Three Weeks Later…

The past few weeks have been quite…well, it is hard to describe. It has been a mixture of emotions for everyone right now. Saphira had finally left the pizzaplex a couple days after the incident and returned to her apartment to sleep in once her ankle had healed and her head felt a lot better. The action alone saddened the animatronics, but it was also a relief because she no longer had the lingering fear of losing Freddy. However, her sleep has been anything but peaceful. Wrecked with nightmares daily, Saphira's dreams are full of Springtrap, Vanessa, the animatronics betraying her and her family tormenting her. It did impact how she was able to work a little, and she ran on caffeine a lot of the times. However, Freddy had found her asleep at her desk multiple times whenever he came to talk to her, as did Mr Hippo. She had been less with pleased with this, though she did not complain about being moved to the bed and allowed to sleep because she didn't have her nightmares when she fell asleep in the pizzaplex. It seemed, it was still somewhere safe to her mind.

As for Vanessa, that woman has given Saphira a lot of space now. They only interacted professionaly and Darren did have to hold Saphira back more than once as Vanessa said some things that made Saphira want to murder that woman. She was glad Darren was there to help her though, she didn't know how she would cope if she didn't have someone helping her and comforting her, and being her voice when she was struggling. There have also been more disappearances since the incident too, they did not happen everyday, but they did occur. And Saphira discovered some that were not even brought to their attention, which was concerning.

Saphira's interactions with the animatronics had reduced to only the bare minimal now. She has spoken to them a little bit, but remained shut off talking to them like she had before. However, she and Freddy will stare at each other with sad eyes. They both were in pain, and Freddy has been not himself ever since. He was given a few days in his room alone, but he had to come out eventually. He still spends time with the guests, but he is not like he used to be. Even when on the show, he does not dance with the same enthusiasm he once had. Saphira had watched the shows a few times, and she did feel bad about it. But, she also felt so much pain and anger about it all that she just had a huge wall up around her right now.

And was she pregnant? That was still unclear. The pregnancy tests she takes regularly have come up negative, she even went to the doctor for a blood test and it came up negative. She did not even get an ultrasound due to the negative test, even though Saphira was certain she was. No symptoms have shown since, and Saphira seemed more like her old self since the incident. Even if she was now in a self defence mode at the moment. She has become more frightened of the staff bots, she's even flinched away from the arms in the protective cylinder and she nearly had a panic attack when a child guest ran up to her wearing a bunny mask.

The virus and Springtrap also have not shown their ugly faces since the incident. Perhaps they were satisfied…of course they were. Saphira knew it. Nothing else has happened since than, she has been left in her own misery. She did begin thinking on whether she should go to a therapist…but that frightened her. All she's been through…and she needed to admit it to someone in order to get help. She did start missing talking with Mr Hippo

Tonight, was just the usual Monday night again, or mostly usual. The summer break has come around, the pizzaplex was busier than it was normally. Saphira was sitting in the office sipping some coffee and eating an apple as she watched the monitors quietly. Vanessa was currently dealing with a group of guests who were caught making a mess in the karaoke bar, and she was handling it quite well. Saphira was pleased she did not have to deal with them. Dealing with people has been a lot harder for herself lately, especially with the dark circles under her eyes.

She hears the elevator doors open and she did not bother looking to know it was Darren. "Evening, I see you're loading yourself up on caffeine for the night." She nodded as she approached. "Anyway, I came to tell you that you might have a night off from maintenance." She turned her head with a frown in surprise. "The animatronics have said they don't feel that anything is wrong…"

"I'll make that judgement when I ask them myself," Saphira interrupted Darren gently. "If that is really the case, I guess tonight's going to be a bit boring." She turned her head and looked at the monitors, sipping her coffee with a sigh. "At least I can pat myself on the back for a job well done in maintaining them to the highest level."

