Mable: Here we are with the next chapter! Enjoy!

Almost Feels Like Home

Chapter Sixty-One

The only way to describe the feeling in the storage room was troubled. Charlie had not come out of her box at all. Marionette and Foxy were afraid to speak out of fear that they would say something to make it worse, with their concern aimed towards different targets. Both wanted to apologize, but Marionette wanted to give Charlie her space and Foxy didn't even know where to begin with his brother. The Minireenas were unfortunate victims of the circumstances too and were aware that something was wrong.

Eventually the tension was broken by the door opening and Jeremy stepping in. It took him only a few seconds to notice how spread out and quiet the animatronics were. Before he could really do much else, Foxy hurried over to him.

"So, what's the skinny, Lad?" the pirate asked. "Anyone find 'em?"

"…Well, you can say that," Jeremy drew it out, already knowing this wasn't going to go well. It didn't help that Foxy was looking at him with both eyes and with his ears perked just enough to hear everything. Jeremy ripped the metaphorical band-aid off quickly. "So, turns out they were auctioning off Chance, so we went ahead and bid and bought him and he's out in the van."

"…We what?" Foxy asked. His ears twitched, then his right eye twitched, and then his voice grew. "We what?!"

"Yeah…" Jeremy said awkwardly. He got an uncomfortable smile and sheepish shrug. "It wasn't my idea."

"It was mine," Marionette offered to spare Jeremy and the others of a decision he made. Foxy promptly turned on him, looking like he was seconds from exploding. "I know you're upset, but there are numerous reasons we needed to do this."

"Marion, if your think-!"

"Don't fight me on this," Marionette interrupted firmly. He kept his voice even but there was obviously suppressed emotion. "I went through the same thing that you did. I know what he did, I know what he might still do, but that doesn't change anything. We don't have a choice."

Foxy clenched his teeth, among other things, and turned towards the wall. He briefly reached up to scratch at his head with both his fingers and his hook before dropping his head against the wall with a loud thump. There was a low growl in his chest as he muttered under his breath. Marionette certainly didn't like upsetting him, but he couldn't bear another fight. His sternness melted into somberness, which didn't go unnoticed by Jeremy, who reached over to pat his shoulder before turning to Foxy.

"But he's going to be staying with Chance, so he's not going to be at the pizzeria. Just… Around." Foxy gave a low groan of dismay. Jeremy forced a brighter tone, "But, uh, good news! We got a new animatronic! Mike said it's called the Candy Cadet."

"Just keep twistin' that knife, Lad," the pirate muttered.

"Come on, it's not that bad!" the man defended. Foxy let out a dismissive snort, clearly unconvinced. "It was either that or bankrupting ourselves trying to buy Orville Elephant."

"…A'right, ya win. It ain't that bad," Foxy begrudgingly agreed. He pulled off the wall and turned to Jeremy again. "Now me math may be off, but I think with five bot we're gonna have too heavy a load. The van's gonna capsize or blow a tire." He bit his tongue as he mentally added, "And if I get shoved in that van with Lefty, he's not coming out with any eyes."

"I don't think it's safe putting you and Chance in a small van for six minutes, let alone six hours." Jeremy knew him too well. "So, that's the other thing. Fritz is going to take Chance and Candy Cadet back home tonight. As soon as they get both into the van he's going to leave here and drive back with Natalie… Which means you're going to be cramped in my backseat."

"Can we use the AC?" Foxy bluntly asked. As though the fact that it was bad news didn't pass his mind. Jeremy agreed with slight confusion. "Then we'll live, Lad," the pirate said. At least that wasn't met with as much disappointment as the other comments.

"Great! Then I guess I'll just go help get them moved. I don't think we're looking at another performance today, so you two just sit tight and we'll leave in a few hours," Jeremy assured with a smile. He looked down to the Minireenas now standing around his feet. "Won't be long now, Girls." Then he headed towards the door.

"Wait."

Jeremy stopped in his tracks at Charlie's voice. He almost forgotten that she was in the box and looked back to see her coming out. She looked visibly distressed, and it was enough to cause Marionette to turn away with a guilty look on his face.

"Before they leave, I need to know…" Charlie hesitated a moment, considering if she really wanted to know this. It didn't seem like she had a choice. "Is this 'Chance' Chauncey Johnson? I'm guessing he is considering that he's here. It would be a huge coincidence if he wasn't…" She looked between Jeremy, who had a deer-in-headlights look, and Foxy, who just silently looked to the blond. Neither of which she could say was unexpected. What was unexpected was that she did get her answer.

"Yes, he is," Marionette quietly said. "…He was your father's father."

"Right…" At least she got a confirmation. Though even with the discomfort and desire to return to her box, she kept thinking of the older man in the bear. Her flesh and blood grandfather was just like she was, a human turned animatronic. She hadn't seen him in years and they had never been close, but now she felt drawn to him. There were so many questions that he couldn't run from any longer. It was time for her to get answers. Slowly, she raised further out of her box and announced, "I want to go with them if they can fit me in."

Marionette was devastated and it briefly showed on his face. He couldn't imagine what this decision could mean, but it didn't bode well. Especially if Chance was willing to hold a grudge enough to start twisting events that happened in their past. Still, he suppressed an immediate reaction and stayed quiet.

