Mable: I'll be entirely honest, I'm not fully happy with how this chapter turned out. However, it has taken so long that I think it would be worth it to post it, get out of this writer's block, and maybe come back to this chapter at a later date if it needs that much tweaking. I'm hoping that it's just me, which has happened before. Anyway, Enjoy!

The Broken Circus

Chapter 3: Retrogression

No amount of resignation could subdue the utterly gut-wrenched feeling Charlie got when she walked into Circus Baby's Pizza. It was like just the action of stepping through the door filled her with revulsion. With her friends flanking her sides and keeping watch out for Izzy, she didn't feel like she was in immediate danger, but more like she had willingly consumed poison. Like the repercussions would soon creep up on her.

Circus Baby's Pizza was almost exactly what she expected. In fact, it was painfully similar to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, the one room flaming death trap. There were too many similarities to count, but the theming itself distinctly set it apart with the red and white striped decals, multicolored streamers, and all-around circus feel to what was little more than an overstuffed room.

There were partly tables topped with hats and plates in the center with an arcade in an adjoining room, all resembling Freddy's closely. What didn't resemble Freddy's were some larger attractions. There was a wide ball pit with a set of climbing tunnels looping around over it, a small merry-go-round that recalled something that might've been at the old Freddy's, and even a few animatronics stationed around unmoving.

One of which was positioned right beside the door when they walked in. It was a jack-in-the-box animatronic that looked too much like Sammy for her comfort. Black and lanky with white stripes, it had to be another puppet model. Though this one had a white, plated face and a prong like one from a jester cap sticking out of the back of its head, tipped with a bell.

"Remind you of someone?" John asked. Charlie nodded, but didn't say anything else. Something about the puppet made her uncomfortable. Like if she stared long enough its empty eyes would suck her inside.

The whole restaurant seemed to have a surreal feeling to it and the further in they wandered the more it felt like it would swallow them. Music played from overhead, seemingly coming from the ceiling itself instead of visible speakers, and was a bubbly mix of pop and circus fanfare. The room was filled with bright neon but the pizzeria itself seemed strangely dim in comparison to what it should've been.

Except for the back of the main room, where bright spotlights shined down on a round stage that was jutting out from the wall and framed by curtains. The group approached it and by time they saw what was perched upon it they all felt the same dread that Charlie shortly ago.

There were three animatronics squeezed onto the stage with two positioned behind the third. One of these two looked like a rendition of Chica, though she was white and pink in color and had a more human shaped body. What stood out to Charlie was that she was covered in the same plates she recognized from Afton Robotics.

The second animatronic was equally unsettling but for entirely different reasons. It looked to be designed like a spider with a ring of legs holding up its body of pink, purple, and chrome. It held a large, shiny pair of cymbals that edged together but didn't touch as it moved stiffly along with the music. Its face was the most upsetting part, with a large mouth of blocky teeth and enormous, black eyes.

Though neither of these animatronics filled her with as much dread as the star of the show, Circus Baby herself. Standing over six feet tall it loomed ominously over the dining room. Her skirt was orange and red, her face paint matched it well, and she wore jester booties with white, fluffy poofs glued to the tops. Her wig was frizzy and messily pulled into lopsided pigtails.

Her eyes rolled around as though they were scanning the room. Once they even crossed over Charlie, but they didn't hesitate on her, showing no recognition or life behind the glassy orbs.

That wasn't what made her so disturbing. Instead it was something much more insidious, and Carlton summed it up best:

"That doesn't look like either of the Babys we saw in Afton's," he said. He was right; it didn't look like the half-destroyed Baby or the abandoned shell.

"I'm taking that as a bad sign," Lamar added.

"That is a really bad sign," Carlton agreed.

"It makes sense though. They were both totally wrecked; it would've taken more than just a fresh coat of paint to have them up and moving on a stage," Marla said matter-of-factly. Then she got a distinctly uneasy expression and looked over her shoulder. "I hope she didn't hear that, wherever she is."

