Freddy Fazbear's Pizza - Thursday, January 6th, 1994

At 7 AM, the lock on the front door clicked open as Thomas made his way into his restaurant for another day of work; his most anticipated activity. Like every other day, he wearily dragged himself to his office to have some quiet alone time in the morning. This morning, however, was different from the others: the night staff were still there along with the assistant manager, who was not even supposed to be at work as of yet.

"Mr. Howard? What are you doing here?" He then looked to his night staff. "Mr. Schmidt, Mr. Smith, you are aware that your shift ends at six, right?"

"We, um, needed to stay late," Mike explained.

"And I had some… things to take care of," Anthony stated.

"Surely it could have waited until you were scheduled to work," Thomas replied. He sighed and added, "You know what the company finances look like at the moment."

Anthony realized what his boss was worried about, and clarified immediately. "Sir, I'm not looking for any overtime or extra pay. None of us are. Please understand, I came here by choice."

Mr. Fazbear raised an eyebrow skeptically. "I can't think of anyone who would come to work before his scheduled time for no pay, especially when he knows he's expected to be in his chair for a full work day during business hours. Now try to explain to me how that makes sense. You came to work at some point during the night shift, expecting no pay for whatever it was you were working on, assuming you were working, and now are staying for your scheduled shift. Are you not sleep deprived, Mr. Howard?"

"Sleep deprived? Not at all!" he replied brightly, giving him a charming smile.

Although Thomas didn't comment on it, the dark bags that had formed under Anthony's eyes stood out as an obvious contradiction to his statement. The yawn that followed served to emphasize the point. Although everyone knew he was keeping up a facade, there was no sense in arguing with him, considering he was doing extra work for free. Even if he did try to convince him to lighten his workload, he probably wouldn't have listened. Anthony had a strong work ethic, and it showed through in the high quality of his work. Thomas couldn't have found a better, more dependable assistant manager, even if he had tried to.

Mr. Fazbear sighed wearily, frustrated with his employee's dedication, for once. "What was so important that you needed to come in so early? You're clearly too tired to do your job."

"No, I'm not," he protested.

"That doesn't answer my question. What were you working on?"

"Follow me," Anthony insisted, leading the way. Thomas shook his head slowly and shuffled behind him. Mike and Fritz tiredly dragged along behind them, both looking forward to crashing on their beds after their long shifts. He took them to Show Stage, where the band stood motionlessly as they waited for the day to begin. Gilead stood behind the main three, posed similarly to Freddy.

Mr. Fazbear stared blankly at the stage for several moments before asking, "Why is that one on the stage? Did you three stay here to bring that old thing out of the back? I thought I told you to disassemble that a few years ago, Mr. Howard."

"You did, but I, uh…"

"We needed to bring him out and fix him up," Fritz interjected. "It'll make sense in a moment." He looked up to the stage and called out, "Hey, Freddy?"

The animatronic's eyes glided open and he blinked a few times. Freddy noticed his father and remained silent, staying rigid, as he would have during business hours when they were not performing.

"That's… odd," Thomas mumbled.

"C'mon," Fritz encouraged, taking a few steps toward the stage by himself.

"Be careful, Mr. Smith. You remember what happened last time someone got close to them."

"They're not dangerous," he explained, hoisting himself up onto the stage. He tapped Freddy on the shoulder and said, "Remember what we agreed on?"

The bear remained motionless.

"Mr. Smith, get down from there!" Thomas commanded sternly.

Before Fritz could react, Gilead stepped toward them.

"Fritz, now!" Mr. Fazbear barked. "Watch out! Behind you!"

Instead, he smiled at Gilead and gave him a nod, not moving as he had been directed to. "Great of ya to join us."

"Freddy, please?" Gilead requested kindly.

"What is going on?" Thomas snapped.

He sat on the edge of the stage to face his father, who backed up immediately. "Please, don't be afraid…"

It did nothing to calm him. He continued to stare at the animatronic before.

"I just want to talk to you."

"You can do that from where you are," Mr. Fazbear said shortly.

"Very well."

Freddy sat down beside him, appearing to be quite tense. Gilead gave him a reassuring smile.

"I really don't want to say it," Freddy lamented.

"You don't have to, I'll deal with it." Gilead turned his attention back to Thomas and said, "Just listen, please."

He hesitated before nodding, leaning against one of the tables facing the stage with his arms crossed. Fritz leaped off the stage and rejoined his colleagues.

"You know how, uh… A couple of years ago, you know…" Gilead began awkwardly.

"Back in '87," Anthony filled in for him.

"Yeah… Um, those kids went missing, and…"

"They weren't found, I know," Thomas finished. "It almost bankrupted the company."

Freddy's eyes widened in shock. "It did…?"

