Mable: You are not going to believe the week I've had. Long story short: my mother had unexpected surgery yesterday. Thankfully, it went great and she's recovering well, but in a matter of days she went from sore to under the knife. I'm just glad she came out fine. I won't go into details, but there were some nasty worst-case scenarios thrown around, and they were avoided because she had an excellent surgeon. ^-^ Anyway, without further ado, Enjoy!

Almost Feels Like Home

Chapter Thirty-Four

Everything wrong with Baby's life had begun on that terrible day at her pizzeria. It was the furthest back she could remember, possibly because of how life changing it was. It was the day that stole her future, stole her body, and sentenced her to years of punishments at the hands of whomever owned her. All because of the mistake of a little girl with strawberry blond hair. A girl who was specifically told not to approach the clown, especially not alone, and had suffered the ultimate price. A beautiful young girl who had gotten everything she ever wanted had stolen Baby's future.

That was not Baby's fault. Yes, she would acknowledge that what she did was wrong, but she had only did it because of programming. She was doing what she was told to do by her creator. If this one, specific girl wasn't supposed to be touched then she should've been watched, or the programming should've been fixed. Or, simply enough, the girl could've been smarter. Her mistake led to her own downfall; she deserved everything that came after disobeying her father. Yet it was Baby who was yanked from her pizzeria and thrown into a life of servitude and repeated punishment.

But that was long ago. Back when Baby was still beautiful enough to be rented out to the public. Before her attempt at freedom had turned into whatever this was. She had imagined living life as a human, not spending her days hiding in an old warehouse amongst items that nobody wanted. This was where everyone could put her and forget her, but Baby didn't care. Not when past attention- the controlled shocks and the confining limits of her stage- had been so brutal. She would rather be forgotten, though that was only if she was at least able to be beautiful again. She had been so pretty, so shiny once, and she needed that again.

"Baby?"

Fritz had arrived quicker than she expected. It was still early evening and she had called him only some minutes ago, insisting that he hurry to the warehouse, that there was some form of an emergency. It was an emergency really. If she had to look at those old posters or remember those salad days one more time, then she would snap and tear through the warehouse like an untamed bear. The technician stepped into the office and she faced him politely.

"Fritz, you came. Thank you," Baby greeted pleasantly. She had to be pleasant when she was about to ask for so much. "I'm sorry to call you at such short notice…"

"It's no problem. I meant to come by today anyways, but I was looking through blueprints and old Freddy's stuff and got distracted. Sorry about that." He sounded so comfortable. Under normal circumstances, Baby wasn't entirely sure if she would be pleased by this or not, but Fritz was special. Him being comfortable was in her best interest. "So, what's wrong? You look alright, but did something happen?"

"Oh, no. No to both. I look terrible and nothing happened, unless you count that I realized I look terrible. Which I do, Fritz. I look like a monster." Fritz almost looked like he was about to protest, but she interrupted him. "I called you here because I'm ready to be fixed. I don't care about my body as much as my face." She tapped a sharp finger on her cheek. Then she traced it over a patch of unpainted lip. "Charlie agreed and she's willing to assist you in doing so. We can get started as early as tomorrow, if you'd please."

Fritz raised his hands in defense. "Hold on. Just slow down a minute before we start making any plans, okay? This is a little sudden." Surprisingly, Baby went silent in what was almost a display of patience. He tried to think of it rationally as quickly as he could. Honestly, fixing her face wouldn't be that difficult in theory, but there was one big problem. "Baby, I'm more than willing to fix you up, and I'd be happy to have Charlie's help… But we don't exactly have the parts to do that right now."

"I already thought of a solution. My old pizzeria is still abandoned and some of my old body may be there. They always leave things behind. They never care enough to take everything with them," Baby explained matter-of-factly. "It would already be made for me, to fit my wires, so we would have to do little. Maybe Charlie would need to repaint it to look more appealing."

