Mable: Hey! Here we are with the new chapter! But first, I got a question from Thx asking about Scott's age. Scott is in his mid-thirties currently, making him older than most of the others.
Also, there's a new poll. Nothing cryptic or anything, just a little fun thing. Anyway, Enjoy!

Almost Feels Like Home

Chapter Fifty-One

He wasn't sure if it was nighttime or if the grass was always this dark. All he did know was that he had to be at a park by how tall the grass was. Mike wasn't sure how he had gotten out there either. Something in the back of his mind concocted a story that he had lost his car and couldn't find the way back to it. While he wasn't sure if that was true, he was sure that he had to get back out of wherever he was and home again. Right outside his reach he was surrounded by dozens of trees that blocked out what little, dull light there was. Even when he walked towards them, they were always distant.

He was fumbling through the grass when he realized that someone might've stolen his car. He couldn't afford buying a new car right now and it wasn't like the cops would find it for him.

It was then that he noticed a clearing and stepped through into an open and more brightly lit area. Ahead he could see the shape of a pond or small lake with the light reflecting off it, like there was sun without sun. He started to close in and as he did the color of the pond started to become more apparent. Instead of clear, green, or blue, the water was a strange red hue. Probably caused by the rock composition underneath it, he assumed. That wasn't too outlandish in south Utah. He stepped up to the edge of the lake looked down into the water. He couldn't see the bottom of it.

It was then that Mike heard a strange noise and looked over to see a figure sitting at the edge of the lake. The nose had been him casting out a fishing line into the depths, and he then readjusted the fishing rod in his hand before settling into a comfortable position. It just looked like a typical fisherman in shape, if not just larger, but his clothes were also red. He was the same red as the lake without any other tones or colors to contrast. Just looking at him made Mike feel a little uncomfortable, but he needed to find his car, and this was the only person out here.

"Hello?" Mike called over before walking towards him. "Sorry to interrupt your… Fishing, but somebody stole my car and ditched me in the woods." The man let out a low hum to show that he was listening. He didn't look over at him though. "I can't even figure out where the highway is so I can't bum a lift out of here either. Do you have a cell phone I could borrow or car that you could give me a lift in?... Or could you just tell me where I am?" The man didn't respond and instead started to slowly reel in his line. Mike was beginning to grow a little impatient. "…Something?"

It was then that the man finally turned to acknowledge him. All at once he turned his head towards Mike and revealed a grotesque face. Sharp teeth were pulled into a tight grin, large eyes were like empty sockets, giving him the illusion of a suit more than a person, and everything looked both so clear and so fuzzy at the same time. Mike's heartrate shot up as the world fell into silence. Not a word, not a sound, and the seconds ticked on as the man- the creature- stared at him. And then-.

"Mike?"

Mike woke abruptly to a gentle voice rousing him and he opened his eyes to see Marionette smiling down at him. Instantly he started to ease up, realizing that the encounter with the red man had just been a bizarre dream.

"Good morning, Love. Sorry to wake you, but it's time to get up," Marionette soothingly coaxed. His smile only seemed to widen in delight. "Today's the big day!"

"Hey. Morning," Mike answered with a brief stretch. He then reached up to caress the Puppet's porcelain cheek and listened to the delighted warble in return. "Did I sleep through the alarm?"

"I thought maybe it would be less jarring if I woke you myself. You were sleeping so soundly," he trilled and leaned down to kiss his forehead affectionately. But it was true; the man had come back from the caving adventure more exhausted than either of them had anticipated and had needed as much rest as he could get. He almost felt badly though, since Mike had been muttering in his sleep before he woke him, as though dreaming. "I might be able to give you a couple more minutes."

"Nah, I'm good. Better just get up and get it over with." Mike slowly dragged himself upright. He hesitated to get his bearings as his companion affectionately fixed and fussed with his dark hair until it was slightly more tamed. He then chimed in amusement and the man couldn't help but smile at the Puppet's bubbling excitement. Even if he was preparing for a long, grueling day of work, the animatronic's delight was worth it. He was just so happy to be going back to the pizzeria.

Even though he wouldn't admit it, Mike was too.

