Vanna felt a sense of déjà vu as she moved to the side to let Mike have more room to look around.
To the left, a shelf was embedded in the entire wall, with special doors preserving its treasures behind glass. Everything on it was a collectible of sorts: clocks, figurines, watches on neat stands, framed artwork, pins, plush toys, plates, mugs, small prizes. There was a clear method to the arrangements: the memorabilia closer to the door mostly sported golden bears and bunnies with purple accessories. As the shelf moved to the other end of the room, other characters were added and traded out, the entire shelf a sort of transition from Fredbear's Family Diner to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.
Against the far wall was a desk and chair, a single shelf perched right above it. The shelf held a few framed pictures, intermingled with books and photo albums. On either side of this solo shelf hung original artwork from Fredbear's, carefully arranged so each piece was as visible as possible.
In the back corner opposite the memorabilia shelf was a specially made corner shelf sporting an extra costume head each of Fredbear and Spring Bonnie, both with their original brown and green plastic eyes. Fredbear's head still had his purple hat. Spring Bonnie sported long eyelashes and a purple silk bow around her right ear. On the bottom shelf sat a large Fredbear plush. Even sitting down, the thing was over three feet tall.
Mike's arm ached when he looked at the Fredbear head. It looked exactly like the Freddy that bit him all those years ago. He pushed back the flashes of that day as he moved to the right side of the room.
The right wall held a display of smaller costume pieces and animatronic parts, each neatly labeled and showcased. More artwork gathered around this display, along with a collection of framed newspaper clippings, many of them documenting the opening days of Fredbear's - with one Mike immediately recognized as a copy of the one he found in Waylon's filing cabinet - and the subsequent Freddy Fazbear's locations, along with a few follow-up articles detailing the initial surprise success of Bonnie Wickes' entrepreneurship, and her advancements in her robotic mascots.
Along that wall near the main door, the room's closet hung open, revealing an array of old uniform polos, and a few stacked boxes under them. Mike immediately recognized the white, purple, and green ones as staff uniforms from both of the Freddy's locations, the colors coordinating with the staff ranks. The two remaining red ones, he'd never seen before, though he saw blobs of yellow heads on the pocket that he assumed were Fredbear and Spring Bonnie.
The entire room held the care and organization of a small museum.
"You've been collecting these all of these years?" Vanna asked, looking over the trinkets on the shelves.
"Yep," Will said. "All of the Fredbear stuff was Bon's, and I just kept addin' to it as the years went by."
He gave a fond smile as his eyes went over the room.
"We both put a lot of work into that place, Bon and I," Will said, "but things just weren't the same after she passed. Times change, companies change, people change."
"Is that why you just work as a janitor now?" Vanna asked.
Will nodded.
"Bein' in there weighs down on me," he said, "and somethin' about the whole place just doesn't feel right anymore. I always felt the place was haunted, but...with memories, not ghosts."
"Looks like it's both," Mike said, quietly.
He caught a few figurines of the Toy animatronics among the display, drawn in particular to Toy Bonnie's bright blue coloring, and Toy Foxy's white and pink, both of them sticking out among the sea of yellow, purple, red, and brown. Mike briefly recalled something Jeremy once mentioned about the Toy Foxy animatronic being taken apart by the kids, and the staff being so fed up with putting it back together that they just left it as an attraction. He smiled a little as his mind played segments of that conversation, only for it to fade a moment later.
That there was less merchandise of the Toy models than even the Fredbear characters spoke enough of that location's short-lived existence, let alone the tragedies that happened there.
A loud gasp from Vanna broke him out of his thoughts. Mike glanced over toward the Fredbear end of the display, where Vanna now crouched to get a better look at something behind the glass.
"What?" Mike asked, coming over.
Vanna point to two stuffed animals sitting together near the bottom: a bear and a rabbit, both of them a golden yellow. Their smooth, button eyes shone brown and green, and their plush was still as new as the day they were built. The only accessories, save for the bear's hat, were ribbons: a bow around the rabbit's right ear, and a bow tie for the bear.
"I knew I didn't imagine having them! Those look exactly like the ones my bitch of a mother threw out!"
Her hands shook as they touched the glass, her fingers flexing with an urge to grip. Will walked over and leaned down. A look of contemplation crossed his face.
"...Wanna hold one?" he asked, gently.
Vanna, who had been mesmerized for a moment, seemed to snap out of her trance.
"...Oh. Oh, no, Will, I couldn't."
"Psh," Will said, reaching for his key ring. "All they're doin' behind there is collectin' dust. Y'ask me, I think they could use a little love."
