My Happiest Day

Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, Hurricane, Utah

Wednesday 26th June 1985 17:13 PM

Pursing her nose, the girl with the curly black hair and pigtails looked around from her seat. How long had she been sitting there? She couldn't tell. It felt like forever. One minute turned to many minutes and still, there was no sign.

Her dad had given her the money, said to make sure she was back at the hotel across the street by six, and to her enjoy herself. Both he and her mother were working and they wouldn't be able to celebrate with her until after they got home.

She frowned and felt irritation. They should have been here by now. Where are they? They promised they would be here. She knew she had arrived a little late, but that was because the cat had been sick and her mom had needed to take him to the vet before she could drop her off.

Holding her head in her hands, she bit her lip. This wasn't supposed to be how it went. It was supposed to be a party, one with all her friends; the pizza was even still on the table in front of her, but she couldn't possibly eat it all!

In the days before, she had dreamed of how it would go. They would play games, laugh, watch the animatronics…it would be great! She even imagined meeting a friend from a long time ago, but that is how she felt the last time she was there.

Since she was four years old, her mom and dad would bring her to Hurricane for her birthday party. Though the first two had been at that other small town, New Harmony, she recalled, at that place had been Fredbear's. Freddy's was much better.

So when she had told her friends that she was having her birthday party at Freddy's this year, too, they had all agreed to meet here. That had been the plan, anyway; to her frustration, it seemed none of them remembered!

Fighting back tears, she angrily rubbed her eyes and refused to let them win. All of a sudden, a shadow fell on her. Blinking, she turned around and froze in awe as the big bunny rabbit hovered over her.

"Um…" She managed to speak, her voice a little strained, "hi."

"Why, hello, little girl!" The rabbit chattered, "Why are you looking so glum?"

She narrowed her eyes, "My friends were meant to be here…but they didn't come…"

"Your friends, hm?" The rabbit put a hand to his chin, seemingly deep in thought, "It's your birthday, is it not? A truly glorious day!"

"I guess…"

"Y'know," The rabbit leant down, voice hushed, like he was sharing a secret, "there is a party going on, right now. One with cake and pizza, music and dancing…would you like to be a part of it?"

Hesitating, she thought about it. "I don't know…my friends might still come…" Truth be told, she wasn't convinced they were coming; she just felt like going to some secret party would get her in trouble. As bad as the day had been, she didn't want to get in trouble with her mom and dad.

"Oh, I understand your hesitation!" The rabbit bowed his head, nodding graciously, "But trust me when I say, it will be spectacular! Why, you just have to hear from the last boy who joined, Gabriel!"

Hearing that name the girl's eyes widened. "Gabriel? Gabriel's there?"

"Why, yes! Quite a wise boy, I have to say! Just follow me!"

A scowl came across her face. So that's where he is! Are they all there, at this secret party without telling me? "I mean…if he's there, it can't be all that bad…"

Nodding with happiness, the rabbit pointed with his arm and the girl shrugged, got up from her seat, and followed him. As her feet continued walking, however, she felt something she hadn't felt before. Like when she watched that movie with her friends a few months ago, Friday the 13th. She had been the least scared, but whenever the killer was about to strike, she felt the same feeling.

The rabbit led her into one of the hallways and towards a big metal door. Opening it, the rabbit let her through.

She was expecting to see other kids in there, laughing and playing. Instead, it was an empty room. Scowling, she turned to the rabbit.

"So, what's your name?" The rabbit asked, closing the door.

"Cassidy." She answered, not amused. "Where are the others? Where's Gabriel?"

"Oh, he's around. This party is quite exclusive, I have to say! I bet you must think you're dreaming!" He gave a light chuckle.

She narrowed her eyes into a glare, "You're lying. My dad tells me people say a lot when they're lying."

The rabbit gave a light, offended noise. "My dear Cassidy, I am shocked! I have to tell you, you're lucky to have such a gracious host such as myself!"

In spite of her irritation, she also felt something else. Fear. "I want to go. Please let me go."

"Oh, my girl, you have nothing to fear!"

That was when she looked down, towards the greasy tiled floor. When she spotted it, that fear tripled.