"I can't exactly break into an old pizzeria, Baby," Fritz said incredulously. He tried to not immediately panic at Baby's seeming research of outside places. She must've been on the computer again, just like she did before disappearing to Chica's Party World. "And that's if it's not emptied out, which it probably has been by now. It could've been looted, Fazbear Entertainment could've come looking for anything to sell, and even if we did find something, it would probably need more than a little work-."

"Which is why I arranged with Charlie to assist you. I'm sure together, you two could make me an acceptable face," Baby insisted. Yet she noticed that Fritz looked hesitant. "All you must go is go into my old pizzeria and get my parts."

"Baby, I don't even know if I can do that," Fritz admitted. There was a long period of silence.

"…Oh…" Baby turned away. "…Then maybe I should go get it myself."

"Baby, we talked about this," Fritz forewarned. Immediately, the clown spun around to face him. Her eyes were alit with obvious anger, even when it couldn't show on her face. He nearly shirked back but held his ground, if only because he didn't want her to spot any weakness.

"What did we talk about, Fritz? Me hiding in a warehouse forever? Me staying hideous because everyone's too busy to help me find the parts that were mine before some technician tore me apart and rebuilt me in a body so big and heavy that I could barely move it? Yes, you can run away, celebrate your Christmas, have fun at your home, but as long as I look like this I can't go anywhere."

Baby didn't even have to raise her voice to show the sheer amount of frustration coursing through her. All of it came out in one rushed frenzy, and it still had the same impact as if she had yelled. She was unhappy, she was impatient, and she was willing to break in to a second restaurant just out of the belief that she may fix her face. Now the weight of the situation hit the technician and he knew he had to pacify her. Promising a break in was out of the question and it seemed like she would remain unhappy at the warehouse. Desperation set in and he spoke before he really thought.

"If I… Took you home with me and let you stay with me, would you give me time to find parts without breaking in anywhere or doing anything risky?" Fritz offered. This certainly piqued Baby's interest, if her tilting head was any indication.

"Your home?" she asked in light surprise. "There's room for me?"

"Of course! I have a guest bedroom an a fully furnished basement. We could be on different floors entirely, meaning you would have plenty of room." Which meant that he too would have room. "And if you promised not to sneak out, there's no reason you couldn't have free reign. It's not as spacious as the warehouse, but I have a television, I have a stereo, I have a kitchen- anything you would need."

His comparisons seemed to be going on Ennard more than her, but Baby couldn't say she wasn't tempted. If not for the more humanly feel, then for the fact that she would always be staying within feet of Fritz. They would be living together. As though he was her plaything. Or like they were a couple. The thought of it made her buzz on the inside. "And you wouldn't… Confine me to a room? Or threaten me? Or whatever else Scott uses to tame his pet. I would be treated as a person?"

"Of course! I wouldn't do anything like that! And I'm pretty sure Scott wouldn't do that either, but I don't know what he's into these days. Other than a bundle of wires." Fritz almost seemed amused by the comment. Baby tried to understand why, but the meaning of it went straight over her head. "Would you be willing to do that? It's probably long overdue anyway."

"Yes…" Baby said almost breathily. He almost made it sound like he had been planning on asking her to move in with him. "Yes, I would be happy to go with you."

"Great! Let me just get the van ready and we'll go." There wasn't really anything to do to get the van 'ready', and the excuse was specifically so that he could call Natalie. He could only hope that her reaction wouldn't be as horrified as someone like Mike or Jeremy would have. Especially since he hadn't asked her beforehand when she lived with him. She answered the phone with a delighted chirp and he proceeded to spill out a retelling of the entire event. The frantic explanation ended with, "And I don't know what else to do. I can't trust that she won't go out looking for replacement parts and that… That would be a disaster."

"That's a lot to take in all at once… But, yeah, you have a point," Natalie agreed. She was obviously unsure about this whole thing, but she trusted Fritz's logic. If he said there wasn't another way, then she believed him. "You told her I was going to be here, right?"

"Not yet, but I don't think she'll care. Baby's not looking to pal around with anyone, she just wants to be out of the warehouse," Fritz reassured. "Scott said she just did her own thing when she was staying with him, so I'm guessing she'll just keep to herself. I know she's not going to want me to hover."

