Author's Note: The last 'pov' indicating the '...' is generally from everyone's. Its an omniscient POV. So sometimes it'll lean towards one bot or the other, depending on whose speaking primarily. Its not focused on any ONE like it has been throughout the story. I figured it'd work in the story's favor here. After you finish the chapter, please talk to me about it! I wanna hear all your thoughts and opinions. I want to talk with everyone whose interested! Reviews are graciously welcomed- as well as critiques! In fact critiques on another site was what made the story better.

If any of you are wondering who Luis is, someone on Archive of My Own has been kind enough to give me info on him. He's apparently someone Vanessa worked with before the PizzaPlex. He was always sweet on her even though he was being snubbed at some points (Vanessa wasn't doing it on purpose... we all gotta thank Vanny for that one too). Most seem to think him creepy or weird or not taking a hint... I don't know too much about it myself, but I just think he's an endlessly patient dude whose a bit oblivious. Someone with a HEALTHY mentality, unlike everyone else in the story. XD

But yes... he's apparently involved in FNAF canon. So I ain't pulling it out of my ass. Figured I'd say something just in case some of you didn't know!

NOTE: The song at the end is similar in beat as Fergully: The last rainforest's tehem song 'A Dream Worth Keeping' (I love that movie lol). There's a few other musical inspirations for it too too; was listening to a whole LIST for this one. I can't name them all, but there's a bunch! Give Fergully's song a brief listen for the idea of melody. That's kinda its backbone. I wanted to pull out all the stops and make it GOOD.

I hope it hits.

LUIS

He hadn't expected her to just invite him over like this. Vanessa was a very private person by nature; and while lovely and bubbly at her best, at her worst... she's an anxious wreck. It tended to show in how she deals with people once they got the moment to see the real her.

He let her have her space- tried not to smother her. After all, he helped get this house so she can have some time to unwind and grow in her own private sanctuary. Her therapy was going well too; her disposition had become noticeably sunnier each time she's gone. And, at the software development department where she worked at, her coworkers say as much. Luis didn't stay in the same wing with her, but they worked closely when they could! He's seen her grow throughout time; from the once insular person she used to be before the PizzaPlex opened.

Now though, he found himself upon her doorstep and taking in the unusual sight of two party buses and not just the solitary clean one she has. He raised a dark eyebrow, fixed his prescription glasses, and noted the odd amount of damage on the secondary bus. Claws marks from rough handling was... kinda hard to miss. And blatantly ominous. The tag on it was expired too; and it had the bearings of something that's barely standing- whose vehicle was this?

Luis blinked again, fixing his armful of flowers and couple boxes of chocolates. Vanessa liked them- Gregory told him so. It wasn't meant to be romantic... more of a, 'get well soon' kind of gift. Vanessa admitted in her last text message that she and Gregory had been hospitalized temporarily- and were released as of today and wanted him to come by for something. Vanessa had a wound in her side she downplayed- but the fact she'd been hospitalized for any amount of time thanks to it was worrying. And Gregory himself? He apparently had a large hole in his shoulder. So yes, the flowers and one box of chocolates was for her, and the remaining box was for Gregory. The kid deserved some sweets once in a while- having reluctantly once admitted to Luis that he's never been lucky enough to eat much candy like most normal kids. Never been properly spoiled more than maybe a couple times in his life. He deserved the treatment too, for all he's been through!

He walked up to the door, fixed his flannel a little bit, then his glasses. He inhaled, held, and knocked- And he wasn't kept waiting either.

Now, he expected Vanessa to answer. After all, she likely had Gregory resting. Or, for her to call him in- no no. None of those things happened. What Luis got instead pretty much scared the shit out of him-

A blue arm shot out and snared his flannel's neck; buttons ripping as carmine-tipped claws dragged him inward. Luis was pulled forcibly inside; and then his back was shoved against the front door. He huffed, and made the mistake of looking up into his assailant's eyes-

A set of maroon optics gazed suspiciously down at him; unblinking in their trajectory. There was a low-toned snarl; but it cut abruptly.

A bot.

And not just any bot... but GLAMROCK BONNIE, of all things.

"Scream, and you'll be wishing you've never born with vocal chords," The rabbit forewarned in a tone so low he strained to listen. The sound was a rasping resonance; deep and unbecoming of a bot with a tenor singing voice.

Luis felt his lower jaw flap and close; jolting when Bonnie scanned him. The rabbit blinked, then released him. "Scanning complete," he mumbled. "You better not try anything, sir. I won't be the only one watching you."

Luis shakily fixed his glasses and rattled his head. "E-er- I-I-"

Bonnie scowled at him with nothing less than threat; towering over him as an impressive 7 feet, minus the ears adding the other foot that had their tips dragging at the ceiling. He was... now that Luis had a chance to look at him, desperately in need of maintenance. His chassis was holier than thou, thank you very much; and his motor stank like it needed to be tuned properly. The bot himself didn't have much smell; just that of old metal and coolant-stained fur. The patch of fuzz on his head was... ominously stained russet in some places; akin to a head wound having stained it.

He literally looked like he dragged himself out of hell.

The rabbit led him into the living room, his eyes still arrested on him like he expected Luis to try something. "Dunno why Vanessa trusts you assholes," he muttered in an undertone. "If Freddy didn't vouch for you, I wouldn't let you walk back out."

"S-she... i-is-" Luis tried to save face and fixed his glasses straight again, shakily fighting to regain his composure. He'd crushed the chocolates a little bit during Bonnie's hold; the boxes crinkling and the flowers missing petals now. He sighed, clawed for breath, then tried again, "I just w-wanted to see if she's okay! I'm not here to cause any alarm!"

"You better not," He growled. "Or we're having a disagreement about how many limbs you should be keeping. We clear, compadre?"

Luis nodded rapidly. "I-if you're wondering about me squealing to corporate, that wasn't my intention! I wanted to come by cuz... well-" he held up his offerings. "I wanted to see if she and Gregory are okay, and uh... check on Freddy. Its his maintenance day- and Vanessa herself said I should come by!"

The rabbit grunted, then moved into the living area. Luis followed, then was left blinking in surprise when he turned towards the kitchen- Chica was here too? She had her hands on her hips, giving Bonnie the stink eye about his threats; producing a drawn-out, disapproving gakeling noise. She clucked, "Don't be scaring the guy like that! He came to help! Oh- I'm so sorry, cherry pie! I reckon those are for Vanessa and Greg?"

Luis bobbed his head numbly, feeling his mouth slump slightly open.

Did Vanessa get hurt because she returned to the PizzaPlex? I coulda swore she said something about not going back-?

Now he was looking around proper, and found Montgomery Gator lying on the couch. How had he passed the reptile and not notice before? The gator was watching him studiously, missing a couple teeth but no less threatening in his stare. Bonnie hadn't been lying when he said he wouldn't be the only one watching. Luis worked his jaw, then returned his attention to the only other friendly bot in the room.

"Excuse me, Chica... um, where is Vanessa anyway?"

"In her office. She had to send a few reports and do some paperwork," The hen supplied. "She's working on letters to her work, to Gregory's school, and she's trying to work on Cassie's case."

Lost, Luis meandered into the kitchen and set the offerings down. Chica sniffed them with interest, then smiled warmly at him and burbled. "Aw... She'll LOVE those! Old-fashioned, but she tells me she loved old-fashioned."

The man scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "One of these is for Greg too. Figured he deserved some sweets once in a while. Could cheer him up. He always comes off as too grim for his age. So uh... whose Cassie?"

"A girl she's trying to adopt. Cassie's living situation wasn't great so... Vanessa sprang for her too! We just got permission to house her for a bit while her family is getting raked over the coals for ignoring her care," The hen looked... devious. She plainly was enjoying gossiping about them in such a slanderous manner. Luis made an internal note to watch out for her too, despite the friendly disposition. "-Cassie's upstairs asleep. Roxy's with her. Bonnie was up there too but he heard your car-"

"Bonnie's... a surprise," he admitted. "I thought he was... yunno. Gone?"

Chica took the flowers and smelled them, sighing happily as she did. Her optics fluttered, then her beak creased into an ever greater smile. "Ah... I can slash smelling the roses off my bucket list! I've never smelled real flowers before! Oh, this is lovely. I'll put these in some water and put them out where Vanessa can see them!" She went to do that, then continued to elaborate for Luis' benefit, "And yes, Bonnie was decommissioned. There's a whole story in that- and it'd take hours to cover. See, he's super touchy about Fazbear employees for a reason. They've never exactly... been great to us."

"Hm, no... they haven't," Luis knew that much. "I mean, controlled shocks are... those are over the top. GRANTED... some of the bots get a little quirky from what I've seen. One of them... oh. Actually... that was a Bonnie model now that I think about it... one of them ate someone's cat!"

"What," Chica blinked at him, then produced several hearty guffaws. "You're KIDDING!"

"YEAH! Someone's cat got chewed on. By a BONNIE-" He waved his arms around exaggeratedly. "I dunno, I figured they decommissioned the Glamrock because Bonnie has always been a little.. er... odd. Even in development. All of them ever made have been a bit strange but... that one was something else."

"You know what we were like in development?" Chica blinked.

Luis held up a hand and waved it in a so-so motion, "A little. Bonnie's always been... I think this is just a general rule of thumb but... he's always been a little aggro for a rabbit character. Its a bit strange?"

Monty was heard from the living room laughing outright. He sat up on the couch and shouted at the where the rabbit had gone, "YO MAN! Didja catch that? A Bonnie eating someone's pet!"

"I heard ya! Now shut it! Cassie's sleepin'!" His tone sounded forcibly hushed too; and nearby.

Chica jerked a thumb where they've heard his reply, "He's a little cranky. Touchy about Cassie still... we just got her back today so, he wants to spend time with her after she gets back up. We're planning a party so-" She turned back to the oven. Luis hadn't noticed the smell due to his earlier panic, but now that he was catching it, something smelled damn delightful. "-I guess its a good thing you joined us! The more the merrier!"

"What're you making?"

"Cake! And done my own way! EEEEE-" She fluttered her arms excitedly like a high school girl. "This is the first time I've ever made a cake different from how I was told to make 'em at the PizzaPlex! OH. Do tell me-" She waved another arm gaily at him. "Since Vanessa invited you over, you here to help out? She says nice things about you!"

"...I... really?" He felt some color stain his cheeks.

"Only ever said nice things! Said you're super smart and really kind. Said you knew your stuff too," She leaned across the kitchen island and smiled into his face. "You literally look the part... like, bookish? But like, in a cute way!"

The man scratched at the back of his head, breaking eye contact briefly in a show of embarrassment. "Oh... She told me in her text that she had some projects lying around and uh... asked to me come by... but I didn't expect to be greeted by the rest of the Glamrocks! She's housing ALL of you-?"

