The aftermath of the whole incident traumatized Gergory. Who wouldn't be after almost being killed so many times? It was a miracle that he didn't end up being caught by the vicious killer that somehow managed to get employed here. Though at the end of it all he didn't let the events of that night get in the way of seeing Freddy again. He would visit every day since the incident just to see them perform, to have fun for once in his life without worrying about who or what was out to get him. Being a kid for the first time since he could remember.
Of course, he would always be around Freddy whenever he wasn't at any of the other play areas, he was his safe haven then, and that wouldn't change now. Thanks to Freddy he would have access to places he normally wouldn't be, at least not without a pass. Gregory couldn't be happier to experience the place in action when everything was working as intended, he never would have thought this could be an event in his life of loneliness. Not even a little bit.
However, Roxanne still couldn't help but notice a few things. First off, he still kept a generous distance from any human staff member, especially the security guards, not that she blamed him, after what happened with Vanessa, she would be too. Secondly, he never changed outfits, it was always the same blue shirt with double white strips along with his tan cargo shorts and white shoes. Lastly, he is never seen with another adult supervising him. Sure there were plenty around him, but none of them seemed to care about his presence.
This suspicion didn't start until she paid careful attention to him out of curiosity, wanting to see how he got in and out so often. Thanks to her special vision, it wasn't too hard to see him blend into the crowd and slip in between everyone in order to remain hidden from prying eyes. But she wasn't just anyone, she was Roxanne! The best at what she does, be it hide and seek or playing a keytar.
The next day she goes a bit further in her investigation. Just before opening time, she went to the roof of the PizzaPlex scanning the entire area for his signature blue shirt, and once she did find him from far off, she learned that he still didn't have someone by his side. Same thing upon exiting. No one.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
It is midday at the PizzaPlex and the gang has just finished their performances. Now was when they departed to go to their preferred hangout spot.
Montgomery Gator went to his golf course to play along with the children and break all of his golf clubs when he didn't get a hole in one. Which happened pretty often, no matter how much he denies it. It's actually pretty funny to watch him yell at a golf club as if it is plotting against him.
Chica heads to the food court to stuff anything and everything inside her beak despite not having an organic body. She is the sole reason food takes so long to be served here. Roxanne still doesn't understand how that bug hasn't been fixed yet, maybe someone in the tech team thinks it's funny.
Freddy, being the lovable goof that he was, went to the front entrance to greet all the parents and children as they walked in, as well as bid farewell to the families that left. Which makes it more ridiculous that he hasn't put two and two together with his favorite child yet.
Roxanne herself would normally go to her raceway to congratulate all the winners, but not today. Right now, she has her attention on one special child. Gregory. The plan to find him is as simple as it gets: follow Freddy and wait for him to show up. Why waste the energy looking for him when he is guaranteed to end up right where the artificial bear is standing?
So she put her plan in motion. She followed Freddy back to the entrance to wait for Gergory. This didn't go unnoticed. He slowed down a bit to walk in pace with her.
"Is something the matter, Roxy? Is something wrong with your raceway?" She barely missed what he had said.
"Huh? No, everything is going swimmingly, I just need to steal Gregory for a minute or two for some questions. I figured hanging around you would be my best chance at spotting him." He looked concerned; this change of behavior was a bit too sudden for his liking.
"Is something wrong? Did he do something to upset you? I promise he didn't mean anything by it." She becomes wide eyed at his slightly panicked voice.
"Calm down. It's nothing bad, I just want to know more about him." It wasn't a lie, so it should be fine.
"Oh, alright then. Well, I'm sure he'll answer some of your questions." He proceeds to the entrance to resume his role as a greeter. It's kind of unbelievable to her.
'Seriously!? He is showing up with no supervision, he stays here all day without any concern to what time it is with the exception of midnight, and he always has the same outfit on without any variation whatsoever. How can you not have noticed something so painfully wrong with him?'
She forces herself to calm down, sitting on the benches waiting for her prize, interacting with children while she waits. Just as predicted, it didn't take long for him to show up. Before he could get Freddys attention, she calls for him, to which he obliges.
"Greg, would you be so kind as to answer a question for me?" He eyes her suspiciously.
"Um, okay…" He wasn't prepared for what came out next.
"Do you like being at home?" He goes blank for a second before composing himself.
"Of course I do, it is where I sleep."
"But you never seem to like leaving the PizzaPlex, not to mention you have never changed your outfit." His hands form into fists, he fidgets under her soft gaze.
"I'm fine where I live, it just gets boring there is all." She doesn't believe him, his voice is too shaky, like he was trying to hold back tears.
"Really now? Then why do you show up without anyone to watch over you?" He breathes heavily, trying to keep his emotions in check.
"Can I go now?" He looks at his feet when he asks, not wanting to look Roxanne in the eyes.
'I may have gone too far.' He pulls him into a hug.
"Forget I said anything, I was just curious. Go have fun." Like the flip of a switch, he felt better. He ran off to Freddy without another word.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Later that night she is watching everyone leave the restaurant, but this time she is hiding around the corner outside, waiting for Gregory to exit. Her sensors tell her that it is pretty chilly out, just enough to require a jacket of some kind to be considered acceptable. One by one families leave, but none of them are worthy of concern at the moment. Just a half hour before midnight, she spots him. He is among the last group of people to exit the PizzaPlex, cleverly hiding in between everyone to appear like he is with someone, but she knew better. So she gives chase. She tried her utmost to remain hidden, the cover of the night aiding her in the endeavor and serving to be the best ally she ever had. The streets are completely empty of everyone except her and Gregory, who thankfully remained oblivious to her presence. Eventually he turns into an alley. Roxanne waits for a few minutes before finally turning the corner, only to see a dead end with no doors to enter. Just a lonely dumpster and a few cardboard boxes. The concern she felt before increased tenfold; she carefully looks around the alley, looking for any sign as to where he has gone whilst being as quiet as she could. Then she looks down to see an open box laying on its side. She was almost afraid to crouch down to look inside, but she needed to if she wanted to find Gergory. So down she goes, and to her dismay, she finds her charge.
He is facing away from her, curled up, shivering with only an old newspaper as a blanket. It is so much worse seeing her fears confirmed rather then being proven wrong.
'No…Oh no. This whole time, he never had a…'
She stops herself from thinking so negatively, right now she had someone to take with her. Without any further delay, she scoops up Gregory in her arms. He wakes up immediately to see what is going on. He groggily tries to get his bearings.
"W-what is happen-" She shushes him. Surprise is not a strong enough word to describe how he felt right now. He never expected the wolf to be out of the restaurant, never mind being cradled by her.
"Why didn't you tell us?" She looks down at him patiently waiting for an answer. Tears roll down his face.
"I-I don't know." She isn't satisfied with his answer but decides to drop it. Her internal clock tells her that the PizzaPlex will be shutting down soon, so she exits the alley to go back to the restaurant.
"Where are we going?"
"You are coming home with me." She says with confidence.