Remembrance

Mike Schmidt stirred feebly in his bed. As usual after working a night at Freddy's, he'd just collapsed on his bed clad in nothing but his boxers and drifted off to sleep until he awoke again. His eyes searched around and found his clock. Three in the afternoon. Pretty early by his standards. He lay in his bed and stared up at the ceiling.

He'd had assumed that, upon leaving college, he might be able to get normal sleeping habits again. Being an art major, quite a bit of his time had been spent working on various pieces for assignments that required more than a few all-nighters. On more than one occasion, he had nearly collapsed from exhaustion and been reduced to tears from stress.

Now that it was all over, his sleeping pattern was still awry. But this time, it was for very enjoyable reasons. Though that didn't mean his evenings were completely stress free, as the events of four nights ago had shown him.

Mike still felt a little shaken at the memory. He'd never been involved in a situation where his life and those around him would be in danger. He'd never even imagined taking an active part in stopping it. It was really almost lucky that he'd been able to manage what he'd done to Daniel. If he'd made even the smallest mistake there…

He tried not to dwell on it. They'd all made it out okay and the ones responsible would hopefully get caught before they tried anything else. Mike had gotten in the habit of glancing over his shoulder these past few days. But at least it wasn't all bad.

A small smile tugged at his lips at the thought that his parents, or rather his mom, were no longer on his case about Freddy's. He hadn't heard anything from them since they left for home. Mike could assume that his mom was still processing all that had come to light for her. He could understand why, but worries still crossed his mind.

What if she didn't accept the truth? What if she continued to see only the worst in the synthetics? Would she begin to have doubts about Mike and his job again? What if she tried to forcibly remove him again or expose them?

But he did his best to push those worries down. He'd stood his ground against her and come out still standing. His dad had backed him up too and she'd seen what happened when she took her vendetta against Freddy's too far. Hopefully, it would be enough to make her see sense and Mike could continue working with the most remarkable group of friends he'd ever had.

Or rather, the only group of friends he ever had. Pretty sad, really. But they really were his friends and they genuinely cared. And despite their inhuman nature, he cared for them too. The rambunctious Foxy. The soft spoken Freddy. The cocky Bonnie. The sweet, gentle Chica with her smile as warm as the sun's rays and her voice like…

Mike stopped his mental train when it started to go down that road again. They were all his good friends and that was what was important. Though Chica especially. Always the first to lend an ear and making him feel like he mattered. Trying her best to lift his spirits, even if she wasn't always sure she was. Her shy nature sometimes giving way to a playful side that was almost childlike in essence, probably why she seemed so in her element with kids. She really was…

He stopped that train of thought again. They seemed to happen quite a bit recently.

"What is wrong with me?" Mike murmured to himself. "I think I need to clear my head…"

He pulled on a two day old shirt that didn't smell too badly and a pair of jeans with a couple of small stains on them. Cheese by the look of it. He imagined the look on his mom's face if she saw him wearing this while he pulled on his jacket and made a mental note to do some washing downstairs when he got back.

The air was brisk when he walked out of his apartment. The sun shone feebly through the layer of clouds above, like spring trying to dispel the dying winter moving from February to March. The streets were starting to pack up with the rush hour starting, making Mike glad in this case that he didn't drive much. He took a walk through the small park near his estate and sat down on a bench nearby.

He leaned back against it and felt a sense of tranquillity, the wind caressing his face gently while he just listened and watched the world go by. Sometimes, it was nice to do things like this. It was too bad his friends weren't humans in times like these. Then they could hang out normally, whenever and wherever they wanted to. He always felt sorry for them in that regard, especially after showing them the world outside for the first time. If only they could do it again.

Looking around, Mike spotted a newspaper that someone had left on the bench. He picked it up and was pleasantly surprised by what he saw on the front page.

WAREHOUSE RAID FOILED

Police were called to the waterfront late last night to answer reports of a disturbance by wharf watchmen and reports of gunfire coming from one of the warehouses. What resulted was the arrest of five individuals who confessed to breaking and entering and it wasn't their first time trying.

The group, led by Daniel Fairchild, were reportedly former employees of the local children's restaurant Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Already wanted by the police for similar offences at the location itself, it seemed as if they wanted to try their luck again and were met with similar results. Only this time, they weren't lucky enough to get away.

