Mable: Well, hello again! We're here with a new chapter. One that I'm sorry to admit took longer than I had hoped. However, here we are! The last poll's results were rather promising, and the general consensus seems to be that closer, tightly knit groups of friends are more appealing than having many friends who may not be as close. Personally, I agree. ^-^ There's also a new poll if you'd like to swing by and answer it. Onto the chapter; I hope you Enjoy!

Can't Go Home Again

Chapter Eighty-Seven

The pizzeria was closing, and the customers were being ushered out, so Marionette thought this was the best time to try out the new arcade machine. While it had been plugged in and turned on, it had been left covered in plastic for the day until it could be properly tested and fitted. While a few of the employees had checked it that morning to make sure it was functional, the tickets had yet to be installed, meaning that the game couldn't pay out rewards. Though this didn't mean that there wouldn't be one child content with it.

"Would you like to try our new game?" Marionette offered to the young girl still in the Prize Corner. Chrissy hadn't gotten much one-on-one time for the day, so it only seemed fair to give her a little special treatment. Especially since she had been so patient with his lack of time. "You could help me by telling me what you think of it."

"Really? Okay!" Chrissy excitedly agreed and took his hand. He led her out into the dining room and into the arcade. He smoothly tugged the plastic cover off of the machine and turned it on. Within a few moments, the screen was booting to the title screen of a video game. "How do I play?" Chrissy inquired as she leaned over the machine.

"It's not hard at all. You just move this and try to collect all the fruit. Like Pacman, but without the ghosts," Marionette easily explained. She pressed one of the buttons to start the game and she was off almost immediately. She watched intently as her character was guided along through a seemingly endless maze and collected fruit along the way. He hovered behind her and laid his hands attentively on her shoulders as he leaned over to watch the screen. This was absolutely worth the long drive.

Chrissy played marginally well considering that it was her first time playing the game. She collected powerups, she kept her timer running long past when it originally was supposed to end and managed to secure a good score. Or one that looked good when she inputted her initials into the largely empty machine- save a familiar 'MLS' that the Puppet recognized as Mike's. Naturally, Marionette praised her with a chime. "You did wonderful! What did you think of the game?"

"I liked it!" Chrissy answered as she looked back to him. She smiled eagerly at her friend, "Can I play again?"

"Of course," Marionette slipped another coin into the machine and the game reset. "You can play as much as you want! Unfortunately, there's no tickets inside it right now, but that doesn't mean you can't master it for when there are." Chrissy was so easy to encourage. Marionette couldn't help but take joy in how excited she got over something like a new video game, even when it was just collecting fruit in a maze. The game was rather entrancing for him as well, and he found it taking his attention rather easily even though he wasn't playing.

Unfortunately, it couldn't last. Marionette wasn't sure how many games they had played when they had to stop. All he noticed was that he ran out of coins and was thus forced to wrap the last on in one of his strings and subtly yank the coin back out once the game registered it. He had done this a few times and Chrissy was very close to completing the maze entirely. That was, until Fritz called from the hallway.

"Chrissy, your Mom just called. You have to go home and get packed," the technician said before stepping into the kitchen. Chrissy pouted a little at the instructions.

"Okay… After I finish this game!" Then, as though entirely unconcerned about rushing home, Chrissy turned back to the game. Marionette chuckled and chimed at the motion.

"Are you going somewhere this weekend?" he asked, largely non-intrusive and only moderately curious about his favorite child's plans.

"Uh huh. I'm going to stay with my Daddy," Chrissy answered, "but I'll be back Monday after school!" Probably to fully throw herself into the game once more. She didn't look back, so she didn't notice the mix of surprise and realization that flittered across his face. By time she did run out of time, giving a disappointed whine at the fact that she hadn't collected all the fruits, Marionette had secured his smile. She looked up at him with a smile of her own and reached for him, "I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you too, but it's only a few days!" Marionette encouraged as he lowered himself to hug her. "And by Monday we'll have the game ready with tickets and everything!" This seemed to appease the girl even more and he led her to the front door where Mike was already starting to lock up. He held open the door to let the girl out as Marionette stopped by the Prize Corner. "Do you need a ride home? It's cold out and Mike's right here," the Puppet suggested. Mike responded by silently retrieving his keys from his pocket and jingling them.

