Mable: Sorry tonight's chapter is so late. Had some issues pop up that delayed me quite a bit, but here we are! Enjoy!

Almost Feels Like Home

Chapter Eighty-Five

When Jeremy woke, he instantly remembered the night before and for a moment thought it had been a dream. That desperate hope only lasted a few seconds before he realized that he was in the office of Foxy's Pirate Cove laying on the couch. He had driven there, he had seen all of that, last night had really happened. There was a shifting noise above his head. A squeaking noise, like the wheels of an office chair, and he shot up with a start.

"Easy, Lad! It's just me," Foxy said. He caught Jeremy's shoulder before he could jump up and eased him back onto the couch. "Yer in the office. It's safe."

"Foxy! Thank goodness!" Jeremy replied breathily. His pulse was already beginning to race but eased as he laid back down. He turned to look at the animatronic. "You- You wouldn't believe the night I had…"

"Aye. Prob'ly wouldn't've iff'n I hadn't seen it meself." It was clear from Foxy's tone that he was worried. That and the fact that he was sitting in the office chair watching the blond like a hawk. A quick look at the clock showed that it was six in the morning, but opening the pizzeria was the last thing on his mind. "Ya came in in bad shape. Ya weren't actin' right," he continued. He squeezed the man's shoulder in concern. "The bloody 'ell was that, Jer'my?"

It was weird. Jeremy couldn't remember relaxing enough to sit down on the couch, let alone lay down and fall asleep. Not to mention how Foxy got into the room when he had locked the office door. He looked over to see it shut but knew it was probably unlocked, meaning that man- or whatever that had been- had already left. He doubted Foxy would be so calm if he hadn't.

"It's a long story…" Jeremy hesitantly began before trailing off. It was an utterly insane story in hindsight. There was no way Foxy would believe it.

"We've got hours, Lad. Maybe more dependin' on where this tale goes," Foxy pressed. That firmness showed that he wasn't planning on backing off. He wanted answers- he had probably saw the state of his stage. The pirate grabbed Jeremy cellphone off the desk, which he must've brought in, and handed it over. "Just start at the top."

Jeremy swallowed thickly and forced himself to think back on the night. Surprisingly, he could remember most of it. He wished that he didn't.

"I, uh… I went over to Scott's to try out this game of his. This game where you're exploring a spaceship trying to stop it from flying into the sun. It looked just like a normal game, a-and for a while it was…" Foxy was nodding and coaxing him on. With a slow exhale, Jeremy sat up to lean on the back of the couch. He reflexively pulled his legs in as though to shield or brace himself. He could already feel his nerves beginning to fray even in this safe, fully lit office. He was thankful that Foxy was sitting so close.

"…Then about an hour into the game something changed… I started seeing shadows and was getting weird messages… I think it said my name," Jeremy admitted with a shudder. "So, yeah, I stopped playing after that. I told Scott and Ennard tried to go look at it, but the computer shut down or something. I don't know. I didn't stick around to find out. I got in the car and… Started to drive home… And then things got worse."

"Whaddya mean, worse?" Foxy probed.

"First off, there were dogs everywhere and they kept running for my tires."

Foxy snorted. "Aye, that be worse alright." Jeremy gave a small frown. "Err, sorry. Keep goin'. You stop anywhere else?"

"I stopped everywhere. I stopped when I thought there was someone in the car, I stopped when I thought I hit a kid, I stopped when I drove past the same restaurant three or four times!... It was a garbage bag," he clarified, seeing the fox's look when he had made the 'child' comment. "And the whole time I… I was seeing and hearing these insane things. And then I got here and I saw this body and there was this thick, paint stuff everywhere… And I think it must've come from that game. It all started after that."

There was a long pause. Foxy was sitting there watching but had no further comment. Jeremy felt a different kind of fear creep up. "You… You believe me, right?" he asked. It took the fox a little too long to answer him, and even when he did it started with a mechanical sigh, which sounded like a bad sign.

Foxy rolled the office chair beside the couch and looked intensely at the man. His stare was almost too much; Jeremy already felt like crumbling and he hadn't even done anything worth being interrogated over.

"I believe ya, but… Look, I don't wanna be like this. I don't wanna be the one askin' this," Foxy admitted vaguely. He tapped his fingers on his leg, built up his nerve, and then, "…Ya take anything ya shouldn't have?"

"What?!"

"Lad, I ain't gonna judge ya if ya dabbled in somethin' ya had no business gettin' into. Ya tried somethin' stupid, ya had a bad trip, and now ya ain't gonna do it again. But I wanna know what ya did, where ya got it, and make sure you ain't gonna do it again. All it takes is one puff or drink or-."

"Foxy, I didn't take any drugs! It was that game that did it!" Jeremy cried in defense. "God, Foxy- It said it wanted to carve my face off! And it kept talking about knives! It was threatening me!"

