Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, during the events of "Finding Freedom"

It was a busy Saturday afternoon at the restaurant. Weekends were usually this busy, considering kids didn't have school on weekends. It was also the usual prime time for parties, an attribution to the added numbers of customers. Almost all the party rooms were booked, leaving the remainder of the restaurant's guests to be in the main dinning area, or to wander off into the Prize and Games room just down the hall where the 'Toys', and the Marionette all performed.

At the moment, the main three mascots' show had taken a small pause. It was normally during such pauses, when the characters could step off the stage and greet the customers—more the children, than adults. Chica was sporting an especially bright smile, as she'd just given a hug to the fifth kid that day. There were times where being stuck with Fazbear Entertainment felt hopeless, and dim, but the bright smiles and happy dispositions of the children that came would always brighten her own mood.

As the chicken watched the two little twin sisters hurry off to find the rest of their friends among the crowd, a curious sight caught her eye. She glanced over, and spotted Freddy—her beloved, sweetheart of a bear. He held a young boy, who looked no older than 5, in his arms, grasped in what looked like one of his—infamous among the guests—'bear hugs'. The boy had a bright, pizza sauce covered smile on his face, as his little hands clasped at the fur on the back of the bear's neck. Then, Freddy repositioned the boy, holding him on his hip as the little one's father took a photo of the two. Chica smiled at the wholesome sight, watching as Freddy put the boy down to continue eating pizza with his dad.

"... U-Um hi." Violet eyes widening a little, Chica turned around to see a little girl standing just behind her. She looked shy, despite having approached the chicken. "Oh, why hello there!" Chica greeted, kneeling next to the girl. Carl chirped his own little greeting, eliciting a smile from the girl. "What's your name?"

"S-Sally." The girl answered, nervously messing with one of her golden locks of hair. "It's wonderful to meet you, Sally." Chica told her with a friendly smile. "Are you having fun?" Sally nodded, and quietly gave an "Uh-huh." Chica glanced up from the girl, and noticed a teenaged boy sitting close by at a table. He had his cellphone out, waiting for the girl to pose with Chica. She assumed the boy to be her brother, perhaps. "Would you like to take a picture?"

Sally gave her a nod. Chica hummed, and held out her arm to place around Sally's shoulder. Shyly, the girl shuffled into Chica's side, before mustering a pretty adorable smile—dimples and all. The older boy held the phone up, and pointed it towards the two. "Sally, say cheese!" Sally did so, Chica also doing the same. "Got it! Mom'll send this to Grandma for sure!"

"Thanks." Sally quietly thanked, looking up to Chica. "You're welcome!" Then, the girl gently wrapped her arms around the chicken in a small hug. Chica reciprocated the gesture gladly. "Now, go enjoy your pizza!" She told, before Sally nodded and re-joined her brother. Standing up straight, Chica's smile stayed persistent. During the whole exchange, she'd been unaware of the bear watching from across the crowd.

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"Today was a good day." Chica commented, legs dangling off the side of the roof, while her upper body was leaning into Freddy's side. "Yeah, I'd say so." He agreed, arm wrapped around Chica securely. Though, she purely perceived his unusually tight hold as only a sign of affection, and no way in any form of a well-hidden fear. "I saw something adorable today while we were talking with the guests."

"Oh?" Chica glanced up to Freddy, giving him a smirk. "I noticed a little boy getting his picture taken with you." The bear blinked, a bit confusedly. "Chica, a lot of little boys got their photos taken with me." He told her. Chica giggled a little, before specifying. "There was this one kid, I think he had a bright green shirt on, and I saw you giving him the mother-of-all bear hugs."

"Oh, that boy!" The memory from the day came back to Freddy after Chica clarified. "It was a really adorable sight!" She commented with amusement. "The kids love you!" Freddy chuckled, replying with, "The kids seem to love you just as much." He eluded, adding with, "Because I also saw an equally adorable sight today."

"Do tell!" Chica prompted. "I saw a little girl, with ringleted blond hair and the cutest little dimples giving you a hug." Freddy told her. "She also seemed kinda shy. Was she?" The chicken nodded, confirming that observation. "Yeah, she was really shy when she came up to me, but she seemed like such a sweetheart."

"Aww!" Chica shook her head a little along with another small giggle. In that moment, the memory of Sophie Grant promising to free the Anthros came back to her. Her thoughts quickly flashed forward to the life she and Freddy truly hoped to have together. She smiled fondly. "One day, I'd love to have kids of our own." The bear glanced down to her, just as she looked back up to him. "Do you?"

"I would love that." He answered, smiling. "I think you'd make a wonderful mother, seeing how to treat the kids around here." Chica's smile grew. "And you would be an amazing father." She commented without hesitation. The two then leaned in and shared a soft, and affectionate kiss. "One day." Freddy promised, taking hold of Chica's hand. "When we're free.

Chapter Text

"Aha! I be th' cap'n now!" Jessie proclaimed proudly, earning a chuckle from everyone. "Are you, now?" Vixen asked, looking up to her daughter, while still holding onto Luca's hand. "Aye! I be taller th'n Uncle Freddy, an' that makes me cap'n!" Freddy laughed, finding his niece's logic amusing. He then adjusted his grip on the little fox, who was sat on his shoulders. "'Course it do." Foxy agreed with a nod.

  "I'm taller than dad, what does that make me?" Junior asked, from where he sat on Foxy's shoulders. "Ye be the first mate!" Jessie concluded, just as Freddy walked around a low-hanging tree branch—preventing it from hitting Jessie in the face. "Oh." Junior hummed. Foxy gave his son a pat on the knee. "Aye, but First Mate be an important rolel!" He told, adding with, "Just ask yer Uncle Freddy!"

  "Huh?" Freddy blinked, glancing down to the fox. "Oh! Is dad your First Mate, Uncle Freddy?" Junior asked, looking over to him. Freddy paused to think of an answer, just as Chica began to laugh a little. "Well, since he and I are good friends, then sure." Freddy began. "But then going by that logic, that would mean I have many First Mates." The twins both sported looks of confusion, which just further amused the adults. Foxy patted Junior's knee again, regaining his attention. "Well now, let me tell ye, "Cap'n" just be a nickname I has for yer Uncle Freddy."

  "What?!" Jessie exclaimed, somewhat dramatically. The older twins both giggled knowingly. "Ye mean Uncle Freddy was never a cap'n?!" More chuckles were had, before Freddy clarified with, "I used to be, Jessie." The little white fox glanced down to her uncle, still looking puzzled. "Ye be confusin' me!" She told him, a light scold in her tone. "I was the leader of the band we used to be in, and 'captain' and 'leader' are basically the same thing."

  "Oooh, I get it!" Junior hummed, understanding the explanation. Jessie still looked a bit confused, but the pieces would probably come together in her mind later on. She half huffed, before leaning her head on top of Freddy's as everyone continued to walk. "Don't worry, Jessie," Chica spoke up, reaching to give the fox a small pat on the back. "You can still be captain for now."

  "Aye, I know!" Jessie answered with a proud smirk. The chicken shook her head and smiled, before wrapping one arm around her husband's side—keeping up with his stride. She kept her hold of Jenny's hand with her other.

  "Aunt Chica!" A new voice suddenly exclaimed, just as Chica yelped in surprise. Everyone stopped walking, as they turned around to see Plushtrap, who had run up and hugged the chicken from behind. Spring Shine was hastily catching up, having not anticipated her son darting off like that. "Sorry!" She apologized in a huff. Chica smirked, and waved her off. "It's fine."

  "Hi!" Plushy greeted again, smiling brightly at his aunt, before glancing over and sharing the same smile with his uncle. "Fancy running into you here." Chica commented, kneeling down to give the little bunny a proper hug. "Erm, Aunt Chica? Plushy ran into you, first." Junior commented, sounding genuinely concerned that the chicken had somehow already forgotten that fact. "Yeah I did!" Plushy then exclaimed, just as Chica let go of him with a small laugh.

  "We aren't interrupting anything here, are we?" Shine asked the small group. Foxy shook his head 'no'. "Ye don't." He assured her, before Vixen invited with, "We were just on a walk together. You're welcome to join us!" Shine gave a small shrug, exchanging a glance with her son. "I don't see why not." Plushy gave a victorious air fist, as Junior and Jessie were helped down onto the ground to continue walking with the older twins, and Plushy. The fox and bear were quietly sighing in relief to having the kids off their shoulders—finally getting a break.

  The group began walking again, with the kids just slightly ahead. As the four twins and Plushy were talking with each other about many a thing, the adults were engaged in their own conversation. All were simply enjoying one another's company that lovely, sunny afternoon. A good forty minutes of walking and talking passed by, when Jessie suddenly exclaimed, "Nice Cream!"

  Up ahead on the park trail, a blue rabbit monster was standing at his mobile Nice Cream stand—umbrella perched on top of it in a form of shade. His eyes widened as he watched five kids hurrying towards him excitedly, half of the adults behind them managing to keep up just barely. Freddy was the one who managed to catch up with the kids first just as they looked at the small variety of flavors. "Heya!"