"I'm okay. I'm a fast rider," Chrissy insisted as she pulled on her coat. "Bye!" She waved briefly then stepped outside and went around the corner to get her bike and helmet. It wasn't more than a few minutes later before she jolted by on her bicycle and disappeared down the street. Marionette couldn't help but worry a little, even when it wasn't as dark as it could've been.

"She's going to be spending the weekend with her father," Marionette clarified to Mike, in case he hadn't heard Fritz's call. "…I did notice his lack of a presence at the party."

"Still better than either one of our dads," Mike pointed out nonchalantly. "And hey, visits are the first start to getting some sort of normalcy. She's a tough kid; she'll pull through this." Neither of them had voiced exactly what they were thinking, but both knew that the other shared their thoughts. "There's worse things than parents splitting up."

"Yes, and that would be parents staying together." As teasing as that was, Marionette knew it was true in some aspects. Considering how many children he saw at the pizzeria, he knew that many of them had dealt with their parents splitting up, and they seemed to pull through well enough. Or at least, they were still willing to play games and eat cake. "But I do worry about her," Marionette admitted as he turned away from the windows. "Specifically, her riding her bike alone at night. Even if it's safer than walking… And possibly our car, if you don't get that clunking checked."

"Don't knock my car. It's knocking enough as it is," Mike answered. "We should be happy the thing got us here at all considering how long it took me to actually get it to start." He followed Marionette back further into the pizzeria, only to stop as Fritz passed by.

"I'm taking off early tonight, alright? I have some things I have to pick up at the store," Fritz forewarned as he buttoned his uniform jacket. He then lowered his voice to speak directly to Mike, "The keyboard's in the office. You can borrow it as long as you want, just make sure nothing gets in or on the keys. Don't put a soda on it or something."

"Because the first thing I plan to do with a machine that costs hundreds of dollars is stick a soda on it," Mike quipped back. "I'll keep it clean. Don't worry about it."

Fritz gave a nod and stepped out the front door. He started to approach his car when he was suddenly met by a truck pulling out from beside the pizzeria. It was an odd position to be parked in, which originally caused him to stop and watch in confusion. It took until the truck pulled up and the window rolled down for him to recognize Natalie's father. Fritz suppressed the urge to flinch as the older man leaned towards the window and stared him down. Part of him wanted to turn and walk back inside, but he held his ground.

The older man paused a moment longer to stare him down. Then, nearly growling through clenched teeth, he gave a quiet command, "Get on in."

This was clearly a bad idea. Fritz hesitated in the parking lot and sent a glance back at the pizzeria. Unfortunately, nobody seemed to notice the plight he was now in. He looked back at the truck and watched the older man beckon with his head; he was stuck. With an uneasy exhale, Fritz opened the truck door and climbed inside.

"I, uh… Evening, Sir," Fritz uncomfortably coughed out. He wasn't exactly sure if he and the man were on a 'sir' basis or not, but he didn't have any backup, so he wouldn't take any chances. "Natalie's at home. She's under the weather and didn't want to be around the kids. Even though she probably got it from the kids," Fritz half-joked and gave an uncomfortable laugh. The man didn't return it. "…So, where are we going?" He half expected to be dumped in a nearby alley.

"To straighten a few things out," Natalie's father gruffly clarified. That was the end of the questions. The next thing Fritz knew, they were driving off into the town to an unknown location.

Inside the pizzeria, things were still going on as usual. If not for how quiet and unassuming everything was, Mike and Marionette wouldn't have both noticed the dispute between Foxy and Jeremy. Mike was sweeping outside the kitchen and Marionette was covering the new arcade cabinet back up again, but it was hard for then not to notice something happening within feet of them.

"Aww, come on, Lad!" Foxy tried to coax as he tailed Jeremy. "Ya don't have to leave so soon! We got all night!" Yet Jeremy seemed more focused on collecting the trash bag out of the can near the front.

"It's not that I don't want to stay, Captain, but I can't. It's gotten to the point that Max is asking for me to come home earlier, because the Minireenas are getting so riled," Jeremy tried to explain. It was obvious that he felt guilty, but he was clearly feeling just as bad about ignoring the animatronics he had at home. "There's just some things I've let go. I can't remember the last time I did laundry that wasn't just my uniform, and the Minireenas- I don't know what they get into, but they don't stay clean. No matter what I do." He continued carrying the bag to the hall.

