, it was chaos on sight. Most patrons were simply happy to see an animatronic up close and personal as Freddy weaved through the crowds with the two rather strong employees by his side like robotic guard dogs. The guests would shout and wave to try and get the bear's attention, but kept their distance overall.

Then, there were the ones who'd come specifically to see the lead singer. These kids—and some of their parents—swarmed the trio instantly, and it took a combined effort to push through the crowd little by little with short greetings and photos. Freddy had to lecture a few parents for flash photography, happy in the back of his mind that he was no longer affected by such an issue but knowing it threw his old body for a loop when the lights spiked in front of his eyes.

Eventually, they were riding the escalators up to Bonnie Bowl. It seemed like its namesake and Michael had retreated into the attraction, which was fine—less people around for the meeting of old friends. Soon the bear was stepping out of the elevator with Charlie and Freddy on his heels, searching for the rabbit. Upon spotting him still speaking with the man from earlier, he let out a gasp.

“Bonnie!” The bear waved brightly as he rushed over, not hesitating to pull the bunny into a tight hug. “Oh my goodness, I have missed you, old friend!”

Bonnie managed to turn Michael's lecture into a free bowling lesson somewhere around ten minutes ago. It started as a way for Bonnie to sort of escape the consequences of being caught with random party favors for Gregory, the charismatic bunny now nonchalantly standing beside the lane as he coached Mike on the way he flicked the heavy ball down the alley.

When Bonnie heard the familiar, garbled voice he jumped a little. He nearly told them that this seemed like déjà vu, but quickly held his tongue and came around to meet Freddy in the middle of the bowling parlor. Arms were held open wide, and Bonnie hugged his best friend-2.0, giddy with excitement over seeing Freddy the way he always remembered him.

“Fredbear! You've finally come out of hiding. I missed you too, ol' sport!” the friendly rabbit drawled, floppy ears resting against the bear's head and directing a wink to the original. “Thanks for bringing Freddy here, you two!”

“Well, well!” A voice that 2.0 didn't recognize spoke, and over Bonnie's shoulder he could see the man in the security guard uniform striding over. Mike tipped his hat, grinning widely up at the bear. “Good to see you up and running, Freddy. I'm Michael—new head of security and night guard. Although, you should already know that.”

“Michael...,” the bear murmured, pulling back from the rabbit's embrace to stare down at the guard quizzically. A quick scan proved his words to be true, and the usual smile lit up his face. “Ah, yes! Michael Afton, Jr. It is wonderful to make your acquaintance—I believe we will be seeing a lot of each other from now on.”

“You bet." Mike laughed, reaching up and giving the bear a firm pat on the arm. Even it wasn't his true friend in there, it was relieving to know the animatronic was still just as sweet.

“We thought we would take Freddy to see the new additions to the line-up,” the redhead explained, catching Michael's attention. He frowned slightly, recalling what he'd seen on the camera. “...Perhaps you should join us—there are some people taking flash photography in Pirate's Cove and Foxy looked a bit unsteady.”

Michael heaved a sigh. “Yeah, I'll come along... Wrangling the crowd is part of my job, after all.”

“Good thing, too; I know I’m supposed to help manage things, but I don’t think people will listen to me very much,” Charlie remarked, walking beside her old friend with a flash of disappointment that quickly turned into a teasing smile. “They're way more scared of Mikey over here!”

Bonnie couldn't exactly leave Bonnie Bowl when there were customers enjoying the games, and he’d already gotten in trouble for wandering today. With one lasting squeeze around his friend's hand, he felt that dull aching inside his chest—knowing full well that the inseparable human part of him wanted to ditch the bowling alley to follow his friends. “Come back soon, pal.”

“It's because you're too nice, Charlie,” Mike remarked as the group walked off, jamming the elevator button to take them back to the main area. “You've gotta put your foot down a little more—show people who's boss, you know?”

After a beat of silence, Freddy 2.0 looked down at the android inquisitively. “Michael, you are a head of security and night guard?”

The silent question clearly being: How in the world do you sleep with two equally taxing jobs?

“Mm-hmm,” Mike responded, stepping out as the doors opened with the animatronic close behind. “I'm kind of an insomniac, so—hey! Hands off the bear, ma'am!”

Michael's explanation was cut off as a rather enthusiastic mom tried to rush the bear and he physically stepped in her path, barring her from practically throwing her kid into Freddy's arms.

“Sorry!” Charlie said to the very impatient mother, the good-cop to Michael's bad-cop while proving his point from earlier. “Freddy's not doing photoshoots right now!”

It was so odd how popular all the Glamrocks were, to the point that her and Michael had to strong-arm people from knocking into the heavy robots and hurting themselves. After they shooed her away, much to the apparent chagrin of that particular mother, it seemed Michael's official guard outfit warded away the crazies in the crowd. Charlie made sure to tell the disappointed parent that both Foxy and Bonnie were available to play, and quickly rushed to move Freddy along towards Pirate's Cove. There, at least they could introduce Freddy to more kids in little increments.

