Warnings: pedophilia, incestual molestation, blood
Xxxxxx
"Shawn is crying again…"
Alex paused, frowning as he looked around the restaurant to find said brother. When he didn't spot him, he glanced at Cindy in confusion. "Where is he?"
"Hiding under one of the tables I think." Cindy didn't even look up from the Bonnie toy she was pulling apart and Alex made a mental note to avoid her and Dad because he was going to be upset when he saw what she'd done to another toy. "We should probably see what's wrong before Caleb finds him."
The black haired boy frowned at that. "Is he with those annoying friends of his?"
"Probably. They're all jerks like he is."
He made a face. He really didn't like Caleb's friends since, like Cindy said, they were jerks. They left him alone, one of them claimed Alex was 'weird' but they liked picking on Shawn with Caleb. Sighing, he went to get up from the table they were sitting at and tried to spot Shawn. His little brother shouldn't be so frightened and worried at his own birthday…
"Cindy, I better not be seein' what I think I do."
Alex paused and winced when Cindy tried to hide the toy behind her back as their Dad appeared. "Hi Daddy!"
He gave her an unimpressed look. "Don't ya 'hi Daddy' me. Hand it over."
She frowned, glancing at Alex for help but he only shook his head. He wasn't going to help her, he had told her thousands of times to stop destroying her toys. She glared at him and sighed, reluctantly placing it into Dad's outstretched hand.
"I ain't buying you a new one." He said.
"But Daddy! That's not fair…" She argued.
He crossed his arms. "Oh? Ya have been through more toys than any of your brothers. Ya want more, then ya better start askin' mom because I'm done."
Cindy pouted, arms crossed and kicking the table leg. "You always buy Shawn new toys!"
"He takes care of his and appreciates them, but both you and Caleb can't seem to take care of anythin'." He sighed and rubbed at his temples, making Alex frown and worry. Dad had been doing that a lot lately. "What am I doin' wrong with you two?"
"Dad?" Alex began softly, pulling on his hand. "Are you okay?"
He looked confused for a moment before he chuckled and managed a tired laugh. "Alex, kiddo, ya never cease to amaze me…"
He cocked his head. What had he done? He wanted to ask when suddenly there was screaming. And it wasn't normal kids screaming, that happened, but it sounded like adults and kids and he saw a few waitresses suddenly running towards the stage. Cindy grabbed his hand and Dad was telling them not to move as he ran off as well.
"What happened?" Cindy asked, like he hadn't been standing here with her the whole time.
"I dunno…" He suddenly looked around. "Wait, where's Shawn?"
The screaming had died down, leaving them both able to hear a new noise. It technically was a scream, but of a voice they recognized. Alex tensed, heart pounding, as he wondered why Dad would ever make a noise like that. Cindy went pale, green eyes shimmering, and he tried desperately to think of what to do or say to calm her down when he felt himself beginning to panic.
"Daddy?!" Cindy tried to run off, but he didn't let go of her.
"Cindy, no, he said to stay here!"
Instead he was pulled along with her, not wanting to be separated. There was a huge group of people around the show stage that they had to struggle through, but being smaller made it easier. Cindy was like a bullet, unable to be stopped, and they burst through so suddenly that Alex felt dizzy. He first spotted Caleb, the boy wailing and saying something as one of his friends held him. And then he spotted Dad but almost couldn't recognize him. He was pale and crying and looked so much unlike Dad.
And finally, Alex saw the stage.
Without thinking, he pulled Cindy close and forced her head away from the sight, even though she had clearly seen it. She was shaking in his arms, eyes wide, and Alex hugged her. He glanced at Dad again and saw that he was sobbing, having fallen to his knees and Uncle Scott was desperately trying to pull him away.
"It, it was an accident, I didn't…m-mean…"
"What did you do?" Alex asked softly, heart racing as Caleb tried to wipe his eyes but it didn't help. "Caleb?"
"I, I was just trying to scare him! H-he couldn't stop crying, so we m-made him go up there, and…a-and then Fredbear…" Caleb shook his head, and Alex couldn't help but notice that his group of friends had disappeared. "F-F-Fredbear bit down! He was supposed to be turned off, we didn't think…!"