"Are you sure?" Jeremy asked uncertainly. Charlie nodded in agreement. "...Then I don't think Fritz will have trouble fitting you in… I could probably wheel you out there now if you're really positive." He sent a tentative glance towards the Puppet who didn't return it.

"I'm sure," Charlie affirmed. Though inwardly she talked herself up with less confidence, "Maybe he's not been there in the past, but I need to be there for him. We're family one way or another…"

Jeremy headed over to push Charlie's box out of the room, briefly exchanging a look with Foxy who then decided to turn and return to the wall. The blond adjusted his glasses and started to wheel her out.

"Charlie, wait," Marionette blurted out. He didn't even think it through and once it came out, he regretted it. She hadn't lowered into her box yet and turned her head towards him expectantly. There was so much he wanted to say and yet he had to hold back. He swallowed his feelings again and gave a pitiable, "…I hope you have a safe drive…"

"Thank you… You too," Charlie answered just as uncomfortably. She lowered into the box and closed the top after her. Jeremy sent Marionette a sympathetic shrug and continued out of the room.

As soon as the door shut, the striped one slumped to the floor. He dropped his head into his hands with a distressed moan from his music box. Almost immediately, the Minireenas came over and began to congregate around him while looking at him with concern. Foxy looked at him at the worst possible time.

"Aww, Marion…" Foxy whined. He watched his brother stay slumped on the floor and shuffled over, his head hanging with guilt as he did so. "She just be in shock 'bout all this an' needs space."

"She wouldn't be going through this- None of this would be happening if I had told her," Marionette admitted. He gave a shudder as his voice crackled. "I thought I learned my mistake before. The times Mike kept something from me, all the times Goldie kept things from me, I should've known better. What was I thinking?"

"T'wasn't just you, Lad," Foxy defended as he knelt in front of him. "Any of us coulda told her. Baby could've done it, I could've-… Err, I guess I did… And I'm gonna take responsibility fer that. Lad, this ain't all on you. It was too charged in there to start throwin' around the Afton name…" He grumbled and scooted the Minireenas over so that he could sit down beside his brother. "That thing be a scarlet letter."

"A purple letter," Marionette corrected, slowly lifting his head. He was determined not to cry again. Especially not in front of Foxy. It was then that he noticed Daisy peering up at him and drew her into his lap. She nestled into his hands like a content cat and he gave a dull chime. "How are we going to perform tomorrow?"

"I don't know, but we will," Foxy assured tiredly. "We're Aftons. There could be people dying backstage and we would still put on a suit and dance on cue."

"It's comments like that that got us into this problem in the first place," Marionette quipped with the lightest of playfulness. "But for the record… I'm glad you told Chance who you really were."

Foxy wasn't sure if he entirely agreed but somehow that assurance alone helped him feel a bit better.

Out in the van, Charlie was less certain as she was loaded inside. It was an even tighter squeeze now, with the Candy Cadet so awkwardly placed and the Lefty body being bulky. It was probably the only option she had with Jeremy's car soon to be filled up- in hindsight, they probably should've expected space to be an issue. Charlie noticed that the black bear was slumped awkwardly and that its eye stared with a vacantness beyond just pretending to be dormant.

"Did you deactivate him…?" she asked tentatively.

"Just for the drive. His decision so he didn't have to stay awake for it, but he might've reconsidered if he knew you were coming with us," Fritz explained as he continued to tether Candy Cadet down. The last thing they needed was him to shift during the drive and fly out the back doors and onto the highway. The technician noticed how the Security Puppet was looking at the bear. "…You know, it would feel a lot quicker if you wanted me to do the same for you. It would feel like a couple of seconds," he offered.

"I don't know. I've never been deactivated before," Charlie admitted. She was hesitant to even consider it since it would involve her giving up full control of her body. Yet the idea of having the trip flash by in a second was rather tempting. Especially since she no longer had a distraction. "Okay, let's try it."

"Just get yourself in a comfortable position and I'll see what I can do. I haven't really worked on you before, but most animatronics have their release at the neck. All I'll have to do is find it," Fritz assured. Charlie nodded and slid back towards the wall before leaning against the bunched-up tarps. She watched as he finished securing the Candy Cadet before changing his attention to her. "This should only take a second," he assured as he reached for her. He got as far as tapping her neck before she abruptly shifted out of his reach.

"Actually, I change my mind," Charlie said. He looked startled by her decisional whiplash and she defended. "I think I'd just rather stay awake. I need the time to think."

"Sure. It's your call," Fritz affirmed with a smile. "If you change your mind I can stop and do it whenever." He then continued by shutting the door and going to get into the front of the van. She was immediately relieved by him not pressing the issue any further. It was just a terrifying thought, being shut down without any control. It might've been different if it was Marionette, but he wasn't here, and even if he was she wasn't sure if she would be willing to ask.

This was going to be a long drive.

Strangely enough, while the circumstances were frustrating and things were less than exciting, the booth felt a lot less uncomfortable when it was just Mike and Jeremy. Maybe because Lefty was in a van driving away from where they were. The further he got the better that both felt. Though this didn't help with the tedious last hours manning the booth. Just to break the boredom they took turns getting up and checking on the animatronics, and during these trips they had managed to secure the slightest bit of information about their competition.