"She's not up there, that's for sure. I don't think that's her," Lamar said with finality. Jessica nodded in agreement and Charlie felt a prickle of nervousness. It was all the more evidence that she was right about Izzy.

"Let's go get a table or something. They're starting to give us weird looks," John warned quietly. Charlie discreetly glanced in the direction he was looking at and saw a male worker standing in the entrance to the hallway and watching them with puzzlement. Probably trying to figure out why a group their age would be hanging out in a place like this.

While she didn't want to get confined to a table- the whole point was to look around the pizzeria- she couldn't afford to look suspicious, so she agreed. John put a protective arm around Charlie as they left the stage.

They did the same thing they had done at the old Freddy's: they sat down, ordered a pizza, and tried to get a look around while they did. Their server, the man who had been in the halfway, was nothing like Mike. Instead of aloof but talkative, he oozed an anxious cheesiness, like if he was two seconds away from getting fired and knew it. He didn't stick around long enough to ask any questions.

Charlie couldn't see much from where she was sitting except that there were more kids here than she felt comfortable with. At least there seemed to be quite a few parents accompanying them, probably because of the scare the missing children brought. Though it frustrated her to no end to know that they would be kept oblivious to the danger in this innocuous building. It was starting to make her antsy.

"Stay focused. If you get worked up, you're not going to get anything done."

Snapping herself out of her thoughts, Charlie started to look around again and searched for anything worth noting. There were security cameras mounted in the corners of the rooms, more than she would've expected from a small children's venue. That might've been worth mentioning to Clay. The animatronics in the front were clearly inactive and looking at the ones on stage-

It was at this angle that Charlie looked back and caught a glimpse of something she knew she wasn't supposed to. At this angle, she could see what looked like a narrow hatch on the edge of the stage, half covered by the decorative curtain hung on either side of it. It could've been mistaken for a breaker box considering its closeness to the stage, except for its height and general design.

It looked exactly like the narrow hatches that had led through Afton Robotics. If the red flags weren't raised already, then they were now.

"Is anyone else getting a weird vibe from this place?" Marla asked uneasily. She sunk down in her seat between Jessica and Carlton, the latter who quirked a brow at her.

"You're only feeling that now?" he asked. Then gave a much more direct, "It's all this clown stuff. It's just creepy."

"Well, that, and that there just is this weird… I don't know, this place doesn't seem right? Where are the employees? All I've seen is that one guy, and since he never came back, I'm guessing he's the one cooking our pizza too. And why is it so dark in here? It's like the only place lit up is the arcade. Which, ironically, is the only place where there's any kids. Also, that." Marla pointed across the table at a lemonade dispenser shaped like a clown. From the way it was angled, it looked to be staring her down. "There's so much wrong with that."

Carlton got an amused little smirk and glanced back to the clown, only to catch sight of Charlie looking back at the stage. After she didn't turn back after a few seconds, he took it as bad sign.

"Charlie, what are you looking at…?" he asked cautiously. This caught everyone's attention, including hers.

Charlie began hesitantly, "Behind the stage curtain-."

"Oh, please no," Jessica briefly interjected.

"It looks like... One of the hatches we saw in Afton Robotics. You remember, the ones we went through to get through the rooms?" Charlie asked, looking to John. He nodded and Jessica breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay, I was thinking you were going to say you saw Izzy hiding back there. I just can't take that amount of crazy right now," she said. She sobered up fast. "But in all seriousness, that could mean this place was built by the same people who built Afton Robotics- or owned it, even. We don't know when Will left. There had to be some sort of company working around him, or after him."

"Probably whatever company made sure to keep the lights on and the doors sealed up," John muttered. He turned his attention to the hatch as well, leaning back in his seat until he had a slightly better look at it. "…That guy's going to show up sooner or later, but he's not here now."

"But there's security cameras," Charlie said, catching on to the hint.

"But who's watching them?" John asked. She didn't answer and tapped her fingers lightly on the table. Taking this as her answer, John stood from the table. "Let's go take another look at Baby."