Charlie seemed much more nervous than both Mike and Marionette. Before they even left the house, she seemed to be acting anxious, tapping a pen on the dining room table and constantly shifting and readjusting her legs. Conversation had to be almost dragged out of her, then sputtered out whenever she would fall back into her thoughts. Yet she didn't back down from the plan and showed no hesitation when they prepared to leave the house. It was commendable considering that they all knew how busy the pizzeria was going to be.

Foxy was handling it as well as expected. They arrived at the pizzeria to find him pacing in front of the stage like either an expectant father or a caged animal. Either might've sufficed considering the circumstances. He snapped his head upright and looked over to the newcomers abruptly.

"'Bout time!" the pirate barked as he looked them over. "Where you been, Lad? We open any minute now!" Mike checked his watch to make sure, but 'any minute' seemed to actually be fifteen minutes. "This ain't no time to be draggin' anchor!"

"But there is enough time to walk back and forth in the same spot?" Marionette teased back. He chimed at the fox's expense and rested a hand on Charlie's back to guide her towards her box. "Don't worry, Captain. I have a slight suspicion that we might get into places in time."

"Ya say that now, but Tabby only just started preheating, the Minireenas be all over the place, an' me stepladder is gone."

"Check the men's bathroom," Mike chimed in. Foxy proceeded to send him a biting glare and an almost canine-like growl. The human stared back flatly. "That wasn't a joke, Foxy. Jeremy was going to replace a bulb in there this morning."

"I did!" Jeremy called out as he climbed out from under a table. He had Daisy scooped around the middle. Or he assumed it was Daisy from the bright yellow skirt made of puffy taffeta that he had put her in. "I'll go get it right now."

Foxy started over, "I'll get it meself." He was stopped by Jeremy boldly stepping in front of him, hand on his chest, stopping him flat.

"Nope. Not chasing anymore animatronics. You stay by the stage and I'll get it. Let me just drop off Daisy," Jeremy instructed, taking a surprising amount of charge. Foxy seemed surprised by it and stayed stopped short. He turned his head slowly around to watch as the man headed to the small dolls' stage and put her down. He then attentively helped fix her skirt.

"Ya know, Lad, I could go do it. I ain't that prissy," Foxy said with almost a pout on his tone.

"It's nothing about priss, Foxy. I know you'll find more things to fix and the kids are going to be really confused if I have to tell them you're in the bathroom," Jeremy pointed out with a smile. The smile then fell as he gave a slight shiver. "….And there comes that mental picture of kids asking me how Captain Foxy uses the bathroom."

"He doesn't. Captain Foxy runs off determination an' treasure. He don't need no restrooms fer that!" Foxy dismissed quickly. He then noticed a smirk on Mike's face and pointed. "I see that look! Whatever yer thinkin', ye better not say it!"

"Nothing, Captain. Nothing at all," Mike waved off. "Trust me, I know you haven't stepped anywhere near a bathtub in at least ten years." He could see Foxy give a seething twitch and knew it was completely worth it.

Beside the front door, Charlie willingly climbed into the box. It had been cleaned since Baby emptied the trash out of it and there wasn't even a trace of stickiness left. She propped her notebook inside the box and started to slide off her jacket and pendant, almost feeling bare without them, and put them in the corner carefully.

"Okay…" She relaxed herself, straightened up and laid her hands on the edge of the box, and gave an assured nod. "I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"Just remember that if you're ever too overwhelmed that you can just close the box and rest. You're under no obligation to force yourself to perform," Marionette reassured her. He could already feel his strings tighten anxiously, like a parent watching their child step out on stage in a school play. "I will be moving between the Prize Corner and my stage frequently, so if you need me just signal me. Like perhaps a specific ring, or a hand wave… Or just throw something at me. I should notice that," he said with a chime.

"I'll try to aim for the chest," Charlie joked back. She then sent an uneasy glance towards the front door. "And what should I do if any programming appears?"

"If you do notice anything then it should pass, but if it doesn't then that's what the box is for." He patted the edge of the box reassuringly. "You'll be fine! Worst case scenario, you become fixated on counting tickets and start re-counting the same ones until the kids get antsy and just start grabbing whatever prizes they can. At least, that was my first few days. If this doesn't work then you don't have to come back, I promise." Marionette looked back towards the ship wheel shaped clock hanging on the wall. "I should get to my stage. I'll be back with Chrissy once she comes in."