Firstly, they had both noticed that while El Chip's was showing at the convention, Glenn was not there. They also caught word that Music Man was picked up by a 'funcade', which suggested it was probably Hickory Dickory's. They hadn't even seen a stall for Hickory Dickory's, making it slightly more bizarre. Thankfully, nobody came proclaiming that they were from Freddy Fazbear's Pizza or Afton Robotics. Just a few other restaurants with less advanced animatronics and forgettable names.

It was about thirty minutes before they were planning on leaving. The two had already put up all the booth decorations for use the next day and again ran out of things to do. Mike was currently putting away the last of the sample candy while Jeremy was skimming through a magazine. There was nothing really gripping him, but he was so zoned out that he barely noticed someone walking up.

"Jeremy?"

As soon as he heard the voice, he recognized who it was. Suddenly let the page drop and looked up in front of the stand to see a young woman looking down at him. She looked to be about his age, but he knew she was a couple of years older than him, because he knew who she was. It had been years since he saw her and yet he recognized almost everything about her; her almond shaped brown eyes, her dark, curly hair in tight kinks- though it was shorter than he remembered.

"Bree?" Jeremy asked in surprise. She nodded eagerly, just as excited to see him. He certainly never thought that he would see her again.

"I'll take 'types of cheese' for five hundred," Mike jokingly guessed from crouched behind the booth. Apparently, he didn't hear her come up and Jeremy didn't know whether to be embarrassed or just still in shock. So, instead of responding to the security guard, Jeremy sprung up from his chair.

"Bree! I didn't- I never thought I'd see you again! I thought you moved out east, what are you doing here?!" Jeremy asked. He didn't know whether to shake her hand or hug her, so he just stood there with his arms out until she leaned over the table and boldly took him into a hug. Now noticing that the other man was clearly talking to someone, Mike finally popped his head up and saw what was going on.

"I did, but things happened and I moved back. Turns out this was as far east as I was getting," Bree answered as she pulled back to smile brilliantly. "You look great! To think the last time I saw you, you looked like you hadn't eaten or slept in a week. You look so much better."

"I started eating and sleeping," Jeremy joked back with a lopsided smile. Then he noticed Mike and gestured to him. "Oh! Bree, this is Mike. Mike, this is Bree. You both worked at Freddy's, so that pretty much sums up a lot of any questions you probably have."

"Freddy's usually is the answer to most questions," Mike agreed with a slight smirk. He offered his hand which Bree eagerly shook. "Mike Schmidt."

"Bree Armstrong," she introduced. Though her smile then turned more sympathetic as it returned to Jeremy. "Speaking of Freddy's, I… I heard about your accident."

"You did…?" Jeremy asked hesitantly. He had the urge to rub his shoulder.

"Scott told me. He told me you were going to be here too when I told him I was going to be here, so here I am. Coming to look you up," Bree explained.

"I didn't even know you and Scott were still talking. He never mentioned anything."

"I work with a programming company and Scott does a lot of freelance work with it. Usually we end up on the phone together one way or another."

"Huh. Phone Guy really gets around," Mike jokingly added.

"He's in the know alright," Bree agreed. Her smile regained its vigor as she looked towards Jeremy once more. "I never thought you'd work with animatronics again after that, but you look great! Scott made it sound like you were covered in scars, but it's like no time has passed!" Mike wondered if Scott had been hinting towards his own scars and unintentionally gave her the wrong impression.

"Oh, I have scars, they're just under my clothes. I could show them to you later," Jeremy offered. Bree didn't reply right away, but it wasn't until Mike slowly looked at him that he realized how suggestive what he said was. "Under my sleeve. They're all- They're up here. All on this shoulder," Jeremy rushed to explain as he waved his hand over the area.

"I was wondering. Should've known that you probably didn't get that bold in only a couple of years," Bree teased lightly. Both exchanged a laugh, hers light with joy and his just a slightly bit embarrassed. "But really, I didn't think you'd come back. Not when they had you working that night shift with the… You know."

It was only then that Mike realized how much she was aware of. He knew there had to be dayshift or desk workers who weren't aware of the animatronics' nature and assumed she was one of them. That vague comment alone was a staple of someone who knew too much.

"It wasn't just me. Mike used to work the night shift as a security guard at the Freddy Fazbear's Pizza that opened after ours, and he worked there a long time on and off," Jeremy pointed out. Mike didn't know if he was using it to defend himself or bragging for him, but he latched onto it immediately. He couldn't remember the last time he got to talk accomplishments at Freddy's without the risk of authorities finding out, and she looked interested.

"I was working Monday to Saturday, midnight to six, on and off. They kept trying to get rid of me but right on schedule, usually less than a week later, they'd be calling back asking for me to come in for a particularly rough night. Either I was just that good or they were just that desperate," Mike explained with slight smugness. "The bottom line is that I'm no more afraid of the animatronics now than I was then."

"Speaking of the animatronics," Jeremy chimed in, interrupting what would've been the security guard's continued explanation. "…Would you like to see them? They're back in the storage room."