He got the case open, and soon enough, Vanna found the toys stuffed into her hands. Her long fingers almost touched her thumbs as she gripped their waists and looked them over. The button eyes seemed cold and lifeless, just half-spheres of flat color, but the plush felt as soft and cuddly as it looked. She found herself clutching them tightly and nuzzling her nose between the rabbit's ears. It smelled of fabric and bits of dust, but she didn't mind.
Will smiled, then walked over to the shelf above the desk. He pulled out a worn photo album from it and held it out for them. Mike took it from him and opened it, spreading it out on the desk for Vanna to see. From the very first photo, they knew what it catalogued.
"Fredbear's," Vanna whispered.
It showed a picture of the same building they just left, only the entire front was painted purple, with gold trim on the doorway and around the top. Gold stars dotted the building, and the bright sign showed a smiling bear in a purple hat and bow tie, and a yellow rabbit with purple bow on its right ear, each on either side of Fredbear's Family Diner.
"Yep," Will said, pointing to the photo right below it. "More'n that, look at the opening day photo. Notice anything?"
Mike gaped at the photo. It was dated March 10, 1967, and looked similar to the one in the newspaper clipping, only in full color and the building better framed in the background. He now saw the entirety of the "GRAND OPENING!" banner, and underneath it, the smiling woman amidst several other staff members. On either side of her were Fredbear and Spring Bonnie, lingering in the back of the photo due to their towering height. The woman stood on level ground with them, showing she wasn't too much shorter than the animatronics. If her height didn't already make her stand out, her red polo amidst the purple, white, and green of the rest of the staff did the job.
Like in the newspaper photo, the smiling woman proudly held a framed picture of a Black man with a bald head, short, fluffy beard, and a large smile. With the coloring, Mike now noticed her skin looked olive-gold, and her eyes shone a bright green.
Like Vanna.
He shot a glance to his friend, and noticed her wide eyes as she put it together. Vanna nearly dropped the stuffed toys she held, and only barely caught herself before they tumbled from her hands.
"...Mom?" Vanna whispered in disbelief as she stared at the photo.
Mike looked between the photo and Vanna. While she made sure that he and her mother never met, Mike definitely noticed the resemblance. Will gave Vanna a strange look, then shook his head.
"No, that's Bon," he said. "It seems twins run in that side of the family, but that's not-"
Will quieted when he noticed how Vanna gaped at him, at a loss for words. She then looked back at the photo, staring at it in disbelief. Several thoughts clouded her mind as she tried to make any sense of it, clearing only enough as she realized...
"...Bunny," she whispered.
Not for Spring Bonnie, as she initially thought.
Bonnie.
Her Aunt Bonnie.
"Had a hunch you were related the moment I saw you," Will said quietly, "and you confirmed it when you asked about your sister, but there wasn't time to get into it. Figured it was more important for you two to know about the Spring Bonnie suit in case it gave you any issues."
Vanna just nodded and tried to process this discovery. She set the plush toys down on the desk and picked up the album, skipping over pictures of Fredbear's interior to find a better picture of her aunt. She stopped on one of Bonnie in the back room, even sitting at that same table. Scattered parts and a few assembled limbs on the table showed she was in the process of building an animatronic, though which one was unclear. Bonnie herself looked as though someone just got her attention, pulling her from her work just long enough to get a quick snapshot. Vanna studied the picture, from Bonnie's eyes, to her smile, to the shape of her face, to how she carried herself.
Physically, the only real difference Vanna noticed between her aunt and her mother was that Bonnie preferred to wear her hair straight, while Bailey kept her natural waves. But the relaxed posture, the start of a laugh, the warmth in her eyes - if Bonnie and Bailey stood side-by-side in the same outfit and with the same hairstyle, Vanna would easily tell them apart simply by which one looked truly happy.
It took another moment for her to find her voice again.
"...I didn't know Mom had a sister," she whispered. "Why would she...holy hell, why would she keep this from me?"
"Your mom lost Bon the year before Vesper disappeared," Will answered. "Since Bon's death was an accident, she let you two visit afterwards, but when your sister went missin', Bailey just...kind of lost it. Screamed that the place was cursed, and decided that everythin' havin' to do with Fredbear's needed to disappear. And that meant Fred's part of the family as well."
"That's messed up," Mike said.
Will nodded in agreement as he leaned against the desk.
"I think it was just the final straw," he said. "After everything 'bout Fred, then Bon puttin' everything into the restaurant, her death...Vesper's disappearance was just the thing that pushed her over the edge."
Vanna looked up from the album.
"...What do you mean, everything about Freddy?" she asked.
"He disappeared," Mike answered.
Vanna looked at him, then back to Will, who nodded to confirm.