He smiled sadly at her and nodded. "Yeah, you definitely can. But…"

"Darren…I know what you are going to say…" She took a deep breath and sipped more coffee again. "You need to give me time. I am…I am still struggling."

"I know. I guess…" He paused as he rubbed the back of his neck gently as he thought about it. "It is just…the atmosphere just feels so miserable right now. Not just from you, but the other animatronics. They don't have the light in them they used to have. Not ever since…" He glanced at the monitors, looking at Monty's room where the gator was relaxing. "Monty's been giving Vanessa a hard time, you know that right? He's been trying to corner her and get her to tell the truth."

"I am aware, I've told him to stop it. It makes little different to me if the truth comes out now…what is done is done. They can apologize all they want…I still need to…think." Saphira has actually enjoyed seeing Monty corner Vanessa. That gator has lost his patience with her and he's come close to attacking her a few times, mostly because he is upset for Saphira. "I am sorry if it is affecting everyone…but…I am just…"

"A mess, I know." Darren placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her. "Don't worry, I won't for you. But…maybe let one of them in. And you know which one I am talking about right?"

"Mr Hippo…I figured that would be the case…" Saphira knew he would want to speak with her, but Saphira did not know how to feel about it.

"You figured it out," Darren said with a chuckle. "Mr Hippo is the only one among them that is closest to being a therapist. I think all of them want to hear what happened to you. I know you don't want to tell them after what happened with Vanessa, but they definitely should know. I don't even know."

"There's a reason why I won't tell." Saphira looked at him with a sad expression. "The only thing you have to know is…"

"That you might be pregnant, I know. I've informed them of that, they are all scared for you. They're angry for you. Look…" He dropped to one knee and points to the monitors. "The animatronics are doing everything they can to be on your good side. They want to stay in your life. Last I checked…your family made zero effort. They still have made zero effort. When was the last time you had anyone in your corner, Saphira?"

He had a point. The animatronics still wanting to be her friends, something she did not have previously. Maybe they really were sorry…but…that did not change what they had done. Saphira might let them in again, she just was scared of being hurt again. It was something she was terrified of happening again.

"What if they take her side again?" Saphira asked, looking at Darren with a sad expression. "They might be making an effort to be my friends and family, but…I just can't forget how easily they…"

"You already know they have been manipulated, Vanessa has done a great job of acting innocent. It has started to falter, I admit, but the animatronics have had two different stories." Darren grabbed her hands gently to hold them in his hands. "I hope you will understand that it has been a case of two stories being told. If I came to you and told you one story, Vanessa came and told you something similar, but it is different and finally, Freddy told you a different version, who would you believe? The first person to tell you the story?"

She listened to him and thought about his question. She sighed and felt guilty. "I guess you do have a point…that is why people will say one thing and say another…"

"Precisely, you already know what that is. I am sorry you had a hard childhood, but that is not the life you're living now." He glanced down at her stomach for a moment, then looked back at her eyes. "How do you expect to take on Springtrap without them backing you? If you are pregnant, do you really want to surrender the child to him? He's only going to be worse."

Saphira did not have an answer about the child right now, though he had another good point. "I think you've been talking with Mr Hippo too much."

He chuckled softly at her comment. "I will take that as a compliment. He's great giving good advise, and I think you should let him in. You saw him as your father before, so let him take on that role."

She was hesitant on that. She really did not know if she was ready to let the animatronics in again yet. If ever. However, Saphira did find herself hugging the giant Freddy plush when she was home. His scent was still on it, and it still brought her comfort. She still loved him, she knew it. He seemed to know it too. After all, whenever they stare at each other Saphira's face will briefly change to love and Freddy will smile gently at all, which causes her to frown and walk away quickly. It was extremely hard right now for everyone.

"I will…consider it…I'll let Mr Hippo know if he can come and speak with me," Saphira said to Darren in a gentle voice. "I probably need to hear him give me advice more than I believe. I just hope…that it won't be something I regret."

