Chapter Text
“You’re home late.” Clara Afton whispers, “Again.”
She sits in front of the TV with Evan on her lap. The baby is sweet, small and sweet with big beautiful eyes, “Come sit with me.” She loves their house in Santa Clara. How could she not love it? It wasn’t Hurricane, it wasn’t full of bad memories but it was beautiful with her little garden gnome out in the backyard and her husband standing like death itself in the doorway.
She wishes she could say he was thriving. Her husband, her lord, her king. She wishes she could say he was just as happy as his family but she knows he’s not. His 600th birthday was coming up and he was haunted by something he would not explain or share with her for the first time in years.
“Where the hell is Michael?” He throws his coat on a chair and Clara watches him growl. He does that now, he growls like he’s caged, “I needed him down at the restaurant to deal with the funtime prototype.” he rubbed at the back of his neck and looked across the room to his oldest son’s bedroom, “I had to bloody wrap it up myself with Henry down in Hurricane.” he tentatively moved toward his son’s bedroom before turning away and moving to the couch to sit beside his wife and wrap an arm around her shoulders, “Did I buy him that goddamn car just so he could go galavanting around with his boyfriend?”
“Probably.” Clara tucks Evan against her and picks up his bottle again, “Evan tried to turn himself over today.” she gently rocks the baby, “He’s taken up the habit of screeching. These little kitten noises. Like Michael used to do.”
“Used to do.”
William Afton is burdened. She can see that at once, her husband is burdened as he pulls her closer, “Clara-”
“He’s growing up Will.” she turns to plant the softest of kisses on his cheek before holding up Evan, “And unlike a lot of our kind you have two other children you can parent to your heart’s content. He’ll come when he’s needed, and he won’t go anywhere darling-”
“I needed him today.” William Afton glares at the door as if doing so might summon his errant offspring, “...We were supposed to do this together.” he clenched a hand, “Everything that I do is for them Clara. Every single thing that I do is for them, I-”
“They need you too.” She gently moves their youngest son from her arms to his, the old vampire taking the little baby in his arms and rocking him back and forth, “Elizabeth is going to come into her fangs soon, Cassidy wants to show her magic and Elizabeth wants to learn. And Evan…Evan needs you the most of all.”
She leans against his chest.
“I know what Henry told you haunts you my love.” She finds his hand and begins to stroke his fingers, gently rubbing at his faded black and purple scars, “I know. But Evan is, for the moment, human. He is a human vampire-”
“Homo Desmodontinae. I’m an ex-English peasant and I suddenly have a species. And a name, what luck-”
“Hush.” she pushes a finger to his lips, “Hush, my love. Listen. You worry, you worry about your humanity, you worry about losing this and us. I promise you, you won’t lose us, you won’t lose me, but what better anchor to humanity than being able to set your fears aside to guide our son and daughter?” she snuggles against him and he kisses the top of her head, “Why give in to animal nature when you have so much here to keep you human?”
Evan yawns and she smiles, “He needs you.” When Evan begins to fuss, William rises, heedless of his wife.
“Ihr heilgen Engel,
Stillet die Wipfel!
Es schlummert mein Kind.*”
He hums it walking past Michael’s room and Elizabeth’s, heedless of the light beneath her doorframe. Evan’s room is a forest full of bears and foxes and creatures of his and Henry’s childhoods. The fox looms above the baby and he can’t bear to paint over it even though he’s very sure Evan is scared of the thing. Foxes are decidedly English creatures. He thinks maybe he hunted them once as a boy -
(But he can’t trust his own instincts.)
Evan sleeps beneath a big cuddly blonde-brown bear. The infant yawns, his vampire father gently crooning to him as he sleeps. He kisses the baby, ignoring the bear and the fox. He tries to tell himself it doesn’t matter because William Afton is a good vampire and a good man and he will always be better. Mike will come next time, and he and Jeremy will be happy. Everything is fine. It’s fine.
He turns then, his gaze landing on the fox. It stays there before he sighs and closes the door.
—------------------
Michael Afton has learned to love the night.
