Author's Note:

TRIGGER WARNING! Mentions of Violence and Childhood Abuse in this chapter.

Location: Pizzaplex VIP Area

Time: 10:49pm

Somehow, Gregory had returned right back into the Pizzaplex VIP Area from that Hallway and now, he had to find Freddy. Wherever he was.

'Or I could just call him here.'

Gregory recalls what Freddy said and presses the small, round button on his watch. He presses it again. Nothing.

He then tries to contact Freddy vocally.

"Freddy, you there?" Gregory speaks into his watch.

Still no response. The boy exhales.

'Must still be charging...'

Gregory shrugs and decides to just walk about and hide in the VIP area until Freddy is available again. There weren't many Security Bots around so it was easy to dodge them and, additionally, Gregory couldn't see or hear the other animatronics in this place either as it was likely that they were prowling about other sections of the Mall trying to find and capture him.

The place was eerily quiet without the sounds of Chica's electric guitar, the narcissistic chatter of Roxy or the loud crashing from Monty's room ...

As the boy strolls about, he sees something that he had never seen before when he was here the first time. On the opposite side of the Glamrocks' rooms and positioned right next to a massive cardboard cutout of Foxy the Pirate on a pirate ship, was a large, horizontal and rectangular room which had yellow internal and external walls. The sign above this room read "Fazbear Entertainment History Exhibit".

Gregory's eyes light up. His curiosity piqued.

'A History Exhibit? That sounds interesting. Should I go in?' The Boy ponders his options, 'I have nothing else to do and Freddy is still charging... Also there doesn't seem to be any bots in there...so yeah, I'll go in. Maybe I'll learn something interesting while I'm there.'

Gregory was then instantly struck by a realisation about Who else he could find out more about in that exhibit.

'Maybe I could learn more about William Afton...'

With that, Gregory makes the decision to enter.

—

Strewn about the exhibit were different Fazbear memorabilia that had been collected by the company over many years and now, they were displayed for all to see. They mainly consisted of perfectly preserved props and items locked in glass cases, scattered in corners or placed right smack in the middle and all had small gold labels next to them which stated the year it was found (and used) and what it was. Meanwhile, hung on the walls and seated in golden frames were old posters from "Fredbears Family Diner '' and "Fazbear's Pizzeria" and arranged in chronological order.

However, strangely enough, two items were missing: A smoking pipe that belonged to one of the Founders, William Afton, and a "Miniature Music Man Protoype".

Gregory was starting to feel a bit woozy from staring at all these items as they brought back more of William's memories to him, mainly those of the Golden Days of the Fazbear business. Everything here felt nostalgic to him but at the same time, he also felt upset as all of these feelings and moments of familiarity that he was presently having weren't really his. Technically, they belonged to William Afton.

'Is there anything about me that's truly unique? Or am I all him? That murderer, that monster...am I destined to become a monster like him?'

Gregory shakes his head, trying to derail this train of thought before it consumes him and makes him as sad as Henry.

'No! I won't become like William. I'll make sure of it. When and if I leave this place tonight, I'll run away and become my own person and make my own memories with people that don't hate me...yeah. I'd like that a lot'.

More time passes as Gregory tries to search for information about the Founders in the exhibit but the more he searched, the more it seemed like they were nowhere to be found at all. And finally, when he did find something about them, it was in a small corner upon the side of a wall that was tucked away from everything else.

In thinner and less grandiose gold frames, four photographs hung there huddled together: The first one, on the top right, was a photo of two old mascots called Springbonnie and Fredbear. The second picture, on the top right, was a photo of the two Founders wearing matching white uniforms with red bow ties. In that photo, they appeared to be genuinely happy together.

Lastly, the photos on the bottom left and right were two individual portrait pictures of William Afton and Henry Emily but in more formal suits this time (that were Navy Blue and Maroon Red in colour respectively). A small plaque lay below all 4 images and it read: The Founders of Fazbear Entertainment! Without them, we would never be where we are today.

Gregory looks at the section with disappointment. There was absolutely no information about the Founders at all. Only images from another time...

'This is weird and disappointing. Shouldn't the company have more respect for the people who made it all happen. Why do they only have this small area dedicated to them?'

Despite this, Gregory somehow feels inexplicably drawn to William's portrait, feeling an odd connection with the dead Founder he was cloned from. He can't help himself as he lays one his fingers onto the portrait, tracing familiar features that were identical to his as he's sucked into a memory...

