Mable: This chapter took a bit longer, but if you see the word count you know why. XD I don't know what happened, but the chapter kept going and going, and it ended up 2,000 words more than usual. I won't delay too long and get to the point.

Hi There: Foxy would be in his early twenties. Probably about Mike's age and a touch younger than Jeremy and Fritz.

Anyway… I will let this happen… Enjoy!

Can't Go Home Again

Chapter Sixty-One

Baby was working out rather well. While she had yet to perform any one on one interactions with the children, including the birthday children, she had decided to try by singing and had found a niche in it. She knew many songs and could pull off different tones and emotions with ease while singing. This was more than enough to be a successful day for any animatronic. Marionette was very proud of her progress.

With two animatronics on the floor, Marionette kept to the Prize Corner and circulate through his task with ease. In periods without any children, he would turn back to his sketches. He had almost settled on a design for the next version of plush toy and was almost ready to present the idea to his coworkers. Considering that they would have to send in the prints to the supply company, he was forced to show them the designs. They had to be perfect, or at least not as embarrassing.

His work was interrupted by yet another visitor to the Prize Corner. Though this time it wasn't the usual child that he was expecting, but young Chrissy. Marionette immediately perked and looked to the female with his natural, wide smile. "Welcome back," he chirped. The room was empty other than the two of them, so he wasn't worried about being silent.

"Hello, Mari," Chrissy greeted with a much less meek tone. She didn't seem nearly as shy as she had been before, which he could only be thrilled to hear and see. "I drew another picture for you." She eagerly handed it over and the Puppet scanned it happily. It was them together again, but this time there was also Foxy off to the side, carrying a cake with him. She sheepishly waited for his assessment.

"It's perfect!" Marionette chirped as he turned towards the back wall to tape it with the other. "And I'm sure Foxy will love it too, but he'll have to come in here to see it, because I'm keeping it close by!~" He gave a happy chime as quickly finished and looked to her again. She waited expectantly and he tilted his head curiously.

"My birthday is coming," Chrissy admitted with the meekness returning. She then fell silent.

"Really? That's wonderful!" Marionette reassured. "I hope you decide to have your party here."

"I want to," Chrissy insisted, eagerness appearing at the offer. "You'd throw me a party?"

"Of course! I would be honored." This wasn't an exaggeration. The Puppet wanted nothing more than to appease his young friend in any way that he could, and celebrating birthdays was what he was made for. Between the programming assurance and the happiness coming from the children, the birthday parties fulfilled a need that nothing else could. "Foxy and Baby would be too."

At the mention of the two, Chrissy looked towards the ground and fidgeted her hands together. Marionette was surprised by the gesture, "Is something wrong?"

"Baby… Baby scares me," the girl admitted. He couldn't tell if she was embarrassed by it or afraid that he would be upset by the comment. "She's just- She's so big." This wasn't too surprising to the Puppet. Baby towered over the children; she was even taller than Foxy himself. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Baby's new here, so it'll take some time to get used to her," he reassured her. He could clearly remember fearing the towering animatronics, so he knew exactly how Chrissy felt. "…But why don't you stay with me today instead? We can have plenty of fun on our own!" This encouragement was exactly what Chrissy needed to regain her smile in full. "Now first, why don't you help me design the new plushes?"

Thus, the day truly began. There was something especially nice about having Chrissy constantly at his side. Underneath that shy exterior, the girl was full of ideas, and surprisingly articulate for her age. Whatever her age was, which Marionette assumed that he would learn on her impending birthday. Every moment that they spoke, that she opened to him, he felt less like a friend and more like a guardian. It was a wonderful feeling; he could take care of someone without the tragedy of Freddy's taking hold.

Eventually, Marionette did have to do his rounds, and Chrissy followed along beside him. She stepped out of the way and watched when he would hand out tokens or step in on one of the parties for the day. Thankfully, both parties were entirely pirate themed and specifically asked for Foxy, so he wasn't required to be there. He didn't have to stay for the entire duration before circling again.

Then there was Baby. Baby still was in the same spot, cycling through songs and greeting passing children, but seemed to be doing well. While Marionette knew Chrissy was afraid of Baby, she convinced her to approach closer for an introduction. If only so Marionette could show off his fan to what was basically his sister. The girl stayed close to his side as they approached and he took her hand with his own. He chimed to catch Baby's attention and gestured down to Chrissy.