  "Hi...!" Freddy greeted, taking a minute to catch his breath. "Can we get some Nice Cream, Uncle Freddy?" Plushy asked first, Junior adding, "Please?" The three all had the same pleading look in their eyes. The bear glanced over, seeing a thumbs up from Vixen, Foxy and Shine—Chica was merely sporting an amused expression. Freddy shook his head a little, before addressing the Nice Cream Guy. "How much for five Nice Creams?"

  "That'll run ya 25g." Nice Cream Guy replied, watching the bear pull out his wallet. Freddy hummed. "Alright, guys, pick a flavor." The kids all smiled happily, before they all looked over the selection of twenty-one flavors. As they chose, Freddy payed for the cones. "Thanks, pal!" The guy thanked, putting the money away before grabbing a sugar cone and Nice Cream scooper. He then proceeded to scoop the appropriate Nice Cream flavors as they were requested, said flavors being Chocolate, Butterscotch Cinnamon, Regular, Vegatoid and Dairy-Filled.

  "And here's the last one, for you!" Nice Cream told, handing the Butterscotch Cinnamon Nice Cream to Jenny. The monster thanked the anthro bear again for the purchase, just as they all went to rejoin the group. "Now, what do ye say?" Foxy asked, brow arched as he watched the kids all happily licking away at the sugary desserts. The five all paused, pulling their cones from their mouths. They then all looked up to the bear and all-but-jinxed, "Thanks, Uncle Freddy!"

  "You're welcome." Freddy replied with a chuckle, just as Chica joined at his side. "You all better eat those up before they melt!" The kids all nodded, before continuing as they were. And as the kids ate their Nice Cream, the group went to sit on a few park benches to rest their legs a while.

Chapter Text

  "Here you go, Arthur." The senior bear blinked as a small, ceramic plate with a fresh-baked raspberry muffin was placed down in front of him. "Looks delicious, thank you." He thanked, giving his daughter-in-law a small smile of appreciation. Chica gave a nod, before returning to her job—heading to check in with her cupcake companion.

As Arthur took a bite out of the pastry, his eldest son gave a quiet hum from his seat across the small table. He glanced back over to him. "What?" Gold gave a small shrug, taking another sip of his cooled-off-coffee. "Don't think I've ever tried Chica's raspberry muffins." He commented, before then remembering something. "Then again, I ain't much a fan of raspberries."

"Your mother isn't, either." Arthur noted, taking another bite of his muffin. Gold arched a brow curiously, waiting for his father to elaborate on that comment. When he didn't, the golden bear said, "I erm, didn't know that." He earned a curious look in response to that. "You didn't?" Arthur seemed very puzzled by this. "Don't you remember when you'd gone out to pick raspberries for your mother once?"

"... No." Gold answered, sounding a little apologetic in the way he'd said it. Arthur's look of confusion remained for a moment longer. "Dad?" A look of realization then came over the older bear's aged features. "Oh, right. You don't have any clear memory of your childhood." Gold shook his head 'no'. "I'm sorry, I keep forgetting." Arthur said in apology. "It's fine, dad." Gold assured him.

"You know," Arthur then began. "I feel like... that's been happening quite a lot, as of late." His son's head tilted a bit, indicating his curiosity. "It's like this fog comes over my mind, and I just... space out, or forget things." His father explained. "It's like I forget for a minute that I'm in the present." Putting his coffee mug down, Gold reached over and placed a hand on his father's wrist. "At least you've got us to keep you grounded, right?" Smiling a little, Arthur placed a hand on his own atop his son's. "How lucky I am."

For another moment, the two shared a mutual, grateful feeling. Relishing in the time they were spending with each other. It did every member of the Fazbear family's hearts some good when they could just make new memories like this. Take a moment to just put the past behind them. Although they weren't able to completely do that just yet, these small blissful moments made their bleak history an easier burden to bear.

"... Would you mind tellin' me about the time we went raspberry pickin' once?" Gold suddenly asked, before taking another sip of his coffee. Arthur smirked as he took a bite of his muffin. For a second or two, the senior bear stared off and for a moment, Gold was worried his mind had trailed off. Thankfully, however, he'd just been organizing his thoughts. "Well, this was when you were around five or six—I don't quite remember..."

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"..."

"... Arthur?"

"Arthur!"

"..."

"Arthur!" With a small, yet audible gasp, the senior bear glanced up to see his wife, Bernadette, sporting a somewhat concerned look. "Sorry?" As she gave a small shake of her head, Arthur's eyes slowly looked about, seeing he was back home. He fell silent again for a minute, trying to remember what had happened. His memory eventually came back to him, remembering how he and his son had parted ways from the café. Right. "Did you hear me?"

"No, I didn't." Sitting down at the small kitchen table next to her husband, Bernadette gave a sigh. "You were starin' off again, and I asked if you were alright." She told him. Arthur's gaze fell to his hands, before he gave a small hum in response. "That's no answer." Bernadette lightly scolded, adding with, "You're daughter's just as bad as you are with your little yes or no hums." Arthur smirked a little at the remark. "But honestly, are you alright?"
"I'm fine." The old bear answered, looking back up to his wife. "Guess I'm just feeling a little run down, is all." At that, he noticed how Bernadette's concerned look grew. "It's no more than usual, 'Etta." Arthur assured her. "You're sure?" He nodded. Bernadette reached to grab a hold of her husband's hand and gave it a light squeeze.

"Oh, that reminds me." She then began. "You have a check up on Monday." Arthur held back a groan, though Bernadette could see as much in her husband's eyes. "It's just routine, nothing more, Arthur." She assured him. With a stifled sigh, Arthur gave his wife's hand an affectionate stroke. "I'll go, don't worry."

"And I'll make sure you do." He smirked again. "I know you will."

Chapter Text

  As the first few droplets of rain fell from the gray, cloudy sky, Freddy was pulling the front door shut behind himself just as he and Chica arrived home. He paused a moment, looking out the door's window and watched as the weather slowly picked up. With a hum, the bear walked away from the door. "Glad we don't have anywhere else to be for the rest of the day." In answer, Chica gave a quiet acknowledgement to the comment, as she made her way into the kitchen. "... Chica?"

"Yeah?" Freddy approached her, just as she made a reach for a glass in one of the kitchen cabinets. "Are you alright?" She gave him a small glance, before continuing to get a drink of water. "I just get the feeling something's been bothering you lately." Chica paused after having filled up the glass. She didn't make a move to drink it. "What is it?"

With a small sigh, Chica bowed her head down. "I was... just thinking," She slowly began. Putting her glass down, she quietly asked, "... Do you think we'll ever have kids?" A sympathetic look made itself known on Freddy's features, as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "What makes you think... we won't?" He asked her, though a part of him already had possible answers conjured up in his mind—none of which were anything positive. "I just... I-It's something we've wanted, something we've thought about, but... it's never happened. L-Like it won't."

"Hey, I know it probably seems that way," Freddy started, slowly beginning to rub his wife's back in a comforting manner without even thinking. "But... these things could probably just take time in certain cases." Before another word could be said, Chica all-but-threw herself in Freddy's embrace—on the verge of crying, having suddenly become very emotional. "Woah... hey, Chica..."

"B-But, there's something e-else I was thinking..." Chica continued, feathered arms wrapper around her husband. "What i-if we're n-not... c-compatible with e-eachother?" Taking in a breath, Freddy continued staying composed for Chica's sake. "We don't know that." That didn't quite seem to calm her at all. "I-I'm scared that... that m-might b-be the reason..."

The bear was quiet for a moment, as he simply held her. He was trying to think of what he could possibly say that would have a positive, optimistic effect on the conversation. On any other other occasion, Chica's sudden pessimism would be puzzling, maybe even worrying to Freddy. After all, she's always been the optimistic one. But considering why she was upset, this pessimism made complete sense.

"Hey," Gently, Freddy placed a hand to the side of Chica's face, coaxing her into looking up towards him. "Our situation is somewhat... unique. I don't think we should be giving up hope just yet." Despite the tears that continued to fall from her violet eyes, there was still a look of consideration in Chica's expression. "Y-You don't...?" The bear gave a small shake of his head, along with a small smile as he used his thumb to brush away a tear. "O-Okay..."

Just as Chica slowly rested her head against Freddy's shoulder again, the bear still noticed how she was still crying. "Still upset?" There was a pause. "... N-No?" Freddy's brow arched at hearing that. "But... you're still crying?" Chica sniffled a little, before saying, "I-I... d-don't know why..." She confessed, sounding as though her oddly delicate emotional state was making her more upset. "You seem tired," Freddy noted in as polite a tone as he could—as saying such a thing could come off as offending. "Why don't you just take it easy the rest of the night, and try to relax. Okay?" Chica somewhat shakily nodded at that.