"Well, bring her home then...But you owe me, so I'm choosing dinner tonight," Natalie said playfully. The mood seemed to ease convincingly enough. Neither of them could tell that the other was nervous at the prospect of the clown being in their house. No worries were exchanged as they ended the call and went on their ways.

Fritz loaded Baby into the back of the van and drove her to his house. As Natalie's car was in the garage, and he hadn't forewarned her to move it, he would have to move her in past the neighbor, who was mowing the lawn. He climbed into the back of the van and started to unfurl the tarp. "I'm going to wheel you out of the van and into the garage, and then I'll take you into the house from there. I'll just need you to be as still as possible, so I can move you through undetected. Can you do that for me?" Fritz inquired as he held the tarp, ready to toss it over the clown.

"I can. I pretend well," Baby agreed. "Just don't take too long. I don't want anyone to see me."

"I don't plan on it," Fritz agreed as he covered her quickly. She went instantly still as he pulled the material over her and made sure she was fully covered. All his motions seemed so careful and comforting to her. How he guided her down the ramp from the van, how he quietly whispered a warning before tilting her enough to coax her wheels over a small ledge, how his grip tightened just slightly when the neighbor called over- "Hey, Fritz! Bringing your work home again?"- and gave some sort of awkward stumble of a response as he finished moving her inside. All the while she stayed still and took all of it in.

"Alright, safe and sound," Fritz remarked as he pulled the tarp off, having shut the garage door. He had her pointed towards another door inside, right beside a car already located in the garage. "Let's get you inside and settled in, okay?"

In response, Baby silently offered her arm. He must've taken this as uncertainty, as he took it and led her to the door without any questioning. He then opened it and stepped through, waiting to make sure she could make the step inside. She almost felt like royalty being tended to with such care. Almost like she was Fritz's precious cargo, his special princess, now here to share his home.

Then Natalie walked up to them.

Baby's gaze immediately fell on the unknown woman. She was blunt with a direct, "Who are you?" Fritz looked between them and Natalie gave an awkward sort of smile.

"Baby, don't you remember-… Oh, wait, no. No, you two haven't ever met I don't think. That was Ennard disguised as Baby at the pizzeria. Sorry about that, I wasn't even thinking," Fritz explained with an amused chuckle. He was all flustered as he gestured to the human. "Baby, you remember I mentioned Natalie."

"Oh… Yes, I do." Of course she remembered her. Fritz had mentioned Natalie a few times; Baby usually blocked it out. "I expected something else… I didn't expect you to be blonde."

"Well, I like to leave people guessing," Natalie joked lightly. She didn't expect Baby to even appease her with fake amusement and she wasn't disappointed. Fritz noticed the tenseness and started to guide Baby towards the nearby stairs.

"Here, let me show you down into the basement," he offered as he took a few steps down. Baby only followed to the top of the stairs before stopping abruptly. He looked back to her before trying to gently tug her. "I know what you're thinking, and no, it's not like the warehouse. It's really just another floor, except it's below ground," he said with a friendly smile. It was very welcoming, but Baby was literally unmoved.

"And how do you suppose I get down the stairs?" Baby asked. Fritz seemed confused for a moment, then remembered the skates. He glanced down at the skates and steps before looking back to her.

"…Very carefully." Baby made what was almost a scoffing noise at the comment. Fritz continued with the idea. "Here, just turn your foot sideways and lower it onto the first step. Then we'll slowly work you down the stairs." His hand welcomed around her wrist as he coaxed her down. She started to carefully lower her skate, fixating on the warm touch, willing to go along with his rather lackluster plan. Or she was going to, until Fritz spoke past her. "Nat, why don't you take her other arm?"

As soon as Natalie took ahold of her arm, Baby was gripped by pride and snatched it away. She pulled her other arm from Fritz as well, though less abrasively. "I can do it myself. Just move out of my way."

Baby was too stubborn to reconsider what she was about to do. The stairs were of polished wood, they were steep, and it wasn't like she could ride down the edge of the steps like at the mall. That had been an act of sheer luck, and even though she intended to do something similar now there was something in the back of her mind that new it was a bad idea. She still pushed herself forwards and attempted to step down normally.

