Mable: Keeping author's note short because posting so late. Hope you Enjoy!

Almost Feels Like Home

Chapter Fifty-Four

"Mike, hello! Come in, come in," Scott welcomed as he opened the front door. He wasn't surprised when Mike stepped carrying a tarp covered figure and just shut and locked the door behind him. Mike set the figure down, who removed its tarp to reveal Charlie underneath. "I didn't expect you guys to show up so quickly. Hello Charlie, Mari," Scott greeted, including the second puppet who appeared shortly after the first.

"It's nice to see you again, Scott. Is Baby out in the garage?" Charlie asked as she looked around the room for the clown. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she came solely for Baby; to distract herself by becoming her distraction for a short time. That, and to not be left home alone. Scott nodded and assured her to go on into the garage, which she did and shut the door behind her. He then turned to the others.

"So, what do I owe this pleasure? You said something about Foxy's on the phone?" Scott offered. The two exchanged a look and Scott sighed in defeat. "Or this is probably about the break in at Henry's last night."

"You got us. Though if Fritz calls and asks, this still counts as a work-related meaning," Mike said. He then grew more solemn, "We came to talk to Ennard."

As soon as he said that, Scott's eyes popped open in alarm. He looked aghast at the mere mention of the clown. "…You're not saying… He couldn't of…" the man muttered under his breath. Before they could clarify, he hurried past them both and made a beeline for the bedroom door before he could be stopped. He threw open the door, leaned in, and choked out, "Ennard, did you break into Henry's house last night?!"

"What?! No! I was here!" Ennard defended immediately, shocked by the sudden accusation. He was crouched off in the back corner of the bedroom and spun his head back to stare in aghast at the man. He persistently added, "I don't even know where Henry lives!" At this point, Mike finally stepped in.

"Relax, Scott, it wasn't him. We just needed to ask him about Afton's. We're trying to figure something out," he butted in and corrected. The security guard then leaned around behind Scott. "Ennard, we need to talk about Afton's, so if you can take a break doing… Whatever you're doing huddled in the corner."

"I'm building a kitty condo," the clown simply answered. He moved out of the way to reveal the half put together, wooden, cat sized tower.

"Glad to see that all those years of working on machinery in ARI is still put to good use," Mike said sarcastically. Ennard gave a loud laugh at that. "Speaking of ARI, we need to talk about those secret passages in the sewer, because we think that's what Springtrap used to get to Henry's."

He wanted that shock value, yes, but he underestimated exactly how the clown would react, forgetting momentarily that everyone wasn't as willing to forgive as Marionette was. Ennard gave a short screech and sprung up, dropping the screwdriver and knocking over the kitty condo in his panic.

"The rabbit?! What is he doing out there?! What is he even doing alive, I thought he burned up in that fire! He never came out- there weren't secret trap doors in there!" Ennard began to panic. He twitched and shuddered, looking ready to flee. Though that mood changed quickly as he went still, wire hands tightening and voice lowering. "I bet he was down there looking for me. If he thinks he's going to come in here looking for me… He can think again." Short sparks of electricity danced on his fingertips as fearfulness became threatening.

"Ennard, don't work yourself up. Springtrap isn't coming for you," Marionette spoke up. He floated up enough to be seen past Mike and Scott, who were unintentionally blocking the door. Then he teleported into the center of the room when they didn't let him by fast enough. "He's not much of a threat to anyone right now. He's damaged and I believe he's using the tunnels not to look for something, but to hide inside, and I think Henry's was just an empty house to stay in. It looked like he was there for a while."

"We- We both know that Springtrap's not like us! Something's wrong with him. He's not normal," Ennard defended. His aggression washed back away, or at least hid itself in front of the puppet. "He hates me, that alone means he must be completely insane. He's always quiet, he's always thinking- he knows something! That's why he's down in those tunnels!"

"But you were down in those tunnels too," Mike offered. "We're pretty such he's Michael Afton, and from that list of technicians we know he was also working down in ARI and knew the tricks of the trade. I'm going to take a guess and say that these tunnels were common knowledge for the technicians working down there."

Two things happened at this. First, Scott looked to Mike in surprise and asked, "Michael was working there?" As he hadn't known what happened to Michael over the years. But the security guard was still too busy looking towards the clown whose looser wires suddenly splayed in alarm. Blue eyes flickered between the two humans, watching Scott, waiting for his reaction. Mike knew that look as the one of someone who was keeping a secret, and he was both unsurprised and mildly disappointed.

"Yeah, we figured out that he was working down there the night we found that list of technicians," he answered. He sent a knowing glance over towards the amalgam. "The night Ennard decided to eject his body mass everywhere."

"Ha ha! Yeah…" Ennard laughed unconvincingly. He still stared at the security guard intently. Mike didn't know if it was in a warning way or a pleading way, but he wasn't planning on being the bearer of news regardless. He had already done that with Springtrap.