"Uh-huh! Real nice of her," Chica burbled warmly. "We're pondering how to help her out. The least we do is chores... help her with whatever she asks. Thinking up ways of helping her make money too so she doesn't hafta go out of her way to get us parts-"

Ah. Now that's what Vanessa wanted, Luis realized. On that note, he held up his hand as if to indicate for her to stop there, "Say no more, miss hen! I can help secure you guys some replacement parts. I also happen to know where they keep the spare shell bits in the warehouses not too far from here? The pieces were being made for the Glamrocks until... well, the mega PizzaPlex shut down. But I wager they're still in storage. We can even pay it a visit and check it out!"

"OH! Oh sweet!" Chica grabbed him and hugged him tightly; the force great enough to briefly knock the wind out of him. She shook him around and lightly pecked his cheeks with a kiss. "Vanessa was right about you! Oh, thank you kindly, love! I reckon you should go see her now-" She flicked her head, letting him down. "Surprised she hasn't come down here already!"

Luis nodded, then smiled back at her. "Sure. Thanks again!"

Chica fluttered her fingers daintily, then resumed tending the cake she'd been bent over.

Luis meandered past the gator on the sofa; to which the reptile looked completely at home. Beyond him, he heard noises in the garage... was that where Freddy was? He hadn't seen him around yet. He briefly decided to visit it, just to make sure.

And sure enough, he found Freddy AND another bot: the daycare attendant of all things! The two were bent over something inside the spacious unit; something with a chair and several pieces of expensive metal. Luis has seen repair armatures before, so he knew what he's looking at when he saw them fitting some of the limbs in place and messing with wiring. Were they making something like the repair cylinder at the PizzaPlex? It seemed like it.

Freddy looked up when he heard the door, the bear's body a semi-pleasant surprise for Luis (save for the fact its damaged, its good that he had it). Seemed Vanessa found that too, as well as the other bots.

"Hello there, my good friend! Nice to see you stopping by!" He elbowed the other bot- whose personality Luis couldn't immediately discern. "Eclipse, this is Luis! The friend Vanessa spoke of?"

The smaller-boned bot turned and focused on him properly now, then bowed deeply at the waist with a flourish. "And hello to you as well," he greeted before resuming his work on the cylinder.

Luis waved at them, then smiled at Freddy, "Guess I know what I'll be helping with shortly! Gonna go see Ness. After that, I can help you guys out, if you need it?"

"We'd appreciate the programming expertise once the module is set up," Freddy told him cheerily. "Been hammering at this thing for the last week but... seems we're missing bits and bobs."

"I can help with that," Luis shrugged. "No biggie!"

Freddy broke off from their project and stopped before him, smiling down at him with a warmth that can be felt. Luis was noticing that Freddy's head has suffered new damage ever since he's last seen the bear. He's missing an ear, for one. There was also a strong lack of lip line across his usually friendly looking mug; the sight in which giving the bear a terrifying permanent snarl. He knew Freddy wasn't trying to be imposing, but he DID look scary. His voice was also noticeably different- a new box? Luis figured so, seeing as it hadn't the same rasp as before.

"We'd all appreciate it," Freddy reciprocated warmly, his baritone like melted butter and frothy sweetness. "I know for sure the assistance will go a long ways with my friends especially... I don't suppose you've run into Bonnie, by chance-?"

"I... have. He wasn't feeling particularly friendly," Luis admitted. "But I also understand he's a... a bit bitter for a reason?"

Freddy's blue eyes fixed on the man's lapel; noticing how scuffed it was and how its missing a button now. He sighed, "He rough-housed you, didn't he? Oh biscuits... I'll talk to him about that in a bit. I apologize for his expense! He's just horribly afraid of being separated from us again. He's been through a lot, and only recently has been opening up to us about it. It's like pulling teeth! He tends to lie by omission, see."

Luis bobbed his shoulders, "Say no more. I ain't gonna pry. You know I don't snoop."

"Nonsense! I think you should hear it when you get the chance- it makes for an interesting tale," Freddy motioned before turning back to the repair station. "At any rate, I won't keep you. Eclipse and I will be waiting once you get done with Vanessa! She should be finished tending Gregory."

"I'd like to hear what happened there... she admitted she'd been hurt but... won't she just kinda, yunno. Downplay that?"

Freddy winced, then paused beside the machine and rested a paw on it. "She's been injured quite badly... that's also something that involves explanation. She's okay now! As for Gregory... he had a knife wound in his shoulder. Fairly deep," The bear's optics shone with a light Luis wasn't familiar with there. "He'll be okay enough to go back to school shortly, thank goodness. Go see him, why don't you? We'll be here."

Luis nodded, waving at the pair and leaving them to it.

He went upstairs from there; and sure enough, noticed a new room was cracked open. He heard servos whirring inside; and no doubt that's where Roxanne was. Bonnie's blue and red figure was also seen shuffling around inside before he popped his head out and stared at Luis again. He sniffed, passed him yet another suspicious stare, and shut the door. Yup, nope. No solicitating. Luis got the hint and moved on.

He found Gregory's room too; briefly peeking his head in to check the boy. The room was darkened; with only his starry constellation projector lamp slowly rotating a source of ambient light into the space. The kid was lying on his right side; the blanket covering where his wound should be. Luis frowned at the sight of him, but at least Gregory looked peaceful. He wasn't even snoring or tossing and turning. Likely doped up on pain meds, he figured. He briefly glided into the room, put the box of chocolates on the beside table, and retreated. He shut the door completely too, then moseyed to the woman's office.

The door to it was ajar; and Luis made sure to knock on it before announcing himself. "Knock knock," he blithely said and peeked in.

Vanessa jolted, but not too badly. She spun in her wheely chair, sitting at her computer and waved him in. She had some garlic bread in her mouth; chewing thoughtfully and getting crumbs on her lap but thankfully not over her keyboard. She chewed and swallowed, then said, "-'Bout time you got here. I needed a distraction- oh. Are those-?" She blinked when he offered the box. Her freckled visage pinked slightly.

Luis smiled demurely, then pulled up the spare chair nearby. He rolled it up, then sat next to her while she turned the box over. Vanessa seemed truly slack-jawed at the sight of it. It was just an innocuous gift too! He found some amusement in the way she was silent for a long time. Had no one ever given her anything as basic as a mundane box of chocolates before? Why ever not?

"I... thank you," she mumbled. Her breath whooshed out of her gently, her pretty beryl gaze flickering between him and the carton of slightly smushed sweets. She didn't seem to care about the presentation though; already opening it and reading what piece was what flavor. She pulled a truffle straight away and promptly forgot her bread. The look of gentle, slow, and meticulously painted pleasure on her face made the traffic and Bonnie's death threat worth it.

Luis propped his chin up in an open palm, leaning against the lovingly cluttered desk and throwing her an appreciative side-eye. "So, I met your friends on the way up. Chica's got your whole kitchen smelling like Christmas!" he chortled.

"I like having her in the kitchen, honestly. She makes my house smell nice," Vanessa giggled. When was the last time Luis heard her giggle? "She's a damn good cook too- better than me by large margins. Gregory can get square meals now! Super interested in learning, and experimenting... I clean the kitchen though-" She shrugged. "I don't want their hands in dirty dish water if I can help it. Don't need them ruining their mitts until I get a hold of some parts."

"You took on a lot, taking them in," Luis pointed out, though not unkindly. He watched Vanessa take a chocolate-coated cherry piece and pop it in before continuing. "I mean, besides the bots... but Cassie too?"

"You met her yet?"

"No... Bonnie won't let me anywhere near her. He's something else!"

Vanessa rolled her eyes, "I swear that guy's got more issues than I ever did. I wonder if my therapist will work with bots? Couldn't hurt to ask."

"She'd probably think you're joking," Luis laughed.

Vanessa smirked too, "No doubt! But I feel like, after all they've ALL been through... they need something to close out on. They're still settling in, unwinding a bit. Bonnie will chill out now that Cassie's in my house. He and Roxy's been an anxious wreck for a week! Its like walking on eggshells with them. If I didn't know better, I woulda called them her real parents."

"So, what's the deal with Cassie? Can I ask about that?"

"Her current guardians are shitty," Vanessa dead-panned. She placed the chocolates between them, offering Luis one. He decided to go for a caramel-stuffed piece and popped it in. "Real fine pieces of work. They HATE everything to do with Fazbear Entertainment. So if they knew where I used to work, I wouldn't be able to get Cassie at all. So... I kinda had to lie."

"Lying! To get custody of a girl you don't know?" Luis blinked.

"I'm telling you: These guys SUCK. They have no right raising a kid like her- only want her around cuz food stamps and some sort of monthly check-? These are her aunt and uncle and cousin? And because Cassie's dad was an employee- a technician at the PizzaPlex, to be exact-" She fiddled with another piece as she said this. "-They hate him. And they didn't pay for her insurance. They signed on for her, but at what cost? So, I'm working with Bonnie and Roxy there on keeping Cassie here with us. I told the child services office my interest in taking her, right? And I can pay for her. They're checking everything over. With what I'm doing for Gregory though, and considering the shit wrecks THEY are, I think we have it cooked and canned."

"Its still a lot though. You're like, Gregory's mom now, good and proper. And now... Cassie too? And this isn't even including the other bots!"

Vanessa shrugged, tossing the piece she'd been fiddling with into her mouth. She chewed, savored it, and swallowed. She then said, "Its not like they have anywhere else to go! They're thinking, living beings whose been left to rot in a waking nightmare of a hellhole for several months. Its no wonder Bonnie's a head case. He's had to watch himself and his friends rot away for what musta felt like eons. He and the rest of them had given up hope-" She glanced away. "I feel terribly for them. They've never deserved that! The workers never came back to properly shut them down. Only left them to rot and didn't care to help after a point."

Luis's hand lowered from his cheek, his expression contorting. "Oh my god... that's just- why? The Glams and... the attendant, they aren't exactly token bots. They're easily worth half a mil with the amount of work put into them ALONE... Fazbear Entertainment almost called bankruptcy just trying to build the PizzaPlex and THEM! Why leave them like that? It makes no sense."

Vanessa shook her head, "There was something there, at the PizzaPlex... something that's killing whoever entered. In fact, there was several somethings. The Fazbear workers just gave up after a point even trying to get in. And even then, I still wonder why they never bothered finding and shutting down the Glamrocks... seeing as they've prioritized taking their damn stupid plushies and ATMS out. Its no wonder Bonnie's touchy. He and the others were pretty much left behind and forced to rot inside of a prison for so long. Its no damn wonder they're all a little..." She waved her hand a certain way. "Again, they just don't deserve that."

Luis nodded, inwardly swearing to help them out when he can. He then pressed, "So, what's Roxy and Bonnie's deal with this girl? What's going on there? I don't think I've ever seen a bot get so bent outta shape about a child."

