Finally, Chris could say that it started getting better…A little better, at least. Definitely wasn't getting worse, and he was grateful for that. He survived the last nightmare without a horrifying breakdown and even managed to get some sleep so as not to be too tired. He could even force himself to go out for a walk outside after waking up, it wasn't the best way of spending time, but the boy would much rather get some fresh air than have to be stuck with Mike and Dad at home. He even felt…Good.

All of this was thanks to Lizzy, his sister, who allowed him to spend a night with her and comforted her brother. He didn't like admitting it, but knowing that she wasn't afraid of any animatronics despite being younger than Chris grated on him, that was why he was reluctant to ask for help at first. He felt even more ashamed when he realized that he shouldn't have ever doubted Elizabeth. She didn't judge him or push him for an answer; she just wanted to help the moment she found out about his problem.

She went with him to have a walk, and with Lizzy by his side, Chris felt calmer even though he knew that he shouldn't expect genuine protection from someone younger than him. Out of their family, she was the only one who reminded Chris of their carefree past by holding on to her kindness and love. Chris knew she needed to express it but was too afraid of Mike, and Dad was far too distant, all the more reason Chris should open up to her, even if it was hard…

"Look, what a funny cloud!" Lizzy pointed to the sky. It was clear, colored in the purest of blue with no signs of rain approaching, but there were a few large clouds; Elizabeth was pointing at one of them, which was surprisingly long and big while still being uneven, growing wider and narrower from one place to another.

"Yeah, it's cool…"

"It looks like a big croc, like Monty."

"A very big one…With sharp teeth and claws." Chris couldn't help but already imagine how the alligator would look in his nightmares. Even in the cartoon, he had very sharp teeth. "It's very dangerous."

"Come on…" Liszt sighed and walked up to Chris. "Not everything is an evil monster that wants to kill you! Maybe it's a funny croc that wants to have more friends."

"That's not Monty, though."

"Maybe it's another croc." Elizabeth shrugged. "They can't all be bad, right?"

"I guess…" He tried to be more cheery, yet every time Chris tried to, he would find himself thinking about his nightmares again and again.

"Come on, Chrissy, don't be so sad…It's such a good day, and we can finally play together!" Lizzy jumped in excitement.

"Wouldn't you want to go to your friends?" The boy wondered.

"No, not really." The girl responded. "Don't get me wrong, I love them, but I want to play with my brothers as well…And daddy, too. It's just that you're all so sad lately; I don't know how to help."

"You've helped me a lot." Chris allowed himself a faint smile, hoping that Lizzy would feel some of the appreciation she deserved.

"I want to help more!" She said confidently. "You're scared of something…Maybe you can tell me? I won't share with anyone, pinky promise!"

"I…" She deserved to know, but what then? Even if she believed him, this would utterly destroy the idealized image of their dad Elizabeth had in her mind, and in the end, she would feel even worse. "I don't want to tell anyone, sorry."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah…"

"Alright." Lizzy took a breath. "Let's just find something to do, okay?"

Chris nodded, and the two walked along their path. Soon, they reached an eerily familiar place, the one to which Chris hoped never to return.

Freddy Fazbear's Pizza.

The welcoming music and the echoing songs of the animatronics gave him the creeps; Chris could feel his steps involuntarily get slower.

"It's Freddy's…Can we not go there?"

"Oh, sorry, I almost forgot there is one here." Elizabeth looked over the restaurant. "But it's fine; where do you want to go?"

"Hm…To the opposite side, maybe?"

"Okay!" Elizabeth responded cheerily, and they went away from this dreadful place together. It was safer outside, much safer. "I sometimes forget other restaurants like this even exist; I only think about Circus Baby…." Lizzy sighed. "Daddy says I can't play with her, Mr. Bairren says I can't play with her…It's just unfair!"

"I guess." At least Dad and Alison tried to protect them from certain death…More than could be said for other children. Chris wanted to say something else, but moments after, he saw someone else, someone the sight of whom immediately made his heart skip a beat.