"The events leading up to Michael ending up in the Golden Bonnie suit are still largely unknown. We can make our own guesses, but there is plenty of time we can't account for. If we are ever going to get these answers, then it will be from Michael himself… But in this state, he could get himself captured or break himself further trying to run from us," Marionette explained somberly. He looked back towards Ennard. "Ennard please, we really need to know where these tunnels are and where they go."

"…Al- Alright, fine!" Ennard exclaimed as he tossed his arms into the air. He gave an exasperated static noise and headed into the bathroom. "But one of you is gonna finish the condo."

"A fair exchange."

"Yeah, sure."

"Alright." Ennard popped out from the other bathroom door and headed into the office. Scott followed and watched in slight confusion as he worked his way around the room. He grabbed a pen and a piece of printer paper then stepped back out, pressed the paper to the wall to use as a surface, and then began to draw. "We'll make this tiny box right here be ARI," he said, making a small square in the center. "And now we'll draw the sewers like this…" He began making little tunnels around the square, slowly forming the grid of sewers that tunneled under the city. "And we'll put little x's where all the hatches are."

Scott was just as disturbed as Mike and Marionette were when they saw how many hatches Ennard was drawing. "Give me a couple of minutes to clean this up and I can put down where our houses are and try to remember if I've been anywhere over here," Ennard added, pointing the pen towards a large, blank spot of the paper.

"Take as much time as you need," the Puppet assured. He masked his worry as he turned to the older man alongside them. "Scott, can I talk to you for a moment in private?"

"Aww, I hope you guys aren't running off to whisper about me," Ennard said with a playful tone and an anxious twitch. "I'd just die if I found out you snuck away to laugh at my scribble skills."

"No, no, Ennard. It's about Springtrap… I would just feel more comfortable doing it in private, if you don't mind." Marionette certainly sounded uncomfortable and was obviously not going to enjoy asking about family issues. Scott wasn't going to either, but he agreed without issue and they headed into the bedroom. Mike listened in and sure enough he was being truthful. He could hear the Puppet and the Phone Guy's conversation:

"Had you seen Michael at all since Fredrick appeared?"

"Uh, no. Last thing I heard I think he was living up north somewhere... Are you sure it's him?"

"I'm almost positive."

"You know, to tell ya the truth, I know Mari thinks Springdong-the-Rabbit's-Dead is Michael, but I don't know. I don't think so," Ennard admitted to Mike as he continued to scribble on the paper. It was just loud enough to interrupt the man's listening in and just enough to catch his attention. "I just got this hunch, ya know? He doesn't act like a Michael."

"As opposed to what, me?" Mike asked with amusement. "By the way, good job on telling Scott about what really happened the other night. I didn't really think you had it in you, and I was right."

"A little of that goes a long way, Mike," Ennard said with the mildest of annoyance. He glanced over and noticed that smirk still aimed at him and became more defensive. "It's not like I had a choice! I couldn't tell Scott. D'you know what he'd see every time he'd look at me if he knew about all that?"

"Personally, I think he'd still see a wire clown," Mike answered. "But what do I know?" Ennard rolled his eyes.

"No, he'd see that scooped out zombie staggering around. Trust me, the second they know the truth they start acting different."

"You haven't told anyone," Mike flatly remarked.

"I told you and you're treating me with kid gloves!" Ennard lightly snapped. This almost took Mike off-guard and he was about to deny it, but then realized the other might have had a point. So, he did the only rational thing and tried to overcompensate.

"Open up your eyes, Ennard, all twenty of them. I've been treating you the same way I'd treat any clown that knew where I lived," the security guard defended. "And worst-case scenario, Scott sees you as more human as he already does. Which, yes, would kind of ruin this alien clown thing you've got going on, but if you don't tell him he's still going to find out somehow." Ennard seemed to get a distant look somewhere through that. "…Did you get any of that?"

"You really think that?" Ennard quietly asked, listening in to make sure Scott was still talking and not listening in. "Do you re-really think that something like that would… Would make him think I'm more human?"

It was always there. That tiny wondering if Scott would've been more comfortable with him if he had been a human that became an animatronic, but after he had started getting the memories it had become the last thing he wanted to think about. Now that Mike had said it out loud, maybe he could use this finding to his advantage. He wouldn't ever have to defend himself for Ballora and the Funtimes' actions ever again.

"I don't think it would hurt," Mike answered. Then inwardly added, "Or it explains all the weird ticks and lack of better judgement."

"…You're right… You're right! Ha, all this time I waited thinking he'd look at me like I was a corpse, but maybe, just maybe, maybe he'll start looking at me like I'm a human!... I'm going to tell him." Ennard slowly lowered the pen and paper as he made his decision. "I'm going to tell him right now before I lose the nerve!" He turned and shoved the things into Mike's hands before trying to go for the kitchen. In the last second, Mike caught him by the arm.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a second. I'm glad you've made up your mind, but we really need to finish this up first," he said as he held up the map. "Let's wrap up this Springtrap fiasco. He's still slinking in the sewers."