Both Mike and Bree were equally surprised by the offer. Bree asked, "Are you sure?" but it might as well come from both.

"Sure! They're just in the back. Mike, do you mind watching the booth?" Jeremy asked. Mike wouldn't have said no but especially couldn't when the man looked so excited.

"Yeah, cool. Just don't be back there too long," he agreed. He then watched as Jeremy hurriedly ushered Bree off, reluctantly stuck playing security guard to the booth now. "Nice meeting you," he called after them. Then he dropped back down into the chair and checked his wristwatch. This day was never going to end.

Jeremy took Bree back to the storage room. "Here we are!" he introduced and playfully knocked on the door three times- the signal that he wasn't alone. He then unlocked the door and stepped inside. As expected, Foxy was up against the wall and Marionette was under his stand. Jeremy caught a glimpse of his strings moving to secure him in place. The Minireenas were standing off to the side, feet turned out and arms poised above their heads, as still as could be. "And here's the crew! If you saw the show earlier, we're actually missing one that Fritz had to take back."

"It's a shame I missed it. Whoa, is that the same Foxy from Freddy's?" Bree asked, eyes popping open as she saw him. "I thought you found a new model or something, like one of those Rockstar designed ones. I didn't even know any of those old ones were still around! Oh- Oh whoa, and you've got the Puppet." Her voice lowered out of reflex, as though she thought he would hear her. "How did you get them?"

"Well, uh- Mike! Mike brought in the Puppet and Fritz inherited Foxy with a warehouse, so we got really lucky," Jeremy quickly explained. It was technically the truth, but he decided not to give her the chance to ask further questions. "And these three tiny dancers are the Minireenas! We got them out of a closing animatronic factory."

While Bree was looking at them as Jeremy explained, it was clear that she was hesitant to get closer to Foxy or Marionette. Almost like she knew to be wary of the animatronics, and that comment about 'old ones'-.

Marionette couldn't say that he remembered her, but between her wording and Jeremy's familiarity it seemed very likely that she was a former Freddy's worker, even though he didn't recognize her. Apparently, she knew him, so she probably avoided the Prize Corner, no doubt a dayshift worker, and women workers at Freddy's weren't exactly plentiful. Maybe she hadn't stayed at the business long, but she obviously knew some of business' secrets. She obviously knew Jeremy well too.

The striped one glanced to his older sibling with minor concern and expected a reaction. Instead, Foxy looked positively mellow, and it wasn't just the faked kind to give off the non-sentient vibe. His eye followed them, but his motions weren't tense or tight. Almost like he wasn't bothered by it. It somewhat surprised Marionette, who expected something. He knew he was concerned by the return of any former workers at Freddy's. At least she seemed nice.

"So, the new stage is working. Which is great, because we can't have kids picking them up. They're too fragile for that," Jeremy continued to explain. He then hesitated a moment before leading her over to Foxy. "And Foxy's looking a lot better than you probably remember."

"He was always out of service," Bree agreed. She only took a step closer and he smiled reassuringly.

"You can come closer. Trust me, he's the perfect gentleman," Jeremy assured as he patted the pirate's arm. Bree dared to step closer as she looked over the animatronic. It seemed so weird to see the old body be fixed up like new. Even his legs were perfectly repaired, though the lower parts looked to be a slightly different shade of red.

"He was always the favorite of the gang for a reason… You're so comfortable with them. After what happened with the Mangle I never thought you'd get anywhere near a Foxy again. Even if it was a different model," the woman admitted. He slowly rubbed the back of his neck, unsure how to answer her.

"Well, it's kind of- Being around Foxy had helped me get over that. Foxy's not like the Mangle was and Foxy's is nothing like Freddy's. That's not just non-disclosure talk either; everything is so much better." Jeremy looked to the pirate with a lopsided smile and patted his shoulder proudly. "This is what we wanted from Freddy's."

The pirate felt a little spark up his spine, a mix of pride and adoration at Jeremy's passionate proclamation. If it was anyone else, Foxy would've thrown an arm around him and yanked him in, but that would have to wait. He wasn't the only one who looked convinced either, with Bree getting a more content smile afterwards.

"Well, I'm glad. It's about time someone made up for all that. And compared to what could've happened to them out there, I think you gave them a good home," Bree said as she looked over towards the Puppet. She then looked back to him. "It's… Actually a relief to see all of this. When Scott told me you were at a place called Foxy's, I was a little worried about you, but it looks like you have everything under control."

"I wouldn't go that far," Jeremy modestly said. He readjusted his glasses and gestured to the door. "We should probably get back to Mike before he gets stir crazy. And hey, we have a lot of merchandise left over if you want some."

"Might take you up on that," Bree answered with a playful wink. She headed out first and he followed, leaving the light on and stepping out. He quickly made a waving motion inside, without her noticing, and locked the door behind him. Then the two headed back down the hallway.

They were just about to step out into the convention hall when Bree stopped him. "Hey, so how long are you going to be in the city? Just for the convention?"

"Right. We're leaving tomorrow night after the show. Unless it runs late, then we might just stay an extra night and leave in the morning. Why?" Jeremy asked curiously.