Baby's movements were sluggish as she looked down at the girl. Her faceplates shifted and the sound of shifting metal could be heard from her depths. It took her a few seconds to concoct a response. "Hello. I see you brought a friend with you," she greeted. "What's your name?" Her voice was halting and stiff. Marionette could easily assume that she was trying to play the role by not looking too lifelike. This made more than enough sense.

"Chrissy…" the girl quietly introduced. She tightened her grip on Marionette's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, Chrissy. I hope you're having fun with Marionette," Baby continued, trying to keep a sort of vocal distance. Marionette chirped happily in his own answer.

"I-I am. Mari's my best friend, he's always fun." The Puppet didn't know if this was true, but Chrissy certainly knew how to make him feel special. He eagerly chimed again. "We-."

"Would you like some ice cream?" Baby blurted out, interrupting the girl. Now both Chrissy and Marionette stared in response. Almost immediately, Baby added in a continued response. "B-Because Jeremy had- he was giving out ice cream earlier. He- He has plenty…" Her eyes began to twitch and shift about as her plates trembled. There was a hesitance in her voice and for a moment she almost dropped completely out of character. Then her eyes locked onto something nearby. "Oh! Or you could play that game; the box with the toys inside. Someone won that earlier."

Somehow, she managed to regain compositor. With a normal smile, Marionette gave a nod and offered the token basket to Chrissy. There were only a few left, but she only took one before heading over to the machine with the Puppet. She almost refused to let go of his hand, and after Baby's odd outburst, Marionette didn't entirely blame her.

Yet the day continued happily enough. It took four tries, which involved having to exchange more of her change for tokens, but the girl managed to win a cupcake plush. Marionette couldn't help but show favoritism, but whenever other children would approach he would shower them in attention. Chrissy seemed to understand; whenever Marionette was busy, she usually migrated over to the arcade for a few minutes. Or, once in particular, she approached Foxy who took a few moments to entertain her and a couple of other children.

Unsurprisingly, Chrissy stayed until closing time. Once it was nearing on seven o'clock, Marionette decided to question her on it. By now they were back in the Prize Corner together, so they were freer to talk. With most of the children gone, there were less prizes and tickets that needed exchanging, so they were mostly safe from being heard.

"Chrissy… Why don't your parents ever come get you?" Marionette asked as carefully as he could. "You stay rather late. Do they know you're here?"

"…No," Chrissy admitted quietly. "…But they're busy. They don't notice."

"Don't they wonder why you're not home?" Marionette inquired in concern.

"They don't know I'm not home. They don't get home until later," she explained. "But I'm old enough to watch myself. Just as long as I don't answer the door for anybody." This was more concerning than he could've expected as an explanation. Staying home alone wasn't too unheard of; his own father frequently left him alone or with his older brother. However, that didn't mean that Marionette condoned it. If anything, he was starkly against it. Who knew what trouble a child could get in alone. With or without other children.

"Well… Perhaps Mr. Schmidt and I should take you home. I don't want you having to walk home to an empty house," Marionette offered. While the girl seemed unconcerned about walking home, she did brighten at the suggestion, and thus the Puppet considered it a good plan. "Then it's settled! I'll go tell Mike about our plan. Here," he paused to hand over a token. "One last game for the road." With a quick 'thank you', Chrissy hurried off to the arcade. Now that the Pizzeria was mostly empty, save the workers, she felt much more comfortable hurrying around the tables.

She stopped at the Foxy's Flight game and dropped a token in, but then noticed what sounded like muffled talking. It was soon drowned out by the sounds of the game. It wasn't until he hit the game over screen that she was able to hear the noise again. It was murmuring coming from the cracked door of the kitchen nearby. Curiosity sunk in and she crept closer to the door. She nudged the door open and peered inside.

There was Baby, standing by the refrigerator all alone. She was turned away and quietly talking to herself. Chrissy could hear bits of words and sad tones, but it wasn't enough to make out what she meant. She considered what she would do. Baby did frighten her, but she was much less frightening in the brightly lit kitchen, standing near a plate topped with leftover cupcakes. Everything smelled sweet and looked so welcoming, and Baby herself wasn't that scary now that she had been around her.

