GLAMROCK BONNIE

Entire worlds have opened before them ever since they left the PizzaPlex behind.

Their experiences in the real world was enlightening; it gifted them with more than what they could've ever hoped for. Bonnie learned the fine line between 'surviving' and true living. How they went about their day-to-day here? That's what it was: True living. He and his friends- they were living the life.

It was beautiful.

Even despite whatever bad or good came their way, they've been dealing with it systematically. Tackling one thing at a time; gently taking things at their own pace. And while as bots, they can acclimate and process certain things faster than normal people, they still took their time in assimilating to their new and expansive life simply because it pleases them. Slowly was the best way to go.

Right now, before Vanessa's concerned phone call, he'd been working on that naughty chip extracted from Cassie's brain. Some of his friends wondered why he bothered with it; after all, he should crush it, throw it into an incinerator, and wipe his paws clean of Vanny forever. All things considered, he should. Even HE thought so. However, the chip has stricken him with a bout of curiosity he couldn't sate. He MUST research it and how it worked; to understand how the heck it can control a person's mind.

And if he had to be really honest- he wondered if she put as much of herself into the chip as possible. If something of her remained inside, he'd wanted to understand how her mind worked and if she left any secrets behind. And surely enough, Bonnie learned as he dissected it and decoded its programming that indeed, Vanny had put herself into the chip in order to control Cassie. But... thanks to her surrendering their game and willingly relinquishing her control of the girl, it was shut off. She could, if he so desired, come back. He could put the chip inside a blank endo and, in theory, have her return fully. Of course, he never did that. And he was more interested in taking the thing apart and understanding how it worked. And if Vanny left sensitive files in it, he'd love to pick them apart too.

He was right, ultimately: There's some material here he wanted to nab- but Vanny was still the ever clever one. She encrypted the files and made it stupidly difficult for him to decode and understand. And in order to utilize what she knew, he'd have to put the chip into a proper computer and truly take it apart digitally- but seeing as Vanny was a VIRUS too, he never tried it. So now he was stuck after realizing he couldn't properly take the files and scan them. He'd been using a basic electronic device that helped prime the fazwrench and some of their tools. Not a true computer- but a paltry thing that couldn't do more than run certain protocols. He'd need disposable devices that had no access to internet so to make sure he can go through it relatively safely. There's no telling what opening this can of worms will do.

He scratched and mussed his patch of hair; working his jaw as he leaned over the worktable in the garage. His torn left ear twitched once. Beside him, he was using a Bluetooth speaker to play a copy of Rockin' Rabbit Rumble; one of the Fazbear-approved original songs used in the PizzaPlex. He liked it, biased as it was. But recently, he'd been getting into some of the songs outside of the PizzaPlex too and enjoying them. He'd been simply rolling through his playlist as he bent over the chip; claws carefully tinkering away while he kept an eye on the monitor beside him.

The monitor was running through a list of programs, blueprints, and was diagnosing what was workable. Making DJ a new body was one thing... but, Vanessa's constant use of the animatronic taser, back at the PizzaPlex, had sadly damaged DJ to a severe extent. Not a whole lot of him was salvageable... this tragedy brought a whole host of problems he and his friends had to divine: What they knew of DJ, his personality, and to recreate his character blueprint almost completely. This coding process would naturally take months- not including the fact that they still needed parts and pieces for a body that was smaller, wieldy, and fashionable as well as reminiscent of his old, giant spider body.

Bonnie had to thank Vanny for one thing: The rabbit had copies of notes on the bots she controlled at the PizzaPlex. When she hacked his friends to use against him, she kept copies of them. DJ was something she regularly controlled apparently; and to prevent from people noticing how strange he'd been behaving and how much she's been changing his personality around, she'd kept these copies of his core behavior and re-implement them after her use of him. No programmer or technician would notice any strangeness in his system. And, because of Bonnie's desire to keep the chip, he'd been able to salvage something of Vanny's work from it.

She's truly thought of everything, he wondered. Its almost as if she knew I'd be picking this thing apart after we left- knew I'd want or need something from it. Perhaps she did know?

Clever little bitch.

With this said, DJ's personality had been restored. Its just a matter of making the body and waking him up. Luis had been returning to the warehouse for parts unique to the Music Man models; but they've also been taking normal endoskeletons and hybridizing the features. So, something along the lines of an endo with an additional set of limbs and an interesting chassis with the same color palette as the normal music men was their end result. Bonnie quite liked the look of the face himself; the eyes were styled deliberately like sun glasses; except adhered to the face itself. The trademark headphones was present too (just all on a smaller scale), and the body looked a lot like the 'male' physique of the Glamrock bots. It wouldn't be long now before DJ can rejoin the family.

He hated to say this- but he had to thank Vanny for saving DJ's core. Otherwise, the bots would've had to lay the bot to permanent rest over a year ago. His friends, simply because of that reason, stopped discouraging Bonnie from throwing away that awful chip (Roxy has been bugging him constantly about it). They let him tinker with it- but you can no doubt see their hesitation in letting him do so.

Back in the present, Vanessa's call had the rabbit sitting up now; huffing resignedly as he did. He thought Luis would've been able to make it through today. He's been able to deal with the warehouse these last two years with no incident... so what changed? What happened? This vexed the rabbit; and it left him to ponder if Fazbear Entertainment finally caught on to Luis' shenanigans. It didn't seem likely but, one never knew for sure.

He carefully and delicately put the chip aside; locking it inside of a glass case and severing connection to it. M.X.E.S can continue scanning it while he dealt with Luis. He's had two years to try and understand this thing but... again, this goes back to Vanny being a clever program herself. Even when she's dead and gone, she played her games. Oh, how typical of her!

And he'd never admit this aloud- even he was ashamed to say it, but this quiet challenge delighted him. He actually liked that about her in a way. If only she wasn't a criminal psychopath with a fetish for blood-letting! Such a shame. Bonnie had the feeling if the situation hadn't been what it was, he would've genuinely liked her-

Again, not something he'd say aloud. Ever.

Now he left the garage and entered the main room; his paws a soft thud on the carpeted floor. His ears ducked low to his neck to avoid clipping the door frame again; his whiskers a constant twitch and flurry of movement on his busy muzzle. He found Monty on the floor in front of the fire place; the gator soundly asleep and snoring away. Freddy and Chica were in the kitchen- giggling like girls on a sleepover and baking dinner. Eclipse and Roxy weren't here right now; they drove off to go pick up Gregory and Cassie from school since Vanessa was supposed to be on her date today.

Bonnie had been... well, he's turned very LAZY ever since they left the PizzaPlex behind. When he wasn't working on the chip, making DJ a body, and improving himself and his friends (okay, so not that lazy), he slept a LOT. In fact, one can say its more than he thought he should. He's learned the organic pleasures of sleep; attributing some of his more freakish eccentricities to the other person that sat inside him. Ever since absorbing the fact he was two people in one- not unlike the daycare attendant in a way, he found himself okay with it. He's acclimated, and it showed in his day-to-day.

And the feelings having a soul instilled? He desired things he hadn't before. Organic things; things like sleep, the compulsive desire to eat even when he wasn't actually hungry, and dreaming when he nodded off. He figured his body simply wanted to emulate what the soul's owner did naturally in life; forcing itself to 'remember' the habits that came with living. In a sense, these habits never truly forgotten. He found himself adapting these habits he'd never use otherwise; wanting to do some things his metal body wouldn't allow. They weren't character-cued either; not typical to his blueprint as a Bonnie.