Charlie got up and the two headed back over to the stage while their friends looked on with bated breath. Charlie discreetly pulled back the curtain enough to reach under it for the handle while John tried to block her from view, keeping an eye out for the employee. She found the handle and tried to pull it open, only for it to resist. A quick run of her thumb over the handle revealed a small keyhole.

"It's locked," she said. She rattled it a little more, remembering it had taken a bit of force to get them open. In this case, it distinctly sounded like it was catching on something. Definitely locked, definitely not opening. That didn't stop her from leaning forward and pressing her ear to it just in case she might hear something deep inside. Even if it was just the faintest call of a child's voice.

It sounded hollow and empty, and dead silent.

While she was studying the hatch, who else had appeared from the hallway but the worker bringing their pizza. The group noticed him coming and immediately began to scramble for ideas.

"That guy's coming back…" Lamar warned with a tight jaw. "We're going to have to distract him… Jess, flirt with him."

Jessica's head snapped over at the suggestion. Her surprised look melted into an unamused frown one and she gave a blunt, "No."

"We could fake fight," Marla suggested. She pointed between her and Carlton. "We can do an amazing fake fight."

"You don't need to do that. If we just act like normal people, he's not going to think anything's up. Just act natural," Jessica encouraged. She then smiled at the man, pretending like she just noticed him walking up. "Looks like the pizza's here," she said innocently.

"Yup, can't wait to dig in," Lamar agreed, rubbing his hands together.

Carlton turned around in his seat and flashed the worker a brilliant smile. "Where've you been, Gorgeous?" Jessica's eyes widened and Lamar's hands stilled. The worker did a double take and stared down at the redhead in what could only be aghast. Carlton proceeded to wink at him. Marla gave a loud huff and kicked his chair leg, to which he yelped. "Oww! What was that for?"

"What was that for?! What was that for- are you kidding me?! You just flirted with that guy right in front of me!" Marla exclaimed. She puffed with bubbling anger. "I can't believe this! You promised me you'd stop doing that!"

"It's no big deal! It's not like I'm ever going to see him again!" Carlton defended. Though promptly turned back to wink at the man. "Unless you've got other plans."

"Uh… Sir, please. I… I have to be ten years older than you," the server said awkwardly. He looked like he could die on the spot, still standing there holding the pizza pan. "Do you want to take this or…?"

"Sure. I'd love to sink my teeth into something hot," Carlton said. He was still smiling like the cat that ate the canary. Marla rolled her eyes.

"Why can't you ever sink your teeth into me?!"

It was by some act of mercy that the dining room was so empty. Almost all of the visitors were in the arcade, so pretty much the only people who witnessed this painful scene were the still aghast Jessica and Lamar, the mortified worker, and Charlie and John who had left the stage just in time to witness the brunt of it.

"…That was almost worth getting up for," John remarked. Charlie agreed with a small scoff as the two returned to the table.

It was unfortunate that Charlie couldn't get the hatch open because the moment the worker passed the pizza over, he split into the arcade and left them completely unsupervised. It was also unfortunate because the moment she sat down, her friends looked to her eagerly for answers. Including Carlton and Marla, who dropped the act the second the employee left.

"So…?" Jessica coaxed. Charlie shook her head. The blond's face fell, both disappointed and relieved that she hadn't found anything. "Oh… Well, maybe that's for the best… Anyway, the pizza's here. Looks alright, even though it's obviously a frozen one he just threw into the oven."

While the other were able to uncomfortably go along with pretending like this was just a normal restaurant- ignoring the clowns- Charlie already felt like she failed. Like she had given up by not barging into the back and searching for the children, meek and helpless, more afraid of getting arrested than saving lives. She liked to think that if she had heard them, she would've sprung into action like she wanted to.

The pizzeria was unsettling, but there was no evidence of foul play to be seen. That didn't assure Charlie that the place wasn't connected to the missing children, she still knew it was, but she couldn't find the obvious evidence she was sure that was here. She couldn't eat the pizza either. Even though there was no sign of Izzy- which was particularly odd- she couldn't help but feel paranoid that someone might've tampered with it.

It didn't help that Baby literally stood over her the entire time. That alone could be a metaphor for this entire situation.

