A/N: Here I am again... late. Sorry to keep you waiting again. This is the last time guys, last time. A bunch of unexpected stuff happened to me this week, but nevertheless here it is! A very bittersweet chap. Thanks for waiting, thanks for your reviews last time and thanks for being here again!

Oh, and before I forget: congratulations to the graduates! Well done guys, keep it up and I wish you the best of luck with whatever you're going to do now. And as always, let me know what you thought of this chap so I can make the next one better. Have a good week guys and happy reading!

Chapter 14: Promises and secrets

The building was completely silent as I, still having to lean on Fer's shoulders to walk, passed the restrooms of the main hall followed by Sarah and my brother. We turned around the corner to the party rooms when suddenly…

"SURPRISE!" yelled the five Toys in front of us, making me stumble back and fall down in shock, dragging Ferny down with me. The Toys hopped, sprinted and swung towards us while we tried to get up.

"Mr. Bonnie!" shouted a worried TB, jumping by my side. "Are you okay?"

"More or less…" I groaned, rubbing my lower back. "What was that all about?"

"We have a surprise for you!" he chirped as TF appeared behind him, holding a regular walking cane in his hands.

"Mr. Bonnie, cap Foxy, hello again." he greeted, tipping his hat to us both. "This was in lost and found, and we thought it might help Mr. Bonnie walk on his own again." TB eagerly snatched the cane from the bear and put it in my open hand.

After a few minutes and with a lot of effort I managed to get my trembling body up on two feet with the help of the cane, making the Toys' eyes beam with happiness.

"How is it?" asked TC, blue eyes filled with excitement.

"Alright." I answered coldly, taking a few shaky steps towards the hall with the party rooms.

"Umm, Bon?" called out my brother behind me, "Isn't there anything you would like to say to the Toys?"

I hummed for a moment, pretending to think. "Not really." I said flatly, ignoring Sean's long sigh and the disappointment in the Toys' eyes.

"Mr. Bucky is in Party Room 3." mumbled TB with downed ears as he pointed at the door in the corner, "But he's… umm…"

Before he finished his sentence I was already swinging the door of the party room open. The dark room had multiple power cables hanging from the tall ceiling that we could use to recharge our batteries. A couple of long tables were folded neatly in a corner, right beside a small pile of tablecloths. And sitting on the floor in the other corner, his body slumped forwards slightly, was Jack. His waist and legs were covered with a striped tablecloth that served as blanket.

I closed the door before anyone else entered and took some slow steps towards his motionless body, every detail of its damage becoming visible as I got closer: the horribly darkened fur, the missing left ear and the stray wires popping out of his face and shoulders made me feel a knot in my throat.

"Jack?" I whispered softly, standing by his side, "It's me buddy. Are you alright?"

He slowly raised his damaged head to see me; his eyes didn't reflect anger or resentment anymore, only complete sadness and defeat. He then let his head fall and traced an X on the blanket.

"What's wrong?" I asked anxiously, using the cane to steadily kneel down by his side.

"M-My leg." he stammered, almost crying. "It's b-broken."

I pulled up the blanket and to my horrible surprise, saw that his right knee was completely destroyed. The only thing holding both halves of the leg together were some twisted wires and what remained of his kneecap.

He said what I feared with a thin, weak stammer. "I c-can't walk… or g-get up."

I shook my head in guilt and helplessness. "I'm sorry Jack, for everything." The cane in my hand started to tremble as I clenched my fist around it. "What a terrible job I've done in keeping you safe."

Jack only answered with a long sigh, his dim white pinpoints staring blankly at the mess that was his leg. "You w-were r-right." he said calmly. "I'm broken and u-useless."

"Don't talk like that!" I hissed back sternly, "I understand if you can't forgive me for what I did that night. But never, ever say that again. You're only useless if you see yourself that way, understood?"

Jack looked up at me with surprised eyes before nodding slowly.

"Good, now let's get you up."

Groaning, I got back on my feet. I leaned backwards against the wall on his right side, dropped the cane reluctantly and shoved closer to him. Then I carefully started leaning sideways to grab his arm with my right and only hand, but Jack winced away as soon as I touched him.

"I-I'm sorry." he said hastily. "I c-can't."

I sighed, straightening up against the wall again. Off course. Being like he is, he probably could not have others touching him besides a handful of people. And apparently, I wasn't on that list.

"Don't worry. Jack, you see that cane?" He nodded. "It's yours. If it helps you walk, then…"

"No." The sudden sharpness in his whisper surprised me. "You n-need it t-to walk."

"It's alright. I'll find a way."

"I d-don't want it." he insisted, "N-Not if you n-need it."

We both remained silent for a moment before I carefully slid down against the wall and sat on the floor besides him again.

"Listen to me Jack." I whispered decidedly, looking at his damaged leg. "I'll find a way to make you walk again."

"H-How?" he asked with an air of defeat, "The r-red one said that t-there are n-no spare p-parts left."