What followed was the world turning into a blur as Baby proceeded to fall forward down the stairs. She was tripped up immediately and hit the railing of the middle landing hard, her chest hitting the wood and it cracking underneath her weight. She then proceeded to start falling sideways and tried to right herself, only to start falling back down the last four steps and landing against the wall, then falling to the floor. A picture was knocked off the wall, drywall cracked underneath her elbow, and Baby had never felt more ridiculous. She struggled to lift herself against the wall as her skates continued to roll underneath her.

"Are you okay?!" Fritz blurted out in shock as he came around the corner of the stairs. There came the shame and embarrassment, and she tried to shoo him back as he came to her side.

"I'm fine," she dismissed simply.

"Are you sure? That was a rough tumble," Fritz pointed out. There was the slightest tinge of humor in his voice and she turned on him with every intention of snapping. Alas, Fritz beat her to it by taking her clawed arm and trying to help her to her feet. She couldn't get up before Natalie got to see her and Baby spotted her on the stairs. Ashamed and dismissive, Baby looked away quickly.

"I'm fine," Baby insisted again. At least Fritz was attentive. At least now she knew how to get his full attention and concern if she needed to. The clown started into the main sitting room of the basement. "Where do I go?" she asked, feigning an uncertain tone. As expected, it coaxed Fritz back into being a proper host.

"Anywhere you want," Fritz insisted. "Here, I'll show you around."

"I'm going to go pick up dinner! You two take care, and try to avoid any steps," Natalie playfully called down. It was obviously a feeble attempt to sound welcoming and not awkward. Fritz appreciated it, while Baby only appreciated that she was leaving. She listened as the footsteps crossed over her head towards the front door. They were finally alone again.

"So, this is the guest room," Fritz introduced as he walked to one of the doors against the left wall, resting behind the couch. "It's a little short notice so I didn't have any time to really prepare, but it should be enough-."

"Does she have her own room?" Baby asked intrusively. The question almost took the man off guard, but then he remembered that it was Baby, and she had a habit of being blunt. "If she is a guest then shouldn't she have the guest room?" Baby continued to pry.

"Natalie and I share the upstairs bedroom, so this one's all yours. Just make yourself at home, okay?" he insisted with a smile. He thought he knew what was wrong now. It wasn't too hard to notice how Baby was acting around Natalie. "I know it's probably weird staying in a house with someone you've never met. Just trust me, Natalie is really great, and she wants you here just as much as I do. You're our guest, so just give us a chance to prove it. I know this is better for you then being stuck in the warehouse." He beckoned her closer to the room and gestured around inside. "So, the room's yours, and pretty much anything out here in the basement is free for you to use…"

He continued to point to doors and list off amenities that she could use, more than once seemingly forgetting she was an animatronic and treating her like a human. Though Baby had tuned out shortly after she had heard: "You're our guest." The divide was immediate in his words alone. She was the third wheel, the guest, the extra part, and Fritz hadn't brought her to his house but their house. She had known that Fritz talked an awful lot about Natalie and that she stayed with him quite a bit, but didn't know it was to this extent… But perhaps Natalie was the third wheel and they didn't realize it yet. She looked replaceable.

"I guess I'll let you get settled in," Fritz offered, taking Baby's silence as the desire to be left alone. The clown perked instantly and stopped him before he could leave the room, blocking his path with her claw.

"No." Fritz looked to her questioningly and Baby lowered her arm slowly to her side. "…No, don't go yet. Stay with me, please? She won't be home for a while…"

"Really? I… just assumed I was crowding you, but if you can put up with me a little longer then sure," Fritz playfully quipped. He then got an idea. "I know you're probably burned out on old Freddy's stuff, but I do have a couple of boxes leftover that might have some stuff from your old pizzeria if you want to look. I sort of became the dumping ground after everywhere closed." He began to lead her to a small door under the stairs. The space underneath was crammed full of boxes, and he knelt to sort through them. "If I may ask, what was your pizzeria like? You don't have to talk about it if it's a touchy subject."