"How could you?" Cindy demanded as her hands tightened on Alex's shirt. "Why would you hurt Shawn?"
Alex fought the urge to look back at the stage. He had a sinking feeling that Shawn was more than 'hurt' but explaining that to Cindy…He shook his head and swallowed the lump in his throat. "We, we should…go and find someone…"
Like a ray of hope, a woman Alex only vaguely recognized was there, grabbing Caleb's hand and then Cindy's, pulling the younger girl out of Alex's arm. "Come on, we're getting out of here. Cindy, come here."
She picked Cindy up and began leaving, Alex awkwardly hesitating. He glanced back at Dad was, and he was sobbing into Scott's chest. He instead made to go to him, wanting to comfort him, but the lady suddenly turned around.
"Alex, you too."
He followed her. He didn't really know her, she was Cindy, Shawn and Caleb's mom, and he only ever saw her when she came to pick them up on weekends. She didn't seem to like him very much, always avoiding him when she came but Dad explained that she wasn't fond of kids. He didn't understand that, since she had three, but maybe it was a grown up thing he wouldn't get until he was older.
She led them outside, gently whispering into Cindy's hair. Alex stood there. He watched the crowd, all of them standing outside Fredbear's. Most left when the police arrived, and then suddenly there was an ambulance. It seemed like forever before the medic people came out, and Alex felt nauseous when he realized Shawn was on the gurney they were rushing out of the building.
"Amelia," Dad was suddenly there, silver eyes running over the three of them before landing on the lady again. "What happened? No one's givin' me a straight answer."
"Daddy is Shawn okay?!" Cindy asked and squirmed, motioning for him to hold her instead.
He took her, gently hushing her as he rubbed her back. "It's fine, sweetie, it's alright."
"I was getting the cake ready, I didn't see it either. What did the paramedics say, is he alright? What hospital are they taking him to?" Amelia responded, sounding more tired than worried.
"C-Caleb did it!" Cindy wailed, pointing towards where the oldest was sitting on the pavement. "He, he said they were trying to make fun of him!"
"He said it was an accident." Alex added desperately.
Dad stared at him briefly and then something in him seemed to snap. He all but shoved Cindy back into Amelia's arms and grabbed Caleb by the shoulders, jerking him to his feet. "What did you do?!"
"I-it was supposed to be a joke, we didn't know-" Caleb sobbed, flinching.
"How many times have I told ya to leave him alone? And now look at what you've done! The hell is wrong with you?!" Dad snarled and Alex winced when he smacked him across the face. "You're givin' me all your shitty little friend's names, ya got that?! I don't even want to look at you right now, you're going with your mother."
"D-Dad-"
"Will, stop, he didn't know this would happen." Their mom said, rubbing Cindy's back as the girl cried.
"You're takin' both of them, I'll call ya when I hear what's going on…" Dad paused and his shoulders shook as he rubbed his eyes. He then heaved a broken sigh and turned to Alex. "I'll…drop ya off at the house, Scotty can come by and look after ya okay?"
Alex shook his head. "I want to come with you."
"No, I don't know how long this'll take and…" He trailed off before running a hand through his hair.
He watched Amelia take Cindy and Caleb, trying to catch their eyes. He gave Caleb's hand a brief touch, but the other boy sniffled and pulled away. Once they were gone, Dad picked him up and began carrying him home.
"I want to come with you, I want to see Shawn." He said again.
"No way, kiddo, ya stayin' home. Don't argue with me, I can't right now."
He shook his head. "I want to be with you, Dad, please? I want to make sure Shawn's okay."
He hesitated this time, grip on him tightening. Nothing else was said until they arrived home. Alex watched him gathering up his car keys and a jacket, trying to think of a way to convince him to bring him along. But he decided maybe it was for the best if he didn't bother him, given that he seemed obviously upset.
"Dad…is Shawn going to be okay?" He asked softly.
The man paused, sighing, before he kneeled down and pulled him into a hug. "Thing's are gonna be fine, kiddo. I promise. I just need ya to be strong for me, okay?"
"Okay, Dad." Alex said, hugging him back tightly.
