This chapter is being reposted due to an issue that I thank a reviewer for finding. I will now check what I copy and paste over from my text editor to this site and hopefully it will not happen again. I would like to thank this reviewer for bringing this to my attention.
He found Timothy standing next to the stage, looking confused and frightened. He kept glancing down at his hands, constantly being reminded that he had no plush toy to comfort him. Thank goodness he doesn't look too bad off, Nathaniel thought. "Timothy, I know you're probably freaked out, but you're going to be ok," he called, stepping towards the boy.
Timothy took a step back. "W-What's happening to me? How do you know my name?" he stammered.
Nathaniel stopped. He realized that he knew a lot about Timothy but the little boy had no idea that he even existed. "Um, there's kind of a lot to explain," he started. Timothy stared at him. "So, um, you're a ghost now. So am I. I'm Nathaniel, by the way."
"This isn't just another nightmare," the boy sniffled, "I was hoping it was, but it isn't." He sat down on the stage and sobs shook his little body.
He has a pretty good reason to be crying this time, Nate thought to himself. Having your own brother be the one responsible for you being dead and then finding yourself in your father's restaurant with no explanation to what was going on would shake up anybody.
"Hey, it's not so bad," Nathaniel tried, sitting down next to him. "I mean, you can go anywhere you like and you can't get hurt. That's not so bad, right?"
Timothy sniffled again and wiped away a tear. "I guess," he sighed, "I just kind of expected it to be a little different." He looked up at the ceiling and more tears began to flow. "I thought it'd be more like Mommy said it would and I'd get to see Grandpa and Grandma again, not get stuck in this stupid diner."
Nathaniel was quiet for a moment. "I think you'll see them someday," he finally said, "Maybe we just need to spend more time here and then we'll be able to, you know, move on."
The two sat in silence for some time. Nathaniel got up and stretched. He did a handstand and earned a smile from Timothy. The little boy looked at the stage behind him. "I thought Fredbear was my friend," he muttered.
Nathaniel put a transparent arm around the child. Surprisingly, it did not pass through the other ghost. "Hey, Timmy, he can't hurt you now. We're both here now, and I'm not going to let anything hurt you, ok?" Timothy gave an obliging sniffle and the two watched the sunrise.
"So, what now?" asked Timothy. In all the excitement, Nathaniel had nearly forgotten that Fredbear's was closing the day after the party. Men moved in and out of the diner, unaware of the presence of the two ghosts. Tragedy or no, business never sleeps.
"Do you have anywhere you've always wanted to go?" asked Nathaniel.
Timothy thought for a moment. "I guess I've only ever known this neighborhood. I'd miss it if I went anywhere else." He paused to watch the men carrying a table into their truck. "Do you think we could go to my dad's new restaurant?" he finally asked.
Nathaniel had seen the posters outside the diner that advertised the new Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria. He'd memorized the address on them and was grateful for the endless hours of exploring the streets with his friends and paying attention to street names every car ride so he would know where to go when he finally got his driver's license, another thing he'd never be able to experience. All that had paid off as he now knew the neighborhood so well, it was as if he had a map in his head. The pizzeria's address was a little outside his super-familiar zone, but he was sure he could get them there. "Ok, Timmy," he grinned, "If that's where you want to go, that's where we'll go."