"How about you go sit, or maybe even lay down on the couch with a book, or something, while I make a light supper?" The bear then suggested. Taking a step back from the hug, Chica gave another nod—not showing any worry over her husband handling things in the kitchen. (Maybe he'd finally made it up to her after that one, single kitchen fire he'd caused). Freddy gave her a smile, and took hold of her hand. He gave it a small, reassuring squeeze before Chica left the kitchen to do as he'd suggested.

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It was now later in the evening, and the sun was already setting. Not too long after supper—which had gone by without any issues—Freddy had continued trying his best to cheer Chica up. As far as he could tell, he'd done a pretty good job. However, there was something still nagging at him about his wife. Something he couldn't put a finger on. And it wasn't related to her upset mood, either.

Freddy looked down to Chica, who was already snuggled under their bed's sheets. She'd been tired all evening, and had decided to turn in early. The bear was keeping her company, laying on top of the sheets next to her, until she fell asleep. He quietly hummed to himself. "... What?" Chica quietly asked, obviously not asleep yet. She tiredly looked up at him. "Are you sure you're feeling alright?"

"... I'm feeling better... thanks to you." Freddy smirked, though shook his head. "No, like, are you feeling well? You've just seemed off the past while, now." For a moment, Chica's gaze stared off in thought. She gave a shrug. "I guess, not... I've been feeling like... I've been getting fatigued easy, and like this afternoon..." She answered.

"And your moods," Freddy added, again trying to keep his tone as polite as possible. "You've been seeming more... emotional than usual, I think." After a second, Chica gave a half nod. She then took another second to think again. "Do you think... something's wrong with me?" She wondered, the same sad look from earlier returning. "Maybe it's nothing, but if you'd like, I could see if I can book you a doctor's appointment at the clinic?" Freddy offered, running a hand over Chica's arm. A small sigh sounded from her. "Yeah... you do that."

"Okay." Freddy leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead. "I'll go do that now. You get some rest." With heavy eyelids, Chica gave a nod before snuggling back against her pillow. "I love you." Freddy quietly said to her, before getting up and leaving the room.

Chapter Text

Making his way back down onto the ground from off the countertop, Carl hurried back to the staircase—dragging Chica's cellphone along with him. Pausing at the base of the steps, where the smaller and more accommodating stairs for the cupcake were, Carl took note of something. Chica had fallen quiet. When the cupcake had run off to retrieve her phone so that Freddy could be called, Chica was practically keeling over in pain. He could hear her cries the whole way down the stairs. This only made Carl hurry, hoping his best friend was okay.

Not without some pants for air, the cupcake companion eventually made it back to the master bedroom. There, he found Chica sitting on the ground, leaning against the side of the bed. A look of disbelief was seen on her face, her posture indicating she was no longer in pain. The chicken was now simply staring down into her lap. "Chica?" At first, Carl didn't see what it was she was looking at. The white feathers on her arms was keeping it basically camouflaged.

Dragging the phone next to her, Carl asked, "... What happened?" No response came. Remaining speechless, Chica simply slowly reached for Carl, placing him on her shoulder without needing to look—thanks to muscle memory. Her companion looked in the direction she was looking in, his gold eyes widening. In Chica's lap, being held by her feathered hands, was an egg. It looked to be almost, though not quite, double the size of Carl, not including his candle. "An egg?"

"Yeah..." Chica answered, tone barely above a whisper. She was still in shock. Carl glanced back up to Chica, noticing small, unshed tears in her violet eyes. Probably of joy, if he were to guess. After looking back down to the egg in his friend's lap once more, Carl hopped off Chica's shoulder. In a delayed reaction, the chicken looked over to see what the cupcake was doing. Opening Chica's phone, Carl wasted no time in calling Freddy—who'd left earlier that morning, letting Chica sleep in a bit longer.

"... Oh, right." Holding her egg closer to herself, Chica made a reach for her phone before Carl could press the 'call' button. Taking in a calming breath, she called her husband.

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The bear's sapphire blue eyes were wide in surprise at seeing what his wife was holding. "Chica, I..." He seemed just as speechless as she was earlier. "This... does mean what I think, right?" Smiling, Chica gave a slow nod. Freddy's surprised expression quickly changed into one of joy and excitement. "We're gonna be parents!" He cheered, pulling Chica in for a hug—mindful not to squish the egg in her arms, while Carl swiftly jumped up onto the bed behind her. Chica laughed a little, wrapping one arm around Freddy to reciprocate the gesture. "We are!"

"There's a lot we're going to need to get done before the baby hatches," Freddy began after letting go of the hug—his mind going a mile a minute. "I-I mean we'll need to set up a nursery, get baby clothes, make sure we-" Chica held up a hand to stop him from rambling off. "I know," She told him. "But there's something I want to do first."

"What?" Freddy asked her, not quite following. "You said you booked me a checkup last night, right?" The bear nodded. Semi-realization hit him. "Oh, this means there wasn't actually anything wrong with you..." Chica gave a small nod, before continuing. "I was thinking, since the appointment's already booked, I might as well take our egg in to make sure the baby's okay?"

"Oh! That's a good idea." Freddy agreed with a nod. "I'll take you." He offered, beginning to get up off the ground. Offering a hand to her, Chica took it and stood too. "Thanks. Once I get changed, we'll go." She told. Another nod was Freddy's response, before he held a hand out for Carl to hop onto. With that, the two gave Chica a moment of privacy.

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Something wasn't right. He wasn't feeling right. Standing in the archway to the small living room, Arthur had one hand clasped on the frame. He was having a difficult time paying attention to his surroundings, as his breathing became short and shallow. Francine came up to her dad, setting her crutches aside and balancing on her one foot, trying to get his attention. But, the senior bear's eyes were screwed shut as all his attention was put into staying balanced on his feet.

There was a sudden sharp pain in Arthur's chest, causing him to gasp. His other hand came up to grasp at his chest. Francine's attempt at getting his attention had instead caught the attention of her mother. Bernadette approached the two, even though Arthur was unaware, and instantly knew something was wrong with her husband. "... Papa...?"

"...Ar...ur?" Both their voices sounded like nothing more than distant echoes being heard through a tunnel. He couldn't hear more than one word, not that he was exactly paying attention to begin with.

The chest pains weren't going away. In fact, they seemed to be getting worse. Thanks to that, Arthur could feel himself falling weak. He slowly lowered himself to the ground to try and gain his bearings, but to no avail. The bear remained on the ground, breathing shallowly and becoming faint, all the while both hands clasped at his chest. His wife and daughter continued trying to elicit a response from him, but before the old bear could give any answer, he felt himself slip into unconsciousness.

Chapter Text

  Rushing up the last stretch of the sidewalk, Freddy had no time to think about the rollercoaster of emotions that day had bombarded him with. His once excited demeanor of having learned that has was going to be a father, was now almost completely replaced with worry thanks to the phone call he'd gotten from his older brother, informing him their father was in the hospital, still unresponsive.

Taking a brief pause to scan the waiting area as he entered the hospital, the bear spotted the reception desk and hastily made his way over. The monster sat behind the desk looked up to him. "May I help you?" Catching his breath, Freddy began with, "My... My dad was admitted. His name's Arthur Fazbear." Taking another breath, he then asked, "Can I see him?"

"Just a moment." The bear worriedly tapped his fingers on the surface of the desk as the receptionist checked to see where in the hospital, and when Arthur was admitted. "I see," She began, before pushing her rolling chair back. "Come with me, I'll take you to see him." The monster told, getting up and walking out from behind the desk. "Thank you."

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Everyone in the room exchanged somewhat relieved smiles when Arthur finally woke up. Groggily, the old bear blinked, looking to the faces of his family who sat all around him. Slowly looking over to Bernadette, he asked, "... Etta? What... happened?" Gently grabbing hold of her husband's hand, she answered with, "You had a heart attack." Francine continued with, "That's what the doctor told us after the ambulance brought you here."

"... Ambulance?" She nodded, before gesturing to Gold. "While they were treatin' you, we called Fredbear, who then called Freddy." Flo explained, as her oldest brother gave a small nod of confirmation. Arthur looked about again. "Then... where's Freddy...?" His wife was about to speak up again, when the bear in question was suddenly heard from the room's doorway. "Dad?!"

"Freddy!" Flo quietly exclaimed, as Freddy quickly entered the room. He then sat on the edge of Arthur's hospital bed. "Oh, you're awake... that's good...!" The senior bear gave a slow nod. Freddy then looked over to his mother. "What happened?" With a small sigh, Bernadette gave the same answer she'd given Arthur a minute before. Freddy's gaze fell a little. "But... he'll be okay, right?"

"The doctor seemed hopeful." Gold commented, reaching to give his younger brother a pat on the shoulder. "Good." Freddy hummed.

"Freddy, did I interrupt you from something important?" With a confused glance, Freddy looked over to his older brother. "You didn't answer my first few calls." Gold clarified. "Oh, I was with Chica during her clinic appointment, and I'd turned my phone off." Freddy explained, already earning more puzzled looks at that. "If it's alright of my askin', but is Chica doin' okay?"

