Mable: Here's the new chapter! Enjoy!

Almost Feels Like Home

Chapter Thirty-Three

Foxy woke to the site of Balloon Boy leering at him from the side of the Jeremy's bed. The moment yellow eyes met blue, the small animatronic began to laugh boisterously, like he was proud of how unsettling he was. The pirate groaned and reached back to grab the other pillow to cover his head with and block out the morning. He had two seconds of peace before he felt poking on his back.

"He sleeps a lot, doesn't he?" a small, feminine voice pointed out.

"He's a pirate, maybe he drank a bunch of rum," a second, identical voice remarked.

"He smells like pizza, not rum." There was a small pause before she asked, "What does rum smell like?"

In response, Foxy gave a clumsy wave back with his hook, like he was trying to dismiss the Bidybab twins who now standing behind him. He didn't even get a second of peace before something started crawling underneath the pillow. There appeared Minireena Rose, who proceeded to try and climb onto his muzzle with a giggle. Foxy had finally had enough and sat upwards abruptly in bed, the pillow and Minireena dropping onto his lap.

All of Jeremy's small animatronics were crowded around him. Balloon Boy to his left, the Bidybabs to his right, Lilium and Plushtrap standing at the foot of the bed, Forget-Me-Not climbing on the headboard, and even Daisy sitting where Jeremy's pillow had been before Foxy stole it. The only one wasn't here was Jeremy himself- and Max, but Max didn't exactly move that much.

"Gah!" Foxy made brushing motions towards them. "Alright, alright, I'm up!" This had the desired effect only on Plushtrap and Lilium, as Plushtrap hopped down off the bed, caught Lilium who jumped down, and then they scurried off into the cat condo that Jeremy had sitting in the corner. With how the Minireenas hissed and climbed, it was no wonder that he set up cat toys to appease them, and no surprise that it worked. As for the other mini-matronics, they might have taken a single step away but still crowded around. He didn't trust going back to sleep.

"Can't a fox sleep on his day off?" the pirate muttered as he scooped up Rose in one hand and set her aside. He then shuffled down the bed. "Right, ya lil beggers, ya got yer wish. Captain Foxy's up." The comforter slid off with him, causing the Bidybabs to topple on their backs. "I'd be doin' better with rats chewin' at me ankles," he added in under his breath as he started heading out. Balloon Boy answered with an obnoxious giggle and Daisy followed behind Foxy with little spins and ballerina leaps. Once out in the front room, Foxy could hear what sounded like the shower running and knew it had to be Jeremy.

"Morning, Captain," Max mockingly remarked as he watched Foxy step into the living room. He then added, "…Was two hours ago. Must be fun not having anywhere to go, ha ha ha!" The magician was standing prone beside the television, which strangely wasn't on. Max didn't do much other than absorb himself in television, meaning that it was almost always on and he always had the remote at hand, but now he stood in silence. Almost as though he had been waiting for Foxy. The pirate gave a grumbled response. "Hey, Buddy, could you do something for me? All jokes aside, I need a big favor and I think you're the guy to do it," Max inquired.

This was certainly unexpected. Things between the two of them were always strange, with the magician giving the obvious impression that he thought he was better than the fox. Thus, he never asked for anything, and thus Foxy was confused. He still decided to agree. "Aye, whazddya need?" he asked as he circled the couch. He went to sit when he was stopped.

"No, don't sit down," the magician corrected quickly. Foxy straightened again with a slightly perplexed look. Blue eyes flipped to the phone table nearby. "See the answering machine?" The pirate looked towards it in response. "See that flashing red dot? Someone called while Jerry's been in the shower," Max explained. "Why don't you play the message before he gets out?"

"…Jerry?" At first Foxy thought it was some sort of joke, but then he abruptly sobered. "Wait, did Mari call? Maybe Mike called. One of 'em called." Protective paranoia sunk in and he headed over quickly. He pressed the button to play the message back and listened as the machine rattled out the number, date, and time of the call. He expected a familiar voice, a masculine one, to forewarn him of something terrible happening to his younger brother. Instead, he heard a woman who he didn't recognize.

