A/N Hello again all, and welcome to the next chapter. Up next is going to be the aftermath of Night 5 and I'm going to be doing it in two parts like I did with Night 3. The reason being, for this chapter, I'm going to focus on some more development for the characters already introduced, and for the next one, I'll properly introduce Chica and set up the story's ultimate climax. Just a little heads up for what you can expect, but I hope it all strikes your fancy. Alright, enough of that. Let's roll.

On this night, the drive back to the house was possibly the calmest the group had experienced thus far. It was clear that there was still much to discuss about everyone's situation, but with how much was actually out in the open now, everyone was feeling rather content at the moment. They had been telling themselves this whole time that they could handle anything, but now they were actually beginning to feel that way. More than anything, they were all glad that they wouldn't have to be alone anymore.

When they got back, Roxy tried to carry Gregory in again, but he was insistent that he could move now. So, she relented and let him walk on his own, which he did with a slight wobble. Fifi was still unconscious at this time, so Chica carried her in and, under Vanessa's instruction, laid her on the couch. Roxy then led the bird to the basement, so Henry could begin his work. It only took one or two minutes after they left for Fifi to wake up. She was rather groggy when she did, not seeming to remember what happened…that was until she removed the flash drive from her neck. When she realized what it was, all the memories came flooding back, and everything was confirmed by those present. She took it as well as expected…meaning she ran off and hid in her room, screaming and crying hysterically.

Vanessa went up after her and tried to reason with her, but it was useless. The mouse was in no state to talk, and Vanessa knew it. So, she decided to check with Henry to see what he would need for Chica. Roxy came up not long after she went down, obviously having been told she was in the way. Her mood was not dampened in the least, however, especially when she stole a glance at Gregory and Freddy as she went by. The two of them were now seated on the couch, and she smiled when she saw them together. The old friend she didn't think she would see again, and the new one she didn't think she deserved. With a content huff, she went to her room.

Gregory and Freddy just continued to sit in their spot, both taking in what was happening. The two of them have been together since this whole fiasco started at the Pizzaplex, and now here they were, about to end it, still together. They could still hear Fifi's sobs in the background, but they also felt the light shining in from the side window as the new day dawned. The scene they were in was a reflection of how it always was for the two of them. It was the saddest situation possible, but at the same time, there was such a promise of hope. Neither of them said anything about it to one another though. They both knew what the other was thinking at this point. Gregory eventually rested his head in Freddy's lap, pondering these thoughts, and closed his eyes as the bear stroked his messy brown hair. Though he was tired, he didn't fall asleep. He just laid there and thought long and hard about everything.

He didn't know how much time had passed when he heard the door to the basement close, and when he did, he lifted his head up to see Vanessa marching her way to the loveseat. The blonde heaved a sigh and rested her head on her hand. She and the boy both looked at each other with exhausted eyes.

"Guess I've done all I can do now," she breathed. "It's all up to Henry now…How are you feeling?"

He gave a half smile. "Better…now."

She shifted slightly. "You know, you could've told me Cassidy wanted to kill you."

He shrugged. "You could've told me Vanny was modeled after you."

"…Touché." She bit her lip. "Gregory, I want you to know that the last thing I wanted from my whole venture was for anyone to get hurt. Finding out about this…it tends to bring out the worst in people and William wanted to use that to his advantage with me. I thought Vanny could've been my way of turning things around, but everything just wound up worse. Now, when I look at her it's like…the worst version of myself. What I'm scared of becoming. So, when I found you…I couldn't let you become what she had. You don't deserve to be a part of this, Gregory, and it makes me feel so sick that she's the one that started this for you."

"…Well, you know what?" The boy sat up. "She's not you. When she had me before, she told me she didn't want to think for herself. I just thought to myself, am I talking to a kid or a grown-up? But you…not only do you think for yourself, but you always encourage people to. Even Vanny admitted it, and she hated you for it. It seems like you always get hated for it, but…I think I want to change that. I honestly didn't tell you about Cassidy because I didn't want you to worry. I just couldn't admit to myself then that I care about you now. But after tonight…well…I think I have an answer for you now."