Dad pulled away slightly and kissed the top of his head. And then he did something odd; he leaned forward and kissed Alex on the lips. Which wasn't so unusual, Dad was affectionate and did that for all of them when he put them to bed. But Dad usually pecked them and moved on, and instead he cupped Alex's cheek. The boy blinked, confused at the action and that Dad didn't stop. He pulled away when he felt something brushing against his lips and Dad suddenly clamped a hand over his own mouth.
"Sorry, kiddo, I…" He shook his head and stood up. "Scotty should be here any minute, okay? Just be good for him and I'll call later."
Alex swallowed and nodded, watching him leave. Alone, he frowned and wiped his mouth. What had been the point of that? But then again, Dad seemed pretty upset so he might have just done something weird on accident. Shaking it off, he waited for Uncle Scott and decided to forget about it. He needed to focus on Shawn.
Xxxxxxx
With a gasp, Eggs jerked awake and sat up, trembling and shaking. He nearly fell off the small cot he was in, purple eyes frantically looking around the room before his mind caught up and he remembered what had happened before he'd passed out. He patted himself down, finding that the sheet around his waist was gone, but the IV still connected to his arm. The hole in his side had a piece of gauze over it, and it didn't hurt when he ran a hand over it, but he had a feeling it was from whatever was in the IV.
"Dad?" He called, glancing around again.
The room was large and sterile, with white tile floors. He was laying in a cot, but there was a bed shoved against the wall and toys and furniture…and then Eggs realized this was all his. Everything taken from his old room was here. Slowly standing up, he had the cold realization that his dad had brought it here to prepare this room for him.
"Dad!" He called again, looking around until he spotted a camera in the corner, the red light blinking. "Hey, get me out of here!"
He tried to step towards the door but froze and hissed, hand going to his side. It didn't hurt, but there was a pull in his muscles and he had a vague feeling that it should hurt. Gritting his teeth, he moved slower and tried the door. It was metal, and reminded him of a prison door, or for an institute. It had a window and a slot, but both were covered up by a metal slate.
"You can't keep me in here!" He shouted, trying to shake it. "Dad!"
"Calm down."
He almost jumped, pulling away from the door as the slate moved. The window opened and his Dad stared at him a moment, eyeing him carefully. Seeing him on his feet, the man nodded and opened the door, slipping inside. It closed behind him with a cloud click and Eggs backed away to get some room between them.
"Ya been out for a few hours…standin', so that's good, but if ya ain't careful then ya might tear it open again and I'll gotta start all over."
"Dad, what the hell are you doing? Why am I down here, you can't honestly expect to just keep me in here right?" Eggs demanded hotly.
The older man sighed and put his hands into his pockets. "Alex, ya gave me no choice. I can't let ya ruin everythin' when I'm so close to finally having things right."
"Things right? You caused all this! You killed Caleb! You left me! I waited, for years, I waited for you to show up at my doorstep and take me home away from those fucking people! I hoped it every morning I woke up and I kept telling myself that you had to be trying, right?" Eggs gritted his teeth and kicked out at the nearby dresser as he breathed hard. "Why did you do it? Why did you have to leave me just to get some kind of petty revenge again Caleb, who didn't fucking know better?"
"He let that entire group of snot-nosed brat friends of his talk him into it and it cost Shawn his life. He deserved far worse than what I gave him, those shitty brats and that little whore." William argued.
"He was what? Twelve?!"
"And he didn't learn! He was supposed to watch Cindy and it got her killed to!"
Eggs froze. "…What?"
William sighed, shaking his head. "He wasn't supposed to leave Cindy alone…I told him that, I told him we couldn't have any one kid in the room alone with Baby and he ran off the first chance he fuckin' got. And Baby killed Cindy."
Eggs swallowed, trying to remember anything from around that time. He'd been at home when…when someone told him that Cindy was dead. Was it Uncle Scott? And afterwards, when Dad and Caleb had returned home…nothing. He couldn't remember anything.
"But why did you leave me?" He whispered.
