AN: Okay, so this is were I stand... I have started loosing interest in this story so updates may be sporadic. I've been having an extremely difficult time focusing on this and I hate to try to force myself because it shows in my writing. I've been working on this chapter on and off for the past few months and I'll admit... it's probably not one of my better chapters. Anyway... I AM NOT GIVING UP ON THIS STORY! It will eventually be finished but if there are similar breaks in the future I deeply apologize. I've been writing some things for other fandoms and they seem to have boosted my resolve a bit. I was able to get this done in between their chapters being posted so yay me! Again, I'm sorry that I've been inactive on this for so long. I really hope you can forgive me. As always thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy :)

Disclaimer: Scott Cawthon owns FNAF. It's a good thing I don't or nothing probably would have gotten done.

Smiling to himself, Mike scooted back around the corner before exiting Pirates Cove, staying in the shadows so as not to be seen. It would seem that his plan was unneeded seeing as how Jeremy and Foxy had managed to work things out for themselves. Still, he decided that it couldn't hurt to keep an eye on them for awhile. The last thing the boy wanted was for another event such as the one that had transpired earlier in the day to happen again.

"Maybe they can learn to be friends." He thought optimistically as he got dressed for bed. "Or at least try not be so obvious with their dislike."

The young man fell into a peaceful slumber, his mind free of the stress he had felt earlier. The next day went much smoother. Foxy and Jeremy didn't start any fights and even shared a few quick words whenever they ran into each other. It filled Mike with hope that his thoughts from the previous night would become a reality. He was brought out of his silent musings as his cellphone rang. Rushing to his kitchen table where he'd left the small device, he swiftly picked it up before glancing at the screen. Seeing that it was Anya calling, the former guard immediately answered.

"Hey, what's up?" He said into the receiver.

"Um, hey Mike." The young woman replied, uncertain.

The brown haired man could hear the hesitation in his girlfriends voice and couldn't help feeling worried about what she had to say. It wasn't that he was afraid she was going to break up with him... no, he could tell from her voice that that wasn't the case. Something else was going on.

"What's wrong?" He asked, concern shining in his brilliant, blue eyes.

"Is it..." She paused before trying again. "Would it be possible for me to stay with you tonight?"

"W...what?" Mike stuttered in shock, sure he had misheard.

"Mom and I, well, we kinda got into a fight." Anya admitted, as Mike listened closely. "I told her about trying to find my dad and she just..."

Mike closed his eyes in trepidation as the girl trailed off.

"What did she do Anya?" He asked through clenched teeth, afraid of the answer he would receive.

"It's not like she hit me or anything..." The writer denied as she tried to calm herself. "She just... she said that if I was so dissatisfied with the life we had then I should just leave and... and not to trouble myself with coming back. So... is it okay for me to... to come over?"

"Of course. Do you need me to pick you up somewhere? I don't think you should be driving with how upset you are." He declared, already reaching for his jacket on the back of a chair.

"No, no it's alright." She responded, causing Mike to hesitate. "I'll get a cab. I don't want to be a bother."

"Anya," The manager chastised lightly. "You could never be a bother to me. Tell me where you are and I'll come get you. There's no need to waste your money."

"I... I guess you're right." Anya conceded. "I'm at the park near the hotel."

"I'll be there in twenty minutes." Mike asserted in what he hoped was a reassuring tone.

Promptly hanging up the phone the young man pulled on his coat and headed downstairs, calling for Freddy as he went. It was hard to believe that Mrs. Kittner had gotten so upset that she pretty much banished her own daughter... but he didn't doubt his lovers word. Something was going on and he wanted to find out what. He was greatly relieved as the robotic bear met him at the landing, a slightly worried look on his metallic face.

"Michael?" The lead animatronic asked, apprehensively. "What is the matter?"

"Freddy, Anya just called. She needs a place to stay for tonight, maybe longer, I'm not sure." He explained, frazzled. "I know you'd never hurt her... but I haven't exactly told her you guys are sentient yet."

Mike awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck as understanding dawned on the bears face.

"I don't really know how to ask this, after all it's your home too but..." The former guard was cut off as the lead singer raised his paw before beginning to speak.

"You want us to stay still while she's present." Freddy stated knowingly, as he nodded his large head. "That's fine... I'll explain to the others about what has happened. It wouldn't do to frighten your lady friend now, would it?"

"Thank you for understanding, it means so much to me." Mike smiled thankfully as he rushed out the door to his car.

