The trio had been talking for so long that it was almost dinner by the time they stopped. Baby felt lighter than she ever had before, especially since she was free to talk to her friends about everything as she pleased now. She leaned back and relaxed, closing her eyes as Bonnie and Molten discussed outside the tent about what they were going to do about everyone else.

But Baby just tuned it out for the most part. She wasn't massively concerned about what was to come, simply because she knew whatever happened she could count on the others to help her no matter what. As she lazed on the couch, she decided to start actually listening to the conversation outside.

"Have you heard about what happened to Lefty at all?" Bonnie asked the wire amalgam.

"Not since they and Baby had their argument", Molten said back. "In fact, no one has seen them for a while. I think they finally realised they went too far and now they're hiding away to not get chewed out more."

"Considering how fast news spreads here, I wouldn't be surprised." A pause. "Did you talk to the others that were at the arcade?"

"I did, and while everyone agreed what Lefty said sucked, Ballora and Nightmare Chica were the only ones who gave me their full thoughts. Chica was shocked, and somewhat horrified to learn what Baby went through every night shift. It made her come to the conclusion that revenge just wasn't worth it if some of us were having to get harmed to do it."

"What of Ballora? I knew she and Afton have been seemingly rekindling their relationship again despite everything."

"Ballora feels the same way Baby does, how trapping a man like this for eternity just makes you seem like a freak especially after how he was already punished for his actions. She's always questioned Cassidy, and hates that her kids all seemingly side with her rather than the others. Especially the ones that are hurt during the night shift. And on top of all of that, Ballora was wondering if she should even listen to Cass anymore if this is how things could turn out."

"Is she worried about her kids potentially being coaxed by Cass and her lies?"

"Oh yeah she is. In fact she had the bravery to tell me that she felt like Cassidy was becoming no better than Afton was before. Although neither of us were surprised about that, she's apparently always been very…"

"Selfish, entitled and controlling?"

"Those are the words I was looking for!"

Baby snorted at the jovial exclamation, but found herself falling completely silent over the rest of the conversation. As the two animatronics outside continued to talk, Baby thought about everything. Sure, Ballora was given in joining her side in all of this. The ballerina always had a soft spot for the once murderer, and the two were slowly rekindling their relationship after decades.

But Nightmare Chica was surprising to her, as aside from the more mature and sophisticated NightBon, the other Nightmares were usually always with Nightmare Fredbear's perspective on things. But this meant that… even the most dedicated could break away.

But what hurt most was that almost no one knew how she suffered during the night shift. How painful those shocks were. Which made her all the more bitter and angry at those that always reside in the office with her, and while she wasn't mad at Afton, she still resented him for not telling anyone. Though he did seem to be getting better. And the hate that was always directed at him was slowly fading, like it was catching on that you can't suddenly gain joy for getting revenge on your killer over 30 years later.

Baby silently hoped Cassidy would change her mind, but based on how things were going at this point, it was highly unlikely. To the point it was basically impossible. All because Cassidy was the one that couldn't move on, the one that held on too tight and now they all were being dragged down with her.

She hoped things would get better, though.

Baby was cut out of her thoughts when Molten and Bonnie came back in, staying by the tent's entrance and looking at her. "Are you okay, Babydoll?" The wire amalgam asked in a concerned tone.

She nodded and sat up, rubbing her tired face. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just been thinking a lot. I overheard what you two were talking about, and it just made me want to think."

"We did sort of have that be the intention", Bonnie said with a smile in his tone. He then looked at her with a far more gentle look. "And?" He moved and sat beside her.

"I don't know… I'm happy to hear how everyone is slowly starting to switch over so soon into our stay here, but… I'm also hurt that no one else knew I was being tortured as part of Cassidy's revenge scheme…"

Molten growled. "I'm more angry it isn't common knowledge. And I really want to hunt down those freaks that are in the office with you and say nothing."

"I have noticed Nightmare BB and Phantom Freddy seem more difficult to locate", Bonnie said. "And Music Man has been seemingly getting increasingly uncomfortable."

"What about Rockstar Freddy?" Baby asked her two friends.

