Saturday, August 5, 2017, 8:30 AM

Foxy couldn't describe the sensation coiled around her innards like a snake. She felt both sleep-deprived and like she chugged four energy drinks - hyperactive and so very exhausted at once. Maybe her mind was tired and her body was active. Or vice versa; it was difficult to tell. It was the kind of duality she'd find in a poem.

I'll leave writing those to Freddy, she thought, rolling over in bed. Even if one part of her craved activity, the rest was drained. She sweated in the sheets as she stared at the wooden wall, stuffed with real swords and paintings she lovingly crafted. It seemed to amount to so little. Everything did. The days blurred together, fusing into a blob of unrefined instead of distinct intervals. Of course, that was time's real nature; people just gave it arbitrary designations. She saw why, because without those, it would have flopped along like a dying fish. Which it still did for her as the weight of the predetermined day piled up.

A little more than two weeks. That was how long she had left to live.

She took a deep, ragged breath and closed her eye, plunging herself into merciful darkness even if no hope of sleep came with it. Previously, there was some hope that they'd make it out. Working together, they could outsmart Auric, like they'd done with ENNARD all those years ago. Now, they were almost certain at least one of them would meet their end in battle with their monstrous parent. In fact, it needed to happen. It changed their attitudes from cautiously optimistic to solemn and dour.

It took an hour for everyone to digest once Mary admitted it on Wednesday night (and Foxy and Mike didn't mention how long she'd kept it secret for). Bonnie had a breakdown Thursday morning, as did Chica in the afternoon. Then Mike caught Freddy sobbing in the men's room over a sink. It cut Foxy like a knife, and she almost wondered if Mary had been right to keep this hidden. For the record, she and Foxy weren't at their best, either.

But, as Foxy expected, it didn't change their decision to be heroes. Nobody spoke out against the plan or changed their minds. The danger Auric presented was bigger than any of them. After the drama of one terrible day, they were all on the same page. While nobody wanted to die, they would if there were no other way. That didn't mean it got easier, hence Foxy staying in bed far longer than she should. The list of things she needed to do tugged at her brain: practice, practice, practice the words she needed to say and the runes she needed to scribe.

Later, she thought, still not opening her eye. She couldn't handle this now. Maybe in an hour…

A knock at the cabin door may have accelerated that. She stifled a groan, though she didn't sit up. "Come in, it's unlocked," she groaned, at least giving her husband the respect of rolling onto her back so she saw him when he entered.

"Hey," he said, not bothering to turn on the lights as he sat on a wooden chair. She appreciated that, and enough ambient illumination came through the windows that he didn't need to. He'd spent the night at his house, so he'd shaved and washed his hair in the meantime. Looked somewhat presentable, unlike her. However, she also noticed the bags under his eyes; he must not have gotten much rest, either.

"You look tired." Her usual sense of wit was not about her, so she dared to state the obvious.

"I couldn't, uh, sleep. It's all happening so fast. And slowly." She'd thought it was both fast and slow depending on the minute. At that moment, it felt like both at once. The waiting was the worst part. With storming BRIAR HQ to deal with ENNARD (the only thing they'd ever done with comparable danger), they only got informed hours in advance! They had one sleepless night and a scramble of gathering what supplies they could. That was it. Here, they learned a month early, and the stress drove her up the wall.

"I spent m-most of last night praying and reading the Bible," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "I know that must, um, sound weird."

Not really. Foxy was an agnostic - it didn't seem right for her to worship any human god, even though she knew greater things to be out there - but Mike's faith helped make him the man he was, and she loved him for that. Of course he'd try to connect with his god as much as possible with something so dangerous coming their way. "Did it help?"

Her husband nodded. "I think it did. I mean, I've read all this stuff - or, like, most of it - before, but obviously, it's timeless." His gaze drifted off for a moment, and Foxy didn't know whether it was because he became absorbed in thought or if exhaustion caught up with him. "There's one verse, uh, from the Book of John, something Jesus said, which might be the most profound sentence in the whole thing." Well, she wanted to hear it, so she told him to tell her! He cleared his throat, hoped he didn't mess up the line, and said, "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends."