After a while they got up again and looked around in the arcade and the climbing area, but there wasn't much to see. No other hatches, no other doors or secrets, not even any other animatronics. The ones on the stage gave no hints that they were alive. Charlie watched them at the stage for a long while and couldn't detect the ticks she had seen in Lefty or the scrapped Baby. If they were haunted then they hid it well.

Eventually the inevitable came with Lamar speaking up. "I think it's about time we go. We're not finding anything here," he suggested. By then it had been over an hour and a half, so he was right to say it.

Everyone agreed with reluctance, especially Charlie who didn't want to leave, but knew she couldn't stay much longer. They all got out their snare for the pizza and handed it off to Lamar who went to look for the worker from earlier to pay, as there wasn't a real front desk and the only register was in the arcade room.

Jessica stood from her chair. "I'm going to run and use the bathroom. I'll be right back," she said. It wasn't until she turned to head to the hallway that Charlie perked up and rose as well.

"I'll come with you," she said following closely behind. Marla gave a quick 'me too' and accompanied as well, thinking it was a safety in numbers thing and not a 'let's peek around the hallway' thing.

While Jessica headed into the restroom, Charlie instead looked around at the hallway. Other than the bathrooms, there was an open door that looked like it led to a small kitchen and a door to a broom closet. She wandered towards the former and while Marla waited at the end of the hall, trying to keep an eye on Charlie and out for the employee if he finally found his way back.

The kitchen looked surprisingly modern for one of its size. Most of the equipment was in a clean chrome and kept spotless. Though due to the fact that the oven was preheated but it didn't look like any other utensils or counters were used, she suspected that Marla's earlier suggestion that it was frozen fare was probably right. Strangely enough, there was both a standard refrigerator and chest freezer and a walk-in fridge. Nothing of interest.

The broom closet was equally devoid of clues. In fact, none of the cleaning supplies inside of it seemed used at all, lined up on the shelves and virtually untouched. Save the toilet paper stacked up just within reach.

It should've assured her that she wasn't missing anything, but instead it convinced her that there was something here that was hidden too well for her to see. She shut the door a little harder than intended and turned away to see both Marla and now Jessica watching her from the other side of the hall. She walked over to them.

"Just double checking. There's nothing here," Charlie said, her disappointment audible. Jessica sighed with equal frustration and nodded in understanding. They then started to make their way out of the hall.

"Funny, it looked bigger from the outside," Marla said. Those words sat with Charlie for a long time after they left.

She took one last look at the boxed puppet's lifeless face before following the others out the door. It looked as empty as she felt.

"I'm home!" Charlie called as she let herself in. She was already dreading the coming conversation, which was why Sammy greeting her at the door met her with anxiousness instead of usual adoration.

It didn't help that instead of giving her a hug and a smile, Sammy popped up in front of her with a worried look, wringing his hands together. She heard a distant, "Hey," from the living room.

"Hey, Mike," she called back. Then looked back to her brother, who's look of fear was slightly brightened by fleeting hope. Hope that she knew she would have to dash.

"So… A lot of stuff happened," she began. He nodded, coaxing her on. She took a deep breath and rushed it out, "I saw Clay and he says there's nothing he can do except investigate where they went missing. None of the kids disappeared at Circus Baby's, they were all just…Pulled off the street from what he said."

Sammy's eyes widened and his hands stilled. "…I know you're not going to be happy to hear this, but me and the guys headed over to Circus Baby's to check it out. That's where I've been for the last hour." His frown grew as his arms dropped to his sides. "I couldn't find anything except this hatch that looked like something from Afton Robotics, but I couldn't get it opened. Baby wasn't there. Izzy, I mean. There was a Baby on stage, but we're certain it wasn't her. None of the animatronics showed any obvious signs of life either."

She expected some sort of comment here and not necessarily a pleasant one. She knew how upset Sammy was already, adding that to going to the pizzeria without warning him would no doubt lead to an upset. Except that Sammy didn't say anything. He lowered his gaze to her jacket, but she could tell he was really just staring through her.