"No one really knows", Molten said with a shrug. "Unlike the other Rocktars, this Freddy doesn't seem as sentient as the rest of them. He's more robotic when he walks, and has very little to say."

"It seems Cassidy didn't do much to change him when she brought him here", Bonnie elaborated. "He seems to just be a glorified prop who's treated as something more, unlike that blasted Candy Cadet."

"I always liked that thing", Molten said. "Although I think it's in a world of its own. Sometimes it just… appears wherever it wants." He shivered in light fear. "I still remember when I saw it staring right into a vent grate as I passed, mumbling about its stories. Then it said 'MELTED' so suddenly I just bolted."

Baby cringed. "That seems… disturbing. Does Cassidy know about this?"

"If she does, she can't do anything about it", Bonnie said with a shrug. "Candy cadet seems to just do whatever it wants, and no one can say otherwise."

Baby tilted her head in thought. "I wonder why I never saw it anywhere… Do you think it's avoiding me?"

"Like Bon said, Candy does what he wants", Molten said. "So it could just be a coincidence."

The clawed animatronic smirked. "Look at you, using big words!" Baby teased. Molten looked to the side and grumbled as the other two laughed at his embarrassment.

"Okay, yeah, that's cool. But can we go and get something to eat? I'm starved, and want to snag something before they close the kitchen."

"You two can go ahead", Baby said as she stretched. "I still need a bit to just… readjust and stuff. But be sure to get me something!"

"I promise, Baby", Bonnie said in a gentlemanly tone, lifting her hand and giving it a light kiss. Baby blushed and then giggled, with Molten rolling his eye good-naturedly. The two then bid their farewells and headed out, leaving Baby all on her own.

She smiled and started to do some adjustments to the tent, the first was making everything more level. It was difficult with her claw, but she was able to manage and soon finished with the task. As she dusted herself off, she smiled as she looked over her handiwork…

Only to pause when a robotic voice suddenly sounded off from outside the tent.

Jumping in fright, Baby turned and peeked outside, glancing around for the source. And she found it when she looked towards the wall she had opened the portal against, seeing the recently discussed Candy Cadet leaning against the wall.

"Oh, so now you show up you little troll…" Baby whispered in annoyance. "So what, are you like Bloody Mary where you show up when we say your name three times or something?"

The robot against the wall didn't react at first, before finally speaking. "I am the Candy cadet. Come get your candy here. I have candy all day, every day. Candy. Candy. Candy."

Baby rolled her eyes. "Are you here to tell me some vague story or something that's a warning of some kind? Because if not, I'd like to not have you hovering around her like a rat."

Once again, Cadet was dead silent, with only its rainbow lights pulsating to signify any sort of life. Baby groaned and walked forward, deciding to just roll the thing out of here herself. But as soon as she laid a hand on it, the robot twitched, making her jump back in fright.

"Now I will tell you a story…" Cadet said in its same monotonous voice.

"Okay…" Baby skated back a bit, worried the robot would jump her.

"There once was a boy, broken and shattered by the world around him", the robot began. "Any one he had was lost, so he had no choice but to run. But the more he ran, the more he forgot why he did so." Baby was feeling a bit uncomfortable at how… familiar the story sounded. "Eventually he ran to the point he couldn't any more, and when he collapsed he was attacked. Attacked by a beast that made him remember why he ran away. Remember why he hated himself…"

This fell into a very eerie and suffocating silence as the robot , and Baby wondered if he shut off. But when she took a step, he continued on. "He found himself hurting, screaming for help about why he was so broken. Why he was a monster, a liar, a freak. But help did arrive. He was soon surrounded by love and appreciation, and finally felt safe after all the running away…

"This new family promised to protect him, to love him, to keep him together…"

Once again the robot trailed off, and Baby tilted her head. "Candy Cadet?"

"Keep him safe, Baby…" A voice that sounded similar to Cadet whispered behind her. She jumped and turned around, but unnerved when she saw nothing. When she glanced back, Candy Cadet was gone, and there was one last whisper from the mysterious voice. "Make sure he smiles…"

The clawed animatronic blinked and shook her head, wondering what had just happened. Was that all a dream, or did she actually hear that? And if that was real… How did Candy Cadet know all of that? How did he know Caleb's story, because it was pretty clear what the robot was referring to. But… There was one part of it that unnerved Baby most about it.