"Jeremy, it's Cass. Okay, so… I don't appreciate you leaving these long-winded messages on my answering machine. I get important calls during the day and I can't just throw away fifteen minutes of recording time every time you decide to recount the last year of your life. If you wanted to catch up, then we could've. I offered for you to come down for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, and you said no. Try to see it from my perspective; I try reaching out and you're just not reliable. Maybe if you need someone to just listen for a while you should consider seeking someone professional, since I know you're probably "stressed out" again. Still love you though. Bye."

The message ended abruptly and left the animatronics in silence once more. Foxy wasn't sure how to even react at first. A strange woman who Jeremy had never mentioned had just left a lengthy, passive-aggressive message to which Foxy had no context for. Thankfully, Max decided to fill in the blanks.

"That's Cass. She's the sweetheart of the family, Jerry's sister," Max chimed in. Suddenly it made much more sense. Just as suddenly Foxy began to feel a growing irritation. Siblings were naturally a touchy subject but paired with the wording he couldn't help but feel growing frustration. He might've not been awake long, but he remembered nearly every bullet point from the lengthy message. "Hey Gabe…" Max looked up slowly and quietly asked, "Why don't you do me a big favor and call her back?"

Foxy didn't even care about the repercussions as he snatched up the phone and stabbed at the redial button with his hook. The phone rang only a few times, during which he knew he could hang up and still didn't. Then the voice, her voice, came onto the line. "Hello, Jeremy?" she asked. Now she sounded as neutral as could be. Foxy could only imagine it being faked as he adjusted his character.

"Yes, hello. This is Cass, right?" Gabriel asked. He sounded just like any human stranger.

"Uh, Cassandra, yes." She sounded understandably confused. "Who is this?"

"This is Gabe. I'm a friend of Jeremy's," he introduced brusquely. "I was visiting, and I just happened to get your message while Jeremy was in the shower, and I was hoping that maybe we could talk."

"Sure, I have a few minutes. Did Jeremy get my message?" Cassandra asked. She still sounded largely confused but didn't seem to expect a confrontation. Perfect.

"Not yet. I thought maybe we could talk first." Gabriel held but, inwardly reminding himself to stay restrained. "I really do appreciate that you could take time away from your busy schedule to call Jeremy long enough to remind him that calling him is taking away from your schedule, but I'm a little concerned he might take some of your message the wrong way. I know if my sister suggested that I got therapy for talking too much I'd be just a little hurt." No, he wouldn't. He would've been downright offended, but Jeremy wasn't the type to get offended. "I thought maybe I could convince you to call him back and leave a nicer message."

"…Excuse me?" There came the edge of offense. "You want me to call Jeremy back and leave a nicer message? I'm sorry- Gabe? You're mistaken. I didn't mean anything like that. I was just telling Jeremy about how hurt I was that he rejected our invitation to come visit for his job. I'm glad he has a job, but it always seems like something's more important family." She gave a forced sort of chuckle. "Blood is thicker, but not as thick as money I guess!"

"That's a good point. It would've been an even better point if it hadn't followed your reminder that your schedule is more important than talking to him. Eh, pot and kettle, what's the difference?" Gabriel sounded as casual as could be as his hook tapped irritatedly on the phone table. "It's one thing when you're an employee, but when you're an owner of a business you have to be around a bit more."

"An owner?" She might've snickered or scoffed, but he also could've imagined it. "Okay, maybe I was too harsh. I know how sensitive Jeremy can be over the tiniest things. Whatever, that's fine. Just tell him I didn't mean to come off like anything other than concerned. We do worry about Jeremy." He must've been imagining it, but he swore he was hearing condescending comment after comment. As though he was talking to some foul cross between Baby and Dad.

"You certainly act like you're reliable, but I seem to recall him inviting his whole family to the Halloween Party we threw and nobody came because… Oh, wait. They never said why they weren't coming, because they never called," Gabriel said with his irritation beginning to show. "So, there he was, waiting hours for someone to show up and nobody did. Though I guess Jeremy's the unreliable one, not being able to come when you call."

Cassandra seemed taken aback by the other's continued lashing. Now she began to defend herself more firmly, unwilling to cave even for a second. "Okay, Gabe, listen. I don't understand why you're being so hostile or what Jeremy told you-."

"Jeremy didn't have to tell me anything. I could see for myself how upset he got that night, but it's nothing compared to how upset he's going to be when he hears that message you left," Gabriel spat. "If you don't want to talk to your brother, then fine, but you're not going to make it Jeremy's fault. And you're not going to imply that Jeremy's the one with a problem when he's running a business, he's got a life outside of his family, and you're acting like a catty, bitter princess."