"It said what?" That caused Foxy's head to snap up quickly. Almost as quickly as Jeremy stood up from the couch, and Foxy leapt up after him. "Lad, wait, wait! I didn't say I didn't believe ya!"

"You didn't see what happened last night, Foxy! It was a living nightmare! There were corpses walking around!" Jeremy defended.

"The heck I didn't, Lad! I saw exactly what happened once ya got in here," Foxy affirmed. He grabbed for Jeremy's arm to make sure he wouldn't leave, which he wasn't planning on doing anyway. "Ya were half mad. Stumblin' 'round in a frenzy, wide-eyed, and ya took off on me when I tried to help! What was I supposed to think?"

Jeremy was about to retort when he noticed something. He caught his voice and blinked, and then asked, "I… Wait… Wait, you weren't here when I got here last night."

"Course I was! Ya just weren't actin' right. Second I got anywhere near ya, ya bolted!"

"You got near me… Were you on the stage?" When Foxy nodded, Jeremy felt a chill run down his spine. He remembered the shuffling body from last night. "That was you."

"'Course it t'was! Who else'd be here in the middle of the night? Who else be wearin' fox fur in the middle of the night?"

The blonde's eyes were still just as wide as his frustration was quickly replaced with dread. He slowly shuffled back to the couch before dropping on it to process the rest of the information.

Foxy persisted with a huff, tossing up his hands. "A'right, Lad. A'right. If ya say ya didn't take anything then I believe ya. No reason to hide that from ol' Foxy… How about eatin'? Did ya eat anything weird? Lad?"

"Was… Was all of that just me hallucinating?" Jeremy asked in quiet disbelief. "Getting lost, the garbage cans, seeing and hearing all that weird stuff, was it just… Did I have some sort of psychotic episode for no reason? Did I suddenly go insane because I'm stressed out?!" He shook his head in disbelief as the weight of it all crashed down on him. "Was I just imagining the stuff that happened in the game too?!"

"Take it easy, Lad. May not be like that," Foxy tried.

"Then what is it like, Foxy?! I got lost in my own town and saw things that weren't even there! What am I supposed to do, never leave the house alone and hope that I don't go hysterical again?!" He yanked off his glasses and dropped his head into his hand. "Why now? Why does everything have to go wrong now?"

Foxy sighed and slowly sat back down on the office chair. "Jer'my, it's gonna be fine. People don't go addled fer no reason." He didn't get an answer. He scooted up closer and rested his hand on Jeremy's knee. "Look, it ain't… It could'a been the game."

Jeremy gave a weary sigh, assuming he was being humored. "You don't have to try and make me feel better… I need to know if there's something seriously wrong with me."

"I'm not tryin' to make ya feel better, Lad. It be true! Back at Freddy's, the old arcade cabinets would act up on their own. Nothin' inside 'em that we knew of, but they used to show things they weren't supposed to. If it could happen to those hunks of metal then it could happen to a game that ain't ancient."

"…Really?" Jeremy hesitantly asked. "Did you ever find out what did it?"

"Nay, but me best guess be it somethin' 'bout havin' 'em close to a bunch o' haunted bots. Same goes fer Scott's rig, whatever it be we know it be close to Ennard an' Baby. Might've picked up their remnant."

"The headset could've picked it up and then I picked it up from that maybe?" Jeremy thought. "But that doesn't explain why I was still seeing stuff when I left."

"… Nah, it don't. But you ain't seein' things now, are ya? Maybe that be the end of it." Foxy patted his shoulder with his hook. "We got bigger fish to fry. Whaddya say to a mug of joe and a slice? Yer prob'ly half-starved after all that!" Jeremy wasn't sure if Foxy was putting him on or not, but food sounded good right about now.

There were always plenty of leftovers and the pizza hadn't lost much taste from being microwaved. Jeremy took it with a soda instead of a coffee, thinking that the sugar in it would do the same as the caffeine boost. He kept an eye out for anything strange and was second guessing his vision constantly, but to his relief the hallucinations weren't returning. By time the sun fully rose he almost felt confident that he was in the clear. Foxy helped that, staying close and keeping him grounded.

He knew Foxy was worried. He was too, but he couldn't stick around forever. Eventually it started to edge on the time when the other employees would get there to start opening. Foxy noticed it first.

"Tell ya what, Lad. How's about ya go home and get some sleep. We'll handle a day without ya," Foxy encouraged. While Jeremy would've appreciated the distraction, he knew he wasn't good to work, and nodded in agreement. The pirate scratched the back of his neck with his hook, his other arm circling Jeremy's shoulders. "And, uh… Maybe if all goes good, ol' Foxy can ship off outta here and back home fer the night. Just so ya don't have to handle all those dolls on yer own."