He dreams now. That was for real. And that's something that continued to baffle him. And while his dreams weren't really anything beyond mostly white spaces a nd forgettable concepts he wouldn't recall upon waking, sometimes he had the errant... nightmare, of his time in the PizzaPlex. One time, he thought he dreamt up walking alongside Cassie to the stage in the PizzaPlex- and seeing himself from afar and from the perspective of a member of the audience. He watched himself, the bunny, play on stage, while standing in the crowd with the little girl holding his human hand. He was in two places at once; the Glamrock, and the human man. One watched the other; and the sense was so alien it freaked Bonnie out rather badly and jolted him awake- only to realize he'd been dreaming.

The sensation of it was so incredible that it'd felt grossly tangible for that lucid second upon waking. He'd been shivering- and if he could, he'd sweat too. This dream left another bloody runnel on his face; and it took him a bit to realize that he's been bleeding out the right eye socket for quite a while before he woke up. He'd been glad everyone else was asleep at the time.

He never told anyone about that dream. He wondered if he'd been remembering something from Cassie's father's life. Like actually literally putting himself in the man's shoes the day he first brought his daughter to the PizzaPlex and introduced her to the animatronics there. It was so disorientating- was that what Vanny meant when she asked if he could remember something that wasn't his own memory? He supposed so.

Carrots, if only he could ask her!

I could, if I really wanted to.

He shook his head free of it. Sometimes, treacherous thoughts like this plagued him. Vanny was gone, and he was happy about it- don't get him wrong. But sometimes, some of the mysteries of her knowledge left him in an anxious stupor. And when it comes to remnant, its influence on A.I, and how it manifested certain behaviors in robots in general, he felt himself severely lacking in understanding. Vanny was, as far as he knew, the only person who knew enough. Anyone else outside of her would be a Fazbear employee that no doubt bloodied their hands for show business' sake and helped make animatronics into the grotesque aberrations that they were.

Yeah, no. He wasn't going to risk asking any Fazbear employee anytime soon how remnant worked. It sounded crazy, but Vanny swore herself over to Bonnie- in a fucked-up way, perhaps asking her would be more trustworthy. She wouldn't deceive him after the way she went out- give him a hard time, maybe, but she'd been completely honest with him at the end of her life. She quite deliberately placed her life and its direction into his paws after she announced him the king of their revelry. The master of his fate.

The sovereign of secrets, she once said.

And boy, he sure did love his secrets sometimes.

Anyways. Now back to the present.

Anyhow, Bonnie moved with purpose past the lazing gator on the floor, raising a brow at him in passing. Him and Monty both were pretty much the epitome of sluggish (the times Bonnie wasn't busying himself); and Monty even labelled an entire day of the week just to laze around. 'Flat Friday' was his favorite day. He made an incredible impression of a pancake that day and literally would find a spot on the floor just to be in the way- and he'd sit there for the whole rest of said day.

So apparently gators were lazy. And Monty couldn't be that lazy when he worked at the PizzaPlex. Who would've figured it? Then again, Monty actually was 'lazy' in character blueprint, so one can't say that he wasn't behaving according to specs. Then again, even despite the character blueprint trait, he just wanted to make lazy now because he had the power to do so. Its a sentiment Bonnie himself understood.

Bonnie didn't want to admit it but... he liked that day too. He started lazing in front of the fireplace more often as well; rolling onto his side in a rather realistic impression of someone's actual pet rabbit getting scratches. Cassie would sometimes join him, lean against his waist, and absently rub at his fluff and nod off. Today, she was at school; so this wasn't the day they usually sat around together.

And now, the stone-blue rabbit sat continued to the kitchen; scratching once at his azure fleece and fluffing the creamier fuzz on his chest. His mouth moved in pensive rotations sometimes; like a real rabbit chewing on grass. His teeth had a tendency to click and grind sometimes; a show of habit when he was thinking too much.

Side note: Vanessa helped them gain materials for a new physical look. He and the others even made new skins, outfits, and things for themselves in the last couple years since the PizzaPlex's collapse. Bonnie now had actual fur over his old Glamrock shell- and he loved how cuddly it made him. He wasn't crazy about his sense of touch being duller, but he'd been working on taking certain parts of his shell and segmenting them further while experimenting with his appearance. Segmenting them made him more flexible; but it compromised the structural solidarity of his shell in some regions. But, he now had the freedom of movement only organics had now; and this experiment was furthered when his friends too showed an interest in breaking apart their shells into small pieces and adhering them in ways to simulate muscle movement under their skins.

To compensate for the dulling of his touch thanks to the skin covering his metal Glamrock shell, he added new and stronger sensors to his chassis- and he thinned some of the segmented shell itself so he can feel things better through the fur. Sometimes, the tactile sensor patches were adhered to the skins directly in a few places. All the bots do it- trying to find ways to make assimilating to the world work. Its worked out too; and Bonnie was able to feel to an extent as he did even before donning the fur coat.

Bonnie's whiskers were more numerous now as well; the extended pressure sensors in his muzzle quite acute. Whenever anyone grazed his face, he tended to jolt- it tickled way too much. His whiskers felt more than his basic RGB camera eyes can see. He now felt like his sense of sight came primarily from his ears and nose instead of his sight. The additional patches on his body felt every instance he brushed someone or something, despite the earlier comment on some areas being duller than others. He felt, he supposed, very real in a way. Him having a soul, the new look, and the growing list of parts on his body was interesting. He felt comfortable with himself- truly, comfortable. For the first real time in his entire life ever since he's been built, he feels something like, human? But not? He didn't have the right term, but the following one was actualized.

He felt actualized.

That fit.

Chica had a downy feather look now- not that she wore the artificial fluff when she cooked. That was a disaster waiting to happen. Freddy as well supported fur; and he LOVED it. He went absolutely CRAZY about giving hugs now. And now that he knew what being fluffy felt like, he'd go around wearing the new skin all the time and bombard whoever he made contact with with hugs. He didn't care! He only didn't wear the second skin when he had to clean it, repair it, or cook (he didn't want to get hair in the food).

The skins were synthetic hair and faux fur; and stitched onto an interesting fabric material that's sewn in a way that made it sturdy and interesting when pulled taut. It bunched like realistic skin when limbs coiled; but when stretched out, it reminded Bonnie of a Chinese finger trap toy; literally stretches so tightly nothing can get free. It was actually tougher when stretched out; absurdly sturdy and it assured repairs wouldn't be needed super often. After all, the skins were made for the Glamrocks originally by Fazbear Entertainment itself. They just never used it because the suits were high maintenance and fur could get into people's food. Luis finding the skins in the warehouse had been nice; with Vanessa helping them to 'customize' the skins and add fur detail if they so desired. So things like distinct patterns, markings, and color around key areas were individualized and added to taste.

Bonnie loped into the kitchen; Monty jerking awake behind him in the living room. As he passed, the gator craned his red gaze at him, working his jaw mechanically while dragging a lazy and sleepy black talon across his chest. His mohawk was ruffled.

The gator now wore something like artificial leather for skin now; and it was interesting compared to his normal metallic Glamrock chassis. The green wasn't an irritating bright neon and yellow color scheme. Nope, it's leaning more towards a realistic reptilian gray-green look. His belly was paler like Bonnie's own; not quite the color but close. The dark, metallic gray-green of his skin was super interesting too in the fact that it had realistic scale patterns sewn and imprinted into it. To put it bluntly, he looked awesome in his skin! Bonnie however can see why they never let Monty wear it though; it simply didn't match the sleek and shiny punk rock color scheme of the Glam aesthetic.

The skin was also ridiculously heavy; and it added maybe another forty pounds to Monty's already substantial 480-ish. He was now just over 500 in weight; and easily the biggest, heaviest bot here besides Freddy. When Luis first brought this skin home, the poor man had been red-faced and puffing trying to drag it in. It made Bonnie wonder how he even got it to his car in the first place!

