The final chapter of the third quarter of act 2.

...

Ever since the night when Alison was supposed to capture Gron, events have unfolded with such tremendous speed that William could barely follow through with all of them.

The initial report sent to him was rather scarce and incomplete; Alison didn't hide the fact that he didn't want Will to know too much about fate or his friend. However, this was the first time he had gone radio silent, which made William consider a few possibilities. He could spend entire days studying the phenomenon of Lockjaw now that he got Gron captured, all while gloating about his defeat. That or he could be dead. Gron was preparing for his confrontation over two long years, and Will would never believe that Alison managed to catch him off guard by simply convincing Henry to change sides.

However, Alison wasn't the only one who went silent. Henry was nowhere to be seen, either, and there were rumors about Lynda Takaliken going missing, as well. Will had no doubt that the answer to all those disappearances lay in that night.

But even that wasn't the end of it. Under the weight of countless allegations and rumors that spread about Fazbear Inc., "Freddy Fazbear's Pizza" soon became unsustainable, and the company board made the decision to shut it down, practically ending their presence in Hurricane. There were talks about opening smaller locations in other towns across Utah, but for now, all employees were given a single order to wait. William got a reminder that he was still obliged to follow the contract and that his every step was being monitored. He knew better than to doubt those words. He didn't want to lose his last child…

The only positive was that, for now, William didn't have to work and got some free time he could spend with Elizabeth over the coming days. Take her to school and back, walk around the town, watch some TV together…So much leisure time opened up before them, only for it to feel emptier than ever before. Elizabeth couldn't trust Will. They still didn't talk about the truth and his occupation at Fazbear Inc. Would that still violate the contract? Will someone find out? Risking this meant potentially losing Elizabeth, and he would die before allowing someone to take her. Alison's disappearance, Fazbear's new plans, Gron's fate, Ennard's existence…It was a chaotic mess that would never stop haunting Will, even if he got a break from it now.

If there was anything the ordeal taught him, it was to value the time and opportunities he had before they were gone. He would not allow a single opportunity to spend more time with his daughter to be wasted.

"How are you feeling?" Will sat beside Elizabeth as she was eating her breakfast, already dressed in her school uniform that meticulously covered her scars. He wanted to make sure that she never felt alone, perhaps learn to trust him again in some time. She began to slowly come out of her shell, making William hope that, eventually, she would get better.

"I'm alright…" She said quietly.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm alright." The girl reassured him and showed a faint smile. "Just worried I might be a bit late to school."

"Don't worry, I'll take you there."

"Thanks, Daddy…"

"It's one of your shorter days, isn't it? What do you want to do after?"

"Well…" The girl sighed and looked away.

"Or you already had plans with friends?"

"Not really, we don't talk a lot anymore." She shook her head. "It's been a while since I watched a movie; maybe we could…"

She got interrupted as both she and William heard a loud knock on the door. That immediately made Will suspicious. It had been a while since they welcomed any guests, especially uninvited ones.

"Wait here." He said to Elizabeth and walked to the door. "After he looked through the opening, he saw two people, one woman and a man behind her. "Who's there."

"Kate Myers, Utah Child Protecting Services." The woman responded coldly. "And you're Mr. William Afton?" Will felt his heart sink just when he thought that he finally had a moment of peace. Why now? He took a deep breath, preparing for yet another unpleasant confrontation.

"Yes…I am. What do you want?" He said quietly.

"Let us come in, and we'll discuss it." Kate undercut him. "I have an allowance and my documents on me."

"Fine, fine…" William clenched his teeth, trying to hide his disappointment. As he opened the door, a myriad of thoughts went through his head. They must have come to talk about Elizabeth, but why? Did someone see her scars? She wouldn't tell anyone about this or how ashamed she was of the fact, but she couldn't have hidden the forever.

"Thank you," Kate said before turning over to her associate. "Come in, Tim, let's take a look."

They went straight towards the dining room and barged past William; Elizabeth took notice and shrunk in her own chair.

"Daddy, what's going on? Who are those people?"

"Just a moment, dear…" Will walked up to Kate and Tim. He wasn't keen on playing nice anymore. "I am still waiting for an explanation as to what in the world you two are doing in my house."

"We received some calls displaying concerns for your daughter," Kate explained. "Her peers in school noticed some fresh scars on her hands and one of her teachers." So he was right. After all, this could only get worse from here. Will clenched his fist, praying silently that all of this would end up being a simple misunderstanding. "There have also been previous concerns about you spending too much time at work without leaving a babysitter for your daughter; loneliness isn't the best condition for the healthy development of a child, isn't it? There were also talks about you physically abusing your son, but no one made an official complaint."

"What are you talking about?" William spoke up in anger, wondering if there was any point in denying those accusations. After all, they were right on all accounts.

"About what I heard from other people, including those who made the complaint." She said sternly before turning to the worried girl that still sat in her place. "I'm sorry to bother you, sweetie, but can you show me your hands?" Her voice immediately became softer and calmer.

