Hello, dear reader, how have you been? I certainly hope you had a better week than I did.

(aipocanrocinu) Well aren't you just a bundle of joy? I'm glad you took the time to read and review. I sincerely appreciate it. Earlier version of that modified poem actually didn't have the 'and fell', but it sounded really weird in my head when I read it like it was missing a few syllables.

(Annonymous) Your loss of words are flattering enough, dear guest. Thank you so much for the review. And I'm sorry if the chapters seem jumpy, but that's one of three reasons this fic is called Scrapbook instead of Diary ;). In particular, I think When You Promised was the one that threw you for a loop since it wasn't in order like the others. I decided to put it in right after When You Left to heighten the effect of both chapters. Take the pirate's-honor-promise-gesture, for example, which would likely be unnoticed if the chapters are far apart; as well as Foxy's voice dropping to a personal tone. I'd also like to thank you for that cosmic comment. It's interesting that you used that word, actually…

(Wolves4life) Of course I'll make one for the others! That's the reason Part II is named as it is, after all. And that… is actually a pretty good idea. I'm terrible at romance, though, and I'll probably mess it up terribly. Do you want to make a spinoff with FoxyXChica? Would you like to collab? I wanna try a collab it sounds fun! :D

(DaughterofChrist) You, uh, have PMs disabled so I'll answer here. I'm so very happy you read the story and left such a heartfelt review. I'm sorry about chapter 2's first half, but you were very brave to have continued reading afterward.

Now that review replies are done, how about we get back with Foxy?

Author recommendation: Read slowly, with compassion.

Part II

Four Pictures

Chapter II

The One that Did Nothing Wrong

Ye were always right, weren't ye?

But I know. And ye know.

Ye were wrong.

They didn't have to die.

He didn't have to die.

Look at ye, all prim and proper and happy and carefree.

Ye.

Ye sicken me.

It came into his mind – a faint whisper that meant nothing, but also meant everything. It echoed in the confines of his consciousness, gaining momentum with each bounce. Noxious poison seeped its way from out of where he struggled to contain it.

This is all yer fault.

"REEEARRGH!" Foxy threw the curtains aside and stumbled off his small stage, an uncontrolled fire burning in his chest. His vision turned a blinding red. His eyes scanned the room for his prey as his hooked hand clawed at his chest, uselessly trying to douse the pain to no avail. He slammed his shoulder against the double doors to the adjacent room, bucking the frame as the hinges gave way to the force of collision. He tore into the presumptuous silence with a maddened roar as his mind was consumed with a singular thought. "FREDDYYY!"

No! The eyepatch over his right eye lifted as he turned to the now empty show stage. The bear was not here. Where was he? Was he running? Was he hiding? He had better be.

Foxy lunged toward one of the long party tables and, with a mighty heave, threw it aside. Freddy wasn't under this one. He turned and grabbed the handle of the nearby service cart and sent it flying toward the far end of the room. It slammed against the opposite table and scattered its contents, cutlery and plates, all over the linoleum floor. He turned his toward the long hall to the maintenance rooms, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. The white linen cloth that draped over the table he hit moved ever so slightly. He swept aside the chairs between him and the opposite table with a swipe of an arm as he trudged toward it, intending to upend it as well and see if someone was hiding there.

Right then, a pair of arms came around his torso from behind, trapping both his arms at the elbows. The hands came together at his front and clenched shut. He struggled, twisting and turning his body in an effort to escape. He tried to move his arms but found them immobilized. Escape! Find! Harm! He howled at the shadows. "WHERE ARE YOU, LITTLE RAT!?"

A figure came out of the dark, its purple outline contrasted the redness of everything he saw. It stopped right in front of him and reached out to hold his head in both of its hands. He struggled to turn away, but the figure fought back to keep his head in place. The second stranger looked straight into Foxy's face, its red eyes steady and unblinking. It spoke in a voice he vaguely recognized; the tone even and calm. "Everything will be okay."

Foxy didn't know how long they stood off like that. Two minutes, two hours, two weeks… two decades. His captor's eyes never looked away, and its voice never wavered as it admonished each and every one of his efforts to escape or look away with the same words over and over: "Everything will be okay."

"… Bonnie." His voice cracked slightly when he spoke. The redness started to fade from his vision, and along with it the grinding pain in his chest began to ease. He began to recognize again – who he was, what he was doing, and who was in front of him. His friend opened his jaws slightly and smiled, once more saying everything will be okay. Foxy glanced down at the yellow arms that held him in place, this time Bonnie offered no resistance as he moved his head. He felt Chica's hold on him relax slightly but not letting go.

"Why did he go?" He turned his attention back to Bonnie. He watched his friend's eyes glance away for a moment before he shook his head slowly. He didn't know.

