Chapter Three

I'd wait for you a thousand years,

And for you I'd cry a thousand tears.

Shane was in a wonderful heaven as Foxy held him close. He almost didn't dare to believe. Reluctantly, he loosened his grip enough to look up at her. She smiled warmly as she gently cupped his face. "Thank ye, Shane. Fer coming back, and fer fixin' me up. That was real nice of ye." Shane's eyes widened at this.

"You . . . could hear me?" Foxy gave a toothy grin.

"Aye. I could see and hear ye, I just couldn't do anythin'." Shane smiled as he rested his head against her chest. She softly rubbed his shoulder. "When I saw ye again, I was so happy. All these years, I've been thinkin' about ye. I never forgot me little matey." Shane smiled as he stood up and pulled out the necklace she had given him, all those years ago.

"Me too. I never could forget my best friend. My only friend." Foxy looked at him. She looked saddened.

"I'm sorry ye were alone, Shane. I wanted to find ye, but I couldn't leave." Shane hugged her.

"I know, Foxy. I came back, but the pizzeria was closed up. I wished I could see you, so bad," his shoulder shook with a suppressed sob. She gently stroked his back, comforting her little friend.

"Shh. It's all right, matey. I'm here, and I'm not leavin'." Shane had tears of joy in his face as he looked up at her. Her mechanical hand gently cupped his face. The metal of her hand was hard and a bit cold, but he didn't care. He touched his hand to hers, happy beyond all words that they were back together. Her fingers gently caressed his cheek as she looked at his face. A look of anguish crossed her features as she focused on his eye.

"Oh, matey . . . I'm so sorry . . .," she said softly. Shane knew what she was talking about. He slightly turned his head away in shame. She gently turned him back to face her. Her eye glittered with tenderness and affection as she cupped his cheek. "Don't be ashamed, matey. It's not yer fault. Ye have nothin' to be ashamed of. Nothin' at all! The shame was that bilge rat's, not yers." He wiped a tear away as he nodded, earning a smile from Foxy.

She looked up at the living room, her ears twitching. "Well, this is a really nifty way o' decoratin' if I do say," she mused. Shane couldn't help a smile.

"Well, a special pirate showed me how neat they really are." She grinned at him.

"Yo-ho, yo-ho, a pirate's life for thee," she joked, earning a wider smile from Shane. Foxy's gears whirred as she moved, walking over to look at the cutlass that hung on the wall. "Well! Now, there's a fine blade!" she said with appreciation.

"You can take a look at it, if you want." She looked at him. He nodded. She used her hook to pull it off, holding it by the strap attached to the scabbard. With a grin, she unsheathed the sword, the tempered blade ringing as the light glinted off the keen edges. She gave a few experimental strokes with it, the blade swishing. Shane chuckled as he stepped back. "Careful, it's razor-sharp," he cautioned. She looked at the basket-hilt as she turned the sword this way and that. She slid the sword back into the scabbard, the hilt clicking against the metal locket at the mouth of the scabbard.

"That be a fine weapon." She looked at Shane and grinned. "Good to know me First Mate has me back in a fight." Shane smiled shyly, looking so much like the little boy from so long ago.

"I don't like violence, but I do love pirate things," he said. Foxy looked back at the walls. She stopped when she came to the blunderbuss.

"Be this one real?" she asked. Shane grinned and nodded.

"Yeah. It's not an actual pirate one, but it works. Sometime, we'll go and I'll let you shoot it," he said as she touched the smooth steel of the flintlock. Her gaze drifted along the walls. Everywhere she looked, there was something related to pirates. There was a Jolly Roger flag, posters, books, statues, there was even a replica of a treasure map. She grinned as she looked at it.

"Arr, we'll have to take this and go find that treasure, me hearty!" she growled playfully, earning a soft laugh from Shane.

"I already have the most important treasure right here," Shane replied. She smiled softly at him.

"The same here, matey." He smiled as he hugged her. She wrapped her arms and her tail around him. They were silent for a long while.

"Foxy?" She stroked his hair as she looked down at him.

"Aye?" He looked up at her.

