A/N: Welcome back guys, to another very late update. They said this semester was easy... they were wrong. I have more work than ever, but I hope I'll be able to somehow not make you wait too much between chapters. One option is making them shorter, but I honestly don't feel like cutting back on the length, since 4000 word chaps allow me to advance a lot in the plot with a single update. Nevertheless, I'd like you to let me know if you'd like to receive shorter chapters a bit more often.

I'm quite happy about this one, since it contains a scene I played in my head and modified multiple times. Let me know how you like it, and as always, happy reading! Thanks a lot for sticking with me through these long waits.

Chapter 44: Night five

Mike hissed as he cleaned up the deep gash on his cheek with a paper towel. The moistened pulp turned pink, sucking up the last of the undried blood. He applied pressure to the broken skin for a few more seconds, before dropping the used towel in the trash bin next to the sink of the men's restroom.

"Sorry about that." mumbled an ashamed Ferny. His tall red figure seemed to fill up the whole bathroom corridor, giving the rest of us a cramped feeling as we waited for Mike.

The young man shrugged, before saying casually "I've had worse. A few band aids, a good nap, and I'll be good as new. I'm more worried about Jacob."

It had been around an hour since the end of the night, and Jack was still unconscious. We had placed his body on top of a blanket, giving him a somewhat-comfortable place to rest before waking up.

"He'll be alright." I replied, turning my head to catch Mike's wary gaze in the mirror, "This has happened a couple of times before.

The guard sighed, turning around to me with a worried expression, before whispering "Is it true that he'll try to kill me tonight?"

"Yes." was Sarah's dry answer, "And we will, too. It's… it won't be easy to survive. Are you sure that…"

"Yes, I am." interrupted Mike, slightly irritated. "He wouldn't hurt me."

"Michael, I'm not so sure about that." replied my brother cautiously.

"I said I'm sure he can't hurt me!" was Mike's irritated answer. Letting out a raspy sigh, he shook his head. "He can't." he muttered under his breath as he opened his way in between us through the bathroom corridor, "He won't."

"I'm sure he won't." lied Sean, trying to calm down the man, "But be careful, just in case."

Mike nodded slightly in agreement, and I couldn't help but feel an air of insecurity in his upset demeanor. He stood still in the gloomy, grey corridor for almost a minute, his half-lidded gaze low to the floor. It seemed as if he was lost in thought, whilst at the same time having a blank mind. After a minute of silence, he finally said in a slow, low voice "I'm sorry. It's simply that, well, you don't know what he means to me."

"I'm quite sure I do." replied Sean, putting a hand on my shoulder that forced a smile out of me. In those years of distance, it was the little things I missed the most.

The guard's lips curled up ever so slightly. "Yeah, maybe you do."

Another empty, monotonous day came and went without highlights. Whilst locked up on the stage, waiting for the night to come, I couldn't help but wonder how Jack was doing in the backstage room. If he were to be taken over by Bucky, Mike's chances would go from bad to nearly nonexistent.

But we tried not to think about that when the last costumers, followed shortly by Erik, left the building. As soon as the manager put us in free-roam mode, I went over to Jack, just to find him slumped against the wall with his arms around his body, shivering and trembling slightly. He raised his head to me for a moment, a hint of warmth and friendliness visible in his eyes, before lowering his stare again.

"It's that cold again, right?" I asked softly as I sat down by his side.

Without looking at me, Jack gave me a jerky nod, and said "It f-feels like I'm f-freezing inside."

"I'm sorry. Is there anything I can do?"

"Don't l-let Mike see me like this." was his immediate answer, "When he c-comes here, try to k-keep him away from me."

I nodded, having no idea how I was supposed to accomplish that. "Is there anything else?"

Jack stared sideways, and mumbled somewhat shyly "C-can you please stay w-with me for a while?"

I put my hand on his shoulder, and a timid smile appeared on his face. "Of course I can."

We waited together for Mike to arrive, doing nothing more than enjoying each other's company. After an hour or two we heard the front door open. "I'll come back in a few minutes." I told Jack. He answered with a slight nod as I opened the door of the backstage and stepped into the dining area, just in time to see Mike drop his skateboard on the floor carelessly.

Ferny pulled open the curtain from Pirate's Cove, before stepping down to the dining area's floor. "Well, you did come after all!" he said aloud, not bothering to mask his surprise.