"Bonnie's a close friend of Cassie's father. The two were thick as thieves," She said. "He and Roxy spent a fair amount of time with Cassie- they love her, see. You know how there's always like, so many people that come in and out of the PizzaPlex and they see so many kids in a day? They've never had anything 'stable' to call their own. They're programmed to love children and hold them close- but then they tell them to casually let them go at the end of the day? Its no wonder Glamrock Foxy went insane that time. The company made a mistake in making their party toys sentient. That was a disaster waiting to happen."

She shook her head, "Anyways, I digress: Bonnie and Roxy never had anything but the other bots to call family. So, because they spend so much time with Cassie and her father, they grew to love her as their own. And then, when Cassie revisited the PizzaPlex even after it closed, she stayed and got hurt trying to save them. That kindness goes a LONG way with all of them. It was the kindest thing anyone's done for them too- EVER. She has this wonderful-" She held up her hands there, "-This beautiful, giving heart that melts you. She's even melted the heart of a serial killer! NO JOKE! There's a whole story to tell there."

Luis felt his brows ascend into another dimension. "I'm definitely interested in hearing this. I mean, you and Gregory and her getting hurt... and you housing all these bots... and Freddy was... he's noticeably MORE damaged when I saw him... and Bonnie's disposition says enough as is!"

"Its worth a campfire story," Vanessa grinned. She plucked another chocolate and smiled at him, "Heck, maybe we can go outside, pitch a tent for fun, and tell one over the firepit? Get some smores going. That'll make for a good time!"

Luis nodded, returning the grin as well. "That actually sounds like fun! When you wanna do that?"

"Lemme ask the kids, then we can try it," She said. She turned back to her computer, huffed, then returned her attention to him. "Yunno... Luis. I uh... thanks for these, by the way? No one's ever actually given me any before-" She waved the piece and popped it into her mouth. By now, the box was halfway empty, so Vanessa closed it to stop herself from eating the rest of it. She then said, "I uh... I appreciate you being here. Really. I mean that."

"Of course," He smiled back, studying her somewhat worried, stress-lined but still miraculously content visage all the while. She was pale, he also acknowledged. Pale, and her hair was a scraggly mess. He reached over and gently touched the side of her face; making her jump. He pulled back just as quickly, somewhat chastising himself for the somewhat forward gesture. He'd only been trying to brush some of her hair back more neatly! "I apologize," He added quickly. "Didn't mean to-"

She slowly shook her head, her lips quirking into a smile despite the designer bags under her eyes, "No biggie. I uh... yunno something? I also wanted to say. Uh... was that offer for coffee still on the table?"

He felt himself brighten considerably at that. He was also surprised by her asking first this time around. In fact, the observation was unusual. She usually blustered and hid from him like she was ashamed of something.

She's changed.

"Yeah! We can- oh, well, I'd prefer to let you rest first. You still look like you need a bit more than 2 hours of sleep," He scratched his head, and while eager to go on this outing, he couldn't ask her to do so in his right mind when she just got out of the hospital.

"What a nice way of saying I look shitty," She joked.

He held up his hands submissively, "I wasn't saying you looked bad! But... if I HAD to be honest... you make looking tired look stylish!"

"Nice save," She jeered, smiling warmly at him. The motion left him feeling gooey. "Alright. Yeah. I'd want to get coffee maybe tomorrow? Or, whenever you're off next."

"It doesn't have to be coffee-"

"Breakfast and coffee?"

"That actually sounds good! Yeah, but only if you feel good enough for it," he grinned. "I'm off next Saturday-?"

"Its a date," she smiled.

GREGORY

He sat on the bed with Cassie in her room a few hours later, sharing the chocolates Luis left.

He was elated to have Cassie here now; grinning widely as Cassie shared in the delightful treats too. Cassie looked noticeably happier as well; her smiles easy as she munched on the chocolates and talked away with him. Gregory nodded as she regaled him with her aunt being in trouble; and how she was getting medical insurance now. Soon, they can get that nasty chip removed!

Speaking of which- its been partially why Roxy and/or Bonnie had been haunting her room. Sometimes Eclipse did so whenever Roxy or Bonnie worked with Freddy on the repair module in the garage. The bots took turns in watching Cassie, made sure she stayed herself, and there was no more possession of her. M.X.E.S reported that her chip was running fine and under his complete control, so there's that! Gregory's been talking with the security program himself on his computer, asking him for constant updates.

Side note: It seemed M.X.E.S did obtain full sentience. Being inside of Bonnie must've given it to him. The rabbit program thankfully wasn't crazy or over-the-top or hard to deal with; taking his position as a program rather seriously. Vanessa even offered making him a rudimentary body at some point- to which, surprisingly, the program said, "This unit will think about it". But it had the connotation that he wasn't interested. He just wanted to do his job and do it well- which was take care of the other bots from his position inside the numerous terminals and Bonnie's core.

Bonnie tolerated the use of M.X.E.S inside him sometimes. If M.X.E.S needed to run high-demand tasks, Bonnie would let him use his body for a while. It's always brief, and the program never invaded his space for long. There was a budding friendship there- an interesting notion. It seemed M.X.E.S may not want a body after all; especially since Vanessa intended on building a new and powerful terminal for him as well and it'd be more than enough to satisfy a fatally pragmatic program like M.X.E.S. He didn't have the desires the other bots have; and while yes, he was sentient and aware, Bonnie claimed he wasn't 'actualized' in a way. Or if he is, he's just naturally a little odd. He didn't 'emote', very well. And if he did, it's unpolished. He'll have his own journey towards emotional awareness to embark on, it seemed.

Ah well! Gregory didn't complain or care. His job was to help Vanessa keep M.X.E.S running smooth so it can continue helping the other bots; and they, in-turn, help THEM. It's a cycle of assistance that benefitted all. A true family unit, in a way.

Now, the DJ was another matter- and he wasn't forgotten. Because Freddy saved his chip, Vanessa and M.X.E.S have been studiously doing their best to work on him. It'd still be quite some time before the bot's personality is restored to full functionality. Not to mention, they'd have to build him a body from SCRATCH. This was a process that will take a long time to do, but the group had nothing BUT time now. Gregory figured within a year or two and he could have a man-sized body and frame and maybe walk alongside them. Who knows- maybe he can temporarily share a body with someone whose willing to house him until then?

Meanwhile, Cassie laid back on her bed and sighed; happily finished with the chocolates and smiling brightly. She definitely looked better, he figured. "Nice to be here. I don't think I could relax while I was at my aunt's! I kept thinking she was gonna find the fazwatch."

Gregory waved it off, "Don't matter if she did. Apparently, we had another watch handy. We just... never noticed it...?"

"We did?" She blinked.

"See, when we found Freddy's body in Fazerblast, he had this little present in his gut- you probably saw it. So we took it out, put it in Vanessa's stuff... and just forgot about it!"

Cassie blinked, "A lot happened since then. So, there was a new watch in it-?"

"Yeah! I wonder if the body was just... programmed to stuff things in itself? I mean, Freddy said it wasn't unusual... he's supposed to carry presents and cake around for surprises at parties. Its a subroutine," Gregory supplied. "Guess his body just naturally started grabbing whatever it could because its programmed that way naturally. Anyways, we got another watch out of it, so, you can keep that one! I got the other one. We can keep communicating that way too! At least until we get our own phones."

The girl nodded, one hand on her belly and her fluffy hair a loose brown halo around her head. When she didn't have it in low pigtails, she had a LOT of it. "Would've been easier on everyone involved if we knew we had a second watch but... too late now!"

"Hey, I ain't complaining. We got out of it okay," Gregory kicked his legs on the side of the bed. "And the watches have long life so- OH! Oh my god, I had a devious idea," He leered.

Cassie hummed.

"Okay so like, Vanessa wants you to come to the school I go to, right? So, imagine we had classes together-"

"...Are you suggesting we cheat exams already and I haven't even gotten to living here proper?"

"Maybe-"

"If Freddy heard you, he'd lecture you."

The two jumped when they heard down the hall, "And don't you think I didn't hear ya! No CHEATING, kiddo!"

Gregory whined. "Forgot about Bonnie's dang ears. He hears WAY too much."

"You bet your cottontails I do!"

Cassie giggled, then punched Gregory lightly on the side that wasn't wounded. "I'm gonna spare myself the lecture and not do anything to incite his wrath. But-" She batted an eye at him subtly- giving him the hint that she may consider it. Gregory leveled her an impish smile and waggled his brows back. Cassie meanwhile continued, "In the meantime, its nice being here. The smell of the house was welcoming, and... Bonnie and Roxy were talking of throwing my birthday party early! I said no but they insisted-"

"You deserve a proper one," Gregory shrugged, remembering the day they met. Apparently Cassie was remembering it too, if the look on her face was anything to go by. "-And 'sides, I can't imagine a better way to celebrate than with a long overdue party! It gives us another reason to celebrate, yunno? And I KNOW the other bots agree."

Cassie smiled contentedly, closing her eyes. Gregory lie back with her, his hands on his belly too and watching the ceiling next to her. They both simply chilled there, happy as could be. Eventually, Gregory slowly added, "I'm gonna be going back to therapy next week. Vanessa wonders if it'd be good you went too? If you WANTED. She's not trying to be offensive! Its just-" the boy shrugged. "I thought it was a buncha hooey at first, but after a while, I felt better. Like, noticeably better in school too? Its just something to consider, is all."

"I don't take offense," she mumbled sleepily. "I think I may take you up on it. After the stuff we've been through, it doesn't sound like the worst idea."

"I promise my therapist is super cool. She's real nice. She'd LOVE you," Gregory cheered.

Cassie smiled back at him, then shut her eyes again. "I said I'd may just join you. We can't all stay head-cases forever. Dad used to tell me that it would turn into a problem later on in life-? Like manifest into certain disorders and stuff if it isn't treated early. I'm inclined to agree."

Gregory bobbed his shoulders.

His best friend then said, "Yunno, I still can't help but wonder..." Her tone was lower now, conspiratorial. She even scooched closer and turned to look at Gregory directly. Her gaze was curious, "Bonnie. The whole... 'remnant' thing. Isn't it weird he's like... yunno-"

"Like your dad?"

Cassie blinked and nodded.

Gregory had his suspicions, to be honest. He narrowed his hazel eyes, then said in an undertone, "I dunno, if I had to be honest. Maybe he is-? I asked Freddy what he knew about your dad, and how different Bonnie was, and even HE agreed his friend is... just, weird. Different. Not entirely too different than he used to be-" He shook his head, "But definitely and noticeably 'cantankerous' about you. To take his words out of his mouth."

She looked at her blanket, a Chica-themed spare Vanessa let her borrow.

Gregory continued, "I dunno for sure if its HIM... but if I had to be honest, it'd be freaky if it was..."

"The blood on his face-" Cassie murmured. "When they came out of the PizzaPlex... that was just- I thought it was DIRT but... when I got into the van with him and looked, I could tell if it's something else. He's a possessed object, like the older bots, right?"