"Without a trace," Will said, softly, "but even before that, there were problems. Bon and Freddy were head-over-heels for each other, but her family never approved of their marriage. When they got engaged, her parents threatened to disown her, and Bon told 'em to go right ahead. Only Bailey showed up to the wedding, and even then, she kinda kept to herself at the reception. I think she made small talk with Carol - that's Fred's mom - but that was it. Bon didn't care, though. She was in love, and she had a dream."
Vanna glared at the picture, fuming more with every word Will spoke.
"Had is right," she muttered. "Our whole family erased her from existence. Just like they pretended Vesper was taken by angels."
Will turned to her, a look of pity crossing his face.
"It was bad enough she kept Fred's side a secret," he said. "Didn't think she'd hide Bon from you too."
"...She wanted me to forget Fredbear's entirely," Vanna said, bitterly. "Why wouldn't she hide the one person completely tied to it?"
Her shoulders shook as she ran a hand over Bonnie's picture. Mike inched away from her, sensing danger. Vanna turned the page to see a few candid shots of Bonnie at work, tinkering away at the animatronic on the table.
"There aren't even pictures of her at my grandparents' house," Vanna said. "Just Mom - or maybe some of Bonnie that can pass as Mom. They act like she was an only child, and Mom played along with it."
"I s'pose it's what they feel they had to do to handle it," Will said gently.
"So they..." Vanna started, the words struggling to pass her lips, "...they just...what, erased them from existence? Anyone having to do with...they're just nothing to my family?"
Her hands tightened around the edges of the album. She slammed it down on the desk, causing both Mike and Will to flinch from the sudden noise.
"No," Vanna said, "they didn't handle it! They tried to forget it! They tried to make me forget! And it-"
Her shoulders shook. Her breathing tightened. Tears started to form in her eyes.
"-It f-fucking worked!"
Will started to move to her, but stopped, unsure if he should. Mike quickly put a hand on her back, the other gently taking her wrist.
"Vanna-"
Vanna pulled her hand away from him. She reached up to wipe her eyes. Will hung back. He watched them carefully for a moment before he stepped out of the room. For a long while, no one spoke. Vanna moved her hand over her mouth, biting back sobs. She shut her eyes tightly and barely dared to breathe. Mike pulled out the desk chair and carefully guided her into it. He remained beside her, running his hand over her spine in an attempt to calm her down. After a time, Vanna heaved in a choking breath. She wiped her eyes again, then pushed the album away from her.
"M-Mike..." she whispered at last.
Mike set a hand on her arm, keeping the other over her back.
"I'm here," he said, gently.
Vanna forced down a few more long, deep breaths before she spoke again.
"It's...too much," she whispered. "All the lies...a part of m-my...my family I didn't…"
"I know," Mike told her. "I can't even imagine."
Behind them, Will returned. He gently set a tissue box down in front of Vanna.
"...If it helps," he said, quietly, "I've been there."
Vanna gratefully accepted and snagged a tissue, wiping her face and blowing her nose before she turned to Will.
"Been there…?" she asked.
Will nodded. His lips tightened a bit.
"It's how I know all this," he said, gently. "Freddy was my nephew and...that's how I got wrapped up in all this."
He gave Vanna a weary smile.
"I helped his momma raise 'im when his daddy passed," Will continued. "One day, he meets a nice, smart girl, and the next thing you know, he's gettin' married and askin' me for business advice."
Mike stared at him for a moment. Vanna stilled as she made some calculations.
"So that would make you…" she started.
"Your great-uncle," Will said.
Vanna nodded as she struggled to think of something to say. Will simply held up a hand, letting her know there was no need.
"I know," he said. "It's a lot to take in, and frankly, we don't have a lot of time. I'll give you a quick rundown, but then there's more important matters to see to."
Vanna numbly nodded.
"...What happened?" she whispered after a moment. "A-after the...after the wedding? Why did they try to...hide this from me?"
Will gestured to the shelf of trinkets, particularly towards the memorabilia of Fredbear and Spring Bonnie. Mike and Vanna looked them over as Will spoke again.
"Even before they wed, Bon and Freddy were workin' to build Fredbear's," he said. "Bon had other plans for it before Fred disappeared. Some kind of circus theme if I recall, but that's not important. That whole place was Bon's dream, and Fred made it his, too. It was risky and ambitious, but they were dead set on makin' it happen. I owned a construction company back in the day. I've since sold it and retired, but I told Fred if he could find a good place to build, I'd help 'im with the rest. They struggled, but they did it. Bought the land, got the building permits, triple-checked to make sure they had everything ready. Fred even quit his day job to work for me. Wanted to help build it from scratch."
