Chapter Twenty-Two

Beautiful, Everlasting Memories

Charlie, who had stood by throughout the embracing and comforting episodes, exclaimed joyfully as she flew into the center of the expanded group. "That's a great idea!"

"Here, right now, when we've just gotten to the bottom of this?" Clair questioned, rubbing her hands together and showing a tinge of pink as if the thought of childish fun in this damned place embarrassed and unnerved her. "I also promised my superiors more intel tonight, so that would mean..."

It would mean she'd have no choice but to report them, except she had no plan to. Not unless something serious took place. And Jeremy was still outside, listening and watching, so he got to hear everything that took place, but had yet to speak up. "Clair, these kids have not had anything like Kaleia hints in a long time," Henry said. "I think it's a great idea, except where do we start, and what do we do?" He put a forefinger and thumb underneath his chin, mulling it over until Kaleia spoke again.

Yeah, this was her idea, because with the fear over, excitement overtook. They were in this place which was once a spot for children and families, except the generator was shit, but there was just about anything they could do here.

Melinda covered her face with a giggle. "Great idea, except I'm embarrassed a little. Kaleia and I hadn't done that since we were kids." She looked up when "Bonnie's" large hand laid itself on her shoulder, patting as gently as he could. She squeaked and looked at him over her other shoulder.

"Hey, Dad used to say it's not every day you have fun as a kid or a grownup," Jeremy told her through the bunny, laughing, too, closing his eyes for a couple of seconds. "Fritz and I still love hide and seek. We all do it sometimes."

"Aye, yi, good idea!" Fritz chimed in, that damned hook almost getting poor Mike if he hadn't dodged it in time. "Oops, sorry, laddie! Didn't mean to do that." Kaleia walked up to him and held her hand out, braving to take the other hand without a hook. He looked down at her, cocking his head to the left, the lowering lid and quivering lower jaw giving the impression of trying not to cry at her kindness. She felt the heat creep to her cheeks.

Michael caught on and joined in, putting a palm on the fox's shoulder. "Hey, don't feel bad over something you can't help." You definitely know that, love. No one knows that better than you.

It was on: hide and seek it was.

She and Mike hurried off together, since there weren't a lot of places to hide in this place, and the security office was out of the question for them. Let the others choose that spot, like under the desk; if anyone closed one or both of those doors, they'd use up a lot more power and drain them before the night was over. "The kitchen," she whispered to her man excitedly, one of the closets in there being suitable instead of the freezer. The coated racks and dust bunnies were a minor inconvenience, and maybe while they were in here...

"How long you bet before one of the kids finds us in here?" Kaleia softly asked. Her back against the tin wall was like laying on a slab in the morgue.

He turned his head to smirk at her. "If you mean getting freaky, love, this is the wrong place. It'd be better off in the imagination -"

"I actually meant this." She leaned in and pressed a light kiss to his mouth, tongue poking out after teasingly.

"..oh, you shouldn't have done that," Michael growled, leaning in, and the battle of the lips began. The air got hotter and hotter that they forgot how much time passed, and it bit them both in the ass.

The closet door rattled with a scream on the other side that pierced their ears, and it scared her out of her pants. Michael yelped and hit his head against the tin wall behind them. Kaleia shrieked and threw the door open to see Gabriel standing there, his Freddy eyes so wide they could pop all the way out of the sockets, and his mouth wide enough to show the jaws of the endoskeleton beneath.

~o~

Out of the places to hide out, Pirate's Cove was too easy, so that left one of the closets again, or the security office, or anywhere in the play area for younger kids.

It wasn't every day Clara got to feel like a child again, but damned if she didn't enjoy herself tonight.

She chose the office, pulling the chair in front of herself, and leaving both doors open. Maybe Henry or the kids thought this part would be avoided for obvious reasons, so this gave her the advantage. She hurriedly crouched underneath the desk, back hitting the right corner, and pulled the chair by its two front legs towards her to hide her as much as it would. Oh, I feel just like it should have stayed when Mikey, Lizzie, and Evan were still little! She rested her head against the surface behind her. All she could do was wait and think until she was found.