Gregory couldn't deny that. And while Bonnie hadn't come forth about it, everyone's having their suspicions that he wasn't all there.

"I was... trying to move on from that," Cassie eventually said. "Trying to accept the fact that my dad's just... that I won't ever see him again. So, him being maybe here would be... it'd just make things weird. I thought with time, maybe swallowing what happened would make it easier. I haven't had enough time to finish processing... he's only been dead several months but..." She trailed off with a sigh.

Its still fresh for her. This will definitely be hard on her.

Gregory blinked at her, then queried, "Whatever happened to your dad? You never said..."

Cassie's eyes slammed shut; no doubt fighting a deluge of tears there. Gregory felt immediately terrible.

"You don't hafta say," he went to rectify. "Sorry I asked-"

"No... maybe, telling someone would make it a bit easier," she huffed. She wiped at her eyes next, her tone rather steady despite the topic being broached. She took her time in speaking however, and Gregory can only wait as she said, "He died from a 'work-based' accident. He got sent to the hospital while I was at school one day... I got called into the guidance counselor's office and... she had this look-" Her tone was fragile, broken. Still she went on, "So, I knew right then when I was called in something's up. My counselor just looked at me and said, 'Cassie, I don't wish to frighten you but... you're not in trouble! But... your dad-'"

She paused there, her teeth briefly showing as Gregory watched a myriad of emotions flood her countenance. He had to wait another whole minute or more before she felt alright enough to continue. And even then, her voice was whispery and hoarse with grief.

"And... she said, 'he's had an accident at work. He's not doing too good. He's in the hospital and-' that was all I heard. After that, my counselor was nice enough to drive me to see him- took me there, stayed there with me," she muttered. Her tone was still diving into thicker territory as she struggled to go on, "And then, I saw him... and I..."

She rolled away from Gregory then; her back to him and her shoulders jumping. The boy rolled over and touched her shoulder too, the motion meant to be soothing. Gregory wasn't great with sympathetic displays, but he tried. Cassie understood that.

She eventually recovered and rolled back over to face him. Her eyes were huge and shiny in their sockets. "He passed away 18 hours later. Apparently, he had this horrible, huge wound and he's lost too much blood. He had a transfusion but it came too late- thanks to the policies Fazbear Entertainment has about not calling hospitals."

"You coulda sued..."

She shook her head. "What can a little girl do?"

"...We can do it together now? Vanessa can help!"

She lingered on that, that much he can tell.

The boy huffed next. "Their fear of lawsuits... GOD," Gregory slapped his face. "They wouldn't let him get help until they knew for sure he was gonna- god that's just evil."

Cassie hiccupped again, and this time Gregory reached out to grab her hand and hold it. He clenched it tightly, keeping his slightly darker umber gaze on her honeyed one. His hand was still rather tiny; but it's more than enough for Cassie, whose fingers grazed his sometimes in silent thanks.

Eventually, she said, "If my dad is somehow still around... in Bonnie, maybe... i-it'd be weird but... maybe I could get used to that-? But is it like, too weird to hope for? Am I getting my hopes up for nothing? I should just... bury the topic right? Isn't that healthier-?"

Gregory rattled his head, "I can only think you asking him about it directly is the only way you'd feel better-"

She sniffed, "I'm afraid to."

The boy blinked, then squeezed again. "I can ask for you? Maybe be able to help you deal with it somehow-? Not sure how but... I'd like to. I ain't afraid of asking myself."

Cassie watched him for a moment, sniffled again, wiped her running nose, and nodded vaguely. She seemed to not have the courage for it herself; which Gregory understood. He'd bear this for her, at least. Cassie's eyes scrunched up, then she scooted nearer and buried her forehead into his bony shoulder. No doubt it wasn't comfortable but she wanted the contact. Gregory figured she hadn't had a lot of it back at her aunt's house.

"Can I ask you something?" She eventually tried.

"Hm?"

She hesitated there; her breath shaky now for what seemed to be a different reason. Gregory had to wait a bit before she asked, "You never... you never said anything about yourself. About your family? And... I found it weird that... When Chica woke up, she knew you. She mentioned something about you having a profile at the PizzaPlex? And, its how Vanny eventually learned your name: cuz she was able to dig it out of her secret thumb drive?"

Gregory's expression contorted there, and he immediately broke contact with Cassie's gaze. His gut went stone cold, a frown gently knitting itself in place.

Cassie had her turn to apologize then, "I'm sorry. Maybe I shouldn't have asked-"

"No, I think... that's fine. After all the crap we've been through, I trust you. Its stupid not to, yunno? And, I haven't even told Vanessa, if I had to be honest-" Gregory shrugged. "I hinted it to Freddy but... I've never been brave enough to tell him. He probably thinks my parents just dumped me there- Sometimes I wonder that myself."

"Why not say? You know Freddy's just straight sweet!"

Gregory produced a halfhearted chuckle, "That's just it: You've heard Freddy cry! It makes everyone else cry. He's so emotional it freaks you out- and it feels contagious? Remember how Bonnie commented on it? If Freddy cries, it makes you feel like the sun's going out. You don't want to hear him cry. And, I knew that... he missed his friends too, and he was balancing his own demons during the first few months I was here. I didn't want to bog him down with my background."

Cassie nodded numbly.

"As to my parents... I had 'em. Once," Gregory decided to enlighten her- figuring that sharing this about himself will make her feel better while letting her get to know him better. After all, the two weren't so different in terms of predicament, perhaps. And the last time he kept secrets, it nearly cost Cassie her life- so there's that.

"This was a while ago now, but," He sighed. "-A couple years ago, my parents brought me to the PizzaPlex for my own birthday. It was my first time coming. I had a normal life then-" He shook his head. "I lived out of state. I used to live in another town about 10 hours drive from here. Its a long ways... anyways, my parents brought me to the PizzaPlex for my 9th, and I was SUPER excited to see Freddy! He doesn't remember me, but we've met before-" He gave Cassie a strange look. "I wager Vanny messed with his and the other bots' memories that point. After all, Chica kept that thumb drive for a reason: She suspected someone in the PizzaPlex was messing with their memories."

"Yeah. Sounds like something Vanny or this manager... or both... would do," Cassie shrugged.

Gregory harrumphed, "So, anyways, we got in, had a good time... I didn't have any friends for my party either- not that that upsetted me. They lived too far away to come join me there, yunno? But, I was lonely that day too. Its why when you told me about your birthday, I understood." He focused on the ceiling, mulling over his own past, "And then, suddenly, my mom gets up and says, 'I have a phone call from work. I'll be right back!' She walks out, heading towards one of the bathrooms- She took so long, my dad had to go after her. He told me to stay put at the table with Freddy."

He turned to face her now, his expression grim. "That's the last time I saw them. I dunno what happened to them... I waited at that table for such a long time too. Freddy was hosting my birthday, and he noticed something was wrong. He told me he'll go find them, even though he had another birthday lined up. He went out of his way for me. He stayed with me for a bit, looked around while holding my hand... But he never found them-" Gregory frowned, "I wish I knew what happened. Freddy said security's checking the footage but no one ever saw anything. Freddy watched me for a while, but then-" He narrowed his eyes, "Another security officer took over for him; had to chase Freddy off from me. I was held a while- the authorities were called, and I was guided out of the PizzaPlex. I was put into foster services for a while after that."

And considering the animatronics get dreadfully attached to the child they spend too much around, maybe they deleted his memory for a reason?

He clenched her hand again, "So believe me, I get how you feel about your aunt. I was sheltered by another family for a bit, but I ran away... lived out in the streets for a while since I was mad about my parents vanishing, and I thought maybe, at some point, I'd return to the PizzaPlex to look for any trace of them once I felt brave enough. That took me a while to get the courage to do... cuz I was afraid of finding the answers, and wondering if my parents just straight left me or... something happened to them." His knuckles whitened, then relaxed tension, "Either way, I never found out: I returned to the PizzaPlex a couple of time beyond that one night and... that's when I met back up with Freddy again. He didn't remember me... and that hurt, but I'd later learn why-"

"Vanny..." Cassie muttered.

"That's my guess. I've been anxious about telling papa bear about it. He doesn't 'member still... he'd be SUPER distressed if I told him!" Gregory threw an arm over his head, "I wondered on and off about saying something to him throughout the time I've been living here. I haven't even told my therapist about this yet... I'm afraid of saying so but... I still dunno. I think I wanna tell Freddy first, then Vanessa. You think I should?"

Cassie nodded a little, her watery-eyed sheen still present but steadily drier than its been. "I think so! I wonder if Chica probably knows more?"

"She was around that day too- was one of the bots looking for my parents," Gregory said. "Its why she knows. Its probably why Vanny got my name after all."

Cassie hummed, then glanced away briefly. She said, "Thank you for telling me that. I'm surprised you didn't just... break out in tears about it-"

Gregory shrugged, "Guess I had some time to cope? And I'm happy here now, frankly. I miss my real parents sometimes and would like to see them again, but I'm still not sure if they just left or... something else. I don't think they left me... they spent the day with me, spent a fortune on me, and drove all that way. I never learned about it, and I kinda accepted it. A nasty part of me wonders if Vanny plays into their disappearance too... she was super focused on catching me and killing me that one night."

"Bonnie says she had a tendency to target specific kids that have the same names or faces as the original kids in the '80's. So its likely you look like one of them and she could've separated you from your parents during the day of your birthday. And she coulda gotten thwarted by something-"

Gregory shrugged, then narrowed his eyes, "It wouldn't shock me if Vanny killed them. There's no footage of them walking out of the PizzaPlex."

"What about the car you guys showed up in?"

"Towed... and no one came to claim it. Got repossessed. Looks like they never did walk out, huh?"

Cassie's expression was abjectly horrified, finally sitting up on one arm and looking at him like his casual tone was the most obscene thing; which in hindsight, kinda was. Gregory's calmness about it may have been slightly off-putting, but Cassie had the good graces to not pester him about it.

"Well, anyways-" Gregory broke off the subject, "If you don't have anymore questions, then I'd like to not talk about it anymore. If its all the same to you."

"No I- I get it. I'll drop it-" She mumbled. "I think the only question I have now is that if you really want to tell Freddy about this?"

"I think I might... I felt okay telling you, so... and its his memory too-" Gregory shrugged at her. "He was papa bear, even then. I'm just glad I have Freddy now. He won't replace my actual dad, but he's damn close." He pinched his fingers together, as if to demonstrate. "Freddy's good to me, and sometimes, it made me think of them... just a little."

"Is that why you hid in his stomach hatch that night? Cuz you felt safest with him?"

"Yuh. That wasn't random," He shrugged.

Cassie nodded, then sat up and pulled herself back all the way onto the bed. She scooched to the wall and rubbed at her cast.

Gregory eyed it and asked, "Does it hurt?"

"Nah. Pain meds fading a bit but it isn't really bad yet. Roxy left my meds right there-" She pointed to her beside table, "I just need a glass of water to take them with."