The blonde cocked an eyebrow. "An answer for wha—Oh…Well…What is it?"

The boy gave a smile. "…Yes. I would love for you to adopt me. You're the closest thing I've had to a mother in so long. Might as well make it official."

Vanessa let out the breath she was holding and an astonished grin formed as she brought a hand to her chest. Trembling from the suddenness of it, there was a sparkle in her eye as she looked at him that it seemed hadn't been there in so long.

"Kid…you have no idea what that means to me," she breathed. After a beat she stood up. "I think I need to lay down for a bit. Can't believe everything that's happened."

Gregory watched as she briskly went up the stairs, using up her last bit of energy. This was just another thing he knew he couldn't turn back from, and seeing how she reacted, among everything else, cemented that he had made the right choice. He shifted onto his back and laid his head back in Freddy's lap, just as the bear was giving a light chuckle.

"Hard to believe this is the same young man that instantly told me he didn't trust her. You have come a long way, Superstar."

The boy also chuckled, embarrassed. "Doesn't really feel like I have…but thanks." It was then he took a closer survey of the damage done to his friend. "By the way, what happened to you?"

Freddy took a breath. "William happened. I probably shouldn't be here right now, and I wouldn't be if it weren't for Charlie…and Evan."

"Evan? He was there?"

"Yes. Charlie freed him from Cassidy, and…he decided to help me before he left."

Gregory's face turned somber, knowing exactly what he ment.

"So, he moved on, huh? Well…how do you feel?"

"Honestly…pretty good. At least that's one member of my family that doesn't have to suffer anymore." He pulled some hair away from his charge's forehead. "You know…it took some time for me to notice this but…you look so much like him, Gregory. It's almost like I'm looking at him all over again."

"…You think so?"

"Yes, I do. Maybe that's why I malfunctioned that night at the Pizzaplex. Perhaps, the virus was going to activate for me that night, but something must have happened when I saw you. Would that have been when I started becoming Michael again? Could seeing you have triggered the memories of his brother? I just don't know, but…I cannot shake the feeling that this would have been a chance of redemption for what happened to Evan."

The boy was confused. "You say that like I'm some reincarnation of him or something."

"No, no, of course not…but I do think you are the reason why I got these memories back…and that I finally got the chance to help a child rather than hurting them. I've wanted that to change for so long, and now I get to. All because one hopeful orphan, so full of life despite his situation, decided to break the rules I was so meticulously programmed to follow. I owe you everything for that."

Gregory gently grabbed his friend's wrist. "I owe you too, you know. When I found you that night, I thought it was just going to be 'hide in the robot until the scary lady leaves then get the heck out of here.' I didn't realize I'd actually find the first person I could trust in such a long time. Ever since my parents died, I thought if I did that, I'd just wind up back in an orphanage…or in some foster home…or in jail…or heartbroken…or dead. But you gave me a chance, Freddy, and so did Vanessa. You guys built me up rather than tearing me down like I had been before, so why wouldn't I do the same for the others? All of that is your doing, and I'm saying that to you…and to Michael if he's still there. If you ask me…you've done so much more than redeem yourself."

Freddy felt lighter than air in that moment. He had felt so conflicted up until this point, with Michael's memories and the longing for what he thought he had at the Pizzaplex bearing down on him. But now he looked down at the brave, plucky kid that willingly joined him on his journey, and he knew that things had changed for the better at last. Things were finally looking up, and he couldn't have been happier.

He pulled Gregory into a soft embrace. "Thank you…Superstar."

The boy looked up at his newfound father-figure, pulling away just enough for a good view.

"If it seems like we haven't talked much since this whole thing started, I'm sorry," he said quietly. "It just takes a while to process everything going on."

"I understand," came the loving reply. "I was just happy to see you do what you were doing. It made me proud."