"Why weren't you able to move? Did the power cell need to charge?" Foxy sighed softly as she stroked his hair.

"Nay, matey. Ye see, there was . . . something that happened, years ago. After ye left. After that, they reprogrammed us so we couldn't move around by day." Shane's eyes widened.

"Couldn't move? Then you were just . . . frozen?" She frowned softly, her ears drooping somewhat. Before Shane could ask, she smiled at him.

"But, that's fer another time. Right now, I just wanna be with me matey!" she said as she gave him a tight, but gentle hug. He smiled as he returned her embrace. Shane smiled wider as he pulled back.

"Wait a minute. If you can only move at night . . ." he stopped. Foxy's smile grew. He looked at her as he realized. "When I fell asleep. You-" Foxy nodded.

"I carried ye. Ye hardly weigh anythin'. Don't ye eat anythin'? A good gust would blow ye away!" she said with a chuckle. Shane couldn't help laughing. She put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

When she had heard his sobs, she strained against all her digital restraints to go and comfort him. To see tears in his wonderful eyes hurt her more than anything. So long as there was power in her, and even one of her servos still worked, nobody was going to hurt her little friend again.

"I'll help you, Foxy," Shane said. She looked at him as he smiled confidently. "Programming is my job! I'm sure I can get rid of the programming keeping you from moving." Foxy looked surprised.

"Matey . . ." He smiled as he put his hand on hers.

"After everything you did for me, I wanted to help you in return." She smiled softly at him.

"Thank ye, matey. So, now that ye know, don't be worried that I not be movin' in the day." Shane held her hand, and her hook.

"All that matters is you're here. You took care of me, now I'm going to take care of you. When I'm done, you're going to look better than new!" She blinked in surprise at this. She smiled at him.

"Thank ye. I couldn't ask fer a better First Mate than ye," she said fondly. Shane smiled before yawning. She gave a soft chuckle. "Now, ye need to be getting' ta bed. Ye been up late a lot, and ye still be needin' yer sleep." Shane frowned at this.

"I'm fine, Foxy. I want to talk with you, and-" she placed a finger on his lips.

"Shh. I'll be here when ye wake up. I promise. I'm not gonna leave ye again. Ye have me word." He hugged her tightly. She stroked his hair fondly. He pulled back and looked at her with tired eyes.

"I promise I'll fix your programming first thing tomorrow." She smiled gently, nodding.

"All right, now ye go to bed and get some sleep. Ye been through a lot." He nodded, reluctantly pulling away from her. Foxy continued to smile as he climbed the stairs to go to bed. Her tail swished happily as she watched her friend disappear up the stairs. "Goodnight, me hearty," she said fondly as she heard his door close. She turned and looked at the living room.

She was still almost in shock. She had waited so long, she had almost given up hope. She smiled softly as her fingers brushed the statue of Blackbeard. As she looked around, she had the most curious, but wonderful feeling come over her. Her smile grew as she realized what the feeling was.

She was home.

XXX

Shane woke up early the next morning. The sun had risen only a few minutes prior. He almost tore out of his room, going down the stairs as quickly as he could without tripping, he was so excited. He wasn't too surprised to see Foxy, sitting on the sofa, like she had always belonged there. He smiled as he threw his arms around her neck and hugged her. She never moved, but he knew she could see and hear him.

"Don't you worry, Foxy! You'll be free to move around by noon. I guarantee it!" With that, he madly dashed down into the basement. He reappeared quickly with a laptop computer. He had to take a deep breath to calm down. The last thing he wanted to do was make a mistake in his haste. He removed Foxy's access panel and plugged one end of a cable into the laptop, and the other into an adapter, which he plugged into Foxy. He sighed, wiping his face with his hand as he accessed her hard drive. "Okay . . . Let's have a look. What have we got . . .?" he mumbled as he read over the readout. He was surprised how little memory Foxy's hard drive had. Then again, she had last been active in the 90s. She didn't even have Windows 95. He shook his head lightly. All that aside, he wasn't going to mess with her operating system. It was fine how it was.