It is mostly the sights and sounds and smells of knowing you will live forever, that your actions will be written like the words he and Jeremy and Charlie are trying to etch in concrete with one of his claws. Dad’d be fucking furious. He hoped. The old man wanted to be seen, flaunting his status as a businessman with a rising profile in the United States. The way he talked he some days made Mike think that he wanted to take on Ronald Reagan himself.
(He had no doubt that dad could, but Cassidy would eviscerate him. She’d peel his father into pieces and leave him torn and broken.)
This had been eye opening. There were ways to die. Even his father had been surprised-
“Mike! Cop cop cop - write something stupid!” Jeremy had been growing his hair long into a mullet that was reaching down to his shoulders. He’s eyes were wide, glowing gold in the headlights.
“Write something stupid or write something, stupid-” Charlie smirked. Mike stared at the concrete before quickly scribbling in clear block letters Michael Afton was here. He added a fox face with a smirk, rose, and offered an arm to Jeremy who took it with a saunter. Cop. A fucking cop-
“What are you kids up to?”
“Kids?” Charlie raised an eyebrow, “Are you blind old man?”
The man was blunt, bald and round looking less like a human and more like a walking talking thumb. He carried his belt with authority, cop car spinning like an alarm near them. Mike put himself between Jeremy and Charlie, “We’re just walking.”
“Yeah? Just walking huh?” the cop raised an eyebrow, “Just walking.”
“Yeah.”
The disgust on the officer’s face manifested itself as Mike felt Jeremy’s fingers intertwine with his.
“Okay. Let go of him and put your hands up.” The cop unhooked his thumbs, “You have drugs on you? The three of you look like you’ve been doing drugs.” He gestured, “Both of you step back.” Jeremy growled and Mike held up a hand, “We’re not doing anything illegal.”
“That so? Ma’am?” He turned his attention to Charlie, Jeremy growling louder and stepping between Charlie and the cop leaving her to the side, “She’s doing fine.”
“Your girlfriend son?”
“That’s my sister you asshole-”
“Jeremy!”
At least, none of them had hit him. The sun was still a few hours off and Mike had submitted to handcuffs, all three “teens” knowing they could break their handcuffs as they were dutifully shuffled into the car and driven into the gated community the Aftons and the Emilys called home. Row upon row of houses that wanted to be mansions dotted their vision until Mike watched the cop park and pad up to his father’s doorstep with a sigh.
“It should be fine. Dad hates cops.” He muttered, “He hates humans.”
“I’ve noticed that. Hopefully he can use those powers for good instead of evil.” Jeremy frowned, “I’ve been meaning to ask you about that…”
The door had opened. Mike smelled the distant smell of his mother who had opened the door followed by his father and a third man that made both Charlie and Jeremy sit up. The adult creatures stared at their children before William Afton padded across the grass and stuck his hands in his bathrobe pockets. He glared through the windows of the car.
“Out. Now.”
“I’ll unlock the door sir.” The cop had appeared, “Mr. Afton. Burke was it?”
“Detective Burke.” Clay Burke had taken to being a werewolf well, putting on quite a bit of muscle, looking commanding and imposing, “I’m their uncle.”
He pointed a hand at Charlie and Jeremy.
“Sir.” the cop put on a concerned tone, “I should - tell you about what those two boys were doing-”
“I don’t give a damn what they were doing.” He gestured, “Let them out and leave.”
“Sir-”
“You heard your fellow officer.” William Afton’s commanding tone rang down the ladder and Michael felt himself cower, “They are our children to discipline as we see fit.” his eyes glowed faintly in the evening, “And rest assured they will be punished.”
“For what?” Charlie yelped, “Screwing around with a little bit of cement?”
“You three were loitering…”
“Aw c’mon! Uncle Clay-”
William ignored her. Michael stared at his shoes before his father gestured, eyes narrowed into slits, “Officer?”
“Right. Sure okay.” the cop muttered. He pulled Mike and Jeremy out roughly before gently helping Charlie to her feet. He looked at Mike with revulsion, the young vampire meeting his gaze right back. The officer muttered something about “Having a nice night.” before he climbed back into his car and gently pulled away.