That was, until the female animatronic perked and turned her heavy body to face the small girl. At this moment, the female clown fell entirely silent. For a few moments, they were just staring at each other. Then Baby's eyes slid over and locked onto the plate of cupcakes. She now walked over with sluggish steps and took one of the cupcakes in her hand, partially smearing the frosting on her fingers. She turned her body back towards Chrissy and held out her hand with the offering.

Seeing the cupcake and the gesture, Chrissy took a hesitant step into the kitchen. Perhaps Baby was like Marionette. Maybe she just needed to give her a chance instead of fearing her. A few steps closer and she could hear what Baby was saying. "No, no. Not like this." Chrissy didn't know what she meant. For a moment the girl hesitated, but then continued further on. She hesitantly reached out for the cupcake, biting her lip, and the blue eyes stayed on her with every movement.

Then, suddenly, the arm moved away. Chrissy looked upwards at Baby's face and noticed that her eyes were now empty, black holes.

"…I'm sorry."

The plates on her belly opened like a gaping maw and out from within burst a wire wrapped claw, like a grabbing hand.

Chrissy only had a moment before she was grabbed by the shirt and yanked towards Baby's gaping front. The girl screamed and reacted immediately, beating back on the grip with both hands. The enormous animatronic was much too strong to fight against and she was pulled closer towards the moving wires shifting deep inside, as though making room for her. As though Baby was preparing to eat her.

"It'll only be a moment," Baby quietly encouraged. It wasn't audible over the shrieking. "I promise, it'll only be a short moment."

Right as Chrissy started to close in on the opening, blackness suddenly obstructed her vision, and the feeling of fabric counteracted the sensation of warm metal. Out of nowhere, Marionette had appeared into the kitchen and without a hitch he wedged himself in between the small gap between Chrissy and Baby. Chrissy was still screaming and Baby's grasp was still just as tight. The Puppet had one arm around the girl, holding her flush to his chest, and shoved the other behind him in an attempt to strike Baby's head.

His strings slid out and wound around the claw, trying to stop its slow sliding into Baby's opening, and it was now that Baby found her voice again. Instead of words, she began to release a noise like a mechanical shriek. Marionette had heard these shrieks from animatronics before, from himself, but all it did was trigger his own defenses. 'Pop Goes the Weasel' started swallow his hearing and his adrenaline, or what he had as a replacement, kicked into some sort of higher gear. He was wired and nowhere near ready to falter.

Marionette twisted his body around and planted his legs against the upper part of her chest, right above the opening. His legs weren't strong enough to fully push them back, but it was enough to keep space between the girl and the animatronic. His eyes scanned with glowing pinpricks, looking for the emergency stop and finding nothing. He couldn't remember where it was. He didn't even know if it would work. In desperation, he lashed out and dug his fingers into the empty eyeholes before yanking back, trying to pry Baby's face open.

Wires slid out of Baby's depths and started to entangle around the Puppet's body. It was almost exactly like when they were down in Afton's and he wondered if the tangle of wires before had been Ennard at all, but Baby. If she had been lying the entire time about her innocence. Chrissy let out another shriek as the claw tugged and went to move in again. She wasn't strong enough to tear herself out of the grasp and Marionette struggled to keep her halfway behind him, trying to focus beyond the immediate panic.

It was now when Fritz and Mike barged into the kitchen, and it was right afterwards that Foxy barreled in past. As Mike threw himself at Baby's leg, trying to activate the emergency release and barely managing to pry a looser panel off her lower leg. Instead of an immediate release, it was just a mess of improperly placed wires. The body transfer had left Baby's insides in a tangle, meaning that the emergency stop was either missing or no longer even existed.

Foxy planted his hand on Marionette's shoulder and started to shove him back. Then he swiped his hook forward and lodged it into the claw protruding from Baby's abdomen. The claw suddenly released and both Chrissy and Marionette fell heavily to the kitchen floor. Almost immediately, the Puppet turned over, grabbed Chrissy in his arms, and took off out of the kitchen and through the dining hall. He didn't care that she could see that he wasn't using his strings. At this point he was too panicked to worry.

He blew past the horrified faces of Natalie and Jeremy, the latter who gave out a cry of, "What's going on?! What happened?!" Marionette was in no state to answer. He fled into the Prize Corner with the young girl still in his arms.

Back in the kitchen, the turmoil was only continuing.

"What were you thinking?!" Foxy roared in accusation at Baby. Her wires receded into her body and her plates quickly closed. Blue eyes, marred with alarm slid back into position. "You could of killed her! What were you doing?!"