"Oh, yeah, she's great." Freddy answered, a small smile beginning to find it's way onto his face again. "I've actually got some exciting news... though I didn't think I'd be sharing it in a hospital room." Tiredly, Arthur waved his son off. "Pretend... we're not... What's the... news?" He asked, smirking himself. "Well..."

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The tune Chica had been humming quietly to the egg swaddled in her embrace was briefly interrupted as she took another sip of the tea she'd made for herself. Once she put the cup back down on the end table, she turned the page of the book she had been reading to pass the time. From where he sat huddle against Chica's feathered neck, Carl asked, "How are you humming and reading at the same time?"

"I..." Violet eyes narrowing a little, Chica realized she'd not read a word on the last page or two, her thoughts too distracted by the unborn little one in her lap, and the fact Freddy was still out checking in on his father. "... wasn't." With a small sigh, she simply closed the book. Setting it aside, she held her egg a bit closer to herself, both her body heat and the blanket she'd taken from the back of the couch hopefully keeping the little one warm.

A moment later, the front door opened—Freddy finally returning. "Hey!" Chica called, staying on the couch as her husband closed the door behind himself. As he entered the living room, Chica noticed the bag he was holding, which looked to be stuffed full. "... What's that?" She asked curiously, before then remembering why he'd taken off to begin with. "Oh, and, how's your dad?"

"Dad's doing better," Freddy started, sitting next to Chica. "He'll be in the hospital for a while longer while the doctors keep an eye on him, but he's already doing good." Chica smiled. "That's good. So, what happened?" She wondered. Subconsciously, the bear put a hand on top of the egg, answering with, "A heart attack."

"Oh..." Freddy hummed, gaze then falling again. Wanting to lighten things a little, Chica looked back to the bag that was now on the ground by the bear's feet. "What's in the bag?" Perking up a little bit, Freddy pulled it up onto his lap. "Something for the baby!" Tilting her head a little in confusion, Chica watched as he pulled some clothes and quilts from the bag. "Mom, Gold and Flo were with Dad at the hospital too, and so I told them the news."

"You did? And what was their reaction?" Chica asked, smiling. "They're excited for us. Actually, when we had to leave, Mom brought my by their place to see what she could find of baby things." Freddy explained. "There wasn't much, but she did give me my baby quilt." Using one hand, Chica took a look at the quilt as Freddy took it from the bag. It looked to be hand made, each of the squares having a different pattern of one of three colors; light blue, lemon yellow and a minty green. "It's beautiful!"

"I'm glad Mom was able to hold onto this all this time." Freddy commented, smiling fondly. "I know the baby will love it." The two then looked to each other, before sharing a brief kiss. "Of course."

Chapter Text

  "Sorry we're late!" Bonnie called, as both he and Toy (Chica) walked through the front door of the house. They were both carrying in a small mattress. Walking into the kitchen entryway, Chica watched as they set it aside in the living room. "Oh! You brought the crib?" She asked, an excited look on her face as she adjusted her hold of the swaddled egg. The bunny nodded. "Yup! I'll help Freddy build it once the room's painted."

"Thanks!" Chica thanked, before then watching as Bonnie went back outside to grab the pieces for the crib itself. Toy, however, approached her. "Hey! How's everything going so far?" She wondered curiously. "Good." Chica answered, adding with, "Freddy, Foxy and Shine are all upstairs painting the nursery." She explained, nodding towards the staircase. "Do you have everything for the nursery?"

"Well, we could stand to get some more things, but at the moment we've got enough." Chica answered, going back to sit at the kitchen table—Vixen doing the same, a mug of coffee in hand. "Foxy and I brought over some things we still had from when the twins were little." She said, looking over to her sister. Toy hummed, sitting down with them. "That was nice of you!" She complimented. Looking back over to Chica, Toy then asked, "So, you got any names picked out?"

"Yeah! Sure we do...!" Chica answered, only sounding half convincing. Vixen raised a brow suspiciously. "Do you?" She teasingly challenged. The chicken gave a small chuckle. "One or two... at least." The fox shook her head a little, unable to hold back the small amused laugh. "Don't worry, names can be a hard thing to pick. Especially since you don't even have a way to know the baby's gender until their born."

"No offense, Vix, but it doesn't seem like you'd know the struggle very much." Chica commented, a small apologetic look in her smile. "You and Foxy had a boy and girl name picked out, and then you ended up having twins and were able to use both names." Vixen glanced off a moment, taking a sip from her mug, and hummed. "True."

"Hmm..." Chica looked over to Toy, now noticing the contemplative look on the younger chicken's face. She then snapped a finger, looking as though a lightbulb went off in her mind. "How about 'Susie' for a girl?" She suggested, looking to Chica for affirmation—since it was her baby, after all. "That's a cute name." Chica complimented. "I'll ask Freddy what he thinks, and we'll add it to the list of girl names."

"What are the 'one or two' names you have picked out?" Toy then wondered. "Well, Freddy said he likes the name 'Gabriel', and I'm thinking about the name 'Annie'." Chica told, an unsure lilt in her tone. "Those are both cute names, Chica." Vixen told her with a smile. "What about a flower name?" A new voice suddenly suggested. The three turned around to see both Gold, and Francine stood in the kitchen doorway. "Oh, hello you two!"

"Hi!" Flo greeted in return, walking over to sit at the last available chair of the kitchen table—setting her crutches against the wall. "So, y'all're talkin' baby names?" Gold wondered, leaning against the doorframe. Chica nodded, before looking back over to Flo. "What was it you were saying, Francine?"

"A flower name!" She repeated. "Though, there's more girl flower names than boy... but that's alright." Everyone looked interested. "Alright, let's hear it." Francine smiled. "Well, a name like Rosie or Violet seems more common, so I was thinkin' more somethin' like Ivy, or Dahlia." Flo explained. "Those are pretty!" Toy complimented. "Thanks!"

"There are a lot of names to choose from..." Chica slowly commented, as the list of names was suddenly growing larger. Vixen shook her head little. "Don't worry, you'll find a name that's just right for your little bundle." She assured her, with an equally reassuring smile.

"Oh, hi Gold!" Freddy suddenly greeted, walking into the kitchen for a glass of water. "Hey. How's the paintin' goin'? Need an extra hand?" Gold asked, looking over to his younger brother. The other bear shook his head 'no'. "We're nearly finished the last coat." He explained, holding a glass under the tap and turning it on. "Already?" Chica asked, violet eyes a bit wide. "Yep."

"You three were speedy." Vixen commented with a small laugh. Freddy gave a mere shrug. "Hey, Fred, I think there's something on your nose." With a confused blink, Freddy quickly wiped the top of his nose with his hand. "Is it gone?" Chica smirked. "No, it's still there. Looks like paint." The bear tried again. "Still there."

"Seriously?" With one hand, Chica gestured for Freddy to come over to him. Once she had him leaning next to her, she gave him a small peck on the nose. "I think I was just seeing things." She then said, a teasing lilt in her voice. Freddy deadpanned a little, but couldn't help the small smile that came across his face. As a small gesture of 'forgiveness', Chica took his hand and gave it a light squeeze. "Didn't realize you were so gullible." Gold commented with a chuckle. Freddy shook his head, before beginning to take his leave. "I'm going back upstairs to help finish with the painting. We'll be able to start moving things into the room soon."

"Sounds good." Chica called back. Not long after Freddy left, did the conversation pick up again. "What about Lilly?" Came Flo's next suggestion. "These are all good names," Chica began, adjusting the quilt wrapped around her egg. "But shouldn't we also be thinking up some boy names, too?" She suggested. "What about 'Liam'?"

Chapter Text

  "Arthur, please, you need to rest!" Waving his wife's hands away, Arthur tried to continue going about changing his shirt. "You've barely been out of the hospital for a whole day." Sliding on his favorite light blue shirt, Arthur answered with, "I feel fine, Etta. I'd at least like to get some fresh air." Shaking her head a little, Bernadette answered with, "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

"I'm going for a walk." Her husband replied, making his way out of their bedroom. "A walk where?" Pausing in the doorway, the bear turned around and looked at Bernadette. "Well, I would like to go visit our son and his wife. You said they'd just finished the nursery, didn't you?" Arthur asked, continuing out of the room while Bernadette followed. "Yes, but you shouldn't be goin' on a walk that far, Arthur!"

"It's hardly far at all," He began, continuing to the front of the house. "If you're going to be here worrying, you may as well come with me." He offered, taking his dark sweater off the hook by the door. Bernadette sighed. "There's no changin' your mind, is there?" Her husband looked her in the eye, as though to silently answer the question. With a shrug, she too went to grab her own sweater. "Fine. I'll tag along." Arthur smirked, opening the door for her. Once the two stepped outside, the two hooked arms—Arthur lovingly pressing a kiss to the side of his wife's face as if in thanks. Bernadette rolled her eyes a little, as the two began to walk.