Sarah came out of the Cove a moment later, looking around with slight confusion, until her purple eyes finally locked on the man. "Welcome back Mikey!" was her cheerful greeting. Mike only answered with a small hand wave and awkward smile as he came closer to me

"You're early." I called out, discretely closing the door of the backstage room.

"Yeah, I am." he mumbled as he stared back at me uneasily, a far cry from his usual confidence and humor. "Where's your brother?"

As if on cue, Sean came walking from the west hallway with a book in his hand. "I'm here. Is there anything wrong?"

Mike stared at him with an expression that left no room for doubt. Sarah and Ferny then approached the man, a growing feeling of worry visible in their colored eyes. The guard waited until the four of us were forming a tight circle around him, and sighed as he looked at my brother in the eyes. "I got a call this morning, after I left the place. It was from the hospital. Jeremy's girlfriend found him lying on the kitchen floor, unconscious. He's stable, but in a coma. From what I've heard, the doctors aren't very sure that he'll recover. That's all they told me."

Momentarily numb from the news, I saw how my brother shook his head in slight disbelief. Sarah and Ferny were petrified, staring silently through Mike. The guard then turned to me, thinking I was the most composed of our group. "I'm sorry." he continued, "I wanted to come here early, to give you a bit of time. I thought about telling you after the night, but it didn't seem right."

"Thanks." I stuttered out mechanically, as the weight of the news finally dawned on me. To be honest, part of me was expecting something like this to happen; Jeremy had warned us that he could relapse at any moment. But that still didn't make it any easier.

Mike waited a minute or two for us to calm down, before pulling an envelope out of his jacket's inner pocket and walking up to Sean. "Your cousin wanted me to give you this, in case something happened. He told me not to look into it. I can open it for you if you want, but I promise I won't see what's inside."

Unable to look at Mike in the eyes, my brother nodded silently in appreciation. The guard then tore open the envelope as he kept his eyes on a distant corner, and handed it to Sean. With clumsily, trembling fingers, he let the contents of the envelope slide down on his hand.

A yellowed photograph came to rest on Sean's faux fur, along with a crudely-written note. I stepped next to my brother, and felt my insides twist with bittersweet nostalgia as I saw the picture clearly. It was us, the real us. Sean, Dad, Mom, and me, smiling gleefully at the camera next to Dad's police car. As a three year old, I was nothing more than a little bump of clothes and flesh in my father's arms, but I still recognized my brother's face along with mine. A flood of memories came crashing unto me, and I rested my hand on Sean's shoulders to avoid tumbling down.

I hadn't realized I was crying, until I sobbed to my brother, "D-do you remember this?"

He nodded slowly, and fighting back his tears, whispered shakily "I… I think Jeremy took this picture. But he said he didn't have any."

Our glowing eyes turned to light up the letter immediately and simultaneously. From the coarse characters, it was clear that Jeremy took the giant effort to write it by hand. The knot in my throat grew as I read:

Sean, Brandon, Sarah, Ferny, Jack,

If you are reading this, my body finally betrayed me, and I'm afraid I won't be able to bring puzzles and books to you again. I'm either dead, dying, or in a coma with little hopes of waking up. There's so much I want to say, and so little paper to write on. But I'm happy to think that you know the most important: you're still my family and friends, and I care for you as such.

Believe it or not, I have no regrets of taking that job back in '87. Being able to tell you all the things I never got the chance to say was well worth the risk. I have no hard feelings against you, Mangle, or the rest of the Toys. You couldn't help yourselves, and despite the darkness that now lives in your hearts, I know that the good in you is stronger. Please, don't forget that, or your time will be cut short.

Through it all, I only wish I could've spent more time with you. I still believe there's a chance to free yourselves from that curse, and I hope you can find that answer with Mike's help. This is as far as I can go. I'm sure you noticed the old Polaroid I took in '82. The quality isn't the best, but hopefully you'll see past that. Brandon, Sean, your parents were amazing people, and you have their best traits. No matter how dark and surreal your situation, look at that photo and remember: this is who you are.

Who knows? Maybe I'm not dead and I'll be able to make a recovery. If you're still around, we'll be able to joke about this letter. But if that's not my fate, I hope you'll be able to reach your goal, so we can meet again with your mom and dad in a better place. Whatever happens, I'll be waiting.