"W…Why?"

"We just need to make sure that everything is alright. I promise I won't hurt or even touch you." Kate reassured the girl, making her take a deep breath and roll her sleeves over, showing her the self-inflicted scars she retained.

"Well, here it is…" Kate spoke quietly. "Absolutely atrocious…Who did this to you, sweetie?"

"I…"

"Did your father do it to you?" She asked, making Elizabeth recoil.

"W…What? No, he'd never do it!"

"It's okay to say the truth, we can protect you from everything."

"I did not hurt her!" William shouted, making everyone in the room immediately turn towards him. Perhaps it looked like this to them, perhaps it was even convincing, but even hearing the suggestion that he might hurt his daughter in any way was enough to send William into a spiral of rage. "I would never. Ever. Hurt her. She's my daughter and I love her with all my heart, and I do…I do everything I can for her!"

"Then where did those scars come from, Mr. Afton?"

"I cut them myself!" Elizabeth suddenly shouted, catching Kate's attention.

"Really?" She said with suspicion.

"Yes, really. I had a bad dream and…I just felt like doing it, I know it's wrong and…"

"And where was your father?"

"He was…Busy at work."

"See?" Kate looked at William. "You say you're doing everything for her, but somehow, she felt so alone that she nearly killed herself. I am trusting her word on it for now…But it doesn't mean that you aren't responsible for creating conditions in which she felt this way. Couple that with other accusations and I think you can see that the picture that gets painted isn't in your favor."

"Listen…" Will looked up into her eyes. "I've made mistakes, some horrible mistakes. I know that I ended up neglecting her and not meeting her needs, but…It has changed now! I am taking care of her and spending more time with her, right, Elizabeth?"

"Yes, he's been driving me to school and back recently and taking me to a park!"

"So he didn't even do that before?" Kate raised an eyebrow. "Seems like you're struggling to do the bare minimum, Mr. Afton; that's concerning."

"Just…Give us some time! I promise I will do my best, and I will ensure that during the remnant of her childhood, she will never feel alone." William pleaded.

"Mr. Afton…You may be trying your best, but it seems that this is still not enough to ensure a safe environment for her. We will need to conduct a proper investigation over the next few weeks."

"What is there to investigate?"

"Everything. Conduct, history, questioning certain individuals on what they know…And while we do that, your daughter will stay with foster care."

"What?" William held himself back, not to shout. All of his worst nightmares came to life in this very instant.

"I'm sorry, but that's the protocol." Kate shrugged. "If we deem that you can provide sufficient care for her, you will get her back. Otherwise…She'll have to be sent into an orphanage, I am afraid."

"W…What are they talking about?" Elizabeth looked at William with tears swelling up in her eyes. "Daddy, I…I don't want to go anywhere!"

"Surely we can talk this through? I am ready to prove my abilities as a parent anytime…But you have no right to take her away from me!" Will could hardly hold back his own tears, too. His hands shook; he thought that he could start outright begging them any time now.

"We have the right, though, as long as it's deemed necessary." Kate shook her head and looked at Elizabeth. "Please, come with us."

"I…I don't want to go!"

"You have to. For your own sake." Kate said, much more firmly this time, making the girl look down in shame.

"Please…" Will wiped away his tears and pleaded. "She is all I have left!"

"And you are all she has left…But perhaps she deserves more. We're going to make sure that she ends up in the safest possible environment, wherever that might be, and this resistance won't make you look good."

"But…" Elizabeth spoke through her tears. "Please, let me stay with Daddy. I love him, I don't want to go anywhere else, I…"

"It won't take long, I promise," Kate said. "But I am not leaving without her. I have the order."

And so he was forced to stand and watch as they took his daughter away from him, perhaps deservedly so. Elizabeth gave in, and so did William; they left him no choice. All he could do was watch them guiding Elizabeth to the door, reluctantly walking in their shadow. She only looked back into William's eyes once before completely surrendering to fate. He knew how this was going to go…

William Afton had nothing left.

…

Alison thought that he knew what real humiliation was after living with his father, for whom it was never enough. The night when Lockjaw descended to the facility proved him wrong.

He thought he had it under his complete control, thought that Henry's betrayal would be the final nail to Lockjaw's scheme. He expected this moment would be a triumphant catharsis that would forever become another milestone on the way to Alison's goal.

"I will find you!"

The sound of Lockjaw's grim, metallic voice echoed in Alison's mind, it made him shiver every time he dared to think that he finally let go. But every time Alison closed his eyes, he saw the flashes of a robotic monstrosity chasing him down across the facility's halls, laying his bloodied hands on him and slowly ripping Alison's flesh from his muscles. He couldn't sleep properly after the incident, especially now that he knew how damaging this outburst was.