"Why would you believe that? Mr Hippo isn't the type to force you to do anything you don't want to. He might nudge you in a direction, but that is it. I've needed advice from him a few times myself." Darren smiled at her as he admitted that to her. "And he's a good person."

She knew that. She looked at the monitors, it was nearly ten and the pizzaplex was starting to look emptier. "I guess we will be empty soon. You should go home. You're not normally here at this time."

"Uh…yeah, about that," Darren responded with an awkward smile. "Um…I went to my apartment last week to find it absolutely trashed. I don't know how, when or why, but I was kicked out. Now I have been sleeping in my office. It could be worse though."

She stared at him in shock. "I am so sorry that happened. Hopefully you will find somewhere else."

"Eh, I hope so too. But, there is not much I can do. Besides, I wish my sleeping space was as nice as your office." He stretched his arms with a sigh. "I guess I should head to bed anyway. I am feeling quite tired. Hopefully you can get some good sleep too, your bags under the eyes look pretty bad."

"I'll be fine," She said in a quick, defensive tone. "You go and get some sleep yourself. We can't have a manager half asleep. So, please go and do that." She smiled at him as he grinned back at her.

"Very well. Take care of yourself Saphira. I'll see you later." He turned and walked towards the elevator. "Think about what I said, okay? Speak with Mr Hippo, it might be a lot better than you fear it to be."

Darren was probably right, but it still made her heart race just thinking about it. She just didn't know what would happen if she did speak with Mr Hippo. She was just terrified about it right now. She might wait a little bit before speaking with him…but…she glanced at the monitors and saw the animatronics were all in their rooms. First things first though, maintenance.

She lifts her wrist and pressed the buttons on the Fazwatch to open communication to all the animatronics. "Alright guys, it is Monday now. Vanessa is handling all the guests right now. Does anyone need maintenance tonight?"

"Not tonight, Saphira," Bonnie responded first in a gentle tone. "I hope you are doing well tonight. We miss you."

She felt a pang in her heart when she heard that from Bonnie. "I am doing fine. Anyone else?"

"Nope, good as new!" Monty responded confidently. "Hey, maybe you and I should have a private Driving Range session?"

"Maybe another time." Saphira had the feeling they all would try to offer one-on-one time together to try and help her.

"Mademoiselle, I am in perfect condition," Orville said to her politely. "Chérie, I do hope lumière will shine through your cœur again soon."

"Thanks Orville, Darren did hint you are all in the clear. Is that true?" Saphira still was curious about that. "Or, are you trying to avoid me because I am not exciting to talk to anymore?"

"You are still a joy to talk to, super star," Freddy spoke in his soft, gentle voice. She felt another pang in her heart as she heard his voice. "We would not lie to you if it were not true. Of course…we might have lost that trust from you, so…I guess we don't deserve that belief…"

"It isn't that, Freddy, I was just making sure," Saphira said in a calm voice, not wanting to sound utterly defensive.

"How about a good run around the raceway?" Roxy asked curiously. "A little adrenaline might wake you up a little and do you some good."

She smiled slightly and shakes her head. "No thanks. I had my fill of adrenaline yesterday."

"Saphira…" Mr Hippo began as he spoke to her. "We are all in perfect condition right now. You need not worry about the need for maintenance. You get the chance to sleep tonight."

"But…I am clocked in!" Saphira responded in a defensive voice. "I am okay."

"The darkness under your eyes would say otherwise. Darren had to explain it to us because we haven't seen anyone with such darkness under the eyes before. You need to rest, my dear Saphira. Perhaps a nice, warm soup or hot chocolate will do the trick?" Of course Darren told the animatronics what the darkness under her eyes meant, he only made them worry for her a lot more. "Do not worry about us tonight."

"Very well…I will take your word on it. However, if I find out that one of you were lying, I will not let you forget it." Saphira grimaced when she said that word. "Oh…sorry…probably the wrong line words."