He frowned.
"But Bon's parents didn't approve of anything she did, really," Will continued. "Not her dream, not who she married, not even her head for computers. Wasn't 'ladylike'."
"Sounds about right," Vanna said, turning back to him.
"It was mostly her marriage, though," Will said.
Mike nodded. He needed only to look at Freddy's picture to put those pieces together.
"And that's why they tried to erase her?" he asked.
Will nodded.
"Not all of it," he said, "but a big part of it. Times were different then. Out of Bon's side of the family, only Bailey supported her. I don't think she ever really cared for the Wickes side of the family, though. Thought Freddy and I were too rough for Bon at first, us comin' from the 'wrong side of the tracks'."
He gently shook his head with a small sigh.
"I don't think she ever acknowleged why our side was the 'wrong' side," Will continued, "but she supported Bon, and often butted heads with their parents over it, so we let it go."
"I'm sorry," Vanna said, gently.
"Don't be," Will said. He shot a wistful glance to the masks, before turning back to his young companions. "Anyway, Bon was disowned over her marriage and wanted nothin' to do with her folks, but Bailey kept in touch on all sides. I think her parents realized that after they disowned Bon, they had to play nice to keep the daughter they had left. There was peace between 'em all, but it was a tense peace."
"Not surprised," Vanna said.
She came over to pick up the album again to thumb through, looking for more pictures of Bonnie.
"It got worse after Freddy disappeared," Will said. "Bailey said their parents were sorry to hear about what happened and wanted to offer support. Bon accepted, and lookin' back, I don't blame her. She was grieving, and lookin' for comfort."
Vanna's hands shook as she turned another page.
"And she didn't get it," she said.
The next page showed some promotional photos of the dining room back then, with its booths, games, and small, round tables. Vanna ran a hand over a picture of the stage, with Fredbear and Spring Bonnie in their proper places. The open purple curtains shone with gold glitter. Her head throbbed as she studied the picture.
"No," Will confirmed. "Her dad told her that Fred up and left her, and all sorts of other nasty things. Her mother begged her to come home. Bon wouldn't have any of it, though. They fought for weeks. It got so heated, she even banned them from her property. Told 'em she was a Wickes through and through, and to get lost, because they were no family of hers."
He smirked a little.
"Should've seen it when the place started turnin' a profit," Will said. "Suddenly, a lot of her other family, cousins and such, started comin' out of the woodwork, lookin' for a piece. Bon just handed each one a Fredbear figurine and showed 'em the door. Told 'em shared effort is shared bounty. Don't think any of 'em bothered tryin' to contest the will. The few who showed up to the reading stormed out when they realized they weren't gettin' a dime."
Mike and Vanna both laughed at that.
"Fuck 'em," Vanna said.
"That's more or less what Bon thought," Will said.
He pointed to the top shelf, where a few framed photos sat behind some of the trinkets.
"They weren't too happy with what they got," he said. "Some of 'em just walked out; others threw 'em on the ground and stomped on the glass. But I kept a few. They're limited edition, see."
Vanna walked over to where he was pointing. The top shelf held a few framed photos. And when she registered the pictures, she laughed so hard, she hardly made a sound. Mike had to stand on his toes to see them properly.
The pictures showed Bonnie at the forefront, with Fredbear and Spring Bonnie on either side of her, their hands posed with both middle fingers raised, and Bonnie herself doing the same with a very smug look on her face. Written in the top left-hand corner, she wrote, "For all the love you've shown me." In the bottom right, she had written, "XOXO, Mrs. Bonnie Wickes," with the "W" written larger than any other letter.
Mike joined Vanna in another round of laughter.
"Damn, your aunt was cool!"
Will joined them for a chuckle.
"Considerin' all the prep work that went into those photos just to tell 'em what for, there wasn't much point in trying to contest the will," he said. "And Bon made damn sure none of them got any part of her business. Fred's disappearance took its toll on her, but it also made her realize what else she had to lose, and got her to set her affairs in order pretty quickly. Good thing she did, too, or her death would've been a lot messier."
Mike choked back a morbid laugh. Vanna settled a bit as she went back to the album and looked over a close-up of Fredbear and Spring Bonnie.
"But Mom brought me and Vesper to Fredbear's," she pointed out.
"Because she was the only one of her kin welcome here," Will explained, "and that took time."
He sobered a little.
"They didn't talk for several months," Will said. "Bon was hurt and betrayed from the whole spectacle with her parents; Bailey thought she needed to get over it, and that their parents were tryin' to help. Wasn't until after you two were born that they started speakin' again, actually."
Will glanced down at the stuffed animals still sitting on the desk.
