His work continued as the animatronic creations got closer to life, with every single hour spent on their leaving a mark. Their designs were no longer a distanced visualization in William's head, for their faces had been finally drawn out and looked tangible, looked real. Those could very well be the future animatronics who would take the stage at a new restaurant opened by Fazbear Inc to entertain countless children. The questions William had about their design were not his focus anymore. It wasn't often the engineer even thought of them rather than just continuing working on new animatronics.

However, he had something else to do today. The grand opening of Clara's ballet was tomorrow, all of his children had their schedules eased, and Gron agreed to come along with Lynda and Charles. They all needed a break and something exciting to watch, while Clara would love nothing more than a supportive audience. William hoped to catch Alison at some point today and ask for a one-day leave. Hopefully, his new boss would be understanding and compassionate for this occasion and not be annoyed.

The engineer hoped to find Alison in the Fazbear Inc building, but luck was on William's side this day. As he passed the pizzeria on his way to the office, he noticed a large truck approaching the place, along with a few people standing outside to meet it. Most of them were strong and bulky men; a slim man with a cane and a blue coat was especially easy to notice among them. Alison was there, watching the truck park.

"Here, here!" The businessman waved to the driver, pointing him to a place to park. Soon after, the driver came out of the cabin to meet the boss and his employees.

"Alison Bairren?" He asked suspiciously.

"Yes, that's me, and this is, as you can see, Fredbear's Family diner…" Alison welcomed him before giving him a sharp look. "I assume this is the delivery I was promised?"

"I guess…I was told to come by this address, anyway." The driver shrugged.

"And may I see the cargo?"

"Yeah, of course, come here."

The driver approached the back of the truck, opening the cargo hold. All William could see from a distance were a dozen or so identical containers, all of which were clad in black colors and were covered from top to bottom. There was no way to see what was inside.

"Splendid!" Alison's face was overtaken by a smile of pure pride. "Now, to get this all to the room…" After those words, Alison turned around and noticed William Afton, who watched from a distance, immediately followed by a wave of welcome. "Ah, look who's here! Come here, Mr. Afton; we'd be grateful if you could offer some help."

It seemed that Alison was eager to speak, and it's not like he could deny his request. William walked towards the group, trying to seem as eager as possible for them. The workers already began carrying the crates, and each of them required no less than two men to carry it, even with how strong those lifters were. William wasn't on the same level, yet working with metal endoskeletons certainly gave him some strength.

"Need a hand?" The engineer asked as he approached Alison while still looking over the working lifters who carried those crates directly into the pizzeria. "This seems like a hefty delivery."

"Oh, that it is." Alison shook his hand and chuckled. "I'd be glad if you could help. No one would want to take too long putting those in their place. I'd take part myself, but you know, with my health…"

"And what is inside?"

"A lot of spare parts for our wonderful animatronics," Alison responded swiftly. "I'm sure…You will eventually find some of them useful too." He didn't sound quite sure as William quickly noticed the pauses and breaks in Alison's speech.

"Alright, let's see what I can do."

"Thank you, my friend; I knew I could count on you the moment I saw how well-organized your party was." Alison approached William and patted him on the shoulder in an overly friendly manner while still maintaining his welcoming smile. Was this how he always was or was this an act to get new employees to admire him? William was used to not taking things at face value and not trusting everything he heard.

He was quick to offer him aid, however. Afton walked towards the nearest worker, helping him pick one of the crates. As expected, it proved very heavy and impossible for any single person to lift, William immediately felt the weight pushing down his arms, but with another worker's help, it was far more bearable.

"Where are we…Taking all that?" William asked, breathing heavily from the weight that burdened him.

"To the back room, of course, a perfect place to store those parts for now."

"Is there even enough place?"

"Don't worry. They will not stay there for too long." Alison reassured him before pointing at the back door of the restaurant. "Come on, those crates won't carry themselves!"

William and the worker obeyed and carried the container into the pizzeria, but curiously enough, Alison chose to follow them into the back room. Not any of the other lifters that left before, but William specifically. He continued to watch over the container with interest and care, using his cane to help him go as quickly as possible, all while remaining silent. Did he not yet trust William to the same extent he trusted other workers? Is that what was hiding behind his proud and joyous exterior?

