A/N: So a couple of things: This takes place in the future.

Mari has a backstory about how and why she ended up at the pizzeria

SHE IS A SHE, I KNOW, OMG, STRAIGHT COUPLE, OMG.

Please be nice, I love this ship and my writing does this no justice, so I apologize. Please review to let me know what you think of it so far, and tell me what I should work on in the next chapter.

The mechanic had been working for months. Or had it been years? He had long lost count of the days that passed as he worked on the project in front of him, the project that was his very lifeblood, the reason he clung to his shreds of sanity that whispered promises of a normal life. First, however, he must finish this project. First, he must complete the one thing he would need for the rest of his life.

The figure in front of him had a frame of titanium. Lost hours were spent gathering the clumps of the material before melting them down, turning them into the beams that now formed an almost perfectly-replicated skeleton. Wires wrapped around the bones, or merely ran up into the head, or wrapping around the 'ulna' and the 'radius'. The book of the human anatomy sat nearby, resting against other books that all had similar, if not the exact same subject as the book that laid on them.

Purple eyes stared unblinkly at the man, watching his every move, devoid of life. He knew that once they were completed, she would open her eyes for the first time, recognize her father and become the little girl that he and his wife had been planning for months before both her and the baby were snatched from him by the cruel hands of Death.

Circut boards were on a seperate, nearby table, with tools spread in between, careful of the tiny parts that would hold the personality of the future daughter. As of right now, there was only one more to complete before it could be placed inside the skull. He worked on it now, a mask keeping his face safe from the sparks that flew back, threatning to destroy and maim him for creating such an odd and unorganic lifeform in this village that he lived in.

The villagers had been sympathetic when he lost his wife and child. Yet when he became obsessed with creating a daughter to replace the one he lost, they turned their backs on him. They didn't understand. They would never understand that he needed to think she was still alive. She would look like his wife, yet would hold some of his own features.

Some features, however, would be different, not from her nor him. But her own.

He paused in his workings, the sautering iron wavering in the air. He shook his head, finishing the final board. He shut off the iron and carefully set it aside, moving the boards to the finished table, where pieces that were ready to be placed and put a finishing touch on his daughter would rest until needed.

He moved quickly, knowing that he was so close to finishing her. The synthetic skin that he had created stretched over the skeleton and 'muscles'. As he looked upon her, he knew he had done the best he could. She was as realistic as real could be, although he still wished he had not needed to do certain things in order to retain such realistic standards.

With his jaw set, he reminded himself why he had done this in the first place, and continued on. Pieces were put in place, personality was put into her mind. When he had closed her panel in her head, he took the wig that had long, wavy blonde, nearly white, hair, and placed it on the bare skull. Carefully, he sew the wig into place, creating a hairline.

He was careful, and when he stood back, he had to remind himself to breath. She looked like the daughter his wife and him had pictured, with minor adjustments. Tall, lean. A smooth, heart-shaped face with soft curls from her hair framing her face. Long lashes adorned lavender eyes, which sparkled with a hidden life.

Her clothing was unusual, but as it was, the entire situation was unusual. Black dress that went down to her knobby knees, a white apron tied around her waist. Striped sleeves went down to her elbows before being tied with a black ribbon. Knee-high white boots with three black belts ensured she wouldn't hurt her feet.

He nearly wept at the sight. She was complete. She was ready to be turned on and start a life that he knew he must maintain as 'normal', even if she noticed that things were not so.

As he flipped the switch, he smiled, whispering to himself, "You've done well, Martin."

"Marinette!" the teenaged girl jolted upwards, rubbing her eyes. She was still so tired, yet she couldn't place why. "Marinette, wake up! You'll be late for school!"

Looking at the clock, she realized that what her father said was indeed true. She needed to hurry, or else her friend and herself would be late for school. She jumped out of bed, heading to her closet, calling down the stairs to her father.

"I'm up! I'm up!" she threw on whatever she deemed clean, brushing off a stray hair from her shoulder before lacing up her boots, nabbing her pack before she made her way downstairs.

The small kitchen only held a few counters, cupboards, and a small circular table in the corner. Flower designs were painted onto the doors and surfaces of all of them.

"There you are, Marinette. Amy has been waiting for you for fifteen minutes, now!"

Indeed, there was Mari's best friend, Amy. Her pixie cut was always a nice thing to wake up to early in the morning, as it was usually the first thing she saw. Amy was always in Mari's home before she woke up, almost as if she were part of the two-member family that Martin had pulled together.

"I'm sorry, Dad. Sorry, Amy."

Amy snorted, sipping from one of their coffee mugs. "You're not sorry in the slightest."

Mari chuckled. "You may be right about that."

Before her friend could take another sip, Mari nabbed her arm and booked it out of the house, calling to her father that she would be home later. Martin called back that she best be careful, and that dinner was at 6. She and Amy giggled once out of sight from the small house, chatting idly as they followed the worn path that lead to a branch in the path.

To the right would be to school; to the left was an abandoned city, left behind by humans when they fled to space not too long ago.