"Now, I ain't gonna pretend I know for certain," he continued, "but I truly think what forced her to come around was seein' you two, and realizin' she didn't want to drive a wedge like her parents did to her and Bon. So she reached out and apologized. Bon accepted on the condition they didn't talk about their parents, because so far as Bon was concerned, they didn't exist."
Will's smile returned.
"And I think having you two in her life gave her something to work for."
"You mean, after Freddy disappeared," Vanna said, softly.
Will nodded.
"Bon was struggling, bad. The wedding was its own drama, but she an' Freddy tried for years to have a kid with no luck. She lost her husband the same year you two were born, and on top of the aftermath of that, she was doin' her best to just get the building in place, let alone the rest of the business. So havin' two young nieces to love and who could visit the place in a few years gave her focus."
Vanna smiled a little, but it faded.
"...And then my mom lost Vesper," she said, quietly.
"I think it was just the final straw," Will said. "Bailey spent all those years as a go-between Bon'n their folks. She believed if Bon hadn't married Freddy, their family wouldn't be broken, Bon would still be alive, and her daughter would still be in 'er arms."
His voice quieted.
"Screamed as much when she came to blame me, personally, for it all."
"Ouch," Mike said.
Will remained quiet as he glanced over Vanna's shoulder to see the old dining room pictures.
"...I've made my peace with it," he said. "Still stings at times, but it doesn't bother me anymore."
Mike nodded, then looked over the articles on the wall until he found the copy of the one in the office. After the lead paragraph explaining Bonnie Wickes' reason for opening Fredbear's, the rest of the article just talked about the restaurant itself, and some of her innovations.
"...What about Freddy?" Mike asked. "Do you have any idea what happened?"
"Not much," Will answered. "It happened back when the building itself was bein' built. Barely had the foundation in. Anyway, Bon calls late one night, askin' if I'd seen 'im. She'd already asked around to see if he'd gone out with his friends, like he sometimes did after work before comin' home. Figured if he wasn't with the boys, he was probably with me."
"But he wasn't," Vanna said.
Will shook his head.
"I told her I'd make a round of his usual hangouts, and to get some rest in the meantime. I started at the construction site. His car wasn't there. I checked the time cards and found he'd clocked out, a little later than the other boys, but that wasn't unusual for 'im. Freddy liked to make runs and double check to make sure everything was put away and ready for the next day."
"Wasn't his car found just outside of town?" Mike asked.
Will nodded.
"Crashed in a ditch," he said, "but there was no trace of Freddy. No sign of anyone gettin' hurt, either. The police figured whoever crashed it walked away. Fred had no business outside of town, so it was chalked up to someone takin' it for a joyride and gettin' out of dodge."
He frowned.
"Personally, I think whoever ditched the car was dumpin' evidence, but we couldn't get the police to take Fred's disappearance seriously. Kept sayin' they had more important things to tend to than some…"
Will's voice hitched for a second. He shook his head, giving himself a moment to compose.
"...Some Black man runnin' off on his family," he said quietly.
Vanna winced and turned to Mike, who looked just as uncomfortable. He quickly found himself interested in the animatronic parts behind glass.
"But he loved Aunt Bonnie," Vanna said, trying to allay the sudden awkwardness.
Will nodded.
"Everyone who actually knew him suspected somethin' more'n that, but no one could prove anything," he said, "and you're right that he wouldn't up and leave Bon."
He slowly let himself smile.
"She was everything to him," Will said. "You put the two of them together, and their happiness could light up the whole block."
Vanna forced up a smile. Mike broke away from the display to give Will a small nod. Will's smile began to fade.
"His disappearance completely wrecked her, though," he said. "Bon held out hope for a time, but just buried herself in work. By that time, I took over the investigation myself. Hired more'n one private detective. All the while, she just kept buildin' and hopin'. Based the Fredbear character off of Fred, and built the suit to fit him on the off-chance he came home."
Will gestured over his own body, to his round stomach, thick limbs, and broad shoulders. Mike easily imagined him fitting into a yellow teddy bear suit.
"Back in the day, Fred and I were a similar size," Will continued. "I've lost some weight since, but Bon just made it a bit bigger'n me to be sure. Spring Bonnie was next, and once they were set, the place opened a few months later, a little less than a year after Fred disappeared. Bon hoped that maybe, wherever he was, the publicity might get his attention. As time passed and my searchin' turned up nothing, Bon started drinkin' heavily to cope. Got her to rehab at some point, sponsored her. She refused to believe Freddy was dead, bless her, but...it's been almost thirty years. Whatever happened, I doubt he's comin' back."
Mike nodded.
"...You said there was something else you wanted to show us?" he asked.