Freddy was heard singing now; the bear emulating Elvis Pressly playfully and getting a laugh out of the hen. Chica was balling; unable to hold back her laughter as Freddy made exaggerated movements across the kitchen and dramatically tilted his head backwards with a hand over his forehead like he was going to faint. Bonnie severely didn't want to break the vibes- he was all ABOUT the good vibes, but Luis' safety was a pressing matter.

When Freddy saw the grim, almost rueful nature of his friend's face however, he winced and straightened up. His brows furrowed (also a new feature they had. Vanessa added a new servo that enabled brow movement in their skulls- and it'd been such a simple feature too and something Bonnie attributed to Fazbear Entertainment being too lazy and cheap to give them). His baby blue optics narrowed in mild concern, his creamy mug clenching once more in anxious nuance. He put down the dish he'd been cleaning in preparation for use, his silence already quite telling.

Bonnie sighed. Man, he REALLY hated being a buzz-killer.

"My man, Luis he..."

That was all he had to say. Freddy was already throwing off his apron and stepping past him. Bonnie blinked stupidly and turned rapidly on the ball of his heel to follow him into the main room.

"Yo dude- I didn't even finish-!"

"You do not need to," The bear harrumphed. "As soon as either Vanessa or Roxy return with one of the cars, we will go. I already have an idea as to what happened-" he frowned at his best friend, his light brown face hardening. "Luis went into that warehouse today. He told us before he left- and for you to just walk in and mention him in such a manner- it does not leave much to the imagination as to what happened."

Bonnie flapped his jaw, then shut it.

Freddy glanced at Monty now, upon seeing him awake, "You going too, I assume?"

The gator shrugged, "Wha- huh? Oh- Why would I NOT? I get bored 'round here. 'Bout time I used my damn claws fer somethin' helpful." He got up, slowly drawing himself to his feet and rolling his heavy head on his wide shoulders. His enormous tail swayed lazily behind him in smooth, side-to-side motions.

Chica batted the reptile and raised a chastising brow, "YOU'RE the one who makes lazy on our floor on PURPOSE. And now you want to help when it involves possible violence?"

Monty snorted, not daring to deny it but also not confirming anything.

Bonnie raised his hands and huffed. "Just get your shit together. Vanessa will be here in another minute with the van. I already have M.X.E.S downloading schematics for the warehouse's layout into your noggins."

Freddy was seen migrating to the garage where his skin suit was currently hanging. He still had his basic Glamrock chassis; all of them did. It was just repainted now to look like the fur he wore sometimes. In fact, Freddy had a darker, and more humbler shade of brown more or less akin to a nearly blonde brown bear (if that makes any sense). Apparently brown bears had the errant blonde fuzz on some regions of their body; and it was the color that ran up Freddy's belly and friendly mug. The blonde color was also, in an interesting twist of flare, decorated around his eyes; like having a layer of eye-shadow on his lids and sockets. The shape emulated the black, sleek, sharp eye-liner Bonnie wore under his eyes; the two matching in terms of pattern detail. Only difference was the colors being used.

Freddy's swarthy, sometimes errantly sun-kissed browns made for a very wonderful transition from that alarming and unnatural orange and blue he used to be. He still sometimes decorated himself with blue accents for fun though; make-up, claws being painted the same way they used to, and he wore blue earrings that matched Bonnie's fur color. He wanted to match his brother rabbit in some ways- and it's honestly flattering and sweet. In fact, Bonnie went as far as to retain the earring he had on his right ear and painted it to look like Freddy's red palette from his prior Glamrock look. Even now, he and the bear were wearing their respective earrings.

Freddy didn't grab the fur to put it on; he wasn't going to damage something so expensive and unique when the group was already planning a rescue trip. His new painted shell already emulated the look enough; and the shell was more pragmatic than walking around in fur anyways. Bonnie wondered about doing the same, but it involved rearranging the tactile patches between his skin and chassis. He still didn't want Vanessa's hard work being put into his fur to get squandered if it got torn up though. Also, the new furs were... well, as you'd expect, pretty hot to wear sometimes. They warmed their motors faster; and its why, sometimes, Bonnie and the other had to forgo their suits on summer evenings. No need to get hot enough to get put into a system shut-down.

Bonnie looked outside briefly though- the winter was bitter enough, so perhaps wearing his fur wouldn't be such a bad thing this time around. He was already careful as could be. Near him, Chica watched with clear worry while fidgeting. Her feathers bounced around her; a perky and beautiful layer that added to her new look. Her appearance was probably a bit more dramatic in terms of shape than the others; having changed out some of her former Glamrock shell pieces for something smaller and lighter.

The Glamrocks were noteworthy for their cartoonishly huge ankles and paws- but now all that's been changed too. The huge ankles made putting clothes on or walking a little clumsy. With this said, She had thinner leg pieces now that simulated the orange of the classic Chica; all the while she still had the white Glamrock base color on her torso- pretty much an average domestic chicken color. The changing of the shell also made her lighter to compensate for the feather suit she wore (though you can argue that because the Glams all changed out their leg pieces and choice areas of their bodies made them a bit lighter by extension).

The interest however lie therein her new neck and head shape. Her neck was done differently recently; adding another vertebra to give the chicken's more realistic look and enabling her to turn her head around more fluidly than before. She was marginally taller, and it gave her a more slender look to her upper body somehow. It looked freaky when she can turn a whole 360 the way she does but it meant nobody can actually sneak up on her. She's also been given slightly better optics; not like Roxy's, but better in general. She still had the lavender colored pupils.

She had tail pieces now... no one knew the old idea of Glamrock Chica was, on paper, had a tail piece that allowed large and decorative feathers to stick up and out. They arched and fluffed; and she she can control its movement a little bit like shake it out. She honestly looked elegant, if Bonnie do say so himself. Her head meanwhile, it didn't have the same the egg-shape like her cut-outs used to. It was a bit smaller and narrower; giving her a more fine-boned look. Indeed, she was quite pretty and interesting to watch. Her dancing always got everyone's attention.

Her top-knot style plastic hair from before has been, as you'd expect, replaced with more genuine fluff. She still had it styled the same way; but now it behaved not unlike Roxy's own mane. She can take her 'hair' and lay it flat on her head and neck, or tie it back like in the old Glamrock style. The ability to change her appearance delighted Chica immeasurably and she was note-worthy for spending part of her mornings simply dolling herself up for fun. She even sat with Roxy a few times to do each other's fluff.

Bonnie paused and scratched errantly at the rip of his left ear. He, surprisingly, kept the torn appendage. He never replaced it; it was a reminder of his skirmish with Vanny and what he both lost and gained. Also, he thought it gave him a badass, tough guy look! SOMETHING like that. He kept an earring on his right ear, but never the torn left one. The left one now drooped more than the right; with him picking at it sometimes while in deep thought.

Monty meanwhile hadn't bothered with removing his leather skin- it was tough stuff. Akin to like a secondary suit of armor. He didn't like taking it on and off; as it was, understandably, too difficult to do so sometimes. He was also impatient, and he simply didn't want to dedicate the few minutes to quarter of an hour to its extraction on his immense body. The appearance of it made him a bit more intimidating too; the effect a little than effective in terms of giving him a look more like a real gator.

Bonnie's torn ear lifted and rotated towards the front door; having heard the van pull up. Vanessa's swearing could be heard a mile away. The rabbit frowned, then finished pulling his spiked bracelets on (leftover from his Glamrock look). He scratched at the mop of fuzz on his scalp in a character-cued tic as he hurried to the door; Freddy at his heels.

When Vanessa came in, the woman was ice cold and her nose was redder than Rudolph's. Her hard, beryl gaze seemed to match the crisp cold of the the world outside; teeth gritting and throwing off her jacket like she wanted to dump it into a fire. She nearly bumped right into Bonnie; sputtering another swear and lifting her chin so to meet his maroon optics.