It was a hat, a white one. Gabriel had found it in his parent's attic; wore it every day to school. She didn't need to see the red stuff on it to know that he never would have left it.

"Now," The rabbit turned to her after locking the door, "shall we begin?"

Those last few minutes for Cassidy were a blur. She would recall darting for the door, trying to get past the rabbit. When he grabbed her before she could, she didn't hold back. Feral, her mother had once called her affectionately.

So she bit and she clawed and the rabbit cursed, but it was all for naught. Even as she drew blood, the rabbit clutched her and lifted her, forcing something heavy over her head. She tried to cry out, but before she could try and squirm out, something sharp dug into her cheeks.

She screamed as she felt pain, more pain than she had ever felt in her life. She cried and begged for the rabbit to take it off, but then something dug into her throat and she couldn't speak anymore.

No…she thought as she squirmed on the ground, the rabbit watching her as she weakened, this wasn't how today was meant to go. This was supposed to be my happiest day. This was supposed to be…

But then everything grew darker and she could think no more.

Moon Lake Lodge, Utah

Monday 26th June 2017 14:55 PM

With his eyes closed, Thomas scrunched his face up in discomfort as the ray of light drifted onto them. Against my will, he knew, having wanted to sleep just a little longer. He opened his eyes and found himself in a quaint little room in a nice, comfortable bed.

When he turned his head, he saw his wife, holding her head up with one arm, eyes closed. Is she asleep, too? He almost smiled at the thought, though it may have been just from looking at her face after all this time.

So he didn't wake her up. He would lay there in wait until she did so herself and when she eventually did, she blinked tiredly and saw him gazing at her.

"Oh." She mumbled, wiping the sleep from her eyes, "Sorry, I-"

"I've missed that." He admitted.

Groggy, she shook herself awake and mumbled, "I thought it was when I was working-?"

When he heard that, he slackened. "Wait…Ty told you that? Jesus, what else was said when I was gone?"

"Oh, you know," She shrugged and smiled, "just your every deepest, darkest secret."

She stood and stepped towards his bedside and leaned over. The two embraced and Caine wasn't sure if he had the heart to ever let her go again.

"I changed your bandages, by the way." Sam whispered into his ear, a little pain in her voice, "I did my assessment as best as I could with what I have. Tom…I'm sorry. There's no fixing it."

Truth be told, he had accepted his loss of an eye. "I suppose I got off lucky. Sorry I didn't come back to as Prince Charming."

"Oh, shut up."

He laughed at that, but their moment came to an end with an opened door. Parting, the two looked at the door and saw a figure with his hood up and a scarf tightly wrapped around his face.

"Sorry," Mike quickly said, holding his hands up, "I'll come back later."

"It's alright, Mike." Sam assured him, "Come on in."

Hesitant, Mike stepped into the room, his arms folded. His clothes were covered in grease and dirt; it didn't take Caine long to understand what he had been doing whilst Thomas had been asleep.

Taking a moment to contemplate something, Mike finally asked, "Sam, I really hate to request this…but would it be possible if we talked alone?"

"Oh, you're taking my husband away from me?" Sam snorted with a raised eyebrow, "You can have him, if you promise to feed him."

When Mike didn't return the smile, instead staying in his glumness, Caine could tell there was something wrong. "Just, uh…give us a few minutes."

He and Sam shared eye contact for a moment and they both agreed. "Okay." Squeezing Thomas' hand, Sam stood up, passed Mike, and left the room. Quietly, Mike shut it behind her.

Sighing, Caine said, "I get the feeling you're not happy about something."

With a grimace, Mike turned around. "Listen, Tom…I'm happy to see you again. I don't get how this has happened and I'm…really, really glad you're alive."

"I'm waiting for the but."

"But," Mike followed up, "I need an answer."

"Okay." Caine nodded, "Ask away."

Standing by the foot of his bed, Mike looked down, tense. "Were you in the Sanctuary with me?"

"Aye, I was." When Mike didn't say anything else at that, Caine raised an eyebrow. "And I'm supposing by the noticeable lack of small feet walking around that you made certain decisions on impulse?"

Mike shrugged, "I guess I did."

"Oh, Mike…" Caine sighed, "What did you do?"

"I needed some space."