“Clay I apologize that our meeting will have to wait until tomorrow.” William focused on his son and Michael cringed, “For Henry’s sake, can you take Charlie and Jeremy home?”
“Of course.”
He reached behind Jeremy who wriggled his wrists, “Fucking cop decided to not unlock our handcuffs-”
Clay snapped them easily, “Take the rest of that off or I’ll call Henry.” He pointed, “Goodnight Will.”
William Afton said nothing. He stared at his son and gestured for him to walk ahead of him, up the elegant curved steps into the pale white house the Aftons had made their castle. Mike focused on his mother’s garden gnomes as he padded into the house. The faint noises of his mother’s television echoed softly. They were drowned out however by the baby’s wailing. Evan was small for his age, but that might have been normal.
“Where’s Lizzie-”
“What difference does that make.” Mike recoiled. His father’s voice was smooth, “Where were you? I asked you to come. I called you on those cellular phones.”
“Cell phones dad.”
“Do not correct me.” the old man growled, “You woke up your brother, you might have woken up your sister if she wasn’t preparing herself to undergo her own changes. You did not respond. I needed you. I had a meeting with investors today and my company, our company, needs your support.”
“I’m sorry-”
“Don’t you “sorry” me-”
“Michael. Will.” His mother had calmed Evan, the child against her shoulder, “Stop. Just. Stop. Mike, you should have called. We were worried…” her hair hung loosely about her face, “That’s all. Worried.”
“There’s no reason to be worried about me. I was in a human section of town sure-”
“With your boyfriend.” she squeezed the baby, “Humans aren’t tolerant at the best of times…”
“If something happened to Jeremy? You’d be all right with that? What kind of mate are you.” His father hissed the words, “Go upstairs and finish your damn homework and then go to bed.”
“You can’t-”
The dim image of his father, covered in blood with fangs bared, danced in front of his mind like a ghost. He nodded at his mother and couldn’t keep the contempt out of his features when he looked at his father. It must have been a surprise to the older vampire who recoiled, then hardened his features into anger at his child’s disobedience.
Padding up the stairs he walked past a door dotted with paper flowers, Liz probably snoring away inside. He shook it off, opening and closing his own door thinking about Jeremy’s fingers in his. Dad was right, that was the worst part. Opening his book bag he pulled out his textbooks. Human homework that would allow him to move in their world, and his own textbook. Werewolves kept the lore, Vampires directed the community and were preparing for the moments when they’d have to reveal themselves and answer questions about their role in human society whatever their view of them. They’d given themselves names and dates and tried to recall their history.
He smiled despite himself. His father had a section of his own.
Willem, also known as William Afton, has been one of the oldest of our community. The businessman’s earliest known record dates back to the middle ages before his final change. Currently a businessman specializing in children’s entertainment, the vampire prides himself on raising his family - demonstrating what principles?
“Family.” Michael muttered, “It all comes down to family with him.” His father was the first vampire with a family so it was understandable but annoying to be put on a pedestal like some sort of protagonist. He filled out the worksheet, wondering just how many of his 10 person class would be impressed and how many would mock him for his father’s business.
He grumbled at that, ignoring sleep creeping at the edge of his vision.
—-------------
“Uncle Clay-”
“Please don’t.” the cop waved a hand, “Your dad’s overseeing Fredbear’s expansion for a reason. It’s what’s paying for our lives.” he pointed, “For his pack. And with the kids disappearing, Hurricane is suddenly a hotspot for activity. We’re funneling our kind…” he two fingers to his temple, “...Humans. People. We’re growing the town. Expanding it.”
Jeremy frowned at him. The cop opened the fridge door and pulled out a beer, “...Nothing. You were out late. What about school? Do you go to Mike’s school?”
“No. We go to human school.” he pressed his lips together as Charlie spoke and Jeremy nodded. This was a good deal. As long as they kept the house clean and organized (which they did) they could live the ideal life. He could work on his projects and she could help or do as she wished. They could party - but when you had unrestricted freedom what was there to do?
“Bed. and I’ll keep this from your father.”