Your cousin,

Jeremy.

"Jerry, you idiot." My brother stuttered hoarsely, shaking his head slowly. "You lost so much, and you still wanted to give us more." The letter and photo trembled along with his hand, and he handed them to Mike when he realized he couldn't hold them. "If you had only listened to us and left us alone, you… y-you…"

Joining Sean in his whimpers, I simply wrapped my arms around him, and laid my head on his shoulder. He did the same, and together we mourned the last family member we had left. After a minute, I felt another metal hand on my shoulder, and I didn't need to open my eyes to see Ferny and Sarah right next to us, sharing our burden. What surprised me was the relatively small, human hand that patted my shoulder.

"I'm sorry." whispered Mike with genuine emotion, "He's truly an amazing guy, just like you. I'll give you some time." He sighed, "Again, I'm very sorry." Sobbing on Sean´s shoulder, I heard his footsteps fade away from us.

When I entered the backstage room, I was only mildly surprised to see Mike sitting next to Jack, who gave me a somewhat reproachful stare. I failed miserably at keeping the two brothers separated. "It's almost twelve." was my awkward announcement; I didn't want to be so close to Mike, so close to midnight.

Jack turned to the man, and stuttered out through chattering teeth, "You should l-leave the b-building."

Mike stood up from his spot on the floor slowly and reluctantly, just to bow down and lay a hand on Jack's own. "I'm not doing that, little brother." he said, softly yet firmly.

Shaking his head slowly, Jack croaked out "What if I h-hurt you."

"That won't happen." assured Mike, tightening his grip on the yellow fur. "I promise you, that won't happen."

Jack lowered his head, more in defeat than acceptance, and after letting out a little sigh, mumbled "Take c-care, Mikey."

The young man managed to give him a small, reassuring smile, but it disappeared when he turned to face me. His insecurity then shone through his blue eyes like a beacon as he laid a hand on my shoulder, and whispered in my ear, "If anything happens, take good care of him." I nodded solemnly, slightly taken aback, and saw him leave the room with rapid steps. There were still a few minutes left, so I sat down next to Jack, giving him some company whilst I could.

He stayed silent for a few seconds, trembling and twitching. "I've b-been thinking about s-something." he eventually said, his voice softer than usual.

"And what's that?"

His white pinpoints flicked sideways for just a moment, and he whispered "I saw some chains b-behind a box. C-could you tie me up?"

Stunned, I stared at him intently. "I'm not going to do that to you."

"Please…" he begged, turning to see me with fading points of white light, "Just do it. Mikey would never b-be okay with it, but he d-doesn't understand... how d-dangerous I am."

Shaking my head, I replied sternly, "I won't tie you up to something like a rabid dog."

"Do it." The light vanished from his eyes for a second, revealing the monster that was hiding behind them. Those two black holes seemed to suck me in, hungry for something to devour, but then a weak flash of light reignited them. Jack covered his face in shame as he turned away from me. "P-please, just do it." he whimpered, "Before it's t-too late."

Taking a deep breath, I stood up and walked to the back of the room. A large cardboard box rested on the farthest corner, right next to a shelf lined with heads. I shoved the box aside clumsily, revealing a metal chain a couple of feet long. It wasn't too long or thick, but with a couple of wraps, even our bodies wouldn't be able to break it.

Jack shuffled himself next to the large metal table of the room, and leaned his back against one of its legs. Reluctantly, I laid the chain over his chest and wrapped it around his body and the table's leg a couple of times, making sure not to do so tighter than necessary. Three regular knots later, and my friend's shivering body and arms were imprisoned by the chains.

"Thank you." he whispered meekly with a lowered head, "Please, d-don't let Mikey see me like this."

"I'll try not to." I replied uncomfortably, wishing that there was another way to help the guard.

Sensing my reluctance, Jack said softly, "It's b-better like this. Go."

I nodded, turned back towards the grey door, and walked quickly back to the Show Stage. But when I was about to reach Sean and Sarah, both looking anxiously at the clock from the stage, it happened. A powerful, burning pain in my chest stopped me right in my tracks. Growling lowly, clutching at me chest, I felt the world spin around me as his voice filled my head.

'Stupid brat.' sneered Bonnie, 'Making friends with a dead man.' I fell on my knees. 'Don't you remember what happened yesterday? How close we were to winning this game? Do you really think he has a chance with five of us?'