"You ain't going alone," She started. "I'm gonna go too."

Bonnie narrowed his eyes. Behind him, Freddy shook his head, "I'm sorry but... I- I mean, we, we cannot allow that... You should stay here for the kids. The bunch of us will be more than enough to find Luis!" The bear waved off her open mouth, "A small team moves faster- and we'd have M.X.E.S too so-"

Vanessa shoved past the blue bunny and stomped up to the ursine now. "Eclipse and Roxy can watch them. They do that anyways- in fact, Gregory and Cassie can watch themselves now! They don't like being baby-sat-" She rolled her eyes. It wasn't untrue though; the two kids were definitely self-sufficient already, but chose to usually be watched by one of the bots sometimes. She continued, meanwhile, "-Besides, why the hell in my right frame of mind would I be able to just SIT here? I'm a TECH specialist. I'd be able to do something to help-"

Freddy gently placed his paws on her cold hands, clasping them tightly as if to warm them up. "No, Vanessa. Stay put here. Watch them, warm up. We'd be fine out there. While I do not doubt your abilities- as they've saved us before, I'd feel better if you stay where its warm and safe-"

Vanessa glared up into his eyes, "If Luis is somehow hurt and needs to be taken to the hospital, you need a human chaperone to help do so. I don't want to be that guy, or, whatever, but getting him into the hospital with ya'll would be complicated- And you already know how we feel about exposing you to people like that when its bad enough people who suffer from accidents at ANY Freddy's establishments made some kind of rep with the doctors-" She glared around. "The hospital staff would likely think YOU GUYS did this on purpose and report you- maybe even keep you there until FE grabs you! No, I'm going, and when and IF Luis needs to see care, I can help with that. And I can help repair you all if anything turns up wrong. Hopefully it won't be that way."

Freddy shut his bronzed jawline. He slumped forward, nodded, and dusted the snow off Vanessa's shoulders. "At least warm-up first- for a second. We'll get in and pack a couple supplies for the van. We will not need more than another minute."

She huffed and dragged herself to the fireplace.

Bonnie twitched his ears and turned towards Freddy, "I still don't think she should come..."

Freddy passed him a piteous glance, "She isn't wrong though. She and Luis put forth their best efforts for us- and it'd be a waste of their time and efforts if we get carted off somewhere as a result of exposure. No, we do need human hands sometimes. I do not like saying that... but we do." He glanced away next, "And frankly... I don't think we can talk Vanessa from coming along regardless... not if you consider how she feels about Luis. I do not think I can stand idly by when I have a loved one like that in peril- not that I understand the feeling she has." He focused on Bonnie briefly though, "However, I DO understand sorely missing my beloved friends and wanting to do something for them."

Bonnie frowned and looked away sadly, his black eyeliner furthering the narrow, pointed severity of his countenance. He said nothing however, arms briefly rubbing up and down his shoulders. He suddenly felt cold despite the fur- knowing exactly what Freddy implied. Goodness knows Bonnie felt the same when Vanny abducted Cassie.

"Here's hoping this gets done before the start of Winter break," he muttered. "I ain't keen on spending another whole-ass day inside another fucking Freddy's joint. No offense, buddy."

"None taken," Freddy held up his paw and reached over; gently grabbing one of Bonnie's paws and rubbing some warmth into it. "Maybe keep the fur on after all- if the building Luis went into is derelict, its likely not warm. I'll prep the van."

"You not donning yours?"

"No. It'd take too long. And besides, I want my chest cavity easily accessible in case we need to carry things around."

"Who we takin'?"

Freddy noticed Monty had skulked off. "Looks like our reptilian friend is going to insist. I may ask Chica to stay- I know she'd want to help but we do not need to be hulling everyone along. You, me, and Monty are more than enough- and that is not including M.X.E.S in your body and Vanessa as well. I doubt we'd find another Tangle, Mimic or Vanny in there... so I wager that'd be enough."

"Don't jinx it man. Its bad enough Luis ain't back on his own. You don't even know if there's another maybe-Vanny or Mimic out there-" Bonnie shrugged off.

Freddy shrugged helplessly. "Knocking on wood here."

Bonnie harrumphed, then glanced outside at the ridiculous amount of cold. "On second thought, Fredster, maybe put your own fur on. I'll prep the van instead. Have Chica help you."

"...Are you certain?"

"Yeah. Its like... carrots, 10 degrees out there? Its ridiculous. We don't need to stalling or letting our motors seize up from that stupid cold. Go on."

Freddy lost two arguments in one go, apparently. He sighed but conceded to his friend's concern and pragmatic view on the matter. He was also likely considering the idea of carrying Luis out and having his fur on would be a hell of a lot warmer than his bare shell. On that note, Freddy turned and waved for Chica's attention.

Bonnie slumped tiredly where he stood. He wouldn't admit this aloud, but he was coiled so tightly he felt his artificial gut churn. He was just glad he couldn't actually vomit.

"Let's hope this won't be like the PizzaPlex," he prayed to no one in particular.

GREGORY

He'll be glad to be rid of all these fucks.

The people in this school are just- he already couldn't stand them. Its bad enough people comment on him and Cassie riding to school in a freaking PARTY BUS of all things. Was that grounds for bulling? No, but bully they did.

And god damn Marvin was at it again.

Middle school was something Gregory hadn't expected to be enduring to the extent he was. He nearly caved and begged Vanessa to be home-schooled- but she wouldn't have it. She said he needed to learn 'social skills' by going to public school- that there's some things he couldn't learn at the house that he could learn here- but the last time he checked, even Vanessa had a year or two at home, did she not? Middle schoolers were VICIOUS- they attempted to route out any weakness to use as ammunition for their daily validation ritual:

So now, Marvin has taken to bullying both himself, and CASSIE too.

Oh hell no.

That ain't gonna fly.

As soon as Gregory thought he can get away with it, he was going to sock Marvin right in his stupid shnoz. Again. The last time he did it, he'd gotten detention- not too bad, but Gregory's starting to get a regular rap sheet here. Anymore upstarts would have the teachers on him like white on rice. Cassie had to talk him down several times. That's the other thing he didn't understand- why she tolerated the bullying.

Well... not 'tolerate' as one would picture. More like, 'blatantly ignores the problem until it becomes more of a problem'. Its bad enough Marvin pushed her once just to get her fall on her head not long after she got out of surgery- THAT was what caused Gregory to jump him and incited that detention. That horribly cruel, stupid thing he did wasn't forgivable. And while Cassie was now healed physically from the ordeal, she wasn't emotionally. Its bad enough some of their peers thought she looked funny with that undercut and bandanna covering that unsightly head wound. Now add in the whole party bus thing and you got plenty of working fuel for the fire. And every time Marvin opened his mouth, Cassie would walk away.

She said each time Gregory had asked, "He's just not worth it. Not worth me reopening my head for. Come on, Gregory- we faced serial killers and murderous giant robots. Why SHOULD a little pleb like that bother you?"

She wasn't wrong when she put it like that. So, because of that, Gregory HAD temporarily suspended the idea of smashing in Marvin's nose-

But then, the boy started making nasty comments about Vanessa (his MOM for Pete's sake!), Freddy and Bonnie-Or for that matter; whoever showed up to drive him and Cassie to school. Marvin started waiting out in the yards just to watch them come out of the van- so he can divine whose sitting at the wheel. And once he got his first ever look at a bot in the seat (he apparently first laid eyes on Freddy), he IMMEDIATELY started hurling mud at Gregory's 'furry' family of freaks- making grotesque comments and innuendos regarding their 'fetishes' or some shit.

You can bet Gregory whooped his ass.

And yet he still kept at it.