Maybe it was, but Baby intended to open up to him, retelling him of the glories of the good old days- or what she could remember of them. Beginning at how beautiful she used to be and ending before she came to the little girl who took it away.

"Scott, hey! I thought I saw you trying to sneak inside," a female voice called from the fence before Scott could hurry inside. In his arms was an oversized bag of dry cat food that weighed almost as much as a bag of cement. With it weighing him down, he didn't have any chance of getting inside before being spotted. Alas, it wasn't his neighbor either, but his neighbor's rather curious friend. She looked to be about Scott's age, with shoulder length light-brown hair. He greeted her cordially.

"Oh, uh, hello Dawn. I didn't see you there. I mean, I can't really see anything past this." He shook the bag. "You'd- You'd think I was stocking up for the end of days or something, not bringing home dinner for three cats." She gave a good-natured chortle and he readjusted the bag enough to see past it easier. Though didn't put it down; hopefully she would refrain from a longwinded conversation if he kept looking busy.

"Did you hear about all the break-ins recently? We were just talking about it. There was a break in just a few streets over a few nights ago," Dawn pointed out to Scott's horror. He vaguely saw something on the news about robberies in the area but had hoped it was further than a few roads away. "Scary, isn't it? You might want to consider putting your car in the garage. I wouldn't put it past them to start stealing cars," Dawn remarked in what almost sounded like a playful tone. Playful considering that she was discussing something so unsettling.

"Yeah, that… That actually sounds like a good idea. I might just do that now." Scott set the bag back into the trunk and closed it before starting to open the garage door. "I'll just-…" He abruptly froze when he remembered the hideous effigy of animatronic exteriors. "…On second thought, I'll just take the groceries in first." He closed the garage again, turned to the trunk, and started to take the cat food back out. "I guess I should get this inside. It was nice talking to you." He turned to hurry off towards the door, still lugging the oversized bag.

"Wait, Scott, please," Dawn blurted out. She sounded so desperate that he turned back to her, and that desperation quickly changed to a slightly shyer smile. "How would you like to have dinner sometimes? I'm busy tonight, but I'm free tomorrow if you'd- oh, I don't know- like to go by Lulenta's?"

"Going out? I'm flattered, I-… I just…" It had been the first time that Scott had been asked out by someone in at least a decade. Perhaps longer, as it wasn't like his last relationship involved anything as formal as a night out. There was a part of him that truly wasn't interested in Dawn's advances, but then there was a stronger part that reminded him that he lived alone with his cats, and his clown, and had no prospects of romance outside of that very tiny family. He had to get out more. Besides, it would be strange to say no and then run into her at the next potluck dinner. "Al-Alright, sure! I'll… Pick you up at eight?"

She was positively giddy as she gave him the directions to her house. All the while Scott wasn't entirely sure if he made the right decision or not but had a subtle feeling that he hadn't had a choice either way. She then dismissed herself to the neighbor's house as he started to take the cat food bag inside. As soon as Scott got a few steps inside the door, Ennard popped up and eagerly took the bag from his hand. Scott thanked him, relieved to have the heavy bag out of his grasp.

"No problem!" Ennard chirped as he headed into the kitchen. He easily tore open the bag and began to pour the food not the bowls, ignoring that it wasn't yet feeding time. The cats ignored this too, as they rushed in to begin gobbling from the bowl. "Ha ha! Eat up, ya little beggars!" the clown laughed as he watched them dig in. He continued watching even as he called back into the living room. "I saw ya got blinded sided by that lady again. Such a shame; ya got so close to making it inside." He knelt down to pet over the Maine Coon's back. "What did she want?"

"She was actually, funny enough, but she actually was- after talking about robberies, there's been a break in in the neighborhood- she actually asked me out to dinner," Scott revealed. He coughed awkwardly and turned towards the door. "And we, uh, her and I are going out tomorrow night. I'll go get the rest of the groceries." He skirted out the door so that he wouldn't get asked questions. Or worse, be teased by Ennard. He didn't see the clown straighten abruptly.