"N-No…" I held my head, feeling as if it was about to burst, "Stop!"

'But I don't want to stop.' His perverse laughter seemed to fill the room all round me. 'And you won't either, Brandon. Not until I finish you.'

I collapsed to the floor with a small cry, twisting and writhing as I lost control. For once second the image of a small child in my father's arms crossed my mind, then there was nothing but a dark, overpowering desire to feel the blood of a man on my hands.

Opening my eyes, I lifted myself off the floor, dusted my knees, and smiled. "Much better." I gazed at the Show Stage just in time to see Freddy and Chica open their eyes as well, and they turned to see me with a dead, cold and familiar stare. "Welcome back, Bonnie." said the bear.

It wasn't long until the four of us were after the man, attacking the office from our usual routes with far more aggressiveness than ever before. I was close to securing victory multiple times, but the man managed to slam the door in my face in the last moment. My initial enthusiasm turned into bitter frustration after a couple of hours, and though I knew he was using way too much power to last the night, I didn't feel like waiting.

It must've been close to four in the morning when I heard a distant, dull banging from the backstage. Being in the dining area, I immediately turned towards the familiar grey door. The bangs only grew louder as I approached the small room, but they stopped suddenly when I reached for the doorknob. Surprised, I turned my head for a moment. A pot clattered in the kitchen, surely Chica's doing. The curtains of Pirate's Cove were freshly closed, and there was no sign of Freddy. Shrugging, I stepped into the room, only stumble back in surprise when I saw a familiar golden figure tied to a table.

Bucky's head was lowered, his empty black eyes staring down solemnly. I burst out in laughs after finally processing the image in front of me, and held on to a nearby shelf to avoid tumbling down. The most powerful and dangerous of us all, tied up and imprisoned like a damsel in distress.

He slowly lifted his head to me after I had regained a bit of control, and demanded in his slow, raspy voice "Get me out of here."

That only made me laugh louder. "W-Why?!" I wheezed, "Look at you! Tied up and useless!" Chuckling, I shook my head. "Your kid was the reason this guard is still alive. You almost erased me seven years ago in the old location, and we still lost." The amusement was drained from my voice with each word, replaced by disdain. "You only show up on the fifth night, and you hide away from us in the meantime. I don't care what you can do with that blood seal of yours. You're still pathetic."

Buck stayed as silent as a corpse, staring at me with empty eye sockets. Without any physical eyes, it was impossible to tell if he was looking at me or through me. "Get me out of here." he repeated mechanically, his tone low and cold.

Smirking, I replied smugly "What if I say no?"

An explosion of pain in my chest was the answer. Roaring through clenched teeth, I stumbled backwards against the nearest shelf. "S-Stop it!" I shrieked, "Stop erasing me!"

"What if I say no?" Another dose of agonizing pain wrecked my body, and I felt myself slip in and out of consciousness. One second I was leaning against the shelf, the next I was groaning on the floor like an animal. I remembered that Buck would not hesitate to finish me off.

"Okay!" I croaked out, "Anything, j-just stop! Stop!"

The pain disappeared immediately. My body laid curled on the floor, and I panted with exhaustion as I regained my senses. I slowly turned up my head towards the yellow animatronic a few feet to my right, who stared back at me with cold indifference. "Hurry up. We don't have all night."

Huffing in annoyance and tiredness, I stood up slowly and walked to the back of the table. The three knots were easy to undo, and as soon as he felt the tension loose up, Bucky threw the chains to a side angrily. Not saying a word, but with visible rage hidden in his empty stare, he marched out of the room without looking back at me. I had no choice but to stumble my way behind him, and we arrived to a crowded dining area. Freddy, Chica and Foxy turned around almost simultaneously, clearly surprised.

"Where were you?" demanded Chica somewhat harshly, but she was silenced immediately by a single, well-timed glare from Buck. He walked to the kitchen quickly, and emerged after a minute or two with a large knife between his round fingers. Then, he continued on his way to the office with slow and determined steps, not paying attention to anything or anyone.

"What are you doing?" I hissed as I caught up to him, followed by everyone else. "You're just going to step inside and end it all?"

"Yes." he muttered, "I don't care for your stupid games. You had your time."

I was about to protest, but we were already besides the office. "He won't just let you in."