One look at Amy, and she was already nudging Mari to go left, leaving Mari confused.

"But we must go to school…"

Amy smiled, a finger to her lips as she winked. "Shhh, just this one day, okay?"

Considering that this was Mari's best friend since forever, she decided to trust her. After all, this was the girl who answered all of Mari's questions; who beat up those who treated Mari like shit and told of her secret; that she was an Android.

"So, where should we go first?" Mari smirked at her friend, who only gave her an amused glare.

It wasn't like this was their first time sneaking off to the abandoned city. They've done it numerous times, enough so that they could conjure a mental map of the place. Dangerous? Yes. Did they care? Not in the least.

"I was thinking we should go to the mansion." despite the fact that she said this nonchalantly, Mari was instantly interested.

"Are you sure, Amy? We've already explored there, and there wasn't much to find." she sounded unsure, looking at her smaller friend with hesitation.

It was almost an unspoken rule that they never explore areas they've explored already.

"Are you questioning me, miss Android?" her voice was cold, yet playful.

She made a mocking laugh. "Hah, hah, yeah, you got me, I'm made of metal. It's not at all like the whole village is unaware of this secret double life I lead!"

"I'm serious, Mari. Let's go to the mansion." Her face gave away how serious she was about this, folding her arms and standing in front of her long-time friend.

After one look, she sighed, and her hands tightened on her pack. "Alright, alright. Stop twisting my arm. Let's go."

Amy beamed, dashing off already.

"Amy! Amy, wait up!" she ran after her, groaning in agony.

The door screeched open, releasing a foul odor that assaulted the two girls noses as soon as they stepped in.

"Aug, I forgot how awful it was in here." Mari shook her head, looking around.

A dusty chandelier, a musty carpet that had holes and looked wet. The couch, chairs, tv, and mirrors were covered with white sheets, and cobwebs were abundant in this area. Mari swore she saw a rat skittering past, but opted not to tell of it.

"Agreed." Amy looked around, but not for long. Already, she was taking off up the stairs.

"Hey, where are you going?!" snapped the elder, already hurrying to catch up to her friend. Frankly, she was glad her friend was pushing through.

She simply didn't like the feeling that she was getting by being in this place.

Jogging past rooms and peering into them at random, she finally found her friend in the master bedroom, which reeked of rot.

The bed curtains were torn and full of holes, strands revealing age and decay. The floor easily bent under Mari's weight, almost seeming like it would swallow her hole if not for the roach-infested rug. An old chair was pushed against the wall with a plank put across the two arms, holding candles that laid, unlit.

Dust coated the once-white painted vanity, the mirror completely opaque with dirt and grime. An old hairbrush had bristles missing, and a jewelry box was knocked over, leaving damaged and rotted jewelry that Mari dared not touch.

But what was most strange was that there were candles on every. Surface. Availabe.

These weren't old, melting, or turning black. No, these were new, fresh. Their wicks were still bent from their packaging, which Mari could see had been kicked under the bed.

Slowly, purple eyes met blue ones. Yet one pair held something dangerous in them, something that would make a grown man flinch.

"Amy, what's all this?" she glanced around, trying to joke off the tense and suffocating atmosphere that filled the room in a heartbeat. "Are we going to bake a huge cake?"

"It's not fair."

"P-pardon?"

Amy looked up from the candle she held, looking at Mari. "It's not fair. You get to be made out of metal and wires. Me? I get the short end of the stick. I'm human."

Mari already knew where this was going. They had gone over it over and over, like a school play.

"You know that's not true, Amy."

Amy glared, and Mari shut her mouth, finding herself at a loss for words.

"You get to run faster than me. Jump higher than me. You get to scrape yourself so badly yet get right back up and laugh it off without so much as a drop of blood."

The uneasy feeling returned tenfold, and Mari tried to back away, only to feel that the door she had shut behind herself decided it didn't want to open.

"Y'know, I've been planning this for a really, really long time." Amy approached her, the candle being lit by a match. Where did she get that.

"Planning what, e-exactly…?" She tried to back up some more, finding herself trapped against the door. But she didn't need to worry, as Amy was moving along, lighting candles with the lite one in hand.

"I've been studying demonology. Black magic. I've finally figured out how to switch us, who we are. So that way I don't have to die."

Mari's eyes widened with fear. "You don't have to fear Death-"

"Oh, and here we go again!" she snarled, whirling on Mari. "Little miss perfect doesn't need to worry about Death because Death will never come for her. Face it, Mari. You have something I want. And today, I'll be taking that. Whether you say yes or no. "

She surged forward, grabbing Mari and throwing her further into the room. Now, this close to the ground, Mari could smell something they couldn't before.

The floor wasn't bending with decay, or mold. It was bending because it was soaked in gasoline.

"Amy, you don't have to do this!" she yelled, Amy picking up a different candle, kicking away the first candle.

The look in Amy's eyes is something Mari will never forget.

