Author's Note: Final chapter for the year! Hope you all enjoy and have a happy new year!

Chapter 173

Visitors

Alex hummed as she drove along the busy streets to pick up Hedy. The sun was shining, and she was getting to hang out with her friend. She'd call it a good day. It would have been a perfect day if she wasn't almost worried sick about the friend in question.

Hedy had been ditching a lot of her classes lately and almost never answered the phone. Alex couldn't lie, communicating with someone solely through voicemails was a new one. The friend group was getting worried. Rena and Sarah barely saw their flatmate these days. Honestly, they'd been getting worried for a while, even before they decided to crash her work to see what was up (and give her a proper birthday, although that backfired).

It wasn't any of her business, really. Alex knew that. And if Hedy told her to get fucked for sticking her nose in where it didn't belong, then fine. But today they were going out together, just the two of them, and Alex intended to at least try to help. Even if it was just offering a listening ear.

Also that woman needed a few new outfits. And a new bottle of shampoo that cost more than 2 dollars and didn't smell like artificial strawberries and cough medicine.

She owed Rena one for helping her convince Hedy to go shopping. Alex didn't have the best relationship with Hedy's ex, although they'd still call each other friends. It was just that they were only friends because of Hedy. Still, Alex had to respect the two of them. Dated, figured out it wasn't going to work, then stayed friends like nothing happened? Even joking about it sometimes? Who the fuck else had a stable enough break up that they could say that and still live in the same house? Alex shook her head. Whatever, she promised Rena that favour and she was good for it. Rena would probably just take a jar of Alex's mom's honey when harvest season came around and call it a day. Rena was worried about Hedy too.

Alex bit her lip as Hedy's workplace came into view. Last time she had been here, she had encouraged Hedy's underage coworker to drink. Not her finest moment. She had sent countless apologies to the teenager through Hedy, hoping to close the rift. Friends of Hedy's were friends of hers.

Last time she had been here, Hedy had also asked – begged – for her and the rest of the group to be her normal life. To stay away from whatever happened there at night and to do normal-people things. A pit of anxiety settled in her stomach as she pulled into the parking lot. No matter how many times she had seen or spoken to Hedy since then, it had always felt a little bit like she was overstepping boundaries. Like Hedy would much rather be here with the night-guard than hanging out with her. It was probably true. She turned down going to the Halloween party after all.

She and the others had awkwardly tried to discuss it later. They all thought they knew Hedy. Knowing there was something else? Something Hedy seemed so sure they couldn't understand and that she wouldn't even try to tell any of them? It hurt.

Alex sighed and got out of the car. Hedy didn't need to know that. Hedy needed some normal friends, and that's what Alex could give her.

Spring could be stubborn about being too much work for Hedy, but when she actually worked on him he did his best to be the opposite of Foxy.

Unfortunately, Hedy thought that meant not complaining enough about things when he was hurt. Or when she accidentally hurt him while was still repairing damage from their little game with Michael so she had an idea just how uncomfortable Spring really was. Damnit, Zombie Rabbit, fucking communicate!

Spring absentmindedly used a wire brush to comb out the patches of fur that a little paint had dried into before it could be completely washed out.

Meanwhile, Hedy adjusted his knee joints, especially on the new leg. She always had to do that kind of stuff by feel, since Spring hadn't come with any kind of manual or setting instructions. He didn't even have the special wrench that slotted into his back to wind up the spring locks, which sometimes made it difficult to work on anything inside.

She was trying not to get caught up in maintenance too much though. She promised to go out with one of her friends that day.

"What time is your friend arriving?" Spring asked, worried about keeping her.

Hedy shook her head. "In a bit. Don't worry about it. I'll be done before she gets here."

"Is it one of those dumbasses who tried to get you drunk on your birthday?" Ruby asked from across the room. She didn't know what other friends Hedy had.
Hedy rolled her eyes. "You've got to let that go. And yes. Alex and I are going to the mall." Hedy scoffed. "Apparently I need new clothes."

Ruby frowned. She hadn't really bothered to remember their names. The only reason she remembered Hedy's from the beginning was because Hedy had registered as a threat at the start.

She had yet to actually remember the manager's name, admittedly.
"You do," Spring agreed, playfully plucking at the jumpsuit Hedy often wore to avoid getting oil on her proper clothes. It made her look like a "proper" mechanic.

"I don't wear this to school!" Hedy argued, waving him away. "Anyway, I had to cancel on her the last two times we tried to go out. I might end up in an early grave if I do it again."

Spring chuckled. "Oh by the way," he said, "Some more reporter people came looking for you specifically yesterday. Don't run into them when you leave."

Hedy huffed. "Still? I thought they'd give up already. It's been long enough."

Ruby glanced over from where she was absently reading some of Hedy's textbooks. She'd been taking a lot of day shifts lately, but no one brought it up. They were pretty sure it was a coping method, giving her an excuse to be around the bots more often for comfort after her recent disastrous visit with Black. It did mean she was tired though and almost falling asleep over the book. Coffee only did so much.