"I-I didn't want to!" Baby insisted in protest. Panic was coating her voice, but Mike was skeptical. From Foxy's behavior, it was obvious that he felt the same way. "There's something wrong with me! They did something to my body!" Her desperate pleas were quickly falling on deaf ears. At this point, Mike started out of the kitchen to go to the Prize Corner. In his last moments with the door opened he could still hear Baby babbling out excuses. "They tainted me!"

Jeremy was at his side the moment he stepped out the door, while Natalie immediately went inside. Most likely, she didn't want to leave Fritz alone after whatever happened. Either way, the security guard brushed by with a few dismissive words and continued towards the Prize Counter. The box was closed tightly and as he approached he felt a nagging worry. He reached out and laid a hand on the top of the box. Almost immediately afterwards, he could hear low static releasing from the box. Undeterred, Mike opened one of the flaps.

Once Marionette realized it was Mike at his box, he quieted down. Considering how well he could fold himself and how short Chrissy was, it wasn't too surprising that they were able to fit into the box together. Mike made it his priority to check on the child. He quickly looked her over and other than looking like she was in shock, with a red face splotched with tears, she didn't seem to be injured. Maybe shaken, but there was no blood and no marks that looked like they would be become bruises.

Mike wanted to say something, but as he opened his mouth it seemed to dry out. A sudden sensation of terror climbed his spine. The girl was alright, but Baby might have just destroyed everything. Their business was in jeopardy, Marionette and Foxy were on the line, and as of right now their future relied on how one young girl would react to being violently attacked. "Are… Are you okay?"

It took a moment for Chrissy to respond. As though suddenly roused from a slumber, Chrissy could speak again. "I want to go home," she forced out. Immediately following this, Marionette began to rise and helped her back out of the box. Once she was out, and Marionette had yet to exit the box, Mike crouched down to below her level and tried his best to soothe her.

"I'm going to drive you home, okay? You're going to be safe," Mike assured as he kept his hands on her shoulders. She looked down at the floor, slowly coming out of her trance, and stayed mostly silent. Once out of the box, Marionette tried to stay face is the most inconsequential way he could. He lowered himself to the ground so that he was standing while not actually putting all his weight on his legs and partially using his levitation to keep himself upright. This way she wouldn't see him hovering, as he feared startling her even more.

Though as Mike stood, Chrissy did turn her body to hug onto Marionette's leg, and clung to him for dear life. Marionette was immediately comforting her again; petting her head and holding her close. As Mike left the Prize Corner, he nearly walked into Fritz.

"Please tell me she's okay," Fritz said. His voice was tense and his face looked framed with dread. As though he was still witnessing the disaster as it was happening. "Where is she?"

"I'm taking her home. She's fine," Mike assured. He then corrected it, "She's never going to sleep again, but she's physically fine."

"That's- That's great. This just-…" Fritz rubbed his face with shaking hands. "What even just happened, Mike? What the hell just happened?"

"I've got a few descriptions of what just happened, but it involves a couple of words that I'm not about to say in front of the girl," Mike pointed out. "I'm dropping her off, I'm coming back, and then we deal with Baby. Just keep Foxy off of her until we get back, because if anyone is going to dismantle her, it's going to be me." He wasn't yelling; he didn't have to when such anger with burning from his tongue.

"That won't be necessary." Marionette sudden appearance interrupted the conversation. "Mike, could you watch Chrissy for a moment? I need to speak with Fritz and then I'll head straight to the car." Mike nodded in agreement and entered the Prize Corner again while Marionette turned to Fritz. His mostly blank tone suddenly grew cold. "I want her gone. I don't care where you take her, I don't need to hear her excuses; she won't be staying here. She can't be trusted around child." Fritz nodded stiffly and Marionette continued.

"You can take her back to Afton's. Honestly, I just don't care where she goes. Dangerous animatronics can't be allowed to get close to children," Marionette remarked with a hand wave. The bitterness was obvious; he didn't want to see her and he didn't want to hear her words. He didn't trust her words any longer. "It's over and done with."

"I'll figure something out," Fritz assured. Then, with that, Marionette was gone. The human gave a tired exhale at the sudden burden that had been dropped onto him. He leaned into the Prize Corner. "He headed towards the car."

"Right, then we're leaving," Mike remarked as he started to lead Chrissy out. He paused in the doorway, considering the situation and Marionette current lack of a full reaction. "There's a chance we won't be back tonight."

