Archive of Our Own ^beta

"Elizabeth..."

Scrap Baby looked around in confusion at the voice. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened. Every time she'd been patrolling the halls, a whispery voice would call towards her. The name seemed familiar to her, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

Now she was back at the office desk, slumped slightly. In the corner was the black bear animatronic, Lefty, staring at her blankly.

"Elizabeth...."

Inside Baby’s head, a shadowy figure of Elizabeth stabilised. She'd been present since Baby rebuilt herself, but due to the programming, the little girl couldn't take control fully, instead having to look at hideous reflections of herself through her mind. If she wasn’t looking at herself, Elizabeth would be seeing memories of herself, laughing with her brothers or making bracelets of green and pink with Charlie. She looked… alive and… happy. But Baby’s programming would take over again.

"That's not Elizabeth," she thought. "It's my reflection."

Which was silly of course-she lived in Baby.

Now that Baby seemed to be on shutdown, Elizabeth could finally see through her eyes again.

And she was certain that the voice was coming from Lefty. 

The voice was soft, almost bell-like, as if another girl was speaking to her. 

Elizabeth felt her ghostly heart flutter in shock. She knew who the voice belonged to.

"Charlie?" she rasped, wincing at how off-putting she sounded.

There was a flash of white light, and then a spirit materialised in front of her.

A little girl with brown hair in a ponytail, brown eyes, wearing a black and white striped shirt, black jeans, green sneakers and a green bracelet around her wrist. A pair of white wings materialised from her back, and a matching halo hovered over her head. Despite these additions, Elizabeth recognised her.

Charlotte Emily.

Charlie.

Her best friend.

The sister she never had.

Elizabeth would have gone to hug her if she hadn't noticed the sorrowful look on her face.

"Lizzy... have you forgotten me?" Charlie asked softly.

Elizabeth couldn't believe her ears-well, if she had ears. 

"No..." Elizabeth murmured painfully. "How could I?"

"You've forgotten who you are... and so you forgot me... our friendship... everything," Charlie replied sorrowfully. "Look inside yourself, Lizzy. You're more than what you've become. You must take your place and help us free the souls..."

"H-how can I go back?" Elizabeth trembled. "I'm not who I used to be."

She stared at her claw arm shamefully. "I haven't been for a long time."

Then another voice reverberated in her mind.

"Remember who you are."

Michael.

"You are my sister," her brother's voice continued, "and the one who can truly help us. You are not a puppet for Father or a killing machine."

Then Charlie's voice added, "You are my best friend..."

Elizabeth felt overwhelmed. Michael and Charlie's words were getting to her, making her torn between loyalty to her father and her freedom.

"If I am not a machine... who am I?" she sputtered, as she tried to fight back against Baby's programming.

Michael and Charlie simply answered in unison:

"Remember who you are... Elizabeth Afton."

And just like that, both voices and Charlie's spirit were gone.

Albeit scared, the soul knew who she was.

Not Circus Baby.

Not Scraptrap’s puppet.

But Michael’s sister.

Charlie’s best friend.

She was an innocent child.

She was Elizabeth Afton.

And it was time to put things right.