Thanksgiving
A/N: Hello everyone sorry for the delays in updates, things have been a tad on the crazy end. My computer that I usually use in writing is currently down (the motherboard fried). Thankfully I have my trusty laptop to get me through. As always I only own Leo, Val, the kits, Crackers, and Jeremy's father. Everyone else belongs to Scott Cawthon. Enjoy!
Freddy and the others watched rather amused as Jeremy seemed to rush around his apartment trying to cook three different things at the same time. The boys asked if there was anything they could have done, but Jeremy was so scatterbrained at the moment he couldn't even begin to tell the two where to start. Mari seemed rather amused with the whole ordeal and with the help of Chica and Toy Chica pushed the human out of the kitchen and started to take over.
"But-" Jeremy started.
"No buts." Mari chuckled and started to baste the turkey, "Jeremy you have been running yourself into the ground since 5 AM. Let us help."
Mike nodded folding his arms, "Dad, you said you were going to sleep in."
"Yeah!" Leo added looking just as frustrated.
The manager sighed and took a seat at the counter rubbing his temple, "I guess I just want to ensure everyone has a good time. Val's going through a nasty divorce and her own kids seem to despise her. She is bringing them with her since she has custody of them this week."
"That's gotta be rough." Morgan frowned, "To be torn between two parents like that."
Faye turned to Foxy and Mangle, "Mama, Papa you two aren't going to get a divorce, are you?"
Foxy nearly spat out his drink and Mangle seemed quite shocked at her kits words, "Sweetie, why would you ever ask that? Your father and I love each other very much."
"So many people seem to now." Faye looked down only to be swooped up into her father's arms, "Papa?"
"Trust me sweetie we would never get a divorce…Your mother would kill me before that would even happen." Foxy chuckled as Mangle elbowed him.
Crackers landed on the older fox's shoulder, "She has a plan too!"
"That's comforting" Foxy groaned and everyone gently laughed.
Goldy chuckled, "Come on Foxy, that's almost rule one it seems. Anger your wife at your own expense. They know how to kill you, get rid of the body and make it look like Santa Claus did it."
"Wait Santa kills people?" BB asked.
Bonnie chuckled, "No, but he certainly knows how to kill Halloween."
"Isn't that the truth" JJ groaned, "If I hear one more Christmas song before December someone please fry my circuits!"
As the bots conversed and talked the phone began to ring and Jeremy promptly answered it trying to remind himself the pizzeria was closed for the day, "Hello? Oh hey Val…Hey what's wrong? Awww come on sis don't say that, look why don't you just come then. You can still come spend it with us."
The three rabbit animatronics listened intently and could tell that on the other end Jeremy's sister was crying and seemed to be very distraught. Springy couldn't even imagine the pain the poor woman was going through, and then turned to her two counterparts. The may have been vastly different from her, but they also understood her burden. Once Jeremy hung up with his talk from Val the two were instantly moving around the building trying to give it a more warm and welcoming atmosphere.
"So it's just aunt Val?" Leo asked.
Jeremy nodded, "Yeah, her and the boys went at it and they decided to leave with their father."
"I can't wait till she divorces him, he's a snake." Mike muttered and decided to help Chica with stuffing balls, "That first meeting really proved it."
Leo nodded agreeing with his brother, "We're surprised you didn't deck him honestly."
"A funeral is not a place to start a fight nor finish one" Jeremy shrugged and got another phone call, "Hello? Dad? Oh uhh hey…..Wait you want to come to dinner? Why should I after you insulted my children?"
Mari placed a hand on the frustrated man's shoulder, "Jeremy, maybe he wants to make amends."
Jeremy sighed and moved to another room, "So what's the real reason?"
"You still don't trust me do you?" His father asked his voice heavy.
Jeremy moved a hand through his hair and leaned against the wall, "Kind of hard to after what you've done all my life. Disowning me because I didn't want to be a lawyer, holding that loan over my head, and then attacking my children at my own mother's funeral!"