The silence lingered, punctuated by the sound of his own servos extending and contracting uneasily. Foxy asked again. "Doesn't he love us?"

"You know he does." This time Bonnie replied immediately, leaning forward with conviction.

"But he hasn't come back."

"He hasn't come back yet." Foxy felt the grip of Bonnie's hands tighten when his friend spoke with emphasis. Bonnie's eyes were the same color of the redness that obscured his vision moments ago, but somehow different – it was bright, warm and comforting.

He didn't deserve to be treated this kindly. The traction on the joints of Foxy's knees loosened as he lost control of them. Chica gently lowered him to the floor without letting go as Bonnie followed him down and knelt on both knees to maintain their crossed gaze. Foxy asked again. "Did he go… because of me? Because of… what I did?"

"I… I don't know." Bonnie sounded unsure when he responded. There was a moment's quiet before he looked back at Foxy, in his eyes a curious glimmer. "But maybe you should ask him yourself. When he comes back."

"When?"

"I don't know." Bonnie smiled. "But it doesn't matter."

"Why not?"

"If he comes tomorrow night, would you have stopped waiting?"

"I-… No."

Bonnie released his head as his gaze moved downward. His left hand he laid on Foxy's shoulder and his right went down to his chest. Foxy knew what his friend saw. There were fresh tears in the middle of his chest from when he was scratching at it earlier, and the hole was now wide enough to reveal the framework underneath it. Foxy twitched uncomfortably in a mix of guilt and embarrassment as his friend gently touched the frayed edges of the opening. Bonnie then placed his right firmly on top of the opening, covering it completely. There was a wistful twinkle in Bonnie's eyes as he spoke. "He will come back, Foxy. Because he is our friend."

"And… and I will wait for him. No matter how long." A sense of calm came to Foxy as the clouds within his mind dissipated and the redness fully drained from his sight. He'd had this conversation many times before, he realized. Each time Bonnie's answers were the same. And every time it would end the same. Foxy spoke, almost on reflex, as he completed their ritual. "Because I am his friend."

There was a moment's silence as Bonnie smiled. Foxy felt the locks on the rest of his joints loosen as he regained control of them.

"Thanks, both of ye." Foxy said to his friends as he felt them both finally let him go. He was much better now. Chica stood and left the room while Bonnie stayed on the floor with him. The rabbit took the sides of his hanging jaw in his hands and raised it back onto its proper place. Foxy heard a soft click as the piece was reattached. The latch that holds it in place itself is damaged, but he felt a some comfort in knowing he didn't look too much like a wreck.

He looked toward the opposite table and addressed the bear. "I'm sorry Freddy."

There was a small sound of metal scraping wood before the draped linen lifted to reveal Freddy hiding underneath the table. Foxy watched his friend crawl out from his hiding place awkwardly, his back hitting the frames as he left and the joints on his arm snagging the tablecloth. Upon fully coming out into the open, he collapsed into a sitting position with a soft thud. Freddy tried to hide it, but Foxy could sense the unease and tension in his friend's demeanor. Everything from the shaking hands to the uncoordinated movements to the fact that he did not come close to them told him that his friend was fully terrified of him. Yet, Foxy knew for himself, his friend was also terrified for him. Freddy feigned a calm voice. "It's okay Foxy, you did nothing wrong."

"Come on Foxy, I'll walk with you tonight." Bonnie cheerfully offered. Foxy nodded, a walk would be nice. He leaned forward and tried to get up, but found it impossible.

"I'm gonna need some help, Bonnie." His joints creaked and complained from his overuse earlier, and were now too weak for the task of lifting him from the floor. Bonnie leaned in and took Foxy in his arms, his right coming across to the back and his left propping him up on his armpit. Foxy did the best he could to pull himself up and held on to his friend with both hands, careful to avoid snagging fur with the hook on his right. Bonnie gradually hoisted him up, balancing both of them so they would not fall down.

"Thank ye," Foxy wobbled slightly where he stood, but felt that the joints were good enough to let him stand and walk on his own when he took a step. The 'motor lock' that had triggered earlier took its toll on his moving parts. It was a function Freddy had designed to restrict Foxy's movement should he lose control. It couldn't stop him completely, not when these things happened, but it was enough to let Chica and Bonnie restrain him. Freddy strangely seemed reluctant on implementing it, despite it being what kept Foxy from tearing him apart night by night.

Foxy heard a rustle behind him and turned his head to find Chica carrying his gold-embroidered black outer coat. He must have removed it earlier when things started. Foxy moved his arms back as both Bonnie and Chica helped him into the jacket. As Chica pulled and folded the edges, Bonnie buttoned up the front, stopping short of his chest. He didn't say anything about the hole and Foxy appreciated his friend's discretion despite the obvious concern. There was nothing they could do about it now.