Was that talking about the past… Or the future? Because Candy said 'Remember'. 'Remember why he ran away, why he hated himself…' Baby thought about it tirelessly, until something clicked in her head.

Did… Did something else happen to Caleb that he forgot because of his trauma? The idea made her porcelain skin crawl, because she did always wonder how he was able to run away at 11. How his parents died in a house fire. How he heard their screams.

She spaced out, her mind buzzing.

Were the screams something his trauma made up? or was it a guilty reminder of what actually happened…

She shook her head and grabbed it forcefully. No, no she wasn't going down that path, not here or ever. She sighed and looked at where Candy Cadet was, contemplating if she should tell anyone else about this. But she… She didn't want to. Maybe it was to keep Caleb safe, protect him from any more ridicule.

That Council meeting was a sore subject for all of them, so she decided to just think that Cadet was referring to what Thanos did. Yeah, it was all Thanos' doing, he was the beast that attacked Caleb. Plus, it'd be her protecting him, keeping him safe.

As Baby started to do more cleaning up and reorganising, she made sure she fulfilled what Cadet wanted her to.

All because her brother's smiles were always the shining light in the darkness…

~X~

Another night shift had ended with Afton's victory, and Baby was grateful for it. He was getting better, which meant what everyone had to do was getting to them all more. She made a note to not ever move, but since it was only her and Molten and NightBon weren't there, she decided to not enact the plan.

As she stood up and stretched, she was a bit weirded out how no one commented on her new appearance. But considering there was obviously some sort of weird magic or technology she didn't get, she assumed it was some sort of safe guard so the Capital couldn't be discovered. Baby rolled her eyes and made her way towards the open left door.

Or tried to, if a certain murderer didn't grab her arm.

She sighed, closing her eyes. "What do you want, Afton? I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I kinda don't want to be held up."

"I know, I know…" The killer said, his own voice sounding fairly tired. "I just… I wanted to talk to you."

Baby looked over her shoulder. "I'm assuming Ballora talked to you?"

Afton sighed and moved back to his chair behind the desk, sitting down roughly in it and leaning against the desk itself. "We did end up talking… I think it wasn't long after she saw your argument with Lefty. Because trust me, I heard it. I was down the hall using the bathroom. You ran right past me."

Baby turned fully to the man, and looked him over. Despite only being here a week, he looked drained. She frowned, grabbed an unused chair, and pulled it over so she was comfortable while she talked. "Okay, so what did you want to talk to me about?"

"More… More apologise", the killer said. "I wanted to apologise for not talking about what happens during the night shift. I didn't… I didn't think it hurt that much…"

"How could you not?" She spat.

"Because when she was explaining the night shift to me, she said all of you basically just became numb, set on the single thought of getting me."

Baby bristled at the information. "Wait… so she lied that we were still aware?" Afton nodded. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

"When I heard your argument, it clicked for me and I knew I had to apologise. Especially after Clara stopped me before this night shift and told me how she was feeling about everything. Apparently, even though I'm the horrible killer that ended so many lives, not everyone hates my guts."

"I don't", Baby said, making Afton give her a wide-eyed look. "I do dislike you, sure, you still did a lot of awful and extremely messed up stuff. But considering where we are now I'd rather not hold an endless grudge against you. Plus, being here… I can see you have been trying to get better."

"Well, when you're in my place, you can see why…" Afton slumped against the desk. "My own kids can't stand looking at me, let alone being in the same room with me… I want to make things right, but because of Cassidy's rules I can't go near any of them…"

Baby felt a twinge of sadness hit her. "You… You really regret what happened, huh?"

"Trust me, when we were all burning in Henry's trap, I… I guess it finally caught up to me with everything I've done. How much I've hurt and lost because of that hurt. When I realised we were all in this place, I felt like I could make amends with everyone I wronged. But it's hard to do that when the ones I wronged and took the most from I can't go near."