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Reaching into the small, now nearly empty cardboard box, Chica pulled out a handwritten note. It was written with Toriel's font, as if her signature at the end wasn't indicator enough of who'd written it. After reading it's short and sweet message, the chicken refolded the note in half and slipped it into her dress' pocket. "She left a note, too?" Freddy asked, taking the now useless box from the kitchen counter with the intention of recycling it later on. "Yes. It was really nice of Toriel to give us these bottles."

"On such short notice, too." The bear commented with a hum and a smile. The comment was true. Everyone's generosity in giving the expecting couple the needed supplies for a baby, and also helping with preparations such as getting the nursery together, all in the short amount of time before the little one hatches, was a great help to them. "We're very lucky." Chica added, adjusting her hold on the egg before continuing to put the bottles in a clear spot in the kitchen cupboard.

As the small chat quieted down, a knock sounded on the door. Glancing over, Freddy told, "I'll get it." Before heading over to answer the door. Turning the doorknob, and pulling the door open, the bear was a surprised to see both his parents standing there. "... Dad?" Arthur smiled. "Hello. We aren't intruding, are we?"

"'Intruding'... Uh, no, of course not!" Freddy nearly sputtered, a bit confused. "But you just got home from the hospital, why aren't you resting?" He asked. "Fred, believe me, I tried to convince him to do just that, but your father is too stubborn for his own good." Bernadette explained, giving Arthur a teasing glare. The older bear simply shook his head a little. Having spotted the two from the kitchen entryway, Chica chimed in with, "Oh! Hi, come in!"

"Oh yeah-! Come sit down," Freddy agreed, holding the door open for his parents. "We'll get you something to drink." Both nodded, before entering. Closing the door behind them, Freddy nodded towards the living room. "Make yourselves at home." They did, while Chica returned into the kitchen to put the kettle on for some tea—something simple. Freddy caught up to her first. "Let me, you go sit too."

"Oh, you're sure?" The bear nodded, giving her a kiss on the forehead before gesturing for her to head out to join her in-laws. "Okay then." With that, she too went to sit in the living room. "So then," Arthur began, looking over to his daughter-in-law as she sat down in an arm chair. "How's the little one doing?" He wondered, leaning back a little. In the moment, he looked to be perfectly fine—even though he'd been in the hospital not long before. "They're doing fine."

"When is it they'll, erm, hatch?" He then asked. "Any day now." Chica answered with a smile, adjusting the blanket again. "Oh, I can't wait to meet them." Bernadette told, her tone holding clear excitement. "Flo said you were pickin' out names the other day, what do you have picked out?" She continued, giving Chica an expectant look. "I think we've finally narrowed it down to two names," She began. "If it's a girl, we've picked Annie. And-"

"- If it's a boy," Freddy interrupted, mugs of tea in hand. "Gabriel." The older couple both looked their son's direction, just as he handed them their tea. They quietly thanked him, before he sat down next to them. "Those are lovely names." Bernadette commented, taking a sip of tea. Arthur had a thoughtful look on his face, which his wife noticed. "Arthur, what do you think?"

"I think... Yes, I had a grandmother named Annie." Chica and Freddy exchanged intrigued looks, before she asked, "You did?" The old bear nodded, slowly bringing his mug up to his mouth to take a sip. After swallowing, he added, "She passed when my father was just a cub, unfortunately." Arthur told with a small sigh. "Oh, I'm sorry."

"Well then, looks like for a girl, 'Annie' is definitely set in stone." Freddy commented, Chica giving a nod in agreement.

The conversation continued on for a while longer, the topic remaining mostly on the soon-to-be-born member of the Fazbear family. When a lull came in the conversation, Freddy took notice of how his father looked to have spaced out again. "Dad? You doing okay?" It took a moment for the senior bear to answer. Giving several blinks, Arthur merely answered with, "Hm?"

"You zoned out for a second there." Freddy added, trying to hide the worried expression threatening to show itself. "Oh... Sorry, I'm alright." Arthur answered, feeling a little bad for doing that... again. "You sure?" Freddy pressed, the conversation about the baby having distracted him from the topic of his father's health. "Yes... Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry yourself."

"Okay, then..." Freddy answered, dropping the topic. Though, when Arthur wasn't looking, Bernadette reached for her son's hand and gave it a squeeze—as if subtly communicating that she too was worried, and for him to just focus on his own family. The younger bear smirked a little, as the conversation picked up again.

Chapter Text

  The room held a heavy, somber tone. The skeleton had paused a moment, watching the senior bear's reactions closely as they continued to speak. Considering that Arthur was in for a follow-up from being discharged not long ago, Dr. Gaster had figured he'd have this conversation with him now. Arthur had figured that the topic of conversation was going to be a serious one, so he had asked to speak with him alone. Bernadette was still in the waiting room.

"To be honest with you," Gaster continued, interlocking his bony fingers together over his lap. "This is something you aught to discuss with your family." Arthur's gaze remained off somewhere, starring at no particular spot. He said nothing. "Personally, it's something I think they'd deserve to be aware of." The skeleton added. "But it's ultimately up to you."

"... You wouldn't tell them, would you?" Arthur then asked, finally looking back up to Gaster again. The skeleton promptly shook his head 'no'. "No. I'm not allowed to disclose any of this without your consent." He answered, his professional tone returning for a brief moment. It dropped again, as his seriousness came forward again. "But I do strongly urge you to tell them."

"I'll... tell them... when it's right." Arthur said, only sounding half-committed to his own words. "Don't wait too long, Arthur." Dr. Gaster told him, sounding a bit doubtful about the bear's answer. "I do understand that you probably don't want to hinder the excitement amongst your family, about the little one on the way, but please don't wait." He urged, trying not to sound too pleading. The bear sighed a little. "Was that all, doctor?"

"Yes," Gaster answered, feeling a little defeated. Standing up from the stool he'd been sitting on, the skeleton went over to open the room's door for the senior bear. As Arthur began to take his leave, Gaster said, "I hope to see you for your next appointment." The bear gave a small nod, before heading down the hallway. Gaster shook his head a little, feeling as though he didn't quite get through to the stubborn Fazbear. Not being able to do much else about it now, the skeleton simply continued with his work.

As Gaster made his way out to the reception desk to speak with the monster working it, he looked over his shoulder and watched as the old Fazbear couple left the hospital, hand in hand—Bernadette looking as though Arthur hadn't made even a small mention of their conversation they'd just had.

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There was a lovely breeze blowing by that afternoon, though it was still a comfortable temperature all the same. Despite the sun's warm rays shinning down upon the town, Chica was still re-wrapping the blanket around the egg, and holding it as close to herself as possible. After doing this for the umpteenth time now, she shifted to get more comfortable in her seat on the porch. "I don't think the baby's going to freeze to death because of one little breeze, Chica."

"What-?" The chicken looked over to the bear, who was giving her an amused look. "You've been adjusting the blanket the whole time we've been sitting outside." Chica blinked, looking back down to the egg—which was now effectively hidden in the soft folds of the blanket. "I erm... have?" Freddy nodded, even laughed a little. "It seems your doing it because your antsy."

"Can you blame me?" She began. "I'm excited to meet our baby, and I'm starting to get a little impatient!" Chica sighed in a mock dramatic way, adjusting another fold of blanket yet again. "So am I." Freddy told her. "But according to the doctor, we don't have much longer to wait now." He reminded her again. "Honestly, it's always the last stretch of waiting that's always the most grueling."

"Look, once the baby hatches, all this waiting will seem like nothing in the long run." Freddy said in a reassuring manner. Chica looked back up to him again, and nodded. "You're right. We'll be getting an amazing pay off for all this waiting." The bear gave a single nod. "Exactly. In no time, you'll be sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery, with our baby cuddled on your chest." Chica hummed, seeing the image in her mind's eyes. Her heart fluttered with excitement again. "That'll be wonderful."

"It will be." Her husband agreed. There was a moment of silence, as the two simply relished in the thoughts of the very near future. A question suddenly came to Chica's mind, as she smirked a little. "I wonder what their first word will be?" Freddy chuckled, a little in disbelief. "Okay, it's definitely a little early for that, don't you think?" His wife laughed too. "I bet it'll probably be 'mama'." Freddy shook his head a little, before quietly saying, "No... it'll be 'papa'."

"Pardon?" The bear glanced off, trying to hide his semi-mischievous smirk. "Freddy!" Chica lightly scolded, to which he instantly defended with, "Hey, you started this conversation!" He told her, barely making eye contact. Chica rolled her violet eyes, adjusting her grip on the egg. "Mm, yes, great defense." She mocked in a light tone. The two fell quiet again after that, both smiling still.

"I can't wait to meet our little one." Chica said again, Freddy replying with, "Me neither."