Arriving to the attraction, one thing was obvious—Foxy was walking very strangely. Uneven in his gait as he finished up a story, even seeming somewhat twitchy to other kid's movements. His one eyepatch was flipped up, and the glow in his eyes was uneven. He’d clearly been flashed recently and was just trying to work through it, his optics unable to adjust to the ambient lighting in the room now.

“And that's the end of my tale! I hope you enjoyed it—I can't tell if you did. I also can't tell if anyone stayed or listened! 'Fraid my sight's gone with the tide...,” Foxy told the small gathering of youngsters who laughed at what they thought was just a quirky joke.

“Oh god…,” Michael groaned at the sight of the shambling pirate. He quickly hopped on the little dock that served as a stage, spouting instructions. “Freddy, take care of Foxy—uh, both Freds, please. Attention!”

Cupping his hands over his mouth, Mike yelled to the crowd. “Flash photography is not permitted in the Pizzaplex! It damages the animatronics and then they can’t mingle with the public! Plus—” A rather threatening smile spread across his face. “—anyone caught disobeying the rules is subject to be fined for repair costs!”

“My goodness…,” Freddy 2.0 murmured as he and his counterpart moved to Foxy’s side. “He is rather, ah… ruthless, is he not?”

“He is good at his job, that is for certain,” Freddy responded with a laugh, finally latching onto the pirate’s shoulder and looking up at him. “Hello, Foxy; it is Freddy and… Freddy! Let us lead you into the backroom while you regain your sight and we can introduce you properly…”

Anyone at that point who had their phones out was quick to shove them away inside a purse or pocket. The kids watched as both Freddies came to help Foxy down from the large boat back to the ground floor. Foxy raised his hook in the air in agreement with the security guard.

“Yeah! My eyeballs are sensitive, ya scallawags!” he confirmed, nearly doing a double take at the two sets of arms. He hoped that through combined intimidation, Foxy and Mike cemented the rules yet again for the few misbehaving parents.

Charlie was surprised at the odd amount of inconsiderate mothers and fathers. It was as if this place brought out their inner children in the worst ways. She heard one say as she passed them to help guide Foxy backstage: “We paid—we should be able to take as many pictures as we want…”

Which made the normally calm and reserved Charlie inhale sharply through her nose. Mike had already explained the situation to them, but she did mention to the father in passing: “Interacting with animatronics when they’re stationed in their attractions is free, sir. You just can’t take flash photos of them; as our head of security said, it hurts them.”

Charlie found that she and the others had to hurry Foxy along as quickly as possible before she fought the guy, the attitude rolling off of him as he openly complained about the policy of the store. Though she tried her best to ignore everyone and focused solely on helping Foxy to the backrooms. Once inside, the pirate gently felt around for both Freddies—his heroes for helping him down.

“Freddy? Thank you for being my seeing-eye bear… And Human. Heh heh…” He chuckled gratefully to himself. The blinded fox reached around once they stopped to hug the animatronic, happy to finally meet the bear version of his dearest friend.

“I am here to help anytime, Foxy,” the bear reassured, quick to hug him back. Though this was their first meeting, he too felt like they’d been friends for years. “It is so nice to make your acquaintance; I am happy Samuel brought you into the lineup!”

“These people…,” Michael grumbled as he slipped into the back rooms shortly after the others. “I swear, if there’s trouble the parents are worse than the kids most of the time.”

His thoughts echoed Charlie’s, and Freddy had to concede as well. Ironically, despite the kids usually being the ones to physically cling to the animatronics, it was often their guardians who got the most aggressive when things didn’t go their way.

“We can take a rest back here until you reset, Foxy,” Freddy reassured, patting the pirate’s hook arm before looking up to his bear counterpart. “Then perhaps we can roam the Pizzaplex and try to find the other animatronics?”

Foxy was feeling a might dizzy after the paparazzi-like flashing he received upon his public debut. Though he wouldn’t lie, the blatant harassment did make him feel like a rockstar. “Thanks for the help—my optics will reset fully in just a few, then I can go back to my adoring fans.”

He certainly sounded like Roxy’s brother—even if he shared the same voice as Security Guard Mike…

“Oh, Fred! If you see Roxanne, will you tell her I stole her comb? She’ll be angry, but just say it was important. I didn’t have a teasing comb and needed one badly.” Despite being unable to see, Foxy plumped his long mane up with his more articulate hand. Soon, he was blinking in time again, lights in his eyes turning off and on again to signal his full reset. “Thanks you all! I feel much better now!”

“I will do my best to spare you from Roxanne’s wrath,” the bear laughed, watching to make sure Foxy reset properly.

Michael was doing the same, observing even more closely. He rocked back on his heels with a satisfied smile with the fox blinked in the familiar pattern. “Perfect! Ready to go back out? Oh, and feel free to tell people off if they try to use flash again. Note their faces and names too, if you would.”

Foxy stood, amazingly balanced with one inarticulate peg leg. He straightened up and made sure to pat Freddy's shoulder on his way past the small group.

“Aye—we'll all catch up after closing,” he assured his ursine friend. Looking to Michael, Foxy relaxed some with the express permission to speak his mind, and a surprising amount of self-awareness considering his short lifespan so far inside the Pizzaplex. “It's indeed fortuitous that I'm equipped with a profanity filter, First Mate Mike...”