He looked into the programming files. "Let's see . . . Abilities, Kinetics, Personality . . ." He leaned to the side and looked at the back of Foxy's head. "Foxy? I know you can't speak, but when I get into the right place and delete the command, let me know ASAP. Okay?" He went back to looking. He looked around, and was surprised when the folder for "Kinetics" flashed in green. He looked up at Foxy and smiled. He double-clicked it, opening the folder. Inside, the folder "Movement" flashed. He opened it, and saw the long list of commands. "Okay, let's see . . ." he mumbled as he scrolled down, looking at the files. Two of them were underlined in red. "Are these the ones, Foxy?" he asked. The red lines under the files flashed in reply. He sighed. "Okay, deleting . . ." he said as he hit the command to delete the files, hoping for the best. "Okay, Foxy. They're gone. Now you just have to reboot." He couldn't help tensing as Foxy shut down and rebooted. He hoped and prayed that he got it right.

Foxy's gears and servos whirred as she began to move. Her ears twitched as she moved her head.

"Ah, thank ye, matey. That be much better," said Foxy. Shane smiled happily. She turned her head to look at him. Shane smiled and nodded. Shane was surprised when a small text box popped up, a large red heart emoticon on it.

"Thank ye, matey. Now, old Foxy can be movin' anytime she likes." Shane smiled as he closed the interface. He was surprised when Foxy giggled. "Ah! That tickles!" Shane yanked his hands away from the keyboard. Foxy looked over her shoulder and grinned at him. He frowned softly, knowing she was teasing him.

"Everybody's a comedian . . ." he muttered with amusement as he closed the window and turned off the computer. He removed the cable from Foxy and replaced her access panel. As soon as Shane was finished, Foxy stood up and stretched, testing her range of movement. She turned and smiled at him.

"Thank ye, matey. I'm glad to have such a great friend as ye," she said happily. Her eye patch flipped up, revealing her other golden eye as she gave him a wink. Shane smiled, glad she could move freely again.

"I'm glad I could help you, Foxy. I owe you so much," he said as he closed the laptop. She smiled softly at him.

"Ye don't owe me anythin'. Friends help each other, matey." She reached out and gently took his hand. Shane's eyes shimmered with tears. He smiled as he looked at her.

"Foxy, there's something I want to show you," he said softly. She tilted her head as he led her through the house to the back door.

Shane opened the door into the small yard behind his house. The yard was shadowy, but not truly dark. Vines of ivy and Virginia Creeper was almost woven through branches of elms, oaks and sycamores. It created something like an umbrella. Tiny shafts of light pierced the canopy here and there. Foxy looked around with wonder. She had never been among trees before. She had almost never been outside the pizzeria before, come to that.

"Well, this is a lovely place, matey," she said softly, smiling as a tiny bird chirped its song in the branches of one of the trees. Shane smiled as he gently pulled her hand.

"Thanks, but that's not what I wanted to show you." She looked at him as he led her deeper, past some bushes. They stopped, and Foxy stared in awe at what she beheld.

A small pond was fed by a trickling fountain, the water clear as crystal. Soft grass surrounded it and vines covered the small alcove, like a dome of living green. A small galleon floated on the water, gently bobbing as it sailed on its tiny sea. There was a sign made of embossed copper next to the pond. She stared as she read it: Pirates' Cove. She looked at Shane, who smiled softly. "This is my special place I come when I want to calm my mind or feel better." Foxy looked at him, then back to the beautiful pond. She absently walked forward, letting go of Shane's hand. She knelt next to the pond, gently touching the tiny ship. She smiled as it bobbed along. It was so peaceful and tranquil. She looked at Shane, her eyes sparkling.

"Matey . . . it's beautiful," she said in awe. Shane smiled shyly.

"I never forgot you, or what you did and said. I made this to be a place I could go when I'm scared or angry. I kind of . . . meditate here." Foxy looked at him, understanding just how much she impacted that tiny life, so long ago. She stood and wrapped her arms around him in a gentle, tender embrace.

"And I never forgot me little matey. Me little Shane," she said fondly. Shane sighed softly, happier than he had been in longer than he could remember. Foxy smiled warmly as her fingers gently caressed his hair. She looked up at the tiny shafts of sunlight, shining through the thick canopy of branches. "This be a wonderful place." Shane smiled as he touched her hand.