It took about fifteen minutes to reach the park and as he pulled the car to a stop, the former guard could see Anya sitting on one of the swings. He immediately made his way over and sat on the one beside her, legs pulled up towards his chest, as he took in her appearance. The young woman had tear stains on her cheeks and her eyes were red and puffy. It was clear that she had been crying not long before. Her clothes where wrinkled and smudged with dirt from the playground equipment but it was the look she gave him that stole Mikes breath. Her beautiful green eyes, which had been so full of life a mere week ago, held only defeat and sadness. In that moment, Mike knew he would do anything within his power to return the light that had been stolen from their emerald depths.

"Hey?" The young man spoke at last. "Are you ready to get out of here?"

Anya slowly turned to glance at him, wistful emotion displayed on her face. "Yes, let's go."

Without another word they headed back to the car to return to the pizzeria.

Once there, the new manager immediately showed his guest up to his room where he got her settled. He decided to take the couch and let her have the bed, after all... it was the gentlemanly thing to do. After making sure there was nothing else that his girlfriend needed Mike fell into a restless sleep, dreaming of notes, arguments, and the look in his beloveds eyes. It took several hours before he fell into a sound slumber, but when he did... he dreamt of much happier things.

The small boy raced through the doors of his foster parents house. He had just gotten back from school and was full of excitement. Mikey had gotten first place for the short story contest his elementary school had held and his eyes sparkled with pride. He rushed up to the room he shared with Jeremy and quietly opened the door, not wanting to disturb the older boy, before peeing inside. The blond had been forced to stay home that morning cause he'd caught a fever sometime during the night... but Mikey knew just how to cheer him up. Upon finding his adopted older brother awake and reading a book, the younger boy threw the door fully open and rushed forward.

"Jer! Guess what!" He exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "You'll never believe what happened!"

"Hmm... did you trip during gym again?" The green eyed child teased good-naturedly, having already realized why his little brother was so thrilled.

"Nooo, and that wasn't my fault anyway, someone tripped me." The younger pouted slightly before his smile returned full force. "I won! I really did it Jeremy! I really did it!"

There was no need to explain any further, after all... they'd both been waiting for the results of the contest for nearly a week. The older boy pulled Mikey into a tight embrace and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"I knew you could do it buddy." He declared softly.

"It's all thanks to you." The brown haired child said, looking up with adoring eyes. "If you hadn't convinced me to enter then I never would have had the courage to."

Jeremy shook his head in mild exasperation. "No Mikey. I may have given you a little push in the right direction... but you won all on your own. You've got amazing talent. Even though you're so young, whatever you write is so full of spirit and wonder. You can paint a picture with your words that just draws people in and I'm so proud of you. You've started to follow your dream and I know, someday, I'll see your books sitting on shelves in the store. When that day comes I'll stop and think 'He did it... My baby brother finally achieved his dream of being a famous author!' So no matter what happens I want you to promise me... never give up on that dream, okay bro?"

"Jer..." Mikey trailed off, tears gleaming in his blue eyes. "I promise! I will become an author, but you have to promise to become a great teacher... Deal?"

"Sure thing." The elder agreed, smiling. "Deal."

A content smile formed on Mike's face as he snuggled deeper into his blankets, unaware of the shadow sneaking it's way toward the stairwell.

-XXX-XXX-XXX-

Foxy stuck his head out of Pirates Cove and stealthily glanced around. It had been several hours since their child had brought the lassie home and he was greatly curious as to how things were going. Knowing Mikey like he did though, the pirate fox was sure the lad was being a perfect gentleman. He slowly crept out of the curtains, making sure not to make a sound as he made his way towards the stage.

"Psst." He hissed, trying to gain the attention of the other three animatronics without being overly loud.

Freddy looked up, meeting the foxes golden stare. "What is it Foxy? We're not supposed to be wandering around tonight, remember? Is something troubling you?"

The leader made his way over to the edge of the stage, the girls close behind, and they all took a seat. He was certain that the pirate wouldn't have come if he didn't have a good reason.

"I not be certain." The swashbuckler admitted, glancing toward the stairs where he thought he'd seen movement. "I just be wondering what be going on. Ya said that all me little matey told ya was that the wee lass be needing a place to stay fer the night, but that be making no sense. Why ain't she just staying with her ma like she be doing before?"

"I overheard Mike talking on the phone." Chika announced, eyes dull with worry. "He was talking to that Anya girl about how her mom and her got in a fight. She got kicked out of their hotel room."

"So that is the reason." The leader stated solemnly, shaking his head. "It is a shame when parents and children don't get along."

