Author's Note: Hey, reader! This fic is a combination of Sister Location and Security Breach. It relies more heavily on Sister Location, and it's just...it's perfection, I loved writing this fic. Was it shamelessly to please myself? Why, yes. Yes, it was. And somehow it got more interaction on AO3 than anything I've posted so far. I hope you guys like it just as much! This started off as a simple idea and a fic that originally wasn't intended to surpass five chapters, yet it's become a big AU with an entire series now. And I love it!

But, anyways, for more info on the story itself, this an au where Gregory exists back in the beginnings of FNAF (more-or-less, anyway.) Expect strong hints of Count the Ways, near the beginning especially, and some awesome interactions between my two best boys. I love Gregory and Michael's characters too much...but I'll stop blabbering now. Reviews are always appreciated. Thanks for reading!

Gregory awoke to the sound of whirring machinery and the tight constriction of metal around him. It took him a while to properly comprehend his surroundings, and the moment he did, he seized up. Wires; thick metal tubes. Everywhere. He sat inside something, something rather small, but large enough to hold him without any difficulty. He pressed his hands against the rounded sides of the object in an attempt to steady himself. He had to think clearly, and the moment he did, he remembered what happened.

Oh crap. He covered his mouth. I'm such an idiot! He had been caught, caught sneaking into some random kid's outdoor party in search of food. He simply couldn't let that happen. In trying to hide from any prying adults who could turn him in, he had found one of the animatronics that were rented out for the party—Funtime Freddy. When the animatronic opened his stomach hatch as an invitation to hide, Gregory had taken it without question. At the time, he thought it kind of the animatronic, and he appeared to be the least eerie of Circus Baby's crew. However, once the child became sure he was safe and could leave, Freddy refused to let him. No matter how much he yelled and moved around, the animatronic refused. Eventually, Gregory had simply dozed off, after yelling at Freddy and banging on the walls for who knew how long.

Now where was he?

He saw only darkness, with the occasional burst of light gleaming through the tiny gap in Funtime Freddy's shell. This was barely seen past the machinery around him. He gulped hard, wrapping his arms around his legs tightly. How am I supposed to get out of this? he thought. Where am I? Why has nobody noticed I'm here? Surely, the animatronics were checked up on, right? Someone had to have noticed he was trapped inside Freddy. Gregory found it rather ironic that now he wished to be found by an adult; that had been the very reason he ended up in this position in the first place.

"Hey, Bon-Bon!" Freddy's voice echoed through the area, booming in Gregory's ears and causing him to cry out in surprise. "I think our little friend has finally woken up!"

Swallowing, Gregory took a moment to find his voice. "Will you shut up?"

A glitchy laugh emanated from Freddy. "I-I think we caught a fei-feisty one!"

"Just…just shut up!" Gregory gripped his head. "Let me out!"

"Asking to leave again?" said Funtime Freddy. "That's a shame. I thought w-we were getting along so well!"

"Oh yeah?" Gregory said. "You think kidnapping me makes me your friend? You're sick! Just…just let me out, all I needed was a place to hide."

"Yo-you're still hidden!"

"I don't need to be, let me out!"

"Now where's the fun in that?"

"What is wrong with you?"

Funtime Freddy let out another string of laughter.

Gregory covered his ears and curled up tighter. Again, he wanted to yell and scream at the horrid animatronic that had tricked him into this. The urge burned and grew in his gut, but not a spiteful word reached his throat while he sat there and listened to Freddy ramble on, "I think we've got ourselves a funny one, Bon-Bon! What should we do with him?" Freddy's innards creaked as he shifted his position, jolting Gregory a bit. "I have some fun ideas. But which one, which one? Oh! I kn-know! We'll let our little friend decide!"

Gregory grinded his teeth. "If I decide on one of your dumb ideas, will you let me go?"

"Of course!" Freddy said. "It's been a while since Bon-Bon and I had a proper playmate!"

"But you were just at a party," Gregory said. "What do you mean?"

Funtime Freddy laughed, this one lower, distorted. "Not that type of playmate, silly."

Gregory couldn't help but shudder. Something about that chuckle and his voice wasn't right; it held a sinister layer to it. "What type then?" he asked.

"Would you l-like to hear my ideas?" Freddy asked, completely ignoring Gregory's question.

The boy frowned and shifted his position. The metal around him was beginning to make this quite uncomfortable. Though he somewhat worried over Funtime Freddy's apparent "ideas" for having fun, if it was the only way to get out of here, then he would take it. Clearly, something wasn't right about this animatronic. He had to get out, one way or another. So, what other choices did he have? None, it seemed. He saw nothing around him that could possibly open up the hatch he sat in. Being completely trapped, it seemed he only had one option—playing along with whatever strange plans Funtime Freddy had.