"Well, I was hoping I could take you out to lunch or something to catch up more, but I guess I'm running out of time… Maybe we could do dinner?" she offered with a small, hopeful smile.

Jeremy was immediately torn. He certainly wanted to talk more with Bree and was curious about what she had done with her life since she left Freddy's. Part of him wondered if it would be unfair to Foxy. Chances were that if he asked then Foxy would insist that he went, and it would just be strange if he came up with an excuse to go back to the storage room without answering. So, he made his decision.

"Sure! We're not going to be here much that longer. That would be great," Jeremy agreed with a smile. "Mike's going to have to take my car, so maybe we'll meet up and take your car? I wouldn't know where I'm going anyways."

"Sound's great," Bree agreed with a smile. Maybe today was finally turning around.

When Chance eventually roused it was dark outside of the van's windows. It took him a moment to focus his eyes- even with its peculiar features he could see out of the blackened one- and took in the scene at hand. Fritz had clearly woken him and was currently working with Natalie to get the Candy Cadet out of the back of the van. Chance watched them for a few moments before he spoke.

"Where are we?" the bear whispered gruffly. Fritz briefly glanced to acknowledge him but continued working on moving the hefty animatronic out the back.

"Just at the warehouse to drop off Candy Cadet. It's going to need a little work and a candy refill before he's ready for the restaurant. But don't worry! We're still going home after this," the technician explained. He slid out the back with the bot, him and Natalie lowering it onto the dolly underneath. He then nodded towards the corner. "You might notice that we got another tagalong on the way."

Chance followed his nod and saw the other puppet curled up on her side against the mound of tarps. He was confused to why he was supposed to be interested, though he supposed he didn't have much ill will towards the bot. While it looked like Marionette and had evaded him, it had done nothing aggressive to him. Its voice sounded like a young woman's; perhaps she only recently had become like this.

Fritz reached over and gently tapped her shoulder. The Security Puppet roused quickly and looked up to him, who proceeded to point behind her and towards the black bear. She turned over and looked to him, and for a moment they just stared at each other like that. Fritz moved over to continue with the Candy Cadet. "Be back in a second," he said as he and Natalie wheeled the bot back and shut the van doors behind them.

Now Lefty and the Security Puppet were left alone in the van. The bear turned his gaze to the floor quickly, disinterested in the stranger, but she scooted a little closer on her knees.

"Uh, hello…" the other puppet greeted tentatively. "Chance? You're Chauncey Johnson, right? Or Evans, Fritz said you changed your name. You probably don't recognize my voice, but I'm…" She cut off, voice hitching with a loud clicking in her chest, and tried to get that last bit out. Before she could finish, he answered her grimly.

"I'm not Chance," the bear responded. His whispering wasn't easy to hear in the van, but he couldn't convince his speaker to raise its volume. "I'm just this burned out bear he left in the fire."

"That's not what I meant, but I get what you mean. The same thing happened to me… Not in a fire, of course, but there was an accident and I lost my body," the Security Puppet explained. He was listening but he wasn't looking at her at all, so she couldn't tell if he was. "I was at a place called Magictime Theater and there was a man kidnapping children-."

"William Afton," Lefty interrupted.

"Dave Miller," the Security Puppet corrected.

"Dave?" While this did take him off guard momentarily, he couldn't say he was entirely surprised. Dave was unhinged, frequently sneaking off from work and coming back with unfocused eyes and a much too relaxed smile. Though he was aware that William used Dave's name more than once when trying to throw employees under the bus, just as had been done with Fritz. Lefty didn't say anything more.

"I know he worked at Freddy's with you," the puppet offered. "He went to work at a place called Magictime Theater and was keeping kids in the basement there-."

"I don't want to hear this," Lefty interrupted again.

"It's not what you think. The kids are fine and he was caught and, well, died shortly afterwards of heart failure. But that's not important. The important part was that I know you worked at Freddy's and I know you obviously know about how animatronics are created and I…" She was continuing to ramble and so he spoke again. He really was tired of reliving the mistakes of Freddy's.

"I know you think you want to know about Freddy's, but you don't," he whispered to her. "You want to find answers about why this happened and why we're in these suits, and I can't help you. All I know is that Freddy's created something foul and unholy, and I failed to fix it, and now I'm trapped in this bear. Forever."

His tone was final and cold. His words were dismissive, putting a distinct wall in between them. He wanted nothing to do with her or her questioning, but she didn't come this far to be turned away.

"I'm not trying to ask about Freddy's… I'm trying to tell you that I'm Charlie," the Security Puppet finally admitted. Now Chance was listening. No dismissing it, not interrupting it, he snapped his head up and stared at her. She stared back and waited for a reaction beyond the shock.

"Charlie?... No, you can't be. She moved to St. George. She goes to college out there," Lefty defended. It sounded like his voice was trying to raise again, but it stubbornly refused to.

"I came back when Aunt Jen was fixing up the house to resell. When she couldn't sell the house I stayed a little longer and that's when I had my accident," Charlie explained. He stared at her longer. "Grandpa, it is me. I am Charlie. I know we haven't talked in a long time and I know I'm like this, but I wouldn't lie about who I was."