It gave Foxy chills. She saw why it moved Mike so much, because it did the same for her. Hit especially hard because those were the words of someone who did die for no good reason. She idly thought back to something Mike said a long time ago, when he mentioned he was pretty sure his god still cared about her and her siblings, even though he played no part in their creation, and they weren't human. Didn't know if that was true. She hoped so.

"I - I just want you to k-know that you're a hero, and I admire you so much." Mike leaned over, trying not to cry into his hands. He was cracking. "Because you're not even sacrificing for your friends; you - we, I hope - are doing this, um, for people we don't even know, and p-people who will never know you. Never know you like you deserve to be known." He looked up, and she saw a few tears streak down his face. They made him look like the uncertain teenager she fell in love with.

"I don't need them to know me. I just need people to come to the restaurant and have fun," she said, tilting her head up more. Yeah, it would have been nice to be able to go outside and be treated like the person she was, but she'd long ago made peace that it'd never happen. She had enough. Strange for a pirate, she admitted. But she'd found true happiness didn't come from gold, gems or glory. "And more importantly, I need you." Without him, she'd either be how he found her or dead. Nothing would have changed.

Mike sighed, knowing she was right. "I just wish there were some way for this to go differently." She felt her muzzle morph into a frown. Words didn't seem sufficient comfort for the time being. However, there was one thing she could offer which would make Mike happier…

Finally sitting up, the covers fell away, revealing that she didn't have a shirt on. Or a bra. Or pants, for that matter, not that he could see below her waist. Yet. Didn't possess the energy to don sleeping clothes the previous night. Now, though, it became an invitation for Mike to do something they might not have done quite enough those days.

His eyes widened; even after all these years, he was still starstruck by her.

She leaned forward and purred, already in the mood. "Ye ready ta' plunder some vixen booty, lad?" Not my finest line, but I only had seconds to think of something.

Her pirate voice really turned him on, and her not being human was an extra bonus. There were many men, perhaps millions, who dreamed of bedding someone like her. That was their business, and for most, it was a harmless fantasy. Some would have literally killed to be in her husband's shoes, though. He was the only man on Earth who would ever get a chance to do this.

Unless one of the others gets a boyfriend.

9:45 AM

Mike nuzzled into his furry wife's warm shoulder after they finished. She was talented at many things, and sex ranked high on the list. In my opinion. He'd never had sex with anyone else, nor would he ever, so he supposed he couldn't make a comparison. Didn't think he missed much, though. Just had to make sure they didn't get too loud or raunchy, since everyone, including June, was outside doing other things.

Hope she's OK, Mike thought as he adjusted his position. The mechanic decided to move in with them until this was all over. That cut out her commute times, brief though they may have been. Though she was still in the process of selling her house, clearing it out could wait for two more weeks while the paperwork was processed by her real estate agent. Plus, Mike suspected it brought her comfort to be among her friends in stressful times. Her only friends.

He internally sighed as he thought about how sad that was. Not sad as in pathetic, but in how many opportunities June had sacrificed. Mike didn't mind this life, so he had no complaints, yet he always felt she might have held some secret regrets. It was a lot of work to maintain one of the world's greatest secrets. To help them required being nearby instead of moving somewhere things happened, and other human friends made the secret harder to keep.

While there was no code he and June (and Jeremy, before his death) lived by, doing all this came with the assumption that they'd never have many opportunities beyond Fazbear's. He just wondered if she'd have been better off if Mike hadn't roped her into this many years ago. Then again, Jeremy probably would have been worse off because he would never receive the help he needed, which could have trickled down to her, etc. Not much point guessing. He tried to focus on the real world, which was a hard enough place by itself.

One good thing was that nobody made plans for the weekend. Supposed to be a nice, quiet Saturday. Mike got to observe everyone's progress, and the advancements his friends made before Mary broke the news were remarkable, in his opinion. Including his own! He'd always wanted to learn to speak another language, and now he was able to… even if he had no idea what the words coming his mouth meant. Tried to type the lines phonetically into Google, and the results came up blank, which confirmed that this tongue came from another planet, if not another universe!

