Author's Note

Hey! Hope you enjoy the chapter and just wanted to say thanks for all the nice messages I got over the last week. It really helped with my motivation. :)

Chapter 56

Talks

Ruby strolled into the building looking much better than when they'd seen her last. She was probably repressing a lot of emotions but at least she'd let them comfort her this time.

"Hello bots, not as awesome bots *cough*Toby*cough* and terrible ghost children!" she called as she walked in cheerfully.

Goldy swept her up in a hug while Toby loudly complained.

"Hedy here yet?" she asked from the bear's vice grip like it wasn't odd that she was being held centimetres above the ground in a ghost animatronic's hug.

"Not yet." Freddy told her.

Ruby frowned and sent a text to the mechanic as she was finally set back down on the floor.

"Right, while we wait for her to arrive." She pulled out a bullhorn and turned it up to max. "ATTENTION ATTENTION, ALL BOTS IN THE BUILDING, ATTEND THE FAMILY MEETING OR I WILL HUNT YOU DOWN AND STICK YOU TO A SEAT WITH CARAMEL!"

She looked pleased with herself afterwards while everyone in the room were rubbing their ears.

"You could have just used the speaker system." Freddy pointed out with a mild glare.

"This was more fun." She grinned unrepentedly.

"You alright lass?" Foxy asked quietly.

Toby and Chi had started arguing about something so they were distracting the Toys while the Originals gathered around Ruby. Her smile faltered ever so slightly, proving that she was far from top form.

"I'll be fine. Sorry you had to see that yesterday." She tried to wave them off.

"Bottling it up isn't healthy Ruby." Goldy was wringing her hands worriedly, flitting around the night guard since she wasn't able to stay still.

"You've helped us a ton so we want to help you for once." Bonnie added quietly.

Ruby looked away but sighed after a long moment. They had a while to wait until Hedy would arrive. She'd texted Ruby that she would be a bit late. Something about her brother throwing a fit about her still wanting to work at Freddy's.

"I don't handle that day well." She admitted. "Never have, not since it happened. I've gotten better at dealing with it but I usually take the day off and stay in my room, watching stuff on Youtube to distract me. Yesterday, well, I can't miss a shift." She shrugged as she gestured vaguely to the room and they knew she was referring to the deal with the ghost kids. "Thought if I kept myself distracted I'd be fine but then there was the fight with Hedy, which I really need to sort out tonight. And the ghost brats which was a seriously unpleasant reminder of death…" her eyes grew distant for a moment before she shook herself mentally.

"Yesterday went as badly as it could go I guess." She ran a hand through her hair absently.

This time Bonnie jumped in to hug her before Goldy could grab her.

"Sorry you had to deal with that." Freddy sighed.
"Why didn't you just set up a movie night?" Chica asked. "That would have helped wouldn't it?"

Ruby shrugged again. "I dunno. I guess…" she frowned as she tried to explain her thought process. "I came back here originally to face some of my past. This place held nothing but painfully happy memories for me. Guess I just wanted to have a good 12th of May for once, where I could just have fun."

She gave them all a weak smile as they looked sadly at her.

"It's one day out of the year where I turn into a mopey teen." She assured them. "I'm back to my pranking self."
"We should be the ones trying to cheer you up lass, not the other way around." Foxy sighed but reached out to ruffle her hair affectionately.

She wouldn't be Ruby if she didn't focus on everyone else's feelings first.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Toby asked suspiciously as he eyed the Originals who were clustered around the night guard.

"Who cares?" Chi waved her hand dismissively.

Mangle and Teddy glanced at each other and grimaced. The Toys had been worried about Hedy since she left the previous night and worrying made Toby and Chi act like brats. More so than usual anyway.

"They're plotting something, I just know it!" the blue bunny growled. "She's always plotting something."

"Scared baby blue?" Chi mocked, making Toby glare at her.

Teddy gave a long suffering sigh.

Out of the Toys only he and Mangle had really adapted well to the pizzeria. Sure they all loved working with the kids, they were made for it. Toby and Chi just never accepted the fact that the night guard was there to stay. Mangle now adored her as a close second to Hedy although she did try and keep some distance to appease the more spiteful Toys. Teddy had accepted that she was there to stay and it wasn't all that bad. It was nice not having to hunt people all the time.

Pigs would fly before Toby or Chi admitted that though.

Then there was Puppet… who was still missing from the room now that he thought about it. BB was under one of the tables stacking batteries that Ruby had given him. All the Originals were here and the Toys were as well.

As if reading his mind, Ruby's voice carried over to them.

"Hey, where's the clown?" she asked with a frown.

Teddy and Mangle shrugged while the other two just glared at her for talking to them.

Scowling the night guard stood up and stretched. "I'm going to go fetch the idiot. Be back in a minute!"

She sprinted out of the room, ignoring Toby's muttered insults.

Someone else didn't.

"Do I need to mute you again?" Hedy asked from behind him, making him jump.

Ruby was just taping the yelling Puppet's box shut when she got the feeling that she wasn't alone. Glancing up she found the sixth ghost kid peeking at her from the hallway.

They stared at each other for a moment before Ruby spoke.

"So kid, you know Hedy too?" she asked.

He shook his head silently.

"Thought so. You're not part of their group are you?"
Another head shake. The kid looked at the Puppet's box sadly for a moment, giving Ruby the distinct feeling that he was disappointed in the clown for some reason.

"You going to tell me anything kid?"

"Who are you talking to you idiotic night guard?!" the Puppet snapped and she kicked the box absently.

"You mustn't be here when Springtrap gets here." The kid spoke softly and the Puppet fell absolutely silent. "You can't. He'll kill you."

Ruby frowned and crouched down to be at the ghost's level. He looked like he was crying more than usual.

"I can take care of myself kid. I handled the Originals and the Toys no problem." She assured him but he shook his head.
"He's different." He whispered. "He'll kill you."

"I'm not going anywhere and I'm certainly not going to die." She stood back up. "Don't worry kid."

He just stared at her with a heartbreakingly hopeless look before fading away. Ruby stood thinking for a moment before turning to kick the box again.

"Hey clown! Do you know that kid?"

"It's impossible." He whispered. "He moved on."

"Apparently not." She waited to see if he'd say anything else but he was quiet so she shrugged and started dragging his box back to the others.

It was time for a family meeting!