Alison lost one of his most talented researchers, slowing the development down by what could easily become years. Dozens of talented men he hired were dead, and some of the torture devices got mangled without a possibility of repair. He lost his eye and got his shoulder and leg wounded, reducing himself to a pathetic mess that all of his men could see on that night. The fact that he even survived was a miracle; even if he had no choice but to move around in a wheelchair, it could even worsen his condition and bring the time when his physical body dies of illness that much closer.

There was also a matter of Lockjaw's mysterious ally, whose appearance Alison couldn't predict. He was the one that spoiled his moment. He still didn't know who it was apart from it being another soul, but he was captured as well. His torturers would get the truth about him soon after the scientists added a voice module. At least he got to kill Lockjaw's wife, a single positive in this whirlwind of disaster.

Perhaps there was still hope to live through the moments he yearned for. This is why he requested to be left alone with Lockjaw, much to his guards' surprise. Not too close, of course, but still with some privacy. When Alison came to the observation ring, he was in a wheelchair, with bandages covering his shoulder and a large black patch over his clawed eye. He would almost be like Foxy…If he wasn't a weak, frail man who wasn't even able to walk. He could see Lockjaw's chamber through the glass and speak to him through the dynamic that the engineers installed here without going to the same room as him.

Even looking at Lockjaw made Alison reel…He wanted it to be an opportunity to stare into the eyes of a defeated enemy and have him beg for his mercy, but that moment never came. Lockjaw remained silent even after the capture. He didn't even try to break the dozens of chains they forced upon him. He simply looked down in silence and without any movement, allowing the shadows to overtake his face. So confident, so dignified…It disgusted Alison. Nevertheless, he still wanted to break him.

"Establishing connection…Can you hear me?" Alison said after pressing the activation button. Nothing but grave silence. "I know you can, Mr. Takaliken; playing those games won't help you, I know exactly…" Alison coughed, getting too tense and making his wounded body ache. "…why you're doing this. You're afraid, you're hurting, you feel shame…It must be horrible, right? You thought you could kill me, and you got very close, but even so…I am still free, still in control of this facility, and still able to watch your deranged self break!" Alison clenched his fist reflexively, realizing that he couldn't overexert himself. "Maybe you're already broken…You saw your wife die, after all. You could've saved her, you know. Could've been just a little more compliant, like our dear Mr. Afton…But unlike him, you haven't learned a damn…Thing!" Alison felt breathing becoming harder as he wheezed involuntarily, for a moment fearing that he was going to have a seizure out of those momentary yet agonizing convulsions that overtook him. "If only you knew how much I despise allowing you to see me…Like this. But it's all going to change, oh, it will. You see that I'm weak, and only growing more pathetic with every day…It's that poison inside me. It's tearing me apart. The only thing that I truly feared…But not anymore. I have you, my perfect subject, my key, the ideal creation…The legacy of RADSLA. You have almost achieved the perfect symbiosis I need, and no matter how you could make it possible, I will find out the truth. All your secrets will be mine, even though it might take time; I might even have to visit some old places…Do you know what this means? I will become immortal, and you will rot away and be forgotten…How does it make you feel, Mr. Takaliken? Angry, scared, heartbroken?"

Alison couldn't force himself to stop his tirade, but eventually, he noticed some movement. Lockjaw twitched and moved some of his fingers. Alison couldn't even bling before his mind got overtaken by the violent images of Lockjaw tearing his servants apart in a fit of rage. And then he finally looked up, pulling his face up from the shadows. Alison saw a grotesque monstrosity that made him want to look away. The Hall of his golden mask was torn apart, and Alison could clearly see the remnants of a rotten body behind. The decomposed skin that became one with his crushed bones and muscles, the remnant that covered the endoskeleton, and along with a dirty, unmoving human eye, served as a reminder of who he was before his death. There was something deeply unsettling about this image…Something that shouldn't have been able to move or talk, much less crush other people with the vigor he had. Just like his dead eyes weren't supposed to see, yet right now, they stared at Alison as if eyeing their future prey.

"You aren't afraid of this poison." The cold, emotionless voice rang out from the demonic body. "You are afraid of me. I feel it. You want to see me to make sure that I am still caged…Because every second you spend away from me, you think about me breaking out, about me becoming free and chasing you through those halls." His confidence made Alison shake and look away. He wanted to take this on with dignity, but he couldn't…The demonic whispers, the flashes before his eyes, it became too much to bear. "And you are right to be afraid. You'd better hope that your 'poison' kills you before I find my way out because otherwise, your death will be far more painful."

"How dare…" Alison wanted to talk back but realized that he had no retort. He was absolutely terrified of Lockjaw's presence. It was akin to staring at a dark reflection of himself and his actions to see the monster he created, a monster that was driven by his bloodlust and revenge. And he would break free, sooner or later, Alison had no doubt. "Think what you want, Gron…Soon, you will realize that I have already won." Alison said with disgust and feigned confidence; he had a lot to prove…Only when he is reborn will he be able to look at Lockjaw without fear. "Connection terminated."