While there was more to practice, things went well for the time being. Really, they'd been running themselves so ragged that everyone silently agreed to take it easy for a couple days.

"Want to go to the lake?" Foxy asked, cocking her head toward him, a slight smile on her face from the afterglow. Hadn't been to the shores of Kachess Lake since last summer. Though only 15 or so minutes away, it was difficult to get anywhere remote enough to suit their needs. It was never packed, but even one other person at the main haunt was too many. Still, it was something they tried to do every year, hopefully before the weather turned cold. And Mike was dedicated enough that he'd found a truly abandoned piece of lakeshore to hang out on.

"Why not? Let's do it," Mike agreed. "But this time, uh, I think we should invite everyone." They'd already had enough alone time for the day, so they weren't going to have sex on the beach. If this really was the last time they'd do something fun as a family, they needed to seize the moment. Mix it up a little and do something new. He'd taken them all before, but Foxy liked water the most and went with him most often, which was why he associated the trip most with her. Foxy nodded.

Mike got up, trying not to get any more "fluids" on the nice sheets and cleaning up with a roll of paper towels conveniently located on the nightstand. Geez, I really hope the others can't smell this. Sprayed the area down with some Febreze, just in case, which was the sanitary thing. They'd still do a load of laundry. He and Foxy donned their clothes and headed for the common area far later than usual.

Before that, though, was the little matter of going ashore from the Ruby Tempest. There were a few ways to dismount, like climbing down some rigging, swinging down a rope attached to a zip line (which had a soft mat underneath in case kids fell) or taking the boring route and walking down some stairs. Unsurprisingly, that was the least popular option.

Despite being intended for children, the structure was sized for people much larger. It was a compromise between being used by its target demographic and the fact Foxy lived on it and was ultimately in charge of running things. Better too big than too small, and it had the bonus of allowing adventurous parents to play with their kids as equals. Not enough embraced the fun, in Mike's opinion, but he wasn't about to judge how people raised their offspring.

He went with his favorite option: a tube slide from the bow's top deck to the floor. "See you at, uh, the bottom!" he called out to her, diving headfirst into the dark tunnel. His heart still fluttered; he was in the mood for an adventure, no matter how tiny it may have been. His arms were tucked at his sides as he zoomed down the pipe. Closing his eyes, he could imagine it was a delve to all sorts of exotic locales, like an undersea cavern, deep trench or sunken city. These were places Foxy would have loved to build if they had a whole mall-sized building to work with. Sadly, that was never to be. Yet another reason to write that book they always wanted.

The slide's inside was made of solid wood, polished and plucked of potential splinters. Because it wasn't made of metal or plastic, it and the other slides on the ship were the only ones Mike had ever been on without the unpleasant inevitability of static shocks. He tumbled out at the bottom, opening his eyes to find his wife standing over him with crossed arms.

"How did you - "

"Ye still don't know all me secrets," she said with a wink, sticking out her hand to help him up. Mike felt a goofy grin form on his face as he accepted the clawed paw. He felt young again. That was common when working this job, though.

As he stood, he noticed a certain plaque on the wall adjacent to the mural he and Foxy painted long ago. He barely noticed it anymore, and neither did most of the kids. Today, though, it caught his eye because of the danger they threw themselves into.

IN MEMORIAM

JAMES DUNN

NOVEMBER 14, 1980 – NOVEMBER 14, 1987

Mike's stomach tightened. His was the one death at this place not directly on Auric's hands. To Hell with it, though. They'd take it out on him, anyway.

"C'mon, we've spent too long here," Foxy said, parting the curtains and gesturing him through. Mike obliged, stepping through the portal and finding everyone milling about. Chica idly played some House of the Dead 4, waving her lightgun wildly as she shot into the screen, June had her feet kicked up on a table while typing something on her laptop, Mary restocked a claw machine that almost ran dry when they closed the restaurant, and Freddy thumbed through some novel he had laying around. The bear tried reading Finnegans Wake last month and tore it up in frustration because of how difficult it was (Mike looked up the Wikipedia entry and had no idea what he read), so it was probably something easier.