Scott came back inside to find Ennard already standing over him at the door. He thought he wanted the groceries- probably the new ice cream he picked up- so he offered the bags.

"You said yes? So, you're really going out with her? Even though, ya know, ya don't have anything in common and you don't even like her?" Ennard asked in total shock. Scott was somewhat surprised by this reaction. "Why would you do that?!"

"Well, yes… She went to the trouble of asking me, so… It would be the right thing to try, since she asked." He offered the bags to the animatronic. "Could you take these?" Ennard, who still looked to be in utter shock, stiffly took the bags. "And, uh, it's not- this doesn't mean we're going steady or that I'm going to bring her by- or, heaven forbid, move her in- but she made the attempt and I should too." He turned to head back outside, taking the other's silence as either growing agitation or amusement. "She won't be coming inside or anything. Let me get the rest of the groceries."

Ennard stiffly carried the bags into the kitchen and set them on the counter. He began to slowly take the things out and put them away, disinterested in them, just dwelling on what Scott had just saw him. The woman and his neighbor had been so persistent, so pushy about Scott needing to be out of the house and out on dates, and yet somehow it worked. Ennard didn't understand how that could be. She was just some woman, it wasn't like she could've left that much of an impression on Scott. Unless he saw something in her that Ennard couldn't through the blinds.

"Hey, Ennard? When you get a moment, could you move the… You know, your body further into the garage?" Scott asked, coming in with the last of the bags and setting them down. "Dawn was saying there were robberies in the area-."

"I'm kinda doing something right now!" Ennard snapped. He regretted it immediately afterwards. Scott seemed only surprised by the outburst, but it still felt like kicking a kitten. The amalgam gave a breathy noise. "No, wait, I can do it." He didn't want the man going to try and do it himself, and he certainly was the type who would rather attempt it than ask again. He brushed past him and stepped into the garage, now leaving Scott as the one standing there staring.

It wasn't hard to realize that something was wrong. Scott followed him and looked into the garage, seeing Ennard already trying to move the body against the back wall. "Ennard?" he timidly called after him. "Ennard, what's wrong? You know I wouldn't bring her inside the house, and I wouldn't tell her about you."

"That's not it," Ennard admitted. He dragged the body back and propped it up against the wall, ignoring any plates that fell off. "I don't trust that woman. She's too needy. Something's gotta be wrong with her."

"…What?" Scott was almost taken aback further. The way the amalgam worded it could be taken the wrong way. As though he was suggesting that anyone who would be interested in Scott had to be damaged in some way. He couldn't have meant that. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean, she just came out of nowhere and all of a sudden she's got her eyes set on you… Almost like she's got her eyes set on something else." Paranoia started to sink in as Ennard started formulating ideas. He then came to the one that seemed most logical and turned abruptly to voice it. "You know what I think? I think she's just trying to get cozy with you so that she can move in and then be in walking distance to the neighbors! Then she wouldn't have to drive over here all the time- she'd just walk next door and be there!"

There was a long moment of silence. One that was abruptly ended by Scott being unable to withhold snickering. Ennard's eye seemed to twitch. "What? Why are you laughing? I'm serious! She's just using you to get your house!"

"Ennard, I think you're watching too many soap operas," Scott pointed out, barely able to keep his voice straight. "If it makes you feel any better, she's probably only asking me to dinner because everyone's been telling her that I don't leave the house and she feels obligated to get me out. She's just trying to be nice." He could tell that the amalgam wasn't convinced by the explanation.

"With how needy she's been about it? They're pretty much here every five minutes! She wants more than just a free dinner!" He turned back to the body and fussily worked on straightening it, trying to make it look more put together. "She's living in a fantasy world if she's thinking she can get the house and you that easily."

"Look who's talking," Scott retorted. There was another long pause.