"But if I wait- and Mari just said-!" Ennard glanced down at Mike's hand, then to the map that he was shaking again. "…Yeah, okay! You're probably right. You're always pretty on key with this kind of stuff. Besides, this is probably one of things I shouldn't just run in and blurt out while Scott's in the middle of drinking something. I've made that mistake, ha ha!" Ennard was borderline trembling in excitement as he took back the pen and paper and continued where he left off. "Lemme just finish this up. If you guys are planning on finding Springy, then you're gonna have a big job ahead of you!"

"Yeah, no. We're not looking for him. We're just getting an idea of where he could be if he pops up again," Mike assured. It wasn't a lie either. Going into the sewers to find Springtrap was the one thing he refused to do. Especially since he had a bad feeling that he would somehow end up down there. "I'm going to go see if Scott and Mari finished up." He started towards the bedroom door when he was caught off guard by one last comment.

"Just keep an eye or six out, cause one of these vent hatches is super close to your place," Ennard warned. Mike wasn't sure what 'super close' meant, but the mental image he got was of it being directly under their house. That would be their luck. He would have to look later, for now he stepped into the bedroom. Marionette was kneeling beside the unfinished kitty condo while Scott was leaning over above it.

"We're going down and tearing apart the basement as soon as we get home," Mike promised as he stepped in. "Chances are, there's one of those hatches in there. Which would probably be the most innocent of the stuff we've found down there." He then crossed over and looked down at what the Puppet was doing for a moment before crouching down beside him. "Put me somewhere," he said. Marionette responded by handing him the screwdriver and Scott spoke up.

"You really don't have to. I just told Mari he didn't have to either. Ennard was just kidding… Okay, he wasn't kidding, but he'd probably still do it anyway. He's pretty handy around the house. I haven't changed a lightbulb in months," Scott casually rambled. "But yeah, I don't want you thinking that the cost of getting through the door is hard labor."

Mike couldn't help but give a small snicker at this. "I don't think this counts as hard labor. If I can put a living puppet back together, then I think I can handle a cat condo." He looked over the condo for a moment before smirking over at Marionette. "Famous last words." Marionette chimed in amusement.

"That's great, because I've had that thing sitting in my closet for years now. It's about time someone had the patience to set it up." While both pondered exactly what that meant for them, Scott continued. "Let me at least get you a drink."

As soon as he stepped out of the room, Marionette looked to Mike. "That is your only warning that this is going to make working on me sound like fun."

"Working on you is already more fun than I'm willing to admit," the man teased with a small wink. The puppet gave a small warble, an audible blush.

"Mike, we're over here because a large rabbit is using secret sewer tunnels to break into houses, and the only way we can find out more about these tunnels is to build a cat condo. I'm not sure this is the time or place to fool around," Marionette pointed out.

"We're alone in a bedroom with nothing to distract us except a cat condo. I think this is the perfect time." Though right after saying that, Mike picked up a small wooden pole and stared at it. "…You got any idea where this is supposed to go?"

Baby activated as soon as the garage door opened. To her surprise, it wasn't Scott but Charlie letting herself in. The clown looked down to see a throw blanket thrown over her lower half- probably Scott's doing- and tossed it aside before lifting herself off the floor.

"Charlie, I didn't expect you to visit so soon." Baby's eyes began to glow as she jumped to assumptions. "Did you come to rehearse early?" Just that interest alone was a warning sigh to the Security Puppet, who wasn't feeling up to singing. Let alone singing for hours on end to get the sound 'just right'.

"No, Mike and Mari were coming to see Ennard and I thought maybe you'd like some company," Charlie answered. She turned on the lights and shut the garage door behind her, leaning against it and looking back to see the other watching her closely. Somehow, she knew the clown didn't buy it. "… Okay, I didn't want to be home alone."

"Why?" Baby asked in a tone that almost sounded innocent. Her tilting her head only accentuated the effect. "I would think you would like the time alone with how much Marion and the night guard coddle you."

Charlie didn't know whether it was worth bringing up. She didn't want to throw her issues onto Baby, as she wasn't the most empathetic person she could talk to, but she wanted to talk. Maybe her more abrasive side would be beneficial, as the Security Puppet ultimately decided against telling Marionette out of the fear of being pitied. It was one thing to accept his comfort and protection, but another to project something that heavy onto him. Her issues would seem so meager to someone like Baby, so she would be the perfect audience.

"…Something happened yesterday. I let something happen and I…" She gave an off-tune jingle and a defeated shrug, shoulders slouching as she slumped. "I tried to get in contact with my old friends. I came up with this elaborate scheme, I ran them on a wild goose chase, I almost got caught, and then I got back to my old house and found a golden rabbit there."

