Archive of Our Own

It had been a few months since Gregory came to live with Vanessa and Freddy, the three falling into an easy rhythm and working around one another quite well. They finished furnishing the child's room and got him all the clothes he needed, and Vanessa even managed to steal an endoskeleton from the basement of the pizzaplex to chop the head off of so that Freddy could be returned to his normal size. 

Freddy briefly worried that the larger frame would attract too much attention, not to mention the potential risk of what seeing an endo without its casing on could do to his son. He worried that a naked endo walking around might cause memories of his night trapped in the Pizzaplex to resurface and scare Gregory. 

However, the boy knew how much the bear had sacrificed for him already and didn't want him to have to give up something as basic and necessary as a well working body. So he told him that he missed being held by the robot and that if he was so worried about covering up then Vanessa could get him some gloves, sweatpants, slippers and a hoodie to hide his dangerous metal bits.

So that is what they did, although it was still a Glamrock endo, meaning it's battery was terrible and constantly required charging. So they kept the small body around as a backup, whenever his larger body was just draining too fast or he needed to be able to hide, he was switched over to the more plush toy-like form. 

They even celebrated the boy's 11th birthday, Freddy insisting there must be a party with pizza, cake and candles and of course him singing for the birthday boy, even if it was only the three of them there, which Gregory put up minimal argument against. Despite wanting to seem cool and say he was too old for Freddy to treat him like he would any other kid at the mall like restaurant, he also did want to have a party since he hadn't had one in so long. 

Vanessa herself insisted on him having the biggest birthday bash ever, but since he had no friends to invite and both Freddy and Gregory explained how it would be a waste of money to throw a huge party for only 3 guests, the woman begrudgingly backed down and agreed to keep it to a small affair.

Everyone was happy, Gregory had returned to school and with Freddy's help and constant encouragement, was able to catch up rather quickly and was allowed to start back in 4th grade rather than 3rd grade like he had been when he stopped going. However as nice as that was, unbeknownst to both animatronic and security guard, that did not mean that everything was perfect. 

Seeing as he was already 11, he should have been in 5th grade at least, and when the teacher was told the reason why he was behind a grade, the whole class paid attention readily. Which was enough to earn him some attention and gossip themed around him at school. But that in and of itself should not have been enough to garner him any ill will, no there had to be something else peculiar about him, that being his personality.

Since he had lived on the street, he had learned not to trust others or be open about information about himself, which was counterintuitive when it came to making friends. Where others would talk amongst themselves and share interests and personal stories, Gregory sat silently doing his work or doing some activity to keep himself busy.

And when one not only has a unique history, a strange circumstance, a personality that deviates from the rest and has a Glamrock Freddy themed backpack at his age, it all paints a rather large target on their back for bullies who are just looking for someone to harass.

It started off with whispers and giggling behind his back, then it became pointing and laughter, which soon escalated to tripping and spit ball shooting in the cafeteria. Eventually it worked its way up to shoving, name calling, spreading the word that nobody should be his friend and that they should pick on him too. All of which was annoying and made school unenjoyable, but still nothing he couldn't deal with, after all it was still safer than life on the street.

And deal with it he did, 2 months went by where he did nothing but ignore it and stick to his own business. Even when things got worse, and the boys started to chase him home from the bus stop, he said nothing to his teacher, nor any form of adult or disciplinary figure. Why? Because he didn't trust them, how did he know they would actually help him and not make things worse for him?

As for Freddy and Vanessa, they were definitely not told either, and in fact only found out about it through somewhat drastic means.

For a week and a half, the boy had been getting home later than normal. His school let out at 2pm, and the bus usually dropped him off at 2:20pm, then it would take him around 10 minutes to walk home. But lately he had been getting home closer to 3pm. When asked by Vanessa why he was home so late, all he replied with was "I had company."

Freddy was thrilled to hear this, thinking the boy had managed to make some friends besides him and Vanessa herself, and Vanessa had simply shrugged it off as the boy doing as he pleased and dropped the matter entirely. 

Until, that is, the day that Gregory came bursting through the door short of breath and shut the door behind himself swiftly, leaning his body against it as if that alone would hold it shut from whatever threat was on the other side of it. His eyes were wild, the same way they were the night he was being hunted by Vanny and the other animatronics.

Vanessa, who had been mid sip of her coffee, gave the boy a surprised look before a questioning raise of her eyebrow was sent his way. Meanwhile, Freddy was far more reactive, having immediately dropped the basket full of freshly folded clothes he had been carrying in order to rush over and check on his little Superstar. Hands fretting around him without actually touching him.

"Gregory! Are you alright?! Why are you so short of breath? And you are home early too, my internal clock reads 2:24pm. Did you perhaps run all the way here? It would explain the elevated heart rate and breathing, but why would you do that?"