He didn't fight when the other man hugged him, just sighed and laid his head against his chest as William wrapped his arms around him. "I was so angry, Alex. Caleb took your brother and sister away and I was scared that maybe…maybe I'd mess up and accidentally hurt ya too. It'd been years since I had hurt anythin', I thought I was better, but what Caleb did…"
"Wasn't I worth staying around for?" He asked instead.
"If I could do it over, I never woulda left ya. I swear. I couldn't control myself, I was too far gone…" He sighed and pulled away, cupping Eggs' face. "Don't ya see how badly I want to fix it? I can put Cindy back, and now you're here too…"
Eggs stared at him. "What do you mean…too far gone?"
"Look, kiddo…I don't like to admit it, but I'm not perfect. I do things I don't like and regret, and most times I can't control myself. No matter how much I try…"
"You're lying, you've always been one of the most put together people I've known! The only time I've ever seen you snap was…a-after Shawn." He shook his head and pulled himself away. "And that doesn't…doesn't forgive what you did to Caleb. Or to me."
William stared at him. "No, it doesn't. I…rushed things with ya."
"That's not the point! You shouldn't have waited, you shouldn't have wanted to do anything like that with me! I'm your son!" He faltered slightly. "Aren't…I?"
"Don't say that, of course ya are."
"Then why me? Cuz I'm adopted?!" He argued.
"No, Alex, that's not…I…" William gritted his teeth and turned away, sighing.
Eggs scowled. He wasn't going to let him run away from this; he'd been wanting answers for too long. "Then why? Give me a fucking answer, because you have no idea what remembering that has done to me this past week! Did you think it'd be okay? That it wouldn't fuck me up afterwards?!"
"Ya weren't supposed to remember, I…" The other man glared at the wall. "I was careful, ya weren't meant to remember any of that. I just slipped the once, I swear, but the bitch thought she had a right to take the kids away from me. Me! Like I'd let her, or that she could even look after em, she hated havin' em…"
Eggs stared at him, realizing he was going to lose him. His clear silver eyes were clouding with something…it gave him an unhinged look, like how he seemed back in the hospital room. "Slipped…? How would I not remember?"
"Do ya know how long I've fought that urge, Alex?" The man laughed but it was an unhappy sound. "How deep I had to shove it? So I just threw everythin' I could into work, into raisin' ya guys, into makin' the restaurant better…I had Scotty, but then he found some nasty little bitch that he had to get married to, and then I had Amelia but she was worthless. If I knew she was like that I woulda stuck clear…"
"But why me?" Eggs asked again, feeling selfish but needing a straight answer. "You were surrounded by other kids!"
William rolled his eyes, making Eggs see red. "Ya act like I coulda grabbed any ol' kid off the playground, I ain't that shallow…"
He suddenly felt his stomach lurch. "…You have a type…"
"Everyone has a type, Alex, there's nothin' to-"
"And it was me, wasn't it?" He went on shakily, a trembling hand going to clench at his hair. "Oh god, that's the only reason you even adopted me wasn't it?"
Silence. He flinched like he'd been hit, staring at the other man as he seemed to struggle with words. He had been roughly six when he was adopted, so this entire time was just…William biding his time with him? What horrible things had he been fantasizing about?
"Was I just some kind of toy for you?"
"No! Of course ya weren't." William snapped back angrily before he sighed. "That's not why I picked ya. Ya were….beautiful, and so small. Amelia was leavin' me at the time, said she was sick of being nothing more than poppin' out kids. And then….and then ya arrived, sittin' there so calmly and not cryin' like the others were. Henry said I was insane, I had three little ones at home and I was takin' such a risk with ya…but the moment I picked ya up, you…"
Eggs stared as a fond smile spread across his face and flushed slightly. It felt odd, being talked about like that. And if he could believe him, then he wasn't adopted just for alternative means. He swallowed. And then he paused, frowning.
"…'arrived'?" He echoed back.
William continued, not hearing him. "The first thing ya did was grab my shirt and fall asleep on me. Ya slept the entire way home too. Ya never left my side either, always followin' me around the house wherever I went and ya kept sneakin' into my office at work rather than sit with Caleb and watch the show stage. Sit on my lap and sometimes ya got crayons on my paperwork but it was alright. No one minded."