Charlie laughed at this, attempting to hide her mouth slightly. “Just getting their customer profiles should be enough, Foxy. If you get really mad, go take a break—play the drums a little.”

Foxy smiled appreciatively, thanking the little team before heading back out into his Cove. With arms opened wide, he'd kick the swinging door open to catch the attention of the kids. Their cheers could be heard from down the hall now.

“I'm down to help Freddy acclimate to the Pizzaplex again! Where do you wanna go first, big guy?” Charlie asked the rockstar bear.

“Hmm…,” Freddy hummed in thought, tilting his head as he shuffled through all the attractions and animatronics he could visit. He wanted to see everyone in time, but one name stuck out from the rest in order of preference. “I think I would like to visit Chica, if that is alright.”

He’d never claim to like anyone more than the others, though it was no secret there was something about the original quartet that just had a special bond those made for the Pizzaplex wouldn’t quite understand.

Charlie quickly checked her phone, looking over the downloaded work schedule for all the characters at the Pizzaplex. “Roxy's doing make up tutorial's in the Salon for another 40 minutes. That'll give us enough time to swing by Mazercise and Monty golf!”

In agreement, the group quickly hurried for the door before the kids noticed he was leaving. Following behind the bear and Michael, Freddy slipped his arm through Charlie’s and grinned down at her.

“I think this is going quite well, do you agree?” he murmured under his breath, leaning close as they stepped into the ambient noise of the Pizzaplex’s atrium. There was a hint of fondness in those ice blue eyes as Freddy gazed up at his double. “He seems to be performing without a hitch, all things considered…”

All things considered, Charlie wasn't surprised at how well Freddy was acclimating. He was an agreeable person too, happy to listen to the management of this place. It shouldn't have been such a huge change for the last updated version of Freddy anyway—to him, the Pizzaplex only made some management updates and additions to their character lineups.

“Agreed,” Charlie whispered back. “Hopefully he doesn't ask too many questions about Vanessa or Sammy's 'kids' showing up out of nowhere... not to mention, y'know—us."

Charlie always felt a little weird when lying. Though this was obviously for Freddy's best interest to keep him in the dark. Eventually, when things were a little calmer there might be a good time to explain things. For now, they would be tight-lipped and give politely neutral answers for hard to answer questions. She loosely held to Freddy's arm, happy to walk beside him through the backrooms and reveling in how much better the Pizzaplex looked with patrons to populate its fun-filled corridors.

Freddy had a feeling his counterpart wouldn't pry too much. Without anything to be concerned with, nor a ghost subconsciously whispering in the back of his mind, the robot was quite amenable to whatever changes management dictated appropriate. Arm in arm with one of his dearest friends and a soft smile on his face, Freddy trailed along after the animatronic bear as he reacquainted himself with the Pizzaplex.

***

Previous Chapter ~~ Next Chapter (Coming soon)

Looking for more? Check out the Chapter Masterlist on Tumblr!

Or check out the entire Wires that Bind Us Series on ao3!

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angelofrainfrogs · 9 days

Text

Going Back: Ch. 22

~Coauthored by @zeitghest~

Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

All in all, life is finally starting to go right for once.

Rating: T

Read on Ao3

Michael perked up when he heard the music, turning into the camera feed of the main stage just in time to see Freddy grab the mic with an ostentatious twirl. He might look human now, but he still had the programmed moves of his ursine counterpart. The guard smiled, elbows on the desk and resting his chin on the back of his hands. It was like watching a TV show, only he knew all the performers on a personal basis. He made sure to check the other feeds, mainly the Daycare to keep an eye on Ennard and co., but tonight all seemed quiet except for the performance filling the place with life.

***

Gregory had stopped his search for a moment. In the corridors he swore he could hear them now—the Glamrocks were playing! It was a cover of a song from the 80s, his only exposure to the scene being through the set list itself, as well as Mike and Charlie’s recent influence. If he didn’t hurry, he and his friends might miss the chance for a private show, plus the debut of Foxy, the Pirate Drummer.

Looking inside a trashcan, Gregory found nothing. Did everyone just up and disappear?! He knew they did that as ghosts, but this was getting silly for how long he’d been searching. It almost made Gregory paranoid as he looked for everyone. What if they were waiting to scare him?

A shiver of fear briefly ran down his spine. He wasn’t afraid of Evan and Hannah, but everyone else had a love of tormenting their once-skittish friend. Especially Cassidy…

Humming along to the music, Gregory sung lyrics he happened to remember sporadically while searching high and low for his buddies before calling out through the empty atrium. “COME ON! I need a hint, guys!”

Evan was peering down at Gregory from a hanging light fixture. Lying flat against the top surface, it was near-impossible to see him against the harsh glare unless one looked really close. He'd watched his brother pass back and forth underneath him a few times, and when Gregory finally called out in frustration Evan decided to end some of his torment.

“Look up...,” his soft voice called as Evan peered down with a grin; the only things visible were his face and his fingertips where they gripped the edge of the light.