"I'd really like that. If you think you can," Jeremy said with a smile. It hesitated. "Did, uh… You talk to anyone? Last night, I mean. Any calls?"

"Nah. Phone was back on the fritz. All's anyone knows is that ya disappeared off the face o' the Earth. That is, unless Scott saw ya drivin' around his street hittin' dogs," Foxy teased with a small snicker.

"Hah, no. Thankfully no. I somehow got to the one street in town that was completely deserted!... Which means I probably found my way into the tornado drop zone. Guess I should just be glad I didn't run over any live wires… Foxy?" Foxy looked to him and the smile returned in full. "Thanks. For being here for me and for helping me. Really, thanks."

"Don't mention it, Lad. Ya know that's what a good cap'n does fer his favorite," Foxy said, pulling Jeremy in and nuzzling his shoulder affectionately. Part of him didn't want to let him drive home alone but the other part didn't want to risk him staying and being overwhelmed by another busy shift. Regardless of what caused the hallucination, he needed the rest to recover. "Be careful out there, Jer'my. And know if it gets bad you can always come back here. I'd rather have ya with me then runnin' 'round the city."

"I know and I will," Jeremy said. He tilted the fox's head closer and pressed a chaste kiss to his muzzle. "I love you, Gabe. I really do."

Foxy gave a subdued rumbling in his chest, nuzzled him a little firmer, and held him close. He didn't want to let him go, regardless of what he said. He was more worried than he was willing to admit and he wasn't nearly as confident in the idea that it had been the game as he let on.

"Are you going to be okay with me leaving? You're tensing up on me," Jeremy lightly teased. Foxy snapped out of his trance and hid his concern.

"If something happens to him, I'm never going to forgive myself." The thought betrayed him and he had to shake it off quickly to fake a normal sounding response. "Nah, this how I always be before work. Ya just usually ain't close enough to feel it. Ya take care of yerself and I'll see ya tonight." Foxy nudged him with his muzzle once more before releasing him. "And I love ya too. Yer me first mate fer a reason."

The drive home was largely uneventful. As paranoid as Jeremy was, nothing seemed out of place in town and he made it back to the house without getting lost or disoriented. It wasn't until then that he realized his animatronics were probably going to have strong feelings about his absence, but he swallowed that dread and knocked.

Mike answered the door already dressed in his work uniform and looking much more natural in color compared to his feverish self. He quirked a brow. "Morning, Jeremy. Forget something? Like a half-dozen kids?"

"Something like that," Jeremy answered with a smile as he stepped in. "Sorry about last night. I had a rough time and it's a long story."

"Can't be any longer than mine. Forget-Me-Not got stuck behind the dryer and we had the move the whole thing to get her out. Good times," Mike remarked. He got a slightly playful smirk as he lifted his coffee cup. "But seriously, what happened? Scott called and said you were on your way and that was it."

"Yeah, I was… What else did he say?" Jeremy squeaked out. Another raised brow.

"He said something went wrong with the game he had you trying and you left quickly. When you didn't show I called him back, but he hadn't seen you, and your cell kept going to voicemail."

"Maybe I had it shut off… But Scott's not wrong. The game was- Long story short, a disaster, and I was just… I was too worked up to come home. I-I didn't want to worry everyone. Or I wouldn't have wanted to if I was thinking straight. I stopped off at the pizzeria and spent the night with Foxy."

"Ding, ding, ding! I knew Foxy was about to come into the equation, ha ha! How very predictable of him," Max called out of the living room. He shuffled to the side enough that Jeremy could see him from around the couch. "That pirate sure has his hook in you, Jerry."

"Heh, well uh, what can I say? He's charming." Jeremy knew more questions would follow so he had to quickly change the conversation. He looked back towards Mike. "You're looking better. You're going to work?"

"That's the plan unless I go massively downhill in the next few minutes," Mike agreed. "I'm starting to get a little stir crazy, so I'd probably fight to go in even it did come back."

"That's great! We were getting worried back there with the wheezing and everything." Jeremy really was relieved. Maybe this meant that his own absence wouldn't be as noticeable. "Hey, so… I didn't get much sleep last night. Would you and Fritz mind if I took a personal day? I just… Need to get my head together. Captain's orders."

"It's fine by me and I don't see Fritz having a problem with it. He knows about last night, so I'll bring him up to speed when I get over there. This might be for the best anyway. Someone's got to keep an eye on the place or I'm going to get stuck fishing a doll out of another appliance," Mike said as he turned to rinse out his cup.

