I deeply apologize for this long silence. I haven't been mentally well and needed time to sort out my emotions and just get better.

Chica: I am glad you did that, instead of pretending everything is okay... like Spring tends to do...

Yeah, I did do that once, but not anymore. Took a lot of time to work out that flaw.

Anyway, this chapter is relatively simple; I can't do much heavy stuff, not before I stop feeling like I am stuck in a tar full of negative thoughts.

Enjoy.

Aside from Freddy's human body malfunction, everything went well with the party. The birthday child and his other young friends had a blast. The mother was happy about the service, and even the young man, who clearly had a problem with the company, seemed pleased enough when Mike spotted him outside as the guests left the restaurant.

He says they did a good job, though he worries about Freddy. The bear has been somewhat melancholy, but Mike figures it's due to the relatively close call from his sudden malfunction. It's nothing they can do about now; none of them are trained enough to repair the human shapes. The only one with mechanic training barely knows how to work on their animatronic bodies, something Thomas wishes he did, but he has yet finished his education about the subject.

Checking the clock, Mike can see it's time to get the kids from school. "Time to get the kids." He announces to Jeremy; the much older man nods and reminds him, "You got the weekend shift." Mike gives thumps up that he is aware and thinks Soren and Hope would like to be here at Freddy's as well. Been a while since they last saw the animatronics.

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Hope and Soren were happy to return to the restaurant and see their spirit friends, the animatronics were happy to see them too, and the older ones asked a lot about how school was going.

Hope is the one who spoke most about it, while Soren continued to keep it vague as he did with Mike. The animatronics didn't pay it much mind, as they merely saw it as Soren didn't find the school that interested, only something he had to go through for a better future.

While Mike is working his shift, Soren and Hope spend their time playing with the Toys. The younger of the two persuades Chiara to help her create a hat suited for a spell caster. "it has to be big and pointy!" Hope explains to the canary animatronic, showing with her hands how big it has to be at her head.

Chiara titles her head at this, trying to understand what Hope is asking. "Okay, do you happen to have a picture of this hat?" Hope shakes her head, that is making it a bit harder, but it hasn't stopped her before. "I guess we can start by making a basic hat." She fetches some paper and a pen from Spring's corner and draws line art on how to make said hat. Something she has learned from several books borrowed and a single one she got from Rena. "this will be the base of the hat, the part around your head. I think it's best to make it a bit bigger than the book told; so you can have it for a longer time."

"Sure!" Hope nods enthusiastically, though there is something about this line art that won't make her wizard hat look like an actual spell caster's garment. "but the top can't be round and flat like that." She points at the small sketch Chiara made, and taking a pen, she draws a pointy top above the sketch. "It has to look like this."

BonBon stares at the sketch, tilting his head, "Are you making a witch hat?"

"Is that the female version of a wizard?" Hope asks.

"I think so?" The bunny replies, unsure if that's the case. The whole fantasy subject does go a bit over his head. He's more into spy movies, even if the entire mystery and drama are still challenging to keep track of.

"Then that's what it is!" Hope declares proudly, and Chiara checks for such a thing over the shared laptop. To both girls' joy, they find a site that shows how one can make such a hat. "Great! Let's make one! Oh, and a cape too!" Hope eagerly says and runs over to fetch scissors and other tools she thinks they will need for this project.

Chiara does not follow, busier getting all the details about making a witch hat into her memory bank. When sure she got it. "I don't think my current fabric will be good enough. It's too soft." More suited for clothing, "but I think we can use it for this cape."

"What about the hat?" Hope asks, quieter as she worries they won't be able to make it.

Fortunately, Chiara does not worry about it. "Let's ask some of the others if they can go with us to buy the fabric." That cheers Hope up a margin, and she practically drags the two over to speak with one of the older animatronics about this. Turns out that Goldie has time for such a trip, so not long after, it looks like a group of excited children is leaving with a pretty young grandfather.

Soren, Vixey, and Theo decided to stay behind as they are too busy beating each other in their fighting game. They are equal in their skills, but in the end, Vixey won their little tournament. "Hu-zah!" She cheers as the two boys hand her their game coins.

Theo makes a big frown at the fox's cheer, "What kind of cheer is that?"

"An awesome one." Vixey sticks her tongue at him.

Soren exchanges a look with the younger bear, who rolls his eyes, while Soren finds that explanation legit enough. Besides, he's way more curious about how Vixey pulled off that win. "That move you made in the game. How did you do that?"

"Oh, I saw one of the kids do that." Vixey shrugs and points at the scoreboard of this fighting game. "I can see why he's at the top."

"Can you teach us?" Theo asks.

Vixey ponders for a moment, "Hmm, sure, IF;" she then takes the run for it. "you can catch me first!"

The two boys cry out how unfair that is since Vixey is by far the fastest of the youngsters but does not want to give up on learning the winning secret. Soren and Theo take chase, almost knocking into Jeremy in the progress.

