A/N: Yes, I know. I said last time that I'd upload this two days ago and I didn't. I'm really sorry guys, but I simply did not have the time to finish before Sunday and I don't want to rush a chapter too much. Besides, this one did not want to be written. It's funny how easy it is to write some chapters, and how difficult others are. Remember that if I don't manage to update on Sunday there should be a notice on my profile explaining why this is and when I'll update. If that's not the case, it means that I don't have Internet access. Once again, my apologies and thanks for waiting.

Now, we finally enter the actual games, and someone makes a comeback. That's right, welcome to Freddy's Jeremy! A big thank you to those who have commented so far, and I invite you to let me know what you thought of this chap. See you at the bottom guys, and happy reading!

Chapter 23: The new guard

It had been five days since we heard Dave happily tell Jeremy over the brick-like device that he was welcome to take the night shift. It seemed as if no one actually believed he'd be willing to go back to Freddy's after everything that happened.

"He can't come, right?" asked my brother anxiously while we waited in the Parts and Service room for the last employees to leave. "He won't come; he knows that nothing good can come out of this."

"You heard it yourself Sean," muttered Ferny, looking down at the floor, "he'll take the shift tonight."

Jack looked up from the puzzle that he was finishing to stare at me with confusion. "Who are t-they talking about?" he asked.

"Jeremy and his family were always really close to ours." I explained, shoving myself closer to him. "When we were… normal, we went a lot to the old place, and he always gave us discounts without the manager's permission. Sean and I would play for the whole day then, and sometimes we brought along Fer and Sarah. Jeremy also gave them some free meals and stuff." The sweet memories suddenly turned bitter when I remembered that all my immediate family, including myself, were dead.

Jack slowly laid down the puzzle by his side, sighing deeply. "M-Mike loved that p-place as well. He was n-never a big fan of t-the band, or the f-food, but he was addicted to the a-arcades." Jack let out a short giggle. "I d-didn't really like anything a-about that place, but Mike w-wouldn't leave me alone at home. H-he always brought m-me along, so he c-could make sure I was s-safe." A small silence followed before he resumed speaking. "That d-day, I wasn't f-feeling really happy, s-so I didn't go to the arcades with him. That's when you s-saw me."

"I'm so sorry Jack." I mumbled as my ears drooped down, "I never should've…"

"It wasn't your f-fault." he interrupted, "You d-didn't know what would h-happen. Wh… what happened last week wasn't your f-fault either." He turned his head around and looked at me with his warmly glowing eyes. "You're a g-good person, don't forget that."

I would've smiled if I could. "Thanks buddy, but please be careful tonight." Jack nodded understandingly. "If something would happen to you or Jeremy because of me…"

"Don!" My ears quickly rose up at the sound of my brother's voice. He was staring at me expectantly. "What do you think about it?"

I stood up and walked towards the brown, red and yellow trio. "I'm sorry, I wasn't really listening." I mumbled awkwardly, scratching the back of my head.

"Really Brandon?" huffed Sarah as she crossed her arms, "Are those big ears of yours any good?"

"Sarah, don't be mean." nagged Ferny before bursting out in laughs, "Never mind, that was good! Anyways," He cleared his throat to cut off his laughing, "since Jeremy or any other person that doesn't have a blood seal can't hear us talk, and there aren't any blank tapes in the security office, we thought that we should leave him a note."

"Okay, that's not a bad idea. But what do we tell him?" I asked.

"To get out of here." replied Sean, "He won't believe that we're still around if he doesn't hear our voices, and to be fair, who would? It's a shame that we can't ask him for help, but at least he'll be safe."

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

As usual, the sound of the main doors closing one last time let us know that the day was over. As usual, the five of us left the service room to check on the Toys and Marionette. As usual, we found Junior, Mini and TB climbing off the Show Stage. What wasn't usual was the sadness that beamed from their eyes.

"Hey little me, how was your day?" I greeted friendlily as I approached my counterpart.

"Oh, umm, hi Mr. Bonnie." replied TB absent-mindedly, looking up at me with gloomy eyes as Junior and Mini went to Sean and Sarah. "Alright, I guess."

"Glad to hear that." I knelt down in front of him, took out his rose from my chest and held his favorite item in front of him in an attempt to cheer him up. "I hope you didn't forget that it's your turn today!"

TB grabbed the plastic stem, looked down at the crumbled petals with melancholy and began to rub his elbow awkwardly. "Umm, thanks." His whisper was so weak I could barely hear it.

I gently lifted his chin with my hand, and stared down into his light eyes. "What's wrong?" I asked, this time letting my growing concern show through my voice.

TB shook his head as his ears slowly went down. "It's gonna happen again, isn't it?" he mumbled as his small shoulders began to quiver, "We… we're going to try to kill the guard again, right?" He closed his eyes tightly and clenched his small fists as he began to sob softly. "I… I don't want to hurt anyone Mr. Bonnie! I j-just… want to go back t-to how we were. To p-play games and n-not have to worry about any of this!"

I sighed. "Me too, you don't know how much. But we're going to leave a note to the guard, so he'll know he has to go and no one will get hurt!"