He knew she was being honest and that only made it worse. Unlike his, her expression could change and showed no deception, and her words sounded nothing but honest. It had been so long since they communicated beyond the occasional letter or package in the mail. Maybe a call here and there, but that too had fallen on the wayside as she had grown up, and he blamed himself. Especially now when he saw, to his horror, that she was suffering the same terrible fate as he was.

"Charlotte… My God…" Chance choked as he looked her over. "…How long have you been like this?"

"Not too long… Months," Charlie admitted. "I try not to keep track. I thought it would just be easier if I didn't."

After a moment of deliberation, he boldly asked, "It was the Puppet that put you in that body, wasn't it?" She gave a slow nod of agreement. "I should've known how he was holding on to you like that… You know you're not the only one he's done that too. He's told you that?" She nodded again. "…This shouldn't have happened to you. We- Your father and I never wanted anything like this," Chance admitted with guilt on his voice. "All we ever wanted was to protect you and that- and now this happened."

Something in his voice made her feel a shame that she hadn't in some time. Maybe because of the way he looked at her; no doubt glaring at her form like it was an atrocity. Like her existence as this was abhorrent.

"…And now we're both trapped like this, in these bodies," Lefty said as he began to stare distantly at the other side of the van. "Who is there to free us now? Not the Puppet. He will always bring us back."

"It's not that terrible, Grandpa. I know things have been hard and that we didn't expect like to be like this, but maybe they'll get better," Charlie offered sympathetically. She reached out to lay a hand on his arm. "We're still alive in a way. We still have time and opportunities to live."

"I don't know what he's been telling you-… Where have you been staying? At the pizzeria, right? Not in that house with him?" Chance turned towards her so quickly that he jerked his arm and her hand recoiled back, startled by his change in tone. Still a whisper, but a frantic and infuriated one. She almost considered lying to him with how he was reacting but didn't, and when she nodded his eye widened in horror. "Has he touched you? Has Mike made any passes at you?"

"What?! No!" Charlie answered in aghast. She pulled back in shock and insisted, "I don't know what you're thinking-."

"Has he ever worked on you while you were shut down? No, wait, do you have that programming like the Puppet with the music box putting you to sleep? You can't trust yourself with him. He's not healthy."

"Grandpa, no. I already told you no. I've been living with him and Mari for months and they've never done anything like that!" Angry at them or not, she wouldn't stand aside while he suggested something like that had happened. Though his aggressive reaction did seem to back up Marionette's reasoning for not coming out about his relationship sooner.

"I just don't want them twisting your mind around, making you think that this is how it's supposed to be… This is not how it's supposed to be, Charlotte. We're not supposed to be like this." Chance's anger all but melted as that sadness returned. He couldn't bear looking at her and seeing what he believed he let happen and turned his head away. "We could've been with your father now if it wasn't for all this. Instead we're stuck here…" He slowly raised his head. "…But now that we're together, maybe-."

It was then that he heard footsteps outside of the van. Chance lowered his already hushed voice. "We'll talk about this later."

Charlie was too startled by what was said to come up with a reaction quick enough. Before she could do more than just struggle for words, the van door opened and Fritz climbed in. Natalie followed on her side shortly afterwards and now the Security Puppet lost her chance altogether. The blond woman leaned between the seats with a smile.

"So, what's the plan, Charlie? Do you want us to drop you off at home or do you want to come stay the night with us? We've got room for one more." From her overly cheerful voice and direct invitation it was obvious that she was worried about the younger. Probably not wanting to leave her alone after the upset of today. Scott wouldn't be there to feed the cat until morning, meaning she would be alone the whole night. Honestly, Charlie might've preferred it, but she didn't get a chance to answer.

"She's coming with us," Chance said with firm determination. It was the first time he had spoken to Natalie and really the first time he didn't act like a lifeless body since his pleading in the warehouse. Fritz and Natalie were surprised, but as the Security Puppet wasn't willing to fight with the finality in his voice and they took it as a good enough answer.

The drive then fell into silence. It was during this silence that Charlie started to think more about her grandfather and the dispute he had. Specifically, some of the things that Foxy had implied. It reminded her of what Mike had told her about the burning.

"Some guy found out that the animatronics were alive and decided that it was best for everyone if he took them all out at once."

Back during the fight in the storage room, she hadn't thought of it at all, and it wasn't until the long drive that she wondered if Foxy had been mistaken. She now knew that he wasn't. After what he said, there was no doubt in her mind that her grandfather had been this unnamed man who tried to burn all of them. Yet another thing that had been hidden from her.

But this time something else came from it. If Marionette was willing to hide that Chance did this, then maybe he had hidden other things. Maybe something about her father. Something always seemed odd when Marionette talked about him, and Mike flat out didn't discuss him. She wondered if her grandfather would know, or Baby, or anyone else so she wouldn't have to ask the two who she knew had the answers.

They arrived at Fritz and Natalie's house shortly afterwards. Natalie got out to open the garage door while Fritz backed the end of the van into it so that they could unload the animatronics. She opened the doors and smiled inside, trying to ignore the discomfort of the whole situation. Trying to pretend that she wasn't just going along with this for Fritz's sake. She was convincing.

