AN: Thanks as always to everyone who has shown support for this story! The response has been overwhelming and has kept me very motivated. I hope you'll continue to enjoy this fanfic. Please review and let me know what you think. I love to hear what you have to say.
Disclaimer: FNAF belongs to Scott Cawthon, sadly not to me.
Mike thought back to when he was a child. The fun times he'd spent with his friends and how they had always been there for him when he needed them most. He couldn't deny that he wanted that back. All those years away had not dimmed his desire to be reunited with his adoptive family, in fact... it only served to make it stronger. Now, even with the realization that the animatronics had killed several people, the guard still found himself unable to completely turn his back on them.
"I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully trust you guys..." Mike smiled softly as he saw the hopeful expression upon the foxes face. "But everyone deserves a second chance".
Foxy raced over and wrapped his furry arms around the boy, noticing the way he froze slightly before succumbing to the embrace. "That's all we could have asked fer matey"!
The fox released him a few moments later and stepped back, grinning widely. The blue eyed boy stared at the ground as an uncomfortable silence fell upon them.
"Well, I should... head back to the office. " The man spoke, awkwardly. "I need to get my things together... it's nearly time for me to head home".
As the boy turned to leave, Foxy grabbed his shoulder in a firm yet gentle grip.
"We'll be seeing ya tomorrow night... right laddie?" The pirate asked uncertainly.
Mike looked back at the robotic fox and nodded solemnly. "I said I'd give you guys another chance, I won't go back on my word".
The brown haired man shook free of the furry grip and walked through the curtain, refusing to look back for fear that his resolve would shatter.
-XXX-XXX-XXX-
The next day came and went as Foxy impatiently waited. He was just glad that it was a slow day so that he didn't have to deal with many children. Once the pizzeria closed Foxy quickly made his way towards the stage. It was eleven, Mike would be there in an hour, so that meant he had to hurry and tell the others that they were being given another chance. As the pirate climbed onstage he was glad to see that the others seemed to have calmed down quite a bit from last night.
"How ye be holding up me hearties?" The fox inquired as he approached, a smile plastered on his face. "Ye all be looking a tad glum in me own opinion".
Bonnie and Freddy both looked up at the buccaneer in shock while Chikas eyes remained fixed on the floor. The purple rabbit was the first to speak.
"Foxy, how can you be happy?" Bonnie accused. "After all that we learned yesterday... after all we've done".
"Bonnie lass." The pirate spoke reassuringly. "I know the situation seems pretty hopeless, but I be bringing ya some good news".
"How can anything be good?" Chika demanded fiercely, finally meeting the foxes eyes. "We are most likely never going to see Mikey again, not to mention... we're MURDERERS"!
"But that's what I be trying to tell ya." Foxy declared, excitedly. "Last night, after we'd all split up, the lad came to find me. He was nervous and wouldn't get too close, but even so... he came to me cove to ask a few questions. Long story short... he be coming back tonight and he's willing to give us a second chance"!
The three other animatronics gazed at him in shock. Had they heard correctly? Their child was coming back? Even after they had scared the boy half to death he wanted to give them the a shot at making it up to him!
"This is incredible!" Freddy announced loudly. "We will need a plan. We must not overwhelm the lad. Does anyone have an idea"?
Chikas wing shot into the air as she shouted, "Ooh me, me! How about we throw him a pizza party"?
"Or we could put on a show for him." Bonnie suggested softly.
"I'm afraid that Mike will be rather afraid and skittish after all that has happened. Those ideas may have the opposite effect of what we want..." The leader said rationally. "Don't get me wrong girls, they were both splendid theories".
"I agree with Freddy on this one." Foxy nodded. "The boy was nearly jumping outta his skin last night just talking to me. I think it best if we be taking things slow".
The robotic animals thought about that for a short while. How could they gain his trust while making sure not to scare the boy away? Would he even be willing to come out of the office and see them face to face... or would they need to talk to him through closed doors?
Freddy's head shot up as a thought came to him. He glanced around at the others, a small grin slowly forming, as he came up with the perfect plan.
"I've got it!" He declared as the others stared at him, their faces full of hope. "We will all spend time with him one on one. That way he will be more comfortable since he won't have to be around us all at once. We shall all take separate shifts that will last for one night, and hopefully by the end of the week he will feel safe enough to be in a room with all of us together.