There were a few seconds where Cassandra sputtered. Gabriel almost felt victorious, but it wasn't enough to pacify the frustration that was causing him to twitch and grit his teeth. Especially once she managed to speak again.

"Am I actually talking to an adult right now?" Cassandra snapped in disbelief and offense. "I don't know who you think you are, but this is between me and my brother. Between family. You don't know anything about what's going on, so just stay out of it and don't call me thinking that you know everything."

"Oh yeah? Well, guess what, Sis?" Gabe snapped, boiling over. "Last night wasn't the first night I slept in your brother's bed!"

With that, Gabriel slammed the phone down on the receiver. It took him about two or three seconds to realize that might've been a terrible mistake. Not that he regretted it, what with the nerve of the woman on the line. He turned to look at Max only to find the magician looking at something behind him. At that moment Foxy suddenly realized that he could no longer hear the shower. He slowly turned to look towards the bathroom door.

There stood Jeremy, mouth agape, eyes wide, and hair still damp. He had to have heard Foxy and knew what he had done.

"Jer- You- Lad!" Foxy choked out, quickly returning to character. "Ya- Ya snuck up on me! I thought you were still in the shower! Blimey, Lad, ya really should get a- err-somethin'…" He trailed off and stared back. Jeremy still looked just as shocked and finally the fox caved and decided to look at the floor in guilt.

"Foxy…" Jeremy quietly began. "…That was my sister, wasn't it?" Foxy neither looked up nor answered him. "You just… Told off my sister, didn't you?" Whatever emotions he was feeling weren't obvious, other than complete shock.

If it couldn't get any worse, Max suddenly decided to look directly at Jeremy and announce, "Your sister is a catty, bitter princess. Ha ha ha!" Foxy decided that this defense was bad enough to start groveling.

"Ugh, Lad, I'm sorry! I don't know what happened. The whole point was to call her 'bout this message she left, an' the next thing I know I lose my head." He reached up with his hand to rub his uncovered eye. "Just lost me temper an' said a lotta stupid things."

"No, you didn't," Max interrupted. Foxy had half a mind to correct him and remind that he wasn't helping, but Max continued before he could. "This isn't the first time she's left messages like this, Gabe," Max tattled as he looked back to the fox. "Ha ha ha, and you should hear what she says when he does answer the phone." Foxy stared at the shorter animatronic for a few moments before looking to Jeremy in questioning.

"…Tell me he's exaggeratin', Jer'my," the captain requested with his voice solemn. He was still ready to swallow his pride and plead with the man, hoping that he hadn't sabotaged everything in one phone call, but he wasn't about to let this go. Jeremy looked almost as embarrassed as he did every time the pizzeria's commercial came on. Foxy had his answer. "…I see."

"No, Foxy, just… She doesn't mean it." Jeremy gave a weary sigh as she laid over the back of the couch. He covered his face in that same embarrassment. "She… just echoes what everyone else in the family says. She's not the only one in the family who thinks I'm a criminal and a deadbeat, and that I'm throwing my life away at a pizzeria just to spite them. That's just what they think of me and I- I could never say anything to them. Not when I've done so much stupid stuff…" He exhaled through his nose. "I'm should be mad because and now my whole family's going to find out about this and blame me."

Foxy hadn't thought of this. His ears started to fold back. This was already so much worse than if Jeremy had exploded in anger. "Lad…"

"… But I… I'm not. I'm not mad. I can't even pretend to be mad, even if it's a total betrayal of blood." Jeremy straightened and uncovered his face. Through his glasses, Foxy saw something unexpected in Jeremy's eyes. It almost looked like admiration, as unbelievable as it was. "Because that's the first time anyone ever defended me." He got a strained smile of mixed emotions. "Nobody has ever stood up for me, or even just said I wasn't a mess! Ever! You're the only one!"

The reaction was surprising, but also telling. Jeremy wasn't angry or offended only because the entire family had targeted him. That should've relieved Foxy but instead it only made him more concerned.

"Lad, she ain't-… Jeremy, I hope ya don't actually think anything she says is true. Or anything yer family says," Foxy tried to convince. "Yer the most reliable person I know. Ya've always been there, even when its causes ya trouble. Even when it means workin' on Christmas or comin' home to fussy dolls every late night. Ya deserve better than that." He circled around the couch to get to him so he could take him by the shoulders. "They're wrong."