Despite himself, Eggs almost smiled. "I drew on the schedule and got some people pretty upset when they couldn't read it…"
William grinned at that. "Ya also would guilt trip whoever was mannin' the prize counter. 'Specially when ya wanted a new toy and didn't have enough tokens."
They both lapsed into silence again. Eggs watched him as he seemed to lose himself to reminiscing and let him as he took a deep breath. He needed a moment to collect himself anyway. He wasn't about to let that little detail slip by, whether his dad wanted to ignore it or not.
"What do you mean arrived?" He asked him.
It took the older man a moment to pull himself together. Eggs crossed his arms, staring him down as he waited for a response, watching as he seemed to realize what he was asking. William paused and seemed to weigh his options, staring back at Eggs.
"Don't even try to lie to me." He sneered.
William shook his head. "What does it matter?"
"Of course it matters! I want answers, I want to know what you've been hiding from me my entire life while I envisioned this perfect dad that I thought would come save me."
"Alex…" He sighed, rubbing at his forehead. "Ya have to understand, this business…it's not any normal business we're runnin' here. I've been working on this for years, Henry promised me this would work, ya see? When ya lose a kid…So we made some special devices that would take kids without anyone realizing."
"You've…been kidnapping children?" He repeated, horrified.
"Henry was hopin' that if ya used enough people, ya could bring back one. I didn't care too much for the details, I just let Henry do what he needed once his little girl died. We were heart broken, Charlotte was goin' to be a such a beautiful girl…but then Shawn died."
Eggs glanced at the IV in his arm. "This stuff…?"
William nodded. "I decided to test it myself first. And well…"
He motioned to himself, standing there in what seemed to be perfectly working, solid body. And Eggs had touched him, hugged him, and it felt like he was a person. And yet, that wire thing from Baby's room was inside there. How? Was it curled up inside him like it planned on doing to him when it scooped him?
"So you can give Cindy a new body…" He said, wanting to make sure he understood. His Dad nodded. "But…to do that, you've been killing kids with the animatronics that have been rented out."
He was surprised when the other's silver eyes hardened suddenly. "They're not my problem."
He reeled slightly. "W-what…? They're someone else's kids!"
"And their parents shoulda kept a better eye on them. They ain't my problem, I'm bringing back mine." He said firmly.
"How can you say that…" Eggs hesitated then. He honestly wasn't much for empathy himself but this was just…cruel. "Why would you work with kids if you felt like this?"
"Alex, I love kids. The whole reason I even went into the business was I thought I'd never have any of my own. And the thought destroyed me, watchin' as Henry had a pair of beautiful twins and I still had nothing. Ya don't realize how happy I was when Amelia said she was pregnant…" He grinned at that, seemingly remembering something. "She was a little hussy of course, shoulda known better when she flirted and bent herself over, but I got Caleb out of it."
Eggs winced at that. "How much did she know about you?"
William paused, looking surprised before chuckling. "Nothin'. She was easy to string along…Course by the time Shawn was born, she was constantly on my case. She thought three was enough, why did I keep gettin' her pregnant? I thought for sure I could get at least one more, but she tried to leave. So I divorced her and made damn sure she wasn't getting' custody. And then I got you."
He looked so excited then. It made Eggs felt sick. "But what does that have to do…with how you adopted me?"
"…Ya a smart boy, kiddo. I like to think ya take after me." William mused softly, that same excitement in him and yet now he spoke carefully; it had to be bad then, right? "Not…all the kids we grab die. We keep some alive, work with them. We're very careful about it though, ya gotta be to last as long as we have. But I got called in, someone messed up and suddenly there's a pair of little twins sittin' here in the office cuz no one knew what to do with them."
Eggs froze. "….you're saying…"
"The other one kept screamin' and cryin' and just giving us all a headache. But you…you just sat there, staring up at me with those big eyes of yours. And the second I picked ya up, I knew that you were mine."
"You…stole me away from my real parents?"
William paused, seeming genuinely confused. "Not quite. We send the animatronics to orphanages ya know, mostly cuz when a kid goes missin' there's no one that comes looking. One less mouth to struggle feeding, one more bed open to someone else that needs it. I tried to find out where ya came from, thought maybe I could get some medical records just in case, somethin'…I had to make sure I could look after ya."