"That's probably for the best…" Fritz could still imagine Jeremy in there trying to calm down Foxy's frenzy. "Just take care of the girl. She's most important." He reached down and ruffled Chrissy's hair. The girl said nothing and instead tightened her hand on Mike's. She didn't know Mike nearly as well as Marionette, but he was some form of reassurance. She was soon guided out to the car where Marionette was already waiting, all the while with the other trying to find some semblance of control.

Fritz knew that he would have to get Baby out of the Pizzeria and that the sooner the better. However, he knew she would fight Afton's and the warehouse was unreliable. His options were limited and he needed to find a viable option quickly.

…He needed to make a phone call.

As Chrissy had predicted, her parents weren't home. There wasn't a car in the driveway and the front door was locked. She unlocked the door with her key and let herself inside before shutting the door behind her.

Mike took a few moments to stare at the house. "I guess she's as safe as she's going to get. That's probably our cue to leave." The Puppet didn't respond. "Mari, I know you're upset, but there's nothing we-…" He sent one look into the vacant backseat and knew Marionette wasn't there. With a tired huff, he leaned back in his seat and somewhat patiently waited, hoping that the Puppet knew what he was doing.

Chrissy only took a few steps inside when Marionette announced his presence. "Chrissy, wait." She responded with a squeak and spun around, startled at his sudden appearance. She hadn't thought that he followed her, but was willing to believe that he had without any odd suspicions. He stood there for a few moments and then slid down to his knees. "I'm so sorry." The words didn't seem to work. They weren't helping as much as he hoped and they didn't relieve the guilt that had settled in his core.

"I shouldn't have left you alone. Not even for a moment… I didn't know she would do something like that. I… It's my fault. I am so, so sorry." Marionette hung his head and stared down at his own hands folded in his lap. It was all he could do to keep the tears at bay. The last thing Chrissy needed was to be spooked by the outpouring of purple from his mask. Yet while she did seem shaken, her reaction to his apology was much less than fearful. She quickly moved forward and hugged onto him again, just as she had before but now level with one another.

"Don't go. Stay with me, please? Until my mom comes home?" There was little reaction to what he said. No blame, no forgiveness, just that one request. She didn't want to be alone and Marionette was more than willing to agree. He nodded with a low chime and she pulled back. "You can come see my bedroom. I've got a lot of dolls," Chrissy innocently suggested. Her childlike eagerness was struggling to fight against the memory of what happened earlier.

As they passed the table in the hall, where a phone was plugged in, Marionette paused. "…Wait just a moment, Chrissy. I want to call Mike and tell him that I'll be staying with you longer, okay?" Chrissy nodded in agreement and fumbled her way into a nearby doorway, waiting for him. He quickly dialed Mike's cell phone number and waited for a response. It didn't take very long.

"Hello?" Mike sounded like Marionette felt. Apparently great minds did think alike enough.

"It's me. I'm staying until Chrissy's parents come home, but if they see you they'll be suspicious. You should head home and I'll be there as soon as I leave here," Marionette quickly accessed, not wanting to pause long enough for Mike to interject. Thankfully, the security guard had few protests with the arrangement.

"Alright. Just be careful." A few moments later and they ended the call. Mike had complete faith that Marionette wouldn't be caught, but now here he was stuck with his own thoughts. He considered returning to the Pizzeria, but feared his own reaction upon seeing Baby again. He could already imagine himself devolving into Foxy. No, he would have to deal with this on his own.

"I knew it!" He brought his fist down on the steering wheel at the outburst. "I knew it, I knew she was going to do this! I knew this was a mistake and I still let it happen!" Mike never believed that Baby was being fully honest, but had cooperated because of everyone else's belief in her. Unfortunately, his stilled tongue had now left them all in a perilous situation. An innocent child could've died today. "He made sure to put it on everyone's blueprints but hers, the son of a bitch!" He tightened his grip on the wheel as he neared home.

"And what now? What are we supposed to do with a seven-foot animatronic that kills people?! Just brush it under the rug- Pull a Fredrick? I'm not that blind! I'm not just going to stand aside and let this happen!" Mike vented to nobody. It was easier to not have to worry about the consequences of what he said. He especially didn't want to do this when Marionette was around to hear it. "And what was I thinking?! What was I thinking, agreeing to it in the first place?!" But he knew what it was. It was guilt and shame.

