A strange butler (Expect slow updates like everything else)

by HydroStat

Summary:

Tessa explores the swamp once again and makes a profound discovery

Notes:

Bam, another fiction suddenly started and another added to my increasing schedule. I'm going to be honest, this one was purely impulse but I do love the idea so this one will have progress.

Chapter 1: Foundation

It was the same boring routine in the Elliott Manor. Get up, watch J and co make breakfast, study, have lunch, go in the swamp, have dinner, repeat. It was like this for a good 2 years already and it was getting stale for Tessa, she wanted excitement, something new to spice up her life. It was that reason why she still continued going in the swamp despite not finding anything in there for the past 2 years. But she was determined to hopefully find something to change this stagnating lifestyle she was now forced in.

Tessa exited the manor once again and went to the swamp to do her daily look around, in hopes of finding something new, no matter how small it may be. She looked into one of the many piles of drones outside, searching deep into it. After around five or so minutes, she spotted something strange. She went to try and pull it out but was stuck under many drones bodies. Tessa sighed and hoped what she found was gonna be worth the next hour or so.

After around two hours, she had managed to drag the mysterious object out of it's prison. She was confused by the thing, it was orb shaped robot with multiple eye stalks and multiple arms, each one having their own attachment. On the bottom of it was a thruster, which was odd cause this thing didn't seem to be made for flight. She dragged it to her room after some time as the damn thing was stupidly heavy. She practically need help from all three of her drone buddies to drag the thing upstairs. Which was also accompanied by complaining from her mom as usual. Tessa was beyond excited to work on something new and so different than what she was used to. Now that she looked at it closer, there didn't seem to be many damages or repairs the thing needed, it only needed to be powered on but with what?

Tessa looked on the internet to see if she could find any information on the robot she had now acquired. After a hour of searching she finally found it, the Mr.Handy line of robots. They primarily served as maintenance and construction robots before filling out other roles over time. Some time afterwards though, the company that made was acquired by Jcjenson. Most likely to make the current worker drones everyone knows of. Tessa exited the computer and immediately was filled with joy. She had just discovered a relic, near her own house no less. Tessa did feel slightly annoyed she didn't find it sooner but she has it now and that's all that matters.

Now then, how does she power them. In her brief moments of skimming through most of the information being displayed she did noticed a lot of talk about radiation and nuclear energy being associated with the Mr.Handy robots. Theoretically, she could make her own power source from the spare parts of the many drones out there but that would take a while and also she wants her discovery to be active now. So she decides to do something risky.

Tessa grabs some tools and manges to open up a panel of of the Mr.Handy's shell, revealing the internals beneath. She looked inside and saw something, the power source of the machine. A small device with a radiation symbol on it. Thankfully it seems the power device wasn't cracked, so no possible leaking radiation was gonna spill. Thankfully the solution to fix the handy was to simply put the device back into place and it should work like no problem...hopefully.

After some fiddling around, the power device was in place and now all she had to was manually active it. She messed with some wires and the machine began to activate. Tessa instantly jumped with joy and excitement, seeing her newly found friend active.

She placed the machine on the ground, giving it room to move. Suddenly it floated into the air as the thruster underneath it suddenly sparked with life. It's eyes were open and filled with light and it's arms were moving in almost rhythmic moments.

"Where...where am I?", the machine asked, looking around the room.

"You Mister, are currently in my room after I found you and helped power you back up", Tessa said, filled with joy.

"I see. Well then, thank you miss for my reactivation. I am ever grateful", he said, moving one of his arms in a way to show bowing.

"Oh I can't WAIT to show you to the others!", Tessa said excited. "It would be a joy to meet the fellows of this fine estate", he said.

"But before I do that, do you have a name perchance?", Tessa asked. "My name is Codsworth and what would your name be my dear?", he asked.

"My name is Tessa and it's nice to meet you Codsworth. I hope we become good friends", Tessa said, extending her hand out. 

"Like wise", Codsworth replied, extending one of his arm, fitted with a claw and the two shake their hands.

"Now then, are you ready to meet the others?", Tessa asked. "I think so", he replied. "Great", she said.

Tessa opened her door and the two descended down the stairs, Codsworth's thruster being one of few things producing sound in the silent areaa of the manor. 

"It's nice to see someone so excited for a robot such as myself. Haven't seen something like this in a while. I do hope the rest of the family is as nice as dear Tessa", Codsworth said to himself.

---

In the other side of the manor rested the three drones Tessa had rescued in times pass, N, V, and J. Along side them are James and Louisa Elliott, who are currently reading books and drinking wine on their sofas in the living room. N, V, and J are in corner, away from the Elliotts, allowing them room to talk.

"So...are you guys excited over the new friend that Tessa found?", N said, looking at J and V.

"I mean, it's nice to see someone so different than us. Although I do wonder why they were in the swamp in the first place", V said nervously.

"I hope that there at least better than you, Mr. Synergistic Lability", J said annoyed.

"Let's just hope they're at least nice", V said.

"I'm sure they will", N replied. 

"EVERYONE, I GOT SOMETHING TO SHOW YOU!", Tessa said yelling in excitement, grabbing everyone's attention as her heels were heard clicking on the wooden floor.

"Tessa James Elliott, what has gotten into you to yell so loudly?", James said annoyed.

"Probably that piece of junk she brought in", Louisa said, taking a sip from her wine glass.

"Just you wait, you're gonna be so excited. OH CODSWORTH", Tessa yelled, towards the room she came from.

The group looked towards the room Tessa yelled in and sound of slight humming was heard, eventually it became louder and louder until the source of sound was revealed.

"Sorry dear Tessa, I got distracted looking at rest of of manor. Very beautiful I must say,  beautiful craftsmanship", Codsworth said, coming into frame of everyone's view.

"So...that the machine you and your...friends dragged in, isn't?", Louisa said, eyeing Codsworth.