“What were you meeting with Uncle Will about?” charlie would have had her ears perked up if she were a wolf, “Is it about Fredbears?”
“It’s our business.”
Jeremy felt something tickle at his nose, a familiar sour onion smell. Wolves had good noses, not great ones, and the more he spent time as a wolf, as the true self his mother had promised …
He’s lying.
About what was the mystery. Burke pointed up the stairs and he sat, padding to the sofa. Jeremy tried not to watch him as he and Charlie padded up the stairs to their respective rooms.
“You know it’s not your fault right?” Charlie kept her voice to a whisper, knowing Burke would hear, “Him being the way he is? If anything it’s Uncle Will’s fault.” she paused, “...And Mike’s. You’ll be okay. We’re okay and-”
“That’s just it.” he paused, “William Afton was a good guy but ever since my dad…”
“Jeremy.” Charlie crossed the stairs to put a hand on her adoptive brother’s shoulder. Sometimes at night he felt her teeth in his neck, that sudden rush of power and energy. He licked his lips and shook his head, staring at his bare feet, “Uncle Will? Was never a good guy. He’s a vampire. You’re a werewolf. We’re not…good-”
“Do you really believe that?”
She withdrew and Jeremy moved to shake her off and stare at the door. He knew that Mike was good. That he had to make sure that Mike stayed good, that he stayed - not normal but - human? More than human? Better? He believed he could be good. Brushing hair out of his eyes he shucked his shirt, stared blearily at his backpack on his desk chair. He had it good here. He had it fantastic. He had to do the best he could for Mike. The rest…
He shook it off, burying his head in his pillow with a groan. If only he’d just graduate so he could hang out with him without needing to sleep.
He awoke to the sound of someone crying.
The sounds were soft, whimpering sounds that made him stop short. He’d barely gotten an hour’s worth of sleep but the noise made his blood run cold. He padded to the corner of the stairs, willing his heart to keep still and grateful for the monster that spawned his entire line and the tools he’d given his descendants. He crawled his way to the edge of the stairs and peered down.
Burke.
“Uncle” Burke. Burke was crying, pacing back and forth talking on the house phone in the kitchen. He could hear the one sided conversation as clear as day.
“No, I have what you need from him.”
Pause.
“How many do we need to do this? I’m not used to so much damn murder.”
Another pause.
“Both you and he keep saying that.” Jeremy winced as the man’s teeth ground together, “Fine. I’ll grab someone quick then.”
Another pause.
“What’s your motivation-”
A pause.
“You would? You swear you would?”
A pause again.
“All right. When and where can I meet you?”
Burke left in a hurry, tearing a sheet of Charlie’s chicken paper off a pad. He frowned, going down to lock the door and stared at Burke making a run for his vehicle.
—--------------
Early night was filtering into the Afton family living room. Michael relished in the cool moonlight. It took away from the heat of the tiny creature in his arms, wriggling and grasping his tiny pudgy fingers. Evan Afton. Evan Afton smelled alive and it was disturbing because he could smell the tiny creature’s blood and hear his heart pumping. He was still so alive before he changed like the steady slow thud - thud - thud of Elizabeth who was growling, staring at her homework as she rubbed her jaw, “Ow.”
“Ow nothing.” Clara Afton held out her hands, “Isn’t he wonderful Mike?”
Something about Evan filled Mike with hunger. He passed the baby-on-the-verge of toddlerhood to his mother and smiled, “He’s…warm.”
“He’s my little space heater.” She kissed the top of the baby’s head, “He’s getting big so fast!”
“I guess.” he shouldered his bag, “Where’s dad?”
“He had a late night meeting with some men over Afton Robotics.” He hated his proud his mother looked then. His father had founded his company without Uncle Henry, Fazbear and Afton Robotics, two different things. His father had decided that he was going to dominate the market, use his own designs much like his sewn mutant creatures back at the diner, “Then he has a meeting with Cassidy.”
Cassidy made Elizabeth look up, “Cassidy? Daddy’s meeting with Cassidy? He said he was going to finalize my magic classes.” she paused, “My - what did he call it. “Reanimation exercises.”
