Author's Notes:

We apologize in advance for the police and reporter inaccuracies. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 144

Reporters

Ruby was quiet the rest of the shift. After her breakdown she'd moved to the Cove and hadn't left. Foxy was keeping an eye on her. When the end of the shift came though, the teen didn't want to leave. She refused to say why but it wasn't hard to figure it out.

There was a good chance that reporters were camping outside the orphanage and while she could usually handle people like that, she wasn't in a good frame of mind to right now. And she walked home which would make it easy for them to approach her.

The cleaners arrived and were fairly surprised to see Hedy still there. Plus the other guy they barely knew but saw visit every so often.

Hedy looked anxious and a quick word and warning to stay away from the Cove told them Ruby was there too.

The lack of a mess and how the bots all seemed anxious about something proved that something was wrong even more than Hedy's presence.

They didn't push their luck and try and approach the normally prickly teen though.

Jess eyed the strange man as she swept near him, cursing glitter for the millionth time. It just never went away. She knocked at his feet with the broom and he lifted his feet.

"You Hedy's brother?"

He nodded. "Jeremy."

"I'm Jess. What did you do?"

"I..." he stopped and squinted a bit. "Why are you assuming I did anything?"

Jess was a bit caught off guard by just how...sad he sounded.

"Well, you're the only new thing in the situation," Harrison pointed out. "And everyone's acting weird. Can you blame us for making assumptions?"

"...no..." Jeremy said quietly, but eyed the cleaners a bit suspiciously and didn't surrender an explanation. He didn't exactly trust people whose job description included tampering with evidence and hiding the bodies of innocent people. He was tempted to ask them where the dumpsite for the bodies was.

When he didn't say anything else, they went back to their job, occasionally glancing at Hedy or the Cove in worry.

When the rest of the employees arrived, most of them had the same reaction to seeing Hedy there and hearing that Ruby was in the Cove.

Sure enough, Alice called Hedy letting her know about a news van parked across the street from the orphanage. She noticed it while getting the other kids ready for school.

The vultures were beginning to circle.

She and Hedy (and Clint but he was elsewhere) all agreed that Ruby should skip school. Their only request was that she and Jeremy try to get Ruby out of the pizzeria and into some sunlight and fresh air for a couple of hours if they thought the siblings could do it safely and privately.

When they checked on the teen though they found out that she was behind the curtains on stage. Foxy told them that she wasn't hiding exactly. She was trying to get her thoughts in order and didn't want to do that around others. He checked on her often though just to make sure she was okay but it seemed like she'd cried herself out.

Hedy couldn't really do anything but wait. She did suggest Jeremy head off but he scoffed, mentioning he should avoid police stations and obvious places to find him. His work phone was already getting unknown calls.

But they both knew Freddy's was really not the most foolproof place to hide out given the context.

They were proven correct when a few hours after opening a reporter and cameraman showed up and began asking the confused staff about their coworker.

Never mind the fact that they had a camera in a place with children (deja vu), they were asking questions about a minor. This reporter may have been clever enough to connect the dots but they were rather stupid in their execution.

Luckily, not everyone was a total moron.

Jerry seemed to catch on pretty quickly that something was very wrong and after a check with Hedy that yes, Ruby was alive, he got to work making sure to make things as difficult as possible and roped several other employees into damage control, mostly the guards and cleaners since the majority of the cooks and waiters still had a restaurant to run.

The reporter was quickly becoming frustrated.

Unfortunately, Ruby exited the Cove while they were still there. She seemed to be heading towards the kitchen but the reporter popped up in front of her before she got there or anyone could stop her.

"Miss Stone? I'd like to ask you a few questions," she said sweetly.

Ruby immediately scowled. "No."

Jeremy was already heading over the moment Hedy and him noticed what had happened.

Frank leaned out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a clean rag.

"Hey, Ruby, get in here," he gestured behind him, glaring at the camera.

Meanwhile, Marco calmly set a whiteboard out on the serving counter. In full view of the camera.

The cameraman winced and tried to shift so it wasn't in the shot but couldn't as Marco kept moving it.

"Sir would you mind," the reporter said, already irritated before she even read the board.

"I think he does mind," Hedy said. "Ma'am, if you're going to attempt this I think it's fair you read what he wrote."

The woman glanced down at the stranger in a wheelchair before her eyes slid to the whiteboard.

YOU ARE ILLEGALLY HARASSING A MINOR IN A CHILDREN'S RESTAURANT in big bold letters, right in the background of her shot.

Technically, they could blur it out if they got any usable film...

"Ruby," Frank gestured into the kitchen.