"Golden rabbit," Baby repeated. She gave a humming noise but sounded largely indifferent. "I've seen a golden rabbit. I thought he was dead. Why was he at your house?"

"I don't know. Mike and Mari think there's a secret tunnel connecting to the sewers…" Charlie trailed off as she turned to drop her head against the door. She was so embarrassed by it all. "I had been thinking about John again and- I don't know what I was thinking. Did I think he would somehow read the letter and be so inspired that he'd come down to the pizzeria, find out I was this now, and tell me that he still wants to be with me, and that we'll work it out…" She groaned and rubbed over her mask. "I could've lived without seeing him kissing my best friend."

This time, Baby was completely silent. It was as though she suddenly sobered up, or perhaps lost interest and was just feigning listening.

"That golden rabbit suit was the same one he wore when he…" Charlie began before fading off. "…No, not him. His father. Mari said he wasn't the Purple Man… It still looked like him." She pressed tighter against the door. "I never thought I would have to see him again."

Charlie had barely slept the night before. Every time she had tried to relax and let darkness take her, the golden rabbit appeared in the shadow of her mind. She would rouse in bed, clutching Theodore, staring at the lamp that she had left on and covered with her jacket. The dull light had been little comfort when she was trying to fight her own mind which was trying to submit to nightmares.

It was funny, she could barely remember her brother. If not for the pictures in the photo album, she wouldn't have been able to remember his face at all. Yet she remembered everything about that rabbit. His heavy footsteps, his creaking body, his strange smell- years later and she could only identify it as a mix of mildew and alcohol- and those hands reaching down for them. The golden rabbit had gone for her brother, but she remembered he had watched her the entire time. Or maybe she had been imagining it. Maybe it was a trick of her mind. To think that man had a secret entrance into the house was disgusting.

The soft sound of rolling wheels alerted her that Baby was moving closer. Charlie prepared herself to recover quickly and assure that she would be fine. Especially if Baby did manage that passive aggressive form of comfort that she was used to. To the puppet's surprise, the other animatronic laid a hand on her shoulder and gave a light pet.

"I'm sorry, Charlie. I really am," Baby apologized. Charlie was almost shocked by it, but maybe she understood what it was like to face a monster from one's past. Maybe she too-. "You don't need him. You don't need her either. You've outgrown them both. Let them have each other; they deserve each other." Or maybe she had locked onto John kissing Jessica and the rabbit part went entirely over her head. Compared to Golden Bonnie, the situation with her friends seemed so much smaller. Petty drama compared to the horror of the golden rabbit.

"Uh, thank you, but I'm alright with it," the Security Puppet assured. "It was sudden… And unexpected… But I'm glad they're moving on. I still love them both. I want them to be happy."

"Don't be the martyr. I tried that and it is cold and thankless," Baby insisted with a tinge of her own frustration. "He just doesn't understand what he is missing. He thinks a human companion is easier. That is the only reason he chose her."

"Baby, he doesn't even know I'm alive still. He thinks that I'm in the ground… Which technically I am," the puppet admitted awkwardly. She pulled her jacket tighter around her as she turned to face Baby, mustering up a smile. "I really am okay. I'm fine with it now."

"…Oh. I see." Baby's voice was vague as she drew her hand back. "…Yes. You're right. You are fine. You don't need them. They are just boring humans and don't deserve your time." Charlie dropped her head into her hand, exasperated, prong jingling.

"Thanks, Baby," she flatly replied.

"I wouldn't fear the rabbit," Baby randomly continued. Now Charlie turned her head to look up at her. Finally, Baby was addressing what was actually bothering her, and it sounded like she had experience. "He is a mess. He never thinks ahead and is a slave to his emotions." She really did know him. So, perhaps she would be able to give insight-. "We are beautiful girls with painted faces. We don't need men."

"But about the rabbit-." Charlie tried to interject.

"We don't need him either," Baby interrupted.

"No, Baby, I meant you know the rabbit?" the Security Puppet asked. "Mari said he thought he was someone named Michael?"

"I don't know his name. All I know is that we were trapped together for a short time. He couldn't handle himself and would get distracted by the smallest thing, along with Ennard. If he saw Ennard then he would drop everything to go after him. It's a shame he didn't invest that much interest into our captor," Baby said with a noise like a scoff. It was then that Charlie remembered their conversation about the scooping.

"Do you think that maybe the man who's in the rabbit worked down in ARI and could've gotten- you know. I don't need to say it," the security puppet offered.

"Perhaps. He's just as aggressive as any of those workers down there. I'm sure if he had a taser he would've been using it on all of us," Baby said with bitterness. Just the thought got her worked up, and it was this that finally made her realize that she didn't want to waste their time together. She didn't want to think about that rabbit or that fire when they had more important matters to attend to. "But we can discuss him later. Charlie, I need to show you something that I've been thinking of," Baby offered as she put an arm on her shoulder and led her towards the washer and dryer.