Gregory however, either didn't hear him or simply chose not to answer as he continued to pant from the exertion. The concern radiating from Freddy is palpable, enough to make Vanessa put down her coffee and get the boy a bottle of water. After shaking the bottle in front of the boy a couple times, the child flinched, blinking rapidly as a look of forced calm overtook his form and he accepted the water, chugging it about half of it within seconds.

"How're you feeling now, little man? Ya wanna tell me why you're so out of breath? Or maybe you wanna talk about why you slammed our door like that?"

"I'm fine, I just wanted to get home as soon as possible. So I ran, that's all."

"You sure? You looked terrified, like you were trying to keep a possessed animatronic away from you."

The boy glared, his eyes promising hell later for the woman's meddling in his business when he clearly didn't want to talk about it. At least, not with her anyway.

"I'm fine ."

Vanessa, understanding that she would get no further with the boy herself, glared back for a moment before shrugging.

"Okay, if you say so. I don't really have time for this anyway. I just got up about a half an hour ago and I need to get ready for my shift tonight. I'm sure you have homework to do too, so I'll let you go, just this once Greg."

Gregory's body seemed to relax at her declaration of giving up, nodding to her as he took his water and his bag and went to his room to start his homework. In the same moment, Freddy watched the boy go before looking at Vanessa perplexed, unsure of what was going on and clearly worried about it.

"He's hiding something, Fred. I don't know what, but whatever it is, it can't be good and he clearly doesn't want to talk to me about it. You're programmed to get kids to open up to you, right? You know how to do all that gentle coaxing and reassurance and stuff don't you? Can you talk to him and let me know what's going on?"

A single determined nod answered her.

"Of course, I am equipped to handle conversations of the most sensitive topics with the utmost care and I am programmed to be able to get even the most distrusting child to open up to me and then alert the nearest trustworthy adult. I will find out what is bothering Gregory if it is the last thing I do."

Glassy eyes blazed with promise and resolve, every single processor in his body firing at max trying to determine the best possible way of broaching the subject with his son.

"Uh huh...Great, just...don't wreck yourself, okay? I had a hard enough time getting you the one, I am not doing it again."

"Worry not Vanessa, I will do nothing more than is necessary of me to ensure Gregory's safety."

"Yeah, that really doesn't sound any better. Whatever, if you trash this one you still have your small spare to fall back on. I've gotta get dressed now, I've got work in a couple hours after all, so best of luck and all that."

With a casual wave over her shoulder, the blond woman spun on her heel and made her way to her room. Which was signal enough to the bear bot to begin cozying up to the boy in order to comfort him and let him see that he is a safe person to talk to about his problems.

With a light rap on the thin wood door, Freddy gave it a gentle shove and made his way inside to sit on the bed beside the boy.

"Gregory, It is bad for your spine to do homework slouched over on your bed, I have told you this before, that is why I got Vanessa to buy you a desk."

The boy only shrugged, continuing to tap the eraser of his pencil against his workbook as he stared at the English written out before him with distracted eyes. Seeing that his words alone would not get through to the child, he placed a paw on the boy's head and began to run his claws through the mocha locks.

"A synonym is a word that could be used in place of another because they have similar meanings. Such as how the word 'concerned' could be substituted with the word 'worried'."

With a sigh, Gregory wrote down the answer before placing his pencil in his book and shut it, spinning around to face his father cross legged.

"Okay, I get it, you're worried about me and you wanna talk. Let's talk then, what do you want to know?"

There were a million things he wanted to know, things he felt every single circuit in his body sparking at the idea of being able to ask, but the most pressing question was easily the most vague as well as it tumbled out of his mouth.

"Are you okay?"

With a snort and roll of his eyes, the boy held his arms out wide, giving the bear a full and unobstructed view.

"Well, I'm not bleeding anywhere, right? Your sensors would be warning you if I was."

A blue light shot out of his eyes as he ran them up and down the boy for a long moment, scanning him for any injuries and hesitating to stop in case he missed something. 

"Correct, no physical signs of damage detected. However, that does not mean there is no damage elsewhere. Why were you running home out of fear? Why did you lie to Vanessa? Are you embarrassed about the reason? Did a dog chase you and you felt terror as it reminded you of your night locked in the Pizzaplex and you did not want to admit that it scared you? I understand you like to appear tough Superstar, but you are still a child, it is perfectly normal to experience fear and there is no need to hide it. Fear is a natural response in one's body in order to push that body to survive, there is no shame in indulging in it from time to time. Vanessa and I-well... I will not judge you for any fears you may have. So please, do not hold these things back from me."

Gregory gave a soft glare at his father, who only returned his look with concern, love and patience. The boy sighed, dropping the glare as he just couldn't stay mad when dealing with the one person who would never judge him and truly just loved him and wanted the best for him. It was like being mad at a puppy who always loved and followed you around, it was impossible to do and only made you feel bad and look like a jerk.

God, his ears were even starting to tilt down like an admonished dog. With a groan, Gregory flopped onto his back on the bed.

