When Benny was sound asleep, Freddy quietly climbed off the bed and silently opened his bedroom door, looking back once more at his sleeping friend. Without making a sound, he made his way down the hall toward the living room.

He could hear Aaron talking on the phone with one of his friends, bragging proudly about what he had done to Benny earlier. "The freak didn't stand a chance against me, man. He's so pathetic! Remember when I told you about his stupid stuffed animal that he'd carry around with him? He still does that. He claims that it makes him feel happy and safe, but I should just set that thing on fire and be done with it. It's an ugly little thing, anyway."

Freddy's eyes flashed a deep red at the mention of Benny, and he growled softly as his teeth grew sharp and his claws protruded from his paws. He took a step forward, careful to remain out of sight in the fading light, sticking to the dark corners of the room and silently watching Aaron, waiting for complete darkness to strike at his prey.

The bear continued listening as Aaron talked to his friend, becoming angrier by the second. "Yeah, Benny's a total freak! He's so stupid! You should have seen the look on his face as I was choking him, it was highly amusing. He was clawing at me and everything, but of course I didn't let up even a little. He deserves what he got."

Freddy tried once more to step into the living room, but quickly recoiled when the Sun's light touched him, causing his body to sizzle and burn slightly. So he had no choice but to remain in the hallway, waiting with growing impatience for night to fall. He slowly raked his sharp claws against the wall beside him, creating deep scratches in the wood.

He snarled at this monster that had hurt his friend, the only one he loved more than anything else in the entire world, the one who he had promised to keep safe for as long as he lived, and that was exactly what he was going to do.

A cloud passed in front of the fading Sun, blocking out the light for a few moments, and he took this opportunity to enter the living room and slip into the partially open closet, where he would be fully immersed in the darkness. He stared at his prey through the crack between the door and the wall, shaking with rage at this human's words.

No one was allowed to speak of his friend like this, and anyone who did would be facing dire consequences, but Aaron was a poor excuse for a human being, and what he had done to Benny was inexcusable, and he deserved to suffer for that.

When it was finally dark enough to roam about the house freely, he stepped hesitantly into the room, waiting a few moments to make sure it was safe to enter. When nothing happened, Freddy took another step, with the same result. Confident now, he fully entered the room that Aaron was in, moving slowly and silently so as not to be discovered by the human.

He moved to hide behind the couch, as Aaron sat down on it and continued speaking to his friend. "Yeah, I know, right? All he does is whine like a fucking baby. He's a dumbass, man. I never even wanted a brother! I wanted Mom and Dad all to myself, but then he came along, and it all went downhill from there. My life has been-" He let out a cry of surprise when the phone was forcefully knocked from his hands, hitting the wall and breaking the phone.

"What the fuck?!" Aaron spat, quickly growing angry. He looked around. "Benny, you little shit! I'm gonna rip your-" his words stalled in his throat when he heard deep growling in his ear, and he turned his head and locked eyes with Freddy, who stood on the armrest beside him, eyes glowing brightly, snarling at him.

Aaron quickly jumped up and yelled out in surprise, fearing what he saw. He backed up as the golden bear slowly moved across the couch, his eyes never leaving his target. Jumping down onto the floor, he showed his teeth, sharp and deadly, as he slowly advanced upon Aaron, growling lowly and threateningly. His claws were out now, long and pointed. His eyes shone a deep blood red, and were the only part of him that was visible in the darkness, obscuring his other features.

He continued advancing until Aaron was against the wall and had nowhere to run. With a screech, Freddy lunged at him, his expression one of rage and deadly intent. He quickly overpowered the human as he began swiping at him with his claws, scoring a few hits to Aaron's legs and trying to sink his teeth into his skin, trying to make him fall to his knees so that he could tear into him, and cut his throat open with his claws and teeth.

The thought of doing that to him gave Freddy a sick sense of pleasure, and his eyes glowed a little brighter the angrier he got. Aaron's blood dripped from his claws, the scent of it fueling the bear's rage.