"I got it!" Gregory smiled. He got up and started to walk to her door. "Might as well see how lunch is coming along- Chica's making it look like Thanksgiving came early down there! She's making a LOT of food. Its a bit much..." He scratched his head.

"I bet she can't wait to eat on her own again... didn't the bots want fake stomachs?" Cassie smiled.

"Yuh-huh! Bonnie was looking that up-" Gregory smirked, "Guess what? Someone already invented the idea of this indoor composter thingy? Right? And if you put leftovers in it, it turns it into dirt! Or something like it? So Bonnie offered the idea to Vanessa and she said they can totally make it! She ordered one of those things online so she can dissemble it and learn how it works- and she plans on making the bots a fake gut based on the design. And she got an ice cream maker too! Real cheap, at that one rural store? Bonnie will be making us ice cream soon! He's made the list. Vanessa and Luis are gonna go into town and get the ingredients."

Cassie smiled and squirmed, "I can't wait for it. I miss that ice cream- my dad used to order it all the time."

"It'll be different having it from scratch though-" Gregory grinned. "I'm super excited about it. Anyways, I'm gonna get your water and check what's going on for dinner. When I come back in, you wanna migrate to my room? We can play a game or somethin'- I have a computer in there."

"A desktop?"

"Yuh!"

Cassie nodded, waving him off. "I'll hobble my way there. I'll grab my meds."

"You sure you don't need the help-?"

She waved him off again, "No biggie. Its only stairs I have an issue with!"

Gregory nodded and left the door open. He started heading downstairs; his nose leading him into the kitchen- Only to pause when he saw Bonnie near the hallway leading to the stairway. Had he heard those stories? Gregory wasn't sure and was about to ask- but the rabbit was brusquely making his way out to the garage.

What were the chances he knew?

"Man he freaks me out," Gregory muttered to himself. "He's so weird-"

He may have to tell Cassie that he could've heard her comment about her dad, and his own background. It wasn't on the latter topic in which it bothered him. Indeed, he didn't mind if someone overheard his background that much- less so than he thought. But, he DID wonder if those ears of his caught more than they should.

Perhaps they did, he wondered.

He shelved the topic briefly, deciding that so long as Bonnie wouldn't blurt it out (and he's already secretive by nature), then there'd be no real issue. After all, Bonnie was the LEAST likely to broach any sore topics out of all the bots. Its bad enough asking anything about himself and his background was like pulling teeth.

Gregory figured for the moment then, it's okay- maybe, it'd make even talking to him about Cassie's dad a bit easier.

VANESSA

Another week passed.

Cassie's been living here that long now; and the girl was noticeably more chipper and smiling a lot. Bonnie relaxed too, as she anticipated. He was still a bit withdrawn and a strange, but he's smiling far more readily and laughing boisterously again; as if something of his old personality was there. Vanessa couldn't deny that something was still clearly up with him, but she assumed its natural at this point. He hadn't had long to absorb the changes in their world after all; neither he nor the rest. They all needed more time than that.

As for the party, it'd take so long to set up because paychecks weren't easy to come by when Vanessa missed a few days worth of work. She got food now, party supplies, and Cassie some necessities. That's more important, and ALL bots emphasized clothes and amenities were foremost in her care. Vanessa naturally agreed. In the meantime, they've had big meals, music, and good laughs already. It was crowded here (especially since the bots individually were huge and all of them broke 7 feet in height minimum), but they made it work.

As for the bots sleeping arrangements, they didn't mind the floors or couches; or even some of the closets! Vanessa one evening found Eclipse in a closet and in pitch darkness. Why that was a thing with him, she didn't understand. He said he didn't mind the closet that much, but it COULDN'T be good for him to be so cramped in there! Moon came out when he did that- and Moon was... still his charming self sometimes. That side of him still gave Vanessa the creeps; not that she told him that. At least the personality was noticeably more balanced now, and she started seeing Sun again too at certain times of the day. Its easy to forget he had three bots in one body to balance out too.

It seemed Freddy didn't mind sleeping in the room with Gregory, as he used to. It didn't matter he had his body back; he merely plugged himself to the spare car charger they've brought along to the PizzaPlex in the first place (all the bots took turns using it) and drew up his legs while being plopped on the boy's floor. From there, he'd sleep. And when addressed the next day, Freddy said it really wasn't as bad as she kept thinking. Since they didn't have flesh and blood bodies, they didn't find the arrangements to be as uncomfortable as the organics would think.

Bonnie and Roxy naturally camped in Cassie's room. She LOVED it. It was crowded in there, but she truly didn't mind. Eclipse had his closet... and Chica gravitated towards the kitchen a lot, but then Vanessa offered her room too. Already, she and the hen hit it off and were practically having sleepovers. Chica did Vanessa's hair sometimes. As for Monty? He just... pancaked on the floor. He'd literally slept anywhere he felt like. He literally just didn't CARE. If he was in the way, who cares? They'd have to deal with it. He also got on the couches, but he tried not to accidentally tear them up when he did. Its why he usually tended to not use them. Vanessa was thankful for that much.

So yes, crowded. But the home felt just like that: Like HOME.

Luis visited every day to help. And every day he came here, he brought spare parts from the warehouse. He'd also help with the armature in the garage; running routines on it with M.X.E.S and getting the module up and running. Soon the bots can repair themselves with it and not have Vanessa maintenance them all the time. Well, she wasn't the only one doing it either; Cassie immediately took to repairing them like her dad used to. So the times Bonnie and Roxy were in her room, its likely she has them taking a shell piece off and checking their parts. She'd do this for everyone too; and she apparently knew what she was doing.

"My dad was tinkerer," She told Vanessa one night. "He used to have a 'man cave' where he just built stuff? It was always loud and smelled like oil. I'd float around in there and watch him work sometimes. He even taught me how to use the tools, like the fazwrench. It wasn't just something he showed me at work!"

So that explained her knowledge of the bots. But now, this evening, Vanessa had gotten back with Luis from another shopping trip. They brought home more parts, food, and a surprise for Chica-

Vanessa was grinning when she and Luis came in and were warmly greeted by both the hen and Freddy- who was... wearing an apron. It looks adorable on him, Vanessa intrusively thought. She temporarily shelved the idea of getting the bear a joke apron at some point and pulled out a heavy box, placing it on the kitchen island for Chica.

"A gift for Cassie or Gregory?" Freddy chirped as he stood idly by the oven. It smelled like he was making something bread-based, from what Vanessa and Luis can figure.

"Not quite," The woman winked, then she turned towards the hen. She pushed the nondescript box at Chica, then encouraged, "Its actually for HER. Figured she deserved something nice!"

Chica was flabbergasted. She kept pointing at the box, then herself, and repeated the motion constantly. Then, when she got a nod from Vanessa again, she grabbed it and actually took her time in opening it. It wasn't lost on Vanessa that the hen was so frustratingly gentle with the disassembly; and the bots weren't generally used to getting gifts in-turn yet. Well, that's gonna change, she thought.

There's no denying the invisible tears that wanted to form on Chica's shiny lavender optics when she peeked at her new gift: It's a new guitar; a really fancy, custom acoustic-electric hybrid. Vanessa only recently realized they made such a thing and put it down on credit. It had a C-shaped neck, and was 'concert'-sized. The term 'custom' came into play when Vanessa asked for it be larger than normal guitars since it was going into the hands of a bot. The guitar's body was a polished mauve that showed iridescent in the right lighting; and had blazing ivory-colored painted trails of curling shapes flowing along its neck and sides. The designs responded to blacklight; and would make for an interesting flare. The neck itself was spruce; and inlaid with some of the same curling vine shapes.

Chica cried. LOUDLY.

She was soon smashing Vanessa with hugs and nearly choked her to death. Then, she asked Freddy to take over cooking so she can try it out. Freddy nodded, and even gestured to the couch, "Go play in there. I wanna hear it as I work!"

Chica "EEEEEEEEEE'D" and rushed out. She took the speaker Luis had (he'd been keeping it out of sight until the hen got her gift first) and settled it in the main room. She comically punted Monty off the couch and sat right down and started tuning it. The gator went to comment but fell short when he laid eyes on the instrument.

"Shut. UP. NO WAY! It looks so BADASS-" He preened. He settled right there, watching the instrument hungrily. "Day-umm! Can I play after you?"

Chica frowned at him. "I'll think about it," had been her response. "You stop getting under my feet and I'll say yes."

Bonnie came down the stairs, as one would expect. He no doubt heard Chica squeal and was interested in seeing what got her so excited- only to pause and whistle appreciatively at her new toy. "DUUUUUDE-" He chirped, his grin so wide it could devour his face. "DUDE. DUDE. DUDE- Chica, you know I love you, right? And I know you love me..."

"Don't kiss up to me! You guys are gonna wait," She hissed. "In fact, I think I wanna let Freddy play it first!"

"No fair..."

"Dammit."

Freddy stared at her, "Wha- why?"

"Cuz, didn't you say you wanted to play more instruments?" She reminded him.

"I... yes, but I didn't expect this one!" He smiled. "I'll happily try it! You play first though. I gotta finish these yeast rolls!"

She started playing- and the sound was loud, crisp, and clear. It could be heard across the house; and Bonnie was heard sighing like he was having a good trip on some illegal substance. He leaned on the head rest of the couch, eyes shut and his ears slanting towards her all the while. Monty had settled on the floor and leaned against the couch itself, bobbing his head to an imaginary timer.

The music would be going on a while- and when dinner was served, Chica was still playing. Cassie and Gregory watched her go, no doubt enjoying their meal and the ambience. The boy eventually turned to Cassie and said, "Dang she's something else with that! I could get used to falling asleep like that too."

"Same," She smiled.

To put it mildly, Vanessa knew it was money well-worth spent when she'd fall asleep that night herself; listening to a rolling, stringed orchestra downstairs. And she can say to this day, it was the best sleep she's ever had. In fact, she hadn't even needed her sleeping pills that night. That $1,500 dollar instrument was worth it.

She can also say, she can stop using her sleeping pills from hence- so long as Chica plays.

ECLIPSE

The day of the party came- now almost a full 3 and half weeks after the fall of the PizzaPlex. Nearly a month!

Everyone was up early and making food for their trip out- a picnic was planned in a more remote area so they can be as loud as they want (Vanessa was worried about her neighbors some of the times as is, and this party was planned to be LOUD). Bonnie had Chica and Roxy join him for something; no doubt relevant to the song Cassie's dad asked for. Freddy cooked and prepped their baskets (effectively earning him the playful moniker 'Yogi bear' from Vanessa- seeing as Bonnie was 'Bugs Bunny reject'). Monty meanwhile stuffed the grill into one of the vans- he planned on using it while they were out. After a while, Bonnie would skulk inside, smiling widely, and start grabbing the ingredients so he can finally make that ice cream from scratch. He planned to make it once they got to their destination.