Was William responsible for the children in the machines murdering the security guards before tonight? Either him or someone else, but how? Before tonight was over, or tomorrow night -

"GUYS, GUYS, GUYSGUYSGUYSGUYS, WATCH OUT! SOMEONE IS COMING UP TO THE DOOR!"

Clara was startled out of her wits and burst forward on instinct, shoving the chair forward and forgetting the game. Damn it, who had to show up?! Was it Clair's superiors? Whoever had the keys to Fazbear's kingdom? William? She stood up and whirled around to look at the monitors, rapidly pushing the button for the frontal exterior cameras. And sure enough, there was a CAR out there, coming to park in the lot next to Clair's vehicle. They were in trouble. Clair was getting out and yelling like she was going to die in a few minutes.

"Everyone, hide! We've got company! Get together, walkie in hand, and hide where you can!" She nearly ran into a large animatronic body; looking up upon being caught by their hands, it was only Jeremy/Bonnie.

"Miss Clara, go hide in the parts room with Mr. Henry. Melinda, Michael, and Kaleia are in the kitchen together. Charlie will scout and spy for us, and the rest of us will get back on stage."

She found Henry in no time, yelling over her shoulder to thank Jeremy, and rushed inside with him. He had his walkie in hand, shutting the door behind them both. Now they would painfully wait it out and hear the conversation. Her lover crouched next to the door and she followed. She could swear she heard both of their heartbeats in her ears. The static was a faint white noise until they heard the voices through Clair's secret communication link she kept on herself, provided by the force.

"Oh, Ms. Kai, I didn't know you were coming."

Something seized Clara's throat and turned it into a tower of ice. Ms. Kai? That was her daughter-in-law's family name, so could that woman be -?

"Yes, well, I had to come and check the premises," the woman said curtly. "To see myself if William Afton had come in yet, since you hadn't answered the phone for God knows how long now. I was getting worried."

Clair held herself very well, but then again, she was a police officer. "I know. Let's say I was finally getting to know the animatronics. Everything's good here, the cameras didn't get anyone breaking in, but you're welcome to come in and check the premises with me if you want."

"I'll take your word for it, Miss Monroe, so there's no need. But know that you're liable if something happens to any of the property. I had a sleepless night and decided to phone you myself, so I hope I don't regret putting you in this position." A pause. "And you say those things aren't a problem? That's a fresh one, but then again, this place deserves a better reputation. Might be a start."

Okay, were they hearing things, or did it sound like relief? This "Ms. Kai" was a whiplash from stern and threatening to concerned and comforted, an enigma whose face they couldn't see, so what was going on here? Was she someone they expected to beware of, or could she be in charge for a different reason? Clair hadn't even seen her since her hiring, she'd said. "Might be, yeah," she said to the unknown woman. "Just hope it stays that way until the week ends."

Ms. Kai sniffed. "Indeed. Well, I'll let you get back to work. You know my home number and your manager if you are in a pickle. I'll make an exception since that murderer will be caught soon."

That was enough to bring forth the question: did that woman know more than she let on? Clara looked at Henry as he looked her way at the same time.

~o~

"You all gotta get out of here, just to be safe," Clair told them once everyone was gathered. The animatronics' faces were lowered, the eyelids a quarter down and brows slanted outward - except Jeremy's since he had none - in an expression of utter sadness. Michael didn't blame them since they had no one to play with or take care of them for years. But Clair was right; after that woman took off, all bets had to be off.

Melinda swallowed. "Kaleia..." She looked at her friend who closed her eyes.

"Yeah, that woman, her voice...that was my aunt. Nalani Kai."