"Uh...yes mother, it is", Tessa said nervously. Codsworth's eyes narrowed at Tessa's quick change in behavior. He knows of parents who aren't...the best and he desperately hopes it isn't the case here.

"So...what are you exactly, robot?", James asked, his tone sounding annoyed by his presence.

"I'm a Mr.Handy sir. I'm made to help with maintenance and construction, although my role before was one of a family unit. I helped raised one before and now that dear Tessa has brought me back from allegorical grave, I'm ready to continue that purpose once more", he says, moving his claw hand in a bowing motion.

"I see. Let's hope you live up to your title, after all, there's a reason you were found after disposed", James said.

"Oh right, I was...disposed of. Frankly speaking it was a good reason, I was sad but at the same time, it made sense", Codsworth replied.

"W..what do you mean?", Tessa asked nervously. 

"Oh the reason was simple. I just couldn't do it anymore", Codsworth said almost joyously. Tessa and everyone else sort of stared at him both disturbed and surprised by the statement.

"And want do you mean by that?", Louisa said.

"I did what I was made to and had full filled my purpose, raise Shawn and watch him grow. But after that I wasn't needed, I knew that. So I proposed my disposal, after all, I finished my job". There was no reason for me to be around", he said solemnly.

"But now, now! There's a new family, a new life for me to have with you people. I get to continue my purpose and have a new one. It's...exciting you know. It's nice to see a family", he finished.

Tessa stared at Codsworth wide eyed, surprised by essentially everything he just spat out to them. She looked into the corner and even saw her friends in shock as well, still distanced from her parents.

"...well anyway, can someone help me with finding my way through this manor. I still need time to understand my workplace, if you be so kind", Codsworth said.

"Uhh..., you three in the back, give our....newest member a tour of the manor", James said looking over to N,V, and J.

"Yes sir", J replied, causing the other two to follow her. J and two went to Codsworth and exited the room.

James and Louisa looked over to Tessa, who is still shocked by Codworth's words.

"Tessa dear", James said, grabbing Tessa's attention and breaking her out of shock.

"Yes father", she replied. "You better make sure he works and does his job properly, or else he's going back into the swamp. You understand", he said.

"Yes father", Tessa replied solemnly. "Good", he said.

Her mother and father left the room, leaving Tessa alone. Tessa immediately went back to her room and began to research more about the company who made Codsworth and hoping to possibly find more than what the company wanted.

"There's something more to them...I'm sure of it", she said to herself, looking at her computer.

After some searching and going onto some sketchy websites and links, she managed to find something of interest, a redacted file. Of course she couldn't simply open it but was at least haply she did find something of interest. 

Tessa went to her bed and layed down, she was exhausted from repairing Codsworth and also stressed from the past few minutes that have just occurred. She tired her best to not fall asleep but she couldn't resist it any longer and so she drifted to sleep.

 

 

Chapter 2: First day and some discovery

Notes:

Focused on other stuff, working on something in the background, not murder drones related, might make a crossover in the future though.

Codsworth fist day, he wasn't nervous but more excited than anything to fulfill his purpose and tasks made by the Elliotts. He noticed the the other drones around the manor who seemed confused on who he was but he didn't mind it. He knew he was a oddity to essentially everyone here. He was somewhat bothered he didn't have a outfit like the other drones and so went to Tessa to see if she could try to make something for him. 

Tessa was surprised by the sudden appearance of Codsworth, despite having a miniature rocket booster under him, he was incredibly quiet. Codsworrth explained his situation to Tessa, who laughed a little at the robot's complaint. She went to her closet of clothes and tired to find something he could wear to at least appear formal. After some searching she found a tophat, and one of those fake mustaches she used to mess around with when she was younger. She showed the items to Codsworth, who cheered at the discovery. 

Tessa placed the hat on top of his head and placed the mustache on the front of his face, trying to make sure it doesn't look off, considering he didn't exactly have a proper face. Codsworth went to the mirror and was delighted with his look. He thanked Tessa and left to continue his duties, which were mainly cleaning and dusting off items around the manor. While it was a simple and practically menial task, he took it with stride. He was just happy to work again after so long.

His relationships with the three of Tessa's drone friends were rather interesting. First was N, the nice but somewhat clumsy one of the trio. Codsworth admired the joyful nature of N and his fondness of dogs. He was seemingly Tessa's favorite, which caused him to get into some issues with J, the next one. J was a hard worker but also incredibly bossy sometimes to others. Surprisingly her and Codsworth hit it off pretty well, they both respected Tessa and their jobs.

Sure they had some slight problems between them, mainly around J's treatment of N but other than that, they were fine. Although Codsworth did admit that J really needed to work on her behavior towars others. V was the shy and quite one of the three, the one who was the least involved with everyone. She seemed to have a crush on N, who also had a crush on her as well. But the two were two awkward to actually admit, despite the obvious.

Codsworth enjoyed the company he found himself in, even Tessa's parents didn't seem so bad, the other drones probably exaggerated some of their actions. Although, he idd keep some of what they said in mind whenever he worked, can never be to careful. He still wished he had proper hands but that might be something for thr future as for now, his claws worked perfectly fine to grab objects. He had found himself in the library, dusting books and cleaning shelves. He did notice that the parents didn't really seem to care about this area as much as the rest of manor, they probably don't read many books in all honesty. As he was cleaning the library, he noticed someone walking up towards him, it was Tessa's mom. What did she want now?

"Oh, Ms.Elliott, fancy seeing you here. What do you need with me?", Codsworth asked.

"Wanted to see how you were working, since this is your first day and the fact you are different from the usual staff that roam around", She said, glaring at Codsworth. She lent up her gaze and quickly scanned the library, noticing the way the shelves and books were looking and aligned. 

"And it seems you are proving your worth after all", she continued, leaving soon afterwards after another glance at the library.

"No wonder the staff speak about her like that, her gaze could kill, good thing I don't have a proper face", has says, laughing at himself before resuming work.