"But that doesn't mean we're giving up. Carton wrote down the kids' names and where they went missing, so we still have a chance to do some investigating of our own-." Charlie looked down long enough to get the thin piece of paper out of her jeans pocket and by time she looked up Sammy was gone. She was only surprised for a second before her heart sunk. "Sammy…"

A long moment passed as she looked in the direction of the stairs without catching any sight of him. Then a head poked up over the back of the couch.

"Well, that could've gone better," Mike remarked. Charlie nodded and reluctantly stepped into the living room. Mike was sitting on the floor reclined against the couch. There was a boardgame set up on the coffee table, Doubloon Lagoon, one of Sammy's favorites. Probably brought in by the puppet himself to help calm him down.

"Yeah, but this is pretty much exactly what I was expecting. And for what? We didn't find anything." Charlie sighed and leaned on the back of the couch. If only they could've looked around more without the worry of suspicion. "Hey…" Charlie's downtrodden expression turned to a much more pensive one as she straightened up and turned to Mike. "…Are you still looking for a job?"

"I wouldn't be caught dead in that place," Mike remarked knowingly, a somewhat smarmy smile on his face. "First sign of anything going wrong and all eyes would be on me."

"You're right. I'm sorry," Charlie said. She looked away with a despondent look that actually made him feel a little bad. He really didn't take any enjoyment in any of this, he just covered his feelings better.

"You know how much I'd love to get in on this. I know there's something going down at Baby's and for once I'd like to be the key to taking them down instead of the shmuck left behind after they do something shady, but I'm on my second strike here. Anymore close calls and I could be looking at citywide suspicion… Unless you're sure the kids are there."

"The problem is that I don't. What if it's just a massive red herring? The pizzeria goes up and the children go missing, so people assume they're there when they're actually miles away in a warehouse somewhere… Or shoved in the back of Baby's behind a hatch door or a false wall…" Charlie collapsed with a frustrated noise. "I was there for almost two hours and I couldn't find anything," she said, voice muffled by the couch.

"…I'll tell you what though, if we do find out they're in there, I'd be hard pressed not to break the door down to get them. Forget whatever prison sentence I'd be looking at, we've had enough kids disappear in this town. It's about time someone did something," Mike muttered. His own frustration began to show and both were at a stalemate.

Eventually Charlie dragged herself away from the back of the couch and headed back to the stairs. Mike didn't need any explanation to know where she was going. She headed upstairs, down the hall, and to her and Sammy's shared bedroom. She knew he would be there and found him curled up on his futon- purchased while the garage was being repaired- facing the wall with Theodore wrapped in his arms.

Charlie sat down on the edge beside him. "Sammy, I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was going."

"It's fine," he said. It clearly wasn't fine, but from that dismissiveness she had a feeling that this wasn't the main thing bothering him. She knew exactly what was bothering him, but beat around the bush.

"…Mike's still downstairs if you want to finish the game," she coaxed lightly.

"I already won."

"Oh… Well, no rush then."

Sammy gave a off-tune noise of dismay and buried his mask into the pillow. The noises echoed faintly in his voice. "How could I let this happen?"

"How-? Sammy, how can you blame yourself for this?" Charlie asked defensively, protectively. "Even if we ignore the fact that you can't walk around in broad daylight, you can't be everywhere at once, and you can't protect every kid in town. Their parents should've been more careful. They should've been watching them." She couldn't hide her frustration.

"Because I knew Baby was out there and didn't do anything about her. I let her roam the streets putting everyone, including you, in danger…" Sammy's voice lowered to a staticky whisper. "I'm no better than Dad."

It hit Charlie while she wasn't expecting it. Her throat tightened at that single statement and the painful realization that she identified with it. Even if she knew she couldn't blame herself she still felt like she should.

"You're not the one who should feel responsible. I knew Baby was planning for months and should've kept a closer eye. Then I get to Circus Baby's and I let a few security cameras and locked doors keep me from finding those kids. I'd bet my life that they're in there somewhere… I just can't reach them," Charlie begrudgingly admitted.