"I was being chased, but not by a dog, it was some 5th graders who've been picking on me for a while now, and I guess they got tired of doing the same old things everyday, so they decided to take it up a level and chase me home."

The utter horror that shot through his endoskeleton as he heard those words could not be appropriately described with any language on the planet. 

"W-w-what?! You are being bu-bu-bullied?"

"Woah, Freddy, calm down. Don't blow a fuse or short circuit or whatever, it's fine. It's nothing I can't handle, I've been dealing with it this far haven't I?"

Oh good lord, his son was being bullied. He was being chased and hunted all over again, but this time it was not against one's will due to a virus infecting them, no, it was much worse. It was out of choice it was for fun that some older boys saw fit to antagonize and scare Gregory.

"...Gregory..How long has this been happening?"

Another snort as one leg raised to lay over the other.

"You mean the chasing me home thing? Or all of it?"

"They have been doing more than chasing you?!?"

"Yeah, like I said, they only started chasing me home from the bus stop when they got bored of the other stuff."

"Superstar...Please tell me they have not hurt you. Please promise me you did not get hurt and hide it from us. It is my job to protect you Gregory, if I have not been doing that then I am not fit to call myself your guardian."

There was silence in that moment, a tense silence. One that spoke volumes on its own and allowed the feeling of dread and horror to see through every wire in the animatronic's metal frame.

"I mean, what do you want me to say here Freddy? You told me you don't want me to lie, but you also don't want to hear that I've been being picked on by a bunch of other kids."

"A bunch?"

"Yeah, some are classmates of mine who just whisper about me behind my back, they point and laugh at me even though they know I can see them. The guys who chased me home have spread the word around school that nobody should be nice to me, that they should all call me names and trip me and stuff if they see me. Sometimes I get shoved around because I'm smaller than most kids my age, sometimes I get hit with spit balls at lunch. That kind of thing."

"Do your friends not stand up for you?"

The boy snorted.

"What friends? I don't have any friends other than you and maybe Vanessa. I don't need them, and I don't want them either. Same reason why I don't bother keeping track of who does what to me or how many people pick on me, because I don't care. I can deal with it, I survived on my own on the streets, you, me and Vanessa-"

"You, Vanessa and I."

"Yeah, whatever, we all survived that night in the Pizzaplex. If I can handle all of that, then I can handle a little school bullying. I don't need anyone but you and Vanessa. I don't care about anyone else."

"Gregory, while I am touched at how deeply you feel for Vanessa and I, I am also confused and quite sad that this has been happening and you have had no allies in this time of turmoil. Why would anyone want to pick on you? You are so special and different from other children, how could they not see that and love you for it? On the topic of seeing, how could your teacher not see this happening to you? Have you at least spoken about this issue to an administrator or teacher?"

Whether it be because of something he said that set the boy off, or if it was simply a matter of time and the child had just run out of patience, something made the kid immediately push himself up with angry eyes as he screamed at the bear.

"Don't you get it?! It's BECAUSE of all those differences that make me special that they pick on me for. Being different in school is like asking for the other kids to make fun of you. Nobody wants to be known to be friends with a weirdo! If you're weird, or different or special that means there's something wrong with you! And like you said, I'm definitely different from other kids, so of course I'm getting bullied."

Due to his screaming, neither of them heard the door to Vanessa's room open or shut, nor did they realize that in his single minded focus on speaking to the boy about the issue at hand, Freddy had neglected to fully close the door. 

Meaning Vanessa was able to hear everything the boy had just said, all while remaining out of sight as she fastened her hair into its signature ponytail through the back of her nightwatch cap. As she glanced at her watch and saw she still had some time before she had to leave, and thus could stay and listen if she wanted to, but should she? Yes, of course.

It wasn't a hard decision then to decide to eavesdrop on the conversation, it would save Freddy from having to explain it all to her later, and besides, when one hears that someone they care about is being picked on because they are different and that is it, they tend to get angry or concerned and want to know more. 

And she was not the only one who seemed to be righteously angry about the news and wanted more information, as poor Freddy seemed to be having a war between his sentience and his programming as he Jerked and twitched on the boy's bed, his voice coming out strained when he finally managed to speak again.

"P-p-perrrrrhaps you could try talking to them? If they are picking on you, maybe it is only because they do not know you. Once they get to know you, I am sure they will love you! Who could hate a Superstar like you?"

The boy blinked in confusion as he looked up at his companion, his face seemed to be caught between anger and encouragement. The way he stuttered on the first word implied that he hadn't been sure if that was what he wanted to say, and his voice itself sounded like the normal forced light tone he used at the Pizzaplex. 

Maybe it was a line he had said to many kids that were fighting with other children back when he still lived there? That would make sense, he probably had to see and mediate tons of fights between kids there. He was probably programmed to try telling them this kind of 'let's all hold hands and get along because we are all special and amazing' crap first. It made sense, but it didn't make it any less frustrating.