"And you're welcome here," he replied. She looked at him as he smiled that soft smile, reminding her of the little boy from so long ago. "It's not much, but my home is yours, Foxy."

"Aww, matey. Yer sweet, ya are," she replied, gently touching his face. She noticed his face redden just a tiny bit. She couldn't help smiling. She thought his blushing was adorable.

When they went back inside, Foxy noticed something on the couch. Shane followed her into the living room. She was surprised to find a large dog laying on the couch, as if it had always belonged there.

"Avast, ye scurvy dog!" she exclaimed. Shane looked past her and smiled, chuckling softly.

"Hey, Boozer," said Shane. The dog looked up at him before putting its head back down. Shane rolled his eyes. "That's Boozer, my neighbor's dog. He kind of comes and goes as he pleases. I still, for the life of me, can't figure out how such a big lug like him can squeeze through the ivy," Shane explained as he looked at Boozer, lazing on the couch. Foxy was amused, her tail swishing lightly as she approached. Boozer looked up at her, his droopy eyes focusing on Foxy. His tail wagged lazily before he gave a soft "woof" and set his head back down. Boozer was a big dog, part Great Dane, part Mastiff. Big as he was, though, he was a lazy, laid-back creature, more inclined to sleep on a porch than attack an intruder.

"He seems ta be nice," she observed. Boozer looked up at her before opening his mouth and yawning. Shane grinned at Boozer's laziness as the big dog laid his head back down.

"Trust me, unless you use a bulldozer, you're not getting him off that couch. Besides, I don't mind. He's housebroken. Thank god," Shane said, muttering the last under his breath.

"Won't his owner miss 'im?" she asked. Shane shook his head.

"Nah. Boozer only comes here, so he knows where he is. When it's dinnertime, Boozer will disappear like he always does," Shane said as they went into the kitchen. Shane unfolded a spare chair and sat at the table with Foxy. As they did, she gently picked up the picture of Shane, and he knew how it had been moved. She smiled, looking at the photo, then him.

"Ye've certainly grown, that ye have. But yer always gonna be me little matey," she said, a warm tone to her voice. Shane's blush returned as he scratched his head, looking very abashed, which she thought made him look even more cute.

"Ah, er. Thanks, Foxy." She grinned at him as she set the photo down. She reached out and gently took his hand.

"Nay, thank ye, matey. Ye really helped me, and I can't thank ye enough. Now, I can move any time I like." She gently squeezed his hand. "Ye are a true friend, Shane. Even after all these years, ye remembered me, and helped me." Shane smiled at her, placing his other hand over hers.

"I could never forget you, Foxy. You were the only one who really cared. I can never forget that." She gently touched her hook to his hands.

"Were ye that alone, Shane? Didn't anybody else help ye after me?" His eyes were downcast. Her emotional programming kicked in, sensing the change in his mood. "I'm sorry, me hearty. I didn't mean to pry." Shane smiled sadly, shaking his head.

"It's all right, Foxy. We have a lot of catching up to do. But, if you don't mind, let's leave that for another time." She smiled and nodded, her ears twitching.

"Just remember, matey. Foxy is always here for ye, and I'll always listen." Shane touched her hand, noting the cold metal. He looked at her hand, and the other places where bare metal was exposed.

"And I'm always here for you, Foxy. I'm not done helping you," he said with fondness in his voice. "When I'm done, you're going to be better than new!" he said firmly. She blinked in surprise before smiling.

"Aw, thank ye, lad." Shane looked at her before standing up.

"I'll be right back," he said as he went into the hall. He came back shortly with a plastic toolbox. He opened it, revealing needles and thread. "It might only be temporary, but I've gotten pretty good at sewing," he said as he held up a spool of thread, testing it against Foxy's fur for color. She watched as he compared the thread, replacing it when he didn't like the color match.

"Well, ain't ye just a wonder," she said playfully as he compared another spool of thread. He smiled at the match. He set to threading the needle.

"Well, I couldn't always afford to buy new clothes, so I had to repair them instead," he said as he concentrated. She watched as he threaded the needle carefully. He smiled as he cut off the thread and stood up. "Now, please let me know if anything hurts, okay?" She smiled at him.