Chapter Text

The early coming of autumn left the night air cool, and crisp. The leaves outside were gently swaying with the breeze that came through the air, the moon's rays casting shadows of the branches through some of the windows belonging to Newer Home residents. It was a calm, quiet night. However, not everyone was asleep. In the newly completed nursery, Chica was sitting on the rocking chair, gently rocking it as she held her baby against her chest, swaddled in a quilt. The little cub was just shy of a few days old, and the couple couldn't be happier.

Having just gotten the baby to settle back to sleep, Chica gently stroked the back of her head—even taking a brief moment to straiten the single, yellow feather on the top of her head. One of the unique things about the cub. "She settled easily." Freddy suddenly commented, tone no louder than a whisper. Chica looked up to spot the bear leaning against the opened doorway. "You didn't have to get up."

"I wanted to." He told her, walking over to the two. Then, Freddy crouched next to her, putting a hand on his daughter's back. "I still can't believe she's finally here!" Chica commented, smiling happily. "Neither can I," Freddy agreed, lightly rubbing her back. "I can't wait for the rest of the family to meet Annie." Chica gave a small nod in reply. "They'll love her."

Retracting his hand and standing up, Freddy then said, "If anyone ever tells me that this little cub is anything short of loved, I'd tell them they're crazy." Chica couldn't help the small giggle that escaped her beak at the sentiment. "She won't ever have to wonder about that." Freddy smirked.

"Well, since you've gotten her to sleep, how about I put her to bed so you can go back to sleep, too?" Freddy offered, though Chica easily saw it as an excuse just to hold Annie again. Shaking her head a little, she adjusted the cub in her grip. "Okay, then." She held the sleeping baby up towards Freddy to take, who did so with some caution. Once he had her, Chica stood up. She watched for a moment as her husband went over to Annie's crib to lay her back down again, before leaving to go back to their bed.

As the chicken sat down on the bed to get comfortable, she looked over to her cupcake companion's set up just by the head of the bed. Carl was still sound asleep, Annie's cries from earlier looking to have not waken him. Chica hummed. "He'd probably sleep through an earthquake if someone let him." She quietly commented to herself, laying down to go back to sleep. It didn't take long for her eyes to fall shut again, as sleep came over her.

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"Annie's almost done her breakfast, then we can head out." Chica announced from her seat at the kitchen table, holding Annie in one arm, and an almost empty bottle in her other hand. "... Yeah." Came Freddy's distracted response. "Are we still going to your family's after Annie's check-up?" No answer. Looking up from her daughter, it was then Chica noticed the bear's sapphire blue eyes fixated on his phone—a growing look of concern visible. "Freddy?"

"... What?" He finally looked up to Chica. "Is everything okay?" Sighing a little, Freddy shook his head 'no'. "Dad's... back in the hospital." He told her. "Oh no... When did this happen?" She wondered. "Early this morning." The bear answered, continuing with, "Mom said... he's gotten worse. She's worried..."

"That's awful." Chica gave him a sympathetic look. Setting the now empty bottle on the table, she then went about burping Annie. While she did, she asked, "What do you want to do?" Freddy crossed his arms and shrugged. "I'm not sure." He confessed. "I want to go and see him, but I said I'd be there with you for Annie's checkup." The bear seemed conflicted. "How about this," Chica began. "After the appointment, I'll head over to the café to check in on things and have lunch, and you can go visit your dad. How does that sound?"

"Are you sure?" Freddy asked her. Chica gave a small smile and nod. "I'm sure." She ensured him. "Okay, if you say so." He answered, slipping his phone into his pocket. Just then, Annie let out a small burp. "Alright, let's go."

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"And 3G is your change." Vixen said, handing the monster patron his change. He gave a nod in thanks, before leaving with his recently-purchased-pastry, while Vixen turned around to check the remaining order slips. On his way out, the monster passed the cafe's owner. She stood aside to let the monster leave, before entering the café. The small bell above the door rang as she did. Vixen glanced over her shoulder, yellow eyes widening in surprise when she saw who had arrived. "Chica?"

"Hi!" Chica greeted, keeping her hands on Annie's back—who was swaddled against her chest with a fabric wrap. "How're things going here?" She wondered, looking about to see the handful of happy patrons. "Oh, things are going smoothly." The fox answered, before then glancing to Annie. "Foxy told me about your little one hatching," She began, walking around from behind the counter, "Can I see her?"

"Sure." Chica answered with a smile, sitting at the closest table. Vixen sat next to her as Chica gently took Annie from the swaddle wrap. "I'd like you to meet Annie." The little cub glanced over to the fox, her eyes wide with wonder. "Aww! She's adorable!" Vix complemented, reaching out to gently slip her finger into Annie's tiny hand. The cub weakly clasped onto it, looking at Vixen's finger curiously. "Thank you!"

"I bet your in-laws were just fawning over her, weren't they?" Vixen asked with a smirk, rubbing Annie's little hand. Chica gave a small chuckle. "Well, they haven't met her yet..." The fox glanced up to her. "They haven't?" The chicken shook her head. "We were supposed to go visit them this afternoon, but unfortunately Freddy was told that Arthur is in the hospital again."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Vixen responded with sympathy, sitting straight again. "I hope he's okay." With a sigh, Chica said, "So do I."

Chapter Text

  With a clipboard in hand, the skeleton had a concerned and perplexed look about him. Dr. Gaster was doing his best in treating the senior bear, but his efforts weren't working as he'd wanted them to. He was having to continuously adjust the method of treatment multiple times. And with each adjustment, the skeleton was beginning to realize that issue may not be physical—but an issue with the patient's SOUL. The Royal Scientist was an expert in the field of SOULs, but Anthro SOULs were a little different from Monster. He'd probably need a second opinion. Sighing a little to himself, Gaster put the clipboard under his arm to continue walking.

"Oh, there he is—Dr. Gaster!" A nurse called after him. Turning around, the skeleton spotted both her, and Bonbell. He paused, a bit confused as to why the bunny was here, when he noticed the manilla folders the other had. "Oh-!" Bonbell approached him. "Hey, doc." He greeted. "Hello... Thursday already, is it?" The bunny nodded, holding the manilla folder out to the skeleton. "Yep. You look surprised." He commented with a light chuckle. "It's just been a busy past couple of days. Trying to deal with patients and what have you."

"Right, I get it." Bon sympathized. There was a small pause as Gaster skimmed over the manilla folder briefly. "Hey, I'm still up for it if you need an extra hand." Bon offered, burying his hands into his pockets. "Of course, thank you, but there's a certain patient I'm not sure you could help me with, I'm afraid." Gaster told him. "Doesn't sound good."

"It isn't."

"Can I ask who it is?" Gaster looked up at Bonbell, taking a moment to think. He then shrugged and shook his head. "Sorry." Bon gave a simple nod of understanding. "It' fine." He assured him. "But if I need any other help, I'll give Dr. Gill a call to let you know." Gaster added. "Sounds good. Guess I'll head back to the clinic, then." Bon answered, turning to take his leave. "Good afternoon."

As Bon walked off, Gaster too began walking again. He wanted to make his way to his office to take care of the manilla folder. As he walked, the skeleton took out his phone. After bringing up a contact, he wrote up a text and sent it, before then pocketing his cellphone.

Gaster:

-If you have a moment, I need to speak with you. It's rather urgent.

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"She is just so small, and adorable, and her fur is all fluffy and I just...!" Francine interrupted herself by simply giving her little niece a kiss on the cheek. "She is so precious!" Chica couldn't help but laugh a little at the sight of Francine cooing over Annie the way she was. "And her little feather is adorable too!"

"It's a very unique trait, I have to say." Bernadette commented, as Annie grabbed hold of her grandmother's finger. Francine adjusted her grip on the little cub, before looking up at her brother and sister-in-law. "She's perfect." She complimented with a smile. The couple smiled too at hearing the compliment. "Thank you." Chica thanked.

Noticing how Annie's gaze was seemingly fixated on her aunt's face, Freddy then commented, "I think she likes you both already." Annie quietly babbled, one of her little paws reaching up towards Flo's face. "Aww, we love you too, Annie!" Francine cooed, taking hold of her hand. "I can't wait for your father to meet his granddaughter. He'll love her!" Bernadette said. "How... is dad?"

"He's... well..." Freddy's expression fell a little, noticing how his mother's did too. "The doctor says he isn't getting better... but he hasn't gotten worse, either, really." Bernadette answered, still trying to remain positive. "Fredbear's visiting him now. I think he had some things he wanted to talk with Arthur about." Freddy gave a small nod.

Chica looked over to Freddy, and put a hand on his thigh in a comforting gesture. "We aren't busy on Saturday. We could go visit then?" She suggested. Freddy gave a half nod. "Alright. Sounds good." Bernadette smiled a little, returning her attention to Annie again. Changing the pitch of her voice and lowering her volume a little, she then said to the little cub, "You're grandpa is going to adore you! Yes he is!" Annie babbled again, simply in response to hearing her grandma's voice.