Why? Did Marvin want his face disfigured for life? Because Gregory was seriously thinking of rearranging it in ways that idiot's never seen. By the time he's done, the internet will have a new thing to be talking about. And when one opens the dictionary to find 'whoop ass', they'd find Gregory smashing in Marvin's face like he's beating an El Chips pinata.

For now though, Gregory was leaving the grounds with Cassie; and he couldn't be gladder. He was fighting to keep his composure now, a little anxious about seeing Marvin. Now, Cassie wasn't wrong in the fact that they've all faced worse: Vanny, the Tangle, the Mimic, AFTON HIMSELF- all these things were a million times more frightening than little Marvin. But for some reason, Marvin's underhanded slights and disgusting commentary got under Gregory's skin more so than Vanny's knife ever did- and that was dang LITERAL- he just couldn't fathom it! How is Marvin more irritating and imposing than Vanny of all things?

Side note: His shoulder wound may have healed nice since then, but the scar remained. And then, the fact that Marvin would, despite incurring a ton of injuries, would KEEP doing this- He just didn't understand the mentality in it. There's literally zero sense in that. And now, thanks to Marvin's doggedness, other kids are starting to murmur and say weird things about them too- The two of them just couldn't make friends anymore.

Its bad enough Cassie was extremely self-conscious. It wasn't just of her head wound (she's also balancing being half-bald), but also the fact she's still emotionally healing from the loss of friends she had. And by that, Gregory meant that she never quite got over how no one showed up to her party that one birthday a few years ago. And when she returned briefly to her own school prior to transferring to this one, none of the people she invited had ever talked to her again. So then they started up here, and she was still facing some sort of social stigma- she just couldn't seem to make any friends and that bothered him.

It hurt. It hurt to see her cry like this; in silence, and in shame of something that wasn't her fault. Gregory was no white knight but he felt the need to shield her. And every time he tried it, even Cassie promptly told him off for it. It was so confusing!

This cool winter evening, Cassie leaned heavily on Gregory for warmth; and he did the same. They were never kept waiting long: A bot or Vanessa tended to roll up in the secondary party bus. Today, it was Eclipse: leading Gregory to wonder why Bonnie or Freddy weren't the ones doing so. Granted, its likely Freddy was helping Chica cook dinner and Bonnie was likely bent over DJ again.

Eclipse, Sun and/or Moon looked fantastic nowadays; sporting black-out shades of his own over his masked face. The androgynous design of the mask was meant to incorporate his personalities a bit better now; and even had adjustable brows added on that were fixed to a small, recently added servo behind his faceplate. He could emote a bit more now; and not just with his long-boned hands. His mouth was also visible; his faceplate having been further adjusted and sliced a certain way to accommodate a couple extra moving parts. He had additional servos going to his lower mandible; and the plate on it and his chin was independent of the mask. Luis was the one who helped Vanessa make it- but the idea was all hers.

Ever since they started using artificial stomachs, a lot of work had to put into the former attendant. He had a ton of new pipes, wires, and he had to have a bit of shell to cover the new pieces on his once thin, single bar neck. His torso was also a tad fuller; but make no mistake; he was still a lanky, tall, and wiry bot whose ability to bend and twist went unmatched.

He tended to wear long-sleeved clothes now; alternating between dressing sharply or casually depending on whatever alter took over for the day. Moon favored sweats and pajamas, infamously enough. Eclipse adored the Tarot-card themed clothes he's been getting a hold of. Sun meanwhile seemed to grow to like shirts with cuffs- weirdly formal and SUPER strange on him. Today he was wearing a bright yellow dress shirt with orange bands going down it vertically- and some black slacks on the side. To say the least, the color alone said Sun was dominating the day, most of the time.

Gregory never understood his odd and eccentric tastes. Oh well! At least he looked GOOD- and the coat he was wearing on top of all that? He seriously could win a fashion contest. The coat had the helpful effect of keeping his motor from seizing from the cold too- so it was pragmatic as well as stylish. The change in clothing almost seemed to help the bot stabilize himself; so Sun wasn't as frenetic, twitchy or nervous as he used to be.

The cheery bot waved enthusiastically at them from the driver's wheel, looking a lot of professional chauffeur- and next to him, in the front seat, was Roxanne too. She was passing them a warm look, coming out of the seat to admit it for them and take her place in the open back of the van.

The wolf favored denim and leather. She especially loved her leather jacket Vanessa gave her a couple years ago- it possessing an affectionately worn look. And more often than not, she'd wear that over whatever else. Today was no different; and it had an artificial fur trim that complimented the ivory and steely look of her new mane. It was uniformly gray until the white highlights were introduced to it; with her one strand of green hair at her temples remaining as is. Her tail usually sported the same look- the entirety steel colored save for the ivory tip. Nowadays, her fur was cut more neatly and done in an orderly fashion so she didn't have to wrestle with fist-sized knots and extra bushiness clogging up the halls in their house. It was long and plummy still; more like a husky's tail and less like a barrel of wild bush like it used to be. In other words; a tamer and more modest look.

She wore fingerless gloves sometimes; not always. She usually went bare-handed unless she felt more colorful. The fingerless look was needed thanks to her long claws- which, she tended to paint all kinds of colors now depending on her moods. And ever since Cassie had her operation, she too wore a bandanna so the girl wouldn't feel so lonely. They had matching ones and they'd both spend part of the morning picking out what bandanna to wear for the day (Chica joined in too). The sight of Roxy making Cassie more comfortable with herself made Gregory regret ever having hurt the wolf at all.

As for her shell in general, her feet weren't as huge as before; the models of their shells having been altered so they can put clothes on. The Glamrocks ALL lost the huge, exaggerated look of their ankles and three toed feet. Roxy now had smaller and slightly more dainty paws that ended in alternating black and purple talons. They were also a bit easier to move with thanks to being a slightly more realistic and diminutive size. The design was all thanks to Luis and Vanessa as well; having contacted a friend who dabbled in metal work and shaped the shell segments individually.

With that topic broached, this person who made the new shells was paid for each piece. The guy who made these wondered what they were being used for, but Vanessa likely hadn't said much to him (most likely cosplay was the excuse). He likely hadn't cared that much to know though- seeing as he was getting paid a pretty penny for the new and sleeker, and yet more realistically done sized pieces. The fact Roxy had FOUR TOES NOW said enough when all the Glamrocks used to have only three. Her claws even curled realistically and her feet had impressions of paw pads in them! Excellent artistic detail, if Gregory do say so himself.

Roxy jumped into the back, meanwhile; Gregory and Cassie slipping into the front seat with Sun and buckling up. Gregory however was forced to take pause when he heard a whoop- And sure enough, when he looked, he saw Marvin standing not super far from where Cassie and himself had been. The boy was talking to his friends; pointing and jeering as Sun began to roll the vehicle out.

Roxy noticed and snorted. She turned to Gregory, "That kid... you know him at all?"

Gregory snarled in a manner that actually resembled Roxy's own. "You can say that..." He grumped. "That's the kid I punched and got into detention for."

Cassie also added, "And the same kid who isn't worth our time!"

Roxy sneered and leaned over the vehicle's head rest; arms crossing beneath her chin. "Oh! Marvin, huh? He's got quite a sense of humor-"

"If you call shoving someone down a flight of stairs funny, then yeah. He's a HOOT," Gregory snapped.

Cassie rolled her eyes, "It's only four steps-"

The boy shot her a look- and Sun did the same. "What- HUH? He shouldn't have been doing that at all! He's not still doing it, is he?" The former attendant queried.

"He hasn't tried today," Cassie shrugged.

Roxy blinked furiously. Then, even she snarled, "-'Today'? You mean he's been doing this OFTEN?" Her alto was liquid mercury ready to reach boiling point. "Surely he's been written up too!?"