Each kept to themself. That was normal, especially considering how they all felt. They exchanged occasional sentences, which was a step up from yesterday. He thought so, anyway. Wasn't a therapist like Helen.

"The Sleeping Beauties are finally awake," Bonnie teased as they emerged. He tuned one of his guitars despite not finding much time to play them during this interregnum. OK, so at least one of them knew what went down - or he thought Foxy just slept for a long time and Mike was there, too. Mike felt uncomfortable, so he changed the subject to what he came to discuss.

"Uh, want to go to the lake?" People paused their activities to look at him, and the hum of energy suddenly became disquieted. Shifty eyes of all colors looked at him. Perhaps his friends weren't as ready for fun as he expected. Regardless, he made his case. "Foxy and I are going. I think, like, it'd be g-good for you all to get some air."

Nobody except him and June had left the building since Wednesday. They'd spent consecutive months inside between 1987 and 2000, but most of them went out at least daily those days. It felt like a step backward.

In any case, there wasn't much anybody needed to prepare. There were some leftovers in the fridge which were still good. A few blankets and towels meant they should have been good to go! Slowly, they came around.

"It could be fun," June said, slamming her laptop shut. She let out a strained laugh. "And even if it isn't, there's nothing else that'll distract me from… well…"

It'd distract her from her friends dying. Everyone knew what she wanted to say, and none had the heart to finish the thought. If the worst came to pass, Mike would be the only person she had left besides a too-distant family. Mike felt the same way. She'd be his last friend standing.

He desperately hoped Henrietta was wrong and that everyone would be OK. But he couldn't count on hope. Things worked out well before by luck or miracles. Maybe they would again.

Yet he somehow knew in his heart it wouldn't. At least one friend wasn't making it out.

11:30 AM

The 15-minute drive to the lakeshore was a blink compared to the marathon drive Foxy had gone on a few days prior. With the windows down and her eye closed, she imagined she stood on the bow of her galleon, sailing to another adventure with her intrepid crew.

Then reality hit the second she opened it, and concerns flooded back to her. Foxy worried it was too late to make this matter. Was it possible to enjoy this with imminent death staring them down?

After a pause and a deep breath, she rolled her eye and scoffed at her concerns. "Worried" was too serious a word to describe a pleasure cruise. And what did it matter if it mattered?! They were doing this to get away from the pressure, and she heaped more upon herself with inane thoughts. It made her feel more like a concerned housewife than a pirate!

She tried to be more like the latter as she sat up straighter and glanced toward Mary, who still rode with them. Though she didn't speak much, Foxy could tell her sister was in a better mood than her other siblings. It was as if the pain she carried was passed to the rest of them like a curse. Foxy clenched her metal teeth, wondering if she and Mike made the wrong choice. She didn't think they did. This was the truth everyone needed to hear. Even if it hurt, a harsh truth was better than noble lies. I wonder if Bonnie and Chica feel that way, she thought, trying not to be swallowed by her doubts like quicksand.

Regardless, what was done was done. This would be over soon.

"Foxy?" Her eye snapped to Mike as he called for her, not realizing that she'd been totally lost in her own head. They arrived at their destination: a decaying parking lot that might have used to be a rest stop in the 50s. She felt alert an instant before, yet she now realized it to be a dream. "You all right?"

She thought about saying she was. That would have been a lie. And damn her if she'd commit the mistake she'd just internally railed against. "No, I'm not."

Mike nodded, though he couldn't hide his sadness. How was he supposed to take her existential crisis, especially when he had one of his own? Mary shifted uncomfortably in her seat with her hands in her lap, aware none of this would have happened if she covered her tracks better.

The three disembarked to find June and the other animatronics pulling in behind them. Everyone piled out, Chica almost tumbling into the grime of the abandoned, overgrown parking lot for good measure. Foxy chuckled slightly; it was OK to get dirty, because they were all about to get clean again.