Aaron tried to grab him, but he easily dodged and raked his claws across the back of Aaron's legs, putting as much force behind his swings as he could, cutting deep and making the human cry out as he finally collapsed to the ground, breathing hard and shaking with fright. Freddy gripped his throat roughly and forcefully, piercing it with his claws, not deep enough to kill, only to wound.

The golden bear could surely kill him now, but he held back for Benny's sake, thinking of how the child would react to seeing his brother's dead body when he woke up. It would be traumatizing for certain, and Freddy did not want that for him. He stood before his fallen prey, glowing red eyes regarding Aaron with disgust and hatred while pondering his fate.

He swung one last time, catching the elder human on the side of his face, screeching loudly and making Aaron cover his ears as he cried out in pain at the sound and the wounds inflicted upon him. He lay on his back now, Freddy standing on his chest, biting at the air in front of him, mere inches from his face.

Giving in to his growing rage, Freddy opened his mouth wide, his teeth growing longer, preparing to bite down into Aaron's throat. He forced the human's head back, exposing more of his throat, leaning down towards it. Just as he was about to sink his teeth into his jugular vein, a voice cried out from the hallway.

"NO!" The voice yelled out. Freddy turned, bearing his teeth at the source, but stopped when he saw Benny standing there, looking visibly frightened and nervous. Freddy's eyes slowly turned back to his normal white color while his teeth slowly retracted, and they stared at each other before the silence was broken.

"Please stop." Benny pleaded, tears in his eyes. "You can't do this. Don't hurt him anymore. I don't want this, I didn't want this, Freddy."

"He hurt you, Benny. He will suffer for what he did to you. He needs to feel your pain, and he is. I'm doing this for you."

"Are you gonna hurt me, too?" Benny asked quietly, fear in his voice.

"I… no." Freddy responded, surprised that his friend would say something like that. "I will never harm you, Benny. Not ever." He turned back to face Aaron. "Go back to bed now. I'll be with you in a moment."

"I had a nightmare, and then I heard him screaming." Benny said, gesturing to Aaron, who sat against the wall, whimpering and trembling with fear. "And I saw that you weren't with me, so I went looking for you."

"Well, you've found me. Now return to your room, and lock your door, and don't come out until I say that it's safe to do so."

"You're hurting him, Freddy. He's had enough. Please stop."

Freddy growled loudly, becoming frustrated. "It will never be enough for him. Now, I will ask you once more: return to your room, and lock the door. I won't be much longer now."

"Come back with me. We can watch TV together, or we can just-"

"PLEASE, Benny!" Freddy pleaded, "I only want you to be safe, and you are not safe here, you are vulnerable, and he might try to harm you again. Please just do as I ask."

Benny nodded, tears in his eyes, and ran back to his room, shutting the door and turning the lock. Freddy heard Aaron rising to his feet, and quickly turned toward him, his eyes red again, and caught his arm, biting into it hard and deep. Aaron screamed and fell back to the ground, clutching his wounded limb which now bled freely and profusely.

Freddy stood on his chest again, raising a paw to dig his razor sharp claws deep into Aaron's throat, but halted when he heard the faint sound of Benny crying. He slowly lowered his arm and stared into Aaron's terrified eyes as his own returned to normal.

Deciding that Benny was more important, he climbed off of Aaron and retreated into the darkness, heading for his friend's room. He tapped softly on the door, waiting as he heard the bed creak as Benny rose from it. The human went to the door but did not open it.

"You may come out now. It's safe." Freddy said. There was a brief silence before Benny spoke. "You're mad at me, aren't you?"

"Mad? Of course not. Why would you think that?" The bear asked, perplexed.

Benny sniffled, and Freddy could hear the sadness and distress in his voice. "You got mad at me because I wouldn't listen to you earlier about Aaron."

"No, I wasn't mad at you, Benny. I was worried about you, for your safety, and I became…frustrated that you would not heed my warning. I was afraid that he would hurt you again, and that he may even end up killing you. I didn't want that."

"Okay." Benny responded after a moment. He unlocked the door and let his friend in, sitting on his bed. "You know, Aaron is not a bad person. He just has issues, and I don't think that he really wants to hurt me."