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble, mate, but it's run out. Call them back. If we're doing this, we're doing it right."

Deflating, Mike took a false breath and spoke out, "It's time, guys. Come on back."

Slowly, they appeared, one by one. First Charlie, then Gabriel. At last, Cassidy and Dave appeared, together. Still with his arms folded, Mike seemed to decide against looking at any of them.

So Caine did it for them. Sharing a warm, reassuring smile to each of them, some returned it. Others looked either gaunt and sad, or resentful. His eyes fell back onto Charlie and he said, "How are the others getting on?"

"They wanted to come." Charlie admitted, "To help in any way they could."

"I know. How are you doing, though?"

"We'll deal with that eventually." She immediately told him, a little too abrupt for it to be normal for her. "We've got pressing issues to deal with."

"Aye," Caine acknowledged, knowing not to press her on this issue with her doppelganger, "we do, indeed. So, with that in mind…Mike. Care to share?"

Scowling, Mike paced a little and Thomas knew he was trying to word his argument as best as he could. "I should've been told. Keeping this from me was wrong, and you all know it."

"Okay." Caine acknowledged, "So what else was said?"

It was Cassidy who answered that, full of venom, "What is there to say? Ol' Mikey's not too happy with us. Of course, rather than dealing with it like an adult, he instead had a temper tantrum."

"Cass." Gabriel warned, "Please, we don't need to do this."

"Oh, so you're saying Michael booting us to the curve after we pulled him and the others out of the fire was perfectly fine, Gabe?"

"I didn't say that. But we need to talk, not argue."

Nodding to Gabriel in agreement, Caine said, "Cassidy, I understand where you're coming from, but the last thing we need right now is for voices to be raised and the others to think the two of us have gone stark raving mad. We need to keep this civil, alright?"

She sniffed, "If you say so, Mr. Caine."

Scoffing, Mike said, "Oh, so you're all buddy-buddy with him? I'm guessing you all are?"

"If you're asking me why I'm not sending biting remarks his way, it's because I actually like him. He just got in my way."

"Funny how you pick and choose between those you tried to kill in the past."

"Oh, go shove your pick and choose right up your-" When Dave raised a hand to her shoulder, Cassidy forced herself to stop and glared at Mike. "Fine. I'll stop. But I'm not talking to him."

Accepting that, Caine said, "So what else? So that I'm on the same page."

It was Charlie who stepped in next. "We had to be honest, Mr. Caine…Thomas. We said an agreement was made, that we didn't like it, but we had to hold it. That it was not unanimous and we wanted to tell Mike the truth."

"That's alright." Caine assured her.

With a glower, Mike demanded, "So who made the decision?"

"That was me, Mike. I gave the order. I made the decision."

Trembling in anger, Mike spoke with his voice low, "Why?"

"Because if you had known that your old buddy Thomas Caine was there and you even suspected that you could bring me along with you, it would have cost you."

Mike shook his head in fury, "So you made that decision for me?"

As bluntly as he could, Caine shrugged, "Someone had to. Sorry to say, Mike, but you're not best known for making rational decisions when you're under emotional stress. Especially when those decisions include looking after yourself. It wasn't self-preservation that sent you back to Freddy's armed to the teeth. It wasn't fear for your safety that made you agree to that deal I gave you. And I'd highly doubt you were thinking much of your future when you took on Afton at Fazbear Frights."

Annoyed and even a little clueless, Mike demanded with a wave of his arms, "So what was it, detective?"

"Simple. It's because you're driven by guilt and regret. So, had you realised that I was there, you would have been willing to throw away any chance of saving yourself to try and save me. That was not what you needed at that point."

Mike denied it, yet he was unsure, doubtful. "You're wrong."

"Even if I was, I was not willing to take the risk. Every second you spent in there was another second you might not come back out. I made a judgement call." Straightening a little, Caine pushed the point further, "Do you hear me, Mike? I made a judgement call."

Grumbling, Mike retorted, "Yeah, I get it. But-"

"Do you?" Caine shot back, trying not to raise his voice, "Because it seems you don't, or you would've realised that sooner. Mike, you have every right to be angry. So if you're pissed off and think the wrong decision was made, fine. Be angry with me."