There was something else that caught William's eye. Those containers were not entirely closed off, there were two small holes in the metal carcass on the opposite side of him, clearly intended to be there, yet William couldn't quite discern the reason for such a design choice. There wasn't much reason to it; ye were far too small to take out anything through them without opening the container. Admittedly, William got too focused on those peculiar holes and almost missed the hallway by continuing to walk towards the main stage of the pizzeria.

"Here, my friend." Alison pointed towards the backroom carelessly.

"Ah, yes, of course…" Will sighed and changed the direction of his step, followed by the worker on the other side of the container. Suddenly, a thought sprung up in his mind, prompted by seeing yet another strange design choice.

"I've been meaning to ask about the animatronics." William began, immediately garnering Alison's attention as an intrigued chuckle echoed on the businessman's face.

"Of course, ask away!"

"The endoskeletons have something in their design that I don't quite understand, and you are insistent on keeping those elements in the new models," William said, noticing Alison bring a hand up to his chin as he continued to drill his employee with a stare of uncertainty.

"And that is?"

"An opening in their endoskeleton at the back."

"Ah, that? That is simply a springlock suit element, which makes it easier for it to change form." Alison explained without much confidence.

"There is nothing said about it in the manuals…"

"Huh…" Alison chuckled and looked away for a moment. "Well, well…I suppose the manuals are incomplete then, Mr. Afton." He responded with a sly smile. "I will let my crew know. I assume it wouldn't be too hard to incorporate this detail into the next springlock suits?"

"No…It would not."

"Then that's all there is to say on the matter. Let us carry on."

As they continued, the group got a glimpse of the main stage and the dining area. It all looked much the same, but there were a few striking differences. This time the visiting children were playing with Spring Bonnie animatronic, who was outside of the stage, walking around the tables like an entertainer, garnering the attention of all children while Fredbear continued to sing. His movements were too smooth to be a part of programming, therefore bringing William to the only reasonable conclusion. There was someone inside the suit.

"I see you've decided to use the spring lock function…" William sighed, immediately garnering Alison's attention.

"You do not approve?" Alison wondered.

"I was expecting some amendments to be made to the suits before they're wearable, seeing how quickly it will collapse from the slightest drop of water…"

"We teach our employees to be exceptionally careful, and I'm sure Mr. Takaliken can handle himself."

"What?" William almost dropped the container with how quickly he turned towards his boss in shock. "Are you saying that Gron is inside the suit now?"

"Indeed." Alison smiled. "Have no worries. This was something he wished for himself and asked my permission."

"Why, then?"

"Mr. Takaliken said that he sees that children prioritize animatronics and cartoon characters over actual human entertainers like him. To do his best job, he believed he should be given access to use a suit, and I found it to be a very compelling argument." Alison explained as William continued to look at Gron, mesmerized, right before they finally reached the back room. His friend was playing a rather dangerous game, but it was so much like him to take risks, a quality William always admired, even if, at times, he considered those risks highly unreasonable. "Yes, yes, put it right here." Alison pointed towards the left wall, covered in black and white tile, as was the rest of the back room. "Be careful with it. We don't want those parts broken before they're even attached, do we?"

William and the worker placed this container near the other few before moving toward the exit once again.

"You need any more help?"

"That should be fine. My men will take care of the rest." Alison reassured him. "Thank you for lending a hand, Mr. Afton, you can return to your duties, and I'll return to mine."

"There was something else I wanted to ask." William looked up at the businessman, finally ready to make his inquiry.

"And that is?" Alison spoke with anticipation.

"Tomorrow is a special day for my wife, a ballet she takes part in premieres tomorrow, and she invited the children and me, so I'd ask for half a day off, after lunch at least." William made his intents clear, believing that they were entirely reasonable, although Alison seemed conflicted.

"Ah, the Swan Lake, I take it? A marvelous concept. Perhaps I would visit it too, one day. But…What if you work on the animatronics?" He asked.

"It's going well, but it can wait one day." William retorted. "It's a special occasion, and Gron is coming too, so I'd appreciate it if you allow both of us a slight break in honor of such a time."