They were identified and apprehended by the police whilst crying bloody murder about killer animatronics and trying to get those nearby to leave the area. While there were animatronics at the scene of the break in, police have told us they were inactive and perfectly harmless.

"This lot have been causing us trouble for quite some time," the manager Aaron Johnson told our reporter. "They're convinced that our restaurant is the work of the devil or some such nonsense. They shouldn't have been messing with such sensitive machinery to begin with."

"Seems they were after the animatronics," one officer told us. "That Fairchild was raving about how they were set up and tricked. Like we haven't heard that one before."

Mr Johnson went on to tell us that the animatronics at the warehouse were just spares for the ones at the restaurant and that Freddy's would still be keeping its doors open with its characters still performing for kids and grownups alike. Well, we certainly hope that you have good security, Mr Johnson because it sounds like you need it.

Mike skimmed through the rest of the report. The rest was rough profiles taken from the group making them out to be criminals and statements from police. At least now they were locked away behind bars and Mike wouldn't have to worry about them.

While he was relieved that the group had been caught, he couldn't help but wonder what exactly they were doing there. What did they hope to gain by stealing spare parts? Hadn't Freddy once told him about one of those warehouses being an offsite storage location for the old animatronics? Why would Daniel claim that they were set up? Was it really just to throw off blame?

It probably was, Mike thought. They were caught and he was desperately trying any excuse. He seemed the type, considering he was convinced they were doing some justifiable good that warranted extreme measures if necessary. He was sure the others would be glad to hear of their capture and he made a mental note to tell them the news tonight. Hopefully, it would lift the spirits of one of them.

Mike sighed at the thought. Foxy hadn't really been the same since the break-in. He didn't come out of his Cove very much except when he had to and didn't stay out long when he did. They didn't want to try anything beyond gentle coaxing or risk flaring his temper when he wanted to be left alone.

But despite that, Mike wanted to find some way to get him out again. He stood up from the bench and walked off again, thinking of how this might be done. Inevitably, out of some strange sense of habit in conjunction with the article he saw, he wandered towards Freddy Fazbear's. Susie waved him over the instant she saw him.

"Hey Mike, glad I caught you!" she greeted, reaching behind her desk. "These packages came for you addressed for us, but the note attached says it's for you."

Mike took the note. "That's my dad's handwriting."

"Sorry, this one's kinda heavy. You mind coming back here?" she asked.

Mike did so and saw a rather large box. He tried lifting it, but he realised too how heavy it was. The second box was a little lighter and Mike heaved it onto the desk. He opened it and felt a smile grow on his face when he saw what was inside.

Susie peered over his shoulder. "That's weird. What are those doing here? Why did your dad send them here?"

"I think I can guess," murmured Mike. "This is just what I needed."

"For what?" she asked.

"Um, nothing," he said quickly. "Special stuff. You know for… stuff. A-Anyway, can you just keep this stuff here? I mean, I can't take this stuff back to my apartment on my own and I need it here anyway so…"

Susie looked at him oddly before nodding. "Sure thing, Mike." She leaned in to whisper. "I'm so jealous they let you play those on your shift. How did you even work that out?"

"Uh, let's say I know some people," Mike shrugged. "Hold on, I'm going to check on things in there."

"Fine, be all mysterious about it," she joked. "Have a good day, Mike."

He murmured the same wish back to her and stepped into the restaurant. It looked like a busy day, a birthday party by the look of it. He looked around for Bonnie and saw her entertaining a group of kids with her guitar. He managed to catch her eye.

"I've got a surprise for you guys tonight," he said, knowing she would hear him. "Tell the others. See you tonight."

She winked to show she got the message and returned to her work. With that done, Mike left Freddy's, deciding to work on a few more sketches for the rest of the day.

The special excitement that Mike always got for the start of his shift was mounting when he finished locking the back door. The handle had been fixed now, but Mike double checked it just in case. Satisfied, he entered the dining area where his friends were removing their suits.

"Evening everyone," he greeted. "Busy day?"

"Every day is busy for us, Mike," answered Chica, her dress billowing down her legs when she removed her bottom half. "But birthday parties are especially taxing."

"I remember," agreed Mike. "Well, I have something that'll hopefully help you all wind down tonight."

"Yes, Bonnie told us how you have somethin' planned for us," noted Freddy, yanking off his mask. "I await with great anticipation."