"Here I am saying I'm not going to stand aside and let this happen, and yet I stood there and let Baby come into the Pizzeria. I didn't believe a word she said; what was I thinking?" Mike exhaled tiredly as he parked in the driveway and leaned back against the seat. He was at fault here and the only one who was probably more at fault would be Baby herself. He drug himself out of the car and let himself inside the empty house. He tossed his keys onto the table and shed his jacket and hat.

Marionette had been so excited to have his sister back in his life and now that couldn't happen. Once again, a family member had let him down. Mike knew that feeling; experience taught him that he could trust blood relations and that apples and trees were better left out of the equation. It made him think about his mother; would she betray him too? Was she lying about straightening her life out?

Suddenly Mike pulled out his cell phone and quickly dialed a familiar number. He pressed it to his ear and waited for an answer. Eventually, there was an answer, and he ignored the nagging sensation in his belly. "Hey, I know this is sudden… Could you come by? I think we need to talk."

Why now, of all times? Mike found himself sitting on the front step for nearly thirty minutes, waiting for the car to pull into the drive, asking this very question. Marionette's absence was still worrying him, but not as much as he expected it to. He knew that the Puppet would be fine with Chrissy. He would somehow keep himself together, like he always did, and when he got home he would then let down his guard. All he could do was wait and wonder what vacant spot he was trying to fill by making that call.

He didn't know if he was relieved or filled with terror when the car parked in the driveway. He sluggishly stood as the driver's door opened and revealed his mother. As expected, she already looked like she was about to start crying, and Mike was already borderline regretting making this final leap. He couldn't even understand why he did it. Baby should've been a warning that trust shouldn't be handed out to just everyone, especially those who had been able to cause hurt in the past. Yet here he was.

"Mom, don't cry," he started, only to be stopped by her rushing in and wrapping her arms around him. She was shorter than he remembered and she did still cry, but she was sober and familiar, and for a moment Mike understood why someone could cave in like this. Maybe this was why Marionette had wanted to trust Baby so much; maybe she gave him the same warmth that he felt being in the arms of his mother once again. For all that had happened, he did miss her, and he only realized it when he hugged her back.

The visit felt quicker than it truly was. Mike dropped early that he didn't have too much time, though decided not to go into details, and Isabelle didn't want to push too hard out of the risk of shoving Mike back away. The short time they had somehow manage to be something significant. While keeping details slim, Mike told his mother about the pizzeria, about how he acquired the house, and a relative accessment of his health; basically, he was fine. He decided to leave out the more intrusive details, such as his more recent hospital stay.

Then, seated on the couch in the living room, Isabelle began her own story.

"We searched for you for months. Lisa even went through with filing a missing person's report, but I knew we wouldn't find you. You've always been so clever; if you wanted to disappear, then you could do it… But I knew why you left. I knew you left that night because I wouldn't go to rehab…" Isabelle fiddled with the strap of her purse before opening it and sifting through it. She was already tearing up again. "I was less than a person. I won't defend my decisions, because all I did was waste what I had."

She dabbed at her eyes with the tissue. At least she was more believable than Baby. "I checked myself into rehab and have been sober since. It's not a victory- they would always say that it was a sort of victory, but it wasn't. We lost years that we should've been coping together because of me." Mike didn't know what to say. It seemed appropriate to reassure her, but he didn't know if he was ready to forgive her.

"I don't want to intrude into your life. Especially not considering how well you've done on your own…" Isabelle insisted. "But I've missed you so much. I just want us to try again, so I can be the mother that I should have been." She then fell silent, as though waiting for an answer. The man quickly accessed the possible outcomes as fast as he could.

"Yeah, sure," Mike agreed. It was sort of a reflex in a way, a default answer. "That's would be good. Just trying to start over…" He tried not to think about Baby now. Though he briefly wondered why Marionette was taking so long to get home. "I think I'm ready to do that." He got a smile out of her at least. It made him feel a little better, even if it meant having to open ties to his family yet again.

Isabelle then stood and was escorted out to her car. The woman hugged her son again and seemed half unwilling to release him. "You should come visit. We could get everyone together and have a family dinner, just like we used to," Isabelle suggested.