"Don't worry, matey. Ye won't hurt me," she assured. Shane nodded as he went to work.

Shane sewed up the tears in Foxy's fur as best he could, carefully pulling the edges of the tears together and sewing them up with Foxy helping on the more difficult ones. He shook his head every now and then, not able to fathom how she fell into such a state of disrepair. Then again, Fazbear's Pizza had been out of business for eighteen years. That was a long time for her to be in storage. Regardless, he was going to do everything he could to get Foxy back to looking like he remembered. Every now and then, he would ask her how he was doing, and if anything hurt. She would always chuckle and shake her head, assuring him she was fine. Shane was not a professional needle worker, but he did a fairly decent job at repairing the worst tears in Foxy's fur. Sadly, there was nothing he could do about the fur that was entirely missing from her hand. He was, however, able to keep the fur on her left foot from coming off. When he stood back, he smiled to himself as Foxy inspected his work.

He had closed all the holes in her fur, and her skeleton no longer showed in her chest or arms. In fact, the only places it showed were her hand, and her right heel. Those he would need to buy some kind of replacement fur for. That being said, she looked pleased, grinning as she looked at where the holes had been.

"Now, let me take a look at your vest," said Shane as he looked through his sewing box for some brown thread.

"Aw, matey. Ye don't have to do all that fer me," she said as Shane frowned at a spool of thread and set it back.

"I want to, Foxy. I want to get you back to as close to new as I can," he said as he looked at another spool, glanced at her vest, then put it back. "Still not the right color," he muttered. Foxy watched as he looked at the various shades of brown, carefully comparing and trying to find something in his limited kit that would match.

"It doesn't have to be perfect, matey. Don't overdo it." He flashed a smile at her before bringing up another spool. He smiled and began threading the needle. Foxy removed her vest so Shane could fix it.

She wore some bandages under her vest, in order to cover her . . . feminine assets. She watched as Shane went to work patching up her old vest. She couldn't help smiling at her little friend as he worked so hard to help her out. She was very touched. Her hand absently stroked the fur on her chest where he had repaired her. A soft smile tugged at her lips.

As she watched him work, she became lost in her own thoughts. No one, not even the other animatronics had helped her so much before. It wasn't as if they had been in any position to be able to, mind you. They didn't have programming for repairing other animatronics in their database. She began to wonder idly what had happened to the others. What happened to Bonnie, Chica and Freddy? She had heard what the workmen had been saying. Storage, used for parts. She inwardly sighed. She wondered if maybe it was for the best. After what happened in '87 . . .

"There!" Shane announced, snapping her out of her reverie.

Shane smiled as he held up her vest. It wasn't perfect, but at least it wasn't full of holes anymore. He flipped it over, looking at the back. "That should do," he said as he gave it back to her. She looked it over, grinning at his work.

"Thank ye, matey. I swear, ye got magic hands, that ye do!" she said as she put it back on. Shane smiled as he looked at her. He glanced down, and saw the holes and rips in her pants.

"Do you want me to fix your pants, too?" Foxy stopped, a grin slowly coming to her features.

"Matey . . . are ye tryin' to get ol' Foxy naked?" Shane yelped, holding his hands up.

"No! No, no, no! I wouldn't dream of it!" Foxy started laughing at both the squeak in his startled voice, and the look on his face. Shane blinked as Foxy howled with laughter. He looked very embarrassed as he scratched his head. Foxy calmed down and smiled as she touched his hair.

"I was just teasin'. Sorry, matey. I couldn't help meself." Shane shyly looked at her. She smiled as she stroked his hair, and he knew all was well. "Thank ye, matey. Ye have really helped me a lot." Shane smiled at her words.

"I meant what I said. My home is yours, Foxy. It's the least I could do."

"Ah, thank ye, matey. It wouldn't be a home without ye," she replied fondly. Shane smiled as he closed the box and stood from the table to return it to the closet. While he was gone, Foxy inspected his work. She was rather impressed with how well he did. It made her feel warm inside, how much her little matey cared. She looked up as he returned, surprised to see him carrying a brush and several spray bottles.