"He has..." Gregory rolled his eyes. "He just doesn't learn!"

As they pulled away, Gregory glared at the window and pressed his face against the glass. He caught Marvin's eye- and then, he rolled the window down a little, stuck out his arm, and flipped him off.

"Hey now!" Sun yanked his arm back in. "All limbs inside the vehicle! And please, you're letting that dreadful cold in here!"

Gregory harrumphed and slumped into the seat. He wasn't sorry- even snorting when he saw Marvin narrow his eyes at him and pump an angry fist at him and return the gesture. Challenge accepted, fuck-face, Gregory venomously assured internally.

He jolted a little when Roxy leaned over the head rest and draped her muzzle nearer to his face; her snout very gingerly rubbing his cheek in a very rare show of affection. Her new fur coat combined with the heat her body naturally produced as a result of her motor gave her a weirdly organic feel; and the new short, bristly hairs on her snout made the touch tickle. It truly felt like a dog's snout was nosing his own. It didn't help trace amounts of snow and ice had thawed on her nose and added a small layer of condensation that threatened to refreeze upon leaving the warmth of the van; emulating the natural moisture that's found on canids.

"He shouldn't be pushing Cassie around, period," She mumbled gingerly to the boy. "And while I don't care for you getting into detention... we understand. I'm just sorry WE'RE the ones getting you into trouble..."

Gregory gently touched her snout and rubbed at the cheek. He never had pets- and while he'd never think of the bots as pets (that'd be shameful), it relieved a part of him to pet her. It was like he was scratching some sort of itch he'd only otherwise get from owning a real animal. In other words, petting them helped with the blood pressure. He can see why Cassie enjoyed laying on top of Bonnie's overly fluffy breast and burying herself in Roxy's tail.

"I'll be glad when we move," he mumbled. "I hate this state. To get far from it would be amazing."

"I keep forgetting you used to live somewhere else- before meeting Freddy," Roxy mused aloud. "Where'd you live again?"

He shrugged, "Nevada... Not really anything special. Its mostly desert. I don't miss it- but I prefer it over freaking UTAH. I lived closer to ocean, I guess... but I never actually saw it."

Sun glanced at him once, "I'm still waiting to see it! I've never actually got to paint that ocean view I wanted... and we've been so busy-"

"I think Vanessa's waiting on something-?" Cassie mumbled. "Besides more money, I think she wanted to talk to Luis about something-?"

Gregory produced an impish look and waggled a brow, "She wants him to move in with us and we can make the move together. She's just too timid to ask. I don't see why- he kinda just sleeps over anyway?"

Roxy chortled above him. She said nothing, but her look of amusement was shared.

From hence, the rest of the ride passed in the usual, leisurely way; with Roxy and Sun inquiring about the kids' day. Cassie meanwhile was a bit more subdued and withdrawn; something that wasn't lost on the group. At length, Roxy had her turn to butt her snout against the girl's cheek affectionately.

"What's wrong," she pressed gently.

"If and when we do move... I won't be able to visit my dad's grave anymore," she mumbled. "Him and... my grandma? I'd miss visiting."

"We can always make a trip back here at that point in the future? I'd drive you!" Sun offered. "Heck, Moon and Eclipse would too!"

Cassie rested a hand on his spidery limb in thanks. He removed a single hand from the wheel to return it.

Cassie's father was... a strange, strained topic amidst the bots. His influence on Bonnie was easily the most unusual and alarming aspect of their life. Bonnie's penchant to just... stare, blank out completely, and SLEEP like he's hibernating was already weird enough-

But then, one evening, Gregory recalled Cassie crying in her room on the anniversary of her dad's death. Bonnie was especially strange that day; he'd been mute; no words, nothing escaped him. He never responded to anybody- not even FREDDY. Its like he couldn't even see or understand where he was. It genuinely scared everyone at the time. He only showed life when Cassie hovered near him.

He haunted Cassie's side too in-turn; and would not leave her alone that day. She hadn't wanted him to leave either; and she spent the entire day with him as if afraid he'd vanish. They went out and visited the cemetery that evening; and when they returned, Bonnie had a bloody stain on his face. And on one instance, during an especially emotional bout from Cassie, once again the rabbit's face was besmirched freshly by what he called the 'calling card' indicating his unusual existence:

Bloody tears were... they were always alien and easily frightening to see. On that day, there'd been evidence of them on Bonnie's furred face. His facial fur piece had to be taken off and deep cleaned that day- and Vanessa eventually decided to make the face mask independent of the rabbit's body piece so she can spot treat it in case it happened more often. Bonnie's ability to do that was unique to him; and he's only done it a handful of times since then- all in which were times Cassie's been deeply upset or he's feeling some sort of emotional bout that's left him in gripping and uncharacteristic silence.

None of them can understand that- while the bots were once made from 'remnant' too, NONE of them were like Bonnie in that sense. None of the others dreamt, left ominous signs they were possessed, or behaved unusually. Bonnie's behavior was, according to Freddy, quite different then he used to be. The rabbit was still there, yes, but he was so far removed from the person he once was. One of the only traits he seemed to retain was his love for music and generally affectionate disposition. His confidence was... well, sometimes absent. He didn't brag as much anymore, and he tended to just... stare out into space. He was very much not all there some days.

Vanessa wanted him to see a therapist- but she was afraid he'd freak them out (not to mention that who the hell would work on a bot?) She could pass Bonnie off as some eccentric, insecure man in a bunny suit and maybe get him to go, but what if he did that bloody eye thing again? How does one explain being haunted by a dead man's soul?

No, Bonnie wasn't all the way okay- but he didn't complain, and he seemed rather relaxed despite all these abnormalities. He slept a lot, yes, but his smiles were easy and his aura always benign. Cassie's presence seemed to be an anchoring point for him too- and her influence on him helped. He seemed more himself when she was home. Whenever she wasn't around though, he tended to... drift.

He was so strange.

Gregory passed a discreet glance at the other bots in the van: Were they not fully actualized like Bonnie? They had remnant too- they ACTED organic. How come Bonnie was the only one who behaved so oddly? Was it because of the amount of 'remnant' in him? He could only assume this was the case- after all, the remnant used on the bots seemed to be rather miniscule and done in pieces. Meanwhile, Bonnie had an entire person's soul shoved into him. That HAD to be it. Its like Cassie's father wanted to be around, but had to contend with the presence of the rabbit's own conscience.

They finally made it to the house- with Gregory frowning when he saw the bots loading up the second party bus. Their expressions were grim- and seeing Vanessa there, not on her date, Gregory already got the impression something was up. He pushed the door open even before Sun finished pulling the vehicle to a stop. The former attendant barked at him in a clipped manner, but Gregory didn't hear it. He was already shuffling over in the ankle-high snow and pulling at Vanessa's coat meaningfully. The woman turned to look down at him.

"Hey you," She smiled, but it didn't meet her eyes. "How was school, kiddo?"

Gregory frowned and ignored the query, then he said pointedly, "Where's Luis? Weren't you supposed to be out with him today?"

She opened her mouth, shut it, then glanced away.

Freddy spoke up nearby, walking over and fighting frost that already wanted to form on his misting nose. He shuddered once to shake snow flakes off his shoulder fur. "We're going to go get him... it seems he ran into a spot of trouble and uh... we will be gone for a bit."

Cassie joined him at his side; with Roxanne and Sun stepping out of the van and matching Gregory's vexed visage. "He's in TROUBLE?" Roxy spat. "He's still not at the supply depot, is he-?"

Freddy's silence was telling enough- with Gregory rapidly shaking his head. He yanked at the bear's paws, "NO WAY! Is he okay? Do you even know where to look? Its derelict, right? Surely you guys won't be long-?"