Some light banter started as everyone headed for the undergrowth. Not much, but enough to put Foxy at ease. It was only 500 feet to the lake, so they thankfully didn't have to wade through miles of ticks and other parasites. A minute later and the last of the pines fell away, revealing the edge of a stony embankment with a few roots sticking out. Past that five-foot drop was a similarly gray, rocky beach, followed by a pristine glacial lake that stretched over a mile wide at its widest (which was near where they stood now) and nine miles long. The scent of the water and cold air hit her nose, and everything almost became perfect. It wasn't really an ocean until she couldn't see the other side, though.

She was the first down, scrambling in the gravel, grabbing exposed, sappy pine roots with her hand while her hook dug into gaps between the stones. It caused a miniature rockslide which she surfed down: erosion in action. Most of the others just kind of rolled, not being so graceful. The exception was Mary, who expertly descended the roots without touching the ground until the bottom. She navigated with the precise grace that only a computer could.

Then they were at the frigid lake fed by ice melt from the surrounding Cascades. That was why her town was called "Whitewater", after all - the water came from the white. Thankfully, cold water didn't bother them much with all their natural insulation in the form of feathers and fur. Mary was the only one who lacked those things. Good thing she didn't care for water, then, just taking the occasional warm sponge bath for hygiene. None of them could swim. Just being partially submerged in water was a novel experience for them, though. No bathtubs at Fazbear's. Sure, it'd be chilly, but they'd acclimatize quickly.

Mike and June wouldn't have such an easy time, so they'd probably spend most of their time sunbathing with only quick jaunts into the drink unless they wanted to contract hypothermia. Regardless, they both walked a hundred feet down the beach in opposite directions so they could strip out of their clothes and into bathing suits.

They didn't own any swimwear. As established, none of them would get cold (not like a bikini would help much with that). It would have been aesthetically pointless, since Foxy was the only one of them to wear much in the way of clothing in the first place, so why would water clothing be any different? Not like she was going to flash her vixen tits at strangers when the only people around were her husband, siblings and a close female friend. So, yeah, it was skinny dipping for all of them, even if she didn't really see it that way.

That was how she found herself naked with all her brothers and sisters standing at the water's edge. It may not have been too cold overall, yet that didn't mean anyone wanted to experience that first bracing jolt of cold.

"You should go in first," Bonnie goaded Chica.

"No, you," Chica replied, just dipping one of her three toes in the inch-tall waves.

"You."

"You!"

The back-and-forth continued. Foxy tried not to laugh as the two went at it. She was pretty sure they weren't serious, only doing it for the sake of comedy, yet she was never totally sure with them. It always played great with kids.

"You chicken or something?" Bonnie asked. The rhetorical question drew a raised eyebrow from their sister. Not the worst thing somebody could be called, but Chica understandably took her species' name used as an insult with offense. "Sorry, poor choice of words. I'll go in first," he sighed, wanting to make it up to her.

Before he did, Freddy put both to shame. Must have gotten tired of the skit. Without a word, he took a massive leap forward, wrapped his arms around his legs while airborne and cannonballed into the water! Too bad he forgot that it actually took a while to get out of the shallows, so he landed in two-foot deep water with rocks on the bottom and tumbled to a halt on his face.

The laughter Foxy tried to hold back burst out as she doubled over. An oily tear ran into her facial fur. Freddy pushed himself out of the water, looking more annoyed than hurt as liquid spilled in rivulets down points of hair. "I'm s-sorry," she choked out, just getting her breath back. Her brother scowled for a second before mellowing out, even showing a hint of a smile.

"Eh, I was going to get all wet, anyway," he said. "Speaking of which - "

A bolt of water struck her across the muzzle, delivered by a hand quicker than her eye perceived. Oh, it was on! She ran in, slashing the surface with her hook to get him back! Not as effective on him, since he was already soaked. Bonnie and Chica ceased their bickering and rushed after them, not wanting to be left out of the water fight!