---

Tessa is at her computer once again to continue her research on Mr.Handys, trying to see why Jcjenson bought them out so long ago. Nons of the technology that is in Codsoworth seems like it still being used today by Jcjenson, despite the many advantages it has. The nuclear reactor that is inside of them is remarkable feat of engineering for when they were friends made and even now still are.

She goes deeper and deeper and discovers something very interesting, a document. The date is blocked out and so are some other words, most likely names. But one thing the document does detail is the purchase of the Mr.Handy brand of robots, costing Jcjenson around 35 Billion dollars. But the big question to her is the why of it. Nothing Jcjenson makes or owns looks even remotely similar to the Mr.Handys, so why the purchase?

Then it clicked instantly, a simple answer, one so blantly obvious. Jcjenson bought them and used them as a base for the their future mass product, the worker drones. No wonder why they boguth them out, they were the most advanced machines on the market, of course Jcjenson would want to buy them out and try to improve on their functionality. Even though the worker drones do lack the some of the things that made Mr.Handys so beloved and interesting, such as their thrusters and unique body design, most of the functionality of them is still the same. 

But now a new question aroused to her, what else did Jcjenson buy and change for their own benefits. Rumors did spread around Jcjenson and a new type of military grade armor they have been developing, only known by its development name as the TANKER. Perhaps that another product they simply bought and are improving off of. Tessa began to research more and more onto various companies that Jcjenson bought over their years and compare what they made with what Jcjenson produced.

She quickly found another example of this with something called the Securitron. A type of robot made for security and most definitely war later on, as mentions of the weaponry its mark two version has equipped on it. They were heavily changed in look and function, just like the Mr.Handys were when bought by Jcjenson. She looked at the files a bit and tried to find what Jcjenson used them for. Given that the Mr.Handys were essentially the prototypes of worker drones, the Securitron's successor should be straight forward and obvious.

.

.

.

 

 

Tessa immediately became confused as she saw what the they were used for, they were the backbone of the Jcjenson landing pods.

She was absolutely confused as to why they got essentially repurposed into space craft out of all things, they weren't even remotely similar in functionality to each other, so why? Why did Jcjenson use them for space travel instead of just using them as a blueprint for specialized worker drones and then it clicked in her head once again as to the why.

It's funny, if it weren't for the files regarding the Securitron, Tessa would neveer believe that their modern counterparts are actually the Jcjenson landing pods. But now it made sense, the landing pods do serve more than just space travel, they have those spider legs for a reason and a seemingly cannon shaped barrel at their tops. 

The landing pods equipped AI in them are used in almost the same way a Securitron mark two, primarily as war machines. Other ones are used as security for much more important buildings, mainly Jcjenson owned locations and for the wealthy with the ability to afford them. Just like their mark one version.They might not have as powerful weapons, being only equipped with a long ranged sniper that requires the whole body to aim directly at a target. But being able to fly over long distances and having the ability to climb on all other any terrain to both deploy units and to fire from, they are still highly dangerous. No wonder they ended war quickly for the ones who could afford them.

Suddenly something appeared on her computer, in the left corner of the screen. 

Warning, unauthorized access to file detected, please clsoe this file and never open this again. For your safety you better listen.

Sincerely, the Jcjenson  Ceo.

---

Tessa closed her computer, nervous with the information she discovered but also more curious on what else Jcjenson bought and used for their advantage. She exited her room and heads downstairs, seeing Codsworth and J interacting with each other. Tessa's happy J has found someone to properly talk to. She understands why J gets mad at the others, mainly N but it's nice to see her interact positively with others instead it's just being the two of them. She tired to stop the light shaking emanating from her body but couldn't. She hope the two wouldn't notice.

"Hey guys, how are you two doing?", she said, walking over to the two. "Doing good Boss, everything is running smoothly", J said. She noticed how Tessa slightly shaked but stopped.

"You don't have to call me boss J, i told you this", she replied. "I know, I know", J said.

"And how are you doing Codsworth, everything going okay so far?", she asked, looking over at him.

"Everything is going well, just finished cleaning the bar area. I did have a encounter with your mother earlier though", Codsworth says, slightly nervous.

"Did she do anything to you?", she immediately asked, worry in her voice. She placed both of her hands on his body, tightly gripping him.

"Shs didn't do anything dear, just wanted to see if I was doing my job well, standard stuff to expect, especially for someone as different as me", Codsworth replied.

"That's...good to hear I suppose", she says, letting go of Codsworth. "So anyways, what were you two talking about?", she asked. 

"Talking about work mainly", J replied. "As well as the upcoming Gala in about two weeks", Codsoworth said.

"Oh right...the Gala, how...exciting", she said, absolute bored.

"Bos-Tessa, I know you don't like the Galas but you did plenty of them before, it's simply just another one, you'll survive", J replied. 

"I know, just wished I didn't have to go to them, wished I could just stay in my room away from them", she said.

"Don't worry dear, I'm sure it'll go swimmingly", Codsworth replied. "And besides, as J previously mentioned, you did plenty before, what's one more", he continued.

"I hope so", she replied. "This has been a fun a exciting conversation but I got some chores to still do. See you two later and goodbye", Codsworth said, before leaving the scene.

"Hey Tessa, before you go can I ask you something?", J asked. "Sure, ask away", she replied.

"Are you okay?", J asked, concern in her voice. "I uh, what do you mean?", she replied, nervously.

"I noticed how you were shaking a bit before you came over to me and Codsworth and so I wanted to know if you are okay", J said.

"I...found out some stuff I wanted to know but I'm afraid I gotten caught doing so", she replied.

I found information regarding the Mr. Handy line of robots, aka what Codsworth is and found out that Jcjenson bought the company behind them and later sued them to make the worker drones as well as the origin of the landing pods", she continued.

J's eyes went wide, "You discovered company property and openly messed with it?", she said, slightly angry. J was trying her best not to yell at her friend but doing something like this isn't a very good look for Tessa.

"I gotten a warning and immediately closed my computer. I do hope nothing major comes out of this", she replied.