"I don't-"

But Caine cut through him. "Not them. None of them wanted to keep this from you. Every day, one of them was telling me that you needed to know. Every time, I turned them down."

"They should have-"

"Done what? Break a promise? Go against the plan? We both know that when these things aren't followed through, it all falls apart." In cold anger, Caine continued, "Do not stand there and take it out on them. Not after everything we've gone through. Not after everything they've gone through."

Silence fell between the two of them and it wasn't until Mike finally couldn't meet his eyes anymore that Caine knew the message had hit. Pacing, Mike collapsed against the back wall and fell down, sitting.

Rubbing his face, Mike wept, "I'm an idiot. I'm a bloody idiot."

It was Charlie who made the first move, getting closer and kneeling down in front of him. "Michael, it's okay."

"No, it's not." He covered his face with his hands, "I can't change, Char, I just can't. Every single goddamn time, and I always revert back to this."

"We all make mistakes…and it was a bad, emotional night."

"After everything you've all done for me," He continued, "after Dave pulled me out of that void…you all took me in, stood by my side in the lake…"

"And we'd do it again." Dave stepped past Cassidy and stood by his side, "Without question."

"That's my point. I don't deserve…"

Gabriel stepped forward next. "But you'd still get it. It's not about what you feel you deserve, Michael. We will never stop believing in you."

"I'm sorry…" Mike breathed, "I'm so sorry…"

"We forgive you, Michael." Jeremy, assured him.

Susie nodded, "And we're sorry for not telling you."

Leaning against the wall, Fritz knocked on his shoulder with a grin. "Besides, we didn't march out of Davey Jones' locker with ya just to give up at the first moment o' bilge!"

As they crowded around Michael and showed their love, Caine couldn't avoid seeing the look on Cassidy's face. That's going to be a problem, he knew. One they needed to deal with at some point.

Minutes grew with him in that bed and Caine could feel that sense of peace in him being overtaken by the restlessness. Not quite boredom, as he had plenty of people to speak to; rather the guilt that he was in here resting while he heard everyone else working.

At some point when both Samantha and Tyler were in the room with him, he finally let them know. Upon saying the words, he could sense the deep-rooted fury, burning hotter than any earthly source, in his older brother.

"Are you sure?" Samantha asked him again, "We've had no sightings, no evidence…"

"He's alive." He answered that, knowing deep-down that he was correct. "We both made it out of Fazbear Frights."

Unable to help himself, Tyler pounded the wall behind him in anger, making them both jump. "Dutch Lawson…now that's demon if I've ever seen one. I suppose there's a bright side. I can put a bullet in him myself."

But Thomas was not convinced. "I fear it may not be so simple."

When the time came that Caine could feel his strength returning bit by bit, he made his first steps back onto his feet. It didn't last long, as he felt himself gassed out quickly, but at least he had the company.

At one point when Sam had to attend to some other business, Mike stood by him sitting down on a chair in the lodge's main room. "How are you doing, pal?"

"Miserable." Caine muttered, "I feel like an old man."

Cassidy sniffed at that, "You are old."

"Oi."

Then his older brother poked his head out from the front food and laughed, "Nah, fainting like ya did? You're more like an old woman. Gonna need to stuff you in a retirement home one of these days, bro."

All Thomas could do was glower at him, in good humor. Next to him, Cassidy admitted, "I like that guy."

"He has his moments." Thomas admitted.

Patting him on the shoulder, Mike smiled at him. He didn't have the scarf anymore, seeing as how everyone had seen his face by now. Even Katie and Harry, the former wary and the latter in awe. "Just give it some time. You'll be back up and running."

When the time finally came that Caine knew he had kept him waiting long enough, he asked for John. John looked a little off as he approached him sitting there and Thomas could sense the guilt.

"Listen," John started off with, "I just wanted to apologise. I hope you know that I never would have shot you."

Caine smiled warmly at him, "I know. Thank you for listening to me. It's now my end of the bargain we need to fill…are you ready to talk?"

"I guess." John shrugged, scratching the back of his head, "I don't know what you're expecting."

They used one of the side rooms, far enough away from the others that they wouldn't have people listening in. Caine sat at the centre of the table, with Mike on one end and John on the other. Before they could start, the not-so-ethereal Charlie joined them.