He could've easily told Jeremy how worried everyone was and how worked up all the dolls had gotten the night before. How the Minireenas slept in his bed and fussed all night at their caretaker being gone. How mercilessly cheeky Balloon Boy had gotten the closer it had gotten to midnight. He didn't though, because he wasn't oblivious. Jeremy was drenched in nervousness and stress and bringing up that he had been with Foxy just seemed to confirm that he needed an escape. To Mike, the game had just been the last straw that led to Jeremy taking a night away. He understood it.

"Besides, captain's word is law. And you better believe that if we don't follow that law, we're looking at a chew-out," Mike added. Jeremy looked relieved. "Just try to take it easy. I mean, as easy as you can with a bunch of little toys hanging off you and that one wailing like an air siren," he teased, gesturing over to Max. The blond chuckled and coughed into his fist, catching Mike's attention right away. "When did that start?"

"Just now, it's nothing. Just pizza grease and not enough water," Jeremy declined quickly. He was more interested in the hallway as he heard many small footsteps coming.

Marionette came out of the hall with Plushtrap in his arms, the Minireenas and Bidybabs following at his feet, and Balloon Boy tailing at the back. He had heard Jeremy come in, but it was clear that the others had not, as they caught only one glimpse of him and reacted with surprise and excitement. In seconds they began swarming him. Daisy and Rose began to climb his legs, the Bidybab cried out for attention, and Marionette set down Plushtrap so he could run over and chatter eagerly.

"Hey, there you all are!" Jeremy greeted with a warm smile. He knelt and let them nearly overtake him. He could tell they were worried; if not from the Minireenas' fussy noises than from the Bidybab twins' rapid firing questions. "Sorry I was so late. I… Got caught up last night."

"He was with Foxy," Max said matter-of-factly, eyes rolling to Marionette.

"Yeah, big shocker," Mike chimed in, sending the same puppet a playful smirk.

"I had a little… Trouble with Scott's game," Jeremy admitted, clearing his throat halfway through. "It turned out that it wasn't what I thought it was going to be, and I didn't want everyone to see me upset so I went to Foxy's to cool down… And I ended up sleeping in the office." It wasn't a lie, but he hated having to give these half-truths. He might've been willing to tell Mike, Marionette, and Max- even if they thought he was losing it too- but the little ones wouldn't understand. It would scare them too much to think their parent couldn't take care of them.

"Did the game cheat, Daddy?" one of the Bidybabs asked.

"No, it was just… It pretended it was a normal game and then got really scary," Jeremy admitted. He felt a weight on his back and looked to see Balloon Boy leaning against him and peering over his shoulder.

"Oh! I don't like those scary games," the same Bidybab sympathized. "I don't like when the scissor boy jumps out."

"Why does he get to run with scissors? Because he's scary?" the other Bidybab asked. "He wouldn't be so scary without them."

Jeremy chuckled at their innocent conversing. "I think running with scissors might be the least of his worries." He hugged them all closer. "But I'm going to stay home today to make up for being gone last night."

"Just don't push yourself too hard, Jere. If you're picking up whatever I had, then there's a chance you'll be out of commission for more than just a day," Mike reminded him. He then got the rest of his things together to leave. He scooped Daisy and Rose off Jeremy and reached for Forget-Me-Not. She was more reluctant and began to circle the blond to avoid capture. "Help me out here?"

Balloon Boy beat Jeremy to it. When Forget-Me-Not tried to rush by him, he quickly grabbed her in a bearhug and held her through her squirming until Mike was able to retrieve her.

"Thanks." Mike then wrapped them in his jacket to carry them easier. He could feel them kicking and hear them hissing underneath the fabric, but after last night's fusses he knew it was best to just get them under control and handle their reactions later.

As he was doing this, Charlie joined up with them from the hallway. She noticed Jeremy's return right away and sent him a smile. "Jeremy, you're back! Glad to see you're okay. We got a little worried when you never came home last night," she said as she unfolded the sheet to cover herself with.

"I meant to call, but things got a little… Out of hand," Jeremy excused. He was fumbling it a little worse now, but they didn't seem to notice as they were getting ready to leave. "So, uh, just tell Fritz I'll be back to work tomorrow and that I'm fine."

"Fine but dying of flu. Got it," Mike agreed as he held the Minireenas under one arm and grabbed his keys with the free hand. "If it gets any worse, there's medicine in the cabinet in the bathroom. And call Scott if you can. You know how he gets." With that, he headed out to drop off the Minireenas before returning to collect Charlie, with Marionette disappearing sometime in between. Leaving Jeremy alone with his animatronics.

"Daddy, will you play with us now?" one of the Bidybabs asked as she hugged his knee. He patted her head lovingly.

"Sure. Just let me call Scott and tell him I'm okay, okay? Why don't you all find something we can do together." The Bidybabs detached and scurried off first with Lilium and Plushtrap more hesitant to do so. "It's okay, guys. I'm not going anywhere. Go help them find a game." This was all the encouragement they needed. Plushtrap grabbed Lilium's hand and led her off in a clumsy jog. This just left the weight on his back, Balloon Boy. "You can go too, BB, if you want."