"What's wrong?" Lizzy wondered as she noticed her brother standing in silence, watching a tall teenager in a green t-shirt and dark blue shirt. Chris wasn't sure who it was, but there was something hauntingly familiar about him…Of course. It was one of Mike's friends from the restaurant, the one who wore the Freddy mask and was the most vicious out of them all, Blake.

"We need to go another way!"

"Wait, why?"

"That guy is very bad; he's…." But it was too late; Blake's eyes were already set upon him.

"Is that…Look who it is!" The teenager laughed maliciously and pointed at Chris. The boy knew what would follow; he put his head down and closed his eyes, bracing himself for all the coming abuse.

"Who are you, sir?" Lizzy wondered.

"Blake, if you care." The teen responded and rushed to Chris. "Hah, I see you're already on the verge of shitting your pants just from seeing me. Left an impression, didn't I?" He spoke in a playful yet merciless voice, causing Elizabeth to gasp.

"How rude!"

"Got yourself a girlfriend, huh? Does she know that you're afraid of bunnies? Gonna cry into a little girl's arms so she would protect you?"

"Go away…Please." Chris tried to remain strong without looking. He couldn't cry, he couldn't cry…This would only make it worse.

"And what if I don't? Gonna cry again? That's not very intimidating." Blake cackled once again. "Honestly, Mike is going easy on you. Were you MY brother, you would've become fearless a long time ago!" He boasted proudly while taking step after step toward Chris with a sadistic smile as the boy slowly retreated. He wanted this bully to just disappear and leave him alone, but he would not stop and instead take every single opportunity to make a mockery of him. How could some people be so cruel? The thought broke Chris's heart.

"Leave him alone!" Elizabeth stood between them and looked at Blake with annoyance, which made Chris feel even weaker. Perhaps he needed the protection of a little girl after all.

"Or what?" Blake chuckled and looked at her. "Gonna cry very loudly together, retards?" He turned towards his sister, making Chris's heart sink even deeper. He felt its beat becoming rapid as he realized that she was about to become another victim just for trying to stand up for him. Blake was certainly evil enough to spread his spite toward her, as well.

"I…You're just a mean person!" Lizzy shouted, only further invigorating him.

"Oh, now, scary, I'm shaking in my boots right now!" Blake said with sarcasm. "I think I know who you are; Mike said he has a sister. Liz, I take it?"

"Y…Yes…" Her voice began to grow more fearful, as any child would. She was much weaker than Blake, and it was no surprise that she felt afraid. "Just go away!"

"He told me that you're not as much of a crybaby as Chris, but something tells me he might have been overestimating you…I see you're getting pissy. Well, at least you lasted longer than your bitchboy brother!"

"Leave her alone!" Chris's loud and outright angry voice rants from behind, piercing the ears of both Blake and Elizabeth, making them turn around with surprise in their eyes.

"Oh, this is rich…" Blake chuckled. "Finally, he grows some fucking backbone. Will you repeat this to my face, little bitch?"

"I…" Chris clenched his fist. "I hate you! We didn't do anything to you, but you still want to make our day worse. You are cruel and evil because…Because you hurt people weaker than you, Dad told me only cowards do this!" His eyes brimmed with tears, but Chris would not dare to retreat; it was too late to show weakness. He started losing hope that he would ever be free from mockery and spite, but at least he had it in himself to bite back. If not for his own sake, then for Elizabeth's. "If you knew…You would be scared too!"

"Knew what? What are you talking about, dumbass?" Blake said in a puzzled tone.

"I hate you!" Chris couldn't control his anger, an emotion he felt rarely, if ever.

"You know what, I don't care; maybe I should just teach you…." Blake raised his hand, almost ready to hit Chris; the younger boy cowered in fear, yet the teenager stopped at the last moment and looked around him before sighing with disappointment. "Well, I'm not going to beat up children on the street…Well, it's been fun, losers, but I gotta go." He said dismissively before making his way to the restaurant, leaving the siblings to watch him leave with shocked eyes and heavy breaths. Chris couldn't believe it, especially; his heart swelled with both pride and disbelief. He stood up to this mean bully…He finally found the courage in himself.

"I…I did it…Wow!" The boy looked at his shaking hands.