I hummed, scratching the back of my head as I thought. "Maybe they just didn't look hard enough. But even if Ferny's right, I'll somehow make you stand up and walk again. That's…" I sighed, thinking about all the promises I made and broke before pushing the doubts away. "That's a promise I will not break."

Jack quickly turned his head to look away from me. "I d-don't believe you." he muttered, bitterness replacing sadness in his voice.

"I'm no longer the thing that I was that night. I won't hurt you again, okay? I will fix y-."

"I don't b-believe you." repeated Jack, dropping and shaking his head while he traced another X on the blanket.

Before I could reply my brother opened the door and slipped quietly into the room, a strange look of disapproval in his eyes.

"Don," he said severely as he limped towards me, "can you tell me why you've been so rude since you woke up?"

I answered with an annoyed growl as I grabbed the cane's handle and began putting myself up on two feet. "Dunno. Oh, and just like you said brother… Jack's a bit damaged. Just. A. Bit."

Sean remained quiet, looking at me in the eyes with the mad-big-brother look I've known since I can remember. "Fine, I'll be the polite one today. I'm sorry for not telling you about Jack's leg. Happy?"

"No." I snarled, "You don't even care about him."

"Oh, really?" Stretching out the last word, Sean crossed his arms defiantly. "So he magically appeared here with a blanket and a charged battery?"

I huffed stubbornly, walking towards the door. "And with no one around him I suppose, since you were all too busy playing games with your new friends, right Mr. Freddy?"

"No Brandon." replied my brother calmly, "We were all too busy trying desperately to repair you, so you might have a chance to live again and be ungrateful and indifferent with everyone you've met."

I pushed the swelling feeling of guilt aside, wishing I could storm out instead of just walking with a cane like a weak old geezer. I was about to exit the room when my brother grabbed my hand holding the cane.

"You really believe I see you differently?" he said flatly, staring through me with his glowing blue eyes. "That I forgot who you are because of how you look? You're still my little brother, that gets moody when he's sad, that tries to be brave even though he's crying inside."

"What are you trying to say?" I asked nervously.

"You may not remember the tantrum that you put up when Dad died, but I do. And it reminds me a lot of how you're acting lately."

I tried desperately to keep my balance while I tried to picture myself telling Sean that Mom, our last bastion of hope, died on his birthday.

"Don," his voice changed from severe to soft, "if there is something you need to tell me, do it now."

With a heavy heart, I realized that my brother wasn't too weak to handle the truth. But I was too much of a coward to tell him.

"There's nothing." I said slowly, stepping away from Sean's grip. "There really isn't. I just… hate calling each other by the animatronic names." The last part, at least, was true.

My guilt became worse when my brother let out a chuckle of relief. "It feels a bit wrong, doesn't it? That's how we called each other when we…" he cleared his throat awkwardly, "when we, umm…"

"When we killed the guard." I said coldly, getting a surprised look from Sean. But there was no point in denying it. "How long before this place opens up and they hire another one?"

Sean shrugged. "Could be weeks, could be months. That's why we have to get along with Marionette and the Toys, got that Don?"

I nodded obediently before some heavy footsteps suddenly came running down to the party room.

"Hey guys," greeted Sarah cheerily, "I think we need some help."

My brother let out a long, painful sigh. "What's the prob-"

"THAT'S NOT FUNNY!" roared TB in the distance, "GIVE IT BACK!"

"Na na nana na, you cannot catch me!" teased Balloons, laughing and giggling mockingly.

"Ahh… if I could only kill him…" cooed Sarah.

"Don't forget that you were always the joker Sarah." replied Sean.

"Hey, I was fun. He's just annoying."

"Off course you were." I mumbled.

Sarah let out a little growl as she slowly turned around to face me. "What is up with you?"

"Talked to him already." interrupted my brother, "C'mon Don, I think you need to put it aside for a while."

"Put what aside?" I grumbled. "My name? Who I am?"

"That attitude doofus." nagged Sarah. "Look at me; I don't have hands. You think I care?" Her purple eyes brightened up in surprise at her own question. "Actually… yes I care. I really miss drawing, being able to help Ferny with repairs and, well, everything else. But those little bozos over there are a great help. By being their friends we can be something more than a bunch of miserable people, and they're great kids…"

"LET IT GO FATHEAD!"

"CATCH ME IF YOU CAN BUGS BUNNY!"

"…most of the time. Please, just give it a try. I swear," she giggled, "you'll never stop being the same old idiot in our eyes."

I let out the tiniest of snickers, and nodded. "Right back at you, Chica."

"Alright then," said my brother, "let's go before Ferny loses it."

Nodding, I turned around to see Jack staring curiously at us. "Don't worry buddy," I called out, "I'll get you walking again."

I closed the door, and followed my brother and Sarah as they walked into the main hall. "I don't know how I'll do it," I thought to myself, "but I will."

TB was right on Balloons' heels as we reached the game area, trying to grab him by the propeller on his cap while they both zigzagged around the tables and decorations. The distance between the two shortened, but the creativity of the insults kept growing.

"BLUEBOT!"

"PINNOCHIO!"

"FREACKY FRECKLES!"