"Right," Will said.
He reached over to the album and turned it back to the opening day photograph.
"Probably should've picked a different picture to start with," Will said, "but I know you'll know it when you see it."
Mike and Vanna both took a closer look at the photo, and the writing accompanying it. Will had carefully penned the names of each waitress, manager, cook, and even the janitor, memorializing everyone who came together on March 10, 1967 to help Bonnie launch her dream. Will himself stood to her right, just in front of Fredbear, nearly as tall and stout as the animatronic itself, and a clear contrast to the more slender Bonnie. On Bonnie's other side, though, a familiar face came into view. While notably younger - possibly even their age at the time - and with a blond pompadour and tinted mod sunglasses that nearly disguised him at first, his strong jaw and wide smile gave him away.
Mike's blood ran cold. Vanna simply glared at his smug, smiling face.
"Greg," they said together.
"Exactly," Will said, somberly. "Now look at the others."
He began to turn to specific pages in the photo album, all of them with staff in front of the building on opening days:
July 13, 1973, after the rebrand from Fredbear's Family Diner to Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.
October 30, 1987, when the new location opened.
March 11, 1988, relocated back after four children and Jeremy Fitzgerald disappeared.
"...He's in all of these," Vanna said. "But why?"
"Greg's a longtime member of the Fredbear Family," Will said. "He was Bon's oldest friend, and helped Bon and me with the workload after Fred disappeared. Was at their wedding, too."
Vanna froze upon hearing that.
"Holy fuck…"
Will nodded.
"He was one of Fred's groomsmen," he said. "After Bon started gettin' serious with Freddy, Greg was the first one she introduced him to, before even makin' an attempt with her folks. He wasn't happy about it at first, but he got over it once he realized Bon wasn't changin' her mind. To his credit, he worked to make good with Freddy, and they were friends too, until he disappeared."
Vanna groaned.
"Was Greg the first one to try to comfort Aunt Bonnie after?" she asked, with a hint of bitter sarcasm.
"Until she told 'im to back off," Will answered. "How'd you figure?"
"I deal with guys like that all the time," Vanna said with a frown. "One of the downsides of bartending."
"Well," Will said, "it wasn't a secret that Greg had a thing for her, but Bon was one of those people whose heart beats once for someone, then never again."
"I'd bet good money he only stuck around in hopes she'd change her mind," Vanna muttered.
"I'd take that bet," Mike said.
Will reached up to fix his collar.
"Maybe," he said, a note of discomfort in his voice. "So far as I know, once Bon put 'im in his place about it, he didn't try again."
Vanna flipped through the album again.
"Why are you showing us this?" she asked, solely to get off the subject.
She found a section with individual pictures of employees, and looked for one of Greg. Vanna found him, looking about mid-twenties, with his blond hair in that same dated pompadour, and a prominent white polo with Fredbear and Spring Bonnie stitched on the front pocket. His dark blue eyes looked gentle, and his smile was wide and assuring, as if easing the viewer from his broad shoulders and intimidating height. Knowing what she knew now, looking at this picture felt jarring, like a devil hiding behind a perfect mask.
Had he been planning any of this when the photo was taken?
"Because I probably wouldn't have figured this out if Mike didn't happen into the job," Will explained, "or unburied the Spring Bonnie suit. Brought all kinds of unpleasantries out of the woodwork."
"What do you mean?" Mike asked.
"He hasn't shown up for years. Now that the suit is out, you think it's a coincidence he came back too?"
Will gestured to the album they were still looking through.
"Even before you told me he's our murderer, I had a hunch about him," he said. "Jus' like every openin' day, he was there every time that rabbit had a problem. And on further thinkin' on it, he always had an excuse for bein' there."
He turned to Mike.
"The day you got bit, Mike, Greg filled in for security after a no-show. Real strange that the guy who was workin' before him never came back. Greg retired after that, supposedly, but he kept comin' back. Odd jobs."
Will leaned over Vanna's shoulder to turn a page back to the 1987 opening photo.
"And when this photo was taken, he was still jus' doin' temp work. They only included 'im in this one because he was there to oversee the Toy models for issues, not that it did much good. They had 'em too, just like the other critters."
A frown.
"Memory's not what it used to be," he continued. "I thought he stopped doin' odd jobs in '86 'til I took a glance through this album the other night. I don't think he was around for the Bite, but I was also a bit occupied. Had to make sure the police didn't find the Spring Bonnie suit 'til it could be moved. Didn't exactly have much prep time, or it would've been gone that morning."
Will moved a hand to his chin in thought.
"Don't recall seein' him on the property much that week, come to think of it."