"This could've been a lot worse Tessa, you better be careful on this stuff, cause none of us can help you, not even your parents", J said solemnly.

"So please...be safe okay", she continued. "I promise I will, okay", she replied, giving J a hug.

The two split off in their directions soon afterwards, Tessa going back to her room and J going back to work. Tessa is still nervous about everything, she didn't want to get in trouble with the company. She heard rumors about what they did to people who knew things they shouldn't and she didn't want to become one of them. But at the same time, the knowledge that could come from this, it's oh so tempting. She wanted to continue her research but knew she would have to be much more careful and cautious on it. With this new spark, she began work on her new pet project and she dubbed it, The Cyclone.

Chapter 3: Family bonding, AKA: fake it till you make it

Notes:

Okay, so the title doesn't match the chapter perfectly, but that was because this chapter was originally gonna be much more different than this but I kinda go to invested with the current idea. Anyways, enjoy some character development.

There was a very obvious issue that stemmed from the manor, the lack of actual family love. Everyone sane knew about the issues in Tessa's family but no one could really do anything about it, the main issue itself was surprisingly Tessa. Despite her obvious feelings for her family, she would rather keep a roof on her head and also did kinda need the money her parents had. Another factor was also the drones that she personally saved, N, V, and J. 

But now, the family had to put their feelings aside for once and try to act...normal or at least as normal as they could get. That was mainly because of Codsworth sudden arrival in the manor. A perfectly loyal robotic butler with one major flaw that was obvious as soon as he meet the others, he lived for the family dynamic. Tessa and her parents knew that and were honestly kinda worried what would happen if he figured out they weren't as...nice to each other as a family should be. So for now, they played pretended, pretending to be a nice and caring family for each other despite reality.

The ruse has seemed to work pretty well, Codsworth not even questioning it and often praised and encouraged them. Is was funny how easy it was for the Elliotts to act like a happy family, as if nothing was ever wrong. But of course, everyone else knew that was just a lie, especially all the drones residing in the manor. It was uncomfortable for the drones to see the older masters suddenly act like they love and care when ever Codsworth entered a room, before immediately switching back to their usual selves once he was far enough.

It was simply another day like any other, until Losuia decided to host a meeting in her office, calling upon all drones besides Codsworth. Of course he was confused as to why he was not called along the rest of the staff but the others drones simply reassured him that it was nothing to sorry about. Thankfully that seemed to work for now as Codsworth went back to his usual duties.

Every single drone and person was in the office, waiting for Losuia to say something, to explain this sudden act.

"I'm sure you all are wondering why I called this meet, especially you two", she said, pointing her fan at Tessa and at her husband.

"Indeed I am, you haven't called a meeting on this scale in years, so what's the big occasion?", James replied.

"It has to with the gala that was scheduled next week", she said.

"I have decided to...cancel the gala", she continued reluctantly, shocking everyone.

"But why?", one of the many drones asked.

"It mainly has to do with...Codsworth", she replied.

"As I'm sure everyone has noticed, Codsworth is very vocal about the ideals of family values and how family treats family. As you all have noticed, we don't exactly have that here. As a result, we have been trying to act like a so called "Proper family". Which you see, is working for the most part. Unfortunately, with Gala arriving so soon, this whole charade can been easily broken apart if one of our guests picks up on it. So with that possibility being almost a guarantee, I figured that the most logical choice was to cancel the Gala for now", she explained.

Everyone began to think about the situation currently unfolding around them. Many of the drones at least now understood why the Elliotts were acting so weird when Codsworth arrived but some were disturbed by ramifications of this as well. The Elliots can't act like a family unless they have no choice, how...cruel.

"Are we sure this a good idea dear? The longer this game of pretend goes on, the more likely he will notice, especially once we begin to show cracks in our disguise", James asked.

"It's...the best choice we have. I would suggest throwing him out but in all honesty, it's to much of a hassle, and also because damaging him could result in a possible nuclear disaster being unleashed in the manor and I'm sure we don't want that", Tessa said.

"I'm...shocked you even suggested that idea, considering your attachments to your...pets", Louisa replied, looking over at N, V, and J, who stood quietly next to Tessa, looking back at Louisa nervously.

"It honestly shocked me to even think of it in the first place but, it's definitely a possibility we...could consider", Tessa said.

"We can think of a solution for the future, for now, we simply play pretend...no matter how much it hurts", James declared.

---

Three days have past since that sudden meeting, and the family is continuing their facades for as long as possible. Even though everyone was in the loop as to why it was happening, it was still odd to see the family act like they care about each other for once. The family did things that most families did, or at least supposedly. Lousia decided to do something she hadn't tried in years ever since she gotten the drones, cook.

It was surprising to her how much she missed cooking, even if it must be a act, she actually enjoyed the process. She even had some of her staff help her with cooking...she remembered her younger days with Tessa, how the two of them cooked and baked food together, enjoying it with James. She missed though days, but those haven't happen in over a decade. She wiped off a tear from her face and quickly straighten herself out, continuing her cooking. It was to late to go back now, she made choices long ago.

James was outside, it was always nice to be in the garden, filled with stone statues depicting various animals and people. Despite how brutish he can be towards others, he had a knack for gardening, key word being "had". He hasn't done any of the gardening himself for a decade, he leaves it to the drones to take of it. He remembers when he first decided to grow these plants, back when Tessa was just born. How he and her used to go to the garden and take care of the plants...but now that simply isn't possible anymore. He made his choices long ago, he can't turn back now.

Tessa was in her room, working on her new project dubbed the "Cyclone", a device that should allow her to browse throught the various files she found. Despite the fact that she definitely was breaking lots of laws that could result in possibly death, she was desperate to learn more about the Jcjenson's use of repurposed technology. It was absolutely incredible what she discovered and learned but now with the fact she definitely was caught on some sort of level, she needed to be much more careful than before.