There was a beat, then Sammy's discordant noises began to quiet down into a thoughtful sort of hum before falling silent entirely. It was peculiar, but before Charlie could question it, he turned over and sat up. His expression matched hers exactly, which would've been funny in any other situation. He rested Theodore in his lap.

"What else did you see there?" he asked. His voice still holding that tiredly despaired tone.

"Honestly? You," Charlie answered. His mask twisted in confusion. "I'm not kidding. They have a puppet in there that looks just like you. It even has its own box. They have it set up beside the front door."

"Oh, it just keeps getting better and better," Sammy lamented with a huff of static. Charlie got a slight smile.

"It's not that bad. It doesn't move from what I've seen, so it's pretty much just a glorified statue," she said. Her smile faded then. "There's a couple of ones like that. Like this clown filled with juice that was probably a huge health hazard… What's weird is that the two animatronics on stage with Baby weren't any of the characters I saw in Afton's or on the old Circus Baby's advertisements. One of them was definitely a Chica, the other was this spider holding cymbals, but they were both built like Baby."

"And you don't think they are alive like I am?" Sammy asked curiously. She shook her head.

"I mean, I might be wrong. They might've been hiding it really well, but when I first saw Lefty I could tell something was different about him. I could tell he was- or you were- alive. It's kind of hard to explain."

"I believe you. I think you've seen enough of us moving to know which of us are doing it of our own volition," he assured her. He seemed relieved at the prospect of none of them being alive and she could understand why. "How many employees do you guess?"

"I only saw one so I couldn't tell you. He looked nervous… Then again, Carlton was flirting with him, so that might've been it. Don't ask." Sammy didn't; he didn't even look surprised. "The whole place just seemed so full and so empty at the same time. I got a weird vibe from it. Everything looks normal, if a little fake, but something's just not right… Plenty of cameras though. That much I did see."

They sat there together for another long moment. Surprisingly, it was Sammy to break it by setting Theodore aside and sliding off the bed beside Charlie.

"On second thought, I think I will finish that game with Mike. You're right, if I sit here wallowing in self-pity, nothing will get done. Would you like to come watch us?"

Charlie was almost relieved by Sammy's literal change in tune, but she immediately noticed how off it was. The emotional whiplash was odd as her brother seldom turned on a dime, especially in a situation he was this upset at. Maybe he was doing it for her. Which she appreciated, but she was going to keep a close eye out.

All she said was, "Sounds good," and followed him back downstairs.

Charlie awoke to the creak of the bedroom door and opened her eyes in time to see it being pulled shut. It took her a moment to get her bearings in her groggy states. She had left the door cracked and the hall light on, not feeling up to sleeping in a pitch-black room. There was enough light coming through the window to see that Sammy wasn't in his bed.

Since Sammy didn't need to use doors, she could only assume that he was closing the door to block out noise, which probably meant he was going downstairs to watch television. Or to go through their father's office or workshop. Or to sneak downstairs where he wouldn't be heard and cry. That last one was enough to drag Charlie out of bed and after him.

A quick glance at the clock showed that it was three-fifteen in the morning. "Witching hour," she thought. It was weird that he waited this long to head downstairs, maybe he had just woken up.

Charlie headed downstairs and into the living room only to find the TV off and Sammy nowhere to be seen. The house was completely silent, save the wood occasionally creaking under her feet. A quick check in their father's office showed he wasn't there and the only animatronic in the garage was Ella, who was propped against the back wall deactivated. Charlie furrowed her brows as she closed the door.

"That's weird. Where is he?" she thought. She hesitated a moment before deciding to call for him. "Sammy?" There was no answer. That was especially odd for him. Even when he was upset, Sammy would answer. "Sammy!" she called a little louder. Still no response.

It was at that moment that she realized that he wasn't in the house. Suddenly she was hit by a jolt of realization that roused her the rest of the way and ran to the front door. She unlocked and threw it open.

"Sammy!" she called out into the yard. The only noise to answer her was the soft sound of wind in the trees. The night was nearly as quiet as the house.