"Oh, alright…" Charlie was a little disappointed that Baby was dropping the conversation topic again, but this time at least it sounded like she had a distraction in order. "It's nothing I have to rehearse for, right?"

"No. This is about me," Baby answered unashamedly. "About what we will be doing next to fix my body. I have had plenty of time to think and have decided that since my face was the start, working downward is the best option. To close up my chest and do something with these loose wires… and lights." She looked down at her torso and Charlie could've imagined her frowning. "You will help me design something better?"

"That's what I'm here for," Charlie assured. That was more like the distraction she was expecting, and even though it would be again leaving her without answers on Springtrap she decided it was worth letting go.

"No, it really isn't," Baby acknowledged. "…But I appreciate it. I trust your judgement. You will make me look beautiful." It almost surprised the Security Puppet that the clown said it out loud. She appreciated the confidence, especially when there wasn't even a hint of sarcasm. She needed that confidence after everything, and she gladly clung to Baby's offer and began to lose her mind to designing.

Charlie regained her smile fully. "Then let's get started."

"Starting to see why this thing stayed in the closet so long," Mike thought as he randomly screwed a bolt into place. He wasn't entirely sure if it was supposed to go there, but it seemed to hold the base together a little sturdier, and the wobbliness of it had been the last issue. Or with the condo, at least; there was another issue currently brushing his ear. "Glad you're having so much fun over there."

"It's not like I have much else to do," Marionette playfully teased. As soon as the man had fully taken over building the condo, assuring that he could handle it alone, the Puppet started to become bored. Eventually this led to him taking the cat toy that was supposed to stick out of the side of a condo- a long, narrow spring with a plume of feathers at the end- and begin to flick it over the security guard's ear. "I can see why cats would enjoy this."

"Somehow, I don't think that's how cats have fun with those," Mike quipped back. He was rewarded by the feather sweeping around his ear. "You know what I'm going to do when I'm done with this?" he asked.

"No, I don't," Marionette teased. His eyes narrowed and his smile widened in playful interest. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to snatch that cat toy out of your hands…" Mike trailed off. The man checked the kitty condo, making sure that it was sturdy enough that the cats' weight wouldn't cause any of it to fall in. "Get the feathers all ruffled up…" He set the kitty condo upright and looked over his work. "…And then glue it right into this hole where it's supposed to go."

"…That was quite a bit of build-up for nothing," Marionette replied, almost a little disappointed.

Mike flashed him a smirk, "I know." He then held out his hand expectantly. Still amused, the Puppet started to hand the toy over, only to realize his string was wound in the spring and having to pause long enough to work it out. Mike raised a brow curiously. "You really were expecting me to make a grab for it, weren't you?"

"It depended on how annoyed I could get you," the striped one chimed. He then got himself free and handed over the toy, which Mike glued into place. "We should really get one of these for Moppet."

"I'll ask Scott where he bought it. Maybe I can pay a couple more bucks and get one that's already built." He admired his work as he stood, then turned to his companion. "Let's go see if Ennard finished up with that map." The other nodded silently and he could tell he was sobering up. "I know, I know. I don't want to deal with Ennard's smugness either, but we're going to need that map next time we need to evade the cops." The smile returned fully, and he put an arm around him, then led him out of the bedroom.

What followed was one of the stranger occurrences at Scott's. Ennard immediately came up to them as soon as the stepped out of the bedroom and thrust the map into Mike's chest.

"Hey, there you are! Finally finished up? Great, so did I! Ha ha, here you go!" the amalgam rushed out. He then swooped behind them, catching an arm around each- even when Mike tried to dodge- and began leading them to the front door. "But really, thanks for your help! Saves me the time of doing it myself, and me and Scott have got a lot of stuff to do today- and so do you! Good luck with Springtrap, ha ha!" Scott watched in equal confusion as he dragged them to the door and nearly dumped them there.

"Uh, yes. Thank you, Ennard," Marionette said with mild confusion. He exchanged a glance with Mike before looking down at the map. "I suppose we should be off. Let me go get Charlie."

"No problem! I'll get her!" Then, before the Puppet could protest, the clown turned and barged his way into the garage. There was the sound of scuffling inside, along with Ennard's loud voice, "Alright, Little Lottie, time to go home!"

Charlie sounded like she had started to say something but was cut off by what they could only assume was Ennard doing the same thing to her that he did to them. He popped back out of the garage with the Security Puppet being nearly pushed in front of him. They were followed by a disgruntled static noise that was probably Baby, if the abrupt shutting of the garage door behind them was any indication.

Charlie looked to Mike and Marionette with the same confusion, then looked back at Ennard. "Could you just tell Baby we'll work on the rest of the designs later?"

"You got it!" Ennard didn't even ask about the designs. He just yanked up the tarp and tossed it over to Mike. "Come back any time! We're open day or night, ha ha! Good-bye!"