"Yer gonna get home either way. What's the difference between five minutes and five hours?" Foxy tried to convince as he continued following. Mike raised a hand to stop Jeremy and silently switched between the garbage bag and the broom, and had an easier time carrying it to the back door. Foxy's ears twitched at the exchange and he looked back to the now sweeping Jeremy, "Ya know, I coulda carried that fer ya."

"Yeah, but you've been on your feet all day with the kids," Jeremy encouraged with a smile. He then reached up to fidget with his glasses meekly. "I'm sorry, maybe tomorrow night? They probably wouldn't mind me spending some time here tomorrow night if I spend the day with them. Or- Or you could come home with me again." As relieved as Jeremy looked at the idea, as it would solve most of his problems, Foxy wasn't too keen on the idea of getting stuck with Max and the Minireenas.

"…We'll take the night off," Foxy begrudgingly agreed. He quickly reverted to a cheerier tone to cover his disappointment and tapped his hook on the human's shoulder. "Ya deserve a night off, Lad… If'n ya call hangin' out with that gang time off," he joked with a nudge to the shoulder. Jeremy gave a light chuckle and seemed relieved, but then sent an apologetic smile.

"Are you sure you can man the ship by yourself, Captain?" Jeremy asked. Even though he knew he couldn't stay, he couldn't help but feel a little bad for letting him down. Marionette noticed the concern and the clinginess on Foxy's side, and he felt the need to step in.

"Don't worry about him, Jeremy," Marionette assured before turning to Foxy. "Why don't we spend the evening together? It's been a while since we've had quality time." There was an ulterior motive that Marionette decided to keep to himself; the urge to ask Foxy about his recent closeness and playfulness with Jeremy was irresistible. However, he did genuinely wish to spend time with Foxy. Because of the kitten and the business, Ennard and life in general, distractions had run rampant; he had barely spent quality time with his brother.

"Sounds great!" Foxy assured and reached out to put an arm around his brother's back. "See, Lad? Foxy's got it all covered. You get on home to yer lil girls, yeah?" Mike stepped back inside in time to hear the arrangement and continued listening as Jeremy spoke.

"That's the plan! The sooner the better, because they started watching the clock." Almost to emphasize, he checked his watch. The look of alarm that passed his face was enough to get a chuckle out of Foxy, along with the feverish rush he had while sweeping. Jeremy tossed the broom in the closet, said his goodbyes, and was out the door before anyone could say anything more. Foxy followed him to the door and watched him cross the parking lot so that he would be sure that he stayed safe.

"I'm going to quickly pop home and check Moppet. I'll bring the Freddy board game on my way back," Marionette explained to Mike. Part of Mike wanted to immediately turn down this idea, until he realized that it would mean Foxy would be trapped in the game with them. His interest was piqued just enough to handle the game, if just so he could see Foxy's reaction.

"Alright, don't be too long. You know how Foxy and I am; we stay alone for too long and we're liable to start fist-fighting," Mike pointed out. Marionette gave the slightest bit of a smirk.

"Try to hold out if you can. That's something I'd prefer to watch then popping in at the end," Marionette joked before giving a playful spin and vanishing away. With him gone, Mike headed into the office to retrieve the keyboard stand and returning to set it up. By time he returned with the keyboard itself and started to set it up, Foxy had moved over to watch.

"That fer Mari?" Foxy asked. He received a nod as an answer and looked around the pizzeria, where he quickly noticed that they were missing someone. "Where'd he run off to?"

"Mari went to go get that Freddy board game," Mike explained as he plugged the keyboard into the wall. Foxy made a choking noise. "I take it from your noise of understandable horror that you've played it before?"

"If there was anything to survive that house, it had to be that game, didn't it?! Yeah, I've played it. I've played it more times than a sane person ever should," Foxy shuddered at the thought. "Ya don't know, Mike. Ya don't know about family game night. Three miserable children stuck around that awful dining room table with that game- I loathe that game!" Mike quirked a brow questioningly.

"Oh yeah? So, we're not playing? Because to be completely honest, I could go without." In a way, Mike hoped that Foxy would refuse. He didn't want to disappoint Marionette, but he had played enough of that board game in the last year. Foxy's lingering silence was already a bad sign that he was about to cave.

"…Yeah, we're gonna play it. We're gonna pretend we like it," Foxy announced with the determination that only an older sibling could pull off. He shuffled over to lean against the kitchen wall and watched as Mike finished plugging it in. "Hey, Mike."