Call it twin's intuition or an educated guess, but she knew exactly where he had gone. She frantically ran back inside to put on her boots and jacket before grabbing her phone and keys and running out the door, barely stopping herself to lock it on the way out. She hurriedly got into the car, turned it on, and peeled out of the driveway.

It was a good thing that it was so late and the roads were empty, because Charlie was driving a little too fast and keeping her attention directly on the sides of the road, searching for Sammy. He had never been to the pizzeria, so she knew he couldn't teleport there. Meaning that he had to be making his way through town, uncovered, where anyone still awake could see him.

Charlie was starting to become frantic as she drove the quickest route to Circus Baby's Pizza. It was so dark that the headlights just didn't seem like enough to break through. She suddenly caught a glimpse of a shadow moving out of the corner of her eye and turned her head to look, slowing down dramatically, only to see nothing there. She assumed it was a trick of the light and continued driving.

Though as she was driving away, she got a strange feeling and looked into the rearview mirror. That was how she caught him, spotting his slender shadow leaning out at the side of the road and looking after her car. She hit her breaks, threw the car in reverse, and smoothly backed right back down the road and straight up to him. Realizing he had been caught, he didn't even try to hide again.

Charlie pulled up alongside him with the most displeased look she could manage. He must've been aware of how upset she was going to be, because his default smile was strained and undeniably guilty even before he saw her face. She said not a word, instead opting to unclick her seatbelt, lean across the car, and open the passenger's door before pointing at the seat.

Sammy was reluctant to get in at first. His illuminated pupils glancing around almost like he was preparing to run. Much to her relief he didn't because she had no doubts that she would lose him. Instead he circled the car like a dejected child and got in on the passenger's side where he slid halfway into the floorboard. He wasn't hidden well, but hopefully nobody would be around to see.

She began to drive down the road again. "Let me find a place to turn around," she muttered, making her intentions clear. Her brisk tone was enough to make Sammy physically wince as he squirmed in the seat.

"…I'm sorry," he eventually got out. She exhaled through her nose but said nothing. "Not just because I was caught. I really am sorry," he insisted.

"You know that if I did this you would've flipped your lid," Charlie reminded. His face twisted in guilt and discomfort. "There's just so much wrong with what you did that I don't even know where to begin. No, scratch that, I know exactly where to begin: you putting yourself in at least three different kinds of danger at once. You could've been seen, you could've gotten lost, did you even know where Baby's is?"

"It's not the same," Sammy defended. She sent him an unconvinced look. "It really isn't. I don't have to adhere to the same set of rules a human might… That's why I need to go to Circus Baby's."

"Are these the same rules that Baby plays by? Because they're making just as much sense and changing just as quickly," Charlie said flatly. She stopped at the stop sign at the end of the road and planned to turn around there. Her curiosity got to her before she could and she dropped her hands into her lap in defeat, staying stopped there. "What do you mean?"

"I can unlock doors, I can corrupt security footage, I can hear better than a human, I can see well in the dark, and I can overpower anything that may try to stop me," Sammy listed out with a surprising amount of confidence. It was a stark contrast to his helpless lamenting over the missing children earlier. His face grew firm. "If the children are there, I will find them."

"If Baby's there- Forget Baby. If anyone's there you could be seen. You could be-... Seen." She barely caught herself from making a terrible mistake with that last word. She took a second to recover before continuing, "You may be strong but you're not invincible. You didn't tell me you were going either, so if something did happen to you, I wouldn't know where you were or how to get to you. You would've just… Disappeared."

That word sent a strange shadow over the car- not that there wasn't already one over it. Charlie crossed her arms and looked out the window into the night, then quickly checked the mirrors to make sure they were still alone. Sammy got lost in thought for a moment, tracing his finger along the seam of the car seat as he sat there silently. Then something came to him.

"…I suppose it is dangerous to go alone."

"That's what you're always telling me," Charlie reminded.

He looked up at her. "Then come with me. We'll sneak into Baby's together."

Charlie turned to him suddenly with a look of surprise and Sammy's slightly amused smile returned.