"I hope it will all work out for the better." Bonnie added, quietly... her gentle gaze filled with concern.

"Don't ye be worrying, me dear." Foxy proclaimed, winking towards the purple bunny. "I'm sure it will all be blowing over soon. These types of things never be lasting long in me own experience. Besides, Mikey wouldn't be letting his girlfriend get hurt, ye be knowing that as well as I do."

"Yes, I'm sure you're right. That boy has the kindest heart... he can't bear to see anyone suffer." She replied as the four animatronics nodded, falling into less troubling conversation.

The animatronic fox just managed to glimpse the frightened face that peaked out at them from behind the stairs moments before it ducked out of view.

-XXX-XXX-XXX-

'What... how?" Anya asked herself in confusion, eyes wide as she once again peered around the corner from her place on the bottom step. 'How is this possible!? The robotic animals... they can talk? They're acting like actual people! What if those stories I've heard are true? Do they really kill anyone who stays here at night?'

She shuddered, thinking of all the rumors that had centered around the previous restaurant.

'I've got to get out of here!' She decided, not even caring about her stuff upstairs. 'But what about Mike? I could barely make out what they were saying but... they were talking about him and it... it sounded like they were friends! Is he in on this!? No! No way... the Mike I know would never hurt anyone. Sure he's been through some extremely traumatic experiences in the past year but even so... he's still the guy I used to know, right?'

The black haired woman silently debated for another few minutes before finally coming to a decision.

'I'm sorry Mike... I need to get away from this place!' The green eyed girl cried internally as she quietly snuck towards the door.

"Where do ya think ye be going lassie?" A rough voice spoke behind her and she slowly turned, heart jumping into her throat as she saw the animatronic fox staring straight at her.

What happened to the others?' She thought uneasily, face contorting in fear. 'No, no, no, no, no! They're gone! Where are they!?'

Whipping around, a scream tore from her throat as she noticed the chicken mere feet away, blocking her path to the door. Upon checking her left and right she was terrified to discover both routes also closed off. With no way out, Anya crouched down... burying her face in her knees so that she wouldn't see them getting ready to rip her apart. Tears formed in her eyes as she awaited her imminent demise. All of a sudden, a hand was placed on her shoulder... making her yelp as she tried to jerk free.

"Ms. Anya... please let us explain." She heard a deep voice say as the grip tightened slightly but not enough to be painful.

"Wha...what do you want... with me?" She stammered, body shaking uncontrollably.

"We would just like you to hear us out." The robot replied, dare she say, kindly. "I promise you will not be harmed."

Risking a glance up, her eyes met the honest face of the mechanical bear. It didn't seem like he wanted to kill her but was the writer truly willing to trust his word. What choice did she have, surely they could have just destroyed her right there if they'd wanted. With a resigned sigh, she stood, waiting to be led to her doom.

The animatronics guided her to the nearest table, waiting patiently for the young woman to take a seat before joining her. She noticed that each of the four sat at least two chairs away, giving her space while also letting her know it would be futile to flee. Anya slumped down, fully expecting them to turn on her any second now.

"Just calm down there, lass." Foxy huffed upon seeing her eyes nervously twitching to keep each of them in her line of sight. "Freddy here already be telling ya that ye won't come to no harm."

"H...how can I tru...trust you?" She demanded, though her teeth were chattering so hard it was difficult to make out. "For a...all I know y...you could be pla...planning on killing me a...as we sp...speak."

"I promise we wouldn't do that, sweetie. Mikey would never forgive us if we let you get hurt." Bonnie replied in a soothing tone. "How about I go get you some nice cool water? You look like you could use it."

The animatronic rabbit walked off toward the kitchen, not waiting for an answer, as the others smiled after their nurturing friend.

"Mikey?" The girl asked after a few moments, having calmed down slightly due to the female robots reassurance. "Why do you keep talking like Mike is your friend?"

"He's not a friend!" Chika denied as the human sighed in relief, at least mike wasn't in on this... that hope was shattered as the chicken spoke once again. "He's family silly. We all love him dearly and think of his as our own."

"WHAT!?" The startled woman exclaimed shrilly as Bonnie set the glass of water in front of her. "How can he be family you're... you're ROBOTS!"

"That is a long story..." The bear responded, meeting her apprehensive gaze. "But if you are willing to listen we would be prepared to tell it to you... though you must promise never to discuss it with anyone other than Mike and ourselves."