"No, I know that. After years of a bunch of people convincing you that everything you do is a mistake, you sort of just… Stop hearing it? Or you hear it, but you're just numb to it." Jeremy didn't want Foxy to pity him. He gave his captain a lopsided smile and patted his hand. "But I did sort of leave myself open to this. Cass called a couple of weeks ago to invite me to Christmas and I turned her down… And then I felt bad about it and left a really long message of me babbling."

"That ain't no excuse fer them ta treat ya like this. Ya deserve better than that," the pirate boldly asserted.

"I do have better than that," the human answered. "I…I have you." He slowly, almost shyly moved in to press a kiss to the side of his muzzle. Foxy gave a low rumble and held him close, nuzzling into his soft, blond hair. He was right; any family issues aside, he had him.

"Apparently in your bed too. Ha ha ha!"

Unfortunately, he had Max too.

It was such a relief to not have to worry about pain from any movement. Marionette had thought about it vaguely in the past, but it wasn't until after dealing with such a debilitating injury that he knew how fortunate he was. Currently he was laying on the couch, wrapped in a blanket, and petting Moppet who was curled up beside him. It was all so comforting and soothing; a sharp contrast to the nightmarish game that Mike was currently playing as he sat at the end of the couch. As afternoon was starting to fade and evening crept closer the phone started to ring.

"That's probably Charlie. I'll get it," Mike offered and paused the game. He then headed into the kitchen to answer the phone. "Hello, hello?"

"Hey, it's me." As expected, it was Charlie. What wasn't expected was the amount of static clouding her voice. "I've finished up here. Would you mind picking me up?"

"No problem… Hold on a second." It couldn't be the warehouse phone causing the interference as this was the same thing that happened when he had called Glenn. It was then that he noticed the only change from earlier, which would be that the pantry door was open. He couldn't recall if it was open during the call with Glenn, but he shut the basement door and pantry to check. Almost immediately, the phone became clearer. "I think something in the basement is causing the static on the phone," Mike called in to Marionette.

This piqued the Puppet's interest. Now that he thought about it, there was running equipment in the basement that they hadn't ever found the reason for. He started to sit upright when he was struck by a light tightness in his chest. For a moment the panic almost returned, but then he realized it was not his music box but the seam of tread down his chest. He traced a finger down the stitched and realized quickly that the tugging was because the fabric had sealed underneath.

"-And he's chiming again, so it sounds like everything's back on track and he should be fine here while I come get you," he could hear Mike explaining over the phone. "So, yeah. Sorry you got to miss out on watching me pretend I knew what I was doing and somehow managing to do it." He worded it so dismissively and yet sounded so proud; it was unbelievably endearing. "I'll be there in about five minutes. You just sit tight and watch your six." Mike ended the call soon afterwards. "I'm going to get Charlie."

"Before you go, can you hand me the scissors?" Marionette asked. Mike was slightly unsure why but did as he asked and stuck around to watch. Once he saw the Puppet slide upwards and lower the scissor to the incision he knew what was coming and knelt down to watch. He wasn't sure if it was out of curiousness or cautiousness, but he couldn't look away as the stitches were carefully snipped. Dark fingers then gently slipped out the stitches one by one. Any small holes left behind were sure to seal on their own, just as the slice had and just as the past cracks on his face had.

"I know what you're thinking…" Marionette with a playful smile. "How does he keep such a trim figure with an entire music box inside?" He chimed in amusement, with it sounding better than it had in days. Perhaps even before the injury.

"Yeah, sure. My exact thoughts," Mike quipped with light sarcasm. He reached forward to run his thumb over where the stitches had been. He could vaguely still feel raised fabric and wondered if it would stay that way, like an invisible scar. "It's amazing how you do that. How you can just close yourself up when everyone else is so busted up." The striped one knew that 'everyone else' meant the other animatronics, and he wasn't entirely wrong. The only other animatronic he knew of who was capable of self-repair had been Golden Freddy, but he had never been full invested in self-repair.

"It doesn't make you feel strange that you saw my endoskeleton, does it?" Marionette asked coyly. He caught Mike's hand and traced his fingers over the back of it. "It doesn't make you feel like I'm any more animatronic than I was before? It's easy to see me as human with my metal covered."