"You're my hero, Chrissy!" Elizabeth rushed to her brother and put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "See, I told you you aren't a coward; you're strong and can stand up to the meanies!"

"I don't know how I did it; it's just…I didn't want him to hurt you. I saw him coming to you and…" Chris's voice dribbled in fear as he could barely believe it, but this feeling quickly changed into happiness and pride. For once, he wasn't a coward who needed to hide behind the backs of others; he was someone who looked in the face of his fears and showed some genuine courage…It wasn't as scary compared to the nightmares he saw.

"Hey, don't worry; all that matters is that you did it," Lizzy reassured him in a relieved tone, and I smiled. "I like that you got this chance…I heard boys feel really strong when they protect a girl, so…."

He felt strong. That was true; definitely much stronger than before. He'd even say that for the first time since Lily's death, Chris felt like he had some control over his life, and it was a sweet, sweet feeling…

"I feel alright, thank you."

"Why does Mike pick such mean friends…" Lizzy wondered with genuine sadness in her voice. Meanwhile, Chris felt like he didn't have much left in him.

"Because they're just like him. He's mean, too." The boy responded without any kindness.

"He's not too mean…" Lizzy sighed. "I think he's just very sad because of how little daddy talks with us; he wants him to be there too."

As if this justified him being so cruel, at some point, it's just anger and hatred. Chris started wondering if his brother genuinely hated him.

"Let's just…Go."

Elizabeth nodded; now it was time to try and forget this incident, enjoying what little remained of their walk.

…

William never stopped wondering about the reason Alison showed him the lowest level of the facility and made him see the demonic conveyor that created one torture device after another, damning countless souls to inhumane experiments and death full of suffering and agony. Was it an attempt to further assert dominance? To remind of the fate Will could receive if he would ever think about going after Alison again…As if Clara wasn't enough.

William already felt like the lowest scum of the earth for conspiring and helping a man who unceremoniously killed his wife. Alison would not stop reminding the engineer who his real master was, reminding him that he was nothing but a slave to Fazbear Inc and that Alison could have any of William's children and take their lives away. And there was no doubt that he would do this should the need for it arise…But at least he kept to his word for now and protected Elizabeth from demise when he was away. If only his daughter knew what her impatience could've cost her…

Alison would never let him forget this 'mercy.'

Even on relatively free days, Alison wouldn't let William relax, not entirely. He knew this the moment he heard his phone ring in the morning. With some reluctance and heavy heart, William picked it up.

"Hello?" He said in a somewhat dreamy voice.

"Greetings, Mr. Afton. Glad to know you're already awake." A voice of snark and sarcasm echoed from the other side.

"Is there any reason you are calling me so early, Alison?" William sighed. "I remember my assignments for today, and you have better things to do than try and be my babysitter."

"I won't take long."

"Is this concerning our new opening?" William wondered, knowing that Alison had plans for the future.

"No, there is nothing to discuss on that matter just yet."

"Then what is it?"

"You see, it has come to my attention that your family will soon celebrate a rather joyous occasion…" Alison paused, allowing a moment just long enough to make William's heart sink. There was only one occasion he could be talking about. "Your son's birthday."

"And what it is to you?" William clenched his teeth. "Are you going to send your spies to watch us? Can't we have a single goddamn day to ourselves?"

"You will have the happiest of days, no doubt about that," Alison reassured him in a sly voice. "All I'm saying is that I need this day to happen at a specific place…A Fazbear Inc location." William had an idea where this was going the moment Alison mentioned Chris's coming birthday. Thankfully, he didn't know about Chris seeing the death of his friend, but Alison was well aware that the boy was afraid of animatronics which, of course, did not stop him. "Surely you can arrange that?"

"This is ridiculous." William scoffed. "Chris hates the animatronics, and you know that! He's a very imaginative boy, and they were the source of many of his nightmares and worries…This will only make it worse!" He tried not to sound too loud so that no one outside of his room would hear him, yet it was hard to control all the rage William felt emerging inside him.