As for Luis and Vanessa, they helped Eclipse with prepping the vans as well as pulling some impromptu shopping. Eclipse didn't go inside, but he was content to see some of the town while they were riding. Eclipse had a small 'tour', of a sort; as he'd been curious about the location of the school too. Vanessa and Luis promised to be fast inside the store and would be out quick. And while they were at the mall, Vanessa was seen taking something out that wasn't food related-

She gave one of the bags to Eclipse, then winked at him. "Its for you," she said.

"You spoil us," he said to her, his voice warm.

"You guys spoil me. Now shut up and open it."

He did- and not unlike Chica, he had to fight the need to produce some unholy noise when he got some new clothes. They were just clothes but... they were probably the only things he's ever been given that wasn't a child's drawing or a random toy. And to be honest, he and his others sides have never been given something so generous and personal before. He could change his duds now if he wanted!

The clothes themselves were simple; casual summer wear styled like stars. He even got some nice starry sweat pants that was also strangely Tarot-card themed. There was words like 'Judgement' and 'The Chariot' in random places. He didn't know why, but its cool. And the shirts were similar! He wasn't going to lie- he could get into the Tarot-card theme. It helped they looked similar to the whole celestial gimmick he was known for.

He put them on right away; and seeing as he didn't overheat that easily, the clothes weren't unbearable to wear and won't insulate heat from his motor. They still had to be huge to fit even his narrow body, but they fit no less and he was, no pun intended... over the moon with them. He gushed about them to Vanessa, pulling lovingly at her throughout the whole rest of the ride.

"Open your other one-" She encouraged.

Oh wow. He got TWO GIFTS?

Like a child on Christmas, he ripped the bag open-

And low and behold, a BIG SKETCH BOOK. AND OH GODS- The best damn color set ever: It had crayons, pastels, and color pencils too!

"I woulda got the markers but they're kinda expensive," She waved off. "We can get them next time! You can even go into the art store with me."

"REALLY?" He gushed.

She smiled, her expression so bright that SUN literally came out just to scream at her face in sheer joy. She was hugged by him and Eclipse- with Luis laughing all the way.

When he got home, he rushed inside to show the others his new prizes. Chica preened and smiled, and Bonnie gave a thumb's up-

But Vanessa wasn't done there.

"I got you all something... whatever I can grab that fits. Been trying to find stuff that could cover those gnarly holes in some of you until Luis finishes grabbing all the new shell pieces from the warehouse," She said. She put her bags on the table, then returned to getting groceries out of the van so they can finish the picnic prep.

Bonnie fluttered his arms gaily; pulling out a new set of shades and already slapping them on his muzzle. They can't cover the huge hole in his face but he LOVED them anyways. They even had a wrap-around band that kept them fixed to his head. And he got not just one, but two sets. One was a casual set of circular framed blackouts (jazzy!), while the other was more or less like the designer star ones he used to wear.

Chica got some cute shirts and bibs- she was, after all, a Chica- and she liked those. Its likely a program that prompted that preference, but she didn't mind. She was tying them on and tittering excitedly about the ridiculously long, almost gown-like shirt she got too.

"I can get used to this," She said to the others. "OH. I had an idea! Hey Vanessa? Can I ask something... I dunno... I don't wanna step on any toes. Just want to pitch an idea."

The woman paused and nodded. "Go on. What?"

Chica fidgeted briefly; meanwhile, next to her, Roxy was GRINNING as the sick, badass leather jacket she just got. She was shoving it on already. Her ear twitched at the hen as she said, "I know its a weird request but... do you think we can try changing our shells for... something like the furs the older bots had? Something more... huggable. And maybe, we can make them? Together?"

Eclipse looked up. He can tell she was uncomfortable with asking due to the fact 1) Vanessa did enough. And 2) she was no doubt thinking about the time Vanessa sewed that Vanny costume.

It seemed that the second inspiration (thankfully) went over Vanessa's head. No doubt she was just pondering the older bots herself as she reciprocated, "We could try... but the fur stuff would hafta sit on a hard surface so its not caught on your skeletons as you move. Maybe we can keep your shells, and put something over them-? There's some things we can try..."

Freddy was adoring his new and larger hat (it was a new top hat with a string that can help keep it fixed to his head... seeing as it's an actual fabric piece and not something with a magnet)- when he looked up and smiled brightly, "Oh! I can imagine the hugs I can give with a full-body of fur! Though... I can see that I wouldn't wear it too much because it'd stain a lot. And I wouldn't want to ruin it..." He put a paw to his chin, "But I'd still like to have one, no less. And have the option to change my appearance once in a while. I remember that Glamrock Foxy had his own wardrobe and real furs too? It worked for him!"

"I KNOW! I was thinking that too-" Chica grinned. "I'd like to be fluffy! And do up my feathers like how Roxy does her hair? Heck, I'd like to actually have FEATHERS in general."

Roxy, speaking of said hair, had been fluffing hers as she sized herself up (the spare tail piece from the van had been changed to accommodate her head successfully). She glanced at Chica, then nodded to something, "I can see ourselves with a few furs and stuff... Maybe we can learn to sew or... something?"

"I can maybe teach ya'll... but its like, a separate craft," Vanessa folded her arms. Luis was passing a contemplative look next to her. "I know you guys will get the hang of it fast but its mostly trial and error. I'd have to have some means of getting a hold of the supplies I need..."

Luis stuck up a hand, "Maybe I can make a suggestion?"

The woman nodded.

"I'd like to, once again, draw your attention to the fact this warehouse has all kinds of spare bits around. Including different kinds of 'skins'. Fazbear Entertainment never used them because they wanted the Glamrocks to match the shiny, sleek gimmick of the late 70's and 80's. But originally, they planned on giving you guys furs that adhered to the shells? But, seeing as people could be maybe allergic to the material, or they get wrecked easy, they never did it. After all... some of it is latex. And frankly, latex isn't an uncommon allergy. BUT, they still have some of this stuff lying around and we can maybe salvage it? A lot of it was going to be repurposed for Foxy as it is."

He gestured to Freddy, "They wanted Freddy to be fuzzy and huggable. Its evident in the way his paws are... but, again, its just cheaper to go with metal shells after a point. The shells also doubled as protection for the Glamrocks expensive skeletons so, you can say that was a pragmatic and technical decision too?"

Freddy kept a paw to his chin as he measured this. Then, "Can we go sometime? To this warehouse... I'm curious about it."

Luis looked uncertain, "I'd say yes... but I worry about the security there. If they see you guys are functional on any cameras, it could lead to problems. No one's technically IN the warehouse anymore, and generally, its been shut down. I've been looking it over myself with a few coworkers, right? And they've been letting me at the warehouse since the Mega PizzaPlex shut down. They sometimes check the footage... to see what I've been taking. I've been using M.X.E.S to cover my trail."

The bots looked up, each looking guilty. "You've been going through a lot of trouble for us," Bonnie pointed out.

"Its okay! I don't mind helping. And frankly, no one's noticed nor will they bother- but I also don't wanna push my luck too far," Luis waved it off. "The CEO hasn't even bothered coming back. Its possible Fazbear Entertainment may just close it down and empty it out soon... seeing as the PizzaPlex is... well, nothing but a memory now. Even if they find some things missing they can attribute it to looters- which isn't an unusual case with them. They don't care! So long as they don't see YOU, then I don't think we have much to worry about."

The bots each spared glances, obviously still a little ill at ease. However, they put the topic aside for later discussion when Bonnie's ears flexed towards the stairs. The kids were likely getting up.

"I'll go check," Eclipse offered, smiling warmly as he passed the bunch.

He grabbed Cassie and help her down- the girl smiling and humming and it warmed his circuits to see it so. She was improving every day, it seemed. Gregory was rushing past them and excitedly babbling his approval of the bots' new stuff; touching Freddy's new hat and marveling at the fact Monty got some (very LARGE) new cargos. He'd taken off his shin chassis segments on his legs to fit them; but he didn't regret it. He was leering all the way.

"How does it fit the tail-?" Gregory was walking around him.

Monty turned to Vanessa, asking. To which she said, "There's a... part of the mall that fixes clothes? Its like a seamstress' shop bot mechanized? You can make emergency 'repairs' to your clothes while you're on the go. Luis and I just used it and that and made a tail-hole. No biggie."

"It wasn't expensive?" Monty drawled.

"Nope! Not as much as you think. Personally, I think those look nice on you," Vanessa smiled. "I wanted to get some more duds next time I get paid... but, seeing you guys with these makes me think about how we can approach clothing in the future. Couldn't hurt to retrofit and reshape a shell piece so that they're not so wide on the bottom and conform more comfortably to your skeleton without hindering movement. Would allow you to wear more clothes."

Bonnie sized up his shades in the mirror, then looked down at himself contemplatively. Luis hadn't been very successful in finding Glamrock Bonnie model pieces- but he had been finding more non descript 'male' chassis pieces for the torso. They simply needed sensors applied to them and to be painted. In Bonnie's case, he had a new 'Freddy' model upper body piece and it was painted to look his fur color; blue. So, not unlike Freddy, he's been taking a 'commando' look nowadays. He was blue from head to foot now. No more red pieces. He had a creamy belly as well; and his feet ended in the same creamy color on his toes. His head pieces however were unique; thus the hole he still had. Luis would need to find a way to secure him a new skull chassis down the line.

He hummed aloud at something, then, "Honestly... wouldn't mind fur. Could distract from the fact I'm wearing a... yeah. I think I'd like that. But something breathable too-?"

Vanessa sighed, smiling in understanding. They hadn't wanted to throw a Freddy shell with a new paint job at him, but covering that horrid hole in his breast plate had taken precedence since he could get more materials in his motor. It had been a pain to clean the rocks and debris out of his chest ever since they escaped the PizzaPlex. "I promise, big guy. We'll make something that isn't like... like you're robbing other bots of their pieces," she coaxed.

He passed her a pathetic look, but nodded.

Cassie grabbed his hand, rubbing gently at him in encouragement. "For what its worth? I think you look nice. The bow tie being painted red, like the old Bonnie, makes you look like the original but better!"

"You mean, I'm like a dashingly handsome version of the older one, right?"

"Don't let it go to your head, but yeah," She smirked.

Bonnie ruffled her bed-head.

After this, they finished getting everything thrown into the vans; the instruments, the food, the picnic blankets, and some party poppers, sparklers, and a couple presents for Cassie herself. Eclipse made sure to hide some of them until it was due time to hand them out.

Internally, he couldn't help it: but he couldn't be smiling more. Despite his new facial mask, he could still feel the sensation of a smile under it. He excitedly rapped his fingers and tangled them as they got ready to go. He pumped his fists, then started singing loudly and obnoxiously as soon as they started driving off. He's never been used as a party bot before... so to be a part of an actual party was exciting- let alone the fact he's doing this under the real sun! He couldn't have felt more complete.