Then Ennard broke it with a giggle. "Okay, that was a good one!" he admitted with a seemingly carefree laugh. The Phone Guy almost immediately relaxed, thinking that maybe he was getting through to him. Until the amalgam sobered up abruptly. "I still think she wants something. Are you really sure you want to go? You could just go tell her no and then we can have dinner here. Easy as cake! We could even have cake!" The desperation was starting to come through more clearly. It didn't help how tempting the offer was. Scott would've been just fine with staying home like he did every night, but then again, that was what led to everyone thinking he was a hermit.

"Ennard, I know you're trying to help, but I can't… This is what normal people do. They go out and socialize. I… I haven't been on a date in years. Especially not with a-… With a stranger, but Dawn's a nice woman, and I think I could use a night out, so that's my tomorrow," Scott explained awkwardly and rationally. "And it will probably only be an hour and I'll bring you something home… Will you be okay?"

"… Of course! Ha ha, why wouldn't I be? Yeesh, Scott, you don't have that good of an opinion of me if you think I'm gonna lose my mind over you going to dinner with some strange lady!" Ennard laughed off. "As long as she doesn't come inside, I'm fine! Aaaand just as long as you bring me back something good."

Scott was relieved by the tone, but he quickly realized that something didn't seem right. Ignoring the fact that Ennard's change of heart was so sudden, his wires were twitching and twisting in the way they did when he was agitated, not amused. It didn't take him long to figure out that Ennard was putting on a show. Yet if he acknowledged it then he would have to address it, and he already made his mind up. He agreed to dinner, he would go to dinner, and he would be just as friendly and sociable as he used to be before Freddy's became a fixture in his life.

"You know I'd never forget about you, Ennard. And… Thanks," Scott said with a warm smile. If Ennard was willing to put on a pleasant ruse, then he could return the favor. "I'm just going to put away the rest of the groceries and then I'll pull the car in… And then we'll get on tonight's dinner. Cause we still have tonight to worry about." He stepped back inside and Ennard turned back to the husk behind him, calling back towards the door.

"Alright, Scottie! I'm sure you'll figure something out!" Ennard gave a pleasant laugh as he grabbed the husk, and then proceeded to accidently discharge electricity into it. The lifeless plates shuddered, and the tips of his wire fingers strung as he snatched his hands back. Sure, he could disguise his frustration from Scott, but it found other ways to leak out. With an impatient gargle, he grabbed the plates and began to maneuver them roughly into place, uncaring if he damaged them.

After all, it wasn't his body. If it was, maybe he would've been able to do something useful with it.

"Huh, here's a familiar face." Baby was drawn from her staring by Fritz's abrupt comment. He pulled a blueprint out of the stack he was going through. "I totally forgot that I had this… I don't even remember how I got this, but it's you. Look."

He offered her the blueprint and she glanced over it, seeing her old body printed on the slip of paper. Beside it were a list of her functions, though she noticed the absence of her actual use. Nowhere did it mention the programming she had to coordinate the others appropriately, nor the claw that had been in her belly. It all looked so innocent on here, as though she really had just been created to perform. She almost wished that she had.

"You know if you're willing to wait a little longer for me to get the parts together, I might be able to fix your ice cream maker at the same time I work on your exterior," Fritz tempted. It sounded like he was trying to buy himself time, which Baby was about to point out until she remembered how much she wanted and needed the cold, sweet, sugary cream that looked so good and tasted so good-. "I could get you showroom ready all at once. That ice cream maker's what's going to give me the problems though. I can already tell that it's going to be a challenge."

"Not for you. You seem competent," Baby remarked. She dragged her sharp thumb across the paper until it poked through the slightest bit right beside a faint depiction of her own face. Being blueprints it wasn't easy to make out exact details, but even here she saw something that looked better than her own. Perfect faceplates and perfect coloring; just like Charlie, better than Natalie. "But ice cream isn't what they will see when they look at me. I don't need ice cream." She didn't even want to think of ice cream, lest she get stuck in another loop of obsession about the smoothness of cold, sweet ice cream with sprinkles and toppings and-.

Or maybe Fritz wasn't competent if he managed to do this to her programming. For a split second she almost wanted to hate him for it, for his influence over her, but then she looked past the paper at him and couldn't. Fritz was infuriating only briefly, but he was always wonderful. Perhaps he didn't even realize how wonderful he was.