There was no shame or embarrassment as they played. Her family appreciated these simple, childlike things more than most adults because of what they were created to be. She hoped she never forgot the simple pleasures of having fun with family. Everything had been so serious lately that she'd almost forgotten what fun was. Mike was right to get her and the rest here.

Speaking of which, he fell in right beside her, either tripping on a submerged rock or not wanting to ease himself in. When he arose, he turned as white and clammy as a revenant.

"Fuck!" he eventually got out after stammering and choking on water. "I - I'm OK!"

"Brave of you, Mike!" June shouted from the shore. A smile on her lips turned upside down when she realized she needed to get soaked, too. It was only fair now that everyone else did it. Sighing, she made the same stumble he and Freddy did, though she handled it with slightly more dignity. Slightly.

She couldn't help but look at June and Mike. Different from her physically in many ways, yet also similar in most. For people pushing 40, they looked good. Kept fit and ate healthy, especially thanks to the more nutritious (but still delicious) food Chica cooked. Neither did much in the way of meal prep anymore with an expert chef at their beck and call. Mike exercised frequently, and June's job required her to do a lot of heavy lifting. She could especially say her husband looked good, because, well…

Her point was that she wanted them to both live for a long time, and that seemed likely with how well they took care of themselves. If they got through the next couple weeks.

Now that they were used to water, they had many options. Aquatic activities, like swimming, fishing and just wading were the main things because of how rarely she and her friends got to experience them. Just being in nature was also nice, though. May not have been the sea, yet it was still a beautiful place abutting a large body of water.

Well, not swimming, she thought, looping around to her first point as she waded into waist-deep waters. Her tail instinctively raised like a skunk's, trying to stay dry as long as possible. I swear it has a mind of its own. All were too dense; they sank like stones. The good news was that the lake, at least this part of it, had a gradual decline instead of falling off an underwater ledge, so drowning wasn't an imminent risk.

"Anyone up for some volleyball?" June asked, pointing to the white sphere sitting on the shore. Mary was next to it, baiting a fishing rod to do something that involved keeping dry.

"Sure, that seems as good as anything," Freddy replied, having shaken off his frustration. He sloshed over, shaking water from his fur like a wet dog, and tossed it in, where it bobbed on the surface.

Foxy never played, but the rules seemed simple enough: hit it to the other team and don't let it touch the ground (or water, in this case). They broke up into impromptu teams of three: Mike, Freddy and Foxy on one side and June, Bonnie and Chica on the other. Only seemed right that there be one human and two animatronics per team to keep things fair.

Bonnie served first, sending it into the air instead of immediately spiking it into the water like she half expected. It flew at them, and Mike intercepted it, almost tripping as he nevertheless sent it back. She saw him silently curse and shake his wrist at the impact. Even five years ago, that probably wouldn't have hurt him. First point to their side, though!

Didn't have a net to set up, so it ended up being more like hacky sack than volleyball, with them trying to keep it in the air. They messed around with that for about an hour, no longer keeping count by the end.

They were allowed to simply be in a way they rarely got to. Foxy did one thing after another, like trying out fishing of her own and skipping rocks. Simple pleasures, but not bad ones. Also occasionally snacked on the leftovers they brought.

Everyone sort of scattered to do their own things, as well, though all stayed within sight of one other. It was fun to watch them have fun of their own. Her favorite was Freddy standing in neck-deep water with his eyes closed, relaxing in the natural equivalent of a sensory deprivation tank. She had no idea what he imagined, which was good. She would have hated it if people could read her mind.

Mary, still fishing, reeled her empty line in. She caught and released several fish, though none as big as the massive trout Mike hauled in 17 years prior on that very spot. Yes, she still remembered that beast. Closest thing to a sea monster she'd seen in this world.

"I am glad that I did not ruin this day by coming," she said, scooching to be closer to Foxy.

"You still feel bad about that?" she asked. As far as she was concerned, they'd dealt with it and moved on. The best they could, anyway; the fear wouldn't go away until Auric was in the ground.