"Of course not! We'll be tracking him down in short order. The depot isn't as extensive as the PizzaPlex-" Freddy supplied. "M.X.E.S also knows its layout and where Luis was tends to go. We will be able to track him down. I wager we may even be back later tonight, at worse!"

Roxy growled, then started shoving her way at the van, "I'm gonna go too-!"

That's when Bonnie appeared; as if to magically materialize out of thin air. He seized her arm and gently pulled her claws off the vehicle. He shook his head gently, "We got a party of four already; myself, Freddy, Monty, and Vanessa. Five if you count M.X.E.S. We're asking Chica, you and Sun here to stay put with the kids. Sides, we all don't need to be piling into one vehicle. Its simply too much weight at that point. And frankly, I don't even think one of us is needed-" He turned to look at Freddy and Monty. "I'm going though anyways because I can be M.X.E.S' vessel. And Vanessa offered her own expertise and human-friendly face in case we had to hull Luis to the hospital."

Roxy snarled now, good and proper. Telling her to be side-lined was just ASKING for it. Her fangs glinted prettily in the reserved sunlight; amber eyes akin to smoldering coals. She's never struck Bonnie though- pull on his ears, maybe, but never hit him despite all her posturing. Ever since she found out she was the one that helped deal the finishing, killing blow to render him defunct at the PizzaPlex, she's since hesitated on physical displays with him. She even seemed timid about touching him sometimes- as if she'd break him just from grazing him. Gregory assumed a different kind of... PTSD, he supposed. Given a bot could have it.

Bonnie gently moved his paw from her wrist and gingerly up her arm in a lulling motion. The slowness of it was completely relaxed and fluid; his carmine talons tracing along what should've been a pulse point. It automatically seemed to ease Roxy out of her fevered haze; the wolf's muzzle losing its wrinkling as he gently and silently urged her to release the van she attempted to clamber into. Gregory (as well as the rest) were a little fascinated to see how he knew how to disarm her like that; no sweat. The rabbit gingerly stepped into her; as if to push her back with will alone. She resisted, ended up following along anyways, but retained her frown all the while. It almost looked like the start of a dance with the lazy, mesmerizing way he moved with her.

He then said with an easy smile, "Its okay. We got this. Worse case, if somethin' happens, you, Chica, and Sun there can come help us. I'll personally ping you, I swear."

"If you're lying to me again-" She hissed, her voice so calm one would think she wasn't mad- but Gregory knew it was the opposite. "-I'll make you regret your every word you've ever poisonously used to deceive me with. Every word-" She jabbed a talon into his small nose. His whiskers sniffled and waggled at it. "-I'll make you eat them. You feelin' me?"

His paw now got a hold of the other one painfully poking the green talon at his nose. "I'm feelin' ya, love," He nodded, his digits rubbing her knuckles. "You'd be within your rights to make me eat my words."

She snapped her teeth; the sound of fangs on fangs an interesting click click and threatening in display. She yanked her paws from his; seriously looking like she was going to change her mind. Once her eyes landed upon Cassie though, she seemed to lose some of her tension and her shoulders lost their squared quality.

Cassie meanwhile was waddling through the snow to grab at him and hug him- her face burying itself in his creamy belly and breast fur. His arms easily draped over her shoulders and consumed her; the rabbit kneeling enough so to meet her more levelly. He butted his forehead with her; his breath fogging the air around them as his motor hummed with increased activity.

Gregory was greeted by Freddy, of course. The boy felt... distant as the bear closed in and settled a huge paw on his head and playfully fluffed it. He wanted to go with them, but he already knew how that was going to turn out.

"You alright my boy?" The bear murmured between them.

Gregory nodded dazedly, eventually reaching a hand up and grabbing Freddy's paw. "You're taking Vanessa-" he dead-panned. "But not Chica or Roxy or-?"

"I do not like the idea either. I tried arguing but- you know her," he bobbed his head at Vanessa's direction. "She may be needed in some instances... and if Luis is somehow hurt... getting him into the hospital would be fairly difficult if we showed up with him and they decided to call the authorities, thinking we did it. She'd go in with him, and its a given he's even hurt. She is our cover, in a sense- and she'd be able to move around some parts of the depot when we cannot."

Gregory still found those to be paltry reasons. He absolutely wanted to go along, and no doubt Cassie too- if her not letting Bonnie go yet was anything to go by. He saw from the corner of his eye the rabbit was trying to talk the girl down but in gentle murmurs. Roxy wasn't doing anything to stop it either; standing there with her arms folded like she was bemused by the struggling.

Freddy finally enveloped Gregory in a hug of his own. As it was, Freddy was still mindful to keep his paws where the clothes were thickest on Gregory's gangly body- not wanting to give him the shock of cold thanks to his bare claws being made of steel and retaining that ridiculous chill. The boy hugged back no less, feeling somewhat numb as he did.

"You sure I can't go?" he eventually asked, his voice almost a plea.

Freddy chuffed, then butted his forehead gently with his, "No, cub. Stay here, and be good. This outing really should not take long- I'm going to use my sense of smell to track Luis. It will not be difficult for me to find him, I suspect."

"And you're sure its only for an evening?"

"Absolutely, my boy," Freddy breathed. He gently rose back to his full height; paw still on Gregory's head. "With how often Luis has been inside this place? I wager its empty now- and it doesn't have anything in it that I'd think would be... well, nothing to keep us for long, anyways."

"What d'ya think would be in there?" the boy wondered.

The bear shook his head, "I do not know... but, I assure you I will keep in contact. If you are so antsy, keep your fazwatch on you! You'll be able to see what I see and get updates as I send them. That way, you will not be kept in the dark."

Gregory nodded, then hugged the bear again. His arms stay glued to his middle; with Freddy's paws gently cupping the back of his head and rubbing up and down his back. The bear combed digits through Gregory's unkempt mop once; then he withdrew.

Nearby, Bonnie managed to finally free himself of Cassie- just for Chica to latch onto him. He was literally dragging the hen through the snow; trying desperately to get to the van. The hen was babbling incoherently- and she REFUSED to listen to reason.

"Takemewithyoutakemewithyoutakemwithyou!" She caterwauled.

Bonnie tripped then; face-planting perfectly into the snow and rendered unable to move when Chica kept hugging his legs. His short, fluffy triangular tail flicked once- his tenor muffled in the snow as he grunted something indecipherable.

Freddy held up a hand to Gregory and went over to rescue his best friend. "Chica, please... you're getting Bonnie's fur soaked!"

"TAKE ME WITH YOU OR I SWEAR ON YOUR WOULD-BE GRAVES I'LL MAKE YOU SORRY!" She screeched.

Bonnie stuck up his head and spat out snow; then tossed the hen an alarmed look and frantically tried kicking her off like he really wanted to bolt. Roxy was chortling nearby, holding Cassie to her side. The rabbit passed Freddy a piteous glance like 'Help me, please?'

Freddy bent over and pried the hen's fluffy arms off; pulling her hands to his breast and looking her in the face. "Its fine, Chica! We really do not need more help. Monty is... already too much as is."

"Says you," The gator scathingly bit as he tucked himself inside the van. "You're gonna need my awesome strength for that place!"

Bonnie and Roxy rolled their eyes.

Chica flapped her beak, then stared almost tearfully at Freddy, "How come we can't go together? I don't get it. We always go together, don't we?"

Freddy stayed on one knee as he leveled her the kindest look he could, "We do, yes! If I was so certain I could bodily keep Monty here though, I'd make him stay too. Believe me, I really do not think we need the crowd we do. I can track Luis with my nose, and we can come home quickly. And just in time for dinner, while we're at it!" His paw cupped her cheek, "I more than anyone else here appreciate your assistance when needed, but I truly believe it isn't required for this. At worst, we can call you, Roxy, and Eclipse over should we be met with trouble! Better we do not all risk ourselves at once- and a small team does move quicker."