"Yep. You don't let us forget something else, either," Freddy said in a sad tone. "I can definitely promise, none of us are lying."

She was sure Freddy was hoping no one was lying. She would not let the animatronic who was lying forget it, not all of them. "Very well. I did my job too well I guess, which is actually a good thing."

"Yep, definitely is. Have a good, quiet nice, super star. I hope…" He paused for a moment, Saphira wanted to stop the communication because she had a feeling on what he would say next. She had been doing that for the last few weeks, but…she did not this time. "I hope you will allow me in again."

She let a couple tears fall and quickly wipes them away. "I…I have yet to…gather my own self, Freddy. But I hope…for that too."

"I am glad to hear that," Freddy said in a slightly happier voice. "I hope you have a good, restful night tonight."

Saphira cut off communication from the animatronics so she could be left to think. It felt nice that the animatronics were still trying to reach out to her. Last week, she snapped at any of the animatronics who would offer some quality time with her one-on-one, now she was not as harsh about it. Or maybe, Darren's words had gotten through to her. She did not know. However, now that she listened to them properly, she realized they really were trying to apologize to her. Maybe they really didn't know who to believe. Monty at least seemed to know, Foxette already voiced her opinion about believing her over Vanessa…although, Saphira still did not know what she thought about all this as Foxette has been frightened of her. Saphira only found that out a couple weeks ago, she was surprised Foxette was scared of her. Though, Foxy reassured her it was only a fear of hurting her again. It didn't make Saphira feel bad then, but now…that might have changed.

She realized she was slowly starting to miss them. It felt stupid since they were literally a short walk away, but…Saphira has not missed anyone in her life until she came to the pizzaplex. She let out some tears and cried quietly by herself as she was tired of all the pain she was feeling. Talking to Mr Hippo really sounded like a good idea at this point. However, as she began thinking about everything that has happened so far. She wondered if she had screwed up too, though she was not sure.

The pizzaplex was not quite empty, so going to Glam Corner was not going to be an option as she would be seen. She took a deep breath, pressing buttons on the Fazwatch to send an encoded message to Mr Hippo letting him know she wanted to talk to him. That she needed someone to talk to, and she did not know who else she should talk to. She received a message shortly after letting her know that he would be on his way. He would take the Parts and Service route to make it seem like he was going for routine maintenance. She smiled slightly at that as not drawing attention was good. However, she felt herself getting nervous and upset about him coming now.

She took a deep breath and reminded herself that it was okay, he is not going to hurt her. He is only going to talk to her. She didn't know if it was hurt or guilt making her feel this way, but she had to clear her mind and remind herself that Mr Hippo was a friend. Her father figure. She glanced at the camera looking into Freddy's room. She could not see him, she assumed he was in the backroom in the dark. She remembers clearly when she found him in there once before, and they had come very close to doing more than just talking. She smiled slightly at that memory. She had many good memories with the animatronics. She had to admit it to herself, this had been the best part of her life. Take away all the bad things that has happened to her, and it really was a great part of her life. She wanted that back.

She jumped when she heard a gentle knocking on the door from Parts and Service. "Come in, Mr Hippo," She said as she tried to relax her muscles.

It opened slowly and the purple hippo stepped inside with a kind expression. She glanced away from him and sniffled a little. "Easy, Saphira. I am not going to hurt you."

"I know…" Saphira turned her chair around to face him. "I guess…I am just…not sure what the outcome of talking to you will be."

"If you have an expectation of an outcome, you may find yourself more hurt and upset," Mr Hippo said to her gently and took a seat on the couch. "Come sit by me." He gestured by placing a hand on the couch beside him. "Or, on a recliner. I would rather you don't have to speak so loudly."

She smiled at him and stood up, finishing her coffee and throwing the apple core into the bin. She takes a seat on a recliner, sitting beside Mr Hippo felt like a bad idea at the moment. "So…um…I am not sure where to start…"

"How about you start with what happened?" Mr Hippo suggests gently. "I want to hear your perspective, all of it. And what happened when you fell from the compactor, I want to know too. We can go from there."