Baby watched the man bury his face in his hands as he continued, his voice continuing. "I just want us all to be able to have some sort of happy afterlife. Something where there's no hate… I just…" He leaned back and sighed heavily. "It's been hard…"

Baby frowned, and crossed her arms. "Well, if it means anything Afton, me, Molten and NightBon are on your side here. In fact… we thought of a little plan to get back at Cass."

Afton looked at the animatronic with a questioning look. "What… Plan?"

"We help you if you fail to stop us", she said. "If you don't stop us, rather than us killing you, we help you stay safe. We'll throw out everyone that tries to enter the office or is in the office already, block doors, help you multitask, all of that. I wanted to do it today, but without Molten and Bon here I didn't want to get shocked…"

Afton winced, but then looked down as he mulled over the information. "You'd… You three would actually do that for me? After everything I've done?"

"I keep telling you, Afton", Henry said suddenly, making the other two look at the tablet, seeing the red pond and alligator. "You've been punished enough at this point. My fire was what was meant to end it all, but Cassidy held onto her hate and kept us all tied down. At this point, I can't watch you suffer like this if this is our eternity."

Afton swallowed. "That means a lot, Emily, but your words aren't going to get to the others. You think your kid will forgive me? The missing children? I took something I can't give back…"

"And Cass is keeping it like that", Baby said firmly, with a glare. "Her being so set on using us as part of her revenge scheme has her basically keeping everyone away from the life they lost."

"And a lot of the other spirits here aren't all dead because of you, Afton", Henry explained. "A lot of them died simply due to Fazbear's own negligence after we were out of the picture. Or under my watch. If anything, I'm as equal to all this blame for how far things spiralled. Yes, you killed kids, but I let it happen when I knew my suspicions were right…"

The alligator sighed and the sprite moved a bit. "While I am still extremely disappointed in you, Afton, I understand you want to make things right. I will help you reach that point by talking to Cassidy any chance I have."

"And like I said, me, Molten and NightBon have your back too. We don't like how Cass is using us, so you have that."

Afton looked between his old friend and Baby, and smiled lightly. "Thank you, both of you…" He looked at Baby. "You can get going now, Baby. I want to catch up with Henry for a bit, after how much we've missed."

The clawed animatronic nodded and left, hearing the two old work colleagues/friends catch up and just talk. She smiled, swaying slightly as she headed down the hallway.

~X~

The next night shift, things really started to feel like they were changing. The shift had just started, and Baby was slumped in front of Afton like always. She looked up at him, and he quickly looked down at the tablet. He winked at her twice, silently letting her know that Molten and NightBon were also part of this selection.

Which means it was the perfect time to enact the plan.

Baby remained still for a while, watching as Afton tried to keep himself safe. When Baby caught that Toy Chica was going to get him, she bumped the desk subtly. The murderer was able to put the mask on in time, and gave the clown a grateful look as Toy Chica left.

She smiled back, and they both paused when Molten's laugh came from the vent. Afton beamed, then gave Baby a nod. She stood up and cracked her neck, looking right at Music Man behind him. The spider robot dropped his cymbals and held Afton in place…

Only to be left flabbergasted when Baby rolled around the table and grabbed him by the leg, throwing the spider animatronic into the hallway forcefully. Sadly, Classic Freddy was right there, and both were sent sprawling on the floor. Lefty peeked out of the janitor closet, and Toy Chica jumped back in shock before she joined the heap on the floor. The door was then seen closing.

"What the heck was that?" Freddy asked in a devious tone.

A still shocked Music Man stared up at the ceiling. "Scrap Baby just threw me out rather than killing Afton…" The other three there shared a look, and then looked back at the door in shock. Lefty tilted her head the tiniest bit, guilt slightly rising in her.

Back in the office, it was chaos. Molten had made his way inside, and was in the process of sealing up the doors and hatches fully. Of course, he made sure Bonnie got in, who slipped past Baby as she threw Nightmare BB and the Freddles into the hallway just like she did with Music Man.

Afton looked around the room in amazement. "You guys, I don't… I'm grateful for this, really."