"Calm down, Mr. Afton; you must see where I am coming from," Alison responded. "I've told you of the guidelines,

I require your aid in promoting Fazbear Inc's establishment at any opportunity we get, and the birthday party is a perfect opportunity. We could invite guests, even if your son had no friends besides that girl. There are people who would gladly pay a visit to the restaurant itself and have some fun."

"And what of my son? This is supposed to be his happy day, not your company's!"

"First of all, our company's, Mr. Afton. Second of all, he will have his special day, there's no need to doubt my workers at all. I am simply trying to find something that will benefit all of us."

"Don't you understand that it is not about that! He's…" William realized that he was far too close to accidentally mentioning the truth of what Chris saw but happened to stop himself at a key moment.

"He's what? Afraid of animatronics? He can stay away and sit at the tables; no one's forcing him to come close." Alison spoke sternly; it was a tone familiar to William, the one that meant that there was no point in arguing. "It is non-negotiable, Mr. Afton. I will let you choose a place yourself.

"Fredbear's Family Diner…It only has two animatronics, not counting Vigo." William sighed, this was the safest option, and it also had Chris's favorite character.

"Wonderful. I'm glad we could come to an agreement." Alison said in a slimy voice. "I'll make all the necessary arrangements, Mr. Afton."

"Is that all?"

"It is, for now. Have a good day." Alison said before unceremoniously hanging up, leaving William to ponder on what was to come. Yet another time, he submitted to Alison without much argument, once again proving himself weaker…All because of wanting to protect his children. Yet neither of them was happy now, and if anything, William's 'engagement' to Fazbear Inc was impacting them for the worse. Nothing good would come out of this birthday, this was the last place Chris wanted to be, and yet William would have to convince him that this was for the best.

He was about to walk outside when William realized that Chris was outside, meekly passing by the door and looking at him through the small opening. No time like the present…

"Hello, Chris," William said calmly and opened the door, watching his son cower and slowly retreat to a nearby wall. He knew what his father was responsible for, even if he didn't have an explanation for it. If anything, this must have made the situation even worse in his mind.

"H…Hi, Dad." He looked away shyly.

"Come here; I need to tell you about something." He said quietly and as warmly as possible, but even so, the boy would raise his eyes up in fear. "Don't be afraid; it's just for a moment."

"I…Alright." Chris took a deep breath and entered William's room. It was agonizing to see him like this, scared of his own family, and with good reason. There is nothing the engineer wanted more than to just tell his son the truth, even though he knew he would never earn forgiveness.

"It's…" It was about so many things, all of which could be traced down to a single evening when William made a decision out of curiosity, the one he was still paying his due for. "It's about your birthday. It's quite soon."

"Yeah, I know…"

"Aren't you excited?" William wondered, and all Chris could do in response to this was simply shrug.

"I guess…"

"I need to tell you…And I know it's not exactly what you would want." William looked at his son, watching him cower. "My boss asked to host a party for the occasion, something like what we did at Circus Baby's…It will be at Fredbear's family diner."

"W…What?" Chris shook and looked up. "But…I don't want to! I don't want to go there; it has those scary robots and…And…."

"I know, Chris, but I have to ask that you come there nonetheless. It's important for the company's publicity; birthday parties are one of their key specialties. And considering that I am one of my boss's most trusted employees…It is fitting that my children spend their special occasions in places connected to the franchise they love." William explained he learned to be cold and uncompromising; Chris would feel very uncomfortable on his birthday, and it would be undeserved, but it was better than disobedience.

"Dad, please…" Chris stuttered. "I don't want to go there! Can we go to some other place, or stay home? Please!"

"I have to ask you as well." William took a deep breath. "My boss is pushing me, and I have little choice in the matter…You don't have to stay here for long, and I will host a smaller party at home in the evening, just with me, Mike, and Liz."

"So…" Chris stuttered and looked up. "You aren't even asking me…." His voice echoed with newly-emerging spite. "You made all the choices already."

"Chris, you need to understand that…"

"I understand, Dad!" The boy shouted as tears began to fall from his eyes. "You don't care about me or what I want; you care about your boss…You are just pretending that I have a say."