"Can Chica come walk with us?" He asked Bonnie.

"Yes of course." The rabbit answered readily

Foxy hesitated a moment, unsure of whether he should be asking this next question at all. He turned at the unmoving figure that continued to sit by the half-uncovered table. "And… Freddy?"

"I'm sorry Foxy, but… I'd like to stay here tonight." Freddy declined, his tone underlined thinly with apprehension and fatigue. He noticed Bonnie was looking at Freddy without saying anything in turn, and figured there was a private conversation going between the two. He didn't press the issue.

"Arright." Foxy didn't know whether to feel good or bad about Freddy's reply. With Bonnie still holding him up by his right arm and with Chica trailing close behind he turned and began walking toward the dining room exit. Freddy tries his best to assure him that everything was well, but Foxy knew better. Every night that this happens, he would look through the cameras by means of his patched eye and see the same scene. Through his mind's eye he would see Freddy alone in the room, pulling his legs together and closing his arms around them before staring mournfully into nothingness. None of them knew why Foxy was acting the way he was and, for the time being, they all figured it may be safest for Freddy not to be around him. The two of them barely talked anymore and Foxy did not like it.

Foxy was never an ambitious animatronic. All he wanted was for the incidents to stop and for everything to go back to how they were. Back when Night Bird was still here. Yes, if there was anyone who could make everything make sense and calm the stormy seas within him, it would be Night Bird.

As Foxy walked the dark corridor with what remained of his circle of friends, he glanced toward his cove through the doors he had broken down earlier. He looked deep within himself and found only an starless black sky.

What is the measure of a pirate captain? Was it the booty he had gained? The admiration he commanded? The adventures he had under his belt? The battles he had won?

No, none of those mattered. Because what truly crowns a captain was his crew, his friends. Friendship was the greatest treasure anyone can hope to gain. Night Bird taught him that.

Foxy drew inspiration from Night Bird. He admired him for his storytelling, and did his best to emulate the wonderful little man. Foxy's stories to the children had always been the same, the goals always about gold and adventure and great battles fought and won. But whenever Foxy thought back to the stories Night Bird would tell them, Foxy's own stories would begin to change. They no longer focused on simply stealing treasure and fighting, all of them scripted tales meant to appeal to everyone. No, Foxy's stories started to focus on friendship, hope, selflessness and trust. And if someone had a birthday? Oh Foxy made sure to shift the spotlight away from himself and onto the lucky boy or girl who he would bring into the story. Foxy would then proceed to make a hero out of the child, one who would triumph against ghosts and monsters. One who would triumph against his or her weaknesses.

Night Bird was more to Foxy than just a man. He was more than a first mate. More than a captain.

Night Bird embodied the stars themselves.

#

There's a certain comfort in the night sky that is, perhaps, appreciated much more greatly by a humble seafarer who speaks their language and follows their direction. The stars collectively echo a silent promise: that whenever the wayward winds take you to dark places, whenever you grow weary of adventure, and whenever you find yourself lost and alone, they will always be there to guide you home.

This was another difficult chapter to write (no personal experience of blinding rage) and, honestly, I think I didn't do Foxy justice. I think I've made him too complex for my own good, and I found it hard to bring everything to the surface as everything fights to gain focus. Eh, tell me what you think.

My college lit professor once told us that a story, once it was read, no longer belongs to the author, but to the reader. Because once it was read, it was up to the reader to give value and meaning to the story. The author can leave as many symbols as he wants, but their meanings can only be brought to life by the reader. So please do look back and tell me, dear reader, what did it mean for you that Foxy felt unease when someone touched the edges of the hole in his chest? And what did it mean for you when Bonnie then placed his hand over it?

So, lots of things happening here. It hurts Foxy so deeply that David's no longer around, especially with how much of an impact he's had on all their lives. Now that David's gone, now that the guiding stars are gone (symbolism!), Foxy finds himself lost and confused.

Foxy does indeed want to remain friends with Freddy (greatest treasure, remember?), but the fox disagrees with him (sometimes violently) on recent events. Particularly, the missing children incident (where Foxy feels they should have intervened, rules or not) and David's last night (where he feels they should not have granted him his wish, again rules or not) are things that Foxy thinks should have happened differently.

Hm, all this talk about rules. Perhaps it would be helpful to see things from Freddy's point of view. Won't you come back next weekend for that?

PS. A Foxy mix on my profile. It's crappy because there's no single theme this time (again he's just so complex).

PPS. Anyone know of a FNAF forum? I don't wanna go to tumblr cause I might fall in...