Just hearing that meek tone that seemed to echo miles above Gregory’s head made the boy jump slightly, the hairs on his neck and the back of his arms standing to attention as he quickly glanced upwards. Upon seeing the top of his brother’s head, Gregory began to laugh. These guys weren’t playing fair in the slightest.

“Dude, how would I even see you up there?! I can’t fly!” he chuckled, stretching his arms up and out to exacerbate how impossible it was for him to reach. “So not fair…”

“Soooorry,” Evan replied as he floated down with a bright grin. Looking idly around the room, Evan tried to remember the directions he’d seen the others run off in. “I think everyone’s still around here. They might be hiding in a closest… I dunno exactly where though.” His gaze drifted towards the direction of the main stage where the upbeat music could he heard. “Hey… is the band playing right now?!”

“That’s why I’m trying to find everyone! The band’s practicing,” Gregory said, opening a nearby closet at Evan’s suggestion to find nothing notable. Cleaning supplies and buckets, but no ghosts. Gregory narrowed his eyes, vision raking the darkness as he shut the closet and started for the storage room besides it.

“Of course everyone’s spread out,” he sighed, hoping they could find all their friends before practice was over. The sound of Gregory’s footsteps and the door swinging open echoed in shelf covered room. This must be where they keep all of the seasonal merchandise—plushies and thematic items like water bottles and shirts lined the racks.

“Ooh, I really want to see the band!” Evan continued scanning the area with a bright smile. “Let’s split up... I might be able to track down some of the others faster.”

Not that Gregory wasn't a good seeker in his own right—it's just that everyone but Liz currently had supernatural abilities that allowed them to fly and disappear at will. Evan just happened to find a tough place for Gregory to see, but he made sure his brother could technically find him if he looked hard enough. The others, though... they were probably playing dirty.

***

Up in the second floor of the vast mall, Lizzie and Cassidy were messing around in Roxy's Salon. With Elizabeth sat in a chair, Cassidy had gone through the trouble of altering her friends hair to Liz’s specifications: two pigtails with a bow decorating each one, then teasing out the ends for her.

Evan and Gregory found the twins, but having no luck on ground level for any of the girls, on a hunch the ghost rushed to the salon to find two of them in the middle of Liz's transformation. Popping up behind his sister, Evan put his hands on her shoulders and leaned into whisper in her ear.

“Boo!” He giggled when Liz jumped, then quickly backed up before he could face the wrath of her or Cassidy. “Hey, how come Hannah and I are the only ones actually playing?! Cain and Quinn gave up in the arcade and you guys are... getting makeovers?”

Cassidy knew they were going to face the ire of those still playing the game. With Evan stepping up and playfully challenging them for their shared decision to leave, she laughed heartily.

“You guys stayed to play?! Gregory was gone for-like-EVER!” Turning the salon chair around for Liz to escape, Cassidy leaned on it as she looked to Evan. “We got bored. Plus we’ve had the same look for like… 40 years now. We thought ‘why the hell not?’”

Cassidy found changing her hair permanently was impossible, but she had better luck experimenting with cosmetics. Though she found that going incorporeal phased the make up right off her face again, she batted her now heavy looking eyelashes at Evan while speaking. Elizabeth, meanwhile, was joyfully enamored with the volume of her hair. She played with it in the mirror until it sat just right, then hopped up from the salon chair.

“What do you think? If you say we look like clowns, I’m hitting you,” Lizzie warned in a cheery tone.

Evan opened his mouth to speak before closing it rapidly, pretending like Liz took the words right out of his mouth. In reality, he couldn't care less whether they caked on pounds of makeup or not. To Evan, they'd always be his older sister and dear friend no matter how uncannily doll-like they appeared.

“You look... cool, I guess,” he said with a noncommittal shrug. Honestly, he was surprised Cassidy could open her eyes with the amount of mascara coating her lashes... though he smartly kept that comment to himself.

“Anyway—” Evan perked up, grabbing Lizzie's hand and trying to drag her off the chair. There was a notable air of excitement in his voice now. “—I came to get you because we're all meeting up to watch the band practice! Everyone else is probably already at the stage by now, so let's go!”

“Oh my god! What are we waiting for?!” Cassidy gasped, leaning over to pull Liz away from her ministrations in the mirror. With a hard yank, Liz was lifted in the air, held underneath her arms as Cassidy floated her friend to get there as fast as possible.

While Elizabeth wasn’t a fan of floating at all, she figured that she owed Cassidy for doing her hair so nicely—they certainly looked concert-ready.

***

Hannah had been located hiding out in the backrooms, squeezed into a locker. Mention of the live show pulled her from her spot and she rushed to the stage with Gregory at her heels. Joining Cain and Quin in the front row, Gregory snickered at how the twins immediately began dancing as if no one was watching.

“Jesus, it’s a two man mosh-pit,” Gregory remarked, seeing how little Cain and Quinn cared. Though when he came closer, the twins pulled him into their little group to dance violently with them.

Evan decided to help his sister by carrying her legs, and with the combined effort of him and Cassidy they made it to the stage in no time. As they set Lizzie down next to Hannah—who was giggling at the boys' frantic dancing—the current song ended with one final, righteous chord.