Gregory gave a slight chuckle. "I'm glad…You know, if Vanessa's going to do what she said—remake Faz. En. into what it was supposed to be—I think she's going to need all the help she can get."

"Say no more. I don't think you have to worry about me going anywhere. Not unless I want to get dragged right to our corporate office. They will probably wipe my memory banks if that happens. That is…not desirable."

"Uh, yeah. Definitely not."

They shared a good-natured laugh at that joke. They both knew things wouldn't come to an end that quickly for them.

"Gregory, you've become too special for me to just let go," Freddy continued. "I never thought I would care for a child like this. Not again. You can trust that I will stay by your side no matter what. I promise."

The boy nodded, looking at his friend with caring eyes.

"That goes double for me," Roxy's voice came suddenly.

They both turned quickly to see the Glamrock wolf at the foot of the stairs, leaning with her elbow on the railing, a tired grin still plastered on her face. When she was acknowledged, she straightened up and began slowly walking toward the couch.

"You're staying too, Roxy?" Gregory asked. "I…wasn't sure if you would or not."

"What?" she smirked. "You didn't think I'd just leave after everything you did for me, did you?"

"After what I did for you? Come on, Roxy. You're the one that saved me."

"Wrong, kid." She plopped on the couch next to him. "You saved me. It was you that made me come to my senses Wednesday night. It was you that decided to take a chance on me, even though it might've been hopeless. It was you that made me actually stop and think about things after being tortured for a month and thinking about nothing but myself for longer than that. I don't think I would've even survived last night if you hadn't done that.

"If things had turned out differently, at best I'd have probably been the same priss I was at the Pizzaplex. Only then I would've had blood on my hands and wouldn't have known it. It would've been worse if things had kept going like they have all month for me. Baby, Afton, and the rest of them would've turned me into a remorseless killer, or worse, a mindless drone. I know it. You had every right to never forgive me after everything I've said and done to you, but I'm so glad you did. I still don't think I deserve it, but…at least now I get a chance to make things better."

Gregory was stunned. The same animatronic wolf that just a month ago was mocking him about having no friends was now calling him her savior. All he did was say he was sorry, just because he couldn't do anything else. He looked at her in wonder.

Freddy shifted to face her. "I think you deserve it. You forget I was there with you at the Pizzaplex for the longest time. I saw things that no one else did. The way your hands shook before a performance. The pep-talks you would give yourself before meet and greets. How you would run away to hide after a small mista—"

"Uh, did you need to get all that out in the open, Freddy?" She interrupted, embarrassed. This earned her a laugh from the 10-year-old.

"Oh, I have a point!" Freddy continued frantically. "All that time, it pained me to see how you pushed the notion that you thought so highly of yourself when it seemed you actually thought you were worthless. I wanted ever so to help you, but you would keep denying it and pushing me away. It broke my heart to see it. But now you've let someone help you, and I'm finally seeing that confidence you've longed to have for so long. How could anyone not want that for you."

Roxy rolled her eyes while still maintaining her smile. The big lug just had to put everything in the sappiest way, but at least he meant well. She jumped slightly, though, when she felt Gregory grab her arm.

"He's right, you know," the boy smirked. "You can't just put on a brave face and expect every problem to go away. But I think you're starting to figure that out now. I think it takes a ton of confidence to say you're scared of something and then have the guts to go out and face it. I've done that all my life. So, if you want to learn how to do that, I can totally help. I didn't know what I was doing Wednesday night, and I still don't really know what I'm doing with this. But at least I know I've got a friend in you now."

Roxy's smile grew wide again, and she pulled the child into a tight hug.

"From now on, I'm going to protect you no matter what, Greg. That's the pact I'm making with you now."

"I'm making that pact with you too. Nothing's gonna hurt you while I'm around."

"Haha. You're too good to me, Champ."