"If she comes in today," the Security Puppet pointed out.

"When she comes in today," Marionette insisted as he headed on his way. He was certain of it, even if it meant Chrissy was going to be maneuvering herself around a crowd. He only hoped that he spotted her early enough to see her reaction to the changes of the pizzeria. He was already nearly trembling in delight and excitement as he tethered himself to the cross on his stage and waited. He watched as Foxy got on his stage as well, waving to him, and then watched the workers as they hurried to get everything in order.

"I'm opening us up!" Mike called back in a warning to the others as he headed to the front door. He unlocked the door, drew up the curtains, and then they were open. He didn't see anyone waiting outside and passively wondered if they had overestimated the crowd coming in for the grand reopening. Not that he expected people to be waiting this early in the day, but he still started to imagine a heathy but realistic crowd. Mike was sure of it.

Mike was wrong.

By the afternoon, the pizzeria was packed. Even with the expansion it didn't exactly felt like there was more room because of the crowd, but at least there were more distractions to keep the children busy. Foxy was on his stage singing every sea shanty he knew and children ate it up, with some ignoring the arcade and trinkets to sit on the barrel shaped stools around the stage and listen to him perform. Marionette was getting a similar reaction, but more of the children watching him were waiting for their turns on the arcade machines and games.

The only small issue that started to crop up was that they were slightly understaffed. Jeremy was pretty much stuck beside the Minireenas' stage still, watching them and keeping a careful eye on any kids that climbed on the rockets. This left Fritz, Natalie, and Mike with the grunt work of taking orders in to the kitchen. It wasn't difficult work, but none of them were very familiar with waiting tables. More than once the security guard- who only stood out as one because of the patch on his arm- waited on a table that someone else had already done. Some of the time the customers would tell him.

In his free moments, Mike would sneak glimpses of Marionette on his stage. While he did come down to tend to the Prize Corner occasionally- Natalie manned it in the meantime- he returned to the stage just as frequently. He would sing and chime, twisting and spinning gracefully on his strings, and made the perfect spectacle of himself. It was almost unbelievable that he was supposed to be on a box and not on a stage with how comfortable he seemed. He just looked so enthralled by it, and Mike couldn't deny the slight quickening in his heartrate.

But he had to keep himself busy or the work would start to build up. Mike took his eyes off the puppet as he approached one of the tables where two mothers sat chatting. One was holding a menu, so it seemed like it was worth pressing her about ordering something. He butted himself in as soon as the women paused to look towards the arcade.

"Welcome to Foxy's Pirate Cove," Mike said. He didn't even attempt to do the fake pirate accent that Jeremy insisted on. "Can I get you two ladies anything?"

The women with the menu, who looked like the typical mom type, was the one who answered. "Yes. Can I get a medium iced tea and two slices of pizza; one classic and one… dumpster fire?"

"…What?" At first Mike thought it was an extremely out of place joke, but the woman looked surprisingly straight faced. "Dumpster fire?" She saw his confusion and held out the menu before pointing at one of the options. There it was listed under the specialty pizzas: The Dumpster Fire. "Huh. Apparently, we do have that… I'll be right back." He didn't wait to see if the other wanted to order, but she didn't stop him, so he just assumed she didn't want anything. Which was fine by him, because he needed to get to the kitchen as fast as he could.

"So, I need a regular iced tea, a slice of classic, and a slice of "Dumpster Fire". Which is strange, because the only dumpster fire I remember was me in my teens, and I burned myself out," Mike remarked as he watched Tabby finishing up a different order. "What even is a Dumpster Fire?"

"It's a jalapeno and canned tuna pizza with a half a bottle of hot sauce dumped on it," Tabby answered matter-of-factly as she finished plating the meal and looked over. She noticed the unconvinced look she was being sent. "Hey, I didn't name it. Captain "Backseat Driver" Foxy was the one who said it sounded like a dumpster fire. The name just stuck," Tabby said in her defense. She hesitated. "…Or maybe I thought of the name first and then made the pizza. Here, if you're leaving then take this with you. It goes to table three- the one across from the crane."