As she sat beside John, Caine could see the look in the other Charlie's eyes. One of a resentment she was clearly guilty for feeling, one of curiosity and wonder. He could understand it; though he had known about this Charlie who walked in their very real world, he could never answer the question of how.

"So," Caine eventually spoke, "who wants to start?"

Hands clasped together and his foot nervously tapping, Mike said, "Please; you first."

John was holding his chin and staring straight at Mike. "Fine. Let's start with the facts. You betrayed us, Mike. Walked into our lives…back into Charlie's. Aunt Jen didn't trust you and she was right. You knew we were trying to stay low, not get in trouble."

"I did."

"Then you sold us out." John continued, "Gave us up to Fazbear Entertainment. But worse than that, it was you who pulled Blackwood into Utah and hired them. You set them upon us. Jen covered for us and she got murdered for it."

Unbeknownst to both John and Charlie, all the souls were gathered around the room, watching on uncomfortably. Without being able to talk directly to them, Thomas and Mike could only receive.

Taking a deep breath before she spoke, Charlie added on, "But…there's also other facts that we need to consider. The past few days, for one. Your actions since we arrived here have not been the actions of a traitor. These people trust you…and I still do."

Mike inclined his head gratefully towards her, as the soul Charlie eyed her doppelganger.

"And then," Charlie added, "there's what happened on that street outside the executive office, that publicity stunt. Michael Afton walks around dressed as an undead corpse, pulls some…as the papers called it, carnival act…and then vanishes?"

Glancing at Caine, Mike maintained eye contact with him. "Either they'll believe us or they won't."

"I agree." Caine nodded, giving his approval.

Trying to straighten, Mike looked between the two and then began. "When I came back to Utah, I came back with one goal; to find answers. You probably both know by now, but my criminal history was…less than ideal."

"Murder, you mean?" John offered.

"Fazbear Frights." Mike acknowledged, "As I'm sure you know by now, what happened there wasn't so straightforward. It was Afton, my father, who killed Reggie Wood. We just became the main suspects."

Nodding, Charlie leaned in. "So why did you come back?"

"It all had to do with my old family home. There was a lockbox there, one he used to own. I couldn't open it when I was there before, but…" He grew subdued, "I became obsessed. I knew it had to hold answers."

"What answers?" Charlie asked, interested.

"I didn't know for sure…not until I opened it. It was filled with memories, artefacts of his past, and mine. Blueprints, documents. A letter, addressed to me." Scowling, Mike shook his head in disgust. "A bunch of guilt tripping. Reminding me of how much of a screw-up I am and telling me how I can maybe redeem myself. My father got my little sister killed, back in 1986."

Biting her lip, Charlie asked, "Elizabeth."

Dave lowered his head in the back and Mike looked gaunt at it. Fortunately, as Caine noticed, in the lack of Mike being able to comfort him, he had others who could do so. "Yeah. But she wasn't…gone."

Glaring at him, John demanded, "What, like her memory? Scars of the past never fade?"

When Mike didn't answer that, John's scowl grew. Then when he saw the expressions on Mike and Caine, it slackened. "Right? You're not actually saying…?"

Tiredly grimacing, Caine gave a little shrug and sheepish grin. "Actual, factual ghosts."

"You're kidding me."

Mike shook his head. "I wish I could say so. My father had a facility built underneath my house, one where he ran his experiments. From the usual technology to some…freaky psychological warfare. I investigated that facility over the course of five nights."

"Your injuries." Charlie spoke up, her voice dull with dread. "That day I came by your house to try and find you. You said you'd bit more off than you could chew…"

Mike nearly laughed. "Understatement of the century, in the end. On that fifth night, I walked down there. When I walked back out…"

He fell silent and Caine shot him an understanding look. Leaning forward, John demanded, "What? What happened down this facility?"

"I died." Mike bluntly said and that silenced him. "My own sister led me into a trap…stupid way to go. So that her and the others could leave. They had nowhere to go, looking as they did. So they needed a disguise."

With a reproachful, disgusted look John, asked, "You're not saying…they used you?"