Eggs tried to sit on the cot, stumbling slightly. He ended up missing it and fell to the floor, staring past the man in shock as his mind raced. It technically didn't change much…he was an orphan that needed a family, and he got one…but he'd had a sibling. A blood sibling, one that he guessed wasn't his Dad's type if he didn't take them both.
"What…happened to the other one? Did I have a brother or a sister?" He asked softly.
"Don't remember. Could look it up I guess, if it means that much to ya…" William carefully walked over and crouched in front of him, reaching out and taking his hand. "Alex…ya gotta understand. Everythin' was only to make us a family again."
"Including molesting me?" He snapped, trying to pull away.
His grip tightened, to the point where his bones groaned in protest. "I slipped. Let temptation get to me, I can't even remember what made me snap anymore…but I made ya take something that was supposed to make it so ya couldn't remember. I never did it again, until…"
Eggs clenched his eyes shut. Until that girl in the backroom. He was going to kill her, he probably didn't see the problem with…He couldn't stop the whimper that escaped him when William pulled him close and kissed the top of his head, whispering something into his hair. He was insane, a part of his brain whispered. There was something severely wrong with him if he honestly thought he was doing this for the best, that he could be justified in his actions.
"Once Cindy is back, I'll shut it all down." William suddenly offered, gently grabbing his chin and forcing his gaze to meet his. "All of this. I don't care what I gotta do, I'll sell every bit of it, scrap it all, burn it to the ground if I gotta…I just want her back, Alex."
And he did too. He tried to cover his eyes when he sobbed, feeling ridiculous and embarrassed. He wanted it all back so badly. His sister and brothers and a dad that he thought the world of. Not knowing that someone he had to have loved died here, name unknown and forgotten by everyone. He could even live with the idea of his dad wanting something more from him, using him, if it meant no one stray child got hurt.
It would be so easy to shut his eyes, plug his ears, and obediently go back. He could save Mike and Jeremy, it was his fault they were even here. Bargain them to get out, tell his dad he had to put someone else in charge than Henry and himself, they clearly couldn't be trusted. Maybe Mike himself, the man had more love for these robots than anyone else in the world…
"Will…will she be the same anymore? Stuck down here for so long….? Can she even age properly?" He demanded.
"No. There's…nothin' organic to it, so as she's around I'll have to find ways to upgrade it. Give her somethin' new every few years. Cindy and I will be around for a very long time." William explained honestly.
It was a horrifying thought, one that gave him shivers. "This is wrong. She's dead, Dad, putting her into a fake body…it's not different than her being stuck in Baby."
"It's not. She'll be free to move, have a life again. She'll be with us. I promise ya, Alex, things will be different!"
It wouldn't. William was a murderer, a serial killer, a pedophile that surrounded himself with children. Eggs knew it would never be different so long as the man lived. But his hand, the one William had grabbed, was bruising from the man's grip without him even realizing. He wasn't human anymore, couldn't be stopped like a normal person. And Eggs needed to play his cards carefully to make sure he got himself out of this alive, and could get Mike and Jeremy to safety.
"I…want to see Cindy. And Mike and Jeremy." He said instead.
The man stared at him, eyes flashing. Likely suspicious of him. Hesitantly, Eggs tightened his hand around his, looking away so he wouldn't have to see the hopeful gleam that appeared in William's eyes as he stared at their joined hands.
"Alright…but ya stick close to me, got it?" He mumbled and pulled Eggs effortlessly to his feet.
"Y-yeah…"
He had to steel himself and not flinch away when William leaned forward and kissed his cheek. More accurately the corner of his mouth. Eggs felt nauseous but swallowed it down. Pulling away, the man helped him with the IV and began carefully walking him towards the door. Eggs hated that he kept a grip on him, he didn't want to be touched, but arguing wouldn't go well for him. So he sucked it up and walked, promising himself that it was for the best to play along.
Xxxxxxxxx
Sorry this took so long! But it's here and I hope it was worth the wait! 3
LGoA