Scott was almost surprised that Ennard didn't just shove them all out the door from how desperate he was to get them out. Not that the clown hadn't already been acting restless, pacing the room and occasionally sneaking glances at the man. It was probably about Springtrap, Scott assumed, so he wasn't too concerned just yet. He headed over to the door to mediate the behavior and managed to give the three enough time to get safely to their car. As soon as they were gone and since Baby was in the garage, he attempted to address the issue.

"Ennard, I know you're probably worried about-." Scott was cut off by Ennard grabbing his wrist and starting to drag him across the living room. "Ennard?" It was then that he was nearly slung into his armchair. From the motion he suspected that the clown was trying to spin him into it, but he wasn't that graceful on the spur of the moment. It did continue to assure the strange behavior, what with the clown now standing over him, arms folded behind him, brimming with excitement. Scott could tell from the humming and the light clinking of wires.

"…This isn't about Springtrap, is it?" Scott asked. Or he hoped it wasn't. Ennard suddenly being this excited about the rabbit only spelled trouble. Thankfully, the amalgam shook his head.

"Nooo,~" Ennard trilled in a singsong tone. If he could, he would probably be smiling only wider. Though at this angle Scott could already see his sharp teeth. "I've got something real big to tell ya, Scottie!" Ennard chirped. He leaned in, his wires trembling, his voice bubbly and upbeat, as though he was about to burst. Scott thought he recognized that tone.

"You're… Changing your name again?" Scott guessed, somewhat playfully but mostly seriously. The amalgam laughed in response.

"Good guess, but no!... Well, okay, kinda but not really. It's about that little thing that happened when I was staying at Mike's. My little literal out of body experience!" Ennard's excitement didn't falter and Scott's eyes widened with interest. They really hadn't discussed that incident since he had gotten home and settled in. Scott had never gotten the full details and assumed if he was patient that he would get them whenever Ennard was ready. Maybe that was now. "I never told you what that was all about, did I?"

"No, not really. You just said- or you implied it happened after you watched a tape," Scott answered. "Is this about what was on the tape?... Mari said it was Michael?"

"Nah, that was just some zombie lurching around Freddy's! Don't worry about that," Ennard dismissed with a small wave. "No, this is about me! Truth is, it wasn't really that tape that made me come all apart everywhere, even if it was gross. I actually remembered something really important from a long, long time ago."

Ennard was trembling as he noticed how interested Scott looked. This was the perfect time; the man was totally invested in hearing whatever he had to say, so when he dropped the bombshell it would really blow the man out of the water. This was it, the big reveal, and he was ready for it. "Turns out I'm-!"

"-one of those terrible technicians down at Freddy's that tortured the animatronics. Then I was gutted out to be worn as a suit, except my body wasn't good enough and they probably ditched me in a vent before burning me in a furnace to get rid of me, and nobody ever cared that I was gone or came to find me."

The amalgam froze up just like that, voice cut off by that single betraying thought, still looking down at Scott. He just froze up in the middle of his reveal and now the man was just staring in anticipation. He slowly looked more confused when the clown didn't finish what he was saying, almost as confused as Ennard himself. He had to do this and tell Scott. Scott would understand; he cared so much about him.

"Scott cares about Ennard. He loves Ennard. Everybody loves Ennard. If I tell him I was just some technician, then I won't be Ennard anymore. I won't be able to go back."

Ennard's wires tightened and pulled closer into his body, his eye twitched, and he almost gave the appearance of an animatronic about to malfunction, but Scott knew better than to assume anything. Especially when the amalgam had already been acting strange earlier. Part of him waited longer just because he wasn't certain if Ennard was pausing for emphasis or not.

"You're…?" Scott finally coaxed. That was when Ennard began to panic.

"I'm- I'm not actually a clown! Ha ha, since the mask comes off and there's not really clown features underneath!" the 'clown' attempted to excuse. "Isn't that something?! You think you know someone and then they turn out to be something entirely different!" He began to wring his hands and tangle his wires together. "And then you're afraid to tell people because they've always seen you as one thing and if they see you as this other thing then maybe they won't like you as much?! Because you thought you might not be that great, but then you realize there's a chance you're worse?!"

That deranged ramble was a dead giveaway. He knew it as soon as Scott's features changed from confusion to something else. Maybe surprise, or maybe a bit of understanding, but there was no way he could know the full extent. Ennard still had himself covered, even as his thoughts perched on his shoulders like angels and demons, telling him to tell the truth and warning him not to.

It was Scott's turn to do something and he knew it, and he knew Ennard well enough to know what he would respond to. "Ennard…" he began patiently. "…If you're trying to tell me you were the one who broke into Henry's, then you're going about it the wrong way." Ennard stared at Scott blankly. The man got a slow, playful, testing smile to show he was joking.