Balloon Boy leaned up and hooked his arms tightly over Jeremy's shoulders. He wasn't going anywhere.

"Well, looks like you're coming with me then." Jeremy hooked his arms under the bot's body and started to lift him. He was heavier than he looked but nothing compared to Maxwell. Ironically, he was the only one that felt to be the weight of a child. Jeremy hefted him up and carried him over to the phone where he took the receiver, held it with his shoulder, and began to dial Scott's number.

It was then when his eyes started to wander and as though out of their own reflex fixated on a picture hanging by the phone. It was a frame photo of Fritz, Natalie, Mike, and himself standing outside of Foxy's. Probably taken close to when they had opened the business. On its own it was a nice memory but the photo was rather unremarkable, but seeing it gave him a new idea. Without saying what he was doing, he hung the phone back up and started to wander around the living room and kitchen, looking at the pictures on the walls.

Most of the pictures had been put up recently and most of the ones left behind by the Afton family were no longer decorating the walls. Jeremy moved into the hallway to continue his search and it was there, just past the grandfather's clock, that he found what he was looking for.

It was a professional family portrait of a much younger Marion, Elizabeth, and Gabriel. Elizabeth was the only one in the picture with a genuine smile as Marion's looked small and Gabriel's looked like a half grimace. Jeremy was sure he had seen this picture before, and Gabriel before, but this was the first time he looked this closely. It was difficult to compare this image with what he saw last night. The corpse had been of an adult, had been drenched in that vile fluid, and had a mask shielding its face.

It was the slightly more tanned skin that gave it away. Jeremy hadn't just hallucinated Foxy as that body; the body had looked like Gabriel. A cold weight settled into his stomach.

"Foxy was there the whole time and I couldn't even tell it was him… What if it happens with the others too? It could happen any time. I could lose it and end up hurting someone... I guess I could just close my eyes and ride it out," Jeremy considered. He closed his eyes and stared at the darkness behind his eyelids. "…It couldn't have been from the game. Something's wrong with me."

He cut off with a raspy cough and Balloon Boy leaned over his shoulder before poking him with his fist. "I'm okay," Jeremy assured him as he cleared his throat. "Let's go call Scott before the others get back." Balloon Boy gave a laugh of what he assumed was agreement and Jeremy carried him back to the phone.

He would just close his eyes and ride it out next time. If there was a next time. Or when.

The pizzeria was crowded again. Mike had been told about the day before, but he hadn't known the true extent of it until now when he had kids running underfoot. It was a lot more work to keep everything running and yet it was such a relief to have the business thriving, even if it was only a temporary boost in sales.

While the number of patrons were up, the number of parties hadn't changed. Today there was only one and the only thing that might've stood out was that it was requested for Marionette to entertain the kids instead of Foxy. The general fulness of the pizzeria had made everything much more compact and crowded. Presents were stacked on the same table as the food and drink while kids were running around and parents were bumping elbows.

Marionette had watched the cake's journey from the kitchen to the table, to the edge of the table, to sitting dangerously on the corner, and knew it wasn't going to stay there long at this rate. Not with how everyone was moving around like they were. He was the only one who seemed to notice too, with Mike pouring drinks on the other side of the table and everyone else oblivious to it. It would've all been fine if they had served the cake already, but no. They brought it out, the birthday girl blew out her candles, and then for some nonsensical reason they decided to wait longer.

All he had to do was gently nudge it further onto the table except there were too many people watching. Too many kids circling his legs and demanding attention to even get one-on-one time with the birthday girl, let alone to reach out and shove the cake back onto an already packed table. So, instead, he just kept an eye on it and hoped nothing disastrous would happen. Which meant he was watching when one of the fathers came over, getting the plates doled out, and promptly swung his elbow back without paying attention.

It was as though everything was moving in slow motion. Marionette watched the elbow hit the cake, the cake started to tilt, and then began to tumble.

All at once, Marionette released his strings and dropped down to catch the cake. Which he did, right against his chest. He inwardly cringed as he felt the icing smear on his fabric and the cake itself squish against him. Now he was wondering if he should've just let it drop on the floor, it wasn't like it was going to look very pretty after this. He knew he wasn't going to.

The man looked horrified, either because the cake had just gotten partially ruined or because he might've been liable for the animatronic. He didn't even dare touch either, just gawking at the scene as the children all rushed over to look. It wasn't until Mike came over that he turned the cake and lifted it off Marionette, who had been frozen still in place, and set it back on the table. Most of the toppings were smeared, patches of the cake was bald, and any words written in icing were lost, but it at least looked partially edible.