Gilead frowned. "I'm sorry to hear it was that bad. I know the budget's still tight, but it will get better."

"If we can even afford to stay open that long," Mr. Fazbear said.

"I want to help," he offered. "Foxy and I want to perform together, if that's alright with you. It'd attract more customers."

He shook his head slowly. "Pirate Cove is out of order, and so is Foxy. Even if I wanted to, I can't fix him. I'm afraid I can't keep that empty attraction forever. I might have to-"

"You can't!" Gilead shrieked.

Thomas sighed. "I know he's been a well-loved character, but I'm afraid he's broken and in need of repairs I can't make."

"But I already did, sir," Anthony explained. "His costume's still torn up, but he's working well now."

"So that's what you were doing here…" Thomas muttered. "I'm not sure how you figured out how to repair him, but there's no use for him. He's still too damaged to be used; it's unprofessional."

"Anthony fixed me, too," Gilead added. "He, Fritz, and Mike assembled a new endoskeleton for me."

"You shouldn't even be out here in the first place." Thomas sighed wearily and faced his staff. "You do know you're supposed to get permission from your employer before making business decisions, right? I could-"

"Hear him out," Fritz ordered.

"Watch your mouth, Mr. Smith. You're not the one in charge around here."

Fritz grit his teeth in frustration as he waited for Gilead to continue. Mike gave him a concerned look and lightly touched his shoulder.

"So, uh, as I was saying, those kids went missing, right?" He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I hate to say it, but... they're dead."

Thomas visibly tensed, a brief flash of misery coming over him before being replaced by a cool and stern expression. "And how would you know that? No one knows what happened to them."

"Because…" Gilead struggled to continue looking at him. "I am him… G-Gilead, I mean. I-I'm Gilead Fazbear…" he admitted.

"You can't be. They're gone," Mr. Fazbear replied bitterly. "They went missing and they've never come back." As much as he was aware that all five of the missing children were likely dead, he refused to believe it. His sons were among them, and, against all odds, he still held onto the hope that they were out there somewhere. It was all he could do to cope with the loss.

"Dad… It's me. I-I'm so sorry I said that E.T. game was wretched…" he said sincerely. "I know you were just doing your best for Freddy and I… I'm sorry I couldn't see that when I was younger." He hung his head in shame, feeling awful for his ungrateful remark, despite the truth of his words.

Thomas simply stared at him, his jaw slack as he took the information in. He simply didn't know how to react, but it was undeniably Gilead speaking to him, he could be sure of that. His mannerism were all too familiar. Plus, no one else would have known about that conversation that day.

Freddy watched him, losing his motivation to say his part as he saw his father start to crumble.

"Freddy's here, too," Gilead continued. "He's… well, Freddy."

Within moments, Thomas had fallen apart, reduced to a weeping mess. He hid his face in his hands, his body shook with every sob he let out.

"D-Don't cry!" Freddy exclaimed, rushing over to him. Thomas pulled him into his arms and clung to him, bawling onto his shoulder. Freddy gingerly supported him.

"M-My sweet, s-sweet boy…" he choked out. "Gilead, c-come here…"

Gilead came right over and held them both close. "At least we can be a family again, like we used to be…"

"I'm sorry I hurt you!" Freddy wailed.

"It's n-not your fault," Thomas consoled him, wiping his tears off his cheeks and giving them both a sad smile. "I'm j-just happy to h-have you boys back…"

"We're not going anywhere, dad," Gilead assured him. "N-Not that we could, but that's beside the point."

"I know." He turned his attention back to his staff, no longer caring about being seen in his disheveled state. "Th-Thank you for looking after my boys for me…"

Fritz smiled softly. "As soon as Freddy told me Gilead was back there, I made sure we got him outta there as soon as possible. I didn't want any human bein' to spend any length of time back there. He's a good kid; kind, patient, cooperative, and decisive. Ya should feel proud to have him as your son. But how could I forget Freddy?" He grinned at him. "If it wasn't for him, we'd have never known. And the shows he puts on are wonderful! I can't wait to bring my kids here to see him. Freddy, you've kept the people comin' and stayed positive through it all. I don't know what dad wouldn't be proud of that."

Freddy beamed, feeling fantastic as he received the praise for all his efforts. "Thanks, Fritz! And thanks for helping us!"

"No problem, kid."

"So, Dad? Can I start performing? Please?" Gilead inquired eagerly.

Mr. Fazbear smiled warmly at him. "Of course! We'll fix that ear up for you and make sure you get on stage. We could have you in the main band or we could set something up for you in Pirate Cove."

"I'd prefer Pirate Cove. I want to perform with Reynard."

His eyes widened. "Reynard's there? My my, it's been so long… How has he been?"