Then, all at once, the amalgam burst into laughter. Nearly hysterical laughter wracked his body as he hunched over, holding himself up with the arm of the chair. That had almost seemed to work, and the man was about to think that he helped, but then about five seconds passed and the clown was still laughing, and then he started to realize that this was too much even for him. He almost said something, but then Ennard dropped down on one knee in front of the chair. His laughter was now strained and sputtering, as though the audio track was distorting.

Ennard dropped his head onto his lap. His hands grabbed at the back of his head, tracing along the edge of his mask, clawing at the metal. He got himself stuck, both in the laugh track and in the confession.

"Ennard- Hey, don't do that," Scott warned as he reached forward to take his hands, which had crept towards the back of his own neck. "Ennard, you know that I wouldn't get mad at you. You can tell me anything."

The laughter finally stopped. It was so abrupt that it nearly took Scott off guard. The wire hands twisted in his so that they could grab onto his and squeeze. Ennard pressed further into his lap, letting a metallic noise more akin to a groan. He was at Scott's mercy now. He had no choice but to tell him.

"So, uh… If it wasn't the tape, then what was it?" Scott carefully asked.

"Not much," Ennard falsely assured, still pressed in his lap. "Just remembered being scooped."

"Oh… Right, yeah," Scott sighed and ran one head over the back of Ennard's head. He cleared his voice and continued, "Back when you were in ARI and the workers used to take you all apart?"

"Nah," Ennard said. "Back when I was a worker and the animatronics took me apart."

There was another long silence. It wasn't that it took a long time to sink in, but that Scott had trouble believing that he had heard it right. Ennard couldn't have just implied that he had been human. If anything, he had said the exact opposite the entire time they had lived together. He had been adamant on him being a creation of other animatronics, and now here he so casually admitted he was- Oh dear Lord- a human who had been disemboweled and worn as a suit.

Ennard could faintly hear Scott's heartrate quickening and slowly turned his head up to look at him. Mouth tight, eyes widened, maybe even a shade paler- just one look at it and Ennard broke into giggles.

"What's- What's that look?! Yeesh, Scott, if I knew that look was gonna be your reaction, I would've told you days ago!" he chirped in amusement. He started to edge towards actual laughter past the fit of giggles and for a few seconds it all seemed like it would be alright. Then that look settled in, along with everything else, and the chuckle grew slower and quieter. He slumped again and by time he was back to being face down they had become shaky and crackly, slow and heavy, until they devolved into what almost sounded like dry sobs.

Scott snapped out of his shock quickly. "Ennard, I… I'm so sorry…" He didn't even know what he was supposed to say at this. He reached down to pet over the back of the amalgam's head, but it didn't feel like it was enough. He couldn't even begin to imagine how he was supposed to comfort someone in these circumstances, even when he knew Ennard as well as he did. "I'm so, so sorry. That must've been… I- I can't even imagine what you… Felt… Going through that."

"Y-You know- Y-You know whaat's worse? Haah ha… I got this- this hang up." Ennard reached for his head again and grabbed the edge of his mask, tilting his head upwards enough to have his hand covering his forehead and eyes. "Can't remember, can't tell, can't- can't know for su-ure but, ha, I think, ha, I think they left my body in a vent… And then it just got th-thrown away… Nobody wanted it…" His feigned voice melted away as he finally admitted, "Nobody looked for me."

That was what did it. All at once, Scott slid his arms under and around Ennard and pulled him upright. Before the amalgam could even consider what Scott was doing, he was pulled into a tight hug against him. He squeezed the clown in a way that was usually received instead of given and tucked him into his chest until he heard the soft squeak. Then he smiled, if only for a moment, and tried to decide on something to say. Eventually he came to the one thing that had comforted him over the years.

"I can't even imagine what it was like and I… I can't begin to think of the pain and the… But it's over." Scott interrupted his own rambling with clarity. "You're safe now and nobody's ever going to do anything like that ever again. I'll make sure of it. I'll keep you safe and I… You know I'd always look for you. You know I'd always come find you." This got a low rumble out of the amalgam, a more contented one. It was the first sign that he was starting to calm down. The second was the return of his typical voice.

"G-Guess I- ha- guess I blew my cover. Out of character. I'm not even Ennard anymore and I don't even remember my name," Ennard said in a quiet mumble against him. "I find out I'm not just some hunk of the band's leftovers and I can't even remember my real name. Pretty sure it wasn't Eggs or Benny or whatever." He made a needy sort of whine and grabbed ahold of Scott. "I just didn't want us to change!"

"Ennard, nothing's going to change. Not over this, not over anything." They weathered through much worse than this. "Are you going to be okay? You don't feel like you're going to start… You know, start rejecting wires?" The amalgam shook his head against him. "Are you sure?"

"I feel great," Ennard lied. "I'm not down there anymore. I'm fantastic."