Gregory crawled back into the space between the two animatronics, and held on to both of their hands. Despite being made of metal and plastic, there was something innately comforting about holding them, especially considering they felt so warm. The three of them gave a caring glance to one another as they sat there, totally relaxed. Gregory had secretly longed to have a family again for quite some time, but this was certainly not the family he had expected. He decided, however, that beggars can't be choosers, and more than anything, he was ecstatic about the hand that was delt to him this week. He finally had a place to call home and people to hold close. Nothing could be better than that.

The three of them leaned back in their seats and took a nice cleansing breath, but perked their heads up when they noticed a distinct lack of sobbing.

"I guess Fifi's calmed down a bit now," Gregory observed. "Maybe I can try to talk to her."

He pushed himself off the couch and landed feet first on the floor. As he began to walk off, Roxy shifted and leaned forward after him.

"Don't you want us to come with you?" she asked.

The child looked back, slightly surprised.

"I do think it would be best if we back you up on this," Freddy concurred.

There wasn't much he could say to that. "Yeah, you're right. Come on."

Soon enough, the three of them were standing in front of Fifi's room, which was at the left end of the hallway after going up the stairs. As they looked at the closed door, they could still here some faint sobs. The tension was definitely starting to build as Gregory reached for the doorknob. As he grabbed it, he looked back toward his two guardians, who had worried looks of their own but still gave him a reassuring nod. Mustering his courage again and taking a big breath of air, he turned the knob and slowly pushed the door in.

There were no lights on in the room save for the sunlight coming through the window on the right. There also weren't many furnishings visible from the doorway aside from the bed on the far wall and the nightstand next to it. They could clearly see that there was a sizable mound under the maroon bedsheets, which was illuminated by the silhouette of the window pane. They could tell it was Fifi since the sobbing was coming from it, but she left no part of her body visible from under the covers. They looked at the mound for a moment, in pity, until Gregory finally stepped forward.

"Hey Fifi," he said tenderly. "You feeling any better?"

She was silent for a moment, but she finally squeaked out, "…Please don't come near me."

He took another step. "Fifi, it's okay. I know you're not going to hurt me."

"No, you don't," she murmured. "You didn't know what I'd do to you tonight. You didn't know I'd attack you like some wild animal." The last two words were delivered with pure disgust.

"But I know you," he kept moving forward, undeterred. "I know what happened before wasn't your doing, and I know you would never actually do that."

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT ME, GREGORY?!"

She yelled this as her head erupted from under the blankets towards Gregory. Her optics were glowing their usual pink, but her expression was one of both anger and despair.

"Do you have an engineering degree?" she continued in an unsettling tone. "Computer science? Do you know you're not about to set off some kill switch that will make me lose my mind again? Do you know what other forsaken weapons I have installed in me? How do you know I won't cut your head off if you come any closer? Whether I want to or not?!"

The boy was shocked by this, but he stood his ground. "That's not what I'm talking about, Fifi. There's more to it than that."

"I'm a machine, Gregory! What else is there?!" She wrapped herself tighter in the blankets. "This wasn't just a fluke. It wasn't a glitch in my programming. Vanny unlocked a feature I couldn't use before, that they purposely hid from me! I saw it come up in my interface! There was a name for it! 'Nightmare Mode'…Do you know what that means? It means I was supposed to be a killer from the start! It's a part of me…and I can't get rid of it!"

He could tell by the tone of her voice that she was on the verge of tears again. He should've known she wouldn't be too easy to console, especially after this. If what he had gone through with Roxy proved anything, he wasn't going to wave a magic wand and make everything better, but he wondered just what he was going to do for Fifi now.

"Perhaps it is a part of you," Freddy interjected suddenly, "but I know now more than ever that it does not have to be all you are…Vanessa and I found your blueprints. We knew about that aspect of your design before this happened. Thinking back, we should have told you as soon as we found out, but…we weren't sure how it would affect you if you knew."

"Well how thoughtful of you, Freddy," the mouse hissed condescendingly. "Thanks so much for all your help."