The crowd cheers as William and Henry both cut the ribbon, opening their business to the public. They had been advertising it for weeks on end and it seems the fruits of their painstaking efforts finally were paying off as they were greeted by an enormous number of customers at Fredbear Family Diner's front gates...

The memory skips ahead to sometime later:

Floating balloons, the sounds of children laughing and playing, a bunch of people going up to greet William who grins at them, shakes hands and offers their children sweet treats...

"Mr Afton?" A Photographer with a camera in hands rushes up to him.

"Ah, hello Jeremy," William turns to face the blond-haired man, "Snapped any good shots so far?"

"A lot sir," he says confidently, "but I'm missing a few special ones..."

"What do you mean?"

"If you and Henry have the time right now, I'd love to take special pictures of you and him to commemorate the opening of your new business." Jeremy proposes.

"Of course! I'd be happy to be a young man. I'll just go get Henry. Give me a second".

William walks around the Diner until he sees Henry in the distance passing free gifts to children who were lined up in a queue.

"Henry," William hollers, "I need you for a bit. Can you come with me?"

Henry turned his head towards his best friend's voice and nodded. He excuses himself for the moment, apologising to the children before heading over to William.

"Henry, this is Jeremy. He wants a photo of us."

Both William and Henry turn towards Jeremy, having chosen to stand in front of one of the Diner walls as their backdrop.

"Alright, I'll start the countdown." the photographer begins, "1...2..."

Without warning, William places his right hand on his Business Partner's left shoulder before Jeremy utters "3".

"Smile wide and confidently Henry." William grips Henry's shoulder tightly and grins wide from ear to ear at the camera, "The world is watching us".

"SMILE!"

—

Floating isolated in a World of digital screens that display (almost) everything that happens in the Pizzaplex and electric currents, A Gold Rabbit mascot in a purple vest keeps tabs on his Vessel who is currently focused on staring and tracing the portrait of the person he used to be in fascination.

He wonders what the clone is thinking and feeling. Is he awed at the person he used to be? Entranced? Disgusted? Perplexed? Who knows...

William taps a neon red circle at his side with his left hand, ringing Vanny up. It takes about a minute but she soon responds...

"Vanny." William calls to her in a sweet voice, "I found my Vessel. He's in the Fazbear Historical Exhibit near the Glamrock's VIP Area. You'd better hurry before he gets away".

"That's great news." she said cheerfully, "I'll go get him right now Mr Afton ~"

"Hang on," the Gold Rabbit paused her for a moment, "before you do that. You have to disguise yourself. I don't think my Vessel trusts you in the Rabbit suit anymore."

"Aww." she pouts, "but my costume is cute and friendly looking. You think he hates it?"

"Hey may think so but I don't. I think it looks cute on you." He compliments her, "However, I do think we need to try a different approach to catch him."

Using his right hand, he makes gestures that add new directions to the GPS in her phone.

"I've just uploaded new directions on your phone. While you are on your way there, you should come across a corridor full of clothes before reaching the VIP Area. When you are there, steal a Security Guard Uniform from one of the shelves and wear it".

"I'll do whatever you say Mr Afton!"

"Oh and one more thing, bring a sedative to knock "Gregory" out if he resists. You know how to use it right?"

"Of course I do ~"

"Good."

With that, William cuts off contact with her and goes back to watching Gregory who is still gazing at his portrait in a daze.

Alone, the Gold Rabbit murmurs to himself, "I, William Afton, have cheated death, escaped hell, defeated monsters and soon, I will be reborn once more in full flesh..."

—-

"Come in Superstar! Superstar!" The warm voice of Freddy Fazbear breaks Gregory out of his trance where he was caught up in a flashback of William and Henry performing a dance routine together in their Springbonnie and Fredbear suits.

"Huh? Oh sorry I spaced out." Gregory blinks rapidly while rubbing his forehead and trying to return to reality.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm fully charged and ready to assist you again." he declares joyfully from the Fazwatch, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah..I was just distracted." Gregory tells him, "Can I talk to Henry or Mike?"

"Why?"

"I have something important to ask them."

"Sure. They're talking in the corner...I'll bring you to them".

He hears Freddy's footsteps approaching the ghosts and Gregory catches a fragment of a conversation between them.