"The Dumpster Fire. Christ," Mike muttered under his breath in amusement. He took two plates and bumped open the door with his elbow. Which promptly bumped a child standing on the other side. "Sorry!" he called out as he hurried out. "Sorry, Kid. Didn't even see you- Oh, hey!"

He recognized the small girl with the blond curls immediately. It was none other than Chrissy, who must've followed him to the door without him noticing. She smiled at him and gave an almost nervous, "Hi Mike!"

"Hey, what are you doing over here? I thought you'd be over by the stage with Mari by now," Mike pointed out. She shuffled her feet a little bit and looked over into the arcade.

"I'm just… I'm going to wait until he's not super busy," Chrissy answered. She still sent a longing look over towards where the Puppet was performing. It was obvious that she was just uneasy because of how many children crowded the arcade. Elsewise she would've been playing a game and waiting for her turn with Marionette. From that look he knew she wouldn't go over there alone. Technically, he was getting paid to make children happy, so stepping in was part of the job.

"Wait right here. I'm going to go drop this off and then I'll take you to Mari," Mike offered. Chrissy didn't even pretend to consider it or look like declining, she just perked immediately. He handed out the order and returned to her, then laid a hand on her back and led her through the arcade. He could see why she was so hesitant with how rowdy the children were and was half surprised he didn't trample one of the little ones.

Marionette spotted Mike and Chrissy walking over as soon as they stepped into the arcade. With a delighted chime, he closed his curtains and quickly moved his strings from the cross to the track, then came out and down from his stage. A few of the onlooking children seemed a little confused at the abrupt change but not enough to question it. He approached the two, greeted with a chime, and took Chrissy's hand to lead her back to the Prize Corner. A few others followed to exchange their tickets- one child even being so bold as to grab the Puppet's other hand, rousing more amused chiming from the Puppet.

Once at the Prize Corner, the Puppet returned to his box long enough to tend to the children. Chrissy took this time to marvel at the prizes, having only now noticed the giant plushes hanging from the roof- "Oh my gosh, it's so big! That's got to cost a million tickets!" It sounded like she was prepared to take the challenge. She continued scouring the prizes, making a mental list of what she would need, until the Prize Corner was cleared and Marionette left his box one more.

"I have someone I want you to meet," he coaxed warmly as he took her hand. She seemed slightly confused but went along with it.

"Okay!" Chrissy chirped as she was led out. "Is it another ballerina?"

"No, she's a puppet like I am," Marionette explained. He smiled down to her. "She's a little shy but she would love to meet you."

That was a good way to describe the Security Puppet's feelings. Up until now, Charlie had been waiting for the perfect time to come out of her box, but that time had never come. As soon as children started pouring in, strange things began to happen. She found herself transfixing on the front door and when children got near it, even if to leave with their parents or go to the gumball machines, literal alarm bells would go off low in her chest. She had managed to suppress them well enough, but her urge to perform was suffocated by these bizarre ticks.

Then there was Marionette approaching her box with a familiar little girl. Charlie peeked out, saw them coming, and decided it was time to come out. She didn't pop out like Baby would've insisted and instead rose slowly to not startle the girl. This seemed like the best choice, if the way Chrissy squeezed Marionette's hand tighter and almost fell behind him was any indication. The new puppet made sure to smile at her.

"Chrissy, this is Lottie," Marionette greeted. They already discussed beforehand that she didn't want the girl to know who she really was. She didn't want her to know what happened to her since she doubted the girl was told she passed. Thus, here she was going along with Fritz's nickname again. What she didn't expect was the Puppet's follow-up. "She's my sister."

The Security Puppet hadn't anticipated that and still went with it. She gave a ringing of greeting and offered her hand down to the girl. A little more confident, and being nudged by Marionette, Chrissy stepped forward and took her hand.

"Hi, Lottie," she greeted with a small shake. A small smile started to spread on her face and she looked up at Marionette. "I didn't know you had a sister, or that there were girl puppets too!"