By now the other three were nodding in agreement, full smiles gracing their metal faces.
"However, that will not mean that he fully trusts us... just that we are making relatively good progress." Freddy continued seriously. "Trust that was once broken is not so easily repaired. It takes baby steps everybody, baby steps."
Bonnie and Chika put on determined faces, while foxy thought back on what the boy had told him the night before. 'We will earn yer trust back, Mikey. I be sure of it"!
"Who gets the first shift?" Bonnie inquired. "We've only got another ten minutes before Mikey will be here".
"I think you should." Freddy expressed. "My dear, you are the most gentle and soft spoken of us. I believe that you will be able alleviate his worries, if only slightly".
"But, are you sure?" She asked doubtfully. "I was the first one to try and..."
The bunny trailed off but they all knew what she had been thinking. She was the first to try and stuff him in a suit. They all shuddered, regret once more growing within them.
"As true as that may be, I still believe you are the best choice." The bear assured.
"Alright, I'll do it." The purple animatronic replied, determinedly.
"We'd best be making ourselves scarce then." Foxy said as he glanced at a nearby clock. "Good luck, lassie".
With that Freddy, Chika, and Foxy went off to do their own thing while Bonnie slowly made her way towards the front entrance to await the guards arrival.
-XXX-XXX-XXX-
Mike was about to open the front door of the pizzeria when he noticed Bonnie standing inside. Panic began welling up inside him as she turned her head to stare at him with pink eyes. He soon pushed it aside, however, when he remembered the promise he had made foxy. The man was intent on giving the animatronics the benefit of the doubt. So without further delay the guard pushed the door open and stepped through the entryway.
"Hi, Mike." Bonnie said softly as she waved a purple paw. "Um... I thought we could spend some time together tonight".
"Why do you want to do that?" He asked warily, never taking his eyes off her.
"It's just, I thought it would be nice to get reacquainted." The rabbit said, careful not to frighted the man.
"Okay... I guess that's fine, just let me put my things in the office and grab the tablet..." the guard replied. "After all I still have a job to do".
Mike quickly walked off, noting how Bonnie stayed where she was, making his way to the safe room. He wasn't sure what the bunny was playing at, but he suspected that the four animatronics had decided to approach him one at a time.
'I guess Bonnie is kinda like the welcoming party.' The brown haired youth thought humorously. 'Still, I shouldn't get too close. It's better to be safe, just in case'.
Mike made it back to the dinning area in a matter of minutes only to find the purple rabbit gone.
"Bonnie?" The man called, uneasily. "Where did you go"?
Footsteps alerted him to a presence onstage and he swiftly turned to face it as a voice answered him.
"I'm right here Mike." Bonnie said as she stepped forward into the dim light.
"Bonnie! You almost gave me a heart attack!" The guard exclaimed, putting a hand to his chest. "What are you doing up there anyway"?
"I was wondering..." The robotic rabbit expressed as she grabbed something behind her. "Did you ever learn to play guitar"?
"What are you talking about?" The blue eyed boy questioned, slightly perplexed.
"I remember, when you were little you were always begging me to teach you to play." Bonnie sighed, lost in her memories
The stage was set for the next performance and the animatronics were already very busy. There was a large birthday group due to arrive in about half an hour so they had to make some last minute preparations. Chika was checking on how the pizzas were coming as well as gathering plates, cups, and napkins from the kitchen. Freddy and Foxy were scooting tables together and arranging chairs. And Bonnie was up on stage tuning her instrument. The purple rabbit had accidentally broke a string earlier so the sound was off.
None of them noticed a little boy sitting at one of the other tables, watching the commotion. He figured that Bonnie was the least busy so decided to go and visit with her. Being careful to avoid getting in the way of the others Mike slowly made his way to the stage where he quickly climbed the stairs.
"Bonnie? What are you doing?" The child inquired.
"Oh... hi Mikey." The bunny replied distractedly. "I was just tuning my guitar".
"Why?" He replied.
"Well, it got hurt and now I'm making it all better." Bonnie spoke tenderly.
"Would a kiss help?" Mike asked innocently. "Whenever I get an owie mommy always kisses it and then it goes away".
"I suppose that may work." The purple animatronic said, trying not to laugh. "Why don't you give it a try".