This time TB shook his head with more force. "What if he doesn't read it?! What will happen then?!" I was surprised to see him throw down the flower furiously. He then let his heavy body fall on the floor. "I thought I'd b-be happy here after we opened, but n-now I just… I just want to leave."

"Leave where?" I demanded immediately, fearing what he might say.

"To the outside world, to all the places you told me about the night we became friends. I want to know what the rain feels like, or the sun… I just want to step outside for once." He paused for a moment, and looked up at me with that puppy-like, pleading expression that only little kids have. "Would… would you go with me then?"

I picked up the rose from the floor and handled it over to him. "Off course I will!" I replied with a laugh, "How could I leave my friend alone?"

"I want to go with you then!" called out Mini behind us, "I think we deserve a little rest."

"I agree with Small Bird." said Junior, "I want to know what this 'outside' is."

Sarah chuckled and shook her head. "Seems like everybody got really outdoorsy all of the sudden."

The sound of a car engine stopping right outside immediately killed the conversation. The three Toys quickly climbed up the stage whilst Sarah and Ferny crawled into the nearest vent. My brother and I followed suit, rapidly squeezing ourselves into another metal duct, right on time to see how the lights turned on and unveiled two human silhouettes: Erik, who was holding a purple package under his armpit and…

"Jeremy?!" Sean and I gasped at the same time. There he was, standing next to the manager, looking at least ten years older than the last time we saw him. The dark rings around his eyes accentuated his tired smile as he looked at the Toys, hands on his waist.

"What do you think?" asked Erik with a proud grin on his face, looking at our newer versions.

Jeremy's smile fell down ever so slightly, before he let out a long sigh. "I don't know." he confessed, "They're so… different. Well," he looked around the Game Area, "everything is so different here."

"Yeah…" The manager dropped the package on the floor before fishing out a small case of cigarettes from his shirt's pocket and popping one in his mouth. "We're glad to have you back Fitzgerald. Do you smoke now?" He held out the case to Jeremy.

"No I don't, thanks." he replied calmly, but it was clear that his polite smile was a bit forced; though not as much as the manager's. I still wonder if the latter ever found out about those 'unofficial discounts'.

"Honestly, you look like you need one." Erik chuckled gravely as he took out a lighter and held the cigarette's tip into the orange flame. "Anyways, let's get to the point." The manager took a long drag and puffed out a cloud of smoke close enough from cousin's face to bother him, yet far enough to appear unintentional. "Watch the cams from twelve to six, don't leave the office unless it's necessary, and if someone breaks in call 911."

"Got it."

"Umm… there's one more thing." Erik's tone suddenly became awkward and unsure. "The last guy that worked here said that he had… small issues with the animatronics. Eh, they might try to get into your office as soon as your shift starts." Jeremy looked at the manager with confusion. "But off course you wouldn't be in any danger!" reassured Erik, "The last guard found out that if you put on a Freddy headpiece when they see you they'll leave you alone, except Foxy apparently." Again, our cousin gave a puzzled glare at his superior. "Dave and I think it's a small glitch in their programming; and speaking of Dave he left some messages to help you get more used to the job. They'll explain everything in more detail."

"Sounds like him." replied Jeremy with a smile.

"Yeah, he also did that for the kid that worked here before we had the… umm… second accident and had to close down for the investigation. His tapes and yours might be mixed together, so keep that in mind. Oh, and here's your uniform. The keys should be in there as well." Erik quickly picked up the package that was lying on the floor and passed it to Jeremy.

"Alright then." said the latter as he took the purple pack, "Thanks again for waiting for me Erik."

The other man took another drag of his cigarette. "No problem Fitzgerald." he dismissed, exhaling smoke, "Thanks for taking the job. But why did you come back after losing your second cousins here?"

Jeremy's expression suddenly became harsh and serious, a long shot from the cheeriness and friendliness that always beamed from him when we were together. "Just cousins, and those are personal reasons." he answered curtly, "I think I should get going now, try to catch some sleep before my shift." Without saying another word he stomped out of the building. Moments later, we heard the sputtering of an old engine that comes to life, before it rapidly faded away in the distance. Sighing, Erik turned off the lights. I followed the orange glow of his cigarette through the darkness of the room as he left the pizzeria, and then listened to the sound of his own car speeding away into the night.

Marionette sighed and leaned on his box. "The new night guard is Pizza Boy's and Sean's second cousin?" Huffing, he shook his head. "The world is such a small place."

"Are you almost done Brandon?" asked Ferny anxiously, "We don't have a lot of time left."

"Yup." I replied as I slowly drew one last character with a red crayon on a blank coloring page, "I'm sure Jeremy will get out of here as soon as he sees this." Putting the crayon aside, I looked down at my ugly, shaky, but legible capital letters scraped on the paper:

LEAVE NOW. YOU'RE IN DANGER.

Though my new handwriting would've given my English teacher a heart attack, I chuckled with satisfaction as I put the paper inside my chest. After all, these hands were never meant for anything other than holding that fake guitar.