"Now, let's help get your fur back to its shiny glory," he said as he laid out the objects. She smiled at him as he checked the bottle of Febreze, spraying a small amount on the brush. She held out her arms as he began to brush the dust out of her fur.

Shane was extremely gentle with his touch as he groomed her fur, softly brushing it with a fine-haired, soft bristle brush, every now and then gently spraying her with the Febreze. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of being pampered. It felt good. She couldn't help a soft, husky chuckle escaping her every now and then. After so long with no maintenance, and so long in storage, it felt good to be doted on. Especially by someone she was so fond of. She may have been a machine, but she was capable of feeling touch. She also was capable of feeling pleasure from touch. It felt so good when he softly brushed her head and ears, using utmost care around her muzzle and ears. He treated her as if she was alive. When he stopped, she opened her eyes, looking at Shane as he stood back and looked her over. He smiled and nodded. "There. That looks much better. How do you feel?" he asked. Foxy smiled warmly at him.

"Wonderful, matey. I haven't felt this good in a long time," she replied, the happiness in her tone making Shane smile. She noticed him looking a bit unsure. She looked down, and realized he hadn't brushed her tail. She smiled, thinking his shyness was so adorable, but also touching that he respected her privacy like that. "But, ye missed a spot," she chuckled as she lifted up her tail. Shane blushed ever so slightly as he carefully held her tail and sprayed a little Febreze on it and began brushing it. Foxy smiled warmly as he began to relax and focused more on his work, and not on the fact he was holding her tail. She wanted Shane to be able to relax around her, and not be nervous. It was times like this that made her lament that she hadn't been able to be there for him growing up, to hold his hand or hug him when things got hard or scary. She pushed those thoughts aside, focusing instead on Shane as he carefully finished brushing her tail, the brush gently fluffing the white tip.

"There. All done," he said as he stood. Foxy held her tail, fluffing it back up. She swished it to and fro, grinning wide as she looked at him.

"Thank ye, matey! I feel like a new pirate!" she proclaimed, standing up and striking a pose. Shane couldn't help a soft chuckle.

"I'm so glad, Foxy. I'm glad I could help you." She walked over and draped her arm around his neck gently, her tail softly brushing against his chest.

"Matey, ye did far more than that. Ye gave me a home, and treat me like a person, a friend." Shane looked abashed, scratching his neck. She pulled him into a hug. Shane closed his eyes, breathing in the clean, dust-free smell of her fur, enjoying the softness and warmth of Foxy's fur.

"Boozer! Suppertime!" a man's voice called. Shane and Foxy looked up as Boozer got up from the couch, stretching and yawning before giving a deep "woof" and walking out the back door. Shane chuckled, shaking his head.

"See what I mean?" he asked, amused. Foxy nodded. Her ears perked up as she heard Shane's stomach growl. He looked embarrassed.

"Well, he had the right idea. Now, let's get ye some grub!" Shane smiled as she released him.

"Right. I hadn't realized how late it was," Shane muttered as he looked up at the clock, surprised at how late it was. Foxy grinned as she patted him on the shoulder.

"Come on and get somethin' to eat! Yer all skin and bones ye are!" He chuckled as he put the brush aside.

"Well, how about dinner and a movie?" he suggested. Foxy smiled wider.

"Now that's the ticket, matey!" she exclaimed. Shane smiled and nodded, knowing just the movie to sit and watch over dinner with his best friend. He set a DVD into the player, and saw how amazed Foxy was at it all. Then again, the last time she was active, VHS and Beta were still the main formats of video and the Internet wasn't even ready for public use. He chuckled and sat back on the couch with her, a bag of popcorn and a soda at the ready. "So, what're we watchin', matey?" He smiled up at her.

"Pirates of the Caribbean."

Fox was awed, not just at the story, but at the amazing effects. CGI was not anywhere near what is was today, the last time she was active. Movies from the 1980s where CGI was present, it was quite clear what it was. This, though, Foxy could hardly believe it wasn't real. Shane just smiled and watched the movie with his best friend, happier than he had been on many years. They both were.