"Yes to both! This is Lottie's first time at a pizzeria. She came in to help today since we have all this room now," he explained to her. Though he then started to fall silent as he noticed a couple of children heading into the prize corner. Natalie was in there, but he felt the need to be there as well. He lowered his voice and looked down to the girl. "Chrissy, I need to go into the Prize Corner for a few minutes, but when I'm done, I have a new game to show you that I think you'll really love!"

"Okay! That's good because I'm going to need a lot of tickets." He affectionately ruffled her hair and started to head towards the Prize Corner. She didn't follow him though and instead looked back up to Charlie. She was still a little meek but less so now that they were fully introduced. "It must be really fun being Mari's sister. You must play games all the time, and you get to live here!" Charlie rung in amusement. Not at the innocence at the comment, but from how ironically close it was to life with Marionette. "Can you sing and talk too?" Chrissy asked curiously. The Security Puppet nodded in agreement.

She doubted that the girl would recognize her voice if she didn't speak directly to her. She could take the plunge and sing- she wanted to perform more than anything right now, trembling with eagerness- but it almost felt out of place. Then again, Baby went through the trouble of writing the song and coercing her into a weekend of constant practice. It had to be worth something. Thus, before Chrissy could request it, Charlie began to jingle a soft tune. She slowly worked herself into it and then plunged straight in.

"Cut me the biggest slice. Of a sugary slice of life.~" Charlie began carefully and slowed raised her voice to a proper volume. Chrissy's expression was adorable. Her mouth almost dropped open, as though she didn't expect the Security Puppet to sing to her. "Scoop me out strawberry ice cream. Double the sweetness, serve it up twice!~"

Baby hadn't directed her on how to move while in the box singing, so she kept it basic. A small wave of the hands in line with the tune. "Dress it in vanilla, pour on the chocolate too,~" she continued. "Fill it with every bit of your sweetness.~" It was right at that moment when Marionette popped up in the doorway again. She could see him out of the edge of her vision but continued watching Chrissy. "Cause the sweetest thing I have is you!~"

This especially helped once she noticed that a few more children were listening in. Two kids came from the rocket area, one coming out of the Prize Corner, a few others from the tables; a little audience that she hadn't anticipated. It sent tingles up her spine as she sung into the bridge of the song. "It's just not enough. Give me that sugar rush. No, you can't have too much!~"

"A scoop and a slice, and a slice and a scoop. Life's much sweeter when it's spent with you,~" Charlie sung, jingling louder in growing delight. "Ice cream and icing and whipped cream too. Life's just sweeter with you.~"

Marionette was positively beaming as he watched the performance. She just looked so happy and carefree, and she was. Whether it be the little endorphins rushing through her body or the thrill that came from being out in front of everyone. Then there was the girl standing in front of her, who she had saved, who had been worth saving. She was worth it. This was worth it.

After that point, the day took a turn for the better. When she was singing her ticks weren't as prevalent, and she would only dip back into her box long enough to figure out another song to sing. Even though this was her main one, the one Baby made for her, she had plenty of backups that she fell on eagerly. Chrissy stayed for a while listening and clapping politely, but eventually left for the arcade again once the Puppet returned to his stage. More than likely to collect the tickets she wanted.

But that didn't mean Charlie was alone. Mike passed by to check on her almost as frequently as he checked on Marionette. Jeremy passed by once to check the Minireenas- giving her a double thumbs up after the first song. She took it as encouragement and then watched as he struggled to control the Minireenas, who had started to become fussy. The one wearing blue had even tore off its little tutu and was slinging it around like a flag. Natalie peeked out of the Prize Corner once and quietly asked if everything was okay. She didn't know if she meant with the Minireenas or herself, but she answered positively.

Somewhere along the line Charlie realized that she wanted to keep doing this. Maybe she could be the performing animatronic that she had been afraid of becoming. Even behind the persona of "Lottie" it had felt surprisingly freeing to be out in the world again. Lottie was a comfortable mask, a stage name, excusable and acceptable. In the end, she felt more like 'Charlie' than she had in so long, and she was ready to embrace it.

And then he walked in.

It was already late afternoon- early evening when he came into the pizzeria. Charlie was back in her box, now genuinely needing time to rest, but still peeked out whenever anyone came near the door. It was an instant reflex that she was becoming used to and unbothered by. Until she saw him step into the pizzeria and found her strings pulled again by the familiar young man.