"Oh yeah, because I'm just gonna go and talk about my feelings with the bigger and older kids who chased me home from the bus stop. Or were you talking about the other kids who just make fun of me? You want me to go and tell them how hard I've had it in life and see if that gets them to stop shoving me, and tripping me, and spit balling me? Because it won't work."

And apparently Gregory wasn't the only one who thought so, as Vanessa slammed the door open with fire in her green eyes and a large frown on her face, not even hesitating to give away the fact that she had been listening in as she stormed up to the bot with her hands on her hips.

"Are you kidding me Fazbear? That kumbaya shit will only get him beat up and made fun of by even more brats at school. The only thing people like this respond to is being put in their place by someone more powerful than them."

"Vanessa, I have already asked if he has spoken to a teacher or other adult, and he has not. I also tried telling Gregory that he should tell an adult, as they should know what is going on, but he refuses to do so."

The woman only rolled her eyes with a scoff as she crossed her arms, leaning against the wall as she replied.

"Oh please, of course he hasn't told anyone, the kid lived on the streets remember? He's probably gotten used to handling everything himself and doesn't trust anyone. Which, with our shitty school system being the way it is, I honestly can't blame him. They would probably just ignore him even if he did tell someone, the schools always say they have a zero tolerance policy for this kind of thing, but what they really mean is they'll just pretend it doesn't exist unless something forces it in their face and then they give a half asses solution to try and make the people complaining go away. Besides, that's not what I meant anyway. I meant that you have to beat them up, show them you ain't scared of 'em and make 'em fear you instead of you fearing them so they'll run off with their tails between their legs and not bother you again. Like in prison."

The amount of horror that was able to spread across the animatronic's face was quite impressive, considering he could only shift his eyes.

"Officer Vanessa! Shame on you! Gregory, do not listen to her. There is no need for such violence. Just speak to one of your teachers or administrators. They should be able to help you, and if they cannot, then we will simply have to go over their heads and force them to take action. I understand your distrust of the system, but one cannot simply begin to deliver vigilante justice unprompted. You should at least try telling someone first before Vanessa goes down to the school and makes a scene. And Vanessa, please, do not attack anyone if you do end up having to go down there. You are supposed to be an adult."

The roll of her eyes indicated once again that she was only truly an adult on record, mentally and behavior wise, she was still juvenile. 

"Even if I wanted to tell a teacher, which I don't,it wouldn't do anything. They don't do it when the teacher is around to see it, they wait until we're alone, like at lunch, or recess and stuff like that. Besides, that wouldn't stop the 5th graders from coming after me once we're off the bus anyway, since we aren't the school's problem then because we're off the school grounds." He said, resignation clear in both his tone and posture as he sat cross legged and shrugged his shoulders, his hands holding his head up by his cheeks.

That was the final nail in the coffin for Vanessa, as she spun on her heel and made her way to the refrigerator to grab a can of her preferred energy drink to take with her for the night. After grabbing the drink and kicking the door shut with far more force than was needed to do so, the woman continued to fume as she slammed the can on the table and forced out an aggressive sigh.

She hated this, she hated that Gregory had to go through this . After all the shit life had dealt the kid, hadn't he had enough? Didn't he deserve to be done and just have his happy ending? He'd done his time on the streets and with her and the animatronics, he didn't need this much stress in his life. School should be a place where he could feel safe and trust the adults to watch over him and protect him. He shouldn't have to be on high alert every single day of his schooling career.

Sighing once more, this time with less anger as she sat at the table and thought, she decided to leave Freddy to deal with the boy while she figured out what to do about his situation.

Meanwhile, Freddy was devastated. To him, this was worse than the night at the Pizzaplex, because this time he was unable to do anything to help. Before, he was able to guide the boy, teach him of tools he could use to defend himself, hide him away from the rest of the world inside his stomach hatch. He was able to be there and get involved, but now, with this? 

All he could do was hear about it months after it began and sit there stewing in the knowledge while being unable to do anything more than try to talk to Gregory. He hated it, and Freddy didn't often use the word hate, but this, he despised this just as much as he despised that someone had been possessing his friends and forcing them to unspeakable things to guests.

Gregory was his friend, his Superstar, his son , his responsibility. And he was failing him. If only he could be there, he could try talking to the bullies, try to get them to understand the error of their ways and turn over a new leaf. Perhaps they were fans of him and even if they did not stop hurting Gregory for the right reasons, maybe they would stop simply because Freddy liked him. 

That was when Freddy got an idea.

"Gregory, I have identified a possible strategy. Perhaps we could employ similar tactics to what we used in the Pizzaplex."

"Huh? What are you talking about? I don't think the Fazcam will stop them, and you and that Staff bot both said that using the blaster on people could blind them and I'm not allowed to do that."