She held the instrument over to the boy who immediately stood on his tippy toes and gently placed his lips against the wood. Once he had pulled back Bonnie strummed a few cords.
"Well look at that! It's all better." She gasped dramatically.
"Wow, I did it!" The boys eyes widened in amazement.
There was no way that Bonnie would tell the child that she had tuned it while they were talking. She wanted him to retain the childish belief that anything was possible, even if it was because of a little fib on her part.
"Bonnie can you teach me to play?" The youngster asked, hopefully.
"Maybe when you're a little older." She declared only to carry on when she saw his gloomy expression. "Well maybe just a few notes".
The bunny was surprised at the natural talent the young child possessed, and at such an early age. All too soon they had to quite, as the birthday members slowly began to arrive. Mikey put on a sad pout not wanting their lesson to end.
"How about this?" Bonnie declared. "When it's finally time to teach you how to play for real, I'll have a special surprise waiting just for you".
The bunny smiled as Mikes demeanor brightened instantly and he gave her a tight hug. "It's a promise, right Bonnie"?
"Of course." She replied, returning the embrace. "I've got to finish getting ready now, so why don't you head back to your parents".
"Okay, I'll see you later." As the child left the stage he looked over his shoulder to call back to the rabbit. "Remember, you promised".
"I won't forget Mikey." Bonnie responded too soft for the little boy to hear.
She slowly blinked her eyes, chasing the last of the memories away. "So? Did you ever learn"?
"No." He admitted. "I had completely forgotten about that".
Bonnie jumped off the stage and slowly walked over to a bench near the guard were she sat and strummed a few notes on her instrument. She had hidden something behind herself out of view of the guard. Mike watched the rabbit begin to play, a small smile materializing, as a gentle yet melancholy song soon filled the air.
"That's 'Let It Go' from the movie Frozen isn't it?" He asked, bewildered. "Where did you even hear that"?
The bunny smiled lightly as she continued playing. "A child brought in a soundtrack of the movie one day. Since I'm able to store music and such on my hard drive I just borrowed the disc for a couple minutes and downloaded the songs. This is my favorite".
Mike moved slightly closer, he was now standing a mere three feet away while staring wonderingly at the purple animatronic before him.
"Bonnie? Are you saying that you learned how to play that song simply by listening to it a few times?" The guard said in awe. "You're amazing"!
If it were possible the young man would have sworn he'd seen the rabbit blush in embarrassment.
"It's nothing really." She denied. "Now... would you like to learn"?
"Well... umm." The boy stammered, unsure if it was a good idea to get any closer.
"Mike." Bonnie said seriously. "I won't bite... I promise".
The man was startled, her words seemed so familiar yet different at the same time. He remembered that she had always kept her promises to him when he was a child. With his mind somewhat at ease, he slowly walked over to the bench and sat beside the robotic animal.
"That would be nice... I guess." He admitted shyly before quickly amending his statement. "I mean, if you're not busy or anything".
The smile Bonnie showed him nearly extinguished all his fears. This was the Bonnie he'd known and loved as a child. This is what he had been hoping to return to. Maybe it wasn't too late after all. Maybe... just maybe.
"Then I suppose it's time for you're surprise." The bunny reached behind her and pulled out a rather large package that looked as if it had been sitting around collecting dust for quite a while. She looked at it reminiscently for a couple seconds before handing it gently to the young man.
"Surprise?" Mike questioned before understanding dawned on his face. When he next spoke it was in a voice filled with many different emotions. "You remembered, even after all this time".
She nodded as the man slowly unwrapped the parcel. Inside was a medium sized guitar with elaborate engravings that formed the words 'To Mikey... From Bonnie. Never lose the gift of music, it can guide you through the darkest of days'.
"I've kept this for many years." She revealed. "I'm so happy that I'm finally able to give it to you".
The young man stared at the instrument in appreciation. It was the most beautiful he had ever seen and it was his. It was clear that it was custom made and he wondered just how expensive it was. He moved his hand over the strings and a soft cord sounded in the silence. He was surprised to find that it had already been tuned. Grateful tears filled Mikes eyes as he glanced over at the rabbit next to him. She smiled reassuringly as she slowly placed a paw on his back. She gauged his reaction before moving her paw in calming circles, pleasantly surprised when he didn't pull away.
An: Thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed it ;) Please let me know what you think... it keeps me motivated :P