"Nah, nothing like that. If anything, it just made me appreciate how long you can bear singing in front of an audience." It would take something more than just a little metal to reconsider Marionette's humanity. Especially when Mike was fond of his more animatronic parts. Piecing him back together had just allowed him to see the intricate system from the inside. These intricate pieces kept his music playing, his strings tightly wound, and the Puppet in complete balance. Every comb, every cog, was vitally important, but then it was something supernatural that pulled it all back together.

"Mike, you're staring," Marionette playfully pointed out.

"I guess I am." He didn't stop himself though. A few quiet moments passed.

Then the security guard abruptly leaned in and pressed his lips to the porcelain ones. Marionette wasn't even surprised by the suddenness and instead pulled him closer, encircling his free arm around him. Moppet was spooked by the sudden movement and left, but neither noticed. The Puppet was too busy trying to pull the human onto the couch with him. Mike could already feel the strings wrapping around him and ensuring that he stayed close. He wasn't sure what it was that triggered this; maybe it was what they had went through, the stress and relief, the feeling of being able to work of someone so extraordinary.

"Mike…" Marionette finally drew away. Mike took the opportunity to press slow kisses against the stripes of his mask. He could feel the animatronic tremble underneath him and was only persuaded on. "Mike," Marionette started to interrupt again. His arms wrapped around his human's neck as a hand slid through his dark hair, both holding him close and trying to reign in control of them both. "Mike, what about Charlie?"

"We've got five minutes," Mike smoothly defended. Marionette was prepared to remind him that he wasn't adding in the driving, but his judgement was clouded by the attention being lavished on him. "I think that's plenty of time to make up for lost time, don't you?" his human coaxed. The Puppet caved with a small, playful smile, and a nod. His voice was swallowed by warbling once again and Mike claimed his lips once more. He lost himself in the feel of fabric and the sensation of the gentle ringing under his fingertips.

Five minutes would never feel like enough.

In the warehouse's office, Charlie set the phone back on the receiver and looked to the now fixed Bonnie doll. Or fixed enough; there was too much to fix everything, but some of it was back in working condition. She had mended a couple of patches too and hoped it would give the plush a longer time without tears. Baby had been there the whole time but had seemed quiet and distracted. Even now she seemed to be staring off into space.

"Mike's going to be here soon to pick me up, so I'm going to go stand by the door. You can come with me if you want," Charlie offered as she put the tools away and closed the toolbox. "I think I'll take your advice and not try picking this up," she playfully remarked. Then she picked up the plush in question, careful to make sure not to active the voice recording. "Come on, Bonnie. It's time to get you home." She turned to the office door to leave.

Baby pushed off from the desk and blocked her way.

It was so sudden that Charlie was taken aback. Baby had just seemed so out of it that the sudden motion was unexpected. She expected an explanation, but instead the clown was just staring at her, so she was forced to ask. "Is something wrong?"

"I was just thinking about how beautiful you are." The look of complete confoundment was only a fraction of the confusion that Charlie was feeling at the sudden compliment. As though Baby had just lost her mind- or perhaps wanted something, which was more likely. "You're very fortunate. I don't think you realize that," Baby continued on. "You went from a human in a complete body to a puppet with all your parts and paint. You're whole. You could enter a pizzeria and people would believe you were supposed to be there."

"I… Thank you?" Charlie half said and half asked in confusion. "Is this about-?"

"I used to have a better body, but it too was flawed. It was too large, heavy, hard to move and control. Isn't it funny? In this body I can move, I am more free, but the price was any beauty I once had…" She traced her fingers over her cheek. "My face is fractured beyond repair. I look like I am scrap. I am not Circus Baby any longer, any circus would throw me away." Baby raised her eyes to Charlie once more and they seemed to transfix on her mask. "It almost isn't fair. You had two complete bodies and mine was always flawed. What I wouldn't give… To look like you."

Suddenly Charlie felt very uncomfortable. Maybe it was how Baby leered at her, like she was a cupcake being gazed at by a hungry child. Or like she was an animatronic that Baby was eager to feast on parts from.

"I think you're being a little too critical of your looks, but you know I would do what I could to help you, Baby," Charlie said to diffuse the situation. "I would fix you myself if I could."