"While I lower my standards significantly," put in Bonnie, already out of her suit.

She raised her eyebrows at Mike and smirked. He felt his face grow warm when he caught her meaning. Freddy stepped in and saved him.

"You know somethin', Bonnie, it's really only you who suggests that he has anythin' lewd in mind. Perhaps because you unconsciously wish it were so?"

Bonnie raised an eyebrow. "Ew. No. And I never said he did have anything pervy in mind. But this is the guy for who the height of coolness was wearing a cape and pretending to fly."

"Eight years old! Again, eight years old!" groaned Mike.

"And using a stick like a sword whilst quoting things," she added.

"I thought I was alone!"

"And that makes it less bad how?"

"How is that any different than when you do air guitar?" he demanded.

"Because when I do that, it's cool. When you do that, it's dorky." She shrugged. "Sorry, Mikey. It's just the natural order of things."

Mike groaned louder. "Why did my dad have to tell you all of that?"

"He's your dad. If he's not embarrassing you, he's doing it wrong," she quipped. "I'm willing to bet you still do stuff like that anyways."

Mike felt his cheeks grow hot again and turned away, determined not to say anything. He quickly searched for a subject.

"U-Um, have you heard the uh, news?" he asked quickly. "Th-They caught those guys that broke in a few days ago."

"Totally not suspicious change of subject," remarked Bonnie. "But still, that's cool. I'm not that surprised, considering they couldn't even break in here without someone opening the door for them."

"What happened, Mike?" asked Chica. "What did they do?"

Mike told them what he'd learned in the paper. As soon as he mentioned the warehouse and the animatronics housed there, both Chica and Bonnie exchanged apprehensive looks. Mike could see why. Freddy's expression seemed to sober on hearing that detail.

"Is that it then?" he asked in a tone that betrayed sadness. "There wasn't anythin' else they did there?"

"Um, no. Th-That's all the report detailed," said Mike. "S-Sorry…"

Freddy said nothing. He muttered a brief excuse and strode off to backstage, shutting the door with barely a look at them. Bonnie gave another look to Chica, who shook her head sadly. Mike was surprised, to say the least. Why had Freddy reacted in such a way to that news?

"Thought something like that might happen," said Bonnie. "So, Mikey, that surprise?"

"Huh? Oh yeah," Mike said, having briefly forgotten due to Freddy's reaction. "I'll uh, need a hand. It's in some heavy boxes out front."

"I can do that," offered Chica at once. "Bonnie, why don't you go and check on Foxy? He might want to see what Mike has in store."

"Don't get your hopes up," she replied. "But I guess it can't hurt. Maybe I'll drag him out or something if I can't talk some sense into him."

Chica followed Mike to the front desk. As soon as they were out of sight, she pulled him aside and spoke in a low voice.

"Don't worry about Freddy," she told him. "He needs some time to calm down. But it's something personal with him."

"Why? What is it?" he asked.

Chica bit her lip and shifted her eyes away, mentally debating whether or not to tell him. When she did, it was nearly reluctant.

"It's not just the animatronics stored there," she whispered. "Do you… remember when I told you about Goldie? I-It was where she was stored after she was… deactivated."

Mike did recall the last time she had spoken about Goldie, but she'd omitted this detail.

"Are you okay telling me this? I mean, last time you said it was difficult to talk about," he recalled.

"I… mostly," she said. "I-I'm not sure if I can tell you exactly what happened, i-if it's m-my place to, I mean."

"I think I get it. Freddy was close to her, wasn't he?" he asked.

"He was. W-We all were, but to him, sh-she was like a sister." She paused. "What happened to her was hard. For Freddy especially."

Mike nodded in understanding. He could imagine that, to Freddy, the ex-guards had essentially desecrated her resting place, like someone had dug up her grave and danced on the body. Anyone would be angry about that. He asked Chica if he'd be okay and she gave him a reassuring smile.

"He will be, we just need to give him his space. Thank you for understanding, Mike," she said sincerely.

"It's fine. I'd be a complete jerk if I wasn't, right?" he chuckled.

"I wouldn't call a lack of understanding cruel and you are far from cruel, Mike." She shuffled on her feet. "There's um… something else I've been meaning to s-say as well."

Mike could feel his heart starting to beat a little faster. She wasn't looking directly at him anymore. Her cheeks were tinted blue, she turned away from him and she was fiddling with her dress like she usually did when she got nervous. It was kind of cute.