"Yeah," Gregory said. "What are they?"

"Oh, you'll love them!" Freddy's voice grew with excitement. "Isn't that right, Bon-Bon?" No response. "Re-remember to choose carefully, birthday boy! Because all games are final!"

"Okay, okay. Just tell me already!"

"Game number one: Hide and Seek."

"Wait, so I could leave for that game?" Gregory perked up.

"For most of the games, y-yes! But br-break the rules—" his voice glitched even more and grew lower for a split second— "and you die."

Gregory seized up. "I…I...what?"

"Game number two!" Freddy went on, once again brushing aside Gregory's words. "Tag! We're the best at it! Aren't we, Bon-Bon? It's so fun to catch our playmates! It's a shame most of them don't move again afterwards, huh?"

Gregory found himself beginning to tremble. This has gotta be a joke, he thought. It has to be!

"Next is I Spy with My Little Eye!" said Funtime Freddy. "It-it's more like Hide and Seek, but what happens is Bon-Bon runs off and hides. I-I say I sp-spy with my little eye, then I open my hatch and you stay put, a-and look around for him! If you don't find him in time, he gets you!"

"G…gets me?" Gregory said, his voice hardly above a whisper.

"Ne-next is Follow the Leader!" Freddy's voice boomed through the area, impossibly loud to Gregory's ringing ears. "You follow Bon-Bon and me through Ballora Gallery. Ballora loves new visitors, I bet she'll chase you. Wha-what a fun addition to the game!"

Gregory gripped fistfuls of his messy locks as he curled farther into himself. Every inch of him seemed to scream, shout that this couldn't be happening, this wasn't real. But it was, it was.

"Red Light Green Light is always fun! You're the runner, of course. If I catch you moving—" he gave another string of glitched guffaws— "w-well let's just say game over is a bit more final!"

No. The thought just barely reached Gregory's muddled mind. No, no, no. What's going on?

"The next game is also fun!" Freddy said. "You know that game where everyone stands in a tight circle, and then someone throws something in the air? Whoever moves first as it comes down lo-loses!"

Gregory gulped hard. His throat tightened and his stomach churned. As he tried to even out his breath, he just barely found his voice. "What are you going to throw in the air?"

"Probably Bon-Bon." Freddy giggled a bit. "Or-or that fun sharp object I found the other day!"

Gregory exhaled slowly, trying to grasp his surroundings. "Are…are those the only options?"

"They are! And n-no cheating, or it's instant game over."

Gregory clamped his eyes shut against the headache beginning to pulse in his skull, half from Freddy's deafening voice, and half from his state of terror and confusion. How had things led to this? Why did an animatronic want to murder him? All these games sounded harmless on the surface, simply activities children often did together—something that Gregory had missed out on, after a certain age. But the way Funtime Freddy spoke, constantly mentioning eerie additions or wording things in a way that stated the obvious: all games ended in death if he lost. They were a way to earn freedom, if Gregory succeeded, but he didn't know what to expect. How intense were these games? Which one could he win easily? Was this animatronic even telling the truth when he said Gregory would be released, should he win? Cheating also resulted in death; Freddy had practically said it, so he couldn't just cheat his way into a win.

What do I do? Gregory scrambled for an answer, a game he could win easily. Some did sound easier than others. They were simply children's games, right? They couldn't be that difficult. And yet, he couldn't quite choose one, especially in the sea of panicked thoughts that streaked through his mind.

"I'm ge-getting impatient, birthday boy!" Freddy exclaimed, startling Gregory. "Decide quickly, or Bon-Bon's gonna choose for you!"

"Well, I…I-I—" Gregory fumbled over his words. What could he possibly say?

"Choose." Freddy's voice distorted and glitched. Gregory ground his teeth together, hugging himself tighter as his quivering increased. He was tough; he could get out of this. All he had to do was win a simple game. So pick one, you idiot! he silently scolded himself. Then you can leave, and never go near an animatronic ever again.

"I said choose!" Freddy's words boomed out. Gregory flinched as a slight light entered the dark, constricted area. When he lifted his gaze, he nearly screamed. Up through the thick wires and mechanical joints, he spotted the inside of what he assumed was Funtime Freddy's head. His eyes had rolled around to the inside and now stared down at him, boring into his very soul. They flickered and twitched as they examined the huddled child within the stomach hatch. Gregory felt locked in place by the threatening, inhuman gaze as Freddy hissed, "Make your choice."