“Well, well—hello, everyone!” Freddy said, clutching his microphone as he centered himself on stage. His smile was as inexhaustible as his energy—thank god for robotic bodies, for he'd be sweating up a storm if he was human. However, his face remained clear of anything save for his bright expression.

“It seems we have gathered a little crowd tonight for our impromptu performance!” Sparing a glance over his shoulder, he looked to the Glamrocks with his enthusiastic grin. “I think that means we must give our special guests a show they will never forget!”

Bonnie was moving on queue in the sound-booth, centering the stage lights and bringing the colored filters down. At Freddy’s mention of a special performance, Foxy smacked his symbols to rile up the crowd. Cassidy leaned over and shook Hannah by the shoulders, needing something to reflect her excitement off of.

“FOXY’S ON DRUMS!” she gushed. It might be a surprise to many, but Cassidy was once a super-fan of Freddy Fazbear Entertainment. Only after her horrific murder did she begin her smear campaign.

Who could blame her, though?

Recently Cassidy had been a little more optimistic, her mood changing with the freedom from oppression her soul finally felt. Her murderer was gone—body and digital copy of his soul. Cassidy could feel content to enjoy the characters once more.

With Roxy and Foxy leading with a beat and an intro on the keys, the Glamrocks got back into the song line up. For the others, finally getting to see the show that they were robbed of the night they had disappeared had been fulfilling. Cain and Quinn had only stopped dancing briefly, yet Gregory had already worked up a sweat from moshing with the brothers. Despite barely being able to compete with the ghost’s endurance, Gregory kept moving to keep up. The drawbacks to being human still, he supposed—but he supposed he couldn't totally complain.

***

Michael couldn't help himself. With such a rousing performance gracing the Pizzaplex, there was no way he was going to sit in this stuffy office and watch from a tiny monitor. Besides, he needed to do some rounds anyway. This was a performance he didn't think anyone should miss, if they could help it.

First, he stopped by the Daycare. The play area was lit up but Sun was nowhere to be found, meaning that Moon was still watching over a slumbering Sam in the theater. However, as Michael waltzed straight through the wooden doors he saw a few others seated around the little table, partaking in the “tea party” from earlier.

“Oh wow, I didn't get an invite?” Michael griped with a playful roll of his eyes. Charlie had joined in on the fun now, seated between Mari and Ennard—whose disconcerting eyes were tracking Michael intently, of course. “Thanks a lot, guys...”

With Mari distracted by the lecture that Charlie had been in the middle of, Ennard was the first to perk up at Mike’s entrance. Only when Ennard straightened and scooted over at the tiny table, silently inviting Michael to come and sit with them did Mari start bouncing in her seat.

“Hey, Mikey! Are you here to help Charlie?” she asked.

“We're learning how to be human! It’s a lot to take in, if we're honest,” Ennard admitted, though there were noticeable changes in them already. Their speech was less stilted, as though all the personalities in their head finally agreed on who the speaker should be with only one voice box to use.

Either that, or Charlie had made significant progress with her lessons. She put a hand on Ennard’s shoulder and squeezed. Although she wasn’t a huge fan of Ennard, she figured working with them was better than working against the former clown.

“But you’re doing really well,” she encouraged, “The both of you are! Come and sit with us, Mike.”

Mari had already been making strides towards blending in with humans, but Michael was admittedly surprised at how much Ennard seemed to have taken in already. They were still unnerving, of course—though Michael had a feeling their fixed, near-unbroken gaze would stay on him forever. But they did sound a little better...

“Maybe later; I actually came to get you guys,” the guard went on, rolling his eyes at how the lanky android perked up even more. “Yes, that includes you, Ennard. The band’s practicing and I figured you’d all want to see! The kids already formed a mini-mosh pit by the stage.” He spared a glance towards the Daycare theater. “Think Sam would want to come, or should we let him live in dreamland a little longer?”

Mari slammed her palms down to the table, rattling their tea cups and the soda they used for tea. “I’m there! I’ll go get Moon!”

She didn’t wait for an answer. Being quite a fan of music, she jumped up and ran across the tiny table just to leap off it in search of her other friend.

“Everyone’s at a concert? That sounds like fun—I’ve never been to a concert before!” Ennard remarked, standing now and offering Charlie a hand.

When she took the assistance, she gave Ennard’s palm a squeeze. “Oh, it’s fun! You’ll enjoy it for sure.”

Sometimes Charlie felt a little held hostage by Ennard’s affection, though was empathetic towards them as they laced their fingers between hers. Since merging with their friends, Ennard had been very lonely. The more they interacted with everyone, the more acclimated Charlie could see them getting.

“Yeah! Go wake Sammy. I bet he’d love to mosh,” Charlie laughed with Mike, remembering Sammy’s love for concerts well. It was apparent in the theme of the Pizzaplex after all.

“On it—Mari, wait up!” Michael called with a laugh, rushing after the little android as she made a mad dash for the theater. It didn’t take long for them to find Sam snoring away in a fluffy pile of blankets and pillows. Moon was lingering nearby, his red eyes glowing bright in the darkness. By the time Michael reached the group Moon was already nodding enthusiastically at his friend’s request.