"...Can you imagine what Cassidy would be like if we told her that there are clones of William running about in the living world right now?" Henry asks Mike.

Mike chortles wryly, "Oh God Yeah! She'd go nuts! More nuts than me!"

"Who's Cassidy?" Gregory wonders aloud.

A Gold Bear with Black Eyes stares within his soul in an empty Void.

"Oh, Gregory, we didn't know you were here!" Henry says shocked.

"Cassidy is just someone we used to know." Mike simplifies, "You don't need to know much more than that".

Gregory felt like this 'Cassidy' was important somehow but decided not to question them about 'her' for now as he presently had a much more pressing c on his mind that he needed to ask.

He takes a deep breath, "Mike, Henry, What do you know about William Afton?"

"Why do you want to know about him?" Mike asks Gregory suspiciously.

"I'm just...curious. I saw a portrait of him earlier but there was no information about him at all and I just thought that since you and Henry were close to him, you would know what he was like back then?"

"But why do you want to know about him? It can't be just curiosity." Mike asks again accusingly.

"I guess... I just want to know what he was like so that I won't become like him in the future." Gregory attempts to explain his reasoning.

"He used to be a great friend." Henry begins, "Or so I thought...We were friends since childhood and we would spend summer holidays together. Then one day, after middle school, William left to return to Britain but I kept in contact with him through letters until the day he returned to America".

He sighs almost dreamily, reminiscing on better days.

"When we met again for the first time in 10 years, I remember him telling me that his father had died and that he'd inherited his engineering business and rebranded it to Afton Robotics. He also said he was starting a branch here in America and was willing to help me out if I needed anything and well, that's when I told him my idea for a family restaurant and we became business partners".

"Okay but what was he like personality-wise?" Gregory rephrases his question.

"Well, I'd say that he was like...a Snake-Oil Salesman."

"A what?"

"Basically, William was very good at making negotiations. Sometimes he would even lie and cheat to get what he wanted, especially for the success of our business, but he always assured me that he knew what he was doing and that all I had to do was go along with it."

"Anything else?"

"He was charming to a lot of people, not just our investors." Henry adds, "His charisma along with his good looks drew a lot of people towards him which is also why he was a hit with the ladies and children. In hindsight, that was a very bad thing."

"You don't say." Mike interrupted, "And you thought HE was attractive? Really? He looked like every average white man on the street to me. He was a rice cracker".

"I mean...that's just your opinion Mike. Everyone thought he was good looking".

"Even you?"

"Ummm...yes."

Gregory couldn't see Henry but he could definitely feel him blushing in embarrassment from the other side of the screen.

"Is that why you kissed William in one memory I had?" Gregory added cheekily. For whatever reason, he felt compelled to bring up this memory.

Mike chokes, "What the fuck Henry?!"

"It wasn't like that Mike! I swear! He was drunk and He tried to smooch me at the bar one time as a playful joke. Also, Gregory, how do you know that?"

"I told you I had some of his memories, didn't I?" Gregory reminds him.

Henry huffed, "Okay that's enough from me. Mike, what do you know about your Father?"

"I thought he was a piece of shit."

"Can you tell me more about erm...why you think that about him?" Gregory asks Mike to elaborate more about William with apprehension.

"My Father was charming on the surface. Henry was right about that." Mike confirms, "Buuuutttt...out of the public eye, he was an awful person and I got the front row seats to all of his cruelty. Whenever he was unhappy or angry, he would hit and bruise me badly. I didn't understand why he would abuse me and eventually, I just came to the assumption that anything I did would never please him. So then, I thought that since he was going to be a shitty person to me, I'd be a shitty person to him and everyone else. I regret those days a lot."

A memory briefly flashes in Gregory's mind.

"Mike." William waves his hand at him from the couch, "Go help me get a bottle of alcohol from the Fridge".

"You do it yourself." Mike retorts.

"Don't make me bring out the belt again." William seethes.

Mike groans, feeling pissed off but unable to disobey him, "Yes Father."

"Mike, I noticed that in several memories, you didn't really stand up to William a lot." Gregory points out, "Why?"

"Of course I couldn't "Gregory"! I was a child. Whenever I tried to stand up to him, he'd make the beatings worse and eventually, I just surrendered and obeyed him whenever he asked me to do things for him so that he would stop hurting me so much. My skin is covered with so many scars and wounds, more than you could ever imagine..."