"He was there that morning, at least," Mike confirmed. "I came looking for Jeremy, and he…"
He stared at the 1987 photo. Even with the warm smile, Greg's eyes in this photo looked as intense as they did on the day they talked that same year.
"...He lied to me," Mike whispered. "He told me Jeremy wasn't there, that he didn't show up for work."
He crossed his arms as the numbness threatened to fade. His hands balled into tight fists. Shaking anger struggled to breach through his defenses.
"He fucking lied to my face," Mike said, practically spitting out each word. "Jeremy's car was right there, and he told me no one had seen him!"
His voice dropped as he tightened his stance.
"...I knew he was lying," Mike said, quietly, "and I left anyway. I should have kept looking for him."
He felt a hand on his back. Mike took a shuddering breath, and turned to Vanna. She put an arm around him and pulled him to her, giving him a quick squeeze before letting him go.
"Don't beat yourself up, kid," Will said. "Greg probably knew someone was gonna be lookin' for 'im, and planned for it. And truth be told, you wouldn't have found much anyway."
Mike gave a solemn nod. He kept his arms crossed and his gaze to the floor. Will then turned to Vanna, who had gone back to the photo album.
"Only proves what I was sayin' before, that he's always had an excuse. He was workin' the day your sister disappeared, too. I remember because he stayed late to look at Spring Bonnie after she fell on you."
Vanna nodded, then turned to Mike, who was lost in thought as he looked over the animatronic parts again. He slowly went over the details of what Jeremy told him the night before, trying to make sure he didn't miss anything. Greg murdered him, attacked him in that office, hid his identity…
He looked over at the Fredbear mask, before turning to Will.
"Where's Fredbear?" he asked.
"Pardon?" Will asked.
"Jeremy said a golden Freddy attacked him," he said. "What happened to that suit?"
"No idea," Will said.
He gestured to Fredbear's mask.
"Got the rest of those costumes in storage," Will explained, "but the original Fredbear suit disappeared the same night Jeremy did. Only his endoskeleton's left, but the hands were switched out. Four fingers 'stead of five, but I didn't notice that 'til after the investigation, just that the suit was missin'. Knew it was strange, but I had other things on my mind. Figured it had to do with whatever went down that night, but it wasn't as important as tryin' to keep the case open."
Mike nodded.
"So he trashed the evidence," he said.
"You can't clean those suits easily," Vanna said as she mulled it over, "but you can wipe down metal. No sweat, no fingerprints."
A regretful look crossed Will's face as something clicked.
"...That alone should'a tipped me off it was Greg," he said. "No one else 'cept me knew how to safely change out those parts, and I sure as heck didn't do it, but...well, I didn't have any reason to suspect him. He helped Bon a lot, and stuck around after her passing. So far as I knew, he was an old friend."
Mike frowned.
"Some friend," he said. "Using that suit to-"
He stopped as he looked at the Fredbear mask.
At a golden bear, just like he saw on the stage.
Shining eyes staring at him from behind the sockets.
The abandonment of buttons and joysticks.
A promise of protection as they walked away.
The feeling of dread when he looked at the hands.
A golden hand gently waved in front of his face. Mike gasped and stepped back, eased only when he saw it was flesh, not plush.
"Mike?" Vanna asked, worry creeping into her face. "Are you okay?"
"...That was him," he whispered.
"What?" she asked.
"Greg," Mike said. "He tried to get to me and Jeremy."
Vanna's eyes bugged.
"What?" she asked. "When?"
"After I went to live with Jeremy's family," Mike explained, "Jeremy started taking me to Freddy's to cheer me up. On one of those visits...I saw a yellow bear behind the stage. Something about it felt wrong, and I made him leave."
"Fuck," Vanna whispered.
Mike nodded.
"He listened to me," he continued. "It could have saved our lives that day."
He shuddered as he ran a hand over his arm.
"The whole thing still freaks me out," Mike said. "More, actually, now that I know the golden suits double as costumes. ...Fuck, I was only nine when that happened."
"Mike…" Vanna said gently.
Mike hardly acknowledged her, still focused on the memory.
"...Jeremy always promised he'd protect me," he whispered, "and he kept that promise until the day he disappeared."
A small shudder went through his body. Will gently put a hand on his shoulder.
"Greg isn't just destroying a restaurant," he said. "He's destroying families: mine, yours, those kids'."
"...And he's not done," Mike whispered in realization.
"Don't reckon he is, if he's back," Will said.
"Not only that," Mike said, looking up, "I recognized him back in '87, and I know he worked at the old place before then. It wasn't important then, but now…"
He took a breath.