Mike shrugged, "Not all of me, they needed some space. Took out anything they didn't need and walked out with the rest."

"Okay," John said, nauseous, "you're pulling my leg. He's pulling our legs."

But judging by how she eyed him with focus, Charlie didn't seem to believe the same. "So that publicity stunt…"

"I'm not sure exactly how it all worked out." Mike admitted and Thomas knew that was technically true, "All I know for certain is that my heart stopped beating on October the 7th and that thing walked around as me, until that day two months later. Then I walked away from that street, looking like this."

"Like a halloween costume." John mumbled.

To add to that, Mike lifted his hood off and took the wig away, showing his true face. John grew paler and Charlie seemed nearly sympathetic. For some time, John digested what he had just been told. Breathing in deeply, he said, "So…that guy walked around in that suit acting like some elitist asshat…the guy who sold us out…you saying that wasn't you?"

When Caine saw the way Mike slumped at that, he knew he was about to say something bad. "I wasn't that person, no. If you're asking if I set Blackwood on you…if I got Jen killed…then the answer is yes."

It was like John had been punched in the face. "What? What do you…?"

"If I had never knocked on Jen's door that day…" Mike explained, his voice broken, "If I had never come back into Charlie's life…they never would have found her. They never would have gone after Jen. None of this would have happened. So…you were right, John. I did betray you. Maybe that was not my intention, but that's what happened."

Silence fell between them all and Caine watched as the other Charlie stepped closer to him, trying to look into his eyes. Thomas then turned to look at the two who had listened to the story and could see the confliction in their eyes.

"So he's said his part." Caine explained, knowing the deal wasn't done yet. "It's up to the two of you to decide, now."

Still a little worse for wear, John looked at Thomas. "I just have to ask, Mr. Caine…"

"Please."

"Do you trust him?" John asked him sincerely, "Do you trust Michael Afton or…Schmidt, or whatever he calls himself these days?"

"With my life." He didn't need to look to know of the grateful look Mike gave him.

Sitting back, John sighed. "I don't know what to take from this. I'm struggling to wrap my head around it. But…you saved our lives, Mr. Caine. If you say he can be trusted…I can look the other way."

"Thank you."

A little more silently and unsure than they'd been when they entered, John and Charlie left. Still in his seat, Mike looked at the other Charlie next to him. "You okay, kid?"

"I don't know." She admitted, "I just…I don't understand. I can't even find anything to dislike. I just don't get it."

Gabriel pointed out, "She's got her head on a swivel. Honestly, if I didn't know any better, I'd say she'd be closer to your clone than a twin."

"Or maybe a T-800." Jeremy half-joked. When Caine heard that, he narrowed his eyes. A T-800. Huh.

"Well," Cassidy scowled, "whoever she is, I have to say your dad could've done a lot worse in your representation, Charlie."

Charlie slumped, "I guess. Like a toy on a shelf…"

"No. I mean, I don't know much about him, but your dad must've really loved you if he somehow managed to produce a near-perfect copy of you."

Blinking, Charlie thought about that for a moment. "I…didn't think of it like that."

When Caine left the room and saw a certain glimmer on Mike's cousin's face, he knew that it was yet another debt his dear friend owed to that angry girl with the pigtails.

At the very least, things are starting to relax. How long that lasts, well...

TU4QU0I53T4IAN6L3: Yeah, it's just been a bit up and down recently, but I suppose that's just how life goes. It's giving me a certain type of fuel for this story, which I can't pretend I'm not grateful for. With the Charlie flashback, which I did have to re-read a scene from Gift of Life to recall how it went, it's the start of highlighting something that I feel I've taken for granted: The tragedy that the souls all went through, something which Caine had to remind Mike of in this chapter. Writing Cassidy's own demise in this chapter was difficult and it's only just started. Mike was justified in being angry about not being told, which is something they were all worried about. If someone had told me all the way back 2021 that I'd eventually be writing a scene where Caine was venomously defending the animatronics from Mike, I can't say I'd have believed it. Tyler will never be able to admit it, but he's likely started to realise that perhaps he'd been wrong about Mike. Having his little brother back has likely made that pill a bit easier to swallow, of course. And then with the other Charlie, she still has Mike's number, no matter what version she is.