“Renaming things that we do for the modern era.” Clara shook her head, “Wonders never cease. I think your dad is taking a shine to being a part of our community don’t you think?”
She held Evan against her shoulder as she nodded slowly, “Listen. I didn’t thank you last night for taking a taxi. It - I was reminded about it this morning and I wanted to thank you.” she paused, “I know things are different but it’s like I said, if you decide to feed on somebody who’s been drinking or doing drugs it’s going to get you high.” she pointed a hand, “Don’t do that unless you’re prepared for the consequences.”
“I won’t mama.” he kissed his mother’s cheek, “Short stack you’ll be going to school with me soon.”
“Cool.” she waved a dismissive hand, “See you.”
He sighed. His car was a dark black sedan his father had bought him. His own purple buick was gone. The old man had been getting up earlier and earlier. He ground his back teeth against his jaw and studied one of his fangs in the driver’s side window.
He had to admit he liked them. No, he didn’t have to. He liked them. He loved them. He loved the power they gave him. He looked like a younger fitter version of his father and he had seen everyone watching him go. He studied the dark house beside his car and sighed a little sadly. Soon enough Jeremy’d graduate.
He reflected on how it was wrong for him to expect his werewolf boyfriend to embrace his own nightly lifestyle. It was fine. It would be fine.
His school was a private school attached to a massive park - broad and wide open revealing the dark gray expanse of a rainy sky. He smiled, sticking his hands in his pockets as he slid his way into the parking lot after flashing his ID badge. At the very least the nature of his school appealed to his childlike sense of fun. The students were mostly vampires but he saw a few werewolves keeping company in packs, one halfway transformed into a furred creature the others were chuckling at.
The stranger students were more interesting. He watched a large SUV slide it’s way into a parking space just in time for a huge snake-bodied student to slide their way out and flop onto the concrete with a visible wince. People parted in the student’s wake and he nodded in sympathy. For many people places like the academy, like the park, like the community center served as the only places they could participate in society at all.
“Afton.”
John, Jason, Lamar, and Marla were the vampires who had adopted him. John in particular had taken a liking to him. The broad shouldered brown haired high school student offered him a wink, “Looking sharp today.”
“That a joke at my expense?” John had been turned in his early 20s, the son of a dock worker who had been sold to a vampire mob boss, “How’d you do on your writing assignment?”
“Listen I have quite a bit more experience then you sonny boy.” He waved a hand, looking him up and down, “Nice jacket.”
Nice Jacket.
“Thanks.” if he could still blush he would, “It’s uh - the school’s. So you can get one at any time.”
“Funny.” Marla pointed, “Come on guys. We have to get to math before the mermaids show up.” she tossed her hair, “Those bitches.”
“How do you really feel?” Lamar smirked, “No really. How do you feel?” His parents were like Mike’s - though Lamar was their only son and the only one they’d likely have. Mike was learning his mother and father were…special in ways that he had never appreciated, “Still mad you couldn’t make the swim team?”
“Shut up.”
He followed them inside, shouldering his book bag and trying not to look outside at the well lit basketball court and large grove of trees. The entire place was protected by the man his father had insisted on befriending, Henry Bouchard. City Councilman Henry Bouchard had designs on St. Clare and eventually the governor. Father was determined to get in his manipulation early - and let his family know about it this time at least.
He couldn’t bring himself to care. He thought about Jeremy and wished the blonde haired boy was here to laugh and at least break some of the tension, distracting him from John who flashed him a pearly white smile as wide as the moon.
He breezed through his classes, turning in his homework dutifully because he was quite sure -
Ah.
Lunch was blood packs and meat for the werewolves and other “creatures”. No trappings of humanity here. He didn’t like that, at least he could have tried to dress up his food and drink couldn’t he? Opening his bag he pulled a crazy straw Liz had given him out. The orange and pink twisted thing made him smile as he stuck it in the top of the bag and drank deep.
There. Now he felt different.
“Bold and brave.” Marla pointed, “I like that.”
“One thing I’m gonna miss.” Lamar muttered, “Real food. You know what I like? Pizza. I’m gonna miss pizza. Your dad runs pizza restaurants right Afton?”