"I kinda like that one!" shouted Sarah, "But you both better stop running or both of your batteries will run out!"

"What happened Chica?" asked Sean.

"He grabbed it again Fred."

BB was clumsily holding a red rose between both of his ball-shaped hands while he ran around the room, his usual grin looking even wider and smugger. Mangle was hanging from the ceiling, her yellow eye following every moment and movement of the pursuit, unlike a certain red figure that was sitting on a bench with a thick grey book in his hand.

"Foxy!" shouted my brother, making Fer's ears rise up but not his eyes, "What are you doing!?"

"Reading." replied Ferny nonchalantly, turning a page. "This guy is a genius! He can't even walk and he has these amazing ideas about time and the universe… it blows your mind."

"You're not gonna help are you? And where are Junior and TC?"

"I tried Fred. It's your turn now. They're drawing with Marionette. Good luck." With those last words Ferny let the book absorb him completely.

"Alright…" hummed Sean as he crossed his arms smartly. "Mangle, can you come down for a moment?"

"Umm… s-sure Mr. Freddy." she replied shyly.

Mangle anchored her feet into the ceiling and let her inverted body swing to us, her face now a few feet in front of my brother's. Sean got close to her and whispered something when he saw that TB and Balloons were far from them. Nodding, Mangle raised herself up slightly and waited until BB was right under her. Then, with a lightning fast swoop, she hooked the unsuspecting boy by his leg and held him upside-down in midair, making him drop the rose right into TB's hand.

"HEY! NOT FAIR!" wailed Balloons, trashing helplessly, "I thought you were cooler Mangle."

"S-Sorry BB," stammered back Mangle, "but that was m-mean of you."

"She's right!" cried out TB, clutching the rose close to his chest, "It's not yours!"

"Flowers are for little girls!" teased Balloons, tilting his head defiantly.

"I don't care! I like it!" TB looked closely at the rose, his bright green eyes shone with wonder, "It's the beautifullest thing I've ever seen. Have you seen it Mr. Bonnie?"

"No, not yet TB." I answered, "Can I see it?"

"Sure!" TB skipped by my side and held the artificial rose right in front of my face.

"He doesn't remember anything about the outside world." I thought, "He doesn't know about parks, forests, beaches… for him a cheap fake rose is the most precious thing in the world."

"I think it's very nice." I lied, "Keep it safe TB, alright?"

"Thanks Mr. Bonnie, I will!"

"Balloons," said my brother sternly, "apologize to TB for what you did."

BB didn't answer. His arms were hanging limply from his inert body; the glow in his eyes was gone.

Sarah chuckled with satisfaction. "I told him that he'd run out of battery, but did he listen? No. Hehe… that'll teach him."

"So, what now?" I asked. "Do we plug him back in now?"

"Umm… you know what?" answered my brother, seeing how Mangle carefully lowered and unhooked the unconscious little rascal. "Let's wait a few hours. We get a peaceful afternoon and he gets an early bedtime."

For reasons I still had to learn, everyone agreed.

It was nine o'clock, the Toys' bedtime. We carried BB back into the Kid's Cove where he and Mangle would sleep while TB, TF and TC went to 'bed' in Party Room 1. In this case, the 'bed' was the tablecloth each of us used as blanket. It wasn't much, but it was better than sleeping on the cold hard floor like we used to.

After getting to know the Toys and the new building better I spent at least an hour turning the service room upside down. But even after checking under each table and shelf, opening up every box and drawer, and even the tool cases there wasn't a single spare part that could be used to repair Jack's leg. Seeing that my brother could still walk with part of his knee missing, I asked if we could use some of my own parts to repair Jack before we went to sleep.

"Absolutely not!" replied Ferny, Sarah and my brother at the same time.

"Sean has some missing pieces and he can walk alright!" I snapped back.

"First of all Brandon," started Ferny, "Jack's knee isn't damaged, it's gone. Servos, pistons, gears, the joints… everything is missing. To get the pieces we need to make him walk again we'd have to literally tear off your arm or leg."

"Also," added my brother, "not having a kneecap hurts a lot already. It's a noble idea private, but it's not a smart one."

"Don't worry Brandon," said Sarah, seeing the disappointment in my eyes, "we'll figure something out. For now, focus on getting some rest. And remember: we have an important game of hide and seek tomorrow."

I nodded, remembering the box with the tapes. "Okay. Well, goodnight then."

"Goodnight!" replied Sarah and Ferny happily, stepping into Party Room 4. My brother opened the door of Part Room 3; Jack was sound asleep already. Sean and I took a power cord hanging from the ceiling and plugged ourselves in before lying on top of the improvised blankets.

"Hey Don," he whispered after a few moments, "do you think Mom is thinking about us?"

"I don't know brother," I replied quickly, trying not to cry, "but you can ask her when we find new tapes."

"And… do you think we'll see her again?"

"I know we will!" I said cheerily, masking my sobs. "And I can't wait for it."

A/N: I'd like to know if anyone can figure out the book that Ferny is reading. Little hint: it actually came out that year. Let me know if you do, and I'll see you guys next week... on time!