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Today was going to be one of those days where his help was needed at Newer Home's Hospital, giving him a break from working at the LABS before going home for the day. The automatic doors slid open just as the Marionette walked up to them. He bent his neck a little so as the top of his head wouldn't catch the top of the doorframe as he walked in. There was a small crowd in the waiting area he'd just entered, not many looking like they had visible injuries.

After taking a casual glance about, Puppet noticed a familiar face walking in the opposite direction as him. "Gold?" The bear paused, and looked up to his friend. "Oh, hello." Gold simply answered, tone sounding a bit dreary. Puppet couldn't blame him. "I'm going to guess you were visiting your dad?" Gold nodded. "How's he doing?"

"... Not good." Gold answered sadly. "We didn't really talk about it. He just wanted to share stories with me." Puppet hummed. "That's understandable." Gold's gaze fell again. He couldn't hide his upset expression. Taking a step closer to his friend, Puppet placed a hand on his shoulder. He tried to think of something to say, but for some odd reason saying something along the lines of "It'll be okay" would come off as almost a lie. Saying nothing, Puppet gave the bear's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Right, well, I won't keep you." Gold then said, offering what he could of a friendly smile before continuing to leave the hospital. Puppet sighed and shook his head. This wasn't the first time he'd seen Gold upset, and it definitely wouldn't be the last. Though, this time felt a little different. Puppet had hardly seen Gold pained over family like this before, and if things suddenly took a turn for the worst, he quite honestly wouldn't know how to console him.

But those were issues for later. Now, Puppet had to go find Dr. Gaster and help with him as he'd been requested. He could mull over those problems at a later time. Now focused again on what he was doing, the Marionette continued walking through the hospital.

Chapter Text

  Chica relished in the fresh air as she walked down the sidewalks of Newer Home—pushing Annie along in her stroller. It was one of the final days of autumn that were still relatively warm and nice. Winter would be soon coming up on the town once again, so everyone did their best to enjoy the nice weather while it lasted.

Chica's pace came to a slow stop as she came up to her café. Before going in, she checked on Annie to see if she'd fallen asleep—it being time for her afternoon nap. Pulling back the stroller's shade a little, the mother saw that her daughter was in fact asleep. "She's so cute when she sleeps!" Carl commented, peering down on the little cub from Chica's shoulder. She nodded. "She is!" Chica replaced the shade before going inside the café.

Once inside, she made her way to a small booth in the corner where things wouldn't be in the way. "I'll go order you something." Carl told her, before hopping off her shoulder, onto the table then to the floor—weaving his way around the few customers in line to get behind the counter. Chica smiled, before taking out the work she'd brought with her. Since Annie had been born, Chica had been taking on more business related responsibilities with the café. Taking care of a newborn left little time to be physically present at the café, but she obviously couldn't abandon her own business.

A small part of Chica didn't want to be at the café, however. Freddy had been told that the family was to meet about something at the hospital, and she'd offered to go with him. However, the bear told her it wasn't necessary. It would've just resulted in a bit more hassle with having to bring Annie along. Chica felt a little bad not being there, but Freddy assured her it wouldn't take long. She'd just have to be there for him later, as it was obvious the matter would be no doubt about Arthur. She hoped it wasn't any bad news.

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Freddy was getting an odd sense of déjà vu from the room he and his family were sitting in. After pondering about it for a moment, it hit him. This was the same room he and Dr. Gaster had spoken in back when Gold was being treated for his injuries he'd sustained by the hands of Charles White. Freddy glanced over to his brother, who was quietly making conversation with their younger sister. "Freddy?"

"Hm?" He looked to his mother. "You look like something's on your mind." She commented, gently taking her son's hand in her's. "Oh... I'm just having déjà vu, it's nothing." Freddy answered, giving his mother a somewhat forced, small smirk. Bernadette sighed and shook her head a little. "Okay." She simply said, not pressing the matter further.

Not much longer passed before Dr. Gaster finally arrived. He closed the door of the room behind him as he entered. "Good afternoon." He greeted, taking a seat with the family. "Hello, doctor." Bernadette replied, giving the skeleton a small nod. Gaster set his clipboard on his lap, taking a moment to pause and glance at it. Thankfully, nobody noticed the gesture as any sort of stalling. "Well, I'm sure you all know why I've asked you all here."

"It's about Dad. How's he doin'?" Gold wondered, the underlying worry clear in his darkened eyes. "Not good, I'm afraid..." That felt like an understatement. Gaster shook his head. "It isn't look good, at all." He rephrased. "Is it about his heart?" Bernadette wondered. "Not necessarily," The doctor answered. "His heart attack was actually an effect of the actual underlying problem." Freddy gave him a puzzled look. "What 'underlying problem'?"

"His SOUL." Bernadette's gaze fell. "His SOUL is in a very weak state now. It had been growing weak for quite some time by the looks of it." Gaster explained. "It's gotten to the point where it's effecting his body physically." Glances were exchanged. "... Is it like, some kind of illness of his SOUL?" Gaster gave a half nod. "Sort of, but genetics also play a part here. His SOUL was already weak to begin with, leaving it susceptible." He told. "You all have to understand something. There is very little we can do now to help Arthur, as the problem's gone untreated for too long. More could've been done had we caught this earlier, but we hadn't. This could have also been a problem even before you three arrived to Newer Home."

"Then, we couldn't have really known about all this happenin' to his SOUL, because we didn't have any doc to look at him..." Francine figured, a sad look on her face. Gaster gave a small nod. "It's unfortunate, but you're right." He said with a sigh.

There was a brief moment of silence, before Freddy spoke up next. "So, does that mean he's... dying?" He asked, those words making it a little too real now. Dr. Gaster opened his mouth to reply, but instead just gave a nod first. "Again," He began. "We're doing all we can to try and treat him, but there's only so much we can do." Bernadette sighed shakily, as if willing herself not to cry. "... We understand."

"If treatin' him doesn't work," Gold started. "How long...?" He wondered, everyone else knowing what the rest of the question was. "I can't say for certain. Could be a couple weeks, or it could be a couple of days. With SOULs, it's hard to tell." Gaster replied honestly. Gold gave a small nod, as everyone was silent once more.

Looking back at his clipboard—actually reading something off of it this time—Gaster concluded that there wasn't much else for him to say that hadn't already been said. "Are there any questions? Anything at all?" The bears all exchanged silent glances with one another, just about all of them drawing blanks. Bernadette then looked to Gaster. "Not at the moment." The skeleton gave a nod. "That's understandable. Come to me if there are."

"We will." She answered. Gaster stood up, and went to open the door of the room. "He's awake at the moment, if you'd all like to see him." The skeleton offered, giving a subtle gesture for everyone to take their leave. The family stood up, and left the room. Bernadette paused at the threshold, and looked to Gaster once more. "Thank you."

"My pleasure."

Chapter Text

  The sun's golden rays created warm colors to shine through the room's window as the light bounced off the colorful, autumn leaves. Tiredly, Arthur slowly looked over in the direction of the window. A nurse must've opened the window's blinds while he was still sleeping. There was also a light draft in the room, a result of the window being opened a crack. The old bear couldn't help but smile a little, seeing how the wind gently carried falling leaves to the ground below.

Other leaves that still held onto the tree's branches were ruffled in the process. As the days passed, Arthur was able to feel his SOUL lighten. As if it too, like the leaves on the branches, would be able to glide freely. The bear closed his tired blue eyes, relishing a little in the thought. His small smile faded, a small bit of guilt panged him. What about his family? Could he leave them behind...?

Arthur's eyes opened, just as a knock sounded on the hospital room's door. He looked over to see a nurse standing in the doorway, with a small gathering behind her. "Your family is here to see you." She told him. Arthur gave her a nod, before seeing her stand aside to let everyone through. His wife and their children all entered the room—Freddy and Chica having brought along the family's newest little member. The old bear smiled again, taking in the sight of his family. Who he loved. "... Good afternoon."

"Hey, dad." Gold greeted, pulling up a chair to sit in. Bernadette did the same, while everyone else simply sat on the edges of the bed. "I'm glad... to see you all here..." Arthur told, reaching both his hands out—one holding his wife's hand, the other his daughter's. "... It brightens my day... when you visit." Bernadette pat his hand with her other, smiling. "I think it does us all some good when we're together like this." She said.

There was a small pause, something that would happen a lot whenever anyone would come to talk with Arthur. The elephant in the room made trying to have any form of a regular, light conversation difficult. Francine quietly sighed, gaze fixated on her lap. "... Flo?" She glanced up to her father with a hum. "How're... your flowers looking?"

"My flowers... Oh, well, they've started wilting." Flo began, trying to keep her tone light. "It hasn't gotten too bad yet, but y'know... happens every fall..." The old bear squeezed her hand. "... They always look so pretty in the spring... especially this year." Francine gave a small smile and a nod in acknowledgement. In her mind, however, she was chasing away the thought that her father was not going to seeing her flowers in full bloom the following spring. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "They a-are..."