"But…old feelings and memories surfaced too…" Saphira said with a slight whimper, shuddering and clutching her hands together nervously. "Should…I talk about that first?"

"Were you feeling such feelings before you went into the utility tunnels?" Mr Hippo asked curiously, and she nodded. "Oh? Hmm…when exactly did that start?"

"I guess…it was somewhat stupid…it was a busier day," Saphira explained with a grimaced. "The international families that were here a few weeks ago and everyone was busy with them, except Monty because he was smashing up his room…when I asked you guys if someone could come with me…the old feeling of no one having time for me came up…I think it was more due to what I was injected with. But…it's been lingering a little…"

"That is what triggered you to go into the tunnels on your own?" He asked, seemingly surprised she felt that way, although he made judgement on it.

"Yeah…I…whenever my family had no time for me as a kid, I just went and did it. I did something I did a long time ago and grew out of…it is stupid, I know." Saphira took a deep breath. "Anyway, when I got to the compactor, I saw it was having a hard time. It did need some oiling, and the tipper was not tipping. So, I did try to dislodge it by pushing on the edge slightly. I didn't even hear her coming, but Vanessa spoke to me…her voice sounded very off and she had a smug expression on her face. She said she had come down to help, even though her duty was to keep an eye on the current guests we had. I was not sure about that, but after telling her I found the issue, she told me to stomp on the tipper. It sounded like a good idea, I did that twice, and on the third stomp…she pushed me and slipped into the trash pit below…where there were several dozen bodies at least, including one sticking into me…"

"Oh, I am so sorry. I do not know what a human skeleton looks like…" Mr Hippo did not like that idea. Although, he than thought to the many Halloweens they have had. "Wait…those humanoid figures with white heads, joints, chest…the ones at Halloween, is that what your skeleton looks like?"

Saphira nodded. "Pretty much. Everything you see on me, will eventually be nothing but bones and finally dust."

Mr Hippo did not like the sound of that. "I guess in time…when you get older…you will die…" She nodded and shrugged, it was just a fact of life. "Okay…uhhh, what happened after you landed in the pit?"

Saphira went onto to explaining that she had gone through the tunnels in order to figure a way out. She told him how much of a labyrinth it was because she didn't know how long she was down there, and when she almost found a way back to the warehouse, she had been ambushed by the nightmare bots. She finally got to the point about Mr Miller, what he really looks like, and the fact that he had died within a spring lock suit, probably at the first Freddy's Diner many years ago. Mr Hippo was extremely shocked by this, but he does not interrupt and she tells him Springtrap was the name and what happened after that. She explained how she had a numbing feeling spreading from her stomach to the rest of her body. She escaped and was chased, she was introduced to the new snake bots that he had made and one of them seems to have Dave's soul in it. Much to her dismay. She went on and explained that she was bittin in the stomach by Dave, she felt that even though the numbing was there. She did not know what happened after that, she knew Springtrap had arrived and bandaged her ankle, but that was it. She showed Mr Hippo the scar on her stomach, and she told him she might be pregnant from that incident. And she was only able to get back to Parts and Service with Cliffton's help, and this was before Moondrop decided to show up and take her up to Rockin' Globe…where she ended the story.

Mr Hippo processed what she told him and she saw his fingers curling tightly. "I…" He shakes his head in disbelief. "I can't believe that happened…you went through something again…not as bad as when you were in the warehouse. Thankfully, you were able to get out. Sort of…"

She nodded slowly, digging her fingers into her wrist slightly. "Does that mean…you still believe…um…Vanessa?"

He saw the expression on her face, she was yearning to be believed. "I believe you, Saphira." She smiled slightly, only briefly as he continued to speak. "However, the incident at the trash compactor is the only part I am not sure. We don't have evidence of what happened. Please understand that we know two sides, it is hard to know. But…Vanessa has been acting…odd lately."