"Yeah?" Mike asked as he stood and reached for a chair to place at the keyboard. He was going to make a mention about how Foxy hadn't given him any nickname or title like he had the others, but Foxy's prolonged silence was another odd sign. "What is it?" he asked again as he tapped his fingers on the back of the chair. "If it's about putting down bets to spice up what is already the flattest game in existence, then I'm only in if you have real money you're willing to put down. If you do, I'm game."

"Dat ain't it… But I'll bet me gold if yer willin' to match it," Foxy clarified. He then shuffled his feet in place, looking down at his reupholstered legs. As though they were suddenly interesting. "It's 'bout First Mate Jeremy… He doesn't tell me tales of his adventures outside the Pizzeria. Does he have 'em? Where's he go- Anyone he's been meetin' with on a daily basis?" This was responded to with a confused look at first.

"You mean, like a personal life?" Mike asked with a slight squint of suspicion. "That's a weird question, Captain."

"What's weird 'bout it? Shouldn't a Captain ask 'bout his first mate?" Foxy defended as he straightened to full form again. "An' what's that look?"

"I'm trying to figure out if you're that fixated or if the pot was calling the kettle black," Mike bluntly stated. He glanced over Foxy's demeanor and stance. "I'm considering the latter, but hey, it's not too surprising."

"…And what does that mean?" Foxy asked. His voice grew lower, which would seem to signal growing anger, but instead signaled a growing anxiousness. "Come on, spit it out! Stop beatin' around the bush!"

"If I was beating around the bush-," Mike began and was cut off by Marionette's abrupt return into the pizzeria. The Puppet set down the game box on the table, unknowing that both Foxy and Mike had just fallen into an extremely uncomfortable silence.

Foxy couldn't stand even looking at the game. He held out for only a few minutes before he turned and disappeared into the kitchen. "We got any cake left?" he asked under his breath, as though asking himself even though he didn't know.

Mike only lingered on Foxy a moment or two longer before his attention returned to Marionette and the keyboard. "Hey, check this out," Mike invited with a growing smile. Marionette now turned his attention to the keyboard and started to approach it, all while sizing it up just as Mike had done to Foxy. "Want to try it out?"

"You really were determined, weren't you? I knew you were interested in my playing, but I didn't think this much," Marionette remarked with a soft trill. He was somewhat teasing even though there was a lingering curiosity. He was intrigued by how interested Mike was in his music. He slid his fingers over the keys briefly and then fluidly slid into the seat, "What about Foxy?"

"Foxy's busy in the kitchen getting himself stained so that Jeremy has to scrub him down tomorrow. Trust me, we have time to kill," Mike answered as he looked down at the keyboard with anticipation.

"You know, it's been years since I last played," Marionette reminded as he raised his hands to the keyboard. "I haven't practiced in a long time… Oh." It was only now that he noticed the other difference since then, which was the change in his hands from human to animatronic. Missing a fourth finger and a thumb per hand would certainly be a challenge in and of itself. "I'll also have to figure out how to play with less keys at a time, but I should be able to manage if I can just remember…" He began to trail off before resting his fingers on the keys.

After a few practice keys to remember what he could, Marionette began a hesitantly slow rendition of 'Happy Birthday'. He slowly began to quicken to a normal speed as he began to remember how to play once more. It began to come back to him once more, as though he had never stopped.

Yet just as soon as he was getting fully engaged, he abruptly halted his playing. Mike looked over him in confusion as Marionette stayed poised over the keys. "What's up?" he inquired. He then looked back towards the front doors to see if someone was watching, as that was the usual cause of Marionette freezing up. "You sort of died at the end there."

"I'm trying to… Hmm… Give me a moment." Marionette tested a few keys and continued thinking over their location, all while trying to access inward programming that he knew was there. He was human enough, but that didn't mean that he could use his tools to his advantage.

Then it came to him, like a flood of notes that he attempted to translate from music box notes to piano notes. He lowered his hands and tentatively began to mimic the song from the arcade machine. By time the song would loop, Marionette was playing without much of a hitch. Needless to say, Mike was impressed, and Marionette knew it. There was nothing he enjoyed more than knowing he still had tricks to dazzle the human with. He played the song as though he knew it from heart.

"What was that, thirty minutes with that game?" Mike asked. "Thirty minutes with game music and you're playing it on the piano. I'll be damned."

"It helps that it's a simple song. It transitions easier to piano keys," Marionette affirmed as he continued to play. He sent a glance over at Mike who was still half leaning over him. "I might be convinced to play requests if you're persuasive enough."