"Eh, sound's alright," Mike semi-joked. "Maybe you should stop by the Pizzeria one of these days." Immediately he bit down on his tongue and inwardly scolded himself. "No, great. Bring your estranged Mom to the Pizzeria. She can meet Mari's crazed sister and- Oh geez." Because the more obvious concern reared its ugly head as soon as he noticed her beaming face.

"I would love to, and I would love to meet Mari. Please tell him that I came by; I really did hope to see him," Isabelle spoke. Thankfully, this was right before her saying goodbye and getting into her car to leave. Mike wasn't sure what he would do if she had decided to stick around until Marionette returned home. He was lucky that the Puppet hadn't teleported in while she was sitting in the living room. As soon as she drove out of sight, Mike shuffled back to the front door. He felt strange, but it had certainly taken his mind off the earlier disaster.

With a tired exhale, he opened the door and came face to face with Marionette. He held back a choke as he was startled for the first time in a while. Then he continued inside the house, shutting and locking the door behind him. "When did you get home?" Mike asked with a growing heat of embarrassment. He didn't even want to know how much he had seen and hoped he missed the initial mushiness.

"Not very long ago," Marionette answered with his usual smile and a slightly amused tone. "I'm proud of you. I never thought you would actually go through with seeing your mother."

"Yeah, well… I had to, or I risked another pop-in at random. I'd rather do it of my own free will," Mike excused as he moved to the fridge. It was getting later and he needed to find some semblance of dinner. "How was Chrissy? Did you see her folks?"

"She was doing fine; we watched a movie and she showed me her extensive doll collection. I didn't see her parents though. I wanted to, but they had a tantrum-ing toddler with them and I felt it was safer to go out the window as fast as possible." Or in actuality, Marionette wanted to get home as soon as he could. "How are you holding?"

"How am I holding?" Mike shut the fridge door. "You're the one who went through all of that earlier… How are you holding out?" His voice softened considerably now. "She didn't hurt you, did she?"

"She didn't get the chance. I am perfectly fine," Marionette assured. "I feel no guilt towards anyone except Chrissy, and since she's stable now then we must make do with what we can… I know you probably expected me to be distraught about Baby, I know I probably should be, but I already feel better knowing that she'll be removed from the Pizzeria. It's a weight off my shoulders!" He turned and headed into the living room to turn the TV.

But the thing was that even though Marionette said this with believable confidence, Mike didn't believe a word of it. It didn't make any sense for Marionette to brush off this event so easily. Especially when he already had such a fragile heart; it didn't make sense. For the moment, Mike wouldn't pry but didn't trust it. "If you're sure," he responded with the same degree of concern. Marionette would talk about it when he was ready. The night progressed with no revelations and without the Puppet's behavior significantly changing.

And then Midnight came.

It couldn't have been much later than that when Mike was roused by movements on the other side of the bed. Turning back to look, Mike also noticed a faint humming sound and knew that it was also coming from the Puppet. "Mari?" Marionette shuddered and twisted under the blanket. The humming began to steadily grow louder, along with what sounded like a muffled voice coated in static. Mike suspected it was a nightmare, considering his history, and reached out to lay a hand on his back. The second his hand made content, hell broke loose.

Suddenly the Puppet thrashed, lashing out at anything around him, and then literally dove off the bed and directly onto the floor. The blankets slid after him, stopping halfway off the bed. Mike expected this to wake him, "You okay?" It became apparent very quickly that something was wrong. The humming grew along with a throbbing pulse inside his own head. Mike recognized the headache from the fair, but it was much worse, and it coincided with the strange static and the quieted words.

Black fingers clawed at the wall as Marionette climbed it to full height. His head swiveled around and he stared around the room with pinpricks of light glowing in his eyes. However, there was something odd in his movements, and the shuddering only made it more apparent. Then, hovering quickly, Marionette made a beeline for the closet and began to clutch at the ridges in the door, shaking them as though he expected it to open like a normal door. Eventually through the thrashes he managed to get the door open a crack and proceeded to squeeze himself into the closet.

It was obvious that either Marionette wasn't actually awake or he was extremely confused. Either option was concerning and Mike was out of bed in a second. Before he could get to the closer, the Puppet climbed back out and started to approach the bedroom door. "Mari, wait," Mike attempted to reason with him before blocking the bedroom door. The Puppet brushed past him and headed for the window instead. In the moment that he was in the closer vicinity, Mike could hear the voice more clearly, and it was not Marionette's.