He could've said the same thing about Marionette, who had white icing and sprinkles caked into his chest. One of the candles was still stuck to him which Mike noticed and plucked off, sticking it back into the half-mangled cake and muttering a, "Good as new."

The man began to profusely apologize, the birthday girl started to get red faced like she was about to cry, and Mike was quick to pull Marionette up and whisk him away. "We'll be right back!" he promised before rushing off. Then he muttered under his breath, "Just as soon as someone else comes and cleans up that mess."

He took Marionette into the Prize Corner and sat him on the counter before dipping under it for the hidden cleaning wipes. They always had a spare container there since children frequently brought food in regardless of any posted sign saying not to. Thankfully the corner was currently empty, save for Natalie who took the opportunity to step out and stretch her legs now that someone else was watching the counter.

"I need Fritz to look at my programming. There must be some way to program a realistic looking reflex where I'm allowed to detect and move things before they fall and make a mess everywhere," Marionette remarked. From his tone it was obvious that he was disappointed. "Or just install a loud and obnoxious siren whenever anyone gets too close to the cake."

"I don't know why, but I can see both of those going wrong. Right here, in fact," Mike said, pointing over the icing stain. Unlike the puppet, he found the situation borderline hilarious. "You were the one who tried to play hero and made a dive for the cake."

"It would've been much more heroic if I saved the cake," Marionette pouted.

"I'd still eat that cake," Mike assured. The puppet looked gave him a flat look and he responded by swiping his thumb over his upper button, catching the icing there, and licking it off. "Tastes fine to me."

"I don't think the birthday girl's going to agree," the puppet said, though now his smile was creeping back up. He gave a light chime that was cut off quickly and reverted to his default smile just before he could be noticed by a child who walked into the Prize Corner.

The boy walked up to the counter with about a dozen tickets crunched up in his hand. It didn't look like enough to get anything off the shelves, but he seemed more interested in the puppet anyways. He watched as Mike continued to wipe off the black and white fabric. "What are you doing?" he asked. Like it wasn't apparent what he was doing, wiping smeared icing off with a cleaning rag.

"Just cleaning up Mari here. He got into a scuffle with a birthday cake," Mike explained. "Just give me a second and he'll be as good as new."

"Can I help?" the boy asked. Mike wasn't sure why his first reaction was to inwardly ask "why". Even if he was trying to weasel out of more tickets, he didn't look like he was up to anything malicious, and it wasn't like he could make it worse. Mike knew what Marionette's encouraging answer would've been.

"Alright, Kid, sure. Here." Mike handed over the wet wipe. "Just wipe over the icing and it'll come off. And don't put the rag in your mouth or on your eyes or anything."

The boy began to work. His motions weren't as thorough as they needed to be and Mike knew he would have to go back over it with another wipe, but it was nice to see one of the children trying to help. Even with how still Marionette was he could tell he was just as happy to see it.

A familiar ringing broke out from Mike's pocket and he pulled out his cellphone and checked the number. He expected it to be from either Jeremy or Scott, but he didn't recognize the phone number. The only thing he noticed was that it was from out of town. Probably one of his relatives using a number he wasn't familiar with. He would call back later, and he put the cell phone back in his pocket without much thought.

The boy finished up shortly afterwards and, ignoring some of the icing stuck around the buttons, he had done well. "Good job, Kid. Who knows, maybe someday we'll be paying you to do this," Mike encouraged. He then pointed to the tickets. "You want to trade those out?"

"Yup. How much chocolate can I get for these?" the boy asked as he handed out the tickets. "The big bars, not those little, gross ones."

Sudden, Marionette leaned backwards over the counter and reached into it to grab a few Foxy-themed candy bars. He straightened quickly and offered the stack while holding his other hand out for the tickets. Mike was certain that there was one too many in the stack for that amount of tickets but didn't say anything, instead getting an amused smile as he watched the boy eagerly snatch up the bars and thrust the tickets back. With short thanks, he hurried back out again, leaving the two in the Prize Corner.

Marionette's smile had brightened considerably once he was free enough to show it. Mike got another wipe out and quickly went over his buttons again to get off the last bits of cake. "There, good as new," he said before looking to the puppet. "Ready to go rejoin the party?"

"As ready as ever," Marionette chimed as he slid off the counter and offered his arm to be guided out. Which he was, and he was ready to go try and salvage the party better than the cake.

They stepped out of the Prize Corner just in time to see a child trying to get rid of a soda cup in Charlie's box.

"Hey! I saw that!" Mike called. The child's head snapped up before they bolted off into the dining room. "There's a trash can ten feet away," he muttered as he headed over to the box and lifted one of the flaps. "Hey, you need me to- Oh." He was answered by a cup being handed up to him, empty except for some half-melted ice at the bottom. "Looks like you've got it covered. I'll get rid of this." Charlie gave a thumbs up, or her equivalent of it, and returned into the box again. Mike tossed out the cup and returned to Marionette.