His wife and her grandparents never spoke much about this aunt, the middle child. All he knew was that she had been spoiled rotten until her sister, Kaleia's mother, was born. She'd been close to her elder brother up until his death in Vietnam, a choice he'd made when he wasn't interested in joining the family business. Mason at the time had not taken it well - a fact Michael had a hard time believing after knowing his grandfather-in-law and boss - and shouted at his own son that he was disappointed in him, but relented because his wife swore she'd go with the children and leave him if she had to. Kaleia couldn't take knowing this because she'd been raised and handled better than that, but it's like a lot of people say: grandparents love the grandkids more than their own kids. They'd messed up badly with the first two, and Mason never reconciled with his only son before his death. The same went with Nalani, Akela joining in on that one. They finally got it right with their only granddaughter.

So, why was she here, if she'd gone back to Hawaii long before her sister Ilene's death? What was her interest here?

Henry ran a hand through his hair, then over the back of his neck. "Shit. This just got worse. But we should all just get back to the motel for the rest of the night and talk everything through tomorrow."

They all did just that, but the next day, shit really hit the fan, starting from five before it got to a hundred. It came in the form of Clair visiting them just after leaving the pizzeria, napping at her place before waking up and coming here. She knew where they were because they were in this together.

He and Kaleia were cuddling in bed, watching Disney's The Rescuers on the box to relax, when the door was knocked on. They had this on tape back home, so it wasn't a loss that they were interrupted. And now Clair was here in their room, with them.

"Brought this with me, knew we needed it because Grandma always makes it when someone is upset," Kaleia said, bringing the white porcelain, blue morning glory-painted set to the little table they were at, the smell of red hibiscus already in the air while she'd boiled it.

Clair smiled. "Thank you." She took her cup and sipped it. She was comfortable in a lavender V-neck shirt with ankle-flared khakis, hair loose about her shoulders and touseled with some frizz over her forehead. Looking over at the television, she saw the current part of the movie: the mice flying on the back of the albatross to Devil's Bayou, with Tomorrow is Another Day playing. "Oh, I love this movie! Gabe and I used to watch this since he was old enough to view it." She sighed. "It was nice seeing him again, even though it wasn't what I expected, or what it should be."

"- to face the future with another who means more than any other is to belong..."

That one line in the background was enough to add to the already permanent cement. But then it had to be interrupted by why she was here. "After last night, I decided to tell my superiors about her visit, leaving all of you out, and they think she might have taken on Fazbear Entertainment for a reason, bringing up the alarms for why no one knew who had the CEO papers until now. They also said that I should take the risk of speaking to her and asking more without blowing my cover since I've played innocent in the line of work before for operations like this. It's my specialty." She winked before getting serious again.

"She's your aunt, Kaleia?" His wife nodded, biting her bottom lip. "I'm sorry to hear that. I don't know anything except she's been here in Hurricane long enough, by the looks of it."

"...after my parents' murder," Kaleia breathed. "I'm speculating, but some pieces are coming up. What if she took charge so she could look into things herself, even while William Afton was still the owner? Grandma and Grandpa used to say that there's always still love under the surface of jealousy even if you don't show it. They had that in their own families when they were young, too." Her eyes widened just like softballs, Michael's brain clicking with hers.

She's been close to my father all this time. Maybe she's here out of revenge for her sister, for her family. And the news mentioning an almost-bite just like back in 1983...when William almost experienced it...

Was she behind that, and no one knows it?

Just as his beloved said, it was speculation, but everything made sense. Except there was no solid proof to back it up. That just meant they had to get it. Somehow.

"If that's the case, then I gotta talk to her."

Anything BUT that.

"Leia -" He hadn't called her by her childhood nickname in a while, he realized. "- I don't know. It's dangerous enough as it is, but to get your estranged aunt you don't know personally involved?! Mum, Henry, and the others won't like it."

"You already don't," she pointed out. "None of us like doing this, but here we are anyway. It's a risk I have to take with Aunt Nalani. I'll go in wired, and if something happens, then you two come in."