Ruby's lips twitched when she saw the whiteboard, the hint of amusement the first they'd seen since she got the news. She moved to head into the kitchen but the reporter got in the way again.

She'd have probably already decked the woman if she was in her normal emotional state. Or threatened legal action. At the moment, she just looked irritated and tired.

"Move."

"I just want to ask what your thoughts are on the reveal that your godfather had a hand in your father's-" that's as far as she got before Foxy was physically picking her up and setting her down out of the way, ignoring the camera. The building would probably mess with the footage anyway.

"The lass told you to move," he couldn't quite keep the growl out of his voice.

The woman squeaked and kicked a little in her pencil skirt at being manhandled by the animatronic and stared at Foxy in shock when he set her down while the cameraman paled. Their expressions were hilarious if anyone was in the mood to be amused.

Ruby just gave Foxy a thankful nod and continued on her way to the kitchen. Foxy gave the two a glare before following her, obviously taking on bodyguard duties for the day.

"W-what?" the reporter stammered.

The cameraman attempted to follow on instinct, doing his job. But Hedy blocked him.

"Excuse me," she said sweetly as the man couldn't get past her chair with his equipment. She backed up into the kitchen as Jeremy half vaulted over her, also escaping before the reporter recognized him. He was still wearing his suit and badge after all.

Frank immediately locked the door, which was against safety regulations but, ah well.

Foxy was talking softly to Ruby who had her arms wrapped around herself.

"I just wanted a glass of water," she muttered.

One of the other cooks, who they didn't know her name, wordlessly placed a glass in front of Ruby before going back to work.

Jeremy eyed the back door before sitting down to watch Ruby as the kitchen bustled around them.

The cook looked at Hedy and gestured at the pizza he was preparing but Hedy shook her head. As much as Ruby might want the comfort food, she couldn't eat it in the restaurant.

Ruby sat down and stared at the water but her eyes were distant. Foxy hovered and glared at anyone who came too close.

Hedy groaned softly and rested her head in her hands and elbows on the table. She was tired. She'd usually be asleep by now.

"I think that lady recognized me," she growled. "Or at least she was looking at me too long. Kind of hoping she just has a fear of wheelchairs running over her stupid feet," She chuckled dryly.

"Hedy," Jeremy said, "You should go home. You make less sense when you're tired."

"No. Think about it," Hedy huffed. "How long until someone decides to look closer at the cases? The name Fitzgerald coming up three times or more in all of this isn't going to be a coincidence for them."

Ruby poked at her glass, drawing in the condensation.

"What's their problem?" Foxy grumbled.

"It's their job," Hedy snapped. "But they're getting blinded by the desire to one-up their competition and disregarding basic human decency in an attempt to get the best story."

"They're harassing a grieving kid," Foxy growled and the fact that Ruby didn't even complain about the kid comment told them how out of sorts she was.

"They aren't thinking," Hedy said, leaning back. "Ruby, I don't think you should go home or to school today. Neither of us can stay here all day though."

The teen gave a soft scoff, poking at her pizza. "And where am I supposed to go?"

Foxy didn't look keen on the idea of Ruby being out of his sight.

"Easy. Home with me," Hedy said.

"I'm really not up to cars right now Hedy," she sighed, sounding tired.

"We'll walk. Well, you'll walk. I can take it. I'll ask a friend of mine if he can tow my car back to my house."

Ruby looked like she'd argue but sudden, raised voices outside drew their attention. Seemed the reporter was still there and over her fright. Ruby grimaced and her shoulders slumped.

"Fine," she muttered petulantly.

"No one's at the back door," Marco said helpfully, darting back from checking, with a bag of cheese in his arms.

Foxy still looked unhappy but he knew it would be better to get Ruby out and somewhere quiet.

"Take care of her," he didn't quite growl at Hedy. They were long past that hostility. But he was still very protective so it was a close thing

Hedy gave him a small look, probably one of the very few people who took his protectiveness in stride.

"Come on," she said softly to Ruby after grabbing a box of pizza, even knowing Ruby would complain about it 'not being the same' if she brought it home. "Let's get out of here before they realize there's a back door."

Ruby only hesitated a moment longer before following Hedy. Foxy grumbled something under his breath but he didn't move to stop them.

Hedy felt that annoying little snap of the connection with the building almost completely cutting off as she crossed the threshold.

A quick goodbye to Jeremy and the man disappeared back inside. Knowing him, he was probably going back outside to be a distraction as long as he could stand.

Hedy and Ruby started walking/rolling, going a more private way.

The teen was quiet as they went, looking lost in thought. This was the most tired Hedy had ever seen Ruby and the girl wasn't trying to hide it for once. She was probably still trying to process.