"Well done private." cheered Sean, "Now, let's leave this in his office."

We left the room and were greeted by all five Toys, who were resting on the floor next to Jack. Strangely, after our encounter with the Shadow, he seemed to distrust Marionette completely and refused to be in the same room as him.

"Hey buddy." I greeted in a flat tone as I sat down next to him, "It's almost time I'm afraid."

Jack sighed and let his head fall down slightly. "That r-room… it's so d-dark." he mumbled sadly, "Please, c-can't I be somewhere else?"

"I'm sorry, but that's the only room that I, well, he doesn't know." was my answer, "He'd find you if you hide anywhere else." As I said that, the growling of a car engine quickly made us turn our heads towards the sound's source. "You have to go now buddy." I urged. With sadness in his eyes Jack stood up and stepped into the kitchen as the Toys quickly ran to their respective places.

Once again we took a shortcut through a vent to reach the security office in time. As we stepped into the monitor-filled room we heard the main doors open, followed by the sound of rapidly-approaching footsteps. I hastily opened my chest, laid the paper on the desk and crawled into the left vent after everyone else.

Jeremy, now dressed from head to toe in his purple uniform, walked around the office for a moment before noticing our letter on the desk. He approached it slowly, picked it up and, puzzled, stared at the ugly red letters for a long time.

"Did he see it?" hissed Sarah behind me.

"He's reading it." I answered, "He looks more confused than afraid."

"C'mon Jerry," pleaded my brother, "just get out of here, please!"

A deep frown appeared on Jeremy's forehead, again making him look much older than he was. Then, to our horror, he angrily crumbled the note into a ball and slammed it on his desk.

"Whoever left that thing, listen to me!" he roared out into the hallway, "I'm not a coward! I came here to do something, and I'm not leaving until that's done!" As if to make this extra clear, he let himself fall on the office's chair heavily. "So, if you're still here, you are the one that should leave at once!"

A silence of surprise took over us for a few seconds. Not as much because of his answer, but because of the way he answered; it seemed as if something was truly destroying our cousin from the inside.

"We… we should go to Parts and Service, fast." whispered Ferny a few seconds later in a tone of defeat, "It's the farthest we can get from him without being seen."

"I guess you're right." sighed Sean, "Let's get going."

We crawled on as silently and quickly as we could through the vent, none of us saying a word. Why was Jeremy here? What was he going to do? Before I could think of an answer, we were back in the service room.

"So, what now?" asked Sarah hastily, "How much time do we have?"

"I don't know what we can do." confessed Fer, before looking at a tiny digital clock below the camera. "And… we're out of time."

I turned around and checked the clock just in time to see the glowing 11:59 turn into 12:00. Then, before I could say anything, a burning pain shot though my body. I growled as I felt my knees give out and saw an eerie red hue lit up the dark room.

"Brandon!" Ferny and Sarah screamed at the same time as I doubled over on the floor.

"N-no…" I whimpered in panic, "Don't m-make me do this, please! He's… HE'S MY FAMILY!"

"Don, please stay with us!" begged Sean, kneeling by my side. "You've always held out longer than any of us, you can fight it!"

"I… I c-can't." I clenched my fist and looked at the pained eyes of my brother. "I'm… sorry…"

The world came and went in flashes as I began to trash violently on the floor, trying desperately to hold on to myself whilst cold and darkness flooded my whole being… but then I came to my senses and stopped twitching.

I was alright now. Everything was alright now.

"Don?" I heard a familiar voice ask slowly and nervously, "P-private? Can you hear me?"

"Hello Freddy." I greeted cheerily, standing up I front of the shocked bear, "That's not my name, but I can hear you loud and clear."

Foxy and Chica stared at me with a combination of fear and worry, whilst Freddy looked angrily at me. "You damn bastard…" hissed the latter, balling his big brown fists at me, "Give me back my little brother!"

I chuckled. "Poor Freddy, is that kid confusing you? You don't have a brother."

The huge brown figure growled at me. "You. Take. That. Back."

"But it's true!" I shrugged calmly, "Anyways, don't worry about it." I pointed at his chest as it began to glow softly in a bloody red, "Everything will be clear to you very soon."

The bear let out a short cry as he fell sideways, clutching at his glowing side. Foxy and Chica ran to him, but in a second they too fell down, hopelessly trying to fight their true nature. Their eyes flickered, their bodies twitched and shook, and after a few moments, they were laying motionlessly on the tiled floor.

"Welcome back friends!" I called out happily, "How do you feel?"

The three figures stood up at the same time and lifted their heads to look back at me with their frigid, empty glowing eyes.

"Much better." whispered Foxy before grinning perversely at me, "We're ready to play Bonnie."

"Glad to hear that." I replied with satisfaction, "We have a brand new prize waiting for us in the office. Say, how about we give him a big, warm welcome?"

A/N: Good luck Jeremy, you'll need it...

Thanks for reading, and as always if you spotted an error please let me know. One last thing: I'm working on a little surprise for you guys, and I'm quite excited about it. What is it? Well, you'll find out this Sunday. Don't worry, I'll make sure to be on time!