"Right, good point..." the boy responds and decides to change the topic to something more light-hearted, "By any chance, is there anything you know about him that's not negative?"

"Well, my Father had a high metabolism...I think so anyways as he could eat lots of food and almost never gain weight until at some point, he started getting kind of pudgy. Also umm...he liked to Tango with his wife in bed a lot. I could hear them go at it every night."

"Tango? In bed?" Gregory asked, bemused.

"Let's just say Rabbit was a very apt description of my Dad at night." Mike chuckled darkly to himself.

"Mike. Stop. Now." Henry shut him up cautioningly.

"Ok Ok. I'll stop." Mike stops chuckling, "That's all I have to say about him."

"Thank you." Gregory says to the both of them as he takes one last look at William's portrait.

"Freddy, should I meet up with you wherever you are? Or do you want me to meet up with you?" the boy asked.

"I can meet you there." Freddy informs him, "It's not a problem".

Gregory presses the button to alert Freddy to his location before leaving the exhibit. However, the moment he exits, a figure rushed up to him from the side and grabbed him.

"Got You!" Vanessa, The Security Guard, yelled at him while she grabbed one of his wrists with her right hand.

"Ah!" Gregory reacts.

"I'll bet you think you're really clever Gregory." she growls, "Yeah, I know your name. You're in big trouble!"

Gregory struggles against Vanessa, trying to escape her very tight grip and remain planted to where he is but unfortunately, he doesn't get much of a chance to do either of those actions as Vanessa easily pulls him with her due to how much stronger and taller she was than him. Internally, Gregory cursed his short height and lack of upper body strength for his inability to worm his way out of this situation.

"This is not the night to be wasting my time, kid." she yelled at him again, "Stop resisting or I'm going to drag you like a garbage bag all the way to the Lost and Found room!"

"Where are we going?" Gregory asks innocently, putting on a childish facade.

"We are going to wait right in Lost and Found until your parents or the police arrive." she states simply as she continues to pull Gregory without taking a single glance behind at him.

Gregory glowered and, using his other hand, he slowly started to reach for the pocket knife in his pants, plotting to stab her wrist and then make a run for it. That was the easiest way for him to slip away from her but then he realised...woudln't doing that make him as bad as the child murderer he was cloned from? Furthermore, he made a promise to Freddy hours ago...

"You can use it to cut through things but please don't use it to hurt anyone." Freddy says with concern. "Promise me this alright?"

He looks at Vanessa. Sure, she was a bitch but it's not like she wanted or was going to bring him to William. She just wanted to bring him to the Lost and Found and, from what he had seen hours ago, likely had no idea she was Vanny...for some reason.

'Or maybe she's lying'. Gregory considers the alternative. 'She's trying to make me let my guard down'.

Suddenly, before Gregory can even debate with himself further on whether he should or should not pull out the knife, there's a very familiar ringing noise.

RING RING RING

A ringtone blares from the Security Guard's side pockets.

"AHH!" Vanessa screams out loud as she's hit with another migraine. Gregory panics, having a bad feeling about what that means and he struggles even harder to get out of her tight grip. However, she still doesn't let go!

Gregory stares at his pocket. He had no choice now.

'Freddy, I'm sorry.'

Swiftly, Gregory reaches for his knife, flips its switch to activate the blade and then attempts to stab it deep into her wrist. However, his decision was made far too late as Vanny had already taken control, rapidly swatting the knife out of his hand with her own.

Gregory watches in horror as his knife is flung away from him and then, he feels the sensation of a small object piercing the side of his neck. Seconds later, Vanny lets go of him and takes a step back. Gregory sees a now emptied syringe in her hands.

"Nice try Will, but you were too slow." she taunted him, "And now, you're gonna fall asleep. Nighty Night".

The world starts to blur and spin around Gregory as he collapses onto the cold Pizzaplex floor. He can't move. He can't even ask what the hell she did to him. The rabbit does a happy little jump in front of him before his eyelids shut. Gregory drifts into unconsciousness.

"Yay, I finally caught you." Vanny rejoiced, "He will be so glad to see us..."

Chapter 13 End

Chapter 14 Title: Break my Mind (yay a song reference)

Next Chapter Summary: Gregory is captured by Vanny but tricks her into letting him go. William finally meets Gregory again through the screens of the Pizzaplex and tries to tempt him into bringing out his darker nature.