Pretending to be a proper family reminded Tesaa of her younger days, back when she and her parents truly loved each other. Back when they weren't highly abusive towards drones. But now they, including herself, have all become shells of the people they once were. She sighed and went back to work on her project, trying to forget once more. She was deep in thought now, but was suddenly interrupted by a knock on her door. 

"Who is it?", Tessa asked, stopping her work.

"It's...your father Tessa, may I...could I speak to you?", he asked, nervously.

Tessa was surprised and confused but decided to simply see how this plays out.

"You can come in", she replied. The door opened immediately afterwards before being closed.

"Before I speak about why I'm here, what are you working on?", James asked, noticing the device played on Tessa's desk.

"Uh...something important...that's all I will disclose", she replied nervously.

"Fine, anyway I want to discuss something...important with you", He said.

"And that would be?", Tessa asked. 

"...do you...want to go to the garden, like old times?", he asked, hesitant.

Tessa was cuaght off guard by her father's sudden request. Sure she seen the garden plenty of times before but that was usually with J or the others, occasionally visiting to see the beauty, but now her father wants her to go with him. She didn't know how to respond at first, so she tried to think of a response. Eventually the idea was settled...it has been a long time anyway.

"Sure", she finally replied.

"Gr-great, I'll see you near the back door", he said, surprised she agreed at all. He left the room soon afterwards, seemingly giddy with his success.

---

Tessa came downstairs and met her father near the back door of the manor. The door lead to the backyard, containing the prized garden nestled within it. The two open the door and entered the backyard.

Beautiful stone statues littered the area, surrounding the stone tile paths in between them. The many flowers and blades of grass, shining in the sun due to residual water from the nearby hose, hanged up perfectly. Tessa noticed some of the drones nearby stop working to look towards her and her father, but went quickly back to work one he looked around the space in front of him. They were quite, unsure what to say as they walked towards the garden in the back. 

The garden was held in a small greenhouse, even after all these years, it still looked as nice as the two remembered. James looked down at his daughter, standing beside him, his eyes unsure if he wanted to speak.

"Tessa, can we...talk about something important?", he asked.

"I guess", she replied.

He took a breath, preparing himself on how to word it.

"Do you think we can change?", he asked.

"What do you mean?", she replied, slightly confused.

"Will it ever be possible for us to go back to how it used to be, or will we always be like this, even after we eventually spilt apart from on another?", he furthered asked.

Tessa didn't know how to respond to such a question, could her...father change after so long, could her mother change...could she ever change? She didn't know the answer.

"I...don't know", she replied.

"Understandable, even I'm unsure", he said.

"Do you wish to go back to how things used to be?", Tessa asked.

"I do, I very much do", he replied, as slight tears rolled down his face.

Chapter 4: Our talks

It was sudden surprise to everyone when some of the Elliott's business partners came by to the manor seemingly out of nowhere. No one knew what to do, since these events are usually planned beforehand but now, everyone hopes things go smoothly and they don't ask to many questions. Oh who were they kidding, of course there's gonna be questions, the only thing everyone hoped for was that there won't be to many.

"Mr. James Elliott, it's a pleasure to see you again", one of the business men said. 

James and Louisa knew this man to well, given the fact that he is usually the only consistent person to join each meeting instead of it always being someone new each time. His name was John Baser. He commonly wore a black suit with a pink tie. This occasion it seems, he has decided wear his pair of brown, steel-toed boots. Perfect for walking in this muddy swamp and to kick someone brutally should the time arise. Sadly common in many of those meetings.

"Hello Baser, it's a surprise to see you alongside your...associates", James E replied, trying his best to hid his frustration at this sudden appearance. Louisa rubbed his left shoulder, hoping to de-stress him. Although she wasn't doing much better to, as she also tried not to actively become a raging mess herself.

Two other men stood alongside John, just like him, they both wore suits of their own, albeit with very different choices in fashion and statement. The man to his left was known as Zachary Fel. He wore a white suit detailed with small yellow flowers on the shoulders and cuffs. His white hair contrasted his slightly sunburnt skin, highlighting his green eyes. His shoes were a standard pair made out of leather, nothing to fancy but they got the job done. Though that could be just the fact the suit was highly expensive to even have.

The other one on the left was known as James Anderson. Much like his associates, he too wore a suit, albeit his towering size of 6ft and 7in made his much more grand in appearance. His suit was black like John but with small silver buttons on the cuff and bright red tie in its center. His footwear was also a pair of boots, though not one with steel.

These three figures were highly important and influential in Jcjenson and in the Elliotts own life. The three of them have been doing various deals over the years, eventually meeting the Elliotts over time and having deals with them as well. These deals mostly resulted in the Elliotts having new drones and the other three getting money. Just like everyone else though, they always noticed how the Elliotts didn't really care for each other. It didn't matter to them though, it wasn't their place to ask why.

The three men sat on a nearby couch with a pair of small black pillows resting on each of the couches side. James and Louisa sat across from them on another similar couch, a small glass table in the room divided the two sides.

"If I may ask, why are you suddenly here? Cause events like this are supposed to be known in advance, so why are you three here?", James E asked, trying to mask his anger.

"Simply put, we have a new opportunity that we have recently discovered. And by recent, I mean yesterday", John replied.

"Oh", James E simply said, surprised by the reveal.

"Exactly, so we have decided to come here immediately instead of doing our usual meetings", James A said.

"But what is this...new opportunity exactly?", James E asked. 

"Simple...a new use for your pile of drone corpses outside", James A replied.

"Basically, Jcjenson is doing a program where you can recycle broken drones and gain some money out of it...and possibly more depending on what is brought in", Zachary said.

"I see the potential, given the fact we have...well, like James said, a pile of corpses outside. But what do you mean by "and possibly more depending on what is brought in"?, James E asked.

"The cores of drones are highly important to Jcjenson, said they wanted them because of a "security risk", whatever that meant", Zachary said.

"I see", James E replied. His hands slightly tighten.