“We own Fredbears Family Diner and Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzera…”
“No fucking way.” Marla and the others stared impressed. John’s smile was tender, “Cool. We should all drive down there sometime.”
“Frighten the fucking cows.” Jason finally spoke up. He was another born vampire, the son of an English lord who had apparently “starved” years ago, “That’ll be fun. It’s in Hurricane right? Level with me, is your dad behind the disappearances?”
“What?”
“The kids going missing.” Jason wasn’t drinking straight from the bag, he had cut it open, leaving gore splattered across his front. The other kids recoiled, “What? Fucking what? I mean it. There’s kids gone missing. I kind of assumed your dad was behind it.”
Mike felt his stomach curl. He couldn’t decide if it was interest or shame. Shame came from thinking of what Jeremy would say because Jeremy was still close to a sort of humanity-
(so are you.)
That he would insist that any kid having gone missing was a bad thing. It was, it was supposed to be, but that was how Carlton had happened. Carlton. He’s killed hunters and drunk blood donated but Carlton Burke was his only real murder. Now Clay was a werewolf, part of Henry’s pack and he felt bile rise in his throat. He knew, had he forgiven him? Had he agreed to keep it to himself? Did he owe him anything? He wasn’t human-
(yes you are!)
He tried to draw in a breath, freezing when John’s shoulder brushed against his. He chuckled, proud of how he sounded like his image of his father in his mind, “If he has he hasn’t told me anything. I’ll ask, see if we can …get in on the fun maybe…”
“My man!” Jason slapped him on the shoulder and John’s gaze was positively wicked. He beamed, relishing in his new friends as he winked roguishly at Marla. He had to find a way to introduce them to Jeremy. He just had to.
—------------
“Parents are the bones on which children sharpen their teeth.”
Derek Morgan (Criminal Minds)
—------------
“There was a point, Detective. Where I realized I had to think of children as individual beings and not as property.” William Afton rolled up his sleeves before wrapping an apron around his middle, “And I think a lot of people see that as a problem. It’s not that I know how, I’m not the best parent in any capacity you should know about parenting more than any man.”
The werewolf let out a low whine and the vampire sighed, “Steel yourself, Clay. Steel yourself. I have made a mistake. I am going to rectify it. We are going to break the bounds of human and supernatural understanding.” He shook his head, “But why, you are asking, “why do I care?”
“I will tell you.” he paused, “Evolution. This is why I find those who beat their children so abhorrent. Not simply because of my own history but because it does not fit in with the advancements that society has made. My human brothers and sisters, the ones I was raised with - there were eight of them. Eight. I made nine. They were made to sow the fields and marry. They loved them, my parents, but it was not this coddling sort of love. They weren’t people, they were gifts from-” he shuddered, “God.” he recoiled, “Ugh. The Human’s maker commanded they love their children but I honestly believe that it took that, a divine hand, to get human beings to become a family. This is why I find those who destroy families not just abhorrent but an abomination. Civilization means mankind can take the reins of history and advancement in their hands and not the hands of some all powerful deity. It is…rising out of human dreck and muck. You have time to grow as a species.”
He gestured, “So too must we. Why should we not have a chance to advance as humans do? This means that we must find a way to remove the desire to consume, to change, to …to remove…” He gripped at the table. His arms burned. His arms and legs burned and pulsed for a moment before the werewolf put a hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off, “To remove our impulses. And benefit humanity as well. That’s what this is. I made a mistake Clay. And I will rectify it I swear to you. And by doing this, I shall learn and my own family…I will live to see my own family and not fall.”
Fall. Give in. Lose everything that made him him. A hand curled into a fist. He unclenched it, moving over to the wall and pulling on a worn white labcoat over his dark black suit, purple tie askew, “Did you bring what I asked?”
“All of it.” Burke swallowed, “I’m not sure if this will work, for Carlton…”
“It is worth trying.” William extended a hand and Clay pushed a jar toward him. A thing floated in the goo - formaldehyde , “Preserved?”
“Will there be enough?”