"No, I was not speaking of those tools, I meant that I could go with you and assist you whenever you need it. Though I may be unable to hide you inside of me anymore, you could hide me, or at least a part of me, in your backpack. You could remove my head to take with you, I could enter rest mode while you are doing your lessons, so as not to disturb your learning as well as to conserve battery power, and only come online when you are in a position that makes you vulnerable to potential attackers. Then I could attempt to speak to the children and persuade them to cease their actions against you. I do not often throw my weight around, but most children tend to listen to figures that they like and respect, and most children like Freddy Fazbear."

While it sounded good in theory and the bear looked so happy and proud of himself, to the point that Gregory almost wanted to agree just to make the bot feel better, there were just a few too many major issues that Gregory spotted right away.

"That's a nice idea Freddy, but it would only cause more problems than it would solve. If I took you with me to school anything could happen to you, what if they decide to kick things up a notch and steal my backpack? Or throw it in a toilet? Or pour milk all over the stuff inside? I don't want to risk losing you, you could die, or be taken away from me if someone sees you and reports me for stealing you. And if you come put on the walk home to talk to them, they could definitely tell on me and get you taken away, or they could steal you from me. Besides, I don't think they're fans of yours. One of the things they've picked on me about is that they think I'm too old to like you and have a backpack themed after you, so it may only get me picked on even more if they thought I went crying to you to save me..."

Though, Gregory was aware that sometimes people had secrets, secret things they liked but told others they did not like that thing and even picked on others who shared their like of the certain thing all in an effort to look cool. So it was entirely possible that they did like Freddy, but that in and of itself was also a problem to Gregory. After having nobody for so long, the boy did not want to risk having to share Freddy with other children. 

Here, at Vanessa's place, he practically had Freddy all to himself, and he had Vanessa all to himself too, and that was how he wanted things to stay. If the boy were to allow Freddy to speak to them, even if they stopped bullying him because they liked Freddy, he would have to share him with them, if for no other reason than to get them to swear not to tell anybody or rat him out. And that was just not something Gregory was willing to deal with, he rather they beat him up than give them access to Freddy. 

The boy was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he neglected to see how Freddy flinched back as if he had been dealt a physical blow, his eyes sparking in a way that resembled tears and was highly concerning. Why? Because Gregory had just admitted that part of the reason he was being targeted was because of him . 

Not only was he failing his charge in not being able to be there and protect him, but he was the very reason that his ward was being bullied in the first place. All because his boy loved him so much and wanted to have items designed after Freddy himself to show that love, and also because Freddy was a source of comfort for him. 

If Freddy couldn't go somewhere with him, at least he had something that could remind him of Freddy (of safety ) to keep him calm until he could return to the real thing. Yet this development completely contradicted that plan, the very presence of those items, the shoes, the watch and the backpack, instead of making the boy feel safe, they made him vulnerable, but he never stopped wearing them.

"Superstar I am so , truly, sorry. Do not worry about the legal ramifications of my idea, Vanessa and I will handle it. Everything will be alright, I promise, I will never allow anyone to take me away from you."

Despite not being able to promise something that grand, he meant it. He knew that if Fazbear Entertainment wanted him back, they had legal claim to him, but he would fight them at every turn and make it far easier for them to just slap his casing onto a new endo than to actually try to get him back. Freddy was not programmed to harm anyone, it was not in him to fight , but God damn it, right now? 

He was ready to go to war, even if it killed him.

"No, the kids right, that's a shit plan Fazbear. You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, and you definitely shouldn't be coming up with ideas that will only cause me more work and trouble, especially without asking me first. But, not all of it is bad. The idea of someone walking the little man home is solid, you just picked the wrong chaperone." 

Spoke the blond from the doorway, arms crossed and face set with determination as she gazed at the boy. She had been thinking of what to do, and finally decided on taking matters into her own hands, she just couldn't let Freddy know about it.

"Gregory, tomorrow I'll meet you at your bus stop to take you home, okay? I have a shift at the Pizza Plex starting at 6pm, so once I get you I will have just enough time to come home and make dinner with you before I have to start driving. If I am with you, then they can't do anything to you, so Freddy won't have to blow a fuse, and you won't have to do anymore training for a marathon. Sound good?"

Not only would this protect Gregory after school, but it would give her a chance to check these little brats out, get a feel for them, size them up and let her decide then how to best deal with them. But Freddy and Gregory didn't need to know that part. Thankfully, Freddy seemed delighted at the idea and Gregory looked as if he were considering it as well, as long as he wasn't saying no then it was good enough for her. Who was she kidding, even if the kid had said no she would just show up anyway.

"Great, then if there's no objections that is what we'll do. Now, wash up for dinner squirt, I threw a frozen pizza in the oven while I was grabbing my energy drink."

Gregory simply nodded as he pushed himself off the bed and slid past her as he headed for the kitchen. 