~Two years earlier: 1991~

Gregory trudged down the sidewalk, hugging his stomach. It ached terribly with the need for food. Why was it always so hard to get that? Sneaking into restaurants felt too bold, too dangerous. He couldn't be caught and sent back. No, that was something he never wanted. But every other way of getting food hardly ever worked, and such opportunities rarely presented themselves. Two weeks on his own, and already he seemed to be failing. What else could you expect from an eight-year-old? Well, he certainly expected more of himself. He was a tough kid. Any child who was consistently shunned and neglected in various foster homes would be. So…why couldn't he handle this?

With a whimper, Gregory sank onto a nearby bench. His eyes flicked around the quant park, running over the many objects around him—lampposts, benches, trees, flowers; ponds. His gaze stilled on a playground, amongst a bundle of weeping willow trees. A sense of longing swelled in his chest as he watched children dart around, chasing each other and laughing together.

"Tag!" one cried. "You're it!"

"No way!" The other laughed hysterically and chased after the other as he dashed away. Gregory sighed heavily and glanced off to the side. Even when he hadn't been on his own, he didn't have friends. Everyone thought him too strange. Just that rude, odd kid that no one cared about. But he could do this. Rising to his feet, he exited the park. Obviously, there was no food there. Didn't know why he went there in the first place.

Putting his hands in his pockets, he traveled along the many sidewalks of the town. He searched for an opportunity to get food, shelter even. So far, he saw nothing. Though the thought of dining and dashing gave him a considerable amount of worry, at this point, it was unavoidable.

"Where could I go, though?" he said to himself. He came to a halt at a street corner and examined the world around him. He saw a gas station, a plaza with a few minor stores, and beside them a restaurant. A pizzeria, to be precise, but not the usual ones he often saw. Tilting his head, Gregory left the street corner and crossed the parking lot to the pizzeria. "Freddy Fazbear's Pizza?" he read off the sign. He stopped in front of the entrance. Through the glass doors, past the front room, he could see just a hint of a brightly colored area, with kids eating at tables and rushing around. "Oh, it's this place," he said. "That Chuck E. Cheese rip-off, right?" A restaurant meant specifically for kids. He could get lost in the bunch, couldn't he? It was the perfect opportunity.

That is, if he could get past the front counter.

Just as he started to think this over, a large van pulled up in a space near him. Stifling a gasp, he ducked behind a nearby bush and watched over the branches as a whole group of children piled out. "Wait, a group?" Gregory whispered. "Perfect!" He waited till the throng of visitors passed his hiding spot, then moving swiftly, he ducked over and merged with them. No one seemed to notice him when they passed in, led by two incredibly tired-looking adults. They stopped at the front counter, where an employee greeted them. Just as one of the adults turned to count heads, Gregory slipped out of the group and down the nearest hall, all the way into the main area. He did it with a surprising amount of ease.

He stopped in the dining room, grinning a bit. Sure, the place looked, well…dingy, but cool all the same. Filled with decorations, tables, a ball pit, and plenty of arcade machines, the restaurant was every child's dream, complete with animatronic entertainment. Gregory watched the main cast perform for about a minute, before deeming the show boring and setting out for his real purpose: Food. The place was packed with it, guests constantly being served and eating around the area. Rations seemed to be pizza, mostly. Gregory wasn't complaining, though. Who didn't like pizza?

He settled at a table packed with random children. Silently hoping no one noticed him, he snagged a nearby piece and bit into it. It wasn't the best tasting pizza ever, but to Gregory, it was nearly heavenly. He savored each bite, enjoying the grease and cheese. He ate three whole pieces, but when he reached for a fourth, the boy beside him elbowed him in the ribs.

"Quit it, tiny!" he cried. "Who are you anyway?"

Gregory bristled, angry words on the tip of his tongue. He managed to swallow them back. If this boy recognized him as a stranger, it was about time to switch tables. With a glare in the boy's direction, he got to his feet. "One of my friends was at this table. I don't see him here anymore, so I guess I'll just move." He didn't let the child reply, moving farther into the dining area. As he fled the boy's sight, Gregory exhaled slowly. His stomach felt considerably full, but he figured it would be best to grab some more food on his way out. Plus, a drink would be beyond nice. His throat practically begged for it.

While he stood off to the side, separate and partly hidden from the children playing around him, he examined the tables and pondered the best option to take. Blend into another table, or perhaps sneak around and swipe anything he could? Either could work.

His thoughts cut off at the sound of footsteps approaching from behind. Stiffening, he spun around and looked up. An animatronic stood behind him, or it at least looked like one. Upon closer inspection, it did not seem to have any clear mechanical parts peeking between its casing, like the three on the stage. Instead, Gregory saw cloth. A person in a suit perhaps?

"Sorry, kiddo." The yellow bunny lifted his hands. "Didn't mean to scare you."