~o~

It was for the best they tell the others, and sure enough, all were opposed because they were pushing it with Clair and the police as it was.

"But I should at least pretend I was in town clearing up some business," she insisted, refusing to give up without a fight. She had to know from the aunt she hadn't seen since Mom and Dad died. At least be subtle and ask why she was here in Hurricane, and if push came to shove, go for the throat. She had to do it.

Turned out Aunt Nalani had an apartment rather than a house to buy, but then again, the market was a mixed bag, and leases were permanent. Unassuming on the outside in its simplicity; she had to give her mom's sister that much, in that the woman wanted no attention on her even though she'd been born in this town. Kaleia, for a long time, resented her aunt based on what she'd been told and was content to just love what she had. She wasn't looking for a relationship of any kind, not right now. She just needed answers.

Everyone was on standby, but she and her husband went right to the address, and the last thing they expected was police cars outside the complex. Along with an ambulance and a small crowd gathering, yellow tape line drawn to keep them out.

"Oh, God," she gasped when she saw where they were coming from - Aunt's apartment! It has to be!

Immediately, she jumped out of the car, ignoring Michael shouting after her, and ran up to the closest officer she could find who was heading towards the scene. "Excuse me, Officer!"

"Miss, what do you want? We just got a - wait, do you know the victim?" he asked her, grouchiness forgotten as soon as he got a better look at her. "Oh, you're a relative? We just got a call-in, but we don't know all the details yet. Neighbor next door called in due to a disturbance, shouting and all, property broken, and the suspect was seen breaking out through a rear window before we got here. He was positive the perp was a man, but no one saw his face."

Kaleia heard every word, but it was like it was a dream. A nightmare. She came here to just talk to Nalani, and before she even had a chance, someone attacked her. She wanted to know, but this man with a Lou Costello likeness had just said the suspect's face was missed. Whoever did it knew to hide his features. She had a feeling, but could she be wrong?

Afton.

"You're welcome to ride with us to the hospital, Miss...?"

"Mrs.," Kaleia corrected, swallowing a hiccup. "Mrs. Kaleia Schmidt. And I'll follow you. My husband is the driver."

~o~

Just when he thought he could avoid the police. He couldn't blame Kaleia for getting out the way she did. Despite the family history, Nalani Kai was still her late mum's sister, and Mason and Akela's daughter.

Speaking of them, would they be phoned about this? He and Kaleia had not planned on this at all, but not everything went the way you wanted. He felt a headache approaching and his nerves going on the fritz.

He'd waited for maybe what felt like two hours, almost as long as the operation went on Nalani Kai, while Kaleia was questioned.

~o~

"I barely knew her except from what my grandparents told me, what my mom used to say. They didn't have a great relationship, so as a result, I was kept out of it."

Kaleia was in one of the unused rooms at the hospital while she was questioned personally by the very same officer she'd come into contact with at her aunt's complex. She didn't have much information to give, other than being in town because she had known for some time - that would bite her in the ass later, she knew it - that her estranged aunt had been living here, though couldn't tell how long. She and her husband were driving through on a road trip when they decided to stop here in Hurricane to rest, and that was when she'd overheard. She'd admitted she'd been born here, so this place had some sentimental value.

That would also mean someone would recognize Michael. Would the cops, like someone who had been on the force back when the Bite of '83 happened?

The man who she learned was Officer Lloyd Dunn gave her a small nod, though his eyes told her he was suspecting more than she let on. And then he surprised her. "Mrs. Schmidt, there was something we found that was recovered from Ms. Kai's bedroom. It's being listened to at this moment, so we don't know what's on it. All we know is it's addressed to anyone who found it."

And why was HE of all people telling her when no one else heard it? When she asked him, his face was unreadable.

"It might be best if both you and your husband heard this, and maybe it'll help give you some answers if you're curious."