It was John, alone, with no rhyme or reason being there except that he just was. She peeked out at him in utter shock and watched as he walked into the pizzeria and looked around. Eventually he sat down at a table to watch Foxy's current performance. She could catch a somewhat somber smile on his face as he tapped his fingers on the table and listened to the music. She couldn't help but just stare in a mix of confusion and mortification. It just didn't make any sense why he would come here. It had been months since the incident, the case had been closed, the memorials all finished and done with, and his concern with this place should've been over with.

Maybe he still thought about her. She knew that she thought about them. Not that there was much to be done about it.

Mike came over to him briefly and spoke with him, but she couldn't hear what they were talking about except that it seemed civil. At one point he looked towards her box and she proceeded by dropping down. As though he would somehow be able to see through the thin crack of the box. Now she was alone with her thoughts.

"I can't believe he would show up here. What is he even looking for? He was never interested in Freddy's… It can't be me. I'm long gone, he must've moved on…" Charlie rubbed at her arm slowly. "…Or maybe he didn't?"

She wasn't sure how long she sat there considering it, but eventually she heard someone passing and peeked out to see him leaving the pizzeria again. He had only stayed for a single show and she hadn't even considered coming of the box. She wondered what he would think of her new body.

The Security Puppet was taken off guard by a tapping on the lid of the box. "Hey, you okay in there?" Mike asked. She immediately straightened herself, recovered her compositor, and pushed up the lid a small bit.

"I'm fine. I was just resting for a minute…" Charlie reassured. She considered asking about John but decided that this wasn't the time or place. Plus, she didn't really like the concern on Mike's face. Not in contrast to everyone's good mood earlier. "Really! I'll be out in just a second," she persisted with a smile. "I'm ready to sing again."

"Alright, just don't push yourself too hard. Foxy's almost fell off the stage twice already, so you're going to need to be prepared for a rehash of our last birthday bash," he said with light playfulness. He let the issue drop. "But you're safe to come out whenever, and I'll be around the front hoping that we get to close up early." He gave a tired sigh and headed into the Prize Corner where Marionette currently was. She watched him leave before dropping her head.

"Okay…" So she was feeling a little rough. She could handle that, and she knew exactly what she could do to make it better. "It's showtime." Then raised herself out of the box again.

She forgot John as soon as that thrill of performing returned. For the rest of the time until closing, she tried even harder, singing some of her songs over and trying to engage with the children. Chrissy's father came to pick her up, the children started to leave, and Charlie watched them leave with that same insistent interest on the door. The front door was eventually locked, and the curtains dropped over the front windows. The pizzeria was closed.

"Argh, feels like ol' Foxy was dragged through the wringer," Foxy complained as he stretched and then dropped on one of the flimsy chairs and tilted himself back. "When did we get all out o' shape?"

"I don't know what you mean by that 'we' comment. I feel fantastic," Marionette teased, leaning over the back of the chair. "And I'm not the only one." Foxy tilted his head slightly and the Puppet pointed towards the box in the front.

"Oh, right!" Foxy straightened and the chair legs thumped loudly on the floor. "Lass, ya did great!" he praised. He then swiped with his hook and added, "Ya had them kids hooked. That be pretty impressive fer a first timer."

"I don't know about all that," Charlie dismissed humbly. She paused a moment before smiling wider. "But it did feel pretty great. I can see how you two can enjoy this so much."

"That's great! I'll admit I was expecting something to go terribly wrong and scar you for life…" Marionette admitted with his voice trailing off. Though he then perked again as he eagerly floated over to her box. "But it didn't! I shouldn't have expected less from someone who was patient enough to put up with two straight days of Baby's coaching." Charlie gave a light jingle at this, though made a mental note that she would have to call and thank Baby later. Apparently, all that practice had been worth it, and the song had been a hit.

"And I don't want to push you…" Marionette began as he tented his fingers together. "…But do you think that maybe you would like to come in again tomorrow?" He was smiling even wider now, trembling in excitement.