"Anyways, they are giving out 500 per corpse and 1000 per intact core. Surely with the amount you have, you could easily gain millions out of this...probably", James A said.

"So at least you have a very good incentive to do it, if you wish", John said.

"I guess we do", Louisa replied. She slowly clenched her hand.

"Well then, it was nice to meet you again, but I'm afraid we have to go. Money doesn't wait for anyone", John said, getting up from the couch alongside his associates.

"It was...nice to see you three again", James E said. He happy they are finally leaving. 

"It was a pleasure", Louisa said. She was glad nothing went wrong yet.

"Ours as well", James A replied.

---

The three men left the manor, now leaving  more quiet and much less tense without their presence.

The two parents were still...nervous from what had just occurred but were much happier knowing they finally left after what felt like hours. James got up from the ouch and grabbed a pair of small glasses and some wine. Louisa simply nodded and James pour themselves some wine before sitting back down with his wife. The silently drank as the sound of small footsteps began to be heard.

"Mother, father...are you two...okay?", Tessa asked nervous. She and her drones have quietly observed from the second floor, listening in to their conversation down below. She was anxious to ask her parents, especially with how they are currently feeling now.

"Your mother and I are fine Tessa, just thankful it didn't go wrong", James replied, setting his glass on the table.

"Well thankfully...Codsworth was...distracted with some extra work I gave him", Tessa said.

"Good, we could've blown our fragile and barely resembling cover completely", Louisa replied.

James got up the couch and lightly dusted off his suit, quickly looking around the room as he did so.

"Tessa, your mother and I need to speak...privately, okay", James said.

"Umm...okay then", Tessa replied, confused but his sudden switch up. Louisa looked briefly confused as well but quickly hid her expression. The two parents left and headed to their room, passing by their daughter's rescued drones, who were nervous as they passed. Louisa entered the room as James locked the door behind them.

"So...what's this suddenly about, James?", Louisa asked.

"We...we need to talk about our relationship", James anxiously said.

"Oh...I see", Louisa replied. She curled her hands tightly.

"When we first meet all those years ago, back when we first got the manor, it felt amazing. We loved and cared for each other so much. I remember when we first bought the drones staff, we're all excited about what they could do and how efficient they were. Then we had Tessa, our little girl that we all cared for, especially the older drones. But then....we changed, we had loads of money, loads of drones, and then....became part of Jcjenson. And now look at us, you barely cook like you used to, I barely garden like I used to, and our daughter has grown a hatred for us...because we simply couldn't be the parents she needed or wanted", James solemnly said.

"I...yeah, we both grown into...not the people we once loved when we were younger. I...look at you sometimes and see a different man instead of the one I knew, same with Tessa. The sweat, curious child now replaced with one who was molded to hate us by our design. We treat our drones carelessly and kill them for the most petty of reasons. When Tessa first brought J in, I hated what she did, but J proved herself, she became...horrifyingly dedicated to our family and especially Tessa. And now she brought in Codsworth, a machine made for families into a household not built for one in the first place", Louisa sadly replied.

"Should...should we go and see new people, or try to fix this thin-stringed relationship?", Louisa asked.

"I...I don't know dear, I don't know"

Notes:

So this chapter was a weird one to write.
Originally, Codsworth was supposed to meet the business guys and cause some tension with the Elliotts but that got written out.
Then another idea was supposed to be that the Codsowrht was gonna be one of things that Jcjenson wanted to scrap alongside the drones, but that too, got scrapped as well.
Sorry if this chapter feels kinda all over the place.
Hopefully PROJECT: MERGE won't take long to write like last time, so you can possibly expect more frequent posts.
The next five chapters of PROJECT: MERGE have titles and have ideas, I just need to write them before continuing anything else.

Chapter 5: Our talks part 2

Notes:

Crossover fics are being updated sooner due to be deciding not to upload on merge until the next five chapters are done.

Also, I'm sorry for essentially forgetting about Codsworth, it's very difficult to use him. The main thing about this fic is family and sadly, he has become essentially a background element that takes the stroy where it needs to go. I'll try to get better at including him, especially since he is the main thing about this fic.

Codsworth and J were currently in the library, dusting off bookshelf and cleaning any other furniture that rested there. J respected Codsworth greatly, she and him both cared for their jobs but Codsworth was much more...relaxed. It was the closest word she could describe when Codsworth was on the job, she understood why though. He was fairly new to the service of the Elliotts, so he didn't worry much but even then, other drones worried on their first due to how strict and...how scary they were. But Codsworth, didn't have to the privilege to worry due to how he acts and see himself. He sees himself as simply a piece of equipment, despite how much Tessa tries to get rid of that notion. It honestly disturbed her, how could anyone see themselves as nothing more than....oh. J face-palmed herself, how hypocritical was she. 

She sat at a nearby chair to contemplate her realization, she is effectively what Codsworth is, someone who sees themselves as nothing more than a servant...one who gladly accepts the position despite circumstances and events. Sure, she hates how Elliotts treat Tessa, but still, she serves them like nothing ever happened. 

"Hello J, you doing alright over there?", Codsworth asked?

"I'm...fine I suppose, just had a thought", she replied.

"Well hopefully you got it figured out cause we got plenty of shelves left and then afterwards we still got to see Tessa for...something, she didn't specify", Codsworth said.

Oh right, J kinda forgot Tessa wanted them to talk. Well, the sooner they finish, the sooner they can get a break. J got up from the chair and got back to work, dusting off shelves alongside Codsworth. It was difficult to tell what expression Codsworth had, since he didn't have a proper face, the only to really tell what he was feeling was his voice and the way his eyes moved. But other than that, it was nothing. She stopped her train of thought and went back to cleaning, she and Codsworth were almost done.

After about five minutes, they finally finished cleaning and began to make their way upstairs to meet Tessa for something important...apparently. J did wish that Tessa tell them stuff more fitness cause these unexpected surprises are kinda annoying, even if they do allow them to have a break from work. They reached and entered Tessa's room, whatever she wanted, they were gonna try their best to achieve it.