"Vanessa, you two had frozen pizza 3 days ago, I know that Pizza is intrinsically linked to me and due to my programming I should probably not be saying this, but I believe Gregory should be having something healthier than pizza. Perhaps more protein and fresh vegetables and fruits. As you said before, pizza sauce is loaded with sodium, and sodium is linked to a number of health concerns. Not to mention the amount of carbohydrates and the cholesterol in it. I have seen the way you two eat, you each eat half a pizza, that is 870 calories each, 114 carbs, and 75 milligrams of cholesterol. That is not even beginning to talk about the saturated fats that cause-"

"Okay Freddy! I get it! Get off my case, will ya? I've got to get to work soon and I don't have the time to cook. It's not healthy, I get it, I promise tomorrow I'll make the kid a damn salad. You think I want to be eating pizza so much? You know how health conscious I am, but it's quick and easy to make, so sometimes you have to make sacrifices. Besides, Gregory could use a little comfort food right now."

"...Fair enough. However, from now on, I will be setting strict mealtimes and guidelines. There are far more health issues that can be caused by eating such unhealthy amounts of pizza than I had realized."

"Ugh, I never should have given you access to the internet."

The bear seemed to stand a bit taller at that remark, as if he were proud of himself and his research, or perhaps he just enjoyed knocking the wind out of her sails. Who knows.

Either way, dinner was a simple affair and soon Vanessa was on her way to her job while Freddy went back to tutoring Gregory in English and helped him complete his grammar homework before getting the boy ready for bed. 

The night passed peacefully, with Gregory sleeping soundly, Freddy sitting with his back pressed against the bed frame as he charged and kept an eye out for any danger that might come for the boy, and Vanessa doing her usual walks around the Pizzaplex before settling in one of the many security offices and spinning in the chair as she kept an eye on the cameras.

In the morning, she got home just in time to see the boy off to school, before going to shower and crash in her bed for the next 7 hours. Freddy kept himself busy by practicing his culinary skills, as he had found some new healthy recipes online that he wanted to try out for his family. When the time came for Vanessa to get up and get ready to go get Gregory from the bus stop, she was greeted by the bot wearing an apron and shoving a plate in her face.

"Vanessa, I have made you an egg substitute spinach and tomato omelet with berries on the side. It should provide you with all you need to start your day! Now, please hurry and eat before it gets cold, you must be leaving soon to meet Gregory."

"Yeah yeah, I got it Papa Bear. You're all worried about your little cub, but if you're gonna give me food then at least let me enjoy it and don't rush me. His bus won't be here for at least a half an hour. That's plenty of time for me to eat and get ready."

The bear's eyes twitched at her words before he produced a sound like a sigh despite not being able to breathe and walking back out into the kitchen. 

By the time she had finished eating her breakfast, brushing her teeth, using the restroom and getting dressed in her uniform, she had five minutes to spare. So she decided to check on Freddy, only to realize he had used more than just a pan to make the omelet, as there were pots, pans, baking sheets and other such utensils cluttering the counters.

"Good lord Freddy! What have you been doing out here?! Are you trying to feed an army or something?"

"I have prepared some healthy pre-made meals for the week, all you have to do is heat them up. Now you and Gregory will not have to worry about time and can eat healthier and more balanced meals!"

Yeah, less time cooking alright and more time spent on dishes. She thought with a sigh as she fastened her hair into the back of her hat and grabbed her keys.

"I know you can't actually wash the dishes because they need to be soaked first to get the residue off, but at least put some of them in the sink to soak so I can take care of them when I get back."

"Will do Vanessa! Please tell Gregory that I have prepared an after school snake for him, so it is best not to dilly dally."

"Uh-huh, sure."

With that, she was out the door. She decided that instead of waiting in her car, she would park a bit away from the bus stop and stand there waiting for the kids. That way she could see them up close and speak with them. 

As the vehicle approached, she put on her best friendly smile as she waved at the man driving the bus, hoping she wouldn't look like some creep there to stalk or kidnap any children. She couldn't help but shudder at the thought.

Soon the children came piling out of the bus, some heading her way and others going down the other streets. It was until she saw Gregory rushing off with 3 bigger boys following him that she began to jog up to them, calling out in a sickeningly and obviously fake sweet voice.

"Gregory! There you are! Your father asked me to come get you, he made you an after school snack and wanted me to get you home as soon as possible." 

Then she turned her attention to the 3 confused boys behind him.

"Oh, hello! Are you friends of Gregory's? I'm Vanessa, nice to meet you. I hope Gregory hasn't hurt anyone or caused any more trouble."

One of them, the lanky brunet, fell right into her trap. 

"Uh, any more trouble?"

With a smirk, the woman continued on, placing a hand somewhat roughly on Gregory's head.

"Oh yes, Gregory is something of a little trouble maker. A lot of children with problematic pasts usually are. I had to catch and detain him once when he destroyed Montgomery Gator and Roxanne Wolf at the Mega Pizzaplex. He said he had to break them apart to use their parts to try to break out of the restaurant. After that, I found out he was an orphan, so I adopted him to keep him out of trouble. Poor Monty lost both his legs and his claws because of Gregory and Roxy lost her eyes. Despite how hard they tried to stop him, he still took them down. They even fought back against him, but they couldn't even scratch this little terror. How he was able to take down a 7 and a half foot tall robotic gator going at him with no hold barred, I will never know. He has been behaving just fine at home, but I wanted to make sure he wasn't being a feral little rat at school." 