"Of course you would. I knew you would say that. You're always so helpful…" Baby's voice lowered considerably. "I wonder… How much would you be willing to give?" She rolled slightly closer to the Security Puppet, who slightly leaned back away in response, growing more uneasy. "It is clear to me now. I need you."

"You need me for what…?" Charlie quietly asked. She glanced down at Baby's clamping claw and twisting wires as the clown finally stated exactly what she wanted.

"I want you to fix me."

It was not what Charlie was anticipating at all. Not with the threatening buildup and the oddly foreboding way Baby led into it. "What?"

"Fritz is a wonderful technician, but he is all function and no form. He cares about everything working on the inside… But when you're what we are, the outside could get you scrapped just as quickly. You must know that. That's why you fixed the outside of the doll along with the inside; you know the importance of appearance," Baby explained in more detail. "I want a beautiful face."

"Oh! I thought- I guess that doesn't matter really." The Security Puppet caught herself before she could say what she had really thought was happening. This didn't mean that she wasn't still a little surprised. Compared to the plush toy underneath her hands, Baby was a whole different vessel, and the thought of working on her was a much larger undertaking. "I don't know what amount of schooling you think I have, but I'm not exactly qualified to be working on anything bigger than, well, Plush Bonnie here."

"I know that. I'm not that ignorant," Baby said with brief exasperation. "You would be working alongside Fritz, but I saw what you did with that doll. You're already better than the lazy workers down in that cold building, and they were expected to tend to multiple animatronics." The bitter memories brought forth frustration, but she forced compositor. "Wouldn't you feel privileged to work on a living animatronic? One whose parts all work without programming?"

"Of course I would, and I appreciate you asking me but I really thing you should consider how dangerous this would be." She picked up the plush toy for example. "I worked on Bonnie because I know it's not alive and it can't feel pain. If something breaks in this then nothing happens… Well, no. Mari might get upset, but no lasting consequences. I could break something in you that Fritz might not be able to fix."

"You would be working on my face, my already broken face. How could you break me any worse?" Baby asked simply, almost patronizingly.

"Well, I assume you'd want your eyes and mouth to work," Charlie pointed out matter-of-factly.

"If it means having a pretty face, I could care less." As exaggerated as it sounded, Baby's tone made her sound completely serious. Perhaps she wasn't even imagining the true consequences in her desperation. "I'm tired of those old posters mocking me and reminding me what I've become. I don't want to stay like this any longer." Baby's hand traced over the broken plates. "I want the face of a doll."

Charlie was at a loss for words. It was clear that this was bothering Baby and that she wouldn't let it drop. Not to mention that she was correct on numerous accounts. While she didn't think that appearances were that important under normal circumstances, Baby was limited because of how she looked. She couldn't be seen by the general public when she looked so broken or people would ask questions, would get scared, and with Baby's unpredictability this could lead to worse results. Fixing her would at least give her more possibilities. Maybe it would even change her outlook and behavior.

"Well… Alright, maybe," the Security Puppet agreed. She was still the slightest bit weary of the ideas. "But only if Fritz agrees to it. I'm not sure how he's going to find the parts you'll need."

"Don't think about that. I can handle that on my own. We have more important things to discuss and we're running out of time to do so." The clown turned to the desk and grabbed a flimsy sticky pad in her hand. "Here, take this," she instructed as she shoved it into the puppet's hands. She then thrust a pen after it. "And write down every detail for my perfect face." Charlie got a slight amused smile and sat down at the desk again. "I don't mind the shape if the plates are fixed, but I need better paint. Something bright. No purple."

It was almost ten minutes later when the sound of the warehouse doors opening alerted the two animatronics to Mike's arrival. The security guard looked slightly out of sorts with disheveled clothes and tussled hair, and it seemed most likely that he had somehow lost track of time and rushed over. Charlie was willing to let him off the hook.

"That was a rather long five minutes." Though Baby was not. She had followed the Security Puppet out to the door, turning her attention on her instead of the human. "Remember what we talked about. I'll call you once Fritz agrees." After receiving a nod of understanding, she turned and disappeared back into the office, leaving them alone.

"What was that about?" Mike asked in slight confusion. He then noticed that she had something hidden under her jacket and raised a brow in suspicion. "Do I want to know?"