"Uh…it's fine, I guess." Gregory fell backwards a step, the urge to flee tugging him back. "Why…why aren't you performing with the others?"

"That's a good question!" The bunny lowered his hands. "Performing isn't exactly my talent. I have terrible stage fright! Don't think the kids want to see a puking rabbit on stage, huh?" He chuckled, shaking his head.

Gregory gave the smallest of giggles. "That'd be disgusting." He tilted his head, flicking his eyes over the apparent animatronic. "Who are you exactly?"

"Well, I used to go by Bonnie, but the other bunny sort of claimed that title." The bunny gestured to the stage with a jerk of his thumb. "So I go by Spring Bonnie! What's your name?"

He hesitated. "I'm…Gregory."

"What a nice name! Where are your parents?"

"Um, they're around."

"I see." Spring Bonnie tipped his head to the side. "Where exactly? It's a bit dangerous for a child to be roaming around unattended." Gregory inwardly sighed. Was this how he got caught? By some guy in a rabbit costume? Sure, he seemed nice, but even kind people were Gregory's enemy. He couldn't be caught, couldn't risk being sent back to his old foster home or a new one that was just as terrible. Turning back to the crowd, Gregory examined it for a set of parents, anything to get the bunny off his case. Maybe if he told this performer some random adults were his guardians, he would leave Gregory alone and he could go on with finding food and getting out of there. Too many people had taken notice of him.

"Over there." Gregory pointed at two parents, who were currently talking to a little girl.

"Ah." Spring Bonnie nodded. He fell silent for a moment, his eyes gaze flicking to the side, then back to Gregory. "You know, I couldn't help but notice you getting chased away from your table." He gestured to where Gregory had previously been seated. "That was incredibly rude. I could get you some food if you like!"

Gregory paused, blinking repeatedly. "You…could?" He shook his head. "No, it's fine. I can just…" He trailed off, silently considering the situation.

"Fazbear's employees don't exactly like children sneaking in," Spring Bonnie went on, startling Gregory and drawing his eyes to his. He was surprised to see kind grey eyes gazing back at him; they did not hold any suspicion or anger, like Gregory had expected. "But you look like you need it. I can help you, alright?"

He knows I snuck in? Gregory's fists clenched at his sides. But...he's offering to help me?

His shoulders relaxed and slowly his hands un-fisted. He wasn't sure what it was—the unthreatening bunny suit, the smooth friendly voice, or that assuring gaze, but there was something comforting and trustworthy about this performer. Gregory felt himself caving. "So you're going to give me food?"

"Yes, I can even pack it up for you, if you like," Spring Bonnie said. "They keep extra in the backroom. If you come with me, I can give you it and sneak you out through the back. No one will notice." He gave a thumbs up, an action that almost made Gregory giggle, for it was funny to see an animatronic-like rabbit do such a thing. Still though, there was something a bit odd about this. Not to mention, unbelievable.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked, lowering his voice. "Nobody ever wants to help me."

Spring Bonnie paused, then gently laid a hand on Gregory's shoulder. "I want to help everybody, you included." He shook his head in dismay. "I can't stand to see a child hurting. You can come by here whenever you need help, alright? And that starts right now." Gregory blinked repeatedly. An adult being sincere? Actually offering to help him? But he was Gregory, the kid nobody wanted nor cared about, now homeless and in an even worse condition than before. Who would ever want to help him? Yet here was this random performer, speaking to him gently and caringly, and offering him something he so desperately desired and needed. It was almost too good to be true.

Spring Bonnie withdrew his hand, his eyes flicking around the area just a bit nervously. "Better hurry it up, kiddo. People may discover you soon." His gaze returned to Gregory's, growing warmer again. "Make your choice."

"Make my choice?" Gregory said.

Make your choice…

Gregory shuddered at the memory, still unable to look away from those threatening, mechanical eyeballs. Exhaling, he uncurled and weighed his options. He had survived that situation and many others, horrid ones no child should ever have to face. True, none of them were exactly like this, but he hadn't spent two years surviving on the streets only to be killed in such a bizarre and bewildering situation. He could do this.

He had to.

"I…" he said. "I choose—" He broke off at the sound of a door slamming shut, filling the room with a deafening bang. Immediately, Freddy's eyes rolled back out of sight.

A new voice entered the area, one Gregory hadn't heard before. "You may now interface with the breaker control box. Using the interface may disrupt nearby electronics. If you feel that you are in danger, feel free to disconnect the interface temporarily, until it is safe to reconnect." Gregory frowned deeply. What's going on?

"Hey, Bon-Bon," Freddy said, his loud voice lowering to something akin to a whisper. "Looks like we have another playmate."