"I think I know how to pull your strings," Mike quipped back as he moved a hand to his shoulder. He lightly traced around where the strings would emerge but didn't attempt to draw it out; not while Marionette was still looping the song from the arcade machine. Mike considered his options and eventually sent the animatronic a playful smile, "Surprise me. You know what I like."

"I thought you didn't like surprises," Marionette playfully remarked. He still paused his hands above the keys once again as he tried to think of another song. It didn't take him long before he decided on one and music once again began to play. The song was a familiar one, being one that Marionette sung frequently. Specifically, Mike remembered it as being the song that Marionette had sung down in ARI the first time they went and since then had began to associate it as being Marionette's song. If animatronics had a song, it certainly would represent him the best.

"And I can't give you back the things you had,~" Marionette quietly lulled as he played into the chorus. "But you don't have to do this on your own.~"

Only right this moment did Mike realize exactly how good of an idea this had all been. He didn't know if Marionette would've been willing to show these talents off inside a packed pizzeria, but he was definitely more comfortable performing to a private audience. Him choosing this of all songs only seemed to back this theory up. This was the song Marionette sung behind closed doors; the version of the Puppet that others didn't get to see. Mike felt honored to be let behind the curtain once more and allowed to see the glimpses that nearly were lost in the past.

He sent a brief glance at the kitchen door to make sure Foxy was still busy. Considering that he still hadn't returned, it seemed that he was. Mike leaned down to slide his arms around Marionette's chest, so that he could embrace him without restraining the Puppet's arms. Marionette's song trailed off into a trill as he continued to perform. His hands moved a little faster as he continued through the end of the chorus and into what would've been the second verse. Mike hadn't intended to stifle his singing, but holding him was worth it.

Marionette trembled as Mike pressed a few kisses onto his neck. His hands continued to play almost autonomously as his focus shifted to his new distraction. He warbled lowly and turned his head towards the security guard, giving him more of his attention. He began to hum low in his chest in an attempt to return to the song, but he lost it to a sigh when Mike embraced him a little tighter. From this closeness, Mike could hear every tick and toll from the hidden music box, even over the sound of the keyboard. It was music on its own.

"So, I got a question," Foxy suddenly announced as he stepped in from the kitchen while toting a plate with a slice of cake on it. From the smooshed look of the cake and the brown stains around his mouth, it was obvious that he had already been eating it. "How'd you two go from friend to- Never mind." The moment he looked up and saw where Mike was, Foxy turned and stepped right back into the kitchen.

Marionette stared blankly after his brother and Mike paused for a moment to stare at the door. Once it was obvious that Foxy wasn't intending to come back, Mike decided to speak. "So, we probably have a few minutes before he gets the nerve to come back. Still willing to do a request?" Marionette gave another chime that was slightly fragmented by the lowering surprise and growing embarrassment. He didn't know whether to be embarrassed, amused that Mike didn't move away, or to just admire his resilience.

"I think that goes without saying," Marionette answered. He had stopped playing when Foxy barged in and only now lightly tested the keys again. "Whatever you want to hear."

"Play it again?" Mike inquired as he kissed the side of his mask. The Puppet trembled at the soft touch against his porcelain and eagerly returned his fingers to the keys.

Fritz regretted his decision to come along willingly as soon as they left the parking lot. The drive was an uncomfortably silent one where even breathing sounded too loud to be comfortable. The radio was on low, but too low to drown out the tenseness of the truck. It had always been obvious that Natalie's father despised him in the few times they had met. Maybe not as much as he hated Mike or Freddy's in general, but he clearly didn't like the technician. Because of this, Fritz felt little need to make conversation just yet, as he had a suspicion that any attempt would either be shot down or ignored.

Thankfully, the man didn't drive too far down the seemingly endless road before pulling into another parking lot. Fritz glanced out to see an unfamiliar bar outside the window. It almost looked like a dive, but it seemed more like a style choice than being an actual dive bar. Natalie's father parked close to the doors, turned the car off, and climbed out without a word. Assuming that he was supposed to follow, Fritz climbed out of the car and followed into the bar. There were only a few people in the back playing pool, so the counter was free to sit at.

The bartender approached the bar and acknowledged them both. "What can I get you gentlemen?"