"It's been weeks," Ruby groaned, head thunking down on the table. "Why won't they go away?"

She was also safer in Freddy's from the reporters, so that was another reason for her to be taking day shifts. They'd followed her to the orphanage and her school already.

They also almost got Betty to the face for that. She was considering a restraining order. She knew a guy who could swing one with the paparazzi.

Hedy tsked. "Did you see them today?" she asked.

"I've stayed here all day like you said," Spring said.

Hedy gave him a look.

"Promise!"

She rolled her eyes and handed him Ruby's tablet.

Spring clicked through the screens for a second. "Oh yeah, they're here. That's them." He pointed to a group of adults.

Hedy frowned as she glanced at the grainy forms facing away from the camera as they sat at a table looking at the kids. They were sitting nearest to the exit. She didn't see any equipment though and the group was strangely large. Without a visible camera crew, she expected only one, maybe two reporters.

"You sure they aren't just customers?" she asked.

"They didn't buy anything and Puppet said they didn't have kids with them."

Ruby was frowning now. "And they were asking about Hedy specifically? Did they say why?" she asked, protectiveness colouring her tone. She forced herself upright and came over to look at the tablet as well.

"Uh...well. I don't know. They just talked to the staff and Jerry was too busy to tell me if they said anything. He did mention that they were looking at Mangle really weird when she came in for a minute to ask Freddy something."

Ruby looked like she'd already decided to go find out what they wanted, half turning to the door. She didn't like this. She didn't like customers giving the bots odd looks and she didn't like their interest in Hedy.

Her bots. Her mechanic.

"I'm going to check."

"Maybe you shouldn't-" Hedy said but Ruby was already gone. She sighed. If they were reporters, Ruby was the last person who should deal with them. Especially right now.

Spring looked at her in concern. The teen was also really tired and that made her temper shorter than usual. Even the emotional high from Halloween couldn't completely drown it out.

"Should we go after her?" Spring wondered.

Ruby stalked through the halls towards the main room. Employees immediately moved out of her way when they saw her expression and the bots she passed looked at her in worry.

The group of adults that were her targets seemed to notice her by movement but they didn't seem to care and went back to looking around. That was odd. If they were reporters, they would know what she looked like.

There were six older adults and one younger guy a few years older than Hedy who didn't look like he wanted to be there. There was also something weirdly familiar about a few of them.

Ruby came to a stop by their table, gaining a few wary looks from the customers that knew her. She probably looked as annoyed as she felt.

She planted her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at the group.

"Why are you lot showing up here regularly with no kids and asking for Hedy? If you're reporters, then you can get the hell out because she's not talking to anyone. If you're not then why are a bunch of adults regularly going to a children's restaurant with no kids asking for the mechanic?" She demanded. She didn't like this situation and Foxy paused across the room when he noticed her agitated body language.

They looked confused. And tense. They clearly weren't comfortable sitting there or being confronted about it.

They just stared at Ruby for a moment.

"You know Hedwig?" a lady spoke up. She looked to be in her late forties and her blond hair was streaked with grey. She spoke stiffly and sat next to a man who stared at Ruby with curiosity.

"Ida," another woman admonished softly.

Ruby couldn't shake the feeling that she had seen these people before, and probably in pictures. She had a vague feeling of looking at photographs, but couldn't place the memory. The Deja Vu was strong.

Ruby scowled, mostly because she hated the inability to remember where she'd seen them.

"I work with her. I'm the night guard, but I'm pulling a day-shift at the moment." she crossed her arms, still looking annoyed. "Who are you, and why are you looking for Hedy?"

Mangle moved over to Foxy to ask him what was going on and they spoke quietly for a moment, glancing over at the group like obvious gossips.

'Ida' opened her mouth but one of the men spoke first. He stood up and offered his hand to Ruby.

"Lewis Jones. This is my wife Lori. If Hedwig is here, would you mind telling her we're here? We just...wanted to speak with her for a minute. It's a personal matter."

She eyed his hand suspiciously for a moment before taking it, mostly because she had to be somewhat polite when on the job.

"I don't feel comfortable getting her for you when there's been a ton of reporters asking the same thing. If it's a personal matter, why didn't you visit her at her home instead of work?" she asked, toning down the aggression a little. Those names sounded familiar too...

"I understand. We just haven't seen her in a while," Lewis said, a bit sheepishly. "None of us know where she lives anymore."

"We didn't even know she was back in town," Ida said. She spoke like a woman ready for an argument at any moment. She seemed angry but not at anyone in particular as she glanced around the restaurant. Her attitude grated on Ruby though.

The teen debated for a moment. They did seem like they weren't reporters at least.

"Fine, but if she doesn't want to talk to you then she doesn't have to," she turned to look at the foxes and raised her voice. "Mags!"