"Yes, that was wrong of me I realize that. I just didn't want you to make the same mistakes that I did that turned me into the miserable man that I am. I can see now though that what I have done has caused more harm than good. Listen I'm not sure if Val has told you or not, but I am dying Jeremy. This may be the last year I'll be able to spend it with my family….Or what little family I have left. Could you please allow an old dying man a chance to make things right, to his own son…and grandchildren?" Jeremy's father begged, his voice cracking and shaking as he spoke.
Jeremy sighed and closed his eyes, "Fine, but I'm only doing this for the sake of my boys. I swear though if the first words from your mouth aren't an apology you can leave."
"I understand" the old man chuckled, "It seems your sister is here. I will see you soon."
Jeremy mutterd a farewell and returned ot the main room and instantly found himself pulled into a hug by Chica, "Why is having a family so difficult…?"
"Aww come on Jeremy, he sounded like he meant it." Bon spoke.
Jeremy looked at the rabbit, "Didn't I ask you guys NOT to listen in on my calls?"
"Hey we can't help that we can't drown it out." Bonnie shrugged, "he sounded like he really meant it though Jeremy. Give him a chance."
"Stuffing balls are done!" Toy Freddy called as he moved onto the next task that Mari had given him. Freddy seemed frustrated to a degree since he was losing desperately to a plate of hardboiled eggs, "These things are impossible!"
Goldy chuckled, "Freddy you're not holding them right, see like this."
Everyone watched as Goldy showed Freddy the 'proper' way to hold the eggs and soon the process of making dinner was running smoothly once again. Jeremy still seemed troubled though, Val had accepted the fact that the animatronics were like family to her brother and nephews. He wasn't exactly sure how well his father was going to take it. He could remember when the man degraded him just for taking the job at the toy location. All he did was dis and degrade him, saying that something must have been wrong if he liked playing with over grown children's toys. Back then Jeremy wish he could have taken the withered models home, that would have set the record straight. Mari seemed to know what was on the human's mind, "Jeremy, do you want us to stay out in the building tonight? So you can spend time with your family."
"No, it wouldn't be the same if everyone wasn't here." Jeremy spoke a faint smile gracing his exhausted features, "I don't care what that man thinks, everyone here is part of my family, and I will be damned if we don't spend it together."
"Ah profanity!" a voice spoke.
Chica turned and seemed to light up, "MY BABIES!"
Instantly the chicken had both Fred and Bonn in her arms rocking them back and forth. Freddy chuckled and joined his smaller immediate family and laughed as Bonn hopped into his arms. As the food continued to cook and cool the two small bots started to talk about some of the places they had visited so far.
"Yeah it was great until someone pushed me down the sewer!" Fred scowled at his brother.
Bonn shrugged, "I didn't want you to get run over by that mounted police officer!"
Jeremy chuckled and heard a knock at the front door to the apartment. Everyone fell silent and watched as the man made his way towards the door. Mari took notice that Jeremy even seemed to be slightly shaking as he reached and opened the door revealing Val, and the man they presumed to be Jeremy's father. The man appeared to be in his late 60's perhaps early 70's, and looked to be very worn down and sick. Jeremy welcomed them inside and shut the door behind them as the final guests had arrived.
Leo and Mike both looked at one another uneasily due to their last encounter with the man, they weren't sure if they were going to be called bastard children again or not. The man focused on them and Leo instinctively hid behind Mike. Mike decided to remain firm in his stance, and wanted to do all that he could to protect his little brother, "Hello."
"I can see that you two are still upset from last time. I wouldn't blame you in the least, quite frankly it was uncalled for, and I was a huge asshole towards you both. If my son loves you enough to call you family, then I need to accept that and make amends." Jeremy's father spoke looking down, "Truth be told, I always hoped for grandsons that were well behaved and had manners. Of course, when I finally do I treat them like they're lower than dirt. I don't expect the two of you to forgive me, but I wanted to apologize for my actions."