The last thing Scott wanted to do was stress Ennard out any further considering what he had to just go through, but there were questions creeping up and he knew if he let them go that Ennard was liable to not bring this event up ever again. He had a way of letting these serious issues hide under the rug until they spilled out in an emotional display. At least he had him calmed down now.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't feel like it. I don't want to make you remember things that you don't want to, but… Do you remember anything about yourself? Maybe not your name, but maybe something else? Maybe what you looked like?" the Phone Guy coaxed.

As much as he didn't want to, Ennard was willing to answer any question Scott had if it meant keeping him close. Unfortunately, he remembered so few things. "I think I liked animatronics?" Not remembering his name was only the tip of the iceberg. His hair color, any family or friends, his home; it was all gone. It didn't bother him, but it limited his options. "I think I liked work?" There were a few things that he considered, but they would only stress out Scott. He didn't want to stress Scott. He loved Scott. "I think I remember Michael."

"I think I was short," Ennard offered almost hesitantly. He then nuzzled further against Scott's chest. "Might've not been too bad… Oh, and my voice wasn't nearly as fun as this one!" Scott was about to ask further, but Ennard caught him off mid-hitch of breath. "And before you ask, nope, not doing that voice! Ha ha, no, just… No."

"Fine by me. You already have a real voice that I'm used to," Scott reassured as he continued petting over the back of his head. "Have you told Baby?" Ennard's grip tightened up. "…I guess that's a no."

"All it'll do is make things weird," the amalgam pointed out. Scott nodded in agreement. As of now they had only recently become tolerant of one another and this seemed like one of those things that could break that fragile bond. "You won't tell her?" The man assured that he wouldn't. "Good, that's… That's good." Slowly, Ennard started to perk up a bit more, or just enough to look up at the human. "At least now that I'm human, this thing we've got going on isn't as weird."

That was, in fact, the first time that Ennard had acknowledged 'the thing' and it resulted in blood rushing to Scott's face. Which, naturally, the clown noticed. "Aww, don't go red on me now. You know what we've been up to,~" he teased, finally returning to his normal demeanor. He hugged the man tightly around the middle. In return, Scott regained his smile and continued holding him reassuringly. This would certainly change some things, he couldn't deny that, but it only made him more determined to hold on.

Neither noticed the cracked garage door slowly close. Nor did they notice that Baby had been listening in and heard everything.

The thought of Ennard being one of the technicians down at in Afton Robotics' filled her with instant unease. The technicians and workers- save for the occasional indifferent or good-natured ones- were unkind and aggressive people who treated the animatronics like defective product. They weren't even treated like tools. Screwdrivers and wrenches didn't receive nearly as much manhandling as they had. Slamming parts, dropping them wherever, shocking relentlessly, refusing to properly fix them if they were 'acting up'; they were monsters.

So, it was hard to believe that Ennard could be one of them. Perhaps he was mistaken. She certainly hoped he was.

It was the first time she had heard voices in ages, and she was just confused enough to be drawn to them. Her green eyes alit as she turned her head and looked around the room she was kept in. The Circus Gallery, but she didn't know that. All she knew was that she heard the voices of adult men and needed help. Maybe one of them knew her; maybe they could take her away from here.

Her heavy, hulking body was awkward as she stepped down the ramp from the stage and onto the tiled floor. She walked like a lumbering toddler taking its first steps as she looked ahead towards the voices. There they were, two adults dressed in purple uniforms, chatting about something she knew nothing about. She started to move a little faster to get herself over to them, only noticing as she got closer how tall she was compared to them. Then they saw her.

"Don't look now. That clown one's coming this way," one of the men said. He didn't sound too disturbed or surprised to see her. "I thought you said that one stayed on its stage."

"Usually does. Don't worry, I'll handle this," the second man assured. He reached into his belt and stepped forward, all while she was still rushing to meet him. Then, once she got right to him, right when she was ready to try and get help or something to fix her, his arm suddenly struck out and he stuck something against her now metal chest.

Pain followed. A tight, seizing pain that coursed through her insides and fried her to the core. Her vision turned to static, her hearing was muffled, and what only lasted a few seconds felt like an eternity. As soon as the jolts stopped, Baby's body stiffened up and she couldn't move. She wasn't even sure if she would've tried moving already after something so painful. All the while, the technician looked to the other one with casualness.

"You just give them a little jolt and they quiet down again. Just make sure to keep that taser on you," the technician said. "Where's the dolly? We should get it back on stage. These things get damaged and you're pretty much not getting a paycheck that week. They dock you for just breathing the wrong way."

"I know. I already got docked for throwing a wrapped in the private garbage can. I'm guessing the whole place is just broke. Our checks probably already come from fines," the other said with slight amusement. They then wandered off to find this so-called 'dolly' and left her to stand there recovering.

It was at that moment when she knew that she wasn't going to be getting any help. They weren't there to help her and they wouldn't be taking her away from here. They were her captors and they would need to be avoided, or they would hurt her again. She already had a hunch that they would. She had never felt more alone.

It was a nightmare; that place had followed her home.