Charlie slipped out the back and then waited alongside the two humans as they waited on Chance. The black bear seemed hesitant but then began to maneuver himself. It was clear that he wasn't used to any advanced movements from how awkwardly stiff he was as he coerced the thickened body out of the back. He managed to stand on his own and Fritz smiled and took his arm. The yellow eye dropped to it.

"I can walk on my own," Chance grumpily whispered.

"Really? I didn't notice," Fritz playfully answered. It might've been a while, but he was used to the older man's mood, even when it was coming out of a Freddy. "Let's get you inside."

Fritz led Chance into the house while Natalie shut up the van and the garage door. Charlie lingered back in the garage just long enough that the blond noticed and approached her.

"Hey, are you sure you want to do this? I noticed he was answering for you back there. If you want, I could still take you home," Natalie offered kindly. It was a tempting offer, but that would mean spending a whole night alone with herself, so Charlie shook her head.

"Thanks, but… I don't know. Maybe me being here will help?" she asked. Natalie shrugged inconclusively, and the two headed into the house together. They found Fritz trying to help Chance down the basement steps.

"Careful. These steps are a little awkward," Fritz instructed as he led in front. Almost like he did with Baby when she had stayed, but without the risk of her rolling off. Just the constant awkwardness of the black bear's feet not fitting on the steps. They managed to make it into the furnished basement and to the room where Baby had been kept. Both guest rooms were in usable order now, but this one was larger and more set up, which seemed necessary for the bear. Chance stepped into the room and stared at it blankly.

"I don't mean to be a bad host, but I could really use a shower," Fritz said. "But I'll be quick and then maybe we could try catching up? There's a lot I could tell you." The bear did not respond, which the technician took as a bad sign. He gave a small sigh and back out of the room. "So, I'll be back in a few minutes. You can go wherever you want, you don't have to stay in the room. I just wanted to give you a room of your own." He then turned and took a few steps away, only barely catching the response at the last moment.

"I'm sorry you got saddled with me, Kid," Lefty said. It was one of the first times that the technician thought he heard the real Chance, the one he remembered from so long ago. He sighed and looked back towards the bear.

"I'm not saddled with anything. I want you to be here," he assured with a somber smile. "I'll be right back, I promise." He then headed towards the stairs where Natalie was waiting.

"I guess I'll throw something in the oven?" Natalie offered and he responded positively, so she followed him to the stairs. She looked back towards Charlie to see if she was following and found the Security Puppet approaching the bedroom door. She silently wished her luck and headed upstairs after her lover.

Charlie looked back to the door to see that Chance was now standing in the doorway, watching and listening to Fritz and Natalie climbing the steps. He turned his head upwards and listening to the footsteps until he was certain that both weren't coming back, then he beckoned the Security Puppet into the room. She was confused but followed him inside, to which he shut the door behind her.

"Charlotte, I know a way to fix this," Chance began in a desperate whisper. "Now it might sound crazy, but I know of a way to make souls leave animatronic bodies."

"What?" Charlie asked quietly. She had a bad feeling that she knew what he was leading into. "…How?"

"This is going to sound crazy, but you need to believe me on this… When I died in that fire, I was trying to burn the last of the animatronics so I could free the souls trapped in their bodies. Things didn't go as planned and William attacked me and here I am, and this body survived the fire… But if we had a bigger furnace, like the one down in Afton Robotics-."

"Wait, are you saying- Are you trying to tell me that you want us to burn ourselves?!" Charlie asked in disbelief.

"Shh. Don't be so loud. We don't want them hearing," Chance said in paranoia. He looked up towards the ceiling. "The Puppet either, but I know he's not here. I can feel when he's nearby. That's pretty much all this body's good for." He looked back to the Security Puppet and his voice softened. "Charlotte, I know this is a hard idea to swallow, but it is the only way to free us."

"So, Foxy was right. You did try to burn them…"

Apparently, this was not what Chance was expecting as he stared at her for a long time. But then, finally, he spoke. "Yes." She dropped her head slowly to the carpeted floor and a dismayed look settled on her mask. He sighed, coughed, and stepped a little closer. "Charlotte, I know that what I did might sound cold now, now that we're like this… But I only did what I could to fix the mistakes of the past. I was just trying to right the wrongs of Freddy's, to save our family."

"What family?" Charlie flatly asked. She said it without even thinking about it. "There isn't a family anymore. Even before I became like this." Her hands tightened. "And maybe I'm not ready to burn myself to get out of my body." This comment seemed to go completely over his head as he focused on the beginning point.

"I… I know I haven't been a good grandfather to you. I missed out on being a part of your life because I couldn't handle my own problems," Chance admitted with honest guilt.

"That's not what I mean," she corrected. Slowly she raised her head to look at him again. "The family gave up on itself years before that even happened. Everyone drifted away… You weren't the only one to give up." A slow, prickling anger began to build inside of her. "You weren't the only person to pass me up. It was like I was a burden to everyone."

"Charlotte, that's not true. Your father loved you more than life itself, and your mother-… She loved you. She still does, wherever she is. She just couldn't handle losing Henry. None of us could."