"You've got to love these kids. For everyone doing their share you've got another going out of their way to give us work," Mike remarked. Marionette gave an amused chime but stayed silent as he was led back to the party. Thankfully, the birthday girl had been calmed down and they were already dividing up the cake. "See? I told you it was still good."

At least it wasn't a total loss.

"We're back," Mike called into the living room as he set down the Minireenas and then shut and locked the door behind Charlie. Marionette had already made his way in.

"Oh, hey! How'd it go?" Jeremy croaked out. Mike lightly cringed at how crackly his voice sounded and exchanged that look with Marionette's startled one. He could vaguely hear Charlie make a hissing noise of sympathy as she knelt to pet Moppet, who had come to greet them. "Is Foxy still coming?" Jeremy asked as he was bombarded with eager Minireenas that climbed into his lap.

"Yeah, Fritz is bringing him," Mike said, coming over to lean on the back of the couch. He could see a light dusting of pink underneath the blonde's eyes. "You look like you're running a temp."

"I know, but if I ignore it it'll go away," Jeremy offered with a light smile.

"I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news, but I think that only works with bills and toothaches," Mike said sarcastically. He started to turn towards Marionette who was coming over when Jeremy spoke again.

"By the way, someone named Jen or Jennifer called?" he said. Both looked over and Charlie's head snapped up, the bell on her prong ringing from the movement. "She said she was going to call you at work."

"Someone called me at work…" Mike muttered as he got out his cellphone. He checked the missed call again and was confused. That was not Jen's usual number. "Did she say why?"

"She said it was important but wouldn't go into details," Jeremy admitted. He then looked down at Daisy, who was tugging at his collar. "Okay, okay, I see you! I'm all yours now."

Mike exchanged a look with Marionette and then gave Charlie a slow side glance. Then he yanked his eyes away quickly, as though that was inconspicuous, and headed to the home phone. He picked up to redial when Charlie stood. "Hey…" she began. He paused to look back at her. "…If you can, ask if she was the one who locked up the basement." With a nod, Mike dialed the number and waited.

But it wasn't Aunt Jen who answered. "Hello?"

"Jen?" Mike asked in confusion. There was a relieved sigh on the other side.

"Matt! Good to hear from you! I thought maybe you didn't get my messages. Your inbox was full… I can't remember which one."

"Jen…?" It was then that he suddenly remembered who she was, with her calling him 'Matt' tipping him off right away. It wasn't Aunt Jen, but the woman he had met at Hickory, Dickory, and Dock's Funcade. "Jennifer? Never thought I'd hear from you again," Mike greeted her. "How's life after Hickory's?"

"It would be great if I had one," she answered tiredly. "Aaand you've probably already figured out the topic of today's conversation."

"Whose Jennifer?" Charlie whispered to Marionette. He leaned in to answer quietly while still listening to the call.

"She worked at Hickory, Dickory, and Doc's Funcade. She was the designated 'Phone Girl' of the location, but I thought she quit…" Marionette didn't take this as a good sign. His suspicions immediately went back to the remaining animatronics and he dreaded the thought that they had somehow 'woke up' again. He sighed, "This can't be social call."

"This doesn't have anything to do with Chance, does it?" Mike asked.

"No, I haven't seen him since he left. It's actually… there's an issue at the Funcade. I don't know if you heard, but the place got fixed up and is doing okay business again. I'm not working for them."

"Okay." Mike wasn't entirely convinced. "And I'll go out on a limb and say that if you're calling me, the issue is with a set of busted up animatronics that aren't working right and wandering at night, and they're looking for a night guard to come in and keep an eye on them."

"Well… Kind of. See after you left, most of the animatronics stopped working and they got rid of them. The only ones that were still there was Hickory and Dickory, and they weren't walking around anymore. I don't know what you did to stop that, but you probably saved someone's life doing that."

"Yeah, my own," Mike thought. "And maybe Jeremy's."

"But whatever you did, we- I need you to do it again," Jennifer insisted. "Pretty recently the Funcade bought a couple of new animatronics at auction and they… Yeah, you guess it, they walk at night. They don't have people doing the nightshift anymore so nobody's in danger, and they don't act out during the day, but you know how some of the old animatronics used to damage themselves? Well, these ones just trash the arcade every night. I'm not kidding. There's literal trash everywhere when they open during the day. Which is… Annoying."

"Sounds like, but I don't think you'd be calling if it was just trash. Not when compared with what we've seen before… Especially since you don't work there," he added with a touch of smugness.