Mike was now standing on the other side of her box, hands in his pockets, also curious about the answer. Jeremy was scooping up the Minireenas, one of them jumping down and starting to run towards Foxy, who was tilting back on the chair while awaiting her answer. He nearly fell back when the Minireena started climbing his leg. Fritz and Natalie were catching up outside the Prize Corner, with the former holding three or four stacked, used paper plates to throw out. Everyone seemed so lively and content here, and then there was the Puppet looking to her expectantly. He wanted her to come back.

He wanted her to come back almost as much as she did.

"You know, I think I might," Charlie admitted. Marionette didn't give much of a physical reaction, but released a rather loud chime of delight, which he promptly suffocated like quieting a broken record. "If you don't mind taking in another member of staff…"

"I think this pizzeria's big enough for more than a single fox and a puppet, especially if Foxy's at a risk of nosediving off," Mike teased with a small smirk in Foxy's direction. Foxy gave a dry, mocking laugh at this, then ignored him to pat the Minireena who was now sitting in his lap, who refused to go back to Jeremy. "Welcome to the family," the security guard added. "There's no escaping now."

Marionette gave a dismissively playful sound and headed over to him as Charlie started climbing out of her box to head home. This was the start of something new.

Unfortunately, the past had a way of refusing to stay buried.

After getting home, the night had been fine. She had called Baby and told her the good news, which led to the clown immediately insisting that she came over that night to practice. This, of course, did not happen. After a few minutes of back and forth Charlie got Baby to agree to a deal in which she would come by that weekend and they would work on new material. She was partially excited for it, but not as much as returning to the pizzeria.

It wasn't really until now that Charlie thought about it, but she did love the animatronic pizzerias. Not just Foxy's, but Freddy's- both her father's diner and the glimpses of ones she got after that. There was a tainted sort of magic to them that had been ruined by the revelations of missing children and deranged purple men. Today had proven that the magic could exist when in the right hands. Foxy's was everything it was supposed to be; a safe, secure business where children could come to escape, and animatronics could get a taste of living in normal society. Charlie loved it.

Unfortunately, John wouldn't stay gone forever. Just like at the pizzeria, he walked boldly back into her life. She had woken up randomly at five-thirty in the morning and instead of going back to sleep, unsure of what woke her, her mind started to wander. Without the distractions she had before or Mike and Marionette to fill the role her mind went back to the young man. Which was a shame, because if his appearance today showed anything it was that things were still not finished.

Charlie wouldn't deny that she was still attracted to John. It wasn't as though becoming an animatronic had changed that, it was just that her chances with him had changed. Before they had been in a weird place where they were maybe in a relationship and maybe testing the waters. They would occasionally spend time together where she would feel out-of-place in a good way, almost like how she felt the first time she gave in and performed. It wasn't like that was going anywhere now though. She was literally dead to him.

Finally deciding that she couldn't stand to keep tossing and thinking, Charlie got out of bed with the plan of going to watch some late-night television. When she opened her bedroom door, she noticed light coming from down the hall, and recognized that the kitchen light was on. She followed curiously and found Marionette stirring a mixing bowl.

"Mari?" she asked in confusion. He turned to face her and seemed unsurprised, so he must've heard or felt her approaching. "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask the same thing. I hope I didn't wake you," he answered. Charlie shook her head. "I wanted to make an extra batch of cookies for tomorrow to take the load off Tabby. It's the least I can do."

This made enough sense to the Security Puppet who then stood there sort of awkwardly. She wasn't sure whether to go back to her room or what to do. "Couldn't sleep?" Marionette guessed as he noticed her hesitance.

"You could say that. Woke up and couldn't fall back asleep," Charlie said. She finally decided to sit down at the dining room table. It was quiet in the house, save the sound of the mixing bowl and the light jingling from her head's bell. She paused a moment, noticing him still watching her, and fiddled with an unused napkin left on the table. "John came in today. I don't know if you saw him."

"I didn't, but Mike told me," Marionette admitted. "I got a little distracted and forgot or I would've asked about it. Mike didn't say much."