"This has nothing to do with my father," Charlie spat as she straightened herself and faced him down. "Father wasn't ever home even when he was alive. He gave me toys and trinkets to show his love, but he wasn't there. How is that any better than Mom leaving? Or you leaving? Or everyone else who just disappeared as soon as they were gone? I was always stuck in that shadow."

"Shadow?" Chance asked in confusion. He then ignored it to press further. "We all loved you and we all wanted to be a part of your life, especially your father. We just couldn't-."

"Nobody wanted anything to do with me once Sammy was gone."

That quieted Chance up immediately. It was the first time that Charlie had said it out loud, let alone admitted it to herself. All that anger hidden for years towards her parents, her aunt, her family spilled out at once. A pressure started to grow in her chest until something suddenly sprung and music started to spill forth. 'Ring Around the Rosie' again, but this time she didn't try to stop it. She ignored it and let herself ring like a bell. This was what she was, after all. Just an animatronic, not a human any longer.

"Charlotte…" the bear began quietly. His voice was hesitant and shaken to the core. "I-… Your father loved you more than anything. Even after we lost Sammy all he ever wanted was to protect you. He worked so that he could try and help you, so that you wouldn't see the pain he was going through. If he knew what was going to happen, then I know he would've chosen you over the business. He would've chosen you over anything else. He loved you more than humanly possible."

"Then why didn't he come to me when he was like this?" Charlie demanded. "If he loved me that much, then why didn't he ever even try to reach out to me?"

"…What are you talking about?" Chance's voice took a strange tone as he stared at the Security Puppet. "What do you mean 'like this'? I don't know what the Puppet's told you, but Henry wasn't in a character."

"Grandpa, I met Mari because he came to tell me that Dad moved on and to tell me about the hauntings, and the murders, and the truth about the things happening at Freddy's. Up until then, Dad had been an animatronic like us inside of a springlock Fredbear suit," Charlie firmly stated. "That was maybe a year ago."

"He was lying." Chance's voice was firm and defiant. He was in complete denial of even the thought of it. "He was lying to you so that he could get close to you, probably because he knew you were Henry's daughter. He got your head all twisted around. None of it's true." He was chanting it almost like a mantra, almost like he was afraid to say anything else. "Your father was a good man."

"My father got into a business with a psychopath who killed children and knew he was doing it- Don't shake your head! I've been in his office, Grandpa, why else was he recording calls?! He knew, and if he didn't then he knew once he was an animatronic! But he didn't do anything, and he didn't warn us!" Charlie's anger flared. "And maybe Marionette didn't tell me he was related to William, but maybe he didn't because you tried to set them all on fire and he's scared! And maybe, just maybe, I don't mind being an animatronic! Maybe I like it! Maybe I feel happier now than I did when I was a 'real person'!"

"Charlie, you're not-."

"Where was Dad when Mom left?! Where was Dad on those long nights when I was alone in my room, needing comfort but knowing I wasn't going to get it from Aunt Jen?! When I was expected to stay quiet?!"

"Charlotte-."

"Where was Dad when William took Sammy?! Why were we alone?! Why did I have to live with the guilt being the one who wasn't taken?!"

"Charlotte-."

"I'm not going to burn myself in a furnace to make anybody happy and if my father doesn't like it, then he can come tell me himself!" With that, Charlie grabbed the door and slammed it shut, effectively blocking out her grandfather and then storming towards the stairs. She could hear him calling after her and fumbling with the doorknob and took a slightly sadistic pride that she made it more difficult for him to follow. Her anger was still boiling by time she reached the stairs.

The jingling and ringing were still going so she took a note from Baby and thumped a fist to her chest. The music maker inside jumbled and skipped just enough that she got control of it, like yanking the needle off a record player. The amount of control was almost a relief as she continued up the stairs. This also meant that nobody heard her coming and she was able to hear a hushed conversation between Fritz and Natalie.

"You have to tell her," Natalie insisted. She sounded at the end of her rope, probably hearing the fighting downstairs.

"I can't be the one to do that. Mari or Mike should tell her. I'm not even entirely sure about the whole thing, I was outside!" Fritz defended. "I'm nobody, it's going to hurt a lot more coming from me."

"At this rate, he's going to get her so confused that she's not going to even going to talk with anyone, and I can't tell her because I wasn't there!" Natalie insisted. "She needs to know the truth."

Charlie wasn't sure what they were discussing, but she was at the end of her rope- or perhaps strings. Exhausted and needing to do something, as Chance would eventually get the door open, she finished climbing the stairs. They fell silent as they saw her, as expected, and she continued to go for the garage to cool down. Then she could ask them about it. Or that was the plan until Natalie nudged Fritz's back and he followed.

"Charlie, wait," the technician blurted out. She came to a stop in the hall outside the garage door and he hurried up to her. He looked torn for a moment as she looked back to him but then made up his mind. "There's something I need to tell you about your father…" He exhaled slowly and rubbed his face. He hated having to be the one to do this. "The day after the fire, there was an incident at the warehouse."

Mable: Though you better believe that Fritz probably won't be giving this information to Chance. That… Would probably end in a disaster. Even more so than the one at hand I mean. Anyways, hope you enjoyed!