He blinked and faintly shook his head. Where did that come from? Why did he always end up like this around Chica? Did he even want to? He got caught up in his own thoughts, so he missed what she said to him in a quiet murmur.

"I-I'm sorry, what did you say?" he asked. "N-Not that I wasn't listening at all, I just uh… well, I wasn't. I-I didn't mean to, it just um… well uh…"

"It's fine," she muttered. "W-What I said was that I… j-just um… th-thank you for w-what you did when they broke in."

"Oh." Mike rubbed the back of his head and shrugged. "It's nothing. Y-You guys did most of the work."

"But it was thanks to you we could to begin with." She gave him an admiring smile. "I-It was very b-b-brave."

Mike felt a glimmer of pride. "Y-You think so?"

"Mmmhmm," she nodded. "Your father must be very proud of you… l-like I am." She glanced up at him and turned her body towards his again. "Th-There's um… something else I w-want to say t-too."

Mike wanted to ask what it was, but he couldn't find his voice. They were close. Just like when they had been at Christmas. Standing under that archway with the mistletoe dangling above their heads. Mike took a chance to glance at her lips, gazing into her violet eyes.

It almost seemed like it would be easy to just lean in again, like he had then…

The memory of that suddenly snapped Mike as to where he was and what he was doing.

"Chica, w-wait. I uh, I don't think-"

"Hey, what's taking you two so long?!"

Bonnie's voice from the dining room made them jump apart. Mike managed to get control of his breathing though his face felt like it was on fire. A glance at Chica showed him that her face was as blue as the sky on a clear day before she turned away again. Just how close had him and Chica gotten there?

"Um… uh…" Chica's voice was barely above a whisper. "M-Mike I… I…"

"It's o-okay," Mike said quickly. "We should uh, probably get these boxes through."

"Um, yes. Y-Yes, of course." Mike wasn't completely sure but she sounded almost disappointed. "W-Which one was it?"

"Uh, here. I need a hand carrying this one." He went to pull it out at the same time Chica did and felt the touch of her synthetic skin on his hand for a moment before he jerked it away. "S-sorry!"

"Oh my!" She pulled hers away too. "Um… why don't you uh…?"

"Sure." He took one side of the pair of boxes while she tentatively lifted from the other side. "W-Well you seem stronger than me."

"It's how I was made," she murmured. Was Mike hearing things or did she sound almost… sad saying that?

He sighed mentally. One of these days, Mike thought, he was going to have to have a long, hard think about these feelings he had around Chica. Part of him seemed to enjoy them but mostly… he just didn't know. But he would think about it. Just not right now.

They found Bonnie standing by Pirate Cove with Foxy peering out of the curtains. The former smirked on their arrival.

"You two took your time," noted Bonnie. "You have any trouble?"

"Nothing happened!" Mike said without really thinking.

"When did I ask if anything happened? I only asked if you needed help," she reminded him.

"Shut up," mumbled Mike.

"Okay fine, Mr Sensitivity," she sniggered. "What's in the boxes then? Did your dad send you all your old comic books, you little dork?"

"N-Nothing like that."

"Oh. So, all your adult magazines then, ya perv? Okay, okay," she said in response to the looks she was getting. "Show us whatcha got then."

"W-Well, you're not getting a first go, for one thing," Mike said at once.

"Firs' go at wha'?" asked Foxy. "Look, lad, wha'ever it is ya got, I don' really feel like it tanigh'."

"Oh really? Chica, a hand please." Mike opened the heaviest box, pulling out its contents and setting them on the stage. "Allow me to present, from my very own bedroom back home, my Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Complete with two officially licenced Nintendo controllers, a Super Scope gun controller and a wide variety of game cartridges including Mortal Kombat I and II, Super Bomberman, Super Double Dragon and Super Mario Kart."

A moment of silence lingered in the wake of his announcement. It was broken with a cough from Bonnie which sounded a lot like 'dork'.

"That's quite a lot of supers. Not that that's a bad thing," added Chica. "I'm sorry, just so I understand fully, but does this play video games, Mike?"

"It does," confirmed Mike. "My dad sent it from home. I guess maybe he remembered about how you guys used to have arcade cabinets and had this delivered for us all."