“Oh, yes, of course we’d love to see the band play!” the Daycare attendant was replying with a bit of wistfulness in his tone. “I can’t remember the last time we saw a live performance on stage…”

“I’ll wake up Sam, if you want to bring out Sun and meet us by the Daycare entrance,” Michael suggested. “Not that we don’t want to hang out, Moon, but I think it’s too bright for you…”

“It usually is; I don’t mind, ehehe.” Taking Mari’s hand, he led her towards the exit. “See you two in a minute!”

“Sam? Hey, buddy, we’ve got something cool to show you!” Michael said softly as the pair exited, gently judging his old friend’s shoulder. “We’re taking you to see the band up and running!”

Sam was in his perfect little dream world. Charlie found it strange, whenever he wasn't awake that her brother seemed just a little more youthful. The stress of life and everyday business would put lines in his waking face, but this looked more like the young punk that used to hang around her living room, terrorizing her along with Michael... She would gently nudge him along with her friend, getting him to finally sit up and open his eyes.

“Huh? The band's really practicing right now…?” Sam asked, sounding out of it. It made him feel leagues better knowing that they were all still getting along after their reprogramming. “I just need a second to wake up...”

“Charlie?” Michael raised an eyebrow towards his friend, and as one they grabbed Sam under each arm and hoisted him to his feet. After letting him get his bearings, Michael was sure to keep a tight hold on him as they led him out into the Daycare proper.

It’d been so long since the Marionette heard the bands at Freddy's play. Just the thought of standing there, a part of the crowd and not as a separate fixture brought her butterflies. Ennard struggled to keep up with the small android, her energy outmatching their relaxed pace and causing them to bend in an effort to stay attached to her hand.

Michael couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Mari tugging her two much taller companions along as if they were nothing but air. Ennard was doing pretty well in the new body, all things considered. By the time they reached the stage Sam had been let go, as he'd found the energy to move by himself. The kids were still in an excited huddle, though there seemed to be less moshing going on in favor of just... jumping up and down from sheer joy.

“More guests!” Freddy announced as the group approached. The band was taking a second to reset, making sure all instruments were still in tune and lining up the next batch of songs in their heads. They'd already finished one set, though due to an uproarious cheer for an encore decided to go through a whole second performance just for their special party. At the sight of a very unexpected friend heading towards them, Freddy let out a little gasp and waved. “Sun! Oh, I am so glad you could join us!”

“Me too!” the lanky animatronic responded, practically trembling with excitement. The last time he'd been out of the Daycare for good reasons had been quite a while ago, so this was quite a treat. Usually he was simply too busy during the day to even fathom stepping away, and at night there wasn't much happening to warrant him leaving the comfort of his little rainbow palace. However, with all the new friends he'd made Sun had a feeling he'd be doing a lot more exploring nowadays.

Since those strange malfunctions had been taken care of, Sam would be more than happy to allow Sun a little bit of leeway with where he spent his time while the Daycare was closed. After all, even artificial intelligence needed socialization and new perspectives.

During the brief break, Chica strummed and plucked at her strings quickly to show off for the newbies in the crowd.

“Now it's really a concert!” Roxy exclaimed, her voice picking up on Freddy's microphone while everyone convened. In the crowd, Gregory found Michael and gave his brother a light shove to get his attention.

“Hey!” Gregory huffed, a little sweaty from all his dancing, truly looking the part of an exhausted concert hooligan. “Do you know how to mosh?”

Charlie answered for Michael out of sheer shock. “Do you know who you're talking to? I've never seen another dude take so many flying elbows in the concert pits.”

She laughed, Samuel joining in on the shared memory of the sketchy music festivals that used to travel throughout Utah back in the days.

“Give me a little credit, kid!” Michael griped in mock offense, sidling his way to the front. When he found the perfect place he cupped his hands around his mouth and stared up at the stage, transported back to the happy days when he’d heckle the band for the hell of it.

“Please tell me you’ve got some more 80s classics in that lineup!” he called, and when Freddy turned his gaze upon him it felt like he truly saw the boy Michael used to be. Fresh-faced and eager, Mike would be at the front of the crowd with his best friends, jamming out to rock songs without a care in the world.

“Of course!” Freddy replied, and Michael’s responding smile could rival the sun. Glancing up to the sound booth, Freddy gave their temporary DJ a tentative thumbs-up. “Bonnie, are we ready to go?”

“Ladies and gentlemen, the Pizzaplex is proud to present…” All the way up in the sound booth, Bonnie leaned into a microphone and led up the suspense. Then he brought down the house lights to focus on the stage, queueing Freddy and the band. “The Glamrocks!”

It was easy to get all the kids riled up—even Charlie and Sam seemed ripe with excitable energy as they crowded around the front with the kids. Thus ensued the best concert that Charlie had ever seen at a Fazbear venue. The lineup were classics, songs that Charlie forgot she’d obsessed over back in the day, now here to be stuck in Gregory’s head for weeks at a time—just the way his adoptive siblings suffered after shows.

Tonight served to be Gregory’s first real concert, and he’d been glad to spend time with all the friends he made so far. Besides, how many people could brag that their dad was in a popular band?