It was like her humanity was gone, as if she no longer cared about others. All she wanted was something she couldn't have. She was so desperate to try and get what she wanted that she was willing to destroy her one and only friend to get it.

"But darling, I really, really do." she kicked the rug away, revealing a pentagram.

Mari's mind supplied that it was horribly drawn, and it would never work in a demon ritual, even if Amy wanted it to.

Candles made a thunk as they were set down at each point of the pentagram, Amy's smile as cold as every other smile Mari had seen on her for her entire life.

"Amy, this is dangerous! Just forget about this, and let's go home-"

The piercing blue made her want to scream, but Mari's mouth went back to being as if it was sewn shut.

"I have to." she put the final candle down, and seemed to wait.

The air was so tense, Mari was struggling to breath, looking around at all the shadows and patches. Yet, nothing happened. Realizing her plan didn't work, Mari relaxed. That is, until Amy picked up a candle again, holding it sideways.

"Alright then. Time for plan B."

"Plan B?!"

Watching the candle fall was like watching a match falling towards a pile of dry leaves. Only the dry leaves were made of fabric, and the fabric was doused in gasoline.

The moment the candle touched the rug, it went up in flames.

Mari began to panic, reaching for Amy to drag her out. Her flailing hands met nothing, and she saw Amy slowly back away from her as the flames grew. Her smile was still cold, her eyes calculating. When the flames covered their only escape, Amy tackled Mari to the ground, pulling at her hair and trying to get at her eyes.

Mari dodged these attempts, and struggled to get Amy off of her. Despite the fact that she was a robot, she wasn't designed for heavy lifting, and therefore struggled with throwing the blonde off.

By now, black smoke was filling the room, causing Amy to start coughing. Mari took this chance and threw her off, jiggling the doorknob as she attempted to escape.

Amy would only sit in the middle of her poorly-done pentagram, smiling as she watched Mari's futile attempts.

"After this is all over, Mari…" she smiled innocently, her eyes dead. "They'll make your life hell."

The flames licked up Amy's pants, and Mari screamed for help, for Amy to move, anything. She stomped on the flames, but it did nothing, only spurred them onward to snag and destroy the things that could and would burn.

Soon, a wall of fire surrounded Mari and Amy. Amy was clearly fading fast, her eyes falling shut as she coughed harshly. Fire was in her hair and on her clothes, burning her; yet as Mari could only watch in horror, she could hardly care. She smiled one more time before the fire consumed her.

mari yanked on the door again, screaming for help. Tears fell down her soot-smudged cheeks, and she could hear chattering coming from the outside.

"HELP. SOMEBODY, PLEASE, HELP US!" her voice was becoming hoarse, and she turned just in time to see the floor collapse under them.

She fell, fell, fell. And when she finally landed, it was with a loud crack.

Silence. Pure silence. She felt clean. Moving her hand cautiously, she could feel sheets. Was she home? No. She didn't feel the tell-tale lace from her nightgown. Instead, what she wore felt like paper covering her.

Open your eyes.

"Amy?!" Mari bolted upright, her memories flooding her the moment she did. She swore she could hear Amy, though.

Martin sat in the chair beside Mari's hospital bed, looking as if he had just lost his whole world. Looking at Mari, he saw confusion and fear in her eyes.

"Father." She choked back a sob when she saw him. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry… it was an accident-"

The now-old man held up a hand, giving a soft sigh. "Marinette, there is something you must know.

While you were out, the parents of the village held a meeting, of which I was forced to attend. The fire that had broken out.. it killed Amy. And since you were with her, many fingers pointed towards you as committing arson, and murder. "

"M-murder?! But Father, I would never-"

"That is just it, Mari. You and I both know you were doing everything you could to save Amy. Yet the parents now see you as a threat; a danger to their children now that Amy has passed. When the fire had broken out, they found out what you truly were, and they forced my hand.

They gave me a choice. One is that you be dismantled, your parts turned to scrap metal. That I cannot do. The second is that you leave, and find a place elsewhere. Your crimes committed here would stay here, and no one would know of it. However, you cannot leave as a human. You must go as you were made; an animatronic.

It is 2056, love, so I can imagine that there are plenty of places for you to find work.

There was a complication of this, however. We mustn't talk to one another. We must pretend as if we don't exisist." his old eyes were saddened by the truth he was unleashing on her.

"But Father, what about you?" Mari was sobbing freely, looking at her father.

Her father, who couldn't reach the top shelf anymore. Her father, who struggled to get out of bed now. Her father, who had many lines covering his face. Her father, who had a permanent hunch due to his working on many projects. Her father, who was going to give up his world just so she could be safe.

"I will get a nurse." he shushed her. He placed a newspaper in front of her. The headline made it clear where he wanted her to go.

She swallowed harshly. "Are you sure, Father? Can't there be another way?"

He shook his head. She and him stared at one another for a bit before they pulled each other into a tight embrace, as if it would be their last.

In a way, it was.

She hiccuped, and pulled away after a while. She looked at him and nodded.

"Alright, I'll go."

Pizzeria Searches for New Animatronic; Details Inside