Her mask-like face morphed into a frown, and the blue streaks resembled tears again. "It was the first time I have ever deceived you all." Foxy hadn't thought about that, but it was true. Well, except not immediately telling them Phil was Springtrap, but that was only for a couple of hours, and it'd have gotten them all killed if she did. But other than that, she kept no secrets from anyone. "It is not something I can separate myself from so easily."

"Well, I forgive you," Foxy said, resting her hand on Mary's back for physical reassurance. "And everyone else does, too."

She smiled, yet the gesture held a hint of fear. "I hope that forgiveness can be warranted."

"I'm not sure anyone deserves forgiveness," she said, her mind drifting to Phil as she spoke. "It's just… kind of something we give each other." And really, she was happy to give it. Mary probably understood that, but it was good to be reminded. Hell, Foxy needed to tell herself that from time to time.

"Hey, Foxy!" She raised her head to see Chica out in the lake, somehow having gained three feet of height! Probably because it came from Bonnie, who supported her on his shoulders. Foxy laughed aloud when she saw it. Now this was a sea monster.

"Wanna be part of the Great Animatronic Tower? We're trying to see how high we can get!" She felt herself raise a brow before holding up her hook. There was a non-zero chance she'd gouge someone's eye out while trying to hold on. Chica frowned before turning her attention to Mary. "OK, do you want to be part of the Great Animatronic Tower?"

Couldn't think of anything better to show that forgiveness had already been given. Would they really form the Great Animatronic Tower with someone they hated. Foxy thought not! With that reassurance, Mary dipped her toe into freezing water to see if it was something she'd be interested in doing more often.

The fact she almost keeled over from shock made Foxy think that was a "no".

8:15 PM

It had been a fun day. Between going to the lake and everything that happened there (he couldn't stop thinking about Mary falling over because she had never touched cold water before, apparently), it was the break everyone needed. As great as it had been, though, he now did something even better.

Mike's fingers intertwined with those of his wife as they sat in the dark, illuminated by a TV screen. He tried to hold onto every little second, lest they slip through his fingers like drops of water. Even so, he couldn't help but look around this little ecosystem his wife made.

It evolved from an alcove to what he could only describe as Foxy's babe cave. Or whatever the female equivalent of a man cave was called. Granted, all of Pirate Cove was like that, but this place was the focal point: bigger than her cabin and still off-limits to the public. Pirate memorabilia hung from the walls, along with a few real framed doubloons and pieces of scrimshaw. Hadn't been cheap, but she earned the right to buy a few trinkets with her stipend. Besides, it paled in comparison to the amount Mike had to spend recently.

The nicest thing about it was her. He wouldn't have spent so much time here if she didn't love it so much. But this was her life. More than a hobby, it was her culture - a culture nobody else in the world shared. He was honored that she made him feel so welcome in it, even if he'd never be a pirate himself!

He sat, snuggling the crook of her neck. It took him back to his 19-year-old self, doing all this before he finished college. It seemed crazier now than it did back then - and was crazy enough at the time. He was so caught up in memories that he almost didn't pay attention to the action unfolding on the screen, which enthralled Foxy, like it always did. One Piece remained her favorite show. Watching it was easier than ever thanks to streaming - and pirating! Sure, they had to put up with subtitles, as the show didn't get dubbed into English for a while after the initial Japanese release, but these ones made sense as opposed to those gracing the bootleg VHS tapes they used to watch.

Suddenly it was over. To be continued in the next exciting adventure - which they'd be around to see, at least.

That was the 799th episode. The 800th came out next week. If each episode was roughly 25 minutes… he didn't want to do the math, but he invested a lot of time into this show! Last month was the series' 20th anniversary, something Foxy had followed casually online. Apparently, a live-action version of the series was in the works with Netflix. Mike would believe it when he saw a trailer. If it did happen, Foxy would surely devour it just as voraciously as the original.

Mike didn't have much to talk about as the TV turned off. They were in the dark. Time to get some sleep before the final sprint, which would be unforgiving.

"I'm sorry I can't do more," he whispered, almost regretting having said those words the moment they left his mouth. Almost. They were honest, even if they were stupid.