Fortunately, Marionette couldn't figure out how to open the window in his state. He clawed at the lock and he struck at the glass, but he couldn't focus enough to even accomplish opening the window. Then he went entirely still. He straightened his body and let his arms drop to his sides before slowly turning his body to face Mike. The pinpricks of light were aimed on him, but seemed to be looking past at the door he was blocking.

Mike's gave an unfazed look back and braced a hand against the door, "Don't even think about it." Immediately afterwards, the Puppet dove towards him.

While Mike did effectively catch Marionette, he was knocked back off his feet and fell into the corner behind the door. He slid to the floor as Marionette thrashed and tried to slide out of his grasp. The human only held on tighter and as the Puppet reached for the door, he pulled him back tighter. "You're not weaseling out the door! I don't know what's going on, but you're not going out there!" he forewarned him.

For the first time since they woke, the Puppet seemed aware of what was happening, as he suddenly let out a frustrated cry of both chime and static. This was combined with the pulsing in his head that had only grew once they had skin on fabric contact. Heavy and pounding with the quick, shuffling words. A strange voice that kept saying something as Mike tried to hold the crazed animatronic back. It was only when he finally got a good hold on Marionette, wrapping his arms around him and holding him to his chest, that he made out the words.

"Save them. Save them. Save them."

Over and over a voice chanted and commanded. Over and over it pulsed from Marionette and into Mike's mind. Feverish, domineering, overtaking everything. Just hearing it was starting to drive Mike towards some sort of brink, but he resisted the urge to loosen his grip and tried to keep the striped being held.

"Marionette, you've got to snap out of this! You have to pull out of this!" Mike was on the verge of begging. Marionette seemed to partially hesitate, but his thrashing still portrayed full confusion, and he was having trouble snapping out of whatever this was. It appeared like a nightmare but it looked like it was some sort of programming. The voice continued to pound and command without any halting, and with every 'Save Them' Mike could feel the pressure increasing. It was worse than any hangover, worse than any blow to the head.

"Who are you supposed to save? Chrissy? You already saved Chrissy! Nobody's in danger!" Mike attempted to bring him out of it. Somehow this must have gotten through, because the voice suddenly halted and along with it went his own migraine. The static slowly died and Marionette's thrashing devolved into limpness. Finally, it was quiet. Mike gave a slow exhale, "Are you okay?"

The Puppet responded with an out of tune chime as he pulled into himself and covered his mask with his hands. Every few moments he would either tremble or have a miniature spasm from earlier. He was either unable to speak or just couldn't muster the nerve to do so, so Mike decided not to pry. He already knew that this was connected to the incident with Baby; it was obviously, really. He gave a tired exhale and shifted against the hard wall, but didn't want to risk moving Marionette just yet. He didn't want to even risk another question.

Instead, he continued to hold Marionette against him and began to softly hum the chords to 'Our Grandfather Clock'. Mike wasn't sure how well it would work, but slowed down and quieted the tune, intending to relax without putting him entirely to sleep. Mike could only imagine Marionette falling asleep and immediately falling into the frenzy again. Thankfully, this didn't happen, and instead the shuddering came to an eventual stop.

Marionette turned to hide his face in Mike's shoulder, "…I'm… I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Mike traced along his back in small circles. Slowly, he could feel the Puppet calm down more and more, breaking further away from whatever that had been.

Wide awake, Mike's mind latched onto the voice he had heard and the commands that had been given. A sense of dread settled in. Not over what Marionette could have done; Mike could've only assumed that he would've continued searching for a person to save who didn't even exist. Instead it was about the programming itself, and whoever the man was who imprinted those commands. Why now? Why such a delay after Baby's attack? It had to involve him falling asleep, but even then, it was a foggy scenario.

Eventually, Marionette did fall asleep again. This time he stayed asleep, tightly clinging to Mike. Mike's discomfort from his position was moderate, but he didn't want to sleep.

He played the role of security guard for the night. He stayed awake and kept an eye out for anything suspicious. It was the least he could do.

Mable: The next chapter will deal with Baby… And a temporary solution to a big problem. It is by sheer luck that Chrissy doesn't realize the weight of the situation. It is much unluckier for Baby that the other do realize the weight. They know what she was going to do, even if she doesn't… But now one must wonder where they can go from here? To be discovered in the next chapter, which I hope to have done a few days quicker than this one. (Unless it pushes 7,500 words again.) Thank you for reading!