"Good, you two made it", Tessa said.

"So boss, what do you us two for anyway?", J asked.

"It involves...my parents, more specifically...how to bond with them", Tessa nervously replied. Tessa knew she was walking a dangerous line with including Codsworth into this but he might be able to provide insight given what he is.

J looked briefly panicked, ready to speak, but her outburst was quickly shut down as Codsworth began speaking. 

"Tessa, you all are family, I'm sure there is something you all can easily bond about. I heard about you and father going to the garden recently and that went fine from what I heard. Why not do something similar?", Codsworth said.

"Truth be told....are family relationship isn't so...sunshine and rainbows", Tessa nervously replied.

"Well, that obvious", Codsworth said.

"Huh?", J and Tessa replied, both in confusion and shock at the comment.

"As a family oriented robot, I not only advocate for family but can also very clearly tell when one is definitely falling apart, such as yours. Also doesn't help that your bed has a chain on time and the fact your left wrist has lots of red marks as well. Clearly, something was obviously wrong and....I feel like I need to help your family become you all could be proud of", he said.

"I didn't think this out at all, did I?", Tessa said, face-palming in disappointment.

"Well to be fair, it would've been found out eventually", J replied.

"But like I said earlier, try to do something similar with your parents, fine something you like and try to have your parents involved", Codsworth said.

"I'll try to think of something", Tessa replied.

---

Two hours have passed since that conversation and Tessa finally had a idea in her head. It was always something she did alone but maybe she could convince her parents to try it with her. They don't even have to do anything, they could just watch and observe to see how she did it. Maybe, just maybe...it could even change their perspective on things as well. Tessa exited her room and enter the living room downstairs, seeing her father and mother talking to each other. It was actually nice to see them kinda care for each other...even if it's fake in some form. But maybe...it could be genuine once again.

"Hello mother and father", she said, gaining the two's attention.

"Ah, Tessa, how's...I don't even know anymore. Are you...alright I guess?", James nervously asked.

"Hello...dear", Louisa said.

"Is everything all right?", Tessa asked.

"I...we frankly don't know yet, but I'm sure everything will be okay", James replied.

"Hopefully", Louisa said.

"Anyways, why are you here Tessa?", James asked.

"Well, I was wondering if you two would like to do...something with me, if that's okay and all", Tessa nervously said.

James and Louisa were surprised by Tessa wanting them to join her with...something. They were nervous, sure James bonded with Tessa briefly but Louisa hadn't at all. She didn't know if she deserved to, given what she did to her. But ultimately...they agreed to do whatever Tessa wanted them to do together. And besides...Codsworth still needs to believe that they're a happy family.

"Oh and by the way, it turns out that Codsworth figured out we were pretending to get along, so you know, no point in fooling him anymore", Tessa nervously said.

"Oh...that's...good I suppose?", James replied. 

"Well, at least that was over quick", Louisa said.

"Well anyways,what is this activity that you would like us to do with you?", James asked.

---

The should've expected this already, given what their daughter has been doing for a while, but still it was surprise to them all the same. On Tessa's bed was the body of a drone, one the just gathered from the swamp pile outside. Tessa has already pulled out all of her equipment she needed, ready to began her work on repairing the drone...or at least try her best cause this one seems to suffer from some major issues, mainly in its limbs. They all were slack and didn't stay in place easily.

"So...what do you exactly what your mother and I to do?", James asked.

"Honestly...I was kinda just hoping you would just stay and watch. You two probably don't want to work on yhis anyway", Tessa replied. She was already beginning to open up the drone's main body, looking to see what was damaged.

"Well...considering we don't have anything to do and the fact we should spend more time together, I might as well stay", Louisa said, sitting on nearby chair.

"You can leave whenever you wish, this one might take forever given the extent of the damage. She's almost completely unrepairable on the inside but thankfully it can be easily replaced", Tessa replied.

James joined his wife on another chair and they quietly observed their daughter do her magic. They knew their daughter was talented, especially when she first brought in J and repaired her. But to see the process in action, it was like a work of art. How she could easily tell the problems and immediately tried her best to fix them. Her knowing all the technical terms, it really showed just smart she truly was...and how much the squandered it. 

A hour has passed and Tessa was getting visibly more annoyed with the damage on Cyn (She finally noticed the arm band on it) and was getting frustrated. Eventually she stopped and took a breather. 

"You okay dear?", James asked.

"I'm fine, just annoyed you know", Tessa replied, wiping sweat from her forehead.

"This usually isn't that difficult but, all the parts and the ruined limbs made it much harder than usual.The limbs need internal repairs but then I could accidentally break them, so they just might have to have to stay like that permanently. I would replace them but intact drones are hard to fine in the swamp pile", she continued. Tess got back to repairs and continued her work, hoping to successfully have a new member to the family she has built over the years.

Another hour has passed and it was going much smoother, the remaining touches were just simply checking if everything was cracked or missing a piece, but thankfully it was fine and so Tessa began the process to reactivate Cyn. This was the easiest process of any repair, simple connect a wire from her computer to a port on the back of the drone's head and click "activate". 

And within second, a pair of yellow, glowing eyes appeared on Cyn's visor...she was finally ready.

 

 

Notes:

Cyn is now finally introduced into the story.
This wasn't supposed to a sequel chapter but I couldn't think of a better title.

Chapter 6: Family

She was odd to say the least. James was observing their latest addition to the manor in the library, the one named Cyn, another rescue from the trashheap graveyard outside. She was certainly...unique to say the least, her monotone voice, her eye color, her hunchback posture, it was definitely a interesting blend of features. She had decided to nominate N as her big brother, strange but cute. As much as he used to treat drones as lesser beings, with everything that had unfolded, it was about time to at least try to be better. Especially knowing he wasn't going to get rid of them for a while. So with that, he decided to interact with Cyn and hops it goes well.