"Chris, sometimes we need to compromise," William spoke, knowing that he would never know how much meaning he was putting into those words. He couldn't blame Chris for reacting in such a way, not for a moment.

"But…It's my birthday! Why can't I have a day to…" He could barely speak due to tears, and the moment William attempted to raise his hand to try and offer his son an embrace, Chris already ran towards the hall.

There was nothing to discuss.

…

Lynda knew that sooner or later, Lockjaw would find her.

The journey into Hurricane's underworld confirmed most of Lynda's suspicions, but it also allowed her to see that whoever Lockjaw was, he operated far more efficiently than she anticipated. He had his agents, and those agents were willing to employ any measures to further his cause, which was, as Lynda suspected, the total destruction of Fazbear Inc and all that it had created. Henry was a mysterious man, and Lynda feared he might end her life there and then more than once, but he didn't harm her and even allowed her to go in peace, which is more than she would've expected from someone like him. Was it because she just possessed no threat or because of Lockjaw's command?

This was her main discovery, the one that did not leave Lynda's head even after she returned home. She would sit at her desk, thinking back to that haunting drawing of Lockjaw. That demonic face that stared into the soul saw something in her that made her feel small and insignificant before the face of this mysterious being. And the fact that he would describe a woman like her and demand special treatment could not be a coincidence. It must have been him…It must have been Gron.

Lynda clenched her fist and felt a sudden urge to hit her table. She was so close to the answer, yet after two years of waiting, she had no patience left in her soul. She needed an answer. She needed to know what it was that Gron promised to do and what secrets Fazbear Inc was hiding. She was always certain that they were behind the children's disappearance, but the purpose of this still evaded her. Money must have been an important factor in this; it always was to people like Alison.

"Mom?" Lynda heard Charlie's voice echoing from behind as her son entered her room. His eyes were full of curiosity, and even though Lynda was disappointed that he wasn't sleeping already, she wasn't particularly surprised. "Are you alright?"

"I…Yes, just very busy." She reassured him. "It's late; I think you should go back to sleep."

"You've been somewhere, Mom," Charlie spoke up in a surprisingly cold tone for a child. "Where did you go?"

"I've been away on some very important business."

"And you still don't want to tell me?"

"I can't…Sorry."

"But why? I promise I won't tell anyone; I can help!" Charlie repeated all the same points, still yearning for acceptance and truth. Lynda wasn't going to enter this song and dance once again when it came to the situation they found themselves in, knowledge killed. Lockjaw and his followers might have been the lesser evil, but they were still radical in their methods and very unpredictable; having those people on her tail put fear in Lynda's heart that she couldn't afford herself to show before her son.

"I've been away on my business; it's…Complicated."

"You sound very worried."

"Because it was quite dangerous." Lynda took a deep breath. "I needed to meet up with someone, but we couldn't risk being watched."

"By who?"

Lynda remained silent for a few moments, not knowing what to say. Charlie would not stop until he got what he wanted; he was a very persistent child, a quality Lynda would've otherwise appreciated, but not when knowledge was a gateway to danger.

"Charlie…I will tell you something, and you need to listen closely, alright?" Lynda prayed he wouldn't ask for more; she really needed cooperation from him.

"Alright…"

"It might be dangerous to stay here for a while."

"What, why?"

"I can't explain why just yet; I promise I will in time."

"You're just like dad was…" Those words hurt even though Lynda couldn't deny them. She understood how Gron felt now far too well.

"You remember your uncle Terry and his wife, Diana, right?" Lynda asked. "Can I ask you to stay with them for a few weeks soon enough? They're kind and caring; they would make sure you feel as good as possible."

"But…I want to be with you, Mom."

"Just until I finish my research…Until it's safe." She pleaded one last time as Charlie looked down in shame; he had little choice now.

"Alright…If that's what you want." He said in a pained voice that finally caused something to break in Lynda's heart; she could feel tears falling down her eyes. She offered her son an embrace, knowing that he understood her pain and would do everything to ease her burden, as he always did. "I love you, mom…" He said before quietly sobbing.

"It will be alright…I promise."

Now it was all in her hands.