"Odd how?" Saphira asked curiously with a frown.

"She's been coming in with plain, cardboard boxes," Mr Hippo explained. "I am not sure what exactly. Whenever she takes them into her office, she looks around as though she is making sure nobody notices. I am not sure if that is a sign of something or not…but…she has been acting suspicious. So…" He smiled at Saphira. "We are all starting to believe your side more than hers. Of course, Monty's been on her case for a while."

"Yeah…his temper is also very scary, so I don't blame Vanessa for being scared of him." She smiled at him, she was glad to know they were starting to believe her. "Yet…it still took her doing something strange for you to believe me."

"I am sorry, your reaction that day also made us question her a lot. Freddy himself…um…" Mr Hippo grimaced a little for a moment. "You weren't there…thankfully…but…Vanessa tried to…uh…tried to…" He shakes his head slightly as what he was about to say might set off Saphira. "She actually smooth talked Freddy and held his arm gently, he took it as her comforting her, but when she tried kissing his cheek…"

"She tried kissing him?!" Saphira snapped angrily with a frown. "Oh, that bitch! I could tell she's been trying to get his eye since she got here."

"I am sorry…he did push her away. He has admitted to me he thinks Vanessa is pretty…but not like you." Saphira did not know if she should be relieved by that or not. "Sharing eye colour means nothing. Vanessa's personality just doesn't interest him. And…Vanessa's not been shy showing her feelings. Which I don't think is from love. It is from something else…I mean, she tried it with Orville and Bonnie too." He chuckled a little. "You should have seen Monty when Vanessa walked her fingers on Bonnie's shoulder when she was telling us her side of the story. He shoved her into an empty stroller and nearly snapped her flashlight in half…if it was not for Darren of course. She had the hardest time getting out of the stroller. Bonnie's been avoiding that woman since."

"I don't blame him. After all, he has Monty." Saphira wondered if that woman would try flirting with the other animatronics. But, she wondered why she was doing it. "Anyway…you should know that…um…when you didn't side with me…my parents were like that. The first time it happened…was the first time I realized I was betrayed and never had a family with them."

"That explains your reaction." Mr Hippo rubbed his chin thoughtfully and smiled at her kindly. "Maybe…I don't want to say this…but…I think you might have grown up believing that you will always feel betrayed if someone believes someone if they are not you. Even if it is from manipulation."

Saphira did not think of it like that. "But…um…how else am I supposed to feel, Mr Hippo? I just feel like whenever I make a friend, they will hurt me."

"And yet, we have not abandoned you. Not like your old family. We are your new and better family." Mr Hippo stood up and walked closer to her with a smile. "All we want is for you to be happy. And hopefully, any misunderstandings in the future can be done civilly. But…why are not you sleeping well?"

She frowned at that question. "I have been having nightmares since…all I ever see is…Springtrap…Moondrop…Vanessa…my family…and, animatronic betrayal…though strangely, when I sleep here, I don't have nightmares."

"Probably because going back to the apartment after so long must feel strange to you. You made this place your home. Home is where the heart is, right?" Mr Hippo glanced to her bed and looked back at her. "I think you should maybe remain to get proper rest. You'll feel much better after a few days of proper sleep. You can go back to the apartment and see if you can get good sleep there afterwards, at least you won't be thinking about the pain anymore."

Saphira listened to him, although her mind went back to what he said. Misunderstandings…was that all it was? And she responded just like that? Maybe he is right, her reaction was from a sub conscious feeling she grew up with believing any friend or family she gains will eventually hurt her. She didn't even realize she had built that mindset. If that was really it, then she made a big mistake.

"Saphira?" Mr Hippo leaned down with a frown as he watched her expression change as she pondered on the conversation. "Are you okay?"

She looked at him with wide eyes and tears welling up in them. "What have I done?"