"Hm…" Alison took a deep breath. "I suppose your reasons are understandable enough. It would be unfortunate of me to deny you this occasion. Yes, you and Mr. Takaliken may have your day off…"

"Thank you."

"But I would expect you to compensate for this by expanding your working time on the day after by a few hours." He was certainly determined and didn't want to lose a single hour of potential working time.

"Fine, just as long as we can have the evening." William nodded. It was all he could ask for.

"I wish you all the most pleasant of evenings tomorrow." Alison smiled and wished him the best. "I'm sure it would be a wonder to behold…"

He was right about that. Knowing Clara, it would most definitely be a majestic work of art. And he could not wait to witness it.

…

"Dear visitors, the performance will begin in fifteen minutes; please proceed to the hall."

As the doors were finally opened, the anticipation couldn't get any stronger for countless people who came to witness the opening of the "Swan Lake," the show that garnered worldwide and now was finally recreated by all the talented dancers in Hurricane. An impressive list of names included William's beloved. After all the tireless nights she rehearsed along with her troupe, today was a day of glory, a day when everyone would be able to see their magnificent performance. William was never a huge ballet-goer, yet there were elements of it that he found interesting. The movements exuded by dancers were an immaculate peak of grace and smoothness human bodies could even achieve, something that took years of training and, in many cases, a natural talent. They would be both an inspiration for Ballora's design and a painful reminder that she would never dance as smoothly as they do. No programming could ever replicate it.

William took all of his children with him, of course, though only Elizabeth seemed to be excited at anything beyond the simple prospect of seeing her mother perform. She was curious to learn more about ballet, and how it is run, the first time she would see a proper performance in her lifetime and hopefully something to remember. Chris and Mike were here just to see Clara. All else was of little interest to them. His younger son would just follow his family closely while always shying away from other people and rarely speaking at all, likely descending into the world of his fantasies once again, as he always did in stressful situations. As for Mike, he would grunt from time to time about having to dress up, but for him, it was worth it if it meant supporting Clara.

Gron, Lynda, and Charlie arrived shortly before the call but had just enough time to reunite with Aftons and share a few words. They seemed just as excited, with each of them smiling at the prospect of spending time together. It was almost like the old times…Almost. They still kept their distance from each other most of the time, and William wasn't sure if it was Lynda staying away from Gron or Gron himself trying to not come too close in case he became dangerous again.

Either way, it was time for them to proceed to the stage.

"Come on, everyone, it's starting soon!" Elizabeth exclaimed with excitement and grabbed her father's hand.

"Don't get ahead of others." William soothed her. "We have more than enough time."

"Are we gonna see mother a lot?" Elizabeth wondered. "Is she on any posters? I don't think I saw any…"

"No, no…She has a supporting role."

"Really?" Elizabeth responded with a childish surprise and disappointment. "I thought she'd be one of the main ones…"

"Were that so, we would've been living in a much bigger house…" William chuckled, understanding his daughter's naivety. Everyone at her age would see their parents as the most successful and important people, even when it had little basis in reality.

"Well, she deserves it," Elizabeth stated. "I saw her dance. She's just perfect."

"One day, I'm sure she will reach those heights," William reassured her with some hope in his voice. Clara still had a long way to go when it came to the career ladder, but it didn't mean that she wouldn't ascend to the top eventually.

When the group approached the row of seats reserved for them, they could finally witness the stage itself. A large area with a crimson curtain flowing over it, ready to soon be opened and reveal the actors. William sat between Liza and Chris, the latter of which had Mike, Gron, Charlie, and Lynda sitting in a row near him.

"Well, here it goes…" Mike sighed with boredom before throwing a glance at Chris. "If I fall asleep, wake me up when the mother is there."

"Alright…" Chris nodded.

"You hardly seem excited." Gron chuckled as he looked at Michael, to which the teen shrugged.

"Not my thing, honestly. They are always drawing it out so much and for so long…I'd rather them get straight to the point in their story."