***

Freddy didn’t want this show to end. But, as he was far too familiar with, all good things eventually came to a close. Much too soon the band was striking the final cord, and Freddy slid to the front of the stage on his knees like the rockstar he was meant to be, mic held high over his head as he belted out the last note of their epic performance. As his vocals faded, the stage lights were shut off briefly. Backed by the rousing cheer of the crowd, Freddy stood and ushered his bandmates—his wonderful, wonderful friends—to the front of the stage with him. When the lights came back on they were poised to take their bow.

“Thank you for coming out tonight!” Freddy yelled to the crowd, smiling so wide it hurt. “And, from the bottom of my heart—” His gaze drifted over the crowd to settle on Gregory, Michael, Charlie, and Sam in turn. “—thank you for everything!”

With the most dramatic of flairs, Bonnie directed the softer beams of light to the family in front. They illuminated Charlie, who’d been holding a tired Gregory up. The kid battling to enjoy the last of his dad’s show raised his fist in solidarity as Charlie jostled him by jumping at Freddy’s thanks. With Michael and Sam beside her still completely jazzed from the concert, the ghost kids from the crowd roared into applause. There was a few excitable strums from Chica, Foxy hitting his symbols as his ego inflated from the wild screaming coming from their small audience.

“You’ve been a great crowd!” Roxy shouted before Bonnie turned down the stage lights, now lifting the house ones again.

Ennard’s first concert was spent hanging around Evan and most of the kids. Surprisingly enough, Elizabeth was compliant to their presence today—though they wouldn’t want to overstay their welcome and ruin the vibe that was going on. Near the back of the crowd, it was easy for Ennard to rejoin Mari and Sun as soon as the lights flicked back on.

“That was a doozy of a show, Fredbear! You still got it!” Bonnie called with a surprised laugh from the sound booth before beginning his descent back down to the stage.

“Thank you, Bon!” Freddy called with a grateful wave, hopping off stage with the others. Feeling an exhilaration he didn’t know was possible, he made a beeline straight for his family and immediately scooped Gregory into his arms. Still wearing an inexhaustible grin, Freddy murmured in his tired son’s ear: “What did you think, superstar?!”

Gregory perked up like a freshly watered flower once Freddy got ahold of him. With arms squeezed tight around his dad’s shoulders, he exclaimed: “You’re amazing!”

Once again, Freddy proved exactly why he was Gregory’s favorite character out of the Glamrocks. Was it possible to be starstruck by family? Gregory wasn’t sure, but if so that’s definitely what he was feeling. To get rid of the irrational butterflies, he joked: “Could I get your autograph, Mister Fazbear?”

While the other kids were enamored with the Glamrocks, Evan had his eye on a different set of robots. Michael saw his brother start moving towards the trio hanging back, and after giving Freddy’s shoulder a firm squeeze and reiterating how amazing the band was, Michael trailed after him.

“I’m glad Mikey grabbed you guys in time!” the little ghost said brightly, grabbing one of Mari’s and Ennard’s hands without hesitation. Now that Ennard looked more presentable, Evan had no fear expressing his favor of the robot’s company. Lightly swinging their arms, Evan remarked: “That was like… the coolest show ever!”

Evan having sought out both Ennard and Mari brought huge grins to their faces. While Mari’s wild hair suggested she was head-banging nearly the whole show, Ennard still looked fairly pristine. They gently squeezed Evan’s hand and agreed: “I’ve never seen a show quite like it! Even Funtime Foxy couldn’t compete…”

“I kinda wish I’d been able to see one of your old shows,” Evan admitted, and he meant it—aside from the whole “potential for children to get captured after the performance” thing, of course. Keeping this in the back of his mind, Evan tugged Ennard more insistently to keep their attention. “But you look awesome now! And I bet you could still perform if you wanted to.”

“You’ve still got the programming in there,” Michael remarked with a shrug. Admittedly, he already felt much better letting Ennard interact with people in this new form. “Who knows, maybe Sam can find you a little stage and you could… do magic tricks or something.”

He was trying, at least. They had to give him credit for that.

“Ooh, yeah!” Evan agreed, jumping on the idea. “And Mari can be your assistant!”

Ennard cast the optimistic ghosts a sideways grin. In this new body, they were becoming more confident again. As a whole, finally, the amalgamation felt like they came to an agreement.

“A magician? Me?” They laughed scratching the back of their head at Sun’s compliment. “I guess I can do a lot of things I couldn’t before, huh?”

The possibilities of this new lease on life seemed endless now. With their terrible creator gone, things were looking so much brighter. But then they caught something from the corner of their eye: the familiar shade of Elizabeth looming just far enough away. She didn’t look quite ready to join them with Ennard around.

She couldn’t be angry with them; not right now. She could tell Ennard and her brothers were having fun without her. Defeated, Lizzie turned from the group and pretended to be interested in the way the band packed up the equipment on the stage.

“Deal—” Mari agreed with a peal of bell-like laughter at the thought of being Ennard’s assistant. “—just promise not to really saw me in half! Okay?”

“Oh, they won’t,” Michael both assured and warned with narrowed eyes.

While Michael bonded with his sibling and friends, Monty had noticed Liz meandering over to his side of the stage. Slinging his guitar off for a moment, he crouched down to her level with a wide grin.