Chica huffed once, looking mighty dejected still.

Freddy leaned in and bumped his nose to her beak once; prompting for a honk! of his sniffer. "Please keep the family warm, will you? I promise, I will contact you if ever we find ourselves in trouble."

"You better- or else," She hissed. She removed herself from his grip, her attention still emulating the watery-eyed look of a child that lost its chance at candy.

Freddy apologetically bowed his head, then pulled himself back up. Chica suddenly seized him by his bow tie and FORCED him back to her face. She then added, her voice a terrible, freezing monotone far sharper than the cutting wind around them, "Do not- and I mean, DO NOT- let Bonnie out of your sight. I swear to fuck, he'll try to get himself killed again!"

"HEY?" The rabbit barked nearby.

She ignored him, "He does everything he can to hurt himself. You know that. So if you come back and Bonnie's lost even a single PIECE of himself- I swear I'll make every single one of you eat battery acid and railroad spikes for dinner for the rest of your functional days-" She rammed her forehead into Freddy's face- which no doubt hurt. "And I ain't done there: oh no. I'll find a damn welding torch, crank it to full blast, and seal all your damn holes shut and open up new painful ones on ALL your bodies. Am I clear?"

Freddy nodded rapidly- with Bonnie having jumped behind Roxy at some point. Monty was laughing uproariously like the whole thing was funny. Chica shot the gator a look, "AND I MEAN YOU TOO, CHUCKLES! I will especially destroy you if something happens to my Fredster and Bon-Bon!"

He still didn't stop laughing- in fact, the fool gator just laughed HARDER.

Chica gakeled angrily and hurled a snowball at him; just to shut him up. She was dreadfully accurate too; actually hitting him right in the teeth. Apparently, there was a rock in it because there was an audible clink when Monty attempted to shut his jaws and he whimpered as a tooth was chipped. After which, she glared at Freddy meaningfully and stomped back into the house flat-footedly.

Freddy shyly crawled into the van and wasn't seen again. Gregory didn't blame him. In fact, Gregory had an idea and said, "Wait a second!" to the group, following Chica to the door. He pulled the hen's apron strings, getting her attention.

"Yes, sweetie pie?"

"Can they borrow your voice box? You know, the glitchy one that blasts your ears out?"

"Oh- Oh! Yeah, Yeah... I'll grab it-" She said. "That'll be useful!"

Gregory turned around then, noticing Cassie was gazing sadly at the ground. No doubt she was fighting that forlorn, pained feeling he was. She even sniffed once, wiping her ruddy nose and leaning against Roxy. Gregory watched as the wolf wrapped an arm around her and started ushering her inside- Bonnie watching sadly from his place by the party bus. Cassie suddenly stopped; breaking off briefly from Roxy and immediately did a U-turn back to the rabbit. Despite the snow being ankle high, she managed to waddle through it and back to him just to throw her arms around his waist again and squeeze.

"You promise to come back, right? And you promise not to hurt yourself?"

"I don't try to," He told her, his tenor a mellifluous throatiness that betrayed his own aversion to leaving. "And yeah, I promise. Come hell or high water, my love. I'll be back in time to tuck you and miss wolf there to bed!"

Roxy growled at him.

Bonnie's breath fogged the air again; the sight of it betraying to Gregory his beleaguered sigh. He slowly dipped down gently touched his forehead once again to Cassie's bandanaed one; holding it there for a solid minute and not moving until Chica came out of the house with the box. The hen made her way over to the rabbit and girl, handed the piece to Bonnie, and sniffed once.

Bonnie lifted his head then and took it; nodding gratefully at her. "Hopefully we won't have to use it, but thank you," he huffed.

"Believe me, I hope you don't have to use it either," She dead-panned. She grabbed Bonnie's chin and held him still forcibly; her fingers deliberately on a patch of whiskers. Bonnie chuffed and sniffled at the no-doubt irritating sensation of contact on his face; like he was fighting a sneeze. Chica didn't care though; proceeding to lean in and glower right into his maroon gaze, "Do not get yourself deaded. You hear me, sugar? Or I swear, I'm gonna make due on what I said a moment ago."

"I know, nuggets. I know," he smirked sheepishly. "Now please- lemme go so I can hurry up and save Luis?"

She released him with a huff; then she leaned over and gently emulated the motion of a kiss on his cheek despite her beak. She rested a hand on Cassie's shoulder and gently lead the girl inside. Gregory would follow suit, but he'd be the last in as he watched the animatronics hop inside the vehicle.

Vanessa had watched all this in silence with Sun, having been muttering things to him. The bot nodded sagely, then gently guided her to the van's driver seat and held the door for her. Gregory suddenly emulated Cassie's prior motion and ran over to her; grabbing her hand once and squeezing. Vanessa smiled gently and squeezed back. In fact, she stepped partially out of the vehicle again and leaned over just to peck a kiss on his unruly head.

"I love you, you smart-ass brat," she mumbled.

"I love you too, you idiot excuse of a security guard."

"Imp."

"Simp."

"...Don't make me ground you for another month and have Sun here take away your computer again."

"You can try."

"Chaos gremlin."

"Princess," he half-joked.

Vanessa passed him another smile and chortled. Rubbing his head and gently releasing him. "Behave, will you? I'll be back for dinner. I don't aim to miss that ham Freddy put into the oven."

"Which reminds me-" Freddy said from the open area of the van. "Sun, make sure you and Chica finish that for me? You will need to check it in a half hour too-"

"We got it!" The attendant assured. "Now get out of here already."

Gregory hesitated and moved slowly away; Sun closing the driver door and doing the same. Vanessa revved up the vehicle, then passed them another look. "See you soon," she promised.

"See you-" Gregory mumbled. He waved a little too, then slowly added in a smaller undertone, "Mom."

The word had Vanessa pause for a second, the woman nodding to him and looking a bit more reluctant to leave. She put the vehicle into drive and pulled out into the road. From the windows in the back of the van, Freddy and Bonnie waved too. Monty passed a finger gun.

Gregory hung his head. He rarely ever used that last word- sometimes feeling strange for employing it. He knew he shouldn't feel that way anymore- considering she was, in fact, his mother and has been for the last 2 and a half years legally. But if one considered it, the amount of time that's passed still didn't feel like long enough in which for him to casually drop it. No, he's never properly absorbed the fact he'd be using the term for an adoptive guardian and not his actual birth mother. He still very clearly remembered his real mother- but now, with all the time that's passed and how she treated him, Vanessa felt a bit more like she filled the role.

Gregory kept hanging his head, completely paranoid of the fact Vanessa could disappear like his real mother did. He was trembling now; good and proper. Sun saw and placed a long-boned hand across his shoulders and very tenderly rubbed a thumb across one shoulder. "She'll be fine. She's smarter than the lot of us combined," he said with so much confidence that Gregory believed it.

The boy nodded, albeit the motion was a bit stilted. "She better be," he said. "Or I ain't ever going to therapy again. No amount of it is gonna help me recover if she gets hurt and leaves me too."

Sun's lower mandible dropped slightly, understandably taken aback by the words. Gregory shook him off and floated back inside all the while- finding Cassie near the door and watching him steadily. She grabbed his hand once just to clench it.

"I feel the same," she mumbled.

Gregory snorted, though it wasn't meant to be dismissive or rude. Cassie understood though; as was evident when they both clenched the other's cold fingers.

At least Cassie's father came for her, Gregory didn't say aloud. I wish I can say the same for my parents.

Don't take Freddy and Vanessa from me. Please. Please don't take them away from me.