~o~

He decided to get a drink from the water jug in the corner when a familiar voice he never wanted to hear again spoke behind him. His blood chilled faster than the Ice Age.

"Michael Schmidt. Or should I say -"

"I don't go by that name, Officer Brackett. As far as I'm concerned, that man has been dead to me since that day," he said coldly, keeping his back and filling his plastic cup with warm instead of cold water, wishing it was something stronger. He didn't need this shit.

The man behind him cleared his throat. "Right, but still, I never thought I'd see your face again. You look so much like your father that it was hard to miss. And married, huh? Sounds like you did well for yourself. Oh, and it's detective now. Got promoted two years ago."

Now he turned to scowl at the man who was one of those behind his arrest the day of his brother's accident. His slicked-back raven hair hadn't changed at all, but the lines in his forehead deepened into his early fifties. Guy was like a Bela Lugosi impression if you asked him. He was sure Kaleia thought of a certain comedian from back in those days. He didn't have a good relationship with this guy back then, because he remembered being called "a punk who might as well have killed his own brother because of that brain injury". That came from someone who never had kids of his own. Asshole even said that he deserved to be taught a lesson, especially after word got out that he enjoyed scaring the crap out of poor Evan. "I don't have time for this," Michael said through his teeth. "My wife and I were just passing through, and we didn't want any trouble."

"I know that, son. Believe me, I remember everything. I didn't understand at the time, and I'm ashamed. I was just doing my job; you have to look at it from someone else's point of view. It's also easy when you don't have kids of your own. I get you must hate me after all of that, and I don't blame you."

"Just doing your job now, huh? Sounds like you've done well for yourself, too." He looked at the man's left hand, seeing the silver glow of a ring. "Yeah, I see it."

Leigh Brackett smiled, catching where he was looking. "Five years. No kids yet. Took me long enough, but it's never too late." Then he was serious. "Speaking of family, we've had it all out since yesterday, but your father is our prime suspect in a cold case. It might be best we took it somewhere private so we can talk. Your wife's questioning should be done soon."

~o~

"There's not much time so I...I Nalani Kai...might die soon, but this isn't a suicide. Not directly by myself, at least. I've done a lot of stuff in my life that I regret, others I don't.

"I was born here in Utah, in Beaver, where my parents, Mason and Akela, fled after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and my father finished his time serving our country. Took him and Mother several years before he got his shop up and running in the state; it amazes me how it still stands even after all these decades, staying small and untouched by big corp. Once they were stabilized, they planned to have their first child - my big brother, Donovan. I came a year and a half later. I was the little princess, lavished upon by both parents until my brat little sister popped out four years after my birth.

"I shouldn't have continued resenting Ilene for something that wasn't her fault, but she's been dead for years now, and so has her husband, but it's too late to tell her I'm sorry in any way. I thought I had all the time in the world, but idiots think that. We take the important people in our lives for granted until the clock runs out.

"We all grew up in Beaver, had the same childhood, but you know, when you reach the bursting adolescent years, things start changing. Before I turned thirteen, I didn't hate-hate Ilene's indulging by our parents, just sad and pulled minor pranks to get attention. Just resulted in me being told to act my age. It was when I turned twelve it hit home for me; little brat decided to take matters into her own hands and blame it on me. I loved painting and still do, but that day ruined it for a while for me so I started looking elsewhere. Ilene was eight at the time, so she must have thought it would stop me, make me rethink pulling that shit to get attention. She took two cans of different colored red paints from my bedroom, and splashed Father's car with it, to make it look like someone's blood was spilled. Whoo, I got the belt so many times my ass hurt to sit anywhere. I cried so much I didn't want to be around anyone. That did it for me and Ilene; I hated her so much. Mother and Father never took my side, not that they did since she was born.