"Hey, watch it!" He yells at the three, but they are too busy in whatever they are doing to listen to him. Grumbling, Jeremy heads over to the bigger stage as Freddy, Bonnie, and Chica are about to start their show. Does stop when he notices Scott inside the office, the other man got a face of horror. Jeremy instantly knows something is up and decides to speak with the man, in case it's something they have to deal with right away. "Hey, what's wrong?" He asks and does not like the look Scott has one bit.

The other man turns his head and thus gazes at the phone beside him. Jeremy has the sense that Scott's worried behavior is the cause of someone who called them. And right he is… "It was George…."

That name itself brings up many memories of him arguing with a man no one wants as their boss. "You mean THAT, George?" Jeremy asks and can't hide his anger and disbelief when Scott nods that it is indeed the same man who made his former work at Freddy's a living hell— more than it already was. "What the hell does he want?"

He had hoped that this day would never arrive. That George would never realize that he didn't die, only got taken by a man whose moral compass was so skewed that he's dangerous. "He wants what is rightfully his." Scott says quietly, and as George stated, he got any right to take the company as it was given to him by the former owner.

"Bullshit, he can't do that," But by the look Scott has, well, it deeply troubles Jeremy. "Wait, does that bastard have a leg to stand on?"

"I'm afraid so."

Okay, so legally, they are perhaps screwed, but there is more than just the rights George has to get to have Fazbear Entertainment under his total control. One and the biggest of them is the animatronics approval, especially the one who currently has the ownership of the company. "Freddy's not going to give up the rights without one hell of a fight." Freddy takes the rights of owning the restaurant very seriously. Although he tries to hide it, everyone knows he thinks that way because his soul happens to be stuffed inside the Freddy Fazbear animatronic.

Scott knows about this great pride Freddy has; it was the reason he persuaded Kate's husband to give Freddy all the data needed to gain full control over the company. He was and more or less still is the only one able to gain access to their bank account. Scott knows Freddy won't give up his title as the owner without a fight, especially when it's George who demands that claim. "That's what troubles me." Scott admits to Jeremy. The man gives him a confused look for that comment, but Jeremy hasn't seen how much Freddy loathes George. "If Freddy happens to remember him, then George will be lucky if Freddy does not attack him. He is the personification of all the torment he and the others went through in the former locations."

Ah, now he can see what Scott is so worried about. "I can see your point. But they aren't as feral as they used to be." Jeremy points out, sure, the animatronics still have the unfortunate tendency to attack people if inflicted with too much pain or stress, but they are in much more control over their emotions now. "They won't hurt him too badly."

He sighs, "I hope not; otherwise, we may end up with a lawsuit." Scott has no wish to fight that battle, not when it may end with the animatronics losing the freedom they gained thanks to his not-so-legal actions. "I have no wish to see them under someone like George's thump again."

"You are planning on speaking with them, right?"

"Of course." Scott has no wish to keep something this important away from the animatronics. Not when their livelihood— their freedom is on the line. "I will tell them when we close. No need to ruin the good mood because of this."

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With the last worker out, only those who know what controls the animatronics are around. Scott calls for a meeting and tells everyone who is trying to reclaim the restaurant once again.

He had hoped that the animatronics wouldn't remember George, but he quickly saw that's not the case. Freddy got a face of an angry bear. "Let him try. I'm not giving up the ownership, not even if he tries to set us on fire again."

"If he does that, then all bets are off." Bonnie sneers. Like Freddy, he, too, hasn't forgotten about what happened on their last day in their former home.

Chica and Foxy do not look happy about knowing that the former owner is demanding to get the rights for the restaurant and, in some ways, have them under his control again. "We will fight till the very end." The latter of the two declares. Chica nods in agreement, adding to Scott: "This is our home. We won't let that bastard take it from us. And if he tries to control us again, then he can get a taste of how it feels to be controlled like that."

"I like that idea." Bonnie grins.

The two gold ones exchange a look with one another. Neither has been active in the show while this George was in control, but from how the younger ones are all fired up, they can see that the man isn't much better than the former owner of Fredbear Family Diner. "Maybe we can reason with him." Spring says, though by the look the other gives him, it seems unlikely. "At least try and make him back off."

"Unless you want to go scorch earth and reveal what resides inside each of us." Goldie remarks with a wryly smile, "Unlike the rest of the still alive kind. This George does not have a loved one residing among us— unless Marion happened to like the guy?"

"I highly doubt it." Jeremy snorts; he still remembers how George made a big show that every security guard kept that music box wired up. "Marion seemed extra spiteful against him, but I would be pissed too if someone kept me inside a cramped box and had to listen to the same darn tune all day."

"Right, so this George is an asshole, got it." Spring says in an ironic and quite humorous manner that it made several of the Gang snickers. "So, how do we deal with him? I highly doubt any of us wants to give up the rights to our freedom to one who sounds like he could care less about what happens to us."

He has an idea, it's risky, but it may allow him and the others to regain an upper hand when it comes to this man. "You'll leave that to me." Freddy says, his tone stern but confident that he knows how to deal with this man.

I will need time to correct the upcoming chapter as it has some heavy themes that may throw me back to my depressive state.

I won't rewrite it as this part is the answer to a long long-asked question by many of you.

I ask you for your patience. The chapter will be out in due time.