"Just a beer," Natalie's father answer, "and water for him." Apparently, he had suddenly become some form of a designated driver. Either that or he planned to stage an elaborate accident to kill Fritz, which the technician wouldn't be too surprised about. Soon he had his beer and they reverted to silence, save the sound of low music and the cracking of pool balls hitting each other.

He wasn't sure how long had passed since they arrived, but it took Natalie's father until his second beer for him to actually speak to Fritz again. "How's the business going?" he suddenly asked. It felt like a loaded question, but Fritz decided to go for honesty.

"Business is good. We've been getting a lot of customers, which is pretty lucky considering the time of year. It's not summer so it's not exactly the time when kids are prowling the streets with nothing to do," Fritz casually admitted. Only after he had said this did he realize that the man could've been more satisfied with a basic answer. He sipped at his water awkwardly, "…We get a lot of parties…"

"There's a parent group that was planning to protest the whole thing before it could open. Then everyone dragged their feet until one of their kids started spending all their cash there. Suddenly everyone's fine and dandy with the business," Natalie's father wearily vented. He sounded much more exhausted than he usually did when Fritz saw him. "How many of them do you think knows what happened back at Freddy's?"

"I… Don't know. Freddy's is- Freddy's been closed for a while," Fritz sheepishly admitted, "And we're not a part of Freddy's."

"How stupid do you think I am?" Natalie's father retorted, snapping more aggressively at Fritz's denial. He kept it quiet enough to not draw the attention of the bartender. "Natalie said you worked at Freddy's. You're even wearing the same color of uniform. If you're going to lie to me, you can cover your ass better than that." It honestly took Fritz a few seconds to recover from that and to contemplate the most rational way of trying to explain himself.

"Freddy's was run by a company called Fazbear Entertainment that went under a long time ago. I'm just- I'll admit that the uniform coloring could've been chosen better, but we aren't connected with Freddy's. I was just a technician and a night guard on the weekends," Fritz calmly explained as the man took another chug of his beer. "Nobody who ran Freddy's is even still alive as far as I know."

"I'm not surprised," Natalie's father muttered coarsely. "They had it coming. All those kids and nobody took the fall."

"Except the families… And some of the workers," Fritz agreed. "Not me, I mean. I got out of there fine, but I know some people… I've seen people who came out of Freddy's with lifelong injuries. Physical scars and real injuries that they aren't going to recover from." Such as Scott and even Jeremy's scars. It was hard to think of how many of them had been affected by Freddy's.

"Maybe if people like you didn't brush things under the rug then places like Freddy's wouldn't keep reopening. There's already on coming right back up at that old animatronic factory. People like you keep franchises like this open, and then break up families," the older man bitterly droned out. He didn't raise his voice, he didn't need to, but every word was venomous. Normally, Fritz would decide that now was time to leave. Yet instead, Fritz found himself focusing in on the words 'people like you'. His hand tightened on his glass.

"People like me, yeah," Fritz scoffed off. "Maybe if people like you stopped blaming people like me and had even looked in the vague direction of those owners, some of the things that happened at Freddy's wouldn't have happened. I'm sure Natalie hasn't told you this, but I was questioned in the disappearances of those children." At this point he was too frustrated to even bother thinking of the consequences of revealing such information. "Maybe if they would've looked above me at the people covering their asses then they would've found those kids."

Fritz knew he said too much. Whether it was how quiet Natalie's father suddenly became, unwilling to look at him, or the bartender watching from down the bar, Fritz knew that there were some things he shouldn't have said. At this point though he didn't care. He raised his water, half wishing it was at least a soda and half uncaring, and then froze.

"Wait, what was that? What Freddy's is opening? What are you talking about?" Fritz devolved quickly into frenzied questions. "Who told you that?"

"So, you want me to believe you're not involved," the man stated. Fritz continued staring at him and looked just as confused as ever. "…Alright," the man continued with a tone of almost defeat. He reached into his wallet and went through a few cards and papers. Eventually he founded a business card and handed it over. The card itself was just for a bank, but there was an address on the back. "I'll stand aside for your knock-off joint, but nobody's going to let another Freddy Fazbear slide into town. If you're really not involved, then you shouldn't care."

"I'm concerned," Fritz muttered as he looked at the address. If he remembered his streets right, this landed it near Afton Robotics Incorporated. "This can't be really happening. There must be a mistake."