"Maybe that's the beauty of it." Gron pondered. "I find them to be quite soothing in their actions, really makes you…I don't know, just watch and not think of anything else too much." Gron described his feelings in a calm and admiring fashion, although it didn't seem like Mike shared any of them.

"Eh, to each their own. I'm just here to see mom and support her."

"I think it will be interesting." Charlie joined the conversation, peering from behind Gron and looking at Mike. "I heard my friends talk about this one. They said it's about a wizard and a princess who turns into a swan with his dark magic!"

"Checks out with that title." Michael didn't sound impressed in the slightest.

"I think it will be cool. It has to be! Even mom liked the premise."

"I'm just giving it a fair chance," Lynda interjected. "Everything deserves one, after all."

"Yeah, of course, but I'll think you'll like it all the same."

They had their own talks about getting through, while Chris quickly dropped out and looked towards his sister sitting on the opposite side of their father.

"Liz…" He said quietly, though his voice didn't reach her, considering how noisy the hall was. "Dad, can you tell her?" He asked, after which William gently nudged his daughter and made her look at Chris.

"Oh, you wanted to talk?" Elizabeth wondered.

"Well, just wanted to ask if you're excited."

"I am!" Elizabeth smiled. "How can you not be? Mother is there, and it all just looks so cool!"

"Yeah, I know, it's just too loud, I feel."

"You'll get used to it quickly," Elizabeth reassured him. "And I don't think it will be as bad when the show actually starts.

"She's right." William pointed out. "I've been to a few shows like this, and trust me, no one likes the crowd. The music you'll hear when it actually starts would soothe you, if anything…Well, hopefully."

"I don't know about that…" Chris sighed, clutching his Fredbear plush. He carried it with him almost anywhere he went, including the theater. It was something he could play with to get distracted, showing William that his choice of a gift was a perfect one for his son.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" The loud voice announced. "This is the final call. The performance will begin in five minutes. Please, enter the hall immediately."

"Oh, it's starting soon!" Elizabeth rubbed her hands. "I hope it doesn't take too long before we see her…Do you think she'll see us?"

"Highly unlikely." William shook his head, although this thought certainly had an allure to it. "Far too many people."

"But will she look for us?"

"No, that would distract her from the performance, and no one wants that." William was about to end it on that but soon realized that perhaps he shouldn't just crush a child's hope like that. There needed to be a glimmer. "Well, she can be quite attentive, so who knows…If not for her attentiveness, perhaps we would never have even met." William pondered.

"How did you meet?" Chris wondered with utmost curiosity. "I don't think you ever told us."

"Yeah, that's true!" Elizabeth encouraged her father. "How did it go?"

"Don't get too excited. It isn't anything too special." William smiled before trying to remember the day they met. What was it that caught his attention so much, he wondered. Was it her smile, her eyes, her soft, joyful voice…Or perhaps the interest that she expressed in his research? "It was in a library, I was a fairly regular visitor, and she worked there. We saw each other a few times before actually talking. I think it was me asking her for a book about the development of robotics, I took some time to find it, and she asked me a few questions…Then it all happened naturally. I told her more about my aspirations of the time, and she told me about hers, and we began discussing our news almost every time we met in that library. One day, she invited me to a performance at her university, the one she played a part in, and she enamored me back then. I still think of that day when I…" He nearly slipped and mentioned Ballora, quickly reminding himself that that was supposed to be a secret. "Well, you get the picture. We both had something to impress each other with."

"Ladies and gentlemen! The performance is now ready to begin!" The announcement came in shortly before the lights dimmed, as most people in the hall immediately went silent.

The moment was at hand.

A moment of beauty that William would cherish in his heart, the moment when he saw Clara on stage. Dancing among her peers, flawless in her elegance and beauty. A woman who managed to shine even when she was among countless others. A single star among the endless sea, free and majestic, to wander around freely and bless those before her with her light. She deserved this appreciation after all the work she put into this, she deserved to have her husband and children see her in such a glorious moment. And William deserved to see his angel shine, the one he always encouraged and helped, as she did with him, as did their children deserve to see a mother to look up to. Just like Gron and his family deserved this opportunity to mend their broken bonds and have hope for the future.

And all of them deserved this moment of peace before knocking at Hell's door.