"Just imagine it: two twins unravelling the mystery of a suspicious pizzeria and a string of unsolved kidnappings. That's the story we should be telling. We don't have to just stand aside and wait for the worst to come. We can fix this! We can still save them!"

It utterly shocked Charlie how willingly Sammy suggested this. He was always so overprotective of her, especially when it came to Baby, so to even think of this either meant that he was sure they would be safe or just so desperate to find these children that he could overlook the risk. She knew it was probably the latter.

The only thing that shocked her more was how easily she was convinced. Her taser had been left overnight in the glove box, she had her phone and a flashlight in the car, Sammy was here and ready; she had everything she needed to go ahead with this plan. There was nothing stopping her from agreeing except her better judgement.

"You don't have to come with me. Or, if you do, you don't have to come in. You can wait in the car with the doors locked and keep an eye out. I'll be alright going in alone… But I would rather not, if you'll come."

Sammy was second guessing himself. She could see it in the change in his expression; his overcompensating eagerness being worn down to a somewhat unsure look. Maybe he was starting to recognize the seriousness of what he was asking her to do- so willing to risk his own life, or state of existence, but quickly regretting risking hers. Charlie shared that sentiment, so there was only one solution.

"…Let's do it."

Sammy mask shifted fluidly between relief, excitement, trepidation, and a porcelain smile that was still somehow shaky as it portrayed all three. Charlie took the wheel back in hand and began to drive to Baby's.

"Here's what we're going to do: we're going to be quick and quiet and we don't touch or move anything we don't have to. We can't leave any evidence that we were there. Unless we find the kids, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there… Any sign of Izzy and we have to get out as fast as we can, and if we can, without her noticing us. We only fight back if she attacks us first. Otherwise, we run."

"…Of course." Sammy didn't sound like he wanted to agree and she knew the last part was the point of contention.

"Unless we have the kids," Charlie added. "Then anything goes and Clay can't say a thing about it."

"If we find the children? He wouldn't dare."

Charlie knew he would dare, but if it came to that she would have plenty of words of her own. Speaking of which, she got her cellphone out and started to dial up a number. Sammy looked over curiously while Charlie raised the phone to her ear. She didn't expect an answer and instead waited to leave a message.

"Jess, it's me. I'm just calling to let you know that Sammy and I are going back to Circus Baby's. I know what you're going to think hearing this, but trust me, I know the risks and I've come prepared… I'll explain everything tomorrow. I just wanted you to know in case something did happen you would know where we went. I'll call and leave another message when we leave. Bye."

Charlie ended the call and put her phone away. "There. Just a little safety net in case something did happen." Sammy gave a discontent hum at her wording but said nothing.

It didn't take long before they pulled into the empty parking lot of Circus Baby's. Charlie stepped out of the car and was promptly hit by a gentle breeze that nearly dragged a shiver out of her. She was already so on edge just looking up at the darkened building. It was so much more threatening without the neon lights framing it. She snapped out of her trance and leaned back into the car to get her flashlight and taser.

Sammy was already peering through gaps between the decals on the door when Charlie caught up. In a split second he disappeared and reappeared inside the building. He turned back to the door to deactivate the alarm and let Charlie in, only to realize that there wasn't any visible security system. The door was just locked with a standard locking mechanism. He unlocked it quickly and opened it for her.

Charlie had been keeping an eye out until she heard the door open and turned around to see Sammy beckoning her inside. He then turned and disappeared into the dining room.

Taking a deep breath, she shined the flashlight forward and followed him back into Circus Baby's Pizza.

Mable: Regression, or retrogression, is defined as returning to a former state of being and is typically used in a derogatory way. For example, let's say you want to get healthier, so you start eating less junk food and start jogging twice a week. If you returned to your old diet and stopped jogging, you would be regressing back into your old habits. Another example would be if you learn a lesson of some kind and know better, but then go back to your old patterns even though it's against your better judgement.

It's easy to regress to your old ways in times of stress or desperation. Just keep in mind that there are reasons you outgrew this behavior, and repercussions for falling back into old ways…