"There is no mistake. I've seen the building myself. The damn thing's a Freddy's," Natalie's father affirmed as he finished off a second beer. They fell right back into the uncomfortable silence with Fritz staring ahead at the glasses behind the bar and the man calling for another beer. "Now that that's straightened out," the man began, "the pool table is free." As though Fritz wasn't already confused enough.

The next hour was largely silent as Fritz played pool with Natalie's father. The games were less tense the longer the night went on. Possibly because of the alcohol or maybe because after that dispute earlier nothing could get more awkward. Though without the distraction of conversation, Fritz spent an abnormally long amount of time dwelling on the prospect of there being another Freddy's. As far as he had known, the only ones who maybe owned any of the remnants of Fazbear Entertainment was Mike and himself.

Suddenly Supply Guy was starting to become a more reliable source. Fritz would have to swing by the address on the way home and see if this was all true. Maybe it was all just a bad assumption.

Eventually Natalie's father seemed to run out of steam and after discarding the last glass bottle, he gave a gruff, "We're leaving," and started out. Fritz went along with it because he knew that the man wasn't above abandoning him at the bar. Though when he noticed the man entering the passenger side of the truck, he started to suspect that perhaps he had only brought Fritz along as a driver. Fritz silently climbed into the driver's seat and began to drive towards Natalie's parents' house.

Fritz expected another silent drive until the man in the passenger seat spoke. "I don't have any problem with you," he randomly stated. "I could've lived without meeting someone out of Freddy's, but you could be worse. Natalie likes you." It was clear that it was the alcohol that helped him loosen up this much and, though Fritz doubted the man would remember this tomorrow, he almost felt like this was a sort of breakthrough. Maybe they could finally reach civility.

"If I find out you knocked up my daughter, I'm going to put you in a ditch," the man added in. Perhaps not.

Fritz pulled into the driveway and turned off the truck. Natalie's father leaned over to take the keys out of the ignition and climbed out of the truck. Confused but willing, Fritz climbed out as well, thinking that he was probably going to be let inside. The man met him out in front of the truck.

"You're alright enough," the man admitted. It was the closest thing that Fritz could've got to a compliment. "And you didn't wreck on the way here, so I'd say that's worth some sort of merit." He sent a glazed look around the front yard. Then he headed to the front door to let himself in. Before he disappeared inside, he called back with a final, "You're still better than Schmidt." Then he closed the front door.

It was at that moment that Fritz realized he had been ditched outside. He considered following and knocking on the door, hopefully getting Natalie's mother to give him a ride, but eventually decided against it. He would rather not share any more exchanges with Natalie's father this evening. It was too much like poking the bear, especially with the Freddy accusations that had been tossed around. Instead, Fritz gave a weary sigh and got out his cellphone. He dialed the number and after a few moments received an answer.

"Hey Nat! You're never going to guess where I am."

It was only once Fritz was jogging across the parking lot that he realized he had lost control of the night. He could hear the hum of the car behind him as Natalie drove back home. She had been sympathetic enough to give him a ride, but too miserable to stay, to which he didn't blame her. At least she wasn't running a fever anymore, but he wouldn't be able to tell for sure until he got home.

"What a night," he grumbled to himself as he slowed to a stroll once in front of the restaurant. He walked past the front, glancing over at the pizzeria as he did so, and his gait slowed even more as he saw what was occurring aside.

There was Mike, Marionette, and Foxy crowded around a table playing what looked like a board game. Foxy's mouth was stained in what was obviously cake, Mike was propped on an elbow sending the board daggers with his gaze, and Marionette himself was absolutely bubbling in delight as he tossed the dice and moved a small, plastic Freddy around the board.

"…We've got to get curtains," Fritz muttered with a shake of his head. He decided not to make a second foolish decision and slipped by before any of the three could notice him.

Soon he was driving home and ready to end the night for good. He would go to the store in the morning, but he needed to get home. Natalie's father was too much to deal with, and Fritz didn't know if the expositor would help him become less intense. It also hadn't done anything to assure him on this new situation with ARI. He was almost tempted to drive by the building tonight, but then decided just to wait and do it tomorrow. He wouldn't be able to see anything in the evening anyways, so there wasn't much point in subjecting himself to a sleepless night.

Because if it was true and Freddy's did somehow open a new location, Fritz didn't know if anyone in town would sleep soundly. He knew he certainly wouldn't.

Mable: I can confirm that jogging in a parking lot was the highlight of Fritz' evening. XD Anyhow, the next chapter will be posted as soon as I can finish it!