"The short answer: this is her list of demands," she answered, showing him the list. "The long answer I'll explain in the car." Which she did. Once in the car, Charlie retold the entire tale, even down to her original suspicions. "I honestly thought from how she was talking that she was planning on pulling my face off and wearing it as a mask."

"Considering her and Ennard's history, I wouldn't be too surprised either," Mike added in.

"Do you think I should do it?" Charlie hesitantly asked as she looked to him. "It's one thing reading books, but to actually start moving and adjusting Baby's vital parts. I can't believe she trusts me with this."

"At least Fritz will be there and it's not like you have no idea what you're doing. You were studying robotics," Mike pointed out in her defense. "Either way, when it comes down to it it's your choice. Don't let Baby bully you into giving her a facelift. It's not like it's a life or death situation." Ironic considering what he had done earlier.

"You're right about that…" Charlie fell silent as she thought about what exactly this would entail. She was capable of fixing faceplates, especially when she had pieced the plush together so easily. Her hands worked just as well now as they had as a human. "Maybe I can do it. I already know what she wants, so if Fritz is willing to do it then I should be able to do it. What other chance am I going to get on to work on a real animatronic?"

"…Considering that Mari's still recovering, I'm not going to push my luck by answering that question."

The conversation came to a close as they arrived at their street and soon after pulled into the driveway. As before, Charlie was escorted beside carefully to avoid the prying eyes of the neighbors. Once inside, Mike checked on Marionette and found him still on the couch, propped up on a pillow, and currently playing the game without him.

"I leave for five minutes and you hijack the game," Mike tsked as he dropped onto the couch beside him. "At least tell me we're out of the hallways."

"We are and we just thought what I think was a boss. It was very disturbing and I may be scarred for life," Marionette pointed out nonchalantly.

"How are you feeling? You sound a lot better," the Security Puppet asked. She wanted to make sure he was well before she presented him with the surprise she was currently holding behind the couch.

"I feel much better too! It's funny, I thought the injury was sudden, but now with this new part in I'm starting to think this was building for a while. I just didn't see the signs until they were too big to ignore." He then handed over the controller to Mike and turned to face Charlie completely. He had a wider smile than usual and seemed more perked than ever. "How was your time with Baby? I'm hoping she wasn't much of a handful."

"She wasn't. We were talking about her getting fixed up, but that can wait until later. I've got something I want to show you." She pushed past any anticipation and came around the side of the couch, revealing the doll in her hands. He immediately looked to it in surprise. It was already easy to see the differences with the patches alone, but the dolls neck also looked more upright and the arms seemed less loose, meaning the inside was also fixed. "I know I didn't really have a chance to give you a Christmas gift… So, I took the liberty of fixing up this Bonnie doll you had in your box. He was built just like mine, so it wasn't too difficult."

"He looks wonderful!" Marionette exclaimed in delight as he carefully took the doll. He felt over the right arm, which felt much tighter. "His joints were so loose before, and you even fixed his ears!"

"I just had to set some things back into place. Now I can't get the waving mechanism to work fully, but if you press the top button on his back…" She reached down and tapped the button. In response, the Bonnie doll began to open and close its mouth a few times. Marionette gave a chirp of equal surprise and delight. "And the button underneath that should make him talk, but I'm not sure how good the recording quality will be. I didn't want to test it out around Baby."

"Probably a good idea. You don't know what's going to suddenly set her off," Mike agreed. He looked over at the plush toy that the Puppet was still fawning over and gave a light cringe as he watched it open and close its mouth. "Big mistake, Charlie. You've given the Fingertrap the ability to bite again." When she looked confused, he added with a smirk, "And yes, he calls that thing Fingertrap."

"Unless you intend to jam your finger into his mouth, I think you should be safe," Marionette quipped playfully with a glance out of the corner of his eye. He then looked back up to Charlie. "Thank you, Charlie! He's better than he's ever been!"

"It's not that big of a-." Her dismissal was cut off by Marionette reaching one arm up for her, coaxing her into a one-armed embrace. He was just as warm as he ever was, and she couldn't hold back a delighted jingle. "You're welcome, Mari. I'm glad you're fixed."