"That's very thoughtful of him," said Chica. "It's been a while since we've been able to play anything like that."

"Hey, I don't suppose I could play sooner if I said I was sorry?" asked Bonnie.

"Um, I don't think so," replied Mike.

"How about if I said I was really sorry?"

"You can wait," said Mike firmly. "Foxy deserves the first turn."

Foxy still looked surprised at the existence of such a thing. "Firs' 3D games, now yer tellin' me ye can play video games at home? We sure miss a lot, cooped up in here."

"Even more if you lock yourself away behind those curtains." Mike sighed. "Why are you doing this to yourself again, Foxy?"

"It's not obvious, lad?" he snapped. "Didn't ye hear tha' Daniel fella say when he broke in here? It was my fault! All because I… that was why he did it! An' I almost did it again!"

"Yeah, keyword being 'almost'," remarked Bonnie. "But you didn't."

"This ain't a joke, Bon!" he shouted. "I've seen first-hand now wha' my mistake has done! Yer mum an' that lot that broke in here proved tha'! This wha' I deserve…"

"Foxy, please, don't talk like that," begged Chica.

"She's right," said Mike. "I understand why you're feeling like this, but you have to move past it."

"How can ye say that when I nearly let ye down?" asked Foxy. A new note of misery crept into his voice. "Ye were the one who forgave me and I practically took it an' threw it overboard with wha' I almost did…"

"But you didn't, Foxy. And who says I've retracted my forgiveness? But one of these days…" Mike shook his head while he searched for the right words. "You're… you're going to have to forgive yourself too."

"Yeah, of course there were going to be some people who weren't happy with what you did and still won't be," added Bonnie. "But if they end up pulling stuff like that, they're not much better. You gotta try and put it behind you now. It was a mistake. A pretty horrible one for sure, but one you're it's not like you want to repeat it."

"Not only that, but you were actually trying to protect me," pointed out Mike. "I never said thanks for that but consider this my way of doing it." He picked out Double Dragon and held it up. "Come on, captain. Don't leave me to fight this battle alone."

"Ye sure abou' tha' lad?" Foxy looked ashamed. "Would ye be wantin' ta play with a monster like me?"

"Foxy, don't let what my mom said get to you," urged Mike. "You're not a monster to me. You're my friend. More importantly, you're my captain and I'm your first mate. Don't tell me you're going to just abandon ship now."

He held out a controller for him. Foxy looked at it for a while from his Cove, then at Mike. He shook his head and smiled reluctantly.

"Sometimes, I think it should be the other way around," he remarked. "Alrigh' Mike, yer on. Let's see how this new-fangled thing works."

Mike smiled too and went to find a socket to plug the TV in near the stage. Whilst he searched around, his eyes lingered on the backstage door. He hoped Freddy was okay back there. Maybe they could coax him out later, see if he fancied some Mario Kart.

He couldn't help but wonder what happened all those years ago? Who was Goldie to him and to all of them? He knew it was a sensitive topic and they would tell him when they were ready, or rather when Freddy was. But he wanted to know, to see if he could help them in some way. He couldn't imagine doing what his dad had done to get Freddy to come out. He wasn't brave or suicidal enough. He just hoped Chica was right.

Mike put aside those thoughts for now. At this moment, it was time to reintroduce his friends to the world of gaming. He found a socket, plugged it in and eagerly ran back to join them. This was going to be fun.


Okay, just a heads up while it seems like these are quick updates, that's because four chapters, including the two already up, were prewritten. The rest still needs to come so there may be gaps in updates larger than others but don't worry. I am working on them. Please don't send me messages about when the next chapter will be.

Janepiratefox: Well here's some more for you :)

Child at Heart Forever: I hope I don't disappoint.

MajorVidGamer: G.O.L. - Genetic Operations Logistics Diagnostic ENgager. Yes, I pulled a GLaDOS there XD

Lord Zalgo: Thank you, my lord. May this offering please thee.

DnWolfy: They are indeed.

The Ben Who Must Not Be Named: Nice to meet you, Ben. I'm glad you've been enjoying my work thus far. I won't stop you from supporting either of those ships. Just don't be disappointed if things don't work out as you might think ;) It would be nice to have another regular reviewer. I look forward to hearing from you in future installments.

KingStonecold: Well done, sir. Not exactly subtle of course, but I do enjoy my references.

Be strong, be swift, be just.