"Why would I need ice cream? If I want something sweet, I always have you," Baby said. Fritz chuckled, taking the comment as a joke and adding his own.

"I'd say on the dairy spectrum, I'd come out with a little more cheese than ice cream," he playfully quipped and looked up to smile at her. That was when he saw how she was staring at him and the mood changed quickly. Baby was not like Marionette or Foxy, who both managed to emote well. Even with her bluntness, her facial expression was always still. Yet there was something unsettling by how she was staring at him, especially since he was crouched down and cornered into the space under the stairs. "Something wrong, Baby?"

"Why would anything be wrong? I'm here with you." Baby's voice was low and heavy as she rolled herself forward towards him. She discarded the blueprint onto a cardboard box and reached towards his face. Fritz was quick and reached up to catch her hand, then played it off like he had mistaken her gesture. This turned out to be a mistake as soon as her claw moved in and pressed to the side of his head. He could feel it lightly opening and closing in a petting motion, with the sharp teeth catching some of his hair. Just having that claw so close to his neck made him even more uncomfortable.

"You've been so good to me, Fritz…" the clown murmured. "…I should be good to you too." Her fingers flexed around his hand as she started to move in closer. She leaned down towards him and coaxed his head to tilt back with her claw. The look on his face was a mix of alarm and fear, but that didn't bother her at all. There was nothing wrong with a little fear. Not when his skin was so soft and tempting. He had to taste as sweet as ice cream, and she leaned in closer.

And only stopped short at the sound of a door closing upstairs. She stayed frozen in place as she heard the footsteps cross overhead, but then continued to lean in.

"Fritz?"

At Natalie's call, Fritz finally got the nerve to plant his free hand on Baby's chest and pushed her back. She wheeled away remarkably easily, and he quickly got to his feet.

"I'm down here!" the technician called back. "Just- Just hanging out with Baby! You need me to help with dinner?" He desperately hoped for a quick way out. His heart was pounding as he looked up towards the roof unable to look at Baby, even when he could feel her claw now brushing his side. With his newfound boldness, he grabbed her wrist to stop her, holding her still.

"Yeah, sure, if you don't mind," Natalie called back down. She was oblivious to everything happening beneath her. "The food's going to get cold pretty quick, so the sooner the better!"

"I'll be right there!" he called back. Fritz then looked back at Baby. He swallowed thickly as he lowered her arms. "So… I should go do that… And you can keep thinking about what you want us to fix when we start fixing your body. You should reconsider the ice cream maker. Maybe the song bank too, we could get you singing again." He was rambling as he squeezed by her and started to head back towards the stairs, watching her roll behind him as she did so.

"You want to hear me sing?" Baby asked as she watched him back up the steps.

"Oh yeah, sure. I think that would be great," Fritz insisted as he cleared his throat at the landing. He pointed a thumb up the stairs, "So, I'm going to go eat. I'll be back later."

"I'll be waiting for you," she answered. He tried not to look too out of sorts as he continued up the stairs. His palms were sweaty, his pulse was pounding, and he was starting to wonder if he had made a terrible mistake.

…No. It was just an innocent crush. Baby was just acting this way because she wasn't used to someone treating her nicely. All he had to do was keep being friendly while not giving her the wrong idea, and not getting stuck alone with her again.

"Hey, that was quick! Usually I have to drag you up here myself," Natalie greeted pleasantly. As she opened a container of take out a spicy, saucy aroma filled the air. If not for what just happened, he would've been looking forward to the meal. His stomach was still twisting. "Something wrong? You look a little weird. Did something happen?" Natalie asked with light concern.

"No! No, no. Just… We were going through some blueprints and my mind got away from me. Flashbacks to Freddy's and stuff, don't worry about it," Fritz dismissed as he got out the plates. He went through the motions stiffly and the act of lying left a bitter taste on his tongue, even when it was for the best.

Because he had a feeling Baby was listening from downstairs.

Mable: Thank you for being so patient! Sorry this chapter was so late and hope the chapter was worth it. I hope you enjoyed!