The female fox looked up and moved towards them when she saw Ruby waving her over. Foxy leaned against the wall, not quite willing to leave for his Cove yet.

"Mind getting Hedy? Tell her they're not reporters and apparently they know her but don't know where she lives now. One of them is named Lewis Jones. I don't know if she'll recognise the name."

Mangle froze in her steps and violently stiffened, her eyes widening in pained horror as they flicked to the adults.

Ruby noticed the reaction immediately and narrowed her eyes. "I'm guessing you recognise the name? Is that why they seem familiar?"

Foxy looked like he was a few seconds away from joining them when he saw Mangle's reaction. Jerry eyed him warily as he started a low growl.

One of the other adults was staring at Mangle.

"Did they get a new one?" she mumbled to herself.

Mangle didn't know how to answer Ruby as her eyes flicked between the teen and the group.

Of course Ruby wouldn't recognize them. But she got the kids those pictures, didn't she?

Mangle panicked and turned on her heel, running to find Hedy. It was a strange reaction from her. In a choice between flight or fight, she usually chose to fight.

Not this time apparently.

She didn't even stop as Foxy tried to ask her what the heck happened. She mumbled something he couldn't hear and kept going,

Ruby frowned as she watched Mangle run off.

"Okay...what the hell?"

Foxy came over almost immediately, now concerned. He glanced at the group of adults before focusing on Ruby. "What was that lass?"

"I have no idea," Ruby admitted. "I asked her to get Hedy. They're looking for her." she gestured at the table.

Foxy eyed them. "They're not another bunch of reporters here to bother you or the mechanic are they?" he asked. "I'm tired of kicking them out."

Ruby scoffed, watching the door for any sign of Hedy or Mangle. "You love throwing people out when they're bothering us or the kids."

The adults were looking at Foxy warily.

"Hello?" the younger man said a bit stiffly.

Lewis looked at him a bit reproachfully and Ruby finally noticed how the two looked related.

"Chris..."

"I was just saying hi," the man said, not taking his eyes off Foxy. He looked back at Ruby. "That pink fox...Do you know if this place keeps all their old stuff?"

"Can't be..." one of the men with dark brown hair and glasses said. "The fox they had back then was a wreck."

Ruby turned completely to face them now, unconsciously leaning against Foxy when she over balanced. She really needed a proper night's sleep.

Foxy looked at Chris while absently steadying Ruby. "I'm guessing ya visited the place back in the day when Mangle wasn't treated right?" he asked, letting his accent colour his words more than he did when there weren't customers. "The lass and the others were brought back a few months ago. Ruby's a bit protective and she put a stop to them pulling her apart." He nodded down at the teen who scowled at the memory.

"What kind of idiot thinks it's fine to pull an animatronic apart? Barbaric," she huffed. "Hedy fixed her."

Foxy and Freddy had gradually grown more comfortable talking to adults while the others still avoided them for the most part. Most customers thought it was cute how Ruby practically hung off the fox when she was there during the day. The regulars were used to seeing Foxy half abandon his work to keep an eye on his pseudo little sister.

"She did?" Ida asked and Foxy could have sworn there was a bit of strained pride colouring the words.

"We used to come here, well not here, with our kids a long time ago," the woman next to the man with glasses said softly, feeling a little odd talking to the robot.

"We're just a little...concerned over why Hedwig would choose to work here...", presumably the husband said.

"Why indeed," Ida said. Her eyes flicked upwards at movement across the room.

Hedy froze in the doorway, staring at them and ignoring the other sounds of customers and children running around. She looked like she wanted to turn around and leave. She didn't look right. She seemed hesitant and shy.

And clearly shocked.

Ruby frowned, immediately moving towards her. Foxy glanced back at the table, still confused by the entire thing, before following after Ruby. He was still feeling overprotective since the whole thing with Black. Revenge on Michael would never really make up for that.

"Hedy? Are you okay?" Ruby asked, spotting Mangle hovering behind her. "Do you know them?"

Hedy glanced at her. She wasn't shut down or anything similar thankfully.

Luckily the adults hadn't followed Ruby and were waiting and watching her from the table.

"That's..." Hedy looked up at Ruby. "The blonde lady is Ginny's mom," she said quietly, her voice escaping like a frightened whisper. "The Jones are Cheryl's parents and..." she trailed off as she looked at the others with a small flinch. Ruby would get the idea. So would Foxy.

Mangle whimpered a little and didn't speak.

Ruby blinked a couple of times, twisted her head to look at them and her tired mind finally made the connection. She groaned and dropped her head against Foxy's arm.

"How the hell did I not recognise them?" she demanded, banging her head lightly against his arm.

"You've slept three hours in three days," Foxy answered automatically before looking at Hedy. "You don't have to talk to them if you don't want to."

He hadn't forgotten what she'd told them before.

Hedy looked at him for a second before shaking her head and rolling past, heading toward the table.

"...hi..." she greeted.