Hedy really was trying not to complain when the path got steeper and her arms hurt.

She looked around at the houses and greenery.

"I don't go outside very often..." she said distractedly in regret. "It's usually too much trouble for me to get out and go to the park or something. I guess I haven't thought about it in a while. Mike's been taking me out lately. He's like a plant. He needs sunlight."

The teen blinked back from wherever her thoughts had taken her and looked around. She frowned slightly at Hedy.

"Want me to..." she trailed off as she gestured at her wheelchair. Hedy didn't think Ruby had ever asked before. She'd certainly grabbed the handles and just taken off before, usually during the night. She was very aware of the fact that the older girl could take care of herself though so she didn't offer like most did.

"You're only not driving because you're babysitting me."

Hedy snorted. "I'm not driving because you shouldn't be alone right now. I also almost never get to see you in daylight. Getting fresh air for once isn't the worst either." She gestured ahead and frowned a little. "I am getting tired. Push me for a few minutes then we can switch off." She didn't sound the happiest, but her arms were getting heavy.

Ruby moved to take the handles and took over pushing. "You don't have to do this," she muttered after a moment. "I'd be fine, probably just punch a reporter."

"I want to be with you. It's not about having to do anything," Hedy said. "And I know how you can get. I don't want to leave you alone with your thoughts right now."

Ruby fell silent which was the biggest giveaway on just how badly this had affected her. She stayed silent the rest of the walk.

Hedy took a while to think about what she wanted to say. They got to her house before she spoke again. "I was in a bad place after my dad died. But I was lucky, in a way, to be orphaned by nature just being its cruel self. I didn't have anyone to blame even though I wanted to. For six months I was paranoid about Jeremy going to work and getting killed. He was working with murderers and criminals on a daily basis. I was even less trusting of people than nature."

Ruby didn't say anything but Hedy could practically feel her gaze on her.

Hedy busied herself with finding her keys. She found them and got to work opening the door as she talked.

"I didn't trust police. Not even the people Jeremy worked with. I wanted him to quit since the very first day he started at the academy."

"He doesn't seem like the type to quit easily on something he cares about," Ruby murmured.

Hedy shoved open her door. The house was quiet.

Everyone was probably already gone for the day.

"He isn't..." Hedy said. "Jeremy stuck this out after all. I wasn't even sure he was right..."

Ruby fell silent again and moved over to sit on the couch. She ran her hands through her hair, tugging on it slightly. She didn't even snap at Hedy for apparently keeping this a secret.

"I don't know how to process this," she admitted.

"I honestly don't know if you can..." Hedy said, unsure. "I'm trying to imagine if someone close had killed Jeremy. It's not computing."

"I don't know what to do," Ruby shoved a pillow over her face and groaned. "I hate this."

Hedy winced and poked for Ruby to scoot a bit so she could get on the couch. She leaned back into the cushions, staring at her ceiling.

"Let's..." she hesitated. "Go through the main emotions. See if any of them make sense." She sounded unsure. "The basics you know? Fear. Sadness. Anger. Disgust. Happiness. Surprise. It's silly, but maybe we can sort some of what you're feeling out..."

Ruby was silent for a long moment before speaking.

"Shock. Betrayal... Hurt."

There was a noticeable lack of anger at the moment.

Hedy didn't take her eyes off the ceiling but she nodded. "One at a time. Shock. What are you shocked about?"

Ruby still had the pillow over her face so her reply was muffled. "I never...I'm good at reading people. I never suspected Uncle Alistair."

Hedy nodded. "You shouldn't have. That'd be like me suspecting Scott poisoned my dad and gave him cancer. It wouldn't make sense."

Ruby threw the pillow aside. "But I trusted him! I should have at least...figured out something was wrong..."

"This isn't some..." Hedy scoffed and waved her hand. "Some mystery story. You didn't have a reason to suspect anything. You trusted him. That's not on you, that's on him for manipulating you. You were ten."

"I'm not ten anymore," she muttered, burying her face in her hands.

"My point was the bit about him manipulating your trust. Not the fact you were ten," Hedy said.

"Hedy, you don't get it. I don't do trust. The amount of people I do trust can probably be counted on one hand. And that number is down by one now."

Hedy nodded. "There's the betrayal, I suppose. I don't really know what to tell you, Ruby. This sucks. I'm not sure what you need to hear."

"I want it to be one fucked up dream," she muttered.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Hedy frowned and got back in her chair.

"Stay here," she said.

Ruby just rolled over and shoved her face back into the cushion.

Hedy opened her door, just a little. The possibility of a camera crew didn't escape her and she was prepared to yell at them to get off her property.