"I have a friend who works there, but that's not the point. And you're right, it's not just trash. Yesterday the workers found Hickory laying on the floor with his right arm dislocated because something knocked him off the stage. Now he's in repair, out of service, which means they're going to have to put one of these ones on stage and it's just- It's a recipe for disaster. So, if you could work your magic, I'd really appreciate it."

"Wish I could say I could, but I don't even work there and I doubt they're going to rehire the same guy that split when all of the animatronics stopped working," Mike pointed out.

"Not a problem. I have a code to get in and since they aren't hiring nightguards anymore we won't run into anyone… The only issue will be the cameras, but you can leave that to me. The more important thing is that someone does something about the animatronics… Again."

Mike hated how tempting the offer sounding. Half of him knew it was a bad idea and was willing to just dismiss the whole plan altogether, more than usual. With the business just now becoming stable and the police still a very real threat, injecting himself into a business with unstable animatronics was a bad idea. Worse it would link him to Chance, a 'missing' person who Burke was very aware of. The suspicion that would arise if it came out that he snuck into another business with a fake name…

"…I'll think about it," Mike finally answered. "I'll call you back tomorrow just give me a night to mull it over."

"Okay, sure. Take all the time you need… And if you do, just know that I've got your back. I'm not going to let anyone else figure out what we're doing, so… Yeah. Glad to talk with you, I'll hear from you tomorrow. Good-bye," Jennifer rushed out the end awkwardly. That alone betrayed her unease in the situation. Maybe he wasn't the only one aware of how testy this situation was. He hung up the phone.

The others waited for Mike to say something and when he didn't, seemingly lost in thought, Marionette ventured to do so. "So… What's the plan then? Another all-nighter at Hickory Dickory Doc's?"

"I don't know. That would be the dumbest thing I could do right now, screwing up our entire lives… I don't know. Usually I'm all for this, but I don't exactly look back on my week at Hickory's as a success," Mike admitted, crossing his arms over his chest. This time he knew he had to be responsible. "I guess not. I'll just tell Jennifer tomorrow that I can't do it. She said herself that they're not attacking anyone…" He waited for an agreement from Marionette and didn't receive one and looked to him to see a thoughtful look. "…Unless you're thinking something different?"

"I… I don't know what I'm thinking…" Marionette said. He sounded just as hesitant as Mike. "If it was anywhere else it would be a firm no, but considering who we found there last time…" His mask marred with dread as he lowered his head. "I would hate to think that one of them is still there, stuck in a new body and crying out for help."

"Yeah, but that's where Chance was working and Burke knows about Chance, and Burke's going to lock in if he finds out I've been going by other aliases. You've seen how he's latched onto Fritz," Mike said. He tapped his fingers on his arm before shrugging. "Then again, it's is really far out there. He might not be able to find out."

"Where is Hickory's?" Charlie asked.

"A couples of hours away. Pretty sure it's over the state line," he answered.

"I know Clay and I know how dead set on solving a case he can get, but I don't think even he's going to travel that far. He wouldn't have jurisdiction out there anyway and he's not the type to track your car. He's a criminal investigator, not Inspector Gadget," she reminded. Then raised her hands in defense. "Not that I'm leading you either way, just adding my two cents."

"If we're adding cents then I'll add mine," Jeremy volunteered. He leaned over the back of the couch, looked Mike dead in the eyes, and gave a firm, "Don't go."

"Well, that clears it up," Mike said dropping his arms in exaggeration.

"I'm serious. I mean, I know you and Mari had better luck than I did, but I wasn't even supposed to be in there and I almost got mangled. No pun intended," Jeremy continued. "Just for an example, she said they weren't attacking anyone, right? Well, if they're not around anyone, or if they're around too many people at once, then of course they're not going to attack anyone! And not all of them are as friendly as these guys." He lifted the Minireenas in his arms for emphasis. They shook their heads in agreement with him.

"Then I suppose we're still down the middle on this," Marionette sighed. He lazily looked to Balloon Boy who was now standing alongside him. "You would know the arcade better, what do you say?"

Balloon Boy just gave a non-committal laugh in response. Practically a non-answer interrupted only by the sound of the van driving up.

"That's Fritz and Foxy. Let's put a pin in this until later. I've got until tomorrow to figure out what I'm going to do and I don't want to get Foxy riled up this early," Mike suggested.

Jeremy got up from the couch and set the Minireenas down. "I'm going to go help them get in," Jeremy volunteered. He yanked on his jacket and hustled outside to meet them. He seemed more eager than usual to greet the captain, but nobody paid much attention to it.

"Weren't we talking about scissor boy earlier? I ought to check on him if nobody cares," Mike said. Nobody seemed to mind, and Marionette even eagerly followed him into the living room to help him set up the game, silently agreeing that a distraction would work wonders and pretending that they didn't both know what was inevitably going to happen.

Mable: It's happening again.