“Hey, lil’ lady!” he greeted, tail swaying across the floor with the aftershocks of their enthusiastic performance. “Sooo what’d you think?! Best show you’ve ever seen, right?”

Across the floor, Freddy was finalizing plans with Sam and the others.

“So Gregory and I will stop by your office first thing tomorrow night so we can port over my old profile,” he reiterated to make sure everyone was on the same page. “That way, Freddy can have as much time as possible for a ‘test run…' Does that work for you, superstar?” He glanced down at his son still held loosely in his arms. “You can play with your friends the rest of the night after we complete this task.”

“I'd appreciate it if Freddy 2.0 could run a rudimentary scan on Gregory, too,” Sam interjected. “Just to make sure all his systems are working fine! He’s been offline for a while, after all.”

Sam glanced to Gregory, looking for the okay from the young ward of the Pizzaplex. The boy shrugged, knowing he’d already be helping with the data transfer. It wouldn’t be any trouble to hang around new Freddy and make sure all his child safety features worked.

“That’s fine with me, Sammy,” he confirmed. Then, a bit more shyly, Gregory asked: “So… The Pizzaplex is going to be full of people again soon?”

Sam looked a little surprised. Reading Gregory’s expression made him think the kid was hoping to have the place all to himself for a little while longer. If only Sam could do that for him. But there were bills to pay, parties to throw… Sam couldn’t hold off on his investments anymore.

“Of course. The show has to go on, doesn’t it?” he replied with a gentle understanding. “You still get unlimited access, Gregory. But think of all the friends you’ll make here!”

“Friends can be made at your own pace,” Freddy reassured, seeing the anxiety wash over Gregory’s face like a wave. “But I must admit, it will be wonderful to have the Pizzaplex back in action.”

It’d been far too long since Freddy was able to enjoy his “job” without worrying what was going to happen to his friends when 12 am hit. And with Bonnie back in commission now, as well as the addition of everyone’s favorite pirate fox, the reopening was sure to be a roaring success.

“Hey guys,” Michael said as he stepped over to his little family unit. With a smile, he slung his arms around Charlie and Sammy’s shoulders. “You plotting stuff without me again?”

“Dang, just when we thought that we got rid of you,” Sam remarked with a roll of his eyes, the remnants of his sarcastic teenage self-shining through as he ran off the nostalgic high.

Charlie laughed at her brother's joke, resting her head against Mike's shoulder with a playful lilt in her voice. “Don't worry Mike, we totally weren't planning on pushing you in the hotel pool later.”

“Oh, fantastic,” Michael griped with a roll of his eyes, then looked to the redhead imploringly. “At least you’re on my side, right, Freddy? You wouldn’t let them plot against me, would you?”

“…I cannot say one way or the other,” Freddy replied cryptically, a playful smile twitching up the corners of his mouth.

“Oh my god…” Michael pressed his hands to the side of his face in mock horror. “I can’t believe they already corrupted you—poor, innocent Fredbear…”

Freddy chuckled and gave Mike’s hair an amiable ruffle. They all knew full well Michael could take a good prank as well as he could dish one out.

“Anyway—” the guard checked his phone before looking to Sam. “—my shift’s almost over, boss-man. Need anything else before I close up for the night?”

Sam relaxed an arm around Michael's shoulder as his friend spoke. Anything that Sam needed could wait until tomorrow; Gregory certainly looked about ready to go back to the hotel for some shut-eye.

“Just do me a favor and get home safe, alright?” Sam asked. “Text me when you get to the hotel. And maybe after your first paychecks we'll see about getting you guys a real place to stay…”

While rent could be plenty expensive, it certainly wasn't as expensive as the nightly room service charges Sam had been getting.

“We'll definitely text you,” Charlie agreed, eyes widening at the prospect of their little family getting a place of their own. She reached over, quickly hugging her brother with a caring grip around his back and squishing Michael in the embrace by proxy. “Get some sleep before opening, please.”

“Thank you, Sam,” Freddy said as he leaned himself and Gregory into the hug as well.

“Oof—yeah, you’re a real lifesaver when you aren’t crushing me!” Mike remarked, trying to wriggle free. After a moment he was granted a chance to escape, which he’d use to walk to the stage and call up: “Hey everyone, we’re heading out for the night! Say your goodbyes now before Gregory passes out!”

After basking in the attentions of the Glamrocks, Liz stood to the edge of the stage and waved goodbye to Gregory along with the band, who waved and blew kisses to their adoring audience with a dramatic flair. Before the other kids could convince them to do an encore, they came over one by one wishing them a good morning and that they’d all see Gregory and his family tomorrow. Ennard came by to gently pat Gregory’s hair, lifting Mari up to say her own personal goodbyes.

Gregory had once been hard-pressed once to let the animatronics and others wrangle him into hugs—now he’d progressed to the point of allowing the Marionette to nuzzle the side of his head with affection. Farewells complete, they begun for their egress of the building. The sound of that hotel bed was calling his name, and Gregory could no longer refuse sleep as he quietly fell unconscious in Freddy’s arms once more. Another successful, fun night well-spent.

***

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