Gilead replied, "He's much better, now that he's been fixed. He was having a problem with his soul and the Foxy programming, so Anthony got rid of the A.I. for him." He smiled. "I missed him so much, so I'm glad to have my friend back."

"At least he's functioning again. I'll get him back up there, too. Why don't you two talk about what you'd like to do as your show? Come up with some ideas for a performance you can do together." Thomas suggested. "Let me know what you decide on, so I can figure out how to fix that suit of his."

Gilead embraced him. "Thank you so much!" he cheered as he raced off to do just that.

"Dad?"

Thomas met his eyes with a smile. "What can I do for you, Freddy?"

Freddy signalled for him to wait as he darted up to the stage and over to the nearby Backstage. He returned with the Discman and headphones Mike had given him for Christmas. He sat with his father, offering him the headphones.

"Where'd you get this?" he inquired with genuine curiosity.

"Mike gave it to me for Christmas," Freddy replied, grinning at Mike.

The nightguard faintly blushed from the attention. "It was nothing, really!" He gave a slight nervous laugh. "Just trying to do something nice, that's all."

Freddy passed his father the headphones to let him listen, playing Carmen Overture for him. Thomas smiled as more tears streamed down his cheeks. A flood of fond memories sprung to mind, along with the tragic ones, creating a flurry of emotions. Freddy watched him happily, remembering the good times they had spent together, and now would going forward.

"Sir?" a voice asked from the doorway once Thomas had removed his headphones.

Thomas saw the Marionette standing at the entrance of the Dining Room, watching quietly. A warm smile danced across his lips as saw the old animatronic.

"Ah, if it isn't the Puppet. It's been a long time since I've seen you out of that box of yours."

"Yeah, it has been…"

Thomas patted the chair beside him. "Please, do join us," he insisted.

He nodded and slinked over to the chair, sliding into the seat across from Thomas and Freddy.

"I understand that my sons and at least one of their friends is here… You're one of them as well, are you not?"

"As of now, I suppose. In life, I did not have the pleasure of knowing them. I'm not sure how well you remember me, but I was the boy who went missing at Fredbear's Family Diner. I'm James."

Thomas quickly recalled the information. "Ah yes, I remember Everett telling me about that. I'm so sorry that happened to you... How come you didn't speak to us about it?"

James shrugged. "I didn't want to scare anyone, I suppose. And there was alway the threat of the back room."

He seemed confused. "Why would we put any of you back there for that?"

"Because it sounds like a glitch."

"I know my boys well," Mr. Fazbear explained. "I recognized them right away. I have no reason to doubt that you're all telling the truth about this, despite how outlandish it may be."

James smiled. "I'm glad you do." He went quiet for a moment before asking, "I know it's been a good 15 years or so, but, would it be too much to ask you to track down my parents? I've missed them so much…"

Thomas was almost shocked. "Of course I will! Why wouldn't I? I'll notify them, somehow."

"Are you still in touch with the other parents?" Freddy questioned.

"With Charlotte's parents, yes," Thomas replied. "As for Bailey, I still have that business card his father gave me, but I haven't spoken to him since. I know how to get in touch with Ms. Coleman as well."

As if taking the mention of their names as their cue, Bonnie and Chica joined them at the table.

"How have they been?" Chica enthused. "Are Mom and Dad alright?"

"They miss you more than you could imagine, my dear," he explained. Mr. Fazbear had no need to ask which child he was speaking to. Considering how well he knew Charlotte, it was easy for him to recognize her. "We've missed you all. Losing three children from our church in such an upsetting way took quite the toll on the congregation." He let out a sad sigh. "It's been difficult for all of us, but we have all done what we could to return to life as usual."

She frowned. Before she could reply to that, Bonnie interjected, "Dude, you didn't talk to my parents? Rude!"

Chica rolled her eyes. "Really, Bon?"

His cheeks glowed a deep red. "I thought you said you wouldn't call me that in public!"

She snickered and replied, "I only said that about Bonbon!"

Freddy burst out laughing. "Wait, she calls you 'Bonbon'?"

Bonnie stamped his foot forcefully, much like a kicking rabbit. "S-Shut up! Both of you!" he grumbled. "Anyway, I don't remember anything about them, but it would still be cool to see them. Maybe it'll jog my memory."

"I'm sure Elliott misses you," Chica added.

"Who?" he asked, tilting his head in a confused way, his ears flopping to the side.

"Your little brother."

His bewilderment grew. "I have a brother?"

"Yeah, you do," Freddy chuckled. "You used to act like he annoyed you, but you would always play with him."

Bonnie snorted and rolled his eyes in annoyance. "I doubt it. How old is this 'Elliott" kid, anyway?"