“We’ll do the best with what we can.” William pulled it forward, “My daughter’s books have proven decidedly useful to me. Whatever you need to do to tamp down your senses, I suggest you do so.” He straightened, mentally preparing himself. What had Father Fitzgerald said. damning yourself. No. If he had known, if stupid foolish Henry had told him, if that bastard had done what was right he …he…”
No. He had to be rational, he had to be emotionless. He calmed himself. It was for Michael and Elizabeth and baby Evan. His three born vampire children. If they could bring back human beings, if they could enforce the human soul, then they would be able to transplant their own remnant into a means of living eternally.
The rest…Well. Humans needed heightened predators. This was not being excessive. This was evolution. This was advancement. First his family, then Cassidy and the rest would come and beg him and he would be in his rightful place…
“Will your hands are shaking.”
“I’m fine.”
“Don’t fuck around with my son’s appendix.” Clay Burke looked ready to rip him in half, “That- Carlton was scared of it. Then he wanted to see it. He called it his friend. It - Bets had to fight the hospital for it.” he stared down at the thing in the jar, “You’re sure this will work.”
Work.
“We are at the limits of society and civilization my friend.” he nods, “Your son, will be the first to return to us.”
“Does he have to look like that?” Clay frowned at the metal endoskeleton, “...Does he?”
“I can build a human frame onto this.” William was annoyed, watching the other father gently pet the creature’s head, “It’s simple, and the process can be refined. He will return to life, eternally, as I am, and then the procedure can be refined until technology has progressed enough. Magic and science fused together.”
“Why are you doing this?” Clay frowned, “You’re going to live forever. Your son and daughter and son will be immortal and beautiful forever…”
“Quiet please.” William held up a hand. He snapped on a pair of latex gloves before opening the jar top and mentally recoiling at the scent. He smiled grimly, pulling a massive syringe to inject the organ, shriveled and preserved. His mouth moved, speaking the incarnations over and over again.
I am not a being that prays. But there can be prayers to things that aren’t the false creator that kills and burns and rips and tears and howls. It is not my God, but there are others and I ask those gods, here and now to rise.
He plunged the needle in deeper.
Rise.
“Goddamnit-” he growled, an animal noise filling his chest, “Goddamnit, Goddamnit-”
Thick purple liquid pulled into the syringe. He felt empowered, light twisting and filling the room around him. He felt power course through his veins, swelling within him. He breathed - even if he did not need to -
He smiled. Holding the syringe up to the light he smiled licking his fangs, “And so we have it. Agony. Your boy’s agony.” he gestured, “and now, we reduce it, we give life to death, and we create the illusion of living. He paused, “The remnant.”
Remnant
“What was her name?”
The night of the carnival had been a test, feeding the werewolf’s instincts, training him to kill, “The person who is going to give your son life?”
Silence. He wondered if the detective was cold. People said it was freezing under here, in the lab beneath the building he’d engaged for Afton robotics to produce things for his and Henry’s enterprises. He smiled at the thought of letting the werewolf shiver before he gestured, “...Clay?”
“Susie.” he looked away, “Her name was Susie.”
“Susie is going to help a lot of people Clay.” He was surprised to realize he was sincere, holding the jar of remnant, “...That one day we might be able to not do this.” he swept a hand over the endo, “I know, your sacrifice is hard but-”
“I don’t think you fucking do.”
“Trust me. “ Clay glared, “You really don’t.”
“Michael-”
“If you really did love them you wouldn’t be here. You’d be with them.” the werewolf snapped, “You’d be with Henry, who feels like shit for doing this. You would have - apologized or just - let me claw the fuck out of you rather than just trying to summon the forces of fucking darkness!” he gasped, “Do it. Fucking do it.”
Elizabeth had not animated true life, she had given up a portion of her lifeforce to the chicken and Cassidy had been the one being that was able to help her regain something like it. This, near as he could figure, was the way to truly bring it back. Pain and joy. The two things that made life what it was, made it worth living. He continued to mutter the same incantations, feeling his energy rise as he injected it into susie’s remnant.
It began to glow orange.