"Let's see about that." was Buck's confident reply, right as the door in front of us slammed shut. He then stopped in front of the tiny window of the office, and banged on the Plexiglas a couple of times with enough force to make the walls shake. With a tone that was very different from his hoarse and cold voice, he wailed in out in desperation "Open the door, Mikey! They found m-me!"

I then remember that Bucky could keep many more memories of his other self than us. "Jack, is that you?!" The guard's surprised voice was muffled by the door's thick steel. "How is it possible? I thought you were…"

"I d-don't know!" interrupted the bear, before crying out "It's me! It's me! Please Mikey, I'm s-scared. I'm s-so scared, and…" He paused for just a second. "They're here! Let m-me in, please!"

Not five seconds later, the steel door rose up triumphantly, and I couldn't help but smile when the guard stepped out of the room quickly. He stared at us all with confusion, and when he finally realized his mistake, Bucky's stained yellow hand clamped down on his throat, lifted him in the air and slammed him against a wall. "I caught you." he whispered giddily, momentarily betraying his cold personality.

The man's eyes widened with fear when he saw the knife in Buck's hand. Despaired, he tried to pry off the powerful mechanical fingers around his neck, before realizing it was useless. Craning his neck, he managed to get a few breaths of air. "Please, Jacob…" he rasped out, "You're not this thing! You're my little brother!"

Bucky smirked. "Your little brother was murdered eight years ago. His throat was slit open with a kitchen knife, and he bled out on the dirty floor. It took a long time for his heart to stop beating." The guard's eyes welled up with silvery tears. "He grew cold as warm blood poured out of his body, and all the while he wondered where his brother was." A single tear rolled off the man's cheek to the yellow fur below. "Where were you when they killed him, Mike? Eating pizza? Playing arcades? Or maybe just watching the band play on stage?"

Sobbing softly, the guard whimpered out "I'm so sorry… I'm s-so sorry, Jack. I should've been there. But p-please, don't kill me. I know you can hear me, little brother."

"Mike… I'm not going to kill you." replied Bucky lowly, allowing a spark of hope to appear in the man's eyes. "No, of course not. I'm going to break you." He lifted the knife to his neck, and rested the blade on the soft skin. "I'm going to slice open your throat, not too deep, not too shallow. Just enough to give you lots of time, so that your little brother can feel how you bleed out in his arms." With a swift movement, he placed the knife's point right under the man's chin, and I saw a millimeter or two of the tip penetrate his skin.

I was expecting the guard to scream, shout, beg. Instead, he simply stretched his hand towards Bucky's broad chest, and traced a circle on it with the point of his finger. Stunned, the bear looked down on it. "Do you remember that, Jack?" whispered the man softly, a sad smile on his face, "We did it all the time when you were five, when Mom wasn't home. You drew a circle around my heart, and I drew a circle around yours. It calmed you down. Don't you remember?"

Pure silence filled the hallway. I was fixed on the point of that knife, waiting for it to bury itself into the young man's neck. "I know you remember." he continued with a cracked voice, "When you turned seven you stopped doing it with me. You said you were too old. It broke my heart, you know? It really did." Another tear fell on Bucky's trembling hand. "But you s-still traced those circles on the floor, when you thought I wasn't watching. When y-you were alone and needed to calm yourself down, you still found a way to be with m-me. I'm sure you haven't stopped." With tears flowing freely from his eyes, the guard traced another circle on the creature's chest. "And I know my little brother's heart is still in there, alive."

The clock ticked in the distance. A tiny droplet of blood ran from the man's scratched chin to the knife's blade, still pressed against the skin. Buck stared intently at the man for a few seconds, and I felt my hands twitching with impatience. But that anxiousness soon turned into surprise, when the knife slipped off Bucky's hand and clattered on the floor. "Mikey…" he half-whimpered, half-laughed, as two dots of clean white light appeared in his eyes. "I'm sorry."

A broad smile appeared on the man's face as Buck finally released the grip on his neck, and the two embraced each other with a love and intimacy that was only possible between brothers.

But I was having none of it.

"What the hell are you doing, you useless piece of trash?!" I roared, stomping my way towards them with balled fists. "Kill him! That's what we're here for, that's what we've been trying to do for five nights! Do you want me to tear you apart?! Do you want me to do it myself?! Kill him!"

The last thing I saw before falling unconscious was Bucky's opened hand, pointed right at me.