Outside was a young man with a notebook and a professional appearance. "Miss Fitzgerald?" he asked. There didn't seem to be anyone else around.

"Depends," she said curtly. She glanced back toward the living room. She looked back at the man, looking behind him for the camera crew.

He looked a little nervous at her curt tone but continued. "I'm Carter Rand, from the local newspaper. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about your coworkers and your brother's recent case?"

He sounded polite at least.

Hedy frowned. She didn't have much reason too, but she decided she'd at least try to be polite back. He didn't have a camera at least.

"I try not to be involved in my brother's work," she said.

"Ah well, this..." he tucked his notebook under his arm and flipped through a couple printed sheets he had stuffed in his pocket. "Um. I think this concerns you too. Based on some of my sources, there's this case that keeps..."

"You look a little young for a crime reporter."

He hesitated. "I... get that a lot."

Hedy stared at him. "You're not here officially are you?"

He flushed a little. "Uh, no. They wanted the more experienced reporters on the story. But I thought I'd give it a go. And I didn't want to bring a cameraman anyway."

Hedy raised her eyebrows.

"Um...well," he continued when she didn't say anything. "There's this...case...that I've been trying to get more information on for a while. Since I started. Uh...how old are you? If you don't mind me asking."

"What's the case?"

"I..." he paused. He hadn't expected to need to explain himself. How much should he even say? "I was working in filing and I found these old stories that were never run, or were pulled out of circulation before they were all printed. It was about the disappearance of some kids so it was really strange they weren't printed. I tried to look into it but my boss told me to drop it. Then when some contact called about an officer being arrested last night for the death of another detective I happened to look at the stories again and it turned out the detective who was killed worked on that very case. I thought it...strange."

"So why are you bothering me?"

"Y-you're brother was the arresting officer last night, right? You're Hedwig Fitzgerald?"

Hedy nodded slightly.

"I was just wondering if...you knew Derrick Stone? Your name...and I'm very sorry if this is difficult. But your name came up a few times in those stories that didn't go to print."

Hedy stared at him for a moment. "I'll be honest. You've gotten a lot further in a shorter amount of time than anyone else I've met."

He startled a little and stared at her, unsure over how to continue. Ruby was peeking out from under the pillow and frowning in her direction.

"But if you take what you now know, you're still missing most of the story," Hedy said. "All those other reporters are probably going to look pretty stupid if things ever settle and we can actually tell people what actually happened. You're safer leaving us alone until then."

He frowned now. "Why can't you talk about it now?" he asked.

"There's too much at stake. I can't tell you anything. But if it makes you feel any better, no other reporter is going to get anything substantial either. Your bosses are going to end up with guesswork and secondary sources. I'm only telling you this because you were polite and haven't asked to come in."

He grimaced. "You already ran into an over eager reporter I'm guessing?"

"You could say that," she said, her tone darkening. "Tell your buddies to leave Ruby alone." She knew he couldn't actually do that.

He flinched and deflated a bit. "Um, the people on this story are a bit, um, stubborn when it comes to getting what they want..."

"They don't even know what they want," Hedy retorted. "And what they do want, they aren't getting. We aren't speaking to them."

He nodded. "I don't think they have your address yet but it won't be long before they make the connections too," he warned her.

"We'll deal with it. They still aren't getting anything. But if things ever settle down and we can actually explain things, I'll keep you in mind," Hedy frowned a bit. "I give it a day or two before Fazbear Entertainment spooks about the reporters around our work. Your bosses are going to be bribed into staying away from there."

He stared at her, shocked at the bluntness of the statement.

"Um...you sound very sure."

She gave him a tired look. "I'm still not giving you an interview, but do you want a glass of water or something before you leave?"

He shook his head. "No thank you. I'm sorry to have bothered you, should have realised working the night shift would mean you're tired."

Hedy paused before she could say goodbye. "How did you know I was working the night shift?"

"It's in the information I found about you," he answered. "You're working the night shift at Freddy's. I only knew because I was looking up information on your brother and recognised your name."

"...My schedule should be private," she said, a bit irritated.

"Sorry. The manager gave it to me."

Hedy blinked. She shook her head. "Whatever. I shouldn't be surprised. Thank you, Carter. Have a nice day."

"Have a nice day Miss."

Hedy had a blank expression as she waved at Carter and watched him leave.

She closed her door. After a minute, she spoke to the wood. "I'm gonna kill the manager..."

Ruby's head poked up and she looked like a hopeful puppy. "Can I help?"

Hedy gave Ruby an unamused look.

Ruby just gave her a grin that was much closer to normal than anything she'd shown all day.

They'd get through this. It would just take time.