Roxy had been strumming her keyboard along the way when she stopped to eye him. She narrowed her amber gaze, then said, "Hey. Can I ask something?"

"Technically, you just did. But go ahead!" He returned blithely.

She reached out, grabbing his long-boned fingers and dragging green claw tips across them (Luis had been good about getting her her default paws from the warehouse). "You uh, you consider playing an instrument? I'd think you'd be good at it... you got the hands of a musician."

Eclipse stared down at his over exaggerated appendages. He waggled them, then passed her an odd look. "You... you think so?"

Chica, who was sharing the vehicle with them smiled up. "That'd be a great idea! With fingers like those, you can easily play my guitar or Roxy's keyboard! You'd be a natural."

The skinnier bot felt bashful suddenly, pulling his hands free from the wolf and tugging at his wrists. "I... I never considered it. Well, would you actually let me try?"

The wolf nodded, her grin toothy. "Its like Chica said: You'd be a damn natural at it. Maybe you can try some stuff and see what you like? After this party's over, maybe I can teach you later?"

He lowered his head, giving a brief but hesitant nod. He'd never been shown so many kindnesses before in one day, so it was taking his breath away. "I'd love that. Yes, I'd like to try it," he affirmed.

Roxy punched him lightly on the shoulder, "We got a little time before we get to the park. Why not start now?"

He couldn't find a reason to say no, so he indulged her-

The gang would find out in that same ride that he was better at some of the instruments than they were- much to Roxy's vague chagrin.

...

The hill they came to was the same one Freddy visited that first day he and Gregory and Vanessa had been out of the PizzaPlex.

It had a clear, unbridled view of the valley below; and the time of day was perfect. The grill was pulled out of the van, and Monty got to work throwing the coals on and firing it up. Luis brought him the basket of meat and helped him with the set-up. Chica got the blanket laid out and put the baskets on it. She then fished out her guitar and started her exercises on it; humming to the beat in her head.

Eclipse helped Cassie move around; he thanked his lanky appearance and long fingers for their ability to assist handicapped children. He stayed near her too, never too far but he wouldn't try to impose if he can help it. At length, she and Gregory tried to play; with Gregory rolling down the hill a few times- worrying some of the bots but Vanessa waved them off. Cassie could only watch for now, but she'd join in less strenuous games if she could. Roxy was scampering up and down the hill like some excited pooch with Gregory- letting herself rough house and be apart of the games for once. She'd eventually return to Cassie's side and continue messing with her hair.

Freddy merely watched, content to simply do so. Bonnie played the antique bass next to him; propping himself up against the tree and mouthing words to himself. The bear turned to watch him, noticing his focus on the instrument and that contemplative frown on his face. "You're really focused on that song," he commented.

"Hafta. Her dad..." Bonnie sighed, then glanced helplessly up. "He was so bummed out that day. He asked me, and nervously at that, to sing this. He was so weirdly timid... he gave me this sheet of paper and asked me to sing this for her at her next birthday." He sighed, "But that day never came. The manager said 'no', I got decommissioned, and he..."

He trailed off, slumping sadly against the tree with this look. He even shut his eyes, one paw over the enormous hole in his skull, "God damn. I feel so terrible. And Cassie she-" He waved at her, "I know she misses him. She shouldn't hafta deal with that garbage, yunno? What's worse-" He watched the girl for a bit sitting with the wolf, leaned in to Freddy, and murmur, "I think Vanny killed him?"

Freddy nodded, his own expression leaning towards serious and rueful. He leaned in as well, "You figure?"

"Its possible it might've just been a work-place accident... not like I saw, despite the mop bots I used... but the fact I didn't makes me suspicious," Bonnie continued. "If it was an accident, you'd think anyone coulda seen it from security footage, right? But no... that injury happened in a remote place. Already suspicious within itself. Not to mention, a nasty, alien, and unspoken piece of me thinks Vanny coulda possibly done him in in said isolated place. I didn't wanna think she did at first cuz she tends to target certain individuals with a trend or pattern to her killings? Cassie's father, nor his girl, look NOTHING like any of the dead kids from the 80's. There's no point to killing him to get to her at the time-" Bonnie squinted, "If anything, I wonder if Vanny, even if she did kill 'em, if he found out something he shouldn't? Like I did..."

Freddy hummed, then focused on the grass beneath his claws. He didn't want to agree but, it seemed possible.

Bonnie meanwhile continued playing the instrument, then went on with, "Anyways. I got a sound figured. Just waiting for the chance to play at this point-"

"You going to say something about the er- the uh-" Freddy pointed at him, "The uh, thingy? The remnant in you."

"Not today. No. This is a special day," The rabbit pragmatically replied, "And I didn't want to say anything when we're still settling down. I don't wanna wait super long but... I also didn't wanna say anything too SOON. Cassie's got enough to worry about, doncha think?"

"But of course! I understand," Freddy nodded.

The bear knew because Bonnie had come clean about it to him. In the first week since they escaped, Bonnie reluctantly told him and his friends why he passed out, and what Vanny said in detail. Everyone present couldn't help but be horrified and bombarded the bunny with questions about how he felt. At least his estranged personality could be reasoned with- not that it's too reassuring. Freddy himself thought Bonnie felt far away. Not replaced completely but no doubt different enough to an extent. To think that Cassie's father was pretty much near them, even right now was scary to consider.

At length, the rabbit dropped the topic- and Freddy left it at that. He watched his friend play and sometimes swapped his gaze to Gregory. By now, the boy was covered in grass stains and dirt; and his grin couldn't have been brighter than the summer sun. He was laughing loudly like timid bells that'd forgotten to ring finding their song again. Cassie was playing on the keyboard with Roxy, while the others tended food detail. Eclipse was just sitting up in the tree, watching the horizon and... was he drawing?

He was! Freddy looked up and smiled as he saw a sketchbook in hand and some color pencils. He was carrying the pack around in his chest cavity; waiting for this moment to use them. Freddy called up, "You plan on drawing this whole thing?"

"I like a good pastoral scene," He crowed back down. "I wanted paints but they're messy! Not very portable. Will hafta come back with with a canvas and do this again."

"I'd love to see it," Freddy encouraged. "And the ocean too, at some point!"

"Oh, no doubt!"

Eventually, the food got done and was served. And while the bots wanted to join in, they didn't. No artificial gut yet. Still, it didn't stop Freddy from giving an experimental nibble to the all American-burger. He immediately learned he loved that more than pizza- which was saying something. He let Chica take a bite too- and the hen was wide-eyed from it.

"This is so much different than the crap at the PizzPlex... and BETTER," she said.

"That's cuz I has a real grill to work with," Monty leered. "I can cook 'em how I want now! Couldn't do it before at the Gator Grub."

Vanessa's eyes fluttered as she ate, "Now hold up: Let the Florida man do this thing. I'm also putting said Florida man in charge of all our grill-outs for now on. No questions asked."

Monty grinned and kept going.

They had their lunch, and the sun began to set. At length, the cake was doled out; apparently the bots had to have hidden it from Cassie when it was made (she's been in town with Vanessa while they baked it the prior day). While her birthday was still a bit more than a month away, they made it anyways. It was a carrot cake, the largest they could possibly bake in Vanessa's kitchen. When Cassie saw it, you can expect she cried a little; but not too much. She kept hiding her face some; with Vanessa patting the girl and encouraging her blow out the candles and make the first slice.

The happy birthday song before she cut into it was surprisingly short; but Cassie hadn't wanted a long one to begin with. No, she wanted to hear her dad's song- and that was next on the list. Beyond the presents she got from everyone (which was nice too!), she was looking forward to this song.

After Luis, Vanessa, Gregory and Cassie ate their fill of whatever they could (even Roxy and Bonnie nibbled on the cake a tiny bit- as they both couldn't resist), Vanessa waved at Bonnie to motion that he and Roxy should start. The two bots nodded, with the rabbit motioning to Chica about cueing up their sound support.

When the sun was even lower, that's when they took position. Roxy peered into his face and could tell he seemed... wow. Nervous for once? Truly?

"What's up with you?" She started.

He grimaced, "Just... don't wanna mess it up. This song's been more than a year comin' and... its like, this is precious memory for her-" He gestured to Cassie behind them, his tenor lowered to whispering level. "I really just don't wanna ruin her dad's song. I can't help but be nervous for him!"

She didn't say it aloud, but maybe he literally was? She blinked, hummed, and elbowed him, "No matter what, I promise she'll love it. Don't matter if you slightly mess it up- she won't notice it. And even if you did, it makes the song a bit more... I dunno, humble. More from the heart? Not every song we sing has to be loud and perfect..."

Bonnie gasped.

"What?" She hissed, knowing this lead into him goading her.

She was right: "Who are you and what have you done with Roxy? I mean COME ON- you, of all people, saying it doesn't have to be perfect-" Bonnie snirked at her then.

She snapped her jaws at him, but the motion was half hearted. "Just shut up and sing the damn thing!" Nope, she was NOT taking the bait today.

Bonnie plucked contemplatively at the strings, tuned for the millionth time (he's had to get a string replaced not too long ago doing this), and arrested his maroon gaze onto the girl. He took off his shades too, put them into his new stomach hatch, and sighed. He's never had stage fright before- ever. But this was... he couldn't deny that this is what it was.

Was Cassie's father really the one that's nervous here? Bonnie himself was a confident, proud player by nature- so one can only assume.

With this said, he waited until everyone was seated; flicking his eyes around at all faces present. He definitely felt something like stage fright- that was so alien it properly caught him off-guard. He emulated the motion of swallowing; jerking when Chica poked him in the bare back with her guitar's head.

He nodded rapidly at her, inhaled, and counted to ten. He opened up the song with the solo from his bass; the keyboard and Chica's guitar would come in a couple stanzas in:

"Living in a world where we can die during our dreaming-

And everything worth keeping~

Keeps slipping away...

When winter refuses death-

To give the gracious spring her first breath~

.

The endless cold continues creeping-

Its stubborn bite keeps reaping~

The endless night doesn't give way to longer days-

The crowning wreath of warming sun rays~

A dazed shimmer, a faint and hopeless glimmer.

.

Never did I see, the dark world around me~

My failing eyes arrests on heaven's lofty seats~

Its celestial majesty always alive with an eternal heat~

I bent my head in prayer-

And the stars do declare~"

It was here his comrades picked up. Bonnie took a long breath; a little longer than he intended by a single tick. No one noticed the pause however; unless you're a bot whose actually actively counting the tics. Freddy noticed his bated breath, but he didn't change his expression or say anything. He waved at the rabbit subtly from behind the humans' backs.

The rabbit went on:

"-'Let there be love and let there be light-

Let them always shine bright~'

Protect this dove, and let her take flight-

She'll lift you high above, and she'll make the world alright.

She shall be your destiny-

And so it shall be.'

.