"Um…" Freddy briefly trailed off in thought. "7, I think. He was around a year old when we ended up here."

"I see," he responded receptively. "Well, he'd better like rockin' out, 'cuz that's what cool kids do!"

Chica giggled. "It's very possible. Your parents were both metalheads, so I'm sure Elliott likes music just as much as you do."

"Wicked! I can't wait!" Bonnie enthused.

Thomas chuckled quietly. "You haven't changed a day, Bailey."

"Huh? Oh, right." He laughed uncomfortably. "I forgot that's what my name used to be. I don't really remember anything before the incident. No offense, man."

"No need to apologize. The worst thing was you did when you would come to visit us would be how loud you were… and sometimes a little mischievous, but never in a harmful way."

Bonnie took interest in this detail. "I was a trouble-maker?"

"I'm not sure if I would call it that, but you certainly pulled your fair share of... pranks," he said carefully.

He laughed triumphantly. "That's awesome! Aw man, what kind of pranks did I pull off?"

"You and I put mud in Gilead's shoes that one time, even though Chica warned us not to," Freddy recalled. "The look on his face was so worth it!"

"You were in big trouble for that," Thomas remarked.

"I know, but it was still pretty funny! It was so worth the week of chores."

Bonnie chuckled at the thought. "That's a good one! What else did I do?"

"You put a glass of water on my thumbs, telling me it was a magic trick. You and Freddy raced off giggling." Mr. Fazbear smirked and shook his head slowly. "I must have been there for at least for fifteen minutes before you boys came back and moved the glass."

He burst out laughing, just as delighted as he would have been when he had pulled off the prank. "That's awesome!"

"I really hope you start to remember the time before we came here," said Chica. "We had so many wonderful times together."

"I hope I will as well," Bonnie replied. "Seeing my folks might help."

"Reynard mentioned that he wanted to see his mom," Anthony piped in. "Uh, I guess we just need to bring in all the parents, huh?"

"That would be ideal," Thomas agreed. "I'll do my best to bring them here."

"Thank you, sir!" James, Chica, and Bonnie exclaimed.

He chuckled softly and said, "Please, call me Thomas. There's no need to be so formal."

"S-Sorry!" Chica stammered nervously.

"My dear, you're like a daughter to me. You don't need to be shy around me."

She smiled warmly and nodded, a slight blush coming to her cheeks. Bonnie laughed and poked her cheek in a teasing manner.

Thomas stood and pushed in his chair. "I'd love to stay and chat, but the restaurant opens soon. I need to get things ready for that."

"I could help make the pizza!" Chica offered. "I love to cook."

Thomas thought this over for a few moments before telling her, "If you can get in there and back on stage before we open, you're welcome to. Make sure your costume stays clean."

"Of course!" She grinned excitedly. "Thank you!" She raced off to the kitchen to begin her kitchen preparations. At this time, James returned to his box for the day, knowing he still wouldn't be allowed to roam.

"Bonnie and I will work on warming up, I suppose."

"Heck yeah, let's rock!" Bonnie enthused.

Mr. Fazbear smiled at them. "You boys have fun with that. I'll do what I can to contact the parents."

"Thanks, man." Bonnie he hopped back up onto the stage and strapped his guitar on his shoulder.

Freddy hugged his father once more before following his friend up onto the stage. They he grabbed his microphone and the two quickly launched into some songs, periodically cracking up as they came across some of the cheesier lyrics. Mike and Fritz, who had lingered to watch, also found themselves snickering on occasion.

As they arrived at a point where Chica usually had a solo, they broke down in a fit of laughter.

"This sounds so stupid! I can't believe kids actually like this crap," Bonnie remarked

"Hey, it's a livin'," Fritz encouraged.

"I still think we need better stuff," he maintained.

"You could write some new songs!" Mike suggested.

"Kid-friendly ones," Freddy reminded him. "To the customers, we're simply pizza-loving robots made to entertain the kids. We can't do much outside of that."

Bonnie's ears drooped in disappointment. "That blows, dude." He strummed a few random chords on his guitar boredly.

"You're allowed to play whatever you want after we close," Freddy reminded him.

He nodded. "True." Bonnie continued to strum away and eventually came up with a few bars that he and Freddy deemed to be good material for a potential new song.

Despite the fears Freddy had going into the coming day, he did not regret his decision to go through with it. He had Gilead to thank for pushing him to do what he had longed to do for several years. Now that their family was reunited, they could finally be at peace and rebuild the restaurant. Maybe now, there would be hope of avoiding the impending threat of bankruptcy.

AN: This one was on time for once (okay, almost, but still)! Side note: I may or may not have pulled that glass of water prank on my boyfriend when he and I first started dating. Heh, at least I can verify that it does works well! I didn't abandon him, at least.