The bear sighed. "As I said, I should have told you…but this changes nothing. They may have wanted you to be a killer…but you are not their slave. They made the mistake of giving you free will. Do you know what that means? It means you get to choose what you want to be. When you know what you're doing is wrong, there is nothing stopping you from fighting against it."

She pushed herself up slightly. "That's easy for you to say when you're not the puppet at the end of the string! That virus…it was like…every thought I had was twisted and twisted into the most unbearable things imaginable until…I just stopped thinking. I couldn't feel anything but rage. The same thing happened with Monty in the vents. I know I'm the one that attacked him now. I had to be. He just wouldn't stop provoking me until I went berserk!

"What if that had happened with another little kid? I bet that's what they wanted, huh? Some little kid to annoy me for long enough until I finally snapped. Another one on the chopping block! Not that I would've cared, though. I probably would've forgotten that too."

Fifi was visibly shaking at the last part, until she fell back down on her side and pressed her hands against her head. Gregory's heart was breaking seeing her think of herself as a monster after everything they had been through, and he was shaking as well.

"Well newsflash, kid!" Roxy chimed in boldly. "You remember now, so you already know what they're trying to do to manipulate you. You've ruined that little plan, so you got no reason to worry about it anymore. Here's an idea for you. It's probably crazy, but it just might work! I think you could actually use this to do something good. We'll probably have to go back to that diner at least one more night, and I'd hate to see you go into the fray with just that rinky-dink camera again."

Gregory had to stifle a laugh. At least he knew he had good backup with this. Fifi, however was not so amused. She jumped up to her knees and threw the covers off herself furiously.

"Haven't you been listening, Roxy!?" she yelled. "I can't control it! I black out when it happens! I can't even think! And I don't have a clue what's going to set it off! Why would I risk even trying that?!"

"Well, here's the difference between now and then," the wolf pressed on. "You didn't know then. You do now! So, you can figure it out if you want to, especially since I hear you're just as bright as this kid right here." She pointed to Gregory. "Heck, why couldn't the two of you figure it out together? Why couldn't we? You're crazy if you think we wouldn't help you!"

"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I DON'T WANT!" Fifi shouted back, inconsolable. "All that's going to do is get everyone hurt! I know it! I don't want to hurt anyone again! I didn't think I was capable of it until now! I should've realized it when you found me, Gregory, but I stupidly refused to believe this company would do anything like that! Even after everything you told me, and what Josh said, and literally everything else I didn't want to believe it! But now…I can't even comfort myself with that lie.

"My whole reason for being has been laid out in front of me now, and it's worse than I ever imagined. I don't deserve your help. They decided to throw me in that diner and leave me to rot, and clearly…that's where I should've stayed. I'm a monster, and I should've stayed locked up in my cage where I belong."

Her shaking was worse than ever, and her voice indicated that she was getting closer and closer to tears. It was then Gregory decided he had heard enough. He was not about to let his friend talk about herself like that. He stepped forward again.

"Don't you say that!" he exclaimed. "Don't put yourself down after everything you've done to help us! If we thought we couldn't help you, we wouldn't be here right now, so I'm asking as your friend to let us try!"

When Fifi saw that he was inching closer, she scrambled backwards on the bed until she hit the headboard.

"Gregory, what are you doing?! Get away from me!" she yelled.

He continued forward. "I'm not letting you go through this alone."

"Gregory, I'm telling you! Don't come closer!"

He was about two feet away from her now. "Fifi, please! I just want to—"

"GET AWAY!"

The sound of metal against metal reverberated as the hidden claws suddenly emerged from Fifi's hand, coming toward Gregory threateningly. The boy finally stopped and recoiled from the shock of it. There was a silence for a few seconds before the scowl of Fifi's face changed to one of pure horror, and she shook again as she saw what her hand had turned into.

"See?" She squeaked, about to cry again. "Look what you made me do!"