"I had Donovan there. He was the medium between us, naturally good at it, being the oldest. Not sure if he was just groomed for the role or if it simply came to him, but he was amazing. He was my comfort zone whenever I needed it, I suppose because it was due to us closer in age. Who knows, but I never took HIM for granted out of everyone else. I also was forced to babysit Ilene, our folks thinking it would make me mature now that I was almost a teenager, on the verge of adulthood. It just made me hate everyone except my brother.

"Every time Ilene needed me for anything up until she, too, was old enough, I pushed her away or said the meanest things I could when our parents weren't around. We were never close. Donovan loved us both, so I never made him choose between us. Things came to a head, though, when the Vietnam War roared to life.

"Donovan was in college, I was almost done with high school, and Ilene was still in middle school. He did learn everything about cars and mechanics in Father's shop, but when he was grown, he decided to do things his way and also help make a difference for our country like our father had...but in the end, it never mattered a freaking thing. We all know that once our soldiers stayed in 'Nam, there wasn't a difference. There was still blood and death on both sides. Daddy Dearest wasn't happy that his pride and joy son rebelled against the family business; then again, that mentality comes from the way you're raised. Said that war wasn't a game, and Donovan said he never saw it as a game, despite growing up sheltered compared to the World War II era. Perspectives are different with each generation, after all.

"Anyway, my beloved brother died over there, fighting for us. Fighting as soldiers do. He wanted to do four years at most and have college finished being paid for by the government so that our family had a little more to live on. I never forgave Father and left the family after high school was done. They could have Ilene for all I cared.

"I did go to college, got a scholarship, and got the hell out of there. I went back home to Hawaii, never mind how expensive it was. I knew I was smart, so I got art as a secondary degree while I decided that architecture would do the trick. I always loved art, after all, so math and that were always my fields. It got me places, long story short. I also got hired by the best to remodel old buildings and to create new ones - and that was when I was contacted by Henry Emily and William Afton for Fredbear's Family Diner.

"Yes, Fredbear's. I was involved in the creation of the building, the inside and outside. I was honored, and what better timing than after the war ended? What better timing when the first Star Wars movie was making life better for everyone? However, little did anyone know that would be the beginning of the troubles. Pretty much everyone knows of the infamous Bite of 1983, but then when that blew and the diner was closed, onward to Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria...only for five children to go missing. Five children, and then...

"...and then I learned my sister and brother-in-law, both investigative journalists, were mysteriously murdered while covering the story. They never found the man behind Ilene and her husband's deaths, or those children. Just like they never found who took the life of Henry Emily's little girl. I was no cop or investigator, but I had suspicions, and that's not all.

"Something inside me broke when I learned of my sister's death. Hell, I wasn't even contacted when she found a man, got married, and had a kid. Didn't even know they were in Hurricane at that time. Maybe she moved there with her husband after finding out about the diner and then the pizzeria. I didn't even know my niece's name until I read in the paper that they were survived by her - Kaleia. Pretty name, too. Doesn't that make me the bad guy or what? I deserved it, I guess. I was the one who cut everyone off. But what's done is done. I can't bring myself to face Mother and Father, who I'm sure are getting custody of the kid. Just hope they can heal and be happy again. I like to think they are gonna do right by her than they ever did with me and, in the end, Donovan, who I'm sure would have spoiled her every chance he got if he'd come home alive.

"Anyway, back to the real reason I'm recording this. There definitely had to be something going on. I had to find out myself without coming into contact with my family."

I grew up with Disney's "Rescuers", and the song "Tomorrow is Another Day" - that made me think not only of the lyrics fitting Mike and Kaleia but a certain line from FNAF 4. ;)

Officer Dunn is from "The Silver Eyes", sent by his chief to look for his son, and is ultimately killed by Spring Bonnie. Officer Brackett is named after Sheriff Leigh Brackett from the Halloween franchise and is slightly different from the original inspiration. I'm on a roll with these old-school inspirations. XD Lou Costello and Bela Lugosi - I'd recently watched "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein".

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