"You know what...?" Arthur began, a thoughtful look on his face. "There's winter flowers... aren't there?" Flo nodded. "You should... try and grow some!" He suggested. "What kind should I grow, Papa?" Francine asked curiously. Arthur pondered a minute. "Something that'll... be a reminder of spring." He answered, giving her a smile. Flo nodded. "I'll get on that." Arthur squeezed her hand again.

Quiet babbles could then be heard from Annie, as Chica adjusted her grip on the little cub. "You've... brought my grandcub, I see?" The mother gave a nod. "Would you like to hold her?" She offered, adding with, "She's just had a nap." Her father-in-law nodded, before watching as Chica handed Annie to Francine, who handed her off to her grandfather. Carefully, Arthur made sure he held the little one properly. He chuckled a little. "I... haven't held a little cub... seems like an eternity ago."

"We ain't that old, dad." Gold said, a bit of a joking lilt in his tone. It seemed like the first joking thing he'd said in weeks. Arthur laughed and shook his head a little. He then looked down to Annie, who's eyes were wide open as she looked up to the senior bear. Arthur held a hand up to gently take hold of Annie's little paw—her little fingers weakly gripping onto him. "She's... beautiful." He complimented, gently wiggling Annie's hand to try and make her smile. When that didn't work, he then tried to tickle her. Annie let out a little squeal and smiled—just shy of giggling. "... She's ticklish!"

"Very." Freddy confirmed, not holding back a small laugh as a recent memory from just a few days ago resurfaced. "She's tickled easily." Gold glanced over to his brother. "I'm sure her first laugh ain't far away, then." Freddy shook his head 'no' in agreement. "Freddy, you laughed for the first time when you were barely a month old." Bernadette recalled, both her and Arthur recalling the memory warmly. "Then, she must take after her dad." Chica concluded with an amused giggle. "She.. takes after her mother, too."

"A little bit." Arthur gave Chica a knowing look. "Aside from... some of her features... I'd bet she'll... be just like you." His daughter-in-law smiled, pressing a hand to her chest in response to the kind words. "Aww, thank you." Annie cooed, trying to pull her grandpa's finger into her mouth to chew. Arthur smirked, gently pulling it away. He then gently ruffled the top of her head.

It became silent again, save for the little noises from Annie and the constant beeping of the medical monitors that Arthur was hooked up to. The silence still felt heavy, no matter how much everyone tried to lighten it. Arthur looked up to take in the sight of his family once more, realizing that the small pang of guilt from earlier had dissipated when they'd all arrived. He didn't feel guilty, not anymore. He felt grateful. Grateful that he was able to see everyone united together. It made him feel happy. Completed, even.

The old bear reached to grab his wife's hand again. He then lightly gestured for her to hold Gold's hand, to which she did. Noticing the pattern, Gold held onto his brother's hand, Freddy held onto Chica's, and Chica's held onto Flo's. Francine simply put her free hand on her father's forearm, as her little niece was taking up his other hand. "I... love you all... you know?" Arthur said softly. Most of the family nodded, though Gold answered with, "We know, dad." His father hummed, satisfied. He then shifted his gaze to Francine. "Can't wait... to see your... winter garden."

"You'll love i-it." Francine assured him with a bit of a forced smile, as she chocked back the urge to cry—as others were also doing. Bernadette then leaned over and gave her husband a kiss. "We love you so much, Arthur." She told, her husband smiling and giving her another, more brief kiss. The sound of the leaves blowing in the autumn breeze sounded from the opened window, the colors continuing to dance in the sun's rays.

Chapter Text

  There was something about that morning. Something the members of the Fazbear family all seemed to sense as they woke up that morning. It was a somber feeling, and yet, the feeling carried little weight with it. Everyone simply knew what had happened.

Gold sat silently at his small kitchen table. He'd made himself some tea, before opting to do nothing else aside from waiting for a phone call he was inevitably going to get. It would either be from his mother, telling him what she'd been told, or it was going to be from the hospital itself. Either way, he was mentally preparing himself for the news.

The bear would occasionally glance out his apartment window, seeing how the world just continued on. It was a nice day out, with more autumn leaves falling. The sight was rather serene to watch. Just as serene as it'd been the day before... Gold sighed, taking a sip of his tea. As he did, his cellphone finally rang.

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Francine was trying her best to distract herself a little bit longer, tending to the still-thriving-flowers in the living room. It was hard for her to do. Once the small pot of violets were watered, Flo moved onto the Barberton Daisy. It's crimson leaves were opened wide, and the flowers faced upwards from their short stems. She hesitated, remembering that these ones were her father's favorites among the flowers in the living room. Taking in a deep breath, Flo quickly watered the flowers before moving on. But those were the last ones, she'd watered everything.

With a sad look, Francine glanced into the kitchen. Her mother was on the phone with her oldest brother to tell him the news they'd received not long ago. Bernadette noticed her looking, and the younger bear could tell she was trying to hold back tears. So was she. Gaze falling, Francine slowly hobbled out of the living room to go sit on the front porch—mindful not to make too much of a racket with her crutches.

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The mother was smiling as her daughter happily played with the small selection of toys on the playmat. Chica brushed a tuft of fur from Annie's face, as the little cub tried to drag the teddy bear closer to herself. It took a couple tries, but after a minute, Annie was holding onto the plush tightly—the odd sound or babble sounding from her. It felt nice to see the little cub happy, without any care in the world. She hoped some of Annie's joy would maybe brush off on her father, helping him cope a little better.

Looking over her shoulder, Chica spotted her husband leaning against the doorframe watching Annie play. He had a sad, distant look in his eye. "Freddy?" The bear's reaction of looking to her was delayed. His thoughts must've been wandering. "What did Bernadette call about?" Freddy's ears pointed downwards, flattening against his head, as he sighed. "Dad's... last night, he..." He didn't have to finish the sentence for Chica to know what it was he was trying to say.

Standing up, she went over and wrapped her arms around the bear. He did the same, trying his hardest not to cry. Chica said nothing, simply waiting to see if Freddy wanted to say anything more. If not, that'd be okay too. She could feel tears welling in her own eyes, too. Arthur had been so kind to her, and even though he didn't express it often, she knew he was happy that her and his son were together.

"I'm so sorry..." Chica quietly said, rubbing her hand along Freddy's back. He remained quiet, still holding her, while watching a happy little Annie continuing to play with her toys contentedly.

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Not too much had to happen for the funeral. It didn't need to be a big, extravagant affair. It was simple, yet sweet. The family knew Arthur would've like it. A pleasant amount of Anthros had attended the funeral. They were all there in support of their friends who were grieving the most. The crowd had even been lucky to not be rained on during the outdoor service, before going to the small after service that would be held indoors.

Most of the guests were already making their way to said after service, leaving the cemetery empty once again. Most, except for Francine. She'd stuck behind for a moment longer, messing with the bouquet that she'd brought to leave at her father's gravestone. She kept rearranging the ribbon that kept the whole thing tied together, seemingly not satisfied with the way it was tied.

From afar, Freddy noticed this. "It was a nice service." Puppet commented to Gold, as he and Ballora walked with the brothers and their mother. (Chica had gone on ahead when Annie began to get fussy). Ballora saw that Freddy was no longer walking with them. "Freddy?" Everyone else turned to look at the bear. "Someone should go get Flo."

"I'll go." Gold offered, already making his way back—gently letting go of his mother's hand. Without a word, Freddy followed. Bernadette stayed behind with Puppet and Ballora, thinking it be best she let her sons speak with their little sister. "I'll wait for them." Puppet offered her. Bernadette hesitated a moment, before taking the offer. "Thank you." She thanked, continuing to walk with Ballora accompanying her. The Marionette simply stayed by a nearby tree, keeping an eye on the sibling trio.

"Flo?" The youngest bear looked up and over her shoulder to see her brothers approaching her. "You comin' to the after service?" Gold asked, kneeling next to her—Freddy doing the same. Francine simply looked back down at the gravestone again. Tears were still streaming down her face. Both brothers put an arm around their sister, as the three instead simply sat with her, and cried with her for a few more minutes.

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It felt like the day had gone by grueling slow, yet faster than normal all at once. It was an odd feeling. But finally, the day had come to an end. It had rained for a short time during the after service, and the clouds soon cleared up afterwards. The stars in the sky were now visible, with the moon's rays shinning down.

Chica took a glance at them as she was checking up on Annie before turning in for the night. Quietly sighing to herself, she looked back down to the little cub. "Sweet dreams." She wished, pulling up the blanket over Annie's chest. She gave Annie's small hand a light squeeze, brushing the back of it with her thumb. The little cub then watched as her mother gave her one more kiss before leaving the room.

The light curtains of her nursery's window wasn't closed all the way. The gap allowed for moonlight to shine in the room. Annie, ever curious, looked out the window to the twinkling stars. There was one star that seemed to shine brighter, and looked bigger than the rest. It was a very pretty star. She kept her gaze fixated on that one star that looked down upon her, until she slowly drifted off to sleep—feeling safe and happy in her comfortable crib.