"Not much happened. He just came in to watch the show and left," Charlie admitted. She tried to sigh but instead a low jingle came forth. It almost sounded melancholy and she supposed that was how she felt. "I guess I'm still hung up on him. I sort of hoped that would just go away since everything changed, but it really didn't, did it? I don't even remember feeling this hung up before this." Maybe it was because she knew she couldn't have him. Yet that too started to raise curiosity and she looked towards the Puppet. "Mari, can I ask you something? It might make you uncomfortable, but its been on my mind."

"Of course! Here, let me just- there." Marionette eventually just decided to set the cookie dough aside and came over to sit at the table across from her. He could tell from her wording that he needed to pay full attention. "Now then, what's on your mind? You can ask me anything," he encouraged, propping his head up with one hand.

Though that was easier said than done. This was a weird gap to bridge and yet Charlie still attempted it. "Okay… What would you think… if John and I picked up our relationship where we left off even though I'm an animatronic now?" Marionette got a surprised look. "I don't mean I'd tell him! This is just theoretical, if- I don't know- somehow he found out in the future and we became friends again. Do you think he would still be interested in me?"

"Well… I don't know much about John except what you've told me, and a human-animatronic relationship would be rather taboo," Marionette said with a strained smile and an awkward shrug. "I mean, I couldn't say that there's anything wrong with a relationship like that, since we're just humans in different bodies-."

"Mari, I know about you and Mike," Charlie confessed. It was just too painful to watch him flounder. She understood why he was hesitant, but seeing it bordered between hilarious and pitiable. His eyes widened in shock and his smile dropped, with him staring at her completely silent. There was a long pause in which she started to reconsider the lack of subtlety. It was a little longer before he finally spoke.

"It was that time you caught me in bed with Mike, wasn't it?" Marionette asked in dismay.

"Uh… No, I knew before that," Charlie admitted.

"Baby told you something," the Puppet guessed.

"No, not that either. I just found out on my own."

"You knew before you moved in!" he choked in alarm. Funnily enough, the floundering had returned with a vengeance.

"No, I didn't. It was just- You kind of get vibes when you live with people," she tried to convince him. "You and Mike were so close and cared so much about each other that I put two and two together. I didn't say anything because… Well, this." She gestured to him. "But I get it. This isn't really the sort of thing that might go over well with everyone, so you wanted to wait until I was locked into the business before you told me," she lightly joked. This got a small smile from him.

"Yes… Sorry, we just- I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. Everyone at the business has been very accepting with this, even though it is such a delicate matter…" Marionette didn't even want to think of Chance, nor his feelings. "That being said… You know that I would support anything you did. Especially since, well, it's something I'm doing." Another light chime before an almost coughing sound, like he was adjusting his internal music box. "And I don't know John as well as you do, but if you think he would take to it then I encourage it. Mike and I… We're very happy. The differences are barely noticeable."

"…That's actually pretty assuring." For a second it was almost as though Charlie had a shred of hope for a lost desire. Though she shook it away quickly. "But this is all just talk. I don't have any plans to ever tell anyone about what happened to me, and soon enough John will move on. But maybe that means I will too, someday, but that's not a priority right now. I'm my own priority. Me getting my act together, literally, and my life together."

"I can't say I disagree with that plan." Marionette decided not to voice the obvious concern in what could happen if an entire group of people who were strangers suddenly knew about Foxy's big secret. He knew she wouldn't go through with anything that risky. Charlie was too smart to do anything like that. "Why rush anything? You have plenty of time."

"I guess I do, don't I?" It was the first time in a while that Charlie really considered it. She looked back to the male puppet again with a returning smile. "I'm still probably not going back to sleep anytime soon. Since the cat's out of the bag, how did you and Mike get together? I know there must be a story there."

Marionette was positively beaming once again. "There would be, but it's a long one. Good thing we have a few hours!" He let the cookie dough go forgotten a little longer. "When we met, I had been living alone here and had no idea who Mike was or why he was here. So, he let himself into the house and I tackled him into the carpet."

Perhaps they would need more than a few hours.

Mable: Only Baby would write a song about scooping and try to play it completely straight. XD You wouldn't believe how many times I listened through the Pizzeria Simulator soundtrack while writing this chapter. But hopefully it was worth it! I hope you enjoyed, and the next chapter will be next week!