Lost

•● Chapter 17 ●•

Freddy sat her down and offered some water he collected. Gregory still sat away from her and refused to speak. His disapproval was visible on his face.

"How are you feeling...?"

Vanessa and Freddy spoke quietly while the boy sat away from them with his arms crossed. He refused to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Do you... know anything about my husband...?" Freddy asked. That got Gregory's attention right away.

Vanessa sighed and set the water down. "... I was ordered to take him."

"But we hid the contract! He was free! How could he have found Bonnie again??" Freddy asked in bewilderment.

Vanessa shook her head. "He was never actually free. Never in his life."

"Afton did not just find him by chance. Bonnie's eldest brother had signed a contract with him many years ago... but he did not just sign away himself. He signed away his entire family."

"... Bonnie's second oldest would join the traveling Circus with the mission to find the eldest brother again... William knew he was there and came to persuade them to work for him,"

"He would promise the Circus eternal life if they would serve him and the higher being he served under. And they accepted... but they grew mad under his control... and they would end up taking the lives of two of his children..."

She sighed and kept her gaze on the ground, avoiding eye contact.

"He had the souls of the whole family to begin with... and because of his brother, William had owned Bonnie's soul the second he was born."

Gregory thought for a moment. "Then... what about the contract...?"

"Bonnie was abducted from his home at a young age by pirates. William knew exactly where he was, and he knew Bonnie would be young and vulnerable. He 'saved' Bonnie and manipulated him into staying with him. The contract he forced Bonnie to sign did not actually surrender his soul. It only ensured he would never get to escape William's control, and he would surrender his identity and freedom. And once he was older and more useful, he would become a vessel... as long as he kept the contract, he was bound to the captain... but William already owned his soul from the start."

Freddy remained silent as she explained and kept an unreadable expression.

"After Bonnie escaped, he found and took me. He did not need the contract to find your dad, but he was going to just leave him be. But when he realized Bonnie had grown stronger and more capable since he left... he saw your dad as valuable again."

"Bonnie's contract was seen as illegitimate because he was too young. William was under the rules of his own contact, and he was not allowed to just take Bonnie because of that... your dad had to leave on his own free will. So William threatened the two of you if he did not go."

"... Bonnie reluctantly agreed... but only under the condition that you two would be safe and that William could not harm you. He agreed, and they made a deal. That is why the virus can not touch you two..."

Gregory hummed in thought. That explanation made sense... and it confirmed that Bonnie did not just abandon them.

"So... he's with you and William?? Can we break him out then?!" He asked excitedly. Freddy glanced to her hopefully, but Vanessa solemnly shook her head.

"...I don't think that is possible..."

Vanessa silently relived what happened. It shook her to her core...

Scurvy had completely sucked the life out of his gaze. He was obviously here, yet he looked as though he was in another world.

"F... Fred-dy...? Freddy, I..." He rasped. Vanessa sighed softly.

"He's not here, Bonnie..." she remained patient with him, knowing it was the illness making him delirious.

...

"... don't leave..." He whispered breathlessly.

"I-It's... so cold..." His voice trailed off.

She lifted her other paw and held both of his feverishly hot, shaking palms in her own.

"I won't. I'm right here..." she reassured.

...

"P-please... don't... l-let him hurt them-!" He whimpered. She hushed him again.

"Your family will be safe... I swear to you. Please, rest now..." she begged.

"... T-tell my son I love him!" Bonnie cried. Vanessa nodded and kept holding his paw.

...

After a few more seconds, his shaking stopped, and his grip on her paws loosened.

Bonnie's head fell lifelessly to the side, and he ceased moving entirely.

She moved to close his eyes out of respect, but did a double take at the sight.

His eyes were now an empty, glowing violet.

...

Vanessa kept her gaze on the ground.

"...he caught scurvy from the conditions on the ship..."

She glanced up to look at Gregory.

"... your dad is not coming back..."

The boy stared in horrified shock as he processed what she had told him. All of his work, all of his determination to find his dad... was all for nothing.

His eyes teared up as he took a few steps back.

"N-no..." His voice shook. He could hear Freddy was already losing his composure.  He was bent over where he was sitting with his face buried into his paws. His shoulders shook and he was sucking in rapid breaths.

This couldn't stand. This could not be how it ended. He wiped his eyes and hurried over to Freddy.

"Dad! Come on, we can't give up yet!" He tried reassuring.

"His soul is in a contract... maybe we can bring him back!" He thought out loud.

Vanessa stood up to place a paw on Gregory's shoulder.

"Kid... that's not how it works."

He pulled his shoulder away from her aggressively. "It will!"

He turned back to Freddy and moved his paws from his face.

"Dad, please! We can't give up yet! We have to find him again... we can't leave him behind!"

Freddy tried to no avail to wipe the falling tears from his eyes. Gregory could see the vulnerability in his gaze. He wanted to believe the boy, but he couldn't.

Gregory placed both paws on Freddy's cheeks. "... please." He pleaded one more time.

Freddy sucked in a breath and pulled the boy close for a bone-crushing hug.

He cried into Gregory's shoulder and held him protectively, as if he was afraid the boy would disappear as well.

He finally gathered his voice and forced himself to speak. "...o-okay!"

Vanessa was not as optimistic. She watched with her arms crossed, not having the heart to stop them.