And suddenly, you come into this world and capture-

All of my errant wonder and its fleeting rapture~

You became my wings!

You showed me light and wonderous things.

We danced upon Saturn's rings!

We became the envy of heavens and its kings~"

Bonnie blinked when he observed Cassie's tears; which she quickly wiped as he went on:

"-'Let there be love and let there be light-

Let them always shine bright~'

Protect this dove, and let her take flight-

She'll lift you high above, and she'll make the world alright.'

So the stars once said-

But then they grew to envy and tried to rend-

Those beauteous wings and ne'er again shall they mend!

.

'Love of my mine,' I say, 'I shall protect thine-

And here upon this world you'll shine~

I may not be able to stay for long-

No more and no longer than this song.

You're my beating heart and anchor of my soul~

Even when they come to lay me cold and I fulfill my role~

Greatest love of mine-

You shall be fine~'

.

From the lonely, gray sky, when it comes to say goodbye-

I shall gain wings of my own and fly.

I'll become one of the celestial kings-

And I'll become the wind in your wings.

And its from heaven's own throne I'll say~

'Thus it shall and always be this way:

.

-Let there be love and let there be light-

Let them always shine bright~'

Protect this dove, let her take flight-

She'll lift you high above, and she'll make the world alright.

As she's done for me.

She's no longer destiny-

And so it shall be.

.

For she is all the love in my world~

It is my own wings she's unfurled.

She's taught me to fly~

To become the envy of the sky.

One day, I shall give her the wings she's given me.

And so it shall be.

.

For it was she who taught me to breathe-

And forget how to grieve.

.

It will be the world I leave behind

And it is in death I'll shall be defined.

I've fought the perfect storm-

And from it I was reborn.

And its from heaven's own throne I'll say~

'So it shall be:

.

-Let there be love and let there be light-

Let them always shine bright~'

Protect this dove, let her take flight-

She'll lift you high above, and she'll make the world alright.

As she's done for me-

She'll be this world's destiny~

And so it shall beee~"

The song tapered off with the bass's own long, lonesome, thrumming note; Chica and Roxy had long since left that last bit to Bonnie. It was unusual- he hadn't rehearsed that with them. He couldn't help but very discreetly glance at them for the change in plans-

And he found their own expressions as close to broken-hearted as a bot could possibly be.

It wasn't just Chica and Roxy; but now pretty much the majority- heck everyone was teary-eyed. Even Gregory, as weirdly stoic as he could be, was sniffling. There wasn't anyone present who seemed unaffected by the song.

Bonnie gasped once, the motion swift and undiscernable to most. He turned back to look at Cassie now, a little afraid of what he'd find there-

The girl was crying her eyes out and just could not stop. He expected it, but the sight still always bothers him. She was furiously wiping her face with her sleeves and hiccupping like she couldn't breathe. In fact, the constant hitch of her breath was about strangled in quality. Her mocha skin was ruddy-patched as well; like she's been wiping her face several times during the song (which was more than likely).

Bonnie flapped his jaw helplessly, feeling strangely terrible for singing it. It wasn't that he was worried it wouldn't be well-received, but its the opposite. When Cassie's father showed him this sheet of paper, even he'd been moved to metaphorical tears. Apparently they've all loved it too- but Cassie's reaction still troubled him. He'd had difficulty mustering the nerve to sing this for her now for a plethora of reasons; one of which involving the idea of making her cry so much.

The rabbit performed the musician's taboo by placing his bass right on the ground without care; striding over to her in a few quaking steps and stopping to her level to help assuage the tears-

Cassie leapt on him despite the splint on her leg; didn't care that it could (and likely) hurt. She literally jumped him as soon as he got close; sobbing uncontrollably all over his new baby-blue breast plate. Her arms found his new neck piece too; strangling the rabbit with the amount of force that the song no doubt left on her throat. Bonnie returned the embrace; going all the way to his knees and pulling the girl fully into himself. His bulk absolutely eclipsed her own; ears flopping limply above his head.

He held her like that for some uncounted amount of time, even he couldn't keep track. Nobody jumped in on it- its as if they knew to leave the embrace at that; just she and him. It was even painful staying in the position he was in, as the bots bodies didn't have a level of flexibility to their joints as some would think. Still he remained, and its there he'll stay.

He only moved when she did. She eventually found the courage to pull away and look him somewhat in the face. He noticed Cassie's been odd about eye contact some of the time ever since he overheard her and Gregory talk- and its apparent now. But, she did look up here-

-And she was reaching for the bloody runnel that had come from his right optic so to wipe it away.

He hadn't noticed it. The fact he missed it was weird and slightly embarrassing enough. He winced as if struck; the girl jerking when he did. He hadn't meant to spook her, but now he was the one finding eye contact difficult.

After she finished wiping it away with her tear-stained sleeve, she mumbled but two tiny words. And it was in these words, Bonnie could swear he can almost hear a heartbeat in his ears:

"I know."

His compressor stopped working. When did that happen?

She hiccupped again, then her forehead bumped his breast plate again. Bonnie distractedly wished for a fluffy chest instead; knowing that the metal wasn't all that pleasant to lean on. He'd have to ask Vanessa for a fur suit again- not like Vanny's, but something close. Maybe something like the original Bonnie's.

Still, his hand found her back and rubbed. He said nothing, simply blinking as if numb. He wasn't really; but he was having trouble focusing now. His compressor didn't want to work properly again.

At length, Gregory scooted over next. He settled next to Cassie, grabbing her hand and squeezing timidly. The girl squeezed back, her smile tiny and fragile but certain. She passed him and the lapine bot another look, then said, "I'll be okay. I will."

Gregory nodded, "I know. You're awesome like that."

"So are you."

He squeezed again.

She finished wiping the tears, then smiled a bit more brightly into Bonnie's face. "You should... maybe wipe that up. It keeps... kinda... its still running...?"

"...What."

He wiped; and yup, it was still running- just from his right optic, thankfully. He hissed, then took Vanessa's picnic blanket and dabbed. "Sorry," he told her as he did. "I'll wash it out... I know its gross... don't even know where its coming from or how it freakin' happens."

"Don't sweat it," she shrugged.

Cassie tilted her head cutely, "Will you be okay?"

He couldn't believe it. SHE was the one asking? Dude, HE was supposed to be the one to ask!

"M'fine. Just... a little grossed out," He winked his optic repeatedly; baring his teeth in a grimace. He dabbed until it stopped less than half a minute later. Thank the gods! Its weird enough that everyone was watching. Wasn't this supposed to be a secret?

Oh well. So much for secrets. Secrets were over-rated nowadays anyways, right?

He inhaled through his teeth and shrugged, "I'll be fine. Nuthin' to it. This is like- I think, I think I'd hafta be feeling huge amounts of emotions in order for that to happen. The last time that happened was when we were singing for the other children at the PizzaPlex... the tangle?" He touched his jaw in a contemplative manner, "Granted, we were singing for dead kids. Good enough reason to cry right there."

"I'm sure they loved the song- whatever it was," Cassie noted. She frowned next. "I don't think WE heard it though?"

Bonnie snirked lightly, and gestured to Freddy. His timber was throaty and low as he murmured, "Him and Chica sang it. It's just as heart breaking, but in a good way. I'd like to think they carried that with them when they finally died for the last time. After all, they came out of a fire ball to drag Vanny down to hell. I think they wanted to help me."

"You reckon?"

"Yeah. They're good kids, when they remember they were kids and not some giant Frankenstein monster." He flicked his head at the bass, "The original Bonnie himself gave me that; willingly passed it into my hands. Jeremy, was his real name. Guess there's a metaphor in there too?"

She bobbed a shoulder, then glanced at his face again. "So... can I ask if its like, you in there, or..."

"I'm me. Just... a little more empathetic," he assured. "Your dad gets stage fright. I don't! That's kinda how I know the difference: I can feel the moments I'm not quite me-" he leaned in, "And believe me, I'm still me. And its a better version of me. Just sprinkle in bits of your dad into it."

Cassie nodded again, resituating herself on the now ruffled blanket. Around her, the others settled closer and touched her and Bonnie's respective backs. Roxy couldn't decide who to butt her head with; so she did Bonnie's jaw first and then glued herself to Cassie. Chica was hugging both of them from behind now. Bonnie meanwhile was getting heavily leaned on a HEAVY 470-ish pound bear and Monty was ruffling his 'do'.

"You guys are just too much," he tossed lazily. "And Monty, paws off my sexy hair. Its all I got!"

"Ain't much to ruffle, blue-boy."

"All the more to save it. Now shove a sock in that monstrous mouth of yours and claws where they should be."

"Make me."

"Want me to ruffle your new 'do'? I'll shave it, for that matter."

"You ain't got the bullocks."

Bonnie sneered at him, "Oh that is hilarious. A gator, telling a RABBIT, the symbol of fertility and what-not, he has no bullocks?" He laughed uproariously. "Watch it, you giant, over-grown, expensive and glorified woman's designer hand-bag! Don't think I won't."

He only grinned in reply, as if daring him. Freddy merely chortled between them, then yanked Monty down for the hug. Both the gator and rabbit grunted as he said, "I love you both. I love all of you! And I'm going to be telling you all that for the rest of my functional days."

"You're so damn sugary yer rottin' my teeth out," Monty bit.

Freddy grinned, his tone playfully menacing as he retorted, "Get used to it."

After that, the group simply settled in and silently observed as the vespertine hour descend upon them; and no one individual sat alone. Hands were held here and there, and leaning was apparent too. They all just sat there and watched as one giant star fell, just to give birth to a million more across the empyrean bloom of dark blue.

Freddy was absently petting that one sweet spot nearer to the base of Bonnie's ear; the one that damn near had the rabbit humming with delight. Vanessa was sharing a now cold burger with Luis; not that neither cared. Cassie and Gregory were lying on their backs, smiling and hands intertwined. Roxy was holding Cassie's other hand on the opposing side. Monty was lying on his back nearby as well- Chica hugging her legs beside him. Eclipse was on top of the vans, looking a lot like he wanted to reach up into the newborn stelliferous sea just to pluck a star from it's cradlebed. It's hard to tell whose personality was there sometimes; as his head kept flipping around and removing the sun rays. Possibly Moon, coming out to absorb the beautiful sight too.

Cassie eventually got up, scooting over to Bonnie who was getting that ear rub for the last little while. She leaned heavily against him, and one of his arms found their way around her.

"You'll never be alone again," he crooned. "I mean it- The both of us mean it. We promise."

She inhaled sharply, but nodded. "And you won't be either. I won't let you be alone anymore. No one deserved to be alone for as long as you were."

Bonnie lowered his head as much he could, bumping her forehead lightly with his nose. "I know," he murmured. "I have nothing to fear. Not anymore."

"Nor do I."

One tiny hand found his chest and balled up on it. His other free paw found that as well, and closed around it.

Everything was well-

And that was and will be an absolute.