"Mike, you've got to be kidding. You've done more for me - for us all - than anybody, and it's not close." The glow of her single eye fell upon him. It was so warm and reassuring.

"Yeah, and it, uh, still isn't enough." Mike knew he did a lot for her; she didn't need to remind him. But what had it really gotten them? All his efforts, and they were in terrible danger. "I - I just f-feel so powerless." There was silence as Foxy tried to figure out what to say. She shifted in her bean bag chair.

"Me too," she admitted. "It's happening so fast. It's almost here. May as well be tomorrow." He wished it were. That way, they could get it over with instead of lingering in awful uncertainty.

"I'm not sure, l-like, what's going to happen," Mike said, feeling himself get sucked into this terrible spiral. "Um, we think you'll die, but maybe it'll be me. If that happens, I - well, I'd like to think I'm g-going to go to Heaven." His voice cracked like an egg. "And if I do… I'll be waiting for you. Because, no matter what you think of yourself or if you even believe in God, I think you'll get there, too. Because you're a good person. The best person I've ever, uh, met." This time, the sound of silence seemed to last even longer, even though it might well have been shorter. He felt heavy and mortified, though this must have been something "normal" couples talked about. That was the point of wills, after all.

"Fuck that. You're not going to die, Mike. I'll make sure of it." Foxy sounded confident as ever, which gave him some hope that things would be OK. How easily he was swayed from hope to doom. "But if I do, I'll always be with you. I know that sounds like a stupid cliche, but I'm going to fight whatever forces are out there that separate the dead from the living, I'm going to beat them, and I'm going to appear as a ghost that you'll never get rid of."

If only.

Buried his face in his hands, which hid nothing that wasn't already concealed by the dark. But now he didn't need to look her in the eye anymore. While on the horrible subject, he decided to ruin the night even more by bringing up something related. They'd addressed it before, but Mike never got a straight answer. He would die one day even if Auric wasn't the end of him. Jeremy's funeral was a visceral reminder, and that happened weeks prior! In all likelihood, she'd outlive him by centuries if not killed. "Foxy, when I die, what are you planning to do?"

"There'll be nothing left for me here. I might hang on until June dies if she does after you, but after that…" She didn't need to finish her sentence. Mike already knew she was going to kill herself. Probably not via active suicide, but just fading away. She wouldn't eat or drink or do any function necessary for life, even a very special form of life like her.

Then she'd be with him for all time, wherever they ended up. He hated that, but who was he to talk her out of it? What she decided to do with her life, especially after he was gone, was none of his business. Besides, she was right; there was little else left for her in this life. Unless he could groom someone younger than him into being his successor managing the restaurant - which would be an immoral thing to begin with, because it'd prevent that person from living a normal life - they'd be on their own with no link to society.

The only exception he could see was if real artificial intelligence was invented in the future that had the same rights as people and didn't try to take over the world or anything. While that wasn't impossible, Mike considered it an unlikely future. Things rarely broke the right way in this broken world.

"All right," was all he could say. Their story would end the same way all stories ended. In that, they were a normal family.

And it delighted him, despite everything else.

…

Hey guys! I mentioned in the A/N of an earlier chapter that I wanted to write some downtime for the characters before they march into danger. This is that update. It was fun to write too! This may be the last time we have such detailed character interactions for the remainder of the story.

I particularly enjoyed getting to explore Mike's more religious side, if only a little. It's part of him that I don't get into often to avoid sounding like a proselytizing weirdo, but as a Christian myself, it makes sense to me that he'd be thinking about being a good person and what comes after death more than ever. Rest assured that there will be no deus ex machina, though; Jesus isn't going to come down from Heaven at the climax and smite Auric. That would be so incredibly lame. And, of course, that's not the only thing I had fun with! Other standouts include Bonnie and Chica being goofballs and the ending conversation Mike and Foxy had about their own mortality.

So, yeah, lower stakes before things ramp up again. Next time is where we begin the journey to the final showdown between Auric and the only ones who can stop him. This story has flown by! But it's not over yet, so don't despair. See you all for that. Also, thanks to Soviet Fox for reviewing since last time.