Leo looked towards the old man and started to move towards him and gingerly placed a hand on the man's arm, "We forgive you, we really do. It's been hard for us, especially my brother since our birthparents were killed. Jer- Dad though, he's been there for us when we've needed him most. He's firm but fair when it comes to taking care of us, and quite frankly I think he's the best dad in the world."
"Well he certainly didn't learn it from me" the old man laughed and started to cough.
Val smiled weakly, "Dad you should sit down and rest."
"I can rest when I'm dead." The old man joked and then noticed what was standing in the room with them, "Still playing with overgrown kid's toys, eh Jeremy?"
"With all due respect but we are not children's toys. If I do recall right, you used to work at my location many years ago." Fredbear spoke looking at the man, "If memory serves me right, you were our night watch."
Something seemed to click in Springy's memory, "Oh that's right! We used to have so much fun chasing you around the building until you started to lock yourself in the office. You took all the fun away."
"Dad, you used to be a night watch? At Fredbear's!?" Jeremy almost seemed blown away.
The old man sighed, "Yes, it was a dare done by one of my friends. When Fredbear's became Freddy's I believe he was in higher management and left phone calls for the night watchmen in a few locations. He also was the one who recorded the training tapes when it came to the Springlock suits."
"Oh well know him well then…" Foxy muttered and was jabbed once more by Mangle, "Ow!"
The old man sighed, "I wonder how he's doing now."
"Retired actually" Jeremy responded gently, "He comes here a lot with his granddaughter though. She loves hearing Golden Freddy read to her and other kids."
"Wonder how long it took to program him to do that" the man remarked.
Jeremy tried to find the right words, "Dad they're not programmed anymore….Freddy and his friends are very much alive like you and I are."
"Nonsense!" the man snapped causing Mari to go on the offensive.
"Tell me, if that were the case and we were just programmed beings could I be capable of this?" Mari asked as they caught the main in a small web of wires, "We were given life through the tragedies that stained our history. We now live to ensure that the horrors of the past never repeat themselves. Your son has been our strongest advocate and ally, without him we wouldn't be here today."
Goldy and the others watched as the man seemed to show traces of fear until he started to softly cry and look up at the puppet, "I am glad that someone is watching out for the children, it is the one area where we failed. From that poor child who was killed outside the restaurant, to the bite victim, and that horrible missing children's incident. All of it could have been prevented if it weren't for human error….But you…all of you have become champions for them haven't you?"
"Well, truth be told we tried to stop the missing children's incident, but we failed. In the process of losing the lives of five innocent children, we nearly lost the one bot that had desperately tried to save them." Toy Freddy spoke, "But we are very much alive just like Mari said, Mr. Fitzgerald."
"Just call me Richard, or Rich." Richard finally spoke and turned to his son, "The food smells wonderful, will we be able to eat soon?"
Jeremy seemed taken by surprise and nodded, "I suppose so, as long as everyone can join."
"Human, animatronic makes no difference to me." Rich spoke and looked around, "You do have a beautiful home Jeremy, it's much more welcoming than I thought."
The manager blushed faintly from embarrassment and rubbed the back of his head, "I owe that to Mangle, she is wonderful with interior design. The place has enough room for three humans and several bots to move around comfortably."
The old man nodded and continued to look around in awe and nearly fell over from seeing Mike and Leo set the table with the help of two small kits, a small bear, and a small rabbit. Faye and Morgan had turned it into a game, and sure enough Bonn and Fred were quick to jump in. Jeremy pulled out the chair at the head of the table and allowed his father to sit down. He then pulled out the seat to the left for Val. The exhausted woman thanked him quietly and sat down. Jeremy nodded and sat across from his sister, while everyone else figured out where they would sit rather quickly. As Jeremy started cutting the turkey and passing pieces around to everyone Leo had a sudden thought.
"Hey Chica, Chi….do you two have any relatives that are Turkey? I know Larry is your cousin and he's an eagle…just wasn't sure if there were any turkeys." Leo spoke as he passed another plate around the table.