The stout blond one, who appeared to be the leader as he was at the front of the pack, glanced with wild eyes at Gregory, who (once understanding what Vanessa was trying to do) gave a savage grin before flashing back to a sweet smile when Vanessa looked down at him. 

"N-no...No problems here. Right Gregory?" He asked. The two boys behind him nodding, eyes pleading with the smaller boy to agree.

"Yeah, I've been behaving. I wouldn't want to make you mad, Officer Vanessa."

Whether they were afraid that she would arrest them for fucking with her kid, or if they were now simply scared of what Gregory might be capable of when he snapped, she didn't know. But either way, she was happy to have accomplished her goal of frightening them out of their wits and getting them to back the Hell off.

"Good! That's great news! Sorry boys, I didn't get your names, like I said earlier I'm Vanessa Anderson, Gregory's adoptive parent, but I'm more like a chaotic older sister. And you are?"

"I-Im Jeffery Smith." Said the blond.

"Gary Coleman." Said the brunet.

"J-Jason Phillips." Spoke the raven haired boy in the back.

With a kind smile and eyes full of promise and danger Vanessa replied.

"Well it is very nice to meet you three, and I will definitely remember your names. Now if you'll excuse us, we have to be getting home. We don't want his dad getting worried and coming down here, he is normally a real sweet guy  but he can be a real Papa Bear when it comes to this little terror here. Bye bye boys."

As she turned Gregory around and ushered him toward her car, she made a mental note to check in with the school later to make sure those were really the boy's names and possibly try to befriend their mothers so that they would feel even more afraid of the power she had over them. Was it petty? Possibly. Vindictive? Depends on who you asked.

All that mattered was that the boys were only capable of silently nodding in response to her with dumbfounded expressions on their faces. That told her they probably wouldn't try anything with her little bro anymore, that was a comforting thought for not only her but Gregory and surely Freddy as well once he found out.  

As they got in the car and drove the short distance from the bus stop to their home, the boy chatted excitedly about how badly his bullies had been scared.

"I mean, did you see Jason? He was so scared he only spoke once to answer you! He looked like he was gonna pee his pants!"

The woman smirked, looking in her side mirror to see the boy. 

"Yeah well, at least half of that was 'cause of you ya know? I mean, the other two didn't fare much better. Especially when they heard what you did to Monty. You should have just told them how much of a badass you were from the start!"

"Pff, I doubt they would've believed me. I'm pretty sure you were what sold them on it, since you look like you're dressed like a cop and you said you had to chase me down and catch me."

"Yeah, but what's important here is that they were scared witless! I don't think they're gonna bother you anymore. Heck, they may even want to learn from you if they're serious about being punks. I bet the word will spread around your school pretty quick, so you better be prepared to answer a bunch of questions. You're also probably gonna get the shifty eye from a lot of people. There will probably be a lot of kids too scared to even go near you, or heck, even look at you now. That, or you may gain the respect and admiration of a bunch of your peers. Be ready for anything little man."

The boy nodded, grinning like the little rat he was. He clearly enjoyed the idea of everyone fearing him and didn't care about the possibility of making friends. Sure, she'd rather he make at least a couple friends his age, some nice, normal friends, but for now him being alone and not being bullied would have to do.

Eh, as long as the kid's safe and happy, I guess it doesn't matter. After all, he's said before that Freddy and I are all he needs...For now anyway. God help us when he grows up and gets a girlfriend, or a boyfriend. Man, I hope he'll be one of those kids that just focuses on his studies and isn't interested in dating. She thought.

Soon they had made it home, Gregory immediately running in and calling out to Freddy to tell him what he and Vanessa had done and how scared his tormentors had looked. Freddy seemed happy to see the boy so excited, but he also made sure to cast Vanessa a displeased look, letting her know that she would be getting a talking to later about not misusing her power and scaring children.

But seeing Gregory happily bounding around as he talked and munched on his turkey sandwich and apple slices made both Vanessa and Freddy feel a sense of calm pride. As if simply seeing Gregory safe and happy was enough to put them in a happy mood themselves, to put them at ease. 

Seeing him be a normal kid, or as normal a kid as he could be, it was incredibly rewarding. Knowing she was making good on her promise of taking care of him and repairing all of their lives, it was quite the fulfilling feeling, even if she never wanted nor thought she'd have kids, looking at his smiling face and hearing him laugh in such a carefree manner, she couldn't find any part of her that regretted taking on such a monumental responsibility. 

"Tell him Vanessa! Tell him how Jason almost wet himself!" Chirped the child.

With a strained grin of her own, the woman walked over and stole one of his apple slices. 