It seems as though she was about to go into full blown hysterics as she leaned against the headboard shaking with tears. Gregory initially didn't know what to do, but his memory quickly went back to one of the last times he saw his father. The boy remembered how he had fallen and scraped his knee, but his father stayed with him a moment to comfort him before nursing the wound. He wondered if he could do the same thing for Fifi now. Regardless, he had to try something. He briskly crawled onto the bed and boldly grabbed Fifi's clawed hand. She gasped in a panic when he did this.

"Fifi," he immediately responded, calmly. "It's okay. Just look at me for a sec."

Her eyes darted to her hand and back. "B-But I—"

"Don't look at that. Just look at me. Okay?" He gave her a moment. "You didn't do anything to me, see? I'm perfectly fine. Everything's gonna be alright."

She was still quivering, but she nodded her head to indicate she understood.

"Let's just take a few deep breaths, okay?" he continued. "Just breathe with me."

He held onto the mouse firmly as he guided her in breathing with him. Given that she never really needed to breathe, she didn't expect much from this, but before long, she found just that simple act to be so calming. A feeling that was surprisingly heightened when the boy instructed her to close her eyes. She knew her troubles weren't gone from just that, but she couldn't deny the calmness she was beginning to feel in that moment.

The other two animatronics took a few steps closer, curiously watching everything happen. They could see how much calmer Fifi looked from just this simple action. Eventually, they both leaned against the foot of the bed, shifting their focus to the brave little orphan boy they had grown so fond of. They both looked at him admiringly, wondering the same thing: 'How does he do it?'

After one final breath, Gregory spoke again. "Feeling any better now?"

Though still looking a little perturbed, the mouse gave a slight nod.

"Good," came his response. "Now, do you think you want to try putting the claws away?"

She looked and saw that the claws were indeed still out. She couldn't explain why she felt more afraid looking at them than anything else she had been through this week, but she decided that if she was going to handle this like any of the other stuff, she was going to have to face it. Wordlessly, she closed her eyes in concentration, and soon enough, she could feel the claws slowly retracting back into her hand. After opening her eyes, she brought the hand back to her face and looked at it as if a miracle had just occurred.

"Well, what do you know?" Roxy remarked. "Looks like you can control it…'course I guess it'll take some time for you to get used to it, huh?"

Freddy nodded. "No doubt…but we will be here to help you with it, Fifi. No matter what."

The mouse looked at her fellow animatronics in astonishment. Not even when she thought she was going to the Pizzaplex did she think she would ever make this strong a connection with anyone. The only other person that came close was Nick, her lead tech. She wondered if he knew about her. But that thought left her head as soon as it came when Gregory wrapped his arms around her neck in probably his first embrace with her.

"If any of you have learned anything from this," he said, "it should be that there's so much more to you than your programming. Especially you Fifi. You've been so brave and so strong through all of this. I'll tell you right now, you'll never be a reject in my book."

She slowly returned the hug and gave another slight sniffle.

"I'm so sorry," she breathed. "I didn't mean what I said, I just didn't want anything bad to happen."

"It won't," came Vanessa's voice suddenly. "Not if we can help it."

Everyone turned to see the former security guard standing in the doorway, and encouraging grin on her face. From what she just said, they could tell she was listening for a while, but no one decided to press the matter.

"Anyway," she continued, "I hate to break up a good moment, but Henry just messaged me and said he was done with Chica. We can go down and see her if you want."

Freddy and Roxy's faces lit up, but the nerves were still evident for Fifi after what she just experienced. However, when she looked down at Gregory, he gave her a reassuring smile.

"Well, what do you say?" he asked. "You wanna go meet your new friend?"

A/N And that's that. Sorry it took so long to post…again. But honestly with this one, I think it took as long as it needed to. It's a bit of a struggle to write something emotional like this without it seeming too melodramatic, but hopefully that's not an issue with this final product. My only regret is that I was not able to get it out before Halloween, but things happen the way their supposed to happen. Anyway, as I mentioned, I'll be doing two aftermaths for Night 5, so please look forward to that. Hope you all enjoyed and please leave a review if you can. See you next time.