Toy Chica suddenly gasped, "Oh no! Please don't tell me it was Tim!"
"Not Tim! Oh Freddy you promised you wouldn't hurt him!" Chica decided to play along.
Freddy shrugged, "It must have been a murder most foul."
"I dunno, he tastes more like chicken if you ask me." Toy Freddy joked.
"Poor Tim, we hardly knew him" Foxy played along with the ongoing monologue.
Mangle chuckled, "But wasn't he always in a foul mood?"
The whole table erupted into laughs as the bird puns ceased and everyone started to eat and enjoy their food. Stories were shared, bonds were formed and strengthened between the group. After awhile Fredbear, Springy, and even Richard started to share their tales of the old building, and how things were so different back then. Leo and the others listened intently as the stories were told, and gained a new found respect for the original two models that started it all. Jeremy started to get a new sense about his estranged father, and almost felt bad for being so harsh to him throughout the years.
"Honestly Dad I had no idea you used to work there." Jeremy finally spoke as he passed a dessert plate around.
Richard smiled weakly, "It was a very dangerous job, the pay was crap, and I was always worried for my life. When you took the job at Freddy's I was afraid you were going to be in the same danger. That's why I hoped that if I insulted you or the place enough you would quit and find somewhere else to work. Quite frankly I'm glad that you stayed though, you've turned the franchise around entirely."
"I actually own this building and everything in it" Jeremy spoke softly, "Though I don't act like it, Freddy and the others belong to no one, but themselves."
"Just as it should be." Richard smiled softly, "Val sweetie, are you okay?"
"More so than I thought I would be" Val admitted and looked around the room with her, "It's just a lot to process….I mean the last time we sat around as a family was years ago. I was afraid that our family would be shattered until you passed away."
"Well, things may not be perfect, but I want to try and fix things." Richard spoke and looked around the table as all eyes were on him, "After all I have wronged my two children, and I still have much to learn about my many new ones and grandchildren as well!"
Jeremy smiled and seemed to be put at ease with those words. For the rest of the night while he cleaned up from dinner he listened as his father shared stories with Mike and Leo about the past. He was thankful that Freddy and the others were there to help as well, especially when Richard would recall a memory that struck a chord on Jeremy's heart.
"That's a really cool story Grandpa! C-Can we call you Grandpa?" Leo asked finally realizing what he said.
Richard laughed, "Of course you can!"
Mike smiled faintly, "Can you tell us another story about dad?"
Richard smiled faintly, "I'm sorry Mike, I'm rather tired after all that turkey. However, I can say that one of the moments that I have never been more proud of your father is the day that he took you two in. Any guy can make a kid, but it takes a REAL man to step up to the challenge and take care of another man's child. Even more so when they're your ages….I'm sorry how old are you again?"
"I just turned 17, and Leo's going to be 12 soon." Mike smiled softly.
Richard smiled and watched as the two played with the various other bots. As time passed everyone started to grow tired and many of the bots began to excuse themselves so they could rest before another long day. Soon it was just down to Jeremy, Val, and their father. As Richard got ready to leave he turned to Jeremy and pulled the man into a hug, "I am proud of you Jeremy. You are a better man that I will ever be. Raise those two well, cherish every moment you have with them. Be the father that they deserve in their lives."
Jeremy nodded, "I will, you know that I will."
"Good." Richard smiled, "I love you, son."
Jeremy smiled faintly as his father and sister were leaving, "I love you too, dad."
The man sighed and looked around the room and started to pick up a few things that hadn't been put away yet. It was probably the most peaceful and relaxed Thanksgiving he had in years, and part of him couldn't wait until the next one. He was finally healing wounds, and the rift with his father. Mike and Leo got to finally experience what it was like to have a grandfather besides Fredbear. Val now knew that she would never be alone, regardless of how badly her ex-husband tried to hurt her. As for Freddy and the others they finally got to experience one holiday that seemed to elude them no matter what. It was their first Thanksgiving, and Freddy certainly hoped it wouldn't be their last.
=End=