"Yes, he IS a bad person, and don't you ever think anything different. I could see that he did, in fact, enjoy hurting you before, and if I hadn't stepped in and done something, it is more than likely that he would have put you in the hospital, or worse. You can't let yourself trust him or anything that he says. He is a monster, through and through."

"Some would argue that you are a monster, as well. Your appearance now resembles one."

"Do not compare me with those abominations that you saw last night. I am not a monster, Benny," Freddy snarled, slightly angered that he would even suggest it. "I am your protector, and I am your friend, but I am not a monster. I am much different than they are. They create fear and chaos, I do not. I oppose it. I may appear like them, but I am nothing like them. I want you to remember that."

Benny stared at him, his face showing surprise that Freddy had spoken to him in that way. "Okay." He said, his voice cracking as he tried to prevent himself from crying at Freddy's harsh tone.

The golden bear sighed, regretting his words. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so harsh."

"I know." Benny whispered, still holding back tears. Freddy put a paw on his cheek, Benny nuzzling into it. "I'm still mad at Aaron for what he did to you. I want to keep you happy and safe, and he is making it difficult to do so. He derives gratification from your misery."

"He must have had a bad day. He gets mad sometimes when he comes home from school."

"No matter what you tell yourself, you simply cannot justify his actions." Freddy replied gently. "He had no right to harm you, and you know this. You don't deserve to be hurt."

Benny nodded and turned away, as he couldn't hold back his tears anymore, and he didn't want Freddy to see him crying. He buried his face into his pillow as he mentally berated himself and tried to make himself stop being sad, but the tears just kept spilling out.

Freddy turned his head so that they were looking into each other's eyes, "It's okay, don't cry. You're safe now, and he won't hurt you anymore, I promise." His soft, quiet voice resonated through Benny's head, calming his fears slightly.

However, even though Freddy had protected him this time around, Benny knew that Aaron would become even more resentful of him now, and may even try to go after Freddy during the daytime, when the golden bear was unable to defend himself from danger.

"Freddy?"

"Yes, Benny?"

"I'm afraid that Aaron might hurt you now. He doesn't like to lose, especially when he's fighting. He…he might try to get you."

"Don't worry about that. If he comes after me, I will win. He won't hurt me, though he will certainly try his best to do so."

"Do you want to leave?" Benny asked suddenly.

Freddy put a paw on his cheek, rubbing it gently. "I advise against leaving, Benny. Though I am confident that I would be able to provide for you, you are too young to go out on your own. Maybe when you are a little older, we could go someplace where you would be safe, but for now I think it would be best if we remain here."

"Why?" Benny asked. "I want to leave. Please? I don't wanna stay here anymore. I wanna go somewhere with you."

"I will think about it, considering your current circumstances, but I truthfully have no idea where we would go."

"But Aaron always says how much he wants you to go. He wants to get rid of you, and he's said bad things about you before. I don't want you to leave me. I want you to stay with me forever."

"And I will. I'll even be buried with you when you pass, if you want that. I won't go until you do."

Benny nodded. "I'd like that very much. You'll never leave me?"

"No, never. I'll be with you until you die, and even after. You can't lose me that easy, and no one can take me away from you, and if anyone tried to, I would only return to you soon after. We are inseparable, you and I."

Benny held him affectionately and lovingly as he sighed contently. "I'll never leave you, either. I'll try my best to keep you safe, too."

"I appreciate that. You mean the world to me."

"Promise you won't hurt him anymore?" Benny asked hesitantly, afraid of the response.

"I promise. I won't hurt him unless he tries to hurt you again. I'll leave him alone for now. I hope he's learned his lesson."

"Me, too." Benny responded, sighing in relief and hoping that the bear kept his promise. "Do you wanna watch cartoons?"

Freddy nuzzled his friend, snuggling up against him. "I would love nothing more than to spend time with you right now. You could use the company, considering the current circumstances."

Benny nodded and grabbed his tablet, and they watched cartoons late into the night, content and safe for the moment.

A/N: So what did you think of this chapter? I worked really hard on it, trying to give you all the absolute best that I could, and I think it turned out very well. Don't be afraid to share your thoughts on the story so far. I would love some feedback or some constructive criticism, if you have any. I hope you're enjoying this story.