Marionette had progressively become a big part of her life, both from the obvious reasons and through how supportive he had been. She had genuinely been worried about him when back before her change, and even when she first changed, he had been a complete stranger. Now he almost felt like family. He was like the brother she never had. Or the brother she could've had. The brother she wanted to have…

"Before I forget!" Charlie drew back quickly. "I did notice some differences between him and Theodore when I was working and I think they might be different models. I thought maybe for fun we could compare them and maybe date them. We might be able to figure out which one came first." Marionette agreed with the idea. "Let me just go get him. I'll be right back, wait here."

She headed towards the hall and the Puppet fell into silence once again, looking at the doll in his grasp. Slowly he turned it around and looked at the buttons on the back. Specifically, the middle button that Charlie had said controlled the voice.

"What's the chance that the recording still works after all these years?" Marionette asked behind him. "Or worse, what's the chances that if I press this button, I'll hear my father's voice?"

"Pretty high, to be honest," Mike admitted. "It probably says something along the lines of: Fazbear Entertainment is not liable for any injury caused by Finger-Biter Bonnie."

"And sadly enough, I would've expected something like that from my father," the Puppet lightly joked. There was a forced, awkward sort of chuckle; the typical discomfort that came with talking about William Afton as his father instead of as the Purple Man. "Though it could've been nicer depending on whose it was. I don't remember how I got this, so it could've been Elizabeth's or Foxy's. Maybe even Michael's since it looks so old. That would be ironic in hindsight."

Now he was at a crossroads. If he waited too long, then Charlie would be back and he wasn't sure if he wanted to subject her to his father's voice. Something somewhere could click in her memory and his heritage would come forth. On the other hand, he could try it now, but that would mean having to deal with the aftereffects. He hadn't heard his father's voice in so long and he wasn't sure what sort of reaction he would have. Especially if William had somehow replaced the recording with an updated 'Fredrick' one. In a moment of boldness, Marionette decided to take the plunge and pressed the button.

"Happy Birthday, my sweet angel!"

All at once, Marionette dropped the doll and threw himself backwards. Mike was blindsided by the Puppet running right into him and fumbled with the controller before dropping it. He then looked to Marionette in questioning as the striped one stayed frozen in place and stared at the now silent doll. It took the security guard a moment before his mind caught up with the voice that came out of the doll. Now that he was no longer distracted, he realized what it was that he heard. The recorded voice was from Marionette's mother. Mike could vaguely recognize it from the tape of her that the Puppet kept in the house. Marionette hadn't been prepared to hear it come out of the doll.

"Are you okay?" Mike asked. He put his hand on the animatronic's shoulder and watched as he started to slowly straighten again. Instead of answering, a striped arm reached out and carefully took the doll again before pressing the button a second time. Just as before, there came the loving voice of a happy, healthy mother. The doll was definitely not meant for him originally, but it still sounded as though it spoke directly to him.

"Happy Birthday, my sweet angel!"

"I can't believe that it still works after all these years. Even Scott's tapes had more static than this," Mike said in disbelief. He was well-aware that Marionette didn't have much from his mother and knew the value of even the smallest thing, let alone a voice recording. He got a small smile and squeezed Marionette's shoulder reassuringly. "Either Charlie is way better at fixing things than I gave her credit for or she got incredibly lucky. How often do you get a tape of her voice?"

That thought lingered in the Puppet's mind as he stared down at the doll silently. He heard movement in the hall as Charlie returned from her bedroom with her doll but remained transfixed. The Security Puppet took one look at the scene and noticed something was off. "Is… Something wrong?" she finally asked.

"It's not like that," Mike assured. He glanced at the Puppet beside him before continuing to explain. "There's a recording of Mari's mother in the doll."

Charlie knew absolutely nothing about Marionette's mother. That mixed with her lack of a presence in the house said more than words ever could. "Oh…" She was just about to apologize when Marionette sat the doll aside and rushed towards her. In an instant, he had pulled her into a tight embrace, catching her fully by surprise. She almost lost her balance from it but didn't think it was possible to fall with how securely she was held. "Mari?"

"Thank you." Marionette's voice was faint, a mere wavering of its earlier self, but still full of joy.

There was no running away from it this time. She had to feel the familiar, familial warmth, and as she hugged him back it was as though hugging her twin once again. As though Marionette was becoming her brother.

…And she loved it.

Mable: I'm very excited about the arc beginning in the next chapter. I've been waiting a long time for this. Though not nearly as long as Baby has, if you get my drift.… Though, just remember to be careful what you wish for… Anyway, I hope you enjoyed!