"...When I was six," Mike continued, "I got scared at one of Foxy's shows. I ran into the back room. My dad followed me, and so did Foxy."
"Why would he do that?" Vanna asked.
"Because my dad was tall and blond," Mike said. "He had green eyes, but they could probably pass for blue in the right light. Greg followed us, and shut Foxy down. He said he wasn't working right."
"Foxy said his programming was glitched," Vanna pointed out.
"You're right," Mike agreed, "and that's probably why. Greg did something to break Foxy, because he got suspicious."
"Saw someone who looked like the culprit walkin' in the back with a kid," Will said, quietly. "They aren't as famous as the '87 incident, but there were incidents off and on before that. Most well-known one was a little girl who disappeared nearby."
"...It's just..." Mike started, a shudder going through his body, "...I remember Greg from a few times in my life. I know he worked at Freddy's, and he was there the day I found out Jeremy disappeared. And if I recognized him..."
Will gave him a solemn nod.
"Given how long he's gone without gettin' caught, he probably memorized your face in case you crossed paths again."
"And he doesn't leave witnesses," Mike whispered. "...Fuck, if I go in tonight, I'm probably a dead man."
Vanna put a hand on his shoulder.
"Then don't go."
Mike put a hand on hers. For a long while, none of them spoke. Mike glanced around the room, at the trinkets, art, and newspaper clippings. His eyes fell on the large Fredbear plush in the far corner, with the purple hat and matching bowtie. The bear's warm, plastic brown eyes watched them, the smile as sweet as it was intended to be. Mike looked at the shelf above it, at the spare Fredbear head.
A golden Freddy.
One of the last things Jeremy ever saw before he left this world, and the way Greg kept all of his murders hidden. The spare Spring Bonnie head above it tugged at his sudden guilt. For a moment, he saw the decrepit head back at the pizzeria, with ghostly eyes staring back.
All those years...
"...If he's going to target me anyway," Mike said at last, "we might as well use it."
"Mike, don't be stupid," Vanna said. "If you go in, he'll kill you."
Mike winced at her words.
"I know that, but what else can we do, Vanna? We don't have any direct proof, only speculation. And Jeremy can't talk to anyone but us. Even if he could, how the hell could we get that to hold up in court?"
"Hate to say it," Will said, "but I agree. Mike's our best chance of nailing this bastard. He's got somethin' Greg wants, even if it's his life."
A frown.
"But he won't be alone," Will continued. "Greg knows about him and me, but he doesn't know about you, Vanna. We have to use that to our advantage."
"You've both lost it," Vanna muttered.
"Got a better plan?" Mike asked.
"Yeah," Vanna said. "Not risking your life."
"Quiet, both of you," Will said. "I already said he won't be alone. We just have to make sure Greg thinks he is."
He pondered a moment. Soon enough, his face lit up as he remembered something.
"...Might be able to wrangle some inside help," Will said. "And I might have somethin' else we can use. Gimme a moment."
He got up and went to the closet to rummage around. Will shifted some of the uniforms and moved some of the boxes until he found the correct one. He then brought it out for his companions to see.
"Figured these might come in handy someday," he said, setting the box down.
"What are they?" Vanna asked, watching Will wrangle to get the box open.
"Spare parts," Will answered. "Prototypes. Bonnie willed 'em to your mother, but she wanted nothin' to do with this. I took 'em off her hands."
He opened the box and began to rummage around.
"...Took a lot of things off her hands," Will said, sadly.
He started to pull out several smaller boxes, many of them labeled with serial numbers and parts names.
"Can we help?" Vanna asked.
"It's labeled weird," Will said, examining another parts box before setting it down. "I'll know it when I - well, speak of the devil!"
He pulled out a thin, square box.
"Should be four of these," Will said, "and they shouldn't take much to hook up, provided they still work."
"What are they?" Mike asked.
"Better if I show you," Will said.
He carefully opened the box, pulled aside the foam and plastic wrappings, and presented the prototype to Mike and Vanna. Upon seeing it, both of them smirked as they quickly realized what Will was up to.
"Nice," Vanna said, "but how are you going to use them without Greg noticing?"
"Like I said," Will answered. "Got a bit of good will with the staff. Don't worry about it."
He smiled a little as he packed the prototype away again.
"Now we just gotta work out the rest of the details."
Mike took a seat on the desk chair.
"If I'm going to risk my life," he said, "I at least want some good coffee first."
"Later," Vanna said. "Right now, we need to come up with a plan, and then we'll need some sleep."
"Point," Mike said.
"Here," Will said, reaching into his wallet for a twenty. "On me."
Vanna took it with a nod.
"Thanks," she said. "Now let's figure out how we keep Mike alive."