"Hey, what about me?" The sudden question startled all but the the pirate fox as Jeremy stepped out of the shadows on the other side of the room. "I happen to know you're guys' secret too, ya know."

Foxy chuckled at his friends surprised reactions, having spotted the intruder several minutes earlier.

"Ye have been standing there fer awhile matey." The fox asserted jokingly, the older human and him having been on somewhat better terms since their little talk the night before. "What be the matter? Afraid we might decide that the lassie here ain't good enough fer me little matey? Ye don't have to worry, we not be planning on making her walk the plank."

"That's good to hear. I just thought I'd keep an eye out... better safe than sorry if ya know what I mean." The teacher answered, green eyes glinting dangerously before returning to normal.

Anya missed the barely perceptible flinches of the band members, her face contorted in confusion as she stared at the newcomer.

"Um, excuse me but... who are you?" She asked, then thought to herself. 'Maybe he can get me out of here!"

The blond sauntered forward, clearly untroubled by the fact that they were surrounded by potentially killer animatronics.

"The name's Jeremy, I'm Mike's adopted big brother." He revealed, smiling brightly as he pulled up a chair to sit next to his bros panicked girlfriend. "I didn't trust these guys at first either, heck I still find it slightly hard to believe in them sometimes, but just give them a chance. It's always worth it to hear the other side of the story after all."

Anya was stunned. She had heard Mike talk about his brother from foster care but she had never expected to find him here of all places, being friendly with the monsters that had... had what exactly? Reassured her that she wouldn't be hurt? Got her a drink to help calm her nerves? Never laid a hand on her even when they'd had every opportunity? That revelation made her resolve falter as she looked at the robotic animals in a new light. So far they had been true to their word and she could hear the affection in their voices whenever they talked about Mike. Taking a deep breath, her face became determined as she turned to face the apparent leader.

"I guess I'll trust you for now... but only on a trial basis." She declared, sounding braver than she felt. "I don't know what's been going on here, I'm not sure I want to know, but I love Mike. If he thinks of you as his family then I'm sure you can't be as evil as the rumors say you are."

"Very well." Freddy said solemnly, blue eyes serious. "The first thing you must know is that we've done things we are not proud of..."

So began the retelling of everything that had happened. Anya sat there listening in rapt attention as the animatronics intricate history was revealed. She gasped as she listened to their version of the bite of '87... having already heard her mothers account. She laughed as they recounted their adventures with the little boy who would eventually grow up to be the love of her life. That didn't last long though, as they recalled the day that Mikey had stopped showing up at the pizzeria. She frowned sadly, knowing all too well what had happened to the child as he had told her about his parents when they'd attended collage together. The published author cringed, backing away slightly in her seat as the truth of the disappearances came to light. So they had murdered people! Yet, even so, they hadn't actually meant to... it had all been a terrible misunderstanding. Finally they began telling the tale of what had happened once they were reunited with Mike. The young woman couldn't suppress a small chuckle at the thought of him threatening the dangerous animatronics, and with a chair of all things! Her eyes darkened, however, with the entrance of the Hunter. It was clear that he was the real monster. That demon had nearly killed the man she loved and she would never forgive him for that. By the time the story was finished Anya was in tears, finally realizing how close she had come to losing her lover before she'd even realized what he meant to her. Sobs wrenched themselves from her throat, painfully, as she buried her face in her hands.

"Why?" She whispered hoarsely, unable to speak any louder. "Why didn't he tell me how bad it was? All he ever said about Nicolei was that he'd had to be put in the hospital because of him. He never mentioned that he'd ALMOST DIED!"

Jeremy rubbed soothing circles on the young woman's back, unsure what else to do as the robotic animals watched in worry, not daring to move in fear of frightening the girl. After several minutes, Bonnie took the chance and approached, grabbing a napkin off the table before kneeling down beside the writer.

"Hush now..." She soothed, gently using a paw to turn the humans face towards her so she could wipe away the tears that still fell like rain. "I'm sure Mikey didn't say anything because he didn't want to worry you with something that was in the past. He's just that kind of person... always thinking of others before himself."

Anya glanced around, noticing everyone else nodding, as she smiled tearfully. It was true... that was exactly the kind of guy he was. In that moment she realized that these beings knew Mike just as well as she did. Each of the robotic animals cared for him so much that they had been willing to sacrifice their own lives to save him. There was no disputing it, they really were his family... and she would do her best to be the kind of girl they deemed worthy of his love.

AN: Thanks for reading... hope you enjoyed... please review... all that normal stuff I usually say ;)