He ignored how Clay recoiled at his laugh, holding up the jar and watching it swirl before he gently set it back down, “And now. See this?” He tapped the underside of the Endo’s neck, “The syringe goes in here.” he pulled out a different one, “For the pure elixir. You know, when I was a boy they talked about the elixir of life.” he smiled, “I do believe we’ve found it.”
The endo arched upward with a strangled cry.
The endo twitched and writhed, Clay reaching for him desperately. The thing worked its mouth, jaw and freakish appearance twitching and grinding. He had not wired a voice box into it yet. Watching the thing writhe and twitch, he smiled. When Michael saw this he’d understand. He and Elizabeth would work on him with this.
Then, when the time came…he would undergo the same procedure. They would be safe, he wouldn’t force them to, he would keep them safe, yes, he…
“No!”
William threw himself out of his thoughts in time for Clay to grip the robotic skeleton, “Carl! Carl it’s daddy. Carl please, please. Please Carl. Come back, wiggle your fingers for daddy. Please- please…”
The endo sat back, fingers twitching. Clay clasped his hands over his mouth, watching one of the endos fingers rise up and down.
God.
Good God.
More had to be worked out but he moved to Clay and clapped him on the back with a genuine grin, “You’re okay. And while it will take some adjustment, he’ll be back.”
Clay Burke ignored him, holding his hands and gently smoothing the Endo’s hands.
“He was always getting into things. Playing in the mud, his hands were so rough now, these…these are bones…” he kissed them never the less, “...There has to be more we can do. Maybe find him a body? Possess human flesh?”
“I-”
“There has to be a way goddamnit!”
“...Well.” William Afton scratched his chin, “I like the way you think.” he smile was grim in the dark, “It’s time to go hunting again my brother.” he moved to pat his shoulder, “And we shall see, if we can bring Carlton back - truly back.”
—---
Father was G o N e
He remembered daddy. Daddy was telling him to be brave, that he had to be brave and his stomach was going to stop hurting. He had kissed his head and mommy had sung him a song and he’d fallen asleep. Then when he’d woken up he had F r I En D. His little buddy in a jar. But his stitches hurt so much and he’d gotten so S i CK
He must still feel bad. He moved to rise, he was cold and he wanted his daddy and mommy but he couldn’t move. He couldn’t move even if he remembered his father’s hands on his…
He wanted to cry. He tried to, he tried the hardest he ever had. He twitched, curling over with a loud thud. He should have rolled out of bed, but he didn’t. He was moving so stiffly it didn’t feel real. Come on Carl. Just move. he began to climb to his feet. Was it cold? He was so so cold. Turning, he moved to stretch his legs over the edge of the bed before tumbling to land on the floor in a pile of limbs.
No.
No. No.
There is a moment in every human existence where they become aware of the parameters of their being. Their size (large or small), their strength, their hands, their legs, their feet…
Carl registered he was big. He was bigger than he should be. He was only 10 and he was much taller and heavier than he should be but that wasn’t right was it? Where was mommy? Where was daddy? He tried to climb to his feet again, tried to yell for help. No noise emerged from his mouth.
He hurt.
Everything hurt.
Maybe he’d feel better if he could get something to eat, find a mirror, looking at his hands…he stared down at his fingers and let out a soundless scream. His hands were metal - long metal claws. He blinked, wondering why his tummy didn’t hurt why nothing hurt anymore. He held up his hands, clanking along the floor.
It was a dream. That was it. It was a dream.
He just had to put a …well what always made him feel better? When he was a little boy he wanted to be an actor. His mom had always said he wanted to be in theater. So he’d put on a mask, yeah that would help! He found a box and ripped it off the floor to dig through items in it. The only thing he found was a white and pink fox mask. He slipped it over his face, trying not to shake as he felt the strange features of his face.
There. He straightened up. At least he looked somewhat normal in his dream. He just was…metal and he had a fox mask. Maybe he could find something else. Tromping along he’d find pieces of his costume. A white and pink fox. Maybe daddy would like it this time, he had never liked his jokes and pranks and acting. He’d yell and sometimes he’d -
He’d-
The pink and white fox creature shook all over for a moment before he turned and began to pad out of the room to look for more things to wear.