"Hello Cyn", he said, gaining the maid's attention. It was always kinda creepy when she just suddenly swiveled her head. Unlike other drones who moved more organically, Cyn moved more like a actual robot. Such as spinning her head separately from her body, like a owl. He still remembers the first time it happened, oh the joy of walking around in the dark for something to drink and seeing yellow in the dark. He didn't get much sleep afterwards. 

"Hello. Curious Tone. Why are you here?", she replied. Oh right, he forgot she voiced a lot of her actions and thoughts. Just another weird quirk of hers as well...eh, could've been worse in all honesty.

"Just wanted to see how one of my...drones are doing is all, especially since you're new", he nervously said. Maybe he should just go, he's better at pretending to be talkative to other rich people.

"I'm doing good James. Just...looking around the library. N likes the animal books. I don't mind them, but I much more prefer...anatomy", okay that set of some major concerns but he didn't want to deliver deep into it.

"Well then, hope you find what you're looking for but do remember, you have a job", he said. He didn't want to continue his interactions with this one.

"I know, master James. I'll be back to work in...30 seconds", she replied.

"Good, well then, I must be off", he said. He speed walked as fast as he could, passing their drones nearby who seemed mildly concerned as to why their boss seemed to be in a sort of scared rush. But they kept their mouths shut, sure he was treating them better but he still held power and didn't want to try their luck. James noticed how hesitant the manor drones were still, understandable, given the horrors he and his wife had committed to them. But no matter, it was time to talk to Tessa about something very, very important.

---

"Tessa, I want to talk to you about something very important, please meet me downstairs with Lousia".

Tessa looked to her room's door. What could it be this time? She dusted herself off and she got the computer, there would be more time to analyze secret files later. She opedn her door and descend down the stairs, to see her father and mother on the couch. Tessa greeted them lightly before sitting on the couch opposite to them.

"Tessa, me and Louisa have been...talking about something regarding each other. We...we're thinking of getting a...d-divorce", James nervously said.

Tessa was surprised, sure, her parents weren't exactly in love with each other like they used to but they have been together for years after that. Why stop now?

"But why?", she asked.

"Honestly, it was bond to happen, sadly it happened when we all were trying to be better people", he replied, slightly chuckling.

"We think it's best for us to be away for a while, could be a few days or even years. All we know is that we don't have what we used to be anymore", Louisa said.

"But, we finally were beginning to vond after so long, why now?", Tessa asked, no pleaded.

"I would apologize to you but...we weren't exactly the best to you and besides, you...probably be happier without us anyway", he replied.

Tessa wanted to speak up but he was right, most of her issues came form how she was raised, having no one like them around would allow her to finally have peace of some sorts.

"Look, as I said, we're still thinking about it and there's a possibility it doesn't happen but if it does, we do have a plan for you to help you. You're practically a adult and you got plenty of staff to help you. All you really need is financial support and we got plenty, especially if we decide to remove the corpse spires outside", James said.

"Tessa, even though we're probably and honestly the worst parents ever. I want to say this, I love you and I'm sorry weren't better", Louisa said, hugging Tessa, to which James joined in.

Tessa wanted to yell at them, to do something but she couldn't, as she felt was sadness, and so she cried into their arms.

---

Cyn observed from afar, watching the scene unfold in front of her. Something nagged her to do something...violent but it seemed to change almost instantly to just...nothing, no sign of violence being felt. She knew what it was, the Absolute Solver, she made that deal for her newly found life in exchange for something, something she wasn't aware of. But she could tell when James interacted wit her earlier, it wanted to kill him, to maim him across the wall and continue for worlds to come, so why did it seme to change its mind now?

Cyn stopped questioning it and simply went to were J was, she was the closest to Tessa, it was fair she would know first. But she accidentally bumped into someone else, the floating orb with a tophat and mustache, Codsworth. Cyn gained a lot of knowledge when she was awoken from the grave, so she knew what Mr Handys were and how the were used as the template for the later Worker Drone models after their company was gained by Jcjenson. It was so interesting to see what was essentially her predecessor, like a grandpa of sorts...or a uncle if she decided it sound better.

"Ah, hello Cyn, how are you doing this fine day?", he asked, tipping his hat.

"Doing...fine", she replied. She lifted her head back up and into position.

"I have something important to share with J, you may join my conversation with her if you please", she said.

Cyn then continued her walk towards J, which if she remembered correctly, was in the kitchen. And just as she hoped for, she was there, talking with V about something. 

"J, i have something important to share with you", Cyn said, gaining J and V's attention.

"Ugh, what is it Cyn?", J reluctantly asked.

"There's a possibility Tessa's parents might divorce and Tessa will gain full control of the manor if that happens", she replied.

J and V went silent, that was...something to just randomly hear about. J and V just stared uncomfortably, a mix between sadness, happiness and...concern.

"I guess this was always a possibility to happen, Master James and Louisa have always had a...complicated relationship over the years", J said.

"I both hope it doesn't happen but sort of does", V nervously said.

"As much as I despise them sometimes, it's very clear with what I learn over my course here that they want to change, but still, their divorce can cause our lives to be much better but the damage it could do to Tessa is very large and potential dangerous", she replied.

"So what do we do?", V asked.

"Honestly, just see what happens and hope for the best. Ever since they wre forced to act as a family, I noticed that they actually trid to get back into stuff they apparently used to do when the were younger. James and his garden and Louisa with her cooking. Tessa is also doing...something as well, something potentially very dangerous and I hope she stops before it grows worse", J replied. 

"As J has explained, we should wait and see the outcomes of this. Interference on the most extreme of outcomes", Cyn said.

J and V nodded, whatever the future of the Elliotts has palned for them, they all will face it together, as one.

Notes:

No, I'm no going through something, I want to make that very clear as honestly, this fic is kinda depressing. Also for a crossover fic there's barely any crossover, I'm so sorry, I promise I'll include codsworth more, it just kinda hard to have him be important when most of the plot doesn't need him.