"Don't mention it… Afton!" NIghtBon said with a grunt, wrenching Baby's control shock panel out of the ground. He looked over at Baby, and knelt down on one knee, offering the thing to her like a sword. "You may do whatever you wish with this, m'lady."

Baby swooned a bit and then giggled. "Not only are you a gentleman, but you're also a massive goof." She took the panel in her claw, and when Bonnie stood up, she quickly pecked him on the side of the head. "Thank you."

As she rolled off to trash it the way she wanted to, Afton watched the scene with wide-eyes. Molten lowered himself from the ceiling with a smug look. "When did they get together?" The murderer asked the wire amalgam.

"A few days ago. They're cute together, huh?"

Afton swallowed nervously, which made Molten look at him flatly. "Don't tell Cassidy this, or let her see them…"

Molten's expression became a concerned one. "What, why?"

"Cass has some… Very strict rules about this sort of stuff. When she caught me and Ballora on a… I would say pseudo-date to help fix our strained relationship, that golden bear took me aside afterwards and blew up at me. She was furious I'd do what I did to Ballora, how this wasn't right, blah blah blah."

Molten winced, glancing at Baby and Bon as they talked after the panel was destroyed. "Well, I'm sure everything will be fine with them. I'll make sure of it."

"As am I", Henry whispered, the tablet screen blinking into the red pond again. "Trust me, Cassidy will be making a grave mistake about trying to keep these two apart because of her own egotistical thoughts."

Molten chuckled. "Dang, didn't think you had such a sharp tongue, Henry. I'll be sure to ask you for some advice when it comes to insults."

The alligator chuckled. "Of course, Molten."

~X~

The next night shift didn't feel right. Baby looked around the room, and saw all the usual suspects were there. But Afton seemed a bit weird, seemingly more pale than before.

"Baby…" The killer whispered. "Cassidy talked with Henry after yesterday's night shift, and she was not happy because Nightmare BB snitched on you. So she's going to be part of this night…"

Baby nodded, but didn't seem all that shaken by the news. If Cassidy was going to throw a tantrum, so be it.

But that didn't matter because in the blink of an eye, Golden appeared and killed Afton only seconds into the shift. Baby blinked in shock, then glared up at the bear.

"What the heck was that, Cassidy!" Baby roared as she stood up.

"What should've happened yesterday…" The gold bear replied coldly. "After yesterday's little fiasco, I knew I had to step in and make sure things ran smoothly."

"What, because you get to just do whatever you want?!" Baby screamed. But Cassidy just ignored her as she dragged Afton's corpse out of the room. The others still there all watched her leave, then left the room to leave a completely flabbergasted Baby behind. She was angry, confused, and even a bit scared. There was something in Cassidy's tone that made it seem like she wasn't going to let this slide anymore.

And she didn't as over the next few days it felt like Baby's time in the pizzeria started to crumble more and more. More of the others started to distance themselves from her, the night shifts became more gruelling and painful, as now Baby was auto shocked to keep from moving.

Cassidy was also seen around a lot more, to the point it felt like she was just out to spite Baby. Despite Molten and NightBon's best efforts, they were no match for the full control Cassidy had over everything, and how much Charlie and Elizabeth also had equal grounding.

They luckily still had Ballora and the others who didn't agree with the aggressive ways they needed to be handled in the night shift, luckily, but that number was dwindling. Soon, Baby feared it would just be Ballora, Afton and Henry at some point.

Speaking of Henry, the alligator had little success with convincing the golden bear to back off or calm down. He said she was so set on her current path that he feared she'd have everyone be forced to relieve all the events that led to this pizzeria's creation in the first place, just to make a point and make everyone's anger at Afton more outlandish. Baby feared the same thing.

But she was dealing with her own shit, as at some point, things just exploded.

It was a fairly normal day in the dining room. Baby was with her friends, eating at their own table and watching all the others. She and NightBon were still growing closer, but it was hard given the current situation. As they ate, Baby spotted that little punk Plushtrap mess with one of the chair legs.

That was until Afton sat in it, and Elizabeth started walking by. Baby's servos instantly locked up as she saw the small plush giggle underneath the table, ready to pull the leg away at just the right time.