"Yeah sure kid, as long as Freddy here promises not to lecture me for it later."

The bear did nothing but cross his arms and slant his eye lids.

"Uh oh, I know that face. That's the 'Vanessa I can't believe you, you are in so much trouble' face. You know, this seems like a great time for me to leave for work…" Spoke the guard, feet gliding back inch by inch as she made careful eye contact, never taking her eyes off of him as if she were staring down a predator in fear it might pounce if she turned her back to it.

"Vanessa Anderson, you will stop right there and come back this instant. I had thought we decided to simply speak to his teachers and have you pick him up from the bus stop. Shame on you for abusing your position and scaring those children."

"Awww, Freddddyyyyy, come on man. Do you really care? They were abusing their size and numbers over Gregory. I know you like kids and it's in your programming to be good to all of them but damn, they aren't even your kids. Can't you just let it go this one time because it helped Gregory? Pleeeassssee? Come on Greg, beg with me here."

The boy mumbled something vaguely similar to an 'OK' as he scarfed down the rest of his sandwich and hopped out of the chair he had decided to sit in to eat and watch the show go down between the bear and woman. He swiftly skipped over to the two of them, clasping his hands and giving his best puppy dog eyes up at the bot.

"Please don't be mad at her, Freddy. She was only doing what she could to help me."

A pained, strangled sound bubbled up out of the animatronic's chest, his eyes wavering as he spoke gently to the boy.

"I know Superstar, but she went about it the wrong way. I am programmed to protect all children and make sure the adults behave properly with them. I am even programmed to intervene when a parent is disciplining their child if it looks like the child might cry or if the adult yells or appears as though they may get physical. I am also only trying to make sure that we teach you right. I do not want you to grow up thinking this behavior is acceptable. Nor do I want Vanessa to think she can get away with illicit behavior simply by using you as leverage against me."

"Seriously Fred? He knows it's wrong, we get it, two wrongs don't make a tight, but ya know, sometimes vigilante justice is the only way the wronged party gets justice. Besides, I know for a fact that you would do anything for Gregory, even if it means disobeying your programming or doing something you thought you would never do. I bet you were angry enough yesterday to go and tear those kids apart, huh?"  

Freddy was affronted, sputtering at the sheer audacity this woman had to accuse him of ever meaning harm to a child. And yet, her remark was not completely off base. He was so angry, angry and devastated. Angry enough to want to do anything to make the situation go away, to make those kids stop. 

Looking at his little Superstar, there was no doubt in his nonexistent heart that he wouldn't have scared the wits out of those boys himself if it meant Gregory would be safe. As much as he didn't want to admit it and let Vanessa off the hook, judging by their twin grinning faces, he knew that his face must have softened enough to tell them all they needed to know. 

Curse his softness and inability to hide what he is thinking and feeling. For a robot, he truly was terrible at affecting an emotionless facade. Watching the woman raise her hand to the boy who excitedly slapped his hand against her own, Freddy knew it wasn't just about how bad he was at hiding things, no, it was because it involved his son.

He could recall many parents unable to hide their fear and worry when they lost their child at the Pizzaplex and needed to ask him or one of the other animatronics or staff to help locate them. He could recall many parents who didn't care for the Pizzaplex and glared at everything, but when they saw their child's smiling face, they were incapable of not smiling back. It was that same parental love and devotion that drove him to this.

Gregory truly would be his undoing if he was not careful, but then again, he had long accepted that possibility and decided he did not care if it became a fact, so long as Gregory was alright. This was a responsibility that, at first was thrust upon him, seemingly by chance or possibly even fate. But now, it was one that he had chosen and would never give up, even if it came with him having to make some choices that he did not approve of.

He wondered if that was a normal thought, that one might do something illegal so long as it was for the good of their offspring. Was it normal to not feel remorse at the idea of harming another or taking something that did not belong to you, as long as it meant your child would be okay? 

He briefly considered asking Vanessa to take a look at his systems and make sure he was functioning properly, but after the woman herself slapped him on the back and whispered a "I know, Fred. Me too. I'd kill for this kid if I had to." he decided everything must be perfectly routine. He supposed it all came with being a parent, just another side of those responsibilities that everyone with a kid must face. 

Love can turn one into a monster. It can bring out the worst in everyone if one let's it. Or, love can lift us up, it can make us into the best possible versions of ourselves. Sometimes, depending on the situation, it could be both. The two went hand in hand like Sun and Moon did. Two sides of the same coin. But that's okay, because love, true love, is a beautiful thing that should always be treasured.

And what love could be more true than that between a family, a father, a son and a daughter, no matter how problematic those children may be, they were his responsibility. They were his to protect, care for, be there for, and love. And love them he did, more than anyone or anything else in the entire world. 

The way the woman rubbed his back and leaned her head against his shoulder, and the boy clung to his hand while looking up at him with a large toothy grin, something told him, they both felt exactly the same way.

THE END🧡💙🤍