Before she could even stand Afton had tumbled when the leg was ripped away, crashing into Elizabeth and sending them both to the ground. Everything had become dead silent, everyone staring at the scene with wide eyes. Cassidy wasn;t that far away, and she just snapped.

Before Baby could register what was happening, the golden bear had moved time forward so it was the night shift, and made it so everyone was on the hardest possible setting. Baby tried to stop it, but she was auto-shocked every time she moved. It hurt, and she wanted to scream. But she couldn't make a sound, making the clawed animatronic deduce her voice was taken so she was less of an issue.

Afton barely lasted that long, being torn to shreds by the pack of rabid animals she was forced to live with. It broke her heart seeing Henry look on from the tablet in misery as Afton was dragged off to be stuffed in the suit.

When everything winded down, Baby just broke. She skated off and made her way through the building as fast as possible till she reached her little corner. It was still untouched, thankfully, but she scrambled to pull her phone out and open a portal into the Capital.

She scrambled onto the balcony in a blind rage, then stormed over to the door. She slammed it open, heaving out heavy breaths and keeping her hand pressed firmly on the door. She looked down the hallway, and saw Caleb, Gladius, Steve and Barranco all looked over at her from the Rec Room door.

"IF YOU DON'T WANT YOUR HEAD RIPPED OFF, LEAVE ME ALONE." Baby ordered through clenched teeth. She skated past swiftly and entered her room, slamming the door behind her so harshly there was the sound of splintering wood.

When she was finally in her safe space, she let out a mechanical whine and collapsed on her bed, burying her face into her pillow. She could hear muffled voices outside, and the door to her room opening and closing.

"Caleb…" She growled. "What don't you get about 'leave me alone'?"

"The fact that you clearly need comfort but chose to push it away", Caleb said in determination. "So please, let me do this."

Baby didn't do anything as she listened for the footsteps getting closer, and soon a weight beside her. "Just leave me alone…" She said, completely drained of all anger in that moment. She might've sounded too weak then, because she then felt a warm hand start to rub her back, which made melt and release a gasp.

"Just tell me what happened Baby, please…" Caleb whispered reassuringly.

"What's there to tell you?" She spat, Cassidy was being horrible, Elizabeth wouldn't leave me alone, and most of the others wouldn't stop asking questions. It's the same thing every time." Baby hugged her pillow tighter, as her visits to the Capital, while having got more frequent, it was never to relax.

Her brother sighed. "But this time was worse, I can tell."

Baby nodded miserably, unable to stop herself from venting. "It was the night shift. Afton's chair was messed with, and he accidentally toppled into Elizabeth. That set Cassidy off, where we were all sent on him, full power. But… It wasn't right. I hated it."

Caleb gave her shoulder a squeeze. "I get that, Baby, but you shouldn't let this keep you down." He paused for a moment. "Maybe you should just chill here for a while, relax and recoup, all of that."

Baby was still for a moment, before tiling her head so her blue shimmering eye could look up at the boy. "I just… I just wish I could live here forever. And never go back."

The bespectacled boy frowned. "I know. I wish that too, but right now that's not a possibility. Just… Just give it time. Hopefully things get better back at the pizzeria soon."

"I hope so…" Baby buried her face into her pillow again, and listened out as Caleb eventually left. As soon as her door clicked closed, Baby started silently weeping into the fabric, her mind a complete mess of emotions.

She thought of Molten and NightBon, wishing she could just take them away with her and never look back. She wanted what she had here all the time. She wanted to be happy here all the time.

She wanted to live in the place she called home…

~X~

And that's chapter 8 done! A bit of a weird one, I know, but it was still fun to write regardless. Just a nice chapter to have some more fleshed out character interactions, some NightBabs moments (more will be coming, don't worry), and some more set up for future events.

I can't believe how much I've written already, honestly. I'm so far through this series that at this point I can safely call DCT2 releasing an event! But anyways, yeah, this chapter was fun to write, hope y'all loved the interactions, don't have much else to say outside of that.

Up next: Lefty starts to have second thoughts on where they stand with the pizzeria, and when they overheard a certain argument, they decided to seek out help to get to the bottom of things…

~Caleb~